Wall Street Journal Bestseller
Deep Fitness
by Philip Shepherd and Andrei Yakovenko
The Mindful, Science-Based Strength-Training Method to Transform Your Well-Being in Just 30 Minutes a Week
Strength, energy, and resilience can fade as we age—but muscle health is one of the most powerful levers we have for lifelong vitality. Deep Fitness distills current science into Mindful Strength Training to Failure: a mindful, time-efficient way to build strength in one or two 30-minute sessions a week, at home or in the gym.
"This might be the most important book you read. Ever.”
— Dr. James Fisher, Solent University, Southampton, UK
Muscle loss is reversible
What's Deep Fitness about?
As we age, strength, energy, and resilience can quietly slip away. But skeletal muscle is not simply about appearance or athletic performance: it is central to metabolic health, vitality, and how well we age.
Deep Fitness offers a clear, science-based alternative: Mindful Strength Training to Failure, a simple practice of slow, attentive strength work that can be done in one or two 30-minute sessions a week—at home with a resistance band, or in the gym.
It shows you how to build strength while becoming more present in your body.
Anyone can benefit: young or old, new to fitness and seasoned athletes
Who can Benefit from Deep Fitness?
- Beginners who want a safe, efficient strength routine.
- Busy people who cannot commit to frequent or lengthy gym schedules.
- Experienced athletes looking to improve their conditioning.
- Adults concerned about aging, bone/joint resilience, falls, metabolic health, or cognitive health.
- Movement, embodiment, or coaching practitioners who want a mindful, evidence-informed training framework.
A different approach to fitness
- Deep Fitness combines current exercise science with mindful attention and embodiment.
- It emphasizes slow, deliberate technique rather than volume or complexity.
- Designed for time efficiency.
- Includes practical programming for home and gym settings.
"Deep Fitness provides the most comprehensive and compelling chapter on resistance training benefits that I have ever read. The chapter on exercise selection is exceptionally excellent, with important, practical, and detailed information on the proper performance of machine, body-weight, and resistance band exercises. People who put these strength training guidelines for safe, effective, and time-efficient resistance exercise into practice should definitely experience productive musculoskeletal responses.”
—Dr. Wayne L. Westcott, professor and chair of Exercise Science, Quincy College
““Most of our cognitive abilities peak in early adulthood. Many of us think of aging beyond that point as a terminal disease, rather than a natural journey through life, fearing but accepting an inevitable accelerating decline of our cognitive and physical health as we age. The tools of modern neuroscience allow us to observe and manipulate the inner workings of the living human brain—yet the fundamental factors that lead to lifelong cognitive health remain elusive, and we are just beginning to scratch the surface in understanding the mind and body as an integrated, indivisible whole. Through Mindful Strength Training to Failure, Andrei Yakovenko and Philip Shepherd have merged the latest evidence-based advances in exercise science with ancient wisdom and understanding of harmonious mind/body unity that may otherwise have been forgotten through the ages. Their radical approach stands as a model to new frontiers in aging neuroscience research, and sets anyone who will listen on a path to living not just a longer, but a healthier and happier life.”
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““One of the reasons why diseases of Western society are so difficult to treat is because as a culture we are focused on the wrong tissue. Our problem is not with adipose tissue, it’s with skeletal muscle mass. In order to correct the issues of aging (which arguably begin in midlife) we need to optimize for muscle mass. Deep Fitness does a fantastic job at not only highlighting the importance of training but also translating the science behind the training. This book is a valuable weapon in fighting the trajectory of aging. I highly recommend it!”
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Deep Fitness Explained
Join Philip Shepherd and Andrei Yakovenko as they speak about the principles in their book "Deep Fitness"
Strength training for all
Let us be your guide
Deep Fitness also contains a chapter offering detailed support for you to do your own Mindful Strength Training workout either with just your body weight and resistance bands, or weight machines. Complete with color photos demonstrating proper technique, this book speaks to anyone looking to stay or get strong.
Frequently Asked questions
What are the benefits of the Deep Fitness protocol?
Deep Fitness, co-written by Philip Shepherd and Andrei Yakovenko, helps you to mitigate the risk of chronic diseases, promote vitality, help to avoid falls, pre-habilitate joints, bones and tendons to resist injury, support cognitive functioning and psychological health, diminish the risk of all-cause mortality, and increase your quality of life.
Is the workout Deep Fitness describes suitable for beginners?
Yes. Deep Fitness includes illustrated, step-by-step exercises and options for bodyweight, resistance bands, and gym machines, that guide beginners through every step of a workout. You can also subscribe to a monthly video library to hear Andrei guiding people through each exercise described in the book.
Do I need a gym or equipment?
No. Deep Fitness includes complete workout routines that can be done at home using your body weight. For some of these, a resistance band is used. The book also includes machine-based sequences for gym users.
How much time does Mindful Strength Training to Failure require?
The book’s MSTF approach is designed to be time-efficient: just half an hour, once or twice a week..
Is it safe for older adults or people returning after injury?
The slow protocol was actually originally created to help those with osteoporosis get stronger, safely. The method has proven effective and safe for all populations.
One challenge in recovering from injury is that there will likely be a weakening of the affected muscles. Taking it slowly and mindfully, the Deep Fitness workout can restore lost strength, and even go beyond it, providing protection against future injuries.
What does “training to failure” mean?
Training to failure means continuing in an exercise slowly until you can no longer sustain correct form. This signals to the body that the environment is presenting challenges it is not strong enough to meet, which stimulates the body to rally its resources to strengthen the muscle. Momentary failure, then, is the stimulus that creates stronger muscles.
What format is the book available in?
Deep Fitness is available in print, ebook and audiobook (read by Philip Shepherd).
Other books by Philip Shepherd
Radical Wholeness
In Radical Wholeness, Philip Shepherd argues that Western culture’s way of being sets us at a distance from the life of our bodies and the present moment, with the result that our reality seems fragmented – and we no longer feel the wholeness of self or world. But he also shows how, through practical exercises, we can recover our presence and relational awareness, which are so deeply needed for personal and planetary healing.
New Self, New World
New Self, New World provides a unique overview of how we came to live in our heads, showing how abnormal that is, and the cost to ourselves and the planet. It also offers a way forward, with practical exercises to help readers into a way of being that is embodied and present.