It has been a few months since I posted about some of the books I've been reading so I thought I'd share. I have been trying to get as much reading in before I start coaching football so here is the short list.
Most Bizarre Book: Geek Love. A friend lent this book to me and the moment I read the back cover I couldn't believe I was about to read this crazy tale of a carni family. This book ranks 10 out of 10 on the weirdness scale, without a doubt. It involves a circus family that includes albino dwarves, Siamese twins, babies with telekinetic powers and a leader who is half fish, half human and 100% crazy. There is also some murder and weird body "transformations" that I don't feel is necessary to describe. I think it takes a shot at religion/cults but not totally sure. I was able to finish it with no problems so I have to admit that it did grab my attention.
Most Interesting Story: Lone Survivor. This story brought out a ton of emotions. It is a tale of Marcus Luttrell who is a US Navy SEAL. The story begins with his upbringing, his training, and how he got to where he was in the military. It then gets into one of the saddest days in SEAL history, a mission gone bad with three of his cohorts. It was an operation where the terrain was essentially unknown and turned out to be as bad or worse than anyone had ever dreamed. Their story could be summed up by their philosophy: "I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight". These guys carried never strayed from their philosophy and a movie will be coming out soon. Check out the trailer Lone Survivor!
One thing that really struck a cord with me was his thought process on war: "If you don't want to get into a war where things go wrong, where the wrong people sometimes get killed, where innocent people sometimes have to die, then stay the hell out of it in the first place". These soldiers were given "rules of engagement" and because of this, it essentially led to the worst day in SEALs history. If you trust these men enough to go risk their life, you should trust them enough to make decisions on their own and not lock them down with strict rules.
Best Sport Book: Toughness by Jay Bilas. Drew Brees' book came in a close second but the stories that Bilas shares are incredible. He tells stories of his upbringing, his years at Duke playing and coaching with Mike Krzyzewski, working with Bob Knight and much more. Through all these experiences Jay outlines what toughness means to him. Each chapter contains one element of being tough. In his opinion they are Trust, Preparation, Courage, Communication, Persistence, Next Play, Commitment, Acceptance, Resilience, Self-evaluation and Hope. This book is filled with great stories and great lessons to use in everyday life. My personal favorite was a golf story he shared. "As I stepped onto the tee of that difficult hole, I said to the caddy, this is a really tough hole. Not today it's not, he replied. And not for you". To me, that is a perfect example of a positive mindset.
Fitness Books:
Warrior Cardio: This book was written by Martin Rooney who is a mad man. The purpose of this book is to teach you the benefits of using high energy work bouts with limited rest to stimulate your aerobic system. He supports his approach with science in the beginning of the book, the discusses and gives examples of his circuits, followed up by solid nutrition advice. The final part of the book gives you a detailed workout plan. If you decide to follow the plan, I would recommend reading the entire book to get an understanding of why you are doing what you are doing.
Mass Made Simple written by Dan John. He is my favorite author to read about training. His book Easy Strength opened my eyes to training properly and his track record and results are incredible. I am not looking to gain mass but I work with some kids who have that as a goal so I checked it out. Anybody can put on weight by eating junk but this book provides the way to put on LEAN mass. Very quick read that offers a program book to anyone looking to gain size without compromising their body composition.
I hope you enjoyed and would love to hear about any books that you have read recently. Recommendations are greatly appreciated!
Enjoy your weekend
Chris
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