The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess

'New Rules' Rules

"Lift like a man, look like a Goddess" says the book. But is it true? I believe it is, and this book is right on the money. It is cleanly divided into three parts.

The first part discusses the similarities between men's and women's bodies as it pertains to weight lifting- and why they should train the same. I agree with the book on this point entirely. While women's muscles won't get as big as a man's from lifting weights, the stimulus to make a woman's muscle bigger and stronger is identical to that of a man's- overload the muscle with progressively heavier weights.

Part two, "You aren't what you don't eat", is the eating/diet section of the book. A lot of wisdom is also packed in here as the book gives the reader a lot of basic nutrition info, such as calorie needs, protein intake, etc. The reader is also introduced to the four "Ironclad Rules" which include: you must eat breakfast, you must eat a total of 5 meals and snacks a day, you must have a post-workout recovery shake on the days you lift, and you must have more calories on workout days than the other days. Meal plans are nicely laid out for the reader in this section as well.

Lastly comes part three, "Resistance is vital." Of course this is the section that discusses the workout routines and the exercises. Without going into details, you work out 2-3 times a week, and the workouts are divided in 7 stages (each with a certain goal) which roughly give you 6 months worth of workouts- which I might add, are all highly detailed in the book. Pictures of warm-up exercises and the resistance exercises are included and very easy to follow. Weight lifting exercises are nothing crazy, with a lot of them being sensible, basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and various presses.

As a trainer, I found this to be a very sensible weight lifting book for women. Yes it does invovlve some work, but then again that is the only way to make a muscle stronger, whether you're a man or a woman- which is the whole point of the book. Based on a lot of sound science, I give it two thumbs up for a very helpful, effective, and "doable" book. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff for readers who have a shoulder problem that interferes with their training.

22 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

Great for those who want to get serious about weight-lifting

I have recently returned to a "normal" BMI after about 6 months of a calorie-restricted diet and losing about 20 pounds, but I found my figure to be less athletic than I would prefer. I had been exercising 4-5 times per week doing pilates, yoga, eliptical machine, hip-hop and dance classes, and some weight classes at the gym as well, but I was ready for something more serious to build some muscles (which I thought were hiding under my fat, but sadly were just not there). This book was EXACTLY what I needed to make a focused weight-training effort. I have noticed a difference after just one week of the program
Note: I am a vegetarian, and this nutrition program calls for a high-protein diet. I am struggling with getting all the protein that is recommended, but I am doing the best I can.
Also, this program is not for women who have a lot (more than 15 pounds) of weight to lose. Almost every example he gives in the book is of a "normal-sized" woman who can gain muscle and lose fat from the program.

9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

This book maybe awesome if you are a workout expert but for those of us just starting out I would not recommend this book.It is packed with so much information I feel like I would have to make it my full time job just to follow the program.

7 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

Nothing really new here and not for a beginner!

The book is well written and the advice is sound throughout yet there is nothing significantly different or new here. Women lifting like a man is far from a new idea, that concept has been around for years. Eating 5-6 meals per day, again, not a new idea but sound advice. The layout of training program is varied in how it is excecuted and not working the smaller muscles alone is the only real difference I could find.

For the beginner or someone with a lot of weight to lose this book would be confusing and frustrating. If you are a beginner to weight training or have a lot of weight to lose I would recommend Body for Life. It is effective, motivating, easy to follow, and makes no distinction between men and women either. If you have followed the Body for Life program you will see much of the same advice given is also in this book.

Basically the book is solid and gives you a different look at the same information already out there. It is like a deck of cards, even when shuffled, they are still the same cards just in a different place.

6 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Love this book!

I am a 45 yr old middle aged woman. I haven't worked out seriously in years. And, I love this program.

Ladies, it is all laid out for you. Every detail of the program is there. It is easy to follow and effective. The only caveat is that it isn't easy, but getting real results never is.

I've been working hard for a few weeks now. Both my strength and mobility are improving greatly, making everyday tasks easier. I also look and feel better. I haven't lost a ton of fat quickly, but more gradually. This is the start of being fit for life, not just looking good.

This book is empowering to women and should be on everyone's fitness shelf. Thank you Mr. Shuler and Mr Cosgrove.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

want to get cut?

I am a dedicated runner, cyclist and swimmer. This book introduced me to a new way to stay in shape, weight lifting! I noticed results within a few weeks. If you are a dedicated cardio queen, looking to get more muscle tone and definition, this may be the program for you.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great book!

I got this book because I needed to cross-train as a runner, and read that gaining muscle would make me stronger as a runner. As a weight-lifting novice, I found the workouts in this book to be very quick, simple, uncomplicated and effective. Each exercise is described in detail, and there are a lot of photographs illustrating them, which is a great help to the novice lifter. I did have some trouble initially grasping the order of the Phase 1 program exercise chart, but once I got it all sorted out, it was a piece of cake. The entire book is laid out in a very positive, encouraging manner which really helped me get over the 'intimidation factor' of the weight room. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning to lift weights!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Good Book

Read for reference

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finally found the right book

Really have enjoyed this book. Written by a man, but specifically for women. He makes good points,and explains when workouts should differ for the sexes and were they should be the same. The science is there, but written in a relateable manner, without confusing the reader with technical jargon. The diet plan, and work out plan in the back are both quite well done, although the Stage 1 work out graph is slightly confusing. I took a photo of the graph with my phone and take it with me to the gym as a quick reference. Great book, if you're female, are tired of all this "Do Cardio til you look like Twiggy" media junk, then this book is for you. Women who lift weights (not body building, this is a book about health and fitness and fatloss using weight lifting) finally open up the entire gym. No more of that intimidation from half of the weights. It's fantastic. Plus...all those studly dudes bench pressing stuff? They will totally help you out and you get loads of gym cred (regardless of starting physical shape) by trying out the free weights.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

*Very difficult to understand the exercise plan!

I found this book entertaining. The author is funny and keeps things informational without being textbook- like boring. The information was useful, although I already knew most of the topics he covered just from researching online. The book includes an easy to stick to meal plan, and urges you to eat more then to cut foods out! I had a very, very hard time understanding the workout plans he provides. The charts are nearly impossible to figure out, and he does not explain them well AT ALL. I still don't think I'm doing the routine correctly, which is the main reason I bought this book. If it weren't for the pictures and explanations of each exercise, I would be completely lost. I am disappointed that the plans weren't written clearer.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

For the women new to lifting

If you are new to lifting, this book is definately for you. The programs start out not using a lot of the weight machines or free weights. It slowly introduces you to more exercises.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Awesome!

Highly recommend it for anyone looking to add strenght training to their workout.

Good solid information for women who want to lift weights

I enjoyed this book. I thought it had solid information on women's weight lifting.

Buy the hard copy!

This is a good book, well written and straight forward. I started the plan about a month ago and I am noticing a difference in my muscles. I highly recommend this book to women who are unsure of what workouts to do to see results. I had been working out for 2 years prior lifting as the author calls, barbie weights. The workouts take about 30 minutes to complete 2-3 times a week and are split into several phases. However, if you sincerely plan to do the workouts buy the hard copy. The author provides the phases and what pages the workouts are on but the nook pages DO NOT match. Since the workouts are specific you will want to have the correct pages.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

"New Rules" Rules

Lift like a man, look like a Goddess" says the book. But is it true? I believe it is, and this book is right on the money. It is cleanly divided into three parts.The first part discusses the similarities between men's and women's bodies as it pertains to weight lifting- and why they should train the same. I agree with the book on this point entirely. While women's muscles won't get as big as a man's from lifting weights, the stimulus to make a woman's muscle bigger and stronger is identical to that of a man's- overload the muscle with progressively heavier weights.Part two, "You aren't what you don't eat", is the eating/diet section of the book. A lot of wisdom is also packed in here as the book gives the reader a lot of basic nutrition info, such as calorie needs, protein intake, etc. The reader is also introduced to the four "Ironclad Rules" which include: you must eat breakfast, you must eat a total of 5 meals and snacks a day, you must have a post-workout recovery shake on the days you lift, and you must have more calories on workout days than the other days. Meal plans are nicely laid out for the reader in this section as well.Lastly comes part three, "Resistance is vital." Of course this is the section that discusses the workout routines and the exercises. Without going into details, you work out 2-3 times a week, and the workouts are divided in 7 stages (each with a certain goal) which roughly give you 6 months worth of workouts- which I might add, are all highly detailed in the book. Pictures of warm-up exercises and the resistance exercises are included and very easy to follow. Weight lifting exercises are nothing crazy, with a lot of them being sensible, basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and various presses.As a trainer, I found this to be a very sensible weight lifting book for women. Yes it does invovlve some work, but then again that is the only way to make a muscle stronger, whether you're a man or a woman- which is the whole point of the book. Based on a lot of sound science, I give it two thumbs up for a very helpful, effective, and "doable" book. Also recommend "Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff" for readers who have a shoulder problem that interferes with their training.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good for women with some gym experiene

Easy reading and easy to follow gym routine.

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