I'm afraid the fat loss world is going to miss this book.
Right now this book is huge in kettlebell world, and in the strength world, and I'm guessing probably track athletes are reading it. All the places where Dan John is world famous.
But the fat loss world doesn't know about Dan John, which is a bummer, 'cause the dude is a genius.
He's a genius 'cause he can take complex fitness concepts (like fat loss and strength training) and breaks them down into simple concepts that change your workouts immediately.
He tends to pick apart the really human things that everyone does to screw up their workouts and their results.
And you'll laugh about it. And while you're laughing, you'll realize you are laughing because you've done something like that, and you'll accidentally learn something.
It's really just a bunch of funny stories.
Not funny like stand up comedian funny. The stories are funny because they're so true.
It really struck me while reading Never Let Go how all the other fitness gurus (myself included) really are trying to play it cool most of the time.
Dan basically says the stuff that no one else would ever say because it might challenge their guru status, or they might not look cool in front of their readers.
At one point he says "I've never seen anyone follow a program for more than two weeks."
When was the last time you heard someone say that?
He says a lot of things that you might be lucky enough to overhear two coaches talk about over a beer, if they've been coaching for 20 or 30 years…
…but you aren't ever going to find this stuff in any mainstream fitness book.
Look maybe you don't have to read it if you are just getting started working out. If you are just getting started, go get yourself a paint by numbers workout program and a cookbook.
But if you've been working out a couple years, Dan's book is mandatory reading.
Everyone HAS TO read the chapter "How To Lose One Pound Per Year"
and "Because Coach Said"
But my favorite is the story about when he met Wilt Chamberlain.
I totally recommend Never Let Go because it inspires me to work out, and it inspires me to be better, it's fun to read, and it seems like every time I pick it up I learn exactly what I need to.
Seriously, as a writer myself, it shows me how much more effective learning is when it's entertaining.
And it shows me how much more there is you can teach when you are just totally vulnerable and tell it exactly like it is.
In fact, the real reason I think you should get "Never Let Go" because it's the kind of book I hope I write, after I've been in this fitness game for another two or three decades.
And that's the thing: You don't often get to read a book by someone who's been producing results in fitness for decades.
There are books out there about how to get results for 12 weeks, or what workouts to do for six months. But what if you've been working out for years already? What then?
That's where the stories in this book really hit pay dirt for me.
Some of the stories are about fat loss, some are about track, some are about strength. But they are really ALL about trying to produce a result by working out and eating.
And then they're about the things we all do to screw that up. And what to do instead.
Everyone who reads Never Let Go is going to learn something.
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