Recommended Reading: Michael Matthews' The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation

Michael Matthews' Bigger Leaner Stronger and The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation are soon to be added to my "Recommended Books" section. Mike is a great author who has been part of the fitness space since his release of Bigger Leaner Stronger in January 2012. His community has grown exponentially since then but his approach has been the same - using scientific evidence to make building muscle and losing fat as clear and easy as possible. The Little Black Book is much more than just fitness related, but for anybody looking to improve their life. At the end of each chapter, he gives you exercises to do with advice that assists you in finding what motivates you, setting your goals using Warren Buffet's "2 List Strategy", and giving you the discipline to stick to them.

You might be asking what a fitness expert knows about success... Well, his success from his books has lead him to where his is now, being the CEO of an 8-figure company, Legion Athletics, where him and his team have thousands of articles as well as a fitness and nutrition, a coaching  program, and supplements backed by scientific research. Mike is a hard worker who is dedicated to making a positive impact on the fitness industry, going against those who promise to have the "one thing you've been missing" to lose that weight or gain that muscle.

Mike has affected thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives through his work and in The Little Black Book, he shares some of the biggest impacts he's made over the years. This book is not only full of great advice, but also has bits of motivation for you to look back to when you find yourself in a slump.

Here is some of that advice:

•  “There may always be another level - but striving to reach the top is the most rewarding adventure life has to offer.” (p. 24)
• “No matter what you’re facing in life, you have two choices: you can put in the work or get put in your place.” (p. 37)
• ​“The willingness to sacrifice immediate gratification for future rewards is highly correlated with the ability to create a better life.” (p. 53)
• “The hard part is taking the stars out of our eyes and considering how much pain we’re willing to endure to get these things.” (p.93)
• ​“You have to give yourself wholly to something to achieve anything worth having.” (p. 150)
• “There’s nothing that can’t be overcome with enough perseverance.” (p. 164)

I highly suggest The Little Black Book for anyone... Really anyone that does not already have their goals laid out and their life completely in order. This book has some great practical advice on living a happier life by giving you the motivation to get stuff done that will lead to you reaching your goals that you've only dreamt about. 

Click this link to check it out on Amazon.