The New Rules of Lifting for Women

by Lou Schuler

[merryfaith]

I found the New Rules of Lifting for Women thorough and well-written. Many fitness books are a dull read, but this one isn't. I picked it up a year ago, back when I was still afraid lifting heavy would make me 'bulky', since it was well-recommended online. So I found the myth-busting sections helpful in that regard, it helped ease my mind, and I think that's why it's so well-recommended to lady weight room newbies like myself. It's a beginner program (though you can definitely do it if you're not a beginner) that comes with a rebuttal to the rumors and fears that keep some of us from even considering lifting heavy weights at first. I know at the time, it was the only book in the New Rules series with a nutrition section and meal ideas, which I find very helpful as a newbie as well.

I'm still in stage one of the program, and I have heard people complain that later stages take up to 2 hours in the gym to complete. There's a bit of running around for different equipment that would probably be difficult in a busy gym, and take up time waiting for things. If you work out at a busier time and can't spend that long in the gym, Strong Lifts or Starting Strength may be better programs for you. But having this book on hand for information alone is definitely worth it, in my opinion, and if you're interested in the program, it's at least worth trying to see how it fits in your schedule.

This book got me started on my lifting journey, and I'd recommend it to any women interested in embarking on a similar journey themselves who would like a place to start.

Extra resources I highly recommend (and I'm not affiliated with any of these sites or anything):
-There's a forum (http://www.jpfitness.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86), so if you have a question, search there--it's probably come up before.
The book does come with a log page you can copy (and there's a downloadable one on the site as well), but you still have to write in your exercises and sets daily.
-Maggie Wang has a great downloadable excel file version here (http://maggiewang.com/2008/05/20/new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-diet-calculator-and-workout-logs) where you just have to print it out and take it to the gym. My favorite part of it is that there's a page where you can enter your age, height, and weight and get calorie and macro recommendations based on the nutrition section--very helpful for the math-lazy, like me.
-Lou Schular has done an Ask Me Anything on reddit, which is definitely worth checking out. (Questions pertaining to this book in particular will usually include the acronym NROLW or NRL4W): http://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedFitness/comments/166gv1/ask_me_anything_lou_schuler_author_with_alwyn/