The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman

I found this entertaining and many of the ideas quite useful. Just like the author's previous 4-hour workweak (sic), it is too be taken with a large grain of salt (or KCl substitute). In both Tim Ferriss' books he makes some pretty outlandish claims I suspect as a way of proving to himself and his buddies how clever he is at the hype game. And he is very clever at that - as well as at figuring out what is important in many of our lives and providing some great ideas and reminders how to take control of our lives. The best parts: -the ideas on taking control of what you eat by measuring things (like fat composition, weight loss, inches) and how to use these measures for encouragement and understanding. -the ideas on more protein and less starch really has helped me quickly and effortlessly drop a pound every other day and keep it off with few cravings or need to "cheat" on a diet. The binging idea also really works as long as you are still measuring and experimenting on what the effects on your body are. -the simple ideas on weights like a homemade adjustable kettlebell are great and have been very useful to me. -the point that it is just about experimenting on your body by paying attention to what you are eating and doing for exercise and then measuring the effects is convincing and motivating The silly parts: -the part about female orgasm. Nothing new here that hasn't been said better in other books in ways that are far less mechanical. It doesn't really add to the book and the author just comes across a bit creepy in this section. But I'm sure he focus-grouped the inclusion of this part to death, and figured it would sell more books. -the part about supplements and other commerical products to buy. The author claims he has no financial interest in the supplements mentioned in this book, yet on his blog there are ads for the same supplements. He has also apparently made some money in this industry before. Hmmm. The other parts: Lots of filler here on various investigations the author has made such as how to swim better, jump higher, etc. To his credit, the author suggests you are free to skip a lot of these. He also sections off many of the more technical parts of investigations and encourages the reader to either skip them or read them depending on interest. This makes it very easy to read this huge book. All in all, I would highly recommend this to my friends -- but for the average Internet cynic and hater there is probably lots you could find in this book to pick on. No, it won't make you superhuman or lose fat, or become a sex god if you are a moron or want someone to solve your problems for you. But if you are interested in great motivating advice on how to make some simple changes, this is a great book.

While some of the evidence isn't the most reliable evidence, a lot of the material is backed up and cited. There some information in there that isn't abcked up of course. The common mistake is that a reader will likely believe annecdotal information if it is surrounded by other information that is backed up. Despite all that, the author has a very entertaining writing style with lots of interesting anecdotal stories. The book isn't just about excercise or weight loss, it is about learning principles that help people to stick to a program or diet because it is easy to do and effective. The principle of "the minimum effective dose" is a good one. Doing anything to an extreme, whether it be dieting or excercising, is going to give you diminishing returns. The research in this book helps you figure out the optimal amount of input to get the optimal output.

Highly recommend this book, improved in areas I couldn't previously. The naysayers in reviews obviously haven't applied anything from the book and are hoping to read their way to a healthier body. This is not a book to read for those wishing to improve upon some grand canon of knowledge about the functions of the human body while they remain in their armchairs, this is a book for those who will suspend their disbelief for a moment and try something new in the real world.