Heavyhands: The Ultimate Exercise System

Can't remember how long I have had it but I have abided by its principle. Started with half a brick, moved up through weighted gloves, granite bricks, and finally real heavy hands. I advise against shadow boxing or running with anything above three pounds. You cannot go wrong. Get a heart rate monitor. It takes no space and household items can be used. But I do regularly Walk with 12 lbs. Bragging here but according to deadlift calculators I am in the top 12% for my age [70] and weight. Half measures avail us nothing. Go for it and never quit.

I think that it's worth noting that Dr Len Schwartz passed away this May at the age of 84. To call him a 'pioneer' in the field of exercise would be an understatement. In 1982 when everyone else was talking about sets and reps and splits and body parts, Dr Schwartz was talking about METs and Max VO2 and full body, functional strength. All of us who do Heavy Hands or some hybrid, or swing a kettlebell or a clubbell owe him a tremendous debt - the man who researched, documented, defined and practiced cardio-strength. I still refer to this book often and evaluate most exercise protocols against his.

Dr. Leonard Schwartz documents in rich detail, the secrets to HeavyHands "ing" your way to ultimate fitness. I have used his HeavyHands books extensively for over 14 years to guide me from a state of obesity with at least 5 life-threatening overweight-related diseases to prime fitness. (This level of fitness is attested to by the fact that I currently compete successfully in U.S.A. Track and Field Masters Championship events nationwide.) (My former obesity is also well documented, but i have continued to maintain top physical condition while using HH`) While I have read Len Schwartz's HeavyHands books cover-to-cover several times I still refer to them frequently for feedback as I practice one of the many HH drills described in the books. I have developed a spread-sheet from the information and well-researched data described in "Heavyhands: The Ultimate Exercise System". I use the spread-sheet to determine, the calories burned in a workout session immediately following the workout. The text data in his books take into account the important contributors to an exercise workload and leads to the way to interpret these workloads into calories-burned. His formulae, based on laboratory research results, show that one can develop a means to more than triple the "calorie burn" for a given type of exercise by employing these HeavyHand barbells along with walking, running, dancing, etc.. After conditioning with HH for a period a of year or even less, one can build-up to burn unbelievable calorie totals (e.g., 2000 per hour is not unusual). These books are invaluable references to anybody who is willing and wants to master the ultimate aerobic fitness whether it be for fitness-health or to become a champion competitor in your favorite sport. The book specializes in illustration and discussion of the benefits of combining major muscle group workouts while using HeavyHands. Dr. Schwartz's research has revealed combinations like these can result in these huge calorie-burns, while the perceived workload is not so intense. I owe Dr. Schwartz and HeavyHands a huge debt of gratitude. Iconsider these books among my most valued processions. Bob Carlsbad, CA

because Heavy Hands is an excellent, effective exercise system that is not reliant on apparatus. With just a pair or two of dumbells you are good to go. This makes Heavy Hands especially suited to those who travel or who have limited storage space. I wish that there were video tapes available because the only criticism I have is that the diagrams in the book aren't always the easiest thing to understand. That criticism isn't limited to just this book, though, conveying how to do a motion through still pictures is always difficult.

The great thing about the exercise system described in this book is that there are no hard or fast rules to follow. You set the pace you want to work at, pick the music you want to listen to, decide where and when you want to work out. If you feel like jogging, you cary the hand weights and instantly improve the quality of your daily run. If dancing is more your speed, adding the arm movements increases the intensity, and, I feel, the enjoyment of the session. If you have been intirgued by the new "cardio-boxing" craze or Tae-Bo, you might want to try the boxing workouts in Heavyhands first. It may give you all the sparring and punching you could ever ask for. In short, this is a workout you won't grow tired of because you can always alter it or add a new element. You are limited only by your imagination!

Truly, this book offers you the intelligent man's system of physical exercise. Allocating work to four limbs, instead of two, you get to do more exercise, spend more calories and burn more fat with lesser perception of effort ! You get to fine-tune the impact on the heart too. The benefits of an exercise are specific to the muscles you use and the way you use them. (Walking doesn't make you fit for digging the garden.) By using more muscles in more ways, Heavyhands is more likely to grant you all-round fitness. Our body has a lot of muscles other than those of our four limbs. These muscles are rarely execised adequately and, therefore, are weak, vulnerable to injury and prevent a feeling of all-round fitness. There is a nagging awareness that you are not as fit as you pretend to be. When these normally underworked muscles of our body are given an opportunity to work, they develop real fast ! ... all the way from weak to fit. The author shows you how a greater mass of your muscles can be exercised. You do not need to spend more time for Heavyhands than what a normal person should be spending for his daily exercise. You can just improve the quality of your thirty minute exercise sessions. There seems to be some academic discussion on whether Heavyhands can replace other trainng methods. Professionals may choose Heavyhands as an 'extra' if they care. For laymen, however, Heavyhands can be the single package of training for all round fitness. Personally, I have no objection to Heavyhands on odd days and weight trainng on even days ! Many people are satisfied with plain walking. That is better than not walking, of course! However, a normal person does not get enough benefit for his heart with the kind of low pulse rates that he manages with walking. The heart benefits when you work with the heart rate that is right for your age. Again, this book is a great help in this area. If one video is worth a thousand pictures, a CD or video version of this book should be so much more helpful in explaining new movements. (Is Dr. Schwartz listening?) It is not all that difficult to learn the movements that the author is describing with his illustrations. A video clip can just make things that much more simpler. There should be some kind of law that such helpful books should never go out of print.