The Heart Is the Strongest Muscle: Know Your Why and Take Your Mindset from Great to Unstoppable

by Tia Toomey, Tia-Clair Toomey

The legendary six-time CrossFit Games champion and Olympic athlete shares lessons from her inspiring story of leveling up her performance, embracing failure, and fiercely taking on impossible goals.
 
“Champions are built in the mind first, and Tia Toomey understands exactly how to do that.”—Andy Frisella, entrepreneur, creator of 75 Hard and Real AF podcast

Tia Toomey, the world’s fittest woman, has won the CrossFit Games an incredible six years in a row and is undeniably a true warrior. She has also trained for the Winter Olympics in bobsledding, competed in the Summer Olympics in weightlifting, and was a Commonwealth Games gold medalist. She is, in short, one of the most accomplished and dominant athletes in human history.

But for Tia physical fitness is only a small part of overall strength. More important is building mental toughness.

In The Heart Is the Strongest Muscle, Tia shows how she reached elite levels by focusing on her “why.” By always having a clear picture of her purpose—what drives her heart—she can push through even the toughest challenges. From the early days of her fitness journey to the peak performance that has put her atop the podium in the CrossFit Games, Tia also reveals the secrets, struggles, and successes that have made her a killer competitor.

Nothing comes easy, but in The Heart Is the Strongest Muscle, Tia hopes to show you how to build your own unstoppable mindset. Whether you are already a serious athlete or someone looking to conquer a new challenge, you’ll be able to use her methods to keep winning.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Fitness, Health, Biography

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2024

About the author

Also writes as Tia-Clair Toomey.

Reviews

[Mona Kubin · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost, I think everyone went into this book thinking it was a memoir and it's definitely not. This is a self help guidebook on how to be a winner like Tia.

To me, it sounded like she reads a lot of self help books and thought, "hmmm, I can write one too." Except this book doesn't have much factual backing on how A, B & C can actually help improve exhibit D.

I think Tia touches on some things I could definitely agree with at times. However, I'm just going to touch on a couple of things that I thought was quite judgmental.

She goes into talking about how she learned to not care about what others think of her appearance. To which she avidly doesn't take the time herself to care about her own appearance because this time could be better spent elsewhere. And to the girls that do take the time on their appearance is the reason why they're not a winner.

The girls that take the time to neatly put their hair back and put a little make up on, are the ones who want that extra confidence and that confidence can make all the difference. Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it won't work for anyone else. God forbid someone care about their appearance.

For a long time I always thought Tia was timid and lacked maybe the confidence needed to win... interestingly enough she references the interview that gave me this impression. This book says the opposite about her. I think she is extremely confident in her ability, possibly even a little arrogant or cocky.
Perhaps,this book is to help make herself feel confident.

Also, on a side note that I'm hoping is a coincidence. Her team mate, Brooke Wells, came out with a book literally a month before Tia. It almost seemed like Tia felt the need to come out with a book since she's actually won and then go and talk about the usage of the word "comeback" and why you shouldn't use it. Brooke Wells book is called "CrossFits greatest comeback." lol.

[Hannah Ives · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it, but wanted to like it more… the part that unfortunately stuck out to me was when she discusses girls in sports and body image- an insanely important topic right now. She refers to girls that are “well manicured” and says that all their attention will take away from their game, that “maybe one of the reasons they’re not on top of the podium is all that time spent fussing over their appearance is time lost front squatting” just felt icky to me - we should be supporting women to present themselves however they feel best, no one’s appearance is going to prevent them from being successful, let’s be real here
Anyways the rest was interesting and had some inspiring parts, but the first one definitely inspired me more

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

My fault for not reading the subtitle, but I was hoping for more memoir and less self- help. It did make me want to set down some goals though!
Audio

[Samantha Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read some reviews after finishing the book, and I can completely understand the mixed opinions. I agree that the clearly specific and personal jabs toward other women in CrossFit was slimy. She definitely feels some type of way about not wearing makeup to train while other women are out there killing it and looking super cute doing it. I’m a girl’s girl, so it doesn’t sit well with me. You can be a bad b**** on the floor with eyelash extensions on. But, other than that short bit, I loved a lot of the concepts in the book. It’s some of the stuff I preach to others in life generally and they were good reminders to myself. Honestly, I was really surprised by the book and I loved it. It’s just kind of what I needed right now. The audiobook is an easy listen and at 1.5x speed, it’s hardly a time investment if you’re curious about the book.

[Sammi Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly thought this would give me a little more inspiration, but as a person who did not start running competitively at 11 yrs old, doesn't have the luxury of training 10 hours a day, and isn't competing for money, it wasn't super helpful for me. That being said, Tia is an absolute beast, a joy to watch compete, and her drive and story are incredible.

[Charly-Jane Hanrahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you’re needing to find inspiration or discover your why. I didn’t think of my why until listening to this book. I’ve always enjoyed watching Tia compete and following her journey!

[Melanie McNulty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Albeit somewhat worn out, I appreciate the reminder of lessons of determination and grit. This isn’t a particularly unique story, nor will you learn any unique lessons, but it was motivating to remember that all of us have the capacity to push ourselves to strive for our dreams and goals. Also this is not particularly well written, but I can tell Tia shines when she is getting into the topics she is super passionate about, which I can appreciate. I would not consider this a must read, but I enjoyed most of it nonetheless.

[Eugénie Dijkhuizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echt een aanrader als inkijkje in hoe haar mindset werkt en is ontstaan. Heb het met veel interesse gelezen en kan het zo goed plaatsen na haar al enkele jaren te hebben zien strijden voor de titel van Fittest women on earth!

[Brindley · Rating 3 out of 5]

No longer relevant for me though she certainly has the insane amount of drive it takes to be a CF champion. I’m just not the target audience for this book but it was interesting to hear of Tia’s journey.

[Alexa Barta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book, lots of great insight and a bit motivating!

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @14%

[Ksenia Naydenova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this book after reading Brooke Wells memoir. And these two books are definitely two different type of readings. I think it came to me at the right moment. I would say you have to consider if you want to read a self-help book on steroids at this moment. I didn't think this was a memoir, but I was still hoping to get more of Tia's stories. We do get to see a little bit behind-the-scenes thoughts and decisions; but it's probably 80:20 ratio (self-help to personal stories). I enjoyed other athletes' stories/examples. I also liked her thoughts on sportsmanship.

"The essence of sportsmanship is in the way we conduct ourselves, both in victory and defeat. It's easy to be gracious when you win, but real character shows in how you handle setbacks and support others."

I feel like that was instilled in me as I grew up in sports, and I am extremely thankful for my coach to be so insightful and wise to lead us that way. It's also what I love about crossfit.

I didn't always love her black and white thinking. And I have not won the CrossFit Games six times consecutively, so who I am to say anything. Maybe this mindset is only for the winners as she is. But I don't think everything can always fall into one or another bucket. There's always wiggle space in between. For example, I couldn't agree with her thoughts on how getting your nails or hair done can take away from the critical mental and physical preparation needed for performance. It also adds to your mental performance. And I'm sure there's research about that. We are just all very different, and it doesn't mean everyone has to do it :)

[Sam Files · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of Tias newest book coming out. Tias new book will be released: 2/13/2024


Let me start off by saying I am a Tia FAN. She is an incredibly gifted and talented athlete (through a lot of hard work and discipline). However this book just wasn’t for me. This book reads more of “how to become like Tia” rather than a memoir. Tias training/mindset/personal rules to success are intense-so as someone whose goal is to workout and move by body for health I found this book hard to relate to and apply. It’s

However I loved the parts where she talked about pregnancy and learning how to adjust to her new body limits and life as a mom.

Still a huge Tia fan, just not a fan of this book

[Sumire Antonioli · Rating 2 out of 5]

- Easy read, nice life story of Tia
- It was an interesting insight into Tia’s perspective. I don’t know what I expected, but for some reason I always pictured her as a super chill laid back gal. But actually she’s hardcore and intense, and as much as I admire her, she doesn’t seem like much fun lol. I guess it makes sense for someone as superhuman as her.
- As for the book itself, obviously she is an athlete and not a writer. The writing was pretty dull and repetitive, and rather cliche at times. It went all over the place without much structure and I’m not sure I actually learnt anything particularly interesting in terms of bettering my training or abilities. And yes, we get it, you train really hard and you’re the best.
- Also this book is clearly written for athletes at a high level who want to be elite. Tia telling me to cancel my plans with friends so I can dedicate my life to training to the point that I hate it is not really what I need to hear.
- I like the bit about pregnancy and women’s struggles a lot. It was very real and felt like the only part that was not just wishy washy motivational sentences.
- 2/5 feels a bit harsh, it’s not that I thought it was a bad book. But in the end it did feel like a bit of a waste of time… because I wasn’t invested, I was just reading it to get it done, and even though I’m not the target audience (hobby crossfitter rather than competitor) I still wanted to get something out of it rather than standard and cliche self help. Love Tia, but this book was meh.

[Molly Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to PRH Audio, NetGalley, and Rodale Books for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Tia-Clair Toomy-Orr is a phenomenal athlete, qualifying for multiple Olympics (winter and summer), winning Gold at the Commonwealth Games, and winning the CrossFit Games six years in a row! She is known for her well-rounded abilities and her champion mindset that has developed in front of the fans for years. Now she shares insight into how she has reached such an elite level, the hurdles she has faced, and how others can emulate her practice to excel at their own chosen endeavors.

I started watching CrossFit in 2015, the same year Tia jumped onto the stage and made a name for herself. Now she is a six time champion, a new mother, and on her path back to the competition. I went into this book excited to hear from my favorite athlete, and though I enjoyed her insight about mental toughness, I wasn’t necessarily the target audience for this one. I think this would be an incredible read for anyone trying to take their passion and turn it into a championship level venture.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid Crossfitter, I’ve been following Tia and Shane for years now. I enjoyed the book, it gave a brief glimpse into what has made them successful.
I find most CrossFit autobiography books stick to the surface a lot though, they play it very safe (Mat’s book was the first with a bit of an edge which was refreshing) - I would love it if some of the CrossFit athletes were prepared to provide a bit more detail on the their training methods, nutrition and recovery - most of what is shared you can find in a standard fitness magazine. Also, at the top level, it would be amazing if they shared more what happens behind the scenes, what are other athletes like around competition etc. Maybe even some fun stories.
Overall though, I would recommend this book to others as it is well written, uplifting and if you’re searching for opportunities to move the needle forward then Tia and Shane do share some useful information in fitness, health, recovery and mindset.

[Emily Michaud · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time finishing this book after the recent tragic death of an athlete at the 2024 Games. (I started the book beforehand, excited for the games, then had a lot of mixed feelings trying to finish the book, although it had nothing to do with Tia or her book).

I will say it was better written than her first book and had a lot of helpful information on how to become the best athlete you can. It is a little hard to relate to as an average 3-4x per week crossfitter but I know what she was going for.

As others have commented, I also found the part where she talks about how other competitors spend too much time on their appearance as icky and judgmental. I agree with her that the media has made it impossible for athletes and women in general to feel positive about their bodies, but I don’t like that she added more negativity towards other women, I’m not sure why that was even added in the book.

[Aurelio Guerra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of what this book deals with is what most athletes already know. Unfortunately, it's extremely hard, I would say impossible, to transfer a mindset through words. Toomey has definitely proven to be unstoppable, but nothing she writes about, or does, will make one succeed, I would suspect (although, as it happened to her with something Khalifa said, one never knows wether some fact or some sentiment will hit you just in the right spot at the right time, alas it did not happen to me with this book). Nonetheless, the book is interesting in its insight into her way of approaching training and competitions. I was surprised by some of the facts concerning her schedule and her determination to win. I was struck by her criticism --even more by her adoption-- of the American mindset towards winning. I found very interesting her chapter on women athletes.

[Niccola Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I feel exhausted and like a slacker after just READING this book. I love how much Tia gives credit to those around her, especially her coach and husband. Her way of Doing things is, very much so, that of a champion - hence her being the best to ever do it at CrossFit and an Olympian. I enjoy her rituals that she shares and her why and her how to find your why. I love that she pushes for rest days and listening to
Your body. I also like the fact that she is honest when she has been a hypocrite to her own advice. This book is very honest and real, and she acknowledges when she does too much or does too little. If you ever want to be motivated to get things done or add tasks to your daily life that you don’t think you can do, read this book.
These aren’t just words to Tia Claire-toomey… They are her actual lifestyle.

[Seshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected more of a memoir than a book which lays out ways of improving one's self (though not ungrateful for that). As Toomey-Orr makes clear in her afterword - she is not done yet - and so it is inopportune for a memoir.

This book strikes out the extent to which Toomey-Orr is a complete competitor. She is a strong proponent of hard work - you don't want to be "all yak no yakka". The partnership between her husband and coach Shane is quite amazing and they seem to be a great team for CrossFit success. She has a really positive mentality which bleeds through in everything she writes in the book and I particularly appreciated her part on believing in yourself - you feel her true voice coming out over time which is, ultimately, very measured.

[~Stephanie~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was meh in my opinion. She used a ton of quotes which is fine but a bit overdone. Much more of a motivational book vs her story. A bit boring overall.
She did have a few pearls of wisdom which are always good to hear but not worth reading this book. Many are in habit or goal setting books, nothing novel. Also didn’t care for her opinion on female athletes who wear makeup. Live and let live! Who cares! I think she misunderstands the idea that sometimes we dress or wear makeup to make ourselves feel more confident so I think it could be a benefit not a negative as she portrays. To me this book makes Tia seem not very smart but a very hard worker. This was a publisher trying to capitalize on CrossFit’s popularity IMO. This book fails to connect on any emotional level at all!

[Dannie Lynn Fountain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just read another to-be-released Crossfit memoir, it was hard not to compare the two and have this one come up modestly lacking. That said, I found THE HEART IS THE STRONGEST MUSCLE to be more quotes and to-dos than "Crossfit memoir." I also really struggled with Toomey's declarations of her belief in body positivity coupled with parenthetical negative comments about certain body parts or changes in appearance. All of this distracted from what is otherwise an interesting look behind the curtains of the career of one of Crossfit's most successful athletes EVER. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great way to get some nuggets of inspiration, especially if you're new to any exercise regimen. I read her prior book, and this is a nice continuation of that journey.

I wish that this was a bit more connected. The constant time jumps had me stopping to think where she was in her career. I would rather have it year by year - focused on a takeaway, and then really dive into how she learned it.

I absolutely loved the chapter on body image. As a mom myself, I really appreciate her talking about how her own body changed and it took some getting used to. There's so much that we don't understand and see with other moms. Thank you for acknowledging this!

[Brittin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel exhausted after reading this book 😅 Tia IS a force of nature and I have so much respect for her. BUT this book is super niche. If you want to be an elite athlete, maybe it's a good fit. But it's sort of written "in my opinion" with some facts, but isn't a memoir. It's all self-help/motivation. While Tia has certainly earned the write to share her wisdom and tips for success, I just think there are simply other books out there that would apply to a bigger audience and be potentially more effective (like the oft quoted Atomic Habits by James Clear.

It's my fault for thinking this would be more memoir, more nuanced, but it wasn't, and I honestly didn't enjoy it.

[Nick Artinghelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a good insight into one of the many great, top-tier female athletes of all time. I found it to be generally ground-level in terms of new information and education mainly due to me already being educated in alot of the topics discussed in this book but it really helped bring those things back into light that I may have lost sight of as time went on. You get a great look into Tia’s mind and how she carries herself as an elite athlete so I found that to be really enjoyable as I’ve been a big fan of Tia for years. Overall, I enjoyed this book for what it was worth and for as short as it was. 🙌

[Erin Polce · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Audiobook Review: Gosh do I love a good Aussie accent.

My local library had this book under biography/memoir, so I went into it excepting a biography or memoir. In reality this is 100% a self help book, with tiny bit sized pieces of biography.

On top of that, it unfortunately is not a great self help book. Tia does a good job of explaining what works for her, but I did not leave the book feeling inspired or ready to take my fitness journey seriously. Additionally, I didn’t find much of the “help” to be anything new or note worthy.

I would say this is good for fans of cross fit, but not many others.

[Isidora Stanković · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 I wanted this book to absolutely blow my mind when it comes to inspiration, but it just fell short. Nothing you haven’t heard in podcasts with Ben Bergeron, Fraser or Tia already. The writing jumps between personal stories and inspirational bits that refer to both Tia’s experiences and books such as Atomic habits. Kinda unfocused.

I walked away loving all the personal parts more than the inspirational ones. Like, Tia Toomey also struggled with her traps getting larger? I feel validated. Tia Toomey hates training? Holy shit. The book normalized a lot of my everyday feels.

[Jennifer Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

A woman from a privileged background of supportive parents, extra money for coaches and event fees, private school, and an athletic background since childhood tries to convince you that it’s only the right mindset you’re lacking and not all those advantages.

Just because you achieve something great using advantages most of us never had doesn’t mean you are qualified to write a self help book claiming anyone can do the same if they have the right mindset.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to review.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this books but just didn’t. It felt like every overused platitude or blurb you’ve ever seen on a motivational poster was just repeated ad nauseum with nothing new really being said. “Steel sharpens steel” and “always give 110%”. Even the Ted Lasso quote about being a gold fish was referenced more than once. Not only was everything repetitive but it was also conflicting at times.

This was also a case of the audiobook being read by the author not engaging the experience. The phrasing was really weird and there were weird pauses throughout the whole thing.

[Kayla Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Tia's first book, I learned so much about her that made me like her so much more. It was inspiring and got me fired up. This book just adds fuel to the fire for one of favorite athletes! I really enjoyed learning even more about Tia, and also learning how to improve my mindest to be a champion.
This probably isn't for everyone, but if you love this athlete, love crossfit, and want to know some mindset tips, then give it a read.