I haven’t done a book review in a while. But, I am definitely due for one. Today, I will be reviewing seven books. Their genres are a little all over the place but, these books definitely left an impression on me for various reasons. These are 7 books worth reading.
The majority of these books fall in the nonfiction category, more so on the reference guide side and can be found on Amazon Kindle. Enough with my stalling, let’s get started. The first couple of books will be for all you fitness science nerds people like me.
Freeweight Training Anatomy by Ryan George – I purchased this book because I wanted to know which muscle was activated by which exercise when I lifted weights at the gym.
The book is ordered by the muscle group that you want to train such as pectorals, upper Back, etc. It includes dumbbell, kettlebell and barbell exercises mostly.
There are some bodyweight exercises mostly for the trunk muscles, and glute muscles. There is also a reference of pull-ups which requires a pull-up bar.
Each exercise has the equipment required, prime mover, assistant movers, stabilizers and then instructions on how to properly execute the exercise. Some exercises have progressions and regressions if needed.
I really like this book and I reference it for almost all my workouts. The book also has a portion about programming your goals with references for the amount of time needed to rest between sets, reps and sets needed to shred, lose weight, build mass, train athletically or even just for general fitness.
I think this was a very good exercise anatomy book and I highly recommend it for us amateurs out there.
Bodyweight Strength Training by Bret Contreras – Yes, this is by the Glute Guy! But, this is not like his glute-focused book, Stong Curves.
This is for you if you are not into the gym scene or all that equipment. This is great for working at home. The guide uses household staples such as tables, chairs, and doorways for its exercises.
This book is also divided by muscle group like the previous book and has sample training programs. My only stipulation is that book does get a little confusing in terms of its organization.
There are variations of certain exercises that are not labeled as progressions or regression although there is a difficulty meter for each exercises ranging from 1 to 4 with 4 being the hardest. If there seems to be a progression, it doesn’t always say so.
Also, most exercises showed the primary and secondary muscles involved but not all of them, that was disappointing. I could guess which muscles were used based on a similar exercise but, the formatting was a little inconsistent.
The down point of this book is just some of the inconsistencies in the organization of the book. Other than, that its similar to the Freeweight Training Anatomy book.
I do find the description of each exercise movement very helpful in properly executing the exercise for both new and common exercises. You never know you’re doing a movement wrong until you read the instructions. I think that these are published under the same company.
The book ends with workout planning such as when to do cardio, periodization of workouts, workout splits and sample workouts but, it doesn’t go into detail about how many sets you should do for your goals or rest times.
I think this book is good in combination with the previous book. On its own, the book’s value might just depend on your goals and how detailed you are with your workouts.
Sports Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark – Do you ever wonder what an actual nutrition book sounds like? As in, not a diet book. Well, this book is it.
It is written by an actually registered dietician and the nutrition information doesn’t just apply to people doing sports although that’s the focus of the book.
Clark addresses the importance of macro- and micronutrients, eating for performance before exercise, hydration, the importance of nutrition for menstruation, dieting, and weight-focused sports.
This book is a fairly well-rounded book especially if you are used to reading books promoting a diet fad. This book is about nutrition for optimal performance and day-to-day health.
This is not about being skinny or gaining muscle but, is to live well and have the energy for your body to do its job. I reference this book a lot when I have general questions on nutrition especially on what’s going to benefit my workouts and my energy.
There is a lot of false information out there and this helps in eliminating some of the imposters especially when it comes to performance-based nutrition. There is always something crazy on the internet usually for aesthetics and weight loss.
BrainwashED: Diet-inducing Eating Disorders by Elisa Oras – This is the book I read before I decided to purchase a real nutrition book. I had just realized that I had disorderly eating habits and I wanted to educate myself.
I have read a lot of opinions and theories about Eating Disorders and I feel like most people come to a similar consensus. This book puts it together and also gives you tips on how to beat your disorderly habits.
It is definitely recommended in the book to get professional help for beating eating disorders, getting out of them can be complicated and sometimes even dangerous.
I really resonated with this book at the time that I read it. Oras addresses recovery issues such as digestive problems, weight gain, and insomnia. Body image and mental recovery are also discussed in this book. This book gave me the courage to eat some of the foods that I feared and start enjoying life more.
I actually ended up following the author on YouTube by accident. I did not even know it was her until she was talking about the book that she published.
I recommend this book even for those who do not have eating disorders because it made me realize that so many of us, especially women, have disorderly eating habits due to diet culture. It’s very unfortunate but, eye-opening.
She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women’s Health. Period by Sherry A. Ross, MD – You may want to skip this review if you don’t have a vagina or don’t want to read about one. Over the summer, I decided that it was time to stop playing into the stigmas about a woman’s vagina and learn more about mine.
It took a while to actually find an informative book. Each chapter is started by a story from someone famous and a patient of Dr. Ross.
She tries to cover every type of vagina and each chapter is divided by a lifestyle such as sporty V for the athletes or active, tween V, Babymaker V, or Mama V. Dr. Ross addresses some important concerns of patients and some advice she has for her readers out there.
I found the book light-hearted and informative at the same time. Not at all cringe-worthy or dry. There’s advice for maintenance, daily hygiene and even fertility options for women of different ages. Although, it is not the most scientific in explanations, not everyone needs
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – I just related to this book so much. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gives a good argument for being a feminist with some very relatable experiences as a female and an African one at that.
I was mad that I hadn’t read this sooner. It was a fairly short read too. It made me proud to call myself a feminist.
Chimamanda addresses stereotypes and how we as females find ourselves having to portray ourselves in order to live the lives we want and get respect in our communities.
This short read just really resonated with my spirit. I found myself nodding to myself in agreement as I was reading this book several times, basically the entire time.
Bound Souls: A Fantasy Romance (Forever Yours Book 1) by N.D. Jones – This book made me cry but, in a good way. I can’t even put into words the way I felt when reading this book.
Also, the fact that this was a book that had people of color as the main characters was a major plus. Usually, we just get trashy urban fiction in the African American book category which I abhor, especially when you are scavenging for free books.
Anyways, the love that Zion and Lela had for each other was beautiful and the way it led to sacrifices that they made for each other! It shows one of the main character’s struggles to move on after her husband dies and their connection even after death.
I just loved it! Normally I do not do sad books or movies (anything that really involves the death of main characters) but, this was not sad! This was a story of true love between an alien and a human.
It explores the concept of an after-life and soulmates. This book was well-written and I was surprised that it was free. While this novel was not completely clean, it was not filled with sexual scenes which were great too.
I cannot say much without ruining the book but, I would definitely re-read this book and pay money for it. It definitely showcases a love that transcends death!
These are the seven books worth reading. The list is mixed but, I was everywhere with my reading list this summer. Hope you all enjoy these books as well!
What’s on your reading list and why do you recommend them? I’m always looking forward to expanding my reading list!
Don’t forget to follow me and like my post for more book reviews in the future! What books do you love and recommend? Comment below.
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