Sign in with FacebookMelody Wilson's Reviews > The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
by Timothy Ferriss
by Timothy Ferriss
Melody Wilson's review
bookshelves: review_copy, eddie_read, reviewed
Dec 22, 10
bookshelves: review_copy, eddie_read, reviewed
Read in December, 2010
The Good:
This is probably the best nonfiction I've read in 2010. It doesn't take long to be convinced that the author is someone we should listen to (this man is clearly OBSESSED!!), but more importantly, the book is extremely readable. If I were to write a book on the same topic with the same information, it would probably come out reading like the DSM-IV, but Ferriss does a good job of including plenty of entertaining anecdotes and humor to help us along, not to mention simple and concise explanations.
As the subtitle promises, the content of the book is definitely uncommon. There are some very unusual techniques and advice that I've never seen before. However, the greatest uncommonness of the book is its "Tipping Point" approach to health. Following the trend of The 4-Hour Workweek, a major theme of The 4-Hour Body is how to see the most results from the least amount of effort. Ferriss is not necessarily saying that conventional wisdom (hard work, discipline, keeping up with research) is wrong--just that there's an easier and smarter way through hacking the human body. I think this approach works great for a generation with a low attention span and an immediate results mindset.
The Bad:
Critics are going to run wild with this book. Everything from advice on mixing different over-the-counter drugs and supplements, to consuming high amounts of cholesterol, to his claims of gaining more than 1 pound of muscle a day for a month are going to feed the fire for skeptics, trolls, and haters.
I, for one, believe it's impossible to gain 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days as he's claimed to have done. Yes, it is possible to gain that much total weight, mostly water, especially if you're an experienced dehydrator-rehydrator as he is, but muscle is completely different.
Claims like these are going to make a lot of people call the author a snake-oil salesman, and I think to an extent he is. While it will help him sell books, unfortunately I think it will also cause people to label him as a fraud and therefore dismiss all the other information that is definitely worth reading and considering.
The Ugly:
The author actually weighed his poop.
This was a guest review by Edward Bartlett. For his full review, please visit my site, Melody & Words!
This is probably the best nonfiction I've read in 2010. It doesn't take long to be convinced that the author is someone we should listen to (this man is clearly OBSESSED!!), but more importantly, the book is extremely readable. If I were to write a book on the same topic with the same information, it would probably come out reading like the DSM-IV, but Ferriss does a good job of including plenty of entertaining anecdotes and humor to help us along, not to mention simple and concise explanations.
As the subtitle promises, the content of the book is definitely uncommon. There are some very unusual techniques and advice that I've never seen before. However, the greatest uncommonness of the book is its "Tipping Point" approach to health. Following the trend of The 4-Hour Workweek, a major theme of The 4-Hour Body is how to see the most results from the least amount of effort. Ferriss is not necessarily saying that conventional wisdom (hard work, discipline, keeping up with research) is wrong--just that there's an easier and smarter way through hacking the human body. I think this approach works great for a generation with a low attention span and an immediate results mindset.
The Bad:
Critics are going to run wild with this book. Everything from advice on mixing different over-the-counter drugs and supplements, to consuming high amounts of cholesterol, to his claims of gaining more than 1 pound of muscle a day for a month are going to feed the fire for skeptics, trolls, and haters.
I, for one, believe it's impossible to gain 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days as he's claimed to have done. Yes, it is possible to gain that much total weight, mostly water, especially if you're an experienced dehydrator-rehydrator as he is, but muscle is completely different.
Claims like these are going to make a lot of people call the author a snake-oil salesman, and I think to an extent he is. While it will help him sell books, unfortunately I think it will also cause people to label him as a fraud and therefore dismiss all the other information that is definitely worth reading and considering.
The Ugly:
The author actually weighed his poop.
This was a guest review by Edward Bartlett. For his full review, please visit my site, Melody & Words!
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