What is Alwyn Cosgrove's highest-rated book?

"The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle" is Alwyn Cosgrove's highest-rated book on LuvemBooks, with a reader rating of 4.5/5.

How many Alwyn Cosgrove books are reviewed on LuvemBooks?

We have reviewed 2 books by Alwyn Cosgrove.

What genres does Alwyn Cosgrove write?

Alwyn Cosgrove's books span genres including Health & Wellness, Science & Nature, Self-Help & Personal Development.

LuvemBooks has reviewed two books by Alwyn Cosgrove. The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle (with Lou Schuler) is the series foundation, building an entire resistance-training philosophy around a small set of compound movements — it carries a reader rating of 4.5/5 from 365 Amazon ratings. The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess (with Lou Schuler and Cassandra Forsythe) applies that same framework to an audience often steered away from heavy lifting, and is the most widely rated of the two with 4.4/5 from 1,538 Amazon ratings.

Alwyn Cosgrove

Alwyn Cosgrove is the co-author of the New Rules of Lifting book series, including The New Rules of Lifting for Women, co-written with Lou Schuler and Cassandra Forsythe. He co-owns one of the most successful training gyms in America, coaches fitness business owners, serves as a Nike consultant, and is a top presenter for Perform Better.

On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Alwyn Cosgrove's books, including The New Rules of Lifting and The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

2

Books Reviewed

In order

Alwyn Cosgrove books in order

5 books; 1 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.

2005
The New Rules of Lifting
Our review →
2012
Results Fitness
Amazon ↗
2015
Strong
Amazon ↗
2020
Secrets of Successful Program Design
Amazon ↗
2022
Gluteal Amnesia by Dave Tate and
Amazon ↗

The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle

4.5/5

reader rating · 364 ratings

The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle, by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, builds a year-plus of workouts around six basic movements. One blogger calls it a standout; another sees a beginner primer with weak food lists.

Reviewed Mar 7, 2026

The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess

4.4/5

reader rating · 1,537 ratings

A strength, conditioning and nutrition plan for women by Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe and Alwyn Cosgrove, built on the premise that lifting, not aerobics, drives fat loss. Suited to women willing to centre their training on weights.

Reviewed Feb 16, 2026

Ask LuvemBooks about Alwyn Cosgrove

Alwyn Cosgrove is a strength and conditioning coach whose two reviewed books on LuvemBooks — both co-authored with Lou Schuler — use a myth-busting, program-first approach to make resistance training accessible without dumbing it down. The New Rules of Lifting for Women in particular challenges the widespread belief that women should train differently from men, grounding its programs in the same compound-movement principles as the original series. Both titles carry strong reader ratings, reflecting an audience that returns to them as working references rather than one-time reads.

Where should I start?: If you're new to Cosgrove's work, The New Rules of Lifting is the natural entry point — it lays out the foundational philosophy of the series and is built around six compound movements that the later books build on. It holds a reader rating of 4.5/5 from 365 Amazon ratings, suggesting it has earned broad, sustained trust rather than just initial enthusiasm. Readers specifically interested in training for women may want to jump straight to The New Rules of Lifting for Women instead, which applies the same framework with programs and context tailored to that audience.
What's their writing style?: Cosgrove's books, written in close partnership with Lou Schuler, are direct and program-focused — they spend relatively little time on motivation and get quickly to the practical mechanics of training. A recurring technique across the reviewed titles is leading with the myth or assumption being challenged before presenting the alternative framework, which gives even familiar material a clear argumentative structure. The tone is confident without being preachy, and the programs themselves are laid out with enough detail that readers can use the books as ongoing workout references rather than reading them once and setting them aside.
Books we've reviewed: LuvemBooks has reviewed two books by Alwyn Cosgrove. The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle (with Lou Schuler) is the series foundation, building an entire resistance-training philosophy around a small set of compound movements — it carries a reader rating of 4.5/5 from 365 Amazon ratings. The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess (with Lou Schuler and Cassandra Forsythe) applies that same framework to an audience often steered away from heavy lifting, and is the most widely rated of the two with 4.4/5 from 1,538 Amazon ratings.
How do the books compare?: Both reviewed titles share the same core philosophy and compound-movement programming approach, so the choice between them is largely about audience framing rather than a fundamental difference in content or quality. The original New Rules of Lifting is written for a general audience and establishes the series' argument against high-rep, machine-based training. The New Rules of Lifting for Women layers on additional context about how and why women are often given different — and less effective — advice, and includes Cassandra Forsythe as a third co-author to address nutrition and physiology questions specific to that audience. Reader ratings for both are nearly identical (4.5 and 4.4 respectively), implying neither significantly outperforms the other in terms of reader satisfaction.
What genre do they write?: Both of Cosgrove's reviewed books fall under Health & Wellness, and more specifically within the strength training and fitness programming sub-category. They are practical instructional books rather than memoirs or narrative nonfiction — the emphasis is on structured workout programs supported by explanatory text, rather than storytelling or personal narrative. Readers drawn to evidence-informed fitness instruction, rather than motivational or lifestyle-oriented wellness books, tend to be the core audience.
What should I read after The New Rules of Lifting?: After working through The New Rules of Lifting, the most direct next step within the reviewed catalog is The New Rules of Lifting for Women — not because it's gender-restricted reading, but because it extends the series' argument into new territory and includes a fresh set of programs. Beyond the reviewed titles, the series continues with volumes including The New Rules of Lifting for Abs, which targets core training specifically and is cited among Cosgrove's notable works, making it a logical progression for readers who want to go deeper into the series.

Who is Alwyn Cosgrove?

Where should I start?

What's their writing style?

Books we've reviewed

How do the books compare?

What genre do they write?

What should I read after The New Rules of Lifting?

Who is Alwyn Cosgrove?

Alwyn Cosgrove is a strength coach and fitness author best known for co-authoring the New Rules of Lifting series alongside Lou Schuler and, on some titles, Cassandra Forsythe. Beyond writing, he co-owns one of the most successful independent training gyms in the United States, consults for Nike, and is a regular presenter for Perform Better. His work sits at the intersection of evidence-based programming and practical, accessible instruction for everyday gym-goers.

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