REVIEWS

Publishers Weekly
A personal trainer in NYC's Upper East Side, Pagano has dedicated the past 16 years of her life to passing her knowledge and passion for fitness on to other women in the hopes of helping them improve their lives and prevent common diseases like osteoporosis. Her first offering in the crowded self-help fitness genre succeeds impressively well as a resource for women of all ages looking to improve their overall health. Like a good personal trainer should, she begins with a three-part fitness test and questionnaire to assess whether the reader should consult a doctor before beginning her program. For true beginners, she provides an anatomy chart that depicts the major muscle groups and the exercises that are best suited to them. She dispels fitness myths like "lifting weights will bulk you up" and "you can spot reduce," and talks about the risk factors, exercise guidelines and restrictions of osteoporosis. Best of all for novices, many of Pagano's beginner exercises require no special equipment, relying instead on everyday fixtures like chairs, walls and kitchen countertops. (More advanced exercises use free weights, stretch bands and stability balls.) The color photos, diagrams and clear explanations make the exercises easy to follow, and Pagano provides full training programs for improving posture and strengthening the lower, upper and core muscles of the body. This book may be one of the best substitutes for pricey gym memberships and personal trainers. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Midwest Book Review
Women who participate in strength training routines can battle osteoporosis and even defy aging with just a few sessions a week. Women who want to learn exercises which shape up without bulking the body, but who balk at descriptions, now have Strength Training For Women: Tone Up, Burn Calories, Stay Strong by Joan Pagano. This is a very easy and quick visual guide which covers everything from step-by-step routines to pinpointing which muscles should be feeling the results of such exercise. Color photos of different women are the meat of this easy tone-up handbook.

5 STAR REVIEWS FROM AMAZON AND BARNES AND NOBLE.COM

An exceptional resource

I have purchased several books devoted to strength training. I have to say, this book is the best I have found--by far. What makes this book exceptional is how thorough it is and also how much variety it offers. Exercises for home users--both those who use dumbbells, those who use resistance bands and those who use stability balls or all of the above--are offered. Exercises for gym dwellers are also given. This book caters to everyone in a very balanced manner…. Usually when you come across a book on strength training, you see the same, basic moves you've seen (and probably done) a million times before. But Joan Pagano includes variations of moves even I, a fairly experienced exerciser, had never seen before. The layout of the book is visually stimulating. Along with photos illustrating each exercise, there are illustrations showing which body parts are being used with each move. The book was well-written as well. Joan's instructions are concise and encouraging. Recently, I decided I wanted to start working out during TV commercials--just to add a bit of boost to my fitness routine. I found many exercises within this book I will be doing while watching TV. I think this is an excellent book for an advanced exercise looking for a some new ideas. But more importantly, this is an awesome resource for a beginner. I will be purchasing this book for friends and family who are daunted by the idea of doing strength training. I suggest you do the same.

Great Advice for Beginner or Mature Exerciser

At last Joan Pagano has provided us with what has been missing from many of the fitness and exercise books: a concise, well written, superbly illustrated guide to simple, effective exercises for women. Pagano is a certified personal trainer who has worked with women of all ages. Thankfully, there are no references to "quick fixes", pills, or elaborate, expensive equipment. In fact, all of the exercises can be performed with no special equipment at all, although one or two hand weights, an elastic band, and a large ball are useful…. The color photographs are of excellent quality and demonstrate the movements clearly. Especially useful are the "feel it here" arrows pointing to the muscles targeted by the exercise. Helpful Training Guidelines are enclosed in boxes at the top of the pages. Photographs even show the proper use of weight machines so that anyone can feel comfortable going to a gym if they need more challenging amounts of weight. This book provides safe, medically correct, effective exercises that will serve women well for their entire lives. I recommend it highly to my patients, friends, and colleagues.

The Best Guide I've Found for At-home Workouts

I've been working out with a trainer at my health club for more than 6 years and now I want to start working out at home on my own. This book provides me with the perfect guide for staying in good shape. The step-by-step directions with great photographs make each exercise clear and easy to follow. The "Trainer's Tips" make me feel like I have my trainer right there with me. Having the correct positioning of the body for safe weight training is essential, and this book has so many photographs along with clear and concise directions that anyone can follow the exercises contained within correctly.

Motivating and Inspiring

Fantastic, motivating book! Although I have been working out for years.... weights, yoga, running, I realized that there was a lot to fitness that I just did not understand. This book answered so many of my often-thought-about-but-never-answered questions. The inspiring pictures are awesome!! and there are many useful, helpful hints about how to work out properly.

A great way to start the new year!

If you struggle to lift grocery bags in and out of your car or carry heavy pots and pans across your kitchen, this book can help. Unlike some exercise books, this one has great graphics (like all DK books) and easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for doing each exercise. I appreciated the circles indicating which muscle you should feel working, as well as the color-coded system to designate basic, intermediate and advanced exercises for varying levels of fitness. There are so many great practical benefits for women who do strength training. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to start a strength-training program or add some weight-bearing exercises onto an existing aerobics routine.

An Inspiration to Get Started Exercising Again!!

I was wondering how to jumpstart my "weight-bearing exercise" again since I'd had pneumonia and lost a lot of strength, when I got a copy of Joan Pagano's breathtaking new book, Strength Training for Women. It is designed with such simple elegance, starting with easy exercises and working up to more difficult ones, that it doesn't overwhelm the reader…. The exercises can be done at home, with inexpensive equipment like a floor mat, stretch band, and folded towel. The models are lovely to look at but not too skinny or too muscular. The blue, pink, lavender, and plum page colors make me want to keep picking the book up and reading it. I was so inspired that I actually did get started today!