Fitness Instruction

A list of books for those wanting to develop their knowledge of the key aspects of health and fitness instruction.

My Top Three

(Chosen as they are all affordable, accessible and should be of interest to all instructors from beginners to advanced)

Boyle, M. (2016) New Functional Training for Sports Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [£13.99; Amazon]

Hutchinson, A. (2011). Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?: Workout myths, Training truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise. McClelland & Stewart.[£11.50; Amazon]

Tumminello, N. (2016) Building Muscle and Performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [£18.99; Waterstones]

The Long List

American College of Sports Medicine (2014) ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (9th Ed) Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

American College of Sports Medicine (2014) ACSM’s resource manual for guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (7th Ed) Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

American College of Sports Medicine (2009) ACSM's Resources for the personal trainer. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins [amazon][Ch 16 Resistance exercise]

American College of Sports Medicine. (2007). ACSM's health/fitness facility standards and guidelines. Human Kinetics.

Archer, D and Coulson, M. (2011) The Advanced Fitness Instructor's Handbook. Bloomsbury Sport

Aquatic Exercise Association (2010) Aquatic Fitness Professional Manual (6th Ed.) Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [google books]

Bompa, T. O., & Buzzichelli, C. (2018). Periodization:Theory and methodology of training (6th Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Boyle, M. (2016) New Functional Training for Sports Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [£13.99; Amazon]

Buchheit, M. and Laursen, P. (2018) Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [Human Kinetics website]

Bompa, T. O., Di Pasquale, M., & Cornacchia, L. (2012). Serious strength training. Human Kinetics.

Coburn, J.W. and Malek, M.H. (2012) NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training (2nd ed) Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Comfort, P., Jones, P. A., & McMahon, J. J. (Eds.). (2018). Performance Assessment in Strength and Conditioning. London, UK: Routledge. [googlebooks]

Coulson, M. (2013) The Fitness Instructors Handbook: A Complete Guide to Health and Fitness (2nd Ed). London: Bloomsbury [amazon]

Coulson, M. (2014). The Complete Guide to Personal Training. Bloomsbury Publishing.[google books]

Clark, M.A., Lucett, S.C., Sutton, B.G. (2012) NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training (4th ed.) Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins [google books]

Crossley, J. (2012) Personal Training: Theory and Practice. Oxon: Hodder Education [amazon]

DeSimone, G. (2012) ACSM’s Resources for the Group Exercise Instructor. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Earle, R.W. & Baechle, T.R. (2004) NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [google books][Ch13 Resistance exercise technique][Ch14 Cardio exercise technique]

Fleck, S. J. and Kraemer, W.J. (2014). Designing resistance training programs (4th Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Gamble, P. (2013). Strength and conditioning for team sports: sport-specific physical preparation for high performance. Routledge.

Griffin, J.C. (2006) Client-Centred Exercise Prescription. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics [google books]

Haff, G. G., & Triplett, N. T. (Eds.). (2015). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th Ed.). Human kinetics.

Hoffman, J. (Ed) (2012) NSCAs Guide to program design Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Hough, P., & Penn, S. (Eds.). (2016). Advanced Personal Training: Science to Practice. London: Routledge. [Routledge]

Hutchinson, A. (2011). Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?: Workout myths, Training truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise. McClelland & Stewart.

Hutchinson, A. (2018) Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. HarperCollins [my book review and resources from the book]

Jeffreys, I., & Moody, J. (Eds.). (2016). Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance. Routledge.

Joyce, D. and Lewindon, D. (2014). High-performance training for sports. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Joyce, D. & Lewindon, D. (Eds.) (2015) Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation: Integrating medicine and science for performance solutions. Routledge.

Kenney, W.L., Wilmore, J.H. and Costill, D.L.(2012) Physiology of Sport and Exercise (5th Ed). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [google books]

Kennedy-Armbruster, C. & Yoke, M. (2009) Methods of Group Exercise Instruction (2nd Ed) Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics [google books][Ch4 Music,choreography, cueing][Ch12 Water exercise]

McGuigan, M. (2019). Testing and Evaluation of Strength and Power. Routledge.

Moir, G. (2015). Strength and Conditioning. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Ratamess, N. (Ed) (2012) ACSMs Foundations of Strength and Conditioning Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Schoenfeld, B. (2016). Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics

Spitzer Gibson, T. & Hoeger, W.W.K. (2003) Water Aerobics for Fitness and Wellness (3rd Ed). London: Wadsworth

Stoppani, J. (2006). Encyclopedia of muscle & strength. Human Kinetics.[google books]

Tumminello, N. (2016) Building Muscle and Performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Tumminello, N. (2018). Your Workout PERFECTED. Human Kinetics.

Turner, A., & Comfort, P. (Eds.). (2017). Advanced Strength and Conditioning: An Evidence-based Approach. Routledge.

Turner, A. (Ed.). (2018). Routledge Handbook of Strength and Conditioning: Sport-specific Programming for High Performance. Routledge.

Willardson, J. M. (2013). Developing the core. Human Kinetics.

Further Links on this website

Further Links