My next Best of 2014 installment is all about the best books I read this year. Between reading during lunch breaks at Brown University and listening to audiobooks during my hour-long drive to Cressey Sports Performance, I consumed more books during this calendar year than the past several years combined.
Since anatomy and physiology don’t make for good audiobooks, most of the best reads of 2014 are more along the lines of skill development, building a growth mindset and habit change. While seemingly far outside the scope of strength and conditioning, these subjects are tremendously important for communicating with clients and helping people reach their goals.
Without further ado, my favorite books of the year:
SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU – CAL NEWPORT
Lots of people quit a dead end job to follow their passion. I did. But who knew that “follow your passion” could be terrible advice? Not to downplay the courage it takes to sack up and take a big career risk, but following your passion without first building the necessary skills is like jumping out of a plane with a handkerchief instead of a parachute.
This book had more to do with my hiring at CSP than any textbook or DVD. Newport’s core message of “working right trumps finding the right work” helped me let go of the bitterness I felt after not finding a job after grad school. It also taught me to buckle down and treat every moment of my internship as an opportunity to build my skills and improve my coaching abilities.
THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY – RYAN HOLIDAY
The Stoics were really onto something with their outlook on life. But if reading philosophy isn’t your cup of tea, Ryan Holiday’s interpretation of the core tenets of Stoicism is an entertaining and easily digestible introduction to the great minds of Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and others.
To the best of my understanding, Stoicism is all about perception and controlling what you can control, which is always your attitude and response to events – never the events themselves. Learn to view things objectively, treat every obstacle as an opportunity for growth, and you’ll overcome many of the snags on your path to greatness. This was pretty important for me during my internship.
Work 40 hours a week for no pay? No problem – it’ll pay for itself in skill acquisition and networking.
Strength going down because I’m not sleeping as much? No worries – I had to learn how to lift smarter, not harder.
An hour-long commute each way? No sweat – I love audiobooks!
This quote about sums it up:
“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.”
THE YEAR WITHOUT PANTS – SCOTT BERKUN
It’s always been my dream to never have to wear pants (kind of like right now… just kidding… but really), so this book was right up my alley. Written by Scott Berkun during his yearlong stint working for WordPress.com, it delves into the exciting future of non-traditional workplaces.
At first glance, this book might seem like the antithesis of So Good They Can’t Ignore You because it kind of craps on cubicle dwellers and meeting-addicted managers. But it mostly craps on poor communication, a lack of autonomy and antiquated workplace habits that make workers miserable and unable to showcase their true skills.
This book certainly made me realize I needed to take a hard left on my career path if I wanted to work in fitness full time. It helped me work up the courage to ditch my desk job for the CSP internship, but not without first realizing that I needed to prepare accordingly. So I volunteered more and got a personal training job to make sure that by the time my internship started, I had the skills necessary to effectively coach all day, every day.
THE WESTSIDE BARBELL BOOK OF METHODS – LOUIE SIMMONS
Yes, I actually read a book about lifting this year. And no matter if you work with powerlifters, athletes or physical therapy patients, this book will help you.
Even if your clients will never attempt a 1-rep max or if you don’t know a monolift from a monogram, the technical instruction and programming principles in the Westside Barbell Book of Methods are applicable to everyone.
With all the confusion among coaches and lifters about what “Westside” really is, everyone who lifts should read this book. And if you think you’re “doing Westside” because you’re squatting in Chuck Taylors and benching with bands wrapped around the bar, you really need to read this book.
Besides being an entertaining guy, Louie Simmons has poured his heart and soul into powerlifting while developing a system that has produced waves of world class lifters. If you give even the slightest shit about being strong, there’s plenty to learn from this book.
MADE TO STICK – CHIP HEATH AND DAN HEATH
There are lots of foo foo self-help books out there, but this is not one of them. In a world where new ideas are hard to separate from the white noise of posers and imitators, the Heath brothers have created an easy-to-follow guide for effectively communicating your ideas to others.
Communication is everything when you’re a coach. Whether it’s teaching someone to deadlift, selling someone a year’s worth of training sessions or convincing a client to eat more broccoli, you have to get people to listen before you can get them to act.
And getting one person to change is one thing, but changing an entire culture, like your team, company or family, is a much more daunting challenge. If you coach people, teach people or manage people, this book will help you tap into the specific cues that get people to really listen.
HONORABLE MENTION
Since I actually read more than five books this year, I’ll leave you with a list of honorable mentions – books that were less life-changing but still awesome. Check them out and let me know what you’ve been reading this year. Enjoy!
Becoming A Supple Leopard – Kelly Starrett
Start with Why – Simon Sinek
Switch – Dan Heath and Chip Heath
Iced! The Illusionary Treatment Option – Gary Reinl
The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
Trust Me, I’m Lying – Ryan Holiday
The Sports Gene – David Epstein
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers – Robert Sapolsky