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Fitness for Geeks

Bruce W. Perry (Goodreads Author)

3.07 · Rating details · 222 ratings · 41 reviews

If you're interested in how things work, this guide will help you experiment with one crucial system you usually ignore--your body and its health. Long hours focusing on code or circuits tends to stifle notions of nutrition, but with this educational and highly useful book you can approach fitness through science, whether it's investigating your ancestral health or using t ...more

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ebook, 336 pages

Published May 5th 2012 by O'Reilly Media (first published January 1st 2012)

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Oct 06, 2012 Jessica rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one. Seriously. You can do better.

Shelves: fitness, cooking

I got this book for my husband, thinking that he would enjoy it as a geek. I imagined it would clearly lay out the science behind diet and exercise principles in a scientific manner, leaving out the photos of musclebound dudes that I'd imagine would turn off a geek from other fitness books.

What was I not expecting? A thinly veiled piece of Paleo diet propaganda. When I say veiled, I only mean that it was not mentioned on the front or back covers. I'm not saying paleo doesn't work for some people I got this book for my husband, thinking that he would enjoy it as a geek. I imagined it would clearly lay out the science behind diet and exercise principles in a scientific manner, leaving out the photos of musclebound dudes that I'd imagine would turn off a geek from other fitness books.

What was I not expecting? A thinly veiled piece of Paleo diet propaganda. When I say veiled, I only mean that it was not mentioned on the front or back covers. I'm not saying paleo doesn't work for some people, but I don't appreciate it being described in such smug scientific terms, when the science behind the diet is in fact not as solid as it might appear. Occasionally the author will ask an actual dietitian questions in a sidebar, often including "what do you think of Paleo?" as the final question. It doesn't present options other than paleo, and offers more dubious advice (please note: chocolate is not actually physically addictive. You may have an emotional need for it, but your body does not suffer withdrawl if you stop. Don't compare it to coffee, it is not the same!)

Although called "Fitness for geeks," the diet portion takes up the majority of the book. When we finally get to fitness the info is cursory at best, and (no surprise) CrossFit is pushed (actually, I don't mind CrossFit, but it's not useful in a book like this - and it's totally expected from the paleo leanings in the beginning.)

At this point it became clear to me that while called "Fitness for Geeks," what it meant was "Fitness for geeks who are also dudes." There are exactly 3 photos of a woman in this section. In all three she is demonstrated using weight machines (except one where she has tiny dumbbells and does hammer curls). The male demonstrator, meanwhile, shows exercises such as back squats with a barbell. I know a fair bit about fitness - I'm geeky and also a weight lifting enthusiast, and one of the most damaging things to women is this concept that they musn't use heavy free weights. Of course, all the text in the book is aimed at men (gee, I wonder why there aren't more lady geeks - maybe we are all bad at math? Or maybe we sense that we are automatically excluded, even from pandering pieces of poop like this book.)

The info on tracking is very detailed, far beyond what I think a beginner geek would care about. Overall the book is poorly organized, and I cannot recommend it. There are many better books on diet and fitness to be found, and they all come without the side helping of condescension. ...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Craig Maloney rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I tried to like this book.

About three chapters in, I decided this book wasn't for me. From indirectly talking about people's auras after working out, to indirectly recommending paleo diets, this book just hit my woo-woo trigger one too many times. I enjoyed the discussion about different sites for tracking fitness, but when push came to shove about nutrition and such, I felt like I was spending more time on the web trying to verify every little piece of information in this book. I felt like I wa ...more

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May 15, 2012 Rod Hilton rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: technology, science

Fitness for Geeks is a cool idea, an O'Reilly book, targeted at geeks, all about staying healthy. As a geek who has lost 100 pounds in the last few years and who wants to lose 40 more, this was the perfect book for me. Or so I thought.

The book is actually very disappointing. Despite clearly being targeted at geeks (it even includes a number of detailed references to programming), it's unsatisfying. A chapter on nutrients goes into extremely "geeky" detail about the chemical makeup of various foo Fitness for Geeks is a cool idea, an O'Reilly book, targeted at geeks, all about staying healthy. As a geek who has lost 100 pounds in the last few years and who wants to lose 40 more, this was the perfect book for me. Or so I thought.

The book is actually very disappointing. Despite clearly being targeted at geeks (it even includes a number of detailed references to programming), it's unsatisfying. A chapter on nutrients goes into extremely "geeky" detail about the chemical makeup of various foodstuffs, but none of it has any apparent practical applications - not much in the way of "do this, do that" kind of advice, just a bunch of "isn't that neat?!" facts.

It also contains a chapter, and many sections within later chapters, referencing available tools and web sites you can "geek out" on, or use to collect statistics and measurements. I understand where this comes from, my ability to closely monitor and study things mathematically was instrumental in my weight loss, but such material inherently dates the book - it's less than a year old, but already many of the tools mentioned have been supplanted by better ones. Material like that needs to be current, which means its better suited for a blog post than a printed book.

"Fitness for Geeks" is also full of an awful lot of woo. Party of my geeky nature is my tendency to be skeptical, so a lot of the pseudoscience about the Paleo diet (it has its benefits but it's got a LOT of problems) and the usual "buy only from local farmer's markets and whole foods" crap I found quite irritating. It's one thing to make these kinds of suggestions, but to assert their factual superiority with so little supporting scientific evidence is another matter, and it set my skeptic alarm bells ringing.

Good chapters on exercise routines, decent chapters on food, and a handful of good stuff on sleep were in the book, but were largely surrounded by filler that couldn't be turned into actionable tasks. The book left me wanting much, much more detail in terms of actual things I could do. How does a book like this not include some kind of FAQ with questions like "I've plateaued, what can I do?" or "What are some good snacks for the middle of the day?" How does the exercise section not include suggestions for alternatives to certain exercises for gyms that lack the equipment or for people with common injuries?

One chapter brings up intermittent fasting, but barely goes into any detail about it at all. Why even bring it up if all usable information about it is behind a Google-wall?

The book is also annoyingly written, with constant asides and inline data boxes so numerous that they actually occasionally make it difficult to just read the normal book part of the book. Speaking of which, DO NOT GET THE KINDLE VERSION. The constant formatting changes and layout adjustments make the Kindle version of the book literally unreadable - I had to re-purchase the book on O'Reilly's site to get a PDF version.

Overall, not that great, and inferior to spending a day or a couple lunch breaks Googling around. I wouldn't really recommend it, people who are looking to get healthy if they are not currently will find it sorely lacking in useful information (in favor of pointless factoids), and those who have adopted a healthy lifestyle will find it largely uninformative.

Great idea, weak execution. Perhaps a second edition is in order. ...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Lauren rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: movement-fitness-wellness

There were some really great sections in this book. I particularly enjoyed the detailed explanations and the nutrition science sections (even showing what macronutrient molecules look like). The strength of the book also comes from the quality sidebars that share interviews with medical and sports professionals , or share recent research findings. I found this particularly helpful in the 'intermittent fasting' section and in interval training section regarding Tabatas, etc. I also liked the Outd ...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Regina Hunter rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Have two words for this book: Horse shit!

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Mar 24, 2018 Ann Dulhanty rated it liked it · review of another edition

Really a 3.5/5. Some interesting information, I like the general philosophy that our bodies are optimized for a different lifestyle than the one we are now leading. Science seems accurate but didn't go far enough at times. For example, the section about various stages of sleep, along with the apps available to track them, needed more explanation on the relevance. I enjoyed the overview of the various apps, but found the diagrams too small to read (I got the paper version of the book). Also, the ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 Ursula rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Informative and helpful

I really enjoyed the balance of detailed analysis and pragmatism - it's a pity that the tracking tool sections have become a little dated since the time of writing so perhaps less on them could have been better. Also, men and women, not men and girls (that dichotomy appeared a few times and was a bit of a mental jolt considering the otherwise meticulous approach of the author). ...more

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May 02, 2012 Susan Visser rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

I'm glad I read the book, but it could have been so much better! Here are some things I think could have been improved:

1) Nitpick, but it makes a difference: be consistent with your use of measurements. The book was all over the map... metric, imperial, and even really old fashion (pints??). Being from Canada we are well versed in both major measurement systems, but the way most authors handle is they put one unit in parenthesis.

2) Who is the audience? You had me fooled at the beginning. I reall ...more

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Sep 29, 2017 Nicholas Litzow rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Some good and useful ideas but overall lacking in scientific rigor. I would have preferred a narrower scope with more thorough research, less anecdotal information and a more formal style.

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Jul 19, 2012 Shawn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having thoroughly enjoyed Cooking for Geeks (which I highly recommend), when I saw that a similarly novel approach to fitness was available I was all on board to enjoy this one as well. And…enjoy it I did. Bruce Perry’s approach in Fitness for Geeks is a comprehensive and quirky walk through a new way of imagining fitness. As the author quickly points out, things such as fitness, diets, ets are ejected from the discussion — not for lack of relevance but simply because they c Having thoroughly enjoyed Cooking for Geeks (which I highly recommend), when I saw that a similarly novel approach to fitness was available I was all on board to enjoy this one as well. And…enjoy it I did. Bruce Perry’s approach in Fitness for Geeks is a comprehensive and quirky walk through a new way of imagining fitness. As the author quickly points out, things such as fitness, diets, ets are ejected from the discussion — not for lack of relevance but simply because they connote some popular distractions from the geeky approach proposed. The approach is unique…get into the mindset of the ‘geek’ (not the circus type ) and look at a different sort of approach to fitness and well-being. It is probably best summed up in the adage identified early on: if one is aware that they are observed or that the metrics are being compiled one intrinsically tends towards doing that little bit more, to keeping things within the bounds,or the like. Its a bit of a different approach indeed and for the geek in me I appreciated the new and novel ways that the author introduces to looking at taking care of self. Its not just abut the gadgets (of which there are many great ones recommended) but about a certain holistic approach that brings together a science and process.

This approach covers a wonderfully diverse series of topics and it’s not that the standard aspects of fitness that you would find elsewhere are dismissed — quite to opposite, they are brought together — the holistic approach as referenced — to appreciate how all pieces fit together. The arc of the books is not linear. I had a sense that you could jump in at any point and stay with the section and gain much as well. I did work through the book as a whole and enjoyed it immensely. The author has a great light and lyrical style. This probably rather unique in itself in the fitness area as things tend towards being rather didactic and perceived as so. It is the fun of engaging with this topic from this unique way that flavors the book. There are tidbits of things for everyone in this book and I am not quite sure who I would see it directed towards. I would recommend it to all and think that anyone that can approach fitness with a fresh and open mind will appreciate it. It is not trying to provide a programme by way of note, its more about planting thoughtful ideas in the mind that may take hold and inform your own approach to fitness and well-being. As the author states, ‘this is a book about fitness and nutrition for the independent of spirit and irrepressibly curious.’ I heartily agree.

A greatly enjoyable read. Highly recommended! ...more

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Aug 04, 2012 John Constable rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I bought this pretty much the day it came out, if memory serves; I think there was an O Reilly ‘deal of the day’, or bundle, or some-such, and I’d been meaning to get it anyway. I got about a couple of chapters in and the Hugo Voters Packet descended, and I didn’t read much else for a while, but went back to it for something more factual every now and again. Once The Hugo season was over, I got back into it in earnest.

Initially it got off to a good start, with a round-up of some healthy lifestyl I bought this pretty much the day it came out, if memory serves; I think there was an O Reilly ‘deal of the day’, or bundle, or some-such, and I’d been meaning to get it anyway. I got about a couple of chapters in and the Hugo Voters Packet descended, and I didn’t read much else for a while, but went back to it for something more factual every now and again. Once The Hugo season was over, I got back into it in earnest.

Initially it got off to a good start, with a round-up of some healthy lifestyles, gadgets and so forth, and it was here I was convinced to get a fitbit, and then I hit the chapter on Nutrition.

Nutrition is important, and can underlie a lot of fitness, health and so on, but it was all detail, no relevance. It took almost the rest of the book before nutrition reared its head again, and this time it came with practical advice; it would have been better structured, IMHO, to get the reader interested in all the reasons why they need to monitor their nutrition before wading through fifty pages or so of quasi organic chemistry. That being said, I’m likely to go back to it now that I’m a few months in, and review it, and I suspect it will be of more use on repeated readings. I know the books is in the ‘..for geeks’ series, but this felt like mindless, obsessive trivia rather than useful information. Again, to reiterate, it came good in the end, but it very nearly caused me to give up altogether.

The book definitely hits its stride in the last third of the text; I was genuinely sad when I finished it because I didn’t have more to read. Its also done a good job in establishing the fundamentals – I’ve got a lot to think about, and a lot of places to start looking. I’ve incorporated a lot of his suggestions into my own regime – I’ve even tried Tabata Sprints (and as a consequence I now understand more when an athlete says they exercised until they nearly threw up!).

If I have criticisms (other than the nutrition section), it would be around little emphasis on home rolled tools to monitor assorted health/fitness aspects, tie-ing the assorted websites together, open source tools to monitor the devices/get your own data out and so forth, and a lack of physiological information; if he can go on at length on nutrition, surely a section on the muscles and skeleton of the body is worth a mention – my personal biology is poor, so a guide to the assorted muscles, stretches for each and so forth would have been a useful addition and, the more I think of it, a glaring admission.

Well worth the money I paid though, and I’d definitely recommend, although I suspect its for people already convinced of the need for exercise and health, rather than a clarion call! ...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Mark rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: health, nutrition, fitness

If you are looking for a book which presents a systematic model for fitness that is backed by well integrated science, you will be disappointed. Likewise, if you are looking from a book to give you a simple plan to follow, you will be disappointed. This book does cite a number of science studies, and has some broad organizing principles, but nothing I would bet my life on. We still don't really understand a lot about how our bodies work, they are extremely complex systems, so I shouldn't be surp ...more

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May 05, 2012 Mariano rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, fitness

It was a nice, straightforward, easy reading, with useful, practical information, and lots of references to websites and/or other books to get more details about the covered topics.
As for the "geek" part, I think is a bit overrated, and quite a few of the "for geeks" tips & tricks might seem obvious and even kind of silly if you are a computer geek (but maybe for other geeks are ok?).
I picked this book with a lot of reservations, because I was afraid of it trying to "sell" some silver bullet or ...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Craig rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-research

This is a very good book, that wasn't what I wanted or expected. I was looking for some good information on exercises; which it had, and even had some app and website suggestions.

It also has a LOT of detailed information on everything about fitness, from nutrition to sleep. While I didn't know all the details, I knew enough for what I want (and what I am, as yet, unwilling to change).

If you are a geek, and want good, detailed information on everything about fitness, this book has that for you. ...more

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Mar 20, 2015 Brian Glass rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is a nice overview of present views on health and fitness with a bent toward geeks. The trouble with writing a book of this nature, is that the information is out of date within a year or two. The author gives a nice overview of several fitness tracking sites and devices, but also covers trending topics like intermittent fasting. It will be obsolete within another couple years unless updated, but is worth reading as a way of keeping one's finger on the pulse of fitness culture. It is n ...more

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Sep 25, 2016 Sabin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Nice intro on fitness science, complete with resources for further documentation and pointing out some controversies. Common-sense advice for the most part and basic coverage of nutrition data, ways to keep track of your progress, types of exercise and the benefits of different training regimens.

Then it goes into the paleo-diet and intermittent fasting and calorie restriction and stuff which sound either too expensive, time-consuming or more like torture to me than healthy living. I wish there w ...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Rayn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Geeks who want to get fit.

Giving this book a 5 stars because of a few reasons. It's reinforcing my decisions I made before I picked the book up, talks about tools I was already using etc. That's part 1. The primary reason though is you can upgrade this book with O'Reilly for $4.99 and get free updates when they come down. I'm hoping for updates as the burgeoning idea of kicking it old school with our ancient ancestor's way of life get's more researched and respected.

SCIENCE! ...more

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Feb 28, 2016 Sigurd rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not bad, but it could be much better.

Why are some topics — like vitamins — written in so much detail, while chapters like imminent fasting are so superficial?

Don't expect too many tips or action plans. This book introduces you to some aspects and new ideas but you may want to do your own research and read more ...

If you are (or about to get) serious about fitness, this is a decent, introduction to some fitness aspects. I definitely recommend reading more things that go into detail. ...more

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May 19, 2012 William rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I found the book interesting, with the exception of chapters three and four, which seemed to be pretty much a listing of vitamins and nutrients. I'm not sure how useful the information is, but I enjoyed reading it.

I reviewed it earlier this month at Vulcan Ears Book Reviews. ...more

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Aug 20, 2012 AdultNonFiction Teton County Library rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: how-to, health, computer-science-information

TCL Call#: 613.7 Perry B

Madeleine - 2 stars
The information in the book is current. If you know a true blue geek who only knows orcs then this might be necessary to get through. But as an IT person myself, I found it a bit ridiculous and pandering. I don't need my body described to me as an Operating System for me to be able to understand what you're talking about. ...more

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Sep 16, 2012 James Tharpe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is probably the best book on fitness I've ever read. It goes into the biology and chemistry of nutrition and exercise, and provides lots of references to studies and data to for the true "geeks" that want to know more. There's no "plan" in the book, and I think that's a good thing - instead you are provided with the tools and information you need to form a plan that works well for you. ...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Damir rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: self-awareness

Informative.
Yet, the title betrays the content.
It's a thinly veiled paleo diet manual, which in itself is not a bad thing (and for some people paleo works great), but the title is totally misleading!

I still give it two stars for the online tools bit, but everything else is actually easily found online and in other, more appropriately named books. ...more

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May 30, 2015 Avvitare Mente added it · review of another edition

i've read this book the entire night ,, dufak !!! what's wrong with ppl ,, y the refuse to look sexy !! i mean they always want to look fabelous ,, i know its painful sometimes but u'll huv a legendary body ,, its not that complicated !! i feel pethatic for 'em !! anyway great book !! great tips ,, ganna learn a lot from it :) ...more

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May 08, 2012 Brett rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Sections of the book are information dense and interesting. However, the book is repetitious in parts, contains a number if anecdotes of no interest, is not very cohesive, and contains lots of pointless asides.

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May 08, 2012 Keith Martin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Poorly written, poorly edited (at least in the kindle edition). It seems borderline sensationalist, without solid backing evidence or specific actionable recommendations. I recommend Tim Ferriss's "4-Hour Body" instead...at least that book is forthright about its assumptions. ...more

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May 19, 2012 Samuel Proulx rated it it was ok

Shelves: science

The advice for adding more physical activity into daily life contained in this book is quite valuable. The advice on food, however, not so much; cost and practicality take an extreme back seat in these sections.

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Dec 11, 2012 Andrew Doran rated it liked it · review of another edition

Turns out there is no substitute to watching your diet and engaging in physical activity. Some good insights behind the science of nutrition and exercise, however I got a bit lost in the detail. Would be useful to pick this up again as a reference book if I ever commit to a health regime.

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May 12, 2012 Abhishek Kona rated it it was ok · review of another edition

A book rich in detail. Touches a lot of topics and bombards with a lot of facts. After a few chapters Titu just stop following what the author is saying.

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Jun 17, 2012 Michelle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-issues, diet-exercise

Maybe a little TOO geeky for me. I did enjoy the discussion of various fitness/nutrition websites and apps.

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Jun 23, 2012 hissi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fitness-health, my-ebooks

very informative. i loved it.. a bit geeky but i guess thats obvious from the title

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About Bruce W. Perry

Bruce W. Perry

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I'm a big fan of good stories, and sharing them. I've been reading a lot since I was a towheaded kid, growing up in a small town with a reading and writing tradition called Concord, Massachusetts. Our house was about a half mile from Walden Pond. That didn't make me a better writer by osmosis, but it darn sure made me a reader! I was the kid sitting under a tree, head buried in a book. I read ever ...more