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The New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler & Alwyn Cosgrove Review: A Science-Backed Strength Training Reset
The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove is a comprehensive fitness book that challenges conventional gym wisdom, anchoring its program in six fundamental movement patterns and the latest exercise science research to help readers build muscle and strength more efficiently.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Anyone new to structured strength training — or an intermediate lifter ready to move beyond muscle-isolation splits — who wants a research-backed, movement-pattern programme delivered in an unusually readable, humour-laced voice.
Worth it if
You want a coherent, evidence-grounded alternative to traditional bodybuilding splits, with multiple programming phases (Break-In, Fat-Loss, Hypertrophy) that fit realistic time constraints and apply equally to men and women.
Skip if
Highly experienced lifters already fluent in compound-movement programming and periodization, or readers whose primary goal is cardiovascular or endurance performance, will find the framework either familiar or insufficiently focused on their needs.
What readers & critics say
Reviewers at strength-basics.blogspot.com and news.runtowin.com both single out the book's central premise — that training natural movement patterns outperforms muscle-isolation splits — as a genuinely useful reframe, with strength-basics.blogspot.com calling it "one of those good ones" among workout books. Raisedbyturtles.org goes further, crediting Schuler as "one of the straightest shooters in the business" and praising the NROL series as fitness books "you can sit down and read just for the fun of it."
Sources: strength-basics.blogspot.com, raisedbyturtles.org, news.runtowin.com4.5from 365 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
Look inside the book
Preview the actual pages, via Google BooksIn This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is
- The Central Argument: Movement Over Muscle Isolation
- Strengths: Accessible Science and an Unusually Readable Voice
- Scope and Audience Fit
- Limitations Worth Noting
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Organizes the entire training system around six fundamental movement patterns backed by exercise science research, offering a coherent alternative to traditional muscle-isolation splits
- Lou Schuler's writing voice is widely noted for being humorous, engaging, and accessible, making the book genuinely readable as well as instructional
- Covers multiple programming phases — including Break-In, Fat-Loss, and Hypertrophy tracks — giving readers a structured progression rather than a single static routine
- Directly addresses and debunks common fitness myths, including the misconception that weightlifting causes a bulky physique, making it accessible to women as well as men
- Schuler and Cosgrove's commitment to current exercise science research over training fads gives the recommendations a durable, evidence-grounded foundation
What Doesn't
- Aerobic and endurance training is addressed primarily in the context of fat loss and muscle retention, making the book a limited resource for readers whose main goal is cardiovascular or endurance performance
- Experienced lifters already well-versed in compound movement programming and periodization may find the foundational framework covers familiar territory
A fitness book that earns its provocative title, The New Rules of Lifting makes a genuine case for rethinking how most people approach the weight room.
What the Book Actually Is
The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove front cover
Co-authored by Lou Schuler — a National Magazine Award–winning journalist, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and editorial director for T-Nation.com — and Alwyn Cosgrove, a strength-training expert, The New Rules of Lifting is a structured fitness program built around six fundamental movement patterns: push, pull, squat, deadlift, lunge, and core-based work. Rather than prescribing long lists of isolation exercises, Schuler and Cosgrove organize the entire training system around movements the body is naturally designed to perform. The book covers exercise programming across multiple workout phases — including Break-In, Fat-Loss, and Hypertrophy tracks — and addresses nutrition fundamentals such as protein intake, caloric targets, and the role of metabolism in muscle building.
“you can sit down and read just for the fun of it.”
The Central Argument: Movement Over Muscle Isolation
The book's organizing thesis is a direct challenge to traditional bodybuilding-style splits, which carve the body into separate "chest day" or "arms day" sessions. Schuler and Cosgrove argue, drawing on exercise science research, that training movement patterns produces superior results for most lifters compared to chasing individual muscles in isolation. The program covers compound staples — barbell and dumbbell variations of the deadlift, bench press, chin-up, lat pulldown, and lunge among them — while also dedicating serious attention to core training, defined broadly as the muscles of the trunk rather than just the abdominals. The book also directly addresses the widespread misconception that weightlifting produces a bulky physique, making the case that resistance training contributes to a lean, strong body for both men and women.
Strengths: Accessible Science and an Unusually Readable Voice
One of the book's most consistently noted qualities across reader responses is Schuler's writing style. Readers on raisedbyturtles.org describe his voice as humorous, insightful, and rooted in long experience, noting that the NROL books are fitness titles "you can sit down and read just for the fun of it." The same source credits Schuler and Cosgrove with poring over current research rather than chasing training fads, calling Schuler "one of the straightest shooters in the business." This combination — rigorous sourcing delivered through an engaging, plainspoken voice — gives the book a different texture from drier technical manuals. The program is also designed with realistic time demands in mind; Schuler and Cosgrove do not assume readers have unlimited hours to spend in the gym, and the workout structures reflect that constraint.
Scope and Audience Fit
The book is designed to serve a broad audience rather than competitive powerlifters or advanced athletes already steeped in periodization theory. Readers new to structured strength training will find a logical entry point through the Break-In programming, while intermediate lifters can engage with the Hypertrophy and Fat-Loss phases. Reader accounts indicate the program is applicable to women as well as men — one response published on raisedbyturtles.org notes that a reader emailed Schuler directly about modifying the program as a woman and received a reply within an hour, a detail that speaks to the accessibility the authors aimed for. That said, highly experienced lifters seeking advanced programming complexity may find the movement-pattern framework covers ground they have already internalized.
Limitations Worth Noting
The book's focus is squarely on resistance training, with aerobic and endurance work treated largely through the lens of fat loss and muscle retention rather than as an independent fitness goal. The raisedbyturtles.org review flags this as a recurring limitation of fitness books in this space: Schuler and Cosgrove's position — that high volumes of endurance work can cost muscle mass — is grounded in research, but readers whose primary goal is cardiovascular performance or endurance sport will find the programming less directly applicable to their needs. The book's approach is a feature for its target audience but a genuine boundary condition for readers coming from an endurance-first background.
Frequently Asked Questions
is The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove worth reading
It's worth reading if you want a resistance training program that challenges the typical 'chest day / arms day' bodybuilding split and replaces it with six fundamental movement patterns — push, pull, squat, deadlift, lunge, and core work. Readers on raisedbyturtles.org praise Lou Schuler as 'one of the straightest shooters in the business,' noting the book is grounded in current exercise science research rather than training fads, and that his humorous, plainspoken voice makes it a fitness title 'you can sit down and read just for the fun of it.' The main caveat: highly experienced lifters who already live and breathe periodization theory may find the movement-pattern framework covers familiar ground.
What is this book actually about
The book is a structured strength program built around six fundamental movement patterns the body is naturally designed to perform, covering compound staples like barbell and dumbbell deadlifts, bench press, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, and lunges across multiple training phases — Break-In, Fat-Loss, and Hypertrophy. Schuler and Cosgrove also tackle nutrition basics such as protein intake, caloric targets, and metabolism's role in muscle building, and they directly push back against the widespread fear that weightlifting will make you bulky, arguing instead that resistance training produces a lean, strong physique for both men and women.
Is this book good for beginners
Yes — the Break-In programming phase is specifically designed to give new lifters a logical entry point into structured strength training. The workout structures are also built with realistic time demands in mind, so the program doesn't assume you have unlimited hours to spend in the gym, which makes it especially practical for someone just getting started.
Is this book good for women
Reader accounts indicate the program applies to women as well as men — one response on raisedbyturtles.org even notes that a reader emailed Lou Schuler directly about modifying the program as a woman and received a reply within an hour. The book also directly addresses the misconception that weightlifting produces a bulky physique, making the case that resistance training builds a lean, strong body regardless of gender.
Does this book work for runners or endurance athletes
Probably not in the way you'd hope — the book treats aerobic and endurance work mostly through the lens of fat loss and muscle retention, not as an independent fitness goal. Schuler and Cosgrove's position that high volumes of endurance work can cost muscle mass is grounded in research, but as the raisedbyturtles.org review flags, readers whose primary goal is cardiovascular performance or endurance sport will find the programming less directly applicable to their needs.
What makes this book different from other weightlifting books
The biggest differentiator is the organizing philosophy: instead of prescribing long lists of isolation exercises or traditional bodybuilding-style splits, Schuler and Cosgrove argue — drawing on exercise science research — that training movement patterns produces superior results for most lifters compared to targeting individual muscles in isolation. On top of that, Lou Schuler's background as a National Magazine Award–winning journalist gives the book a noticeably more engaging, humorous voice than drier technical manuals, which readers on raisedbyturtles.org single out as a genuine selling point.
Is this book too basic for intermediate lifters
Not entirely — the book includes Hypertrophy and Fat-Loss phases beyond the introductory Break-In track, so intermediate lifters have material to engage with. That said, the review does note that highly experienced lifters already steeped in periodization theory may find the movement-pattern framework covers ground they've already internalized, making it a better fit for those earlier in their training journey.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
- Further reading
- 2
- 3
- 4
thriftbooks.com
- 5
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