Rating: 
Summary: Too much hype, not enough science
Review: OK, so its not all bad ... its got some good information. HOWEVER, the book *itself* says in an early sidebar that they "did not measure testosterone levels" when they did their own studies (yes! it says it in the book!), but are relying on other studies to back up their claim that this combination diet/fitness regimen will actually alter your testosterone levels and therefore improve your life. Maybe. How can they credibly claim to be a program for "Testosterone Advantage" if testosterone was NEVER MEASURED?
If you want real science and real studies to back up his claims, read the Zone books by Barry Sears.
Rating: 
Summary: A new workout bible!
Review: A very good book for the beginner and the advanced alike. The book dispells many of the myths about exercise and weight training. It also sheds some excellent light on sports nutrition such as when to eat and what to eat. Sections about cholestrol were very informative and benefitted me personally. The workout plans are superb and really demand a lot out of you. The only drawback, I thought, the book had was the over-emphasys the authors placed on testosterone as if it were the main objective of the book. Otherwise, this book is a must read for every man who wants to get in shape.
Rating:
Summary: If you are out of shape or a beginner it will work!
Review: I am 35 and 6'2" tall. I started the plan on November 1st and am now about 6 weeks into the plan. I have been away from the work out scene for many years and have a job that keeps me at a desk. Needless to say I was out of shape. I started about 35 to 40 pounds overweight. So far I have lost 20 pounds and 2 inches off my waist. My max bench press has increased by 40 pounds and I am really starting to feel like I did in my 20's.As for the work out program, it is very straight forward and easy to follow. If you are out of shape and follow the book to the letter the first two weeks are tough. After that your body starts to adapt and you will be able to breath again. There is no ground breaking work on the workout program just the basics and they have exercises for home or at a gym. They are all proven exercises so they will work. The diet plan borrows from several different diets to form one. The Adkins, Zone and 'The Med' respectively. Once you formulate the amount of each macronutrient you can have per day, do yourself a favor, do not follow the weekly food planner and grocery list in the book. This is only a guideline and a pricey one at that. Moreover, you should watch the grams of each macronutrient daily and make your own plan. Just try to get close to the suggested amounts. There were a few things I did not care for. The macho get the girl [bull] Mens Health is know for for one. Also the constant slam on aerobic exercise throuhout the book. I have added treadmill and bike work to my workouts on the days I don't lift and it has helped my 'cardio' system tremendously. I have limited the activity to less than an hour per session however. If you are like me you are looking for total fitness not just weight room fitness. Overall, it is a good book and I am glad I made the commitment to the program. I have recently ordered another book by Lou Schuller 'The Hard Body Work Out Plan'. I want to see how the two compare and take the best of both worlds to formulate a new workout after this plan is over. What I will say is if you are an intermediate or advanced athlete this book probably will not help you as I can myself outgrowing the workouts as I get into better shape and if you are an advanced athelete you probably already have a good diet plan set for youself any way. If you are out of shape or a beginner this plan can be a valuable asset if you dedicate yourself to it.
Good Health,
Markus
Rating: 
Summary: Great Workout Plan, not just for weight loss
Review: I couldnt wait to finish the program to write this because I might forget to. I am going on week 3 of the program and I can say when you first look at the nutritional guide as I did I was a bit overwhelmed with how much less I might be eating. I weighed 185 at the start and growing because I like to eat, but after reading and understanding what the purpose was I found it very easy to follow because as long as you read the labels on food containers you can substitute certain foods to your liking as long as you remain within the guidelines. The foods I eat now are better for me and I feel a lot better and they surprisingly taste good. The only real hard part was giving up some of my favorite snacks. I have also been substituting a meal for a protein shake made from milk, yogurt, and whey protein. Along with the workouts which you will feel the first week I started running which for the most part the book tends to frown upon sticking to strength training to burn body fat and build muscle but I figured a mile every other day wont hurt. The workouts in the book are great because they describe ways to do them if you have gym equipment available to you or ways of doing exercises with just your own body weight. All in all the book is a great starting point and should just be used as a guideline to get you started and see what works for you. I am 30 years old and I now weigh 175 going into week three.(give or take a pound)
Rating:
Summary: SO FAR SO GOOD
Review: I couldnt wait to finish the program to write this because I might forget to. I am going on week 3 of the program and I can say when you first look at the nutritional guide as I did I was a bit overwhelmed with how much less I might be eating. I weighed 185 at the start and growing because I like to eat, but after reading and understanding what the purpose was I found it very easy to follow because as long as you read the labels on food containers you can substitute certain foods to your liking as long as you remain within the guidelines. The foods I eat now are better for me and I feel a lot better and they surprisingly taste good. The only real hard part was giving up some of my favorite snacks. I have also been substituting a meal for a protein shake made from milk, yogurt, and whey protein. Along with the workouts which you will feel the first week I started running which for the most part the book tends to frown upon sticking to strength training to burn body fat and build muscle but I figured a mile every other day wont hurt. The workouts in the book are great because they describe ways to do them if you have gym equipment available to you or ways of doing exercises with just your own body weight. All in all the book is a great starting point and should just be used as a guideline to get you started and see what works for you. I am 30 years old and I now weigh 175 going into week three.(give or take a pound)
Rating:
Summary: A VERY GOOD START FOR THE LAZY BUNCH
Review: I found that this book provided information about nutrition that
is readily available to the public. That's because it is backed by scientific information regarding health and fitness. It discusses such issues about cholesterol lowering vs. low cholesterol diets. It does not try to sell a get fit quick plan instead it teaches the reader about nutrition instead of placing them on a "DIET." It's also a great myth buster on certain diets such as the low-carb craze now dominating consumers across the nation. I stand behind this book because I am currently doing the eating plan along with a modified exercise routine and it has changed my physique in ways that I did not anticipate. Secondly, I stand behind this book because it does not try to sell a specific diet, rather it guides the individual to make a habit of eating healthy and does not deny the consumption of naturally grown products.
As for one of the reviewers comments regarding the cost of food in the grocery list, I admit that it's pretty steep, however, the nutrion plan is only a guideline and it does not endorse certain brand name product.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource for Beginner and Advanced
Review: I just finished the book. I've been working with a trainer for over a year, and have seen great changes in physique, and some weight reduction (10 lbs). Just some background for the review. I thought the book was very good but not great, and the areas of concern have to do with the some of science of their claims (they rail against small sample sizes in the studies and their cases studies are small samples). Regardless:
The book is in three sections; first the "T" plan and why it is better than other programs or fads out their for their target audience; secondly, is the sample diet plan; finally, it is the work out plan in 3 stages.
The target audience appears very similar to the Men's Health audience. The authors are explict in that they are adressing the 35 year old male who is 20-30 lbs overweight and wants to change. The goal is a blatantly male physique, akin to the cover models of Men's Health and not that of Mr. Universe.
The authors take you through a review of the current science on nutrition and exercise. You find out pretty quickly that though there is a great deal of information, there are just as many holes and unknowns in the current body of knowledge. The authors do a pretty good job of identifing what is based on sound science, what is cutting edge and not yet supported by large clinical trials, and what is supposition and educated guess work based on anecdotal evidence and experience.
Most of the most interesting stuff is based on small sample studies or interpreted data based on studies of interest but not exclusively focused on the authors topic. The bottomline to all this is the author's position that diet fads (Atkins, low-no fat, etc) and the Agriculture Departments Food Pyramid are junk. To get in decent shape and maintain it takes a different diet ("T" Plan), coupled with overall body exercise that builds muscle (aerobics doesn't).
The authors describe their ideal diet which is similar to the mediterranean diet, 1/3 fat, 1/3 protein, 1/3 carbs. This is adjusted to accomodate the different goals of specific individuals, fat loss (authors emphasize "fat loss"), body composition change (weight maintenance with fat loss), weight/muscle mass gain.
The authors give you the tools to determine the ideal daily caloric intake based on their best guess of the ideal protein intake. The focus is on determining protein needs (takes protein to build muscle) and then splitting the rest between carbs and fat. The authors go through a fairly indepth review of the right kinds of fat to eat, monounsaturated. This information is then converted to grams for you to develop a diet to fit the need.
The authors give 3 sample 1 week plans as an example and recommend that you vary it by checking the labels on foods to keep the ratio of fat, protien, and carbs in the correct proportion.
The workout plan makes sense and was in line with what my trainer put me through. The assumption is a guy who hasn't worked out in a while and the plan is based on crawl before you walk before you run progression. Stage 1 is to tone up and prepare your body for the work to come. The second stage is to build strength and keep the muscles in balance. The last stage is to build strength and muscle.
Overall, the plan appears reasonable, sustainable (you won't starve, get to eat meat, and 2000-3000 calories per day over 3 meals and 2 snacks), and safe. The authors go out of their way to make sure you do the workouts safely, why go through all this and get hurt.
They do discuss supplements, generally against, aerobics vs resistance training, pro resistance, and offer what to do after 9 weeks. I'm planning on keeping my trainers workout but adjust my diet to more along the lines of authors recommendations.
P.S. - no alcohol - they don't call is a beer gut for nothing.
Rating:
Summary: Just Read It and It Explains Why You Can Exercise & Get Fat
Review: I just finished this book and I am starting on the plan today. I loved what I read because it makes so much sense given my experience. I have been an avid cyclist for five years and all this summer I have been riding 100 miles per week. This last Sunday I just set a new personal record for distance of 50 miles on one ride. The results have been that over these years I have constantly gained weight! How could this be? Endurance riding (aerobic exercise like this) can cause you to gain weight, especially in the middle!
I want to connect with other individuals who are using The Testosterone Advantage Plan so I just set up a discussion group on Yahoo! Here is the web address, stop by and check it out and join in if you would like.
Rating:
Summary: Lost time is lost muscle
Review: I suppose that's the mantra of this interesting and somewhat innovative book. It denounces the ostensibly tried and true low carb craze and throws it out the window. "The key to postexercise recovery were carbohydrates: It provides the nutrient your body needs to replenish its stores of glycogen and stimulated insulin, the hormone that speeds nutrients to muscles for refuel and repair." The key, of course, is combining protein and carbs immediately subsequent to workout in order not to burn muscle and let your rigorous workout be a total waste.
That's just one example of this book's theory. Among others, small and frequent meals are essential to speed up your metabolism and burn fat as well as keeping your muscles fueled and precluding your body burning its own muscle for fuel -- consequently storing fat cells. Testosterone, needless to say, is the catalyst for this program. How do you increase it? Simple: follow the diet and nutritional guidelines as presented in the book (plenty of good smoothies and recipes as well such as Penne with Italian Sausage and Spinach) as well as its detailed, although somewhat rudimentary, bodybuilding plan (cardio is minimal at best).
The workout segment of the book comes complete with pictures of how to work out all body parts as well as how many sets and reps the author recommends(e.g. lying triceps extension with EZ Bar pics and instructions). The whole upshot of the Testosterone Advantage Plan is this: you gain increased energy, lose fat, add muscle, increase metabolism, live longer, improve cardiovascular health, gain sexual stamina, eat frequently without feeling like you're on a diet, and gain mental alertness. Sounds too good to be true, right? Probably is...but it's worth a look-see regardless.
Rating:
Summary: Great Workout Plan, not just for weight loss
Review: I used this plan for 9 weeks and got great results (then I got a girlfriend and no longer had time to workout, had other activities on my mind). About 1 year later, I got on the workout portion of the plan again for 13 weeks and again I got great results (stopped again when I got a girlfriend, different one; but I guess it was working because the point is to look good and feel good about yourself). I am now 27, first used the plan when 25. I was about 151 lbs and got up to 159 at then end of the first 9 weeks (I'm 5'10"). I was going for weight gain so this was exactly what I was looking for. The second time I did the plan I only added about 5 lbs to get up to 160. Workout plan is great. I've been reading magazines and books for years, but this is the best workout plan in my mind. The book contains proper techniqe which is vital to remaining injury free. It is also phased, so you start out with a full body workout that gets you ready for more intensive stuff. I'd never specifically worked my rotator cuff before, but the book showed me how and I never got a nagging shoulder problem as I have occasionally had in the past. The book also does a good job of discussing symetry - so if you're like me and you like to bench, the book really does convince you to at least work the back a bit (which, along with the shoulder work, explains why I didn't fell pain as I have in the past). I also got much stronger at lower body exercises that I have neglected in the past. I also added in cardio/fat burning once or twice per week. The book discourages, but I'm an endurance person and I enjoy a good sweat and wanted to work my lungs and heart as only cardio can. I really just followed the workout plan and didn't really do much in the way of following the diet. I did try to eat immediately after the workout, but rarely snacked during the day and ate whatever I wanted. It does contain a good deal of information about diet and food content if thats what you are into. Three things I will always take away:
1 Have a plan, write it down, follow it
2 Work the entire body, leaving some muscles out is just settin you up for injury or chronic pain
3 Mental focus - don't just go through the exercises, do them with a goal in mind
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