The Complete Holistic Guide to Working Out in the Gym

Judith E. Franchuk is a librarian in the Cameron Library at the
University of Alberta.

Portraying exercise as part of cultural, psychological, and physical
well-being, this book is aimed at information for fitness industry
professionals, undergraduates studying health and fitness, and
individuals interested in making the most of workouts in the gym.

Exercises for each main muscle group are efficiently described and
illustrated. Exercises for some of the less-talked-about muscles are not
provided. For example, there are exercise suggestions for the
Gastrocnemius and Soleus but none for working the Tibialis Anterior.
Information about free weights and the apparatus found in the gym (both
resistance and aerobic) is clear and easy to follow.

Pinchas also includes brief sections on gym culture, the benefits and
disadvantages of exercising in a gym, nutrition, and gym organization
and safety. More technical information is provided in sections dealing
with exercise theory and concepts, methods of developing physical
fitness, a comparison of exercise with free weights to that with
exercise machines, and the mechanics of setting up an individual
training program.

Instead of focusing on exercise fads or trends, Pinchas’s book
presents information that will provide long-term benefits to anyone
interested in fitness.