You can’t beat a book for a great gift for the athlete in your life—and let’s be honest, it’s the best option for when you’ve left shopping until the last minute. As a complete bookworm, I consider books to be the most thoughtful present while still being inexpensive enough to gift even your most casual friends. So, we put together a few of our favorites for gifting this year… (I admit, I did include a few of mine, but not as a shameless plug or self-promotion, I just genuinely think that they make great gifts for specific athletes in your life!)
Becoming A Consummate Athlete: For the athlete who needs a little help with the habits in and around their training, or the athlete who already owns every darn training manual. This book is meant to be a great companion for any training program!
Running with Sherman by Chris McDougall: Great for someone who loved Born to Run, or an animal lover who you’re hoping to inspire to get into running.
The Athlete’s Guide to Sponsorship: Great for a newer/younger athlete who wants to take their athletic career to the next level… Or if you have a young teenager in your life and are trying to convince them to put together a decent resume, clean up their social media, etc…. well, this book helps with that in a subtle way! (One reviewer: “Great book! Easy to read and extremely informative for any athlete trying to get sponsored or take charge of their own programs.”)
The Uphill Athlete by Steve House: A good training book that covers many principles that we really believe in at The Consummate Athlete. It’s directed at climbers, alpinists but the theories of training are widely applicable
Fast after 50 by Joe Friel is a favorite that Peter regularly gives to clients and friends after they hit that milestone. (And listen to Joe on the podcast!)
Movement Matters by Katy Bowman is a favorite of ours! She was on podcast a few years ago and is one of Peter’s favorite episodes. And this is a great book for a non-athlete.
Little Black Book of Training Wisdom by Dan Cleather: Dan was recently on the podcast and his “Little Black Book of Training Wisdom” is a very good, conscience review of training theory that could be applied at any age and to any sport
Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.: Quick-Fix Recipes for Hangry Athletes I LOVE the simple recipes in here, as do all of the really busy moms that I know
The Cycling Chef is a gorgeous coffee table cookbook with fancier but still doable recipes. This is a great one for cyclists with a very Rapha aesthetic (you know what I mean!)
The Brave Athlete get started with sports psych with tons of helpful worksheets and a really easy style of writing from the awesome authors that makes sports psych and the science behind how our brains work actually fun to read!
Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence sort of a sports psych ‘lite’ for someone interested in it but looking for an easier entrance point
The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance: Every woman should read this, but especially great for a newer female athlete trying to find her footing in sport.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World: fabulous for a consummate athlete!
Saddle, Sore: Ride Comfortable, Ride Happy: For new cyclists, this simple guide breaks down all the awkward, uncomfortable topics that you don’t want to get into, like not wearing underwear under bike shorts, or if you should use pad or tampon (and MUCH more.)
Shred Girls: Lindsay’s Joyride and Ali’s Rocky Ride by Molly Hurford: For middle-grade + young adult athletes (or girls who you’re hoping to get excited about sport!), this series is a fun way to introduce riding.
Consider gifting a magazine subscription to help keep the world of magazines thriving! I gift at least one of these almost every year to the cyclists and runners I know, and it’s awesome because they come a few times a year, so your gift-ee is always reminded that you’re a great friend. There are a bunch of great options out there, and here are a few we really enjoy (+ occasionally write for):
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