Recently, I reviewed The New Rules of Lifting. In all, there are 20 “new rules” laid out in the book, as well as descriptions on how to do many different exercises and some sample weight programs that can be put together using those exercises. I am going to dissect the new rules and tell you what I think of each one.

The New Rules of Lifting
The New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler

  1. Use your muscles as they were designed
  2. Use more than one muscle at a time
  3. Strength before Size
  4. Take Time to Rest
  5. Set a new record
  6. The weight you lift is not a goal
  7. Don’t “do the machines”
  8. Workouts produce adaptations
  9. There is no magic system
  10. Don’t judge a system by it’s promoter
  11. The work is more important than the program
  12. Fast Lifting is not more dangerous than slow lifting
  13. A good warm-up may not make you warm
  14. Stretching is not a warm-up
  15. You don’t need to warm up to stretch
  16. Lifting can make you flexible
  17. Aerobic fitness is not a matter of life and death
  18. You don’t need endurance exercise to burn fat
  19. Strength + Endurance = Endurance
  20. If it’s not fun, you’re doing something wrong