The Men's Health Cover Model Workout: Body-Sculpting Secrets of the World's Top Fitness Model

List Price: $21.95
Fitness-Health-Care Price: $32.93
Subject To Change Without Notice
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Rodale Press

Average Customer Rating:

Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 646.75
EAN: 9781579547448
ISBN: 1579547443
Label: Rodale Press
Manufacturer: Rodale Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 326
Publication Date: 2003-03
Publisher: Rodale Press
Studio: Rodale Press

Related Items

Editorial Reviews:

The secrets to a great body, from a guy who knows them all

What can you learn from a guy with a broken back, two bum knees, and a surgically reconstructed shoulder? When that guy is Men's Health cover model, athlete, and fitness icon Owen McKibbin, the answer is "lots."

Carve incredible abs in less than 5 minutes a day.

Build total-body muscle in 3 hours a week.

Stay injury-free with Owen's unique "integrity" workouts for your body's trouble spots.

Eat more to fire up your metabolism and fuel your muscles.

Get off the treadmill and hit the stairs for short, intense fat-burning workouts.

Let Owen show you how to get a camera-ready body with no drugs, no starvation diets, and no death-march cardio workouts!

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Inspiring Story and Solid Workout and Eating Plan
Comment: I've got to admit that when I first saw this book in a store, I laughed to myself, "Cover Model Workout, they MUST be joking!".

I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever seen!

For some reason though, every time I'd see it in that same book store I was becoming more and more curious to see exactly what it was about. For kicks, I decided to look at it here and there and even looked up some reviews on Amazon. There were enough positive reviews to make me try to find out more about it.

Then I decided to see if I could take it out via my local library system. I actually liked it enough to go back to that store and purchase it.

I find Owen's story to be very interesting and inspiring. He definitely had more genetic difficulties to overcome than most people I know (in terms of propensity to heart problems and obesity, not to mention his spine).For a person with all that going against him to achieve a world class physique in spite of that is remarkable. It's easy for us to look at him now and think that it came easy to him, but unless he's completely making this stuff up, he had a lot to overcome. He is also brutally honest about his shortcomings of the past regarding the idiotic things he did in his younger days and how he learned to transcend them as he grew into a more mature person.

As far as the workouts go, I have to admit that it's rare that I follow any particular plan in a book to the letter because I've been working out for a long time (well over twenty years). I have found that using various combinations of disciplines works best for me. I do Pilates and Yoga every day and also weight train twice a week. I do an intense upper body workout on Saturdays and then an intense leg workout on Wednesdays. I use some pretty high intensity techniques so two weight training days is all I need in addition to the daily Pilates and Yoga.

My main interest in a book such as this is for extra motivation (one can never have to much of that) and I always pick up something I can use. I'm sure at some point I'll give some of those workouts a try to mix things up, though with all the Pilates I'm set in the Abs dept.

Anyway, while I can't give you the play by play results from doing this workout program I found the book definitely has a lot of positives. One of the best things about it is that you get to hear from a guy who looks like a human being instead of a "juice monster". I appreciate the fact that he's truly attained his physique naturally and that the strongest supplements he recomends are Whey protein and vitamins. That sort of thing is rare in these days where "so called" natural bodybuilders are using all sorts of crap that are far from natural, perhaps they aren't illegal (yet) but they are far from natural!

Also Owen's approach to eating is more of an overall approach to the subject rather than a specific food program. This makes it infinitely more practical and doable. His approach to nutrition is very similar to Baron Baptiste's in his incredible book "Journey Into Power" which is a book written about Power Yoga (though it's more of a complete healthy lifestyle approach than just a Yoga book). I've kept my weight within five pounds of my target weight for many years thanks go Baron's concepts and Owen's approach is very close.

So, if you can get past the whole deal with the book being called the "Cover Model Workout", I think you'll find there's a lot of good food for thought in this book. It's written in a very conversational tone which I find makes it an enjoyable as well as informative read.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Highly Motivational, but Lacking "Average Joe Photos"
Comment: I use "Body for Life" for technique and motivation; I use "Cover Model Workout" for even more motivation. Since I can't rate this "3.5 stars", I've rounded down to "3 stars"; I feel that books such as "Men's Health Belly-Off Program" and "Body for Life" have significantly raised the bar for health/fitness program books by showing many before-and-after photos of Average Joe's who've followed the program. "Cover Model Workout" mainly shows pictures of Owen McKibbin in perfect shape, who is the centerpiece of the book. If the program works, then the book should be able to present before-and-after photos of Average Joe's, while still presenting Owen McKibben as the developer/inspiration/philosopher behind the program who lends it credibility via his career and accomplishments. I'd like to see a second edition of "Cover Model Workout" with a large number of before-and-after photos of those who followed this program!

Customer Rating:

Summary: Great workout plan
Comment: Owen McKibbin has obviously accomplished a lot in his life...just his bibliography was an exciting read. More importantly to the function of the book, though, I found great workout advice, too. The concepts he outlines are great. I've been following phase 1 for a few weeks now, and I've seen noticeable results in my physical fitness. I've been lifting for almost 6 years now as it is, and I can say that this program, when executed correctly, MUST give results.

Customer Rating:

Summary: It's OK but there are MUCH better resources...
Comment: I've been using the principles of the "Ab's Diet" and then wanted to bump it up a notch and then purchased BFFM (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) online which the Ab's Diet seems to be "based" on - ok, basically they ripped it off. I've gone from 215 to 178 pounds in roughly 5 months with some really nice changes in my physique...I would highly recommend both related programs...the Ab's Diet simply makes BFFM more commercial/palatable plus it gives you some great smoothie recipes.

Now, with that said, I previewed and then returned this book by McKibben & Garrett. It's based on the same principles as the Ab's Diet (Men's Health) and BFFM but it's really thin in terms of useful information compared to the other two sources. Also, while somewhat inspirational, you have to understand that McKibben has been lifting since high school and he has the time to concentrate on his physique so don't expect to look like him at all. The only thing I got out of it were workouts that I could use to change things up while building muscle. I also don't like the Abs Diet's over-reliance on muscle to burn fat over cardio when, in reality, I do agree with McKibben that they should be valued equally because while they burn fat in different ways they compliment each other.

The bottom line is that you should get BFFM and the Ab's Diet and only read McKibben's book if you can get it cheap and/or free. It's a lite version of the other two programs. In fact, if you were to purchase these items get the Ab's Diet first (not because it's better by the way!)...then buy BFFM (the BEST resource on fat loss by far - but it is involved - like getting a graduate degree in fat loss)...and then get McKibben's book if it's offered on the sale rack for next to nothing just for reinforcement/entertainment/limited information.

Customer Rating:

Summary: There's a solid program underneath it all
Comment: I enjoyed some of the other reviews written here. Yes, it has a copious amount of cheesy cover model shots. I have one of the earlier hardbound versions and it's practically coffee table material with all the glossy pages, etc. And, while his personal story is motivating, the important part is that he's just another normal guy who's had his share of challenges but hasn't quit. That makes him a lot like most of us.

Here's the nuts and bolts - I drilled past the glossy stuff and did what Owen said. I have followed his program (admittedly not very perfectly)for a little over 12 months now. In that time, I have lost over 50 pounds (225 down to 173), have dropped over 6 inches from my waist ( >38" down to 31"), and, most surprisingly, have gotten stronger the entire time.

I followed another program by the same publisher, The Testosterone Advantage Plan, with much less results. They didn't have the same emphasis on cardiovascular. I was very strict with that program, even keeping a comprehensive spreadsheet on everything I ate to follow their caloric metrics. I got much stronger, but my overall health didn't improve, and I never achieved any appreciable definition. I continued to gain weight on that program.

After years of wildly fluctuating weight and a variety of starts and stops with a multitude of exercises (weight-lifting, running, cycling, etc), I've finally found a well-balanced program that stresses common-sense with diet - that works!

The exercise program is well-thought out and includes proper focus on preventing injury. Those who are looking for someone to spoon-feed them a diet plan for each and every meal or snack need to look for another book. Owen provides something every adult really needs - common-sense guidelines for eating, no matter where you are or who you're with. I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend my days eating cheese, olives, bacon and steak for every meal, or having to measure every single item before it goes in my body. I want the freedom to make sensible choices. Just give me some guidelines I can actually live with and stick to.

And, I quit going to the gym before I even started this one. It's all been done on my basement weight set and 12-year-old Nordic Track. This is not a program for bulking up. If you want serious dense and lean muscle in the right proportions with plenty of cuts and separations, this is the real deal. If you want a physique that works on the basketball court or in a suit at work, give this a shot.

More Reviews