The Rider's Fitness Program

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: As a week-end rider, I eagerly anticipated the release of this book because I wanted to target my riding muscles to help me improve.

The first disappointment came when I realized I needed to belong to a gym. They do give you home alternatives for some, not all, of the exercises but many are not workable, requiring anchor points at specific heights for the resistance band alternatives. I supposed I could tap a bunch of screw eyes into one wall and the ceiling, but I bet my landlord wouldn't be too happy!

There was also a pretty complete set of equipment you were expected to own; benches, free weights, weight bars, ankle and wrist weights, exercise balls, medicine balls, resistance bands, tilt boards, rollers, etc. The helpful web link to sources of the equipment took me straight to one of the author's equipment sales web page. I had about half the equipment needed and am being resourceful for the things I don't have. Free weights, exercise balls, medicine balls, resistance bands and tilt boards are all going to be needed.

The second disappointment was most of the exercises were the same old same old. Some of them were packaged a bit differently and toward the end of the six week series, the exercises look more interesting, combining strength, balance and posture in one exercise. (I have read the whole book and have completed week one)
At first, I thought the layout of the book was a bit awkward, but as I began to use it, it bacame clear the variations in routine (One of the things I really like about the book) makes the layout necessary. There is a warm-up/stretch section without a lot of instruction, so I just used what I thought was appropriate for that days workout.
A good bit of information is included in the Introduction so read it carefully.

I was hoping for something a bit more revolutionary, but if you are lifting weights and doing a core based workout such as Pilates, you won't find anything different in this book.
I am planning on doing the whole six week series as directed, so if something exciting occurs down the road, I'll come back and amend my review.

Rating:
Summary: Great Fitness Tool for all Riders
Review: I am a very competitive weekend rider who knew that I needed to do something to improve my fitness level. I bought this book with the hopes of getting into a routine that was flexible, convenient and easy to understand and this book offers this and much more.

The information in the book provided me with an understanding of the areas of fitness I really needed to improve, such as balance and flexibility. I found the workout routines were very easy to follow and even though I don't have all of the equipment shown, I have been able to creatively improvise and get the benefits talked about in each section. The descriptions of the exercises along with the accompanying photo provide a great reference for following along. The pull out fitness guide provides an excellent way to track my routine. Even though the exercises are some I have been doing, the combination and diverse pattern keep it interesting and fresh. I am half way through the six week program and have been achieving the results I have been looking for.