Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World Hardcover – April 26, 2016

Yes, only 3 stars. I'm reviewing the book as a whole, not just the content. I give the content a 5, the writing a 4, and the physical print quality a 2. Here's why...

Content is excellent. I've got the other books he wrote, they are very helpful and the amount of pain removed from my body makes it worth far more than I paid. About the only improvement I could suggest is more sketch overlays that indicate the area of focus, direction of motion, things like that. I sometimes have to re-read the text 4 or 5 times to try and figure out the motion implied in the photo or series of them. Sketch lines down the spine and arm or leg, little angle symbol or curved arrows help me to understand very well. I still give it a 5 because maybe I'm just a visual learner and need that kind of thing, maybe most people can just "get it" from the words.

The writing style just isn't for me. It's not bad, it's conversational, and I get why. This is not a textbook. (I think the content could be re-written as a most excellent one.) Repetition bugs me. I know I need to re-read things to understand. Seeing the same phrases written out over and again may help some people, but doesn't make understanding any easier for me. The foreshadowing is excessive, to me, in the beginning. I read the table of contents, I can kinda tell what's coming later. If I had a nickel every time I see the phrase "later in this book you will learn" I'd maybe have a free book. :) Ok, not really true, but read it enough times and it gets annoying. So, 2 pretty minor things that bug me personally and probably nobody else. I give it a 4, you may give it a 5, but this review is simply my opinion.

Now what I really don't like, (and the main reason for giving a 3-star overall), the print quality. Seriously, anybody that thinks light thin text on shiny paper is a good idea should not be publishing books. If the ink were a full black, the font a little thicker, or maybe just printed on regular paper it wouldn't be such a struggle. (And maybe it is a full black, but the shiny paper effect makes it look like a dim gray at best to me.) More light doesn't help since that just makes the shiny glow off the paper worse. The contrast is simply poor and I can't stand reading this book more than a few minutes at a time, which is really frustrating because the information is so valuable that I am compelled to suffer through it. It's really hard to read and I'm very disappointed about that. Even the orange-bownish text used on captions is substantial enough to be easier to read than the main text. The binding is nice, and overall it's a nice well-made book. I can't honestly go lower than a 2 on the quality because it is a quality product. There's a lot of good photos, and maybe that's the reason for the paper type. Let's say the physical book gets a 5, but the #$%^$ main text font gets a -1 million rating.

EDIT: I'm going to try and upload a picture showing what I'm talking about, and I apologize if my camera isn't the greatest. This is a bit of page 48 and 49. Most pages are like 48 with that thin font. For some strange reason the first page or 2 of each section is like page 49, and it's much easier to read even still having a little glare from the paper. Nearly every heading is low contrast gray-on-white, or medium blue on light blue, etc, when there's perfectly readable black and white (or at least higher contrast color choices) nearby. Due to these font and color design choices I am constantly tilting the book to try and reduce glare, or leaning in and squinting to make out some low-contrast text, and in the end the eye-strain makes me want to throw the book at the wall. Maybe the facebook-generation has no visual issues with everything being low-contrast, (and maybe they can see in the dark for all I know), but it really ruins what would otherwise be a great book for me.

I do crossfit and Kelly has a pretty strong presence in the community. I honestly thought the book would be as useful as the similar books I had purchased and because it is geared for crossfit enthusiasts, would be overpriced just like everything in crossfit. I WAS WRONG. This book is great. First, let me tell you what it is not, it is not a simple book that will give you a handful of exercises to do every day so your neck and back pain disappear in a week. What this books does have... it has treatments to address specific problems. Even better, there are very detailed pictures that are high quality so you can see exactly what to do. Yes, no more strange stick figures that you are trying to figure out what part of their body corresponds to your body! Beyond that, there are explanations on the sensations you may feel while performing the movements and what that means about your anatomical problem. I did not get this book to learn about how bad sitting at a desk is for me, since my body was already shown me that with pain. However, it does address the causes of all your problems if you are interested in that. I got it for the treatments, which I like a lot. As an FYI, a lot of these exercises require accessories. If you do crossfit they are all at your box, and likely your house. If you do not do crossfit, you may have to shell out $30-$100 depending on how into this you want to get. However, the basic foam roller and lacrosse ball you can buy on amazon have uses far beyond this book (see Youtube)

First, this book is much more than just a message about standing up and moving more. I was honored to receive an advanced copy and the book is amazing, very practical, and essential for people living in modern times. Unfortunately, many people have literally become “Deskbound.” This book is a powerful solution to that problem.

The book offers immediate solutions to the issues associated with static sitting postures. The health consequences of sitting are a significant problem in today’s world and anyone who remains seated for long periods is causing problems in the short term and long term.
Static sitting is an "orthopedic mess."

Deskbound is beautifully organized and visually represented, which I’ll get to in a minute. I should also mention that this book is much different from other books I’ve read on the same subject - it’s extremely “actionable.” While there are mobility “fixes” in the book, Deskbound expands on mobility concepts from Supple Leopard and presents things in an entirely different way.

The book is also not a light read. It’s extremely comprehensive and more “textbook-like”- as is its predecessor, Supple Leopard. Essentially, this is a book about movement, biomechanics, and optimizing positions to prevent the problems associated with sitting all in a very useful and complete system with amazing visuals to support the concepts and principles.

Deskbound is divided into 7 main sections which are:

1-Consequences of Poor Posture (which provides a deep understanding of the problems with static sitting)

2-Natural Body Principles (discusses optimizing body positions, essential information on the spine and breathing)

3-Moving Well (enough said here, this is an essential and important chapter)

4-The Dynamic Workstation (great workstation solutions here)

5-Optimizing Sitting Mechanics (very important chapter with unique insights and many suggestions to sit better - much better!)

6-Performing Basic Maintenance on Your Body - understanding mechanics and key mobility concepts.

7-Mobility Prescriptions - 14 different “Mobility Prescriptions” (targeted mobility programs)

Here’s something important to keep in mind. It’s important to remember that even if you’ve read the previous work by the author(s), you can never hear things (or read things) enough as “repetition is the mother of learning.” What I’m saying here is that the more we read something, the better we learn it and hopefully apply it.

The book is simply amazing and valuable for all and it’s a book you’ll actually use to make a difference in your life. What I really like about Deskbound is the "practicality" and immediate impact it can have. For example, I quickly discovered there were many more things I could easily do in standing (computer work, writing, long phone conversations) as opposed to statically sitting behind my desk. It really comes down to: awareness plus action equals change.

Get the book! I’ve been fortunate to read a few outstanding books recently. Books I consider being “mandatory reading” for all humans. Deskbound is one of those books!

You’ll love it and it’s a book that will make positive behavior change for the rest of your life. Free yourself from the hazards of sitting.