Book Review: “The New Rules of Lifting for Women” by Lou Schuler

Another book sent by Penguin Group, this one addresses how women can use strength training to get healthy and stay in shape. Tailored for women, this book written by Lou Schuler (a journalist who has written many fitness articles and books for men) outlines the necessity of incorporating strength training into our lives and explains why it is so crucial. He also provides a nutrition plan complete with recipes and a six month workout routine with pictures to demonstrate how to correctly perform each exercise.

Schuler wrote this book with the help of Cassandra Forsythe, M.S., a student of nutrition, and Alwyn Cosgrove, co-owner of Results Fitness and a member of several reputable sports medicine organizations. As a fitness writer and editor for a couple different magazines, Schuler has had a lot of experience in conducting research and understanding various fitness regimes. Because of this he has seen much success, but also much failure, in the people he sees using varying fitness programs. He acknowledges right at the beginning of the book in Part One that everyone has different results and that this program may not be for everyone. We need to take what works for us and use that to our advantage and always remember that our bodies have individual needs, and will respond according to those needs.

Part Two is all about nutrition. Some of the “new rules” include Calorie restriction is the worst idea ever, A balanced macro diet is best, and More meals are better than fewer. Schuler breaks down each of the macronutrients to explain how carbs, fats, and proteins work, emphasizing that we need all of these but particularly extolling the virtues of protein. How to determine the amount of food you should be eating by assessing you progress periodically is all laid out, followed by a meal plan with four rigorous rules: 1) you must eat breakfast, 2) you must eat 5 meals/snacks a day, 3) you must have a post-workout recovery shake on the days you lift, and 4) you must have more calories on the days you work out than on the days you don’t.

I don’t like the heavy focus on protein supplementation through commercially processed shakes. Too many of the recipes in this book require some kind of protein powder or processed soup/cereal/crackers and so forth. There are, however, many good nutrition notes about including plenty of eggs, cottage cheese, nuts and other good foods into our diets. And some of the recipes include wholesome, healthy ingredients: salads with avocado and beans and tuna, lentils, grilled shrimp, chili scallops, oregano chicken with tomato-olive sauce, and homemade vinaigrettes (all with the nutrition information provided) to name a few. There’s a sample full-day meal plan using these recipes for a 1,700 calorie plan and a 2,000 calorie plan.

Part Three is about the strength training and weight lifting itself. Highlighting the importance of doing a workout designed for you personally and with an explanation of human anatomy, as well as a discussion about resting between workouts, Schuler presents a great understanding of how best to use exercise to achieve maximum benefits. Answers to questions regarding choosing weights are very informative, and the exercise plan is explicitly detailed with training logs. Each exercise is illustrated with directions on how to perform it correctly, along with information on what each exercise does, the muscles that they work, and the variations that you can do with it.

I tried the exercise program that they provide. It’s a nice fundamental program for anyone just getting into weight lifting, but unfortunately it’s incredibly boring as well. I lasted a few weeks before I completely lost interest and gave up. It also begins very basic; one of the first workouts involves 2 sets of 15 reps of squats, push ups, seated rows, step-ups, and prone jacknife. Some of the exercises require special equipment (for example, to perform chin-ups or a wide-grip lat pulldown), but there are also those of the sort that you can do at home using body weight, dumbbells, or exercise balls.

Another problem I had with this book was that I felt that, in some parts, Schuler was trying a little too hard to appeal to his female audience as a fitness expert who really wants what’s best for you. The references to how women are absolutely as capable of any workout that a man can do are encouraging up to a point, but I found my eyes glazing over a bit at his continual self-deprecation of being a man. The chapter title of A Woman’s Place Is in the Weight Room seems a little much, too. I understand why he did it, but I just felt that the jokes about how ridiculous men can be and how women are clever were too over-the-top and an indication of trying too hard to appeal (insert unappreciative, impossible-to-satisfy female comment here).

If you are interested in learning more about weight lifting and want a personal trainer in a book, this could be a good choice for you. I really liked that there are 72 pages devoted to illustrations and descriptions of a variety of exercises. The program itself is described in an overly complex way, but after reading that part over a couple times it seemed less complicated. Schuler believes that aerobic exercise isn’t really all that necessary, which I would disagree with, but he has an excellent grasp of how to increase muscle and build strength. He is also upfront about the clients who have not been pleased with his program, and I appreciate that level of honesty. His writing style invokes a sense of comradery, making the notion of weight lifting far less intimidating if you are uncomfortable with the idea of it.

Interested in the basics and not sure where to start with weight lifting? Give this book a shot. But personally I would not advocate the protein shakes, and I’d say that it’s important to focus on all forms of exercise, not just strength training. There are a few parts of this book that I did not agree with, but the last chapter depicting the different types of exercise is a good guide to have on hand.

Have you read The New Rules of Lifting for Women or any other books/articles by Lou Schuler? What’s your take on it?

Don’t forget to answer the poll about milk if you have not already done so- we need that calcium to build strong bones and support when we lift weights!