The Best Insights From All the Books I Read in 2019

The Modern Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding- Arnold Schwarzenegger with Bill Dobbins

I picked this book up two and a half years into my weight training journey. I wish I had found it on Day 1.

I learned more from reading this huge book over one weekend than I learned in years of reading fitness blogs and magazines. I believe I would be closer to my body goals if I would have come across this sooner. If you are into fitness and building muscle, I hope this review inspires you to get this book today, and start taking action to have the body you want. It costs less than $30 on Amazon. I can honestly say I would have paid ten times that for the information I learned.

This book lives up to the title of “Encyclopedia”. It is an EXHAUSTIVE manual on bodybuilding history, as well as every aspect building muscle: anatomy, body mechanics, training routines, nutrition, cardio, and developing a winning mindset. I found better and more informative answers to dozens of questions I’d searched on Google over the years.

There are engaging photos on hundreds of exercises for developing every part . The authors talk about rep ranges, time under tension, training styles, and much more. The information on nutrition is limited, but informative on the basics. His takes on the inner game of bodybuilding are the best part.

The Modern Encyclopedia is the complete book on bodybuilding. Everything I’ve ever read on any other bodybuilding website comes exactly from this work, sometimes word for word. The Modern Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding is the only book you will ever need on how to build muscle and change your body, with plenty of background on the sport, and impactful motivation as a bonus.

“You must have a sincere and burning desire to achieve what you dream, dedicate yourself to making progress, and take control of your circumstances”

“Building muscle builds you up in every part of your life. What you learn here will affect everything else that you do in your life. As you witness the fruits of your labor, your self-worth and self-confidence improve, and these traits will color your work and interpersonal relationships.”

“I know I can succeed in anything I choose, and I know this because I understand what it takes to sacrifice, struggle, persist, and eventually overcome an obstacle.”

Best Dog Hikes in Utah

Not Caring What Other People Think Is A Superpower- Ed Latimore

Ed Latimore is an author and Twitter influencer who writes about personal development and self-improvement, especially in the realm of self-discipline.

He’s unique in that he was raised in the poor ghettos of the American inner cities. He’s self made into a boxer, chess player, military veteran, and author. His unique voice brings a thoughtful approach to topics like stoicism, emotional control, and masculinity: a solid book that I enjoyed immensely.

“The most underrated ability is the ability to work your ass off.”

“When a situation is going well, practice gratitude and remember how bad life can be otherwise. When a situation is going badly, remember how good life has been before. Know whatever you’re feeling, it will pass.”

“When a person commits a wrong against you, remember they aren’t specifically targeting you. Rather, they are self-centered and nothing else matters. People are often accused of cruelty when they are only guilty of extreme selfishness.”

The Complex PTSD Workbook

The Ultimate Guide to NLP- Richard Bandler with Alessio Roberti & Owen Fitzpatrick

The first of three NLP books I read this year. I was initially exposed to some of the concepts like being in charge of your emotional state, through the work of Tony Robbins.

I highlighted and underlined the hell out of this book.

The key takeaway is that you can and should be in control of your emotions, and presents several beginner techniques to do that. This book focuses on using NLP inside your own head. It’s an excellent compliment to the other NLP book I read this year that I highly recommend, NLP: The Essential Guide, which focuses on using NLP to create rapport and communicate effectively with other people.

“…there’s no such thing as a “people person”. What can help is to learn to feel comfortable around others and become better at communicating with them.”

“You have to realize that you can create any state you want, whenever you want. You can learn to look at the same piece of personal history in a different way.”

“People take rejection too personally. …when someone rejects you, it’s not because they planned on being specifically mean to you. It’s really just information about the fact that there is something you are not doing yet, or something you are doing and should stop doing. And either way, the best response is determination and flexibility.”

NLP The Essential Guide- Richard Bandler

This book changed my life, both internally in how I relate to the world, and how I relate to others. Neurolinguistic programming is, as Bandler says, “a funny name for an essential function of life: understanding and managing your own mind”. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have more control over their emotional states, and have better relationships through having a better understanding of other people.

“Behind every behavior is a positive intention… No matter how weird or inappropriate it may seem, for that person there is an inner logic that makes sense.”

“We all live inside our self-created minds.

“The real author of our feelings is the meaning we make out of whatever caught our attention.”

“First of all, changing yourself is within your control. Second, when you change any variable in an equation, the results change. As you change yourself, you’ll notice how- without a word- people around you shift in response.”

NLP: The New Science of Achievement- Andreas/ Faulkner

This is a good book, but not a great one, in my opinion.

The other two NLP books I read this year contained actionable insights and life changing ideas. This is a decent book on the topic, but not a must read. There’s some solid insights, but was underwhelming compared to the other works I list here. I would have fathered spend the time reading another NLP over.

“Pain is a sign that it’s time to change.”

“Using your imagination can help you envision the whole of your life. Envisioning the big picture of your life will help you develop a plan, a mission, to live that life fully.”

Message to the Blackman in America- Elijah Muhammad

I used to be really interested in Black American history and political movements.

I’m still fascinated by the story of people of African descent in the US, but I now focus on finding commonalities with all types of people. I still enjoyed this book and found it captivating. It was written in the 1950s during segregation. It has actionable and important tips for Black men living under the oppressive, isolating system.

I don’t agree with racial prejudice of any kind, but this is an important book I still think all Black people living in white majority countries should read.

“He teaches race solidarity and unity. He preaches that the number one motto of black people everywhere must be ‘all for one and one for all’”

“Observe the operations of the white man. He is successful. He makes no excuses for his failures. He works hard in a collective manner. You do the same.”

Flow- Mihaly Csikszentmihaly

I highlighted huge chunks of this book, wearing out two highlighters during my reading of it.

There are a handful of weird parts where the author makes weirdly racist statements, for example, saying “even ghetto children can be taught to write poetry”, and similar statements that caused me to raise my eyebrows. In the US, “ghettoes” are populated by people who are Black and poor. Why does he think Black children wouldn’t be able to learn to write poems?

Other than that, this a truly excellent book. Everyone who is interested in learning how their mind works should read it immediately.

“While happiness is sought for it’s own sake, every other goal- health, beauty, money, or power- is valued only because we expect that it will make us happy.”

Sales Success- Brian Tracy

This is a book about excelling in sales, but it’s actionable for any career. This is the first book of Brian Tracy’s I ever read. I became a devoted fan due to the wisdom he provides here.

“Everyone is in sales, no matter what you do. Your entire life is a continuous process of communicating, persuading, and influencing other people. The only question is, how good are you in these areas?”

“Listening builds trust”

“Your strengths have brought you to where you are today, but your weaknesses are now holding you back from progressing further and faster.”

How To Be A 3% Man- Corey Wayne

This seminal book is the “How to Win Friends and Influence People” of dating and relationship skills. I say that because it’s full of timeless, solid basics that will work in any relationship with any woman. One hundred years from now, his simple advice (make eye contact and wait for a smile to indicate that a woman is interested, be direct and ask for a date on the spot, walk away if she offers “just friends”) will work to help men be successful with women.

The problem is that we grew up watching sappy romantic comedies, where the sensitive, weakling underdog pines after a woman for years, culminating in a big romantic gesture, where she then jumps into his arms, and they live happily ever after. In the real world, that type of behavior gets you rejected every time. Hesitating and being wimpy with women will get you friend zoned at best, labeled a stalker at worst.

Corey Wayne’s book does the work of deprogramming guys from the lies and propaganda in all the movies we watched. We can all see with our own eyes that guys who are successful with women do not act that way. How to Be A 3% Man shows you the simple ways to create attraction, engage women emotionally, keep them interested, and be successful in a long term relationship. Most books on the topic don’t cover how to behave in relationships after the initial dating stage, where the woman expects you to show up differently.

I used the advice in the book to get a girlfriend, then promptly pissed her off because I didn’t switch from attraction skills (being cocky but funny, keeping conversations light, etc) to relationship skills (being emotionally supportive). I didn’t understand the difference between the two. If you’re a man who dates women, I highly recommend that you read this book, and more than once. Learn from my mistakes and don’t skip over the relationship aspect, like I did.

“Most men talk women right out of dating and sleeping with them.”

“It simply will not feel right to a woman if you chase her.”

“The quickest way to get someone to like you is to ask them questions about themselves and be a good listener. Ask questions they would ENJOY answering.”

“When women like you, they help you.”

“Men who understand women don’t argue with women.”

“The woman should be doing 70- 80% of the talking. Ask questions and shut up.”

Eat That Frog- Brian Tracy

An awesome book full of actionable tips on how to achieve success. Brian Tracy is an engaging author who can get you fired up by presenting the basics in a straight forward way. It’s the fundamentals of self-development with a focus on excelling in career, but never feels trite or cheesy.

I enjoy Brian Tracy’s books immensely and read anything of his that I can get my hands on.

“Just find out what other successful people do and do the same things until you get the same results. Learn from the experts.”

“…successful, happy, prosperous people use their time far, far better than the average person.”

“Dedicate yourself to becoming one of the most competent and knowledgeable people in your field.”

“The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than expected of you, no matter what the circumstances.” -OG Mandino (quoted by Brian Tracy)

Animal Liberation- Peter Singer

“We tried to explain that we were interested in the prevention of suffering and misery; that we were opposed to arbitrary discrimination; that we thought it wrong to inflict needless suffering on another being, even if that being were not a member of our own species; and that we believed that animals were ruthlessly and cruelly exploited by humans, and we wanted this changed.”

“A liberation movement demands an expansion of our own moral horizons. Practices that were previously regarded as natural and inevitable come to be seen as the result of an unjustifiable prejudice.”

“I ask you to recognize that your attitudes to members of other species are a form of prejudice no less objectionable than prejudice about a person’s race or sex.”

Attraction Is Not A Choice- David DeAngelo

I consider this a fundamental book on the subject of attracting and seducing women. Even if you’re already in a relationship, it’s important to understand how women think, which is often so divergent from logic that it seems irrational. It’s not, it’s simply based on emotions.

DeAngelo speaks frankly about the driving factors in female attraction, how to create it, and ways to show up as a guy to keep it sustained. The book focuses on attraction, but also contains valuable insights on motivating yourself to become the best you can be, a common theme in the genre today. On the topic of self-improvement, DeAngelo writes, “People who make the decision to become exceptional and then go do what it takes to be exceptional aren’t affected by averages” and “It’s time to value success ans stop caring about failures, since they don’t actually hurt us anyway.”

I highlighted so much from this book that I could type the whole thing out here. A must read for any man that deals with women romantically.

“The question isn’t- What do women want?, but -What do women RESPOND to?”

“If you meet a woman and interact with her long enough for her to form an initial impression of you, and she feels no attraction for you, then THERE’S BASICALLY NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! No amount of kicking, screaming, calling, trying, buying her things, or taking her out will do a damn thing about it.”

“Women are attracted to a special combination of confidence, humor, and personality.”

“It’s up to you to make the phrase, ‘Life isn’t fair’ into a positive or negative thing.”

“Emotions are contagious.”

“To keep yourself valued and attractive, keep yourself rare.”

“Demand one hot girl… and once you get her, the others also become easier to get.”