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The Purposeful Primitive: From Fat and Flaccid to Lean and Powerful
In The Purposeful Primitive, Gallagher exposes the flaws and myths rampant in the modern fitness community, then reveals what could be termed The Way of the Masters—his foolproof program for guaranteeing physical transformation, based on the received wisdom of the greats who have gone before us.
As someone who has trained with some of the greatest strength athletes of the century, as someone who has coached numerous world champions to ever more impressive records and as someone who has had spectacular results applying these same methods to average folk, Marty Gallagher knows whereof he speaks. His inspirational simply follow The Way of the Masters—with the necessary drive and desire—and you CANNOT fail, you WILL transform physically. Change—change for the better—is inevitable.
Cutting-edge science combines with Old School basics—forcing the body to transform, whether it likes it or not.
How to completely transform your body—in 90 days or lessHow to train for only five hours a week— yet be superbly lean and strongThe two best eating plans to optimize your fat loss while gaining muscleTraining protocols favored by the legends of champion-level strengthWhat foods will certainly sabotage your progress and what foods put you on the fast track for gloryThe very best cardio methods to complement rather than hinder your weight trainingMarty Gallagher has written a most interesting book that contains not only telling first hand biographies from powerlifting's heyday, but the routines and mindset of the top practitioners of the strength pursuit. His style is rich with anecdote, at the same time being right on point regarding the many divergent paths to the attainment of fitness. The basic truths underlying those paths have been distilled down to a certainty, allowing the reader to intelligently compose their own program. Good job from one who sought intensely over many years to grasp the essence of power and fitness and most importantly loves what he does.
—Hugh Cassidy, first world heavyweight powerlifting champion
Marty Gallagher is a brilliant writer who thinks deeply about subjects he knows and loves. His manifesto/encyclopedia contains a ton of wisdom, one-of-a-kind role models, awesome color photos… a truly fascinating read.
—Clarence Bass, author of the Ripped series, Lean For Life, Challenge Yourself, and Great Expectations
Oh, this book is a joy. I put this book next to Tommy Kono's Weightlifting, Olympic Stylefor sheer fun and delight and love of training. I am convinced that I will probably keep reading The Purposeful Primitive in bits and snips for years. It's just fun and funny while pounding into the reader the 'secrets' of advanced training. Many won't like the message. The secrets involve training really hard and really heavy.
—Daniel John, Head Track and Field Coach, Juan Diego Catholic High School, American Record Holder, Masters Weight PentathlonMarty Gallagher is the best writer in the world of physical fitness and strength, bar none, and two, Gallagher's newest book The Purposeful Primitive is the best manuscript ever produced in this field.
Teeming with esoteric information on training, biomechanics, nutrition, and sport psychology, The Purposeful Primitive is a wealth of information that every serious lifter needs to read. You are going to like this book. NO! You are going to LOVE it. I promise you that. It's Gallagher's best work, and that means it is strictly world class.
—Dr. Judd Biasiotto, author of 46 fitness and health-related books, world powerlifting champion
As someone who has trained with some of the greatest strength athletes of the century, as someone who has coached numerous world champions to ever more impressive records and as someone who has had spectacular results applying these same methods to average folk, Marty Gallagher knows whereof he speaks. His inspirational simply follow The Way of the Masters—with the necessary drive and desire—and you CANNOT fail, you WILL transform physically. Change—change for the better—is inevitable.
Cutting-edge science combines with Old School basics—forcing the body to transform, whether it likes it or not.
How to completely transform your body—in 90 days or lessHow to train for only five hours a week— yet be superbly lean and strongThe two best eating plans to optimize your fat loss while gaining muscleTraining protocols favored by the legends of champion-level strengthWhat foods will certainly sabotage your progress and what foods put you on the fast track for gloryThe very best cardio methods to complement rather than hinder your weight trainingMarty Gallagher has written a most interesting book that contains not only telling first hand biographies from powerlifting's heyday, but the routines and mindset of the top practitioners of the strength pursuit. His style is rich with anecdote, at the same time being right on point regarding the many divergent paths to the attainment of fitness. The basic truths underlying those paths have been distilled down to a certainty, allowing the reader to intelligently compose their own program. Good job from one who sought intensely over many years to grasp the essence of power and fitness and most importantly loves what he does.
—Hugh Cassidy, first world heavyweight powerlifting champion
Marty Gallagher is a brilliant writer who thinks deeply about subjects he knows and loves. His manifesto/encyclopedia contains a ton of wisdom, one-of-a-kind role models, awesome color photos… a truly fascinating read.
—Clarence Bass, author of the Ripped series, Lean For Life, Challenge Yourself, and Great Expectations
Oh, this book is a joy. I put this book next to Tommy Kono's Weightlifting, Olympic Stylefor sheer fun and delight and love of training. I am convinced that I will probably keep reading The Purposeful Primitive in bits and snips for years. It's just fun and funny while pounding into the reader the 'secrets' of advanced training. Many won't like the message. The secrets involve training really hard and really heavy.
—Daniel John, Head Track and Field Coach, Juan Diego Catholic High School, American Record Holder, Masters Weight PentathlonMarty Gallagher is the best writer in the world of physical fitness and strength, bar none, and two, Gallagher's newest book The Purposeful Primitive is the best manuscript ever produced in this field.
Teeming with esoteric information on training, biomechanics, nutrition, and sport psychology, The Purposeful Primitive is a wealth of information that every serious lifter needs to read. You are going to like this book. NO! You are going to LOVE it. I promise you that. It's Gallagher's best work, and that means it is strictly world class.
—Dr. Judd Biasiotto, author of 46 fitness and health-related books, world powerlifting champion
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Published November 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 21, 2022
A must read for anyone interested in getting strong.
This book floored me from start to finish. Marty provides information that will be helpful to anyone interested in getting stronger and transforming themselves—not just their body. He cites and provides spiritual practices, spiritual resources, expounds upon the benefit of a breath practice in one’s training…I don’t think that Marty left a single helpful stone unturned in “The Purposeful Primitive”!
This book floored me from start to finish. Marty provides information that will be helpful to anyone interested in getting stronger and transforming themselves—not just their body. He cites and provides spiritual practices, spiritual resources, expounds upon the benefit of a breath practice in one’s training…I don’t think that Marty left a single helpful stone unturned in “The Purposeful Primitive”!
September 3, 2025
If you're serious about physical training with an emphasis on strength while not neglecting other areas of health and fitness this should probably be on your shelf.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews