Download The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs: Men's Edition, Deluxe Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection (Includes DVD) fb2

I bought all of the books in this series (used so I wasn't out a ton of money) and I think they're good, but they're not for everyone. My reviews for each volume will be somewhat similar, but I will also try to focus on information specific to each volume.

This book is quite a bit thinner than the other books in the series and contains less very basic information (fine by me; I don't need to read that three times). I think the content is reasonable for women, even though the authors are men. (I actually generally felt like most of the exercises would be suitable for men or women, although there are some woman-specific sections about pregnancy, etc.)

Unlike in the other books, there's no diet plan here. That's fine. If you want to check out the diet plan, go to the main book (The Body Sculpting Bible for Women), where it is most complete. (Don't bother if you're vegetarian, though...) The important thing is to find an eating plan that works for you. It might be from this book series or it might be something else. (There is a very brief section about determining your basal metabolic rate. But it's like 2-3 pages. Nowadays, computer programs, websites, and apps can calculate this value, although the section does explain what it means, so that's useful.)

And now on to the exercises, which is why I really bought this book in the first place!

The workouts in this book are not as equipment-intensive as in the otehr books. I am not a gym member but I can come up with home versions of almost all the exercises in these books by looking at the pictures and figuring out what muscles are supposed to be worked in each move. To do these workouts at home, you would need:

*yoga mat for stretching (or you could work out on carpet)
*rolled-up towel
*large exercise ball
*a medicine ball/weighted ball (I have a couple of the soft ones from GoFit and I love them)
*cables (could use latex ones with a door attachment)
*dumbbells
*slant board or bench (I used an exercise step with one end elevated higher than the other for this)
*chin-up bar

To be fair, everything from the cables on is in one chapter and you can get a fairly good workout without using the exercises in that chapter.

As with the lower body book, it takes a long time to get set up for a single move. Half the time you set aside for working out involves fiddling with some piece of equipment or other. I think the exercises are sometimes a bit too challenging. Not in the sense that you would injure yourself, but that you might not be starting with the core stability to balance on the ball in a particular way. When I ran into an exercise like this, I pushed my ball up against an armchair instead of using it free on the floor. This provided some stability but there was still a moving/adjusting/balancing element to the exercise. I plan to work my way up to the full exercise.

That being said, I like the variety of exercises in this book. The division into chapters is a little different -- it's done by equipment type rather than muscle group. For example, medicine ball exercises get a whole chapter. I also like the focus on the back. A lot of core-training programs neglect the back but it's just as important in terms of stability, and you use it here. This book is rather heavy on crunches and variations thereof, so be prepared for that. This book is probably best for intermediate-advanced users. However, both of the other books in the series have some ab work in them, so you can hold off on buying this one until you're ready, if you so choose.

There are some sample programs in the back of the book. There are at least two black and white photographs with every exercise, usually showing the start position and the finish position. The photographs are clear (even the gym ones) and use several different models. On the facing pages, you'll see a written description of the move and a few tips to make the move work for you. I'll admit to largely ignoring this and simply using the pictures as a guide most of the time. But the information is there if you want it.

This book needs an index. If you want to look up an exercise in one of the exercise tables, page numbers are given, but an index would be so helpful. What I found useful was taking a bunch of Post-It tape flags and sticking them to the pages of the exercises I was going to be wanting. I numbered them so I knew which exercise was first, second, and so forth. Then I flipped to that page and did the exercise. That, along with a worksheet I made, helped me keep up. I made my own program in order to fill the time I had set aside for exercising (which was a bit longer than the book has you exercising for). I think you can follow the given programs if you want, or you can just make sure to choose an exercise or two for each major muscle group on days your work your core and you should be fine.

In the end, I like the variety of exercises. This book should appeal to both gym and home users, but people with access to lots of equipment will get the most out of the later chapters. A medicine ball and a large exercise ball would be easy "first equipment purchases" and you'd get a lot out of this book with just those.

Despite the title, you don't have to be a fitness freak in order to use this book. Back pain and back disorders are very common with office workers these days, and this book offers some excellent exercises that deal with it. The book itself is about sculpting your ABS, but it acknowledges that the back is an integral part of this process. By following the exercises in this book (first the warmups and then the more strenuous ones), you can strenghten the whole of your waist area, and your back will benefit.

The author stresses that the whole body must be exercised, in addition to the ABS exercises; they cannot be performed alone. This holistic approach is a valuable foundation, and continues throughout the book. It is good to have well-reasoned explanations of the theory behind the activities, along with some well-structured 14-day plans.

This review is written from the point of view of someone trying to sort out his back, rather than going for a washboard figure. I have found the exercises to be very effective, even when performed lightly. Whatever your goals and physical condition, however, this book offers excellent exercises and exercise plans, which can be adopted to your needs.

This book is perfect for someone who is interested in perfecting their form. It explains in great detail how to execute every move. The DVD included is great too. I usually do Monday-Friday on the DVD along with my normal cardio & weight routines through the week. Then on Saturday I do the big one. Sunday break. It has really helped me in learning to execute certain moves that I didn't realize I was doing wrong. My core has definitely strengthened. I have been using this for about 6 months. This isn't something you can just use by itself. You won't burn calories or fat & you won't see any results unless you are using it with your standard routines. I highly recommend it - it helps!

Have worked with this regimen for a couple of months and it works. There is definitely more muscle in my core and abs in particular. I would like to have more instruction on how to integrate this into the author's other books which emphasize chest and arms and overall body sculpting.
The instructions are very explicit and helpful. The DVD is OK, but needs an index to move from one exercise to the next.

Definitely the perfect guide to any female who is tired of doing every type of ab exercise, fitness program and diets that are still struggling with a flabby tubby. I have tried every type of exercise and diet that you can to slim and tone the belly. I don't want a six pack I just want a slim, flat belly and this book is great. It provides detailed descriptions for each of the exercises, provides a list of feasible foods that will help you and then gives you a simple to follow work out guide based on your experience level. What more can you ask for. Plus a DVD that takes you through the entire routine. Definitely work the money. I love mine.