Many people think that physical training and mental training are mutually exclusive. In fact, there is an enormous amount of fitness-related literature out there. And like most tomes, the majority of them are complete garbage. My new Return of Kings article analyzes three broad genres of these books (general fitness, martial arts, and meditation/mindset), and how effective they are. In addition to that, I also discuss how to judge which books are worth reading, and which books are not worth reading.

...Combining this desire for self improvement with the masculine independence and minimalist lifestyle that other writers on this fine website should inculcate in you the simultaneous desire to improve yourself while being thrifty and relatively solitary. As this article deals with fitness, you know what I’m going to say: personal trainers, or at the very least, the ones at your average commercial gym, should be avoided at all costs. And while most long-term fitness enthusiasts and professionals will likely either train by themselves or have one of the few trainers that knows what he’s doing, most of us have to train alone, especially beginners who have naught but common sense to light his path. But there is another option: books

Yes, books, that simple yet elegant method of transferring knowledge directly to its viewer. There are certainly plenty of books out there pertaining to the various fields of fitness and athletics. But the question remains: how effective is a book in physical training?

As an avid reader of fitness-related tomes (and many others, but that’s neither here nor there), I own many of these books (Which for legal purposes I will say I’ve legally purchased). And I feel that their effectiveness can be judged by grouping them based on “genre”.

You can read the article right here on Return of Kings.