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I recommend getting a very good sturdy and cushioned chair or ...
Currently on Day 7 of the workouts. I have been reading the book and eating from the recipes for about a month now before I started working out and I lost 6ibs already before even doing one workout. I supplement my warmup daily with yoga and if I don’t have the time I just jump into 5 sun A and 3 sun B’s and I am all warmed up. I recommend getting a very good sturdy and cushioned chair or a workout box and a good extra long resistance band. I got myself one interchangeable kettle bell from kettle bell kings and I am all set! I sent this book to my best friend and my assistant and all 3 of us are now doing it daily. Same time every day. Feeling great already! I can tell I am losing water weight quickly and I am really satisfied with the food. So far so good!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017
I recommend getting a very good sturdy and cushioned chair or ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017
Currently on Day 7 of the workouts. I have been reading the book and eating from the recipes for about a month now before I started working out and I lost 6ibs already before even doing one workout. I supplement my warmup daily with yoga and if I don’t have the time I just jump into 5 sun A and 3 sun B’s and I am all warmed up. I recommend getting a very good sturdy and cushioned chair or a workout box and a good extra long resistance band. I got myself one interchangeable kettle bell from kettle bell kings and I am all set! I sent this book to my best friend and my assistant and all 3 of us are now doing it daily. Same time every day. Feeling great already! I can tell I am losing water weight quickly and I am really satisfied with the food. So far so good!
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017
This is a book that is generally marketed towards both men and women, and is written primarily it would seem based on how the measurements, oven temps, etc. are presented, to a British/Australian market. So, if you are an American, you will need to do some conversions on recommended weights and on the recommended portions for food. If you are a man wanting to use this book, I would say you're going to need to add calories most likely to her recommended meal plan. I calculated the calories for meals I would be interested in eating according to her recommended schedule, and I came up with just a little over 1300 calories with adding in the calories for my protein portions. Which is less then my base metabolic rate (BMR), and definitely less then I need to sustain my current activity level. I would like to note that a couple of the meal combinations I would use would come in at slightly more calories. I'm short, I'm a woman, and so chances are, if you're a man, your BMR is higher then mine. In general, you really shouldn't go below your BMR, whether you are a man or a woman. I understand where she is going by not wanting you to focus on the calories but rather the quality if the food you are eating, but...the reality is, calories do matter even if you are eating top notch you can still eat too much or too little and not get where you want to go because of it. And when it comes to weight loss, the safest thing to do is to loose no more then 2 pounds a week. Any more then 2 lbs, you're putting stress on your liver up to the 4 lb point, at which you're damaging it. So even for women, I'd recommend you figure out what your BMR is and not go below that, and that will require you to figure out the calories for these recipes on your own.
When it comes to the food, I'd also like to mention that this is a meal plan that by and large snack free. She gives you leeway for an end of the day smoothie, which you could presumably put anywhere. For me personally, as someone who has problems with low blood sugar, I have to break up my calories differently and I have two small snacks, one between each meal. There are other health reasons that may be advisable, so I'd recommend actually chatting with a registered dietician, or if you have a chronic health condition, whichever specialist is overseeing your care to make sure the way she's got her meals structured won't interfere with management of your condition. Also, just an FYI, her breakfast options are heavy on the eggs. So if you are like me and can't stand them...just heads up. I also think the kindle edition needs links to the individual recipes. Mine just has links to the general meal categories, and I have to flip through to the recipe I want. So just heads up. And my last note on the food portion is that if you have weight to loose, your hormones that regulate hunger and satiety are going to be out of whack. So this book, and pretty much every book I've ever read says on their plan you won't be hungry or suffering. I'm going to tell you right now as a person who had to loose a bit of weight for health reasons a few years back, it ain't so. The first 2 weeks in particular are going to feel pretty sucky, and you're just going to have to tough it out...because your health, which is what this should be about, is ultimately worth it.
Next up, I'd like to address something she says that most books out on the market say, but I feel like needs to be qualified. The author states that if you are a woman, you absolutely will not bulk up. If you have any hormone imbalances that favor muscle growth, you can indeed. I want to direct your attention to the picture of me, taken today. Please note, I only do *half* of the typically recommended reps for upper body stuff most of the time. Half. For me, I avoided strength training most of my adult life because I knew this is what my body can do, until a series of medical diagnoses and symptoms for my son left me needing the kind of muscles serious strength training provides to care for him. Now ladies, most of you probably don't have to worry about this because of the amount of estrogen you're producing. But if you have been told by a medical provider you have excess androgen hormones, or if say you've had a trail of hair you've been plucking into non existence from your bellybutton down for years, or your ovaries look like they're covered in bubble wrap, or you have fertility issues or trouble carrying a pregnancy to term, this could be you, and you need to be aware that it is indeed possible to look like this. And, I'm going to go out on a limb and say most men don't find that much arm muscle sexy. So, for me personally, if I didn't need to be rocking the arm muscles for my son, I'd be probably sticking to planks, body weight rows, handstands, and dead hangs if I still wanted to give my upper body a slightly toned look.
I think that in general, this is a book that is geared towards people who haven't worked out in a while or who want to loose weight. I feel like most of the moves are appropriate, but I do think if you've not got any experience with these types of moves, I agree with what other coaches in the field have suggested: it is best to master the moves with body weight first and then progress to adding weights or a load. I also did try some of these moves, and I found in particular the hip thrust with the kettlebell to be uncomfortable because of the way it dug into my groin. I prefer a padded barbell myself for hip thrusts, but I think the kettlebell is more accessible to beginners, I'd just recommend you put a towel under it. I also think if you're using a chair for this, as is pictured in the book, your shoulders will thank you if you put a towel across the seat of the chair also. And, I think that the half burpee, or squat thrust, that is mentioned as part of the HIIT cardio session...you know, there are modifications that I think are better suited for a beginner, modifications that involve step stools or boxes and stepping back one leg at a time instead of jumping back. I also think that when it comes to strength training, if you are serious about it, strategies involving varying your loads, the number of sets, the reps are important to maximizing gains if that is what you are after, and this book doesn't really go into that, so you'll need to go on to read further or hire a trainer as you progress.
For many people, it probably doesn't need to go into any of that for the results they're after, and overall I think this is a pretty solid book that advocates a balanced approach at fitness, and I do really like that. And I love that it's something you could easily manage at home with minimal equipment purchases if need be. But if you are a woman, and you want to take strength training more seriously after this book, but can't afford a trainer or need to work out at home, I would recommend either Schoenfeld's Strong & Sculpted, or Delavier's Strength Training Anatomy for women. If all you want is a great butt, Contreras does have a very solid book, just make sure you realize that the actress he holds up as an aspirational example for you is underweight based on the guidelines currently used in health care, but if you can tune that part out, it's a decent book that I still reference sometimes myself. For me personally, I do like Vertue's book, but I'm currently focused things that aren't really covered in it, like lifting heavier, building prettier shoulder caps, and definitely building a better backside. So while I personally won't be using all of it, but I think it could be extremely useful to someone who is new to strength training provide you bear in mind the points I've addressed.
Overall Good For Beginning Strength Training, A Few Points To Consider
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017
This is a book I purchased for myself, because strength training is currently something I do pretty religiously, I'm always interested in reading different takes on it, and I had read through part of the sample and really liked the author's philosophy and thought some of the recipes sounded intriguing (I loved the zoats one, btw). That being said, I do have some things I think you need to be aware of.Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017
This is a book that is generally marketed towards both men and women, and is written primarily it would seem based on how the measurements, oven temps, etc. are presented, to a British/Australian market. So, if you are an American, you will need to do some conversions on recommended weights and on the recommended portions for food. If you are a man wanting to use this book, I would say you're going to need to add calories most likely to her recommended meal plan. I calculated the calories for meals I would be interested in eating according to her recommended schedule, and I came up with just a little over 1300 calories with adding in the calories for my protein portions. Which is less then my base metabolic rate (BMR), and definitely less then I need to sustain my current activity level. I would like to note that a couple of the meal combinations I would use would come in at slightly more calories. I'm short, I'm a woman, and so chances are, if you're a man, your BMR is higher then mine. In general, you really shouldn't go below your BMR, whether you are a man or a woman. I understand where she is going by not wanting you to focus on the calories but rather the quality if the food you are eating, but...the reality is, calories do matter even if you are eating top notch you can still eat too much or too little and not get where you want to go because of it. And when it comes to weight loss, the safest thing to do is to loose no more then 2 pounds a week. Any more then 2 lbs, you're putting stress on your liver up to the 4 lb point, at which you're damaging it. So even for women, I'd recommend you figure out what your BMR is and not go below that, and that will require you to figure out the calories for these recipes on your own.
When it comes to the food, I'd also like to mention that this is a meal plan that by and large snack free. She gives you leeway for an end of the day smoothie, which you could presumably put anywhere. For me personally, as someone who has problems with low blood sugar, I have to break up my calories differently and I have two small snacks, one between each meal. There are other health reasons that may be advisable, so I'd recommend actually chatting with a registered dietician, or if you have a chronic health condition, whichever specialist is overseeing your care to make sure the way she's got her meals structured won't interfere with management of your condition. Also, just an FYI, her breakfast options are heavy on the eggs. So if you are like me and can't stand them...just heads up. I also think the kindle edition needs links to the individual recipes. Mine just has links to the general meal categories, and I have to flip through to the recipe I want. So just heads up. And my last note on the food portion is that if you have weight to loose, your hormones that regulate hunger and satiety are going to be out of whack. So this book, and pretty much every book I've ever read says on their plan you won't be hungry or suffering. I'm going to tell you right now as a person who had to loose a bit of weight for health reasons a few years back, it ain't so. The first 2 weeks in particular are going to feel pretty sucky, and you're just going to have to tough it out...because your health, which is what this should be about, is ultimately worth it.
Next up, I'd like to address something she says that most books out on the market say, but I feel like needs to be qualified. The author states that if you are a woman, you absolutely will not bulk up. If you have any hormone imbalances that favor muscle growth, you can indeed. I want to direct your attention to the picture of me, taken today. Please note, I only do *half* of the typically recommended reps for upper body stuff most of the time. Half. For me, I avoided strength training most of my adult life because I knew this is what my body can do, until a series of medical diagnoses and symptoms for my son left me needing the kind of muscles serious strength training provides to care for him. Now ladies, most of you probably don't have to worry about this because of the amount of estrogen you're producing. But if you have been told by a medical provider you have excess androgen hormones, or if say you've had a trail of hair you've been plucking into non existence from your bellybutton down for years, or your ovaries look like they're covered in bubble wrap, or you have fertility issues or trouble carrying a pregnancy to term, this could be you, and you need to be aware that it is indeed possible to look like this. And, I'm going to go out on a limb and say most men don't find that much arm muscle sexy. So, for me personally, if I didn't need to be rocking the arm muscles for my son, I'd be probably sticking to planks, body weight rows, handstands, and dead hangs if I still wanted to give my upper body a slightly toned look.
I think that in general, this is a book that is geared towards people who haven't worked out in a while or who want to loose weight. I feel like most of the moves are appropriate, but I do think if you've not got any experience with these types of moves, I agree with what other coaches in the field have suggested: it is best to master the moves with body weight first and then progress to adding weights or a load. I also did try some of these moves, and I found in particular the hip thrust with the kettlebell to be uncomfortable because of the way it dug into my groin. I prefer a padded barbell myself for hip thrusts, but I think the kettlebell is more accessible to beginners, I'd just recommend you put a towel under it. I also think if you're using a chair for this, as is pictured in the book, your shoulders will thank you if you put a towel across the seat of the chair also. And, I think that the half burpee, or squat thrust, that is mentioned as part of the HIIT cardio session...you know, there are modifications that I think are better suited for a beginner, modifications that involve step stools or boxes and stepping back one leg at a time instead of jumping back. I also think that when it comes to strength training, if you are serious about it, strategies involving varying your loads, the number of sets, the reps are important to maximizing gains if that is what you are after, and this book doesn't really go into that, so you'll need to go on to read further or hire a trainer as you progress.
For many people, it probably doesn't need to go into any of that for the results they're after, and overall I think this is a pretty solid book that advocates a balanced approach at fitness, and I do really like that. And I love that it's something you could easily manage at home with minimal equipment purchases if need be. But if you are a woman, and you want to take strength training more seriously after this book, but can't afford a trainer or need to work out at home, I would recommend either Schoenfeld's Strong & Sculpted, or Delavier's Strength Training Anatomy for women. If all you want is a great butt, Contreras does have a very solid book, just make sure you realize that the actress he holds up as an aspirational example for you is underweight based on the guidelines currently used in health care, but if you can tune that part out, it's a decent book that I still reference sometimes myself. For me personally, I do like Vertue's book, but I'm currently focused things that aren't really covered in it, like lifting heavier, building prettier shoulder caps, and definitely building a better backside. So while I personally won't be using all of it, but I think it could be extremely useful to someone who is new to strength training provide you bear in mind the points I've addressed.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2017
Top reviews from other countries
anupama
The book is well written with easy to follow mwthods
Reviewed in India on June 12, 2018