Better Body Workouts for Women

The only reason why I purchased this book was because there was a claim on the back cover that one would find expert advice and the latest research on a number of topics including pregnancy and menopause. I was particularly interested in what the authors had to share on menopause. I scoured the book looking for this information and was unable to find it. I sent e-mails to BOTH authors, via the 'contact us' pages on their websites, asking them where all this information could be found and - over three months later - have not had a response from either of them. Unfortunately, it is also too late for me to return the book to Amazon. I have no real use for the book. It is basically a regurgitation of information that I already know or have access to. This was a very disappointing purchase based on what I believe to be a misrepresentation of the book - in the absence of an appropriate response from the authors.

This book provides some good food for thought. I am in my 60's and wish the information would take into account the growing number of older female athletes. We especially need this information, because when we were young we didn't have the training available to us that today's young women have.

I thought there would be more workouts included. I have liked Caroline Pearce's exercise dvds but the workouts were lacking in the book

"Better Body Workouts for Women" by Dean Hodgkin and Caroline Pearce wasn't what I expected. I was looking for a book with a wide variety of exercises I can do at home with little or no financial investment. I have MS and while I have my limitations there is still a lot I can do physically. The number of actual exercises is really limited. There are routine one can do with a nice long barbell, not gonna happen here.There are workouts I did with gym equipment when I belonged to a gym more than 13 years ago but, I didn't need a book to tell me what to do, it's pretty obvious. Buying my own equipment would be sweet and I'd love to use it but it's not in the budget. If you can get to a gym, do use the equipment. It's great!The exercises done with free weights are nothing new to me and I already do those. But, are useful for anyone new to using free weights. Free weights are pretty inexpensive and you can just buy one set at a time starting with 2 or 3 lbs. then add on as you build up your strength. I recommend looking for another book or DVD's on working out with free weights as there are so many more great workout routines that can be done. My free weights range from 2 lbs. to 15 lbs. It's actually nice to have a wide range as the lower weights allow me to do certain representative movements without over exerting my arms such as when my arms are extended straight out from sides doing circular motions. A KILLER if you are using 10 lb. weights but just fine, and you are getting resistance, with 2 or 3 lb. Don't rush with how much weight you're using as you'll end up hurting yourself or get frustrated by not being able to do the routines.The Kettleball routines looked interesting so I bought one of those. Seems to be a twist on using free weights but I like using it for some variety and it seems to pull my arm muscles in a different way to that's a plus.I don't have the physical balance to do the jumping or the lunges so I didn't even try those activities. If you have a physical disability or known limitation you gotta use your head so you aren't falling on it and cracking it open.There's information and suggestions on using various exercise equipment, diet, breathing, swimming, and so forth.It's a good book to get started on the basics but, other than the kettleball, nothing was really new to me. Definitely a great for someone who is just starting out and looking for a place to start.

Overall, this book is exactly what it says it is: a complete guide to fitness, weight loss and performance. Unfortunately, since that part was in small type, I didn't pay much attention, and really only saw the "Better body workouts for women" part. The reason I mention this, is that I guess I was expecting specific laid out workouts that work well for women (I took it a bit literally I guess). While there are some workouts like that in here, that's not really what this book is about. What it is, is this: a breakdown of all this important aspects of exercising. There are health and fitness assessments, guides to nutrition - such as when, what, and how much to eat both before and after your workouts, warm ups/cooldowns, and then the different types of workouts. The actual workouts are left for the very end of the book. The different types of workouts are separated basically by cardio or strength, and within those categories by your different options such as continuous or interval, etc. They also include tips on exercising during pregnancy or even your period. The workouts would be especially good for more athletic types as they include different types of drills and power training. Overall, I guess I was hoping more for a book chock full of workouts suited specifically for the female physique. Instead, this book takes a more scientific approach and is more geared toward athletic training - at least in my opinion. There is some great and useful information to be found in this book, it's just not what I was expecting/hoping for.

Easy to pick up, read and understand. Good for motivation at the beginning of the yearGo on buy it now!

I was hoping to find some inspirational training ideas and nutritional tips. Instead I found the book some what confusing. The exercises are explained with some good pictures but there is not much advice for putting together good training sessions. Overall I am disappointed and would not recommend this book.