Customer Reviews

Fit for Eternal Life

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Though I love reading and books dearly, few books capture a spirit or goal in my own life as closely as this book does. For years now I have been struggling to achieve an inner and outer balance in my life - balance between mind, body and spirit. In attempting to do so, I have tried various tools, and methods, and strategies. Yet inevitably I find myself off kilter. Now this book seems to be a resource that will help to achieve that balance.

The main reason for that is the person that Dr. Kevin Vost is. He has been a lifelong enthusiast of both academic learning and of physical fitness. He has written and published extensively in the realm of physical fitness and in cognitive and memory mechanics. Dr. Vost does not just write about these topics he also practices them, which makes him an authority not just theoretically but also practically. Dr. Vost has done graduate work and post- graduate work academically and he also has competed in power lifting.

The book flows nicely from topic to topic. It is designed to help you find balance in your life - to be neither a gym rat, nor a book worm, but to have the best of both worlds. It combines wisdom from classical authors down to current competitive athletes. He states: "Intensity and duration of effort, you see, are inversely proportional. How's that? A well-known saying in HIT circles is that 'you can train hard, or you can train long, but you can't do both.' The more demanding the exercise, the shorter the time you're able to sustain it. The harder you work, the sooner you must stop. We all know this from experience. And the kind of exercise that maximizes physical strength is not only intense but also brief." He will teach you to get more results from less time in the gym, and thus have more time for family, friends, leisure and your favorite 'books'.

Each chapter begins with a set of quotes - one spiritual and the other from the classics. Dr. Vost draws from a very wide range of sources to support his arguments, with examples from Pope Pius XII, Aristotle, Seneca, St. Thomas Aquinas, Hesiod, Mike Mentzer and many more. These motivational and inspirational quotes help to draw you into the material. Robert Wolff in his book Bodybuilding 101 states: "There is nothing so constant as change. Meet it. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Learn from it. The one thing you can be absolutely sure of in your life is change. It's the only thing that never changes. The law of nature is that you either grow or you die; there's no in-between. So, what have you chosen so far? Are you growing in every area of your life? Hey, it's not enough to be growing and looking great just because you work out. That's only a small part of your life. What about your emotions, spiritual life, family, friends, career, hobbies? Are they growing as your body does? Become a complete person and not an in-shape and great-looking version of an incomplete person. There's way more to life than just working out. Go with the flow and embrace changes in all areas of your life. The change will do you good." This book will help you to achieve that lasting change and growth. It will help you develop physically, and through that, develop all areas of your life. Or as a different philosopher Montaigne declared:
"To strengthen the mind you must harden the muscles." Vost will give you the tools to work both. He will teach you how to Pump Iron and to Pump Ions!Pumping IonsBodybuilding 101 : Everything You Need to Know to Get the Body You WantMemorize the Faith! (and Most Anything Else): Using the Methods of the Great Catholic Medieval Memory Masters

Being an experienced self taught weightlifter who trains for hours weekly, I was a skeptic of Dr. Vost's training techniques after having stumbled across a copy of, "Fit for Eternal Life" in a local bookstore.

I was surprised and quite impressed by Vost's thorough, yet clever, combination of his wealth of weight training, aerobic and spiritual knowledge. This book will do well to suit and inform anyone hoping to become, not only more physically fit and spiritually aware, but a better spouse, parent, or friend. In his unique and well written format, you will find a good deal of valuable information about traditional aerobic activities, as well as helpful suggestions such as, implementing boring household chores (while listening to your favorite spiritual music) as part of your routine. As for the weight training technique he outlines in the book, it is what is known as "HIT" or High Intensity Training. This method, which would leave me feeling like I hadn't gotten my moneys worth out of my gym membership, could rightfully be called "LTN" for Less Time Needed. If you follow his plan and remain diligent in doing so, there is no doubt that his system will help you to become more fit, in an efficient and effective manner.

Not only have I learned a great deal about my own fitness regiment and how it can be improved, through the author's vast knowledge and experience, I've also acquired a new view to completing (less than desirable) tasks. Being a single father of two teenage boys involved in sports, his section for teen's has been extremely helpful as well.

I may already be skipping past the elevator to hit the stairwell for aerobic exercise, (one of many sensible suggestions) but now I'll feel much better about missing a workout to shovel my mom's or her neighbor's driveway! This solid and practical book by Dr.Vost, will remain a favorite of mine and has helped me in more ways than I would have ever expected!

Dr. Kevin Vost is the ideal Catholic personal trainer, guiding readers through a well-organized methodology for care of both body and soul. He covers all the basics for a sound fitness program: strength training, cardiovascular exercise and healthy eating strategies. More importantly, Dr. Vost educates the reader regarding the "how and why" behind his approach, which focuses on a method of strength training known as "High Intensity Training" (HIT). Dr. Vost promises, and delivers, an effective approach to achieve maximum strength gains with a minimum time commitment.

What separates this book from similar titles on the bookstore shelves is Dr. Vost's artful weaving of an education on virtue into the pages describing his techniques to strengthen our Temple of the Holy Spirit. Quoting St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Paul, Aristotle and various popes throughout history, he teaches the reader how to perfect both body and soul.

Women, fitness neophytes, and those entering the golden years need not be intimidated by the sculpted bicep shown on the book's cover. Dr. Vost includes informative chapters detailing modifications for readers who want to get in shape but don't aspire to Mr. or Ms. Olympia bragging rights. In fact, he devotes an entire chapter to a fitness regimen that requires no formal exercise whatsoever.

Parents of older children will appreciate the section devoted to teens and their unique fitness needs and challenges. Dr. Vost emphasizes the importance of physical and spiritual health during these critical years.

As a Catholic personal trainer myself, I can highly recommend Fit for Eternal Life. Dr. Vost's conversational style and droll sense of humor make this a fun, as well as educational and inspirational, read.

- Peggy Bowes, author of The Rosary Workout

Kevin Vost's books are the best I have found on how to practically integrate the faith into our lives in ways that are meaningful, and "Fit for Eternal Life" is no exception.

I had been lifting with The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle and after about 2 or 3 months was finding it a rough slog. The reason? My growing family.

I work full time, I have a wife, and we have 3 kids under the age of 7 years old and we hope and pray to have more. We are very busy people. My wife homeschools and I work a ton and taking 3 nights a week to spend an hour or so at the gym was just not practical for my life style. I start work too early to work out in the AM. I knew I didn't want to quit, I knew I needed to keep going, but I needed practical advise on how to get there.

I purchased this book and read it in 3 days. I was totally unfamiliar with High Intensity Training, and I had a bias against cardio because of some things I had read in "the new rules."

What I learned in Dr. Vosts book was interesting, and very balanced for real life for a Catholic father. So for the last month and a half I have been using this book exclusively, combining it with knowledge of different exercises I gained from reading the "new rules."

Results? I am still making progress! In fact, I made more progress the last 4 weeks than I did before. Why? I think it is the full week of rest between lifting sessions, and the incredible amount of testosterone released by a high intensity full body lifting session once a week. After training like an animal for an hour once a week (I do the WHOLE body, starting with the mother of all exercises, the squat, and/or variations on the squat) I feel like jelly but I also feel GOOD. I mean... really good. Optimistic, prayerful, ready to tackle any challenge. Its great!

The other two or three days I run. Not a lot. Just 30 minutes or so. The cardio component is important for heart health. That's just a fact. That is another item I feel Dr. Vost gets: balance. There are no extremes in his book. No advise like "lift 5 days a week and never do an ounce of cardio." Just balance, and a balance that is achievable.

By reading my review you may conclude that this book is for younger men only. There is a chapter on the female form as well, and there is also advise for people who are senior citizens. An important book by a very gifted man and writer.

And it works. I know from my experience the past month it works, but I also know from checking out Dr. Vost's website. The guy is ripped.

But more importantly all of his work is rooted in the larger truth of the faith, and therefore he avoids pitfalls other authors not rooted in the truth will fall into.

Great book. Highly recommended.

The book follows a great motivational tool that flourish your spiritual path, the Virtues.
Excellent book and great catholic teaching related to your body.

I had no idea what to expect when I began reading this book. I knew what I wanted which was to acquire knowledge about weight training with the hopes of understanding how I could use it. My personal goals were so far exceeded by what I found in this book that I feel I was pleasantly surprised and then some! First, the fitness aspects of the book are excellent. I now understand how muscle mass/size increase and have put most of Vost's suggestions/recommendations to use. This isn't to say the book is a guide but that it gives enough information for you to be in charge of your conditioning.

Along with the excellent information on physical training, Vost has done a spectacular job of incorporating the spiritual aspects of life as well. He's witty, intelligent and clearly a man who has a passion for understanding how to care for the body God has given us in both the spiritual and physical ways.

So many people are interested in obtaining better health and this is the path to those desired goals -- reading and putting into practice what Vost shares in this book

If you want to become closer to God, or if you want to increase your strength dramatically by spending as little as 15 minutes per week lifting weights, this is a good book for you.

On the surface, these two goals may seem a bit incongruous, which is the only reason I can find that has prevented this book from taking off. As a guy who trained with weights through college, I love the efficiency of Vost's regimen and the theology as a motivator.

To all the busy Dads at Mass on any given Sunday... it's time to get strong again. This book is a great start.

The title of this book is misleading. I was expecting more integration of the spiritual life to fitness and physical well being. As it is, this book is nothing more than a physical fitness book with very little relation to eternal life, and very much directed to a younger crowd. If you are over 50 or of limited physical abilities, I wouldn't recommend it.
If you are fit and exercise regularly this book will not tell you anything new.