The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs: Men's Edition, Deluxe Edition: The Way to Physical Perfection (Includes DVD)

I bought all of the books in this series (used so I wasn't out a ton of money) and I think they're good, but they're not for everyone. My reviews for each volume will be somewhat similar, but I will also try to focus on information specific to each volume.This book is quite a bit thinner than the other books in the series and contains less very basic information (fine by me; I don't need to read that three times). I think the content is reasonable for women, even though the authors are men. (I actually generally felt like most of the exercises would be suitable for men or women, although there are some woman-specific sections about pregnancy, etc.)Unlike in the other books, there's no diet plan here. That's fine. If you want to check out the diet plan, go to the main book (The Body Sculpting Bible for Women), where it is most complete. (Don't bother if you're vegetarian, though...) The important thing is to find an eating plan that works for you. It might be from this book series or it might be something else. (There is a very brief section about determining your basal metabolic rate. But it's like 2-3 pages. Nowadays, computer programs, websites, and apps can calculate this value, although the section does explain what it means, so that's useful.)And now on to the exercises, which is why I really bought this book in the first place!The workouts in this book are not as equipment-intensive as in the otehr books. I am not a gym member but I can come up with home versions of almost all the exercises in these books by looking at the pictures and figuring out what muscles are supposed to be worked in each move. To do these workouts at home, you would need:*yoga mat for stretching (or you could work out on carpet)*rolled-up towel*large exercise ball*a medicine ball/weighted ball (I have a couple of the soft ones from GoFit and I love them)*cables (could use latex ones with a door attachment)*dumbbells*slant board or bench (I used an exercise step with one end elevated higher than the other for this)*chin-up barTo be fair, everything from the cables on is in one chapter and you can get a fairly good workout without using the exercises in that chapter.As with the lower body book, it takes a long time to get set up for a single move. Half the time you set aside for working out involves fiddling with some piece of equipment or other. I think the exercises are sometimes a bit too challenging. Not in the sense that you would injure yourself, but that you might not be starting with the core stability to balance on the ball in a particular way. When I ran into an exercise like this, I pushed my ball up against an armchair instead of using it free on the floor. This provided some stability but there was still a moving/adjusting/balancing element to the exercise. I plan to work my way up to the full exercise.That being said, I like the variety of exercises in this book. The division into chapters is a little different -- it's done by equipment type rather than muscle group. For example, medicine ball exercises get a whole chapter. I also like the focus on the back. A lot of core-training programs neglect the back but it's just as important in terms of stability, and you use it here. This book is rather heavy on crunches and variations thereof, so be prepared for that. This book is probably best for intermediate-advanced users. However, both of the other books in the series have some ab work in them, so you can hold off on buying this one until you're ready, if you so choose.There are some sample programs in the back of the book. There are at least two black and white photographs with every exercise, usually showing the start position and the finish position. The photographs are clear (even the gym ones) and use several different models. On the facing pages, you'll see a written description of the move and a few tips to make the move work for you. I'll admit to largely ignoring this and simply using the pictures as a guide most of the time. But the information is there if you want it.This book needs an index. If you want to look up an exercise in one of the exercise tables, page numbers are given, but an index would be so helpful. What I found useful was taking a bunch of Post-It tape flags and sticking them to the pages of the exercises I was going to be wanting. I numbered them so I knew which exercise was first, second, and so forth. Then I flipped to that page and did the exercise. That, along with a worksheet I made, helped me keep up. I made my own program in order to fill the time I had set aside for exercising (which was a bit longer than the book has you exercising for). I think you can follow the given programs if you want, or you can just make sure to choose an exercise or two for each major muscle group on days your work your core and you should be fine.In the end, I like the variety of exercises. This book should appeal to both gym and home users, but people with access to lots of equipment will get the most out of the later chapters. A medicine ball and a large exercise ball would be easy "first equipment purchases" and you'd get a lot out of this book with just those.

I purchased about 10 books from Amazon on abs in order to compare them. This one has fairly large print and large photos, although it does come with a DVD. For how it compares with the other books, here are my conclusions...If You Want to Trim Your Waistline: You can't trim your waistline without losing fat, and you can't lose fat around your waist without losing it everywhere (focusing on a muscle group like the abdominal muscles doesn't burn fat in that location, just a little bit of fat from everywhere on the body). So, if you want to trim your waistline, skip the ab workout books and go with a good, proven overall weight loss and fitness book like Bill Phillips' Body for Life. The Abs Diet is a similar program, but like all the Men's Health publications, it advertises a 6-week transformation, which is just a little unrealistic. Plan on more like 12-24 weeks to see really noticeable changes if you are fat.If You Want Sculpted Six-Pack Abs: If you are overweight at all, see above--you can't get a six pack while you're overweight, and you can't lose abdominal fat by doing an ab workout, so go for overall fitness. However, if you are already lean, see below.If You Want to Strengthen or Build Your Ab Muscles: If you're trying to improve for work, play, or rehab, you might consider the following books: The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs Deluxe DVD Edition contains decently up-to-date information and tells you exactly what to do and when to do it, based on a six-week fitness course. If you're looking for a similar book with more information, you can choose from The Complete Book of Abs or The Complete Book of Core Training. The Complete Book of Abs (1998) is a little out of date in terms of its dietary/nutritional recommendations, but it focuses more on exercises that develop the external abdominal muscles (the ones you see in a six-pack), including lots of variations on leg lifts, bicycle motion, and sit-ups. It will also give you more resources for creating your own program, and, if that's what you want to do, go with this one instead of The Body Sculpting Bible. The Complete Book of Core Training (2006) focuses more on the functional body core, including internal abdominal muscles, legs, etc., and includes more trendy exercises using medicine balls, exercise balls, yoga, etc. A different sort of book is Stronger Abs and Back (1997), which was written before the current fad of selling "core training," but contains the elements of core training because it gives good functional sports-focused advice. Its dietary recommendations are out of date, but it recommends a 24-week workout plan, which is much more realistic than the 6-week plans advocated by many of the other books.If You Have Back Pain: See your doctor, and if he prescribes abdominal/core strengthening, see above.My one-book recommendation: Body for Life.My two-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back.My three-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs.My four-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs + The Abs Diet.Hope this helps!!

Despite the title, you don't have to be a fitness freak in order to use this book. Back pain and back disorders are very common with office workers these days, and this book offers some excellent exercises that deal with it. The book itself is about sculpting your ABS, but it acknowledges that the back is an integral part of this process. By following the exercises in this book (first the warmups and then the more strenuous ones), you can strenghten the whole of your waist area, and your back will benefit.The author stresses that the whole body must be exercised, in addition to the ABS exercises; they cannot be performed alone. This holistic approach is a valuable foundation, and continues throughout the book. It is good to have well-reasoned explanations of the theory behind the activities, along with some well-structured 14-day plans.This review is written from the point of view of someone trying to sort out his back, rather than going for a washboard figure. I have found the exercises to be very effective, even when performed lightly. Whatever your goals and physical condition, however, this book offers excellent exercises and exercise plans, which can be adopted to your needs.

I bought this book on Jan 12 2011 and have been following the instructions as given by Mr.James in the book. It gave me amazing results. Before reading this book, i was weighing 178 pounds and in 2 weeks of following the instructions of this week i'm now at 168. I never expected anything like this!!!!. Thanks to Mr. James for giving the tips in the book. Special thanks to Zone and Tone method which really worked out well.... Good book.

This book is more about giving you core strength than helping to sculpt abs. In fact the author states in the introduction that "there has been too much emphasis placed on aesthetics when it comes to abdominal training". He then goes on to criticise isolation excercises and the idea of a washboard stomach. In fact looking at the concentration on twisting movements in the book, you are more likely to end up with a thick waist than anything sculpted. It may be healthy, but it won't necessarily be pretty.So the publishers really should be sued under trade descriptions for giving the book a title like this!