Rating: 
Summary: More in-depth explanation than I've seen before
Review: I bought this book because it was recommended in a mens' fitness magazine as being one of the best fitness books of the decade and I don't regret it. I've read a lot about diet and exercise and after a while it all sounds the came, but Mr. Bailey's book tackles the subject of exercise in a more in-depth manner. He doesn't just tell you that low-intensity full-body exercise is good for burning fat. He explains why in a convincing manner and the explanation goes beyond the "standard" stuff you tend to see in magazines. And it's not just about burning fat either. He explains what are the best ways to work out so that you can improve your aerobic fitness or how to train your short-term engery system for sprinting, etc...Beware that there is some discussion of biochemistry -- so you will see references to scary-sounding terms like the Krebs cycle, glucose, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, and triglycerides. However, he doesn't go into horrible, boring detail about these subjects. In fact, having some familiarity with this from previous biology classes, I think I might've enjoyed a little more in-depth treatment of these areas, but then that depends on what you're interested in. Don't worry -- it's not super-complicated. He doesn't go through all the steps of the Krebs cycle for instance. He gives you enough to illustrate the points and to show that he knows what he's talking about. Some might find his cute humor style annoying. For instance, he talks a lot about making you a "better butter burner". And he sometimes makes up silly stories that are not true to illustrate a point. It didn't bother me, but some people might be bothered by his lack of political correctness. He is quite liberal in his use of the word "fat people". He is pretty consistent in calling them "fat" rather than "unfit". Not being into political correctness, I found this amusing rather than offensive. One other caveat is that the book is a little bit depressing at times in that it talks a lot about fat people (his phrase, see above :-) don't burn fat well, have a smaller range in which they can rest, have difficulty exercising at the proper intensity for results, and basically are just at a tremendous disadvantage while fit people burn fat well and have many advantages in getting fit. Might be depressing to you, but if it's true, you need to know so that you can take the right steps to get on the slow road toward fitness.
Rating:
Summary: Not meant as a weight loss book, but it works.
Review: I bought this book when I was trying to get in shape and lose some weight. It works. Covert Bailey has some good hints on how to optimize fat burning. The writing style is light and sometimes humorous. I have re-read this book several times. Emprical evidence in the last six months have proved most of Dr. Bailey's recommendations to work for me.
Rating:
Summary: Not meant as a weight loss book, but it works.
Review: I bought this book when I was trying to get in shape and lose some weight. It works. Covert Bailey has some good hints on how to optimize fat burning. The writing style is light and sometimes humorous. I have re-read this book several times. Emprical evidence in the last six months have proved most of Dr. Bailey's recommendations to work for me.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic Fitness & Nutrition Solutions
Review: I enjoyed this book so much I gave it to all of my personal training clients for Christmas last year. If you have seen those health rider infomercials then you probably recognize Covert. You will be pleasantly surprised with his knowledge of exercise physiology and his great analogies and explanations of how your body burns fat and what it takes to keep it off. Covert has a knack for taking the most complex, scientific subjects and breaking them down so anyone can understand them. Some topics can get a little heavy but for the most part you will learn fact from fiction and get a few laughs along the way. Whether you are ready to get back on track, a weekend warrior or a hard core fitness enthusiast you can learn something from Covert. Take that four letter word D-I-E-T out of your vocabulary and get ready for realistic solutions to maintaining your health and exercising smarter.
Rating:
Summary: Smart Exercise is truely smart thinking.
Review: In Smart Exercise, Covert Baily gets down to the point, that the only true way to become physically fit, and loose those unwanted pounds of fat is to get your muscles involved, because that is the most efficient way of doing this. I strongly recommend this book, not because I like his jokes, but because it makes perfect sense, and it actually works. His knowledge of biochemstry is impresive, and explains in a very easy form how the body goes about burning fat, and actually increasing your metabolic rate. J.A.C..
Rating:
Summary: Still the ultimate book on the how and WHY of fitness
Review: Like his Fit or Fat series of books on nutrition, Covert Bailey's book on excercise is short on hype and long on useful information. Debunking fitness myths and fads, this book is all the information you'll need to develop an excercise routine, regardless of your age, weight and fitness level.
Most people are excercising with the intention of losing fat weight. It's no suprise that he spends much of the book explaining the body's fat burning mechanisms and how to kick those processes into high gear. What this does is literally change your metabolism, allowing you to change your so called "set point". Anyone that tells you this isn't possible is telling you a LIE. He gives you the background information that proves it and step by step how to do it.
He offers very out of shape people hope by telling them (truthfully) that it's easier for a fat, out of shape person to make an improvement in their fitness level than an athlete. He has a no-nonsense chapter on steroids and their effects. He explains the proper use of sports drinks and explains HOW they work and what they do. He talks about weightlifting, wind sprints, carbo-loading, overtraining, cross training and fast and slow twitch muscles. The only thing he doesn't go into great detail about is weight lifting techniques, but he does touch on it and there's no shortage of books on weight lifting.
It boils down to this: understanding fitness is simple, but getting fit isn't easy. It takes effort. When you're through reading this book, you'll be armed with all the knowledge you need to make intelligent, informed decisions about your fitness level and how to improve it. What more do you want in a fitness book?
Rating: 
Summary: not all that
Review: the book is too biology/chemistry related. I was looking for a more practical hands on approach to exercise. This is great if you are already very knowledgable and perhaps you are in the profession of exercise. For your average person it was way too detailed. A whole chapter was on the Kreb Cycle. Who cares tell me what exercises are most beneficial. He also refutes alot of theories that have been long standing in exercise yet he does'nt provide proof of his way.
Rating:
Summary: Clearest, most practical book I've ever read on fitness.
Review: The clearest, most practical book I've ever read on fitness and using exercise to feel fit and lose fat. Smart Exercise taught me about our body's three different fuel systems, and what the effects of different kinds of exercise are on them. Now I know how hard to exercise, how often to exercise, how long to exercise, and how to vary my workouts appropriately for best results.
In a "past life", I ran regularly, and completed three marathons (last one in 1992), but then my third child arrived, and I got too busy raising (and chauffering) children to spend all that time running. I gained 30 pounds, and floundered badly in my efforts to design and stick to an exercise program. The information in Smart Exercise has been both informative and motivating. So far, I've dropped 10 pounds, and I'm enjoying my exercise quite a bit more. I especially appreciate the book's emphasis on helping us make sense of the science, and helping us apply common-sense principles to cut through all the propaganda, hype, and misinformation surrounding fitness and its relationship to weight loss. I consider myself an honorary Missourian (the "Show Me" state), and this is a book that lives up to the "show me" standard, with all its points backup up by credible scientific research.
Smart Exercise has been immensely helpful, and highly MOTIVATING in designing my own exercise program, and making sure it is doing what I want it to--feel fit, lose the spare tire, and live longer.
If I could have only one book on fitness and exercise on my bookshelf, this would be the one.
Rating:
Summary: Biochemistry for the unfit non-scientist
Review: The great thing about this book is that it is of particular help in the first weeks after starting to exercise properly before there are any visible results. The book explains in some detail the processes that are underway from the first day that exercise levels are begun or increased. So it inspires the reader not to stop when there are no visible results from exercising, by explaining exactly what changes in body chemistry are occurring each time exercise is undertaken and what internal and external results WILL occur if the reader continues with an exercise routine. Now I can understand exactly what is happening and why the scales may be going up a couple of pounds one week while the tape measure stays the same or my waist shrinks by an inch. It is truly motivating! As a non-scientist I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the biochemistry but by taking notes of what was being explained it all came together like a jigsaw. And the fact that I had to think about what was being said meant that it has stayed in my head as a logical argument instead of just being trite phrases. Excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: This book explains exactly what being fit is all about and what changes take place in the body and why. Covert Bailey's style is great because he explains how the body works in terms that everyone can understand, and he has a great sense of humor too. He also talks about diet and nutrition and how that affects fitness level. This book is enjoyable to read and full of tons of useful information
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