Product Description

This workout book should help you to achieve the body you've always dreamed of. Following on from "Commando Workout", which used a four-week programme to build fitness, the text contains six 30-minute circuits based on military training techniques. Celebrity trainer and ex-commando Simon Waterson provides seven four-week programmes combining the circuits in different ways so you can achieve very specific results. Simon's real-life commando experiences form a backdrop to the programme, which should also increase mental endurance, give you a sense of personal challenge and achievement, increase speed, power, agility and reaction times and improve muscle tone and endurance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #210896 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review
'Simon's military background reflects strongly in his career as a personal trainer. He is highly motivated and disciplined and has a vast knowledge of nutrition and sports medicine.' PIERCE BROSNAN * "The top UK personal trainer" SUNDAY TIMES, STYLE * 'In the world of celebrity fitness, personal trainers are fast becoming stars in their own right. And one name that is dropping off well-glossed lips with regularity is Simon Waterson.' HELLO * "Pierce Brosnan's personal trainer will get you in shape in just four weeks" ESQUIRE * 'the man who honed Halle Berry's body can help you drop a whole dress size...In just a month, you will see a drop in body fat and an increase in lean muscle. Your cardiovascular fitness will be greater, as will your strength and endurance.' DAILY MAIL * 'I'm a longtime exerciser, starting in the U-S military back in the 1960s. Being over 50 now, I've been working to find a routine that includes cardio, strength and functional fitness. I think I finally found what I was looking for in your book. It's excellent. The strength work, especially, is putting me on the road to more balanced fitness. "Keep it Simple" is the best fitness philosophy I've read - and believe me I've got a ton of fitness info and books' Rob Starbuck, Madison, Wisconsin,USA

From the Publisher
Circuit training is the system used by anyone who needs to build serious levels of fitness – athletes, soldiers, climbers and explorers. This book will give you the body you’ve always dreamed of.

Following on from Commando Workout, which used a four-week programme to build fitness, 30 Minute a Day Body Challenge contains six 30-minute circuits based on military training techniques. The workouts target: • lower body • upper body • cardio • abs • plyometric (speed, strength and endurance) • the ultimate circuit challenge.

Celebrity trainer and ex-Commando Simon Waterson then provides seven four-week programmes combining the circuits in different ways so you can achieve very specific results: fat loss, ab attack, total tonin, serious strength, ski and trek workout, ball sport skill, and active pregnancy.

Simon’s real-life Commando experiences form a backdrop to the programme, which will also increase mental endurance, give you a sense of personal challenge and achievement, increase speed, power, agility and reaction times and improve muscle tone and endurance.

About the Author
Simon Waterson joined the Royal Naval Commandos when he was 16, serving in the 845 Naval Air Commando Squadron, special forces. He served for 7 years. As well as being a physical training instructor, he was in Bosnia for 2 years and was given the UN Medal and Land Campaign Medal for the campaign. He represented the Fleet Air Arm in the Royal Naval Field Gun Competition which is the hardest physical test in the World today. He has trained Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry for Bond films and Geri Haliwell.

Customer Reviews

The BEST Fitness Book
Where to start?

Three years ago I was fat. Very fat. I had ballooned up from 12 stone to 16 stone, and as a guy of 5'10", that wasn't good. For 2 and a half years, I searched for solutions. I checked every fitness messageboard on the internet. I tried a hundred different routines. I tried every diet under the sun. I thought I made the breakthrough when I read Matt Roberts' book, but I found the workout routines far too complex, time-consuming and requiring a gym at all times. I got very depressed, but in October of 2004 I heard about Simon Waterson for the first time. I was told that he was another 'trainer to the stars', and had got Pierce Brosnan in lean, muscular shape for the Bond movies. With nothing to lose but a tenner, I thought it was worth checking out this book.

Let me make one thing absolutely clear: when it comes to fitness and weight loss, I think there's nothing better than simplicity, clarity and planning. This is why I found Simon Waterson to be revolutionary. Waterson is a former Royal Marines Commando, and his fitness ethic reflects this - simple exercises that can be done anywhere with the minimal of equipment. No faddy nutritional plans either.

Waterson's opening chapters are inspirational in themselves. Firstly, he dedicates a chapter to MOTIVATION, something often overlooked by other trainers. Waterson doesn't pull any punches, taking a military 'tough love' stance; he encourages you to be clean with your kit, to take pride in your body and routine, to always aim high, dig deep and to 'improvise, adapt and overcome'. He also writes a chapter addressing the 'fact and fiction' myths you find in fitness, which helps clear up many issues for the average Joe. You can enter this regime with total confidence. He then goes on to list the kit you require, emphasising the basics. The least you need is a set of dumbbells, which you can probably pick up from a catalogue shop for less than £20. So no need to worry about all the nonsense about heart rate monitors, pedometers, fancy equipment, body fat percentage and all that. Just a couple of sturdy dumbbells (or even one of those stretchy resistance bands).

He then explains nutrition in a really clear way. You know all those things like 'carbohydrates', 'fat', 'protein' and 'omega oils'? Well, Waterson explains in small paragraphs what each macro-nutrient does, how much we need and where we get it from. I can't emphasise enough how no-nonsense this section is, and how accessible he makes food. No faddish rubbish. Soon you'll be making wholemeal toast and smearing on the peanut butter!

Finally he introduces the actual exercises, and workout routines. Interestingly enough, he has set routines for each body part, and they remain consistent...you only change the frequency of the exercises in order to make the specific progress you want (e.g. weight loss, muscle gain, general fitness, flat abs etc). The exercises really are a breath of fresh air. Not a gym machine in sight! It's mainly hard bodyweight exercises, aerobic activities and iron weight work that can be done with a simple pair of dumbbells.

Each routine is 4 weeks long, and can be repeated as many times as required. At the end of every four week cycle, you take the 'Body Challenge', where you take on a big circuit of exercises and record your results. After your next cycle you record your results again, and measure your progress. It's an excellent system to keep you motivated.

I did the fat loss routine for 4 x 4 week cycles (i.e. 4 months). In that time, I have lost 45lbs. I now weigh 12 and a half stone but, I must say, I am LEANER than I ever have been before. I have muscles I never knew existed, my shoulders are sculpted and, most importantly, I can run like a deer and crank out loads of push-ups and pull-ups! There's only one man responsible for turning my life around, and that's Mr Simon Waterson.

Make no mistake, Waterson's workouts are hard. Physically, anyone is capable of doing them, as you are only meant to go as far as YOU individually can. But it takes a great deal of discipline and diligence to complete the workouts. If you're looking for an easy ride, go for another book. If you've reached the point where you're mad as hell, and want to knock the weight off, you've probably got more than enough anger/drive to push you through the routines. Uniquely, I feel, Waterson manages to combine a healthy sense of the fitness/toning dichotomy. Too many trainers are concerned with either building muscle or losing weight, without addressing actual FITNESS. Those guys are cosmetic surgeons. Waterson will get you looking lean and mean again and, on top of that, you'll become super-fit. He change my life, and I wish I could give him 10 stars.

Buy this book!!!!!! :)

It works!
I'm 5 weeks into the fat loss program in the book, working out 5 times a week for a bit more than 30 minutes. Lost 6.5 kg so far and my overall physical condition has improved remarkably. I'm feeling much more energetic and allert. The principles are easy to pick up. A workout only takes about 30 minutes and you can do it basically anywhere (I work out twice a week in the gym, rest at home or business trips). There's really no excuse anymore... except lack of willpower. The workouts are intensive! I've given it 4 stars only because the editing is a bit dodgy, e.g. some of the pictures are incorrect.

I am proof that this book works
I used to be fit about 10 years ago, and that cost me 2.5 hours in the gym 3 or 4 times a week. It was enjoyable, but expensive in time. Then we had kids, I prioritised other things higher than the gym, and so I became a flabby and lardy Dad.

So, fast approaching 40 I wanted to get back into shape. I have just completed 4 weeks of this programme, and I have to say that I am at a fitness level now that took me 6 months to achieve more than 10 years ago. Why? Waterson's assertion is that you don't need to spend ages in the gym. You just need short, frequent and very intense sessions. And it really really does work - for me at least. And I read a news article recently at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4613073.stm which suggests that recent medical research confirms this.

Not only that, but his tips on avoiding injury are great. I used to spend weeks at a time resting strained tendons and muscles. Not now. Even with the extreme intensity of the workouts I am injury-free.

And there's more! He provides tips on how to stay with the routine even if your own life routine is interrupted. At short notice I had to work away from home for a week. With minimal equipment, I kept up the training routine at full pace. Then we went on holiday for a week in Spain. Again, I kept the routine going. Make no mistake, I am no gym rat now - his tips and techniques for sticking at it really work for me. Prior to this I tried unsuccessfully for about 3 years to get back into fitness.

Criticisms? I think someone else has mentioned that a couple of the photos are clearly wrong - they don't match the descriptions. Sloppy but not materially detrimental. And I would have preferred a bit more clarity and detail on the minimum equipment required and alternatives one can use for workouts away from home. Still, these are minor criticisms.

I liked this book so much I subsequently bought Waterson's "Commando Workout" book. It covers similar territory over the (valuable and very informative) introductory sections. The main difference is that the workout routine in Commando is much tougher than in "30 minutes". In essence the sessions are still 30-ish minutes each, but there are often 2 or more per day to do, rather than the 1 per day 4-5 days a week of "30 minutes".

I heartily recommend "30 minutes" to anyone who wants to improve their fitness and find a way of integrating a simple and unobtrusive fitness routine into their daily lives.