Weight Training for Dummies

I think that a lot of people reviewing this book forget that it is intended primarily for beginners, and not the experts. Therefore criticising it for "simplicity" is a bit like criticising Shakespeare for being "complicated". I have been a gym member at various times over the past 20 years, but I don't seem to have ever learned the real basics, so the straightforward advice in this book is really exactly what I need. There is a LOT of information - anatomy, equipment, do's and dont's, exercises .. I used it to set up my home workout with dumbbells and it was invaluable for helping me to do that safely. It was also a good source of reference, in that the authors suggest other books and websites that are helpful in moving on with using weights, and that is, I feel, a very unselfish attitude on their part. I liked very much that all of the exercises are very fully explained, together with easier versions and harder versions, so that it's possible to build on a workout and make it better and harder as one grows in strength and ability. If you are an expert weight lifter, and don't need advice, then don't buy this book! But if you are struggling to know which exercise works shoulders, which one works abs, which one works glutes or hamstrings, then it's a great investment.

I have had this book for six weeks now and I love it! I'm 43 years old, hadn't exercised in three years because of going to school at night and needed to get back in shape. I also have a herniated disk in my lower back, and I was amazed at how this book addressed lower back problems so well! It is the perfect book for anyone who is new to weight training and I imagine that it would be helpful even to more experienced lifters because of the scope of information it provides. It stresses a very "common sense" and cautious approach to weight training and dispels several myths that even I had believed. I can't think of a single topic about weight lifting that it doesn't cover and the exercise explanations and photos are excellent! Every exercise is explained thoroughly and has at least one modified version to help if a particular exercise is too easy or too difficult. I don't think anyone could go wrong with this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This book explains the basics of weight training in enough depth to be useful, without assuming that everyone who starts lifting weights wants to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The book goes into good detail about an assortment of excercises for different parts of the body, as well as things to watch out for with each excersize, and has a good chapter on designing your own program. The pictures are of real people, not bulked up steroid cases, and the writing style is fun to read.

I found Weight Training for Dummies to be an excellent book to get an overview. It answered most of my questions in getting started with a strength training program. I have also found that I go back to it frequently to review the exercises for form and technique. I also appreciated the cautions it provides about low back pain for some exercises and alternatives. I would highly recommend it for anyone beginning a program or for someone who may have begun a program before having taken the time to review the "basics."