Welcometo your new gymless workout companion. Im going to behonest with you: I dont want to spend too much time talking about the detailsof this book. I mean, its pretty straightforward. Its one-half loose exerciseguide, one-half workout guide. I know that thistype of book has been done before. Normally, Id hate thatbut this time Ithink its a good thing.
It wouldnt make any sense if only a handful ofexercise and workouts books were on the market. You would only experience asmall taste of this side of the fitness game. Thats limiting.Big-time. So, in this case, I dont think another is bad at all. Plus, mine isdifferent in a few ways. Yeah, yeah, thats what they all say, right? Im withyou.
But seriously, mine is a little different, and Im about to giveyou the how and why. First, Im notpushing my own program on you. I dont believe you need to follow aspecific program to get fit. You sure as hell dont need to follow myprogram. Instead, you simply need to do effective workouts on a consistentbasis. Thats what I have for you in this book. Second, Im notgiving you the same exercises that pop up in every bodyweight and/or minimalequipment fitness book. Im not a fan of making you do 20 different pushupand pullup variations, especially considering how difficult those exercises arefor beginners. Second, Im notgiving you the same exercises that pop up in every bodyweight and/or minimalequipment fitness book. Im not a fan of making you do 20 different pushupand pullup variations, especially considering how difficult those exercises arefor beginners.
I know theyre considered staple exercises, but Im a whateverworks kinda guy. And to be completely honest with you, any exercise canbe a staple exercise if its used in the right manner. All exercises can workfor you. And third, Idont have exercise descriptions or photos for you. That might soundbad, but keep reading. This was a difficult choice to make. Ill chalk it up tothe fact that image size is a major pain, and to my opinion that textdescriptions arent that useful.
Instead, I elected to provide quick links to afull library of exercise videos. You will have to click out and hop intoa web browser if you need to see the exercises in action, but Im not sorry forthat. A video has the potential to teach you much more than a pair of photos.This might create a small slow-down at first, but after you see the exercisesin action a few times, youll be good to go for future workouts. I personallythink its a small price to pay, but Ill let you decide that for yourself.
WHOIS THIS BOOK FOR?
I want to say thatthis book is for everyone because I think it
can be for everyone. Inreality, though, Im not sure everyone will benefit from it.
It doesnt walkyou through each exercise and it doesnt give you a full explanation of exactlywhy each workout is good for you. Many of the workouts have the potential tochallenge you, but few of them ask you to face brutally difficult exercises. If you take thatinformation at face value, you could write this book off as too hard forbeginners and too easy for the more advanced crowd. I dont necessarily thinkthats an unfair statement. In truth, readers that fall somewhere in betweenthe two will probably benefit the most. If youre abeginner or total rockstar, however, please dont let that stop you fromcontinuing forward.
Beginners should find the videos clear and the extra exercisetips helpful. Rockstars, on the other hand, should find more than a handful ofworkouts that get them sweating. I guess itsfair to say that this book is for everyone, after all at least if you keep anopen mind. Going forward, thats all I ask. Try a few workouts, get yourfitness on, then make up your mind.
WHYBODYWEIGHT, BANDS, & KETTLEBELLS?
This is an easyquestion to answer.
I chose bodyweight because it gives you the opportunity toknock out a perfectly awesome workout with no equipment. Thats a no-brainer. Idont have to look at a bestseller list to see how well bodyweight exercisebooks perform. I chose bands and kettlebells because, in my experience, theyseem to be the most popular and most affordable big bang pieces of at-home fitnessequipment. With my clients,I use a much wider range of tools. On any given day, we might use bands andkettlebells, plus sliders, sandbags, and an agility ladder.
I love variety, andI would have liked to include more equipment options, but it just wasntfeasible. There are already over 100 exercises in this book. Can you imaginehow much that list would grow if I added any other equipment categories? It would getcrazy, fast. I think youll find that even with only three categories,youre already going to be overloaded with options. And if not, I guess youlljust have to find another book. Just kidding please dont do that.
In fact,Ill give you some extra incentive to stick around. If this book does well,Ill write another with more equipment options. I promise! Its all in yourhands now.
HOWWERE THE EXERCISES CHOSEN?
If you take asecond to flip through the exercise section, some exercises will most certainlystand out as a familiar sight. Others, however, might not. Thats okay.
No,actually its awesome. When I sat downto put the pieces of this book together, I tried to keep one big goal in mind:make the experience stand out. Similar books especially those centered onbodyweight training - feature the same exercises over and over. You know, theusual: pushups, pullups and burpees, just to name a few. I didnt want to dothat. In fact, you wont find the burpee on a single page in this guide! Of course, youwill encounter some familiar exercises, including both pushups and pullups.
ButI didnt want to rely on them. Instead, I pulled from some of my favoritemovements. Some people may not consider them functional or popular enough,but I dont care. The only thingthat matters is that the exercises in this guide and the workouts will helpyou get fit. Thats what I care about and thats what you should care about,too (if you dont mind me saying).
WHATABOUT THE WORKOUTS?
I talked brieflyin the first few paragraphs about how I didnt want to push my program on you.I truly dont and Ill stand by that.
However, I do want to push my verysensible and easy to understand method for building awesome workouts on you. The abbreviatedversion of what this means is that I have effectively used workouts built fromthis same format with hundreds of clients. They work. While I may not be shovingmy super-unique 12-week, results-guaranteed program on you, I am pushing mymethodology. I hope youre okay with that, and I hope that doesnt make me ahypocrite. Ill give you alittle idea of what to expect.
The workouts are typically balanced, theyinclude three to six exercises each, and they can be used to build strength,increase muscle, and/or help you get leaner. The shorter workouts are usuallycircuit-based and designed to jack up your heart rate. The longer workouts, onthe other hand, are usually built to get you stronger and help you move better. As for totalworkout time, it depends on your chosen rest period and number of sets (wellget to that shortly). Most workouts, however, can be completed in 15 to 30minutes. When I chose the title of this book, I wasnt kidding.