Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of Spartan Up! for review purposes. No other forms of compensation were received. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced.
I was recently given the opportunity to read Spartan Up! A Take-No-Prisoners Guide To Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance In Life by Joe De Sena. As you may know I’ve been fascinated by the whole Spartan Race concept and after our first mud run I hope to compete in one some day.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but if you think it’s about getting ready to run a Spartan Race, I can tell you it is so much more! The book starts out with Joe sharing his experience of running a super extreme race where it is 30 degrees below and he’s facing some life challenge situations, literally. It’s at this point I start to think this guy is crazy! Shortly followed but I kinda like him…and my next though was this: I wonder what his wife is like? LOL! She’s gotta be pretty awesome to put up with this fellow and his wild ideas and adventures.
Joe describes his upbringing in Queens and how he overcame many obstacles to end up working on Wall Street and then starting the Spartan Races. He refers to it as a Spartan lifestyle, not just prepping for a race, but as a way of daily life. Interesting fact that Joe was once employed by a Mobster, you gotta read the book to find out the details. I love his ‘no-excuse’ attitude about life. If you don’t like something then do something about it. If you want to be healthier then get up off the couch and do so, want to eat better, then make the changes.
This book is about so much more than running a Spartan Race, it’s about taking responsibility for your life and making changes to make it better and more purposeful. I found it to be highly motivating despite his many stories of crazy adventures, you won’t find me out racing in extreme weather where my eyelashes are freezing together, but there are many things I can do to embrace life and push myself outside my comfort zone. He shares personal stories of several people who have overcomes some huge challenges and pushed themselves and they have successfully completed a Spartan Race.
He sums it all up with his Spartan Code to live by:
“A Spartan pushes his/her mind and body to its limits.
A Spartan masters his/her emotions.
A Spartan learns continuously.
A Spartan gives generously.
A Spartan leads.
A Spartan stands up for his/her beliefs, no matter the cost.
A Spartan knows his/her flaws as well as his/her strengths.
A Spartan proves himself/herself through actions not words.
A Spartan lives every day as if it were his/her last.”
Now really who wouldn’t want to live the Spartan lifestyle?
Overall I thought this was a great book. It provides a glimpse into Joe’s life and how the Spartan Race got started. It also goes much deeper and challenges your mindset and encourages you to make the most of your life. The only ‘flaw’ I found in the book was his use of swearing in the first part of the book, and once at the end. I think his point could’ve be just as successfully made without dropping the f-bomb several times but I know many guys think it it makes them ‘cool’ or better doing so, it would’ve been a great book for teens too had he choose to refrain from using that language. Language aside it’s a quick and easy read that will leave you thinking about ways you can change your life.
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