Very nice exercise book for beginners! It's very easy to understand and the drawings are super helpful! The best thing is that you can do all this in the comfort of you home! No gym needed. I haven't finished the program yet but I'm really enjoying this book. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Strength Training for Beginners is a quick start guide with a 12 week tutorial to build up and maintain a home training program. Released 28th July 2020 by Callisto on their Rockridge Press imprint, it's 250 pages (for the electronic format) and available in paperback and ebook. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

I liked the positive, upbeat, and encouraging "voice" of the author. I can imagine that he's a gifted trainer. The book follows a logical format which is accessible and feels do-able. The introductory section enumerates some of the benefits of weight training for all ages and life-stages as well as debunking some weightlifting myths. He also covers the necessary equipment (including some cost saving tips). New equipment is introduced very slowly (in the second and third months of the training program) and is minimal (dumbbells and weight bars).

The second section of the book includes the exercises themselves. All of them are accompanied by clear line drawings and step-by-step instructions. The descriptions are clear and concise. As an aside, I have recently suffered a shoulder muscle injury (torn and degraded supraspinatus) and as part of my physical rehabilitation, -all- of the exercises my physiotherapist has prescribed for me are included in the upper body exercises in this book (with several others). Special highlights, tips, and troubleshooting information are included in text bars throughout the exercises.

The third section of the book contains the actual monthly training routines. There are three months with different focuses for different training levels. None of the routines are outside the ability levels of most readers. The exercise routines in the electronic format have hyperlinks directly in the workout to easily find/refresh the info during a workout. The workouts are varied and have alternative exercises to change up the routine and avoid boredom.

There's also a short bibliography and links list at the back of the book along with a short author bio.

Honestly, who knows when it'll be safe for us to gather and work-out at training centers again. This is a nice, beginner accessible guide to setting up and maintaining a -real- and -achievable- home workout with relatively minimal expense. There are so many mental and physical benefits to strength training at all ages, this is a good place to just get started with no excuses or procrastination.

Five stars. Well written and do-able.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I'm not new to strength training at all, but given the last few years (injuries, accidents, age), I've slowed down a bit and changed priorities. This is a nice refresher for me (and great for beginners) with nice illustrations and clear instructions. They're easily modifiable for the home workout and I'd recommend this book for those like me (who need a kickstart) or those who are just beginning.

Starts out a little slow, with details building up to the actual exercises. Once the exercises begin, the book gets more interesting. Good details, and has choices on ways to modify each one. Good visuals to show the steps, and explains well what parts of the body is being strengthened. Would recommend as a handy reference.

To be fair, I'm reviewing this book before having completed the 12-week program, but I'm just really excited to share my thoughts. I found it to be a wonderful resource for a few reasons:

- You don't need a gym!
- It's a simple game plan. I would never stick with a workout plan that requires complex planning for execution, and this one gives you simple, straightforward directions to follow.
- It's free to carry out. It specifically says that you DON't need to buy ANY equipment, even though it's a strength training routine. Equipment is helpful down the road, but not necessarily from the moment you start. I like that because I went into it not knowing if I was going to like strength training.
- It's tone is encouraging instead of condescending. One example is that...
- It's illustrated (in color) with actually realistic male and female body images. It's relatable instead of discouraging, such as are many famous fitness guru guides out there.

The book also gives advice on nutrition, which is probably helpful to some, but I personally didn't find it necessary. However, I do like that the guide lives up to its promise of being meant for beginners.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Starts out a little slow, with details building up to the actual exercises. Once the exercises begin, the book gets more interesting. Good details, and has choices on ways to modify each one. Good visuals to show the steps, and explains well what parts of the body is being strengthened. Would recommend as a handy reference.