The New Rules of Lifting for Women
The New Rules of Lifting for Women is subtitled: "Lift like a man, look like a goddess". However, beneath the cover-page hyperbole is a book that is sensible, useful, and very much needed.
Lifting for Women essentially takes the very latest research into strength, conditioning, fitness, and weight loss and combines it into a direct and usable training manual for women.
Author Lou Schuler wastes no time in attacking the traditional diet mentality of today: "eat less, and keep eating less". Instead he argues for a sensible view of food; eat more of the right foods to power the workouts that you will be doing (a little like BFFM).
This book is aimed specifically at women (I guess the title gives that away) and carefully tackles all of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding women and weight-lifting. As for "bulking up" - Schuler concedes that it is very difficult for men to put on visible muscle - let alone women who have far less amounts of testosterone.
Schuler calls in Alwyn Cosgrove to create an entire workout schedule. This isn't about hours on the treadmill. It's about split-squats, stiff-legged deadlifts, and all those other incredibly useful weight-bearing exercises - all done with 60 seconds break between sets. As for straight-out cardio - Cosgrove offers a series of interval training plans.
What I liked about this book is the level of detail given to the workouts. Many times we are given an outline of the ideas, and the exercises - but left wondering exactly how to draw up a plan. This book has months and months of carefully scheduled workouts. There is also a section detailing basic nutrition plans (including recipes).
If you're a woman looking to get into some weight training but have a lot of questions - then this book will answer most, if not all of them.
Read More
- Vegetables For Lean Muscle Growth? (Diet Blog)
- The Beginners Guide: Designing A Strength Training Program (Diet Blog)
- Meet Greg, 155 Pounds Down! (DailySpark)
- 2012 Super Bowl Commercial Winners: Oikos and Belvita [VIDEOS] (Diets in Review)
47 Comments
Add Your Comment
Created / Updated: November 15, 2011
Finally, maybe women will get the message and start lifting. A little muscle definition will not make you look like a man.
ReplyI started this book in march, just finished phase 7! love my new body, not bulky at all.. still have more work so going to start over on phase 1 with more weight. Has anyone else done that?
ReplyAmen! Women need to be less afraid of the weight room!
For me, it worked better than immense amounts of cardio for helping body composition and appearance.
ReplyThe combo of Schuler/Cosgrove usually produces very good material! I think they take it a step further in that not only is weight training great for gals, but the "big lifts" are incredibly effective. It flies in the face of many of the female-based fitness mags that have them doing tricep kickbacks and chest presses with vinyl-dipped 2 pound weights.
Very refreshing!
ReplyI have been looking for a book just like this one. So many women are afraid of weightlifting. Thanks for the review.
ReplyI love, love, love how I look after working out with weights. In the last year, I've lost 70 lbs (combination of eating right, cardio, and weight training). I get so tired of the women who whine that they don't want to "get all muscle-y". The look I have gotten from lifting has nothing to do with being muscle-bound and everything to do with defining the shape of my body - which has become much more feminine looking, IMO, than when I was flabby and out of shape. I plan to buy this book and hopefully add some good information to my current workout regimen.
ReplyHi KAREN,
Can you explain something to me? I got the book and I dont quiet get what I am suppose to do when it says step one, workout A page 157 workout 1, 2
how do i know what 1 and 2 are?
any help would be great help!
thanks
Replyi LOVE weights. Cardio blows.
ReplyWomen do need to lift, my mother is so old school she thinks if she picks up a 2 pound weight she will be able to compete for Mr. Muscle. It's hard to changing women's total love of cardio to a more balance approach. Maybe this book could help.
ReplyI am a big fan of weight lifting, cardio and nutrition in combination. I work out with weights 3x a wks for 45 mins then do some cardio after and I feel as though my workout has been really effective. I have lost more inches with weight lifting than I did with cardio alone.
ReplyI've been a fan of weight lifting since high school (i'm now 44), and learned early on that lifting gave me much more results than cardio alone. I've never been one to be "afraid" of the weight room, and for a couple of years I was the only woman in an early morning weight training class offered at a local community college.
I now do a weight/cardio combination workout, and I'm excited to check out this book to see what new ideas I find!
ReplyI just started the workouts in this book and they rock! I love to lift weights, makes me feel sexy and strong! I would rather do weights 7 days a week if I didn't have to do cardio...blech..hate cardio.
Reply'As for "bulking up" - Schuler concedes that it is very difficult for men to put on visible muscle - let alone women who have far less amounts of testosterone.' Ain't it the truth! Unfortunately the myth of women get bulked persists.
ReplyYes some women do bulk up with weights, if you are tall and have big bones anyway, yes you can and will bulk up , because I did and I hate that I ever started weight trainning, because now Its hard to get rid of the big muscles that I gained. I wish people would stop saying that a woman cant get big from lifting as if every woman has the same body type. They dont, every body is different!
Now I need an expert to explain to me how to get back as I was before, my upper arms are bigger than they have ever been !
ReplyI'm very big boned as well, and noticed that my arm muscles were getting significantly bigger two weeks after I started lifting. I realize that the solid parts of my arms are twice as big as the average girl's arms already :( I know I should strive for health, but I still want to look feminine and am at a loss for what to do to get there.
ReplyGreat to see a book like this.
I will also chime in and say that it's good to see a book targeting the "I don't want to bulk up" women who fear weight training. I see so many ladies in the gym doing leg press, for example, with 0 weight on it. Simple, no weight, squats would even be harder. Yet they do perfect form with perfect breathing for 3x12 of the easiest set/reps I've ever seen.
ReplyIt's those damn steroid circus freaks, with horse faces and hoarser voices.
If they wanted more women to lift weights, they should really stop parading around. It's grossing everyone out.
ReplyAmen! Go heavy, ladies, you won't faint! My bad knee never felt better than after I started a freeweight regimen--too much cardio made it worse. Nothing makes me feel more in touch with my body than working through several sets of the heaviest weight I can manage for 3-5 slow reps. Nothing says "I ain't scared" like loading 170 pounds onto the squat bar. Those little fitness mag regimens annoy the crap out of me with their pink little 2.5 pound puffy-weights. That makes about as much sense to me as pink powertools. Or a shampoo cocktail.
That said, Kailash is on the money--the horsey steroid freaks give female lifting a bad rap.
ReplyKailish, what good is insulting doing? I haven't noticed them "parading around" though they do get press for competing in the sport of their choice. Now the myth you can get there without a lot of hard work, good genetic potential, and in some cases a little extra help, that is ridiculous. I'm not sure why you feel the need to insult someone who makes a different choice in profession, hobby, and personal appearance than you do. I personally am not attracted to overly muscular woman, but it's unfair to say they are "disgusting everybody". You need to consider that being hurtful does not help everyone share information and reach goals. (And I assume you are talking about female bodybuilders.. there are clean female body builders as well.. not all on steroids.)
Reply