Hey everyone what are some recommended books you all suggest reading as far as strength training?
Recommended books
Started by stagmer, October 23, 2014 · 5 Replies · 3,919 Views
Most strength books are not full of a lot of information. Mostly good for inspiration, but not really applicable to the general population, except perhaps if you're more interested in powerlifting or O lifting, for which there are numerous good books.
I do like Pavel's work, though it is limited in scope. Easy strength is a good one, combined authorship by pavel and dan john, esp if interested in application of strength towards athletics, as opposed to for its own sake.
I found Antifragile, by Nassim Taleb to be fantastic, and while not directly related to strength training has a lot of applicability.
Strength Training Anatomy is good for reference, as is the Anatomy of Movement.
.These are the currently books I'm reading:
Ultimate MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamieson - amazing, amazing book about conditioning and how exactly to train each of the 3 energy systems and what exactly the effects of heart rate is. Loved the book so much that I decided to buy a heart rate monitor (He trains MMA fighters but it's applicable to any sports.) First learnt about him when he happened to do a talk alongside Coach Sommer (and among others) in PaleoFX 2014.
Heart Rate Training by Roy Benson and Declan Connolly - started reading it alongside Ultimate MMA Conditioning after I got interested in learning about heart rate
The Portable Greg Everett: Collected Articles 2005-2012 by Greg Everett - Greg Everett (Olympic weightlifting coach) made a book about the best essays he's put up, though temporarily pausing this book to finish the first two books.
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky - probably the definitive book on anything stress related, though reading this book slowly since I find it a bit dry for me. Might be on this one for a long time
alan tseng said:
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky - probably the definitive book on anything stress related, though reading this book slowly since I find it a bit dry for me. Might be on this one for a long time
An interesting comment about the slow going - I read (most of) The Chimp Paradox (by Dr Steve Peters) a few years ago, and found it very interesting conceptually, but very hard going and difficult to follow. I got the same book on a free Audible trial recently, mainly because I'd lost the hard copy, and it was free. Much to my surprise I found it much easier to understand, follow, and digest listening to it during my commute.
It's billed as the mind program that he used while resident psychiatrist with British Cycling/Team Sky. The blurb is:
The Chimp Paradox contains an incredibly powerful mind management model that can help you be happier and healthier, increase your confidence, and become a more successful person. This book will help you to:
— Recognize how your mind is working
— Understand and manage your emotions and thoughts
— Manage yourself and become the person you would like to be
http://www.amazon.com/The-Chimp-Paradox-Management-Confidence/dp/039916359X/
Personally I have known for years exactly what I needed to do to improve my strength and mobility, using Coach Sommer's and Kit's work. I know what works for me nutritionally. I don't need to know more about programming, exercises, tricks or 'secret' information to get there quicker. What I have always lacked is the ability to consistently apply myself to these things over time. Short term focus, I'm like a laser. Long term ...look, baby wolves!
It's especially frustrating when you trust the program 100%, and you know that you are the problem for not sticking to it. I mean, how hard can it be to follow a simple exercise program that's laid out for you, or control what you put in your mouth!? The number of 'aha' moments I have had in the last couple of weeks have been very reassuring. Not least managing my kids when they kick off, and dealing with inconsiderate road users.
Plus - If it's good enough for Sir Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins and Vicky Pendleton - then it's good enough for me! Those guys had to consistently work their socks off 24/7 for years.
Edit: This would also be very useful for those (of us) who want to do too much, or move on too soon.
