New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle Reviews

• Notes from a newbie

  
  By A6VYTKD83YQYC on 2007-01-27
  I'm a fifty year-old guy who's long been more into cardio workouts than weights. Sure, I might do a half-hearted circuit on Nautilus machines after jumping off a treadmill, but like many folks, I thought cardio workouts were tantamount to "real" exercise. Then I happened upon this book. It struck a chord with me, and I decided that free-weight training was in my future. I read about the proper way to perform a squat, the "King of All Exercises." I then asked a couple of guys at the gym--who looked to know what they were doing--how to do a squat. They both advised me to start out with an empty Olympic bar until I truly learned the correct form.
  
  Sounded like reasonable advice. So one day, I bravely picked up an empty Olympic bar and embarked on the first exercise of Schuler and Cosgrove's "Break-in" program: the squat. "Fifteen reps with 45 pounds," I told myself, "I can do this." However, I stopped at twelve reps. I stopped at twelve reps because I really wanted to avoid forever being tagged as the guy who collapsed in the power cage with forty-five measly pounds atop his shoulders. I forgot all about the prescribed one-minute resting period between sets, and simply waited for my legs to quit shaking. This took significantly longer than one minute. A profound realization overtook me: I was a wimp--a six-four, two hundred and forty pound wimp. At that moment, I decided that I'd spent decades of my life ignorant of what constituted "real" exercise.
  
  The upper-body exercises went better. The real challenge, at that point, was walking from station to station. If the gym had offered me a wheelchair to move between exercises, I would have humbly taken them up on it.
  
  The next morning, I felt sore, although I told myself that it wasn't so bad. Then came the second morning. I got out of bed, and for a moment, I considered asking my wife to call 9-1-1. My upper legs felt as if someone had taken a meat tenderizer to them. For about the next week, my lower body reminded me that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.
  
  It took me two weeks to gather the courage to embark upon the Break-in program again. (I felt torn between that and self-flagellation.) The second time around, things began on a little better note. I still couldn't get through a full two sets, but I was no longer moving between stations at tortoise speed.
  
  I'm now finishing the four-week Break-in program. I'm still not using much weight for the squats, but I've graduated from the empty bar, and I'm completing all of the reps. Instead of staggering out of the gym trying not to vomit, I'm doing Cosgroves's "Afterburn" program on cardio machines to top off my workout. I'm glad I've stuck with it, especially when I run up hills and notice that my heart rate is lower than before I began the program. It never occurred to me that free-weight training would benefit my cardio activities.
  
  Of course, as a newbie to free-weight training, I can't offer a valid comparison between the NROL programs and others. However, I like the idea that the Break-in program uses higher reps with lower weights. I think the chance of connective tissue injury is lessened compared to the "standard" three sets of eight to twelve reps, and I think it's a much safer way to learn what's involved in working your muscles to exhaustion.
  
  My lack of experience notwithstanding, I think this is a great book for those who want to break into free-weight training, with a caveat or two. Looking back, I wish I'd started my program with a couple of weeks of body weight exercises. I had a nagging feeling that I was running before I could walk when I began the program, a feeling confirmed by an article I later found on Alwyn Cosgrove's website. He wrote, " . . . the only reason to ever use external load (i.e. weights) is because your bodyweight is not enough resistance. Yet most guys are making exercises harder by adding external load, when they aren't capable of handling their bodyweight in the same exercise. I'm constantly amazed by how many people I meet who can bench press whatever pounds of weight, but are unable to perform 10 correct push ups (typically due to a lack of core strength and synergistic muscle stability). As far as I'm concerned - unless you can do an easy twenty push ups, you have no business getting under a bar for bench pressing. In my training facility everyone begins with bodyweight exercises. You have to earn the right to lift weights in my facility." In another article, Cosgrove states that a lifter shouldn't consider doing squats with a barbell until he or she can do a set of single-leg squats with body weight. If I'd discovered that advice in time, it might have saved me from a week of moving around like a hobbled, worn-out old gelding.
  
  Also, rank beginners such as I might consider using the services of a personal trainer when learning the squat and deadlift, or at least ask the advice of an experienced lifter. Although I'm new to this free-weight game, I'm convinced that the squat and deadlift are safe for most folks IF correct form is used. That's a big "if," however. In my case, I found the deadlift to be counterintuitive, and I had to use a mental checklist of sorts to avoid slipping into bad form.
  
  So, I heartily recommend this book, given those qualifications. Schuler has a relaxed writing style I found effective and enjoyable, and Alwyn Cosgrove appears to be one of the most qualified and respected trainers out there. I've lost 11 pounds in the last month, with only minor changes in diet. That's quite heartening: at fifty, I've found cardio workouts are no longer the magic bullet for weight loss that they were in younger years.
  
  And, that's only with the Break-in program. Next up is Cosgrove's Fat Loss program. Let me at `em!
  
  

• Just Another Trendy Fitness Book

  
  By A3S27CKQJDFBUJ on 2006-11-15
  I was curious to read what all the fuss was about after reading so many sterling reviews here, but I found this book to be just another mish-mash of current trendy ideas in the fitness world. Most of this information has been around for 50-100 years, before steroid bloated "bodybuilders" and the comic magazines that eulogize them destroyed any resemblance to common sense and reality about working out with weights. The beginner may get a few good bits of information and will probably make some muscle gains - as most beginners do on just about ANY program, but the experienced lifter he or she will soon be looking elsewhere for routines that will give results.
  
  Schuler states in the book that the reader should not necessarily look at a trainer's body or state of fitness to judge if what he is teaching is valid or if he has real knowledge of how to train and therefore how to train others - and when I looked at the photos of him and Cosgrove I could see why he made this disclaimer. They may be fit (depending on your interpretation of "fit") but they are not much to look at. Personally I do think that if someone talks the talk he should be able to walk the walk.
  
  Schuler acts like he and Cosgrove - I guess due to their brilliance and number of trainers certificates - just discovered that multi-joint compound movements are the best even though this has been known since the early 1900's. Schuler also relates how he tried the squat once and then didn't perform the movement again for 12 years and yet he was a writer for "Men's Fitness"? Sorry, but any weightlifting/fitness instructor should know that the squat and deadlift, military press, chins and dips (and to a much lesser extent the bench press) are the cornerstones of any good routine! When I first started lifting 30 years ago I went to the library and found a beginners book that taught me to Squat, Deadlift, and Press - and the book was written in the 60's! In fact that book would be more useful for any aspiring weight-trainee that this one.
  
  As for the various programs in the book, good luck to anyone who attempts to follow them for the 52 week period outlined. Most of them will quickly lead to over-training for the majority of trainees not using steroids. I got the impression that the routines are formulated based on a conglomeration of various training techniques as espoused by West Side, Russian "Secrets", latest "weight-loss" fads, etc. Hey, this looks good let's throw it in! Also, there is one major flaw in these programs - the amount of weight one should be lifting for the stated number of reps has been conveniently omitted. Prescribing 6 sets of 3,2,1,3,2,1 reps is fine but is this with the same weight for each set or should the weight be increased? Oops!
  
  I think the reason you are seeing 5-star ratings for this book is because so many cookie-cutter certified trainers who work at a fern and juice-bar spa, have trained with weights for 6 months or so, and now are "experts" and "qualified" to train others, have very little concept of how to effectively train with weights, so they read a book like this and it provides them with information they have not been exposed to before, whereas anyone who has taken the time to do real research into weight training methodology or has been fortunate enough to join a real weight lifting gym rather than a fern and juice-bar spa, will already know that full-body programs based around the multi-joint, compound movements are the way to go.
  
  Any serious weight-trainee would be much better served reading books by Bill Starr (mentioned in this book), Stuart McRobert, Perry Rader, and some of the old-timers who developed tremendous physiques and strength without "scientific knowledge" so highly thought of today.
  
  After a year or so The New Rules of Lifting will become the "Out-Dated" Rules of Lifting as writers like Schuler/Cosgrove will contradict almost everything in the book with the latest, greatest "trends" of fitness. Why? Well, in order to sell more books of course!
  
  

• Great Book - research-backed resource

  
  By A6RQSOQU60XIH on 2006-01-05
  This is a phenomenal book for anyone, from the personal trainer down to the weekend-warrior. As a physical therapist and certifeid strength & conditioning specialist, I appreciated all of the research references. Lou and Alwyn have done their homework to make this program. I'm looking forward to using their workouts and I'll report back in the future (for those that may find it helpful). Although, there are "only" 6 basic moves, there are many variations of the moves, so don't think for a minute that the routines will be boring.
  BTW, this ties in real nicely with the works of Gray Cook, who has developed a Functional Movement screen around the 7 main movements of the body. Funny, how these tie in together. Its about time that someone has made this program simple for the masses. Lou, Alwyn, Mark Verstegen, Gray Cook, and Mike Boyle have got IT. Nice job to the authors!!!
  
  

• Great Science, but Too Wordy

  
  By A1ELGNU7KK9UQT on 2007-03-19
  First of all, I'm a woman, and this book is clearly not geared towards women. I've been lifting for 15 years, on and off. I take it very seriously and I really enjoy the sport. I was previously using "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women" by James Villepigue and Hugo Rivera. It's a very good book for beginner/intermediate lifters. It's concisely written, the authors take fitness seriously and explain the proper form and execution of all the exercises they introduce in the book. The workouts offer a fantastic starting point for lifters, but after 3 months, you're going to have to start developing your own to keep making progress. (A side note: "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women" is almost word for word identical to "The Body Sculpting Bible for Men." The same is true for the "Abs" books written by these authors, which makes me think that the books are ultimately more about making money than promoting the science of lifting. If you were left confused by the explanations or lack thereof in New Rules, try the Body Sculpting Bible.
  
  The New Rules of Lifting is based on some very cutting edge research in muscle cell recovery. Turns out, you make the most gains for the time you invest if you work to exhaustion and give your muscle cells several days to recover! I was hugely sceptical of this idea as essentially a life long lifter. I was born and raised on the 3 lifting days with cardio days in between for a total of six days a week with one day off. No more. Two intense lifting days a week, well separated with each other. I do aerobic fitness training between lifting days using an ironman heartrate monitor, specifically to widen my range of aerobic fat-burning capacity. This is a very different goal than endurance training, which New Rules says can conflict with a serious weight training program.
  
  Here is what I am most impressed with. New Rules sites many, many scientific studies to back up the advice given and it has a bibliography at the back of the book that can allow you to find and read those scientific studies for yourself.
  
  Here is what I am least impressed with. This book could be half as long if the author would just cut out the "witty banter" which is sometimes amusing, and sometimes offensive. I understand that the book is geared towards men, and crude language in and of itself isn't my problem. I bought the book for the science and the technical advice. All the anecdotes and humorous asides just get in my way. That said, if you have the patience to wade through the unimportant jabber, the program itself is challenging and highly effective. If you are not a highly self-motivated person who is willing to work to physical exhaustion and be very soar afterwards, this may not be the book for you.
  
  

• Excellent approach to fitness, strength and health

  
  By A2EQUXI0QJ8LUS on 2006-01-06
  The writing is very conversational and the information will probably surprise a lot of people that have been "lifting" for many years. But "New Rules" is an excellent book on what people really know about building complete, strong, functional bodies.
  
  You'll find a lot of commonality, and some differences in approaches, with the methods in books like "Outside Fitness", "Core Performance", and "Muscle Logic". All of these are excellent as well and fundamentally get down to similar ideas of building strength and stability.
  
  Like other reviewers I loved the routines and thinking behind them in New Rules. Outside Fitness uses a similar approach as do some other books but New Rules takes a different approach and the writing style if great. I am looking forward to many months of fun applying the routines and enjoying this book again and again.
  
  
  
  
• Good Information that Could Help You Reach Your Goals
  By ADVLRJS633OTD on 2006-08-15
  First let me say why I took off two stars from an otherwise 5 star book.
  
  1. The book was obviously written to men and totally excluded the fact that women might be interested and might read it. Let the record show that at least one woman did buy it and read it. Me. It used the term "guys" and "men" and never talked to or about women. Not a good idea.
  
  2. Some of the exercises and workouts were, as one reviewer already said, very hard to follow. I couldn't quite get a handle on it myself.
  
  3. A few (not many) of the exercises are hard on people with very bad knees. In fact, they could blow their knees. Granted, the book offered one or two alternatives. But even those could be a problem. More effort should have been put into addressing this issue. Of course, a person with limitations should know to limit his moves. But an instruction book "should" offer this advice.
  
  With all that out of the way I can say that I did like the book. I liked it for several reasons. For one it addressed the fact that aerobics is not as great as we've been led to believe. Indeed, it's not really necessary. I knew that but I always to see it reinforced.
  
  It addressed some untruths that people have long believed and blew holes in them. That's always a good thing.
  
  I also like the method it teaches because it can be used in real life. It builds muscle and strength that most any man and WOMAN will use daily and in ways it will be used.
  
  For example, while a big bicep looks so cool, what good is it? Ok, if you're a guy it might make a gal gush if she's young and silly. Hell, it might make an old gal gush. Or even another guy. But I digress.
  
  The fact is, we use the big muscles in our daily lives. Or combinations of muscles. So the compound exercises are the ones we really need.
  
  I'm not sure I can follow the program or that I even want to. But I will adhere to the basic ideas. In other words I will devote more of my workouts to compound work and supersets.
  
  There are all sorts of routines. I don't think there is one that is right for everyone. The book does outline routines for those wanting to lose fat, build muscle, get more strength, etc. So it pretty well covers all bases.
  
  I think the book is good for beginners or those who have been lifting for a long time. And I also think it's good for women if they don't mind not being mentioned. In the 21st century this seems unacceptable. That's especially true now that more women are turning to weights. And I mean iron --- not plastic.
  
  One thing I do like about the book is that it has photos and descriptions of most all of the exercises and alternatives. Of course, these are quickly found on the net or in most any muscle building book. But this is a good feature of the book. I wish it was spiral bound so it could be laid out.
  
  I know my review is more rough on the book than the other reviews thus far. But I tend to take my reading seriously and, as a writer, I look for things the author brings to the reader that can be of value and what he or she leaves out or fails to address properly. That doesn't mean the book is not worthwhile at all.
  
  I also think that books and articles about one's health and body should be carefully written as it's consequences can be great.
  
  I also think that women tend to take a harsh view at a book that fails to address the fact that they read too and, in the case of this book, that women lift weights.
  
  But I do recommend this book. Whether you adhere to the routines or not, you will come away with some valuable information and useful techniques.
  
  
• Same old problem.
  By A4OPC45EY635X on 2006-06-24
  Once again, I like the workout ideas in this book, but the routines won't work in a commercial gym. When I try superset or circuit routines like those in this book, I always have the problem with other gym members occupying the next machine or free weight area I'm about to go to next in the routine. These types of routines (circuits, supersets) are useful for home training but not at a busy gym.
  
  
• Required reading!
  By A1ZX82PCNX6JEG on 2005-12-30
  Having been in this industry for a long time, I have read hundreds of forgettable books on weight lifting. Not the case with the New Rules.
  
  As a personal trainer and club owner who has hired trainers for years, I have been disappointed with the basic knowledge of applicants. Now I have finally found a resource for my trainers to make sure that we are all philosophically on the same page. It is now required reading at my fitness center. It is the fastest way I know to get someone "up to my level" in one book.
  
  It is very readable, even by a non-professional. Along with being informative, it is also funny at times, and very motivating. It's not just just recommended reading from me... It's required!
  
  
  
• No gimmick, just results
  By A2HK7J0C0RN4L4 on 2006-01-07
  In a world filled with unrealistic training routines written by internet gurus who've never really trained anyone, it's great to see some legit, effective program design from a guy who's been there and done it at a high level like Alwyn. A year's worth of training programs by one of the top trainers in the country for about $20. No brainer.
  
  Lou's conversational writing style takes the science and makes it understandable for any level of education. If you read this book, I'm certain you'd have a stronger grasp of the the science and methods of building muscle and losing fat than most personal trainers.
  
  Buy this book.
  
  
• stretch yourself and save time in the gym
  By A1L1ZYOS0YX21P on 2006-03-19
  Between Schuler's self-effacing humor and Cosgrove's heiny-kicking programs, you can't go wrong with this book. Schuler and Cosgrove helped me look at my lifting routine in a whole new way. I'm no longer stressed out that I'm "missing" a muscle or muscle group, I'm working to muscle fatigue every time I work out--and yet I'm spending less time in the gym per session. Another plus: I emailed Lou Schuler to ask if I needed to modify any of the programs because I'm a woman; he responded in about an hour. Very impressive. I highly recommend this book for beginner and intermediate weightlifters. Advanced lifters will no doubt be disappointed at the lack of "curl" exercises. See the book for Schuler's take on why all those myriad curls are unnecessary. I for one found it liberating--saves me so much time to cut out hammer curls, preacher curls, concentration curls, etc., etc.
  
  
• Great new ways to think about training
  By AVJ98T7S5M41G on 2006-03-25
  I enjoyed this book and read through it in a matter of days. Lou Schuler has a great writing style that really fits this type of book.
  
  "New Rules" doesn't beat you down with a bunch of science and big words that you're not likely to understand (or remember, for that matter). What it does have is a "new" way to think about weight lifting. (I quote the word "new" because Lou points out that, although he thought he was breaking ground here, after some research he realized the thinking is actually decades old.)
  
  "New Rules" is not about body parts (outdated thinking) and it's not strictly about planes of motion (a newer and better philosophy than body part training). "New Rules" encourages you to think about the basic movements of life. How do you move, or how does your body move, as you live your life each day? The book posits that the human body evolved throughout time to be really good at six basic movements, and so it makes sense to focus your training on those movements. Isolation exercises, Lou argues, don't make sense because your body doesn't work in isolation.
  
  One of the unexpected takeaways for me was that "New Rules" has gotten me excited about doing the lunge and all its variations, while at the same time taking my focus away from my chest, which I'm starting to realize just may not be an area in which I'll see much improvement. I'm learning to get excited about areas in which I AM seeing improvement (the aforementioned lunge, as well as squats) and not be disappointed if my bench doesn't improve. (Mind you, this doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying to improve my chest, I'm just not going to obsess over it.)
  
  The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star book for me was the nutrition chapters. If anything, I was left more confused after reading them, not less. Lou talks about the traditional advice when losing weight of "eat less, but exercise more" and says that this advice is wrong, but never says what the right thing to do is. Also, every book/article/etc. that I've ever seen on the topic of weight loss and muscle gain lumps people into 2 categories: scrawny guy who wants to pack on muscle, or fat guy who wants to lose weight. Where is the middle ground -- the guy who is happy with his weight, just not his body composition (too much fat around the gut, too little muscle everywhere else).
  
  All in all, though, a HIGHLY recommended book not just for beginners but probably even for people who've been in the gym for a number of years. I think if they read this book they'll find themselves doing things in the gym they've never thought of before.
  
  
• Best Fitness Book I've Read in a While
  By A33E5JFUUDJXYJ on 2006-02-25
  I have read a many of fitness books, along with fitness articles, and I always seem to forget where I read about somehthing when I'm discussing it. This book takes all the things you need to know about lifting and puts them into one place. Lou also doesn't waste your time with writing fitness jargon and then later having to explain it. He writes as if he is actually talking to you and explaining things.
  
  The programs included by Alwyn at the end of the book are amazing. They will seriously whip you into shape...
  
  Simply put this is my best fitness purchase of the year, this is now my "Fitness Bible".
  
  
• Strength Training and not Bodybuilding
  By A3S1TFB9R7L48G on 2007-06-06
  The book is in fact not a book for traditional bodybuilders and it adresses rather the newbies than the experienced lifters. Yet I myself have been lifting weights for almost 16 years. And over those years I made many mistakes. The average bodybuilding routine and gulping down supplements was one of those big mistakes. After having "wasted" years with just pumping up and building hypertrophy I had jumped onto the bandwaggon of old school strength training. I definetly did not regret that, because the BB trining did simply build mass. But I lacked functional strength. Cosgrove and Schuler address this problem in this book and I would not agree that the book just covers some basics of lifting. It is just that their "shared wisdom" is nothing brandnew or complicated. Yet they were able to teach someone like me a few new things and the workout programs by Alwyn Cosgrove are definetly worth the price of the book.
  Just don't expect to find the proverbial reinvention of the wheel in this book. It is about a few basic lifts based on natural human movements. That's it. What you will get from that is a strong and truly powerful body. As for pure slabs of muscle mass, this either depends on your genetics and effort, or otherwise stick to the old mass building routines.
  Apart from that Alwyn Cosgrove's cynical and dry Scottish sense of humour makes this book a lot of fun to read. The man himself is an excellent srength coach and I recommend his programs and his expertise. However, if you are an experienced lifter or strength athlete, just do not expect to find anything in here that is totally brandnew. But which strength-training book delivers that these days anyway ?
  
  
• Recycling matters
  By A2531BW6WUQSYM on 2006-01-06
  Great info if you're new to the lifting world, but it's the same information over and over from one of the authors. Refreshing to see Alwyn though, he does add a bit more to the mix. I think Lou has run his course unfortunately, and has never been the same since leaving a previous magazine.
  
  
• Excellent programs and framework for weightlifting.
  By A2W9W6LCZS8YS0 on 2006-05-04
  Schuler and Cosgrove do a great job in this book of designing programs and more importantly they create a framwork for workout design that prevents stagnation for long-term lifting.
  
  My criticisms are minor and not germane to the main subject matter of the book:
  
  1) The tone, while occasionally amusing, can be offputting when the jokes fall flat, which they do often.
  
  2) The author, Lou Schuler occasionally belabors a point for effect, but the result is that the reader skips ahead out of annoyance, missing an important idea.
  
  3) The role of pure cardio work in resting days or off days isn't addressed adequately, in my opinion, although it is addressed to a degree.
  
  None of that should take away from the fact that I highly recommend this book. I've been execising seriously for five years and this is the best book I've read on the subject.
  
  
• nothing more than a set of workouts
  By A1440LDAQ3OTE7 on 2008-06-12
  I may be biased because I bought it expecting it to be something other than what it turned out to be, but this is the first strength training book I have ever actually purchased, and I will definitely be more hesitant before buying another one. I thought this book was going to be a textbook introduction to basics-first training. that it definitely is not. if you like chatty writing, you might like his writing style. personally, I find it annoying when I have to wade through ten pages of witty asides to get a paragraphs worth of information. if you are a complete beginner you might get something out of the first couple chapters, but you could read all that stuff[...].
  
  about halfway into the book, schuler says "really I could just stop now and give you the workouts that my co-author came up with, but then you would be disappointed because you thought you were buying a book." the truth is, that's basically what he did. aside from the several dozen workouts, the book is worthless.
  
  schuler is a magazine writer and it shows. the book has all the showboating, flare and lack of substance of a men's journal article. he also shows a blindness to the niceties of scientific research that is so typical of magazine writers.
  
  the chapters on "diet" and "technique" (which contain only two things that actually resemble techniques) are nothing more than whimsical justifications of schuler's biases on certain subjects, backed up with references to studies whose flaws are evident just from schuler's explanations. one study, which forms the basis for shculer's entire argument about cardio, exclusively used men from a rural welsh village as subjects. nevermind the hundreds of other studies about cardio, done with proper controls, that contradict schuler's pet peeve. in the section on diet, we are told that diet soda must be okay for you because the author drinks so much of it, and that ice cream is okay because it has milk in it.
  
  despite schuler's assurance that his book will teach us proper lifting form, that subject, which should form the basis of the book, is consigned to a few pages in the exercise section. and they are far from perfect. the guy in the squat photos is holding the bar wrong, doesn't have his feet turned out enough, and has his neck hyperextended. the deadlift sections doesn't explain that you are supposed to keep the bar within an inch of your shins once you start the lift. the section on lunges doesn't tell you how widely spaced your feet should be, or what the angle of your torso should be in the lower position.
  
  the lack of discussion of proper form combined with the variety of exercises seems tantamount to an encouraging beginning lifters to go out and try anything they read about regardless of whether they understand the physics or body mechanics involved. and for a book supposedly about "basics first' training, some of the lifts are dangerous in the extreme (e.g. standing row, quarter squat), arcane (e.g. towel biceps curl, barbell reverse-grip bent-over row), or even downright silly (e.g. "bulgarian split deadlift," mixed grip lat pull).
  
  I'm sorry but I don't believe it's necessary for beginners, or anyone, to learn all these different movements. perfecting just the squat and the bench press could keep you busy for years.
  
  since the workouts are the only real content in this book, they must be the bottom line in determining the books value. but I don't really know how to rate them. I am not a strength training expert and I haven't done them. what I do know is that I am not going to spend a year of my life finding out whether they are as pointless as the rest of this book.
  
  
• This book is NOT for casual exercisers.
  By AV564X51BNX98 on 2006-05-24
  NO MORE BICEP CURLS! AND NO MORE ISOLATION EXERCISES FOR ME!!!!
  
  I wish I had this book ten years ago. I have wasted much of my time in the gym, but thanks to Lou and Alwyn, I won't be wasting time any longer!
  
  Lou clearly explains why certain exercises are useless, and why if you aren't a bodybuilder, why you should not waste time and energy "Isolating" muscles. For the average working stiff, bodybuilding techniques are just not useful.
  
  In fact, you will find out why you no longer need Bicep Curls!
  
  Alwyn provides some Fat loss programs in the back of the book, and let me warn buyers: this book is a no-B.S., non-wimpy book. If you want to work hard and see some results in your strength or body, buy this book. But, if you you are the kind of person looking to do the least that is required, then buy something else.
  
  
• NROL: A Good
  By A2J3LO8M8P9FRF on 2007-03-09
  I've been lifting for a good 10 years now, and have tried various programs and training methods. Was currently on HGM for the past 8 months (for those of you who read Men's Health), and wanted a change. NROL was definitley it.
  
  Schuler & Crosgrove have done an excellent job spending the first 3/4's of the book with a brief run down on human physiology, how muscles work, what's needed in order for them to grow, drop BF %, etc. The last 1/4 deals with the training programs themselves which will easily last for a year, all without repeating the same workout twice within a designated period (say, 4-5 weeks). There are several programs, all designed for different goals, such as fat loss, strength training, and hypertrophy.
  
  Definitley a buy for those lifters who want a bit of a refresher, as well as those looking for a change from their regular programs.
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  
• The Best
  By A3O2ZO0AZRIOEK on 2006-07-13
  I have looking for a book like this for years. Some of the things that I cannot understand with all of the other bodybulding and weightlifting books I have read in the past is:
  One - The need for so many exercises per bodypart. ex. (barbell curls, concentration curls, dumbell curls and maybe a few others done all in one workout, talk about redundancy.
  And thats just biceps......
  Two - The focus on isolation moves instead of a focus on compound movements. This book was needed a long time ago.
  A common sense approach to weight training.
  
  
• Good for women too
  By A26QOM5ISNP2IM on 2006-08-23
  I've been looking for years for a routine that I could follow that actually showed results relatively quickly. Finally I found it in this book. Other routines I've used geared toward women didn't do a thing for me. Though this had a photo of a muscular man on the front and refers only to men, I still thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did. The routines are short but intense (as long as you keep adding weights or reps) so I'm not wasting a lot of time at the gym but am still working up a sweat. After the first workout I could tell something was different; I felt as though the workout had really done something. After 6 weeks I saw obvious (to me)results; muscle definition in places I'd never had before. I also like that you're encouraged to take a one or two week break between routine changes. It recharges me and makes me ready to start the new program. Great book with great results!
  
  
• Overrated
  By A2EDF5SPO7SOGZ on 2007-04-04
  I'm not sure why this book has gotten such incredible praise in the majority of it's reviews. Although this book touts "New Rules," much of it seems like old news to me. Most experienced lifters are probably already doing the exercises described, however; the book does give good information on the underlying reasons why these exercises are better than others. Overall an informative book, but more targeted towards beginners. Also has a negative bias against bodybuilders.
  
  
• definitely over rated
  By A2PH3MJDSHHRBN on 2008-02-13
  I bought this book based on the reviews here. The theory part of the book is good, and the author will make you enjoy reading the book no doubt (2 stars for him). But the workouts are not that good.. totally different person who wrote the workouts. My example is workout B for Fat loss I. You begin with deadlifts (which are good), and you end up with another Romanian deadlift which is basically a half deadlift. And I was wondering, have we run out of workouts already? Or do I have to split the weights on the 2 workouts to make it to the end? Another weird workout is the Bulgarian Split Squat where you have one foot up the bench behind you and leaning forward and down on the other foot. Now what happens if you lost balance? fall on your face most probably.. I never seen anyone in the Gym doing that awkward workout! Not done yet, in the same workout there is mixed grip lat pulldown.. with overhand it is ok and natural, but underhand doing lateral pulldown? weird .. Not done yet, in the same workout there is the swiss ball lateral roll where you hold a broom stick and lay down on a ball. well, i never seen a broom stick at the gym and they dont have one, and i even dont have one at home since i use a vaccum machine. In my opinion, it is waste of money if you are looking for good workouts, but it is a good book if you want to read about fitness theories.
  
  
• Use discretion with this book.
  By A1GYXO9ECBMD7E on 2008-04-26
  This book has some interesting facts about lifting weights, but all of the information is not entirely credible. Most of the nutrition advice is sound, but the authors view on say, potatoes is not a proven fact. The premise of using primarily if not all compound movements is correct, but the workouts designed in this book are poor. Some exercises in here should be avoided. For instance, the quarter squat fails to take into consideration biomechanics of the leg musculature by putting undue stress on the knees and excess pressure on the spine. The workouts fail to take into account the adaption level of an individual and many of them look as if they would produce overtraining (this causes you to get WEAKER) in anyone but an advanced lifter. The standard scale of novice, intermediate and advanced lifters in the book are also incorrect, and fail to base these groups on anymore than the amount of time an individual has been lifting. These levels of experience should be based on adaption level, not strength or time lifted.
  
  I would highly recommend that anyone who is interesting in a serious, efficient and CORRECT training program to skip this book and get Starting Strength, and Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. These books provide the detailed information on technique and everything else that this common lifting books fail to provide.
  
  
• Not just for personal trainers!
  By A2SSJ46V8ZKI9M on 2006-01-06
  Prior to the New Rules of Lifting I only had the Body For Life book. This book was a fine addition to what I hope to be a growing collection. Lou and Alwyn have a great way of getting their points across without going over the head of average joes such as myself. As another reviewer pointed out there are only 6 basic movements that they go over in this book but what they go over are some of the best movements that you can do when working out. Each different movement that they go over provides a variety of different exercises that you can do. I haven't done the workouts yet, but I will be implementing them later this year as I try and get my beach body!
  
  
• get back to basics
  By A1VUUX6NPR4FZ8 on 2006-05-02
  This book focuses on six major movements of the body and gaining mass through strength and power exercises. The "philosophy" is based on current research, hands-on experience, and old school programs. What I mean by "old school" is that the authors point out the pointlessness of doing sixteen different bicep or shoulder exercises and instead encourage multi-joint, multi-muscle exercises for more efficient growth and gains. They include programs for fat-loss, mass, and strength, while providing clear instructions each exercise. They cover aerobics myths, nutrition, "what your personal trainer forgot to tell you", warming-up, and weight control. On a personal note,I've found the programs to be effective as I saw gains in strength and size in such a short time, i had to slow down because my I was growing out of my clothes! and i developed stretch marks on my legs from rapid growth. Anyway, i would recommend this book . I think "the basics" of strength training are important and lacking in most programs .
  
  
• Logical Extension of T-A-P
  By AV61FQ1Y6VLWF on 2006-10-12
  I've read and enjoyed several of Lou's other books, I like his style of writing and find his work entertaining and informative. This book, to me, is the logical successor to his popular Testosterone Advantage plan. The diet advice and planing is similar but updated, and the exercise plans follow a similar periodization scheme. Fat loss circuit, Hypertrophy, and low reps for strength. While there is a break in routine, I would not recommend this book to some one who has not worked out regularly for at least six months. But for some one looking to move from beginner to intermediate, or an intermediate looking for a change of pace, this would be an outstanding resource.
  
  
• good information, but can do without the crude language
  By A2SIX8MIVOK6G3 on 2007-01-18
  The information presented was sound. The workout plans were great, easy to follow and did not consume your life. I appreciated the pictures and explanations on how to do each exercise. My one complaint was the crude language the author used. It added nothing to the point he was trying to make, but just turned my husband and me off.
  
  
• Good bedrock ...
  By A3EQJM40Z8JFGD on 2007-02-14
  I must say, I was tired about gym instructors that did't care about my progress or even explain me some obvious things you need to know before starting lifting weights (like recovery, cardio, nutrition, etc). I never could have real progress, I remember doing the same routine for about 3 months without knowing it wasnt worthing my time after 2!. Thanks God I decided to get a book to educate myself, and thanks God I chosen this...
  
  It's a good base because Lou focus on the functional importance of exercise, it's not about just looking strong, it's about being strong for real with all your bases covered (looking good is just a nice side effect).
  
  After some time I had to do some changes in the routines to address my specific needs, for example, I needed to concentrate more on my chest so I did my own routine for 2 months before going to the STRENGTH 2 program.
  
  The book gives you the basics and a focus on being functional and then encourage you to find out by yourself what you should do to address your own needs ...
  
  
  
  
  
• You Need This Book
  By A3JT6Y6CQQ4159 on 2006-09-07
  I've worked in the fitness industry for over 12 years and ready everything that I could get my hands on regarding fitness. Frankly, most of it left me disappointed. And with seemingly every trainer that's completed a weekend certification feeling compelled to pen their own e-book, discovering quality information has become even more of a challenge. Thankfully, Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove met this challenge and more. They've put together a book filled with not only logical and practical information that anyone can understand and apply - but also a years worth of field-tested training programs worth 50 (yes, I said fifty) times the price of the book.
  
  Whether you are a fitness enthusiast wanting to improve your physique or a fitness professional who is trying to become better at what you do, this book is a must have.
  
  
• Not so hot
  By A1QGXSBQL7GBIP on 2006-10-02
  Page 13. of the book, "when I conceived this book I had a brilliant premise: I would take every excersive in the gym and look at it in terms of possible role in human movemement." Then later goes on on to list the moves they think are important, even debating what should be included. There is no scientific method to this, only apparently two individuals conceiving an idea for a book. I'm sure there strength books are good, but this a "me too" book on core performance.
  
  

• The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess
• Strength Training Anatomy
• Men's Health: The Book of Muscle--The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body
• Men's Health Power Training: Build Bigger, Stronger Muscles with through Performance-based Conditioning
• Starting Strength (2nd edition)