Men's Health Books

I bought this with a few others like it because I was in need to research this disorder. I didn't read it cover to cover, but the information I pulled from it was very useful.

A bit 'technical', this is an essential read. Knowledge is power. ANYONE who's ever been in an abusive relationship, personal, professional, platonic, NEVER has to put themself through it again when armed with the fact's. The fact's are contained in this book. Insight's, what to be aware of, answer's, there're all here. Antisocial personality disorder is EVERYWHERE, like it or not.

When I was a psychiatric resident at the University of Iowa Dr Black was my residency director. Occasionally during my training someone would make an unkind remark about the muddleheadeness thought to be pervasive in mental health circles in places like Cambridge MA and other sites on the East Coast.

As an easterner myself I dismissed these remarks as bedtime stories meant to scare our residents into staying in the midwest. However after reading one reviewer of Dr Blacks book wringing his hands over Dr Black appearing exploitative and sarcastic toward a convicted serial killer I now realize there may have been a grain of truth to what my elders were attempting to teach me.

It is clear that this book is needed more now than ever before. Our mental health system in part is suffering because evil is masquerading as disease. The result is increased stigmatization of the mentally ill and misallocation of resources. As the Jewish religious tradition teaches in Midrash Rabbah "Kindness to the wicked ends in cruelty to the righteous".

If you are looking for a book about psychopathy, look elsewhere. While a couple of true psychopathic types do make an appearance in Black's book, most of them are simply APD types, and the two are NOT equal.

The problems have to do with the fact that there is a mass of confusion among the professionals as to what, exactly, IS psychopathy, and how to "test" for it. The DSM-III changed the name of the disorder from psychopathy to "antisocial personality disorder, and the criteria for diagnosis consisted almost entirely of persistent violations of social norms, including lying, stealing, truancy, inconsistent work behavior and traffic arrests! The main reasons given for this shift were that it was too difficult to assess personality traits and it was much easier to measure "facts," such as recorded violations. This meant that there was a constellation of "behaviors" but no differentiation as to WHY those behaviors occurred. This meant that many individuals who behaved a certain way due to varied stresses and or nurturing failures were categorized right along with individuals who behaved the same way, but never had experienced familial or social stresses or lack of nurturing.

The result was, of course, a diagnostic category with good "reliability," but very questionable validity as to what was REALLY wrong with the individuals thus categorized. It also failed completely to categorize those psychopaths who do not ever break the law, yet cause untold damage to their families and to society.

This issue is not simply academic. The fact is, individuals who are APD due to "nurture" issues may have a better prognosis than those who are "APD" due to genetic factors.

Robert Hare developed the Psychopathy Checklist based largely upon the work of Hervey Cleckley. Black doesn't think much of Cleckley because the only patients that Black seems to have encountered are the APD type, and not the "ambulatory psychopath," or the "compensated psychopath," those who never break the law or who do so in such a way that they never get caught. Curiously, when Black quotes Cleckley, he removes the term psychopath and inserts APD.

Hare's checklist measures TWO factors: 1) affective/interpersonal items such as egocentricity, manipulativeness, callousness, lack of remorse - the features that are CENTRAL to psychopathy; and 2) "sometimes" features of psychopathy that are also features of other disorders, including APD, such as antisocial, unstable lifestyle, social deviance. The two factors are correlated, but there are different patterns of correlation with the external variables.

Another important point is that Black relies on the MMPI, but it has been shown that a good psychopath can completely skew the results of this test.

Hare's Psychopathy Check List played a role in the field trials for revisions to the DSM-IV. These trials showed that scores on Hare's checklist are significantly correlated with APD in criminal populations, but not symmetrically. This is because most psychopaths in prisons meet the criteria for APD, but most of those with APD do NOT meet the criteria for psychopathy.

Again, APD is defined largely by antisocial behaviors and is simply not adequate to measure the core issues of psychopathy: the affective/interpersonal components. APD leaves out the trait assessments that are necessary to differentiate between psychopathic and other criminals.

These field trials didn't help the APD or psychopathy diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV, nor did so only slightly. The term psychopathy was entirely absent from DSM-III-R and the DSM-IV text now says that "antisocial personality disorder has also been referred to as psychopathy, sociopathy, or dyssocial personality disorder." The text DOES make many references to the personality traits traditionally associated with psychopathy, however, the diagnostic criteria for APD tends to identify antisocials that are NOT psychopathic.

But Black seems to be perfectly happy with all the confusion, even adding to it himself with some considerable self-satisfaction.

Interestingly, the "showcase" case of Black's book actually contradicts everything he has asserted about APD: John Wayne Gacy. He even writes, (without getting a clue himself, it seems):

"In some ways, Gacy's story contradicts much of what we know about the natural history of ASP. ... Gacy, however, demonstrates that no predictive theory is flawless when confronting a disorder as complex and mysterious as ASP. Though he grew up feeling afraid and different, John Gacy was moderately well behaved and exhibited only a few characteristics of delinquency, with no juvenile arrest record or early history of violence."

He wouldn't be so confused if he could just get straightened out in his own mind the difference between APD, Psychopathy, and other disorders that he seems to lump all together. His writing is also very bad as the other reviewer noted.

If you want to read about APD, criminal types almost exclusively, nasty, dirty, vulgar and repellant, then this is the book for you. If you want to learn about psychopaths, the real predators that live and move among us almost undetected, those that are suave, smooth, and deadly, try Martha Stout's "The Sociopath Next Door," or Cleckley's "Without Conscience," or the classic: Cleckley's "The Mask of Sanity."

This is perhaps one of the best reviews I have read on any mental illness. Antisocial Personality Disorder is biologically based, but tragically often discarded as the result of poor parenting, movies, TV, video games, or a decline in social morals. It is none of these. It is a biological disorder with devasting effects on family members and far reaching costs to society. This book will take the reader on a review of what is currently known about this disorder and challange society to make a commitment to research and understand this illness. The author offers no excuses for the behavior of individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder, but points out its costs to society and the need to understand, diagnose and develop treatments for it.

Do not buy this book. Its most likely you've learnt the exercises at PE class in High School. It dedicates one page on nutrition so good luck getting the abs displayed on the cover.

It explains a few extra things about the abs,but nothing on nutrition and the same ol,same ol on excercises,nothing special.

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.

I purchased about 10 books from Amazon on abs in order to compare them. This one has fairly large print and large photos, although it does come with a DVD. For how it compares with the other books, here are my conclusions...

If You Want to Trim Your Waistline: You can't trim your waistline without losing fat, and you can't lose fat around your waist without losing it everywhere (focusing on a muscle group like the abdominal muscles doesn't burn fat in that location, just a little bit of fat from everywhere on the body). So, if you want to trim your waistline, skip the ab workout books and go with a good, proven overall weight loss and fitness book like Bill Phillips' Body for Life. The Abs Diet is a similar program, but like all the Men's Health publications, it advertises a 6-week transformation, which is just a little unrealistic. Plan on more like 12-24 weeks to see really noticeable changes if you are fat.

If You Want Sculpted Six-Pack Abs: If you are overweight at all, see above--you can't get a six pack while you're overweight, and you can't lose abdominal fat by doing an ab workout, so go for overall fitness. However, if you are already lean, see below.

If You Want to Strengthen or Build Your Ab Muscles: If you're trying to improve for work, play, or rehab, you might consider the following books: The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs Deluxe DVD Edition contains decently up-to-date information and tells you exactly what to do and when to do it, based on a six-week fitness course. If you're looking for a similar book with more information, you can choose from The Complete Book of Abs or The Complete Book of Core Training. The Complete Book of Abs (1998) is a little out of date in terms of its dietary/nutritional recommendations, but it focuses more on exercises that develop the external abdominal muscles (the ones you see in a six-pack), including lots of variations on leg lifts, bicycle motion, and sit-ups. It will also give you more resources for creating your own program, and, if that's what you want to do, go with this one instead of The Body Sculpting Bible. The Complete Book of Core Training (2006) focuses more on the functional body core, including internal abdominal muscles, legs, etc., and includes more trendy exercises using medicine balls, exercise balls, yoga, etc. A different sort of book is Stronger Abs and Back (1997), which was written before the current fad of selling "core training," but contains the elements of core training because it gives good functional sports-focused advice. Its dietary recommendations are out of date, but it recommends a 24-week workout plan, which is much more realistic than the 6-week plans advocated by many of the other books.

If You Have Back Pain: See your doctor, and if he prescribes abdominal/core strengthening, see above.

My one-book recommendation: Body for Life.
My two-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back.
My three-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs.
My four-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs + The Abs Diet.

Hope this helps!!

Many people in the reviews have pointed out how many exercises are too advanced but lack to point out many are also too simplistic. My problems with the book is it seems to be lacking and could have included more exercises. Also theres only one intensity for most of the exercises, after you master the "harder" ones it doesnt get any harder. I find it hard to believe that someone like Jay Cutler could use this book and not lose mass to his abs.

J.Santos is right, but so are the authors. They wrote this book in 2002 - and what they say about circumcising baby boys was and is absolutely right - American pediatricians don't recommend it because of possible complications. Since 2002 there's been more knowledge accumulated about the benefits of circumcision to adult men in the prevention of HIV/AIDS etc This is a different (but important) issue. Maybe if there's a second edition of this book the circumcision chapter will be updated. Meanwhile I think it's a good straight-talking health guide, which is just what it claims to be.

This book does not have substantial support for the comments made about circumcision, and there isn't any evidence out there to support it, or it has been disproven. This book is 100% wrong about circumcision! I am very disappointed with the author.

Boo. The last person with whom I wish to speak about sex is a woman. Even straight men talk with other men. How many lesbians would tolerate a book written for them by a man about women? You KNOW that wouldn't go over. She should talk about her own genetalia & periods and stuff lesbians are interested in and actually know about. Even Straight women prefer a female gynecologist

(...)
This is another example of merchandising over content. Not that the book is error ridden. It is not. It is competent for those first coming to knowledge of penile mechanics. To entitle it "Dick" is to shade the book with a degree of salaciousness and probably motivates the unwary and coffee table-display set to buy it for titillation, only to hand it over to Tiffany and Jared to satisfy pubescent curiosity, when the true nature of the content is discovered.
Guys, enter 'human penis' in Google search and you'll find more pertinent information in five minutes.

The last few reviewers seem to be missing the point (no pun intended) a bit. This is a book of health information that's up to date and matter of fact but written in a light kind of way that makes for easy reading and understanding. I read it first in its Spanish edition then got it for my British boyfriend - there were a few things in it he didn't know...It translates well into Spanish (name: Pene) Id really recommend it fo teenagers and sex education for older teens, a field I work in. Not quite five stars but close. Silvia S.

Because stores (especially mens clothing) come and go this book is outdated. In fact any book of this nature (unless it lists stores that will "never" go out of business like Hermes) is a waste of time and money.

"The Men's Clothing Guide" proves to be an indispensible shopping guide while travelling. Information is broken down regionally, and even includes contacts at certain stores by employee name. It helped me a lot when I was looking for a hard to find pair of shoes; with the contact in the book I found a store in DC where the salesperson had them shipped to me in NY.
Also great for the beginner who is just getting into dressing professionaly. Read to find out what the confusing "business casual" really means. This book is a great resource for college students entering the business world for the first time.

I represent a Europian clothing company in the US and before this book it was a struggle to find information on retailers. A complete resource with all the necessary information I need. A great guide for industry people and men who "just want to dress nice".

The first no nonsense book on making shopping a breeze for Men's clothing in the USA. All the retailers now need to be aware that there are more than 1200 hundred stores men can shop from.
The Bench Mark for Best Customer Service in the USA is now Fairfield Clothier's in Fairfield CT. A must read.

I am aworking man without the time and ability to find great deals on mens clothing. This book gave me some great tips. I enjoyed it so much I bought a copy for my brother and a couple of friends and I went to the signing to get a copy. This book proves men can dress nice without having to be slave to the local department stores. Thanks Steve Brinkman.

Powerflex is a very easy book to read. The explanations of each excercise are written so that everyone can understand them. The pictures are great illustrations of each excercise. The reader will know exactly how to perform each movement. The eight week program is great and you will see results fairly quick. One of the best parts is you don't need a gym or expensive equipment and you can do them wherever you are. The price is right too. I highly recommend this book.

Jim Forystek is breaking some fundamental principles of fitness in this book. I was very disappointed after I read it...
The boys in the pics have (over)developed pecs, the rest of the arms and body are very underdeveloped. Yes the boys are lean, but that is pretty much it..That is the result that powerflex delivers?
If you want a good book about bodyweighttraining, get John Peterson's books. They are LIGHTYEARS ahead of this sorry excuse of a fitness book..

Excellent, excellent book. The exercises are easy, fast, and they work like a charm. I've asked tons of people about chest development and never stuck to doing flys, flys, inverted, upside right, whatever... this is way easier and much more effective.

What I really dig is the spine and neck workouts. Never saw that addressed before, and what a difference in how I feel everyday!! Thanks!!

Powerflex is an execellent book on Bodyweight exercises. His writer Jim Forystek was a follower of Charles Atlas and has stay faithful to the perfection of building muscles in the absence of the use of weights. I love the way the book exercise routines are structured. For each exercise the book has 3 levels of repetitions, making it easy to follow the routine. I've been using it for over 8 months and feel my body has improved a great deal. Some parts I believe Powerflex could have improved is in providing pictures for the Speed and Endurance exercises, providing exercises for the calves and forearms and in providing nutritional information. Otherwise, Powerflex is an excellent addition to any bodyweight exercise library.

I found the book well structured. The exercises easy to understand. The book is worth the buy. Think about how much money people spend on gym fees and buying bulky equipment. If your just starting out and want a easy method that can be done any where, Powerflex is a great place to start.

What a great book. After reading this book I feel like I want to just throw away all of my clothes and start fresh. It is a fun and noteworthy read. Enjoyable and lavishly illustrated. I really found this a wonderful book. It is not the kind of book that you would read in one sitting, but rather a book that you will refer to throughout your life. If you are a Cary Grant wanna-be this book is for you.

This books contains the basic information on style and fashion, but it is more a collection of quotes from various "experts." If you know nothing about fashion, grooming, etc, this book would be useful. But if you want to go beyond matching your T-shirt and jeans, then you should read something by Alan Flusser. Overall I was disappointed.

I own six books on men's style so far. The only other author to whom I gave 5 stars was Alan Flusser.

This book is expertly organized. The information is clear, and it is all rather thorough. It takes you from being and idiot (which I was) to being quite well informed (which I'd like to think I now am.)

If you are going to buy only one book on men's style, get this one! If you buy two, get this and _Style and the Man_.

Men are not big into self help. Maybe there is a guy out there that could get a promotion, a date with the apple of his eye, or you but his clothes and grooming are not going to cut it.

This is the clue he has been waiting for.

This book covers it all. The fasion do's and don'ts. It covers formal dressing as well as casual attire.

Grooming and hygene are covered which may be a blessing if you are in the next cubicle to someone who doesn't heed the call of soap and water.

The book is written like the magazine in short dabs so there is nothing to get bogged down with. Perfect reading on the train or in the throne room (bathroom to the common folk).

My verdict: Buy this and some of the other Men's Health Life Improvement guides and give them out as stocking stuffers or as part of the holiday grab bags. In an extreme occasion just leave it on his desk and let him get into it on his own. He shall thank you for it in the long run.

If your quest is to discover the secrets of true personal style, you will find plenty of answers in this book. Style is not only about clothing, is a mix of how you comb your hair, whether you grow a beard, how you care for your nails, what kind of aftershave or cologne you wear, how you react under pressure, whether you convey confidence, whether you merely walk into a room or make an entrance. Everything is important and this book can help you create your own personal style.

This book will be your personal image consultant.

Give this book a chance- it will change your life.

I am following Dr. Pescatore's plan and have lost ten pounds in two weeks. It's not a miracle, it's not easy, but it is the right tactic for me, personally. The eating program is basically low carb, but also allows some servings of melons, beans, whole grain bread, etc. twice/week. An evening snack of refried beans with cheese and sour cream tasted as good as a dish of ice cream. Also, my body requires portion control and this plan deals with portion size. Not fun but necessary.I am succeeding at long last but not just because I'm sticking to the right foods and the right portions but because I'm dealing with my mental attitude and history towards food. Some people may be able to just follow a list of foods to eat and do well. Not me. But keeping a journal and reading Dr. P's "mind-medicines" daily have done wonders for my acceptance, discipline, understanding, and motiviation. I can actually see myself five months from now as a slim person. Truthfully, that never happened before. I read sections of this book over and over again. I identify with many scenarios. It's the tool that I needed and I hope that others will be as satisfied as I am. To address earlier comments, he suggests organic eggs, doesn't demand them, I don't measure my condiments to the spoonful and I don't take all the supplements he recommends, I use other plans' recipes as well as his and I am losing and shrinking and feeling good. I believe that the psychological aspect of this program is the key. For those of us who have had a weight issue for most of our lives, it's a blessing. Try it.

I followed this diet and it has been the only thing I have tried in years that worked for me, and it is FAST. This program has a special vegetarian section where you can have beans, and some oatmeal. It's not such a low carb diet that you lose pep or get insane cravings. I also found the mind body exercises extremely valuable. He writes with the wisdom of a person who is on the path with you -- he fought his own battle with weight.

I've been on it for 3.5 months and have lost 2 sizes. That may not seem fast to you, but I am post menopausal and usually have to exert enormous effort to drop any weight. This has been steady, and I feel comfortable on it. Amazing!

Dr. Pescastore's unique bent on low carb dieting resides in his linking of the mind and body with his "Mind-Body Medicines": daily thoughts to spur on your reserve in the diet process.
This book had a lot of good information, but overall I felt it would make life way too complicated to try to implement the diet as Dr. Pescatore laid it out. There were so many rules and measurements to make of everything you put in your mouth, that it would be much easier just to give up eating entirely. In this fast paced world, I really feel that most people just don't have the time or desire to go to this much trouble to lose weight and regain health, when there are many other books out there that tell you how to accomplish the same thing in a much easier format.
Another non-selling point for me was the amount of different dietary supplements he encourages you to take daily. This diet could get very expensive very quickly.

My husband and I are on our 8th day of this diet and we are both feeling fantastic. It may seem complicated at first and the weighing and measuring may seem daunting but just wade right in and it all makes sense and becomes habit very quickly. There are some delicious recipes and it is an amazing thing to sit down to meals that are cooked with butter and cream and mayonaise and all those things that we have denied ourselves for years and to actually be loosing weight. I recommend this book compleatly.

First, some disclosure: I have not actually continued the program past the first day. Firstly, the weight recommendations are overly ambitious for the beginner. I recommend starting with much smaller weights. Secondly, the tables listing the reps would be easier to follow if placed right next to the illustrations of the exercise. Workouts are tough to stay focused on if one has to repeatedly flip between multiple sets of pages in a book. Perhaps a detachable foldout chart giving a visual overview would be helpful.

This book is a great way to start your weight lifting workout. BUT i have found a few problems with it as i have progressed.

1] The split routine she recommends is WRONG. She recommends biceps, triceps, and then chest, shoulders, and chest [and then a day off]. NO, the back exercises work out your biceps.. and the shoulder and chest exercises will work out your triceps... THUS violating the VERY Important rule of letting a body party have 24 hours off before you work it out again. The REAL split routine should be biceps, back, then chest, shoulders, and triceps. Doing it her way not only hurt my development but also was harmful to my overworked muscles that never really got enough time to heal between workouts.

2] The second and third shoulder exercises she lists are HORRIBLE. I have never seen them in ANY OTHER workout book, that is because you should always lift away from the floor against gravity. Those two exercises have to lifting the weights paralla to the floor, BAD and hard to do. She probably did this because she was hard up for exercises that allow you to always use the same 3 sets of dumbells.

3] Back exercise 3 [upward row] is also works shoulders too. This is bad if again you are using the split routine. Also I have heard from experienced lifters that the upward row is a horrible exercise and should be eliminated all together.

Otherwise an excellent do-it-yourself starting workout. Simple and straight forward. Start with it and see the results, BUT if you stick with it you will need more and better books then this.

Joyce Vedral addresses the typical sedentary American who's a novice at working out. This book is targeted at the sort of guy shown in the "before & after" photos; middle-aged men (or men getting close to middle-age) who are out of shape but not TERRIBLY out of shape, have little or no experience with weight lifting, and want to start looking less pudgy and more muscular.

As a gentle introduction to working the upper body using free weights, the program Vedral recommends will start getting you in shape. She emphasizes the upper body because that's what most men are concerned with, but (correctly) points out that you really need to do lower body work as well. She includes plenty of optional leg exercises in her program, but really should recommend them more strongly -- someone who is serious about getting in shape and is willing to work with weights should not consider leg workouts "optional"! The good thing about her program is that it can be done entirely with dumbells and a bench, so if you don't have the time or money to go to a gym, it won't cost too much to buy what you need for a home workout. She does give options for using machines at a gym, although the dumbell workout is superior.

I got started with her program, over a year ago, and it did begin to shape me up. My muscles got bigger, I could feel my chest and arms firming up, and I gradually increased the amount I was lifting.

Now, here's what's wrong with her program and why you won't want to stick with it indefinitely if you intend to continue improving herself:

1. As mentioned above, she doesn't put enough emphasis on the need for working your ENTIRE body. I took her half-hearted plea to work the legs too as "permission" to ignore them. I didn't really start achieving my overall fitness goals until I began working my lower body.

2. She doesn't emphasize nutrition enough, which most bodybuilders will tell you is MORE important than your workout! An inferior workout program with a good diet will gain you some improvement and at least you'll be healthier; a superior workout program with a lousy diet will gain you minimal improvements at best and not much gains in your health. The book does talk about nutrition a little and gives some recommendations for good eating, but her "diet" is austere and won't appeal to someone just getting into fitness.

3. The weight recommendations are TOO LIGHT. It's fine for a beginner who's never done weightlifting before to start with small weights and gradually increase them, but Vedral has you increasing the amount you lift by minute amounts and then tells you that once you get to a certain point, you can stop increasing the weight and continue working out at that level forever! This will never dramatically reshape your body, and frankly, I find it hard to believe that some of her success stories really achieved the shape they are in merely following this program, without some serious extra weight exercises, cardio, and nutritional support. You certainly will not get the dramatic results in those photos just doing the dozen or so sets of upper-body dumbell exercises with the low weights Vedral recommends. Once I got into a more serious weightlifting program, I suddenly found myself regularly lifting FAR more weight than I had been while following the program in this book! If I had not "graduated" and realized this book was inadequate for further progress, I'd still be lifting much smaller weights and thinking I was doing fine.

4. The upper body workout is adequate for a beginner, but it's not good for someone who really wants a stronger, muscular figure. It's important to know which muscle groups you should exercise in what order, and Vedral has you doing exercises in which you'll overwork some muscles without giving them adequate time to recover. This won't be a major factor when you are working those muscles for the first time, but as you progress, it will begin to hinder your progress.

5. Some of her claims are overhyped and inaccurate. Vedral is an English professor, and her credentials as a nutritionist and personal trainer are sketchy. She leads you to believe that you can simultaneously burn fat while building muscle, which any fitness expert or bodybuilder can tell you is not true. You can experience *some* muscle growth while you are losing fat, but you can't gain weight (which is what building muscle requires) and lose weight (which is what burning fat requires) at the same time, nor do both consistently over the long term. You have to focus on one or the other. First burn the fat, then build the muscle. This book will also lead you to believe that weightlifting is a fat-burning activity. You SHOULD lift weights as part of a fat-burning program, for too many reasons to elaborate on here, but lifting weights alone WILL NOT burn fat. If you're fat, and you do weights but no cardio or diet adjustments, you'll be a stronger fat person.

In short, I'd recommend this book for a total beginner who needs a friendly, personable guide and an easy program to get started with, but only with the understanding that after a few months (assuming you follow the program diligently and make good progress), you will need to start reading more serious books and follow a more comprehensive program that works your entire body in a more scientific manner.

If you are the target for this book just stop looking and get it. I have been promising myself forever that I was going to start excercising but I just never seemed to start. I finally got serious about it but I wanted to do weight training -not just cardio. I did this out of vanity since I wanted to have something to show for my hard work on the outside, not just the inside. Anyway I am a skinny guy and I did a little lifting in HS/college but now that I'm a little older, I have the wisdom to know you just can't wing it. I searched for a book that will break it down as simple as possible: Do ___ step by step. Well this is the book. I have been doing it for 4 months now and there has been a dramatic difference in my upper body. That's the funny thing -in the book Joyce tells you that the initial workout concentrates on the upper body only (since that is what most guys want). She forewarns that as you advance you will probably have to incorporate the leg routine into the workout. Well she's right. Already my legs are looking way to skinny to the muscle I have put on so I have to begin the alternating workout instead of the 3X per week one.

Bottom line is this is the perfect book to put yourself to the test and prove to yourself that you really can change the look of your body with a minimal amount of $ (just a bench and some dumbells are all that's needed). Thanks Joyce (and no I'm not going to send in a before/after picture!) :)

I never really believed that I could work off the flab and fat that I had accumulated over the last 20 years.That was before I came across this book ! Believe me,this book worked.Maybe not in 12 weeks(mine was a pretty serious case !)but certainly over 6 months,it worked wonders on me !And all with some floor exercices and a pair of dumbells ! My stomach is iron-hard,and every part of my body is taut and muscled!

Lady,you sure know how to handle a body !! Great show and THANKS !

I have to give this book credit, it sticks to its topic very well, making the book concise and easy to follow. It opens with the basics of ab anatomy and then moves in to various exercises and programs for strengthening and developing the abdominals. Only at the end does it stray slightly off course and discuss the nutritional aspects of ab development.

The one area where this book stands out (and my reason for purchasing it a while back) is that it focusses on the pelvic tilt associated with improper ab development. For about $... it might be worth it just for this information.

The downside is that this book is out of date. Swiss balls are the current rage in ab developed and the book author has titles devoted entirely to this subject, yet they aren't mentioned once.

This book does a good job of explaining the anatomy and function of the abdominal & back muscles, but it's hard to follow because you have to flip back and forth to get to the correct diagrams. There isn't a good variety of exercises. Many of the exercises require cable machines that aren't available at the gym I go to. Definitely not a book for doing exercises at home.

The book is good, and really details the proper way to train your core. It is focused on training your lower abs so that they will adequately compensate for antagonizing muscles. Proper training of the abdominal muscles will result in better posture, less exposure to injury and better definition of the core muscles. It's critical to strengthen your core since it must stabilize you in almost all body movements. This book is a great step in learning how to do this. The diet info at the end is a little out-dated, and based on low fat intake. After reading this section, I would recommend skipping it and instead following the advice for diet and nutrition found in Paul Chek's latest book Eat, Move, and Be Healthy.

Definitely very good for beginner, although I have to agree that flipping pages back and forth during the exercise is not very convenient. Authors could position material better or include a separate workout sheet. Most of the excersices can be done at home.

This is the best book I've read on how the abdominals work and how to development them. It begins with a technical section (low interest for me), but then moves to a helpful beginner, intermediate, and advanced level workout routines. That's the best section. Well worth the money!

This book does contain some decent information on losing weight, aerobic exercise and body-building. Unfortunately, the entire book is written in a very repetetive style that makes reading several chapters in a row quite a chore. In addition, there's a lot of evidence of cut-and-paste editing throughout the book as well. For instance, the book may mention "Dr. Joe Bloggs" in 8 or 9 different chapters. However, in every chapter, the writers will "re-introduce" as though this is the first time he/she has been mentioned, and with nearly identical text: "Dr. Joe. Bloggs, a PhD from Harvard University and a world-renowned physioloigist who also won the Nobel Prize in 1978 and is currently teaching at Brown, had this to say ..." It seems like a minor annoyance, but after several chapters with several of the same experts, it becomes quite monotonous.

The book does have good information, as I mentioned, but there are simply better books out there.

This is an excellent book that is geared towards those who are serious about losing weight and getting into shape. If you are looking for any magic tricks or fad diets, this is not your book. But if you want a realistic plan to properly exercise and diet, then this is your ticket. The book also has a humorous side, that makes it easier to read than your average textbook.

This book is incredible. It has been a companion of mine since it was first introduced many years ago. This book was designed for just about anyone in mind, any age, any physical shape. It teaches you the importance of diet and nutrition, stretching and exercise, with plenty of examples for those of us with little experience at these subjects. This is a book for anyone who cares about the health of their body. So get the book, and then get motivated.

The text is mostly magazine-type chatter, not without some good information, but the workout sections with photos are very good. I've been doing the excercises for three months and I'm very pleased with the results.

March 2003: now six months on these excercises; when you get bored there are lots of suggestions of other forms of working out that you can follow (eg; running, in-line skating, boxing, etc.). I keep a core routine from this book, however.

I purchased about 10 books from Amazon on abs in order to compare them. This one is a nice hard-cover book that is out of date (it was written over a decade ago) in its recommendations, especially its recommendations about diet and nutrition. Your money will be wasted because it could have been spent on something better. If you're looking for a good book to help you with your abs, here's my conclusion from comparing books...

If You Want to Trim Your Waistline: You can't trim your waistline without losing fat, and you can't lose fat around your waist without losing it everywhere (focusing on a muscle group like the abdominal muscles doesn't burn fat in that location, just a little bit of fat from everywhere on the body). So, if you want to trim your waistline, skip the ab workout books and go with a good, proven overall weight loss and fitness book like Bill Phillips' Body for Life. The Abs Diet is a similar program, but like all the Men's Health publications, it advertises a 6-week transformation, which is just a little unrealistic. Plan on more like 12-24 weeks to see really noticeable changes if you are fat.

If You Want Sculpted Six-Pack Abs: If you are overweight at all, see above--you can't get a six pack while you're overweight, and you can't lose abdominal fat by doing an ab workout, so go for overall fitness. However, if you are already lean, see below.

If You Want to Strengthen or Build Your Ab Muscles: If you're trying to improve for work, play, or rehab, you might consider the following books: The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs Deluxe DVD Edition contains decently up-to-date information and tells you exactly what to do and when to do it, based on a six-week fitness course. If you're looking for a similar book with more information, you can choose from The Complete Book of Abs or The Complete Book of Core Training. The Complete Book of Abs (1998) is a little out of date in terms of its dietary/nutritional recommendations, but it focuses more on exercises that develop the external abdominal muscles (the ones you see in a six-pack), including lots of variations on leg lifts, bicycle motion, and sit-ups. It will also give you more resources for creating your own program, and, if that's what you want to do, go with this one instead of The Body Sculpting Bible. The Complete Book of Core Training (2006) focuses more on the functional body core, including internal abdominal muscles, legs, etc., and includes more trendy exercises using medicine balls, exercise balls, yoga, etc. A different sort of book is Stronger Abs and Back (1997), which was written before the current fad of selling "core training," but contains the elements of core training because it gives good functional sports-focused advice. Its dietary recommendations are out of date, but it recommends a 24-week workout plan, which is much more realistic than the 6-week plans advocated by many of the other books.

If You Have Back Pain: See your doctor, and if he prescribes abdominal/core strengthening, see above.

My one-book recommendation: Body for Life.
My two-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back.
My three-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs.
My four-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs + The Abs Diet.

Hope this helps!!