The First 20 Minutes Personal Trainer: The right - and the wrong - workouts for everyone

by Gretchen Reynolds

Much of what we thought we knew about fitness is turning out to be wrong. You should always stretch before exercising? Wrong! Sit-ups are good for you? Wrong! In the ideal companion to her brilliant and bestselling The First 20 Minutes, Gretchen Reynolds identifies these common misconceptions and develops a health and fitness workout tailored to your own level of ability - and all based on the latest scientific discoveries. Whether you have 2 minutes to spare, 10 minutes or 20 minutes, this ebook special will give you invaluable tips for optimising your fitness plan. You will also find out how to exercise to benefit specific problem areas such as the shoulder, lower back and knees. And finally there are insider tips on hot topics such as when to eat before exercise, whether beetroot juice improves blood flow to the muscles, how running backwards can liven up your workout, and why unplugging your headset may help you enjoy exercise more.

Genres: Health, Fitness, Nonfiction, Self Help

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2013

Reviews

[Jitka Egressy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Original The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer is better investition.

This book is just kind of sumary for the original one. Not bad, but... you know.

[Kaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone that wants to understand the science behind training and really delve into the benefits of exercise, this book is a must. Well written and backed up by extensive studies and scientific research. Highly recommend with a rare 5 star rating.

[John Malsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read or listen to in my case on physical and mental activity do to exercise. 2 1/2 hours a week is all we need in middle age to get the results we want to stay ahead of aging process. Some wonderful studies and scientific backing for most of their suggestions.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good myth busting about exercise, fitness and nutrition.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fast-paced, easy to read, and full of practical ideas you can use right away to get in shape.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

good stuff. Well written; keeps the right side of chattiness. Key point is that exercise really is frightfully good for you.

[Nicoleta Fedorca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author backs up all her points with science and research. You can find out a lot about why exercising is good for you and why you should never stop.

[Shiraz Ahmad Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good read for exercise enthusiasts, esp. beginners.
The author has taken conclusions from innumerable studies across the planet. It would have been beneficial if she had given the reference for each of the study instead of just naming the scholar and institute.

After reading this book, I would categorise different kind of lifesytles and exercise types as follows:
1. Sedentary
2. Moderately active (e.g. daily chores)
3. Moderate exercise (e.g. brisk walk)
4. Aerobic/Cardio
5. Weight training
6. Athletics

Benefits materialized increase as we go downwards in the list.
This book gives a clear idea how each of the above affects our bodies.

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information and research data for studies that are “common sense” and everybody already knows. Less general genetics and cellular experiments were very interesting though.

Its terrible to admit that some of rodents experiments were pretty amusing to read about 😇

[Emmalene Umar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how succinct this book was! It gets straight to the point and you can skim sections and go to 'the upshot' or 'the bottom line' summaries. Really interesting data and written in an engaging way. Top notch!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her, but get the original book.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of interesting studies and facts but it all boils down to exercise is good.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but only if you really enjoy exercising (running or cycling in particular) AND science. It doesn't get too detailed but there are a lot of biology/chemistry/physics terms and concepts mentioned. It's also really funny, she references Simpsons and Spinal Tap. Any book that recommends chocolate milk instead of gatorade after a run is fine by me.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Condensed version featuring the most important points from The First 20 Minutes. Not necessary if you have the original book, but will serve as a nice refresher. I'm sure I'll refer to this from time to time.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think I mistook the science part! I thought it would be more about the science of the human body and fitness, not reports of experiments on lab rats and mice for the sake of humans knowing the effects of exercise! Really not for me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a difficult read, useful info

This was a pretty interesting, quick book. I definitely leave with some useful exercise knowledge. I like that the author references research studies for conclusions, not personal fitness guru suggestions.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short read. I didn’t realize there was a more comprehensive version of this book, and I may check that out. There were a few good tidbits in here I didn’t know, but some of the information is probably dated by now. Still a worthwhile read. I read this on Libby.

[Altaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read on the myths surrounding exercise and the link between physical and emotional/mental health.

[Cerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not realise this was mini version of published book!!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

More focused, usable and interesting than the longer original version.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information in this book. It's a great reference that I'll keep on my shelves.