Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

Great for beginners

Customer Rating:

This book was a great way for me, as a complete beginner, to learn my way around all the basic exercises for all the major muscle groups. It is great for a beginner because: 1) It requires no previous knowledge. 2) It requires no fancy equipment (a basic dumbbell bench would be nice, but isn't necessary). 3) It emphasizes safety and proper technique. 4) Between this book and some cheap hex dumbbells dumbbells I spent about $50. I got appreciable results in just a few weeks by working out in my living room (I'm not going to be a model anytime soon, but I'm stronger and more fit than I was before). If you already use dumbbells in your routine, then you probably don't need this book. I'm sure after I get some experience under my belt, a dumbbell bench, and a wider array of dumbbells, I'll want a more comprehensive book, but for the price, this was a great investment.

No Time for Gym? - Great Home Work-Out Using DumbBells!

Customer Rating:

I prefer free-weights, and I was looking for an effective method to stay in shape without having to build a bulky gym in my home. The authors technique is right on the mark! This book shows 50 exercises with dumbbells, which are assembled in three dozen dumbbell workouts. The book was exactly what I was looking for - simple and straightforward. I was not looking to study the subject - simply wanted pre-developed workout routines (with pictures) from professionals - that involved all areas of my body. I had great immediate results, and within 30 days experienced improvements in size of arms, chest size, and a more pronounced shoulder structure. This book and a few dumbbells - give you the ability to work out during idle times such as watching TV.

Dumbell Encyclopedia

Customer Rating:

The author is a Marine and earned his degree from Penn State. He has written over 350 articles and numerous books on fitness and strength training. One of his works is a book upon which my strength training program is built upon, Maximize Your Training, which is one of the most important books in bodybuilding in my professional and personal opinion. Maximize Your Training When I saw that he authored a book about dumbbell training, I knew his style and knowledge would truly give the most comprehensive information available. Starting out with the history of dumbbells, the advantages and disadvantages of this method of training, and the extensive training details related to technique and safety, this book is the definitive text on incorporating this fitness equipment into your lifestyle. A section broken down by body parts emphasized with black and white photographs, techniques and technical/physical limiting considerations are covered. There are numerous exercise routines that are outlined depending upon whether you work out 1 to 3 days a week. He covers exercise myths regarding sports specific training and other myths of core training with exercise balls and balance boards. His key theme is effective workouts with an emphasis on safety. I highly recommend this book.

good book per my son	Customer Rating:
I bought this for my son and he says he has used it many times, and that it is a good book for DB weight lifting.

It's a great book

Customer Rating:

I have to laugh at some of the reviews, like the one that gave one star and says "don't waste your money". It's 10 bucks! Makes one wonder what axe they have to grind. Not surprisingly, the reviewer promotes a competing book. I find that many of the reviews are misleading. For one thing, this isn't a beginner's book. It describes 50 different exercises in good depth, with instructions and photos, and it contains around 30 different workouts. The photos are not too small or too blurry to see. My eyesight isn't great but I had no trouble at all. By keeping them on the small side, the book could be much more compact, which is helpful during my workouts. The background information runs from basic to advanced. I am no novice, yet I picked up quite a few new things I hadn't known previously. For $10, it's hard to go wrong with this book. I researched quite a few and this is the one I like best.