The Heart Rate Guidebook to Heart Zone Training

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Summary: Fluf and self-promotion
Review: How much self-promotion can one author write in a book? Apparently, this author know how much! Like other books by this author, this book is very simply written and presents some important information in a simple and straight-forward manner.
On the other hand, the book states some things as truisms that are not necessarily scientific facts.
But, the part of the book I found most annoying is the author's propensity to promote herself shamelessly.
I can live without it, there are better books on the market.

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Summary: The Heart Rate Guidebook to Heart Zone Training
Review: I LOVED this book! I have been competing in Triathlon and running for 4 years and have read quite a few books on Heart Rate training. I have always had a hard time understanding heart rate training completely. This is the first book that put everything simply, and is for the person who is just starting an excercise program to elite competitive athletes. I'm very impressed, totally psyched to start my own Heart Zone training program. I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. Before I was finished, I had to order 2 more copies for friends. If you are interested in learning about training with a Heart Rate monitor, this is the book for you!

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Summary: Not just a cookbook - sells HRM use, provides background...
Review: on heartrate monitoring, the monitors themselves, and on principles of training. Also suggests submaximal and maximal tests to determine maximum heartrate and provides suggestions about putting together training programs for everyone from those seeking weight loss to those who are competitive athletes.

The first five chapters present basic heart zone training principles and also outline some useful tests of max heart rate. This section presents a mainstream understanding of heartzones and the training effects of different intensity levels. The percentages used to define the various zones are "simple" percentages rather than percentages based on the difference between resting heart rate and max heart rate--the Karvonen method. This section is somewhat repetitious, but the occasional organizational lapses didn't get in the way of my understanding the material.

In the next few chapters, Edwards treats the zones one at a time, explaining the usefulness of training in each zone. As someone interested in high performance, she pays good attention to the highest zones, but stresses the dangers of overtraining and suggests ways of avoiding it. Unlike authors such as Maffetone ("The Maffetone Method") who recommends more time in lower zones she recommends Zone 3 (70-80%) as the best all-round zone, the one that gives you "the most bang for your buck."

Other important parts of the book are the "Ten Step Program"--designed to help you create your own training programs using a point system of Edward's own, a weight loss training plan, a chapter for highly competitive athletes, and even a chapter on "Sex and the Heart Zones." All of these are useful or interesting, although none of them are outstanding for their organization or the clarity of the details.

Throughout the book, there is a need for more careful editing and typo checking. There is also no index.

All in all this is a B+ effort in a field of books that's not distinguished by first-class writing, organization, or editing.

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Summary: Wonderful for Fitness Buffs
Review: Sally Edwards has done another great job on her new book, "The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook to Heart Zone Training." I have a degree in Exercise Physiology and this is a well written book for fitness trainers and athletes who want to learn more than the same old basics. This book, I've heard, is used as a manual for seminars that teach coaches how to coach. Regardless, it's among the best on the market because it teaches information a college text would give but in an exciting and interesting format.

Rating:
Summary: The Heart Rate Guidebook to Heart Zone Training
Review: Sally Edwards has done another great job on her new book, "The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook to Heart Zone Training." I have a degree in Exercise Physiology and this is a well written book for fitness trainers and athletes who want to learn more than the same old basics. This book, I've heard, is used as a manual for seminars that teach coaches how to coach. Regardless, it's among the best on the market because it teaches information a college text would give but in an exciting and interesting format.

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Summary: Smart Heart
Review: Sally Edwards' book Smart Heart is one of the easiest books to follow that I've read yet. Sally's strategies are great. I'm new to the sport of triathlons and her book and her method of heart zone training has helped me improve greatly. This book does an excellent job of describing the different zones and which one you want to be in for reaching your own goals. It's a book even the simple-minded can follow. There's not a lot of jarble, so it was easy for me to read. I haven't had any difficulty finding her books, so I don't think they're out of print. I'm looking forward to doing my first triathlon next month. Thank you Sally! Keep up the great work!

Rating:
Summary: Smart Heart
Review: Sally Edwards' book Smart Heart is one of the easiest books to follow that I've read yet. Sally's strategies are great. I'm new to the sport of triathlons and her book and her method of heart zone training has helped me improve greatly. This book does an excellent job of describing the different zones and which one you want to be in for reaching your own goals. It's a book even the simple-minded can follow. There's not a lot of jarble, so it was easy for me to read. I haven't had any difficulty finding her books, so I don't think they're out of print. I'm looking forward to doing my first triathlon next month. Thank you Sally! Keep up the great work!

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Summary: Gems from Sallie
Review: Several years ago I hired a personal trainer and literally spent thousands of dollars on him in an effort to lose weight and shape up, to no avail. I didn't lose one single pound, but I did get really, really strong. Since October 9 I've switched to combining Weight Watchers with using Sallie's heart rate program for fat loss. I've lost 14 pounds in about four weeks which is practically unbelievable for me. You almost feel guilty using such a long, slow, EASY workout after you've been used to killing yourself in the gym. Now I'm a huge fan of this book and of Sallie Edwards. I recommend going through the entire book and highlighting the parts that pertain to your goals (fat loss for me), because there are hidden gems of wisdom in nearly every chapter that will give you a much clearer understanding of what you personally are trying to achieve, even if that chapter is not about fat loss, for instance. Flip through the book and review your highlights every week or two, and you can really perfect your program. This book would probably have to be three times as big if everything were organized into neat little packets with one section on fat loss, one on competitive training, etc. Just realize from the get-go that you are going to be searching and digging for gems and don't let these comments about disorganization and lack of information dissuade you. It's all there. You just need to read it, not skim it. This book is definitely a five-star and I would recommend it to anyone interested in getting in shape, no matter what their level of skill or their fitness goals.

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Summary: Excellent guide to successful training with a heart monitor.
Review: This, Sally Edwards' latest book, is also her most technical. It provides the latest research on the use of heart rate monitors to train more efficiently and safely. Utilizing the heart zone system described, one can easily and effectively pursue personal health/fitness goals with confidence. Whether your goal is weight loss, a healthy heart or to train for the Ironman Triathalon, this book can successfully guide you. As a work in progress, it will always contain the latest information. As and exercise physiologist and a world class endurance athlete, the information provided by Sally is very trustworthy. Written in a friendly style, it is easy to understand and relate to. For those with little background in sports physiology I recommend reading her book Heart Zone Training first.

Rating:
Summary: Enough content to fill 2 pages, no more
Review: Very light on content. The book repeats itself every other page. How many times can I see the zone table repeated? Either the author is senile or she thinks us readers are! Reading some of the pages I had a feeling I already read them. Not very informative, and does not have enough practical advice.