The Time-Saver's Workout: A Revolutionary New Fitness Plan that Dispels Myths and Optimizes Results

Writing with clarity, passion and a depth of knowledge that comes from many years experience the author gives a refreshingly realistic analysis of what exercise can do for you balanced with what it can’t.The fitness industry sells a dream that for the 99% is unrealistic and potentially damaging. Most will never get that beach body and may hurt themselves while trying.However sensible safe exercise can deliver massive benefits in minutes a week.A book that challenges many popular ideas it is something I’d recommend anyone to read and act on.

As a physician my time is precious and I bought this book with interest. Any fool can tell you that over-training and competing in ultramarathons is going to increase the risk of harm. Moderate exercise every day is recommended by physicians for good reason and is based on high quality randomised control trials and their subsequent metanalyses. This author makes firm recommendations to give the impression that moderate daily exercise is harmful based on studies that are hypothesis generating only ie prove nothing. For instance a questionnaire study with only a 30% return rate from elite athletes and the direct quotes from the papers author is an example of one of many such studies used to imply regular moderate exercise is harmful. I think this author should recognise the ethical implications of his work and perhaps consider at the very least getting his book peer reviewed and correctly state that his personal anecdotes and personally chosen studies are nothing more than ideas to provoke thought and further consideration. We all know not to overtrain but most of us also know that frequent moderate exercise is also necessary for a healthy body (and mind). This book will put some people off doing exactly what is necessary for them to stay healthy.

Excellent book which gives the reader a detailed insight into John Littles unique training philosophy. Based upon the high intensity approach to strength training, each chapter builds up the practical reasons for using this methodology and details examples of programmes that can be used with it. Buy it and enjoy the results!

Excellent book that every fitness enthusiast should read. This book is badly needed in today's insane, more is better world. Ideal for someone who has never exercised before and there is plenty to interest more advanced trainees too.

Great

John Little’s latest book on exercise acts as something of a wake-up call for those seeking a way to exercise that cuts through all the noise and confusion present in the world of fitness and exercise. Everywhere we turn today there is a gimmick, a device, a new class, a pill or powder that promises the results we desire. Certainly, during my initial forays into exercise world back in 1996, I fell for the hype present in the fitness industry on numerous occasions, something I’m sure many can relate to.The first half of The Time-Saver’s Workout focuses on what exercise can do for you and what it cannot, of course the upsides, but also the potential downsides the reader needs to be aware of. Rather than the fluffed up motivational hype prevalent in many fitness books we are served with a valuable dose of reality. This is worth the price of the book alone, providing not only a reader-friendly education on the science of exercise addressing common and pervasive misconceptions, but also the potential to save years of wasted effort.Then we get to the nuts and bolts of Little’s recommended approach to exercise and how to apply it. The blueprint is set out clearly to follow from the ground up whether you are new to resistance training or have years of experience. This is also where you will realize why the book is titled The Time-Saver’s Workout, following Little’s protocol you will only be working out once a week for around 12 minutes. To many who haven’t been exposed to this approach before it may sound like more fitness industry hyperbole, but it isn’t, and modern research backs Little’s approach. Get in the gym work hard on a handful of key exercises once a week, then get out and enjoy your life; your family, your interests with renewed strength and more muscle to get the most out of everything you do.An entertaining, educational and ultimately practical read, highly recommended.

This is a really useful exercise guide for the layman who is confused by the myriad of options available to them. If one were to review all of the scientific literature on exercise and diet, it's highly likely that they would arrive at the same conclusion as John - that what we need in terms of a healthy diet and exercise plan is much simpler than most people think.If you are looking for a method to optimise your TOTAL health including muscle mass, bone mineral density, body composition (fat loss), fitness, health, cardiovascular health, energy levels, productivity, performance, etc, John Little provides a proven exercise and diet plan that will get you there.Moreover, due to its high intensity, by definition the exercise plan cannot be long in duration, meaning that you will get your best results without spending hours in the gym.I am happy to recommend this book to anyone looking for an exercise and diet solution. I would also recommend it to all of my colleagues in high intensity training who are interested in continuing their education on exercise and diet. Whilst, this book was not necessarily written for the advanced HIT trainee, I personally learnt about some new concepts and developed on some of my existing ideas and beliefs.

Brilliantly informative