Men's Health: The Body You Want in the Time You Have (Mens Health): The Body You Want in the Time You Have (Mens Health)

"I havent had time for a thorough gym work out for quite some time for various reasons but I decided to make myself a deal and start thinking that I owed myself time to work out. With that in mind this book seemed perfect - the way it caters for the time you have is really interesting. I started off with 45 mins/3 days a week and have just decided to add another day in. Looking at the way he structures the work-outs is really interesting - each exerise works on a different set of muscle groups so that if you follow the routine you really do work out all the key muscles during a week. A word of advice is to start with a weight that is simple to lift in order to master particular exercises and then you get confidence to move up weights.

On a very practical level I live in a terraced house with kids so space is at a premium. The only kit i have for these work outs is a chair or two and a set of adjustable dumbells - as the book describes it, these are really the only tools you need. I've been following this for 3 weeks now and I'm starting to see results and feel stronger. Important note here is that Murphy includes a nutrion section to this book and it is really worth reading - eating smaller meals, snacking regularly, eating foods in an unprocessed form and thinking about a genuine 'balanced diet' etc is really interesting and helps stave off tiredness and over-eating. I've certainly taken some (not all) these points on board and have certainly lost the 'bloat' that I always felt I was carrying and never thought I'd be able to get rid of.

Well written (no preaching), brilliantly structured to suit everyone and lots of really pertinent observations. I shall certainly be sticking to this book for a while yet."
~ Written on 2008-03-17

"My bog-standard gym program was going nowhere. So I ordered this figuring I would make my own program, but thankfully, there's no need cause the author does it all for you.

What I really like is that he covers EVERY base, grouped into simple choices.
1. what kind of physique do you want (lean/toned/big/balanced)
2. how many days can you work out per week (from 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 days(!))
3. how long can you work out per session (from 10/15/20/30/45/60 mins)

And then he gives you FULL programs per session/day based on your combination of choices. Plus full and simple instructions on every single exercise, with up to 3 ways of doing each one, e.g. 3 options to do bicep curls depending on the equipment available and your personal preference.

There's also sections on nutrition and stretches, so I can't see how you can go wrong with this book to help you achieve your goals, however much time you've got to work out.

This is exactly what I wanted. It's only been a couple weeks so far into my program but I'm seeing definite benefits and leave each workout really knackered. I am being quite strict with diet, though, as calorie intake is key to get the results you want.

Overall, this book is probably the best one I've seen for normal people wanting to get into real shape without the bs of body-building evangelism. Highly recommended.

"
~ Written on 2008-01-27

"It's true, it really does give work-outs no matter how much time you have, what you want to exercise for, and how much equipment you've got. There are two or three alternatives for each work-out depending on what equipment you've got, and when and how you do them depends on how much time you have and what you want to achieve.
There are also sections on stretching, massaging and nuitrition.
It is written very simply and assumes you are an absolute beginner."
~ Written on 2007-12-19

"What a brilliant idea! The title says it all. Figure out how many days you can set aside to work-out this week (1? 2? 3? all the way up to every day!) and then figure out how much time you can set aside in each day to work out (10 minutes? all the way up to 60 minutes). Then simply turn to the page of the book that has the appropriate combination of days per week and time per day (e.g. 20 minutes twice a week) and pick one of four work-outs: one to get leaner, one to build muscle, one to build strength, or a total-body workout. Each workout is clearly written out for you so that you can photocopy it and take it to the gym, and if you can't get to the gym, there are alternatives that you can do at home/in the hotel with a minimum of expensive equipment.

I really like the fact that even if you can only do 10 minutes one day a week, the author doesn't shout 'WIMP'. He is completely realistic about how the time we can set aside to excercise varies from week to week, and he works firmly on the 'anything is better than nothing' principle. So the whole tone of the book is encouraging.

A great idea and a book that I'm sure I will use many many times and value for its flexible, realistic approach."
~ Written on 2006-06-08