Recommended Books

I plan on going out today and buying a few books, I was looking for some suggestions. And this is just on lifting in general.

I plan on buyign dave tate’s under the bar. I haven’t read it yet but just about everything that man writes, or videotapes is excellent.

I’ve read the following and recommend them highly:

Optimizing Strength Training (science based) - Kraemer/Fleck
Strength Training Anatomy - Delavier
Huge in a Hurry (general fitness) - Chad Waterbury
Built For Show (general fitness) - Nate Green
Maximum Strength - Eric Cressey
Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods - Christian Thibaudeau

They do not all have the same methods but do provide you with a lot of different exercises, rep schemes, periodizations, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Limewire.

Supertraining
Science and Practice of Strength Training
Starting Strength
Practical Programming for Strength
Only the Strongest Shall Survive - Starr
CT’s Black Blook
Muscle Revolution
Purposeful Primitive
Stretching Scientifically

In addition to the ones already listed

Starting Strength (2nd Edition)
by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore

Practical Programming for Strength Training
by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore

The first book is the most detailed and useful guide you will find anywhere on the big lifts: squat, deadlift, press, bench, clean, as well as a lot of auxiliary lifts.

The second book covers the theory and practice of programming from novice to intermediate, all the way through advanced/elite.

If I could re-do my life as a lifter, I would start with these two books.

DORIAN YATES

Brawn

Has anyone read The Book of Muscle by Ian King? I was killing time in Borders and browsed through it…it looked nice but seems like more of a beginners book

Best book is a journal.
You can get them anywhere

Anything by Chris Aceto is pretty much gold.

[quote]ImTheRealArab wrote:
I plan on going out today and buying a few books, I was looking for some suggestions. And this is just on lifting in general.[/quote]

Some bookstores have a pretty limited “exercise” section, depending on where you go. You might be better off ordering online.

There was a thread like this not too long ago:

http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/any_great_books_on_the_iron_life

Pardon me if I just repeat my answer from there…

A Portrait of Dorian Yates.

Frank Zane: Mind, Body, Spirit.

Steve Reeves: Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way.

Vince Gironda: Unleashing the Wild Physique.

Bruce Lee: Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

And yeah, one of those books was meant as a joke (in terms of lifting. It is a fascinating book). Guess which one, and you’ll win a major award.

Beyond Bodybuilding by Pavel Tsatsouline

From the Ground up by Dan John-free download on his website

Three Days a Week training by Jim Wendler

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
ImTheRealArab wrote:
I plan on going out today and buying a few books, I was looking for some suggestions. And this is just on lifting in general.

Some bookstores have a pretty limited “exercise” section, depending on where you go. You might be better off ordering online.

There was a thread like this not too long ago:

http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/any_great_books_on_the_iron_life

Pardon me if I just repeat my answer from there…

A Portrait of Dorian Yates.

Frank Zane: Mind, Body, Spirit.

Steve Reeves: Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way.

Vince Gironda: Unleashing the Wild Physique.

Bruce Lee: Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

And yeah, one of those books was meant as a joke (in terms of lifting. It is a fascinating book). Guess which one, and you’ll win a major award.[/quote]

Im guessing the steve reeves book was the joke. What do I get?

:wink:

[quote]forbes wrote:
Im guessing the steve reeves book was the joke. What do I get?

;)[/quote]

I still don’t know why so many people think Supertraining is a good book for a strength training library. I learned nothing from it to get big and strong.

And I’m saying this truthfully. I learned more from regular layperson articles like those on this site. People could go for hundreds of pages in that book and not be able implement one damn piece of information into their routines or diets.

I guess it’s good for learning about exercise physiology, biomechanics, and kinesiology for the sake of education. But that’s about it.

I started with -

New Rules of Lifting
by Alwyn Cosgrove

TNT Diet
-Adam Campbell & Jeff Volek

Abs Diet
David Zinczenko

then later

Huge in Hurry
Chad Waterbury

good motivational book:
Atomic Dog
TC Luoma

and all the free articles here on T-Nation are a great resource!

G’d luck

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
forbes wrote:
Im guessing the steve reeves book was the joke. What do I get?

:wink:

Ahhhh, boooooooo!

I just got Built for Show(Nate Green) and Maximum Strength (Eric Cressey) really like them both. Had to buy another copy of BFS I gave mine to a friend that needed it.