Customer Reviews

5 Essentials for a Winning Life: The Nutrition, Fitness, and Life Plan for Discovering the Champion Within

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

 

 

First, I respect the Carmichael industry and what he has done for Lance is undisputable. This is an excellent program for the out of shape or entry level endurance athlete. If you haven't worked-out seriously, or have found yourself greatly out of shape at 40 this is the book for you.

But it fails to deliver for anyone who has already competed in endurance sports for more than one year. As an age-group triathlete (several short course, and a couple ironmans performances under my belt), this book really doesn't add anything new to the table.

After a disappointing performance in an Ironman (despite following a strict work-out plan) and reaching a crux in my life concerning my exercise program, I hoped this book would help bring some balance and love of training back into my life. I bought this book because I was interested in the other essentials to a winning life, especially on the ones on relationships, and career. These chapters offer very little that is not tied to exercise (the career chapter only focuses on how exercise will help you at work), and the relationship chapter is surprisingly really focused on the need for sex as we get older and how exercise can help fulfill this need. Other than that there isn't really much new said about either relationships or career.

So in all, this is a great book for the athlete just getting started, the mid-life person who suddenly finds himself 30 pounds over weight, or anyone wanting to get started on a serious lifestyle change. But for those of us who already have been training and who are looking for literature to find balance or rebound from a disappointing performance, this book is not the solution.

My wife bought me this book because she knew I wanted to lose some weight, get more fit, and most of all, lower my blood pressure and get off these damned drugs. I was worried it was going to be the same old stuff about eating less and working out more, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book moves fast, makes great points and offers real advice I've already put to use. So many books give you an exercise plan or a diet program without talking about how to deal with the stress from work and keep up a healthy relationship at home. This one does, and it makes following the program so much easier.

I'm working out more, eating better, happier with my job, and having more fun with my wife and son than I was three months ago. To me that means Chris's program works. And I, for one, really appreciated his straightforward delivery style - he tells it like it is and isn't afraid to point the spotlight on mistakes he made in his own life in order to illustrate his point. Overall, it's a great package. The recipes are great, the meal plans are easy to follow (especially with the shopping lists), and I'm already seeing great results.

If you are into fitness and eating correctly, this book is for you. My wife purchased this because she is really into cycling (Chris coached Lance Armstrong). I was a little tentative (I am more into running), and expected it to be mostly hype. However, she started cooking some of the meals, and they were really good (excellent flavor), and we started trying new foods (have you ever eaten Kale, or had Parsnips instead of Fries?). The food was excellent, and I can actually feel the difference in energy levels when I eat these recipes. I have even started preparing several of the recipes myself, and if I can do it, anyone can. Overall, I feel much better following this plan, have more energy, and have been able to push myself much farther in running and even in riding.

Good luck meeting your goals!

Give credit to Chris Carmichael for not writing another book just focused on fitness. Instead, he takes a holistic approach to fitness, diet and relationships. Emphasizing the need for balance is key, but Carmichael is on stronger footing with the fitness and diet tips.

The only mild quibble I have with the book is that the bulk of it is comprised of recipes. The substantive content is a relatively quick read; if you backed out the recipes, you might barely have enough material to constitute a book.

Carmichael is effective in showing how, ironically, when he was starting up his own fitness business, he got so busy that he neglected his own diet and conditioning. If it can happen to him, it can happen to us.

Most athletes feel torn between their sport, job, family and sleep. Too often we focus too much energy on one at the expense of the others. Achieving balance is key to a happy and fulfilling life. Carmichael reveals his own journey (including the struggles) to find this balance in his own life. A very personal look into how even elite athletes struggle to fit it all in. Includes recipes, meal plans and exercise programs, tailored to all fitness levels. Gives beginners a clear path to follow, and offers enough nutritional/balance advice for the advanced athlete seeking to excel without sacrificing other areas of life. Great message.

I already knew many of these theories of fitness, eating habits, and lifestyle, yet the reminder from Chris Carmichael came at a great time for me. This is a book that is very inspirational, and yet can produce consistent results if taken seriously.

I'd have to agree with one of the other reviewers, once you take out the recipies and other charts/info, it's a pretty short book. But Carmichael knows what he's talking about, and he gets a lot of great points out. This is an excellent book for lighting a fire under your.... and getting you moving. Pros, or those who have specific workout schedules won't get a lot of new info, but for a beginner, it's great information. And don't worry about the content level. If you buy it here, you get a good discount off list price, so it's worth it.

I'm a raving fan of Chris Carmichael. I thought there were great insights in this book about the idea of "Performance" and "winning" and how you can improve your lifestyle. The book does start really strong, and then seems to turn into a before-and-after diet and exercise book with pages of recipes, and it may seem to get a little bit sidetracked with discussion about improved sexual function. But I overlooked all that because the insights throughout, especially the candid ones from a pro like Chris are invaluable; they are important and can set you on a much better path than most diet and exercise books. This book is a significant departure from the usual stuff. Thanks Chris for putting out a book that really starts to get people thinking differently about their lifestyle.

If you want a recipe book, this is the book for you. If you want a book that will help you make changes in your life, keep looking.

I like the whole big picture focus on relationships, sex, career, and then for fitness, a real balance of aerobic with great attention to strength and agility too, for those moments you can't predict when you have to move fast or lift strong. Poorly written in parts, and quite off factually or emphasis-wise in others, but overall still really helpful. Grade: C+.