Book Review: The New Rules of Lifting For Abs

They do no promise you will have this guys abs...but catchy, right?

If you are anything like me, you are constantly looking for some new way to invigorate, improve or change your workouts for the better.  I get tired of reading the same regurgitated fitness articles. There are only so many ways to write “how to do lunges?”

I just finished reading a book instead. Well, not just finished. I did finish it before the relocation to FL, so I am just now getting around to writing my review. This was not just any old book, but the latest by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, “The New Rules of Lifting for Abs.”

If you’re thinking, “Book? I don’t want to read a whole book! I like quick reading, like a Yahoo blurb for my fitness updates.” Never mind those articles. The latest from Schuler and Cosgrove’s is a quick read, and flows like a conversation with a real, live personal trainer. As a writer, I appreciate such narrative writing style that feels like the author is talking in a natural voice to me, as opposed to being authoritatively academic.

The New Rules of Lifting for Abs is a breath of fresh air into the world of fitness, touting a functional fitness approach as the new cutting edge. The authors also separate themselves from the “weight loss” genre, more correctly calling it a text about “body composition” correcting several myths in one fell swoop. Don’t let the title fool you – this approach is not just about abs (but it certainly gets your attention). Schuler and Cosgrove make the argument, and rightly so, that your core is key to total body functionality. It is your center and perhaps one of the most important areas of your body.

My researcher side loves the categories the authors provide, allowing the reader to find herself floating in the midst of the fitness continuum (or what I would call a nicely segmented audience). However, as a person who already adheres to a functional fitness approach, I felt a little left out. However, this small, but important section helps the reader orient herself to where she currently stands and visualize the place where this new approach can take her.

This book provides a plan for training the core in coordination with everything else. Functionality is the emphasis – a workout that makes you better at everything you do, not just working out. The idea is that your workout will benefit your ability to complete your real life tasks better and more efficiently. Things like carrying toddlers sideways up flights of stairs, lugging large amounts of grocery bags to and from your vehicle (with more in one hand than the other), and to do more serious work, like running sprints after small children.  These are things both my husband and I have done on a weekly basis, made more difficult by living in a three-story townhome (and now a 4^th floor condo).

The authors redefine the average person’s definition of “abs” and jump right to the meat of what exactly you will get from the text; a four-part workout. No nonsense and seemingly simple with a dynamic warm-up, core training, strength training, and metabolic work (Yet another redefinition? Cardio? Nah. Start calling it “metabolic training”). There are sixteen rules (9 fitness focused and 7 nutrition focused…again, simple is good) and the benefits of these new rules are clear and easy to understand, which is vital to helping make a behavior change (in this case, a new approach to working out).

Simple tests, like the hip check, allow the reader to see, with little effort, the small weaknesses originating from the core, and understand how this program will make her stronger. It is with small, common sense approaches and explanations that Schuler and Cosgrove draw you into their ideas. The science is not too heavy, but convincing enough to keep you reading. As a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, I was convinced, as the elements that I know as fundamentally important to fitness are not only present in this approach, but a core component of it (perhaps a little pun intended): Stabilization, dynamic stabilization and integrated stabilization. Not entirely new concepts, but essential to the right approach to overall functional fitness.

The workout plan is ideal; four to six weeks and then there is a change. Perfect for keeping the body guessing (and adapting). The program is simple and you could get away with not using an actual gym, with a few small purchases.

The exercises in each phase are challenging, invigorating, and dare I say fun to try. Just as Schuler and Cosgrove state, they do draw some stares and unusual comments from other “out of the loop” gym goers. But keep watching…after a few weeks, you’ll see your peers trying to imitate these moves (ahem…I saw you ripping off my Turkish get ups…).

The plan is clearly written so you know which phase to start, how long to keep at it, and exactly what to do. I would’ve preferred a book with tabs and everything organized into a nice, neat workbook type appendix, but I am “that” person who goes over the deep end. This part of the book gets a little confusing and not as user friendly as I would prefer, but the important part is that all of the ingredients are in there.

Exercise descriptions are easy to follow and provide notes and guidance that keep you focused on good form (and how to recognize bad form when it happens). An easy rule keeps things in perspective…”If you can’t understand why anyone would need to rest more than 15 seconds, that a sign you didn’t do the exercise right” (p.97).  Tips on regression and progression of exercises are provided, as well as for the overall workout plan.

Lastly, I would fail you, my readers, in this book review, if I did not mention the last few chapters focused on nutrition. Again, straight to the point, non-nonsense, no gimmicks, rules for getting your diet on what I’d call a functional track. The authors give you the straight answers that will help you eat in a way that supports a healthy and active body. They squash the myriad of diet fads and fictions telling it like it is…eat clean, often and balanced.  Wrapping with a great Q&A section (I found some of my own questions here), these guys have done it again.

Now…back to those Turkish Get Ups...

Anna Marie