Before leaving for a family vacation, I received an email from Tom Venuto.  It read..

“Send me your address again.  I want to send you something.  Save me the search.  I have it somewhere.”

I didn’t think much of it.  I’ve known Tom for about 10 years (swapped bodybuilding stories over a steak in San Francisco, worked out a couple of times, hiked and even drove by a vineyard once).  He’s not only a personal friend but really the driving force for my fitness career and mentored me along the way on numerous occasions.

When I got back home, there was a media style USPS envelope from Mr Venuto. Intrigued, I ripped it over and saw the not yet released hardcover edition of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle!

Tom sent me a signed review copy of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle!  I wish I had this on the plane.  I figure this would be an excellent chance to go back to school and do a book review like I used to do in 5th grade.

1. What was the author’s purpose in writing Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle?

In the preface is Tom’s mission statement which sums it up.

I will coach and inspire as many people as possible to strengthen and transform their bodies and reach all their health and fitness goals, the natural way.

2. Did the author make a logical argument?

This isn’t a diet book, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle is a book about solid, sensible nutrition.  It’s how you’d eat for life, every day, without fads or gimmicks.  Something they should teach children in school.

3. Did the author keep you interested?

Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle is a book about a subject that requires a college degree. Tom tells a story.  It’s easy to read and very interesting.  It isn’t like any other book on the subject that has this many details and yet reads easily.  It’s unique in that aspect.

The way he approaches the subject is a mixture of storytelling mingled with facts.  For a non-fiction book this reads like a mystery novel at times.  It’s intriguing and a few cases, I swear there’s a cliff hanger!

4. Share a quote or two from Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.

Page 262:  “The secret to fat loss is not exercise.  It’s not what foods you eat either.  The ultimate secret to fat loss is achieving a calorie deficit, and consistently staying in that deficit until you reach your goal.”

5. Share a favorite part of the book.

Chapter 18 comes to mind.  It’s about Advanced Strategies!  It covers the psychology of a training or nutrition stalemate.  Details are given exactly how to break thru each kind.  Once you have your calorie baseline down pat and you make progress, everybody stalls at some point.  That’s when the real frustration sets in.

This is where Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle differs in almost every case.

• 
  
• How to break an early-stage plateau with harder work and progression
  
• How to break a mid-stage plateau with cycling methods
  
• how to break a late-stage plateau with rest and recovery
  

Very specific options are given in fine detail about nutritional sticking points to training to cardio.

How do you break thru when your body refuses to change and eating less isn’t an option (or maybe not one in this case?)

There’s even a section on carb cycling (low carb advantages and disadvantages) that we know bodybuilders have used for decades to get ultra-lean.

It’s like nothing is held back.

6. What did you like most about the book?

If a person bought this book, they would never have an unanswered question.

It truly is the Fat Loss Bible and then some.  Everything is covered.  I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t touched upon even after trying some really experimental programs over the years.  It’s very structured but with enough flexibility that is covers just about any situation.  Men, women, children, elderly, just starting out, advanced athlete, looking to lose fat, maintain weight or build muscle.  Dude covers it all with fine detail but without the boredom.

7. What did you like least?

The lack of pictures.  I’m a big believer in photos.  There really aren’t any to be found.I would have loved to see a few young “plump” Tom photos of his college beer drinking days! Or photos of how to do an exercise.  Even photos of food would be nice but the meal descriptions and portion sizes are good enough to give anybody with an imagination of what it would entail.

But really, it’s not necessary.  It’s the only thing I can think of that I “liked the least” about Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.

Apparently the photos are available on the Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle website as mentioned in the sections that describe the plan.

8. What will be your lasting impression of the subject?

The preface and the story of how Tom’s journey began and how Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle became to be.  After knowing him for 10 years and him being at my house swapping bodybuilding stories, I thought maybe he told me something he’d never told another soul.  Truthfully, the preface is his story and he doesn’t hold anything back.  It’s the most honest account of somebody’s fat to fit story I’d read.

I recall buying the ebook about 10 years ago.  I printed it out and brought it along on a business trip.  On both legs of the flight, I just couldn’t put this book down.  I had my yellow highlighter and was practically making the book yellow.  It was a real eye-opening experience at the time and I’d never read anything like it before.

9. Did you learn something new from the book?

About page 76 of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle there is a section on developing your own personal formula or philosophy.  It’s explained that you take your own experience, absorb what is useful, reject what is useless and add anything of your own.  Even with this book of how to get lean and everything clearly stated as fact in a how to guide… there’s still room to adjust to suit your needs.

It’s not some indoctrination manual or some absolutist type nutrition book that forces you to live a certain way.

It’s how to live life and enjoy almost everything imaginable to get to your dream body but with the flexibility to still apply your own changes.

There’s no diet book that allows that and most books about nutrition are very strict.  Do this, it’s a fact and if you stray, you’ll fail.

I had forgotten this section existed when I read it 10 years ago.  Although it could have been added during one of the revisions.  Goes to show, always improving, making a great product even better.

10. What did you think of the cover of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle?

The girl didn’t have enormous fake boobs or some skimpy strip club outfit.  The guy has a normal, non-steroid body.  4 pack, slight 6.  But one of the most real covers I’ve ever seen.  It’s realistic and obtainable.  Not some Mr. Olympia bullshit.  Hate those books where it’s by a “natural bodybuilder” but they use some non-natural athlete on the cover.  That’s deceptive and plays into the psychology of what people want to see.  This cover is about reality.

The body images shown are actually obtainable by normal human beings without superior genetics or drug use.  It is refreshing given the phony nature of this industry.

11. Would you recommend Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle? How would you rate it?

Always have, always will.  I just recommended it tonight to a high level trader friend of mine in New York.

He said he wanted to get nutrition down first.  I told him buy this book and you’ll never need another book on nutrition again.. Ever.

Option 1:  Order direct at Amazon.com

Option 2: Order from the Official website and get special bonus materials

Be Fit, Stay Strong!

Marc David – CPT

Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David