The Little Butt & Thighs Workout Book by Erika Dillman
Reviewed by L.D.Y.
Trade, 178 pages, 2005
Rating: 9/10
Reason for Reading: It’s always nice to have some variety in your exercise
routines.
Synopsis: Dillman begins the book by outlining the facts of exercise, eating
habits, and weight loss. From there, she moves into four illustrated workouts, each getting
progressively more challenging. Each individual exercise tells you the areas you’ll be
targeting, explains your starting position, and tells you step-by-step how to perform the
actions, and also includes technique tips and modifications to increase or decrease the
intesity depending on your current level of fitness.
Why you should read this book: The Little Butt & Thighs Workout Book is
grounded in reality and doesn’t make any of the ridiculous claims and unhealthy promises some other exercise plans use to lure in hopeful customers. The aim here is to make your lower body stronger and therefore more efficient at burning
calories, and Dillman expertly describes how your body works and what it needs so you’ll know the ‘whys’ as
well as the ‘hows’ in fitness training, which is a really big help motivation-wise. You might think the endless
issues of Cosmo and other magazines make you an expert in the quick-and-simple diet
and exercise explanations, but the way Dillman writes, as well as the charts and examples,
really does allow for some lightbulb moments. She’s very clear and informative while keeping things simple; encouraging but by no means freakishly perky. The exercises themselves have simple to follow
illustrations, as well as detailed technique tips so you’ll really be able to get the most
out of your workout (no sloppy, ‘Well this sure is easy! But I wonder why it isn’t doing anything?’ type of moments) and also to
insure you don’t injure yourself by doing them improperly. You’ll get a lot of mileage out
of this little book, especially if you combine it with something as simple as walking.
Why you should avoid this book: Not one for the miracle-seekers - Dillman states
clearly that her book focuses on strengthening muscles, but cardiovascular exercise and good eating
habits are also required for your health to stay at its peak and your weight to start
sliding down the scale. It is a ‘little’ workout book, so there’s obviously not endless
numbers of exercises, a consideration if you get bored easily.
Opening paragraph:
I never thought about the size or shape of my butt and thighs until I turned
thirty-nine and realized that all of my pants were too tight. I was ten pounds overweight,
small patches of rippled skin had mysteriously appeared on my inner thighs, and I had a
dimpled ass.
Fabulous quotes:
In a healthy body, muscle tissue should take up most of the space between your
skin and bones. As you age, or if you’re inactive, your muscles atrophy (i.e., get smaller),
and you gain fat that eventually takes up more space than your muscles. With smaller
muscles, your metabolism drops and you don’t burn as many calories. When you consider that
the lower-body muscles are some of the largest muscles in your body, you’re missing out on a
lot of calorie-burning if you don’t keep them in shape.
In Workout One, you’ll be using your body weight as resistance. Practicing these
compound exercises works both major and supporting muscles, strengthening your lower body,
improving your balance, increasing your hip and knee joint mobility, improving your posture
and torso stability, working your abdominal muscles, and improving your muscle tone.
Theexercises may look simple, but if you practice them in correct form, making slow, controlled
movements, you’ll feel your quads, hamstrings, and glutes start to burn as you reach the end
of your reps.
Also recommended: The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler; The Miracle of
Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Also by this author: The Little Yoga Book; The Little Footcare Book; The Little
Book of Healthy Teas; The Little Abs Workout Book; The Little Pilates Book; The Little Soy
Book; The Little Strength Training Book.
Author’s website:
href="http://www.littlefitnessbooks.com/">littlefitnessbooks.com
Would I read more by this author? I like the simple format - I wouldn’t mind
checking out her pilates and yoga books.
© Lisa Yanaky 2003-2005