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By Frederic Delavier
ISBN:   978-1-4504-0095-4
Binding: Paperback
Pages:   Approx. 256
Price: $21.95

 

 

 

Six reasons why it’s better to work out at home than at the gym

Best-selling author says working out at home is more practical and more effective

 

CHAMPAIGN, IL—Serious weight trainers should do the bulk of their weight training work at home, not at a gym where they are usually not welcome. Powerlifting champion Frédéric Delavier, author of the forthcoming The Strength Training Anatomy Workout (Human Kinetics, March 2011), says the 21st century has seen a decline in the number of good gyms for serious weight training, because many locations now invest in cardio and group classes instead.

 

Delavier, whose first book, Strength Training Anatomy, has sold more than a million copies worldwide, also believes that going to the gym can be tedious and impractical. “You have to drive to the gym and change into your workout clothes,” he says. “Then, after working out, you have to do it all again in the opposite order. All of this can take more time than the actual workout.” The appeal of gyms is further hampered by rising membership costs and the limited amount of time you can exercise as the result of crowds during busy hours. Because of these factors, Delavier and coauthor Michael Gundill think there are six major reasons why working out at home is the right choice for anyone looking to build mass:

 

1. Home offers a place that fits your program.

Sometimes gym patrons think it’s strange to see people who are seriously working out. Says Delavier, “Gyms certainly have a more social quality than your home can offer, but being social does not make your workout effective. Often, the opposite is true.”

 

2. Home offers a place for getting the results you desire.

Strength training must be practiced seriously and not taken lightly. Unfortunately, most gyms do not want people who think that way as members. “Gyms emphasize the fun aspects of exercising and do not focus on effectiveness,” Delavier explains. “This is why gyms often choose equipment that looks nice over equipment that works well.”

 

3. Home offers a chance to use effective equipment.

In many gyms, the equipment choices were made based on cost rather than effectiveness. At home, people have the option of using high-quality equipment that works well with human anatomy and is not dangerous for muscles and joints.

 

4. Home offers an environment where you can better concentrate.

At home, no one will disturb you while you are exercising. You’ll be able to remain focused and have a faster, more productive workout.

 

5. Home offers the best way to achieve the workout you planned.

In a gym, your time spent resting is largely determined by other gym members, as is your choice of exercises and equipment. “Circuit training, which is indispensable for an athlete’s bodybuilding, is next to impossible in a gym,” says Delavier. “Working out at home grants you this freedom.”

 

6. Home offers the chance to exercise without ego.

In front of other people, weightlifters often perform their repetitions haphazardly with the goal of lifting as much as possible. This leads to slower progress and a greater risk of injury. At home, with no one to impress, you can focus on effective work and not worry about what others think.

 

The authors of The Strength Training Anatomy Workout have more than 50 years of experience in fitness training between them, and they practice what they preach about working out at home. Gundill has chosen to work out entirely at home, while Delavier does about three quarters of his workouts at home.

 

For more information, see The Strength Training Anatomy Workout.





About the Authors

 

Frédéric Delavier is a gifted artist with an exceptional knowledge of human anatomy. He studied morphology and anatomy for five years at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and studied dissection for three years at the Paris Faculté de Médecine. The former editor in chief of the French magazine PowerMag, Delavier is currently a journalist for the French magazine Le Monde du Muscle and a contributor to several other muscle publications, including Men’s Health Germany.

 

Delavier is the author of two best-selling books, Strength Training Anatomy and Women’s Strength Training Anatomy. He won the French powerlifting title in 1988 and makes annual presentations on the sport applications of biomechanics at conferences in Switzerland. His teaching efforts have earned him the Grand Prix de Techniques et de Pédagogie Sportive. Delavier lives in Paris, France.

 

Michael Gundill, MBA, has written 13 books on strength training, sport nutrition, and health. His books have been translated into multiple languages. He has also written over 500 articles for bodybuilding and fitness magazines worldwide, including Iron Man and Dirty Dieting. In 1998 he won the Article of the Year award at the Fourth Academy of Bodybuilding Fitness & Sports Awards in California.

 

Gundill started weightlifting in 1983 in order to improve his rowing performances. Most of his training years were spent completing specific lifting programs in his home. As he gained muscle and refined his program, he began to learn more about physiology, anatomy, and biomechanics and started studying those subjects in medical journals. Since 1995 Gundill has been writing about his discoveries in fitness publications.

 

 

Contents

Part I: Develop Your Bodybuilding Program

Equipment

Diversify Resistance for Maximum Effectiveness

How a Muscle Gains Strength

Mechanisms of Muscle Enlargement

How Muscles Increase Their Endurance

Contraindications to Bodybuilding

Clearly Define Your Objectives

Quantify Your Objectives

20 Steps to Developing Your Program

Rates of Progress

Role of Diet

Warm-Up Techniques

Cool-Down (Return to Calm)

Keep a Workout Notebook

Analyze Your Workouts

Using Video

Techniques for Increasing Intensity

Inroad Theory

Theory of Absolute Strength

Train to Muscle Failure?

Beyond Failure

Cheat Repetitions

Forced Repetitions

Tapering

Rest Break

Negatives

Stop-and-Go

Burn….

Continuous Tension

Unilateral Training

Supersets

Circuits

How Should You Breathe While Exercising?

Part II: Exercises

Strengthen Your Arms

Bigger Shoulders

Sculpt Your Chest

Strengthen Your Neck

Sculpt Your Back

Strengthen Your Thighs

Strengthen Your Legs

Firm Up Your Glutes

Flexibility in the Rotator Muscles of the Hip

Sculpt Your Core

Exercises for the Diaphragm and Respiratory Muscles

Part III: Programming

1. Men’s Strength

2. Women’s Strength

3. Sport-Specific Training


 

Background Facts

  • Originally released in 2001, author Frédéric Delavier’s Strength Training Anatomy has now sold more than one million copies worldwide.
  • There are more than 650 muscles in the human body.

  • There are numerous benefits to proper strength training, including the development of muscular strength and muscular endurance, increased muscle mass, improved bone mineral density, and increased strength in connective tissues.

  • The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least two days of strength training per week that includes a minimum of one set (8 to 12 repetitions) of 8 to 10 exercises that condition the major muscle groups.

  • There is no evidence behind the belief that a sensible strength-training program should be painful. Discomfort can be normal, but not pain. Pain is the body’s way of telling you that you’re doing too much. Discomfort, however, is just an indicator that you’re doing more than you’re used to doing.

  • The quality of a strength-training exercise being performed is much more important than the amount of time spent strength training. People who spend the most time in the weight room aren’t necessarily the strongest.
  • Muscular fitness is essential to functional fitness, which means that strength training should be a major component of any workout regimen. Muscles will function better and operate more effectively and efficiently if they are kept tuned up.
  • Nearly 25 million Americans exercise in home gyms.

 

 

 






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