Never Gymless

by Ross Enamait

Never Gymless is dedicated to home-based workouts that negate the need for a fully equipped gym. If you've ever wanted to exercise at home, this book will provide you with a lifetime of challenges.

Learn about bodyweight exercise for strength, endurance, and speed. Supplemental exercises with resistance bands are also included, as well as a simplified nutritional strategy for lifelong health and athletic performance.

Sample training programs are also included in this 230 page manual.

Genres: Fitness, Health, Sports, Nonfiction, Bodies, Reference

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t remember exactly when I got turned on to Ross Enamait. I know that it was one of my fellow training partners at Sityodtong who first brought it up, and after tracking down his website and trying a couple of the free routines, I came to the conclusion that Ross probably has a pretty good idea of what he’s talking about.

I’ve been primarily playing with his Infinite Intensity routines for the last year or so, with great results, but with a new, much larger residence, and a wackier schedule, I decided it was time to actually sit down and read through Never Gymless, instead of just letting it take up space on my shelf.

If you do not have a gym, or believe that you need a gym in order to get into shape, then stop deluding yourself and get this book.

That’s the short review. The longer review sounds the same, honestly. This book is a fantastic resource. It contains a laundry list of exercises that can be done with little or no equipment, and in some cases, very little space. Some of the exercises are pretty straightforward (variations on pushups, squats, and other things); some are a little more...intense, I suppose. It’s hard for me to put a word on them. Let’s put it this way—you can either look at the idea of pushing a car as a workout as seriously awesome, or a little bit nuts. Either way, it is a great workout (or so I assume…I haven’t gotten to try that one yet).

Of course, a laundry list of exercise isn’t particularly useful if you don’t know what to do with those exercises. Ross includes a number of sample workouts, including a fifty day same plan if you want some solid guidelines to get you started. Even better, he includes a lot of discussion on how to design and modify your own plans, so that you can create the kind of workouts that you need. Honestly, this is, in some ways, the best thing about this book. A lot of exercise books that I’ve read through tend to be long on workouts, but short on the logic that makes they work. This book gives you the information that you need to figure out how to make your workout work for you. Which is pretty damn important.

There’s also a short, but valuable nutrition section, and a set of frequently asked questions.

If you want to be stronger, faster, healthier, get this book. Even if you have access to a gym, get this book. It’s still incredibly valuable.

[Vhalros · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book listing some simple as well as very advanced exercises that can be done with very little equipment (in most cases none). Exercises are included to develop the entire body, both with max strength, explosive strength, and endurance.

For the practiced athlete, this is a very good book, and will give some great ideas about how to get a great work out with little equipment. It would also be extremely useful for a coach who needs to train athletes in a minimal equipment situation.

For beginners, however, I can't recommend "Never Gymless" . Many of the exercises presented are extremely challenging and likely to cause injuries in the unprepared, and Ross offers little guidance about how to progress from the easy to the more challenging. He also says almost nothing about how to do any of the exercises with good form. A person with more experience, who already has established good movement patterns, will be able to feel it out. However, a beginner lacks the intuition to do this.

As far as the writing goes, Ross' continual use of rhetorical straw-men is very annoying and unnecessary, but doesn't distract too much from the book.

[Michael D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that I've bought as an Xmas present for five or six friends and relatives.

Enamait goes against the grain in that he isn't involved with the typical circle-jerk guru squad who write testimonials for each other. He tends to stand on his own so doesn't get as much hype as he should. It's too bad as his material is solid and he actually trains real athletes.

This book is based mostly on bodyweight exercise. Most of the exercises are self-explanatory. Some involve basic equipment, but nothing extravagant. Enamait also doesn't coddle readers like they are idiots who have never seen a pushup. I like that as I don't need to feel like I'm in a 4th grade gym class.

Overall, a solid book with excellent workouts and sample routines. It definitely gives you more than you'll need to get in great shape with little or nothing.

I highly recommend it

[Tom Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but I prefer Infinite Intensity by a longshot. For strictly bodyweight stuff I like Sonnen's Gymnastic Body (see my review).

[Dorum · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books on bodyweight training out there. High on information, and very low on fluff. Ross Enamait gives a no nonsense approach. I also don't get the usual guru vibe that can be retrieved from other similar books (many of which are quite poor in information).

The book contains information for the usual split of bodyweight strength exercises: push, pull, legs. Then it goes on into supplementary training: isometrics, core and conditioning. Afterwards, it finishes with information on diet and programming. In short, everything you need in just one book. What I like even more is that Mr. Enamait actually walks the walk. He is performing all the described exercises, including some very advanced skills like one armed pullup and one arm ab wheel rollout.

I believe that there are some other books which are more scientific (e.g. Supertraining by Siff & Verkoshansky), and there are some books which offer some advanced bodyweight skills (like planche, or various ring work stuff). However, this book is probably the best for a beginner to advanced-intermediate trainee. Highly recommended.

[Ryon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ross Enamait is someone who practices what he preaches. He doesn't advertise gimmicky methods to get ripped or to get that beach body. He's not selling $500 workout equipment made for $.50 in China. You won't see him on late-night TV.

What you will get is ass kicking no-nonsense conditioning drills to get your ass in shape, but only if you're willing to put in the hard work and hours of time it takes.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mostly a long list of bodyweight exercises - sometimes needing resistance bands or a medicine ball. It's pretty handy to have all these options presented together, although a lot of the exercises are above my current fitness level.

I liked that this book was not focussed only on maximal strength (currently very popular in the fitness community), but also stressed the importance of strength endurance, speed and explosive strength. Do keep in mind that Ross trains mostly fighters, so the advice given often focusses on this group.

I had hoped to get a bit more information about how to put together a training program, the information in that section was a little too sparse for me.

[Sho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and informative read on the basics of home workouts. Ross gives a succinct overview of the most commonly used exercises, training plans, circuit training methods he has used and talks straight to the point. It's an easy, digestible, and comprehensive book for anyone who has been into fitness or has just started out in their journey.

[Christos Andreev · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book! I train with free weights and this book provide me with a new perspctive on lifting.

[Caleb Mah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and applicable advice for athletes of all levels.

[Pronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great resource for tough exercise routines, but his nutrition section is one giant pseudo-scientific rant that belongs in a conspiracy theorist forum.

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of bodyweight training books. This book is the best book you can find.

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've boxed on and off since 1990 and been an athlete in one way or another my whole life but adding many of Ross Enamaits fitness ideas to my routine have helped me take my conditioning to a whole new level. Ross has a background in boxing so the focus is getting yourself in shape for combat sports. If your active in boxing, mixed martial arts, Olympic or Greco-Roman style wrestling, kickboxing or any other combat sport Ross will help you take your conditioning to a whole new level. Whereas Infinite Intensity, while far from neglecting bodyweight exercises, has a lot of stuff with dumbells, Never Gymless focuses on bodyweight/calisthenic exercises and various routines using and variations of the exercises in this book. In his books he also goes in depth with interval training, circuit training, wind sprints, jumping rope, plyometrics, isometrics, sand bag training, there's even stuff on exercise bands. But whats really important is not just the individual exercises or routines , but the ideas pertaining to getting yourself in condition, and how they relate to combat sports. I don't care if your a world champion fighter or at an elite level of fitness, the workouts laid out in his books will kick your ass and take your conditioning to a new level.

I think the only thing I disagree with him on is he downplays, if not out and out excludes distance running opting for interval runs and wind sprints. While I agree 100% that intervals and sprints should be a part of a fighters routine I can't help but remember that the greatest feats of conditioning I have ever seen in a boxing rings conditioning regime had more to do with distance runs than any other facet of training. Ali and Fraizer in their fights, incredibly conditioned fighters like Henry Armstrong or Ray Robinson, and Rocky Marciano who was probably the best conditioned heavyweight ever and he would sometimes run as much as 15 miles in a day while training for a fight. So while I agree that sprints and intervals should be used, and yes there is such a thing as doing too much running, you can't really argue with greats like those whose conditioning surpasses any boxers fighting right now that I can think of.
He also includes a chapter on nutrition in Never Gymless, which instead of focusing on for lack of a better phrase "sports nutrition" he focuses on long term health going into the dangerous gmos, the harmful additives/chemicals that are put into the food, pesticides used on the crops, hormones and other drugs given to the livestock and the harmful effects and why they should be avoided. He gives alternatives (he's big on organic food) to the poisonous products while still being realistic and not fanatical.

I highly recomend both Infinite Intensity and Never Gymless. If you want to get in shape to fight both are the best money you will ever spend.

[Nhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought about doing calisthenics once and picked up this book together with other body weight exercises books. Never Gymless is good for what it is: in its core, it deals with the creativity of coming up with different body weight exercises, from simple push to one arm handstands. There are a lot of pictures for demonstration purposes so the book isn't a big read. It outlines the idea of calisthenic and the practical path of progression any athlete or a person who simply wants to get stronger should take in order to achieve phenomenal bodily and core strength. Of course, the step up from push-ups to one arm handstand is huge, so I can't comment on how effective or realistic it is for the average joe like me, but it is a nice, workable progression system. I stopped doing body weight exercises after a couple days and decided to lift instead. However, this book will be on the shelf for when I want to try calisthenics again.

7/10

[Samildanach · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion Ross has the best training programs on the planet. There are a core group of fitness books and writers that deliver beyond all the marketing hype out there. They provide you with real world results, without the cheesy salesmanship.

Ross' books are at the top of the ladder, followed closely by Coach Rippetoes Starting Strength, and K Black's Tactical Barbell. These programs will deliver without a doubt, as long as you do them.

This is Ross's bodyweight training book. It's an effective work oriented approach to getting into phenomenal shape. I personally prefer Infinite Intensity, only because I'm not a 'body weight workout only' kinda guy. But if you're looking for a program that will get you real results, I can't recommend this enough.

[Book Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about home training and workout. It contains some hard core exercises. It is suitable for a professional athlete as well as amateur. Introduction with exercise and explanation and pictures from basics to advanced. I found myself returning and reading some things again and again. I found it very helpful for everybody who prefers training at home.
And I kid you not - there are intense and hard workouts.

I mean look at those six-packs :)

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[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focuses on bodyweight training. The title is self-revealing: the book shows the reader how to achieve fitness without the need to go to a gym. You can achieve truly amazing feats with your body alone. It encompasses many different aspects of human fitness, such as strength training, conditioning training and more. It also has a section about proper nutrition. All in all it's a very good guide to working out!

[Mladenius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good workout routines and plans with little to no equipment which will save you money from gym membership, good training tips, even the nutrition section is pretty solid - and also very cheap (e-book is only like 12$)
Only downside is that author gives very little information about exercise description and progression, and how to do them with proper form which will be downside for total beginners

[Doc Octagon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent book, but Infinite Intensity is far superior. If you're specifically in the market for body weight training this is a much more effective program than Convict Conditioning or some of the other popular BW books.

[Mikel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to get in shape. This book tells how to do it. No gimmicks. No sales pitch.

[Jonathan Clingenpeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Brian Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great reference of body-weight (mostly) exercises and different ways to train your body.