Training Books

Simply stated, this book is awesome. I just started working out this year. Everything my hired trainer is teaching me is in this book, and more. I love the way it shows you exactly what muscles are being affected by an exercise. If theres something you want to target on a certain day, just get this book out and start working! It is great!

Best book you will out there - A must have!
Book is great reference book on bodybuilding and strength training. Know the parts and work-out parts and design your own regiment.

I think this is a good book to supplement a bodybuilding book collection but is not a primary source on how to do gym exercises, but will give you additional ideas and information not found in other sources. The presentation is excellent and the design is superb. You will rarely find an exercise book that looks as amazing as this one and certainly it is a must for any bodybuilding/sport collection. You won't be disappointed.

However this is not a primary book on how to do the exercises, but if you know how to do the exercises then this book will come as a huge bonus to your routine. What this book is really good at is illustrating muscles in action, contractions and extensions. It really is an astonishing anatomy book that covers the kinetics very well. I have often picked up this book and flicked through the pages to give me some extra pep before I go to the gym and that is really what it is for.

It is quite a thin book though in comparison to many bodybuilding books but that is because it is light on text and heavy on illustrations. I think it complements a collection perfectly but isn't a beginner's book.

The information provided in this book is not rigorously based on in-depth knowledge of human anatomy and exercise kinesiology. For example, the Bridging exercise is shown in this book to exercise only th buttock muscle. Anyone who has done this exercise will know that it works the lower back just as much if not more. It seems that the author simply assumed what is going on without much studies. The only value of this book is all the drawings. It may help some people understand their muscle better and can be used as a simple reference but should not be taken seriously. It is not really worth buying for people who just want to learn how to exercise. It doesn't really give you ideas on how to plan your workout.

I just ordered this book of Amazon and already received it. This is definatly the best Strength Training book published. It shows 100s of workouts for all parts of your body including your arms, legs, buttocks, back, chest, abdomen, and shoulders. Now, I am 13 years old and I am currently lifting weights, so since Im younger than most guys, I like to make sure I know what Im doing so I dont hurt myself, and this book gives me it all. It tells me how to do workouts, different ways of doing them, what muscles it mainly works, and it even informs you on possible injuries.

I recommend this to anyone intrested in getting a Strength Training book

I decided to run a marathon, but did not think I could do it. I am an avid amazon dreamer. My wish list is too long to mention! While searching for help I came across this book. I am so glad I did. This book gives you all the tools you need to complete a marathon and helps you built your self-esteem to let you know you can!
Go for it!

This is the ultimate marathon training book!!! And it's the 3rd one I've ordered. My friend swore by this book when she was training for the Tokyo Marathon such as I did when I trained for the Marine Corps Marathon. Amazon got the book here quick too!!

My sister-in-law and I are training to run a half marathon. This book is like our bible. We are following the training advice to a tee and really enjoying the workouts. I am highly recommending this book to anyone who isn't a runner and is training for a marathon. We both love this book and know that we will be successful when it comes time to run the marathon thanks to this book!

I just completed my first marathon (Rome 3-16-08).
This book gave me all I needed to train and
complete this marathon. I started from not being
able to run for 30 minutes straight to running
a marathon within 6 months. If you follow this
book you will be able to train for and run a marathon!

The writers are very motivational. There is a 16 week
program that guides you through your training
week by week. I cannot recommend this book enough
for anyone who has ever wanted to run a marathon!

I bought this book accidentally... and I gave it to my husband. He said he likes the book so much. It gives him a lot of idea on how to run in a marathon! ;)

Fick gives an account of his entry into the Marine Corps as an idealistic young man yearning for a true challenge that would test his inner strength. His decision to become a Marine occurs prior to 9/11, the event that would turn what he thought would be a peace time stint in the Corps into an obligation to participate in campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. The bulk of his tale is centered around the process of actually becoming a Marine officer -- all of the physical endurance and discipline training that you would expect if you've ever seen pop culture movie treatments of the topic. This is arguably the more interesting part of the book in some ways.

Eventually, owing to unforeseen world events, Fick pulls service in Afghanistan but is largely on the periphery of the action which resulted in the overthrow of the Taliban. He's honest about his piece of the action in Afghanistan and doesn't try to inflate it. He makes it clear that what his platoon does there is mysterious even to them inasmuch as his men don't have the big picture of what's going on in the country or how their actions fit into it; they simply do what they're told to do. After a brief, but physically demanding time in Afghanistan, he next sees service in Iraq as the sole leader of a platoon -- a part of the initial invasion force. There, he deals with assorted fire fights en route to Baghdad, followed by humanitarian and recon missions there during the first days of the occupation. It's immediately apparent to Fick that post-invasion planning is an afterthought. Fortunately for Fick, he and his platoon are quickly flown out of the middle east when it's decided to turn occupation duties over to the Army. Th platoon somehow manages to escape their adventure without losing a single man.

This is not a political book, nor a deeply philosophical one, though Fick does occasionally devote a few sentences to the absurdity of war and the difficulty of following orders from immediate superiors who demonstrate questionable judgement. If he has a viewpoint on the politics of the Iraq invasion, he never really shares it. One Bullet Away is a straight ahead account of what it's like to join the Marines, be indoctrinated into their culture and serve in conflict. No more, no less.

CAPT. Fick's memoir is a great read. You really feel like you know his men, and gain a great perspective on the Iraq war. It is a great example of leadership under pressure and being in the military, I recommend it to anyone that is or will be in the military. You come to realize some of the mistakes that were made early on in the war that came to be major problems that we are still dealing with today.

This is the best written book, especially about the Corps, that I have ever read. It is accurate, realistic, no bull blunt information, yet it is written as a story. Very stellar work. I couldn't put it down, literally. Any time I had some free time, this is what I did, and still do. Being one headed to OCS next summer (hopefully), this is a great read, preparing me for what is to come. As I could see in this book, MCRD is nothing compared to OCS and TBS. He covered OCS and his duty-time more than TBS, but all in all it was the most accurate and amazing book I've ever read, as stated above. If you plan to go to OCS, want to learn about it, or a military/USMC enthusiast, I suggest you get this book. STELLAR!!!!

The author, Captain Nathaniel Fick, does an exceptional job of describing his life as an officer of Marines. The book covers his entire career. It starts with his bus ride to Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Quantico, Virginia and ends with his resignation from the Corps. In between, he describes his deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Although the book is non-fiction, it reads like a novel. The book's fast pace is a testament to the author's excellent writing skills. No doubt, some credit can be given to the English Department at Dartmouth, where he earned his undergraduate degree. The book is 369 pages long and is broken into three parts. Unfortunately, it does not contain an index.

His description of Marine training at OCS and The Basic School are uncannily similar to this reviewer's experience. Marine Corps training has clearly stood the test of time and remains basically unchanged since the 1980s. Given the accuracy of his training narrative, this reviewer assumed his combat descriptions to be equally accurate.

The author provides an excellent first hand account of his platoon's activities in both theaters of war. He also provides a balanced account of the people around him, both good and bad. For example, he talks about a company commander who is a nice guy but a poor tactician. The author could have easily ridiculed this Captain. Instead, he points out that no one is just black and white. He also talks about General James Mattis, who spent time talking to enlisted Marines in their fighting hole. The author holds General Mattis up as a true leader.

Capt. Fick provides a fascinating view of civilian society at the end of the book when he resigns from the Corps. The author's friends and family appear to think that he has matured and is now correcting his earlier mistake of joining the Marines. This short chapter says a great deal about society where monetary success, not honor and devotion to country, are viewed as the ultimate achievement.

The book provides an address for the author's personal web-site. If interested, the reader can peruse some of the author's various newspaper articles. His articles tend to expand on the growing divide between American society and the military. He addresses such topics as the unfeasibility of a future draft or the misconception that minorities are bearing an unfair burden in today's military.

Bottom line: Capt. Fick does a great job of describing the noble characteristics of his Marines in combat. His descriptions are unbiased and very accurate. This is a fascinating study of a front line Marine unit at war. It is fast paced, easy to read, and will hold the reader in place until the end.

When I was a younger man, fresh out of college and searching for my life's path, I felt exactly like Capt. Fick when I myself considered entering the Marine Corp OCS. Various circumstances steered me in a different direction. Now in my mid 40's, I have often considered what might have been. Reading One Bullet Away provided me with a glimpse and gave me some perspective that a military career isn't always the ideal I've often thought it would have been. In reading this book I felt that I was right beside NF through his rigorous training, frustrations with orders that make little or no sense and gut wrenching decisions that are a large part of being a military leader.

I have never been under fire myself. I feel that, if forced to, I could kill in order to defend my own life or the lives of others, but in a combat zone those decisions aren't always black and white. Sometimes innocents are hurt and the men on the front lines are forced to confront that. I know that military doctrine dictates that the mission must take precedent over all, but if approached by a family carrying their daughter that you know was wounded by your own forces, I don't think I would have been able to act any differently than Capt. Fick did.

War truly is hell. Thank you Captain for your service and for writing this book. God bless all of those who serve and have served.

Following this books instructions I went from a 225 pound squat to a 300 pound squat in 3 weeks! Also my dead lift went from a horrid 135 to 305. My bench 180-225. I lost 11 pounds and my body looks very good. I get comments about my body alot. I have made more gains dealing with this book than other programs that I used for months on end.


Bottom line get this book!

This is a fairly well written book covering the bare basics of barbell training. It is aimed more towards power lifters than body builders, but has value for the later as well for laying a proper foundation.

The authors can be a little opinionated at times, for example if you use gloves rather than chalk you're obviously not a serious lifter. Never mind the fact that most people wear gloves rather than chalk because most places don't allow chalk. This type of attitude gets a bit tiresome but otherwise it is a good resource to have as a reference.

I am definitely glad I bought this book. I am totally satisfied with it. I use it along with my Stronglifts 5X5 beginners program (I highly recommend stronglifts.com) to learn how to exercise correctly with free weights. It's amazing how incorrectly I exercise when I just try to do things on my own without any professional advice. I'm glad I saved my back by investing in this invaluable training resource.

Please, don't just read the book - have a spotter that can tell you if you are actually lifting according to the book or not. My back was bent "like crazy" when I thought I was doing good. With the books advice and my brother as a spotter I was able to get my back in the correct position and couldn't believe the difference on video - it's much safer! It takes time, stretching, and practice to be able to get into the correct positions to weight lift.

This book is a must for any trainee or trainer, it explains in great detail how to do essential barbell moves, if i had this book when i was younger i would have avoided injury and added some serious muscle to my frame.

Buy it.

Well written and direct book that really helps you understand all the dynamics about the hows and whys of gaining muscular strength. Highly for novices as well as people who have been strength training for awhile.

How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling

I have read this book over 15 times in the past 10 years, because it is the BEST book on selling that I've ever read. It is common sense and real world in its approach. It has been in print since 1947, and that speaks volumes.

Every book on sales uses the core principles that Frank Bettger laid out in this classic manual in 1947. These principles remain an effective part of the repertoire of most successful sales professionals. Bettger shows his belief in Dale Carnegie's putting-people-first tactics with his inspiring language, skilled storytelling and bedrock principles. While some of his syntax, especially the gender-specific pronoun use, is dated and the dollar amounts are small compared to today's figures, getAbstract suggests that every salesperson should read and master this basic, practical guide.

My initial contact with Bettger's wisdom was some 27 years ago through an audiotape version of his book. Now, I've been reacquainted with the man through his book. What a timeless nugget of wisdom! This book,in its virtuous compactness, has turned out to be The BEST book from which I've learned much that is priceless in effective communications (sales). In fact, it is so priceless to me that it has become a constant companion, occupying an enviable corner of my briefcase. I recommend this book very, very highly to any serious-minded sales/communications apprentice, anywhere, anytime. Read, re-read, internalize, practice, and watch the positive results materialize, inexorably!! Things (generations, perceptions and culture) may change, yet there appears to be a constant theme and thread common to them all. This book, in my opinion, transcends those boundaries...

While this book was written a very long time ago, the tale and techniques are timeless in motivating any individual in ways to gain success in their newfound sales career, regardless of product. But it is of particular benefit to those in Financial Services.

The ideas and stories are timeless and are a particularly beneficial way to look at the power of persistence after you have made a career change.

Raise your eyes and realize that if you keep going, you'll eventually get to the finish line.

This is a classic book on fundamental sales techniques that remains sound after 60 years and dozens of printings. Yes, some of the pronouns are out of date (he assumes that all the sales professionals are men and all the secretaries are women - or that there are even secretaries - and so forth) and the dollar amounts given are made largely irrelevant by the inexorable power of inflation. However, the principles Frank Bettger laid down in 1947 will still work for any sales person working today.

Bettger is closely associated with his mentor, Dale Carnegie and his compelling use of language and story will remind you of the sound of the self-help books of that era. He provides 35 short chapters divided into six parts.

In part 1 Bettger wants you to learn to act with enthusiasm. Even if you don't feel it now, if you learn to act with energy and enthusiasm, you will soon feel it and it will become the fuel of your success. He also talks about the power of making calls. You can't sell until you get in front of people and you need to call a few people to get the appointment (he calls them interviews). Soon you will have a ratio of calls-sales-close that you can study and make more efficient. Bettger also wants you to get over fear and hesitation in talking with people you don't know by taking a public speaking course - one where you actually get to speak a lot and learn from supportive and constructive criticism. He also wants you to plan you schedule by the week so you know what you are doing and then execute the plan. He also tells you to record what you did and what came of it. There are examples planning sheets. However, you can find great day planners nowadays from many different companies.

Part 2 takes you though his sales method. Basically, he shows you ways of finding out what a person wants and providing it for them. Bettger shows you how to find what your client's "vulnerable spots" are. That is, what his motivators and needs are. You also need to learn how to connect with people. One way is to learn and use their name, find out about their hobbies, their family, and so forth. Write it all down and refer to it before you go to see the client so you can ask about his interests and show a personal interest in him. Bettger also takes you through his steps in the sales process, how to overcome objections, why you should ask why to get past the stated objection to the real objection.

Part 3 is all about confidence. You need to be confident in yourself and nothing is more important to that than your personal integrity and honesty. You also need the confidence of your clients, and Bettger shows you how to earn that by being honest, using testimonials, a professional appearance, and a courteous demeanor.

Part 4 discusses the importance of getting people to WANT to do business with you. He advises you to identify young people with talent and to encourage and help them in their career. You are going to be in business for a long time and helping develop these young people will help connect them to you as they rise. He wants you to smile, remember names (and tells you how), warns you against talking your way out of a sale, and how to approach what he calls "big men" - what we might call C-level executives.

Part 5 takes you through the mechanics of the sales process and how it begins before the sale. He is totally committed to selling by appointment, how to get "secretaries" (gatekeepers) on your side, why you must prepare for each sales presentation and why you must right down what went well and what went poorly immediately after you leave. You also learn why you should let the customer work your demo, getting leads from new customers, rules for closing the sale, and why you must show up with a prepared order or contract where all the person needs to do is sign the order. Assume the sale!

Part 6 talks about the powerful learning experience you get from failure. You must never let setbacks cause you to give up or quit. He uses Benjamin Franklin's method for moral perfection as a model for perfecting your sales process and then talks to you about why you need to get to work now and how fleeting time really is.

Excellent book for anyone in sales, considering a sales career, or managing salespeople.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

This book is a must read for anyone even thinking about joining the Law enforcement community. I think that it should be a required read for cadets in every police academy

Grossman takes you deep into the many fears, hesitations and simply the unknowns that are faced by many that serve within the military and law enforcement. His studies are simply to understand and the many examples make the read hit home that much better. I would consider this a must read for anyone already serving or intending on serving in either the military or law enforcement field.

Order was quick and very painless. It was at my door step as promised. great service

This is a must read for anyone in law enforcement. It will inspire you to continue on in your chosen proffession. It explains the psychological and physiological impact of stress that is encountered throughout law enforcement. It provides ways to train which can increase your performance under the most extreme stress. Amazing and enlightening. It also includes how media influences children and is leading to an increase in violence in society. The media is not the only reason youth violence is increasing but it is probably the most controllable.

This book was recommended to me after an incident that required me to pull my weapon on a couple of people. I had a physical reaction that surprised me, and more to the point scared me. I ordered a copy of On Combat ASAP and began to read it. Frankly, it has helped me quite a bit.

Combat isn't something that most of us engage in on a daily basis. For those of us who are not in the military (or like me, not anymore) or in law enforcement, the odds of us getting into an altercation like this is rare. However, it does happen. There are a great many things that happen that are natural physical reactions that can cause distress to someone. Understanding these reactions, in particular the how and why they happen, can eliminate that particular stressor at a time when you don't need to worry about anything else.

Not only that, but On Combat tells how to deal with the aftermath of a fight, something that is all to often overlooked. This is something that happened naturally ages ago, but now is often overlooked completely. Understanding this has helped me develope a plan should I ever be involved in another incident. Most people will blame themselves for whatever happened, and having a plan in place will help a lot.

The only downside I saw to the book was Grossman's dogmatic feelings about children and video games, but this is really something that can be overlooked. It's not that I necessarily disagree with his take on video games contributing to kids becomeing desensitized to killing, it's just that I think parenting is much more important to prevent things like this.

In short, this book should be required reading by anyone who may find themselves in a fight. You need to know these things beforehand, so order this now and read it before you need the information contained within. It'll help. Trust me.

Mark has written a nice book, not clearly a manual or a How to.. book but a text full of experiences. It's not literature about horses but a book about different horses and experiences, giving clues about horsenalities and personalities. A fun and interesting book.

Quite simply, I love horses, and I loved this book.

What Mark writes about horses and humans gets to the heart of what life's all about. If I was the CEO of a big company, I'd bring this cowboy in to talk horse with my upper management, let them figure out why. I relate to his idea of quiet leadership.

I've since read three of Mark's other books. All of them have something unique to say, Mr. Rashid is a man with sharp prespective on life and a way with words.

We learn that when we have problems with horses it is because our attitude is not adapted to the horses nature. It shows us that anything a horse does is dictated by his nature, we musn't take it personally, we just have to figure out how to help de horse to understand the situation wihout using any kind of force. Many examples show that the thing to do is very simple...we tend to make things more difficult for the horse.

Mark has a way to really draw you into his stories! I always enjoy reading anything this man writes. What a sense of humor!

With attitude "Another horsemanship guru...yeah, right" I started to read this book. I had no previous experience on this author nor his works, but have read a lot of horsemanship literature lately.

And I was positively surprised! Even for an old cynical and critical reader like my self,the book was very entertaining and nicely written. The language was very good even for non-native english reader.

And the stories...Well first of all, they were really nice to read. I appreciate Mark Rashid's style telling about the horses,since every horse is different - every horse has an own story to tell. And they sounded like they could be true, and the principles like they could work! They also gave a lot to think about the leadership with horses...It is obvious to me now, that there can be several kinds of leadership styles - so there is where to choose from. It is up to you, what kind of leader you want to be to your horse. And if one approach doesn't work, you can always try another. I think this was the core message of the book.

What I was missing were some stories about Mark Rashid's own unsuccessful or bad experiences with horses...Because sometimes you will learn most from those. I am not convinced that all horses work with the principles presented in this book...but I am certainly eager to give them a try.

This book completely prepared me for the CBEST. The tips on how to tackle the questions were right on the mark. If you do the essay's how they tell you to do them, you will pass the first time! I did exactly what they said and followed the book to a "t". Worked like a charm. I hope they offer cset books but I don't see any right now.

I took my CBEST test this weekend and this book helped provide me with tips to be prepared for the test. It also helped ease my anxiety. I was worried about the essay section and by reading through the essay examples, it showed me that the essay grading standard is not as bad as I thought it would be.

I think that this book although a little old was the best thing out there. I also bought other materials from some recommendations and I am sad with my self that I paid over 50.00 for them. This book was truly the best thing ever for studing for the test.

Do not, I repeat do not take the CBEST without some kind of preparation. Especially if you have been out of school for awhile. This book was so helpful. I strongly recommend it to those that are preparing to teach. It will open your eyes and gives a great heads up of what you will be walking into. That test is long, too long. Without this guide I think that I would have really been overwhelmed by all the content that was covered on the exam. I believe that without it, I probably wouldn't have passed. Good Luck to you future teachers of the world.

Two things made this study guide worth the purchase price. #1. I got the big picture of what I would be tested on. I was able to see what kind of questions I'd be asked and identify my weak areas for brush-up study and review. #2. I used the full-length practice exams to study for the real test. I passed by a wide margin.

To begin, the entire Amazon experience was great. The product itself was the icing on the cake. Any aspiring pilots, or veterans, should consider this a "must read" publication. It clarifies many misled bits of advice, about flight, and makes knowledge of aircraft easily understood.

This is a wonderful book, it's written for the Student pilot. But, it's a great read for all pilots. It covers the big picture and the little things that you may not think of, or may have forgotten. This book may help the new CFI to teach different techniques to the student pilot.

The book is Bible for understanding principles of flight and airplane handling.

Its real value could be experienced when lessons learned are properly applied in IFR flying.

I am a 110 hour private pilot who just earned his tail wheel endorsement in a 1956 PA-18 Super Cub and "Stick And Rudder" was the best source of information on tail wheel flying that I could find.

In 1944 conventional landing gear (tail wheel) was the predominant landing configuration for general aviation aircraft. Part 5, "Getting Down" deals primarily with landing these types of planes. Specifically chapter 16, "The Landing" (I can't wait to do some more wheel landings after reading it; the
"Plaster It On" section was excellent), and chapter 17, "The Landing
Run," which discusses ground loops. The author refers to tail draggers as "directionally viciously unstable," which any modern pilot who has learned to land in a tricycle gear aircraft will understand intimately once he or she tackles their tail wheel endorsement.

I also found chapters 19 & 20, "The Working Speeds of an Airplane," and "Thin Air" exceedingly thought-provoking. I had read most of "Stick And Rudder" years before getting my private certificate and recently picked it up again to read it in its entirety. It was definitely worth my time and I got a ton more out of it this time around. Perhaps around 100 hours is a good time to read it.

This book is entertaining in many ways: like, if you consider some of the olde-worlde wisdom quaintly phrased, and the author's convictions, sometimes quite erroneous, confidently stated.

It is somewhat useful, as it does give some solid pointers about what to look out for (avoid) and what to do (technique) and what common pilot errors are, including some home-grown practical remedies and prevention.

When the author is writing based on his experience he is insightful, and you will gain a lot from his experience. When the author is trying to educate you on theory he evidently does not understand, he is not dangerous, but may leave you with the wrong idea about how things fly. For example, his vigorous dismissal of the fact that pressure differential between top and bottom surfaces wing causes lift, and his counter assertion that the wing stays up because it pushes the air down, is plain bull. The wings would then need to be at 45 degrees to the plane's longitudinal axis, and the airspeed would need to be humongous if that were true. Also, such a plane would never stall except at low speeds, and would be impossible to stall at high speed :)

The book is cheap. So, as long as you know enough physics to determine that the author does not, you will find value in anecdotal and experienced wisdom.

And, after all, you will own a classic that has fooled generations of pilots into buying it. I did.

A very good book that has problems and solutions for issues with horses. All of his books that I have read have been well worth reading and this one is no exception.

This is a book for someone who is already a horseman and is looking for clearer ways to think about his horsemanship. While probably not for everyone I find this type of book much more helpful than the "do this and then do that" type of material.
If you liked this book you'll like True Horsemanship Through Feel by Bill Dorrance and Leslie Desmond

Mark Rashid really has a way with words! And with horses.
He makes you feel right there with him, and learning everything
right along with him. Very enjoyable reading.

Easy to read and understand makes all horse people really open their eyes!! I just got the book this afternoon and am almost finished with it a definate MUST READ for horse owners!!!!

Mark Rashid's story format is very mindful of my days under the spell of cowboy and farrier story tellers. Mr. Rashid is absolutely generous in getting a point across without shaking a finger or being cryptic or evasive. He softly delivers the idea and lets the reader sift out their own application.

I love the 'old man'. I actually think I might have known him, in probably about 20 different people who counseled me in my early horse days. Whether the old man is/was a real person is superfilious as he functions as a terrific metaphor providing the conduit for learning and understanding.

But,actually he really is a very, very real personality in the cowboy and farrier world at large.