Beyond Crunches: Hard Science, Hard ABS

by Pavel Tsatsouline

"The crunch belongs on the junk pile of history next to communism!" So says Pavel Tsatsouline, former Soviet Union Special Forces conditioning coach and abdominal expert, in this workout manual.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0938045172
• ISBN13: 9780938045175
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Dragon Door Publications
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Book

This is an awesome book. There is a related video that makes many of the exercises even more clear. I have found that combining many of these exercises with the overall program listed in The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness by Stewart Smith is a winning combination. Mr. Tsatsouline's exercises are more efficient and when worked into the overall program in Mr. Smiths book produce great results.

A book that really deserves the appellation "Beyond..."

Here are some points in addition to those made by the other 5-star reviewers:The punchy, humorous, confident style of writing appeals - especially to my 18 year-old son. We work out together with Pavel's routines and laugh along together with his hyperbole.The book deals not only with abs, but also the entire body core.Yes, the book is pricey, but it is economical with words. You'll be able to throw out the other abs books you've been accumulating over the years - even Brungardt. If you measure value in terms of quality of ideas rather than in numbers of pages, this would have to be the cheapest abs book on the market. It takes you out of the rut of neighbourhood gym fitness, into the elite world of international-level athleticism.The exercises are great fun, too! All have full range of motion - very satisfying. I'm 51 and can do one "evil wheel" and ten "dragon flags", demonstrating that you don't have to be an athlete to get started with Pavel's routine.

Vitally important material

As someone who has been crippled twice by injuries to my spine and had to rebuild my body from scratch twice, I have two things to say: 1) serious abdominal conditioning is *mandatory* for anyone with back pain and anyone who intends to push their body in sport or martial arts and 2) Pavel's book is, by far, the best book I've seen on this vitally important and neglected subject.

The ultimate training guidelines for a granite midsection...

Pavel delivers once again! This book details the mechanics of abdominal and oblique development in an easy to understand, user friendly format. Learn to either build up your midsection, tone it up, get a prominent six-pack, and/or increase your punching and throwing power by learning to integrate your powerful midsection! There is one particular exercise that I found to be super productive in adding to punching power, and this is the only book that has it... Pavel also answers some FAQ about ab training, such as how to get a six-pack, how to make your waist smaller, why crunches and training for the "burn" are no good, and what to do instead. Also included are training guidelines for every day training or just twice a week, and how to adjust your training to fit you schedule. All the exercises are illustrated, and he even touches on what to eat during your program. Guidelines for aerobic training for fat loss and cardiovascular health are also included, as well as the cardio-plateau buster "anaerobics". It is extremely simple and easy to understand. Pavel explains how to protect your spine and perform the "perfect" situp. All in all a great book by a great author, definitely a must-have for any fighter and lifter. My punching power and deadlifting strength went up very quickly on this program and I am very pleased and I know you will be, too.

Forget the gimmicks and read this book!

I've bought the TV adverstised training devices and a bundle of ab books--tried them all. But, doing the routines Pavel T. presents in this book is the way I have achieved solid abs! Pavel offers a great deal of knowledge in an easy to digest manner. His writing, while colloquial, is founded in research and deep understanding of physiology and kinesthetics. I highly recommend this book.