Rating: 
Summary: Great book - slight drawbacks
Review: This is the best all around fitness guide that I have ever seen or used. Unlike other similar (Navy SEAL workout) books, this book goes well beyond the BUD/S warning order that is freely available on the internet. The best part of the book is the detailed weekly workout charts, which start off really slow which is good if you are out of shape (like I was). The only drawback of this book that the workouts can be a little confusing, and it doesn't seem like a lot of effort was put into making the instructions easy to understand (I think another reviewer mentioned this). It is particularly unclear when it is appropriate to take rest between exercises. However, if you use some common sense, these problems are easily overcome. Another great thing about this book is that the training is broken down into four 13 week phases, each with a specific goal. 1st Phase - general fitness
2nd Phase - mostly cardio and endurance (run/swim/bike)
3rd Phase - weights, PT, and cardio mix
4th Phase - mostly strength training After completing the entire program, you can go back and concentrate on the phase that best suits your goals. Overall this is the best overall fitness book I've ever used, and the LAST one I'll buy for a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: If only only the book were as buff....
Review: This really is an excellent book that succeeds in providing a series of programs that are both motivating and result oriented. I therefore have to agree with the numerous other reviewers that sing Stewart Smith's praises. I have two complaints about this book, however, that focus mainly on production:
1) The quality of the binding is atrocious. This would not usually be a big issue, but as the workouts are broken down to the day, this book ends up getting quite a bit of use. By the fourth week, the pages began to come apart, and I am now left with a pile of looseleaf. 2) The daily workouts are sometimes confusing and frequently error filled. I suppose you could call this picking nits, but given that the daily workouts really form the core--and the most valuble portion--of this book, I view the attention given to writing up these work-outs really lacking. The finished product would have been a lot more classy if more effort were put into editing and proofreading, rather than producing a dozen pages showing every concievable variation of sit-up Don't get me wrong--I am psyched I purchased this book. I have gotten amazing results, and the concept of breaking one's workout into different phases through the year is powerful. It's just that the production values of the book do not match the ideas it contains
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