Aging requires subtracting exercises
Schuler explains that maintaining fitness at age sixty demands scaling back exercise selection, which can be challenging to accept mentally as past favorite lifts cause injury.
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Lou Schuler
Award-winning fitness journalist Lou Schuler has spent over three decades transforming how people think about strength training and exercise. Since beginning his health and fitness writing career in 1992, he has become a trusted voice in the industry as a certified strength and conditioning specialist and contributing editor to Men's Health magazine. With an impressive catalog of 37 books to his name, including the widely popular The New Rules of Lifting series and The Testosterone Advantage Plan, Schuler has established himself as one of the most prolific and influential fitness authors of his generation.
What sets Schuler apart is his ability to translate complex exercise science into practical, accessible advice that resonates with everyday readers. His National Magazine Award-winning work, particularly his piece "Death by Exercise" in 2004, demonstrates his commitment to honest, evidence-based fitness journalism that doesn't shy away from challenging popular misconceptions. Through titles like The New Rules of Lifting for Women, he has been instrumental in breaking down gender barriers in strength training, encouraging women to embrace weightlifting with the same intensity as men. His writing consistently emphasizes sustainable, science-backed approaches to fitness and nutrition, making him a go-to authority for readers seeking genuine expertise over fitness fads.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Lou Schuler's books, including The New Rules of Lifting and The New Rules of Lifting for Women.
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Books ReviewedIn Lou Schuler's own words
Fitness author Lou Schuler joins Ben Coomber Radio to discuss his background, training philosophy, and landmark books including The New Rules of Lifting for Women.
Uploaded by Ben Coomber, 2017 · Watch on YouTube ·
Regret over past anti-cardio stance
Schuler admits that earlier in his publishing career he promoted a strongly anti-cardiovascular stance in favor of pure lifting, a viewpoint he now deeply regrets.
Late start understanding nutrition and protein
Schuler shares that he lifted for decades without realizing the significance of nutrition, not even learning the definition of macronutrients until beginning work at a fitness magazine in 1992.
The danger of outlier worship
Schuler warns against comparing oneself to elite athletes or social media outliers, pointing out that extreme workout regimens often lead typical bodies directly to injury.
Also in this interview
Lou Schuler books in order
6 books; 1 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.
The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle
4.5/5
reader rating · 364 ratingsThe 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 ratingsA 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 Lou Schuler
Lou Schuler has two books reviewed on LuvemBooks, both co-authored entries in the New Rules of Lifting series, which applies a consistent evidence-based philosophy — prioritising compound, free-weight movements over machine-based isolation work — to different audiences. His writing pairs accessible coaching language with the kind of physiological reasoning that gives readers a rationale for each programme, not just a list of exercises to follow. Both reviewed titles carry strong reader ratings on Amazon, with The New Rules of Lifting for Women drawing over 1,500 ratings at 4.4/5.
- Where should I start?
- If you are new to Schuler's work, The New Rules of Lifting is the natural entry point — it lays out the core philosophy of the series (prioritising compound movements, progressive overload, and intelligent programming) before any of the audience-specific volumes. It holds a 4.5/5 reader rating on Amazon from 365 ratings, suggesting it lands well even with readers picking up a strength book for the first time. Women readers, or anyone buying primarily for a female athlete, may prefer to jump straight to The New Rules of Lifting for Women, which adapts the same framework with Cassandra Forsythe's nutritional input.
- What's their writing style?
- Schuler writes in a direct, conversational tone that reflects his background in journalism — he explains the reasoning behind each training decision rather than simply issuing instructions, which gives his books a tutorial quality without becoming academic. A recurring technique across the reviewed titles is using myth-busting framing: he opens arguments by naming a widely held gym belief and then dismantling it with research and practical logic. The result reads less like a workout manual and more like a knowledgeable trainer talking you through why the conventional approach is leaving results on the table.
- Books we've reviewed
- We have reviewed two of Lou Schuler's books on LuvemBooks. The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle (co-authored with Alwyn Cosgrove) is the series foundation, making the case for compound-movement training and earning a 4.5/5 reader rating on Amazon from 365 ratings. The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess (co-authored with Cassandra Forsythe and Alwyn Cosgrove) applies the same framework with a programme and nutritional approach tailored for women, backed by 1,538 Amazon ratings at 4.4/5.
- How do their books compare?
- The two reviewed titles share the same foundational argument — that most people would get better results from fewer, heavier compound exercises than from the machine circuits and cardio-heavy routines still common in gyms — but they differ meaningfully in audience and co-authorship. The New Rules of Lifting presents the philosophy in its most general form, while The New Rules of Lifting for Women adds Cassandra Forsythe's nutritional guidance and addresses the specific cultural pressures that often push women toward ineffective low-weight, high-rep training. If the core philosophy is what interests you, either book delivers it; if the nutritional content or the gender-specific framing matters, the women's volume is the more complete package.
- What genre do they write?
- Schuler writes in the Health and Wellness non-fiction genre, specifically within the strength training and fitness instruction space. His books are practical rather than purely theoretical — they include structured training programmes alongside the explanatory prose — which places them closer to instructional manuals than to popular science writing, even though both elements are present. Readers who enjoy evidence-based fitness writing from authors like Mark Rippetoe or Stuart McGill are likely to find Schuler's approach familiar in spirit, if more accessible in tone.
- What should I read after The New Rules of Lifting?
- The most direct next step after The New Rules of Lifting is The New Rules of Lifting for Women, which develops the same framework with additional nutritional depth and a different programme structure — even if you are not a woman, the extended reasoning Cassandra Forsythe provides around diet and recovery makes it a worthwhile companion read. Beyond Schuler's own series, readers who respond to his evidence-based approach often move toward works by other practitioner-authors in the strength space who share his emphasis on compound movements and progressive programming.
Who is Lou Schuler?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
How do their books compare?
What genre do they write?
What should I read after The New Rules of Lifting?
Who is Lou Schuler?
Lou Schuler is an award-winning fitness journalist whose career spans more than three decades, during which he has focused on making strength training accessible and evidence-based for general readers. He is best known for the New Rules of Lifting series, co-authored with trainer Alwyn Cosgrove, which challenged the cardio-heavy, machine-circuit norms that dominated gym culture in the early 2000s. His notable works include The Testosterone Advantage Plan, and his books consistently earn strong reader ratings on Amazon.
Follow up
What is the New Rules of Lifting series?
Does Lou Schuler write alone or always with co-authors?
Synthesized from verified book data & published reviews · How we review
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Authors Like Lou Schuler
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Alwyn Cosgrove
Health & Wellness
Self-Help & Personal Development
Science & Nature
Alwyn Cosgrove shares Schuler's evidence-based philosophy of strength training in their co-authored guide, The New Rules of Lifting.
2 books reviewed
Mark Rippetoe
Health & Wellness
Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength shares Schuler's compound-lift focus, offering a biomechanical deep dive into barbell fundamentals such as the squat, press, and deadlift.
1 book reviewed
C
Cassandra Forsythe
Health & Wellness
Self-Help & Personal Development
Cassandra Forsythe co-authored The New Rules of Lifting for Women, applying the same movement-pattern lifting philosophy to women seeking strength gains without bulk.
1 book reviewed
Peter Attia
Health & Wellness
Science & Nature
Peter Attia's Outlive shares Lou Schuler's evidence-driven focus on strength training, presenting the physiological case for muscle mass as a vital investment in health.
1 book reviewed
Timothy Ferriss
Health & Wellness
Self-Help & Personal Development
Science & Nature
Timothy Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru.
2 books reviewed
Kelly Starrett
Science & Nature
Kelly Starrett's Becoming a Supple Leopard provides the mobility and injury-prevention methods that help make Lou Schuler's strength-training movement patterns safer and more effective.
1 book reviewed