Humble, practical and result oriented

books:


	• Getting in Shape: 32 Workout Programs for Lifelong Fitness Bob Anderson, Bill Pearl, ... Shelter Publications, 2002 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Humble, practical and result oriented

In 1996 after I went to US from India, within a year, I was overweight and then the fitness blues started. I went thru several cycles of extreme exercising, dieting, pain and give-up. During the same time I wanted to find a no-nonsense fitness literature. One of the criterias of my search was to avoid the books boasting photographs of ideal bodies. When I saw this book, I trusted my instinct and bought it. For four months I followed the programs (from this book) from "program before program" to "basic program 2" and reduced several kilos. During this time, I did not clearly follow very important advise from the book about increasing the training progressively. I had to give up because I was doing too much after getting encouraged by initial results.

It is 2006 now. Almost 10 years are over and the book itself stayed with me all these years. At the back of my mind a dream stayed to complete first 5 basic programs from this book. The authors claim that after completing the fifth basic program, a person will be physically fit as per the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines for an healthy adult.

From Feb-2005, I started following programs from this book again (from the beginning). I was then 82 kilos. I had promised myself to write an amazon review of the book after losing 10 kilos. Now after one year I have lost 12 kilos. In November, after completing "the basic program 5" and after getting in good shape I took up serious running as a sport/hobby. Recently from Amazon, I bought a copy of this book as a gift to a friend.

If followed methodically by listening to all the advise by the authors, this literature has capacity to build a foundation for serious athletic capability in a person. The programs are designed with purpose of letting you focus on performance (training) without letting you worry about what next. Every exercise is explained in easy to understand words with crisp clear illustrations. The illustrations and explanations are precise and it is strongly advisable to follow them correctly for best results.

As I started losing kilo after kilo, I developed interest in nutrition, general fitness and subsequently invested into other related resources. Everything is paying off now. I have told myself to continue the training as I have realized that fitness is always a journey and not a destination.

From last November, I started preparing for marathon and have already run couple of road races with lesser distances. These days, I feel euphoric when I hit the road or when I go to the gym and follow the last set of programs named 'fine tuning' from this book. While following the book, I have also developed great respect for the authors.

In my opinion, the front page (cover) of the last edition was better than the latest edition. The front page of the last edition has coloured illustrations by Jean Anderson who also made the illustrations for the entire book.

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A Good Start!

Whether you are a couch potato or ex-jock, Getting in Shape presents a straightfoward, descriptive, illustrated guide to fighting the battle of the bulge.

Filled with nearly three dozen workouts, the authors competently provide a considerable amount of information in a concise, 200+ page format. Drawings help take the guesswork out of how to stretch and lift weights properly. Health related topics including diet, exercise and anatomy are easy to read and informative.

My only real knock against the book is that its binding is the standard paperback type. I'd prefer a spiral-bound book that can be layed open without weighing down the ends. I have found it helpful to open the book to the particular workout I'm doing to help me keep track of the stretches and exercises. Granted, this is a minor gripe, but I'd buy another copy of it if they had a better binding.

I would encourage anyone who is looking to improve her/his health to give Getting in Shape a look! Best wishes for a long and healthy future! Don't give up!

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Great information for beginners!

If you are a beginner or someone returning to fitness after a long absence, this is a great book that really does a good job of emphasizing the importance of doing anything other than sit around. If you are someone who is familiar with working out or who is already fairly healthy this may provide you with some few hints, but I would stick with Getting Stronger for the strength training and Stretching for flexibility. I'm a half-way in shape 35 year old that exercises somewhat regularly and this book was just a little too rudimentary for me. I was looking for more involvement with the Lifelong Fitness portion of the title, but found it to be more towards getting people started.

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reviews: page 1, 2

Now the book GETTING IN SHAPE is available in an attractive plastic spiral binding for easy use.

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