Spartan Up! by Joe DeSena

Living with the Warrior’s Edge is hard. That’s part of why you have an edge over others, you take the hard way. You don’t take the easy way out. The book Spartan Up! embraces the same philosophy. Not hard to believe when you think of the warriors the Spartans were. The book by Joe DeSena is motivating, encouraging, and full of real life examples of people who found the courage and commitment to be more than they believed.

Here’s the review of Spartan Up!

Spartan Up! A Take-No-Prisoners Guide To Overcoming Obstacles And Achieving Peak Performance In Life by the founder of the Spartan Race, Joe DeSena, with Jeff O’Connell, is an awesome book to get you living life to your full potential. While the book does contain a heavy push toward competing in the Spartan Race, DeSena explains why it is important to live the Spartan lifestyle he advocates throughout the entire text. It reminds me of the Japanese concept of Shugyo, which isn’t surprising as they both come from warrior philosophies and traditions.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found myself nodding in agreement throughout the entire book. It’s not about racing, but rather a lifestyle that focuses on fitness, family, success, and living life to the fullest with self-reliance and responsibility.

There is a strong theme that runs through the chapters on overcoming obstacles. Not just those on the Spartan Race course, but all of the obstacles we face in life. A key to surpassing obstacles is staying in shape, so fitness and living healthy make up a large part of the Spartan lifestyle. The author admits it can be hard getting up early to exercise every day and eating healthy choices when the urge to sleep in and succumb to the sweet and fat laden temptations that bombard us daily are so strong. But dong the thing that is hard, not taking the easy route, is part of living the Spartan lifestyle.

The book contains numerous examples of how the Spartan Race has changed people’s lives, and as I mentioned, there is a strong push toward getting you to sign up and run a race, because the author believes it is through these tough challenges, and the commitment to push yourself to greater limits to finish such grueling races that helps people transform into the disciplined, live life to the fullest, obstacle overcoming, Spartan that DeSena believes we can all find within and become.

I think there are other avenues that a person can take to also achieve the same objectives, but I agree that the Spartan Race can teach a person a lot about themselves and life. This is a fast paced read that will motivate you to reach your full potential. I recommend it highly for a good motivational boost. May everyone Spartan Up and live by the Spartan Code.
Spartan Up! from amazon: