Your ' Top 5 ' Health & Fitness books ?

W

Wrangell

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I'm just wondering what people's favorite Health & Fitness books are.:)

And, they needn't be the best books ever published, but just books you personally found to be of most significance or help to you.

These are the ' Top 5 ' I still tend to go back to and reference most often. In no particular order, they are...


1. ' Legendary Abs / Legendary Abs II ' - by Health for Life

- got this back in the early 90's - a bit dated - great emphasis on the bio-mechanics of abs training and still ranks among the best books on ' intelligent and efficient ' ab training IMO.


2. ' Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook '- by Nancy Clark

- a lot of solid info on basic nutrition for athletes ( with an emphasis on younger athletes ); I often recommend it to parents of many of the players I've coached who want a primer on nutrition for their kids.


3. " Starting Strength " - by Mark Rippetoe

- everything you ever wanted to know about doing the basic core lifts ( squats, bench, deadlift, etc. ) properly - a classic IMO ! ( And, a Second Edition is now out ! ). Perhaps the book I reference most often.


4. ' Strength Training Anatomy ' by Frederic Delavier

- Great illustrations a lot of various exercises by muscle group, identifying which muscles are prime movers and which are synergists for each exercise. Another classic IMO - and another one of the books I reference the most.


5. ' Smart Exercise: Burning Fat, Getting Fit ' by Covert Bailey

- Again, another book from the early 90's, a bit dated, but it was my first intro's to ATP, enzymes, The Krebs Cycle etc. and I still refer to it when the bio-chem of health and fitness is a bit overwhelming......which is often !​
 
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1. Supertraining
2. Practical Programming
3. Starting Strength
4. Science and Practice of Strength Training
5. Mutiple nutrition books, hard to pin-point just one. If I had to, I guess it'd be Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism

ETA: I own #s 2 and 4 on your list, Wrangell. Four is an excellent book.
 
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stroutman81 said:
1. Supertraining
2. Practical Programming
3. Starting Strength
4. Science and Practice of Strength Training
5. Mutiple nutrition books, hard to pin-point just one. If I had to, I guess it'd be Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism

ETA: I own #s 2 and 4 on your list, Wrangell. Four is an excellent book.
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Hey Steve......glad to see you back !

I really like Nancy Clark's book. For someone like myself who doesn't have a background in health sciences, I found it to be great resource that not only explains the basics of nutrition in a very easy to understand language and format but I found the the advice she gives to be both simple and very down to earth and practical. She also cites A LOT of research studies to back her claims - which is a bonus IMO.

I'm certainly with you on Delavier's book - simply a great book. After all these years, I'm actually surprised how often I still go back to it as a reference. It also makes me very thankful I never had to take an anatomy class in university - I wouldn't have stood a chance !:)
 
Marieb - Anatomy and physiology

Mc Cardle & Cache - Advanced wxercise physiology

Strength Training Anatomy

ACSM's guidelines for exercise prescription and testing

NROL or Nutrition for Health, fitness and sport


Most of these are compulsory texts for my degree
 
Wrangell said:
Hey Steve......glad to see you back !
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We'll see how long it lasts, lol.

I really like Nancy Clark's book. For someone like myself who doesn't have a background in health sciences, I found it to be great resource that not only explains the basics of nutrition in a very easy to understand language and format but I found the the advice she gives to be both simple and very down to earth and practical. She also cites A LOT of research studies to back her claims - which is a bonus IMO.
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I think those words are spot on. I was not meaning to downplay the value of her book. It's a great one.... still sits on my shelf!

I'm certainly with you on Delavier's book - simply a great book. After all these years, I'm actually surprised how often I still go back to it as a reference. It also makes me very thankful I never had to take an anatomy class in university - I wouldn't have stood a chance !:)
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The detail in the drawings in this book are simply topnotch.
 
NBS 4life said:
Marieb - Anatomy and physiology

Mc Cardle & Cache - Advanced wxercise physiology

Strength Training Anatomy

ACSM's guidelines for exercise prescription and testing

NROL or Nutrition for Health, fitness and sport


Most of these are compulsory texts for my degree
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Have you got ' Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning ' by Baechle and Earle ?

I was thinking of getting it, but noticed it was published back in 2000 and therefore was wondering if a 2nd Edition is on the horizon - anyone know ?
 
No I dont, We basically stick to the physiology of training rather than the actual training as it is a exercise physiology degree. However I have taken quite a few exercise prescription papers from another degree as my electives and I think I have used that book. Its still really good if its the one Im thinking of.
 
Katch & Katch is a great book! im sure if eveyone on this forum had one they would all be 70% smarter. I think ive got the new version. Exercise physiology - energy, nutrition and human performance 6edition. Anyone one planning on buying a book that covers almost everything so well should get it! ;)

I also like the anat clinical stuff.

Yeah the uni books are defenitely the best. Composed by the best professors in that field with input from many others and backed up by literature..
 
I have a mis-mash of favorite books.

I am with stroutman81 on the -

1. Supertraining
2. Science and Practice of Strength Training

The rest are all sorts.

3. John McCallums - Complete Keys to Progress. It is a compilation of articles by John McCallum from Strength and Heath magazine in the 60's and 70's. Not scientific at all. But some of the best practical training stuff out there.

Also I feel that it is very important to know where some of the things we do came from. I really like older books and training manuals by old time strongmen.

4. Sports Restoration and Massage. A great Mel Siff and Michael Yessis book. Restoration is neglected more than anything else and everyone needs to learn more about it.

5. My last one is a tie. Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik and Rock, Iron, Steel be Steve Justa.

Neither of the books in my #5 are scientific by any stretch of the imagination. They are packed with some of the best training principles and ideas I have seen, are fun to read, and give you something that can be tried tomorrow.

Honorable Mention -

Kaz Quest #1, 2, and 3. Bill Kazmaier's training manuals. They are about 10 pages long and are really great on practical training.
 
I guess I'll be geeky here and add;

How The Endocrine System Works

It's high level stuff but written in a simple and easy (as easy as endocrinology can get) way for people like me to get a basic understanding of things. I'm hoping it'll give me that extra 1% on my training
 
goergen1 said:
I have a mis-mash of favorite books.

I am with stroutman81 on the -

1. Supertraining
2. Science and Practice of Strength Training
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' Supertraining ' again eh ? Interesting.

What is it exactly about ' Supertraining ' that makes this a favorite of yours ?
 
Wrangell said:
' Supertraining ' again eh ? Interesting.

What is it exactly about ' Supertraining ' that makes this a favorite of yours ?
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Honestly, it's the bible with regards to the science of strength training IMO.

Someone mentioned they were getting nerdy above.

Trust me, this book is not a light read.
 
stroutman81 said:
Honestly, it's the bible with regards to the science of strength training IMO.

Someone mentioned they were getting nerdy above.

Trust me, this book is not a light read.
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Thing is, I don't have a ' health science ' background, I'm not up on bio-chem, anatomy, etc.

How ' technical ' is it for a ' lay person to grasp in your view ?
 
A lay person is going to have a hard time with Supertraining.

I got the 2nd edition when I just started college and it was a lot more than I could grasp.

Now I have the 6th edition and get a ton more out of it.

Supertraining is one of those books that you will constantly refer back to. That and every time your read out of it you will get more out of it.

Here are some reviews of the book.





There is also some stuff about Facts and Fallacies of Fitness after the second review. That is also a great book for anyone to own. F&F is much easier to read for the normal person. (the content is very different than supertraining as it is geared to dispelling common beliefs in the fitness industry)
 
For the ordinary joe, books are of no use unless you are on a course to be a dietician or something. There is enough material online to let you know about something. For example I was about to buy the atkins book and some atkins products when I just realised I don't need to ; I can eat what I want but as part of a calorie-controlled diet. The "secret" behind atkins is the "secret" behind other diets too - eat healthily but less and exercise more.
 
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