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When I started doing publicity for The New Rules of Lifting in January 2006, I was surprised by the question I was asked most often: "Can women do these workouts?" I got a different, more urgent version of that question from some female readers: "This is a terrific book. How come you wrote it for men?"

The answer to the first version of the question is "yes, of course women can do these workouts." The answer to the second is, "I didn't think women would be interested in this type of training."

Since The New Rules of Lifting for Women came out a year ago, all is forgiven, and a legion of female lifters have enjoyed the benefits of Alwyn Cosgrove's challenging but rewarding workouts. (Both books came out in paperback last week.)

But I can't help returning to the original question: Why didn't I think women would want to do these workouts? After all, Alwyn and his wife, Rachel, train at least as many women as men at their facility in Newhall, California. And in my travels as a fitness journalist, when I got a chance to visit facilities where elite athletes trained for high-level competition, I never saw men and women segregated into "his" and "hers" workouts. The women did the same things the men did, usually (but not always) with lighter weights, but never with less enthusiasm or intensity.

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You would not believe the number of emails I am getting about my political affiliation.  Some of you reading this are probably some of the people who have written me.  I kept my politics out of my blog for a long time but ever since I came out on a FOX News interview saying I was a Democrat voting for Obama, the hate mail has been steady.  Let me make my position clear. 

Yes, I voted for Obama.  I don't agree with all of his views in terms of the bailouts, but I do agree with many other things he endorses.  I am a social liberal and a fiscal conservative.  I have many Republican friends who are also fiscal conservatives and social liberals.  You can belong to either party and believe that way.  In my case, there are some things where I have extremely conservative views and some of my views would be considered quite liberal.  I am not one of those stupid one issue voters.  I have lots of irons in the fire just like everyone else and I want to cast my vote on what makes sense to me based on many issues, not just one.  I also understand how desperately America needs hope right now and obviously others agree with me based on the overwhelming turnout at the polls.  Obama represented hope to millions of Americans who are afraid and in trouble.  We are tired of the fear and the negativity and the politics of politics.  We want to believe in something again.  That hope he brings is just as important as are his views on the GM bailout.  And please realize that many Republicans voted for him too.  Democrats alone didn't put him in office.  Nor did African-Americans alone.  Or Hispanics.  Or people under 30.  Or women.  Or white men.  There was a consensus of many groups of people who believed in him as a MAN and were able to get past the small disagreements they had with some of his politics.