... more strength via weight free exercises than with barbells and dumbells. Simply not true. Otherwise bodybuilders, powerlifters, footballers, strongman competitors, field athletes etc would have ceased training with weights long ago.

2. The Charles Atlas story - Peterson champions Charles Atlas as one of his heros, because he trained without weights. But he fails to mention that Charles Atlas was a product of weight training. Atlas in his own words trained with weights several times a week. Much of the famous Atlas ads were products of his business partner's fertile imagination. Such as being a 92lb weaking, sand kicked in face and being inspired by tigers in Brooklyn zoo-all stories created for marketing. This is really misleading.

3. Peterson states his method as being the best way to train and yet he is seen on the lifelineusa site endorsing their products as being the best way to train. It cannot be both.

4. The book is organised poorly. Some exercises crop up again and again, often placed in a bodypart section that looks wrong. Leg exercises in the chest section. Although this book looks like it would be good for beginners there are no routines for beginners to follow.

5. Peterson tells the reader of the dangers of weight lifting. As he claims never to have lifted weights himself its rather having a swim coach who cant swim. He has no first hand experience. All the injuries you can get exercising without weights are not mentioned.

All this would be just nit picking if the exercise course actually worked great. I tried it for a few months and it had negligible effect on my physique or strength. My father and my training partner also tried it with similar results. If you are in decent shape you will not gain much from this book. If you are old, untrained and flabby you might gain something. For a skinny teenage wanting some sound bodybuilding advice they should look at a basic weight training book.

If you are looking for a weights free workout I would suggest you look at a gymnasts training. They are awesome and do many different exercises that are not in this book. It's an OK book but there are better value products out there.

... lost a single pound according to the bathroom scale, I did have to tighten my belt by two notches. I think the reason for this is because I have added a lot of muscle while I have lost a lot of fat and even though the effect appears to be that I have lost weight, in truth I have not lost a single pound.

I have also noticed, as have my wife and daughter, that my shirts and sport coats are much tighter in my chest and shoulders. In fact, when I recently went to purchase a new sport coat, the salesman who has always helped me was shocked at the difference he saw in both my measurements and musculature and had to have the store's tailor make some very serious alterations. Naturally, he wondered what I've been doing. I realize that some people may not want to have to have their wardrobe re-tailored, but for me it was a real treat to be on the receiving end of compliments about my body's shape.

When I bought "Pushing Yourself to Power," my goal was to get stronger and healthier but not only have I achieved both of these goals, I've been receiving compliments about my build for the first time in my life. But perhaps best of all is the fact that I can exercise whenever and wherever I choose with Mr. Peterson's methods. I just recently had my 44th birthday and it's a great feeling to know I look better now than I did 20 years ago and because of it I'm not afraid to grow older.

... weightlifter, always trying to add weight to the bar, never happy unless my poundages would make people stare at me like I was a madman, and then I got the other side benefits that comes from the practice of weight-training; Wrist tendonitis, torn shoulder mesci, knee problems, and not to mention a back that has sent me into intensive physical recovery at my chiropractor.

Finally, there is a voice of reason that says you do not have to go through all those things if you want to get in the best shape of your life and feel like a new person. John doesn't need to try and sell this book with words, just take a look at him. He's ripped to the bone, can do endless handstand push-ups, atlas push-ups, pull-ups, etc...And he's attained all these feats without ever touching a barbell or dumbell.

This is a program that you can literally do ANYWHERE. As crazy as it sounds, you could still even train if you were stuck in a hospital bed, that's how versatile it is.

As far as me, well this book is my new physio manual while I'm healing from all the injuries I sustained while lifting. And to tell you the truth, I feel stronger now than I did when I was at my lifting peak, and I look and feel a hundred times better. I just can't put into words how this book will help you if you are looking for a way to get in your best shape the safest way possible. John and his book are a godsend!

... my waist.

A great approach to working out and a very inspirational book.

Thanks John for writing this book.

... since my teenage years. Although weight training had given me superior results in both strength and muscular development, it did so at a very high price. By the time I reached my mid-thirties I found that although I was very strong (I could bench press over 400 pounds). I was also stiff and sore a great deal of the time. This was especially true of my shoulders and lower back. In fact, there were times in the morning when I would get out of bed and it took close to five minutes just to be able to stand up straight. Naturally I was using products like Icy Hot, Mineral Ice and low-grade pain relievers like Advil and Tylenol almost constantly every day. When I finally reached my 40th birthday I knew I had to try something else because I certainly wasn't feeling half as healthy as I looked. In fact, it was when I had a discussion about my chronic weight training injuries with a friend of mine that I first heard about this book, "Pushing Yourself to Power." Just like me, my friend had been a weight trainer since his early youth and though he is several years younger than me (I'm 41), he too had suffered chronic weight training injuries for the lat several years that included tendonitis of both elbows and knees as well as pain in both shoulders and lower back. He was the person who told me about this book and how it had helped him. So I gave it a shot and ordered it. To be honest, at first I was skeptical. I found it hard to believe that the author could have developed a physique like the one shown in almost every picture in the book without pumping some serious iron, but as I read the book, complete with a history of very impressive men who also used the methods that were practically identical to what the author teaches, I became a believer.
When I first started applying the methods outlined, it took a little while to get the hang of how to practice them for maximum effectiveness but once I did I couldn't believe how incredibly effective they were. Almost immediately I started seeing levels of muscular definition I had never seen before. And then I noticed that the aches and pains I had experienced for so long began to subside day by day as I practiced the joint mobility exercises that are featured at the very beginning of the book. Finally it dawned on me one morning that I'm never sore and stiff when I wake up in the morning. At this point I'm convinced that the Transformetrics training method presented in this book is the way to go for someone who wants a strong and very youthful body for life. And though it is true that the author openly admits to being a man in his fifties, I can tell you without a doubt that I don't know one twenty- or thirty-something year old man at the gym that I used to train at that wouldn't like to have a physique like that of the author. All joking aside, the man's physique is unbelievably youthful and literally looks like Charles Atlas who he references in his book. One other thing I can tell you is that these methods can make you a great deal stronger. Currently, I'm working on being able to do handstand push-ups between chairs like those the author demonstrates in the book. I'm not there yet, but I plan to be. So all in all, I consider this book to be a great addition to anyone's library who truly wants to become exceptionally fit and strong. Personally, I couldn't recommend it enough. But on the other hand, if I were a gym owner or an equipment manufacturer, I'd hate this guy for destroying my business.

... is clearly tailored to the beginner. Unfortunately, the author fails to realize this point, hence markets his program to the entire stratosphere.

2. The author suggests that weight training is dangerous. This is completely untrue. If the greater percentage of adults and seniors began weight training, they would be much better off. It is dangerous to live our lives. Weight training coupled with a side dish of common sense makes for a safe, health conscious style of living.

3. DVR is boring, boring, ... did I mention boring? How do you measure progress when you stand in front of the mirror flexing your muscles all day? It is quite boring to stand still all day flexing in tight spandex pants. Exercise is supposed to be enjoyable. When exercise becomes enjoyable, one is more likely to dedicate their lives to fitness. This program is extremely boring.

4. Beware of the Over-50 testimonials that will come pouring in after this HONEST review. It appears that many readers of the book fall in the over 50 yrs. old category. Perhaps you are new to exercise. There is nothing wrong with that, but let's not knock the entire weight training world. Weights are only as dangerous as you make them. This program is quite comical. Let's squeeze our butts in tight spandex all day because we don't want to touch the dangerous iron weights. It is even more ironic that the author demonstrates dangerous movements such as the nose-to-floor Wrestler's bridge. Perhaps he should read up on the dangers of compressing the spine. Even the sports medicine doctors at the Mayo Clinic recommend avoiding such movements. This is the problem when a genetically gifted person reads a few Charles Atlas courses and suddenly considers himself an athletic trainer. His accusations towards weight training are ridiculous and unsupported by any real science.

Save your money

... skill, but had recently come to believe I'd reached a physical plateau. And then I discovered this ground-breaking approach to physical conditioning written by John Peterson.

John Peterson's book, "Pushing Yourself to Power" is a brilliantly conceived, revolutionary method of physical training known as "Transformetrics." And upon implementing Transformetrics into my personal training program it took me little time to realize how much more I had yet to accomplish physically, mentally and spiritually.

The God-given genius of Peterson's approach lies both in its simplicity and the amazing progress one can quickly achieve without expensive equipment. The exercises require little or no apparatus, can be done almost anywhere, and take only a moderate amount of time from our busy days. And yet, upon implementation, you will almost immediately notice differences in how you feel and react that are nothing less than amazing.

While training with John Peterson's methods, I was moved to ponder ancient gladiators, and great warriors of Biblical reknown who gained their prodigious strength and superhuman endurance with little or no equipment. And just how they could have achieved such legendary might had been a mystery to me, until now. But not any more. Because now I have glimpsed the heroic image a man can embody by training only with the weight of his own body, the iron determination of his mind, and the strength of his spirit.

I will say "Pushing Yourself to Power" has revolutionized my life in more ways than one. Thank you, Mr. Peterson.

... informative I was really impressed, For I have read almost every non-apparatus program that has ever been marketed. John Peterson is living proof that the course works, he has taught us that training techniques that you can follow for the rest of your life are worthwhile. It is amazing how strong one can get from following these methods, the practical knowledge John has accumulated over the years is invaluable, like the rep ranges he mentioned. Most people spend their entire lives trying to devise a system that works, John has hit the nail on the head. I know it works from experience. Mr. Peterson is presenting a good alternative to natural bodybuilding and general fitness, it's a totally safe and effective program. Pushing Yourself To Power contains Highly effective non-apparatus exercises in the world. You don't need to go to the gym, you are the gym, If you don't have it then I recommend that you get this program ASAP. Fantastic course

The_naturals

... weights, or expensive equipment. John is in terrific condition regardless of age, he posses a body capable of doing things, and has great functional strength.

Now let me share my experience with PYTP. I am 51 years old and over the years have tried several times to become fit using weight training. Each time I have had to stop due to injury or illness and each time have battled back. Over all my body had been badly beaten up by life. Then two years ago I slipped on the ice, hurt my back and leg and have been in pain ever sense. I am out of shape and over weight. All I can say is that 10 days into the program, starting out slow and working up the back pain is gone! Day one all I did was the deep breathing each day adding something else from the book. I feel better over all than anytime in the last two years! After only TEN Days on John's program.

While I have not met John Peterson, we have spoken on the phone and I believe he is a true gentleman. John gives credit where credit is due, as evidenced in the first part of the book and I am thankful for his efforts with this publication. Buy it read it use it. PYTP will change your life!

Royce

... cliché, which goes something like: "Don't judge a book by its cover." In the case of this book, that cliché doesn't apply. Why? Because on the cover are four different pictures of the author, in fact the whole book is filled with pictures of the author. What the pictures show, are a guy with an incredible physique, who is obviously in great physical shape. John Peterson doesn't have the physique of an overblown (steroid) bodybuilder. His physique is well developed and muscular to be sure, but it is also symmetrical and proportioned. It represents what a lifetime of dedication to health and fitness can produce.

So how did he develop this incredible physique? Believe it or not, it wasn't by lifting weights. John Peterson has followed a lifetime program of bodyweight calisthenics, isometrics, and other methods he details in his book. John discusses how and why he got started exercising. He talks about the people who taught, inspired, and influenced him. He tells personal stories that are entertaining, informative, and inspiring. From ocean swimming to SCUBA diving, from martial arts to marathon running, John Peterson's workout methods have not only given him an aesthetic physique, but also a body that is capable of doing things.

The book lays out a program that doesn't require a gym membership, or fancy exercise equipment in order to follow. It relies on your own body, exercising when, and where you see fit. John Peterson doesn't claim to have reinvented the wheel, nor does he dogmatically imply his method is the only way. You won't find arbitrary standards. Pushing Yourself to Power, instead presents an exercise program that can be followed by anyone, yet at the same time can be modified to each individual's own preferences and abilities. Included are the basics of what constitutes a healthful diet, and the power of positive thinking. I highly recommend this book!