Best lifting book?

Two books from Mark Rippetoe Starting Strength and Practical Programming
The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess

Those two or three books should do you good. Starting Strength is a really good book and should be your bible for form.

Hi, I'm working my way through New Rules of Lifting and I'm enjoying the workouts and they are going ok, but I'm not really enamoured with the book itself.

I ignored being told that I must eat breakfast, must have a protein powder smoothie after each workout and must eat 6 times a day. I'm not sure if I'd be leaner or stronger if I'd followed the advice, so I can't compare.

I also found that it is not very clearly written and I was confused about what I should be doing at first. Some of the pictures also do not demonstrate in detail what the exercise should look like at each point. Considering you've purchased the book and it's meant to be able to be used by beginners, this peed me off a little.

There's an active forum on here for New Rules and there's a website you can download workout sheets and info from once you have bought the book - they have been really helpful. I was doing a lot more than I needed to for a few weeks because it was badly written (and perhaps I was a little dim...)

As I said, I do like the workouts themselves and there have been visable changes that I'm happy with, but I don't like the book.

I also bought 'Strength Training Anatomy' by Frederic Delavier - it doesn't have a programme or anything, but detailed info and beautiful anatomic drawings for many strength exercises. For my purposes, too much information perhaps, but I found it fascinating and has useful info on which exercises/variations are better for various body types. Really good and detailed images of what your form should look like and which muscles are involved. As I said, perhaps too much for a novice like me, but a very interesting read nonetheless and the illustrations are fantastic.

I looked up Strong Lifts 5X5 and it looks like a good one. I met with a trainer at my gym the other night and he said that he typically has new lifters start with the cable weight machines to strengthen your stabilizing muscles before moving onto a barbell. He brought me over to the barbell (to prove his point) and had me do some chest presses with just the 45lb bar and I was really wobbly. So for now I'm going to be doing the Strong Lifts 5X5 (he suggested 2X10 instead of 5X5...not really sure which is better) program on the machines. I have a second session with a different trainer next week so I'll see what he says too.

totally agree with him. In the beginning of learning to weight train, most of the training is neuromuscular in nature. You MUST learn proper form or you will just be doing pointless exercise. You should also train with lighter weights, fewer sets & higher reps for the first 4 - 6 weeks.

That being said, I really like "Strong Curves - a woman's guide to building a better butt and body" by Bret Contreras, and also "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" by Tom Venuto.

There is also a really good 12 week program on bodybuilding.com that you can follow. What I liked about it is that there are videos to accompany the exercises, so if it's something you aren't familiar with you can see how to do it! Much easier than a book if you are new to weight training! here is the link:>> http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

I still plan all of my workouts on my bodyspace account - it's a great website!!

I've done New Rules (loved it) and Strong Lifts (not so much) and I've got the giant Arnold book as well (great resource). But, the thing that remotivated me and is helping me transform my body is Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer.

It's not a book, but a free 12 week program that you can find on bodybuilding.com. Google it, follow it and watch your body transform! It is awesome and I am in love with it.

Check it out and feel free to message me if you have any questions.

Good luck!