We highly recommend the following health and fitness books as they are among the best on their subjects. Read our review of each one, then click on either the UK or USA flag to buy it.
Complete Atkins Diet Library: New Diet Revolution; New Diet Cookbook; New Carb Gram Counter By Robert C. Atkins Love it or hate it, the incredibly popular Atkins Diet certainly has a high success rate - it is claimed that ninety percent of Dr. Atkins's patients (more than 25,000 of them) have experienced dramatic weight loss. Orthodox dieticians question the Atkins Diet approach, as it goes against the traditional method of reducing your fat intake to lose weight, but studies have shown it to be highly effective and easy to follow. That's probably why the Atkins Diet is so popular and the diet of choice for major celebrities who need to get in shape. For those eager to try it out, this package gives you a complete library of Atkins Diet books, which includes lots of Atkins Diet recipes, so you'll have everything you need to start losing weight.
Diet Trials By Lyndel Costain Lyndel Costain is a leading British dietician who is highly respected by other dieticians and nutrionists in England. This book accompanies the popular British television series, but it stands up completely in it's own right as one of the best weight control books available. In it, Costain examines how weight gain comes about, and helps the reader to understand and deal with unhealthy eating habits. The book also addresses both the mental attitude and eating behaviour necessary to succeed at weight loss and tells you all you need to know to help you achieve your goal.
The 9 Truths About Weight Loss: The No-Tricks, No-Nonsense Plan for Lifelong Weight Control By Daniel S. Kirschenbaum PhD Endorsed by the American Council on Exercise, this is another excellent book on weight control. Written by an expert in the field, this book dispels the myths perpetuated by other trendy diet books. Dr Kirschenbaum provides an effective, no-nonsense guide on how to lose weight and keep it off successfully. So, if you're tired of playing diet games and want to know the truth about weight loss and how you can achieve it, then buy this book.
Menopause without Weight Gain By Debra Waterhouse If you're experiencing menopause and you've noticed that you're gaining weight, this book will tell you everything you need to know about why it's happening and what you can do about it. It explains the effects of all the hormonal changes going on in your body and highlights the positive aspects as well as the negative. Providing you with a better understanding of what is going on, this book will help you regain control over your weight and give you a more positive view of this stage in your life.
The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide By Lisa Dorfman A lot of people are now turning to a vegetarian diet as an effective way to eat more healthily. However, it needs to be done properly in order to provide all the nutrients you need, especially if you're a vegetarian who regularly engages in exercise and sports. This book addresses this area by showing you how to maximize the benefits of a vegetarian diet for your specific athletic needs. It is written by a leading sports nutritionist who practises what she preaches and contains plenty of recipes as used by real-life vegetarian athletes.
ACSM Fitness Book By the American College of Sports Medicine Written by the leading research body in the health and fitness industry, this is an excellent book for introducing people to the benefits of regular exercise. It takes you gently by the hand, showing you how you can evaluate your current fitness level and how to introduce activity into your lifestyle to make you more active and healthy.
Precision Heart Rate Training Edited by Edmund R. Burke PhD A brilliant book that fully explains why and how to train with a heart rate monitor. It starts by explaining the basics and then each subsequent chapter is devoted to training guidelines for a specific activity. The sports and activities covered are: walking; running; cycling; rollerblading; multisport training; circuit training; and group exercise. You can order a heart rate monitor by clicking the following link: heart rate monitors.
Fit for Two: The Official YMCA Prenatal Exercise Guide By the YMCA of the USA This is one of the most comprehensive exercise guides for pregnant women available. It clearly explains the benefits of prenatal exercise and how to adjust exercise to match your fitness level and stage of pregnancy. The book also covers breathing exercises and relaxation techniques that help during pregnancy and the delivery. Detailing 43 land-based and 37 water-based exercises, this book will show you how to stay fit and exercise safely during pregnancy.
The Complete Guide to Postnatal Fitness: The Official Central YMCA Guide By Judy DiFiore A perfect partner to the above prenatal exercise guide, this book will provide you with a better understanding of how the body needs to be carefully returned to regular exercise after giving birth. It covers important areas such as the changes pregnancy brings to the joints of the spine and the pelvis, and to the muscles of the pelvic floor and the abdomen. Essential reading for both the postnatal exerciser and the fitness instructor, it details a whole host of essential and safe postnatal exercises.
The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding By Arnold Schwarzenegger This book is the bible of bodybuilding. It includes features such as: the history of the sport; Arnold's own bodybuilding experiences; a vast catalogue of bodybuilding exercises with detailed descriptions and photographs; bodybuilding exercise programs catering for all levels; nutrition information; and ideas for creating posing routines. An absolute must-have book for anyone interested in bodybuilding. You can also order top brand bodybuilding supplements and weight training equipment by clicking the following link: bodybuilding supplements.
Strength Training Anatomy By Frédéric Delavier This is the best book available for showing you exactly which muscles are being affected when you perform different weight training exercises. It is filled with beautifully detailed illustrations that clearly depict all the muscles and bones that are being used, along with full descriptions of how to perform all the exercises correctly. A work of art and a virtual X-ray of muscles at work, this is an essential reference for bodybuilders, strength trainers and anyone interested in how their muscles function during exercise.
The Art of Expressing the Human Body By Bruce Lee, John Little (Editor) Bruce Lee's incredibly muscular physique won him a lot of fans, including many from the bodybuilding world, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Dorian Yates and Lee Haney. This book details Bruce Lee's circuit training methods and provides a fascinating and detailed insight into all the various exercise techniques he applied. The book also contains hard to find information on Bruce Lee's diet and nutrition. It is a valuable source of inspiration for bodybuilders of all levels, as well as a must-have book for all Bruce Lee fans. For Bruce Lee posters, see below.
When Working Out Isn't Working Out: A Mind/Body Guide to Conquering Unidentified Fitness Obstacles By Michael Gerrish If you're having trouble committing to a regular program of exercise, it could be due to a number of reasons. This book will help you identify and deal with the many potential problems you may be facing. An excellent book for renewing your enthusiasm for exercise - it could be exactly what you need to lift you out of your exercise rut.
Health Fitness Instructor's Handbook By Edward T. Howley & B. Don Franks Health Fitness Instructor’s Handbook is the most comprehensive and up-to-date book available for health and fitness professionals who want to learn about the latest advances in physical fitness. That’s why more than 150 colleges and universities have adopted the book for course use and why it has been used as a text in ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor workshops since 1986. It is a key reference book for all personal trainers and fitness professionals.
ACSM's Exercise Management for Persons with Chronic Diseases and Disabilities By J. Larry Durstine and Geoffrey E. Moore This is the latest, updated edition of the American College of Sports Medicine's guide for prescribing exercise to persons with special needs. It covers a wide range of chronic diseases and disabilities, and for each condition, it provides information such as the pathophysiology; the effects of the condition on the exercise response; the effects of exercise training on the condition; as well as recommendations for exercise testing and exercise programming. This book provides personal trainers with essential information for guiding individuals with disabilities, chronic diseases, or multiple conditions.
Exercise for Older Adults: The Guide for Fitness Professionals By Richard T. Cotton (Editor) This is the American Council on Exercise's guide for dealing specifically with older clients. It provides important information on how to deliver safe and effective fitness programming for this growing sector of the community. Covering key aspects such as the physiology of aging and how to prescribe exercise for people with different medical conditions, it also describes tools and techniques for motivating and communicating with older adults. This is an essential book for responsible personal trainers.
The Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition By Robert Berkow (Editor) This is the layman's version of the long established bible for medical doctors and practioners. It provides the information found in the original physician's version, but presents it in an easy-to-understand style designed to cater for non-medically trained individuals. More than 200 leading medical experts have contributed to this book and it contains well over a thousand pages of medical information. It is unbelievably low in price and is an essential medical reference book for personal trainers seeking a better understanding of a client's diagnosis or in need of a quick reference to a medical term.
