As I was working out this morning and had a moment of reflection, I realized that over my years of training, I’ve developed a healthy library of exercises that I’m able to recall fairly easily. In addition, I am able to think of good alternate exercises to perform in the event that I do not have all of the equipment required to execute a particular exercise or movement. However, many people do not yet have this experience to lean upon, or maybe you do and you’re looking to expand your encyclopedia of knowledge. Therefore, I wanted to take a little bit of time to document some tools that you can use and reference as you build or expand upon your own internal library of exercises to perform in the gym or at home. These tools contain a great amount of nutrition information as well, which I have found extremely useful over the years. A disclaimer before we begin – the literature referenced, while geared towards men, can absolutely be useful to women as well, I assure you!
First up is a book that has been with me for a long, long time: Banish Your Belly. When I first started working out, I was working at a place called Portillo’s Hot Dogs. One day, I started a conversation with my manager at the time explaining how I had started my fitness journey, and he recommended this book. I thought nothing of it at the time, but then a few days later, he actually bought it for me. I’ll never forget it, and am eternally grateful. This book has been invaluable over the years, as it is a great reference for upper body, lower body, and mid-section exercises. It also provides nutrition tips and other guidance for how to “live leaner.” The information in here is really just the tip of the iceberg, but the exercise archive and explanations contained therein make it all very accessible and worth the purchase.
Next up is a book I picked up while perusing the library one day while specifically on the hunt for information regarding natural bodybuilding: The Natural Bodybuilding Bible by Tyler English. After picking it up, I found out that one of my training partners actually had this too! I can’t recommend this book enough to people who want to focus on the bodybuilding aspect of fitness. The information, especially on nutrition, is easy to understand and extremely useful. In fact, I’ve used the information in this book to construct an Excel spreadsheet that I still use today for individuals I’ve consulted regarding their caloric intake. The reason this book is so effective is mainly due to the fact that the author put the nutrition and fitness academic information into practice, and then wrote about his own experiences as he connected it to the journey of bodybuilding. What results is an expertly crafted, real experience that drives home the importance of working hard in the gym AND on your nutritional self-awareness to move forward with your fitness goals. Not only that, but the exercise archive here is also superb, as it spends a bit more time covering training frequency as well. The content about contest prep might not be for everyone, but the other information in here is well worth the price of admission.
And finally, I’d like to reference a great website you can go to for an extensive exercise library with demonstrations, and that is: Exercise Library – Frontline Strength.
The site was created by my workout partner, Jonah Saller, and is a treasure trove of great exercise information. I highly recommend perusing his library, as you might find an exercise that you want to try or integrate into your own routine.
And that’s it! Thanks for reading!
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Until next time!
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perpetual Hypertrophy 