I’ve read SO many personal training books over the years. Between physiology textbooks for my Sports Science degree, exercise programming books for my personal training qualification, and business books for scaling my company, there must be hundreds! So, I’ve put together a list of my favourites so you can skip straight to the good ones.
In this article – we outline the best books for personal trainers from exercise science and workout programming, to sales and marketing skills.
Trainer Essentials articles are written by qualified personal trainers with 15+ years of fitness industry experience. We’ve helped thousands of PTs to embark on their careers, level up their coaching, sales, and marketing skills, and grow their own training businesses.
Our list includes a range of personal training books on diverse topics, from motivation to marketing, and habit development to healthy eating. Here are our picks for the 10 best personal training books that every PT should read…
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1 – Ignite the Fire
Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Career is a book by Jonathan Goodman. He’s a highly experienced personal trainer and founded the Personal Trainer Development Centre (PTDC) website.
His book covers everything you need to know about becoming a successful PT. It starts with how to choose the right fitness certification and then guides you through the whole career journey. You’ll learn how to sell your services and approach potential clients on the gym floor.
This is our top pick for personal training books – we consider it a must-read for anyone considering a PT career. And we recommend it to anyone who asks us about whether they should get into the fitness industry.
Read our in-depth book review of Ignite the Fire here.
2 – NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training
Which personal training textbook should you buy when starting out? Without doubt, it needs to be the NASM one. It’s a comprehensive guide to fitness training that contains everything you need to know.
Despite being a textbook, it’s actually quite an easy read thanks to its visual design. There are lots of illustrations that explain different topics.
You’ll learn all of the essential info needed to pass the NASM certification exam and conduct client sessions effectively (and safely!). At 600 pages it is extremely long but that’s because it contains everything you need to know as PT. You’ll find yourself referring back to it many times in your career so it’s well worth the investment.
You might also like… this guide to becoming a personal trainer.
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3 – Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Motivating personal training clients is a crucial part of the role. So it’s worth taking time to learn about the topic.
Reading this book is the perfect place to start. And what it reveals might just surprise you too…
Even if you feel that you’re really good at motivating clients, this book may give you a new perspective. It’ll give you new tools and tactics for getting the best results out of them.
Reading this will also help you to motivate clients by identifying what’s holding them back. The book is packed with fascinating research and scientific studies that make it an insightful and credible read.
You might also like… this guide to professional development for personal trainers.
4 – How To Sell Personal Training
Selling is a crucial skill for personal trainers and this book will teach you how to do it. Unlike other sales books out there, it doesn’t preach sly or sleazy tactics. Instead, it offers an honest, down-to-earth approach that drives real results for fitness professionals.
The book walks you through the exact steps to finding profitable, long-term clients and earn a decent wage. It outlines how to develop your sales skills so that you can get more PT clients and boost your income.
It’s broken down into seven chapters that cover everything you need to know to sell personal training effectively…
- Why You ARE Cut Out For Selling (Even If You Think You Aren’t)
- Essential Selling Skills For The Ethical Fitness Pro
- Identifying Your Ideal Client
- Establishing A Client Base
- Networking & How To Approach People In The Gym
- Creating Effective Testimonials
- Closing The Sale & Handling Objections
Because it’s an ebook, it also includes practical templates, scripts, and worksheets too. This makes it easy for you to apply what you learn and put it into practice. We love that it comes with all these additional freebies which is why it’s our pick for one of the best personal training business books.
5 – The Business of Personal Training
‘The Business Of Personal Training’ is the first in a series by Andrea Oh. It’s all about how to become a successful personal trainer and we think it’s a great intro to running a self-employed PT business.
The book touches on all of the key topics you need to know, such as how to structure your business and generate revenue. it also talks about how to boost client loyalty which is something business books often miss (but is really important for success).
If you’re keen to build your own personal training business then we think this is one of the best books to read.
6 – The Power Of Habit
Building healthy habits is a key aspect of lifestyle change. So if you want to help your personal training clients become healthier, this book is well worth reading.
Personal training isn’t just about exercise. It’s about the coaching you give your clients to help them change their habits outside of the gym too. Charles Duhigg’s ‘The Power of Habit’ outlines why people do what they do and most importantly, how to change long-term behaviours.
If you want to help clients achieve their goals, then this book is a must-read.
7 – The Business of Personal Training: Marketing Strategies
This is the second book in ‘The Business Of Personal Training’ series. This one dives into marketing and how personal trainers can promote themselves effectively.
It includes a comprehensive list of marketing tactics that PTs can use. But it also covers strategic planning which is something other marketing books often miss.
Read our in-depth review here.
It was written a while back and digital marketing moves quickly, so some of the content is no longer as relevant. But it’s still a solid read and will teach you the fundamental principles needed for success.
8 – Essentials of Human Nutrition
This is one of the best nutrition books for personal trainers and fitness professionals. It was the textbook for the introductory module of my Human Nutrition masters degree, so you can be confident that it really does cover the essentials!
This book contains the latest scientific info on every aspect of food. It opens by looking at macronutrients like carbs, protein, and fat, then micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. The next few chapters then cover all of the key food groups, links between nutrition and disease, and nutritional needs at different life stages (like pregnancy and older adults).
There are really helpful sections dedicated to client assessment and sports nutrition which are really helpful for personal trainers. Having read a LOT of books on this topic, we’d rate this as one of the most informative and comprehensive nutrition books for personal trainers available.
If you buy just one book on nutrition, it should definitely be this one.
9 – The 4-Hour Work Week
Any reading list of business books wouldn’t be complete without this modern day classic. The 4-Hour Work Week is an inspirational read that’ll unleash your inner entrepreneur!
Tim Ferris outlines exactly how to build a lifestyle business that gives you the freedom to pursue your passions. The book teaches you how to create a business that works around your life instead of eating into every hour of your day.
Although it’s not strictly a personal training book, it’ll teach you a great deal about growing your own business. Plus, there’s plenty of practical info about identifying opportunities for automation and freeing up your time.
FREE Client Workout Templates
Enter your email address below to download professionally designed workout templates to impress personal training clients.
10 – To Sell Is Human
This book turns the traditional idea of sales on its head. Dan Pink uses scientific studies to present a new approach to selling, that’s based on honesty and transparency (instead of the usual sleazy stereotypes). We love this book because it proves that you don’t need to be ‘salesy’ to convince customers, and comes with loads of practical tips for real-world application.
What Are The Best Personal Training Books You’ve Read?
What are your favourite personal training books? Are there any others you think we should add to the list? Or have you written one that you’d like us to review?
We’re keen to ensure this list is always up-to-date and reflects the latest book releases. We’d love to hear your feedback on any great books you’ve read! Use our contact form to send us your book recommendations…
