Weight Training For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Product Description

A properly executed strength or weight lifting regimen can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, stabilize your blood sugar, reduce the risk of heart disease, increase your strength, and more. Weight Training For Dummies, Third Edition, is packed with all the information you need to start your own personalized weight training program and get yourself into peak condition fast. You’ll find out about:

* Circuit and resistance training
* 20-minute weight training routines
* The newest and best weight training equipment
* Combining weight training with other exercise
* Gender differences in weight training goals and routines
* Specific approaches for baby boomers and seniors just starting out
* Using weight training to address specific health conditions
* Preventing injuries
* Weight training for children and teens

If you’re getting pumped about weight training, don’t delay. Buy Weight Training for Dummies, Third Edition today, and you’ll be in shape in no time!
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #15459 in Books
* Published on: 2006-03-06
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 408 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Owning Weight Training for Dummies is like having two knowledgeable and entertaining personal trainers into your home. The authors, Liz Neporent and Suzanne Schlosberg, authors of the popular Fitness for Dummies, are both fitness professionals who walk (lift, run, bicycle) their talk. They explain the basics of weight training simply, then take you through every step to setting up your own program and doing it properly. Whether you have free weights (dumbbells and barbells), a home machine, or access to a gym with many machines, you'll get an introduction to safe and effective weight training, plus descriptions, technique, and illustrations of dozens of exercises designed to target all major muscle groups. And just in case this is the only fitness book you buy, the authors include some information on cardio exercise, stretching, and other exercise options. Best of all, the book is motivating, easy to understand, and fun to read.

This updated edition of Weight Training for Dummies includes a few new chapters: "Yoga and Pilates" and "Improving Your Balance and Coordination," both in the "Beyond the Barbell" section; "Advanced Weight Training Exercises"; and a few snippets of new material (such as the addition of "Don't dress like a porn star" in the "Weight Training Etiquette" chapter). Otherwise, it's pretty much the same book. If you own the first edition, there's probably no need to buy the updated version. But if you don't own the first edition of this handy and cheery guide already, and weight training is not yet a part of your fitness program, the second edition of Weight Training for Dummies will teach you exactly what to do and how to do it. --Joan Price

Men's Fitness
One of the easiest-to-understand, best-illustrated guides to important strength exercises we've ever seen.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Solid, comprehensive, and fun...Photos illustrate more than 150 pages of exercises.
Customer Reviews

Great resource for beginners and those who have "strayed"5
Liz Neporent does a splendid job providing guidance for those new to weight training; the book describes strength training with weights from top to bottom. I especially think the emphasis on safety the book promotes is a worthwhile feature; weight training done wrong can be hazardous. I've been throwing barbells and dumbbells around for over 30 years, and I still picked up some good info from this title, mainly in the form of reminders. Even experienced fitness enthusiasts can get set in their ways; this book provides a good back-to-basics guide for seasoned jocks as well as an effective intro for those just getting started.

An excellent resource for complete beginners5
This is the perfect book for someone who has never lifted weights before and is looking to start from the very beginning. It is never assumed that you know anything, which is perfect for the complete beginner. The book covers the most basic exercises for each muscle group, and provides basic information on these muscle groups, so that the beginner can become accustomed to putting together a basic program for the entire body. Once the beginner masters this, they will have all the building blocks needed to move on to more advanced programs, such as working on different groups on different days or doing supersets. If you are already familiar with the basics and are looking for more intermediate and advanced exercises and programs, try The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, Revised Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection (Body Sculpting Bible) or The Body Sculpting Bible for Men, Revised Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection (Body Sculpting Bible). However, if you are looking to start with the very basics - nothing wrong with that - then start with this one to get your basics down and your confidence up before moving on to the Body Sculpting series or other more advanced books.

Really, really basic3
I did learn some useful technique tidbits from this book, and it has some amusing anecdotes, but this book is really for someone who is a true beginner. So I can only really recommend for those who have NO idea what is in a typical gym weightroom.

Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...

Product Description
The definitive guide to the philosophy and practice of Yoga--the ancient healing discipline for body and mind--by its greatest living teacher. Light on Yoga provides complete descriptions and illustrations of all the positions and breathing exercises. Features a foreword by Yehudi Menuhin. Illustrations throughout.

From the Inside Flap
The definitive guide to the philosophy and practice of Yoga--the ancient healing discipline for body and mind--by its greatest living teacher. Light on Yoga provides complete descriptions and illustrations of all the positions and breathing exercises. Features a foreword by Yehudi Menuhin. Illustrations throughout.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

From Publishers Weekly
Founding member and former president of the Midwives Alliance of North America and author of Spiritual Midwivery, Gaskin offers encouragement and practical advice in her upbeat and informative book on natural childbirth. Since the mid-1970s, Gaskin and the midwives in her practice on a Summertown, Tenn., commune known as "The Farm," have attended over 2,200 natural births. Gaskin, who learned the rudiments of her gentle birthing technique from the Mayans in Guatemala, has helped bring attention to the method's remarkably low rate of morbidity and medical intervention. Couples considering natural childbirth will get inspirational coaxing from more than a dozen first-person narratives shared by the author's clients. Gaskin decries what she sees as Western medicine's focus on pain during birth, arguing that natural birthing can not only be euphoric and blissful but also orgasmic (a survey of 150 natural birthing women "found thirty-two who reported experiencing at least one orgasmic birth"). The second half of Gaskin's book deals with the practical side of natural birthing, including how to avoid standard medical interventions such as epidurals, episiotomies and even prenatal amniocentesis that may be unnecessary, even dangerous, to mother or child. While this may not be the definitive guide to natural childbirth, it is a comfortable and supportive read for women who want to trust their bodies to do what comes naturally.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Using history as her guide, nationally recognized midwife Gaskin explores what she hopes will be a renaissance in natural childbirth, something that she's been advocating since the mid-1970s. By focusing on how women of ancient civilizations and other modern peoples give birth, Gaskin puts our own hypersensitivities in perspective, uncovering a beautiful, sometimes orgasmic experience rather than a dreadful, painful one. Sure, pain is part of childbirth, but preparing for the pain in a realistic rather than sentimental way--whether giving birth at home or in a hospital--can be the key to a woman's ability to deal with it naturally. Within the pages of personal anecdotes, some touching, some startling, from Gaskin's patients and colleagues, every woman is sure to find something to relate to, whether or not she chooses to have a medicine-free labor. The helpful back matter features a glossary, a detailed resource list including advocacy groups and Web sites, and a bibliography that includes periodicals, rounding out an extremely comprehensive and up-to-date guide on the topic. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you.

Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation’s leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina May’s Guide to Natural Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention.

Filled with inspiring birth stories and practical advice, this invaluable resource includes:• Reducing the pain of labor without drugs--and the miraculous roles touch and massage play

• What really happens during labor
• Orgasmic birth--making birth pleasurable
• Episiotomy--is it really necessary?
• Common methods of inducing labor--and which to avoid at all costs
• Tips for maximizing your chances of an unmedicated labor and birth
• How to avoid postpartum bleeding--and depression
• The risks of anesthesia and cesareans--what your doctor
doesn’t necessarily tell you
• The best ways to work with doctors and/or birth care providers
• How to create a safe, comfortable environment for
birth in any setting, including a hospital
• And much more

Ina May’s Guide to Natural Childbirth takes the fear out of childbirth by restoring women’s faith in their own natural power to give birth with more ease, less pain, and less medical intervention.

Inside Flap Copy
What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you.

Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation?s leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina May?s Guide to Natural Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention.

Filled with inspiring birth stories and practical advice, this invaluable resource includes:? Reducing the pain of labor without drugs--and the miraculous roles touch and massage play

? What really happens during labor
? Orgasmic birth--making birth pleasurable
? Episiotomy--is it really necessary?
? Common methods of inducing labor--and which to avoid at all costs
? Tips for maximizing your chances of an unmedicated labor and birth
? How to avoid postpartum bleeding--and depression
? The risks of anesthesia and cesareans--what your doctor
doesn?t necessarily tell you
? The best ways to work with doctors and/or birth care providers
? How to create a safe, comfortable environment for
birth in any setting, including a hospital
? And much more

Ina May?s Guide to Natural Childbirth takes the fear out of childbirth by restoring women?s faith in their own natural power to give birth with more ease, less pain, and less medical intervention.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Birth Stories

Introduction to the Birth Stories

There is extraordinary psychological benefit in belonging to a group of women who have positive stories to tell about their birth experiences. This phenomenon is exactly what developed within our village. So many horror stories circulate about birth--especially in the United States--that it can be difficult for women to believe that labor and birth can be a beneficial experience. If you have been pregnant for a while, it's probable that you've already heard some scary birth stories from friends or relatives. This is especially true if you live in the United States, where telling pregnant women gory stories has been a national pastime for at least a century. Now that birth has become a favorite subject of television dramas and situation comedies, this trend has been even more pronounced. No one has explained the situation more succinctly than Stephen King in his novella "The Breathing Method."* Commenting on the fear many women have of birth, his fictional character observes, "Believe me: if you are told that some experience is going to hurt, it will hurt. Most pain is in the mind, and when a woman absorbs the idea that the act of giving birth is excruciatingly painful--when she gets this information from her mother, her sisters, her married friends, and her physician--that woman has been mentally prepared to feel great agony." King, you may not know, is the father of several children born at home.

The best way I know to counter the effects of frightening stories is to hear or read empowering ones. I mean stories that change you because you read or heard them, because the teller of the story taught you something you didn't know before or helped you look at things from a different angle than you ever had before. For this reason, Part I of this book is largely devoted to stories told by women who planned to have home or birth-center births with me and my midwife partners. You may find this part of the book to be the one you want to read the most during pregnancy. At The Farm, the only horror stories we shared were those of previous births in which the care had been radically different from that given by Farm midwives. As women began to have positive experiences giving birth, their stories helped to calm the fears and worries of those who had not yet had babies. The confidence that these women gained from one another was a significant factor in why the midwifery care at The Farm has produced such good results.

Stories teach us in ways we can remember. They teach us that each woman responds to birth in her unique way and how very wide-ranging that way can be. Sometimes they teach us about silly practices once widely held that were finally discarded. They teach us the occasional difference between accepted medical knowledge and the real bodily experiences that women have--including those that are never reported in medical textbooks nor admitted as possibilities in the medical world. They also demonstrate the mind/body connection in a way that medical studies cannot. Birth stories told by women who were active participants in giving birth often express a good deal of practical wisdom, inspiration, and information for other women. Positive stories shared by women who have had wonderful childbirth experiences are an irreplaceable way to transmit knowledge of a woman's true capacities in pregnancy and birth.

James's Birth

By Karen Lovell

Huntsville, Alabama--Rocket City, U.S.A., where "the sky is not the limit." My husband, Ron, had gone to work for the maker of the world's fastest supercomputers and was stationed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. For all intents and purposes, it appeared that we were people geared toward state-of-the art technology, people who would accept the latest and greatest, even when it came to childbirth. So why The Farm?

That answer begins with the birth of my first son, Christopher. I had just completed working for teacher certification. My plan was to get a job teaching that fall, but before that could happen, I realized I was pregnant. Here I was, fresh out of school with a lot of science courses under my belt, and I felt I didn't know anything about childbirth. Yes, I knew the mechanics, how the body responded, what happened, but I was totally ignorant as to how hospitals and medical professionals responded to childbirth. Learning something about what options I had started me on my search for alternatives.

My first visit with a highly recommended obstetrician in town was pretty unpleasant. The first thing I was told was the temperature in the delivery room could not be adjusted, although the lights could. When I asked to not have an episiotomy, he skirted the issue entirely by asking me what kind of episiotomy I meant, never once saying whether he would or would not give me one. This bothered me, but I knew this was about as magnanimous as he was going to get, so I let it slide. For the time being, I was getting good prenatal care. I could change later. However, as time went on, I was less and less sure of this doctor. In fact, I grew to distrust him. All along, there were little hints that he and I were in different head spaces. The biggest came during the sixth month of pregnancy, when I was sent a certified letter that made no sense whatsoever, unless one read it do it my way or else. Finally, in the seventh month, the doctor said there could be no Leboyer birth,* after leading me to believe all these months there would be. It was at that point that I knew I didn't want this man touching me--and internal exams were to begin in two weeks. I knew I had to find someone else.

A nurse who practiced as an underground midwife suggested a doctor from a nearby town who would provide more considerate care. Under his care I was able to have a Leboyer birth experience, but the hospital gowns and masks meant to create a more "sterile" environment were just that--sterile, cold, and intimidating. Also I had to labor on my back because of the monitor and ended up with a big episiotomy and forceps delivery.

One of the pregnant women, who became my friend after the birth of my son, used an original copy of Spiritual Midwifery as her bible, and even tore out pictures and pages and pasted them on her wall. Her daughter's birth, which took place at home, had a profound effect on me. In the back of my mind I thought that, perhaps someday, I would have a child whose passage into this world would be really loving and spiritual.

My second pregnancy was hardly noticeable. It seemed that the baby sort of slipped in and was no problem. The only indications of my pregnancy were that I missed my March and April periods and my clothes were a little tight around my waist. I wasted no time in finding the most "lenient" obstetrician in town. I had no problems with him and found he was very honest with me. He flatly told me he insisted on an I.V. and that the hospital required an internal fetal monitor, although I could sign a legal waiver and not have the monitor. I had resigned myself to this type of birth if necessary but decided to investigate further. I finally obtained a copy of Spiritual Midwifery from a health-food store in Nashville, where I grew up. Several weeks later I wrote to The Farm, and Deborah Flowers responded.

I immediately felt as if a deep-seated prayer had been answered and prayed that if The Farm was right for me I'd end up there. When I told Ron about hearing from The Farm, I think he was worried. After all, I had seemed so content this time and the hospital was only ten minutes away. Why did I want to go up to The Farm, which was about seventy miles away?

Ron and I had a continuing dialogue about childbirth at The Farm. Finally, we both decided to go visit with an open mind (although I must admit I wasn't quite as open-minded as Ron; I simply knew I wanted to be at The Farm). When we arrived, we met Deborah Flowers and Pamela Hunt, who showed us the facilities and checked me. Deborah said I was one centimeter dilated and loose, which I attribute to her absolute gentleness and the strong rapport I felt with her.

Ron was impressed that the birth cottage had hospital equipment to stabilize an infant in an emergency. He was also impressed with the fact that the midwives were emergency medical technicians and very qualified in their work. He decided to go along with a birthing at The Farm if our insurance would cover it. We found out in a few days that it would.

Because Deborah was my main midwife, I would bare my soul to her. I just knew things would go well. The Farm had it all: "in tune" midwives, a birthing house, a clinic with a holistic outlook, and doctor/hospital backup if necessary. I also liked subtle nuances such as helping the baby's head stretch the mother out without tearing, not relying on cold machines such as ultrasound and internal fetal monitors, knowing how to deliver breech babies, and having faith in the universe.

When I went into labor back in Huntsville, I didn't believe it at first and continued my project of cleaning all the carpets in the house. Intermittently, I rested on the bed to reduce the contractions until 4:00 p.m., when I realized I could no longer clean rugs. I waited a while to make sure of what I was feeling, then at 5:00 I called Ron to come home. He showed up, took things to the car, and we took off down the road after calling the midwives.

Contractions were steady and strong. Ron clocked them at seven minutes apart. Because I sat as still as possible, they remained unchanged. My back hurt with each contraction, which surprised me. Our drive was a little over two hours, and I was grateful for almost no traffic. Once at The Farm, Ron called Deborah, who came to let us in. I crawled onto the bed, where Deborah checked me. Ron brought things in while Deborah helped me through my labor. Chris had fallen asleep on a nearby fold-down chair. Ron sat down on the bed to help me with my back, which really hurt. Deborah grabbed my thigh while Ron pushed ...

Men's Health Total Body Workout Poster Book by Editor's of Men's Health

Product Description

Men's Health Total Body Workout Poster Book

Sculpt an Amazing Physique in as Little as 20 Minutes a Day!

A different kind of pinup

Men's Health magazine's legendary workout posters have appeared on some of the finest walls in America, from the home gyms of the rich and famous to the dorm rooms of the young and ambitious. Wherever muscle is built, wherever a man's thoughts turn to exercise and self-improvement, that's where you'll find these posters.

Now, for the first time, Men's Health has collected 24 posters in one book. Inside, you'll find:

• Super-effective total-body muscle-building routines for both beginner and advanced exercisers

• A total-body fat-loss workout to take inches off your waist in just 4 weeks

• Turn on the Power!, a 6-month program to add hundreds of pounds to your bench press, squat, and deadlift

• Six 20-minute workouts showing you how to pump up, lean out, or even fix a bad back in less time than it takes to watch your favorite sitcom

• An all-ab workout featuring eight unique exercises we bet you've never tried

• Our Total-Body Workout series, with 10 posters full of fresh, innovative exercises to add solid muscle to your chest, back, shoulders, and biceps

Every fully illustrated poster features easy-to-follow, simple-to-understand exercise routines designed by the top trainers and strength coaches in the world.

So what are you waiting for? With 24 classic workouts to choose from, you'll never run out of exciting, effective new routines to help make you leaner, stronger, and healthier--guaranteed!
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #403613 in Books
Published on: 2003-10-24
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
26 pages
Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
Men's Health Total Body Workout Poster Book

Sculpt an Amazing Physique in as Little as 20 Minutes a Day!

A different kind of pinup

Men's Health magazine's legendary workout posters have appeared on some of the finest walls in America, from the home gyms of the rich and famous to the dorm rooms of the young and ambitious. Wherever muscle is built, wherever a man's thoughts turn to exercise and self-improvement, that's where you'll find these posters.

Now, for the first time, Men's Health has collected 24 posters in one book. Inside, you'll find:

• Super-effective total-body muscle-building routines for both beginner and advanced exercisers

• A total-body fat-loss workout to take inches off your waist in just 4 weeks

• Turn on the Power!, a 6-month program to add hundreds of pounds to your bench press, squat, and deadlift

• Six 20-minute workouts showing you how to pump up, lean out, or even fix a bad back in less time than it takes to watch your favorite sitcom

• An all-ab workout featuring eight unique exercises we bet you've never tried

• Our Total-Body Workout series, with 10 posters full of fresh, innovative exercises to add solid muscle to your chest, back, shoulders, and biceps

Every fully illustrated poster features easy-to-follow, simple-to-understand exercise routines designed by the top trainers and strength coaches in the world.

So what are you waiting for? With 24 classic workouts to choose from, you'll never run out of exciting, effective new routines to help make you leaner, stronger, and healthier--guaranteed!
Customer Reviews

Excellent Collection of Workouts from Men's Health Magazine
This book delivers what it promises: A Collection of total Body Workouts.

The fact that every workout is in Poster format is great and practical, you just select the workout you want to try, take the specific poster out with you, and you are done to begin training. I really love the functionality of having the whole workout in just one page.

Its a fantastic idea for a training book, well executed, and with the total body workouts included I believe its a great deal.

total body workout
I like this book. It gives you two dozen posters for working out that vary from fat burning to building power . Another reviewer thought that they should have workouts for specific body parts ( ie, triceps , biceps , etc .) . I felt the opposite - they should have focused more on total body workouts only . Maybe a compromise, maybe they should make two books - one for power or serious bodybuilders and one for people who want a trim and lean physique - including circuit training , for traveling , the ball , body weight and medicine ball workouts .
But back to the book at hand , if you are looking for a easy to follow , easy to use workout plan that offers a variety of sensible workouts plans look no further .

Great book idea - decent product
The pictures and descriptions of the exercises are great, as are the exercise plans provided. The only negative I could find is that the posters seem to have random exercises on them. I was expecting a poster for triceps, a page for quads, a page for shoulders, etc... The book seems to be aimed more at short, effective, total-body workouts. This is cool, but if you are looking for posters to lead you through intensely precise exercises for particular body parts, there are a limited number of posters to that effect.

Yoga with Weights For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness)) by Sherri Baptiste

Product Description

An easy-to-follow guide to a hot new form of yoga

Yoga with Weights is the latest breakthrough in mind-body exercise, integrating the mindfulness of yoga with the physical culture of body-building. Building on the strengths of both disciplines, this friendly guide shows readers how to safely combine yoga postures while simultaneously working out with lightweight hand-held free weights. It features customizable exercises that target specific areas of the body, each illustrated with multiple photos, and provides guidelines for combining healthy eating with workouts.

Sherri Baptiste (Marin County, CA) is the founder of Baptiste Power of Yoga, a nationally recognized method of yoga offered throughout the United States. She teaches yoga classes throughout the United States and hosts retreats around the world.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #204078 in Books
* Published on: 2006-01-04
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 360 pages

Editorial Reviews

Download Description
An easy-to-follow guide to a hot new form of yoga Yoga with Weights is the latest breakthrough in mind-body exercise, integrating the mindfulness of yoga with the physical culture of body-building. Building on the strengths of both disciplines, this friendly guide shows readers how to safely combine yoga postures while simultaneously working out with lightweight hand-held free weights. It features customizable exercises that target specific areas of the body, each illustrated with multiple photos, and provides guidelines for combining healthy eating with workouts. Sherri Baptiste (Marin County, CA) is the founder of Baptiste Power of Yoga, a nationally recognized method of yoga offered throughout the United States. She teaches yoga classes throughout the United States and hosts retreats around the world.

Review
"a good book if you want to learn how yoga and strength training can improve your fitness and wellbeing." (Women's Fitness, September 2007)

Download Description
An easy-to-follow guide to a hot new form of yoga Yoga with Weights is the latest breakthrough in mind-body exercise, integrating the mindfulness of yoga with the physical culture of body-building. Building on the strengths of both disciplines, this friendly guide shows readers how to safely combine yoga postures while simultaneously working out with lightweight hand-held free weights. It features customizable exercises that target specific areas of the body, each illustrated with multiple photos, and provides guidelines for combining healthy eating with workouts. Sherri Baptiste (Marin County, CA) is the founder of Baptiste Power of Yoga, a nationally recognized method of yoga offered throughout the United States. She teaches yoga classes throughout the United States and hosts retreats around the world.
Customer Reviews

good to do something a little different.3
This was good to do something a little different, I could think of more things that may have been in this book, but it gave me a good start.

Yoga with Weights For Dummies5
The hardest part of any exercise program is getting started. Often the programs are too complex and expect the participant to be "in shape". Then there is the cost of expensive equipment and the time commitment. Finding the right exercise program that suits your lifestyle, your needs, and your schedule seems like a recipe for disaster.

Yoga with Weights For Dummies to the rescue. Yoga with Weights is a unique program that combines the stretching and flexibility aspects of yoga with the strength training benefits of weights. The end result is long lean muscles that are strong, without the expensive equipment or inflexible exercise regime.

Yoga with Weights For Dummies actually outlines a number of different programs to gently fit different needs for energy, balance, restoration, strengthening, endurance, and abs workouts. Special adaptations and workouts are also giving for seniors and pregnant women. In all cases, the amount of weight (from no weight at all to 5 pounds) is left up to the participant based upon his or her needs, fitness levels, and goals. Moreover, unlike other fitness regimes, yoga with weights can be done in a twenty minute block of time or broken up throughout your day.