Books

J.S. Pill

Hey guys (and gals),

I've been looking on amazon.co.uk for some kind of weight training reference book for myself. My mantra has always been do whatever your instructor says and don't question it but I'd really like something that would help me understand the core concepts a bit better without having to piece everything together from web articles.

Also, I'd like something that is more focused on 'hardgainers' (yes I'm aware of the controversy surrounding this term), especially nutritional aspects. I have a narrow ectomorph frame (i never use this as an excuse though) and I've been doing weight training for about a year and a half now. Results have been allright, my weight gain has been fairly steady recently but it could probably be a bit better. One book that caught my eye was the Hardgainer's body building handbook by a guy called Hugo Rivera. I had been reading a few articles by this guy recently which raised an eyebrow for me. One in particular (here) highlights the importance of shifting the emphasis towards carbs for 'hardgainers'. I have always tried to follow the 40-40-20 guidelines but here a 50-25-25 ratio is advised (any comments on this would be greatly appreciated).

Anyway, this book seems to suit my needs. I had a look BB books in Waterstones the other day but they didn't have much besides 'The world according to Mike Mentzer '. If anyone has any recommendations I'd very much like to hear them.

Thanks

Reyman

Try "Scrawny to Brawny"

Pretty good by all accounts. http://www.amazon.com/Scrawny-Brawny-Complete-Building-Natural/dp/1594860882

Transform

Possibly the bible for all trainers and coaches is anything by Stuart McRobert e.g. Brawn, Beyond Brawn and his lifting guide is the best i have ever read.

because_I_can

get yourself a copy of charlie francis training system, his Gpp essentials dvd and Speed trap autobiography.Class reads. all from charliefrancis.com/store - downloadable

Mel siffs - supertraining, is a must for any power/strength athlete. Very hard to read though but a good reference book.

Joe Kenns Tier system is also a good practical read. It explains clearly enough how to train in season weights for team sports. i still have to get the full jist of it.

Christian Thibaudeau has a very good book (i dont have it) that explains his take on Pendulum training for sports, CAD and some other points. CAnt remember the name but t-nation will have it for sure

Bill starrs - the strongest shall survive is very good if basic. Another nfl/team sports orientated book but has loads of extra nuggets on nutrition, recovery etc

I dont think he has a book but Joe defranco has some great info on his site defrancostraining.com especially his take on westside/athlete hybrid training

The weightlifting encyclopedia by Dreschler has great info on OLs. A heavy read though, more of an encyclopedia/reference.

I dont know anything really about BBing books but hey how hard can it be to eat lots and lift to failure 3x a week? Hardly need a book for that joke