Books on training, competing, coaching and staying strong for life, written by athletes, coaches, trainers and martial artists. Some are about performance, some about health, and some use sport to talk about life.
The coaching books here are especially useful for parents and coaches of young athletes.
This shelf holds 65 books. Publication years run from 2015 to 2026. 3 of them have an audiobook edition. The most-rated on Amazon are 100 Deadly Skills, Chasing Excellence, Weight Lifting is a Waste of Time. The list below is sorted by how many ratings each book has on Amazon, so the most-read titles come first.
COMBAT EDITION: A Navy SEAL's Guide to Crushing Your Enemy, Fighting for Your Life, and Embracing Your Inner Badass
Clint Emerson · 2021
A hands-on, practical survival guide from retired Navy SEAL Clint Emerson, adapted for civilians from actual special forces operations, to eluding pursuers, evading capture, and surviving any dangerous situation. In today’s increasingly dangerous world…
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Ben Bergeron · 2017 · Audiobook
CrossFit trainer Ben Bergeron has helped build the world’s fittest athletes, but he’s not like other coaches. He believes that greatness is not for the elite few; that winning is a result, not a goal; and that character, not talent, is what makes a true…
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Henry Alkire · 2020
WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER Do you want to lose fat, gain muscle and build the body of your dreams without having to step foot in a gym or on a treadmill? This book has the answer you've been searching for. No matter your age, sex, or conditioning status…
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Tim Larkin · 2016
In a civilized society, violence is rarely the answer. But when it is-it's the only answer. The sound of breaking glass downstairs in the middle of the night. The words, "Move and you die." The hands on your child, or the knife to your throat. In this…
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Going One More to Get What You Want
Nick Bare · 2020
You have big dreams that fire you up, and yet a fear of failure is holding you back. You see the success others have achieved and doubt you could ever do what they’ve done. You tell yourself you lack the smarts, skills, or leadership capabilities to live out…
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Finding Your Edge as a Man Over 40
Michael Simpson · 2021
In 2013, Mike Simpson was still running missions in Afghanistan with U.S. Special Forces. He was forty-eight years old. How did he keep up? By combining three decades of Special Forces training, the ancient wisdom of martial arts, and his own specialized…
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Ben Crawford
As his six children slept on the dirty floor of a women’s restroom while a blizzard howled outside, Ben Crawford had one thought: Have I gone too far? The next morning, Child Protective Services, along with an armed sheriff, arrived to ask the same question.…
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Chris Duffin · 2019
Whatever has happened to you, it is not who you are. The world may know Chris Duffin as "The Mad Scientist of Strength," but you wouldn't have ever guessed that if you saw the scrawny kid skinning rattlesnakes and chasing dragonflies in the early '80s. The…
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Nia Shanks
You sweat, burn, and fast until you’re exhausted...only to fall into a tailspin of stress, overindulgence, and blame. If you’re like most women, you’ve been through this vicious cycle more times than you can count. But what if fitness wasn’t about fixing…
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Shin Fujiyama · 2025
Shin Fujiyama creció siendo un niño estadounidense de origen japonés común en los suburbios de Virginia. Al ser un inmigrante de baja estatura, cuestionó su valía personal, hasta que encontró el fútbol. Expulsado de su equipo universitario luego de apenas…
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Devan Kline · 2018
Lose, gain, fast, feast, work out, and give up. Too often, the quest for a fitter lifestyle can feel like a never-ending cycle of failure. The truth is that the key to changing your body isn't finding a magic exercise or diet strategy--it's about…
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Chris Spealler
The typical male CrossFit competitor is 5’9" and 190 pounds. Chris Spealler is 5’5" and 140 pounds. Such daunting facts would make most declare defeat before trying. Chris didn’t buy the odds, though. Instead, he forged his own modern-day David-and-Goliath…
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Drew Estell · 2022
Want to take your pistol training to the next level? If you’re like most pistol enthusiasts, you spend a lot of time and money putting in your hours on the range. But that doesn’t mean you’ll see consistent improvement. Why not? Because most instructors don’t…
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Believing It's Possible Is Where Champions Begin
Lindsay Shoop · 2020
Think of any sport, and Lindsay Shoop played it growing up. She was a driven athlete, good student, and happy teenager. But when she went to college, everything changed. She quit basketball, gained weight, and skipped classes. Her drive was gone. After a…
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How to Win Without Losing Your Soul
Chasta Hamilton · 2020
In the world of competitive dance, biased scoring, skimpy costumes, and toxic rivalries are the additional line items of a bill that exceeds thousands of dollars. Time and money are at stake for parents, but reputation is also at risk for students and…
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Sherri Coale · 2022
A reflection on the people who shape us and the moments that mold who we become. Rooted to Rise explores the lessons Sherri Coale gathered through the connections that marked her life. Some encounters shift our perspective in an instant, while others feel…
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Jim Klopman
Fitness books love fad diets, creative exercise regiments, and, most of all, catchy headlines and marketing. But real success in fitness, sports, work, and life all begin with understanding and optimizing the human balance system. Proper balance is the key to…
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Pete Temple
Athletes work hard in practice, putting in the time and the grind, but when it comes to game time, sometimes they miss the mark. They know they’re capable of more, and their coaches and trainers know it, too, but when the lights are on them, and the pressure…
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Anthony Arvanitakis · 2023
Think of the time you spend scrolling through social media or binge-watching Netflix. What if you could reinvest all these minutes and reinvent yourself through simple changes that positively impact the rest of your day, and the rest of your life? From…
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Bring Your Body Back to Nature
Ian Hart · 2020
Ian Hart was on top of the world. He was in peak condition mentally and physically, and his career as a fitness professional was thriving. Then, without warning, the bottom fell out. Ian’s health began to spiral out of control. No healthcare professional…
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Dave Scatchard · 2021
Dave Scatchard has always been the underdog, but his drive to overcome obstacles meant none of that mattered. That’s how his childhood dream of becoming an NHL hockey player came true at twenty-one, followed by marrying the love of his life and starting a…
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My Journey as a College Football Walk-On
Candler Cook · 2019
Candler Cook knows firsthand that dreams can come true, but only if you're willing to fight for them. A lifelong Bulldogs fan, Candler decided at age seven that he wanted to play football for the University of Georgia. Despite being only a fourth-string…
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Adam Hill · 2022
It was never part of Adam Hill's life ambition or his genetic constitution to wear a Speedo in public, let alone compete in a triathlon. For the first three decades of life, he was the poster child for non-athleticism, obsessively unhealthy habits, and an…
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Eliminate the Beliefs That Sabotage Your Business and Your Life
Shelly Lefkoe · 2023
As an entrepreneur, you’re a master at solving problems and selling solutions. But limiting beliefs can still derail your progress. You struggle to delegate. Your company thrives, but your health and your nonbusiness relationships suffer. In Hitting the…
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Lucas Rockwood · 2022
Lucas Rockwood’s first yoga instructor told him it was impossible to earn a decent living teaching yoga. He was wrong. This $37 billion industry is growing at 10 percent annually. For savvy, business-minded teachers, there are more opportunities than hours in…
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Elizabeth Rose
Through Written in the Snow, prepare to embark on a global adventure and discover how to convert challenge to opportunity, believe in yourself, and conquer even your highest personal peaks. Liz Rose shares her inspiring adventures of climbing the Seven…
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Peter Tzemis · 2021
Call me superficial, but the world has a unique response to a guy who walks around with a shredded six-pack. They know that you’re someone special. Someone different. No matter how many times you’ve failed in the past or how “bad” your genetics are, carving a…
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Eliot Marshall · 2019
Eliot Marshall has always been a fighter, from overcoming bullies and bigots who targeted his half-black, half-Jewish heritage to using his martial-arts prowess to become part of the UFC. But beneath his badass exterior, Eliot struggled with severe anxiety…
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Furious Pete · 2015
Furious Pete is one of the best competitive eaters in the world. He holds multiple Guinness World Records and has eaten just about everything you can imagine. What started as a party trick to entertain his friends turned into a career that has taken Pete…
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Jay Kim · 2017
Cardio exercises. Weight training. Calorie counting. You’re hitting the gym five days a week and eating healthy, balancing a busy career and family responsibilities, but your workout isn’t working out. Despite the hours spent pedaling, running, and lifting…
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Shin Fujiyama · 2025
Shin Fujiyama grew up as an ordinary Japanese-American kid in the suburbs of Virginia. As a small-statured immigrant, he questioned his self-worth, until he found soccer. Cut after mere months on his college team, his sense of direction dissolved as quickly…
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Michele Graglia · 2021
Michele Graglia left Italy for Miami in 2007 to expand the family business. Caught in a thunderstorm, he ducked into a Johnny Rockets, got scouted by a renowned agent, and walked out a professional model. An elite modeling career brought expensive cars…
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Ryan Harris
Two voices in your head compete for attention. One says, "I am worthy. I am capable. I will succeed." The other says, "I can't. It's too hard. The game is rigged against me."Everything the first voice tells you is true--if you have the courage to believe it.…
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The Imperfect Guide to Success
Bennie Fowler · 2020
Have you ever watched a dog, out for a morning walk, who’s just spotted a squirrel? The dog immediately springs forward to pursue his catch. He is restricted, not by his own instincts, but by a force he didn’t know existed; his harness, his owner’s restraint.…
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Kelly Muir · 2023
We’ve been sold the lie that one’s story is only worth sharing if it’s perfectly manufactured to convey victory or success. This false belief overlooks the most important stories: those of the messy journeys and imperfect lives. That is where the lessons…
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Allan Misner · 2018
As we age, it can get harder and harder to lose weight and stay fit. Decades of poor exercise and eating habits make achieving wellness after age 40 substantially different from staying healthy in our 20s. Stop wasting time with fad diets and training…
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The Three-Income Secret to Success That Took Me from the Streets of Detroit to the Top of My Game
Jerry Ford · 2018
If Jay-Z and Warren Buffet collaborated on a how-to guide to building personal capital, it would combine invaluable financial expertise with street-smart wisdom. Guns, Drugs, or Wealth does just that. Jerry Ford overcame inner-city poverty, violence, and…
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Sue Hollis · 2018
Sue Hollis lived in the fast lane, juggling a high-powered career, being a supermom, and continually striving for perfection. But despite her external success, internally she felt a deep emptiness. Leaving her old life in the dirt, she mounted a superbike…
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Malcolm Lemmons
In today's world, any athlete can grow a sizable following on social media, which sets them up to have a strong personal brand. However, this is only the first step. To develop a fully formed brand that allows you to monetize your following, create additional…
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Ninja Nguyen · 2019
The martial arts can be exciting and fun for young people, but they are more than just kicking and punching. The valuable lessons found in the routines and rituals of karate, jiu jitsu, and other disciplines can bring joy and purpose to everything else you do…
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Richard Bagdonas · 2022
Strength, health, mental clarity: Fight the battles of age with FitFAB. When bodybuilder Richard Bagdonas was diagnosed with cancer at the age of forty-five, he set out to design a new fitness regimen to help him fight that battle. One that would keep…
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Thom King · 2018
You’ve tried countless diet plans, but the weight you lose keeps coming back. The truth is dieting is always going to fail unless you’re 100 percent committed to a beneficial lifestyle change. Guy Gone Keto can guide you to your goal of shaping up, staying…
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Chasta Hamilton · 2022
Chaos, crisis, and change are recurring themes in life. You might fear the chaos, operate in constant crisis, or resist change. But that is an exhausting way to live. So how do you find resilience and gratitude through the turmoil of life? Despite living…
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Help Your Student-Athlete Win in the Classroom
Christian Buck · 2020
As a parent, coach, or educator, you've probably noticed that many student-athletes are driven on the field, but struggle academically. You may be wondering: What can I do to help? The Sport of School offers a proven solution: take what you know about your…
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Lee "Ridefar" Heaver
Riding a motorcycle offers a sense of freedom unlike any other. But there's a lot you need to know before heading out on your first trip. Fortunately, all the necessary information is now in one resource. Your First Motorcycle is a beginner's guide to the…
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Jason Grilli · 2024
You will be out of your uniform longer than you are in it! Ensure your legacy outlives your career. As a student-athlete, you’ve mastered discipline, pushed past pain, and celebrated victory. Your accomplishments have spurred admiration, and your name has…
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Laurie Meinholz
Is your body starting to feel the wear and tear of life? Physical labor and repetitive movements can wear your body down if you don’t know how to take care of it. People will tell you that pain is inevitable. That it’s a part of getting older. That you need…
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Andrew Sillitoe · 2019
You have a three-year business plan. You're channeling all your energy into it. But while you're hyperfocused on work, your health will deteriorate, your partner will leave you, your relationship with your kids will become toxic, and your business will suffer…
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The Modern Couple's Guide to Building Intimacy through Fitness
Micah Morgan · 2021
Connection. Confidence. Intimacy. Seduction. What qualities do you look for in a relationship? How do you strengthen these qualities and cultivate universal values so your bond stands the test of time? In Strength of Seduction, Micah Morgan and Daniel…
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Mark Mungal
As a coach, physical education teacher, or adult facilitator of youth athletics, you have a unique opportunity. Through the medium of sport, you can help young people cultivate the leadership skills they'll need to succeed in life, whether they become CEOs…
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Lex Gillette · 2023
If you lost your sight, how would you tap into your vision? Lex Gillette was seven when his eyesight challenges became increasingly severe. By the time he was eight, he was living in complete darkness. He never would have imagined that this perceived…
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Linden Loren · 2023
If you ask a hunter if they'd like to continue hunting for a long time, they would probably say yes. Hunting is a meaningful and worthwhile lifestyle that has been ingrained in our DNA for thousands of years. Unfortunately, our twenty-first-century lifestyle…
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Bobby Armijo · 2023
“Are you going to go through life avoiding everything that makes you feel uncomfortable? What kind of life are you going to have then?”, Russell Brand Everyone wants to be great, but who is willing to pay the price? Jiu-jitsu is a sport with an old soul.…
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Ben Moore
Accurate kicking is a critical skill in Australian Rules Football and is a key element of a team's success. However, many of today's methods for training kickers are based on principles that contradict the movements demonstrated by the game's most successful…
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Lessons from Bollettieri to IMG Academy and the Ways Elite Training Built a Champion Mindset and Shaped My Journey
Danielle Mills Walden · 2026 · Audiobook
Danielle Mills Walden's journey to becoming a professional tennis player started when she was three years old. By the age of ten, she was the #1-ranked player in her age group in the Western New York Region. At age eleven, she was admitted to IMG Academy…
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The Artistry of Basketball
Ryan Bisio · 2026
What if everything you know about basketball is actually about music? Championship-winning college coach, FIBA-level tactician, and professional recording artist Ryan Bisio reveals the sport of basketball not as plays and statistics but as a living piece of…
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Building a Life Money Can’t Buy
Mike Woodmansee · 2026
Forget “How much money do you have?” Ask “What kind of life are you living?” You want more. You dream of accomplishments that mean far more to you than mere money in the bank, but aren’t sure where to start. Start here. Instead of chasing wealth as a…
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25 Habits for Lasting Wellness
Carrie Cox · 2026
Take the last first step you'll ever need to build a better you. Paleo. Keto. Atkins. Sugar Busters. The list of temporary diets is endless. The results, however, are limited. Innovative ideas for losing weight and feeling better may work for a while, but…
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Lars Jorgensen · 2023
Nearly every human triumph, launching a product, scaling a mountain, or running a race, depends on teamwork. As a collegiate head swimming coach and former Olympic swimmer and Ironman, Lars Jorgensen understands the value of teams. In Pull Together: The Lost…
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by Bailey Dawn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
Bailey Dawn · 2023
Want to fit high-power bodybuilding into a high-performance life? Three Days Strong AF shows you how to be built and lean without compromising your time or values. Designed for executives and other high achievers, the program focuses on the most effective…
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