The Men's Health Home Workout Bible

This book is useful, and overall I like it. There are many options for exercises different muscles, depending on how much gear you have/want.Here's what I recommend for the next time they revise it.Clean up the charts in the end. For the suggested workouts, there are charts in the back, but it's like the editors/graphics designers got tired and stopped trying when they got to this most critical part of the book. Page numbers for each exercise would help enormously. It took me a lot of time to find the exercise descriptions that they listed, and simple page numbers would help a lot. Also, they reused the same charts without checking to see if they actually made sense, so there are things like "Weight" columns to let you track how much weight is involved in exercises that actually don't require using weights, such as pushups. Or, they tell you to do just one rep for the beginning workout, but then have a "Reps" column for you to track how many reps you did. They don't have an obvious way to track how many pushups you did, just how many reps of 10-15. So, this needs some logical revision.Also, it would be helpful to have an easy way to make exercise substituttions. For example, if you have dumbells but mostly want to do body weight workouts, you might want to substitute a dumbell curl for a self-resisted bicep curl. There isn't an easy way to make such substitutions, but doing so would be an obvious way to use the book, in accordance with the authors' approach.Some of the exercises listed in these charts aren't actually listed in the book with the same name. For example, the unilateral calf raise. In the exercise descriptions it's called one-leg calf raise. So, a consistency check needs to be done.There should be a paragraph somewhere in the book telling you to figure out what an appropriate amount of weight to use is. I have tried starting exercise regimens many times in my 40 years, but have had a recurring problem: two days afterwards, my back goes out and I'm in enormous pain for two weeks, which ends my attempt. I believe the reason is that in my exuberance to change my life, I push myself too hard at the very beginning, and wind up trying too many reps or too much weight. It doesn't hurt at the time, but long run it does. So, some way to help gauge what makes for a sensible effort would be helpful. I'm actually cutting some exercises in their recommended beginner workout in half at first in hopes of avoiding injury. I imagine that's a good strategy....Also, I'd like just a little more info about cardio, which these authors clearly don't like much. But a description about how to monitor heart rate and how to incorporate cardio into a regular routine would be helpful. Half a page is all I'm asking for.Generally, I like the author's organized approach and informal, readable style. A few tweaks would inspire a fifth star, and I think these guys have it in them.

This book gets high marks for making explicit what its goal is -- home workouts -- and then delivering on that. While the focus is on home workouts, it offers enough information to be useful as your primary workout book, regardless of venue. The authors offer divide the exercises into major sections, depending on what kind of equipment you have at your disposal: no weights at all (i.e. use bodyweight only and makeshift weights from things found around the house), dumbbells, barbells, and exercise machine. This is great because it makes it easy to come up with a temporary workout plan for that week you're on vacation and don't have access to your normal equipment. They tell you how to create a workout plan, taking full advantage of periodization. They include tons of exercises for you to pick from when constructing your plan. If you don't feel up to creating your own plan they offer several pre-made ones with different focuses.It isn't perfect, however, there is certainly room for improvement. When discussing individual exercises I wish they did a better job of showing how the variations affect what parts of the muscle are exercised. For instance, I think that hammer curls are supposed to work your biceps differently than standard curls but there is no mention of that kind of thing in most exercises. That inclusion would make constructing your own work out routines even easier.The structure of the book leaves a little to be desired as well. It felt that some things -- like whether to work to failure -- aren't introduced as early as they should be. The result is you really should read (or at least skim) the book from cover to cover before setting out. A little bit tighter structure would make it easier to just skip to the section you care about.There is also not much mention of supplements although given the somewhat controversial nature of their efficacy and the target of the book (I would guess that people who workout at home are somewhat less hard-core than those who go to a gym) it is understandable.Overall, though, this is an excellent resource. It has both breadth and depth, making it a great single-volume resource on working out.

I recently had foot surgery, and I was on crutches for two and a half months. I found out just HOW out of shape I was. I'm a woman, and like a lot of women, I was doing mainly cardio, not strength training. I have to have surgery on my other foot next fall, so I decided I'm NOT going to get my butt kicked like I did this time, because being on crutches is exhausting. But I also didn't want a "typical woman's workout plan." Most of those are, "Lift a three pound weight three times, then go have a Diet Coke." That won't give me the results I want. So I started looking for a man's workout plan. This book not only has routines that will kick your butt, these exercises and routines are not BORING. There are sections for different types of routines, like just using your body weight, dumbbells, barbells, a pulley system, and fully-equipped exercise stations. There are exercises I've never seen before, which I like. I get tired of the same old trite exercise routines, with exercises I've done before. Yawn. Not with this plan. And there are so many different ways to do the exercises that I know I'll never get bored. The main thing I'm looking for is something I can stay with because I won't get tired of it--and I won't with this. I've already started doing the exercises that I can, because I'm still not fully recovered. But I can't wait to do the whole thing. Very cool book, and I highly recommend it.Update, April 11, 2011: I'm still using this book, and still lovin' it. I've made it the basis of my entire workout program. And I look better than ever. I've only told 80,000 people they should buy this. Maybe I should tell twice that many!

The book itself is quite good. It gives ideas and program for body weight (around the home) workouts and also gym based work and cables that you often use at the gym. One third each for each variation of exercise. There is a fair bit of writing to read about the theories behind it which is good for some and not something for others. The three stars is because I wasn't impressed with the state of the book when it arrived. Looks very much second hand with the corners bent in and dents all over the front and back cover. This could of been the journey it had on route or poor handling their end but either way I wasn't overly impressed. Could do with more coloured pictures and there is a lot (off memory mostly..) black and white.

This book is OK, but felt a little disappointed as I don't think it's really a Home workout manual - I have the Mens Health Gym Bible also and they're pretty much the same content.IMO if you have all the equipment that this book tells you that you need to train with, then you already know what you're doing and don't need to read this.Most of the exercise instruct you to use the basics, ie. Barbells, dumbbells, an Olympic bench etc... Fair enough, BUT alot of the exercises in here require a Cable Pulley Machine and other gym equipment that is just not found in a home gym. Like I say if you have a cable crossover machine and a Lat tower in your home, you're probably pretty clued up about bodybuilding anyway and wont need this book.

If you're planning a weights routine at home then get this book. Exercises are explained in a way that gives you confidence in doing them correctly (and safely). Lots of info on the equipment required, with plenty of variations offered for those more advanced. No gimmicks, just the stuff you need to know!

this is a great book for the complete beginer or the seasoned muscel head...this book give's you the correct imformation on how to start lifting. that means you don't have to rely on the misinformation freely given by well meaning idiots in all gyms)....the book take's you through to advanced level

With not having much time to visit the gym because of my working shift I decided to get some weights at home.Now iv never really been shown how really to lift weights or what technique to use so had been plugging away in the garage for months with little improvementi did a search and found this "bible" and I have to say its one of the best books I have "EVER" bought. From the start it tells you how to do several types for training. From no weights to a large at home equipment and tells you what you should be doingIf you want this book for the Gym then forget it as it doesn't include high spec gym stuff this is a book just for and only for home use