Customer Reviews

The Fighter's Body: An Owner's Manual: Your Guide to Diet, Nutrition, Exercise and Excellence in the Martial Arts

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't normally write reviews for the books that I buy, but I decided to write one for this book because I liked it so much. I really liked how the information was presented with the martial artist in mind. I train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and it was an nice change to read a book on diet and nutrition that didn't assume that I was trying to build 22 inch arms or that I was a desk job jockey that could live on 1000 calories. For the first time, I understand what my needs are as far as calories, Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats. I liked the fact that the book looks at your fitness level and bodyfat % and takes those into account. This is a really good book and I am glad I bought it.

Ever wish you came with an owner's manual like your car does? Wouldn't it be nice if you knew what, when, and how to keep yourself running at peak performance? Well guess what, the answers to all these questions are right here!

Christensen and Demeere cut through the fads and hype to provide solid, practical, and most importantly factual advice for martial artists and athletes of all kinds. Those of us who train regularly find customized, easy to read and understand support to keep us at the top of our game. This is a great book. Buy it, read it, and take to heart. You will not be disappointed.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

In brief... this is a fabulous book on nutrition and probably the best book you'll find with nutrition in the context of martial arts. All those little nutrition rumors are dispelled and in their place, this book gives you the facts on nutrition for martial arts (or just about any fitness training).
Before reading this book, I didn't know a carb from a hole in the ground.
The proof is in the result. All aspects of my martial arts training have improved by watching my diet and I feel even better than I did before!
This book is a MUST HAVE!!!

My wife bought this for me and I read it (all but two chapters on cutting weight) in a single sitting. I've gone back & re-read several chapters & sections. It's hard to give it a better recommendation.
The information contained in the book isn't earth shattering. It's lots of common sense, but it's communicated in a very interesting and motivational manner. It doesn't offer a single magic bullet but instead simply describes the hard work necessary to take off weight and/or put on muscle through exercise, nutrition and rest.
It's a good read and a good reference.

This book is a real treasure chest of knowledge. There is so much information in it that I re-read it several times already just to make sure I didn't miss anything. The authors write clearly and to the point about both nutrition and martial arts training but with a sense of humour that brings the book to life. They speak from personal experience and don't shy away from pointing out how they learned important lessons the hard way, by doing it wrong first.
But what makes the book even more interesting is how they cover all aspects to the topics and try to give you complete information. This is in contrast to most other books of this kind, where so-called experts fill their pages promoting their diet or trainingsystem as the ultimate truth while dismissing all other possibilities as frauds. The Fighter's Body is not like that. If you want solid information you can rely on, you can't go wrong with it.

If you are a beginner or have been training in the fighting arts for a long time, you will find crucial information to not only become better at your art but also how to stay good at it and in peak condition throughout your life. No matter if you train just for fun or are a competitive athlete, you will learn something from this book. A must have for any martial artist. Highly recommended.

Expert martial artists Loren W. Christensen and Wim Demeere expertly collaborate in The Fighter's Body: An Owner's Manual, a straightforward guide to diet, nutrition, exercise, and pursuing health in order to improve one's overall quality of life in general and optimum condition for the practice of martial arts in particular. A range of thematically appropriate issues is covered including diets to avoid, staying hydrated, forming a balanced eating plan, solid strategies to follow when either losing or gaining weight, long-term health strategies, and more comprise this straightforward and "user friendly" self-improve-ment guide which is especially commended to the attention of all martial arts students and practitioners.

What a great book! As a student of a traditional martial art, I have access to in depth information concerning kata, application of kata, the history of my art, the spiritual concepts important to my art, etc. What I do not always have access to is information about how to train, excercises and stretches that I can use to supplemant my training, and nutritional information that will facilitate my training. While this book does place a certain emphasis on training for tournaments and competition, it is excellent overall, and should be helpful to any martial artist. It is easy to read, and the authors interject humour and personal anctedotes throughout the writing.

The Fighter's Body reinforces everything I have found in my own studies about exercise and nutrition, and is one of the better books on the subject. It reads like a story in layman's language, and gives you a good overview of diets and nutritional needs especially for martial artists. The book also answers questions you may have about supplements, and explains how to read food labels and what to look for when buying sports drinks, nutrition bars, and other supplements. The "Fast Facts" at the beginning of each chapter give you a quick overview and motivate you to want to learn more. If you want to know how to fuel your body to fuel your techniques, this is a great book.

This is the first book I've read by Mr. Christensen, and I doubt it will be my last.

This book outlines some of the biggest follies in training and dieting that many fighters fall victim too. We'd all like to believe that you can pig out on KFC and kick like Bruce Lee, but this book puts everything in perspective.

Some things in this book are things you've heard a thousand times, like eat your greens. However, some of the things in this book are the light of truth that people have been looking for. Christensen specifically addresses why that guy at the gym who drinks power-shakes, muscle milk and "monster" drinks isn't helping his body out at all, and why YOU can get better results if you mind your diet.

All in all the book is a spectacular reference for fighters of all styles from MMA to Kung Fu. It's written in an easy-to understand fashion, with plenty of humor in it.

A must have for any martial artist, regardless of style.

I give it 4 stars because it can take a bit of a pessimistic tone when it comes to giving people the bottom line. Even still, a great reference!

Loren Christensen and Wim Demeere have teamed up to bring you a book that is an excellent addition to the shelves of any martial artist, fit or fat.

Why you ask? If you are fit there are plenty of maintenance and improvement (everyone can improve) ideas that you will find not only more efficient but almost certainly more enjoyable that will help you bring out your "A-game" consistently. If you are fat, you will get ideas and encouragement on not simply how to lose weight, but how to do it through your training or with ideas that complement your training. If you are somewhere in the middle, well ain't you special, you get the best of all worlds.

Topics are numerous, probably too many for one person to apply concurrently, and some may not be appropriate for everyone. What is best though, in my opinion, is that all the topics can be a gateway to methods you may not have encountered. Even for familiar topics you will find new approaches, exercises, or drills geared toward the improvement of your martial arts. The authors have done extensive research and combined that with their own personal experience as well as their experience guiding students and clients. Why compartmentalize your fitness training from your martial training? Find out how to combine and/or complement both.

For example, discussions on HIIT and Dirt Day are sufficient to guide and be put into practice, but have also prompted me to seek further information.