A Different Way of thinking that works!
This book is a leap of faith for cardio-holics, but the book produces results. Easy to understand, with minimal equipment.

EXCELLENT
I am family practice physician who for years told people what the AHA (American Heart Association) recommendations were, exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes with your heart in the zone. I, however, did not practice what I preached. I did not enjoy cardio exercise and found it made me more hungry too. When a trainer mentioned this book to me I read it in two hours, I was so thrilled that what I went through was felt by others. Now I am only doing strength training early in the morning and I feel great. Too early to see results yet, but I am excited for the first time in my life to get up early and lift weights!

Very informative and easy to use book
I greatly enjoyed this book-full of great ideas and very easy to use-I still review the weight routine pages every other day to do my training.

THE SCOOP!

THEORY: Former runner and aerobics instructor, Jim Karas, was "adamant that cardio was the key to weight loss," but later discovered he was wrong. His latest Cardio-Free Diet book appeals to those tired of treadmills, StairMasters, and the jogging trail without the desired results. He says in order to get the body you've always wanted you need strength training. He says cardiovascular workouts only burn a few calories and make you hungrier - not to mention the wear and tear on your joints. The Cardio-Free Diets emphasizes strength training, which boosts metabolism, builds muscles, and provides heart-healthy benefits. The workout is 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week, and promises a leaner, stronger, sculpted body. The basis for his weight loss is the age-old but often forgotten:
Weight = Calories eaten - Calories expended by resting Metabolism and Activity.

According to the book, in order to lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than your body requires for metabolism and daily activity. Karas says to lose weight you need to create a caloric deficit by eating less, increase your activity, and elevate your basal metabolic rate. Furthermore, he says that building and maintaining muscle can speed up metabolism because muscle burns ten to twelve times the calories per pound each day that fat does. Therefore, by building muscle you burn more calories even at rest. This is not new news to many of us; nevertheless, it is true.

THE DIET is a calorie-counting, portion-control, 1,200 calorie per day plan (for women) that eventually goes to 1,500 calories per day. The diet is not vegetarian, includes fish, chicken, salad, fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc., and is basically low-glycemic. The meal plan has 28-day menus which provide dishes such as apple balsamic chicken, Dijon turkey, feta vegetable omelets, and grilled tomato tuna. A glass of wine a day is also allowed. Karas provides detailed shopping lists and tips on eating out. You will need to get your own calorie counter, as the book stresses the importance of portion control. He also advocates a daily weigh-in and keeping a food journal. The diet is somewhat time-consuming with needed preparation.

EXERCISE: Karas recommends completely giving up cardio and doing 20 minutes of exercise, 3 times a week, using resistance bands and/or free weights. Nevertheless, the strength training is done at a high intensity thereby providing some cardio. The workout is pretty basic (squat's, flye's) and targeted toward someone who understands the jargon but is not very advanced. An advanced weight lifter undoubtedly knows what to do already, but may pick up some additional ideas. You do not need a gym. While the bands may be a great tool for packing in a suitcase when you travel, I personally prefer weights as they seem much less awkward. So don't give up on weight training if you find bands a little clumsy.

I agree that if you want to see muscles and change the shape of your body, weight training will do it. In addition, people who believe they can control their weight through exercise alone, whether it's running 20 miles a day or spending 15 hours lifting weights, will still need to control what they eat. You cannot burn enough calories exercising in a whole day as you can inadvertently eat in 10 or 20 minutes. If you are able to stick to the diet and exercise program as it is laid out, you will lose weight. If you want to keep it off forever, you need to do this program or some other lifestyle-changing program that works for you for life. Debra Lawrence, author of THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams

Not a book for beginners
If you are an exercise novice as I am, this book is not for you. Karas' concept sounds good and he certainly has passion for the subject, having trained his entire life. Maybe his instructions are clear to those with a similar background, but I needed much more info:

1) I know the general location of my trapezoids and deltoids but I'd need to check an anatomy chart for their exact location to focus on them in the exercises.

2) I have no idea what a fly, quarter squat, or torso curl are - let alone how to do them with proper form, which Karas emphasizes but doesn't describe.

3) The exercise equipment is not explained but is mandatory for the program -- Karas recommends buying specific colors of Xertubes and Lex Loops. I never heard of these, and he gave no info on where to buy them. I found a site that sells them but the mysterious colors aren't explained there either. The site's "Jim Karas packages" didn't include the colors recommended on page 44.

4) As I was reading, I kept thinking "Where is this guy's editor?" Someone needs to explain the terms and clarify the instructions. The step-by-step exercise instructions shown with photographs are sometimes different from the text descriptions. Only 2 photographs illustrate each exercise - not enough to show the complex movements, especially as the text stresses doing them with correct form! On the diet side, calories must be counted but no calorie chart was included and there weren't any vegetarian alternatives.

So much basic info was omitted that I wonder what else Karas assumes I know. I hesitate to perform these exercises without professional supervision checking my form to prevent injury. Maybe a DVD/book combo would be better for beginners.