We all want to get stronger, faster and train more effectively. Reading the approaches that other strength coaches and personal trainers use has been instrumental in helping my own training and the way I train other people.
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Pure strength training
Starting Strength, by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, is the most basic and best guide to getting bigger and stronger quickly
Kelso’s Shrug Book, by Paul Kelso, is about all the different kinds of shrugs you can do and why you might choose to do them
Under the Bar, by Dave Tate, is the assembled thoughts of one of the most influential figures in the strength and conditioning community, and inspirational to boot
Serious Strength Training, by Tudor Bompa and Mauro DiPasquale, is a scientific approach to strength training based on periodisation
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Prehabilitation and functional training
Athletic Body in Balance, by Gray Cook, is a resource for personal trainers to assist them in assessing their clients and creating functional stability and movement
Functional Training for Sport, by Mike Boyle, is about how to identify and train the faculties that make great athletes, including strength, speed and injury resistance
Enter the Kettlebell, by Pavel Tsatsouline, is all about how to master the basic kettlebell exercises, the turkish get-up and the swing, and how to programme them
Maximum Strength, by Eric Cressey, is Eric’s definitive guide to getting stronger over a period of 12 – 16 weeks, including a guide to mobility and stability
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Programming
Periodization Training for Sports, by Tudor Bompa is a sports training manual based on Bompa’s periodisation principles
Training theory, by Frank Dick, is a complete pocket guide to the fundamentals of how to train athletes to be bigger, faster, stronger and more injury resistant
The Soviet Road to Olympus, by Norman Shneidman, is an analysis of the Soviet athletic training system, from small clubs through to national level teams
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Inspiration
Winning, by Frank Dick, is the collected thoughts of a head coach to the British Olympic team about how to coach athletes so they achieve their full potential
Fit for life, by Ranulph Feinnes, is the collected wisdom on how to maximise health, longevity and performance by the most celebrated explorer of his generation
Beyond the limits, by Ranulph Feinnes, is the summarised lessons that life has taught the world’s greatest living explorer about how to succeed and win against the odds
In Pursuit of Excellence, by Ted Engstrom, is the definitive guide to getting a positive mental attitude, making things happen and being the best you can be
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Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Why not contact me for help…
