Customer Reviews

The Truth

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've read lots of books on fitness and working out, and this is one of the best. After you've read a lot of books and searched online, you start to get a feel for what's genuine and useful and what's dodgy. In particular, core principles that you find being repeated by *every* reputable fitness expert start to stick as being reliable, and books that advocate those principles in a sensible manner are books you can trust.

My first impression when I saw "The Truth" and read the back cover was that it was yet another well-sculpted fashion model capitalizing on his looks to try to convince the Average Joe that you too can look like him. How many fitness models and actors can really give you solid, practical advice, and how many are just blessed with good genes and would probably look good on any halfway reasonable fitness regimen? Fortunately, I kept reading inside, and found that Frank Sepe is no pretty boy selling his own personal routine as if it's applicable to everyone. No, he's giving you good, solid advice. Don't be put off by the somewhat grandiose title, he really is telling you The Truth.

Actually, it's a bunch of truths, but they boil down to this: if you want to lose weight, get strong and lean, and look YOUR best (not like Frank Sepe, but the best that your own genetic makeup will allow), you have to work hard, change your lifestyle, make exercise a regular part of your life, and eat the right things, and you have to do this consistently, forever, no excuses. If that's disheartening, sorry, but Sepe does tell it like it is. The only other book that comes close is Tom Venuto's "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" eBook. Basically, you need to accept the fact that there are no easy weight loss solutions that come without sacrifice.

If you're ready for The Truth, then Sepe's program takes you step by step from out-of-shape beginner to toned and buff. Like any good program, he covers weight training, cardio, and nutrition. You need to pay equal attention to all three. He gives you lots of exercises and very easy "templates" from which to build your own workout program at whatever level you're at. The program works (I've used it myself and gotten good results, I found it a good guide to switching up my own routine). I really liked the master list of primary and secondary exercises for each muscle group from which you can pick and choose the ones to use to build your own routine. The nutritional advice is also solid and consistent with what other fitness experts will tell you -- no ridiculously calorie-restricted diets or no-carb nonsense here. But you will have to accept that fast food and junk food has no place in your diet.

Finally, I have to admit that Frank Sepe's image is a great selling point, if you want someone motivational to look at while planning your own workouts. I know I'm never going to look like him, but he's practically a model of physical perfection and I like imagining that I am working my way towards that kind of body when I work out. He models all the exercises and the descriptions are good, especially the tips on good form and how to squeeze maximal effect out of each movement.

This is one of the better fitness books out there. I also recommend Tom Venuto's Burn Fat, Build Muscle ebook. I like The Truth better than Body For Life. I like how Frank breaks down exercizes into what works major and minor muscle groups. This book also worked better for me over BFL as I require more than three 20 minute sessions of cardio a week being a woman over 30. A few things people need to understand:

1) Eating Healthy is not cheap. A healthy diet is 70% of a total program. If you cannot follow the regiment, don't bother with the program. Unfortunately, there are no short cuts when it comes to dieting. You must also log anything that goes into your mouth!

2)Meal preparation and planning can be a pain. I combat this by preparing my meals every Sunday for the entire week. This saves time for those of us with full work & life schedules.

3)This is a complete lifestyle change. Body builders don't eat pizza and drink beer everyday to maintain their physique. It helps if you put your entire family on the meal plan with you. Be wary of friends and family that undermine you whether it's intentional or not. You know how it goes...."it's only one piece, it's only one day....". If it isn't my official cheat meal, I take meals/snacks with me. You'll be surprised at how many people admire your discipline.

4)The book can be a little tedious in some areas to a layperson. That being said, changing your physique is truly scientific and some of the material could be confusing to a beginner. Work through it. I would be leery of anyone touting a "simple diet & work out".

5) This program is not for the half-hearted or anyone with minimal fitness goals.

Overall, this is a great, HEALTHY program. I recommend the hardback over the paperback version as it holds up better.

I'm a guy who reads a lot of books and works out a lot. I've seen plenty of diet and exercise books that have had me laughing out loud because of their inaccuracies. Usually when a book has the kind of glossy hardcover jacket and hammy pictures this one does, it fits right into that category of "written for suckers and desperate people."

This book was a surprise though. The workouts are sound! The diet info, while very basic, is accurate. And the misconceptions Sepe dispells are just that: misconceptions.

If the glossy pictures lure women into reading this book, so what. I particularly love the way Sepe dispells the myths that:
1. Weight training makes women into musclely amazons (false!!)
2. Long term weight loss can be achieved without exercise (false!!)

This book also has a healthy emphasis on limiting caloric intake, which while simple has been desperately lacking in the "Atkins" and "Southbeach" diet era.

It is true that Sepe could have devoted a little bit more time explaining the proper form of some of these weight exercises. He also could have included more up to date diet info. These are the only reasons I gave the book a 4 instead of a 5.

This is a wonderful book that should not only be read. It should be studied. Just try to focus more on the content than on the glossy photos. ;P

Frank Sepe bills this book as the only fitness book you'll ever need. While I doubt that the book is that good...it's certainly more complete than any other single book I've read. And believe me, I've read tons. Almost everything by Gunnar Peterson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stalone, Charles Staley, Pavel Tsatsouline, Mike Mahler, Weider, etc., etc., etc. In total the number is probably close to 50 or 60 books. This is by far the most complete, accurate, and information dense book I have read in the past decade.

Mr. Sepe covers everything from fitness myths, why one should exercise, muscular conditioning, cardio, and nutritional advice. He gives you step-by-step plans which, and this is the great thing, are completely modular. These plans take you from step 1, a complete beginner, to step 5 or professional bodybuilder. The nutritional information is in-depth, the workout routines, while being standard, are exceptionally modular and adptable to each individual, and his desire not to pull any punches has created a phenomenal book that anyone interested in improving their health should have on their night-stand. The only other book that comes close is Scrawny to Brawny by Berardi and Mejia, but that book is limited because it focuses only on those who wish to bulk up. Sepe manages to show you a plan that can work no matter what your goal (obviously you have to tweak it, but he also shows you how).

What makes this book great is that there are no scams, hidden promises or false hopes about what you can do for your appearance and health. The book is about both fitness (strength training and weight loss), as well as nutrition. Frank tells you what you need to do to look and feel your personal best. The book is NOT Hollywood hype or a trendy fad diet that will be replaced by another in a few months; it is "The Truth." This is an extremely helpful book for anyone who is looking for honest answers with regard to weight loss, diet, fitness or nutrition.

I have read a ton of books on bodybuilding and have learned alot, but after I read this book by Frank Sepe, "The Truth" I said to my wife that this was the best book I have ever read on bodybuilding. After reading all the previous bodybuilding books all I ever got was just a tidbit of information or was not explained well enough to understand.

Frank's book had it all, strenth training, cardio, and nutrition and was explained very well. If I had of read this book years ago I would be so much farther ahead in my fitness goals. I was so impressed that I even bought two additionial copies and sent to my brother and mother in Seattle, Washington.

Kevin

This is the most comprehensive workout/fitness trainer the I have seen. Complete with color pictures accompanied by written step by step instruction then catagorized by muscle group, this book is perfect for all levels of training ability. Frank's explanation is thorough and even the beginner will be able to preform the exercises. The only thing that is truly lacking is the chapter on nutrition. If a 200 pound woman tried to eat all of the protien, carbs and fat that this book recommends, she would never lose weight. All in all this is great book for training...find another book for nutrition.

This is an excellent book that's "to the point" and easy to read. It gives you basics with incremental paths to higher levels of fitness over a period of time. It's well thought out & easy to understand without lots of boring bla bla bla. He shows you all the excercises in detail with clear pictures & narrative so you understand "perfect form" and why it's important. Frank also gives you other tips & techniques so you can experiment with what's right for you. Wish there was a bit more on the nutrition / diet part -total calories one should eat instead of just counting protein, carbs & fat. The only problem with the book is a poor quality binding - I've only opened it twice (really) & the pages are starting to fall out. Makes me wonder if it wasn't a "second" from the publisher.

The contents of this book are great. It's easy to get started and it's a great plan. My complaint, however, and this is a big deal, is that the actual physical quality is poor. I thought it was just a lemon that I received and when i bought a second one the same thing happened again. Both copies fell apart after only a few days and had pages coming out. I would have given this book 5 stars if the physical quality was better. The publisher should reprint the identical book using better material. This guy knows what he's doing, however, and he has good advice. It may be worth buying anyhow just to learn from someone good. Besides, one personal training session would cost you more than double what this book costs and who only goes for one session?

"The Truth" is a well-balanced and honest book that goes straight to the point. The cardio, strength-training and nutrition levels are easy to follow but not without a sweat. "The Truth" has worked for me and that the plans are superb. I wish he could have included how to perform the workouts (cardio and strength-training)and nutrition plans depending on the body type: endo, ecto or mesomorph. I do believe that different body types have different nutritional and workout needs. All in all it is a good start and you will save a lot of dough in personal trainers.