The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition
by Kurt Brungardt
Book Summary Information
Author: Kurt BrungardtContributor: Brett Brungardt
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Format: Illustrated
Published: 1998-09-01
ISBN: 0375751432
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Villard
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780375751431
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Book Reviews of The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition
Book Review: Lots of exercises, but some info is really dated
Summary: 3 Stars
Ok, the exercises in this book are great. There are a LOT of different exercises for the the different portions of the abs / core area. So I think it's great for all levels, and also great for people who have some structural or functional weaknesses. i.e., if one exercise is hurting you for some reason, then there are a bunch of other ones that you can try. Another very helpful aspect is that it mentions how much stress each exercise places on your lower back, which is very important for me (I had a herniated disc a few months ago), and I imagine a lot of other people will find this useful as well.
However, the book is pretty dated. I think the last update/revision was in the mid-late 1990s, something like 1995-1997. So some of the information, especially the part that talks about diet and nutrition, is pretty old.
In fact, in one part they actually say 'There is some evidence to prove that eating six meals a day may actually be better for you.' I don't think I need to tell anyone that it's pretty much a fact by this point that eating several small meals throughout the day is what you should be doing, so when this book said that 'there is some evidence', that made me look at the front to see when it was updated, and it said 1996 or something.
So that took a lot of credibility away from the diet and nutrition aspect of the book. I mean, ab exercises probably have not changed that much in the last 10 years, but there have been huge changes and advances in the field of diet and nutrition in the past decade. So it just seems very strange why they have not bothered to update that part of the book. Especially considering that diet is almost more important than exercise when it comes to abs, which is something they mention in the book as well.
Summary of The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition
Anyone who works out knows that abdominal exercises have progressed light-years beyond the basic sit-up. In fact, a whole new generation of ab exercises and machines have advanced abdominal workouts to new levels of sophistication, designed for maximum efficiency to provide the trim, toned midsection that everyone wants. But how do you put the exercises together into a routine for your specific physique and needs? The Complete Book of Abs shows you how.??? The first ab book for everyone--from beginners to fitness professionals
??? More than one hundred ab exercises--from traditional crunches and sit-ups to such cutting-edge techniques as corkscrews and hanging knee raises--drawn from diverse sources, including gymnastics, yoga, and the martial arts
??? Includes the "Fifteen Minutes a Day to Ultimate Abs" system, which will take you from an undeveloped stomach to a rippled washboard look in six months
??? Dozens of favorite and new routines from America's foremost coaches, trainers, and bodybuilders
??? How to be your own personal trainer and put together your own routines
??? The most up-to-date information on diet and nutrition, including a personal
template to maximize diet-exercise efficiency
Already a fitness classic, The Complete Book of Abs, is the definitive guide for abdominal toning and strengthening. No one who's serious about working out should be without it.
Kurt Brungardt was at the front end of the abdominal obsession. His Abs of Steel video was a bestseller, and the original Complete Book of Abs, published in 1993, was considered the bible of midsection exercises for trainers and fitness enthusiasts. The obsession has only grown since then, manifested by dubious infomercial products, a burgeoning fitness-magazine industry promising readers great abs with almost no investment of time and effort, and (perhaps because of the shortcomings of the first two phenomena) a boom in the demand for legitimate nutritionists and personal trainers. Even Brungardt himself came out with a 1998 book, 3-Minute Abs, to take advantage of the craze.
With all that going on, it seems hard to believe that there's anything new to say about abdominal exercise. Indeed, this revised version of The Complete Book of Abs doesn't really try. There is a new prebeginner midsection routine, which leads into the more advanced exercise regimens described in the original book, and a handful of new exercises. But other than that, the expanded sections are in nutrition (several new pages of recipes) and total-body fitness (new photos demonstrating exercises for body parts other than abs).
Still, the original package is a terrific deal: more than 100 exercises, numerous training routines, and lots of basic information about exercise and diet. Each abdominal exercise is rated for difficulty on a scale of 1 to 3 and how risky it is to the lower back. The routines are complete and thoughtfully compiled, and there's not a bit of advice in the entire book that isn't scientifically legitimate. That's why this book--in either edition--remains indispensable for those serious enough about fitness to need information that goes beyond the basics. --Lou Schuler END
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