The Year One Challenge for Women: Thinner, Leaner, and Stronger Than Ever in 12 Months (The Thinner Leaner Stronger Series)

First, PLEASE ignore the reviews that are complaining about the lack of detail in this book. This is a companion training guide to THINNER, LEANER AND STRONGER. This book lays out a complete year long training plan and functions as a notebook to log your progress if you like. You should definitely look at THINNER, LEANER AND STRONGER before starting this training plan. I bought this book for my wife who was looking to change up her workout this year. I had recently read Mike Matthew's book for men and have really been enjoying and finding success with his suggested training program. I loved how simple and straightforward the workouts are. This is all stuff that you should be able to do in an hour at the gym, and there isn't any silly, confusing nonsense. Strength training is really not that complicated. As Matthews explains, so many people are just confused by all of the misguided, contradictory information we're bombarded with. My wife has been going to the gym fairly regularly for the past few years, but her time there hasn't been very organized or focused. Occasionally she would ask me to write out "something to do" at the gym, and she would do that routine for a while. Its good that she has been going, but at some point you need practical advice and a program like Mike Matthews offers here to really get the most out of your time. i.e. Do these things on this day, this number of times, this many weeks, etc; I was really impressed by this book. She won't be asking me to write out "something to do at the gym" anytime soon. The day's training plan is written out clearly, page by page here for the entire year. She is set! More importantly, I was happy to see that she read through THINNER LEANER STRONGER and seems to have picked up a better understanding of both WHAT she is doing and WHY she is doing certain things. Fair warning: I kind of laughed during the first week when she was complaining how tired she was at the end of the day. She couldn't understand it. I had the exact same reaction when I first started Mike's program last year. For a week or so, I was incredibly wiped out at the end of the day. It was very disconcerting because we're both pretty active people and no strangers to the gym. Don't let it slow you down or worry you. My body adjusted and caught up to the new training, and I haven't felt that level of exhaustion since. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Every day I see people at the gym paying $50/hour to have a personal trainer do goofy, not especially effective exercises. For about $20, you can get the two THINNER, LEANER books, save yourself hundreds of dollars through the year and get way more out of your time at the gym. Be patient, follow the advice here and good luck!

I'm a wife, mother, and an elementary school teacher. I meal plan, lesson plan, plan appointments...plan, plan, plan. I DON'T want to plan my workouts. In fact, I wasn't working out because it was one more thing I had to think about and plan. I like Mike Matthews--I've bought his Thinner, Leaner, Stronger book and his cookbook, both on my Kindle. After reading his blog for some time now, I trust what he says. I really like that I don't have to think about structuring my workouts, he's done all the work for me. I'm only 2 weeks in, so I can't comment on how effective it's been for me, but like I said, I trust what he says and I'm sore, so I believe it's doing what it should be doing! Maybe I'll be a "before and after" success story on his blog someday...but I've got to get better at the eating part for that to happen ;) I went back and forth about taking off a star because it should be spiral-bound. I know sometimes the author doesn't have choices in components of a book--perhaps Mike didn't with this one. Or perhaps it would have made it way more expensive. In the end I am reviewing this based on the content, and the content I feel is five stars. If I were working out in a gym (I work out in our home gym) it would be a different story because it would make the book less user-friendly for me. At home it's not as much a problem. I have had to come up with alternatives to gym machine exercises he's included. Use bodybuilding.com to look up alternatives. I also use their website to watch the videos to make sure my form is correct. **EDIT--I've been using this book as my workout plan for 9 weeks now and I LOVE it. I am seeing progress I've never seen before with any plan I've ever done (mostly The Firm and Cathe Friedrich tapes). I didn't start working on the food part until almost a month ago (read his Thinner, Leaner, Stronger book OR go to his website MuscleForLife.com and look up "meal planning") but it all WORKS. I'm tracking my progress in a Google Sheet and my weight/body fat is going down while I'm putting on muscle. My only complaint is that I'm losing time each day from flexing in the mirror, lol! I can't wait to see what happens in the next 2 months. **EDIT #2 on the spiral bound edition-- I love this book!! I finished the first one I bought, which this review was written for and then bought the newer edition with the spiral binding. It is a big improvement both with the binding and how it is organized with 5 day, 4 day, and 3 day a week workout plans. I use the 5 day/ week option because I can fit the workout into my morning routine, but sometimes it takes me longer than 5 days to complete a week. I'm still seeing improvements on my modified version. This last year I've worked on my consistency in working out and I'm finally in a place where I can say I am consistent (read the book Mini Habits by Stephen Guise if you too struggle with this--helped a lot for me). I'm still working on the food part, but I'm getting better with it. I think the best testament to the effectiveness of this workout plan was our recent trip to Miami. It's rare that I am happy once I see the pictures that are taken on a beach vacation, but this year was the exception. It is a regular occurrence that when people find out that I have kids in their twenties, they don't believe it. I credit Mike's advice for that--when you are toned you look younger. Don't think that you have to lift impossibly heavy weights to get the body you want either. If anyone saw what I'm putting on the bar they'd think I was a wimp. But I'm a wimp who regularly gets under the bar and lifts it. I highly recommend this book!

I struggled between 4 and 5 stars. I recently purchased this book to start my one year challenge. I've already been weightlifting for a few years. I wanted to really make some better progress. I'm a total fan of Mike's books. I have both his cook books, thinner leaner stronger (on audio) and his fitness myths book. I have really attempted to use the information he provided to change the way I eat even more then I had, and to hone in my fitness routine. After two weeks I am already seeing improvements. The workouts seem easy and pointless but the next day you feel the burn. Just don't forget you have to push yourself to make the progress and be willing to challenge bumping up the weights. My only beef with the book is that it's geared to people with a gym membership. I have a home gym I've been slowly building and refuse to go back to the meat market where you can't get your hands on the good stuff (because of all the Meatheads hogging it while taking selfies) Some of the exercises I simply don't have the equipment for and there is not substitutions or modifications. I've tried to look some up but really.. there is not much I can find to be the equivalent to the leg press. But even so 90% of the exercises I CAN do! My only other beef is there isn't much on Max Rep. You need to know what that is to know where to start with his guide. It took me a little while of research outside his book to really understand that. It's not difficult or anything but kinda the key to unlock the rest of it. Otherwise I highly recommend it for people struggling on what the heck to do for a workout. It's certainly helped me fix my plan, and honestly simplify it.

I completed the full year of workouts but was loose with the dietary suggestions. None the less, I did in fact become “thinner” leaner & stronger. I’m so thankful to have a healthy appreciation for progressive overload. I am a strong woman thanks to this book and have loved everything from Legion Athletics. I recommend it to everyone at any level.

I'm a middle-aged woman experienced in strength training, and had done it for years prior to taking a break for a couple years. As expected, I lost all my definition and strength. This program has made it fun and easy for me to get back into strength training, and WOW, I was not expecting the results to come so quickly. I began the program in February and by July, I have visible definition on my arms (very difficult for me to do usually), abs, and legs. What I especially love about it is that while it's a hard program, it still keeps things very simple and I don't feel especially exhausted or burned out after a session. Even my teen daughter, who is very new to strength training, enjoys it! We do the 3-days-a-week plan, but there are options for 4 days a week and 5 days a week as well. Everything is very science-based, and the workout journal is so satisfying to write in and keep track of my progressive overloads (though I do recommend getting the actual book first to get to know the plan and the reasons for why you're doing what you're doing, plus nutrition/calorie deficit tips). Keeps me wanting to come back for more!

I am an avid gym-goer. I never have kept track of my training I have always just trained hard. In fact, I am an over trainer. I decided to take it back a notch and follow this program. I really like that each workout has hard enough exercises (if you do it right) that will leave you feeling tired by the time your done, which is usually about 40 minutes total. I am also eating clean on a -1lb a week on a caloric deficit. Overall, I have not changed body composition and I'm at week 5. I like that I'm consciously lifting more and getting stronger making each workout better than the last, but.. I do think that over the course of a year programming tempo and rep ranges should change. There is a lot of research on this and what an athlete athlete body best responds to. I know hes going for the "keep it simple stupid" approach but I think there needs to be a balance between everything you do. Doing the same thing repeatedly and only slightly changing movements is not enough to truly advance your athletic abilities. This would be great for a beginner that can execute the movements properly. Unfortunately, most of the readers who seek out things like this have barely even looked in the direction of a weight room.

This, I think, is key to implementing the Thinner, Leaner, Stronger protocol. In that book Michael Matthews lays out the program, but it is soooooo nice to have this training log that lays it all out specifically and cleanly and for a whole year! Others have complained that they feel silly carrying this big book around the gym... I really just don't care about that. I used a big butterfly clip to turn the cover back and keep the book at the page I'm on so it feels a little more like "clipboard style". I have done so many other programs -- Strong Curves, New Rules of Lifting for Women, etc. but I just never felt like I was enjoying them or getting the results I hoped for (I know they are good, I know there are women who LOVE them, they just weren't for me). THIS program is for me...deceptively simple in it's design, the straightforwardness leaves you feeling like you have gone back to basics in an awesome way. No super sets, drop sets, etc. Mostly compound movements employing progressive overload, appropriate rest between sets, HIIT cardio (I despise endurance cardio and love the efficiency of HIIT!), and shorter workouts (45 mins to an hour for me). I have seen more results in one month on this program than I have seen in many months doing others. THAT is motivating! Whatever your fitness level, I believe you can make gains using this protocol. Check out the success stories on Muscle for Life (you can click on the female symbol to just look at women's stories). They are very inspiring and Mike Matthews not only knows his stuff but he is honest and available if you have questions. Get this book, do exactly what it says and you will see results (as long as you also read TLS and get your flexible diet on, too!)

This wasn't at all what I had expected when I purchased the book. I was hoping for a reference guide of sorts to help me become more knowledgeable of how to build my own workouts and the benefits of doing so in each way. Since there were no previews of the content I suppose the blame falls on me. I've attached a few photos to help others out who are curious what the contents actually are so there is no confusion. The book is essentially a WORKOUT JOURNAL (Which is great if that's what you're looking for), but it is MISSING CONTENT! (Explained in depth below) I had to do some digging because I apparently I just bought book "version 1.0" according to a forum response by Michael Matthews. The daily programs list calf workouts A, B, and C at the end of each segment. However, the workouts are NOT listed in the book at all. Which is apparently updated in "version 2.0". In order to complete the workouts you have to go to http://www.muscleforlife.com/calves-workout/ to find them listed about halfway down a lengthy post. Another portion that was missed are the Ab Circuits. Same reasoning was given, that it's an earlier version of the book. (An entirely different conversation) The Ab circuits can allegedly be found at: http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-get-six-pack-abs/. BUT What you actually see are 9 photos of men sporting killer abs, 1 woman, and a few favorite exercises and examples, no definite list to follow for the circuits mentioned in the book. If you want the CORRECT version of the book, which I do not have yet you need to purchase "Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body" .... http://www.amazon.com/Thinner-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B0098PYV7Q/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452751927&sr=1-4&keywords=bigger+leaner+stronger I sincerely hope this helps someone else. Maybe I should have read more intensely into the reviews. I would have saved myself the time, effort, and money in returning this as it's useless for my needs. I should also note... if you want to take it into the gym and actually use it for it's purpose... it's way to large in my opinion. Summarize: Pros: -No thinking -Keep track of your workouts -Recipes listed in the back -Workouts listed seem to have proven results -Good Organization and structure Cons: -Old Version -Missing Calf Workouts A, B, and C -Missing Ab Workouts -ZERO visual aids -You have to refer to a website to see visual content -Large and not practical for gym use -Many ads in both front and back of book -Design doesn't come off as "female friendly"

Very informative but no need to print pages and pages of workout journal sheets in today’s era of computers and tablets. The book could be a fraction of the size without all the journal sheets!

Simple and easy to use. Everything is planned for a year, no excuses. Anyone can follow it. Good companion to the main book too.

I wish I'd read the 1 star reviews before I purchased this as I would have understood that this book doesn't meet expectations. The content should have just been an additional paragraph in TLS which I already have but also found it not easy to navigate/implement without having to re read sections over and over again. I thought this book would give the basic steps and breakdown of how to implement TLS but it was woefully deficient. I got it in kindle version so even more unhelpful than maybe the physical book. If I'd picked this up on a shelf I'd never have purchased it. As it's a kindle when you get a sample they're often super random and hard to tell what the actual book would be like. REGRET buying! Cannot find a way to return for a refund even though only purchased a few days back.

Purchased this and Thinner Leaner Stronger to kickstart my sister's fitness journey, and consider this the best investment made yet! This workbook provides any fitness newbie or veteran with structured workouts and eliminates guesswork from the equation, which really makes it analogous to hiring a personal trainer of your own. My sister has the habit of aimlessly wandering around while at the gym and only half-heartedly applying some of the exercises/form adjustments I suggest to her; with this workbook in her arsenal, she gets straight to task on her scheduled routine for the day. More importantly, recently she has been making a conscientious effort to hit the gym after work, and asks to accompany me when I would have had to drag her by the heels previously! I have demoed a couple of workouts myself (with slight modifications to hit certain muscles in lieu of the ones targeted) - they make sense, get results, and are concise enough to complete in under an hour, which is a godsend for anyone who hates spending more time in the gym than necessary. Would highly recommend if you'd like to simplify and streamline your routine, or if find yourself reading a lot of fitness books but never know where to start!!

Ja also immer wenn ich beginnt zum gym rennen kriege ich mehrere kilo auf. So ehrste zweite woche habe ich auch 4 kg mehr gewicht bekommen aber leute die mich kennen glaubte dass ich habe viele kilo weck und war auf diet. Ich glaube diese buch ist gut falls man auch mit grösserer hanteln und gewichte nutzen.