Four Hour Body by Tim Ferris: A Review

Below is my review of Tim Ferris’s Four Hour Body. Tim has written several books about hacking things (i.e. finding shortcuts) to achieve proficiency in business, cooking, fitness, sleeping, etc. He has a popular podcast and blog as well.

This book is very wide ranging in its topics, from hitting baseballs to running faster or achieving better orgasm, this book covers science and pseudo science on many topics related to the human body. Tim Ferris clearly has access to a number of experts in various fields related to each topic. In his chapter on how to improve the bench press, he’s got a section where Mark Bell models his bench press set up, for example.

Its a great introduction to a great many topics related to maximizing the performance and look of the human body. I recommend this book for those just starting their journey and are looking to dabble in a number of topics before focusing on one area (running faster, losing weight, building muscle, etc.).

Tim Ferris is not married and has no kids.  He was also independently wealthy at the time he wrote this book.  So, he wasn’t operating with all the constraints that middle-aged dads with kids and full-time jobs do.  But that’s ok, because this book was all about identifying short cuts related to nutrition and exercise.  Although the science is mixed on some of what he wrote in there, his simple hacks worked to kick start my journey and get me back on the path towards a healthier body and better physique.

What I Like About the Book

I like the range of topics discussed and how Tim has the book laid out. Chances are there is something in here that you can at least try out and see if it works for you. Underlying the content of the book is the philosophy that everyone’s body is unique and trying things out suggested here may help you reach some goal related to performance, physique or health that you’ve been unable to achieve.

At the very least the book offers a number of perspectives on fitness that come at things from a different perspective. For example, do I think you can add strength by reducing volume and frequency of strength training? I don’t think I do, but it is an interesting perspective and it may be worth trying some aspect of the content discussed.

But for me the biggest thing I like about the book is something personal to my fitness journey. I hadn’t really tried a diet and wasn’t in great shape and the slow carb diet concept resonated with me. Part of it was the legumes inclusion, because my wife is always cooking lentils, so it was an easy thing to try without changing that much about meal prep around the house. After successfully using the slow carb diet to drop 18 pounds pretty easily, Tim’s book and podcast was an inspiration for 2 years of strict intermittent fasting that helped me re-comp and stay lean.

This book kicked off my transformation from dad bod to where I am today, which is stronger and leaner than I’ve ever been, even as I approach my 40th birthday. So for me, the book inspired a passion for fitness and for learning more about this stuff. Does it mean this book will do that for you too? It depends on where you are in your journey. I can recommend it as a good start for getting to know your body better.

What I Didn’t Like About the Book

On content, this book was silent on the issue of calories in vs. calories out, which I believe matters. It also was devoid of much of the basics of calorie counting and creating a nutrition plan to achieve physique goals. His focus on things like apple cider vinegar and other things that lack much evidence left a bit to be desired. I understand Tim isn’t a doctor, and he’s walking a fine line between reporting things he has experimented with and things that might not work for every one.

The book structure was cool with a sort of “Choose your Own Adventure” vibe to it, which works well in terms of just reading what you want to learn about. But as far as reading it all the way through, it does seem a bit chaotic and some of the chapters and sections could probably be tied together more cohesively. Especially with regards to the many different training programs and protocols described. I don’t think you are meant to do them all at the same time, but it can be hard to choose among the different programs described. That’s a real nitpick, because Tim explains the structure of the book up front.

Raw Notes on Book Content

• Very focused on body fat percentage and much of the basis of the books depends on the accuracy of such granular data points at single points in time
• Chapter on “Slow Carb Diet” Protocol – forms the basis of the book. Just like every other diet, it is a way to end up not eating too many calories while also not tracking calories. Key tenets of the diet:
  • Avoid white carbs
  • Repeat meals, eat same thing over and over
  • Don’t drink calories
  • Don’t eat fruit
  • Have a cheat meal
  • Don’t have to track calories in, there are certain food types (beans, lean meats) which you can basically eat as much as you want
• Chapter with basic tips for the process/journey:
  • Take pictures for honest assessment of physique and for motivation
  • Take pictures of your food, which psychologically helps reduce overeating
  • Find a friend or a group to lose with and to hold you accountable
  • Weigh yourself daily, track weight on trailing seven day average
  • When you do binge, you can help things by doing air squats before or during the binge (Tim offers a few other likely placebos)
• Chapter on heat manipulation and thermodynamics
  • It seems as though there is some evidence to suggest that cold and water is helpful to reducing fat or reducing storage of fat, with story on Michael Phelps offered as case-in-point.
  • Ice pack on the neck at night for 30 min may help burn fat
  • Drink 2 cups of cold water upon waking
  • Take cold showers and ice baths
• Chapter on the benefits of high-rep kettlebell swings, minimalist weight training program described
• Chapter on two ab exercise
  • Myotatic Crunch
  • Cat vomit move
• Chapter on growing muscle
  • This appears to be mostly for hard gainers
  • It is a bulking program that consists of low frequency training and lots of food
• There is a whole section of chapters on sex and 15 minute orgasms and other stuff
  • My wife has always been satisfied at least as far as I can tell, and even if it could be improved, it’s not really a passion of mine or something I want to spend tons of time on to improve on something that’s already pretty great. 
• Chapter on adding 100 lbs to bench press of a person with a 200lb bench press
  • Seems pretty hard to believe it would be possible for me to go from my current max of 260 to 360 on bench by just bench pressing once a week.
  • Flies in the face of what others with more direct and extensive powerlifting have to say about the subject (Mike Tuchscherer or Barbell Medicine guys)
  • Having said that, I didn’t try the protocol myself, so can’t really disclaim it 
• Tim appears to have added a chapter on hitting baseballs that’s pretty interesting and is something I’ll try with my boys. 
  • There is a chapter on increasing longevity through engaging in fasting, among other things. 
• Good closing thought on the effect improving your body can lead to happier people and that outer self improvements can inspire self confidence and generally be a positive thing, not just vain.