Hold It! You're Exercizing Wrong: Your Prescription for First-Class Fitness Fast

by Edward Jackowski Ph.D.

Overview

Hold It! You should know that:

Walking is not one of the best exercises and will never get you fit

For certain body types, stair climbers will not trim your thighs and buttocks or give you slim hips

You do not need expensive health club memberships to become fit

You do not need to exercise for more than an hour a day to lose weight or increase your fitness level

Hold It! You're Exercising Wrong analyzes popular exercise techniques and explains why they do or do not work. Using his client-proven methods of fitness, Edward Jackowski renames body types and stresses their importance when choosing an exercise routine, details the four essential phases of any workout, lists the best exercises for weight loss, and provides motivational techniques to keep you going. Interspersing more than 150 tips on health and exercise, Hold It! You're Exercising Wrong is a no-nonsense, all-you-need-to-know guide to getting fit and staying that way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439146484
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	01/11/2011
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Edward J. Jackowski is the founder and president of Exude Inc. In addition to writing a number of fitness articles for various magazines and newsletters, he has written a fitness booklet, hosted a syndicated radio program, and has designed thousands of fitness programs for people of all walks of life, including soldiers from the United States Army and a number of non-profit organizations. An avid sportsman and all-around athlete, he is a member of American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the International Dance & Exercise Association (IDEA), and is certified with the Aerobics & Fitness Association (AFAA), in both Aerobic and Fitness Training. Edward Jackowski holds a specialized degree (BBA), in Organizational Behavioral Management from the Bernard M. Baruch Business College.

Read an Excerpt

From the Introduction

Everyone can change his or her body through proper exercise. Let's face it, since we're all going to exercise, we might as well do it right. This book can be your source for separating fallacies from facts on the subject. Apply these tips, and you'll become more productive, not only in fitness but in every facet of your life.

Why do nine out of ten individuals who exercise and work out do it incorrectly? Many reasons. "Do you exercise?" I ask my clients when starting to design an individualized fitness program for them. "Oh yes, I play tennis and golf on the weekends and occasionally play tennis during the week when I have time," they reply. Let's clarify something right from the beginning: recreational tennis and golf are not exercise, per se. They are really leisure activities. In other words, you're doing it backward.

Tip 1

Don't try to get fit by being active. You can become more active only by becoming fit.

Too often people's misconception about tennis, golf, skiing, and other activities causes them injury because they are not fit before they go out and enthusiastically enter into these sports. Take the avid player who says he can play tennis for three hours without getting tired. Is he fit? Not necessarily, because when I ask him to try to touch his toes or jump rope for one minute, he can't. Only then does he finally realize that there's more to fitness than just putting in court time. As I tell my clients, I won't teach you how to hit a tennis ball, but I'll teach you how to get to that ball with speed, power, and agility and to hit it with the same strength shot after shot—now that's fitness.

Tip 2

Fitness is your ability to do whatever you ask your body to do.

In short, can you run a mile without having to recover for two days afterward? Do you have flexibility? Can you lift a ten-pound curl bar and do a series of upper body exercises for twenty to thirty repetitions without becoming fatigued? Can you jump rope for ten minutes or more? Can you ride a stationary bike for fifteen minutes or more maintaining 90-120 rpm? Can you do twenty-five to fifty bent-knee sit-ups on a mat without locking your feet under a bed or bar? If you can answer yes to all of the above, then you are truly fit. (Of course if you are injured, or otherwise physically challenged, you should not or will not be able to do all of these activities, but you can still do lots of other exercises, if properly shown.) Clearly, fitness consists of many elements, which I'll address in detail in this book. The main reason people do not get fit is because they were never properly educated in the field of fitness and therefore may be working hard at the wrong thing.

Who am I? Why should you believe me rather than another fitness guru? Well to begin with, I'm the founder and CEO of the largest motivational and fitness company in the country, based in New York City. I teach people from all walks of life how to incorporate a sound fitness regimen into their daily life despite any constraint—physical or mental. During the last fourteen years I have seen and consulted with over 12,000 people—businessmen and businesswomen, mothers, mothers-to-be, physically challenged, athletes, fifty-plusers, children, professional athletes, former athletes, weight lifters, dancers, and executives who travel frequently and need a surefire traveling regimen.

I decided to write this book because I've seen definite trends among my clients. Most of the people I've met who were exercising regularly were not truly fit. Of the people who weren't exercising, all lacked the motivation to exercise and knowledge about how to exercise as well as how to fit it into their busy schedules. Interestingly, both groups were equally ignorant about many facets of fitness and getting fit.

I've educated thousands about how to exercise properly, safely, efficiently, and effectively. All have learned to become self-motivated to make exercise a part of their lifestyle for the rest of their lives. Anyone can go to a gym, a spa, or a fat-farm. But can you learn how to motivate yourself to make exercise a good, healthy habit, just like brushing your teeth, or saying thank you?

When you finish reading this book you will have that ability. This book is intended to shock you. I challenge you to realize that whatever you have or haven't been doing for fitness is most likely very wrong. This book also contradicts many professionals in the field of exercise and fitness.

Everyone has a theory about exercise. But the fact is, if you do not warm up first, then stretch, work out hard, and finally cool down, you might as well not even do it. You'll get some fitness benefits, but not as much as the person next to you who exercises in this exact order. In addition, there is no one machine or exercise that can get you fit in and of itself. But there is a way to get fit—a system if you will—by using minimal equipment if you exercise according to your body type as well as other factors. These factors constitute the genesis of this book.

Copyright © 1995 by Edward J. Jackowski

Editorial Reviews

Hold It! You're Exercising Wrong is described by its author, Edward Jackowski, as being somewhat "confrontational." Jackowski says that while the fitness community was rather skeptical of his methodology at first, many are now following his recommendations.

The book contains easy-to-read and easy-to-follow exercise tips and information and the final chapter offers "The Ultimate Workout." As the title suggests, this book recommends that fitness enthusiasts "hold it" and take time to evaluate their fitness routines. Jackowski suggests that walking is not one of the best exercises, contrary to popular belief, and even contends that walking will never get you fit. He takes on stair climbers, reporting that these machines will not trim your thighs and buttocks. He instead suggests jump-roping and details a recommended exercise routine.

Ten chapters include such topics as "Exercise and Your Options," "Just Because You're Exercising Doesn't Mean You're Getting Fit," "Which Type of Exercise is Best Suited for You?," "Your Mini-Guide to Home Fitness Equipment," "Aches and Pains," "Bad Back Blues," and "Fitness Strategies for Special Populations," which covers exercises for people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other medical conditions.

I had the opportunity to speak personally with Mr. Jackowski. In the conclusion of his book he states, as he also did during our interview, "The research done for this book was all based on 13 years of practical experience. The impetus for this book came from people like you and me who are searching for a simple fitness routine that we can follow for the rest of our lives, despite common constraints." Mr. Jackowski says his book was written for those who do not exercise, and for those who presently exercise but are not pleased with the way they look.

Mr. Jackowski wants to redefine the way people look at exercise. "People don't want to change - they have a fear of the unknown." This book, he says, offers a plan for those who don't know what else to do, especially if they've been following an exercise routine that has not given them the desired results. Jackowski says the book explains, in layman's terms, how to exercise properly.

Jackowski is the founder and CEO of Exude Inc., a one-on-one motivational fitness company based in New York City.

This book is practical, interesting, and thought provoking, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new prescription for fitness. Fitness enthusiasts at all levels will benefit from reading Hold It! You're Exercising Wrong and gaining a different perspective on fitness and exercise.
— FitnessLink

Marijane Green

In this quick-glance motivational book, the founder of a New York-based motivational and fitness business provides exercise and fitness suggestions. The tips appear in boldface, and simple directives, explanations, and occasional line drawings expand upon each. Claiming that walking and recreational tennis and golf are leisure activities and not true exercise, Jackowski defines a consistent workout as containing warming up, stretching, physical activity, and cooling down. Such tidbits as Jackowski's assertions that aerobic classes are not particularly effective, that aerobic capacity can be enhanced with short bursts of exercise (such as rope jumping), and that those on limited budgets should buy the highest quality fitness equipment they can afford exemplify the advice offered in this sensible basic fitness guide.

Sue-Ellen Beauregard

Robb Report More and more people are turning to Edward J. Jackowski as the best path toward reaching that personal nirvana called fitness.

Houston Chronicle Glean the benefits of this fitness guru's wisdom.

From the Publisher