Exercise

April 9, 2010

An Email from a Reader

I receive thousands of emails over the course of a year, but wanted to share one I received recently. It is reprinted here unedited in its entirety:

Dear Brad,

Just a quick note to THANK YOU for putting together your 28-day Body Shapeover book. It is “THE” book that just takes out all the guesswork in resistance training, and from wasting ridiculous amounts of money on lazy personal trainers!

I have been heavy-set for as long as I can remember, but got even heavier after having my three children who are now ages 17, 11, and 10. At my highest, I was 320 lbs and that was back in 2006. Since that time, I have been one of those who went through the yo-yo diet and exercise phases going from 320 to 240 then back to 300 and down to 280 – ridiculous times. I finally found myself and decided that if I just accept the challenge as part of my everyday life, as opposed to a chore or “must do” then I would enjoy working out and eating right.

So in January I did just that – it wasn’t easy – I still failed myself many times by going days/weeks without working out and eating crap; late February was a natural turning point and I haven’t stopped since. I’m a member at my local Gold’s Gym and started doing just cardio + good eating. Last weekend, I went to Barnes and Noble to find the “right” book to guide me with my resistance training (I’ve been out of work since June 2009 and couldn’t afford a trainer; was determined that finances wouldn’t deter me). There were so many books, but many made it seem so much more complicated that what resistance training really is. So I really liked your book because of its preciseness, guidance, versatility, and facts. IT’S THE BEST $20 I’VE EVER SPENT ON MYSELF!!! I have been following the plan since Monday and my body already feels the workouts. I’ve spent on trainers before – and in my opinion were a waste of my time and money.

So long story short (sorry) – I am super excited to have found your book, and super excited in incorporating your exercises into my regimen. I started at 264 on Monday, and am at 261 today.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING RESISTANCE TRAINING EASY AND EXCITING!

More power to you!

Jennifer

I’m always humbled when I receive these kinds of emails. Exercise is a complex science. I pore over dozens upon dozens of research articles every week in my never-ending quest to stay on the cutting-edge of the fitness field. The difficult part is to make this information accessible to the masses and to do so in a manner that can be practically applied to optimize results. I strive to attain this feat in all my writings, including here on this blog. Knowing that I’m accomplishing my goal is ultimately what makes my life’s work worthwhile.

If you have any thoughts you like to share on my blog or books, please send them to me. I read and respond to every one of my emails individually. As I said, it means a great deal to me to know that I’m making an impact.

Stay Fit!

Brad