The Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises is presented as an ultimate go-to resource for women looking to get in shape. Inside you will find 619 exercises, 100 core exercises, 74 biceps, triceps, and arm exercises, 64 different ways to work your chest, 103 different back exercises, 40 shoulder exercises, and 167 exercises for your legs and butt.

The question is – volume of content aside, is this book useful, easy to understand, easy to navigate, and just all around worth your time?

Here is a summary of what you will find inside -

Chapter 1 discusses the myriad of reasons women should lift weights. Topics covered include why weight lifting burns more calories and fat, how weight lifting improves one’s health, and reasons weight lifting may improve your mood and how you feel about yourself. Many readers are likely to be familiar with some of the benefits of weight lifting, but not all, and many may learn for the first time the actual reasons behind many of the benefits.

Chapter 2 covers all the basics of lifting. In my opinion, this section goes beyond the basics. Many experts, books, and magazines are happy to tell you WHAT to do, but seldom do they explain WHY. This is a great section for anyone who is getting to the point where they want to know how to put together their own weight lifting or fitness training program. If you want to know how, how much, and how frequently to lift for muscle gains – it tells you. If you want to lift to burn fat instead, you learn exactly how many reps, how often, how much weight, and how quickly you should be lifting.

Chapter 3 – The World’s Simplest 4 week diet. This chapter covers a simple nutrition plan to ensure fat loss. While many people like to make losing fat complicated, the process is as simple (or as hard) as eating fewer calories than you burn on a daily basis. The diet plan suggested in the Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises is simply a higher protein, vegetable, and healthy fat program that suggests avoiding high calorie processed foods and any food high in carbohydrates (like bread, pasta, grains, and simple sugars.) Simply avoiding foods high in calories, like pasta and candy, can be enough to allow most people to eat fewer calories while eating the same volume of food. This makes it easier to eat less and still feel satisfied. » Read more: Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises Review