Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha: A Real World Guide to an Unreal Life: Build More Muscle. Burn More Fat. Have More Sex.

John Romaniello's 'Engineering the Alpha' is life-changing. Okay, at least it's body changing, but the first three chapters are a pep talk to psyche the reader into believing that both an inner and outer transformation can occur with his diet and exercise Man-i-festo.*I have been eagerly awaiting the day I would submit my review, so happy I am with the results of his four-part, sixteen-week program. Clearly and cogently trailblazing the path to a hormone metamorphoses, he gives the reasoning and means to each phase of transformation. The diet and exercise are drawn into four programs (or phases): 1.) Prime, when insulin is utilized more efficiently. 2.) Adapt, when testosterone is boosted. 3.) Surge, when growth hormone is increased, and cortisol, the stress-induced hormone is diminished. The approach is methodical with a framework for diet and exercise that shuffles the deck for both in a systematic way.In the motivational chapters and the supplementary elements of the program chapters, he makes it clear that his program has proven results, scientific backing, and great chances to improve a man's ability to reduce fat, increase muscle, power, and strength, and decrease estrogen (found in every man). He also elaborates that the antecedent effects will pay dividends at work, in relationships, in self-esteem, and in the bedroom.Personally, I could see and feel the effects after each phase, and often feel a (distinctive) surge after every workout. During the Prime phase, I had to tighten my belt, saw a ripped physique, and lost about ten pounds. During the Adapt phase, I gained strength and noticed during my circuits, I did eight pull-ups for the first time in my life. (My previous best was three before this program!) During the Surge phase, I noticed a difference in my libido and my ability to add weight and my endurance to his physical routines. In the last portion, I faltered mostly. I still feel like a well-oiled machine, but, just like Roman's blog, I, too have difficulty avoiding a cold (In my case prolonged!) in October, so I stopped his 8 and 16 meal plan and ate a lot of what I wanted. Still, one of my photos shows progress (especially for someone who recently turned 51).Now, 'Man 2.0...' is the third tier in my bodybuilding and diet education. Tom Venuto's ' Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Transform Your Body Forever Using the Secrets of the Leanest People in the World ' literally turned me around from spinning my wheels in the gym after nearly three decades. He showed me how quality calories and mixing up high carb and low carb days are essential for bodybuilding. Next, Jonathan Bailor's ' The Smarter Science of Slim: What the Actual Experts Have Proven About Weight Loss, Dieting, & Exercise ' taught me (He did much more of course.) to have vegetables at every sitting, and I discovered the breakthrough of stevia as a sweetner. Now all three authors have delved into the essential concept that reducing fat and becoming built or lean is highly dependent on manipulating and resetting key hormones through diet and exercise.In all fairness to the two mentioned authors, I followed Roman's 'Alpha...' to the T. I kept a food diary with caloric, fat, carb, and protein content of everything I ate every day and all day. I brought my Kindle to the gym to ensure I'd follow his program faithfully every time. I bought a cheap $5.00 food scale to weigh all my food. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ALL BODYBUILDERS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING METHODICALLY SMART! BODYBUILDING IS A SCIENCE, AND FOR $16.00 (NOW $12.00) FAR LESS THAN ONE SESSION WITH A TRAINER, YOUR ENTIRE LIFE CAN CHANGE! THESE THREE BOOKS LITERALLY STOPPED ME SPINNING MY WHEELS AND GOT ME USING MY TIME AND RESOURCES FAR MORE EFFICIENTLY!Not every issue is resolved now. Venuto had me eating 5-6 meals a day, and Roman has me eating three meals (or more, if you choose) on a sixteen-hour fast, eight-hour food cycle. Now, both worked effectively, and, although they both produce ample scientific evidence in their favor, I found both meal programs work well. I do prefer Roman's meal plan as more systematic (especially in how it lowers, then gradually adds, carbohydrates as you grow and get lean). (I don't have Venuto's 'Holy Grail...' so I don't know how much progress he has made with his plan.) Also, one of the most difficult aspects I found were his "Cheat Days" during Phase II. I loved to gorge, but the following fast day was demanding. Still, there was always method to his madness. I didn't consult a doctor for any of these programs, but you may want to, especially if you have special medical issues.Thanks John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein for giving me the power tools to change my life and my appearance. I've never made a more valuable investment in my time and money for the pastime of weight training.(P.S. I can understand many reviewers yen to post and publish their reviews right after publication of this work, but I do challenge one thing: How can you state that this diet and exercise program are inferior to others you have tried based on a hypothetical premise? I mean how do you really know if 'Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha' is really more or less effective until you've actually tried it? I have a few examples, and while I haven't tried many of the programs mentioned by other reviewers, I do know how well this one works from experience.) Just sayin'.* Word taken from  Brocabulary: The New Man-i-festo of Dude Talk .

I don't normally review this kind of product, because there are other folks out there who are far more qualified than I am to speak about the fitness industry. However, I've experienced great results with this book, and after reading some of the dismissive reviews by the "haters", I felt compelled to weigh in.About me: early 40s, work in academia, been weight training as a hobby for about 12 years. I hit a plateau a couple years ago, which may have been due to any number of factors (moving across the country, irregular diet, aging, stress, whatever). During the past couple years I've tried a number of different workout regimes, without much success. "Man 2.0" is the first training program in a long time to deliver dramatic results for me.I'm currently 6 weeks into the program, and have experienced the following:-measurable weight loss-noticeable fat loss-improved energy and focus-improved libidoWEIGHT LOSS: I was already in pretty good shape for my age, but I've lost about 8-10 lbs. so far on this program (I'm 6'1" and started at around 200 lbs.- now I'm at 191 and looking to get to 185).FAT LOSS: I have to tighten my belt by an extra notch, because my waist is definitely slimming down. I'm also starting to see my abs. I still have some stubborn belly fat (I'm probably in the 15-18% range for body fat), but my "man boobs" have practically vanished.DIET: I have *not* been following this diet to the letter, but I've been staying pretty much within the suggested calorie range. This program gets into some serious science about breaking down your meals into macronutrients (measuring how many grams of protein, fat, carbs etc. you're getting from each meal) but quite honestly, I can't see the average person with a life wanting to devote that much thought and effort into every single meal. Having said that, I have been following the diet by about 80%, getting most of my calories from dinner and generally sticking to the approved list of foods that the authors provide. I haven't been strict with the intermittent fasting that the book suggests, although I have been eating much less during the day. This was especially difficult during the first few weeks- I felt that I had less energy for workouts if I skipped breakfast altogether- but, as the book promised, my body adjusted to the new diet and I can now get by with less than 500 calories during the day (coffee, a couple hard boiled eggs, a smoothie, etc.). I still need something to fuel my workout, but I keep it light (200-300 calories max).OTHER BENEFITS: This may just be the placebo effect, but I do feel that I've experienced improved libido and focus on this program. For example, I can easily sit and work on a paper for 4-5 hours straight, and although my sex life was already fine, it seems even better lately.WORKOUTS: The program calls for 4 workouts per week, which generally take about 60-70 minutes (including warmup, cooldown and stretching). I supplement that with 2 days of cardio. The workouts force you out of your comfort zone; whereas I had been doing the same "old school" routine for the past several years- bench press, deadlift, pullups, etc.- this routine has you doing moves that might require some getting use to. Having said that, the standard exercises are still included here. The main difference is that this program utilizes supersets (alternating different lifts with no rest in between) to really rev your metabolism and torch fat. The workouts are tough, but so worth it.PHILOSOPHY: Some reviewers have taken issue with the tone of this book, suggesting that it's too much in the "Tucker Max" school of writing. I haven't read any of Tucker Max's stuff, but I disagree with the assessment that these authors are just a couple meatheads. Sure, they drop the occasional f-bomb, and there is a bit of blustery machismo that may not be to everyone's taste. But the authors also go to great lengths to re-define the concept of "alpha". They take pains to distinguish themselves from the old stereotype of the "alpha male" who kicks sand in the faces of nerdy guys, etc. These authors propose a new set of "alpha traits" such as: "Helpful- But Not Condescending", "Confident- But Not Cocky". Personally, this material was not of great interest to me, but I don't think it's fair to write it off as mere pablum.BOTTOM LINE: I bought the Kindle version on sale for $1.99, but I would absolutely recommend this at full price to anyone who is looking for a way to dramatically shake up their workouts.

I had high hopes for this book. It didn't cover much in the way of new ground but if you haven't heard of intermittent fasting its not a bad primer. There are lots of chapters of twaddle that in the end is simply padding. If you have been following lean gains / eat stop eat then I would suggest there is nothing here for you. If those names mean nothing to you then give the book a try. It's style is painful but there is a valuable message buried in the babble.

Book I ever had !!! I am starting this new way of life that book has open another view to me to workout and to eat and get me to where I want to be !!!If you're looking for your Alpha !!! This is the book !!! This is the real deal...

I believe I owe a debt of gratitude to John Romaniello. You see, since undertaking this workout and diet program two months ago, I've lost 19 pounds. Yet that is among the least of the benefits I have seen...* My blood pressure has been labile (i.e. ranging from above normal to alarming) all of my adult life. But for 5 weeks now, it has been at or near 120/80 and rock-steady.* My mood, confidence, and mental abilities have all improved since bringing my hormones into proper balance. And I'm only entering Surge! <--Read the book to understand* My strength and cardio capacity are increasing dramatically. I'm seeing muscle growth as well as the obvious fat loss. This is highly motivating.* I've learned a bunch about food. Beyond protein, fat, and carbohydrates, I've learned the roles of eating schedules, feasting, and fasting. I'm developing a more intuitive sense of what to eat and when.These benefits accrued to me even though I had to take liberties with certain exercises. For example, I used rubber band assists or alternative exercises to reduce the intensity of some moves such as chin-ups and pull-ups. But I stayed as true to the program as I could physically manage.A man in my mid-fifties, this book has finally taught me how to look after my body. It's like the user manual you weren't born with. And yet, herein lies a problem with the book. You see, it is clearly aimed at a younger male audience. Unfortunately, this means there's a fair amount of coarse language and rather immature quips. Some stuff that Trump would call "locker room talk". All of which means that I hesitate to recommend this book to anyone I know, because how would that reflect on me?@John Romaniello, if you're reading this, I sincerely think you could have another hit book if you adapted this program (and the language) for a mature audience. There is excellent science-based information here that every man should know, young or old. Take a look at the recent runaway success of Arthur Brooks' "From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life". Clearly, there is a mature audience that wants to learn how to optimize their later lives. With some tweaks, I think this program could find huge success in this market.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and the friendly, encouraging tone of the early chapters. I thought that part was well laid out and very motivational. Also, I appreciated the clear reference to "you as the hero of your own story" aligned with the traditional hero's progression. Well done.I thought the book fell a bit flat in laying out the calorie calculations over and over again. Yes, it's an 8 step formula, you don't need to repeat it 5 times. Lay it out once and provide a link to an online tool on your website or whatnot. Same goes for the exercises, if you are plotting out multi-step circuits, a chart would help, rather than a narrative description. The pictures and exercise explanations were good, but could go in an appendix. Also, the diet information started off really structured, but doesn't lay out how to continue the principals of earlier phases into later phases, e.g. do you keep doing cheat day + long fast in phase III and beyond? Also, the meal examples seemed to only address certain phases and ignore others. Finally the book provided almost nothing in terms of how to transition out of the 16 week life transformation process into an awesome-life maintenance plan.All that said, I enjoyed the book. I plan to do the program and I've already started to incorporate things I learned reading this book into my diet plan.

Loved thé book..Works amazing on increasing my size and leaning out. Also increasing my testostérone and HGH naturally. I am now in the best shape and my sex life has been amazing following the eating amd workout program.