There isn’t a home gym in the world that couldn’t benefit from the vast amount of knowledge available in books and podcasts. The problem is that there are so many available, it’s hard to know which ones are really worth your time. That’s where the following list comes in. These are books and podcasts that I love and enjoy. All of them benefit my time in the gym and I hope you get as much out of them as I have.
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Recommended Podcasts
There is a crazy amount of really good information out there in the podcast world. There’s an even crazier amount of stuff that is worthless or even possibly harmful. For that reason, I’m very discriminating about the podcasts I listen to and recommend. Here is my heavily curated list of podcasts that I look forward to and never miss an episode…
A fun combination of entertainment and fitness, Mind Pump is a collaboration of 3 trainers with many years of experience coaching and training actual people. This is a fun, engaging, and educational listen.
The PPSC podcast, hosted by David Otey, highlights both the coaching and the certified coaches of the Pain-Free Performance Certification. The brain child of Dr. John Rusin (my coach for the last 2 years), PPSC focuses on a non-dogmatic approach to resistance training that focuses on longevity and injury/pain prevention. This system has truly changed my life and I learn something new every single time I listen.
Peter Atia is a practicing physician whose focus is on aging well. He is incredibly insightful and thorough in his approach. This podcast gets very dense very quickly, but he has a talent for teaching complex topics in a relatable and easy to understand way. Start with his 3 part podcast with Dr. Matthew Walker and you can thank me later!
Freedomcast by Freedom Fitness
This is the newest podcast on my list, but one I’m enjoying very much as it grows week to week. Of course, I’m slightly biased as one of the episodes is an interview with me, but that aside, this is a fun podcast that focuses on living healthy, getting moving, and the home gym movement.
The world of “functional” medicine can be hard to navigate as it’s loaded with misinformation and self proclaimed experts. The Wild Health Podcast is a treasure trove of information grounded in real world practice delivered by practicing physicians who focus on nutrition, genomics, and living a healthy life close the earth. This is probably the best most unknown podcast out there when it comes to this topic. Love these guys!
Recommended Books
Because I keep the amount of podcasts I listen to narrowed to just the ones I really love, that leaves time for books too! While some of these books are must have reference books for any home gym owner, others share a valuable approach to training, nutrtion, aging well, or other important health topics. I truly believe that everyone should have read these books. Your life will be better for having done so!
Don’t have time to read? Me either! That’s why most of the books I “read” I actualy listen to on Audible. I joined Audible many years ago and it’s something I’m happy to pay for. I am a better person because of the books I’ve read. If you don’t have Audible, you can try it for free by clicking the button below. Your first book is free and you’ve got nothing to lose!
Why We Sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker
This is the single most interesting book I’ve read in the last 5 years. If we are not sleeping well, literally nothing else matters. Sleep quality affects every other aspect of your health and wellness.
Not only is this the best and most complete description of why we sleep, it’s a wake up call to the actual health implications of sleep issues.
This is one of those books you’ll refer to again and again.
It doesn’t matter how amazing your home gym is, if you don’t use it, it’s useless.
Unfortunately, motivation can only get you so far (how you doin’ on those NY resolutions?). Only by building habits can we make lasting change in our lives.
Luckily, habit building is a skill anyone can get good at. And this book is the very first time I’ve seen it explained in a way that will not only make sense to most people, but empower them to start building great habits today.
If you’ve ever had trouble sticking to your diet or fitness plans, this is THE book for you!
Lifespan, Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To by David Sinclair, PhD
This is widely recognized as the best book available on aging today. It not only gives a clear and understandable explanation of why we age, but delves deep into what actually happens.
That by itself makes the book worthwhile, but the real value of this book lies in its advice on how to combat age. How can we age well? How can we not only live longer, but enjoy quality of life as well?
As a human who ages, you need to have read this book. It will inform your life as much as it will inform your fitness and health practices.
We are what we eat. Nowhere is that more true than in our brains.
It doesn’t matter how hard we train if we lose our mental capacity. If our bodies age well, but our brains don’t, all that work in the gym is for nothing!
This book will teach you how to effectively fuel your brain for not only performance, but to limit the possibility of cognitive decline over time.
The foods discussed in this book have become a permanent addition to my grocery list.
The Resistance Training Revolution by Sal Di Stefano
A treadmill or other cardio machine, by itself, is NOT a home gym. Health and longevity require that we not only train our cardiovascular health, but the we take part in resistance training as well.
The list of resistance training benefits is nearly endless, yet a majority of people trying to be healthy avoid it. Some due to lack of knowledge. Some due to lack of equipment. Many due to not having a deep understanding of why it’s critical.
In this book, you’ll get everything you need to begin your resistance training journey. From basic knowledge of why it’s important all the way through actual programs designed for varying levels of equipment (none through a full gym).
For me, the biggest value in this book is it gives me the tools to help others understand the importance of resistance training. To hopefully help them start their journey on a path that I know from experience will better every aspect of their lives. In fact, this book is a great gift to give those in your life that could benefit from resistance training but have been, well, resistant to it.
This one book replaces many others and is considerably more well-written than most. No matter your level of experience, you will learn something!
Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews
Okay, you’ve got your home gym, now what? This book answers that question more thoroughly than any other I’ve read on the subject.
It’s a deep dive into programming and how to get the absolute most out of your time in the gym. If you don’t have a coach or a trainer, this book is a must-have reference manual for your home gym.
Thinner, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews
This is basically the same idea as Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, but focused on women’s health, training, and fitness.
This book is just as good as the other, but tailors its information and programming to the unique needs of women who resistance train.
This is a sorely needed book in the resistance training community. Everyone is NOT the same and women have inherent needs that are different than men. From goals to lifestyle to hormonal differences, this book takes everything into account to give a science and experience-based guide to resistance training for women.
