Body by You: The You Are Your Own Gym Guide to Total Women's Fitness

I have always been quite fit and even swam up to an hour daily until the day my daughter was born. For the first time at age 42 I started feeling stiff when I had to get up, felt weaker and just started feeling age which I had never had before. I tried to work out with weights in the gym but my daughter's demands just did not allow for a regular routine. On top of that, I had suffered from a bad prolapse which made a lot of the weight lifting routines with barbells and dumbbells a no-no. My weight 2.5 years after my daughter's birth was the same as before my pregnancy and in the very health BMI range but I felt like the Pillsbury dough boy. I picked this method because I could cut out all these time consuming trips to the gym and it would not interrupt my routine for a couple of weeks of vacation where the gym is not available.I am 3 weeks into the program. There are 5 categories of exercise types with 25 progressively more difficult exercises for each category. After 3 weeks, I have progressed to level 12 or higher in each category. I feel considerably stronger and fitter and my posture has improved. The author recommends not to use a scale or even a mirror but use your clothes as a more appropriate way of measuring results. Even though I have not done a single sit up, I lost about 2 inches from my waist and the pants just fit better. My husband who does not even notice when I have a major haircut, has commented that he sees more muscle definition. Not too bad for a total of 5 hours or so of working out so far. I don't have a scale, so I can't comment on any weight loss. The program is easy to follow but the exercises are challenging. When I work out on this program, I break a nice sweat and my heart rate goes up. I definitely need a shower afterwards. I also feel that the exercises are less likely to cause an injury like a slipped disk or whatever from trying to pick too much iron from the floor.Some people have commented that you need some equipment. That is correct, you will need a door (opening) and some elevated surfaces like a coffee or regular table, side table or couch or whatever for quite a few exercises. All of this 'equipment' should be in your home, so you are homeless, this should be a non-issue. Many folks have commented on their fear of using a door to do pull ups. Pull ups on doors are a fairly advanced exercise, so it should not be a concern for many months for the majority of women starting this program. When the time comes for me, I will buy the $20 pull up bar for over the door frame. Some people have commented that it is just a beginner book. It is true that just about anybody can get started because the initial exercises (that you can skip) are not intimidating for beginners. However, the exercises advance to pull ups and pistols (the one legged squats that figure skaters do). If you are one of those few that can already do that, this book is indeed way too easy for you.Update1: I am just over 2 months into the program now. I am currently on vacation and it has been a breeze to continue the program. I stepped on a scale last week and I am about the same as my average weight over the last 10-15 years which has not varied much. Not sure whether I will lose any weight but I am happy if muscles replace flab. Before I got started, I was a size 6-8, mainly because some size 6 pants just did not fit right in all places. Now I am a solid 6. My butt moved up and I got visible muscle tone (not as nice as the lady in the book but working on it). I don't have a 2-piece bathing suit but I would be comfortable wearing one now as opposed to when I got started. Most importantly, I feel better. Progress through the exercises has slowed down considerably after the first gains as expected but will keep on working on it.Update2: I have been using the program for about 3 months now. I started keeping track of what I eat and increase my protein intake to knock off a few pounds of fat in addition to building more muscle. The recommendation from the author's website for my age/weight/activity was less than 1200 calories. Well, that lasted one day since that is less than my RMR requirement and made me all dizzy. I upped it to about 1400 calories and I lost 3 pounds over the last three weeks without being hungry (still not easy since I feel a bit deprived of chocolate etc.). I am still progressing through the exercises and bought a pull up bar for the pull ups that I will be working on in the near future. To my surprise I could already do a few chin ups and pull ups! Already able to do one legged squats too.Update3: I used the program for 5 months now and I consider myself a graduate of the book now. Of the five categories, I mastered the highest level of 3 out of 5 exercise categories. I am still working on my pull up reps. To keep it challenging, I started with the YAYOG program at the intermediate level (called 1st class) and the transition is very smooth. I have gained a lot of strength from the BBY program with surprisingly little investment of my time (1.5-2 hrs/week). For example, after 5 months of BBY (and virtually no training for more than 2 years), I can knock out about 80 push ups in 7 minutes. Those are normal push ups, not the girly type where you start from the knees. As a surprising side effect, the program has also alleviate most of my uterine prolapse symptoms since I got a very strong core now. This allowed me to stop doing all the annoying physical therapy kegel exercises which were far less effective and more time consuming than this program. As far as my weight goes, I am not paying attention to it that much. I am a size 6 and feel great, so who cares what the scale says since I obviously got some extra muscle here now too although I sure don't look like a hulk.Altogether, very pleased with the program.

Years ago I was following Mark's other book, You Are Your Own Gym, but I have genetically bad shoulders that I've had surgery on a few times each. I loved YAYOG but I didn't have the muscular strength to handle the even the most basic shoulder exercises. Then I found this book and I love it!The book is geared toward women. That's not just a marketing angle. It's true. Women typically do not have the muscular mass or the ability to grow muscle like men do. It's physiology. The exercises cater to a woman's body. Lighter/easier (compared to YAYOG) upper body exercises that would help them (and me) and me progress naturally and for me, pain free.This book has been a godsend! For the first time in years I have been able to do push-ups without pain or the fear of tearing my shoulders apart. To be honest, this book is geared toward women, and most men will be able to get through most of the upper body progressions fairly quickly but this book is not for the faint-hearted. Most of the advanced exercises would give any person I know (man or woman) a run for their money.I'd also like to add a couple of things that may be of interest...1. My shoulders are bad. Like tendons popping and moving around bad. Before this book I could not lift my arms straight up without pain and the pop of tendons. Since I started, I have a full range of motion with no pain! That alone has changed my life!2. I had tennis elbow that had been flaring up for a couple years. Nothing helped and I didn't want surgery. With this book all of that pain has disappeared too.3. After the first couple of weeks, I started to notice other things like I was feeling better, my mind was clearer, I was walking straighter and I was sleeping like the dead. Not bad for about 75 mins / week.I know this sounds like an infomercial but I really cannot recommend this book enough. This book has really changed my life. Thank you Mark! Once I am done with the progressions in this book I am definitely moving onto Mark's other book: YAYOG. Ladies (and gentlemen who are man enough) buy this book!!!