Relentless
Relentless by Tim Grover is a book about the mentality of those who are unstoppable in their pursuit of perfection.
Tim Grover is a sports psychologist who primarily works with NBA players, most notably, Kobe, Dwayne Wade, and Michael Jordan throughout their careers. Grover is a no-nonsense coach who won’t bust his ass for anyone who isn’t willing to put in the work themselves. He believes there are different levels of athletes and people in general which he refers to as Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners. It is only the Cleaner mentality that Grover sees as being Relentless enough to achieve their dreams. People can hone their ability to become Cleaners but it is also a deeply innate characteristic. Just like with Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset, some people start out with the right mindset for success and others need to put more work into getting there.
Relentless is a list of rules about the mentality of a Cleaner and how they operate which is interestingly all labelled as #1 because Grover believes that all of the aspects are equal in their importance and should not be ranked.
The book contains many great stories about the lives and mentality of Jordan, Kobe, and Wade while they were in their prime as well as contains much actionable advice about how to transform yourself into a Cleaner who is relentless in the pursuit of their goals.
The Purposeful Primitive
The Purposeful Primitive - Mary Gallagher
The Purposeful Primitive is without a doubt the best book on physical training I have ever read.
This book is logically subdivided into sections on training, mindset, cardio, and nutrition.
For each section of the book, there are case studies of the “Primitives” who embody the principles of the book, sections on applying the information for yourself, and essays on the subject - which Marty is a master of writing both entertainingly and informative.
This book details the training and lives of many of the legends in strength and powerlifting, including the training programs of Paul Anderson, Kirk Karwoski, Ken Fantano, and Ed Coan just to name a few. Marty also included detailed sections of the diets aligned with his Purposeful Primitive ways including the Parillo method and Ori Hofmekler’s Warrior Diet.
Any book that goes into depth on the psychological aspects of training gets bonus points in my book and Marty certainly delivered in that sense. This book has the most detailed and useful section on mindset and applying various techniques that I’ve read - even compared to books solely on mindset.
If you have even the slightest inkling of a passion for training, you will love this book, and I suggest you buy a hard copy as you will want to endlessly flip back to different sections of this book. The stories that Marty has from his decades of training and coaching will also have you falling off your chair laughing.
Life Value 5/5
Entertainment Value 5/5
Grounded In Gratitude
Grounded In Gratitude - Josh Bryant & Adam benShea
“A longing in the abstract is a dream. However, a dream with a timeline is a goal.”
Life Value 5/5
Entertainment Value 3/5
Grounded in Gratitude by Josh Bryant is a book on building from what you already have in your life to where you ultimately want to be through gratitude practices.
This brief book focuses on a few important practices that can be used to turn dreams into objective goals that can be achieved. These practices include affirmations, reframing yourself with a growth mindset, and writing.
Writing is the main emphasis of Grounded in Gratitude because it can powerfully turn your goals from fleeting thoughts into attainable ideas. By writing your goals down you bridge the gap and synergistically blend the power of the right brain and the left brain. This act of writing down your goals also allows your subconscious mind to pick up on more opportunities through priming.
There are plenty more specific actions that can be taken throughout this book and it contains a seven-week process for completely revamping your life.
The Warrior Ethos
The Warrior Ethos - Stephen Pressfield
Life Value: 4/5
Entertainment Value: 5/5
The Warrior Ethos is a brief and entertaining read about the code that populations like the Spartans lived by. If you loved the movie 300 and want to hear more about the real lives of the Spartans, this is a great read.
The Warrior Ethos is a strict moral code of the rules that dictate the lives of warrior tribes. In writing this, Pressfield draws the parallel to all humans and the values that can be extracted from warriors to live a better life. This includes taking the values that the warriors applied to fighting war and turning the fight inward to direct it to become mentally stronger and more balanced.
Who's this book for:
- Anyone who loved the movie 300
- Mind flayers looking to forge an unbeatable mind
- People interested in the history of warrior tribes
Who's this book not for:
- If you're looking for a long and intricate book this one won't satisfy that urge as it's short and to the point.
Mind Gym
Mind Gym - Gary Mack
“Show me a guy who is afraid of looking bad and I can beat him every time”
Rating: 5/5
Mind Gym by Gary Mack is the ultimate guide to sports psychology and mastering the inner game with sports. Gary Mack was a big-time sports psychologist who had worked with athletes in a wide range of professional leagues. This is the type of book you can’t fully appreciate until you start to apply the information in the book to yourself.
The writing style in this book is very blunt. Each chapter serves its purpose with a couple of quotes from athletes and then an example of how the practice is applied or a case study of how an athlete has used that principle. There are no excess words or rambling sentences to lose the point over, which is great because each principle can be read over in a few minutes and then used for yourself.
Athletes dedicated to maximizing their performance and matching their inner excellence to performance on their field of choice will appreciate this book and find value in it. Sports psychology isn’t a brand new revelation so many of the topics may be recognizable to the experienced athletes reading this book but it is still a great book and reference to carry with you as an athlete.