A review by bluejayreads
Liftoff: Couch to Barbell by Casey Johnston

5.0

This is a rare book that does exactly what it says on the tin - it will take you from couch (don't know what you're doing with weights) to barbell (can lift a barbell, have enough knowledge to do so without hurting yourself). It's straightforward, no frills and no fancy layouts and not even any pictures (though it does come with a spreadsheet full of video links) and has the general vibe of a self-published book in the most positive way possible - it doesn't have a publisher insisting on a certain page count or a specific narrative voice, so it skips all that and goes straight to providing practical, useful information. It also spends a lot, arguably more, time on the stuff you do outside of the gym to support your weightlifting journey - mainly eating and resting. I understand the logic with that, though, because for those of us who are aware of modern exercise culture (read: all of us), the idea of resting, not working out all the time, and eating more to fuel growing muscles are the parts we're probably going to struggle with more than the actual "go to the gym and lift heavy stuff" part. And as someone with a history of eating disorders, I found the whole idea suspiciously easy. You're telling me I can lift some weights for around half an hour three times a week, eat half again as much as I have been eating, and still see health and strength (if not necessarily weight or size) results? Sounds fake. But also I'm five weeks into this program as of writing this review and it seems to be working so far. Turns out for me, lifting heavy stuff is infinitely more enjoyable than anything cardio-related. And though I've been in recovery from my eating disorder since 2017, doing this program has made it feel possible to be recovered. Take that with a grain of salt because it's just one person's perspective, but I've found it incredible. 
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