Mission Statement: all reviews will be my honest assesment on the material in queston. My opinion will never be influenced by personal bias or my opinion of the author.
Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle Review
There are dozens of outstanding books on the subjects of nutrition and fat loss, but far too many of them are mired down in technical details and scientific terminology that are
either too difficult to understand or simply too damn boring……It never ceases to amaze me how some of these writers can take a simple concept and make it sound mystical, complex, and a thousand times more confusing than it really is.
Tom Venuto
Who is this book for?
Beginners, intermediate trainers and everyone else that needs a reminder about what it’s all about.
What will I learn from it?
This book covers all of the basic topics that might interest someone looking to lean out effectively; what to eat, macronutrients, goal setting, how to measure progress and body composition, supplements, weight & cardio for fat loss.
Strong points
- Very newbie friendly. The book covers everything from the bottom up; while not delving into each topic in great detail, the range and thoroughness is impressive.
- Inspirational and motivational reading. Covers goal setting very well, which is often overlooked in most fitness books (despite being one of the most important subjects there is IMO).
- Good sample menus and workouts.
- You get your money’s worth. This is 340 pages of solid information; no phony pics or filler material (in contrast to another popular book I read recently, which was 60 pages of text followed by 300 pages of pics and sample menus. Hint: think Star Trek, fat loss)
- An easy, very enjoyable reading experience.
Weak points
- Weak on the scientific side of things. Tom should look into updating this five year old book – especially the part about eating small meals throughout the day to ‘stoke your metabolism’ (as numerous studies have shown, a high meal frequency diet has no metabolic benefit vs a lower meal frequency diet). 99% of diet/fitness/bodybuiling books preaches the higher meal frequency route, so this should be viewed as rather mild criticism.
Note: Tom has changed his stance on higher meal frequency and metabolic rate. Read this: Tom Venuto responds to the criticism.
Overall
This was one of the first e-books I read, and it still stands out as one of the best and most complete books on the topic of fat loss. If you’re looking for a ‘broad range’ book covering a multitude of topics, as opposed to niche books like The Stubborn Fat Solution or The Ultimate Diet 2.0, then this is hands down the best e-book money can buy.
Being five years old, it has some flaws; the jargon of small meals throughout the day to ‘stoke your metabolism’ is prevalent, but if you can overlook this you’ll get heaps of good information. I particularily liked the part about goal setting, which is an often overlooked aspect of dieting and weight training.
I’ll go as far as saying that 99% of weight trainers/fitness enthusiasts will get something from reading the book – if not because of the information contained within, then because of the motivational kick in the nuts it delivers.
