Encyclopedia of Exercise Anatomy (Anatomy of)

[Review of hardcover edition:] [starred review] Fitness magazine editor and national bodybuilding champion Liebman's no-nonsense title goes back to the basics, educating users on how to do specific exercises, illustrating in anatomical sketches how the body is affected by them, and listing which exercises best prepare the body for various sports. Part 1 offers general comments and tips on exercise and nutrition as well as large-format computer-generated images (CGI) of the human body with its muscles labeled. The other sections of the book show exercises and stretches in a spread each, with one page offering a photo-illustrated how-to, and the opposite page featuring a CGI of the body at work with the relevant muscles highlighted. Most helpful is the segment of workouts, with instructions for two routines each for beginner, intermediate, and advanced practitioners who want to focus on a particular part of the body or prepare for a particular sport. The sports-specific entries ready readers for common pastimes such as baseball, cycling, and various martial arts but also for sports such as archery, hurling, and water polo. Closing the book are glossaries of English and Latin terms. VERDICT This useful title, which will also work well as a circulating item, presents that something extra for fitness enthusiasts who want to become serious about their conditioning. -- Henrietta Verma ― Library Journal Published On: 2014-10-15

"This useful title, which will also work well as a circulating item, presents that something extra for fitness enthusiasts who want to become serious about their conditioning."
-- Library Journal (starred review)

The revolutionary series Anatomy of Exercise includes eight specialized titles that followed the first title, Anatomy of Exercise, each focusing on a specific sport or exercise program. Since the release of the first book, the titles in this innovative series have sold 250,000 copies in North America.

Compiling content from all nine titles, Encyclopedia of Exercise Anatomy enables the reader to tailor a personalized and professional program that will meet specific needs. A runner can dip into yoga to improve his breathing; a muscle builder can shape her legs with cycling workouts; a gymnast can combine yoga with core stability and strength exercises, and a woman over 50 can design a program that fits into her busy life.

Comprehensive and informative, this big compendium includes these standard features:

• Full-body anatomy illustrations, front and back
• Annotated full-color anatomical illustrations for all exercises
• Full-color photographs of exercises
• Visual identification of active and stabilizing muscles
• Concise step-by-step how-to instructions and guidance
• Level-of-difficulty modifications
• "Best For" information boxes
• Safety tips boxes
• Pre-designed workouts
• Visual index of exercises
• Glossary of anatomical terms.

For anyone who works on their fitness routines, whether at a gym, health club or in a sport personally, professionally or academically, Encyclopedia of Exercise Anatomy is the ideal resource for a lifetime of healthy living.

Hollis Lance Liebman has been a fitness magazine editor and national bodybuilding champion. Currently a Los Angeles resident, Hollis has worked with some of Hollywood's elite, earning rave reviews. His web site is www.holliswashere.com.

Excerpt from Introduction

The Encyclopedia of Exercise Anatomy features a comprehensive range of exercises for the whole body, along with detailed anatomical drawings to show exactly which muscles are being worked during each exercise. Whether you are interested in improving your sporting performance or toning specific parts of your body, this format allows you to target your exercise routines to achieve the desired results. To help you formulate an all-round routine, the book also includes workout routines that focus on improving performance in a number of popular sports as well as some to follow to help your body cope with particular stresses or build strength where it is lacking.

Building Strength Where It's Needed
Today nearly every sport across the globe uses resistance training to improve performance -- long gone is the idea that weight training is only for those looking to increase muscle bulk. A quick peek into any gym will bear witness to how well stocked and versatile training facilities have become in recognition of the importance of strength and stamina in any fitness program. Sporting performance is improved, like most things in life, with repetition and practice. But the human body's musculature is complex, so the question is: what exercises should you be doing and what is best practice for your particular sport? Encyclopedia of Exercise Anatomy is designed to answer that question. Whether you're a novice at tennis picking up the racquet for the first time, or a seasoned rugby player wishing to brush up on strengthening the particular muscles that provide much needed power in the scrum, this is the book for you.

Part 1 of the book includes detailed anatomical illustrations highlighting all the major muscles in the upper body and all the major muscles of the lower body. Don't worry, you don't need to learn all the anatomical terminology, but the information is there for you to refer back to at any time. The more you work out, the more you will begin to understand about the way the human body works -- and that can only be a good thing when your ambition is to achieve peak fitness.

Part 2 introduces over 100 exercises divided into four sections: upper body exercises, lower body exercises, core exercises and stretches. There is an in-depth guide for each exercise, including the muscle groups used, step-by-step instructions and pertinent performance tips. Once again, anatomical illustrations highlight the key muscle groups involved in the exercise and annotation identifies the individual muscles being worked.

Part 3 of the book combines the individual exercises into highly effective programs. This section is divided into two subsections: the first dealing with fifty popular sports; the second dealing with functional workouts for specific non-sporting activities.

Following a brief overview of each sport and the muscles called into play, the sports programs are organised into three levels of intensity to meet the demands of every athlete, from beginner to advanced, and to provide those all-important goals to work towards -- whatever your level of fitness. An alternative set of programs is provided to add interest and variety to your workout.

The remaining programs in the book focus on real-world scenarios such as workouts to help back or knee problems. This final exercise section also helps you target specific body areas that you want to enhance for purely aesthetic reasons, whether you're looking to build bigger, more powerful arms or sculpting a glorious derriere. As with the sport-specific section, there is an introductory paragraph that gives a brief overview of the muscles used; the exercise programs themselves are set at three different levels of intensity -- in most cases an alternative program is provided for variety.

Excerpt from Introduction

The Encyclopedia of Exercise Anatomy features a comprehensive range of exercises for the whole body, along with detailed anatomical drawings to show exactly which muscles are being worked during each exercise. Whether you are interested in improving your sporting performance or toning specific parts of your body, this format allows you to target your exercise routines to achieve the desired results. To help you formulate an all-round routine, the book also includes workout routines that focus on improving performance in a number of popular sports as well as some to follow to help your body cope with particular stresses or build strength where it is lacking.

Building Strength Where It's Needed Today nearly every sport across the globe uses resistance training to improve performance -- long gone is the idea that weight training is only for those looking to increase muscle bulk. A quick peek into any gym will bear witness to how well stocked and versatile training facilities have become in recognition of the importance of strength and stamina in any fitness program. Sporting performance is improved, like most things in life, with repetition and practice. But the human body's musculature is complex, so the question is: what exercises should you be doing and what is best practice for your particular sport? Encyclopedia of Exercise Anatomy is designed to answer that question. Whether you're a novice at tennis picking up the racquet for the first time, or a seasoned rugby player wishing to brush up on strengthening the particular muscles that provide much needed power in the scrum, this is the book for you.

Part 1 of the book includes detailed anatomical illustrations highlighting all the major muscles in the upper body and all the major muscles of the lower body. Don't worry, you don't need to learn all the anatomical terminology, but the information is there for you to refer back to at any time. The more you work out, the more you will begin to understand about the way the human body works -- and that can only be a good thing when your ambition is to achieve peak fitness.

Part 2 introduces over 100 exercises divided into four sections: upper body exercises, lower body exercises, core exercises and stretches. There is an in-depth guide for each exercise, including the muscle groups used, step-by-step instructions and pertinent performance tips. Once again, anatomical illustrations highlight the key muscle groups involved in the exercise and annotation identifies the individual muscles being worked.

Part 3 of the book combines the individual exercises into highly effective programs. This section is divided into two subsections: the first dealing with fifty popular sports; the second dealing with functional workouts for specific non-sporting activities.

Following a brief overview of each sport and the muscles called into play, the sports programs are organised into three levels of intensity to meet the demands of every athlete, from beginner to advanced, and to provide those all-important goals to work towards -- whatever your level of fitness. An alternative set of programs is provided to add interest and variety to your workout.

The remaining programs in the book focus on real-world scenarios such as workouts to help back or knee problems. This final exercise section also helps you target specific body areas that you want to enhance for purely aesthetic reasons, whether you're looking to build bigger, more powerful arms or sculpting a glorious derriere. As with the sport-specific section, there is an introductory paragraph that gives a brief overview of the muscles used; the exercise programs themselves are set at three different levels of intensity -- in most cases an alternative program is provided for variety.