Book Review : We're Working Out

A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness.

Scott Andrew Birdby Scott Andrew Bird
Filed in : Reviews
Tags : , ,



We're Working Out
We're Working Out (102 pages, Muscle-up Books).

If you're not quite sure how (or why) to get started, this is a fantastic primer. Covering everything from Al's philosophy of health & fitness to the mechanics of 'how to begin', Al Kavadlo's We're Working Out is highly recommended.

Let's dive in.


The first thing that struck me when I started reading this (and if you know Al, this won't come as a surprise) is how honest this information is. There's no trace of the soft-spoken, 'great results with almost no effort' language in here - he's simple, clear and direct in everything he says. Extremely refreshing.

Equally unusual - in a good way - is his philosophy of all aspects of health and fitness. To illustrate this, here's an example :

'Don't worry about tomorrow until tomorrow. Take each day as it comes and try to win every day. Keep your mind and your focus in the present and concentrate on what you're doing now. If you can manage to do this and not worry about the future, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what the future brings.'

(here he's talking about diet, but the same thinking applies to almost any aspect of looking after yourself)

All-in-all, it's a great read. Whether it's the beginning of your fitness library or taking pride of place admidst many others, Al Kavadlo's 'We're Working Out' is highly recommended.

Quick note : although I've been training for several years now, I still actively try to retain a beginner's mindset. After all, there's always more to learn; and the information you need could come from anyone, at any time.

Even though this book has been written specifically for those who are new to the fitness world (and those who are yet to begin the journey), one of Al's stories struck me immediately as something I'd been overlooking for most of this time. It's obvious in hindsight, but it's a powerfully simple idea.

Al noted that his clients' form often deteriorates when they have something other than the workout on their mind. As soon as they begin to focus on the task at hand, their form improves.

As I said, obvious in hindsight, but a very powerful idea (think about breathing, rest intervals, workout music and so on).


Scott Andrew Bird

Scott Andrew Bird is a writer, photographer and a guy who just loves this stuff. He's been at home in front of a computer for more years than he cares to remember (OK, 29) and is now making amends for years of many mistakes noted in the De-constructing computer guy articles (part 2) on T-Nation.

Stalkers may wish to track his every move via Twitter or Google+; everyone else is cordially invited to hop over to his online home. Enjoy.



Like this? Check out some of their other articles : For a full list, head over to the author page for Scott Andrew Bird.

NB : if you'd like to join the writing team here and share your own thoughts on strength-training, get in touch. Look forward to hearing from you.

Over to you. Leave a comment below, or send us a tweet :


blog comments powered by Disqus

Featured Products