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Weight
Training for Dummies reviewed by |
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For years I have been recommending Bill Pearl's Getting Stronger to beginners. Well, it's time to add another book to my beginners' list. If you are an absolute beginner to weight training, Weight Training for Dummies is the book you will want to check out. Getting Stronger still has its place, though, but this entry in the popular "Dummies" series has made a place for itself, as well.
What should an introductory weight training book cover? The obvious answer is exercises, proper form, sets and reps, and a bit about nutrition. There's more to weight training than just lifting weights and eating right, though. Anybody who's been reading weights or who has been working out a while knows that newbie weight trainers tend to be clueless about things like gym etiquette (e.g. don't compliment someone in the middle of their 300 lb. squat), how to spot, gym jargon (e.g. don't be embarrassed by the term "butt blaster"), and so forth. Gyms have their own culture, which can be intimidating to the neophyte. Weight Training for Dummies seeks to properly prepare beginners to enter the whole world of weight training.
I honestly did not know what to expect from this book. Since it is a book "for dummies" I figured it would be a fluffy little piece that showed people how to workout and suggested that they keep their reps high so as not to bulk out. I mean, it's written by two women, right (yes, it's sexist but some guys are thinking that--guaranteed)? When I received the book, the first thing I noticed was its size: the thing is 400 pages long and it's not bursting with pictures and diagrams. Whoa. As soon as I turned the cover my expectations turned around 180 degrees. Inside the cover is a quick reference card and the first thing I saw was a guide to gym etiquette. There is going to be more than sets and reps here!
In fact, the reader has about 100 pages to go through before getting to exercise descriptions. Jargon, safety, gym vs. home training, sets and reps, personal trainers, gym etiquette, and even hygiene are topics covered in the eight chapters before getting to exercises. Experienced weight trainers will not need this book but they should thank the authors for doing them a great service. And how many beginners have dropped their exercise plans because the gym atmosphere was too intimidating for them? By helping beginning weight trainers fit in at the gym, WTfD will help to keep the blood pressure of old-timers down and keep the beginners coming back to the gym.
The book goes through the usual assortment of exercises and provides pictures for many of them. It does not stop there, though. Once the exercises are covered, there are still over 150 pages to go! What is left for the beginner? Concepts like super sets and periodization, how to design a workout to fit one's lifestyle, aerobic activities, tips for pregnant women, supplements, common mistakes, and even training with those exercise bands await the reader. By the time new weight trainers finish this book, they should be well-equipped to handle workouts in the gym.
The book does have its faults but they are relatively minor. The authors seem to go overboard in being not hardcore. I mean, does every picture of someone doing squats have to show them doing dumbbell squats ? They are really down on supplements which, if you are experienced, may raise an eyebrow but new trainers should not be using supplements other than vitamins for a while anyway. A quibble I do have with the book is their view of the Internet (of course). At one point they criticize a document available where the author admits that he has no credentials and is based on the experiences of he and others (experienced net trainers can probably figure out what document they're referring to). The book's authors criticize the document's author for his lack of credentials. How could I have a problem with that? Well, the credentials of Ms. Schlosberg are that she exercises a lot and writes for exercise magazines (including Cooking Light ?). Credentials are great, Liz Neporent certainly has them, but they are not the be-all, end-all. Just one factor when considering the source. Minor disagreements, really.
If you are an absolute beginner to working out with weights, my highest recommendation for Weight Training for Dummies. You will get good workouts out of it and you will find a place for yourself in the gym culture without feeling (too) out of place when getting started. If you have weight training experience and are coming back after a long layoff, you'll probably want to look over WTfD and Getting Stronger to see which you would prefer. Not that WTfD will steer you wrong but maybe you want to squat with a barbell ;-).
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