The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman Audio CD – Abridged, December 14, 2010

This book is simply amazing. It has rocked my world, and I am never looking back!Simplicitiy: I have eaten twice as much as normal, worked out 1/2 as much as i normally do on my MAINTENANCE routines, and I've experience the best results I've EVER had. I hate diets, yet this one is so easy. The workouts are intense but fun, short and incredibly effective (note - recently a pretty girl in my gym was with her trainer, but when she saw my workout, she said: 'shouldn't I be doing it that way? That looks like an awesome workout.') I was so pumped.Results: I have never met my 6 pack, and i would say i am 2 weeks away, after just over 2 weeks of a combo of slo-carb diet and Geek-to-Freek with 1/2 the portions of supplements that tim used (although i don't think you even need the supplements to get nearly the same impact). I'm down 15 Lbs of fat and put on 3-4 lbs of muscle easy with no cravings and literally 1/2 the gym time of my maintenance(!) routine. Went from 178 to 169 in 3 weeks and you can see a lot more definition - i've been to the gym 6 times, which is the same, if not less, than usual but half the time of a normal workout. I am still working on perfecting the Pose running method, but i have never(!) run that fast with as little effort before - it feels like you are flying.Value: This book is full of so much amazing info, that i photocopied 10 pages to carry with me at all times and those 10 pages are worth 10x what the book cost me. You may not use all of the material in this book (remember Tim spent a decade compiling the info) but so many things i use from it on a daily basis are so easy (cinammon in coffee instead of sugar, ice pack on neck, water with lemon before meals, 60-90 seconds of air squats or pushups before/after meals) are enough to make this book worth 10x the money. And the interaction with the website is so great/fun that it feels like a huge encyclopedia of info, not just a 500 page book that you can't wait to put to use. And recall tim is an effeciency expert, so there's no wasted words here. I only wish i had this book when i was a skinny geek in high school or a fat beer gut guy in college.Conclusion: Follow the book and it will change your world, for $20. To me its worth a fortune in terms of time-saved, effectiveness, knowledge, etc. THANKS, TIM!!

There are plenty of varying reviews here so I would like to start by explaining where I'm coming from and what I got out of this book. For a more concise review, skip to the bottom.I am the type of person who needs to find the 'perfect' solutions to my issues, weight having been one of them. I need A LOT of research before starting anything. I have read all of the 'popular' weight loss and fitness books and articles, and then moved to the obscure and 'cutting edge' ones. All of this research and I have come to one conclusion. This industry can come to absolutely no consensus about anything.Want to reduce body-fat but not bulk up? Book A says 'heavy-weight, low rep" and book B says 'light-weight, high rep.' You log onto any of the fitness forums and all you see is people arguing back and forth over the 'best' way to do things. Whole Wheat, No Wheat, Wheat doesn't matter. Cardio, No Cardio, HIIT only, lifting only. Most of the time they are advocating complete opposite approaches. Add to this the fact that every day there are 'brand new studies' that basically say that everything you thought is wrong, here is what you should be doing.This industry flip-flops back and forth and no subject is universally accepted. This is very apparent in some of the reviews here. Needless to say, I was frustrated.Enter Tim Ferriss and "The 4-Hour Body."I started this book the same way I started all of them. "God, I hope THIS is the right way." It was, but not for the reasons I anticipated.Right from the start you know that your in for something different. His chapters are goal centric, and he recommends skipping to the relevant chapters for what you are looking for. Throughout each of these chapters Tim balances entertaining dialog, background information, key concepts, rules & options. You begin to pick up on an underlying theme to all of the sections - Tim's endorsement of Self-Experimentation or as I have come to refer to the concept: 'Do - Tweak - Do.' It is a mindset of working for a desired result, and adjusting based on your personal results. If a section of this book doesn't apply to you? Throw it out and move on. Find that something works better then something else? Do more of the former and less of the latter.This mindset was the game-changer for me. It has allowed me to really apply all that I can without ever getting frustrated and quitting. I have adapted it to other areas in my life as well. Start toward a goal, continuously observe the outcomes, tweak my game plan to incorporate them, and keep heading toward my goal.Tim gives you great suggestions, some new (to me at least) and others I've heard before. The difference here is that he is able to give you a starting point and a direction. He leads you there as best he can but always subtly stresses that you do as he did - make it work for you. At a minimum, this book prepares you to do all the things it promises. At it's best, it guides you there effortlessly.THE BOTTOM LINE:It's been said before, but the truth bears repeating. There is so much great information packed into this book that if you find value in only ONE chapter, it is worth it. The narrative throughout is refreshing, bringing you from topic to topic. It is a very fun read that leaves you informed and excited about trying the things listed. It can help you identify your goals and gives you a defined game plan for accomplishing them. My Goals? Loose Weight (covered), Reduce Body-Fat (covered), Run Farther (covered), Run Faster (covered). Look through the Table of Contents, if you see something even remotely related to one of your goals - this book is for you.