By Joe Dowdell C.S.C.S. Owner Of The Hottest Gym In America

The Top 10

Books For

Launching an

personal Training career

peakperformance

Crush It! By Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary’s book made me realize that I needed to “develop my own personal brand.” I had always focused on building the brand name of my fitness facility, Peak Performance, but spent very little time on developing my own personal brand. In fact, when it came to myself, the only thing that I focused on was building my knowledge base by seeking out the brightest minds in the industry and learning from them and then effectively applying that information in order to get the best results with my clients.

About a year and a half ago, I started to shift my focus toward the personal branding aspect of my career and things are now escalating at a very rapid pace. My one word of caution for fitness professionals is make sure that when developing your personal brand, you also have the knowledge and credibility to back that brand or you will be viewed as a Charlatan.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

This book should definitely be a staple in any fitness professional’s library. I was fortunate enough to be raised by a father, who was an ex-NYC homicide detective turned successful entrepreneur, so many of the things that Stephen Covey covers in his book were taught to me at an early age.

But, even though that was the case, it’s always great to learn and hear someone else’s perspective. A few of the things that really resonated with me were things like being proactive (i.e., taking initiative), focus on your goals, set priorities and always try to seek out and cultivate win-win relationships. Finally, communication is a two-way street so always make sure that you listen to what others have to say.

This book was recommended to me by my business partner and I really enjoyed it. It was definitely a paradigm shift as the authors stressed that the most valuable resource one has is energy and not time. They went on to say that people can still manage their time well and still be stressed, exhausted and unable to focus.

I found this to be a very enlightening as I was always someone who felt that time management was so critical. I still view time management as important, but now I also look at managing my energy as equally important. I also loved the fact that the authors talked about the importance of balancing stress and rest, which is something I always believed in especially when it came to training, but for some reason, I struggled with it outside of training. Now, I’m working on that aspect of my life as well.

The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz

Supertraining by Dr. Mel Siff & Prof. Yuri Verkhoshansky

Supertraining is like an encyclopedia of sport science information. Although it’s a difficult read from cover to cover, the amount of information presented in this book is incredible. At times, it is very technical and requires a second or third re-read of a paragraph, but I cannot express to you how many times over the course of my career that I referred back to this book on any given topic.

I was also fortunate enough to have been one of the last groups of delegates to attend Dr. Mel Siff’s Supertraining Camp in his home in Denver, CO before he passed away. Myself and four other coaches, including Joel Jamieson, spent 4 days sleeping on Dr. Siff’s basement floor. During those four days, all we did was talk, train, recover and talk some more about all the various aspects covered in the text. It was a learning experience that I shall never forget!

This book is relatively new to my library, but I love it, because it provides some of the latest scientific and practical information in the field of modern day strength and conditioning. The list of contributors is extremely impressive (some of the best sports scientists in the world) and the range of topics is extremely extensive. It’s a must read for anyone in the field of athletic development.

Like Supertraining, it in another invaluable reference tool for the fitness professional because of two key components. First, it integrates the latest research on all aspects of strength and conditioning. Secondly, it provides the reader with guidelines for writing and effectively monitoring strength training programs.” Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Strength & Conditioning: Biological Principles and Practical Applications by Marco Cardinale & Robert Newton

Athletic Development: The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning by Vern Gambetta

This book is another must read for coaches or anyone seeking to develop the complete athlete. Vern offers great insight into the science of functional training and he presents the information in a very clear and palatable manner.

Another aspect of this book that I really liked was his emphasis on the art of coaching, which is often overlooked in many books. It’s important to understand all of the science of training, but you also need to know how to effectively articulate it to your clients and athletes.

I absolutely loved this book. Technically, it doesn’t fall into either category of exercise science or business development like all of the other books on my list, but I just had to include it. I first read it a long time ago and I just reread it a couple of years ago. The book is about the power of student-teacher relationships. Millman does such a great job at weaving athletics, spirituality and life experiences into this really valuable and entertaining read.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolski

It’s a really interesting read about “stress” and how our bodies try to adapt to it. In today’s society, we encounter stress on a daily basis and from so many different sources. This book provides an excellent foundation for understanding the whole process.

Special Strength Training: A Practical Manual for Coaches by Verkhoshansky

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book from a friend and colleague, Joel Jamieson. There aren’t many books out there that are written on this topic in such detail. Not only does the author present the theoretical basis for special strength training, but he goes on to describe exactly how to apply it effectively and in an easy to understand way. If you work with athletes, you need to read this manual.

Good Exercise Physiology Text

I have several Exercise Physiology Textbooks on my shelf, including Physiological Aspects of Sport Training and Performance (Jay Hoffman); Physiology of Sport & Exercise (Wilmore & Costill); Exercise Physiology: Exercise, Nutrition and Human Performance by McArdle, Katch, and Katch, etc.

I think it’s really important for trainers to have an excellent working knowledge of anatomy, physiology and basic biomechanics in order to develop safe and effective training programs.

Physiological Aspects Sport Training Performance Physiology Sport Exercise Jack Wilmore

Exercise Physiology Energy Nutrition Performance

Other great books are the following:Movement by Gray Cook

Biomechanics of Sport & Exercise by Peter McGinnis

Advances in Functional Training by Mike Boyle

Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists by Thomas Meyers

Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes by Shirley Sahrmann

Editors Note By Johnny Fitness:

Ultimate You“Hey guys, Johnny Fitness here,

just a quick comment. You have to check out Joe’s Book “Ultimate You” it synthesizes all the information Joe has learned about fat loss for women and organizes it into a manual that also serves as a workbook. “It’s an excellent reference guide for any personal trainer or strength coach that works with women. Don’t waste your precious time listening to people who don’t walk the walk. Learning from the best is the fastest way to success!”

BIO

Keep learning from the best by following Joe, click here.

Joe Dowdell has been a personal trainer for over 17 years, a gym owner for over 10 years, and has worked hard to become one of the most successful and educated personal trainers in the industry. He has studied and learned from some of the sharpest minds around, including Dr. Mel Siff, Tom Purvis, Charles Poliquin, and many more. He trains professional and Olympic Athletes, celebrities, supermodel, and CEO’s at his personal training only gym Peak Performance, which was just rated the Hottest Gym in America by “Men’s Health Magazine”.

Joe serves on the advisory board and science advisory boards for several major media outlets, including Fitness Magazine and BodyBuilding.com, is author of the book “Ultimate You: A 4-Phase Total Body Makeover for Women “, has appeared on various television programs including several times on “The Dr. Oz Show”, and has sponsorship contracts with Nike, Gatorade, and LiveStrong.com.

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