Fitness Illustrated: Your personalized guide to shaping up, staying fit, and eating right

You know what I like about this book? Everything is BIG. Now before you think it’s like a kindergarten book, let me say that it isn’t. There’s tons of information here—personal stories, training plans, nutrition, physiology, to name a few topics—all presented so you want to read it. Open this book to any page and the illustrations invite you with color, a font size that you can read easily (I think it’s 14 point for body text), lots of photos of men and women of all ages (as a middle-age woman I’d like to say thank you very much) and all races. These are real people doing their exercise thing, not professional models. Even if you’re an elite athlete, though, this book has something for you, too.

There are “Fit Facts”, show more which are useful bites of information with practical value like avoiding muscle soreness, how to eat for your fitness level, how to train for your goals, etc. This is a great book and it’s different from other books of its same subject because it’s so broad. There’s even cell biology in this book, which bolsters a lot of common knowledge with hard science. There are personal success stories, too, of normal people struggling with health and fitness, what they did, what changed, and how they are now. Very inspiring. And this book breaks it down into plans by the week or even the day to show you what to do one step at a time to meet your goals. It’s like having a personal trainer right there in your hands whenever you need one.

This is an awesome book, and I’ve gotten away with something by receiving it in exchange for a review. Human Kinetics publishes Dance Anatomy and Stretching Anatomy as well, and this book uses the same great graphics. No matter what your fitness level or your sport of choice, there’s something in this book for you. Anyone who cares about fitness, exercise, or health should have this book in their library. Appendix on energy expenditures by activity; bibliography, and index. show less

The book looks like a magazine - it's the size and shape of a book, of course, but inside, the pages are glossy and have lots of pictures and lots of diagrams/charts. This was a good thing from my point of view because it makes it feel less like an instructional manual and more like a light reading learning session.

The material is pretty complex. The first 1/3 covers the nature of physical fitness and points out that the purpose of cardio training is not to improve your heart muscles as much as it is to improve how all your muscles use oxygen. Pretty complicated process our bodies go through. But very interesting.

The next 1/3 or so covers some training plans. Walk/Run plan, followed by strength training, followed by stretching. All of show more this is introductory in nature so if you're already a hard-core runner or weightlifter you'll find this too entry-level.

The final part covers nutrition and provides explanations of why one should take care of their health, i.e. how being fit/flexible will improve one's quality of life.

This book would be great for someone (I'm going to say early middle-aged and onward) who wants to take control of their fitness and wants to understand what it means to one's body to exercise more, or to stretch, or how they can improve their aging experience. It is not for younger people who won't have the same fears/needs yet, or for anyone who is already very physically active, or involved in a fitness regimen. show less

A straightforward, unfussy guide to physical fitness. If you're looking to start an exercise program, wishing to be more fit, or even an experienced athlete wanting a quick reference to the basics, Brian Sharkey's Fitness Illustrated would be a fine addition to your shelves.

The book addresses a range of fitness concerns, from health and nutrition, to equipment, to exercises, to training for specific sports, to dealing with and preventing injury, and to the general science behind fitness training. The prose is approachable and clear, and is illustrated with appealing photographs and illustrations. The people illustrating the exercises and points are diverse, representing a range of body types (though most are fit), ages, races, and men show more and women. Particularly informative are illustrations showing how the parts of the body respond to the stresses of exercise.

There are also several charts and graphs, which are a bit more uneven in quality. Most of them are quite good, but there are a few at the beginning which are borrowed from other sources and are not as self-explanatory as the author seems to believe they are. But that's a minor flaw in an otherwise useful book. show less

This book is a very eye appealing overview on fitness. There are many large colorful pictures and illustrations that help to demonstrate what the author is trying to get across to the reader. The book is divided into sections that cover exercise, the different types and the ways it affects your body, plans for increasing your fitness levels such as walking to jogging to running, swimming, etc. Then there is a section on nutrition, what your body needs and how you should provide it.

I think this book would be great for a beginner exerciser. An established person may find some useful information but overall they may know most of what is here or may be beyond it.

Sharkey, Brian. 2010. Fitness illustrated. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics, c2011.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free via the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.

Summary: This book belongs in public libraries and in the general collection of colleges and universities. It is a great primer and introduction to fitness and its concepts. In other words, it is a great introduction to the subject for general use but of little use to students of kinesiology, recreation, and associated disciplines except as a resource for them to share with those newer to the subject. It could also serve as a textbook for a general fitness education class.

Individuals should get the book from their local library; use interlibrary loan if you need to. show more I say this as I do not believe it will serve one well over the long-term. That is, if you actually make use of the ideas in the book you will quickly move on to requiring more in-depth resources.

Contents:

Activity and fitness : Why Get Fit?
Understanding aerobic fitness : O2 and You
Aerobic fitness training : A Gentle Pastime
Aerobic programs : Have It Your Way
Understanding muscular fitness : Strength and Endurance
Muscular fitness training : Shape Yourself
Muscular programs : Designed for You
Nutrition and weight control : Eat to Live
Health issues and exercise tips : Overcoming Hurdles
Fitness facts and fallacies : What's the Truth?
Vitality and longevity : Add Life to Your Years

This book serves as a good primer to the basics of fitness, including nutrition and weight control. It does a good job of providing information for people of all ages, as well as for people with minimal or less knowledge of fitness concepts.

Another group of readers that would benefit would be those with better knowledge of fitness but from several years ago. If your primary basis of fitness knowledge is greater than ten years old (as was mine) then you may well benefit from this book.

It is a quick and easy read and is well and generously illustrated. In fact, when I first received it and flipped through it I knew that one of my gripes--if I had others--would be all of the pictures. Over 90% of the pages has a picture on it. To me it seems designed for those who cannot be bothered to read something with more than a few dozen words on a page, those who need images to keep their attention, those who are easily distracted, and so on. But now that I have read it I will say that they do serve a function. My personal preference is still for less pictures and for more words and content that I can actually make use of. All that said though, it is my preference and the book works as it is.

Again, I recommend this book for all public libraries and general collections of college and universities. It is up-to-date, written by a leading researcher in the field, and provides a great jumping off point for those new, or returning, to fitness, no matter their age or ability. show less

Human Kinetics consistently impresses me by taking the latest research and simplifying it into concepts I understand and can use. This book continues in that tradition, offering a general guide to lifetime fitness. A sample insight I gained is that card exercise isn't about the heart itself as much as increasing the ability of the muscles to take in and use oxygen.

First thing I noticed about this book that it is written in a language that is very easy to understand. Unlike some books that tend to get too technical this one is down to earth and easy to understand. Close to the beginning of the book there is a checklist for health screening. If you mark more than two then an examination by a physican is recommended. I liked the guidelines as to how much physical fitness is required each day. Charts thoughout the book that are beneficial such as the body mass index chart that is very easy to understand. There is a chart where one can evaluate your estimated heart rate by how much you can sing or talk. There are guidelines on how to start a walking program. The walk test helps you evaluate where you show more should start in the walking program. I am wanting to get fit but I am not going to wait until January. With this book and the useful information given I can start immediately. show less