5-Factor Fitness: The Diet and Fitness Secret of Hollywood's A-List [Paperback]

M.Sc. Harley Pasternak (Author), Ethan Boldt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2005

Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., holds an MS in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto, and an honors degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario. He is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology. His work has been profiled in such national publications as Redbook, Glamour, Fitness and Men's Health, and he has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other TV programs. Pasternak, a native of Canada, lives and works in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Actors Halle Berry and Benjamin Bratt, pro basketball player Rick Fox and rapper Eve all work out 25 minutes a day, five days a week. They eat five meals a day, and each meal takes five minutes to prepare. And they look like a million bucks. Although this sounds too good to be true, Pasternak, who trains the above-mentioned stars and others, insists it isn’t. This easy-to-follow lifestyle guide explains Pasternak’s program. Intensity and variety are the keystones of the exercise portion, which simply requires dumbbells and a bench (the plan does include a suspiciously scant five minutes of cardiovascular activity, which readers can complete by power walking or jogging outside, or using a cardio machine at home or at the gym). The diet portion of the plan seems sensible enough; Pasternak urges readers to eat foods that include low-fat, quality protein; moderate carbs; fiber and healthy fat; and to drink sugar-free beverages (he allows one day a week to be a "cheat day"). "Real results" sidebars profile non-famous people who’ve benefited from Pasternak’s approach, including a 74-year-old professor, a 45-year-old film producer and a 37-year-old real estate agent. Backed up with scientific research and including recipes, this book is a refreshingly simple addition to the current diet and health offerings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., holds an MS in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto, and an honors degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario. He is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology. His work has been profiled in such national publications as Redbook, Glamour, Fitness and Men's Health, and he has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other TV programs. Pasternak, a native of Canada, lives and works in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade (December 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399532099
• ISBN-13: 978-0399532092
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

141 of 145 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, one of the best, December 28, 2005

By 

Cal Dougherty (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 5-Factor Fitness (Hardcover)

Actually I give it four-and-a-half stars. My wife and I read this book this Fall in our lengthy quest to find the best book for us (click on "see all my reviews" for the other books we've reviewed). First, a word about us: we are in our late 40s and looking for a fitness program we can stick with for a long period of time, not some "quick fix" that we rapidly tire of and forget a couple months after Christmas. I'm about 15 pounds heavier than I'd like to be ... she just gave me a scowl ... OK, 20 pounds heavier than I'd like to be. Her weight is fine but her job leaves her exhausted. We have always worked out to some extent but it can be a real grind as the years pile up. My comments below will be based on our needs. Your needs may of course be entirely different.

5-Factor Fitness is almost, but not quite, our favorite book so far. Pasternak has done a good job of defining a realistic and concise fitness and diet regimen. It has a good number of positives to recommend it, and few of the negatives we found in other books. It's a thin 182 pages, including the index. We like that. Most sections have actual usable content. Some of the other books are needlessly fluffed up to the point you are bored out of your gourd by the time the last page is mercifully reached. BFL for Women comes to mind.

Pasternak's exercise routine is short, just 25 or 30 minutes a day, and in our opinion the exercise routine he defines is very sound. It's based on free-weights and a weight bench. It can be done at the gym or at home with a relatively modest investment (this is a big plus to us). No gimmicks, no fads, no colorful bouncy or stretchy thingies, no thousand dollar pec-decks, etc. Just 5 minutes cardio, 10 minutes strength training, 5 minutes core, and 5 more minutes of cardio. Some tidbits that ring true to us: The dropout rate of most diet (and exercise?) programs is astonishingly high because the severity of the program outweighs the benefits provided. The author believes balanced muscle development, and muscle development that fits your body type is best. He thinks treadmills are the best cardio machine.

Similar to his exercise regimen, Pasternak's diet recommendations are also sound, realistic, and fad-free: "quality protein," reduced fat, awareness of the glycemic index, sugar free beverages (he obviously believes in the wisdom of keeping blood sugar steady), no counting, 1 cheat day. The overall strategy is to do a brief but comprehensive workout 5 days a week, eat smart, improve your metabolism, and strive to raise your muscle-to-fat ratio. We really don't think you can get much better advice than this. Here's how my wife and I rank the books we've read so far:

Joe X by Avery Hunicutt - 5 STAR. It's a remarkable piece of work and fits our needs to a tee. We've never read anything like it. Our only disappointment is it doesn't address the diet side of the equation. We even contacted the author about this and his answer was he really couldn't add any more than has already been written on the topic and recommended Harley Pasternak's book!

5-Factor Fitness by Harley Pasternak - 4.5 STARS. There's a lot of similarity in Pasternak's and Hunicutt's exercise program. Pasternak focuses on the short-term makeover (ala Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover) in, you guessed it, "just 5 weeks." He really doesn't give you much help dealing with the drudgery after the 5 weeks is over. Joe X is the only book that realistically deals with the long term.

Body for Life by Bill Phillips - 4 STARS. Solid benchmark. Reasonably sound content delivered with self-serving ego, color photos, and global marketing. Some people aren't going to like the physical stress involved.

Men's Health Home Workout Bible by Lou Schuler - 3 STARS. More narrow in scope than all the others. Primarily for wanna-be stud-muffins. Sexist delivery.

Total Body Makeover by Bob Greene - 3 STARS. An aggressive program for those that are in serious need of help. Not realistic for most people. Irritating with the ego, name drops, and case histories.

Body for Life for Women by Pam Peeke - 2 STARS, and we're being kind. I'm sure some people will find benefit in its pages some where, but to us it was like a sequel to a B-movie that skipped the theaters and went directly to DVD.

Miscellaneous comments: Pasternak prides himself on being a personal trainer for celebrities. He holds up Halle Berry as a shining example. When first getting into his book we feared it was yet another "oh look at me and how great I am," followed by one name drop after another. But 5-Factor Fitness is different. Pasternak stuck to imparting useful info to his readers and we appreciated that. He and his editors also didn't load the book up with pages and pages of "personal case stories" and the almost pointless before-and-after photo shoots. Thank you Mr. Pasternak!

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fitness Program, June 23, 2005

By 

T.L. Anderson "Read More Books!" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 5-Factor Fitness (Hardcover)

The exercise portion of this book is very well done. Simple, well explained and easy to adjust to your fitness level.

The food portion, not so great. The recipes mostly contain high sodium foods (canned tomatoes, preserved meats), so if you have chronic high blood pressure (like I do), you will need to figure this part out on your own.

Overall, I think this is a great program.

ADD: After six weeks on this program I lost 6lbs of the 12lbs of fat I want to lose. For me, this has worked as promised in the book. Good Luck!

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give Me 5!, August 2, 2005

By 

Wisconsin Dad (Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 5-Factor Fitness (Hardcover)

I have long been a 5-er. In my early 20's as a weightlifter, I would eat 5 smaller meals a day, and spent half the time in the gym than the gym rats did, and it worked wonders. So when I saw Harley Pasternak's book, 5-Factor Fitness, I knew he had put together a helpful book, and not just another piece of firewood for the health, weight loss and fitness industry.

In 5-Factor Fitness encourages you to work out less and eat more. Yes, you heard me correctly. Work out less and eat more. Eating 5 meals a day raises you metabolism and provides a steady stream of vital nutrients, including protein, that help you body maximize a tone, fit, physique. And working out less? Well, most people who are gym rats over train. It is a myth that you need to live in the gym. "Overtraining" is very common and can tax your body. The rest in between training, and proper nutrition, are actually just as important in keeping your body rested, healthy, fit and running the way you want it to.

From Harley Pasternak's website:

"5-FACTOR FITNESS is based on the simple premise that less is more, especially when it comes to exercise and planning meals. There is no magic, no hidden secret. Instead, this plan taps solid scientific research as well as the author's vast experience as a personal trainer and as a consultant to military organizations on two continents. With a master's degree in exercise physiology and nutritional science as well as an honors degree in kinesiology, Pasternak is an expert on how the body works. Here he pulls together his best advice for training and fueling it efficiently.

5-FACTOR FITNESS calls for five workouts per week and each workout lasting just 25 minutes. Combining strength training and aerobics in five five-minute intervals, these short, intense workouts are designed so that people stick with the program over the long haul. No need to join a gym or buy expensive equipment; the program calls for only a workout bench and a few dumbbells."

Try this program and drop you overtraining routine and dietary obsessions. Great book.