E.J. Neiman's new book, Faux Fitness, directly challenges the widely accepted belief that demanding, oxygen-depriving cardio and fitness routines are the best way to improve health. The book arrives at a time when many people grapple with burnout, chronic pain, and confusion about fitness, despite gyms being full and gadgets tracking every heartbeat. Neiman poses a question most in fitness don't consider: Is working out without oxygen truly beneficial? This deceptively simple question leads to the book's main claim: prioritizing workouts that deprive the body of oxygen could actually undermine long-term health rather than improve it.
Neiman explores this in depth, drawing inspiration from Dr. Thomas Griner's unconventional biomechanics research, which prompted him to reconsider common fitness wisdom. The author's personal journey began with a childhood injury, and his search for lasting relief led to fundamental questions about why pain persists and why harder exercise often worsens it. Through these questions, Faux Fitness encourages curiosity about why humans alone intentionally raise their heart rate for long periods or praise pain in the gym, while elsewhere it's treated as a warning signal. The book stands out by making a clear claim that health is not improved by tougher, more punishing, oxygen-depriving workouts.
Instead of listing routines or diet rules, Neiman asserts that "It's not what you do for exercise, it's how you do it." This shift from force to function, and from punishment to awareness, forms the core of his message. Readers won't find dense medical terms in the book, just a touch of science, humor, and a conversational tone. Early readers have described it as "finally getting the owner's manual you didn't know you were missing." But Faux Fitness goes beyond just fitness, covering topics like food, cholesterol, heart health, chronic pain, and even the difference between feeling good and being well.
The simple idea remains constant throughout: what we don't understand still affects us. The book's implications are significant for a fitness industry often centered on intensity metrics and performance extremes. By questioning the foundational assumption that harder is better, Neiman offers a paradigm that could influence how individuals approach exercise, potentially reducing injury rates and addressing widespread issues of exercise-related burnout. The availability of the book at major retailers and online platforms like fauxfitness.com makes this alternative perspective accessible to a broad audience seeking sustainable health strategies beyond conventional high-intensity training models.
