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Rating: 
Summary: Simple abdominal exercises made convoluted
Review: Definitely, this book is neither complete nor definitive on abdominal exercise. It is written by a trainer who knows a lot about exercise combinations, but has limited means to analyze or explain them. Before you get to the zest of the book in chapters 18 thru 22, you will go through plenty of common information that the author gathered from newspapers and magazines yet failed to connect them properly.
The author squeezes the anatomy of abdominal muscles just to show his familiarity with science and never attempted to use functional anatomy to explain any of the so many exercises listed in the book. Instead, each exercise is allotted one page, with two or three photographs, accompanied by few sentences of the start position, the move, and a hint from the trainer. Even the book's display of muscle anatomy is flawed. It describes the Transversus abdominis as running under the rectus and the obliques, all around the abdomen. The fact is that the Transversus barely sneaks under the rectus, high in the abdomen. Most of the center of the abdomen is supported only by the rectus and the aponeurosis of the other muscles. There is a figure in the book that enforces that flawed explanation too. Moreover, the author never explains how and when the internal oblique differs from the external oblique, in strengthening.
The biggest flaw in the book is improvising lower and upper abdominal regions based on the rectus abdominis alone. The categorization of exercises based on lower and upper abdominals is flawed and confusing. That is because the rectus simply pulls the chest to the pelvis in the center of the body and works out the same way whether the chest or the pelvis moves against resistance.
The prescription of exercises for first and second trimester of pregnancy is thrown in the book without professional justification. The author does not explain why a first trimester pregnant woman may do trunk extension in prone position. He also claims that some routines are suitable for Office Jobs, such as: knee raises, double crosses, and trunk extension. This is another ill advised tip since the knee raises and double crosses are dangerous when done without warm-up, in office environment. To show his inaptitude, he claims that for every 100 calories of fat intake, 97 are stored, while for carbohydrates he claims that for every 100 calories intake, 77 are stored as glycogen or fat, page 63. That is bizarre physiology to me.
The general trend in this book is "convolution". Instead of simplifying the basics of abdominal exercises, the author squanders 270 pages on redundant variations of simple body motions that could be reduced to less than five components. Although the author made the effort of tasking thirteen women to demonstrate the various combinations of exercises, he failed terribly in describing most, if not all, exercises in reasonable anatomical interpretation. After reading the book, you might wonder why Mike Tyson has the best 6-pack abdomen despite his illiteracy.
What bothered me most is that many chapters are merely two to four pages in length and would fit properly as footnotes for a single page of a decent book. Thus, instead of attempting to offer the reader solid knowledge, the author plays with exercise combinations with plenty of flawed explanations. Moreover, you will be immersed into an ocean of coined exercise names that sound fancy, but convolute the simplicity of abdominal training.
Rating: 
Summary: Not just for abs - the perfect book for the perfect body!
Review: I am a personal trainer (in training), and have built up quite the library of fitness books. I have tons of classics, from the Body for Life series to the Body Sculpting Bible to Sound Mind, Sound Body, and after a while, such books get repetitive. It is common knowledge that all training books have to cover all the same principles - anatomy, physiology, nutrition, relaxation, goal-setting - but this book is the only one that has done it in a way that caught my attention and did not put me to sleep!Of course, I love reading about fitness and nutrition, but I have read about it so many times from so many books/magazines I was afraid I was in for a huge bore - a book that would "tell" clients what to do, and insist that their way was "the" way. Kurt Brungart managed to relay all necessary information about muscle anatomy, training, nutrition, pregnancy training, goal-setting and relaxation in a wonderful, delightful way that truly talks to you, not down at you. The book is full of wonderful photographs with the most amazing models, and has the most comprehensive list of abdominal workouts and routines (from yoga, pilates, youth, teen and sport training routines) that I have ever seen - and trust me, I have seen many. I thought I had seen everything! Kurt doesn't forget that ab training alone is nothing - he includes a progressive total body weight training, stretching and cardio routine that, when put together with the ab system, is the best, safest, and most comprehensive nine-week program I have ever encountered. Despite it's title, it is a *complete* book in every sense of the word, and is very fun and easy to read, without missing any unnecessary information. Kurt has taught me important things like, "it is never to early or late to become a philosopher (when it comes to creating YOUR OWN food philosophy)", self-talk for a great relationship with your body, and the best goal-setting techniques. He also helps you discover your personality and incorporates it into your "exercise essence" so that it is easier for you to stick to a lifelong fitness regime. He does not diss Atkins or the Zone, or any other diet guru. He tells you what his eating philosophy is (try to's NOT dont's), but tells you that whatever works for you, is what you should do. He does not force you to keep a workout log, for he acknowledges that certain people take to them and some don't. And of course, no insistent calorie counting, or rough food guidelines. The whole system is progressive, but not only for beginners. Whether you have never worked out in your life, or if you're a figure competitor, you will love this book. It makes it practically impossible to not enjoy fitness and not make it a part of your life - if not your whole life! :) Minimal equipment required: the ab workouts require nothing really, unless you've already got a swiss ball or body bar and want to try his optional ball/bar routines. Total Body workout requires dumbbells only - you don't even need a bench. Don't be fooled by the total body's lack of equipment though - it is tough, if you do it the way he advises! They're basically the "meat and potatoes" of all weight training workouts and never fail. By the way, don't worry - he doesn't write the pregnancy chapter himself. A female doctor writes it. :) I hope to become a trainer like him one day. His writing style and philosphies are universally friendly and the best I've ever experienced. Buy this book. It is worth every single dollar and more, I promise!
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