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Kiana's
Body Sculpting reviewed by |
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I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it's actually not a bad book. Kiana's a bit paranoid about the "B" word (bodybuilding) but her training advice is fine. I actually have a problems with the pictures, of all things.
Kiana started out on ESPN's Bodyshaping program back when Cory Everson was hosting it. She now has her own show, Kiana's Flex Appeal. She is enthusiastic, attractive, and in great shape (boob job notwithstanding). This has made her one of the most popular personalities in the fitness world. She and co-author Jim Rosenthal have written Kiana's Body Sculpting, aimed at women who want to get in shape but not get "too big".
Before she gets into training, Kiana talks about her training history. Did you know she used to be a competetive bodybuilder and that she actually won the first show she entered? As she moved up in the local bodybuilding world, she decided that bigger was not better for her and toned it down (pun intended) to so-called "body sculpting". Bodybuilders hate hearing that but the fact is that most women do not want to get bigger. They may want their bodyparts firmer but they generally want to trim down. Busting out of one's shirt may be a great thing for most guys but most women would rather fit into smaller sizes.
Kiana knows this and approaches her training advice with that in mind. The routines are pretty basic and after each section describing the exercises and routines there are pictures demonstrating each exercise. The exercise selection is fine and the set/rep recommendations are fine. There are even a few recipes at the end of the book that aren't too bad. She covers cross-training and aerobics but the foundation of her programs is weight training. That is very heartening because, as we know, muscle burns fat and if you want to burn off the fat, you need some muscle.
Let me get to the pictures. First, for the guys who are reading this for the drool factor, yes, she looks great. The pictures are taken well and Kiana is in all kinds of skimpy, skin-tight outfits. Dozens of pictures of her throughout the book and they do her justice. Now that that's out of the way, I do have a problem with the pictures. I know that the photographer wants to make his subject look as good as possible but when it interferes with what the picture is trying to convey, there is a problem. Especially when the subject is supposed to be demonstrating good exercise form. Throughout the pictures, Kiana's head is often turned to one side or another, presumably to put it in a more flattering light. When this results in her turning her head 45 degrees during the squat pictures, I have a serious problem with that. Not only is this bad form, it can lead to injury. Her head is turned 90 degrees during seated calf raises. 90 degrees! She should have known better and insisted that the photographer light her so that she could do the exercises with good form.
Perhaps I am being to harsh on the pictures. If the pictures were correct this would be a really great book. The bad form pictures take away a bit from that but if you stick to the text, this is a pretty good book. It is definitely not a book for muscle-heads but if you are a woman who wants to workout with weights yet you are still afraid of the "B" word, Kiana will make you feel comfortable about weight training and how your body can look because of it.
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