The Simple Secret of High-Intensity Training

Still absorbing the data and detail. I value the myth busting truth and factuality . A book that will work like a suppository if you take it
on. The quality I really appreciate about these books in the way they allow me to turn emerging theory into useful action.

Full disclosure:I got this from the library. I just started the book, so I may change my rating, but was not impressed that after seeing 3 of the exercises in the instructional photos, that the form displayed was incorrect in two of the excercises. In the 3rd Photo of the gentleman doing the squat, the caption says in part "keeping the weight in your heels" yet the man has one of his heels lifted off the ground. The woman pictured is doing the form as described.
Secondly, in the photo of the 3rd exercise, rowing, the caption states "...good technique is crucial. Start each stroke by pushing with the legs,not pulling with the legs...." which is correct, but the gentleman pictured has his legs fully extended, is leaning back, and still has his arms fully extended. Based on the extended legs and backward lean he should be nearing the pull of the handle to his body (thus making this a full body workout).
I did check the full description of the exercise later in the book, and it was not described fully there either.
I know this may be nit-picky, but if he is trying to speak from an authoritative viewpoint, he should get it right.
That being said...anything that gets people to be more active is a good thing.

This is a good book describing High Intensity Training. (HIT) It's a short book- more like an extended article than a book. It gives a good account of HIT, how the idea has developed, how it can be used and then some good routines that help put it into practice. It has enough depth to make its point, but doesn't go any deeper. It is however well referenced if you want more information. For most of us getting on and doing some exercise will be a better use of time than tracking down the references.

I think HIT is an interesting new approach to exercise that many people will benefit from. This book gives a good introduction to HIT and will help most readers understand the concepts behind it.

If you want more information then Gretchen Reynold's book, The First 20 Minutes: The Surprising Science of How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter and Live Longer is helpful. If you want some reasons to exercise then Spark!: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain may encourage you.

I was surprisingly disappointed by this book. What should have been a clean and easy exercise program to accompany the FastDiet book (e.g., exercises and content focusing on weight loss) was instead mostly text describing why exercise is important, a couple of exercises with a few 'icon' like pictures, and then more discussions about why exercise is important. It's not set up for either those starting out or for those with a more advanced exercise regimen. As well, a lot of the exercises need gym equipment and aren't really suitable or even comfortable for those overweight (such as running or jumping jacks, both of which could really be damaging to knees, etc.).

The book chapters are broken down as follows: Truth about exercise, What is fast exercise?, Th workouts, Fast exercise in practice, Michael's guide to keeping active, Before you go..., Fast fitness, Fast strength. Out of 117 or so pages, about 20 actually show you the exercises. Most (if not all) you've seen before: jumping jacks, push ups, wall sit... Although the exercises are described with very simple illustrations, the author doesn't give you ways in which the exercises could be done incorrectly, assuming everyone does it correctly.

There is a LOT of text here and a lot to comb through once you've read it and just want to get back to the exercises. There is a lot that could have been done to make this much more friendly. The author's tone is great, knowledgeable yet encouraging, but I have to admit I was also put off quite a bit about everything being about him. I don't want to know about exercise that worked for him - I want to know about exercise that works the general population - I somehow doubt he is a near obese premenopausal 47 year old woman, for example. But I don't see a lot about male-female differences either.

So while I don't find this to be a bad book, I think a lot could of been done to make this easier to use, follow, and even be motivated. I appreciate the great information in the book, especially the latest information on how/why we do exercise and corrections from the aerobic days. But I want more show, not tell, or I end up sitting on my butt reading instead of exercising.

Reviewed from an ARC.

This book is not all bad and makes some excellent points about the best training strategy out there. But I lost interest in this book after the dangerous and often dubious training advice in the latter portion of the book. The book is good up to a point, the science part is very on key. But I don't think the advice for putting it into practice was written by an exercise professional. Who would take a lift down a flight of stairs after running up them - That is how you get blood pooling, no? And some of the exercises have no place in a HIT workout. Conclusion - There are better books out there.

This book contains so much filler and fluff as well as wasted space I'm not even sure where to begin. The glossary is 1/3 of the entire book. Feels like wasted money here - The page count is not what it looks.

I have been doing research lately checking out the numerous physical fitness programs being offered today through the many books that have been published the last few years. I have purchased and read many books on self-improvement and fitness and I just finished reading this volume.

This fantastic 195 page hardcover book (Fast Exercise: The simple secret of high-intensity training by Dr. Michael Mosley with Peta Bee) really appealed to me because of the research done on high intensity workout programs. Since I have always followed rugged fitness programs like the U.S. Navy SEAL workouts, other military programs, and numerous others, I was interested in how this program compared to others I have followed in the past.

This wonderful book and program is the result of a lot of academic research into exercise physiology. I like the approach because it points out that each person responds differently to different kinds of exercise. As a 73 year old senior I still workout every day for 45 to 60 minutes. This text is organized into five chapters. Chapter one covers the truth about exercise and explains some of the myths. The second chapter tells what is fast exercise? The third chapter focuses on the workouts. The fourth chapter covers fast exercise in practice. The fifth chapter is about the author’s personal guide to keeping active. The final chapter gives essential advice on measuring your fitness which also has charts and other guidelines.
It is important to note that this program was designed for those who desire to be fit but do not have time to devote to a more extensive exercise routine; however, the end of the book offers suggestions to what other fitness activities you should consider to maintain the optimum fitness level.

I love this program and have included these intense routines to my own personal pool workouts. If you are into physical fitness you should check out this book.
Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective combative systems).