Training Books

I went through a pile of exercise, weightlifting, and fitness anatomy books before buying this one. Strength Training Anatomy not only illustrates and describes - in detail - the anatomy involved in each exercise, but does so for more exercises than comparable books. It also doesn't shy away from using the proper terms. I particularly like that the exercise coverage hits a number of variations. You'll find a number of curls, press, and fly variations, for example, with comments on their differences as it relates to anatomy. There are also sidebars throughout the book on common injuries.

The anatomy is more than just muscles, too. Bones, tendons and ligaments, and gender differences are covered in detail. Variations among individuals are touched on where they are important to training (e.g., elbow structures, hip mobility). There is a 3-page detailed muscular system illustration at the front of the book, and a 2-page detailed skeleton illustration in the back of the book, along with a handy illustration of major muscle groups.

Execution details are given for each exercise, along with comments on training effect and purpose. Again, these comments are in considerable detail, making this volume a superb source of material for anyone involved in corrective training.

The only thing missing, in my view, is a good index. A cross-reference of muscle by exercise would also be a nice thing to have.

My favorite single illustration has to be the muscles involved in the deadlift. If ever a picture made Pavel Tsatsouline's case for his Power to the People book (focused on deadlift and press) - Power to the People! : Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American, this would be it.

This is a terrific book - 144 pages that can be used superficially as a quick training aid or for detailed study. It manages to serve both purposes well without one getting in the way of the other.

I love this book! Great for a home gym workout. Wonderful, easy to follow illustrations.

I a very impressed with this book. It is quite comprehensive and it covers all the major muscles groups, giving visual descriptions, as well as do's and don'ts. I would recommend this book to anyone.

This is an excellent written book on the muscles and their purpose also when to work out what groups together to enrich your body. Highly recomended for the new and the advanced person either getting ripped or just toning and staying in shape.

Wonderfully illustrated book makes it easy to understand which exercises are right for each muscle group. Very educational and also useful as a motivational tool. Only problem is its published and printed in France (written in English). Viva La Freedom Fries!

This is absolutely *the* book to use if you are intimidated by the marathon you just signed up for. Using a blend of solid training advice, exercises in the mental and psychological elements of marathon training, and first person stories from the authors' classes, The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer coaches you through every step of the way. This book was my primary guidance for training and running the LA Marathon, and I had a blast in every phase, even 16-mile training runs, which I did by myself because there aren't many marathoners as slow as me. I'm a big believer in training your mind as you train your body, and that's really the strength of this book. Highly recommended by the Slow Fat Triathlete!

I love this book! Had I not gotten injured in week 7 (no fault of the book or its methods... just my own crazy body structure!) I know that this book would have seen me through to completing my first marathon. I was amazed at how easy it was to follow the program, even considering my hectic life of two jobs and 4 kids. I had a lot of fun training with this program and would recommend it to anyone who would like to run a marathon for the first time.

This guide has great advice and insight into the physical and mental demands of endurance running. And the authors fully appreciate that there are real mental challenges -- inspiration, pride, and motivation are key elements of whether one can finish this race, rather than just footspeed.

Where the book is disappointing is in its dogmatic tone. It's a bit like listening to a high school gym instructor telling you "well do it my way or you are going to get an injury just you wait" over and over. One of the single most important skills in running is being in touch with the specific behavior of your body, and knowing when your legs are telling you that you need to adjust from a standardized training plan. I think this book is useful but would be helped by a more flexible point of view.

So I decided I wanted to run a marathon. Was it really that crazy of an idea? I had not run more than 3 miles since high school - 15 years earlier!! I bought this book, started the training and two days ago I finished my first marathon! It was such a great experience. While I don't think I'll ever run another, I'm so glad and proud to say I have done it once. This is really a great book and does produce the results it claims to.

A few days ago, I finished my first marathon. I went from a couch potato to running 26.2 miles using nothing but this book as a guide. I spent 10 weeks doing the recommended pre-training before starting the 16-week plan. I altered the plan a little due to some minor injuries and scheduling problems, but stuck to it for the most part. I think the best part of this training is in building your confidence and giving you the mental strength to get through adversity. When I hit mile 20, my legs were aching real bad and I needed to use some of the mental techniques described in the book to will myself to the finish line. It's only been a few days, but I'm already planning my next one! If you've never run a marathon before, I would definitely recommend this book to help you through your first one.

Prior to owning this book, all I would use in the gym were machines. Starting Strength has equipped me with the necessary information to start doing real weight-lifting correctly and safely. The book is an excellent introduction for anyone that wants to start weight-lifting but has no experience. Covering the core lifts: squat, deadlift, bench press, (overhead) press and the power clean, the discussion explains the lifts, the correct biomechanics and common faults. Also includes a section on programming (i.e. creating a program suitable for a beginner lifter). This book is an extensive completely self-contained introduction to the weightroom.

After reading the book, and starting my own strength-training, I can't help but feel that weightlifting (as prescribed in this book) belongs in everyones fitness regime.

Excellent book.Completely changed the way i look at building muscle.
Before i would spend 1hr-2hrs 4 days a week in the gym doing split routines.Working out every tiny muscle group for 10x times infinity with no rhyme or reason to it.Now it's down to the true essentials because that is what works.The beauty of this book is it's simplicity.
Also one thing i never knew before buying this book is how much FUN moving weights with barbells are.So much more satisfying than a lot of the exercises i did in the past.
If you've got to this page while searching for similiar books.Stop right now and buy this.Seriously!
You'll build more muscle than before,save money on gym equipment,save time(my workouts are far shorter than before) and have a lot of laughs reading Mark Rippetoe's informative and very funny prose.

Let me first state that I've been lifting weights for almost 30 years now and competed in several powerlifting meets back in the 80's. Although I have always felt strong, as I've aged, I began to feel pain in my joints when I was lifting, particularly my knees, back, and shoulders. I chalked this up to age and figured I guess I needed to just slow down and accept getting older.
This book has been recommended to me by Amazon quite a bit, but it just looked to simplistic to me and I figured I already knew how to lift properly. I guess I was wrong.
I finally decided to pick this book up after seeing some of its material crossed over on the crossfit website. After reading it I immediately started implementing some of the changes the book recommended into my routine. For the first time in years, I'm squatting pain free, without knee braces. My bench press has risen 30 pounds in just 1 month after implementing standing presses to my routine instead of doing them seated. I feel like an entirely new lifter, one who can continue to improve through his entire life, not just his youth. Thank you Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore for writing such a great book. It belongs in everyone's weightlifting library, and I can easily give it the highest possible recommendation.

This is a very good book for beginning and experienced lifters. The message is simplicity. Follow a basic program and just get strong. The detail on how to perform the lifts is very good. I highly recommend this book.

I've read quite a few books on strength training/exercise programs along with the articles in health magazines but this is by far THE most thorough INSTRUCTIONAL text I've seen. This is not the book for someone looking for an exercise routine, but if you are looking to do the main strength training exercises--squat, deadlift, bench-press and overhead press then this is the best book there is.

The writing style was a bit tedious at the beginning, but it improved and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It is a good story of not about the dog only, but also how you can turn your life around to what you want it to be by simply not giving up and putting in whatever it takes to get it. And, let us not forget the fact that it took a dog to do it. Animals are truly great partners because they need us and inspire us with their unconditional love.

If Dan Dye ever decides to stop baking dog biscuits, he's got a sterling career ahead of himself as an author.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book, even for readers who are not dog crazy, like me. Dye is a talented writer whose humor shines through from the very first page to the last. He takes the reader along on a journey of self-discovery with his deaf Great Dane, Gracie, as his sage and guide.

As with other books that relate stories of living with multiple pets, chaos ensues for much of the story, as Dye recounts the very specific challenges of raising a dog with special needs. Gracie helps Dan discover a latent talent that spins off into a booming business.

I give this book 4 paws up.

C.A.Wulff - author of Born Without a Tail

Great story about Gracie and her "family"! Having a German Shepherd who is partially deaf, blind in one eye, and dumped in a trash can at 10 weeks old, I can certainly relate to Dan (and Mark) and their quest to raise a "special needs" dog. It's a wonderful [true] story for anyone who is a dog lover!

This is another wonderful story told with a lot of love. Right up there with Marley and Me and Merle's Door. You can read this more than once. I just wish the book was longer because there were so many great tales of this dog and her owners. They really loved their dog.

Amazing Gracie was a joy to read! It's really two books in one: 1) a loving tribute about a beloved family pet, and the impact a pet can make in one's life, 2) how passion can lead one into a very successful business. The third benefit is that the book is written in a lively conversational style that makes it a quick read. As soon as I finished the book I passed it along to a friend to read......loved it!

This small book by one of the most renowned sports figures of all time has less to do with Coach Wooden's winning records as a player and coach as it does with his broader views on what defines a "winner" - in attitude, in action, and in thought. As applicable in the business world as it is for athletics, this book, reflecting the author's example, is deeply profound and profoundly modest. Highly recommended.

I felt that this was a nice "thought for a day" book. He offers some very sound and basic ways of living with values. It is a quick read and enjoyable.

I bought this book for my student/athlete son. I had him read the book and find five things that he could immediately apply to his life. The book is written in such a manner that the parallels between sports and life are seamlessly interwoven. By using sports as a platform of relativity, I feel I am raising my son to be a confident and responsible man. This is a must-read for fathers and sons.

This is one of my favorite books of tidbits. Basically coach Wooden gives his ideas on life, hard work, sports and manners. Through different stories of his life and experiences.

It really was a pleasure reading this book and I feel that the philosophy of coach wooden, based on hard work, trust, learning and being a good person is straight forward and a throw back to simpler values.

I have never heard of John Wooden until last Thursday. This book was recommended to me by two friends, as first I thought how is a retired basket coach going to give me some direction and clarity on life? WOW!!!!! Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down! I took to every word and read it in one evening (not a long read, but it makes you ponder over each sentence) and I was really sad that the book was coming to an end. It's an amazing book, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it anyone no matter where you're at in life. This is a book that I will refer back to time and time again throughout my life (I just know it!).

Right now, I'd rank this third among the best sports books I've ever read, and I've enjoyed quite a few of them over the years. I loved this book because it got me so involved with the main characters. Author Mark Frost really makes you care about Francis Ouimet, his 10-year-old caddy Eddie Lowery and chief golf opponent Harry Vardon. All of them are fantastically interesting people and Frost is like a great artist painting their portraits.

The story is written so well that even though I knew what happened in the climactic 1913 U.S. Open tournament, I will still a nervous wreck reading about it. That's the mark of good writer, to still make it fascinating and tense even when the reader knows the final result!

Years after reading this, the exploits of three people mentioned above, and a few others, are still vividly in my mind. The human interest angles are what make this a great, great sports book. It's the same winning formula that me love Laura Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit" and Jack Cavanaugh's "Tunney."

Like those above, this is a book I would glady read a second time. It's filled with unforgettable moments and truly good people who transcend their sports accomplishments. Meanwhile, Frost has gone to write several other best-selling golf books but this first effort will tough to top.

Short review. This is one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure to read. A complete masterpiece.

Documents the real birth of the game in the USA, and much more. A 'must read' for every passionate golf fan.

This I believe was Frost's 1st golf history book and previously all his other work had been fiction. Which explains the fictional feel of this book. Frost cites conversation and internal thoughts from the characters to an exent that he can't possibly know if that's what happened. In addition to compromising accuracy, it also makes for a book that's about 2x as long as it needs to be. I found myself often scanning large sections rather than reading every word.

Even with that flaw he still produced a must-read golf history book, that many non-golfers will also enjoy. He excels at putting things in historical and social context, and building fiction-like edge of your seat tension. He's also a master at researching the lives of the main characters, from their beginnings to their endings in the must-read "Afterward" section.

In this case the main characters are British legendary professional golfers Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, US amateur golfer Francis Quimet and his young caddie Eddie Lowery. Although Mr. Quimet's story is reasonably well known in golf circles, Eddie's isn't. And in some ways Eddie is actually the most interesting character, if not the most important. The story goes that young Eddie escaped the grade school truant officer every day so he could caddie for Quimet. And it was Eddie's inspiration, tenacity and timely advice that pushed the young unaccomplished amateur Quimet to an historic conquest over then golfing titans Vardon and Ray.

In Frost's 3rd golf book "The Match" released last year, Eddie would again enter the picture. Now a middle aged successful businessman, he sets up a historic match between the 2 best amateurs of the day (Ken Venturi and Harvey Ward) and the 2 best Pros (Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson). At stake is a presumed $10,000 personal bet (if not more) but even more importantly a seminal event in the future direction of American golf: would the essence of the game remain in the hands of high-minded amateurs who played for pride and honor, or pros who at the time carried the stigma that playing for money compromised their golfing integrity?

In this 2nd effort, Frost clearly refines his style by eliminating much of the characters' internal and external "filler" dialogue, and the result is a book with better momentum and few if any question marks on accuracy. Not coincidentally, "The Match" is about 1/2 the page count of "Greastest Game."

In any case, both of these books are clearly "can't miss" and go together like Godfather's I & II.

I found this incredible interview regarding how the game of Golf has changed over the years. You wouldn't believe the evolution! If you have any interest in the history of Golf, this is a must read. If you want to become even more knowledgeable on the subject, scroll to the bottom of the interview and get in touch with the author. After reading, I guarantee you will be able to lead the most interesting discussions and impress your friends!

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/interviewroden.html

Mark's books are easy to read and offer the thoughts and insights of a true horseman. His methods are gentle and honor the horse. Delightful.

This is my favorite of Mark's books. Although I love them all. I have read all 5 and am waiting for more. I read them in 1-3 sittings, cannot put them down! I am starting to buy this book for friends and family, I think Mark's books should be a prerequisite for horse ownership! I have raised and trained horses for close to 30 years. I have read a lot, try to keep an open mind & keep learning. Anyway I have pretty much developed my way of doing things and had found in the past, by checking out more trainer's books that either I did not agree or they were for the "new to horses" person. I had read the reviews here on Mark's books, then just happened to find a couple Mark Rashid books used at a sale & thought okay, they're cheap, I'll try them! I could not put them down! Some things that Mark shares reinforce what I've learned myself, but I found lots to learn in these books too. We had an old cowboy/trainer/farrier/castrater/teeth floater/friend who lived around here for years. If I needed to learn anything about horses, I'd ask Sonny, the thing was Sonny never "gave" you the answer! He told you a story & let you learn the answer yourself! Mark's books remind me of that. Mark's books will follow you through your life. He offers the teachings of truly living well & with compassion in your daily life. 2 things always come into my head since reading his books . . . WHAT DOES MY HORSE THINK ABOUT THIS? and IS THIS REALLY WORTH WORRYING ABOUT? 90% of the time we worry about the little things that we don't need to. Mark's books are an AWESOME read for anyone!

Another good one from Mark. Makes you think of horses in a whole new way has you step into their world so to speak. A must read!

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.

I am nearly finished with this book and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

In the first chapter, I grew somewhat impatient. It seemed a bit overwritten. Mostly though it addressed the question, still alive in scientific circles, of whether or not dogs feel emotions; I think I was more impatient with the question than the writing. As a dog person, I've answered this question to my own satisfaction: of course they do! And indeed, over the course of the book, the author makes a very strong scientific case for the fact that, yes, dogs almost certainly do feel emotions.

What I loved about the book is the author's combination of experience and passion for dogs. Her experience is in helping problem dogs. So much wisdom here. I saw my own dogs from a new perspective. I even saw myself from a new perspective. She discusses what science has discovered about both human and canine brains and how it applies to emotion. Fascinating stuff.

She tells delightful stories about her own dogs and dogs she has known professionally.

She is a good writer, good story teller and this is a great book.

Dr. McConnell is extremely knowledgeable about animal behaviors and is able to intelligently and humorously help people to better understand their animal companions. I found this book to be her best ever.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a dog in their family. You will be amazed at how much it will help to know what your dog is trying to tell you.

Obviously written by a new Author. The amount repetition in this book can become overwhelmingly irritating. The information it does give is certainly worth knowing, and is why I gave the book two stars.

Patricia McConnell is now my favorite writer. This book helps us to understand your dog more. Isn't that what we all want?

For The Love Of A Dog
Patricia McConnell is an absoltely brilliant woman. I've been a breeder/owner/trainer of German Shepherds for most of my life as well as a trainer/behaviorist of different breeds for many years. This is the most complete information compiled I have ever read. I would even go so far as to say it's my "Bible" for truly understanding how dogs perceive all of life. To make it even easier to comprehend, Ms McConnell even gives analogies relating to human behavior. If I could've given it a hundred stars in the evaluation, I would've! A must read for ANYONE who desires to have a real connection with their canine companions.

This book, together with my treasured Roger von Oech books, sit prominently on my bookshelf when working on a variety of problems - software development, film production, creative writing for scripts or novels, and developing opportunities in this mediacentric age. These books break open your mind from the restrictive fences imposed on our thinking by the conventional world that we are surrounded by. These fences need to be torn down. If you are an older person (probably older than 30!), then your thinking will become ossified. Just like using your muscles, you need to rework your brain and your thinking with effort to create opportunities and connections to emerging technologies and new developments.

I was taking a class at University named "Creative Thinking"; and I started to like the subject, so I decided to find a related book at Amazon.com

This book was one of best rated, so I ordered one. I have been reading it for a couple of days and until now all ideas are easy to understand and they encourage you to be creative and not think in the box.

This book is great for people who would like to open their minds.

i just got this a few days ago and my first impressions, without actually trying any of the techniques, were that it wasn't looking very practical. but the author cautions not to just go through each technique (among dozens) in the order presented but to try a couple that look like they might interest you most and play around with them and then go on from there.

so after scanning awhile i saw what is supposedly salvadore dali's image generation method. yeah right, i thought. well, that worked the first time i tried it. and i sketched it out and it didn't look like a dali, but it was the most imaginative sketch i've ever come up with. it was a man riding through the air on a hobby horse above a pavilion tent. and he was thinking about how glad he was that he didn't crash into the tent. i added more adults in the air playing with childrens' toys (jump rope, pogo stick, tricycle etc.) and the children down outside the pavillion wanting their toys back. beats going out to the park and 'copying' as van gogh called it.

so next i took those words associated with the image and i plugged them into a technique that looked to me like one of the most impractical in the book. and i got an idea that i've been looking for. that idea rendered a cool poem. most of the examples in the book look to be "business/career challenge" oriented but at least some of these techniques will also inspire raw creativity. be creative about using the toys.

take it from a skeptic. this stuff rocks. but you have to actually use it, not just read about it. i'm so thrilled that i have this book. YAY!

I have about 400 books in my library and Thinkertoys (with Thinkpak) is the best book I've read so far. The book is full with creative tools and puzzles to play with. The book comes to me at the right time since I am about to start my own business and the book provides a lot of insight, ideas and techniques. Thank you Mr. Michalko for creating the "toys".

As a consultant, I am regularly engaged in combined sessions with clients. This book gives an excellent overview of the tools and techniques to use, but is more broad than deep. For me, it works fine. For someone who wants to do very specific creative activities, it doesn't give enough examples and practical application.

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.