The best is now even better! Sculpting Her Body Perfect has helped hundreds of thousands of readers improve muscle tone, sculpt their physiques, and tone up hard-to-reach and troublesome body areas. This third edition of Sculpting Her Body Perfect not only provides the exercises you need to achieve your body-shaping goals, but it also demonstrates them in an easy-to-follow fashion on the accompanying 60-minute DVD! With Brad Schoenfeld's proven conditioning program, you will build an essential foundation for further muscle development. Then, with targeted bodysculpting instruction to smooth out any remaining problem areas, you can add the specific definition you need to complete your new look. The companion DVD provides even more exercise techniques along with tips on creating your own exercise combinations and workout plans. Seeing the program in action, you will learn the secrets of how pacing, transition, varying technique, and effective execution can take your workout to another level. One of the most sought-after personal trainers in the United States, fitness expert Schoenfeld has a sculpting program tailored to the unique training needs and goals of women. Whether you're working out at home or in a gym, before work or after, his program is for you. Read it, watch it, perform it. You'll see the results!
Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, CSPS, FNSCA, is a professor of exercise science at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, where he serves as the graduate director of the Human Performance and Fitness program. Dr. Schoenfeld has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers on various exercise- and sports nutrition-related topics, and authored the seminal textbook, "Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy" and the consumer-oriented training manual, "MAX Muscle Plan." His research has been cited in over 20,000 peer-reviewed papers and he is currently ranked as the world’s top researcher on the topic of resistance training by ExpertScape, an independent site that grades researchers based on their scholarly activity. He was the recipient of the 2016 Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award, presented by the United States Sports Academy for outstanding achievement in fitness and contributions to the growth and development of sport fitness through outstanding leadership activity, as well as earning the 2018 National Strength and Conditioning Association Young Investigator of the Year Award. In addition to his academic efforts, he has consulted with numerous professional sports teams and formerly served as Sports Nutritionist for the New Jersey Devils hockey organization.
I should start by saying I'm probably not the target market for this book. All the real life stories seemed to be women who entered competitions where what their body looks like mattered. I'm more your working mother with not much time but I do enjoy using weights and hoped to pick up some new ideas and exercises.
I'm at the level 2 stage, not terribly experienced but not a beginner either. I was already familiar with most of the exercises. The thing that struck me was being advised to pick two exercises for each session and then do three sets of 15-20 reps. Honestly, who has the time to do 45 -60 repetitions and I think if you can do that many you aren't lifting enough weight in the first place. As I've read elsewhere, aim for 8-12 repetitions per set. There is a definite advantage to doing two sets instead of one, but no statistically significant difference in results between two sets and three. Plus, reducing the time spent on one exercise allows more variety and staves off boredom. Just my two cents:)
I love this approach to weight lifting! I've tried several different weight lifting approaches and this is, by far, the best I've come across. I love that its tailored to women. I have used this approach and been happy with the results. By following this approach to strength training, you will add tone but not bulk. And its tailored to women of all fitness abilities and goals--from those who just want a little more tone and strength to those who want to compete in fitness competitions. The only negative comment I will make is that I do not agree with his focus on looks as a means to gain confidence. I believe that true confidence can't come from how your body looks. It is definitley a factor in feeling good about your self overall, but not the only factor and definitley not the most important.
I think anyone doing the weight training program prescribed by this book will have outstanding results. The timelines, reps, and sets prescriptions are some of the more sensible I've seen. If your goal is to find a great program and don't really care about the science behind it, this is the book for you.
On the other hand, as a personal trainer (ACE certified), I was disappointed that the philosophy wasn't more scientifically sophisticated. There are some good pointers for what types of exercises utilize what sections of a muscle group but the scientific foundation for the success of the program is largely lacking. In addition, some of the warm-up and stretching exercises are outdated.
Very well done - I would have liked to see some example workout programs (not for individual body groups, but for overall body sculpting - at the end of the book as a sort of template), but this certainly gives some great guidance and good workout schedules per body part that will make it easy to incorporate into an overall body plan.
I loved this book - it is what sold me on weight training with free weights, and gave me the confidence to set up my own programs. To me, its the basic bible of weight training - everything else is an add-on.
I love Schoenfeld's books and have used them for years. This was one of my first strength training books and it was my workout bible for a long time. I learned a lot from it.