You know how appalled I am when great programs get dumbed down and painted pink for the little ladies. You may recall how I railed against Pamela Peeke's Body for Life for Women. It was a prime example of telling women what they want to hear (and what sells) instead of what actually works. Her underlying message was - there there dear, if you don't have the body you want, blame your age, blame your gender, blame your hormones, lift your little weights, eat your domino-sized portions, and learn to accept your "menopot." Gah!!
So, when I heard that Alwyn Cosgrove and company were coming out with a "women's" version of The New Rules of Lifting, I nearly seized. Once I quit hyperventilating, I e-mailed Alwyn something along the lines of, oh god, what have you done to it? Rather than trying to talk me down, he just sent me a copy. I'm happy to report that, if anything, he made it harder than a lot of men's programs. The subtitle is Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess, and it includes chapters like Step Away from the Treadmill, A Woman's Place is In the Weight Room, and Our Meal Plans Can Beat Up Their Meal Plans.
In other words, they got it totally right! The emphasis is on food, muscle, and metabolism. Alwyn's workouts are brilliant and diabolical as usual. Lou Schuler is a riot. His "Yes, You" chapter about self-imposed roadblocks and limitations made me laugh out loud. Cassandra Forsythe's meal plans are all about raising your metabolism, not crushing it. She starts the food plan at maintenance levels and explains the pitfalls of drastic calorie slashing. If you want a lean body and a fast metabolism, you can't achieve it through a quick-fix starvation diet.
It includes six months of total body workouts. They're divided into seven stages, including an optional strength-focused stage to condition you for doing full chin-ups, and a "final cut" phase for blasting the last bit of body fat. There are photos and descriptions of each exercise, home gym alternatives, recipes, fast food options, sample full-day meal plans, and worksheets for tracking progress.
What are these "new rules" you ask? Well there are over 20 of them, but allow me to share a couple of my favorites. The purpose of lifting weights is to build muscle. THANK YOU!! The purpose is not to tone, tighten, sculpt, lengthen, firm, spot reduce, de-jiggle, banish trouble spots, or any of the other idiotic euphemisms that women's publications normally use to trick women into lifting; the purpose of lifting weights is to build muscle (duh!). Another one of my very favorites is Calorie restriction is the worst idea ever. Clearly, I'm all over that one. Back in my diet ninny years, I was a hungry flabby mess. As long as I dieted, I sagged. Now that I eat often and eat well, I'm lean and strong. Funny how that works! Another of my favorite rules - No workout will make you taller. It addresses the women who are desperately trying to "lengthen" themselves in pilates class or by following a supermodel's stay-slim toning program. It's followed by an explanation of muscle physiology that ought to dispel any fears about accidentally getting hyoooge. Loved the example (complete with measurements) of what happens to a woman who gains 9 pounds of lean mass.
Times are definitely changing in the world of strength training and fat loss. If you're still back in the 80's and 90's with your low-fat, low-calorie diet, body part splits, isolation exercises, and monotonous steady-state cardio, you really need to read this book. It will bring you up to speed on the latest research and dramatically improve your results.
The New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great read for women who lift weights, or men who are trying to coax a wife or girlfriend into the weight room. It doesn't assume that women are weaker-willed and less competent than the average guy. In fact, I think it assumes that we're smarter and have a higher pain tolerance. :-D
