Weight Lifting Is a Waste of Time

So Is Cardio, and There’s a Better Way to Have the Body You Want

By: Dr. John Jaquish, Henry Alkire

Narrated by: Phoenix Phillips

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

You’ve been lifting for a few years. When you take your shirt off, do you look like a professional athlete? Do you even look like you work out?

Many so-called fitness experts defend weights and cardio like they are infallible. But where are the results? Why does almost nobody look even marginally athletic?

Fitness may be the most failed human endeavor, and you are about to hear how exercise science has missed some obvious principles that, when enacted, will turn you into the superhuman that you've always wanted to be.

In Weight Lifting Is a Waste of Time, Dr. John Jaquish and Henry Alkire explore the science that supports this argument and present a superior strength-training approach that has been known to put 20 pounds of muscle on drug-free, experienced lifters (i.e., not beginners) in six months.

©2020 Dr. John Jaquish (P)2020 Dr. John Jaquish

Mostly sales literature

Most of this book is focused on selling a relatively expensive rubber band exercise system and supplements. While many of the methodologies promoted have some empirical evidence, most of it is not particularly new in the science of bodybuilding, body recompostioning, and diet. The primary accomplishment here is to rebrand it, though there is some value to having the information all "under one roof".

The narration is generally good with the exception of horrific mispronunciations of some of the terminology. in a couple of spots, I had to back up and listen again in an attempt.to identify the word that was verbally slaughtered. Eventually, the mispronunciations began to become a form of entertainment.

Overall, I can neither recommend the book nor discourage it's reading. There are important concepts here that are of value. Just don't join a cult.

kinda like a very long commercial

even if there was good info, its painful to listen to and I regret buying it

junk advertisement

Just a long ad for a $500 rubber band lmfao.
I wouldn't be so harsh if the author offered alternatives to his X3 system but this is just a long ad for why the X3 system (rubber band attached to a handle) is the greatest invention in the history of working out. I can't trust anything this author says after pulling a shady move like this.

Nothing But an Infomercial

This is 5 hrs and 38 mins of someone trying to sell you something you probably don't need. Maybe the product works, who knows....but I went in thinking I was going to learn how to alter my workouts to maximize results, but all these guys want you to do is shell out $550 for their product. There's an entire chapter on how well constructed the thing is. Come on...

This book should have been free. I'm really disappointed and I wish I had my credit back. This book has probably discouraged me from reading so-called health books because it seems like all they want to do is sell you a product or subscribe to their programs. I'll go back to fiction or something that's at least entertaining. Save your credit.

3 months of X3Bar user, it works but now I understand why it works so good

What a great book! I’m happy I started using X3Bar before listening to this book. The system just works and the book really just puts this huge bow tie on how effective it is and the simple diet approach to get maximum results. This X3Bar is so disruptive to the fitness industry, I don’t know how gyms will survive.

It is 95% product propaganda and 5% useful info

Basically this is not a book, is a mix between a product datasheet, infomercial and selfhelp book. it contains little relevant information, and the useful part of the book could be summarized either on a youtube video or in a two page panphlet. In a nutshell, resistance training is better than cardio to reduce body fat and increase muscle, actually cardio may even prevent body fat loss. Resistance training through variable resistance equipment as X3 (the equipment this book intends to sell) or any other band resistance equipment can be enough to build the body you want in 10 minutes. Lastly it name some scientific studies that back up these claims.

Good info

It's good information but designed to sell you a product. Backed by real science but doesn't give usable excercise routines to achieve results beyond buying their product and nutritional supliments. Does give insight into what you may be spending too much time on and how you maybe sabotaging your own results. It also, gives good advice that can be used to improve your workouts and results if you can apply the concepts using available equipment. Overall a very insightful book that makes you rethink how we excercise.

Very informative

If you’re listening to this, it may be because you are interested in the X3 Bar or are already a user. In that case, you’ll get exactly what you’re here for.

If you’re not interested in the X3, you might get a little annoyed about hearing about the X3 development process, so consider yourself warned. There is still enough substance to keep you interested.

The book is well written and well narrated. I was afraid that the book might have a bunch of graphs that won’t translate well to narration, but as far I as can tell, that wasn’t the case.

A Shameless Ad Backed by Shady Science

I read the summary of this book thinking it was a help book on workouts that would increase muscle production. Silly me. It turns out that this book is simply a 5 hour advertisement selling Dr. Jaquish's "X3 Bar," which is just an 18" bar with resistance bands attached to it. The "science" they use for this book is not exactly proven either. A lot of the studies they used claimed that variable resistance training (they danced around this idea for 4 chapters but it's essentially just training with resistance bands) is actually MORE useful than weight lifting for building muscle based on EMG readings of muscle activation. EMG readings for muscle activation do not necessarily equal muscle growth, as anyone who's had to work out at home during COVID with resistance bands for the past year will tell you. Overall, this book was horrible. It could easily have been 50 pages or less, worth maybe 30 minutes of reading. However, it reiterated itself so many times it felt like I was listening to an infomercial. Would not recommend at all.

Advertisement for his products

Wanted to like it, but it was an extremely dull presentation showing how his approach works better than any other as long as you use his products and supplements.

How to sell a product badly

Yeah, this book is all about selling the author's own product. As soon as the chapter headed "How we developed the X3" the "book" became all about selling his own invention... if you can class adding elastic bands to a bar attached to the floor an invention!

Weight lifting is a waste of time? Nah, this book was a waste of time.

Just a 5 hour JML advert

Some good insights and ideas. Not sure anything backed by peer reviewed science but I can see what they are saying logically.
It becomes a little wearing when they mention their product 100 times in a 5 minute period over and over again.
X3 x3 x3 x3 x3 x3 x3 did we mention x3.

I paid for an ad

The book presents the importance of variable weight training (that can be summarized in 3 pages) and how awesome a fitness product can be (the rest of the book). Even though there is some scientific citation, this feels like a scam: not only do I get to listen to a 5h infomercial, but I also paid for it.

Not relevant to the uk

It pushes a product that has no centres in the uk where you can use it.

makes sense?

The author puts forward a very good case, but it is a sales pitch when all said and do. I still listerned to the end though, so not all bad.

Just one long advert as far as I could here

I ended up turning it off, it seemed like one long advert, and probably was, to be honest.

Blatant sales pitch

A very misleading title.
This is nothing more than a plug for the authors piece of equipment.

Just a marketing tool

Whilst I applaud the early chapters that are written in a pseudo-academic style later chapters are a sales pitch.

This book is just selling you the fitness equipment the author invented. Whilst his dat may be relavent non was found directly using his equipment.

Feel abit cheated

Good -but bit of a sales pitch

The title is a bit deceptive (it caught my attention as I’m a long time weight lifting affectionado) as the writers extol the benefits of weight lifting throughout the book, albeit employing variable resistance (taking weight away from extended range to preserve the joints) - which makes sense. Rubbishing the whole gym and fitness industry, rather those particular members of these places who don’t seem to know how to train with good form, eat and rest properly, is a bit much. Also, not so sure about rubbishing all of the well tested and used (Weider’s) training principles - eg I think muscles adapt very quickly to routine and so workouts require change in my view (muscle confusion principle) - bricklayers aren’t generally muscular as their muscles and skeletal system adapts quickly to the weights (bricks/blocks) and movements involved. In terms of nutrition, I do like the Keto approach they recommend although I suspect the microbiome requires multicoloured veg to be healthy.
WITH THAT SAID it’s is still a damn good read, in fact one of the best books about getting into shape Ive read - I’ve read a lot. I highly recommend this book.

A sales pitch …

Unfortunately not what I expected. The book follows the Tony robbins format for selling a product.

The whole thing just feels like an infomercial and I cannot get through it. I’m sure it’s a great vehicle to sell their product but as a book it’s awful…