Recommended Reading for Training

[Raleighwood]

I love reading and increasing my knowledge about my interests... I've yet to see a thread on everyone's recommended reading list related to training. I think this would be a valuable resource to help all the newbs (and vets) out there get up to speed on their training knowledge.

Please post your favorite training related recommendations, and feel free to throw in some non training reads as well.

I recommend:

Training Related

• Starting Strength
• Practical Programming
• Super Training
• Athletic Body in Balance
• Strong Enough?
• Essentials of Strength and Conditioning
• Power to the People
• New Rules of Lifting

Non Training Related

• 48 laws of Power
• Bang
• The Black Swan
• How To Win Friends and Influence People
• Influence
• Influencer
• The Art of Seduction
• The Four Hour Work Week
• Blink
• Tipping Point
• The E-Myth
• Linchpin

[Off Road]

Two more to add to your training list:

Beyond Brawn by Staurt McRoberts
Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik

[tom183]

Nutrition related:

Michael Pollan - The Omnivore's Dilemma
Michael Pollan - In Defence of Food

[Allen Cress]

Modern Nutrition
Muscle, Speed, & Lies
The Abel Approach
The Coach Whisperer

[gmen5681]

5/3/1 by jim wendler is a great book for simplicity and its a really quick read.


im reading dinosaur training now, its good but im pretty sure the guy is out of his mind. lol

[Off Road]

im reading dinosaur training now, its good but im pretty sure the guy is out of his mind. lol

Are you refering to the "bunnies" and "chrome and fern land?"

[gmen5681]

Are you refering to the "bunnies" and "chrome and fern land?"

lol, yeah just the whole thing though, and ive watched some of his videos on youtube. its just funny. so dramatic about everything.

heres a good one. lol, the guy on the bench has to be afraid for his life.

Video

[StLRPh]

To add to the list:

Complete Keys to Progress by John McCullum
Kelso Shrug Book by Paul Kelso
Reactive Training Systems - Mike Tuscherer

[Off Road]

To add to the list:

Complete Keys to Progress by John McCullum

Man...how could I forget that one?

[Off Road]

its just funny. so dramatic about everything

Ya...the guy is awesome! Very motivational.

[joey54]

Good suggestions so far it looks like.

[kmagnuss]

Gun and Government related... very good read - Unintended Consequences by John Ross

[J.C.]

John McCallum is a very entertaining writer. I don't know if everyone should train as much as he suggests (breathing squats three days a week, chest specialisation the other three days) but his writing style is great. He could have been a fantastic journalist and it was a nice surprise to find someone like that writing about weight training.

[NordicMan]

1. Another book by Brooks Kubik that is quite worthwhile, esp. for older lifters, is "Grey Hair, Black Iron". Recommended for those who have more years. Kubik is coming out with a short book on Doug Hepburn's training.

Kubik has also written three fiction books

2. the "Legacy of Iron" series, about a young fellow who was puny and picked on, and for whom barbell training changed his life. In the first book Kubik goes over the four York barbell and d umbbell courses, as well as the training routines that Steve Stanko used, or John Grimek. He has Warren Lincoln Travis make an appearance, too, these older strong men had remarkable strength.

Besides this, I liked
3. "Super Strength" by Alan Calvert,

4. and "The Key to MIght and Muscle" by George Jowett.

5. Doug Hepburn's biography "Strong Man" I think that is the title. It is about the trials and training of a fellow who more or less trained himself and won the world heavyweight Olympic lifting championship. This has his training in it.

There are many other fine books by and about older lifters and strong men, many of which Bill Hinbern has reprinted or sells, such as books by Artur Saxon or George Hackenschmidt, men stronger than most today.

[AZBengoshi]

I agree with the foregoing, especially the books by Stuart McRobert, John McCallum and Brooks Kubik.

For bodybuilding authors, I also like Casey Butt and James Chan. Vince Gironda's courses are also good. (I don't agree with everything Vince thought--or what anyone else thinks for that matter--but he has some real gems to offer if you look for them.)

As for books outside of training--too many to list.

[Irish Pilot]

Anyone spent any time between the covers of Men's Health: The Book of Muscle? Its one Ive been considering picking up. I was also contemplating that New Rules of Lifting.

[StLRPh]

I have new rules for lifting and it is surprisingly good.

[NordicMan]

Two more authors that I believe are worth reading:

1. Bradley Steiner, who wrote for Iron Man, and for the York publications in the 70s and 80s. Two books that recently were available are "12 Keys to bodybuilding success"(not to be confused with the entertaining author McCallum). The other book I have by Steiner is "Powerlifting and developing a Herculean physique". The titles may not be exactly worded right.

2. The other author from that time period is Anthony Ditillo, who has two of his books reprinted by William HInbern. He too wrote for Iron Man, and his articles were eventually gotten together into two books. He is an interesting writer, thoughtful, and has a website named for him by his training partner Deszo Ban. He doesn't think the 5x5 method is so good.