5 Best Books for Personal Trainers in 2024

So, you’ve been working out for some time and are happy with the results. You feel like you could offer a lot as a personal trainer, but need some direction? Reading personal training books is a great start!

This article will cover the five best books for personal trainers to read in 2024. They include books on starting as a personal trainer, business strategy in the online world, proper exercise and diet, how to get certified, and more.

Top 5 Best Books for Personal Trainers Reviewed

1. Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Career (Revised, Updated, and Expanded) – Best for Beginners in the Personal Training World
2. The Complete Book of Personal Training – Runner-Up
3. Change Maker: Turn Your Passion for Health and Fitness into a Powerful Purpose and a Wildly Successful Career – Best Go-To Guide
4. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training – Best Personal Trainer Certification Book
5. The Muscle and Strength Pyramid: Nutrition – Best Book About Nutrition

Book	Total	Author’s Expertise	Training Transfer	Easy to Read	Material & Binding	Value for Money
Ignite the Fire	48	10	9	10	9	10
The Complete Book of Personal Training	47	10	9	9	9	10
Change Maker	46.5	10	9	9.5	9	9
NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training	46	10	10	8	8	10
The Muscle and Strength Pyramid: Nutrition	45.5	10	9	9	8.5	9

“Ignite the Fire” is full of practical advice on how to start and develop a personal trainer career. It covers topics like obtaining certifications, marketing your services, managing client relationships, finding your niche, and more. It’s like a strategy book for building up a coaching business.

It addresses common challenges faced by up-and-coming personal trainers, such as where to start, how to deal with competition, how to secure clients, etc. The section about managing your schedule and not forgetting yourself is a great highlight, as it’s easy to lose track of your life when your business revolves around helping others.

Although the book is geared towards novices, it’s still a valuable read even if you’ve been a successful trainer for some time now. It can open up new perspectives and approaches and modernize your business strategy. Even if you feel like you gained little new information, the book is short enough not to waste your time and acts as a good refresher.

So, you’re highly passionate about fitness in your personal life and you’re thinking of expanding that into a career as a trainer? Then "The Complete Book of Personal Training" by Douglas S. Brooks is an excellent choice. This book is an all-in-one guide on building up a personal trainer career written by an industry expert.

The book is published by Human Kinetics, so it’s a highly reliable and credible reference. Douglas Brooks is a recognized expert in the field who put over 20 years of personal experience into this book. As a gold-certified personal trainer, vice president of the International Sports Trainers Association, and member of IDEA and the American College of Sports Medicine, Brooks is a seasoned authority.

The book covers every aspect of the personal training business. Part one is all about breaking into the business and setting yourself up for success. It also covers valuable aspects of business management, such as legal and financial responsibilities. Parts two and three cover building the correct exercise and dietary plan for every unique client. Part four has important insight into common health issues your clients may have and how to work around them.

The book is comprehensive and tries to cover everything, which is both its blessing and its curse. Realistically, it could have been two or three volumes, something like “What Makes a Personal Trainer,” “How to Build Your Personal Training Career,” and one more book on exercise and nutrition. Then again, it was written in 2003, before we had pocket devices with infinite knowledge and when having everything in one source used to be valuable.

“Change Maker” is the go-to guide of personal training books. It’s written by Dr. John Berardi, a renowned figure in the field of fitness and nutrition. Dr. Berardi is a co-founder of Precision Nutrition, a company providing education, coaching, and certification in the areas of nutrition and exercise.

The book covers a range of topics, including the science of nutrition, behavior change, coaching methodologies, and business strategies in a fairly easy-to-digest manner. Dr. Berardi does his best to combine proven scientific principles with real-life practical examples. The knowledge inside is heavily evidence-based and authoritative.

Given Dr. Berardi’s affiliation with Precision Nutrition, the book incorporates many of their key principles and practices. Beyond traditional coaching advice, the book also goes heavily into client-coach relationships and the psychological challenges clients face that coaches have to deal with.

A big secret revealed in the book's methodology is guiding clients through their fitness journey by listening to them and adapting their concerns into the training strategy, as opposed to just telling them to do this exercise or eat that vegetable. Nonetheless, it covers plenty of topics on exercise and nutrition, which is Dr. Berardi’s specialty, after all.

“NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training” is the leader of personal trainer certification books. It’s written and published by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), which is accredited by the U.S. Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.) for providing coaching training and certifications.

The book is written as a comprehensive resource to prepare personal trainers for the official NASM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) exam. As such, all information is relevant, up-to-date, and backed by science.

Regardless of whether you’re looking to get certified by NASM or live on the opposite side of the world, this is an essential read for aspiring personal trainers.

This is the sort of book you pick up if you want to learn. It’s not a fun read, so much as there’s no charismatic and passionate author using anecdotes and personal experience to drive your reading engagement. It is a large study tomb.

Thankfully, despite being long at over 700 pages, a large chunk of it is full-color HD images, so a big portion of it is focused on visual learning.

Want to learn about nutrition? Then start with "The Muscle and Strength Pyramid: Nutrition." The co-authored book is part of the "Muscle and Strength Pyramid" series together with a separate volume on training.

This is one of the few books on nutrition that’s easy to digest (no pun intended). It covers a wide range of topics related to nutrition, which you can start implementing immediately, including discussions on macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats), micronutrients, meal timing, proper hydration, and more.

The book is heavily based on science, consistently citing relevant studies and literature, but it’s also not a dull read. It provides actionable advice and strategies that can be implemented in nutrition.

Instead of a one-dimensional approach, the book addresses all kinds of fitness goals, including bulking, cutting, weightlifting, strength training, endurance training, etc.

Benefits of Reading Personal Training Books

Reading books can be a fun and engaging experience. Below are some benefits of reading personal trainers' books.

✅ Authoritative Sources

Personal training books are written by industry leaders and experts on the subject. It makes the books’ content credible, and the authors can apply real-world experience to make the book more engaging.

✅ Improved Vocabulary

Research has shown that reading improves vocabulary. Personal trainer study books use terminology and language that is specialized to the fitness world. It will help you express yourself better to your future clients and the broader fitness community.

✅ Brain Health

Reading as an activity is helpful for a plethora of cognitive functions. It can improve our memory and concentration and regulate stress levels. Moreover, studies show that active readers lower the risk of cognitive decline, even in old age.

How to Choose a Personal Trainer Book?

Not all personal trainers’ books are for everyone. If you get a book unfit for your current knowledge level, you may feel like you’ve wasted money or get overwhelmed by topics and info you aren’t knowledgeable enough about. Consider these factors before purchasing:

1. Personal Preferences

Different books work for different people. Reading a book that doesn’t match your learning style and isn’t engaging is as good as not reading one at all. If you’re unsure about a book, consider getting a sample chapter to feel it out.

2. Personal Fitness Goals

The personal trainer study books you read should also reflect your own fitness goals and training aspirations so that you can replicate the knowledge. In simple terms, there’s no reason to read a book about coaching swimmers if you work with weightlifters, etc.

3. Personal Knowledge Level

Not all personal training books are made for the same level. While it’s not a bad idea to go back to basics and refresh your knowledge as an experienced trainer, tackling a book that’s too advanced is an uphill battle.

4. Reviews

Reviews can help us judge whether a book can provide value to us. Luckily, the internet provides us with easy access to real-world feedback from other readers and coaches. If you’re on the fence about a book, see what people similar to you have to say about it.

5. Author's Credibility

In a world where fake coaches are trying to sell you “get fit quick” solutions for a quick buck, credible sources and authors have become more valuable than ever.

FAQ

What Should I Read to Become a Personal Trainer?

To become a personal trainer, start by reading simple books on nutrition and exercise. Next, explore books about becoming a personal trainer and running it as a business. Take it step by step on your journey to becoming a successful personal trainer.

How Do Personal Trainers Learn?

Personal training is not something you learn once and you’re set for life. The industry is constantly changing and keeping up is important to have a successful career. Personal trainers learn through various sources, including books, workshops, courses, and first-hand experience, among other things.

Conclusion

Those are the best books for personal trainers to pick up in 2024. Reading personal training books is a great way to acquire the necessary knowledge, vocabulary, and insight into the industry to get you started. Besides, reading first-hand experiences and success stories is highly motivational and inspiring.

Out of all the personal trainer study books, “Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Career” by Jonathan Goodman stood out as especially well-rounded and modern. It covers various aspects of personal coaching necessary to succeed in the internet era. 

Now we’d like to hear from you. Which type of training are you most interested in? Also, which coaching level are you on currently? Leave a comment with your answer and remember to follow us on social media for more valuable fitness content.

Also read:

• Best Fitness Books
• Best Bodybuilding Books
• Best Calisthenics Books
• Best Strength Training Books
• Best Powerlifting Books

References:

1. Dawna Duff, J. Bruce Tomblin, Hugh Catts, “The Influence of Reading on Vocabulary Growth: A Case for a Matthew Effect,” Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research vol. 58, no. 3 (2015): 853-864.
2. “Reading Improves Memory, Concentration, and Stress,” National University https://www.nu.edu/blog/reading-improves-memory-concentration-and-stress/ (accessed December 1, 2023)
3. Yu-Hung Chang, I-Chien Wu, Chao A. Hsiung, “Reading Activity Prevents Long-Term Decline in Cognitive Function in Older People: Evidence from a 14-year Longitudinal Study,” International Psychogeriatrics vol. 33, no. 1 (2021): 63-74.