5 books all athletes should read
Reading plays a significant part in my life and daily routine. Each morning, at 4:30 a.m., I dedicate two hours to reading. This daily habit started in 2006 when one of my managers at Holmes Place Health Club taught me a valuable lesson. He stressed the importance of continuous learning and personal investment and offered me a selection of books to read. Since then, my enthusiasm for reading, self-improvement, and knowledge expansion has grown immensely.
Here, I’ll share five books that can be a game changer for athletes.
BOOK #1 - “PERIODIZATION” by Tudor O. Bompa.
Among the five books all athletes should read, I recommend only one with a technical focus. In my view, athletes stand a better chance of growth when they “surrender” to skilled coaches and follow their guidance rather than trying to master every minute detail of training. Constantly clashing with Coaches over exercise selection, program design, and technical specifics can hinder their progress. Nevertheless, this book provides the knowledge necessary to assess whether their Coach is leading them in the right direction.
It allows athletes to determine if their Coach is merely putting them through exercises or engaging in proper sports-oriented training that emphasises growth and development instead of random workouts that leave them tired every other day. I’ve already read this book three times, and I’m sure I’ll revisit it repeatedly.
BOOK #2 - "MINDSET" by Carol S. Dweck.
In this book, Dr. Carol shares her insights on how success in various areas, including work, sports, and art, among others, can be highly influenced by the way we perceive our talents and abilities.
We conclude that athletes with a fixed mindset (those who believe their level or abilities are unchangeable) are less likely to succeed than those with a growth mindset (those who think their level or abilities can be developed). This book has the potential to reshape the way we engage in self-talk when facing challenges and help us reevaluate our attitude toward personal growth.
BOOK #3- GRIT from Angela Duckworth.
“Our potential is one thing; what we do with it is another”. “As much as talent counts, effort counts twice.” “It soon became clear that doing one thing better and better might be more satisfying than staying amateur at many different things”. “Most dazzling human achievements are, in fact, the aggregate of countless individual elements, each of which is, in a sense, ordinary.”. These are some quotes from this fantastic book that will help you not only to assess your own “GRIT” but will give you tools on how to develop it, but will also provide you with the tools to cultivate it.
BOOK #4 - “UNLIMITED POWER” by Anthony Robbins.
This book may not be for everyone, but I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t include it on this list. I first discovered Anthony Robbins in 2007 when I attended his UPW seminar in London. The event drew in around 10,000 people, and it was evident that most of them held a slight obsession with him. When AR asked the audience how many were attending the seminar for the second, third, fourth, or even fifth time, there were people enthusiastically shouting and waving their hands in the air. It felt like being part of a cult would be an understatement.
However, AR is undeniably “the father” of motivational speaking and self-development. His boundless energy is infectious, and his books and seminars will leave you with a sense that you can overcome any challenge. He’ll also challenge your perspective on what’s possible in your life, reiterating repeatedly: “If someone has done it before, you can do it as well.”
BOOK #5 - “SISU, The Mikko Salo Documentary.”
The final recommendation is this documentary, which you can easily find on YouTube. Anyone familiar with Mikko’s story and his struggles to train for the CrossFit Games knows that he is nothing short of a living legend. I won’t reveal too much to avoid spoiling the experience of watching this documentary for the first time, but I can confidently say it’s an absolute must for any athlete.
I hope this list helps you uncover your hidden potential. If you have other recommendations that you believe athletes or coaches should explore, please don’t hesitate to comment below or email me. I’d love to hear which books would make it onto your list.
Eddie
