Customer Reviews

The 90-Second Fitness Solution: The Most Time-Efficient Workout Ever for a Healthier, Stronger, Younger You

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been working out with Pete for the past year and a half. This is the longest period of time I have stuck with an exercise program ever and I am 46 years old, so I have certainly tried many other approaches! I started working out with Pete because I wanted to lose ten pounds. However, I have lost 20 pounds! Pete's philosophy is twofold. People need to eat sensibly and exercise sensibly. Very few people have the luxury of working out for hours everyday and really, would you want to if you could? I work out with Pete twice a week for 15 minutes each session. When I first started, I lied to family and friends and told them it was 45 minutes because I knew they just wouldn't get it! In the book, Pete explains how this can be achieved at home, so you don't need to work out with a trainer. You can easily do the exercises in a hotel room if you travel frequently. The nutritional advise Pete gives in his book applies to everyone, whether or not you want to lose weight. There are no foods or equipment that you don't already have or at least have easy access to. In order for a nutritional and/or exerise plan to work, it needs to work for the long haul. It needs to work when you don't feel great, have a bad day at work or a fight with one of your loved ones. (Quite franky, I am experiencing at least one of those scenarios at all times!) Anyone can eat well and workout when everything is going great. However, what sets Pete's fitness/nutrition plan apart from the rest, is that you can do this even during difficult times. We all experience stress and the way we choose to eat and exercise needs to continue to work during stressful times. The reason this works for me is because it takes very little time out of my day. I have so much more physical energy, and even more importantly, I no longer have to think about how I need to lose weight or join a gym.

I give this book 3 stars for a couple reasons: I hope it gets people to read it since there are plenty of 5 star reviews and just one 1 star, I have a medical education background and so I can speak to some of the claims and I think this book is great...if only it could be ordered minus a few chapters.

Now for the review itself: THE GOOD: Pete's concepts are reasonable with regard to strength training and muscle building. He is getting people who are inactive into more active lifestyles. His eating plan--the regular one--of real foods is absolutely sound. People who eat good, whole, as-close-to-natural foods as possible are the healthiest, trim people. Protein is good in the right forms, fiber is important and fresh veggies and fruit without added butter and sauces are the greatest thing going. Using eggs, beans and nuts for protein are terrific options. Getting rid of "boxed" and "bagged" food (outside those convenient veggie packets) is the best thing for your body. You can get in shape and be strong and fit with a LOT less exercise when you eat real food.

THE BAD: The liquid diet thing is just not all that great. Take out that chapter. The supplement chapter is best discussed with your doctor. Sure, take a regular multi-vitamin/mineral tablet. However, adding more B vitamins, etc. can get tricky. A "regular" plain, cheap vitamin usually has lots of vitamin C and D and B vitamins. When you add another B vitamin, it usually contains more C and/or other vitamins that in addition to the regular multi-vitamin gets to that point of worry with "overdosing." Before using supplements, especially combining them, speak with your healthcare provider and don't trust a book. The other two supplements that he suggests, for sleep and the fish oil, are also things that people should discuss with a healthcare provider. These DO interact with over-the-counter AND prescription medications, sometimes dangerously.

As for the organization and de-cluttering ideas--TERRIFIC! For another approach, see Peter Walsh's books. These are great and will help you stick with the 90 second ideas about exercise and eating healthily. The tips about getting your space into order are just the ticket toward healthy eating, exercise, etc. I mean, if you have boxes piled against every wall, you can't do the wall sit! If you have stuff on the floor, you can't do the plank!

Buy the book, use it and skip the less-healthy stuff. Thanks to ANOTHER Pete who is making my world/life better!

When I received Pete Cerqua's book The 90-Second Fitness Solution in the mail, I have to be honest, I snickered. I thought, `Here is another gimmick that doesn't work.' Frankly, if you have been reading my blog, you know I'm not into the `quick fix` mentality of health. So, the title `The 90-Second Fitness Solution` was a bit of a turn-off.

Pete Cerqua, a NYC based Personal Trainer, attempts to get us to do the unthinkable...be fit in 90 seconds. Look, the reality is, everyone needs a gimmick to get people's attention. And the title of the book, in this case, is a bit of a gimmick. You are NOT going to be fit in 90 seconds alone. However, the principle behind the book, does revolve around a 90 second concept. This is the scoop:

1. What 90 Seconds Really Means: In short, Pete Cerqua's The 90-Second Fitness Solution is to take strength training's conventional 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions of a single exercise, and convert them into a single 90 second exercise. The exercises require you to either hold a position for 90 seconds, to do one repetition in steps within 90 seconds or to do no more that three repetitions within 90 seconds. Essentially, this concept adopts the isometric approach to exercise. Isometric exercises rely on your larger muscles becoming tired, and as a result, engages other muscles to keep you in a position. Basically, you are killing a few muscles with one exercise.
2. The Workouts: Pete Cerqua provides four different workouts. Home routines Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3, and a Gym routine. Truth be told, the efficacy of these routines is completely dependent on your current level of fitness. If you are in good shape, have been strength training and have been doing so regularly, Home Levels 1 and 2, more likely than not, are not going to challenge you. If, however, you are at a low fitness level, and find exercise to be extremely distasteful, these Levels will definitely kick your butt, and will do so in a short amount of time. Home routine Level 3 and the Gym routine, however, will most likely challenge a person who is already in good shape. This is how long each routine takes:
* Home Routine Level 1: 3 minutes / 5 days a week / 15 weekly minutes
* Home Routine Level 2: 9 minutes / 3 days a week / 27 weekly minutes
* Home Routine Level 3: 10 1/2 minutes / 2 days a week / 21 weekly minutes
* Gym Routine: 12 minutes / 2 days a week / 24 weekly minutes
3. What Else?: Pete also provides a few other pieces of the health puzzle. He couches them in `The Four Secrets of Success'. The secrets include nutrition advice, along with recipes to help individuals eat right. I'm a big fan of the recipe: Nicholas's Apple-Banana Shake. Additionally, he touches on nutritional supplements and stress management.
4. Voice: Although, at times, Pete can sound a little salesy in his book, it is understandable as to why. His method is a bit unconventional; and just like I was skeptical, he knows others will be too. Throughout his book, Pete uses real life examples of people who have gone through his methods and have succeeded. Those success stories are key to making his case and can inspire those who feel frustrated from a lack of results with their current fitness routine.
5. Who Should Buy the Book: Pete is definitely speaking to the busy individual, who doesn't enjoy exercise and wants to find a low-budget, gym-free routine that gives them some benefit. If you are really well-informed, are happy with your exercise routines and find them effective, you may not necessarily gain huge insights, but still may want the book, just to get some new perspective.

Although originally skeptical about the The 90-Second Fitness Solution, I think Pete Cerqua has provided some great basic information for the exercise leery. Further, his solution is founded in strength training, which I believe is hugely impactful to being in shape. A lot of the exercises are great strength builders and his nutrition advice is sound. I'd recommend the book highly if you are looking to workout at home, don't want to spend a lot of time or money to get in some exercise, or need a good kick in the pants to get moving.

Brett Blumenthal
Author of "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting!

This book caught my eye because of the length of the strength training exercises (90 seconds). I'm really glad I picked it up. I have been following the level 1 fitness routine for about a week and am a believer, because it feels like it is effective and it is not time consuming. I also like the author's diet advice to eat real food and take a very simple approach to a healthy diet, as opposed to counting calories and avoiding certain food groups. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to exercise smarter, but doesn't want exercise to consume all of their free time. I think Pete's advice about strength training being more important to long term weight loss and health maintenance than lots of cardio is also spot on. I have lost weight and improved my muscle tone using strength training in the past, but since it usually involved about an hour in the gym at a given time it was difficult for me to sustain over long periods of time.

The only reason I give this book four stars is because I think some of the diet advice is suspect. Pete advocates a 24-72 hour liquid diet (smoothies with fruit juice, fruit and whey protein) for quick weight loss results followed by maintenance periods of diet modification to maintain the results. I don't think advocating liquid diets (even healthy ones) as a means to lose weight is a path that we want people to go down. Pete's primary support for his 24-72 hour based liquid diet is that it works. I don't doubt that it works, but that's entirely different from whether people should do it. That said, what I am choosing to take away from this book is that doing less can be just as effective as doing lots of strength training and that lots and lots of cardio isn't necessary for good health or weight loss. I also agree with Pete that you can maintain a healthy weight and good health using his 90 second strength training exercises and eating reasonable portions of real food and avoiding highly processed foods and junk food.

For the past 5 years I have bought and tried almost every diet and fitness book available. I have worked with trainers, doctors, nutritionists, support groups and despite my best efforts I continued to gain about 4 pounds per year. Since I began Pete's program a week ago I have lost 4.5 lbs. Everything I needed I bought at my local grocery store, I have not been hungry and I have not spent hours working out. Pete does outline a liquid diet which some other reviewer's have had a problem with. I didn't for a couple of reasons, first you don't have to do it and second honestly 3 smoothies a day made from yogurt, fruit and a little honey is way healthier then what you are probably eating. Pete gives you parameters or guidelines to follow. There are no crazy supplements or "diet" foods. The workouts are quick and easy and almost all of them can be done anywhere, anytime. And the ones that can't just skip or if an exercise doesn't feel right to you don't do it. All you have to lose is the price of the book, oh and the extra weight.

I was extremely skeptical that a 90 second exercise could make a difference until I tried to do a squat up against the wall for 30 seconds. This book has completely changed by workout routing and with much more productive results than I have ever achieved. I feel stronger, have greater stamina, spend less time on my workout, and look better. Cathy

This book distills a strength-training workout to the bare minimum necessary for maximum results. It's so easy, you can do it anywhere. Especially after mid-30s to early 40s, strength training is crucial -- far more than cardio. And the "diet" isn't a diet at all. It's an easy to follow guide to healthy eating. You don't count calories or carbs. You just learn to make better choices in selecting food. This book is a must for anybody looking for a simple way to enjoy a healthier, stronger body.

This is either a really good book or a better than average book, depending on your perspective. If I were new to fitness or the methods offered in this book I would consider it a pretty good overall book. However, having been involved in exercise and particularly High Intensity Training (which is what the methods in this book are based on) for over 20 years I would say that it's just better than average.

The training methods are very good, although they are just a combination of static holds and slow reps, neither of which is new and neither is the combination of the two. However, having said that, this is a good book for introducing beginners to this method of training. It avoids the deep scientific whys of this method and gets right into the exercises. The exercise section is the best section in the book.

I have some small issues with a few of the things the author says throughout the book...

1)The author claims that his method of training is safer than standard slow reps because it minimizes momentum. It is true that it minimizes momentum but no better than any of the other slow rep methods being taught out there. His method is no safer and no more dangerous.

2) He claims that slow reps were developed for bodybuilders but he discovered that they actually make a person smaller, not bigger. He is wrong on both accounts. While slow reps were used in exercise history by bodybuilders and powerlifters, they gained popularity by being used in a research project to train women with osteoporosis. They have also been used for years to add muscle and strength to both men and women. Do a search for Ellington Darden's books for details- including "Big","Six-Week Fat to Muscle Makeover", "Hot Hips and Fabulous Thighs", just to name a few.

3) To validate his training method he compares it to standard exercise programs to show how it is more efficient. While that is absolutely true, but if you compared his method to an average slow rep workout you would find that it's not any more or any less efficient. In fact an average slow-rep set takes between 45-75 seconds compared to Pete's 90 second sets. He also has an article on his website titled "Don't Call Us Superslow" where he talks about the differences between his method and one of the most well-known slow rep methods available. In the article he misleads the reader into thinking that his method takes less time than the other when in fact it's just the opposite. Slow reps speeds vary between 15-20 seconds per rep, depending on whom you ask. The reps range between 3-5 for a TUL of minumum 45 seconds at the bottom of the range or a maximum of 75 seconds at the top of the range using 15 second reps. The time would be 60 seconds at the bottom and 100 seconds at the top of the range if using 20 second reps. While the author's methods might be a tad bit shorter (10 seconds) than those that use 20 second reps, it's still nowhere near the 3 minute time that the authors suggests it takes in his article.


While the method the author promotes is solid I do question his inclusion of a couple of the exercises. For example, sits-ups can and should be replaced with crunches. Sit-ups overemphasize the hip flexors and are believed to increase potential lower back problems. I personally experienced this issue as a teen. I performed sit-ups as part of my raining program and had pretty bad lower back pain most of the time. Once I eliminated the sit-ups it eliminated the back problems. Hindu squats also increase the potential for injury to the knees. A standard flat-foot squat would be a safer exercise than Hindu squats.

I am not a fan of the liquid diet that the author recommends. While it will obviously assist in rapid weight loss, it's likely the loss will be others things besides fat, such as water and possibly even muscle.

I really like the book for promoting simple and efficient strength training for weight loss and overall health. However the issues I have with it prevents me from giving it a better rating.

This book engaged me immediately! It is very clearly written and presents the author's fitness and diet ideas in a smooth flow. Best of all, these ideas are practical and designed for people to integrate in their very busy lives.There is extensive research and shared experiences. I found the book to be very efficient and I am getting stronger!!!!!!!!

I think Pete's book is wonderful. I love the way he writes and feel like this book was written for ME. The book is well written with easy to follow instructions for the exercises, great recipes and time efficent dinner suggestions. I have a bad back and have had two back surgeries and after doing Pete's exercises, I am already feeling stronger. I also like the fact that there are no repetative movements..my knees are going too and regular workouts cause my knees and hips to ache. I had no idea how long 90 seconds could be until I tried the wall sit. The illustrations are also very good. Well Done!