There are so many books on fitness out there, all offering the miracle of an awesome body. Some go the more holistic way of balance between what you eat and how you exercise, promoting healthy eating and regular movement and some are downright dangerous in their methods. I’ve always leaned towards the “eat what you want” camp and my dimpled yet fine ass can attest to that. However, in my heyday of fitness craziness I have been known to dabble and get results. Below are the few books that I actively tried and gotten great results. With the exception of Man 2.0 (since I’m not a man) but my partner actually tried that and his body got lean and mean really fast.
All these books promote a low carb, high protein diet. As with all diets, if you keep it balanced and have enough vegetables and fiber along with your proteins, carbs and good fats, you’re golden, but if you go overboard with the protein (because come on, who wouldn’t?) you might cause some long-term harm to your body. So be vigilant about your diet!
4 Hour Body – Tim Ferriss
Famous for his 4 Hour Workweek book, Tim Ferris has always been a fan of hacks, whether it’s with work or fitness. I trust his work mainly because he is an avid experimenter, especially with himself. My partner and I were on this diet for almost a year and we lost a lot of weight. While the book says you don’t have to do any exercise to lose weight, I found that the best (and quickest) results were when you did workout.
Downside: He promises rapid weight loss in just a month, we found that after the initial rapid weight loss (a week), you had to workout in order to keep losing weight or else you just plateau or lose at a very slow pace. Also it’s easy to go overboard on cheat days and play catch up during the rest of the week. Alcohol: A glass of wine a day is ok.
Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha: A Real World Guide to an Unreal Life: Build More Muscle. Burn More Fat. Have More Sex – Adam Bornstein, John Romaniello
A very strict but effective weight loss, muscle gain book. No cheat days, active workout days (supplied workout sheets and routines) and strict diet. It is a 4-month program, starting out with a strict low carb diet and adding in carbs as the weeks progress. Results can be seen after the first month.Downside: Super strict with no cheat days till about 2 months in (and only for this month). Hard workouts (if you’re a newbie) and counts calories (especially if you’re not one for calorie counting). Alcohol: None
The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy – Mark Sisson
Probably the most ‘holistic’ of the diets, promoting clean eating (no processed foods), no grains, daily movement (in the form of walks, hikes), weekly sprinting, being outdoors and generally living an awesome life. It follows an 80/20 rule – as long as you’re eating healthy 80% of the time, you’re good if you fall off the wagon 20% of the time. This is also the lifestyle that I currently try to keep.
Downside: No more bread, pasta or rice. No more sugar, cakes, processed foods.
Alcohol: A glass or two of wine a day is ok.
Strong Curves: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body – Bret Contreras, Kellie Davis
The only book on the list dedicated to women. I’ve read a few fitness books for women, and this is the only one I found that doesn’t treat women like a delicate effing flower. It gives real workouts with real weights. It’s so annoying when books or magazines tell us to lift weights like soup cans or tiny 3 kg dumbbells so we don’t build ‘muscles’. I call CRAP! With this book you lose some serious fat and build some nice sexy curves. Also included, some nice body weight workouts in case you’re not one for the gym.
Downside: Calorie counting, confusing workout sheets
Alcohol: None, but I had some anyway.
I hope you’re well on your way to building your best body with these books. And of course, you’re welcome. We here at BaDoink are always dedicated to your sexiness.
Have a good fitness book to share? Well do so in the comments.
