FFOTB Recommended Reading

I love when students engage and ask for more. Recently, a student thought it’d be a good idea for us coaches to add a ‘Recommended Reading’ section to our website so students could dig a little deeper on an optional basis. Brilliant!

I think the fastest way to get something like this started was with a blog post and I plan to grow this list into a standalone resource for you all. Until then, here are some resources that have been instrumental for me as an athlete and a coach:

Lights Out – T.S. Wiley – This text does an incredible job of talking about foundational habits for health and performance. It’s easy to read and will literally blow your mind. Insulin and artificial light may be the on and off switch to health issues in today’s world.
Omnivore’s Dilemma-Michael Pollan – Undoubtably, we are as our relationship with our food is as distant as it’s even been in human history. Bridging the gap between what happens to our food from Earth to our plates is a critical piece of knowledge. Pollan takes a look at the process of how four distinctly different types of meals make it to our plates, and how corn.
The Paleo Solution – Robb Wolf – Quite possibly the most streamlined strategy to improve food quality in a nutritional strategy, vegan research biochemist turned omnivore, Robb Wolf, delivers complex concepts in a brilliantly simplified manner. It will make you rethink EVERYTHING.
It Starts with Food – Dallas & Melissa Hartwig – The good folks from Whole9Life, Dallas and Melissa, lay the foundation for why anything and everything health and fitness begins with what you put in your mouth. This book is very approachable and easy to read.
Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Coaches & Athletes – Greg Everett – This coffee table sized resource outlines EVERYTHING about weightlifting (one word), most notably the clean & jerk and the snatch. Plus, there are pictures!
Crossfit Journal – For just $25 per year, you can have access to a growing library of works (articles, videos, data, etc) from the complete spectrum of subject matter experts from nutrition and powerlifting to gymnastics and programming. Not subscribing to the CF Journal is a mistake. Period.
Starting Strength – Mark Rippetoe – Few coaches have more notable quotes than “Rip.” Few know their way around a barbell better than he, as well.
Lone Survivor – Marcus Luttrell – This book has little to do with health and wellness. It should, however, be mandatory reading. You’ll put it down with full understanding of what it means to do your job, work hard, and never quit.
The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand – For some reason this is a bit of a politically incorrect recommendation, but I’m adding it because I love you all. To get what we’re all trying to go in this community, you’ll need unwavering commitment to yourself. Period. This book outlines self-respect in biblical proportions.