A Woman's Book of Strength: An Empowering Guide to Total Mind/Body Fitness

by Karen Andes

Book Overview

A holistic approach to building inner strength through diet, exercise and relaxation. The author covers in detail the positive effects of physical strength on the heart, mind and spirit and shows... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399518991
• ISBN13: 9780399518997
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Perigee Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Classic!

I would recommend this book to any woman interested in weight lifting. It is the best book I have ever read on posture and form in weight lifting. Thanks to this book, I have improved my posture and the problems I had from scoliosis. After I had been weight lifting for 9 months, I went to a party and ran into friends who hadn't seen me in since I started the program. They couldn't believe it was me because my posture had changed so dramatically. They thought I had become taller! Even though I'm still the same size I used to be, my clothes fit better than they used to. And the pain caused by my scoliosis has improved to the point where it doesn't affect my everyday life. Karen's book is THE basic book for any woman to read who wants to begin weight lifting. Although only basic exercises are covered in the book, they are described well with tips on form and posture. The author does a good job of making weight lifting seem accessible to the average person. Reading this book helped me navigate the gym at my local health club with ease.

Strong enough for a man, but made for women!

Excellent book! I bought it to learn about body building to help my wife out and I learned alot! I have never read a book on fitness that went into such detail about how to workout. Karen explains how to do the exercises including information about how to do a rep, how your body should feel durning and afterwards, how to tell good pain for bad pain. She also goes into many of the whys of bodybuilding. For anyone interested in getting thier questions answered this is for you! I only wish I could find a book like this written for men. Not that the information isn't helpful for men. But this book is centered on womens body building. Karen your book is refreshing and you are a gifted teacher.

even great for men

Karen Andes' form is so thorough and instruction so complete, this book is even great for men. Her tips for visualization are immensely helpful; I love her "tricks of the trade." And the suggestions to make moves harder or easier mean that you may never outgrow an exercise. Clearly photographed and explained, the exercises are well-discussed and sound. Most exercises do require gym-type equipment, but many of her other suggestions will be very helpful to all exercisers. She is motivating, instructional and inspiring. She obviously finds great strength and beauty in the vast assortment of women out there, and believes all of us can find our own beauty, physical, emotional, spiritual, as well.

Best strength training book for women I have found.

The best thing about this book is that it was written by a woman for women. It is not just a re-hash of weight training exercises with a woman demonstrating instead of a man. This book truly addresses a woman's program and needs. This is a great book for both beginner and experienced strength trainers. The moves are well defined, and the form is excellent. Each move is explained in depth with helpful hints about form and making the most of the move. THis book addresses all aspects of strength training, the mental, physical, and the spiritual. I recommend this book to women that I develop strength training programs for. I have used this book for the last 4 years as both a reference guide on the technigues and exercises and as a motivating tool to keep me focused.

An inspiring book

This book is truly a must-own for every woman who cares about her health, both spiritual and physical. The exercises are clearly described and the author's writing style is beautiful. I thought I would find the chapters on emotions would be hokey but I actually found myself wanting to read more. Another major advantage to this book over others I've tried to use is its flexibility. Rather than give us a woman's magazine style 8-week program guaranteed to tighten your butt, she encourages you to make your own plan using your own style and needs. I've been using this book to guide my strength training for two months now and expect I'll return to it again and again. This time, thanks to Karen Andes, I think I'll actually stick to my fitness routine!