• Fitness & Health
• Sport & Exercise Science
• Physical Education
• Strength & Conditioning
• Sports Medicine
• Sport Management
• Dance

Introduction

This is an excerpt from Better Body Workouts for Women by Dean Hodgkin & Caroline Pearce.

Introduction

Warning! This book contains advice for women who are serious about fitness. If you are not looking to dramatically change the shape of your body and your outlook, put this book back on the shelf and walk away!

Okay, so that's a bold statement to make, but it's only fair you know that this is not just another tome to sit alongside other titles in the fitness genre. Rather, this book is for the woman who is exercising regularly but who feels somewhat in a routine rut, or the one who has found that the law of diminishing returns has begun to apply, whereby she stops seeing results despite sticking rigorously to her routine. If this is you, then read on, as the solutions to all your problems are here.

Through a wide spectrum of scientifically proven techniques, this workout bible will take your training into a new dimension, providing the inspiration, education and motivation to lift you off your current plateau and accelerate your results. It presents information in a modular format so you can cherry-pick whatever you need, whenever you need it, and thus can easily adopt the various guidelines and assimilate them into your current lifestyle. Don't wait weeks for the next month's issue of your favourite workout magazine to hit the newsagent shelves in order to satiate your thirst for new direction. This is truly your one-stop shop for all that is fresh in fitness. Consult the book during workouts to ensure you religiously put into action the invaluable advice you'll gather here. Specifically designed with usability in mind, this book is conveniently sized to fit into your gym bag and is easy to clean in order to withstand the rigours of being dragged around the gym or exposed to the currency of hard work—sweat!

Research has shown one size doesn't fit all when it comes to exercise programmes. No two bodies are the same, so what works for one of your friends may not work for you. This is why the personal training industry sprang up and why good personal trainers often come with a considerable price tag attached. What you will find here, however, is an insight into the tricks of the trade. Think of this book as your own personal trainer toolkit, allowing you to design the ideal workout for you and you alone. Let's call it your perfect fit! As you work your way through the book, you will begin to learn more about yourself, particularly how your body works and, more importantly, how it responds to varying training demands. Clearly, understanding how improvements in your sports performance and silhouette are achieved will help you not only reach your goals sooner, but also maintain your higher ground.

In addition to introducing you to advanced training protocols to improve strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory fitness (in the home, outdoor and gym environments), this book emphasises flexibility as an important component in both physical performance and general well-being. It also focuses on correct nutrition, recognising its importance for both deriving optimum benefit from your workouts and achieving the aesthetic goal of reduced body-fat levels that most of us aspire to. It even includes sample menu plans to help you to fuel like an athlete from day 1. Since a link clearly exists between exercise and reduced risk of a plethora of lifestyle diseases, this book also explores the pathology of such and the mechanics behind how regular exercise produces a positive influence.

Skill-related fitness components, such as agility and power, are often left in the pigeonhole of the elite sports performer. This book singles out these areas for special attention, as they help you vary your training programmes, thus maintaining your interest. Beyond purely putting the fun back into fitness, these sections will give you a greater understanding of holistic workouts and all-round fitness.

Summoning the motivation to make changes in your exercise and diet habits is central to attaining a meaningful degree of success. Here, you will explore this area, particularly the concept of setting goals. Learning how best to develop a framework for improvement carries substantial weight when you consider the old adage ‘To fail to plan is to plan to fail!' A lot of people who stop exercising simply lack the right attitude. This section will help you to avoid becoming one of those drop-out statistics by teaching you the mental skills required to incorporate new workout concepts and lifestyle patterns. Once your head is in the appropriate place, you will be able to make best use of the text's fitness building blocks, so ensuring they will work for you in the longer term.

The authors bring a wealth of experience in many aspects of health and fitness, and both embody the principles they espouse. Dean Hodgkin has trained thousands of fitness instructors, managed health clubs and spas, worked as a consultant to leading sportswear brands, including Reebok and Nike, and appeared as a key presenter at fitness events in 36 countries. He received the International Fitness Showcase Lifetime Achievement award, was voted best international fitness presenter at the One Body One World awards in New York and won three world, plus two European golds in karate. Caroline Pearce is a former international heptathlete. She graduated from the renowned Loughborough University with a Master's degree in exercise physiology and nutrition and a first-class honours degree in P.E. and sports science. She was one of Sky TV's UK Gladiators and works as a television sports and fitness presenter, sports model and international master trainer for Performance Health Systems. In her master trainer role, she has guided everyone from celebrities to sports stars, trainers and government healthcare officials around the world. In addition, both authors are established writers, contributing to a wide range of publications from national newspapers to monthly magazines and trade journals.

Rest assured, then, that you'll find no padding here, no latest fads or dubious celebrity-endorsed practices. Every chapter contains factual information, workable plans, easy-to-understand tables and empowering statistics that you can immediately put into use. All this is backed up with tips so you can easily identify and then remember the most salient points. Never again will you struggle to differentiate between fact and fallacy, hit and myth. From here on, your workouts will put not only sweat on your brow, but also a smile on your face.

The journey to a new, fitter, slimmer you begins when you turn this page. So, what are you waiting for?

Read more from Better Body Workouts for Women by Dean Hodgkin and Caroline Pearce.

More Excerpts From Better Body Workouts for Women

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