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Best Fitness Books : What’s Worth Actually Reading

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It’s no surprise I talk a lot about my favorite running books for motivation or running books for training, but what about overall best fitness books?

Today we dive in to other areas like strength training, mental training and motivation to train hard.

While there are tons of free workouts found on YouTube and Instagram, there’s still something really powerful about books you can quickly reference to help meet your goals, better understand your body or get a true plan.

10 Best Fitness Books

While you know I may tend towards running, I believe these books are great for everyone.

In fact, I made sure to look for books that are outside of running and will still benefit runners! We have to know about strength, nutrition, our hormones, our total health and how our MIND works.

SO find the find the fitness book that’s speaking to what you need the most right now!Best Fitness Books

1. Roar

How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life — whew I thought my books subheading was long, but that’s a mouthful which helps to explain that this book is filled with information.

What I liked about this book what it helps women understand how training may need to look different for us than it does a man. We have hormones afterall!!

No one wants to talk about that, but it changes things and learning to work with your body is a great gift.

2. Boundless: Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize Your Body & Defy Aging

If you’ve ever listened to the Ben Greenfield podcast, you’ll have an idea of what’s coming in this book…but it’s still worth reading. Sometimes it’s the repetition of things in different ways that allows it to hit us and stick.

He does base his ideas in science, but may also take things too far for many folks. I’m always open to trying new things and seeing what really works for me. That’s why I like what he shares.

fitness book for athletes

3. Anatomy for Runners

Understanding how your body should move might be one of the best ways to prevent injuries.

Since, I go on and on around here about pre-hab and the value of physical therapy, consider this the do it yourself version. You’ll find tons of exercises to help with different things and you’ll finally understand what might be causing some of the issues that you’ve had.

4. How Bad do You Want It

I’m basically a fan of everything by Matt Fitzgerald, but this one is a great look in to the mindset that it takes to truly push yourself to those ultimate limits.

I’ve had many runners recommend this book themselves when I ask for favorites. I think it’s just a book that helps you figure out how to dig deep and what’s happening when you feel like stopping.mental sports training

5. Change Your Brain, Change Your Body

The first book I read from Daniel Amen fascinated me! The inside look at our brains and how certain nutrient deficiencies could be hindering all kinds of progress was amazing.

It’s so easy to blame yourself for feeling tired and just not doing enough. But what if the real issue is low Vitamin D or that you played soccer and had concussions? It’s an eye opening and useful read.mental training book

6. Run To The Finish – The Middle of the Packers Guide to Training

I mean we all knew this would be on the list right? I’m partial, but I still believe it’s a must read for most runners.

Breaking down many of the mental pieces that hold us back, looking at how to implement strength movements that will prevent injuries and even figuring out the best training plan for you. Plus 4 training plans included for the half to full marathon.

😄I’m just gonna say it has over 320 reviews that are 5 stars.run to the finish book

7. Healing Back Pain by Dr John Sarno

Ok… this one is going to be a little out there for some of you. But it did wonders for me and I know two others who have read it an immediately found their injuries disappeared.

It’s all about the idea that tension and not an injury is causing your pain.

It goes in to the psychology of your brain distracting you from things you don’t want to deal with by throwing up pain signals. And I LOVE when it dives in to things like how a diagnosis actually makes you worse. We’ve seen a lot of health studies around this idea that people start acting sicker as soon as their told something is wrong, when previously they were walking around like a picture of health.

8. Dr. Jordan Metzl’s Running Strong

The Sports Doctor’s Complete Guide to Staying Healthy and Injury-Free for Life — having met Jordan I can say without a doubt that not only does he know his stuff, but he lives it. He loves running. He wants to see people running strong and healthy for as many years as possible.

 This book provides great visuals for stretching and strength exercises that are going to pay off when you start adding them in to your routine consistently.

9. Essential Sports Nutrition

I’ve talked about this book from RD Marni Sumbal before, but it had to make this list. If you aren’t fueling your body well then it doesn’t matter what your exercise looks like.

You’ll get weaker, you’ll become unhealthy and prone to injuries.

She doesn’t mess with fads, she knows the science and will give you great ideas to optimize your nutrition.

10. Strength Training for Fat Loss

I admit the title turns me off a little bit and yet isn’t that what so many runners tell me they’re looking for?? This book is actually really well done with straightforward information and tons of exercises that help utilize whatever you have access too.

It’s not about fads or diet trends, so I appreciate the overall content and usefulness. For runners the big thing is learning how to combine strength with your mileage and knowing that doing HARD all the time will lead to burn out.

LOOKING FOR MORE RUNNING BOOKS?

  • My Top 50 Running Books
  • Best audiobooks for running

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Posted by amanda Categories: book reviews, review

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Hello runners! I’m Amanda Brooks, a certified personal trainer and running coach. I’ve been coaching over a decade and distance running since 2002. My philosophy is that running isn’t about your pace or the distance or your body. It’s about showing up for yourself, loving the process and doing it injury free!

 

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About Amanda Brooks

Amanda Brooks is a Certified Running Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and long time distance runner with a passion for every facet of running, which leads her to do more reading, research and running than necessary. Find all the tips, tricks and tools you need from this running coach for your best injury free running. Read More…

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Amanda Brooks : Run Coach
SHARE THE ONE that resonates most with you. 🏃‍♀️🏃🏾🏃🏽‍♂️
 
It’s true, I’ll never stop talking about the warm up 😂. But right now the idea that running is HOPEFUL really strikes a chord.💜
 
We show up mile after mile always looking to what’s ahead and what’s possible.
 
Which one hits home for you?
.
.
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#runningmotivation #runninginspiration #medalmonday #fitnessmemes #runningmemes #runningquotes #runnerslife #runnerlife
AVOID HITTING THE WALL (save this and review befor AVOID HITTING THE WALL (save this and review before races) -AKA  Bonking. UK friends giggle at that, but it’s a term just like fartlek.
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It’s that painful moment when your mind tells your legs to stop and it feels like there’s nothing you can do to turn the tides. It leaves emotional scars!🥵
 
WHAT TO DO!
1️⃣Train differently - seems obvious, but consistent training that follows a plan which progressively and smartly builds your miles and strength and speed...ya it works.
 
2️⃣Fuel, fuel, fuel - force yourself to eat before races and long runs even if not hungry.
.
Starting fueling sooner than you think you need to and keep doing it. During races your body is running on more carbs and needs that steady flow of energy. 
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🧠 Your brain functions on CARBS, stop depriving it or it will tell you to stop running. If food while running is an issue for you, checkout something like @genucan.
 
3️⃣Pacing - Stop going out too fast because you’re excited, it absolutely catches up to you. Ideal is even pacing start to finish.
 
4️⃣Pay attention to your brain. @fitzgerald.matt in How Bad Do You Want it does a great job of showing how the brain can limit performance if you don’t know what’s happening up there.
 
5️⃣Recover better - Stop over training and give your body tools to help it destress from all the work...the best one is SLEEP. I also love @resiliencecbd to help with nerves prior to a race and quality sleep during training.
 
❓❓Helpful?? Have more race day questions?? Or an epic story of hitting the wall?? I wanna know.❓❓
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Thanks to @moxie82co for capturing this weird moment, it worked great for this post.
HIT THOSE HIPS!!! I’ve given you a couple hip mo HIT THOSE HIPS!!! I’ve given you a couple hip mobility workouts, now we add strength!
//
🥳For the next 30 days in the Virtual Run Club we’ll be going hard on all the pre-hab work for hips, glutes and abs. Because running isn’t just about the miles.
//
That’s one of the reasons I’ve been consistently doing @insidetracker bloodwork since 2015.
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It’s helped me identify low Vitamin D causing fatigue or catch my wayyy high cortisol to embrace easy runs as key part of the process.
📌 (Save this post because the last screen has a 25% off discount code and you can get free access to the 30 Day March Challenge.)
👉LINK IN BIO FOR BOTH
✅✅✅✅
3 CORE MOVES
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You can use these as a progression or do all three, they’ll target the hips, glutes and core in different ways with each variation.
 
Aim for 15 reps prior to a run or do multiple rounds as part of a workout!
 
1️⃣Side Plank Kneeling Hip Raise - Really focus on your core engaging to raise up and keeping your elbow under your shoulder.
 
2️⃣Side Plank Kneeling Leg Raise - Again core should be tight to keep hips lifted, not sagging towards the ground. Then focus on your hip and glute to raise the top leg.
 
3️⃣Straight Leg Side Plank Leg Raise - Engage the core to keep hips high and press the bottom foot in to the ground to really engage your glutes. Slow and steady to remain stable while raising and lowering top leg.
❓❓❓❓
Talk to me!!!
Who’s in for 10 min a day in March?
Who’s gotten blood work to improve their health?
Who’s excited it’s almost spring?
👉👉Me to all 3! And more info in stories!
 
 
 
#runtothefinish #insidetrackerpartner
RUN DAYS ARE THE BEST DAYS😊 I had training tips RUN DAYS ARE THE BEST DAYS😊 I had training tips planned to share today, but really just wanted to say I hope you get in some miles today and they make you smile.
 
Let go of the pace.
Let go of the distance.
Let go of HR for a day.
Just run.
We GET to.
 
Where in the world are you running today?
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I’ll be embracing one warm day before snow here in Boulder, CO.
EMOJI POLL: Round or no? ⏰ give me whole numbers EMOJI POLL: Round or no?
⏰ give me whole numbers
👍wherever I stop, it stops
🙃I don’t use no stinking watch
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THAT’S A LIE 😂. I can’t do it. I need the round number and when I get that close to a whole number...I need it!
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Website written, managed and maintained by Amanda Brooks, a certified running coach and personal trainer. Any advice should be taken as general information and not a personalized plan. All opinions, tips and reviews are based upon her personal life experience and the experiences of those she has coached. View our full privacy and review policy.

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