New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove
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Book Reviews of New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle
Book Review: nothing more than a set of workouts
Summary: 2 Stars
I may be biased because I bought it expecting it to be something other than what it turned out to be, but this is the first strength training book I have ever actually purchased, and I will definitely be more hesitant before buying another one. I thought this book was going to be a textbook introduction to basics-first training. that it definitely is not. if you like chatty writing, you might like his writing style. personally, I find it annoying when I have to wade through ten pages of witty asides to get a paragraphs worth of information. if you are a complete beginner you might get something out of the first couple chapters, but you could read all that stuff[...].
about halfway into the book, schuler says "really I could just stop now and give you the workouts that my co-author came up with, but then you would be disappointed because you thought you were buying a book." the truth is, that's basically what he did. aside from the several dozen workouts, the book is worthless.
schuler is a magazine writer and it shows. the book has all the showboating, flare and lack of substance of a men's journal article. he also shows a blindness to the niceties of scientific research that is so typical of magazine writers.
the chapters on "diet" and "technique" (which contain only two things that actually resemble techniques) are nothing more than whimsical justifications of schuler's biases on certain subjects, backed up with references to studies whose flaws are evident just from schuler's explanations. one study, which forms the basis for shculer's entire argument about cardio, exclusively used men from a rural welsh village as subjects. nevermind the hundreds of other studies about cardio, done with proper controls, that contradict schuler's pet peeve. in the section on diet, we are told that diet soda must be okay for you because the author drinks so much of it, and that ice cream is okay because it has milk in it.
despite schuler's assurance that his book will teach us proper lifting form, that subject, which should form the basis of the book, is consigned to a few pages in the exercise section. and they are far from perfect. the guy in the squat photos is holding the bar wrong, doesn't have his feet turned out enough, and has his neck hyperextended. the deadlift sections doesn't explain that you are supposed to keep the bar within an inch of your shins once you start the lift. the section on lunges doesn't tell you how widely spaced your feet should be, or what the angle of your torso should be in the lower position.
the lack of discussion of proper form combined with the variety of exercises seems tantamount to an encouraging beginning lifters to go out and try anything they read about regardless of whether they understand the physics or body mechanics involved. and for a book supposedly about "basics first' training, some of the lifts are dangerous in the extreme (e.g. standing row, quarter squat), arcane (e.g. towel biceps curl, barbell reverse-grip bent-over row), or even downright silly (e.g. "bulgarian split deadlift," mixed grip lat pull).
I'm sorry but I don't believe it's necessary for beginners, or anyone, to learn all these different movements. perfecting just the squat and the bench press could keep you busy for years.
since the workouts are the only real content in this book, they must be the bottom line in determining the books value. but I don't really know how to rate them. I am not a strength training expert and I haven't done them. what I do know is that I am not going to spend a year of my life finding out whether they are as pointless as the rest of this book.
Book Review: Recommended for the 'General Fitness' crowd
Summary: 4 Stars
PRO:
This book covers pretty much everything any casual gym enthusiast could want to know about training. It includes sample programs for gaining muscle, losing fat and getting stronger, as well as nutritional information to help you accomplish these goals, and exercise illustrations.
In a nutshell the authors' message is that you can train your entire body using 6 basic movements: Pushing, Pulling, Twisting, Squatting, Dead lifting and Lunging. For each of these basic movements there are several variations, but they are almost exclusively "compound exercises" (meaning multi-joint exercises) which are time efficient and allow you to use many different muscles with few exercises.
Also:
-The nutritional information is solid but relatively basic (they don't go into some of the fancier topics like calorie or carbohydrate cycling; nor do they discuss contest preparation if that stuff interests you)
-Exercise illustrations are sufficient and don't consume the majority of the book's pages like many fitness books do.
CON:
By far the biggest drawback to this book is that you probably won't be able to follow the programs specifically as written if you train at a busy commercial gym. I would say that about +90% of the sets listed in the programs have you alternating between at least two (sometimes four) exercises. For example: Squats with Bench Press, or Shoulder Press with Cable Rows. While the reasons for the pairings are sound (time management, longer rest periods compared to straight sets, improved conditioning from dense workouts) I think they fall under the category of "Fitness Porn Fantasy". One of the two authors owns a gym which I'm certain he's designed to accommodate this style of training and, I'm guessing, probably most of the folks who train there must follow similar programs which could make them more understanding of the equipment hogging this program requires; but of the 6 gyms I've trained at over the years I think it would be very difficult, or at the very least stressful, to pull off.
Also:
- The exercise descriptions that accompany the pictures are somewhat bare bones.
- If you like a lot of single joint exercises like bicep curls, triceps cable extensions, or calve raises; you'll be disappointed with the programs because they are essentially void of them.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
-Anyone looking to improve their general fitness, increase lean body mass and reduce body fat; but aren't looking to become bodybuilders.
-Anyone with 45-75 minutes to train 3-4 times per week
-And preferably anyone who trains in an empty gym.
Book Review: Worth the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I originally checked this out at the library. The workouts were so effective, that I bought the book, and my wife purchased New Rules of Lifting for Women.Book Review: Great ideas, sensible workouts-NOT for those seeking traditional bodybuilding books
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is not for those looking for a traditional bodybuilding workouts that isolate body parts. It is for people who want to work out smarter, train like athletes, and work out like your body was intended to move. I've never had such killer workouts with such amazing results! The book contains a limited amount of actual written workouts but they give you so many ideas on how to put together quality training days that it won't be long til you're a pro at it. I also own "New Rules of Lifting for Women," and it is even better. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a change in the way they approach the gym--men or women. Lou Schuler is not only an entertaining author, but he along with Alwyn Cosgrove have put together a wealth of information that makes perfect sense and won't waste your time.
Book Review: Use discretion with this book.
Summary: 2 Stars
This book has some interesting facts about lifting weights, but all of the information is not entirely credible. Most of the nutrition advice is sound, but the authors view on say, potatoes is not a proven fact. The premise of using primarily if not all compound movements is correct, but the workouts designed in this book are poor. Some exercises in here should be avoided. For instance, the quarter squat fails to take into consideration biomechanics of the leg musculature by putting undue stress on the knees and excess pressure on the spine. The workouts fail to take into account the adaption level of an individual and many of them look as if they would produce overtraining (this causes you to get WEAKER) in anyone but an advanced lifter. The standard scale of novice, intermediate and advanced lifters in the book are also incorrect, and fail to base these groups on anymore than the amount of time an individual has been lifting. These levels of experience should be based on adaption level, not strength or time lifted.
I would highly recommend that anyone who is interesting in a serious, efficient and CORRECT training program to skip this book and get Starting Strength, and Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. These books provide the detailed information on technique and everything else that this common lifting books fail to provide.