The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss

I saw the hype and the loads of reviews appearing on Amazon and wondered if the book was that great, or if it were just an awesome promotion and advertising campaign. I then thumbed through “The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide To Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman” by Timothy Ferriss in the bookstore and ascertained that it did have some information that looked interesting and useful. However, with the index finishing at page 571, I knew I would not be able to work it into my reading list right away, so I figured I’d wait to purchase it later. I then sort of put it out of my mind until seeing it on the grab n go shelf at the library. So I grabbed it, and am glad I did. It is one I will add to my personal library. While the entire book is not for everyone, and it is aimed more at men, I think many will find sections of this book quite useful.

I really like the concept of the book. Ferriss used himself to experiment with a variety of concepts related to the human body, or more accurately, his human body. He believes that by focusing on your body, you will also develop yourself as a whole. Something I agree with. You improve your inner game by improving your outer game. And this book is the result of his experimentation, on himself, to develop his body to the utmost. One would not do everything in this book simultaneously, and many people won’t do everything in this book, I know I wont. However, for certain areas, the information is worth looking into and following, and I think we all should experiment with ourselves in the quest to become the best we can become.

There is an introduction, and then some basics on losing fat. This might be what most people will want out of this book. From there, there are additional chapters on fat loss and adding muscle. These areas are controversial, and that is why there are so many different books proposing various theories and so on. Ferriss explains how it worked for him and others, and cites the references used, both written and the experts he consulted in person. (He does this for everything in the book, and that is one thing that impressed me. The book is well researched and he consulted many outstanding experts in their fields.)

Besides the fat losing and muscle building chapters, there are chapters on improving sex (If explicit drawings of female anatomy offend you, you will not like these chapters), perfecting sleep, reversing injuries, running faster and farther, getting stronger, swimming faster and longer, and living a longer and better life. There are also some interesting things in the appendices and extras, especially the articles on spotting bad science. There are also numerous supporting videos and related matter at his website. The book refers to you web pages on his site and others to support or illustrate with video the things he’s teaching. Many of the ideas are not original, and you will find in alternative sources. Additionally, not all of the suggestions, routines, etc. will work for everyone, nor are they all proven or necessarily safe. So each reader must use some common sense when reading any book of this type, and never believe one source absolutely for everything. Ferriss himself says that his research, using only himself, does not meet the criteria of scientific method research and some will slam him for it. So don’t take everything in this book as gospel, and don’t believe all the hyped up claims. Remember, nothing is THAT good.

Ferriss writes in an entertaining and conversational style. It is like you are sitting over a meal and he’s explaining what he did to himself, why, and what happened. (Though from some of the ways he’s eaten, I’d want to know what experiments he was engaged in before going to eat.) It’s an enjoyable book, and interesting book, and one that made me think about my own eating, training, and how I keep track of what things are doing to my body, and how I’m advancing in areas. I’m not going to do everything in this book, but I am going to try some of the exercises and strategies he suggests to see what they do for me. It’s a book I’m glad I finally picked up and read, and I’m looking forward to trying some of the things I learned in it. I recommend anyone interested in health, fitness, and their body to take a look at it too and use what is useful.

The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss