Review by Michael Merlino:

As a personal fitness trainer, I am always looking for common sense ways to explain proper nutrition to my clients. At first I bought this book for myself to help improve my running and get the most out of my workouts. What I found was a book that will not only help an athlete improve performance but has common sense nutritional information for almost anyone. Nancy is a Registered Dietitian who cuts through the nutrition myths and lays out a coming sense eating plan that works for almost anyone. If you are looking for a new fad diet you won’t find it here although she has added a couple of chapters on sensible weight management in the latest edition. Sports specific chapters include how to carbo load before an event and what it really takes to add muscle mass. The book has over 200 quick and easy recipes that help round out your nutrition plan. After you read it you will wonder why you didn’t take this common sense approach to nutrition years ago. Even if you buy it and don’t read it from cover to cover, you can still pick up invaluable tips just browsing through and reading her informative tables and charts. A great way to jumpstart your nutrition plan by eating sensibly, keeping your body fueled and keeping your energy up.

Review by :

I have been on all kinds of diets trying to figure out what would be the best Meal plan for me to follow for the rest of my life. I found the answers in this book. I have also visited a nutritionist to see if I was on track. I told my Nutritionist that I purchased Nancy Clark’s Book and my nutritionist had told me “This is an Excellent Book… you’re on the right track”. What an investment I made. This book has sections on all kinds of Nutrition requirements for the Young, middle aged, elderly, Athletes and Bodybuilders. This book is concise, simple to read and provides pertinent information with a lot of illustrations. What a GREAT READ !

Review by Greling C. Jackson Jr.:

I like this product. Let me first start by saying that I do not think this is “the BEST” protein product ever. However, I’ve tried many protein products and this comes rather close.

In my honest opinion, “the BEST” protein product out there would have to be “Profect” by Protica Research. It’s actually the stuff used by gastric bypass patients. It’s 25 grams of high-absorb protein in only 2.7 fluid oz that literally tastes like fruit candy. But, it’s way too expensive and a two-months supply can set you back a couple of hundred bucks easily. Because of this, it’s better suited strictly toward its medical purposes.

This product is also not the “most cost-effective”. There are plenty of other whey products out there that are much much cheaper and have just as much protein content, but they all pretty much taste like doo doo. What’s the point in torturing yourself to save a few bucks? Cost is definitely an important factor, but not the most important.

Apart from all of the hype and apart from all of the hate, I would say that I really do like this product. It tasted a bit gross with just plain water, but when I added it to a cup of enriched soymilk, I couldn’t tell the difference between it and a regular kid’s chocolate milk shake. That is amazing. And this product did mix pretty well. I usually have problems with that when it comes to powdered shakes and it’s always great when you can get a shake that doesn’t just sit on the bottom of the cup and cement while everything else just floats to the top. I even added a serving of Benefiber fiber supplement, and it still didn’t clump up.

One problem that I have with this product is that it does use artificial sweeteners, but I’ll let that slide for now, since I don’t intake too many products with them anyway. Still, it is a cause for concern for those you who want to avoid such things in your diet entirely.

Overall, 4 of of 5 stars. I’m pleased but not impressed. This product is definitely one of the superior brands out there but most definitely not a “gold standard”. A lot could be done to improve it.

Review by Andres:

This is the best Protein powder you can get, no doubt and let me explain you why.

If you want a good tasting thing and that is your first priority then get one of those Wendy’s or McDonalds’s shakes. I mean, is that simple. Don’t be so picky about the taste when you are consuming a Protein Shake. The industry has advanced a lot over the years and the powders get better and better with the time, so stop whining.

Now, if you still are into that taste and everything else comes second, then look for another product that has more saturated fat, more sugar, more simple carbs, less protein per scoop (less than the impressive .79 oz of Protein per oz of powder, a whooping 79%) and that is not 100% whey.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think this powder tastes great, it’s just not THE best taste out there (but who knows, maybe for you it is) but the benefits beat that. I have tried the double rich chocolate, the vanilla flavor, the strawberry flavor and the cookies and cream. They all taste good to me, especially if you know how to prepare them.

The amount of calories very slightly from flavor to flavor (no more than 10 calories per scoop) but let’s take for example, the double rich chocolate.

1 scoop has 120 calories, 10 from fat, a minimum amount of carbs and 24 grams of Whey protein. In case you don’t know, Whey protein is the most respected type of protein there is (with the white egg protein) since your body uses it entirely, unlike other types of protein that may become body fat if there’s not enough physical activity.

The price is incredible too. Whether you are a weight lifter, body builder, somebody that wants to grow muscles or maybe somebody on a diet to eliminate that belly, you know how expensive food can be during the month. A Shake after workout there, a bar over there, whole wheat bread, fruits, etc. If spending extra money doesn’t affect that’s fine but if you sometimes have to take care of your personal budget then the price gives you another reason to choose 100% Whey.

I don’t think there’s a lot more to say here. This is the best selling powder and for good reasons.

And if you really need a good taste, then here are some recipes.

Prepare these in a blender, it’s the best way.

1)Cut a banana in pieces and put them at the bottom.

2)Ice cubes, like 8-12 depending on the size.

3)2 scoops of double rich chocolate.

4)Milk. I prefer Soy Milk. It has some good fats and is better. 12 oz are more than ok.

Shake it until its ok. I’m not gonna confuse you saying “30 seconds” because some blenders do in 5 seconds what others do in like almost a minute.

Protein: 60-65 grams (almost 50 coming from the powder and more than 10 from the milk)

Calories: About 500 (The soy milk I drink has 100 calories per each 8oz glass, again look at the nutrition facts of your milk)

Calories from fat: About 60 (Half of them coming from good fats due to the soy milk).

Instead of the banana you can try rasberries too.

The cookies and cream recipe works the same as the chocolate recipe, plus the calories are the same. If you want a good strawberry shake do the same thing replacing the bananas with strawberries. Like 10 strawberries will be fine. It will have less calories since strawberries have less calories than the banana. Make sure the fruit is at the bottom, then you put the ice and after that you put the protein and the milk is at the end.

Enjoy.

Review by Zboro:

Great read and reference. Provides the right kind of authoritative benchmark behind the “whys” in planning nutrition for sports and then takes things a step further looking ahead to support planning the how and when to eat for peak performance. Detailed enough for the serious elite athlete yet even without having the science at my finger tips it provides an understandable base line for the weekend jock planning specific sports activity and wanting to do the correct thing…Ties together all those helpful “coach-isms” we all heard over the years and dispells several that were not afterall in our best interest. I’d like to have Dr. B available as my personal trainer.

Review by Lyle:

First and foremost, this exceptional book is not a “one stop reference”; thats an idea that people often look for in a book, that probably doesn’t really exist. Quality books should be added to your library, taken for what they are and what they offer, and compared to other similar books to create a bigger picture or understanding as it applies to you…there is no single perfect “way” when it comes to nutrition, much like training for your chosen sport. This book is no exception, it is well researched and exceptionally useful, written by an author that applies what he knows to Olympic athletes. As a strength athlete most interested in powerlifting and strongman types of lifting and competition, the chapters referring to this type of training directly are limited and mostly bunched up with wrestlers, etc. under “power athletes”, so it isn’t exactly what I was looking for, but it still fits the bill in alot of ways as the info is there just not set out by itself under that title. Advanced Sports Nutrition covers a broad range of sports and has tons of useful information on everything nutrition that can be useful to just about anyone. It covers alot of unique as well as general topics. Join it up with a few more books like Nutrition Almanac and you’ll be on your way to having whatever you need at your fingertips. This book is worth your time and money, although like myself, you might not realize the extent if its usefulness until you open it up and start putting things together.

Organization and topics:

Part I Nutritional Sources for Athletes

-energy nutrients, vitamins/minerals, fluids/electrolytes, and ergogenic aids

Part II Nutritional Aspects of Optimal Performance

-timing, absorption, oxygen, and inhibitors

Part III Factors Affecting Nutritional Needs

-travel, altitude, gender/age, and body comp/weight

Part IV Nutritional Strategies for Specific Energy Systems

-Metabolism for endurance/power (anaerobic/aerobic), and needs for both

Part V Nutritional Plans for Specific Sports

-Power/speed sports, endurance sports, and combined power/endurance sports.

Review by Ralph Warren:

I was expecting so much more so I was definitely disappointed. It is not a disaster like Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 but there are many better titles out there such as Wii Fit Plus, both EA Actives, Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout and the original My Fitness Coach. I’ll hang on to it and use it occasionally for variety.

I want to make it clear that the only similarities between the original MFC and MFC2 are the title and the general look of the case it comes in. Other than that, MFC2 is a completely different piece of software.

Negative points:

1. More flash than substance. The menus are pretty but slow to navigate.

2. You tell it your goals and fitness level. It picks your workouts. It doesn’t tell you an approximate length. You can see the activities but they “flip” at you 2 at a time. Someone must have thought it was a cute way to show them but it is not very practical. There’s no way to pause the display or change the pace.

3. There’s no flow to the activities. You do an activity and then it rates your performance. Again, flash over substance, as it counts up to your rating rather than just displaying it. I entered myself as “fit” so that I would be challenged but the activities are not very challenging.

4. The rating seems to be mostly based upon your timing rather than the quality of your moves. It does measure effort. There is a timing bar that you are supposed to watch which is quite distracting. Instead you just try to follow the instructor. The measurements are weak. It measures Jogging and similar exercises by the remote in your right hand. You can sit on your couch and wave the remote up and down. For boxing moves you also just have the one remote but it claims to measure both hands. EA Active rates the full movement and gives leeway on the timing. That makes more sense to me.

5. There is a nutrition section and a lifestyle section. Are you really referencing the Wii for nutrition and lifestyle suggestions?? I doubt it. Use a PC or a book instead.

6. Instructions on EA Active and the original My Fitness Coach are better than the ones here. These are mostly just watching a video without any useful audio.

7. There’s no way to customize your workouts other than changing your goals but there’s no telling what you’ll get.

8. There are 5 challenges. I did the Boxing challenge. It was more of a workout than the regular workouts but it is the same each time. It was a challenge to stay focused when it had me repeat the same 8 boxing moves for 48 reps.

Positive points:

1. It works. It picked up my movements.

2. It uses the balance board. I know that many of you care about that. I don’t. The balance board is small and often restricts movement. For example, on a squat you would usually spread your legs apart but if you are doing them on a balance board you have to keep them mostly together.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if they had just improved upon the original, maybe by having a pure step routine that could be done for 30 minutes?

Review by Glass of Water:

If you liked the original stay as far away from this one as possible. The developers removed all the positive aspects of the original My Fitness Coach and replaced it with flashier graphics and less quality workouts.

Aspects of My Fitness Coach 1 not included in My Fitness Coach 2: the ability to use external equipment (stability ball, step, weights), vigorous workouts with little downtime and interruption, the ability to work out without holding the wiimote.

None of these qualities that I loved about the original are part of the new version. The new version boasts nutrition guides, but these are nothing you couldn’t find online. The addition of the nutrition section does not justify all the qualities this game is lacking. The new trainers are obnoxious and look horribly low quality, even on our HDTV.

Had the developers been able to retain the things I loved about the original and just added the fitness tracking and nutrition, it would have been a wonderful health and fitness center. Now it will just be getting sold back to Gamestop. We’re keeping our original version. Waste of money.

Review by Krykie:

This product is what I expected from the infomercial – the infomercial is a good representation of what you’ll get. The DVDs are good, come in a small case (no excess packaging to exaggerate or compensate for lack of real product). The accompanying written materials are good too.

However, I found that I wasn’t quite in shape enough when P90X arrived to use it well. I went back and bought Tony Horton’s “Power Half Hour” and used that for a few weeks first – had to wake up some muscles I’ve let go dormant. I’ve been in good shape most of my life, but kind of got lazy lately – I needed to get a basic foundation before I could jump into the incredible workouts he provides.

Make no mistake; this is a commitment. The workouts are long, and hard, but they are engaging. No geeky cheesy cheerleader pep talks in the DVD, and no arrogant gym rat jerks either. If I win the lottery, I’ll try to hire Tony as my personal trainer; he has a good positive attitude, and seems to keep the workouts real with a sense of humility and humor.

The segment timer is great. Though the workouts are typically an hour long, he has “chunked” them down into segments, with a “progress bar” on the screen – kind of like the bar on the computer – so you can adjust your pace or your mindset with the workout.

Tony uses both men and women of differing degrees of flexibility and fitness; there’s always a body on the screen up there to help me with my own form.

I’m a former Marine – and this is used to replace my “daily thirteen.” If only I knew about some of these workouts back in the day… So I give it a thumbs up from the perspective of some really challenging workouts I’ve experienced in the past.

Overall, a good deal. But be warned, it isn’t for the fat couch potato. Like the infomercial says, its for folks that want to get in BETTER shape; the expectation is that you already are in shape and want to take it to the next level.

Review by Angelus Draven:

*Original Power 90 review*

Let me first say that i’m one of the people that tried the regular Power 90 workout videos at first. I was pretty much a couch potato who would work out once in a while, and then just stop completely for several months. Power 90 is a decent workout for people who are trying to get back into shape who want to get into a mediocre level of fitness; or just maintain an average body.

Pros for Power 90:

1.)A good smooth start for beginners. It will get your body in decent shape.

2.)Short workout time. The workouts last from 35-45 minutes; stretching, warming up, workout, and cool down in all.

3.)Good mix of everything. Tony incorporates stretching, warming up, and cooling down all at the right times during a workout.

4.)Has a timer countdown on screen.

5.)Tony has great direction, tries to motivate you, and tries to be funny. Just by listening to him speak and guiding on how you should do a certain movement/stretch, you get a sense that he actually knows what he’s talking about when it comes to fitness.

6.)Tony TOUCHES, but doesnt dive into what’s in the P90X program. He scratches on Stretching, Yoga, Strength training, Cardio, Kicking/Punching. This sets you up and gets you somewhat used to what comes in P90X.

Cons for Power 90:

1.)When I saw the routine and the small “studio” they shot this in, I really wasnt impressed. But then again, it was my first workout

video, so I have nothing to really compare it to. It just gave me the impression that the workout would be cheesy and generic.

2.)Repetitive. You have Level 1 and Level 2 routines. Basically Cardio Level 1, and Circuit Training level 1. Once you get to level 2, you’re pretty much stuck doing the same thing every other day, and it gets old after the first month.

Bottom line for Power 90: If you’re only a beginner or would just like to maintain your weight/average body, Power 90 is for you. If you can’t get through the regular Power 90, don’t try P90X just yet. Work your way up.

*And now for P90X Review*

Like someone already said, the packaging for all 13 DVDs is great, and no excess garbage cases. The Nutrition Guide is very informative and well written, and so is the Workout Book they include. I dont follow the food guide to the ‘T’ since i’m on a budget, but they include great recipes for pretty much anyone’s taste.

The reason I included a review of the regular Power 90 was to express just how impressed I am with the improvement and greatness that the P90X routine is.

Pros over the regular P90:

1.) The workouts are HARD. Unless you’ve have an Olympian type body(which 99% of us dont), these workouts will kick your butt. If it doesn’t, you’re obviously not trying hard enough or doing something wrong.

2.) No matter what level of fitness or what sport you love to play, you’ll benefit from these routines. Tony covers everything to improve flexibility, strength, endurance, and stamina. Any athlete will become an even better one after 90 days.

3.) Not repetitive. You can go for almost 2 weeks without doing the same workout twice. In the regular Power 90, you only tasted some of the things that P90X has. This expands on EVERYTHING you learn in Power 90; things like Yoga, Strength training, Cardio, High/Low impact movements, Flexibility, etc.

4.) Price. For 120 bucks, you get the Nutrition guide, Workout Guide, and 1 intro DVD + 12 Workout DVDs. Pretty much under 10 dollars per DVD. That would be about 30$ a month, which is an average cost for going to a gym. In the long run, the program pays for itself.

5.) In reality, all you need are workout bands and your own body weight to do everything in the program. The key thing is how you use the bands, so you dont necessarily need weights or the pull-up bar. However, if you’re trying to bulk up, I recommend using weights.

6.) Presentation. The workout studio they shoot it looks great and truly fits the atmosphere for the whole P90X image. Direction and guidance from Tony like always, is outstanding. He tells you exactly how to perform a stretch/workout/warmup, why you do it, and where you should feel the burn or stretch. Like someone else pointed out, his workout buddies vary in body types so you can see the results of what each body type can achieve in the end.

Cons:

1.) The workouts are long. I guess technically this isnt a con, since the program is meant to be (P90)Xtreme.

2.) Supplements are expensive. I was going to say over-priced, but then I look at the supplements that I personally like taking as an alternative to BeachBody’s stuff. BB’s supplements dont have as much protein as I like in my post-workout drink.

As you can see the Pros greatly outweigh the Cons…which there pretty much isnt.

Bottom line: Like other reviewers have said, if you’re a beginner dont start out on P90X. Start out with Power 90 first. But if you’re in decent shape, there’s no other program out there that will turn you into a better athlete.

Lastly, follow a good diet. Whether you’re trying to lose fat or bulk up, 60% of your results will be from your diet, believe it or not it’s true.

Review by John:

This is a great fitness book. It was written by Navy doctors working for Special Warfare teams (SEALS). The book is thick because it is actually two books in one: the SEAL fitness book + the nutrition book. What I found in the book was great scientific information that a layperson can understand, without all the hype and fluff and self-promotion you find in most fitness books. If you want to know how to lift weights, for example, what the % or RMI is, oxygen uptake, and heart rate and aerobic guidelines, as well as BMI inforamation, and information on biking, swimming, lifting, plyometrics, etc., get this book. This book is better than almost all the other fitness books I have seen in that it is almost 100% science, and 0 % hype. Don’t let the “SEAL” thing scare you off, either: this book is for everyone.

Review by William B. Dwinnell IV:

This is a pair of military guidebooks (physical fitness and nutrition) bound as a single book for commercial sale.

Pros:

-Expert authors make this an authoritative source.

-The material is very recent with broad coverage.

-The text is written in plain language.

-The text follows a truly educational format, with much explanation of terms before advice is given.

-Illustrations are clear and used effectively

-Even at full retail price, this book is a steal, and is a much better source than many “celebrity” fitness books.

Cons:

-Material should have been slightly modified for commercial sale. For instance, much of the data, formulas, etc. are specifically for men. Including corresponding material for readers outside the original intended audience would not have been hard.

Review by Michael D. Wade Sr.:

Weightmania Pro. Fitness, Nutrition and Diet Software (Windows Version)

Outstanding product. Feature rich. I was looking for something to track both calorie intake and workouts. This product does it all plus. Download the demo to get a taste. Records food intake, workouts, medical data like blood pressure and sleep hours. Allows one to track progress. Exactly what I was looking for.

Review by Music fan:

I have only been using this application for about 2 weeks now. It really does exactly what I want it to and that is track caloric intake and monitor weight. There are many other things it can do such as tracking workouts (which I don’t do), track body measurement (weight, BMI, Body Fat%, etc), medical data (including hours sleep).

I can’t really complain about a program that offers too much and it is my fault (for lack of a better word) that I don’t use all the other functionalities. So, why take off the 1 star? Well, even for the few functions I use, it does not seem all that easy to enter in data even though there is an Input Wizard. This supposedly remembers what you enter in if you save a custom food (something I do often). While it does remember the stats (calories, fat, carbs, etc), it does not enter in the food name?? So basically, I have to enter in the name twice – once in the Input Wizard and once in the Journal itself. Perhaps this is something that could be resolved with a call to the company but it is not that big a deal to me. It is a good program and easily 4 stars. If you can’t take the time to enter in data, then perhaps software is not the answer and you should seek out a paper journal.

As a side note, I wrote the seller asking when my package would arrive (it was NOT late) and I got a prompt and friendly reply.