Rating: 
Summary: Great program -- my running has never been better!
Review: As a marathoner I thought that strength training would slow me down. Not so! After doing Slow burn I was able to shave minutes off of my runs and feel stronger than ever. I feel great. And I've even cut down on my running (to save myelf from more injuries) and I feel as cardio-powerful as ever! Thanks Slow Burn!
Rating: 
Summary: Unimpressed!
Review: I tried the exercise program in this book after having heard someone talk about it. I was sceptical because it said to cut out the cardio, but I thought I'd give it a good 2 months to really see if it could keep me as fit as before when I was doing both weights and cardio. I have to say, after having given it a fair shake, this exercise program was quite a disappointment. The authors go on about how damaging cardio is so I stopped as they recommend, but frankly I felt lousy doing so and following this program. Doing my morning run is what kept me feeling so great throughout the day and 15 minutes of weights for two days a week just didn't cut it. I have always done weights, so nothing changed for me with respect to this. Dropping the cardio was a big mistake for my energy levels. I also talked to my doctor about this exercise program and he explained that I was probably not doing my heart health any favors by stopping cardiovascular exercise. So, in conclusion, I'm back to my normal routine of weights and cardio and I feel better than ever! It's taking me a bit of time to get my cardio back up to where it was, but I'm on my way!
Rating:
Summary: Very easy, basic workout that gives you results!
Review: This book is absolutely wonderful. I started training, not knowing what I was doing and after a few weeks, I felt like a pro! Started seeing drastic results around 8 weeks (doing the workout 2 times a week). If you're interested in weight training and not sure what you're doing, this is definitely a book for you. Very easy to understand and you only have to train 2 days a week!
Rating:
Summary: A Program for Health not a Diet
Review: I am only 2 weeks into the Program and I not only am beginning to see a difference but also FEEL a difference. I have an enormous amount of energy during the day like I never had before. I also recommend finding a partner to do this with. It not only keeps the program interesting but keeps you both motivated as well. You need to set small goals and reward yourself (not food rewards!) each time you reach a goal! This is great life changing program as long as you are dedicated and willing to change your old habits. Good Luck!
Rating:
Summary: Not great advice in this book
Review: This is not great fitness advice. Eliminating cardiovascular exercise from your routine, as advised in this book, will mean your cardiovascular fitness will suffer. The basis of this book is "weight training only", and although weight training is important for many reasons, it is not enough for overall fitness and generally does not significantly improve your cardiovascular fitness and heart health. There is much scientific evidence to support this claim. Also, this book discounts the fact that exercising everyday energizes you and prepares you for the day. Their advice of 30 minutes maximum of exercise per week will not allow you to benefit from the energy gains of daily exercise. Any avid exerciser will agree with this. A better book would be one that advocates a combination of weight training, cardiovascular exercise in your target heart rate, and flexibility.
Rating:
Summary: Simply fantastic!
Review: I've been doing the Slow Burn program for a few months now and all I can say is WOW! I checked the science behind it before beginning the program and found it to be sound. This method really works as Mr. Hahn says it does. And it sure beats Body For Life in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. I'd give it 6 stars if I could!
Rating: 
Summary: Loss of cardiovascular fitness using this program!
Review: I have been exercising for years and heard about this book so I thought I would read it and give it a try (it's always nice to try something new). I have always been able to maintain my muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness but the latter seemed to deteriorate when following this program. They advise you to stop cardiovascular exercise and just lift weights. This just didn't work for me. I found that I got winded more easily when running around with my dog, and my squash game fell to pieces! I love to play squash so there was no way I would give this up, and my fitness level definitely dropped in regards to squash, after following this program. It seems that my regular running and elliptical training that I had cut out, as recommended in this book, was what helped me keep fit moreso than the weight lifting. I always have lifted weights and will continue, but I can't recommend that anyone follow the advice of stopping cardiovascular exercise, as this book dictates. Plus, my physician told me to continue to do cardiovascular exercise in order to maintain a healthy heart, so this is important to do. However, I do recommend anyone who has not lifted weights to try it.
Rating:
Summary: Down with 30 minutes and low-carb
Review: I have read this book from front to back and I'm amazed that this type of exercise is still promoted, along with the low-carb eating which reviewers here are talking about. This book talks about exercising, and yes, exercising along with eating a low calorie diet will help you lose weight. This is why people are successful at losing weight on this program (they burn calories exercising while cutting back on calories by eliminating carbs). Look at the reviews and see the people who have said they're successful. It's people who also follow a low-carb diet along with the program. Low-carb diets work intially but they are not sustainable long-term. They just aren't. The lethargic effect of such a diet always catches up to you, and eventually you eat carbs once again, and you guessed it, the weight comes back on. The authors of this book advocate low-carb dieting, and they also advocate minimal exercise, and no cardiovascular exercise. This type of quick-fix, short-term thinking is never successful for people who are in it for the long haul, and want to improve their overall health. If you want to drop weight quick and not worry about long-term effects then this is the book for you. If you are serious about your health, this is not the type of book you should be reading.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely not the healthy way to go!
Review: This book easily deserves less than 1 star, but it was the lowest option available. I am a personal trainer with a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology so I know this area inside and out. First of all, this book apparently uses references yet the few that I could find hardly substantiate their claims. They say in this book to stop cardiovascular exercise because building muscle improves cardiovascular fitness and that's all you have to do. Unfortunately for them there is absolutely no research to support this claim. In fact, there is much research that says that building muscle does NOT improve cardiovascular fitness. Furthermore, the book says to stop stretching because building muscle is all you need to do to improve flexibility. Again, although there may be controversy around this area, research shows that you can improve your range of motion through stretching. So, their claims are misleading at best. I think that these people are trying to give quick answers to people who want those quick changes and do not want to commit time to regular exercise. The thought of only exercising 30 minutes sounds appealing, so people will buy the book for that reason alone. A clever marketing ploy by the authors! They make outrageous claims that 30 minutes is enough because this is what will sell. It's "new" and "controversial", yet there is no evidence to back up what they say. In fact, the research proves quite contrary. I think that people who do show benefits from their program are people who previously did nothing and were completely sedentary, and probably ate poorly. By actually doing something (which is better than doing nothing), they did realize some benefits and changes, yet this is not due to a clever and complete fitness/health plan provided in this book, but simply due to the fact that they made some healthy changes in their lives by exercising and eating better. Don't be fooled by this quick fix. Try reading books that don't put down other forms of exercise. This book tells you to stop anything else you've ever done because they have the magic answer. There is no magic answer, and definitely not in 30 minutes per week.
Rating:
Summary: Not a great book
Review: My wife and I followed this exercise routine, having decided to try something new. A friend of ours recommended this book and liked the workout so we thought we'd try it. We gave up our previous exercise routine but both my wife and myself were disappointed with the results for the majority. The one good thing I guess is that in encouraged us to perhaps try lifting heavier weights than we had been doing, but giving up the cardiovascular exercise, as the book recommends, was just not a good idea for both of us. My running suffered alot because of this, so now that I've started running again I feel much better. My wife's tennis game also suffered, so she is back doing her regular cardiovascular routine. I've read a few books on exercise and this isn't one that I would put at the top of my list by any means.
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