Strength Training Anatomy – by Frederic Delavier
Ok, so most of you come to a personal trainer precisely because you don’t want to know anything about anatomy or exercise science. That’s fine, specialization is one of the keys to what makes our civilization work. Whether you’re an accountant or an attorney, you probably know a lot about your profession, and care little about the technical details of mine.
However, if you’ve ever had a little interest in the human body, or just wish you understood why I make you work your calves with both straight leg and bent, this book might be for you. It’s not a college anatomy text book, and it was written for regular people. Mr. Delavier doesn’t talk about the circulatory system or the kidneys, just the muscles, and just how they work in relation to almost any exercise you can imagine.
The book is divided up into major body parts, and each body part has exercises that pertain to it. Each exercise has excellent drawings of the body (male and female) showing the effected muscles in action. The drawings are well labeled and short descriptions of each exercise is given. For most exercises, cut-away drawings are also included, and many exercises have additional views of alternative ways to do the exercise.
The illustrations are all incredibly well done and the explanations are clear and simple. No, this book will not turn you into an exercise expert overnight. There is no attempt to setup exercise programs or even give recommendations on which exercise to use. What you will get out of this book is a greater understanding of the muscles you are using when you do a specific exercise, as well as the knowledge of what muscles a certain exercise routine may NOT be working.
In general, this book is an easy, informative read, and an excellent reference to have around (since you ARE making exercise a permanent part of you life…AREN’T YOU?)