You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises

I used to be super fit, cycling 50 miles a day, going to a body building gym (owned by a former Mr Great Britain) and a tonne of other sports. My resting heart rate was 40bpm in the morning. I've since grown up, got busy and become a lot less fit. I just started going to the gym again and I thought I was making decent progress and wasn't going to give this type of exercise the time of day. After a short period of time I was pressing 90lb dumbbells and feeling good again. This body weight stuff looked too easy. Big mistake. I've only just started this program but I can already tell it is a lot better for my body and it makes the gym feel easy - no matter how hard you push it at the gym. Can you, mr big gym man, do a spiderman? I doubt it. The compound exercises and techniques like ladder and so on combine together to give you a much more practical type of fitness. I don't know about you, but when lifting, hauling, pushing things in the real world, I don't get to support my back against a seat back and use an isolated muscle! This type of fitness will really grow your stabilizing muscles so much more. At first, I laughed at exercises like burpees. Really not laughing after even just 20 of them, never mind 50 - 100. Really looking forward to being able to do some of the level 4 exercises like the spiderman and that one where you do a push up but also lift your legs! I don't care if some of this stuff is like yoga but renamed, or exercises that have been taught for centuries. It is well thought out and communicated in such a way as to make it accessible to everyone. ps, I just calculated that I would create $600,000 of savings by putting my $45 gym membership in a good growth stock mutual fund for the next 40 years (accounting for inflation so the $45 would increase by 3% also). __________ I just came across my review and had to add to it for my experience one year or so later. For most of this year, I was saving my business and trying to spend the very little down time I had with my family. So with all of that, I neglected the plan and doing so definitely affected my health and how well I was taking care of myself. I've only just got gotten back onto the First Class plan (plan 2 of 4) and I'm on week 7. I feel so much better than I did 7 weeks ago and it that short amount of time, I've progressed much quicker than I ever did at pushing iron around. Now, when I have a busy week at work, I'm more careful to get that session in, even at a lunch break, because I know I need to in order to be 100% at work and home. FUNCTIONAL: This time around I've really appreciated the functional side to this fitness. I moved office this week and wasn't ever afraid of injuring myself from lifting incorrectly or having to carry heavy, awkward objectives. You can get strong at a gym but the compound exercises set me up perfectly for all the full body lifts, pushes, pulls and holds I had to do. To me, that's functional. Even if you're a specialist in some sport and functional means something else to you than it does for me, I think having a strong core, better flexibility and balance along with the proficiency of having practiced lots of full body movements in the program makes for a real-world functional body. You can't rely on the guidance and support of a machine when lifting heavy goods so why would you train by using a some type of squat machine in the gym? He has an iphone and android app and to be honest, that is what has made a huge difference this time around. I don't need to find the table in the book/ebook and then refind an exercise if I'm not sure about it and all that jazz. I put my iphone in my armband, turn the app on and press 'Start workout'. It then guides me through the whole thing with timers and rest periods along with pictures and writing on each exercise and type of workout (ladders/tabatas/supersets etc.). This solved my biggest frustration so now all have to think about it doing the work! Having said that, I would strongly recommend reading the book first, then getting the app. I've recommended the app to many friends and without reading the book, they want to pick and choose exercises from it but I know they don't. The understanding you gain from the book shifts your perspective on the body weights so you take a more purposeful approach rather than throwing in a few body weights you pick from an app. Hope this helps. Cheers, David. ______ Just came across this and had to give it another update. I mentioned in the last update that I was in week 7 of of plan 2 of 4, that's the First Class program. I finished that up and then went into and completed the Master Class program. I didn't mention his periodization before and I think that is a big part of the success of his programs. In his traditional programs you basically change your routine every 2 weeks. So for two weeks you may be focusing on endurance, then for 2 weeks you may focus on strength, then power and so on. Not only does this work with your body so you don't plateau but it's also mentally beneficial too. It gives you a bit of a break and provides different short-term goals. One week you're trying to stay consistent and hit a high number of reps then you do a strength block and you're trying to hit some low numbers before or by the time you fail and cannot do any more. This plan is now my winter training plan and I use the exercises throughout the other seasons for my core. I've made this switch only because I've started cycling again after a 9-year hiatus and that requires very sport specific training. I only have time to train for one thing each day so it's cycling now. However, I'm really missing my upper body strength as I had gotten to the point where I coud do one-arm pushups quite easily and handstand pushups were also a brease. I'm looking forward to getting back into it here soon. When early spring comes and I'm putting more focus back on cycling again, I'll make sure I don't completely turn this program off again but rather do maintenance during the cycling season instead. Lastly, I've had a personal trainer for my cycling and he has prescribed for me specific workouts according to my cycling goals and my weekly schedule. To be honest, the YAROG is almost on par with this high level of personal training because it's done so well and because it doesn't take a lot of time each day. My cycling trainer has state champion athletes and has won national pro races himself so I don't say this lightly. When it comes to overal strengthening and fitness, these programs feel like they are tailor made for you if you just do what he says.

This is the best workout book I have ever bought. Please read the Why's behind all of his workouts. It is no fluff, straight facts and so encouraging in pursuing your workout goals. I would say that I use other products in my house like bands, and pull up bar, but you can do the workouts without them. From an elite Special Operations physical trainer, an ingeniously simple, rapid-results, do-anywhere program for getting into amazing shape. As the demand for Special Operations military forces has grown over the last decade, elite trainer Mark Lauren has been at the front lines of preparing nearly one thousand soldiers, getting them lean and strong in record time. Now, for regular Joes and Janes, he shares the secret to his amazingly effective regimen—simple exercises that require nothing more than the resistance of your own bodyweight to help you reach the pinnacle of fitness and look better than ever before. Review “Mark Lauren puts the strength-training techniques of SpecOps into a comprehensive and easy to understand program that can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime, paving the way for anyone looking to get into the best shape of his or her life.”—Gregory Peterman, sergeant, Green Beret “Gain control of yourself through your own body’s gym!”—Mike Fisher, commander, 82nd Airborne Division; U.S. Army Ranger; colonel, U.S. Army “Perfect for our mobile age of road warriors, this terrific book lets us carry around a full gym in our heads!”—General James Abrahamson, U.S. Air Force UPDATE: There is now a companion app for iPhone available on the app store! Search for "You Are Your Own Gym" on iTunes. This app goes great with the book since it allows a user to use timers for the workouts. INTRO This is an awesome book with a great introduction using the author's military experience. I've been using the workouts for a short while and already notice my ass getting kicked by stuff I wasn't doing in the gym. PRO'S * The 10-week workout plans are awesome, and the beginner workouts will challenge strong guys that come from a weight training background. They are written in such a way that a beginner can jump in and get in shape with less than an hour a day (usually 15-30 minutes). They are very detailed and describe which exercises to do on which days. They also describe what type of set/repetition methodology to use, such as: ladders, tabatas, interval sets, etc. Slowly the workouts transition from high-volume/low-intensity to high-intensity/low-rep and finally alternates between the two rapidly. It may remind a lot of people of P90X, except it's a fraction of the price and with more sensible theory explained. * This book is an excellent fitness reference with over 100 bodyweight exercises categorized by one of the following types: PUSH, PULL, LEGS, and CORE. In addition to this, there is a set of exercises that develops all of the body's muscles. * The theory behind the programs are also included so that users can formulate their own programs. * Almost all of the workouts in the book can be done inside with minimal equipment. Great for people who travel or are on a budget. * People who weight train at the gym a lot will notice they are getting more range of motion and working out more muscles. E.g. If you do squats at the gym, the side lunges and 1-legged Romanian dead lifts will hit other muscles you neglected while improving stability. * Diet theory and suggestions are included in a dedicated chapter, but not so much data that it overloads the reader. The main emphasis of the book is still on exercises. BOTTOM LINE Great job Mark on putting together these 10-week programs. This is a great book and I hope to buy another copy from the next edition of "You Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren!

Many people like me who find it a hassle to get to the gym frequently and want to be able to train independently of other people to meet our goals have taken up bodyweight training. There are a number of good programs available, but with some minor reservations, I think this is one of the best I've seen all around. I was very impressed with the knowledge and experience the author seems to have and the practicality and directness of his methods. This is a very solid bodyweight training manual in general. The hook is a military theme: the author spends a lot of time talking about how important fitness is to elite military and how he has so much experience helping to train elite military to be as fit as possible with minimum time and energy. The main problem a few people will have with this program is that there is a lot of variety here and some fairly tricky protocols, and some novices to bodyweight training may find it a little much to learn new timing methods, rep schemes, and exercises all at once. There are similarly themed programs for example that get initially very much the same results (I think) with only two or three general purpose exercises done the same way every time. For some people that might be a more appropriate start, especialy if they were doing nothing before. Lauren's novice routines begin with ladders that rapidly begin incorporating a number of different exercises. A very workable scheme physically but I suspect some will be overwhelmed by it just from a new learning and habit formation perspective. If you're not too familiar with bodyweight training, and you like the military theme, I think you will find this a very motivational book with great starting routines, easy to perform exercises with a lot of variety, only household items required for equipment, and good progression schemes. You will probably find the mixing of protocols and the variety of exercises very confusing if you are a novice to this kind of training, and while he provides recommended workouts for you, the protocols can still be a bit confusing. In particular, Lauren makes heavy use of "ladders" at some points, and these are a powerful tool for building up to many repetitions in an exercise but they can be tough to do properly. Ladders are a way of varying the number of repetitions to do in each set, building from lower to higher repetitions and them back down again, as with simple pyramids. The difference that makes the beginner routines in this book trickier than most is that Lauren's ladders require you to keep track of how long each set takes and then to rest that amount of time. I find that's a very difficult thing to be doing while you're trying to figure out the rest of the details of the workout. The only way it becomes practical for novices I think is if they use the iPad application associated with the program, which has a built in timer that tells you what to do and when for each workout. It's a great resource if you have an iPad and you don't mind keeping it with you during your workout and telling it when you've completed each set. Advanced bodyweight trainers will still find some interesting things in this book, such as Lauren's well thought out progression scheme, his clever exercise variations, and his use of periodization and varying protocols to help each block build on the previous one to continue building fitness in different dimensions all year round. Even for advanced people, I strongly recommend the associated iPad app, to help track workouts and figure out some of the trickier protocols in the beginning. If you're a fan of minimalism in exercise, and if you want to be able to train without a gym, I think this book and the associated application are great resources. There are a lot of ideas here you can work into other training programs easily and there are also many specific routines you can use if you aren't sure what to do.

I received this book just 3 days ago. I have not yet started any of the exercises regimes. The stuff on nutrition is a little sparse and I think some of it is not correct, but I didn't buy the book to learn about nutrition. Mark does not recommend any equipment in this book except a chinning bar. I think that is too Spartan. I think many of the exercise can be improved with a minimal amount of equipment, such as a jump rope, medicine ball and stability ball. Pictures are okay, but more time could have been spent on that part of the book(increased cost, I guess). My general impression thus far is that this will be a very useful tool in structuring more formal workouts than I have done in the past. I like Mark's approach to bodyweight exercise and I will have more feedback a month or so down the road. I would recommend this book for beginners(I am one), but cannot say if the exercises would also attract more conditioned athletes than myself. If you are into bodyweight exercises and calithethics, i would buy this book. Update 9/2/2011 My observations 14 months later. Like some, I bought this book May 2010, but did not get around to using it on a steady basis until the IPhone app arrived. This made the book much easier to use with the various timers included( ladders, supersets, intervals , tabatas, etc) I started the beginner level and am now up to the 6th week of the 1st class program. I am 63 1/2 , 5'8" and weigh 160 lbs. There has not been any weight loss over the course of the program. My muscles are more define and my waistline has trimmed to 31" waist. Same as I was in college. I still have the same opinion as others on the nutritional portion of the book, but again I did not buy the book as a nutrition source. The exercise regime is working and I am feeling better because I am looking better. Almost but not quite have a 6 pack. To me what is unique about the book are the 4 10 week programs that are fairly easy to follow. They are varied enough and short enough that you do not dread doing the workouts, even when you are tired. Unlike P90X they are easy to fit into anyone's schedule. It is easy to get habituated, in other words Mark's program can become a lifestyle. I have friends that did P90X, but stopped from exhaustion after 90 days and lost most of what they had achieved. With YAYOG this is less like to happen. So this is the first time in my life that I have followed an exercise routine for 14 weeks( i skipped the first 2 weeks of the basic program). In addition, the IPhone app is a great tool to use with the book. It's a little klunky, but basically a gym in your pocket. You can use it anywhere. However the 4 10 week programs are not included, so you would need to photocopy these. Unfortunately the app does not allow you to customize your personal workout program, though the developer of the app is promising this in a forthcoming release. one cannot rally use the app at this point on a standalone basis, but at $1.99 it's still a bargain for the timers alone. Finally, my home gym is not as spartan as Mark would like. I do have a few pieces of equipment that make performing body weigh exercise more enjoyable: 1. chinning bar 2. dip station 3. roman chair(for hyperextensions) 4 suspension trainer 5. power pushup 6. ab roller 7 Plyometric boxes I agree that all these are optional, but they make doing some of the recommended exercises more convenient and fun. All of these use your own body weight to achieve there goals. Two things that the book lacks is any focus on warm up routine (i jumprope or i do plyo tabatas) and nothing on streching. Small quibbles.A great value and an excellent book. 5 stars. PS. another book worth using as an adjunct is "Pilates For Men" by Daniel Lyon The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance

The first paragraph of the book sums up what you can aspire to with this program: "...I do not train movie stars, television celebrities, models, or other personalities whose livelihoods hinge on being fit. I train those whose lives do." Yet--don't be intimidated. Whether you are totally out of shape, an athlete, or something in between, this book can work for you. Read on! I've spent a fair amount of time in well-equipped gyms, and have at my home a Bowflex Ultimate, a set of free weights, and a good weight bench and accessories, which I have used with some regularity. I got this book because I'm on the road a lot with my work. I wanted some exercises I could do in my hotel room, and as well to get a few exercises to supplement my gym equipment. I got a whole lot more than that. This book has 111 exercises that will work every muscle you knew you had, as well as many you were never aware of. These exercises can completely replace gym equipment, and then some. For every exercise, ways are shown to step it up or down, depending on your fitness level. And I mean, WAY UP--or equally, WAY down--so that there's truly something for everyone. The exercises are broken down into 4 10-week programs: basic, first class, master class, and chief class. How you perform these exercises varies from work-out to workout by varying the way that the repetitions are done, so that for different weeks, you are developing either muscular endurance, strength, or power. That might sound more complicated than it is: just follow the program. At the upper levels, there are exercises that I can only dream of doing right now. In the gym, equipment is usually designed to isolate certain muscle groups so you can concentrate on them. That's good for bulk, but what about overall fitness? Mark Lauren spends a chapter defining overall fitness--a combination of muscular strength, power, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, speed, co-ordination, balance, and flexibility. What I quickly discovered is that many bodyweight exercises are much more challenging than gym equipment. At first, some exercises felt awkward. I quickly found the weak links in my chain. Gym equipment had not taught my body co-ordination and balance. These exercises do. So I have had to take it slowly. I do what I can, and push myself a little further each workout. The awkwardness fades quickly. These exercises are not to be under-estimated; you will have no trouble whatsoever in bringing yourself to exhaustion, achieving that "burning" feeling--and waking up the next morning with a few aches in places that you previously did not know existed! I feel the progress, workout to workout. The core exercises are great--an area I had been neglecting. My back feels better and my posture has improved. In the arms and legs, changes are obvious. Overall, I have a sense of increased strength and well-being. Feeling better is all the motivation I need to stick with the program. There are many ways you can use the exercises in this book. You can go with the program, for example, and that's likely to take you the farthest. Personally, I've abandoned all fantasies, at 51 years of age, that I'm going to be an Olympic athlete or a Navy Seal! I have a busy schedule, and I travel a lot. Nonetheless, it's easy to find some time in my day or after work to do SOMETHING, on a daily basis. Something that for at least one muscle group, builds me up, and makes me more flexible and coordinated. There are things you can even do sitting in a vehicle or airplane, watching TV on the sofa, lying in bed (a great exercise mat, by the way!) or on breaks at the office. On weekends, I'll do more. I've had this book for well over a year, and though I don't open it much, I've stuck with doing a core set of exercises on a regular basis. That says a lot. The first several chapters have very good information on nutrition, and practical suggestions for improving your diet (the right foods, eating in vs. out, and keeping junk out of your pantry). There's a great discussion on why it is important to add muscle mass. Muscle mass burns calories, even while at rest--a LOT of calories. Once you have it, you burn more calories outside of your workout than you do during your workout. Adding muscle mass also means that you have to be ready to push yourself to muscle failure during a workout--where you can't do another rep. Yet, Mark Lauren also balances this fact with a discussion on not over-doing it: your muscles also need time to recover and build themselves back up, so a day or two of rest between working on a particular muscle is necessary. While you will be aching at first, you will see progress, workout to workout. I'll probably sell the Bowflex. The only thing preventing me from doing so is guilt: I feel like I'd be ripping off the buyer. I could be recommending an inexpensive book that will do a better job for a lot less!

Being one of its kind, You are your own gym is a book written by an actual military person. if you really want a reliable guide that is written by a person who has applied all the techniques he talks of in his own life then this is the one. The book is basically a compilation of bodyweight workouts that are usually done by military people in order to build up strength, muscle mass and endurance. Believe it or not, if you really want to go for some challenging workouts then try out some in this book. You don’t necessarily have to go to the gym for it. You can do the workouts in your yard or at home. Mark has prepared thousands of soldiers to get fit for the military and so he can help you out too. That’s probably what caught my eye. It’s a real person talking through his experience and achievements! Now, let’s get to what’s inside You are your own gym. The book has workouts and exercises that even a beginner can perform. Each exercise is described in detail with pictures and instructions. What I like most about it is that Mark has also listed the different types of combination (sets and reps) you can use which include the ladders, interval sets, tabatas and the like. He goes in details and talks about what method should be used with what exercises. Also, the workout itself goes from high to low and then back to high in intensity giving your body a total workout. Heard about the P90X? This book is something similar to that. You are your own gym has over a whopping 100 bodyweight exercises such as bodyweight rows, bodyweight squats, push up variations, pull up and pull down variations and a lot more. What I like the most about You are your own gym is that Mark has explained in detail how you can design your own workout plan. You don’t have to stick with Mark’s plan. You can design your own with the exercises mentioned in You are your own gym. Should You Invest in You Are Your Own Gym? Well, People who are looking forward to home workouts should definitely buy this book. Also, those who don’t want to use barbells and dumbbells and stick to bodyweight exercises can also opt for this one. To sum it up, this is an exceptional book with exceptional bodyweight workout routines. Most of the exercises are quite challenging and they are very effective in getting you the desired results. If you still doubt it my advice is to try it out yourself just remember You are your own gym suits all shapes and sizes. Not only is this a great workout book, but shows you over 100 exercies that can be done anywhere, and it will save you ton's of $$$$ in gym memberships & equipment. In addition Mark offers the workout apps for $3.99 My recommendation is......Buy It!...... It's the only book you'll ever need......period! MJ

This is a review of 3 bodyweight exercise books (paperback editions): "Your Body Is Your Barbell" by BJ Gaddour, "You Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren and "Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy" by Bret Contreras. These reviews are coming from my perspective of a 44 year old man who decided I needed to lose some weight and just get in a little bit better overall shape. After doing my research I decided to focus on bodyweight exercises for their simplicity, efficiency and effectiveness. Bodyweight exercises require minimal equipment, allow you to work many muscles at once (compound exercises), and use motions that are natural body movements unlike a lot of gym machines. All 3 of these books contain basic information on exercises, exercise plans and how to make each exercise easier or more difficult. The ability to change the difficulty level of each exercise (progressions or regressions) will fine tune an exercise to your current particular ability and allow you to keep challenging your body. Examples of bodyweight exercises can also be found on YouTube for further clarification. Of these 3 books I think that "Your Body Is Your Barbell" by BJ Gaddour (let's refer to it as 'Barbell' for short) is the clear standout. If you are brand new to exercising or just want a solid foundation of the basics this is the book to get. 'Barbell' is a complete *program* clearly organized and aimed at raw beginners but contains enough to still challenge intermediate athletes. The superior organization and explanations are no doubt due to the resources of Men's Health magazine which has been writing about these types of exercises for quite a while. Its purpose is not to overwhelm the reader with all the different bodyweight exercises you can do, but to only focus on the minimum exercises that give the best overall results in the shortest amount of time. It explains the benefits of bodyweight training in a very clear and convincing manner, has a short easy-to-understand section on simple nutrition, and gives good clear information about general fitness. It has excellent photographs of exercises, a readable format and precise guidelines and instructions for what a beginner needs to do and focuses on only 8 basic bodyweight exercises to learn (you ultimately only need to choose 4). The 8 exercises are broken down into 4 movement categories (2 exercises per category that you can pick from). The 4 movement categories are upper body (pushing or pulling) and lower body (hip dominant or knee dominant). The 2 upper body *pushing* exercises are the pushup and handstand pushup, the 2 upper body *pulling* exercises are the row and the pullup. The 2 lower body hip dominant exercises are the hip hinge and the hip thrust, the 2 lower body knee dominant exercises are the deep squat and the single-leg squat. Each of the 8 exercises has its own chapter with 5 different difficulty levels, each with additional progressions and regressions to suit your current ability. The different levels of exercises start with complete beginners, who may be considerably overweight and never exercised a day in their life, to more difficult levels that in some cases might only be completed by Olympic athletes. Clearly the emphasis of the book is on complete beginners to intermediates who want maximum benefits with the shortest amount of time invested. The next book is "You Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren (let's call it 'Gym' for short). The book begins with some background on the author's military training and his success in restructuring military exercise training routines that produced better results in much less time than traditional methods. He has an interesting section on the superiority of strength training to cardiovascular training and the nutrition chapter is very well written. There is some other good general information on strength training before introducing the exercise portion of the book. The exercises are organized by regions of the body and include descriptions, photos and variations (progressions and regressions) to suit your current physical conditioning. There are several exercise plans included based on your general level of fitness, from very basic to elite athletes. There are only a few photos of each exercise by necessity and the exercise plans require beginners to learn multiple different exercises instead of mastering a few and working in small progressions to increase difficulty. Unfortunately there is little guidance as to which exercises you should learn first and which will give you the most benefit for your time and effort. The third book is "Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy" by Bret Contreras (let's call it 'Anatomy' for short). This book is a collection of bodyweight exercises organized by muscle region (arms, chest, back, glutes, etc.). Each exercise is beautifully illustrated to show the specific muscles involved. The muscles of each exercise are colored differently to indicate whether they are used primarily or secondarily in the exercise. The book includes muscle regions that the other two books leave out, such as the neck, and does a decent job of indicating many different exercises for a particular region, with variations that are easier or harder. Notes on the particular exercises are helpful as is the general descriptions of each muscle region. The book includes some brief general information aimed at beginners but this book is really for intermediate and advanced users. It seems to be more about bodybuilding than overall general fitness. 'Anatomy' has the same problem as the previous book 'Gym' in that it offers too many options and the suggested workout routines do not focus on general compound exercises but rather require mastering a wide variety of movements. This book is still a useful reference for people that already have a basic knowledge of bodyweight training and are perhaps looking for new techniques or specific information about what exercises target which exact muscles. In my opinion, beginners need a clear, simple path to follow and "Your Body Is Your Barbell" by BJ Gaddour offers exactly what I needed and nothing which I didn’t to get in the best overall physical shape with a minimum investment of time and money.

The heart of this book is the Programs which begin on page 143. There are four 10 week programs which span basic to Master class levels of ability. These are carefully thought out to vary in intensity, frequency and muscle groups. I have finished week 5 of the basic workout and am impressed with the way my body is changing shape. The author provides these as detailed examples but encourages the reader to use her imagination and improvise creatively. Editing could be better as many have commented, but that is of little consequence as all of the exercises are clearly explained with numerous photographic illustrations. I have read the whole book once through but repeatedly read only the program outlines and associated exercise descriptions and these are pretty good. There is a helpful index of all the exercises on page 55, but it better placed at the end of the book. I have taken to penciling in the page numbers next to the exercise names in the programs. All of the exercise set types (ladders, interval sets, super sets, strappers, tabatas) are explained just prior to the program descriptions (at least one reviewer has incorrectly said otherwise). However, there is ambiguity about how to interpret these explanations. For example on page 141 in the explanation of Interval sets a bullet point is: "6-12 reps per set"; but on page 51 Interval sets are described as going "to failure". I think it would help to have a sample actual work out explicitly spelled out in minute by minute detail. Alternatively, a Youtube video link would be very helpful. The author is not opposed to lifting weights (disguised as milk jugs filled with water, backpacks filled the brick, etc) but these are usually as suggestions to make an exercise more difficult. Minimal equipment is required - most importantly a door, a table, a chair, a towel, etc. However, you can "upgrade" as you like. I prefer to use Maximum Fitness Gear All-In-One Doorway Chin-Up Bar with Bonus Top 20 Exercises To Six Pack Abs Guide with homemade straps to do some of the exercises. The author has a website with a forum which may turn out to be a useful ancillary resource for questions and explanations. ([...]). I have increased my protein intake per the advice in the book, but I also have balanced that with calcium and vit. D supplements because it is known that increased protein intake has a side effect of decreasing calcium. (Per Wikipedia under Calcium: "Research has found an association between diets high in animal protein and increased urinary calcium loss from the bones.") What I like most about this book is that is a complete exercise program spelled out in detail. Furthermore, once I have completed a least one of the 10 week programs, I will have the tools to create my own program using the principles I learned for a lifetime of fitness.

Forget getting a personal trainer. Mark gives you all the inspiration and know how you need to transform you body and keep you motivated. His system to health and fitness is near perfect if you want to increase your strength, flexibility, body mass and lose weight in just 30 mins 4 times a week. I'm a long time weights trainer and fitness guy, but have found I don't have the time or inclination for the 2 hour gym sessions I once did. YAYOG provides a perfect fool proof roadmap to follow. On receiving your copy, my advice is go straight to the 10 week training schedules, pick the one that matches your level, and get going. In four weeks I have already seen a tremendous change. Strength, flexibility and balance all dramatically improved. My core is solid and my definition up. For anyone one who's read Tim Ferris' The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich and followed his muscle building program I'd highly recommend this instead. (Tim's book is a great read by the way...). Tim's approach does bring results, but its reliance on pills and NOEXPLODE to give you a boost (and they do!) is not something I'd recommend for the medium to long term. The program is not as fun to follow, you need to travel to the gym, and it doesn't give you the all over feeling of flexibility and vitality. Also once I stopped taking the NOXPLODE I felt like I'd had the blood drained out of me. NOXPLODE withdrawal symptoms are horrendous! It can't be good for you. One thing (kind of baffling) is Mark seems pretty negative about jogging - but here he seems a little behind the most pioneering research. Mark suggests jogging its relatively ineffective for weight loss and injuries are commonplace. Compared to body weights jogging may well be less efficient, but if you mix up your jogging with speed bursts you'll find its pretty good for burning fat; as you will if you enjoy the meditative effects of a long jog. If you're worried about injuries from jogging check out this phenomenal book Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen . Following the techniques in this I did the London Marathon (having never previously been a jogger), and didn't come close to having an injury. Indeed, the book dispels of the myth that jogging is inherently bad for you - really its inherently good for you; provided you have the proper technique (controversially the advice goes against 99% of the "conventional" advice which is flawed. E.g., First thing for a jogger to do is to ditch their expensive highly cushioned running shoes...). If you follow YAYOG, plus do another activity (swimming, jogging, football, cycling...) your fitness will be unquestionable and your body will love you!

Le besoin de faire un peu d'exercice se faisait ressentir de plus en plus, mais pour différentes raisons, je ne me voyais pas aller dans un studio de fitness plusieurs fois par semaine. J'ai passé un peu de temps sur Internet, j'ai étudié l'offre "fitness", et je suis tombé sur ce livre. Je regrette fortement de ne pas l'avoir eu 20 ans plus tôt, car il est tout simplement sensationnel. Il y a quelques conseils de bon sens, quelques conseils de nutrition, et surtout beaucoup d'exercices simples, suffisamment bien expliqués, et aussi quatre programmes d'entrainement de 10 semaines. Les programmes d'entrainement sont constitués de 4 à 5 séances par semaine, durée totale hebdomadaire environ 2h, et résultats exceptionnels. Presque tous les exercices peuvent être exécutés à des niveaux de difficulté variés (ex. Pompes debout contre un mur, ensuite mains sur une table, ensuite mains surélevées, pompes de base, ensuite pieds surélevées, etc.), donc quelque soit votre forme physique de départ, vous pouvez être du voyage. Pas besoin d'équipement, vos meubles, portes, et surtout vous même et un peu de volonté feront l'affaire. Les exercices sont structures par type : PUSH, PULL, LEGS, et CORE. Je pense qu'un des facteurs de succès des programmes est le fait que les exercices, ainsi que les rythmes et les manières de les enchainer changent souvent, le corps ne peut donc pas s'habituer à un effort particulier. Un autre facteur est certainement le fait que les bodyweight exercises ne mobilisent jamais un muscle isolé, mais toujours des chaines et groupes musculaires entières, ainsi le corps dans son ensemble restera équilibré . Le livre existe uniquement en anglais (ou allemand), mais si vous maitrisez l'anglais juste un peu, ça ne devrait pas poser de problème, ce n'est pas du Shakespeare. J'ai retrouvé, en quelques semaines, avec un effort minimal comparé à d'autres manières, une forme physique impeccable, et comme je l'ai déjà mentionné, je regrette de ne pas avoir connu ce livre plus tôt. Je tiens à faire remarquer que ce livre s'adresse d'abord à des gens "normaux" qui veulent rester en forme,ou la retrouver, mais je pense que mêmes des "habitués" trouveront leur compte avec les programmes avancés et les exercices en mode "difficile". Je terminerai par le sous titre du Livre : Servez vous du corps que vous avez, pour construire le corps que vous voulez.

Se considera la biblia de los ejercicios de peso corporal, casi todo el libro es la descripción de un montón de ejercicios y sus variaciones, con dibujos y descripciones detalladas. El libro enseña a utilizar el peso corporal para realizar un entrenamiento basado en la fuerza, en casa y prácticamente sin ningún equipamiento (aunque yo considero que una barra de dominadas y unas correas de entrenamiento de suspensión ayudan mucho a hacer algunos de los ejercicios). Explica los fundamentos del entrenamiento de fuerza y porqué permite realizar entrenamientos muy cortos (15-20 minutos) 3-4 días a la semana y conseguir una forma física mejor o igual que entrenando horas y más días con otros métodos. El entrenamiento de fuerza agota el músculo muy rápidamente, lo hace crecer, y sin muscular en exceso acelera el metabolismo, consumiendo mucha más energía... lo que permite perder grasa, mejorar el aspecto, la forma física y la salud, todo ello con movimientos naturales, sin sobrecargar el cuerpo con pesas y máquinas que te fuercen a hacer movimientos anti-naturales para los que no está diseñado. Incluye unas rutinas de ejercicios con varios niveles de dificultad, y hay una app de pago para móviles que ayuda mucho a seguirlos (te cronometra, dice lo que tienes que hacer en cada momento con videos, etc). Estas rutinas son muy variadas y amenas, no te aburres en absoluto. Totalmente recomendable y un precio muy asequible.

Great place to buy books. Received the ordered book. The book is in great condition, as described. Thank You !

Ich komme gleich zum Punkt: auf dem unübersehbar großen Markt für Fitness-Bücher ist YOU ARE YOUR OWN GYM meiner Ansicht nach das in jeder Hinsicht gelungenste Werk, welches sich jeder an Fitness Interessierte unbedingt zulegen sollte. Dies fängt bereits bei der Qualifikation des Autors an: Mark Lauren ist ein echter Profi für Fitness-Training - und er trainierte ausdrücklich keine Hollywood-Stars (wie die meisten anderen Fitnessgurus) als Personal Trainer, sondern ist Fitness-Instructor bei den US-Spezialeinheiten. Dies bedeutet im Klartext, dass er Methoden kennt, die ohne teure Geräte und in der Massenabfertigung hocheffizient funktionieren müssen - und natürlich auch, dass er als ausgewiesener Experte auf diesem Gebiet gelten darf und natürlich auch jede Menge Routine auf seinem Sektor mitbringt, Routine, welche man bei so manchem anderen Fitness-Autoren getrost bezweifeln darf. Weiterhin fällt auf, dass dieses Buch sehr gut geschrieben ist und in sehr durchdachter Präsentation vorliegt. Gerade auf dem Markt für Fitness-Bücher gibt es zahlreiche Werke, die man vorsichtig gesagt entweder als dreiste inhaltsarme Abzocke oder aber halbgaren Mumpitz bezeichnen muss (wer kennt hier keine Beispiele?). Nicht so beim vorliegenden Buch: auch wenn man schon Einiges auf dem Sektor gelesen hat sind die ersten 50 Seiten (eben der theoretische Teil nebst Anleitung zum Thema Ernährung) höchst informativ und schlichtweg gut verfasst. Man merkt sofort, dass dies kein hastig herunter geschriebener Schnellschuss ist, sondern auf echten Erfahrungen und gründlicher Analyse beruht. Dabei erfindet Mark Lauren das Rad sicherlich nicht neu und kommt nicht mit irgendwelchen Geheimrezepten um die Ecke (gerade von diesen distanziert er sich das gesamte Buch lang sehr entschieden) - auch er befürwortet eine Ernährung, die den glykämischen Index berücksichtigt, weitestgehend auf Zucker und weißes Mehl verzichtet und natürlich die Anzahl der Kalorien sowie die Zufuhr von Eiweiß im Auge behält. Hierbei argumentiert er aber ausführlich und gut nachvollziehbar... und mit vielen Tipps, die allesamt im Alltag leicht umsetzbar sind und ohne ganz besondere Spezialzutaten auskommen. Ähnlich gelungen seine Ausführungen pro und contra aerobes Training, Fitnessstudios und Krafttraining. Im gesamten Theorieteil fällt auf: der Mann weis wovon er spricht, er kann dies auch durchweg artikulieren und dabei auch noch lebendig sowie unterhaltsam (oft genug auch sehr lustig) schreiben. Die eigentlichen Übungen sind wie der Name andeutet reine Body-Weight-Exercises. Von Hanteln und Maschinen aller Art hält der Autor nichts, und er wird nicht müde, deren Nachteile und Problematiken zu erläutern - allerdings mit Argumenten, die meiner Ansicht nach sehr überzeugend sind, genauso wie die Argumente des Autors für Body-Weight-Exercises sehr stichhaltig sind. Sicherlich erläutert der Autor auch, welche Hilfsmittel bei den Übungen zum Einsatz kommen können (und manche Hilfsmittel lassen sich auch prima durch eine Hantel ersetzen), aber natürlich liegt sein Hauptaugenmerk auf Alltagsgegenstände, die im jeden Haushalt und in jeder Wohnung (also keine Übungen, für die man Traktorreifen und Vorschlaghämmer brauchen würde) vorhanden sind. Sämtliche Übungen sind gut erklärt, mit anschaulichen Fotos versehen und häufig in verschiedenen Abstufungen dargestellt. Außerdem sind die Übungen gut in verschiedene Muskelzonen und in Schwierigkeitsgrade eingeteilt - man erhält also alle Informationen, die man für einen eigenen Trainingsplan benötigt. Das Buch geitzt nicht mit Inhalt, und der Autor stellt 125 Übungen vor - auch der Enthusiast wird einiges zu tun haben, diese alle kennen zulernen und ihre ganzen Variationen zu erforschen! Abgerundet wird der Praxisteil durch gibt es eine gute Darstellung über die verschiedenen Durchführungsarten der Übungen (u.a. Ladders, Intervalls und Negativ-Übung) und natürlich einen vollständigen mehrstufigen 10-Wochen-Workoutplan in jeweils vier Schwierigkeitsgraden. Kurzum: YOU ARE YOUR OWN GYM ist ein sehr vollständiges Rundrum-Sorglos-Paket, nur das disziplinierte Training muss der Leser selbst bewerkstelligen! Alles in allem: wie eingangs beschrieben ist dies meiner Ansicht nach das Buch, welches JEDER Fitness-Interessierte kennen sollte. Zu einem mehr als fairen Preis erhält man eine Fülle von Informationen, durchdachte Übungen und gute Workouts - alles gut präsentiert und gut beschrieben. Dieses Buch ist sowohl gut, wenn man nur nach ihm trainieren will, wie es auch eine tolle Ergänzung zu anderen Trainingsformen ist - dieses Buch ist also schlichtweg ein Muss!