As Group Training Director for Muscle & Fitness and Men's Fitness magazines, Sean Hyson is at the front line of all things training. In his new ebook, 2012 Buyer's Guide to the Best Training and Nutrition Programs, he reviews various programs by the fitness industry's leading experts. And he's giving it to you for free! We sat down with him recently to talk about the project.
M&F: What made you want to write this book?
SH: There are an almost infinite amount of workout and diet plans out there. Even the most fitness-savvy people have a hard time deciding which one is right for them, and sometimes you just don’t know if a program is right for you until you’ve paid your money and been on it a while. I wanted to save people the time and the money and give them an insider’s look at what these products are really like—an unbiased review from a guy who’s seen, and tried, pretty much everything in the fitness market.
M&F: What prompted you to give it away for free?
SH: I have my own website, seanhyson.com, and I just wanted to attract more readers. What better way than to give out a free gift as a sort of—what 4-Hour Workweek author Tim Ferris calls—an “ethical bribe”? Also, I’m not pretending that I designed the programs that I reviewed or that all the fitness concepts in the book are mine. I wouldn’t feel comfortable charging for information that originated from so many other talented people. My book is to be used as a guide and a reference—it’s not the next War & Peace!
M&F: What are the most important things that M&Fers should take away from reading 2012 Buyer’s Guide to the Best Training and Nutrition Programs?
SH:Ultimately, that to accomplish any goal, you need to have a thought-out plan, and that your success on a plan is very individual and dependent on your personal tastes, time, patience, and other factors. What works great for me may do nothing for you, but that doesn’t mean that my program sucks. It’s just not for you. Using my book, I hope readers will be able to get enough of a sense of what these experts’ programs are about that they can decide which among them is going to agree with them and work most effectively.
M&F: Any summer training tips for M&Fers out there?
SH: If you want to see your abs in a very short period of time, go low-carb. The Carb Nite Solution, Carb Back-loading, and Carb Cycling programs I discuss in the book are all very effective at helping you shed fat quickly without losing muscle. If you can’t live without your carbs, there are other options (again, it comes down to the individual), but I strongly recommend an approach that’s in line with one of these books.
