Tamir B Katz, a mature medical student, published the TBK fitness program
in 2000.  The program has three aspects (a) a diet based on the hunter
gatherer diet, (b) an exercise program which draws on his experience weight
training, doing martial arts and using bodyweight exercises over a period
of years and (c) complementary advice on mind and body health and hygiene.

TBK makes no reference to human evolution and it is clear his theoretical
position is based more on his belief about what is natural and his
knowledge of the links between diet and illness/health than evolutionary
fitness.  The description of his program seem to me to be pretty close to
the descriptions of programs and lifestyles advocated by Art de Vany,
Robert Wolf and others on this site.

TBK’s 50 page book begins with 14 pages outlining the TBK diet.  He says
his diet is based on the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and refers to the low
levels of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and autoimmune diseases
among hunter gatherers.  There is no reference in his book, however, to any
particular hunter gatherer society and I conclude that his understanding of
hunter-gatherers is more informed by a sound application of commonsense to
popular science and journalism, rather than anthropology.

Unlike most natural food writers, TBK has a preference for a diet free of
grains, legumes and most tubers (which he says are all poison if eaten raw
page 6).  Nor does he eschew fats, advocating particularly extra virgin
grade olive oil (page 8) with a second choice of coconut oil (which I have
seen condemned as a cholesterol hazard).  TBK explains his principles for
food selection and back them up with lists of allowed and nonallowed
foods.  As to meats, he says meat, poultry, fish, eggs and organ meats are
allowed.  Fish are the healthiest ... do not eat raw meat, poultry, fish or
eggs because of potential bacterial or viral contamination (page 8).  He
says canned fish are very healthy, especially sardines and mackerel... TBK
does not mention the dangers for humans of hormones and antibiotics fed
frequently to farm animals.  TBK also advises us to avoid supplements,
protein shakes, fat burners and vitamins (page 10).

The book has a certain charm and the forthright honesty and gentleness
would probably be edited out of a book published through one of the big
publishers.  If TBK believes something, you get it straight.  He gives
practical advice on changing over to the TBK diet in stages and for those
who prefer clear advice, here it is.  He is far more concerned with hygiene
than the hunter gatherers would have been, but we live in a world of
pesticides, unhygienic storage by wholesalers and retailers and our guts
are not inured to the parasites and bacteria to which hunter gatherers
would have built up resistance.

TBK gives simple but brief advice on feeding children, eating out, and
weight loss.

The TBK exercise program is, like the diet, fairly prescriptive and the
basis for his rules is not always apparent; hence it is difficult for a
reader to modify his prescription to his/her own circumstances.

That having been said, the exercises seem to be well founded and cover all
the significant muscle groups.  All are bodyweight or isometric exercises
and the descriptions are clear and complemented by photographs of TBK
himself performing them.  Some of the most expensive guides to exercise I
have seen are not as well illustrated or as clearly written as this.

I have no wish to lead people to read this review as a substitute for
buying the book, so will not give any detail here of his program.  All I
will say is that he advocates moving from one exercise to the other without
break and he also advises natural breathing through an exercise, rather
than bracing by holding breath as advocated by weightlifting coaches and
others.  The origins of the exercises in traditional circuit training, Matt
Furey and martial arts are clear, not a bad lineage.  The only exercise I
would quibble about is the situp with straight legs, but that is not a core
exercise in his program.

In a couple of places TBK makes it clear that his program is equally
applicable to women or men.  I am sure that is his intention, but the book
seems generally to assume that the reader is male.  Perhaps a woman will
give her view of the TBK program on this site in the future.

All in all, you would go a long way to pick up as much sensible, clear
advice at a such a bargain price.  This is not a book for gym junkies.  TBK
has no barrow to push; he is motivated solely by generosity and enthusiasm
(not money) to publish the book.  I cannot imagine any buyer who concluded
he (or she) did not get more than value for money from The TBK Fitness
Program.  As a footnote, I purchased the book from Australia and sent TBK a
bank draft.  He turned my order around promptly and the book arrived intact.

The TBK web page is at http://www.geocities.com/tbkfitness/

Keith