30-Minute-a-Day Body Challenge [Paperback]

Three years ago I was fat. Very fat. I had ballooned up from 12 stone to 16 stone, and as a guy of 5'10", that wasn't good. For 2 and a half years, I searched for solutions. I checked every fitness messageboard on the internet. I tried a hundred different routines. I tried every diet under the sun. I thought I made the breakthrough when I read Matt Roberts' book, but I found the workout routines far too complex, time-consuming and requiring a gym at all times. I got very depressed, but in October of 2004 I heard about Simon Waterson for the first time. I was told that he was another 'trainer to the stars', and had got Pierce Brosnan in lean, muscular shape for the Bond movies. With nothing to lose but a tenner, I thought it was worth checking out this book.

Let me make one thing absolutely clear: when it comes to fitness and weight loss, I think there's nothing better than simplicity, clarity and planning. This is why I found Simon Waterson to be revolutionary. Waterson is a former Royal Marines Commando, and his fitness ethic reflects this - simple exercises that can be done anywhere with the minimal of equipment. No faddy nutritional plans either.

Waterson's opening chapters are inspirational in themselves. Firstly, he dedicates a chapter to MOTIVATION, something often overlooked by other trainers. Waterson doesn't pull any punches, taking a military 'tough love' stance; he encourages you to be clean with your kit, to take pride in your body and routine, to always aim high, dig deep and to 'improvise, adapt and overcome'. He also writes a chapter addressing the 'fact and fiction' myths you find in fitness, which helps clear up many issues for the average Joe. You can enter this regime with total confidence. He then goes on to list the kit you require, emphasising the basics. The least you need is a set of dumbbells, which you can probably pick up from a catalogue shop for less than £20. So no need to worry about all the nonsense about heart rate monitors, pedometers, fancy equipment, body fat percentage and all that. Just a couple of sturdy dumbbells (or even one of those stretchy resistance bands).

He then explains nutrition in a really clear way. You know all those things like 'carbohydrates', 'fat', 'protein' and 'omega oils'? Well, Waterson explains in small paragraphs what each macro-nutrient does, how much we need and where we get it from. I can't emphasise enough how no-nonsense this section is, and how accessible he makes food. No faddish rubbish. Soon you'll be making wholemeal toast and smearing on the peanut butter!

Finally he introduces the actual exercises, and workout routines. Interestingly enough, he has set routines for each body part, and they remain consistent...you only change the frequency of the exercises in order to make the specific progress you want (e.g. weight loss, muscle gain, general fitness, flat abs etc). The exercises really are a breath of fresh air. Not a gym machine in sight! It's mainly hard bodyweight exercises, aerobic activities and iron weight work that can be done with a simple pair of dumbbells.

Each routine is 4 weeks long, and can be repeated as many times as required. At the end of every four week cycle, you take the 'Body Challenge', where you take on a big circuit of exercises and record your results. After your next cycle you record your results again, and measure your progress. It's an excellent system to keep you motivated.

I did the fat loss routine for 4 x 4 week cycles (i.e. 4 months). In that time, I have lost 45lbs. I now weigh 12 and a half stone but, I must say, I am LEANER than I ever have been before. I have muscles I never knew existed, my shoulders are sculpted and, most importantly, I can run like a deer and crank out loads of push-ups and pull-ups! There's only one man responsible for turning my life around, and that's Mr Simon Waterson.

Make no mistake, Waterson's workouts are hard. Physically, anyone is capable of doing them, as you are only meant to go as far as YOU individually can. But it takes a great deal of discipline and diligence to complete the workouts. If you're looking for an easy ride, go for another book. If you've reached the point where you're mad as hell, and want to knock the weight off, you've probably got more than enough anger/drive to push you through the routines. Uniquely, I feel, Waterson manages to combine a healthy sense of the fitness/toning dichotomy. Too many trainers are concerned with either building muscle or losing weight, without addressing actual FITNESS. Those guys are cosmetic surgeons. Waterson will get you looking lean and mean again and, on top of that, you'll become super-fit. He change my life, and I wish I could give him 10 stars.

Buy this book!!!!!! :)

So, fast approaching 40 I wanted to get back into shape. I have just completed 4 weeks of this programme, and I have to say that I am at a fitness level now that took me 6 months to achieve more than 10 years ago. Why? Waterson's assertion is that you don't need to spend ages in the gym. You just need short, frequent and very intense sessions. And it really really does work - for me at least. And I read a news article recently at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4613073.stm which suggests that recent medical research confirms this.

Not only that, but his tips on avoiding injury are great. I used to spend weeks at a time resting strained tendons and muscles. Not now. Even with the extreme intensity of the workouts I am injury-free.

And there's more! He provides tips on how to stay with the routine even if your own life routine is interrupted. At short notice I had to work away from home for a week. With minimal equipment, I kept up the training routine at full pace. Then we went on holiday for a week in Spain. Again, I kept the routine going. Make no mistake, I am no gym rat now - his tips and techniques for sticking at it really work for me. Prior to this I tried unsuccessfully for about 3 years to get back into fitness.

Criticisms? I think someone else has mentioned that a couple of the photos are clearly wrong - they don't match the descriptions. Sloppy but not materially detrimental. And I would have preferred a bit more clarity and detail on the minimum equipment required and alternatives one can use for workouts away from home. Still, these are minor criticisms.

I liked this book so much I subsequently bought Waterson's "Commando Workout" book. It covers similar territory over the (valuable and very informative) introductory sections. The main difference is that the workout routine in Commando is much tougher than in "30 minutes". In essence the sessions are still 30-ish minutes each, but there are often 2 or more per day to do, rather than the 1 per day 4-5 days a week of "30 minutes".

I heartily recommend "30 minutes" to anyone who wants to improve their fitness and find a way of integrating a simple and unobtrusive fitness routine into their daily lives.