A collection of recommended reading resources on various topics related to protein, strength training, fat loss diets, building muscle, improving the human body and rehabilitating injuries. If you are looking to further educate yourself on any of these topics, We highly recommend these books as a good starting point.
The Protein Book: A Complete Guide for the Athlete and Coach
by Lyle McDonald
The Protein Book: A Complete Guide for the Athlete and Coach covers topics of protein nutrition for athletes of various different types, boasting over 200 pages with references to over 500 scientific studies, this book will cover everything you need to know about protein and nutrition for athletes.
Recommended for: Those who wish to learn the ins and outs of proper protein nutrition for athletes or those wishing to build muscle and strength.
Starting Strength, 3rd edition
by Mark Rippetoe
Starting Strength is one of the best and most useful books for those interested in starting a proper weight lifting program. Starting Strength provides detailed instruction on all aspects of barbell exercises and programs to create strength and mass using only a few core exercises that work the entire body as one unit. This book can benefit both young and old, as the techniques and exercises used in this book have been used by athletes to build strength, size and functional movements for generations.
The breakdown of exercises and correct form for each movement is what makes this book stand out, helping guide readers through the “big lifts” that Olympic lifters or hobbyist can benefit from just the same. Author Mark Rippetoe explains each fundamental movement in great detail, giving guidance to key points and common faults that most lifters starting out are likely to make. Any beginner with half decent nutrition and this book and easily boost their strength and size in a fairly short amount of time, a great place to start for anyone interested in learning correct technique for compound barbell lifts.
Recommended for: Anyone looking to start a proper weight lifting and strength building program, this barbell training guide is a classic and fundamental guide on proper lifting techniques.
The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook: A Scientific Approach to Crash Dieting
by Lyle McDonald
In a perfect world, people trying to lose weight or fat would aim to gradually make these changes, gradually make small changes to their eating habits or activity levels, but this is rarely the case as people want a quick fix for everything, if only it was that easy. Some people have deadlines to meet where they may want to drop weight fast for a special occasion or event, maybe they’re an athlete or bodybuilder who needs to be in shape or a specific weight by a certain date.
The “Rapid Fatloss Handbook: A Scientific Approach to Crash Dieting” will help people achieve this through precise scientific dieting that is proven and credited to make these changes achievable, but these kind of rapid and extreme changes are not easy by any means to achieve, discipline and hard work are still required, this book will simply guide you in every aspect of the process of rapid fat loss.
Recommended for: Anyone looking for an advanced resource breaking down various fast methods for those looking to cut body fat rapidly.
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
by Timothy Ferriss
The 4-Hour Body (4HB) covers topics everyone will find interested in… how to become thinner, bigger, faster, stronger…
This book has gained quite a cult following as author Tim Ferriss experiments on himself using the guidance of some of the worlds top experts in various fields of science and study of human body optimization. Tim Ferriss uses his only body as a guinea pig to try become thinner, bigger, faster and stronger, achieving all of these improvements and documenting how to for any and everyone to try.
The outline of this book is really focuses on: What are the tiniest changes that produce the biggest results?”
This book will cover many other topics on “hacking” the human body using the smallest amount of effort possible, from supplements, vitamins, to improving your sleep, improving sex, gaining muscle or losing fat and how to become the physically strongest you. A great read for anyone who is interested in improving the human body in many aspects.
Recommended for: Everyone. This book covers so many topics and areas of life that I recommend it to anyone looking to better themselves.
The Naked Warrior
by Pavel Tsatsouline
“Master the Secrets of The Super-Strong Using Bodyweight Exercises Only”
The Naked Warrior outlines how to achieve more, with less. The “skill” of strength that many people do not understand; how to generate and increase strength using skills developed to do so. Many people overlook or do not understand that you can learn the ability to maximize your strength through technique and skill, pushing past what you may have thought to be a physical limitation.
Pavel Tsatsouline is a Russian strength expert and former Spetsnaz instructor that culminated techniques into one highly teachable skill set in “The Naked Warrior”, revealing exactly what it takes to become stronger than you thought you physically could become, in minimum time, using only your body as the tools.
Recommended for: People wanting to build strength without using or having access to equipment. This resource is a great example of how to become strong as an ox without any tools.
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
by David A. Kessler
Author Dr. David A. Kessler, the controversial former FDA commissioner known for his battle against the tobacco industry has taken on another fight against what is making people sick, fat and craving more: the food industry. “The End of Overeating” shows readers how the human brain chemistry is hijacked by the foods we find most appealing to consume, those which contain a combination of fat, sugar and salt.
Taking notes from the latest in science as well as detailed interviews with top physicians and food industry insiders, this book will expose the food industry’s marketing tactics and expose fats about how we lose control over food, and how to regain that control. This read will help answer questions and offer valuable information on one of the western worlds largest health problems today.
Recommended for: Anyone interested in learning about the psychology and science of eating, a very interesting read for anyone interested into nutrition.
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance
by Kelly Starrett
“Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance” is the bible of rehabilitation exercises and techniques for anyone from a officer worker to a full time athlete.
This book will help you improve athletic performance, extend the life of your athletic career, treat stiff muscles and achy joints and help prevent and rehabilitate injuries in all areas of the body on your own, without the need for expensive professionals to do it for you. Author Dr. Kelly Starrett (Founder of MobilityWOD.com) shares his knowledge on how to maintain and improve the human body for optimum human output and performance, helping people and athletes life a healthier life.
“Becoming a Supple Leopard” helps guide readers through common dysfunctional movement patterns, how to identify and rehabilitate problems causing pain or loss of range of motion in the body, how to optimize common movements and exercises and good practices for the human body. This book contains chapters designated to each area of the body, with descriptive information and photographic guides on how to break down and fix body mechanics. With diagnostics on how to find problem areas that are causing pain or inhibiting movement, this book has all the answers you will ever need for solving that sore lower back or neck that has been bothering you for years on and off.
While I use this book as my rehabilitation bible, the first half covers the precise and exact perfect bio-mechanical movements required to complete all the most common exercises athletes use today. Dr. Kelly Starrett covers how to troubleshoot each exercises that your body may not be able to correctly perform, due to range of motion restrictions or habitual form issues, breaking down the process to undertake to achieve that perfect squat or snatch you have always wanted to master.
Recommended for: Everyone. This book is my rehab bible. Anytime I feel pain, soreness or restriction in any part of my body, I simply open this book and find the remedy. For those who consider themselves athletes or train regularly, this book is a must.