Get Your Mind Right by Todd Durkin with Mike Yorkey

I am glad I didn't stop reading at the end of the first third of the book. He takes that amount of text to take us through his knee replacement surgery, his audition to be on a TV show (Strong), and his experiences growing up in the Durkin family. (He later recounts his torn labrum as a result  of being on the show and then being in a comeback challenge.) Part of Durkin's instruction style is to learn by example, hence the lengthy stories, I think. I really had no interest in reading about those experiences, however.

The last two thirds of the book is what I was looking for. He gets to his ten principles with suggestions and strategies. I like his suggestions for morning and evening routine. He also gives ideas for exercise routines, eating right, the importance of recovery (including many techniques and devices), and the importance of a spiritual relationship with Jesus.

This is a good book for readers who would like to learn a great deal about Durkin and the influence he has had on the elite athletes he works with (he drops quite a few big names). And I should have counted the number of times Durkin mentions his sponsor, Under Armour. He highly recommends their sleeping products, for example. I didn't find any new strategies or insights here not found in other books on achieving peak performance. People who watched the reality show Strong might appreciate Durkin's long descriptions of his experiences on it.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

Todd Durkin is the founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, California, an award-winning health and human performance facility where he works with high-profile clientele and elite professional athletes. He was a finalist on the NBC TV series Strong, is a member of the Under Armour Training Team, and travels around the world for speaking engagements and keynote talks. He also has a reach of over 250,000 people through social media, “Dose of Durkin” emails, and his new Todd Durkin IMPACT Show podcast. He lives in San Diego with his wife and children. You can find out more at www.ToddDurkin.com. Photo Credit: Zach Sperrazzo

Mike Yorkey is a veteran author or coauthor of more than 100 books. Learn more at www.mikeyorkey.com.

Baker Books, 256 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)