Four books to get you in a fitness frame of mind

Celebrity Body on a Budget
By Cornel Chin
Price World Publishing, 215 pages 

As fitness consultant to Leonardo DiCaprio, Colin Firth and trainer of other Hollywood elite, Cornel Chin has insight and advice that could have you buff and starring in your own home movies before you know it. Based on the premise that there are three common body types that respond to exercise in a similar fashion – mesomorphs (muscular bodies), endomorphs (softer bodies) and ectomorphs (skinny bodies) – Chin clues us in to what training styles work best for which body type and what exercises will help you reach your fitness goals faster.

This celebrity trainer hands out fitness tips like a theatre concession sells popcorn: fast, furious and easy to grab, though the tips have significantly more substance than the popcorn. Chin tells how to incorporate the moves he prescribes for your body type in unique and entertaining ways and he follows it up with methods for getting the most exercise bang for your buck.

It is the effective, efficient and low-cost alternative fitness approaches that drive this book and Chin delivers in the form of easy-to-follow, structured workouts that depend on your body, not equipment. There are no fitness prerequisites to getting your celebrity body, as the book describes the physiology necessary to understand the workouts. Those workouts include something for all levels of fitness accompanied by advice on nutrition, food shopping and preparation. The book is big and broad so your fitness budget does not have to be. Two
Pecs up.

– Pete Estabrooks

Mountain Running in the Canadian Rockies
by Bob Walker

Edelweiss Books, 142 pages 

 What a breath of fresh air – a guide book written specifically for trail runners! This compact trail book understands the psyche of those of us who love to run in the mountains. It is neatly organized in a no-fuss manner with colour photos that inspire you to get out and find these hidden treasures.

This first edition describes more than 80 routes in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis, ranging from easy to technical, and from 2-kilometre jaunts to 85-kilometre epic adventures. It is a comprehensive guide to the best running in the area, including my entire top 10 list. The essentials are given clearly: distance, elevation, difficulty, time estimates, directions and route descriptions.

Times are accurate for a relatively fit trail runner, but do not include the photo stops, snack breaks, lake dips, and inevitable pauses on the trail to ogle our magnificent backyard. The maps, although handy, are approximate sketches and should be used alongside a GemTrek topographic map, especially if you are disappearing deep into the backcountry. The candid writing style of local runner Bob Walker adds enjoyment and credibility to the guide. It oozes his passion for the freedom of running in the mountains.  With the surge of interest in trail and ultra running, it is a timely addition to the resources out there. This little book makes you glad to be a trail runner living in the Canadian Rockies.

— Nicki Rehn

The Business of Marriage and Medals
by Jeff and Aly Pain
Self published, 185 pages

As sports books go, this one is unusual. This is not just about Jeff Pain’s Olympic path and career and how he got to the top in the world of skeleton racing. This book, co-written with his wife of 12 years, Aly, is about how they shared that path. Aly Pain is a life coach who specializes in human potential and building strong relationships.

A highly introspective woman passionate about personal growth, Aly’s voice as the other half of an Olympic athlete team is unique and enlightening. Jeff Pain is a three time Olympian who raced for Canada in the inaugural skeleton event in Salt Lake City, won silver in Torino in 2006, and competed at Whistler 2010. He is typical of many Canadian athletes, with a strong desire to be an Olympian at all costs coupled with sheer grit and ability.

“At all costs” for most Canadian athletes generally means forgoing the day job and financial security, scraping by on next to nothing while travelling the world chasing competitions and qualifying standards to feed a dream. To be an elite athlete is to think only of what is best for your goals. Jeff and Aly don’t gloss over how challenging this can be for the partners of Olympians. In this book, Jeff and Aly write in separate open and honest journal style entries, about how Jeff’s path almost cost them their marriage.

They highlight how mistakes made along the way became the catalyst for a better relationship.

— Lucy Smith

Youth Strength Training
By Avery Faigenbaum & Wayne Westcott
Human Kinetics, 235 pages

As someone who is responsible for designing training programs for thousands of young athletes, I am frequently asked what age a child should begin strength training and if it will impede their growth if they begin too young. Youth Strength Training explains the parameters behind making sure that training is safe, as well as outlining how youth training is beneficial both physiologically and psychologically. Like the authors of this book, I believe that strength training for young athletes is healthy and productive if done properly and with specific goals in mind.

The authors of Youth Strength Training have over 50 years’ experience in training young people and coaching athletes in all sports at any age. They support their suggestions and methods with research and studies. Noteworthy is that the foreword of the book is written by Dr. Lyle J. Micheli, director of sports medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston. He endorses the book and calls it both “safe and sensible.”

Youth Strength Training is a great resource for personal trainers and strength and conditioning professionals, but more importantly, for the general public and parents of young athletes. The book is easy to read and comprehend. The diagrams and exercise explanations are simple and clearly illustrated. The program design and exercise selection sections of the book are very basic, but they need to be, as most readers won’t have extensive backgrounds in kinesiology and anatomy.

This book is great for anybody with kids who are involved in strength training, or those looking to begin a specific training program.  It is also an excellent reference guide for trainers and strength coaches who lack experience working with youth.

— Sean Hope-Ross