Alright, now that we have the idle chit-chat out of the way, let the blogging commence. But first, before I forget, I have a disclaimer. I will be talking about Fitness for Dummies by Liz Neporent and Suzanne Schlosberg. In no way do my opinions/interpretations of the book reflect the authors’ opinion in any way. So now we can move on.
For today’s blog, I actually did some research. However, as I went with my typical, procrastinator ways, I missed out on getting to read a really good book. The goal of my research was to find two books that would help me learn about weight training for weight loss. I Googled both the ACSM Fitness Book and Fitness for Dummies. I found both of them on Google Books and was able to look at a couple of pages in both. ACSM was much more scholarly than Fitness, making the later the more interesting read. My plan for later on today is to grab ACSM out of the library and read some more of Fitness at a Barnes and Noble (unless somebody wants to give me twenty bucks to buy it!). Also, did you know that a Barnes and Noble location search gives you all the Barnes and Nobles for fifty miles? Why would I travel fifty miles for a book? Crazy.
Fitness for Dummies: What I liked
· It was really funny from the first page
The first section in the book is called, “Get your butt off the couch – Pt. 1.” I thought this is great because this is exactly what I have to do. I am completely capable of starting an exercise routine, I’m just too lazy to get up and do it. This section gives the reader tips and motivation to get up and get moving. Besides having funny anecdotes to help with this, the general feel of the book is light hearted. Fortunately for me, I was able to view part of the section on weight lifting on page 171 and it said “If you can unfold a lawn chair, you’re more than qualified to operate a weight machine.” This was pretty funny to me and slightly encouraging. First, it was funny because it is not always easy to open lawn chairs. It was slightly encouraging because while opening lawn chairs can sometimes be slightly frustrating while at the beach, they aren’t difficult to figure out. If the book is likening the two activities, then I probably won’t have too much trouble figuring out the machines.
· It had a lot of information, seemed to know it’s stuff, and had everything organized.
The book had a lot of information – I could find information on any type of exercise that I wanted to learn about. It even had a special section for beginners like myself. What kind of exercise do you want to do…Here are all the different types on fitness routines… etc. One thing that was perfect for me was that it also gives tips on how to use the book in conjunction with the internet and even suggested that I join an internet fitness community. They even have a website that I can visit that I really love! I feel like I’ve found my weight-training for weight loss for class bible.
It seemed to know it’s stuff – In the very beginning of the book, there is a section that explain all the little pictures that appear on the side of the page. They have icons to indicate tips, debunk common fitness misconceptions, and to share information laden anecdotes. The different icons let you know what type of passage is going to follow it. The icon that I liked the best, however, was one that indicates where they are going to add in technical information and some science, just so you can skip the “boring” parts if you want.
Everything was organized – The book was created so that anyone reading it could pick up the book at any section and be able to understand it without having to read the previous sections. Each section also introduces what the reader can find in that particular section and then expounds on it in the following pages.
Fitness for Dummies – What I learned
From the few pages that I was able to read, I learned a lot.
I learned that I personally should combine cardio and strength training to get the most out of my work out. Strength training rips your muscles, so you should not work out the same muscles every day. The cardio is easier on your muscles and helps you lose weight, which helps you with achieving some definition. When you alternate between the two, you are giving your muscles time to heal. Then book suggested the following workout schedule:
Monday: Upper body (back, chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps)
Tuesday: Lower body (gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, abdominals)
Wednesday: REST
Thursday: Upper body (back, chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps)
Friday: REST
Saturday: Lower body (gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, abdominals)
Sunday: REST
This was in the book, but I also found it on the website: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/creating-a-weekly-weight-training-workout.html#ixzz1NZ4xSCOZ
Seems like a plan. According to the book it seems like you shouldn't be working out every day, so why the change? With the stress of everyday life it often seems pretty difficult to get to the gym every day. I feel like I can only hold a person accountable for 3 days a week. That's all the pressure I can provide!
ReplyDeleteHonestly? Because I want to get some swimming in there. I LOOOOVE to swim and it's the best workout that I've ever had. That being said...for this blog I really want to try my hand at weight training. I figure combining the weight training and swimming would get me the weights and cardio all together. What do you think now?
ReplyDeleteThe weight machines are pretty simple (I mean they were made that way) but even some of the free weights are possible by oneself.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really wanted to say is that I hear a good idea for long term plans is to switch off the routine every other week. For example if your week was R/A/R/B/R/A/R where A is one day filled with a specific workout, B is another, and R is resting then you just flip them every week.
Week 1: R/A/R/B/R/A/R
Week 2: R/B/R/A/R/B/R
Week 3: R/A/R/B/R/A/R
etc.
But then again, it is so easy to be inundated by false information represented as verified facts, that I'm not quite sure.