Top 10 Books for Launching A Personal Training

Top 10
For
Books
The
Launching
Personal
Training
Career
peakperformance
Joe Dowdell C.S.C.S.
Owner Of The Hottest
Gym In America
By
An
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 winwin relationships. Finally,
communication is a twoway street so always make
sure that you listen to what
others have to say.
The Power of Full
Engagement by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz
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.
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!
Strength & Conditioning:
Biological Principles and
Practical Applications by Marco Cardinale & Robert Newton
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.
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.
Way of the Peaceful
Warrior by Dan Millman
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.
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
Physiological Aspects Sport Training Performance
Physiology Sport Exercise Jack Wilmore
Exercise Physiology Energy Nutrition Performance
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.
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
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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