Great prompts to action at the end of each chapter to really get you motivated.

I gave it three stars because I suppose it had some helpful information in it. I expected a book to help me workout. I got a self help book. In the book you described the greatness of people and how they did amazing things. Tom Brady probably the best quarterback ever but he made it because he worked hard. I agree but he also made it because he was in the right place at the right time. I don't want to know how the super succesful lucky to be in the right place at the right time people made it? How about the other 2000 quarter back want to bees who didn't get that break and had every bit as much or more talent than him, now they are high school PE teachers and still succesful in their own way everyone can't be great or great wouldn't mean much. It would be like Christmas every day. I Want to know how an incredibly average guy can keep going every day. Someone who fights for everything he has including keeping his shotty body in great shape. Then you go on about the Navy Seal once again an elite but with that said are you promoting hurting yourself really I mean if I have to run untill my kidneys stop functioning and my feet break to survive I will find a way but to do it just to finish a race is ludacris. I have spent better than 37 years in the military and respect the elite Specialists like Rangers ad Seals but once again they are only .1 percent of the picture. If I go out and hurt myself to prove a point then the Rangers and Seals can't get anywhere because I wasn't there to fix their airplanes and I can't do that if the person in finance doesn't pay for the jet fuel or the person in sevices doesn't make and supply us with food and so on. Sorry I went on a rant but I really was looking for a book to help me workout. I read and followed bigger stronger leaner bought the 1 year challenge have turned several people on to it and love it. I thought this was going to be in the same category. It was not. I use Legion protein greens and pre workout and love them also turned many people onto them. You said you wanted honest reviews and I debated on reviewing this at all but if you wanted my honest review I respected your other work well enough to give it to you.. Thanks Gary

I have been having a lot of personal issues in my life happening all at once, including depression. It had been affecting my workout routine. I have trained for close to 3 years with a power lifter competitor, who is now a friends, and has taught me a lot, I have trained on my own, tried online trainers....the works. But it never stuck. I have recently lost all motivation in many avenues of my life. I had been going over ways I can try and get motivated again and it just so happened that this book showed up on amazon. I read the reviews and took a chance and bought it. I finished it within two days. Some of things he wrote I am guilty of doing (making excuses, finding ways to not do stuff, etc.). I almost wanted to crawl into a hole because I felt like I had been caught red-handed! I kept reading though because his writing was compelling, honest, and a very clear reflection of the things I have done to prevent myself from achieving things I have always visualized but never worked towards. Yes, it does make me a little emotional because aside from wanting to have a healthy body, and wanting to feel happy at what I see, it has also pushed me even more to seek help for my depression. The help is already in the works but reading this is helping me see a little clearer and is positive reinforcement for me mentally and emotionally. This is probably too deep for a book review but I don't care. He asked to review his book after reading it and this is my honest opinion. Now I just need to figure out if I should get Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, or the 1 Year Challenge. I am not sure which I should do first. Thank you Michael Matthews.

Helps me get my head “in the game” when it’s been on the couch way too long. I still use the “Couch to 10K” app (not related) but this book reminds me how a winner solves issues in their journey. Great little helper. Thanks Mike!!

Good book on workout motivation! You gotta do the work!!! Action is the only difference from where you are to where you want to be.

I enjoyed this book, there was a lot of really good information to take notes on as well as the end of chapter activities to do. I enjoyed that this book kept me engaged and inspired.

This is one of those rare books of which I want to buy multiple copies and share. I'm new to the world of Michael Matthews (heck, I'm relatively new to the world of body transformation and strength training after a horrific car accident four years ago) but the geek in me enjoyed every page. His writing style is articulate, well researched and thought provoking. The book was perfect for where I am in the process. I had been struggling with my "why" of late; besides health and aesthetics reasons (both valid reasons in and of themselves, but not quite "it"), what keeps driving me forward towards the ever tougher challenge of heavier metal and master of form? That eureka moment was given to me in the first chapter ("If we have the power to change our bodies, we have the power to change our lives"). But the ultimate gift was how to reframe the struggle and pain of burning muscles and fatigue. I work with one of the good ones as far as personal trainers are concerned and despite his best efforts, this was struggle that exhausted me the most. Just how do you push through that? And towards the end of this "Little Black Book" I realized the struggle was not to be divorced from the process but rather was a key component and very much a part. No longer something to dread but to embrace. A true...and important...paradigm shift.