The 5 Factor Fitness Diet
Five Factor Diet, by Harley Pasternak, has been growing in popularity - due to celebrities like Jessica Simpson and John Mayer using the plan.
What is it about, and is it a good program?
The 5 Factor Fitness plan was first published in 2004. The Five Factor Diet is the follow-up.
It's all about fives: 5 meals a day, 5 workouts a week each made up of 5 exercises... You get the picture.
The Five Criteria for Diet
At each meal:
- low-fat quality protein
- low- to moderate- glycemic index carbohydrate
- fiber
- healthy fat
- sugar-free beverage
Sundays are a "cheat day" - essentially eating what you want. The book contains a few basic sample meal plans and a selection of recipes for each meal.
The Five Factor Workout
The following variables are shifted every week: Type of exercise (strength training, cardiovascular, core movements), Repetitions, Sets, Resistance level, and Rest Periods.
Equipment: Only Dumbbells and a bench required.
Phases (Total 25 minutes)
- Cardio Warm-up
At 65-85% of maximum heart rate - for 5 minutes. - Strength Training
Each day has two different exercises (superset). Sets, reps and rest are altered each week. This is actually meant to total 10 minutes. - Core Exercises
This includes various crunches and twists - with varying rep, set, and rest ranges. For 5 minutes. - Cardio
The cooldown. Author Pasternak believes this will help alleviated DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Minimum 5 minutes.
The book is interspersed with testimonials (including that of Halle Berry whom the author claims was the inspiration to write the book).
Conclusion
On the whole it's a fairly concise, well-explained fitness program. Just bear in mind one thing: The celebrities have the fitness trainer (Paternak) working alongside them. That is always going to be superior to having a book on the floor next to you.
The book bears many similarities to Tom Venuto's BFFM program. However the 5-factor has more detail in the workouts, but less science and discussion of Calories.
Read More
- The Aquavore Diet (Diet Blog)
- Eat The Foods You Love Diet (Diet Blog)
- Meet Greg, 155 Pounds Down! (DailySpark)
- 2012 Super Bowl Commercial Winners: Oikos and Belvita [VIDEOS] (Diets in Review)
47 Comments
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Created / Updated: January 8, 2012
I would love to have my own personal trainer, someone I could call on whenever I wanted to, just like the celebrities do! Besides that, this sounds too much like a diet rather than a lifestyle change to me, especially when calling Sunday a "cheat" day. I'd also have a problem with Sundays, because once I start eating "whatever I want", this includes sugar and processed foods and it's very hard for me to just get back on track the next day.
That could just be me, though. If you can eat in moderation and don't have any food addictions (i.e.: sugar, flour, unhealthy fats, etc.), then this plan might work for you. Thanks for the review! :)
ReplyRarely, do I ever respond / post on these, but I just have to share with you.... After my Dad died, I gained 30 pounds. 3 months after, I found the 5-Factor Fitness. Granted, I was disgusted at gaining that much weight - but I "Did" follow the program = "you" have to make the committment, babe. 1.) Eat the moment you get up, 2) Nothing with High Fructose Sugar, 3) Eat Nothing!! man-made and 4) worked out 25 mins/day for 6 days. (*When Sunday comes? After all of that work you've just put into YourSelf?...you wont want to cheat That Bad, you know? A: I lost 28 lbs. in 2 weeks, tummy was flat/6-packed and many times had a difficulty even eating the last of the 5 meals per day. Stay strong, and as you see the changes in your body - it WILL become infectious to/for you honey. This diet works. I now try to live my life by it - basically = Nothing Man made - Hope this helps you out :-)
ReplyI use the 'one day-off' plan where I allow myself to enjoy foods that I make off-limits for the rest of the week. This works for me as if I get tempted to eat unhealthy foods during the week I just have to think 'it's only ___ days until Sunday, I can have it then', and when Sunday arrives I really enjoy and savour the food. Obviously I don't go crazy and binge, but I enjoy a nice meal out with dessert or a gourmet coffee and a cake for example.
ReplyWhat a load of...
Where's the part where they discuss cocaine, amphetamines, etc.?
Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong - my martial arts training alone lasts from 90 minutes to up to 3 hours a session!
Replycheat day! - you need to change your mindset permenantly and keep the rubbish food out of the house else temptation will call.
ReplyI agree with Sauna Kid about the cheat day. Besides, you know people are just going to go crazy and eat like 4,000 calories worth of junk. That would set them back for the rest of the week. It's not a good idea to incorporate a cheat day that often - a cheat meal maybe, not a whole day!
ReplyYah, cheat days to me feel like "hey, we're making you miserable the rest of the week so you can have fun this one day". Forget that! Find a healthy lifestyle you can enjoy every day. It took me a while but I slowly and gradually changed my eating and exercise habits to the point where I feel healthy and I can still enjoy my life. I don't need a cheat day!
Gal
ReplyI have this book (thus the review). Now - I often do workouts under 25 minutes - but the level of intensity is huge (for me). The exercises in this book are relatively "lightweight". When I saw the part about "core exercises" I was thinking deadlifts, pushup variations, pull ups, squats - instead it was various twists and crunches - which don't cut the mustard as far as metabolic conditioning, etc.
Trust me - for me to see any physique change in myself (using workouts that were 25 minutes or under) - it didn't come from doing DB flyes and crunches. It came from absolutely working my a** off with back-to-back compound movements mixed with lower-rep (heavier weight) workouts mixed with high-intensity cardio intervals here in there.
The sad thing is that when I stopped this level of training, a "gentle" coating of fat came back onto my body (goodbye abs).
The 5 factor is a good beginner workout (very clearly explained) - but as for the celebrity thing... well... I guess with a very powerfully motivated trainer they may have been able to up the intensity.
I have no doubt that their meals would have come from a diet delivery service (calorie-controlled).
Replyjust sounds like an all-round healthy lifestyle every one should have but disguised under a fancy name for commercial purposes..
ReplyYou mean, if I do cardio for five minutes and lift foo-foo weights for 10 minutes, I'll look exactly like Halle Berry? Pfft!
Like Jim - and anyone who's inclined to gain weight (or, as I prefer to say, is "naturally voluptuous") I changed my physique through real, sweat-through-your-pants cardio and real lift-so-heavy-you-can't-help grunting weight work.
Yet another book pandering to the instant gratification crowd.
ReplyI have tried them all and this is the bestby far.I changed some of the exercises and I and in sprinting drring the cardio.This you must do after 35.
ReplyI agree--while a lot of it sounds sensible, especially for couch potatoes who need to get going, it seems a total fantasy that this program will somehow make you look like a celebrity.
I think the whole "cheat day" thing is very individual. I allow myself a cheat ratio (90% healthy, 10% crap), rather than a day, but I know some folks do better with an all or nothing approach.
And I'm always distrustful with gimmicks like the "5" thing. It seems either coincidental or forced that there would be five aspects to everything. I don't know why people find these gimmicky things so appealing!
ReplyThe eating frequently with protein meal has been around forever.
http://www.drsquat.com/articles/zigzag.html
Pasternak borrowed a lot from Hatfield and ISSA,IMHO, and packaged it to non-fitness trainers.
ReplyThink it may work - as long as you don't use, as someone earlier said, the "foo foo" weights. If you lift heavy it would be a good program to get sculpted/ripped. A lot of bodybuilders have been doing this - less (or no) cardio routine.
ReplyThis is a great book. Although it's very simple, it touches the most important and basic factors of healthy weight loss diet.
But I don't get that why there are no vegetables and fruits in the diet?
ReplyThis sounds exactly like a lifestyle to me. It just teaches people how to eat healthy. I have always allowed myself a "cheat" day. As long as you truly want to lose weight, maintain weight or just simply stay healthy one cheat day per week won't hurt you. I think it actually helps you because you are allowing yourself to eat some of the foods you love. Also, as long as you are knowledgable about what foods you eat and you eat healthy portions with a good exercise routine you will be healthy!!! :-) The key is how bad you want it and not letting anything get in your way!!!
ReplyThe whole idea about the cheat day is that after one day of cheating, you'll realize how awful and sluggish you feel after a whole day of junk food compared the the other 5 days when you are eating healthy. So eventually, you will never cheat on the cheat day because of the way it makes you feel.
And the half hour workout does seem short. But the point to that is to keep your heart rate up for the entire 30 minutes and to not stop moving or take breaks, compared to maybe working out in the gym and taking a water break after every exersize.
Reply