SWEAT: Special Workouts, Exercises and Advanced Techniques: Everything you'll need to know on your fitness journey

by Geoffrey Verity Schofield

Simply put, this tome contains a vast amount of information that will help you to optimize your training. Whether you are looking to put on muscle, lose fat or gain strength, you’ll find an absurd amount of value packed into these 210 pages.

More than 120 exercises, all fully described, with pictures, along with helpful tips, tricks and visualizations to help you get the most out of each exercise. Don't waste your effort, gym membership or most importantly your time. Optimize your growth.
How to assess your current level-are you beginner, intermediate or advanced? Does it matter?
How to effectively program your own training plan for optimal results. Anyone can get average results. Optimize, baby!
How to balance volume, intensity, and frequency to keep making progress. Avoid overtraining. Avoid undertraining. Achieve perfect training.
Ideal sets and reps for each exercise, and how to progress over time.
Choosing a workout split that’s perfect for your body, mind, and schedule-and when to change it.

In-depth risk versus reward analysis for all exercises. Choose the best exercises for your goals.
How to keep a training log, and what to write down each workout, and what doesn't matter.
What equipment is needed-what’s vital, what’s useful, and what’s useless?
No less than 14 Advanced techniques to keep the gains coming for more mature lifters, ranging from dropsets and supersets to clusters and EMOM sets, all fully described and illustrated with examples.

The varies form of cardio. How to choose the right intensity level for your goals as well as program it into a workout schedule. Wonder no more-this section will make everything crystal clear.
How to deal with injuries, as well as how to avoid them in the first place! You probably know someone who got injured in the gym…it might even be YOU! A vital section for long term progress, packed with tips and tricks to stay healthy, divided up both by body part and specific lifts that commonly cause issues. Surgery is expensive…avoid it!

6 full training plans: Lazy Man’s Plan , Busy Man’s Plan , Athlete’s Power Plan, Beast Plan, Deva Plan and Spartan Plan, each with multiple difficulties and adjustable to YOU. All are fully described and detailed.
How to keep making progress by adjusting your training-whether it is a minor tweak or a near-total overhaul, having the flexibility to alter your program and still move forward is vital. Life isn't perfect. But your training can still be.
Strength standards-how do you stack up against others? Are you strong, weak, or somewhere in the middle? Full goals to target for not just the basic compound movements but dozens of exercises.
All of this written in a quick, lively, humorous tone that makes the pages somehow fly by.

Within these 67,000 words is the ability to learn everything you need to know about how to effectively and efficiently change your body. It’s everything that I’ve learned over my 5 year journey. And now...it's yours.

Genres: Fitness, Nonfiction, Health

219 pages, Paperback

Published February 17, 2020

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and very affordable first book by Geoffrey, suitable for all trainee levels. Advanced athletes can also get benefit, but the book lacks neck and forearm exercises and is light on calf exercises. But before you say - those get trained indirectly via other exercises - I would say abs get trained indirectly by other exercises too, but there is section on them.
Saying that calves aren't the most essential body part for aesthetics, is a subjective comment. There are only 3 calf exercises in the book, and yes, calf training is more limited that other body parts, but some one leg options could also be thrown in.

While I personally know what I can get from the book, others might be confused. There are also some odd things like one-arm pull-up and the jerk. It would be better if the contents of the book were split into powerlifting and hypertrophy sections, which are specific goals a trainee would choose. Now you could argue that any exercise can help with either goal, but it would typically just be the sets, reps and rest which would vary. It's odd to see plank exercise in the same book as Olympic style weight lifting. Personally, I wouldn't put the Farmer's walk in the abdominal exercise selection.

Nevertheless, I look forward to his next book.

[EmReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely awesome book on strength training. My first book on this category and I totally loved it. I do not know how I survived my past months in the gym without reading this book. When I got injured, I picked up this book to read and now I cannot call myself if I am stupid for making mistakes that resulted in injuries or smart for finishing this book. Whatever it is - I am happy and grateful after acquiring the must know knowledge of strength training. I learned how to spice up my workout and keep myself motivated and progress slowly in the strength training. Furthermore, several amazing tips on various exercises and the injury prone body parts and cues really helped me. I am seriously shocked to know why half of the interval training should be clockwise and the rest anti-clockwise on the track, which I personally guessed being on the track just from my experience. Really this is a great book and changed my perspectives on strength training. I would surely come back to this book again when I would move to the next level from "beginner" to incorporate some very interesting tips on the workout to get most out of it.

[Nikolay Genchev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I paid for Geoffrey's book, I still felt like a thief considering the massive discrepancy between the criminally low/affordable price and the GOLD MINE of information that this book offers. It is not a manual I plan on reading only once, since weightlifting is a long journey of continuous development. Geoffrey's book will easily guide you in creating a plan, whether you're a beginner, intermediate or an advanced lifter. It will teach you how to avoid injuries, perform exercises correctly and so much more. If you're into weightlifting, do yourself a favor and get this book. While you're at it, I'd also recommend going to Geoffrey's Instagram/YouTube channel.

[Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to follow

My main problem is he gives you the layouts but not good examples. I have to go back and forth. To remember words and abbreviations. I can’t make my own plan by to the information he gives. Like you can replace some workouts but with what? Like can I replace a hinge with a squat? Can I focus more on squat than hinge? Why is hinge so important and the main workouts in most of the plans. Just so hard to follow as a beginner. I feel just having a book of plans to choose from would have been better.

[mr c froome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for beginners

As a newcomer to weight training, over 67, non gym goer, I found this book really useful for working out at home. I don't have the machines that a gym would have,but I have DIY cable systems,squat rack, benches etc. Book shows you how to balance your workouts.
Enjoyed reading the book and it's a handy reference.
Probably not a book you would read cover to cover in one go.

[Alessio C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a direct and concise examination of a diverse array of subjects and includes a fantastic exercise compendium.
Ideal for those who are new to the realm of weight training.

I have been a fan of Geoffrey since his early days on Quora; I love this guy!

[Mason Whitfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of great information. Even if you've been working out for years and think you have it all figured out like I did before starting, you're still bound to learn something new. Regardless of your experience level, it's worth a read.

[Steffan Beaurepaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written exercise book that will answer all your questions about working out. Exercises are clearly explained and are broken down into beginner or more advanced categories. Well worth a read.

[Shubham Lahoti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-organized, engrossing read. Ton of useful info about programming and training variations which may be helpful for novice as well as advanced lifters.

[London McDougal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for beginners

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book highly recommend, the book should cost more given the information In it.

[gzr · Rating 5 out of 5]

great resource

[Wira Aditama]

short book full of information about building muscle

[Geraldine Zamora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Best training book I’ve read. A phenomenal resource. Thank you for sharing your insight and making this knowledge available and easy to digest.