Best fitness book

Here's a breakdown of the best fitness books to keep you on track with your health goals.

best fitness books
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If you're serious about your health goals, a fitness book can take you to the next level. Athletic books can break down everything you need to know about nutrition, muscle building, recovery, and more. Plus, these texts let you unplug while still diving deep into your passion. We've collected our favourites, so take a peek below. 

Staff pick

The Year One Challenge for Men: Bigger, Leaner, and Stronger Than Ever in 12 Months

(Image credit: Amazon)

The Year One Challenge for Men: Bigger, Leaner, and Stronger Than Ever in 12 Months

Encourages physical change with months of work

Change is earned, and this fitness book will help it's readers make strides in physical fitness within a year.

Pros:

  • Helps you get fit in 12 months
  • Tips for putting on muscle
  • Breaks down testosterone levels

Cons:

  • Requires a one-year commitment
  • Not for weight loss

If you're hoping to work your muscles, this fitness book will offer support. Not only is it packed with helpful tips on how to build a stronger physique, but it tells you how to keep it too! Maintenance habits are built right into the fitness strategy, so you'll have all the tools to keep your body in shape. This fitness book even goes a step further. It covers the importance of healthy testosterone levels.

Best motivational

The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation

(Image credit: Amazon)

The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation

Get excited about your workouts

This fitness book shares real health stories to inspire and push you to maintain your workout routine.

Pros:

  • Science-backed tips
  • Filled with motivational techniques
  • Helps cultivate a positive attitude

Cons:

  • Can be a little long winded
  • Can seem a bit biased

Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated in the gym. Luckily, this fitness book has real stories and anecdotes about health and fitness to keep you on track. Not only will this book encourage you to exercise, but it will help you to keep it up! There are even science-focused tips that'll help encourage progress. You can feel confident that even though results may seem slow, you're still taking steps in the right direction. Get the positive push you need to meet your health goals with this fitness book.

Best nutrition

Strength Training Nutrition 101: Build Muscle & Burn Fat Easily...A Healthy Way Of Eating You Can Actually Maintain

(Image credit: Amazon)

Strength Training Nutrition 101: Build Muscle & Burn Fat Easily...A Healthy Way Of Eating You Can Actually Maintain

Feed your body and find your fitness routine

This fitness book dives into nutrition to help you with your strength training. 

Pros:

  • Great for strength training
  • Simplifies nutrition strategies
  • Teaches clean eating
  • Discusses supplements

Cons:

  • Information can seem straight forward
  • Not a lot of science-based references

Even though you're exercising five days a week, you may be seeing little to no results. This could be because of your diet. Diet is arguably just as important or even more important than your physical activity. What you put in your body fuels you. This fitness book demonstrates the importance of just that. It simplifies nutritional strategies and teaches you how to eat cleanly, especially when you're strength training. Plus, it discusses different supplements.

Best for workouts

Resistance Band Training: A Resistance Bands Book for Exercise at Home or on the Go

(Image credit: Amazon)

Resistance Band Training: A Resistance Bands Book for Exercise at Home or on the Go

Get fit with resistance bands

This fitness book teaches you all kinds of workouts with resistance bands, no matter your location.

Pros:

  • Packed with resistance band workouts
  • Great information for all ages
  • Illustrations and descriptions of exercises

Cons:

  • Illustrations may not be the best
  • Some workouts use uncommon band types

One of the most time-tested workouts is resistance training with bands. These tough and stretchy workout tools provide the tension needed to tone your body. With more than one type of band, knowing exactly what to do with the bands can be the tricky part. That's why this fitness book is super helpful. It breaks down a whole bunch of different resistance band workouts. It even has illustrations and descriptions to help you with your form. The workouts are low-impact but great for toning up your body and staying healthy.

Best for maturing bodies

Total Fitness and Nutrition After 40

(Image credit: Amazon)

Total Fitness and Nutrition After 40

Overall wellness over the hill

This fitness book is packed with healthy habits for individuals who are over the age of 40.

Pros:

  • For individuals over 40
  • Research-based strategies
  • Helps with nutrition
  • Ideas for exercise

Cons:

  • Not for younger individuals
  • Quite information-packed

If you're over the age of 40, this fitness book is for you. Instead of telling you to push yourself to your max heart rate during high-intensity workouts, this book will use age-appropriate techniques that are safe and effective. This fitness book is a great choice for anyone looking for research-based tips and tricks when it comes to exercise. It also features nutrition tips to keep your inside as healthy as your outside. 

The bottom line

You can trust Fit&Well We give honest reviews and recommendations based on in-depth knowledge and real-world experience. Find out more about how we review and recommend products.

The best fitness books use proven tips, tricks, and strategies to help you with your health goals. The Year One Challenge for Men: Bigger, Leaner, and Stronger Than Ever in 12 Months lives up to its title. This fitness book educates you on testosterone levels while giving you tips on how to build muscle while strength training. This book sets you up for success because it also teaches you how to maintain your new body. 

If you're over the age of 40 and searching for the perfect fitness book to help you reach your health goals, Total Fitness and Nutrition After 40 is exactly what you need. This book uses research-based strategies to help you with your nutrition and exercise goals. With this book, you'll be mentally and physically fit—and in a safe way!

Why trust us?

At Fit&Well, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As expert curators, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your day-to-day, from cart to doorstep. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. We deliver detailed product overviews, balancing objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is as easy as possible. 

Camille Sanghera is a UX writer and copywriter for global brands as well as an author of self-help books. Although she has lived and traveled internationally, Camille is originally from British Columbia, Canada. She merges over 10 years of writing experience with a love of words to bring authenticity and human connection to every project. When not writing, Camille can be found exploring nature with her dog, sketching to music, or laughing with loved ones.

You can chat with Camille on Instagram at @projectpvo.