Athletics Books

I heard about the book, "My Father's Heart: A Son's Journey" during an interview with the author, Steve McKee. The reason for the interest was loosing my husband suddenly last July 30, 2007 to a massive heart attack.
We have 4 children, 2 boys then 2 girls. They range in age 41 - 47 years old.

The children have become very conscious of making sure that they are getting thorough doctor examinations every year, something that, especially the men, have not been faithful in doing. They all do exercise. So this part is good. However, they are all having a very difficult time in the grieving process because of the closeness to their father. He was a very animated and loving man, so the void is great.

When I listened to the interview on the Today Show, I thought that this book might just be something that the children should read to help them in their loss. I purchased 4 copies and gave a copy to each one on Valentine's Day.

I have started to read the book and have found many similarities that I know they will be able to relate to.

I was very happy to have found the book on Amizon.Com. The cost was a lot more reasonable then if I had bought these copies at a book store. I received the books 3 days after I ordered them.

This book depicts the love of family and the loss of a very dear member of that family, even though the father, knowing his condition, did not take care of himself as he should have.

The number one killer in the United States has a personality. In Steve McKee's family odyssey--as with most people's--heart disease is very personal. It can snatch the life of your father, turn your world upside down, make you obsessively interested in your family tree, drive you to swear oaths of healthy eating and exercise, wring your worried hands over living long enough to see your own children make it to adulthood, curse the universe because you got what your father got, and finally understand that the life you want is up to you. "My Father's Heart" is as much about healthy hearts and loving hearts as it is about hearts under siege.

A touching book that brought me back to my own childhood...I am thankful to the author for impressing on me a very important lesson, that is, even though our fathers may pass on physically, their memories continue to live in our hearts forever influencing us in very important ways. Even though I was fortunate to have my father until he was 84 years old, it will always feel that he too was taken from our family too soon. My father's death, like the author's, from a heart condition, taught his children how very important it was to take better care of ourselves physically before it was too late. I especially appreciated the author's depiction of his childhood years, growing up in a neighborhood similar to my own in suburban Detroit. The author brought it all alive for me. This book is a GREAT read and I highly recommend it...

As a teenager author Steven McKee watched his father die of a heart attack in their living room, part of a family chain of heart disease and death caused by lifestyle and family heritage. Disappointed by his father's ignoring of his disease, the author vowed to keep his heart in top condition - yet a lifetime of dieting and exercise didn't change his own diagnosis of serious cardiovascular disease. McKee's probe into a family heritage of illness makes for a moving story blending health and genetic insights with his own discoveries of motivations for change and health, making for a moving, engrossing survey hard to put down. Both health libraries and general-interest collections will find it involving.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Steve McKee has written a touching, nostalgic and informative book that will appeal to everyone.
My Father's Heart is about Mr. McKee's family's experience of his father's fatal heart attack that came in the prime of his life. The book explores the personal and biological legacy of Mr. McKee's father's death. Cutting back and forth in time and geography Mr. McKee creates an engaging story that weaves themes of family and community relationships, coming of age and how he has come to terms with his father's heart attack and death.
The book is also very informative about the current state of medical arts concerning healthy heart care and healthy living; the interplay of biological predispositions and the impact and control we can have on our own medical destinies. Mr. McKee leaves us with the reaffirming message that we are capable of influencing the course of our physical wellbeing and our life outlook.

Joe's story is interesting: he grew up in central Illinois in a small town called Cuba, he tells us," Cuba has a population of about fourteen hundred, if you count the cats and dogs".Other than being passionate about fitness...he also has a sense of humor, I like that.

I read his very moving childhood story.The way he was bullied by other kids, because he was " fatso".What can I say?-here is a trainer who cares enough, and it pushes him to be vulnerable with his audience.This made me admire Joe even more. This is before he mentions his football injury, a sad story that lead him to being mindless. If you've got any kids, this story will remind you about giving your kids a balanced childhood.From his testimony I learnt that we shouldn't dwell on making our kids super athletes, and neither should we make our kids believe that sports, social affirmation, or being involved with school activities will make them fully complete.A child has to be comfortable in their own skin, first and foremost-without all that cheerleading,football team,Lacrosse, swim team nonsense.From Joe's story, I learnt the importance of self love and acceptance. Thank you for this message Joe.

Joe later tells us about his military basic training-it was an experience and a half.He had to stick it out completely, otherwise he would have been stuck in the " fat boy program". This was funny, like I said before this man is candid about everything.

The book has a unique tilt to it.Any extreme person would find it useful, because Joe is an extreme person. At one point he was a heavy drinker and horrible eater, and he then swings from one end of the pendulum to another-into being an extreme athlete.

His transition from being a binge and heavy drinker was very emotional.He tells us of how he got into a gradual routine that started with working with an old set pair of beat-up sneakers. This man had been pushed to the bottom of the barrel. He goes on to describe the chin up bar that he used.Then there was the light walking that he took. Such a moving testimony indeed....this man had actually began his transformation process.So encouraging was his progress that he decided to join Western Illinois University, where he earned a b.A in exercise science.

Joe is a man who has lived and also understands fitness, he just didn't wake up yesterday and then decided to publish. He earned his stripes.At the end of the day, it is a good read, especially for those who have been exercising.It might be too overwhelming to a novice exerciser.

This book is the best and so is the author - Joe Decker.
This book is a total package. This is not another lose weight, get fit gimmick. Joe Decker has truly put together a great tool for improving ourselves, not just physically but also mentally.

I am a single mom in my mid 20's. I have gone through struggles I don't think anyone can imagine. At times, I felt so depressed that I thought I would never get out of the hole I was in. About three weeks ago I was listening to the radio on my way into work and Joe Decker was being interviewed. Immediately, I liked him and decided to buy his book. Now, I am not a book reader, I don't buy books and if I do I usually return them to the book store. I decided to give this book a try. I love it.

Through healthy eating and exercising I have started to lose weight. I feel so good. I exercise an hour 5x a week. I have never kept to it for three weeks in a row.
I am so glad that Joe Decker after his personal success he has given back to all of us the tools of survival and health through his book. Through e-mail he also helps you by answering any questions and he motivates you. By the way HE RESPONDS!! not someone working for him.

This book has been the best thing I have ever invested money in.
Also, I did try liposuction 5 years ago, It doesn't keep you thin or fit. I gained 60 lbs. after it. It was a waste of money!

After reading Joe Decker's book I wrote him the following e-mail:

Dear Joe?just to let you know that your book is being a help and inspiration to me. I'm 234# this morning down from 250. Yesterday I moved to a new hole in my belt, and this a.m. I put on a pair of formerly too-tight jeans, grinning from ear to ear.

Yeah, I know, that's still too heavy, but I'm making serious progress and will continue.

Thanks again for your help!

* * *

Mr. Decker's book makes it clear that you won't lose weight nor become fit without steady, the-rest-of-your-life effort. There are no secrets, no short-cuts. But he also tells how you can do both, and offers examples, inspiration, and explanations. He is an excellent example himself, having gone from pudge to fit, back to pudge and finally to the title of The World's Fittest Man, as well as becoming a fitness and training expert.

The book is in readable, plain English, no psycho-babble nor fancy body-chemistry language. If you want help in losing weight, becoming fitter, or both, The World's Fittest You is an excellent choice.

Joe Decker has authored the best fitness book you'll ever need. It is grounded in reality, not deception and myth making. If you are attracted to promises like "rock hard abs in 30 seconds," don't bother with this book. Joe is a realist about what it takes to get and stay in shape: it requires time, commitment, and effort, six days a week. You're fooling yourself if you think 20 minutes a day three times a week is enough. Decker outlines a well-balanced approach, including cardio, strength training, and flexibility. Other books I've consulted emphasize one of these areas over the other, focusing only on weight training, or cardio activities like running or biking. But Decker's approach is comprehensive and sound in every respect. And within each of these three areas (cardio, strength, flexibility), Decker provides challenging guidelines on workout frequency, intensity, and technique. Joe's program is all about variety, a key to avoiding boredom, a killer if you want to persevere. The illustrations are helpful, and the workout plans can be tailored to any level, beginner through advanced. I like his suggestion that you should add an "out of the box" fitness activity each week, as well as a yearly "mega-event" like a triathlon or some other fitness competition. This book has really helped me put together a realistic, motivating, and effective fitness program, and got me off a stagnating plateau.

Joe Decker has put a lot of effort into this book. There is a comprehensive food plan and exercise plan. What he says for the most part is eat a healthy diet and exercise and you can feel and look better in 4 weeks. He also debunks other programs like the one that claims you can get fit in 8 minutes a day.

Joe Decker is in the Guinness Book of World Records holding the title of the World's Fittest Man. Joe completed an ultimate athletic circuit that included a number of events like running, kayaking, Nordic track, swimming etc. to earn his title. He feels that everybody can challenge themselves to a better body.

Despite Joe's obvious desire to help others I just found the book lacking. Joe says DONT DIET. But he tells you what to eat and for women its a 1400 calorie a day plan that includes foods like egg beaters, reduced calorie dressing, lo-fat cheese etc. Sounds like a diet to me! For the most part the food items included are healthy ones. But there is no room for treats like chocolate of which a fine quality bon-bon can be healthy in moderation or say a small scoop of ice cream which is also fine in moderation. He also tells you to drink water to get filled up. But studies done by Dr. B. Rolls show that drinking water does NOT fill you up. Eating water rich foods like grapes does.

Next he gets into an exercise plan. He encourages women to use heavy weights stating that this will make them sleek and sexy. Not true. If you take a look at females who use heavy weights they do build bulk and a lot of muscle that many females do not want. At one time I also believed this till I noticed how bulky I got using heavy weights. Now I use light weights and more repititions for better results.

Joe also busts fitness myths that people believe. But many of these myths have been "busted" so many times that its old news. For example he says you can't spot tone. How often do we have to read that we all think we can spot tone? He also recommends supplements glucosamine and chondroitin which are not FDA approved for safety.

The exercise program and the diet program are intense. And you are expected to jump in right away. No easing into anything here.

Throughout the book Joe also refers to things with a "World's Fittest Man" prefix as in "World's Fittest Man Catfish Creole" recipe - this gets annoying.

I can see that Joe put a lot of effort into the book but its really only for those who are ready to knock themselves out which usually lasts about 2 weeks and then its back to coach potatodom.

There are some good reviews here of his book, but interestingly enough they are mostly by "a reader" and all around the same time frame.

My suggestion would be to take a more sensible approach one step at a time that will be longer lasting.

I've found this to be a critical part of my ballroom education, both reinforcing the instruction I receive from my classes and prepping me to better receive instruction. I use this like I would a college textbook, reading the chapters on the dance I'm about to learn in class, taking the class, and then going back to re-read the chapters in the book. I've found that the nebulous terms used in instruction like Contra Body Movement, Body Flight, and dance lines/curves, are all explained in detail in this book, providing instruction in two different voices (the book and my dance teacher) to help me comprehend and apply these theories in my dancing better. I've actually noticed a drastic improvement in my dancing since studying this book.

I've also enjoyed learning the how to lead (I'm female and usually following) from this book, as learning the mens part helps me become a better follower when dancing with a variety of leads.

I would highly recommend this book as a supplement to a structured dance program. I don't think it would be easy to learn to dance with only the use of this book, but by combining it with the practical instruction of a qualified teacher, this book is an amazing resource.

As a professional teacher (Di Marsh) with my own studio in Tasmania (Heals & Souls Danceworld) , I can attest to its value as an excellent and informative publication for beginners, competition dancers and student professionals. All tuition is from the maestro himself, Alex Moore, and the book easily lives up to it's reputation as "the ballroom dancer's bible", with not only interesting information for everyone but diagrams to enhance the teaching. I highly recommend this product for all who have the slightest interest in ballroom.

Please be aware that this particular offering is not the 10th Edition (the newest) of this title. This is a pre-historical edition (before my time, anyway) published in 1939. Even though the changes occurred between this edition and the later ones may not seem to be that significant, I am wondering why Amazon is offering this edition to the public who are interested in "modern" ballroom dancing (just can not resist the pun) instead of the more "modern" version of it.

I am giving it a three star for the obvious old feel of it.

A new version of this book is actually available through the ISTD. It is a very helpful book, with thorough charts for all the standard dances. There is also a comparable book for Latin.

This book presents maneuvers that are very leadable. The lady
can follow the man without knowing in advance what he will do.
The very detailed technique is based on the bio-mechanical
necessities of good dancing. It has been the most respected
book on ballroom dancing worldwide for decades. It is useful
for teaching yourself without a teacher, if you are a serious
student. It covers international style, which has some figures
in common with American style. Where they diverge international
sticks to leadable figures, American to showy figures.

This book provided alot of helpful insight from the mind of an individual who has already achieved success in the field I want to pursue myself. This is a good book to read if you're curious to see a realistic day-in-the-life look at the entrepreneurial track of fitness training. It also gives good tips for those that wish to work in established gyms as well; however, the entrepreneurial info is what reeled me in.

I really enjoyed reading this "Dummies" book. The author put lots of practical stories that really made the points. While I won't be training others for profit, I've already started working with other missionaries that want to get healthy. The book already has given me several ideas about how to work better.

This book does not really teach you the basics of becoming a personal trainer, but yet it teaches you how to start your business as a personal trainer. Was not what I thought based on the title.

Not really what I was looking for, but I started reading and its a great book, I really recomended to all beginners and experience, it has all the information you'll ever need, trully a well written and great referance book to have.

This is a very easy to read primer for those considering a career or hobby in personal fitness. It gives a nice overview of what the career is like and what it will take to gain a certificate and proceed to line up those all important clients. I also learned a few things that can be incorprated into my own liftness lifestyle.

I really enjoy this book, I wish that Art Chansky had waited until Smith past Adouph Rupp (which we all knew was going to happen) to release this masterpiece (Now I have to go out and by another editon of the same book!!!) None the less this is something all true blue fans need more than oxygen!! Congrats, Dean, we miss you. GO TAR HEELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Dean's List details every year of North Carolina basketball during Dean Smith's reign as coach. You get a brief commentary from Art Chansky, alot of good pictures and a team roster. The championship year of 1982 gets special attention, which is justified as it was a special team. You're not going to find any major revelations amongst these pages, but if you are a fan of Carolina basketball, this is an enjoyable read.

Great pictures, great memories, and great storie

The second I opened it I could not put it down! I love tarheel basketball. Everthing you want to know about tarheel basketball is in this book, baby!!

The problem with this book is not the content; Chansky's stories are often interesting. The real problem is that Chansky has serious problems with the English language. Scarcely a page goes by without a mangled mixed metaphor or breathless cliche. If you're a Carolina fan though, you probably won't notice.

It took so long to get it. My class only had 2 classes left.
I didn't need this anymore.
Linda Morgan

I have this book, and really think that it has a vast ray of information that helps the Physical Education Teacher prepare a developmentally appropriate Lesson.

I have used this book for two years now and found it helpful with lots of practical information. Implementing the lessons will require the lesson plans(not included) to fully utilize the contents of the book. This book is Sport based and Standards based. There are 36 weekly lessons which gives the program lots of structure. The author assumes you have enough space (indoor & outdoor) to teach the program. The cost of equipment can be high although there is a pretty good section on "How to make your own" equipment. I believe this book is a good resource, chapters are organized and mirror the weekly lesson plan book.

This book has great listings of activities to do with kids, whether in the academic setting or a camp/child care setting. Fun games, exercises and other activities are easy to look up and have good directions. A solid textbook for new teachers.

This is an excellent aide in learning how to teach physical eduation to elementary school students. Pangrazi is an excellent author and essential information and helpful tips to teach physical education. Overall, this book is the most useful and I am definately not selling it back.

This book offers background information of the sport of rebounding and provides exercise programs for age groups small child to senior with different levels of expertise. A lot of information for the money.

The book is an easy read. I've been rebounding for several years. The routines in the book are easy to follow and I am very pleased with the results- been using his plan for 2-3 weeks and can already see increased strength and muscle tone. I will definitely keep this in my daily fitness routine. My teens are enjoying it as well. Another plus is you can work your body on many levels all at once and it doesn't have to take long on days when rushed.

I have been in the fitness industry for over 25 years. We all know there is truly nothing new under the sun, only new presentations and combinations of the old! There are certain things that have not changed in 25 years in this fitness industry! The important basics, most experts agree, haven't changed: Sound stretching, Strengthening with resistance, and Cardiovascular basics! I feel Dr. Sneider's book is the pioneering standard in the industry. Being a 2 Time Women's World Long Drive Champion, I have found Resistive Rebounding to be one of the many secrets to my power!

If you have a rebounder you need this book. I bought a copy back in the 80s, lost it and just had to buy another. The exercises are simple and explained well. I do advise getting the soft weights they recommend, as I have hit myself in the head with them more times than I can count.

Who would have thought that bouncing, shuffling, jogging and using soft hand weights on a mini trampoline would be so beneficial to one's health. Harry and Sarah walk you through the steps of turning one's body into perfect shape. Although first published over 20 years ago the information is timeless and even today they run the Schneider Fitness Center in California using the technology included in the book.
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One Great Game is an interesting chronicle for those who like high school football. The analysis of the longest winning streak in history in any sport would be enough in itself. Indeed the game account seems less important than discourse on social and economic differences between the featured schools and their students. Though the writing is ponderous at times, I learned a lot about the nature of high schools in other states - for instance most of the perennial powerhouse football teams are from private schools. The character sketches of players and coaches is good, but I still would like to know how to pronounce Bob Ladouceur's name. Cover notes on the book say it is "an engaging cultural history about twenty-first-century American life." I submit it is, instead, a cultural narrative about life in California. Where else would you find players, when gunshots erupt in the neighborhood, react by citing the type weapon being fired, then resume practice as if nothing unusual happened. Going in, I expected the story would convince me that California high school football is the best played anywhere in the U.S. Despite the author's conviction that California has not just the best but probably the second- and maybe third-best teams anywhere any given year, I came away figuring teams from my state and others would fare well playing the Golden State schools. Had there been more interstate games, I doubt The Streak would have happened. I give the book 3 stars because I consider it about midway between the most and least enjoyable books I've read. Oh yes, if you're buying it, suggest you get the September 2005 edition that includes epilogue and afterword rounding out the story.

Don Wallace did an excellent job profiling the stark differences between De La Salle and Long Beach Poly, creating much more interest in the game and it's outcome. Whether you are a fan of DLS or Poly, you couldn't help but come away with a greater appreciation of the other school. Yes, it was One Great Game, and it was One Great Book.

Don Wallace's account of the first ever high school football championship game is frequently riveting, and always insightful. In the chapters leading up to the Game (An October 2001 matchup between #2 Long Beach Poly and #1 Concord De La Salle)Wallace proves himself more than able to juggle two disparate narratives, managing to track the players and football programs at these two perennial powerhouses while capturing the social dynamics of the towns in which they reside.

At first, the towns seem diametrically opposed: Concord is a predominantly white, upper middle class suburb; Long Beach is an ethnically diverse community replete with gang warfare and violence, as well as Wallace's alma mater.

But Wallace, it's clear, does not buy in to the American Dream vs American Nightmare pitch. Poly, it turns out, is an academic as well as a football powerhouse, a diamond circumscribed within the rough streets of Long Beach. And while the students at De La Salle may be economically priviliged in comparison to Poly's, they are also burdened by heavy expectations (A 116 game winning streak on the line)and must dedicate themselves completely to football.

One Great Game concludes with a vivid account of The Game itself, often digressing into a play by play account. It's during these moments that Wallace's intimate familiarity with the two teams, as well as the game of football, comes across best.

I highly recommend this book, not just to football fans, but to anybody with an interest in contemporary American society. You won't mistake One Great Game for a PHD thesis--its far too interesting and well worded--but you may find yourself admiring the poignancy Wallace discovers, or creates, from our best, quintessentially American sport.

This book chronicles the first-ever meeting between the #1 and #2-ranked high school football teams in America. In October of 2001, #1 Long Beach Poly, a Southern California powerhouse with a long, storied tradition, alma mater to a record 50 past and present NFL players, played host to #2 De La Salle, a Catholic all-boys school from the upper-class suburban town of Concord, CA, home of the nation's longest football (and perhaps all team sports) winning streak, which, before the Game, stands at an astounding 116 games.

Prior to this game, no #1 and #2 teams had ever met in head-to-head competition, which always beggared the question, "Who's REALLY #1?," since most, if not all of the USAToday's Top 25 high school teams would end up the season undefeated.

Long Beach is the "most diverse city in America," a sprawling city of 425,000 sandwiched between monstrous L.A. to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. It has a long and rich history, much of it less-than-sparkling, where waves of immigration, first of blacks, Hispanics, and Japanese in the early part of the 20th century, then of Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Central Americans following upheavals in their respective homelands, made for a boiling brew of racial tension. Despite all this, Polytechnic High School, located in the decaying heart of downtown Long Beach, is a shining beacon for the whole community, not only as an athletic powerhouse, but as an academic springboard to prestigious colleges. in the 2001 season, the Poly Jackrabbits have perhaps their most talented team ever, with 5 players ranked among the 100 best high school players in the country.

Concord, California, is a wealthy, mostly white, upper-middle-class suburb in the East Bay Area, populated by the professional, educated types who toil in nearby San Francisco. De La Salle is an exclusive all-boys school where tuition is $7,200 per year. The De La Salle Spartans are coached by a living legend, Bob Ladouceur, who since 1979, has lost only 14 games in his entire career, and none since December of 1991.

The book takes two parallel stories, one of Poly, the other of De La Salle, focusing on the players, coaches, families, and overall atmosphere of each school and community, before intersecting them at the Game, which is described in bone-jarring play-by-play detail. You can almost imagine listening to the game on the radio, the play-by-play is so well-written.

The Game was billed as a sort of David vs. Goliath, with De La Salle playing the part of David, traditionally undersized but winning on the basis of suberb coaching and relentless conditioning, and Long Beach Poly playing Goliath, with massive offensive and defensive lines and Division I college talent populating every skill position. However, when reading about each program, the reader gets the impression that instead of David vs. Goliath, it's more like Godzilla vs. Mothra, two unstoppable juggernauts heading toward a climactic Battle Royale. And ultimately, that is exactly what it is - simply one of the finest battles between two programs of the highest caliber in the biggest game of their lives, and possibly the lives of many others.

I was very satisfied with this book. If you like football, sports in general, or just like a thrilling and consuming read, this book delivers.

When I first picked up the book I was worried that the account would be bias toward the Poly side, especially considering it's the writer's alma mater. However, Mr. Wallace presents a fair, balanced account of one of the most anticipated prep sporting events ever. He starts off about a year prior to the game, when it was only a rumor and concludes with an action filled account of the game (portrayed play by play). Characters are well developed, and -- although I can only speak from experience on the De La Salle side -- seem to be very accurate. The introduction leading up to the game got a bit long winded at times, but outside of that the book was hard to put down. I recommend it to any fan of high school sports, as well as for people curious of how two of the most successful football programs in America opperate.

I couldn't put it down. I literally read it cover to cover in less than a day. It was an honest look into her life that was absoltely brilliant. It's the best book I've read in a long time.

This is a wonderful book. It may be a bit deep for some people (judging from one of the reviews), but go ahead and jump right in as long as you're not afraid to think outside of the box. I have been a female athlete since I was 8 years old, and totally understood everything Heywood writes about. Performing... the drive to make a name for yourself... the way life can seem to get out of control when you're trying so hard to control it... this book is very true to life. I really think any parent of a hard-core athlete should read this; it just might help them understand where their daughter is coming from.

I am a 17 year old girl and a distance runner on my high school track team. I found Leslie Heywood's book to be an abosutley incredible memoir that touches the soul. There are so few people in this world with the drive, determination and dedication to make themselves the absolute best they can be. It is obvious that Heywood has the true heart of a champion, that not only made it in the world of athletics but struggled and conquered things like sexual harrassment, (and just harassment in general), bulemia, the tourturous colligate track life, and made it through all of it to write an extremly powerful and well written novel. She is a role model to the girl athletes who strive to do what she did.

I suggest every father or mother who has a young girl interested in sports read this book. It is apparent everyone can take something away from Leslie's mistakes and triumphs. She has written a clear,captivating and disturbing memior. It is truly an eye opener and a page turner. Leslie, "Keep on Rocking in a Free World."

I am the same age as the author of this book. I graduated from a high school a few miles from the one she attended. I should have enjoyed this book more than I did. I found Ms. Heywood's prose style irritating: "It is 4pm. I am writing a customer review for Amazon. My feet are cold but I do not put socks on. Breathe, deeply breathe." One sentence in the book simply reads "My legs are big in the world." In the world? As opposed to Mars? Annoying prose style aside, I felt that the book lacked a truthful core. I feel that the author presented herself in a positive but not entirely honest light. Did she abuse drugs as a teenager? Was she promiscuous? Though she was taken advantage of by a reptilian coach, one wonders how impaired this girl's judgment was. I did not get a strong sense of Ms. Heywood as a person, of the time and place in which the events of the book occurred, of the other people in her life, or of the particular difficulties women athletes face. For me "Pretty Good for a Girl" was not a very successful memoir.

This book is fabulous!my travelling clients have found this to be an important resource, especially given that they find themselves in all kinds of different gyms across the country.So its only logical for them to utilize the equipment available.This is where this book has really helped.
I've also used the book to create some really intense circuits.I took it to a different level by arranging the workouts as a continous circuit.A must buy for those who are tired of trying to figure out equipment in the gym

This is a wonderful, easy and quick way to tone up your hips and thighs. I can definately see a difference in the 3 weeks that I've been following the program. As a mother of 3, it's hard to find time in my busy schedule for lengthy work-outs. This was the perfect solution. Love the book!!

If you are just getting started, time challenged, not interested in the gym scene and don't feel the need to 'have to' use the latest machines, etc. - then this book is a good place to start.

As a Pro Trainer I believe simpler is better for most people, especially those who are just starting out on their fitness journey.

Ladies, for something gentle and gradual - give this one a try.

Joey Atlas - The Wizard of Fitness
www.ButtHipAndThighMakeover.com
www.AbsOfStoneCoreOfSteel.com

I think Jorge Cruise has a lot to offer and I certainly love his technique, but I believe his first book "8 Minutes in the Morning: A Simple Way to Shed up to 2 Pounds a Week Guaranteed" was by far #1. Here's why:
- 8 min. flat belly had a lot of repeat information from the original 8 minutes, which is to be expected because they both market to others, but if you have already read and followed the original 8 minutes book, I doubt you'll appreciate this one.
- I FELT a lot thinner in all areas while doing the original 8 minutes routine than I ever did while doing the flat belly program. It reccommends mixing hip and thigh spot training with all over body moves, I just didn't feel a difference.
- The original has a few paragraphs of motivation before every routine, lean hips doesn't. The motivation was a big factor for me.
- The original has different routines every day for 4 weeks!! Lean hips has only 1 week of each level (easy, intermediate, hard).
I know every body is different and perhaps if you begin with this book you would like it, but my overall opinion is that the original is #1!!

I like the different exercises on every other day- it worked out pretty well for me with my week days- but some of the info seems to be rehashed over and over again in his books.Some of the moves bothered my low back at times- morning vs the evening so I changed around the execersies it seem to work. Hope this helps.