Some men have resolved, this year, to lose twenty pounds. Or build some biceps. Or learn French. Those are all fine goals—but not great ones. Here’s a great goal: this year, become a better man.
Too general? In practical terms, sure, but in real terms I don’t thinks so. It’s a good thing to want to be faster, stronger, leaner, smarter, tougher, emotionally balanced, and to get laid more often. And be better at it.
So, is that a tall order? Sure, but it’s not an impossible one. In fact, I’ve got a way for it to happen: Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha, by Adam Bornstein and John Romaniello. Romaniello’s written for Men’s Heath and Fast Company in between all his coaching. Bornstein used to edit Livestrong.com and was the fitness editor at Men’s Health, in between his coaching (see a pattern here?). Does that sound impressive? Well, these guys have impressed Arnold Schwarzenegger, an all-round fitness hero and one of the hardest-working guys we know of. In all honesty, it’s his endorsement that prompted me to pick up the book.
Man 2.0 is not a promise, but a blueprint. Sure, it’s got the requisite chapters on the latest and greatest exercises, but it’s more than that. Engineering the Alpha contains all the latest fitness science Romaniello and Bornstein can find. They’ve got some training principles you ought to know, some things about nutrition that’ll ensure you never diet again, some cold, hard facts about how your physical health is affecting your mental and sexual health, and a plan for optimizing your hormones.
One thing these guys don’t have: easy answers. They aren’t promising a silver bullet that’ll solve all your problems, and they don’t have a boogyman that you can blame all your problems on. What they have is advice that you can combine with hard work that’ll result in a better you.
And if that isn’t enough? Here’s Arnie giving you a pep talk.
Dave Robson is the editor of DailyXY. He spends his time reading books, drinking Scotch, and smoking cigars.
