Whether youโre a beginning lifter or an advanced athlete, you know you need to be more active in developing your weight training plan to hit the next level in your training. You donโt know any experts, so books about weightlifting are the next best thing.
But what weightlifting books should you read first?
The 15 best weightlifting books are:
- 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength by Jim Wendler – Best Overall
- Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier – Best for Injury Prevention and Learning Form
- The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger – Best for New Bodybuilders
- Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe – Best for New Lifters
- Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews – Best Budget Pick
- Lift Like a Girl: Be More, Not Less by Nia Shanks – Best for Women
- Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength by Steven Low – Best for Calisthenics and Bodyweight Training
- Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld – Best for Learning the Science Behind Weightlifting
- Supertraining by Yuri V. Verkoshansky, Mel C. Siff, Michael Yessis – Best for Advanced Weightlifters
- Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches by Greg Everett – Best for Olympic Weightlifters
- Velocity-Based Training by Nunzio Signore – Best Book on New Lifting Trends
- The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition by Anita Bean – Best for Nutrition
- Triphasic Training by Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson – Best for Athletes
- High-Intensity Training by Mike Mentzer and John Little – Best for Limited Workout Time
- Periodization by Tudor O. Bompa and Carlo A. Buzzichelli – Best for Coaches
If you donโt know where to start or feel overwhelmed with all the options, fear not because this article will cover the 15 best weightlifting books and who they are for. Keep reading to learn more about the books we chose, why we chose them, and what to look for when youโre out shopping on your own.
Table of Contents
Featured Products
- 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength by Jim Wendler – Best Overall
- Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews – Best Budget Pick
- Triphasic Training by Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson – Best for Athletes
15 Best Weightlifting Books
1. 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength by Jim Wendler – Best Overall
Rating: 5/5
Pros
- Easy progression plan to understand
- Provides workout routines for you to follow
- Effective for all levels of lifters
- Built-in deload weeks
Cons
- Slow-moving program
- Requires consistency
โ5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strengthโ is the best overall book because it provides exactly the workout program it markets. It also covers a lot of additional information, including accessory exercise choices, alternatives to the main lifts, some nutritional advice, and, for advanced lifters, some high-level concepts that can be applied to other programs in different ways.
In this book, Jim Wendler breaks down a very time-efficient and effective workout program in an easy-to-understand manner. The program forces you to humble yourself and train properly so that you donโt hurt yourself, burn out, or focus on irrelevant aspects of training.
While it is a slow-moving program because you make very small jumps in weight every month, it allows you to continue training consistently without hitting plateaus.
Plus, the fact that it has already helped a tremendous number of lifters shows it has applicability and is easy to incorporate for many people.
The 5/3/1 program has you doing two sets of three or five reps per lift each week, gradually adding weight until you get to a final AMRAP (as many reps as possible) set. The AMRAP sets allow you to focus on small victories โ for example, if your weight on the squat has stayed the same but youโre able to do more reps than the last time you squatted that weight, youโve still made progress.
Iโve experimented with different set and rep schemes for myself and my clients but have followed Wendlerโs general principles. The constant progression of higher reps and lighter weight to lower reps and higher weight primes the body better to lift the heavier weight.
It also appears to decrease workout fatigue, as every week you get the excitement of doing something a little new and different.
2. Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier – Best for Injury Prevention and Learning Form
Rating: 5/5
Pros
- No fluff, just whatโs promised
- Great images that show how the muscles work in each exercise
- Teaches correct form and posture
Cons
- Doesnโt provide workout routines or programs
- Limited number of exercises are used
Pushing yourself to the limit and getting injured is a sad reality for many of us, but that comes from a lack of understanding of our own body and strength; sometimes we misjudge. Injuries occurring because you donโt know what youโre doing are unfortunate and should be fixed as quickly as possible as they will persist and happen again if uncorrected.
โStrength Training Anatomyโ is exactly what youโd expect from the title and is a book that can help you prevent such injuries. It goes over fundamental exercises that the majority of weightlifters will do in their programs, how to do those exercises properly, and how they affect the targeted muscles.
When dealing with injury prevention and learning the proper form of exercises, it is always best to keep it simple. When Delavier wrote this book, he had the normal weightlifter in mind, and it shows. This book is easy to read and follow. There are also intricate images of the body throughout the book showing how the muscle fibers are affected by each exercise.
If you are interested in the safety of weightlifting, learning how to properly wear a weightlifting belt is a key component that will benefit you long-term.
3. The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger – Best for New Bodybuilders
Rating: 4/5
Pros
- Provides basic bodybuilding programs for beginners to start with and detailed exercise guides
- Details the process of competing in bodybuilding
- Gives an extensive history of the sport of bodybuilding and who the famous names and competitors are
Cons
- HUGE book that is not easy to carry around
- Easy to get lost because it has so much information
- Advice is more generalized
The famous 7x Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger, gives back to the sport he was a part of with this book on bodybuilding. Schwarzenegger shares with us parts of his journey to becoming such an icon and discusses his own idols and rivals, including Reg Park, Sergio Oliva, and Lou Ferrigno.
The book is beautifully detailed with photos of bodybuilders Schwarzenegger admired and competed against, and it goes through an extensive number of exercises that are taught in a step-by-step format. โThe New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuildingโ is the best book for new bodybuilders for these reasons.
Schwarzenegger also provides some nutritional advice for a strong bodybuilding physique, explains the rigors of competition and what to prepare for, and offers some basic workout routines for beginners to follow. It is an all-encompassing guidebook for those who want to start bodybuilding.
I never intended to become a bodybuilder when I read this book, but it provided invaluable details that I still incorporate today. No matter what aspect of fitness or athletics youโre in, it is clear that bodybuilders understand muscle growth and how to develop a physique more than anyone else.
Those principles can almost always be applied to some degree. In rehab, you must grow the injured muscles. To gain strength, you need big enough muscles that can be as strong as you need. To prevent injuries when playing contact sports like football, you need to gain size to protect yourself.
As such, even non-bodybuilders can benefit from this book.
4. Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe – Best for New Lifters
Rating: 3.5/5
Pros
- Simple language and easy-to-understand program
- Widely recognized and popular
- Takes the fear of barbells away
Cons
- Limited to beginners
- The author can get very repetitive and ramble on
- The author tends to rant about other programs and fitness industry standards
โStarting Strengthโ is the best weightlifting book for new lifters because it puts you on a very easy-to-follow program and teaches you how to begin barbell training. Rippetoe explains how to incorporate barbell training into your workouts and discusses the importance of the 5×5 set and rep scheme.
Plus, for new lifters, consistency and performing exercises with correct form are the most important things to learn, and Rippetoe goes all-in to provide these aspects to the reader.
โStarting Strengthโ has somewhat of a cult following but also has many critics. At first, this was one of the most influential fitness books ever written, and Rippetoe hit what looked like a home run.
However, the author holds nothing back as he openly expresses his disdain for other programs and his problems with certain exercises and trends. Since the book came out, more and more advanced lifters have begun calling out certain dogmas that Rippetoe espoused in it.
The battle comes down to whether you believe this is the only way to strength train or itโs simply one way to strength train. I favor the latter. I have used the 5×5 method, and I often train with barbells, but I would not limit my training and the training of my clients to always staying with those rules.
Still, if youโre brand new to strength training and have no idea where to start, the Starting Strength book and program can help you feel more proficient and confident with a barbell.
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5. Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews – Best Budget Pick
Rating: 3/5
Pros
- Many positive testimonials
- Easy-to-follow weightlifting programs
- Simple meal planning advice
Cons
- Written for absolute beginners
- Little depth to the weightlifting regimen
- Questionable nutritional information
โBigger Leaner Strongerโ is the best weightlifting book for those on a budget because itโs cheap and provides enough information to help the average gym-goer achieve their goals.
Michael Matthews tackles the age-old fitness questions regarding weight loss and feeling good in your body. The book delves into calorie counting and following a proper weightlifting routine that will burn enough calories to help you lose fat. It provides general guidelines for both the lifting and nutritional aspects and uses other sources to back its claims.
This book wonโt offer groundbreaking insights or knowledge, but you shouldnโt expect that. Itโs meant for those who need an easy-to-understand way to start their weight loss or muscle-growing journey.
6. Lift Like a Girl: Be More, Not Less by Nia Shanks – Best for Women
Rating: 3/5
Pros
- Highly celebrated workout programs
- Positive and encouraging language
- Easy to read and follow
Cons
- Author can be repetitive
- Very basic nutrition advice
- Exercises require gym equipment
โLift Like a Girlโ is one of the best weightlifting books for women because it challenges the standard fitness messages of shaming and degrading females who donโt have perfect bodies. It uplifts its readers by reinforcing positive statements and forcing a mindset change that makes the readers more comfortable with their lifestyle.
This book helps women feel confident in their lives and change their mindset to maintain that positivity. Shanks provides her own philosophy for approaching fitness that involves a lot of motivation and positive thinking. There are a few workout programs in the book and some basic nutritional advice for women to follow, but nothing is too difficult to comprehend.
7. Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength by Steven Low – Best for Calisthenics and Bodyweight Training
Rating: 4.5/5
Pros
- Offers progression plans of bodyweight exercises
- Teaches calisthenics in a simple-to-understand manner
- Provides multiple levels of workout routines for readers to implement
Cons
- Information can be repetitive
- Structure of the book is hard to follow at times
- Not the most beginner-friendly
When most people think of weight training, the first things that tend to come to mind are dumbbells, barbells, machines, and kettlebells. But calisthenics are also a form of weight training. They require you to manipulate your body into positions that are difficult to hold and do movements from.
โOvercoming Gravityโ is the best for those doing bodyweight training and calisthenics because it is dedicated to providing viable full-body workout routines with bodyweight exercises. There are sections for injury prevention and rehabilitation as well.
For those that donโt have a background in gymnastics or martial arts, it is hard to develop your own routines because you donโt know what movement progresses into another and how each movement affects your body. This book is not necessarily for beginners, as the reader needs to understand the exercises and how to complete them.
My background involves martial arts training, which includes a lot of calisthenics exercises. I was a child when I started, so I knew nothing about programming or how it would even be possible to create a workout based around bodyweight exercises.
A book like โOvercoming Gravityโ would have been very helpful to me as I got older and tried developing my own calisthenics workout routines because it could have helped me better understand what my goals should be and how I should progress.
8. Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld – Best for Learning the Science Behind Weightlifting
Rating: 5/5
Pros
- Detailed descriptions of the human body and how it operates
- Heavily supported by research
- Practical and applicable takeaways for personal programming
Cons
- Not beginner-friendly
- Will not provide a workout program
- Complex language
This weightlifting book does exactly what it sets out to do โ providing the โwhyโ behind the training of the human body. It is scientifically dense but offers some advice on what your training should include to be effective. It deeply describes how the body interacts with itself to get stronger and more efficient.
โScience and Development of Muscle Hypertrophyโ is the best book for those wanting to learn about the science behind weightlifting because it provides all the data you need and backs it up with scientific research. Whether youโre a coach, personal trainer, or college student, this book will help you understand the โwhyโ behind your field of study.
9. Supertraining by Yuri V. Verkoshansky, Mel C. Siff, Michael Yessis – Best for Advanced Weightlifters
Rating: 4.5/5
Pros
- Intricate explanations of the methodologies and training programs
- Goes into detail on the concepts surrounding weightlifting (adaptation, super-compensation, etc.)
- Authors are open-minded and willing to admit their lack of knowledge in certain areas
Cons
- Expensive book
- Complex training methodology and language
- Hard to process the information
โSupertrainingโ is a dense book, often used as a textbook because of all the information provided. This weightlifting book targets a lot of the โwhyโ behind weightlifting but goes beyond muscle growth and looks at sports performance and nervous system development.
Verkoshansky comes from the Soviet system of weightlifting, bringing concepts here that were used during the era of Soviet dominance in weightlifting. Advanced weightlifters and coaches may be the only ones who can get through this because of its density.
The end results are worth it, though, as there is a load of invaluable information for the ones who can handle it. Once you reach a certain level in your own training, the basics will not cut it anymore, and you need to get into the weeds of science to make progress. This book will guide you through it and help you understand how to continue that progress.
10. Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches by Greg Everett – Best for Olympic Weightlifters
Rating: 4/5
Pros
- Teaches the Olympic lifts in a step-by-step basis
- Easy to understand for beginning lifters
- Provides instruction on the fundamentals of weightlifting
Cons
- Writing quality is a bit poor
- Not much programming for workout routines
- Many complaints regarding the production of the book (poor paper choice, font color, etc.)
โOlympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches by Greg Everettโ is the best book for those interested in learning Olympic weightlifting. It is very effective for those individuals who come from a powerlifting background and are looking to transition into the Olympic lifts.
The book is very detailed in its approach to teaching the main lifts and fundamentals, allowing lifters to seamlessly begin adding this type of training into their routines. The written instructions and visual additions make it very easy to follow along and learn the technical movements of the snatch and clean and jerk.
Everett also prefaces teaching these movements with the fundamentals of weightlifting, including breathing technique, squat form, warming up, and how to properly grip the barbell.
I believe everyone who trains weight should learn how to do the Olympic lifts. Regardless of whether they want to compete in the sport or not, the Olympic lifts are great ways of teaching power development and have great carryover to general strength in other compound movements like the squat and deadlift.
The Olympic lifts are hard to learn, however, so having a book like this that breaks them down in an easy-to-follow manner is a huge deal.
11. Velocity-Based Training by Nunzio Signore – Best Book on New Lifting Trends
Rating: 3.5/5
Pros
- Likely where the future of weightlifting is going
- Highly prevalent use in collegiate weight rooms today
- Effectively describes what velocity-based training is and how to program it
Cons
- Lacking extensive supporting research
- Hard to apply for average lifters
- Unnecessary for many gym-goers
Nunzio Signore is a high-level strength coach who has worked with many professional baseball teams and singular athletes. Signore is not the inventor of velocity-based training, but he does support its use. This book details how in most sports, itโs not just how strong you are that matters, but how fast you can move that strength you have โ in other words, how much power you can produce.
โVelocity-Based Trainingโ is not just the best book for those looking into new lifting trends but the most important book because this is not a fad. College programs already use this data to measure and track their athletesโ performances. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you must learn about these terms and ideas before they become mainstream.
As a coach working with athletes, I find this type of training interesting, and it offers me another avenue to train my athletes. It goes back to the idea that an athlete improves at their sport by playing their sport or training movements that appear in their sport. Max lifting is rarely present in real-time games and matches, but performing movements with a speed-focused approach will translate very well to the competitive arena.
12. The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition by Anita Bean – Best for Nutrition
Rating: 4/5
Pros
- Walks you through figuring out your personal nutritional needs and how to satisfy them
- Goes beyond the simple foods to eat and discusses hydration strategies and supplementation as well
- Relates how nutrition affects performance and how you should fuel as an athlete
Cons
- A bit boring to read
- Huge emphasis on dairy
- Nutritional programs are based around competitive athletes
Anita Bean is a former British bodybuilding champion and current nutritionist who details the nutritional information an athlete needs to successfully compete. Bean is thorough with the science and with her topics covering supplementation, hydration, gut health, and nutritional strategies.
โThe Complete Guide to Sports Nutritionโ is best for those athletes looking to level up their nutrition game, but thatโs not to say this wonโt also benefit average people. Regardless of the sport you participate in or whether you train for general fitness, you must fuel your body properly to perform well, and knowing how to find those details is crucial. A book like this will help break down all the information youโll need to consider.
13. Triphasic Training by Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson – Best for Athletes
Rating: 4.5/5
Pros
- Provides Intricate workout programs developed for athletes
- Explanation of the triphasic methodology and terminology
- Representative of what collegiate strength and conditioning programs will implement with their athletes
Cons
- Best results are specific to athletes and high performers
- Complicated program to follow
- Requires a lot of intentional progression from week to week and exercise to exercise
โTriphasic Trainingโ by collegiate strength coaches Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson is the best book for athletes because they will often see and hear these terms in collegiate weight rooms and professional leagues. It is a great primer to learn about how you will be/are training in those settings.
Beyond its content, the authors explain the programs and why the triphasic model is prevalent in high-level athletics. They discuss the training programs theyโve developed while working with high-level collegiate and professional athletes.
They also introduce the concepts of eccentric, isometric, and reactive training โ thus the name โtriphasic training.โ These ideas have been used before and called other names (tempo training, pause reps), but the authors have specifically built their program around speed and power development.
Additionally, the authors contend that the best athletes are typically not the ones who are the strongest or even the fastest in terms of pure speed. They are the ones who can transition between stop and go in the fastest and most precise way.
This book is important to me as I am a coach working with athletes. Learning the intricacies of triphasic training and how to implement it in a program that progresses throughout a season was huge to my development as a successful coach.
When it comes to athletes, good coaches always want to make their athletes get stronger and faster throughout the season in a way that doesnโt exhaust them and peaks them at the right time (post-season competition).
The triphasic approach is not about going 100% daily in the weight room because doing so would make you less effective in the sport you play. Instead, this approach is about supplementing the sport in the most effective way possible.
14. High-Intensity Training by Mike Mentzer and John Little – Best for Limited Workout Time
Rating: 3.5/5
Pros
- Comprehensive guidelines for following the HIT method
- Bargain price for the content
- Well-written and simple language
Cons
- Author is argued to be non-credible due to high steroid usage skewing his personal results
- Philosophy contradicts much of mainstream fitness ideas and trends
- HIT method is notorious for regular nervous system burnout
The famed Mr. America Bodybuilder, Mike Mentzer, outlines the program he was on when competing late in his career. The essence of HIT programming is minimal workout time but maximum effort.
โHigh-Intensity Trainingโ is the best book for busy people with very limited time to work out, as HIT programming emphasizes short workouts and only training a few days per week. This training has been touted as effective as normal high-volume training, popularized by other bodybuilders like Schwarzenegger.
Mentzer believed you just needed to perform one set per exercise, going until failure, completing each rep as slowly as you can to tax the muscles to their limit. (If youโve ever tried lifting heavy weight slowly you understand this difficulty very well). Any other effort would be pointless and harmful.
While not always ideal and not something that should be done long-term, the short-term results are impressive, and there is merit to this system.
15. Periodization by Tudor O. Bompa and Carlo A. Buzzichelli – Best for Coaches
Rating: 5/5
Pros
- Discusses the history of periodization, which allows new students to understand how it came about
- Information is applicable across all sporting events
- Plenty of followers, both knowingly and unknowingly, with clear positive results
Cons
- Information is somewhat outdated compared to when it was first published
- Written with elite athletes and coaches in mind
- Takes time to get to the information regarding periodization
Tudor Bompa is a legend among strength coaches. Born in Romania during the Soviet era, he was an athlete for the Union, but his biggest contributions came as a coach when he introduced the concept of periodization to elite athletic organizations. It is likely no coincidence that the Soviet Union became a powerhouse in all athletic events, and especially weightlifting, in the decades to come.
โPeriodizationโ is the best book for coaches because most coaches today, whether they know it or not, follow some type of periodization. It makes sense, then, that they learn how to optimize their training programs to benefit their teams and athletes.
If the goal is to make athletes bigger, faster, and stronger in a way that peaks them for the most important competitions, periodization must be applied. If youโre a coach, youโll benefit from this book because it discusses the history of periodization and how to implement it yourself with your athletes and teams.
Why You Should Trust PowerliftingTechnique
We have a diverse group of coaches and writers with extensive knowledge in various fields. We all train differently and have drawn inspiration from different sources.
From powerlifters to coaches to athletes in other sports, we have plenty of experience and have taken advice from others as well. We know what itโs like to look for books on weightlifting or another topic related to fitness and how to make them benefit us and our needs.
How We Chose the Best Weight Training Books
We chose the lifting books above based on certain criteria that are beneficial to the vast majority of lifters, from novice to elite. These criteria include the authorโs credentials, how easy the book is to understand, widespread popularity, and applicability. All of these factors give any weightlifting advice much more credibility.
We also chose books we have read ourselves and frequently return to, whether for training our clients or creating our own workout programs.
Buying Guide: What to Look for in a Weightlifting Book
When purchasing a weightlifting book, consider the following features and ideas so you can make the best decision possible.
Am I Ready for a Weightlifting Book?
If you feel a strong level of interest in a weightlifting topic, whether basic or advanced, you are ready to buy a weightlifting book. It doesnโt matter what level you are at as long as you can sit through pages of information. It helps if you like to read.
How Do I Use a Weightlifting Book?
How you use the best books for weightlifting is highly dependent on the content and the purpose of the book. Not every book can be used the same way, and you must actively look to pull some information out.
For example, a book like โStarting Strengthโ gives you an understanding of the 5×5 progression system and how to use a barbell effectively. You use this book to learn about those progressions and to understand how to lift with a barbell. It provides a basic weightlifting system you can run on your own that works at many levels.
On the other hand, a book like โScience and Development of Muscle Hypertrophyโ does not directly provide a workout routine to follow. Rather, it gives a deeper look as to what makes muscles grow.
You can then use the information you learn to apply exercises and set and rep schemes that benefit muscle growth. The book is more supplemental knowledge than information you can directly apply.
What Is a Good Price?
Weightlifting books tend to be more expensive than a typical book. But itโs not the expensive ones you should question. If the book provides high-quality information, it will cost a good chunk of money.
But also understand that the most expensive weightlifting books tend to cost so much because of the science and research behind the ideas and findings. A good book that is easier to digest will cost around $30-$50, while a good scientific book can go from around $60-$150. The cheaper books may not provide as much in-depth knowledge.
Can I Trust the Author(s)?
You likely wonโt know the authors of all the books or topics that interest you; thatโs perfectly okay. When Iโm researching a new topic of interest, I donโt know who the experts and most important writers in that area are.
You must look into their background and ensure their experience is relevant to the bookโs subject matter. A professional swimmer may know a thing or two about weightlifting, but itโs unlikely that they are qualified to speak about training from a detailed bodybuilding perspective, for example.
At the very least, researching the author becomes a fun side task where you learn about someone who specializes in the area youโre trying to learn about. Good markers of a credible author include titles like MA and Ph.D. for the scientific side.
For coaches who have either competed themselves or worked with amateur to professional-level teams and athletes, it helps if they have some certifications too, like the CSCS (Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist), USAW (USA Weightlifting), or some type of certified personal training license.
How Can I Tell Quality Content?
Perhaps more important than anything else in the best books on weight training is that their content helps you improve from where you currently stand. Search for the topic you want to learn more about, and be intentional about your search.
Clearly, you might not know what quality content is until youโve read it and applied the advice, but you can get a good sense of information from the reviews about the book and author. Donโt settle on reading one or two โ seek out as many reviews as you can and understand why people did or did not benefit from the book. Itโs important to read the negative reviews as well.
From my perspective, I have benefitted the most from books that provide programs and show me the methodology of how their program works and how it was developed. I like understanding why โthisโ works and โthatโ doesnโt. This also helps me test the author because I can apply my experiences with coaching and training to their statements and see if they align.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Weightlifting Books Take the Place of a Personal Trainer?
Weightlifting books can be valuable but cannot replace a good personal trainer. Books provide templates, ideas, and precise information but are not customized to you. A trainer can correct your form, check your fatigue levels, and personalize a training plan that best suits you.
How Do You Know if the Advice in a Weightlifting Book is Right for You?
Ensure you can understand the book first and that it addresses your question. If it does, apply the book's content to your training. You wonโt know if the advice works unless you try it. Make small adjustments if needed, follow the ideas for a month or two, and see if the advice works.
Final Verdict
I firmly believe โ5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strengthโ by Jim Wendler is the best weightlifting book overall. It is easy to understand, the program is effective, and the concepts presented are easy to implement and adjust based on your experience level.
โVelocity-Based Trainingโ by Nunzio Signore is another excellent weightlifting book. While its content applies more to intermediate and advanced lifters and athletes specifically, it is based on intelligent concepts that are progressing weight training methodologies. If you are interested in and capable of understanding the content, itโs full of worthwhile new ways to approach your weight training.
About The Author
Mikel Clark-Arroniz is a strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer, currently residing
in Chicago. He has 15+ years of martial arts experience and 10+ years of team sports
experience. Ever the athlete, and student, Mikel now trains for triathlons and is looking to learn
about endurance sports. You can connect with him on his website, Instagram, or LinkedIn.