10 Books you should really read to be an amazing fitness leader
- Anatomy of Movement (Calais-Germain ) – Understanding muscular anatomy and its application to human movement is an essential component of exercise program design. This is amongst the best texts on the topic. Free from fluff, it’s easy to read and relatively inexpensive (at least as far as textbooks go). A solid reference for your library.
- Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism (Gropper and Smith) – Low fat? Low carb? 40-30-30? Forget all the hype. Nutrition is an essential component of any fitness program and it’s important that you know the facts. This book delves into the science of the topic, exploring how nutrients affect the human body with respect to body composition and health.
- Joint Structure and Function: A Comprehensive Analysis (Levangie and Norkin ) – As the name implies, this book discusses the human skeletal structure in great detail, covering the structure and function of the muscles and connective tissues about each joint. Some find it a bit overly technical, but you won’t find a more comprehensive text on the subject. Well worth the effort.
- Supertraining (Siff and Verkhoshansky). – Packed with cutting-edge, evidence-based training information, it’s a must-read for every person interested in optimizing their fitness potential. After finishing this book, you may want to check out Dr. Siff’s, “Facts and Fallacies of Fitness,” which dispels some of the more prominent myths that perpetrate the fitness field.
- Science and Practice of Strength Training (Zatsiorsky) – If Supertraining is the bible, this is the Cliff Notes version. Science and Practice of Strength Training gives you a fantastic foundation for understanding how training programs work. Why do you need to taper before a big event or workout? How do back extensions help improve your deadlift? What are the three primary methods to strength train?
- Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) -If you read this book, and do what it says, you will learn valuable ways to increase your wealth. This is considered the classic book on how to build wealth. Napoleon Hill studied the richest people of his time for years, and then wrote this book based on the commonalities he observed from his subjects. What he found is that your attitude will determine your altitude, which is great because we get to choose our attitude. Learn the
- POP! Stand Out In Any Crowd (Sam Horn) – Develop a unique marketing message fast. The book is more like a workbook, and will give you specific exercise to do with your ideas, so you can create a unique business or product name, and create unique ways of marketing your ideas that get noticed and engage people. Getting attention for your business is critical in our over communicated culture. There is way too much information at our fingertips at all times, and too many distractions. This book will help you stand out from the crowd easily and get more attention for your business. Recommend for those who already have some money to re-invest in their business and are looking to expand their brand.
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Malcom Gladwell) – Understanding pandemics in both life and business. Every successful product, idea, or services has a tipping point, the point at which its growth goes from linear to exponential. The author illustrates that there are 3 universal factors that interact to create the tipping point for all pandemics. This book is a great read and fascinating, and is very applicable to how you can grow your business fast and strong.
- Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence (Daniel Goleman) – Be able to lead any person with any type of personality. This book is great for developing your leadership skills, and managing different kinds of clients with different kinds of personalities. It is an OK read, but the science and ideas are rock solid and invaluable.
- The Four Hour Work Week (Timothy Ferris) This book is the instant new classic, a New York Times best seller, and fun as hell to read. It is a timely and astute handbook which teaches how to leverage your time, the internet, and other people to create the lifestyle of your dreams. I can’t recommend this book enough. In fact, if I could only recommend one book, this would be it. The author is in his early thirties and is already independently wealthy and tremendously accomplished. Read this book and use it as a handbook to build an empire and the lifestyle of your dreams.
All these books are available on ebay or Amazon, many for under £5! Read 1 book each month and watch how you grow personally and professionally in the next year!