The 12 Best Strength & Conditioning training books for Martial Artists

When it comes to training martial arts, skills and techniques are obviously important. However, these can always be improved upon with the aid of strength and conditioning. Generally, this term encompasses a multitude of areas such as strength, speed, cardio, flexibility, endurance, recovery, injury prevention, and conditioning.

As a result, whether you’re a professional or a hobbyist, it’s good to develop a strong strength and conditioning routine. The reason for this is that in doing so, you will become a better fighter and also reduce injuries. Furthermore, even if you quit training, a good regime will aid you into your elderly years.

One of the best ways to learn and create a good exercise routine is by reading the correct resources. Below, we have mentioned a number of books that are great in helping your body. These have been selected based on price, illustrations, clarity, and depth. So, if you’re looking to improve your martial arts training with strength and conditioning then read on for more information.

Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett

Perhaps the most famous book in the strength and conditioning community is Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett. As you can imagine, this book is thought highly by many that come across it, including dedicated professionals.

What’s more, this book is also suited for casual trainers who want to improve their body. What helps is that it’s also written for regular people so it’s not filled with too much jargon. Put another way, if you follow the directions of this book then you will improve your body, it’s that good.

The Squat Bible by Dr. Aaron Horschig

As the title suggests, this book is based on squats. The idea of this book isn’t to simply get people better at squats though, it’s to use squatting to improve your general performance. In short, Horschig argues that by correctly squatting, you can get faster, stronger and more flexible.

Imagine grappling and having to lower your level with a slow squat. Of course, this wouldn’t be ideal, but through the methods taught in this book you can get better at most athletic movements simply by squatting. This is great if you’re a martial artist for obvious reasons.

Built from Broken by Scott Hogan

If you train a martial art seriously, then there’s a good chance you’ll pick up injuries. Sometimes these are small, but sometimes they can be chronic too. In this book, Hogan goes through methods that show you how to heal your body, but also prevent injuries too.

This includes stuff like stretches and basic strength and conditioning exercises too. If you follow this book correctly, it should lead to a longer, healthier life – both when it comes to training martial arts and wider life in general.

Functional Training and Beyond by Adam Sinicki

Functional Training and Beyond is a great read if you’re into calisthenics, workouts involving kettlebells and similar training methods. In other words, it’s meant for those who want to build more durable and stronger bodies.

Whilst packing on muscle is great, it’s not so effective if you’re trying to be the strongest person in your weight category if you compete in disciplines such as Judo, BJJ, or boxing. This is where this book comes into its own. At nearly 400 pages in length, it’s pretty in-depth too without threatening to be dry or boring.

Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews

This book is designed for those who want to quickly and effectively improve their body. This means literally getting bigger, leaner, and stronger. Further, it also promises to do this within a few months. Although this may sound a bit corny or unrealistic – it’s actually proven and this book is an international best seller.

It also goes into depth about diet which some other books disregard at times. Because of this, it also serves as a great manual for those who want to improve their diet to suit a martial arts lifestyle.

Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Veladier

If you’re looking for a unique way to approach strength training, then this book is ideal. Basically, author Veladier uses a number of well-illustrated drawings to literally show you how to work out. This is perfect in not just working out, but also showing you why things work. It’s also got over 600 illustrations too so it has every area of the body covered.

By understanding this theory, you can work out more efficiently and see better results. As you’d expect, it also has some pretty in-depth analysis too which accompanies these drawings. In martial arts, strength is key so why not get as strong as you possibly can through these methods?

Speed Training for Combat by J Barnes

By far, one of the biggest issues any martial artist will face is speed. Simply put, if you’re too slow at kicks and punches – you will struggle when it comes to sparring. This is where this book comes into its own.

Here, it offers various exercises that are tailor made to improve your speed when fighting. This includes hand eye co-ordination drills, reflex and reaction drills, and getting faster feet. If you do these consistently, you will become quicker which is what it’s all about.

The Combat Sports Strength and Conditioning Manual by Will Morrill

Overall, this book does a good job of separating fact and fiction when it comes to strength and conditioning. Unlike some books, it’s not just generic strength and conditioning either. Instead, it’s specifically aimed at combat sports practitioners.

For instance, one area of this book is based on developing neck strength which is really important for all martial artists. It also looks at areas such as diet, workout regimes, and how to improve your cardio. For athletes seeking a competitive edge, check this out.

Strength Training Nutrition 101 by Marc Mclean

What’s great about this book is that it cuts out the nonsense. In short, it’s based on clean, healthy eating to supplement your strength and conditioning training. Put another way, it doesn’t advertise dodgy diet pills or bogus supplements but instead uses a natural approach.

The point is, if you’re training then you’ll want to give yourself the best nutrition possible. Imagine wrestling and you have low energy due to a poor diet, it just wouldn’t work. However, if you eat healthily then you give yourself a better chance of success by fueling your body correctly. This is what Strength Training Nutrition 101 is great at.

Strength Training Exercises by Oscar Moran

This book literally offers a variety of training exercises to improve your strength. Many of these routines include dumbells and lifting which is good if that’s what you’re into. It also comes with a digital app with over 300 online videos showing the correct form. Therefore, if you’re tech savy then this may appeal to you.

It also comes with lots of descriptions as well as explanations which will further enhance your knowledge of strength training. By applying this to martial arts, it will help build your body into a machine.

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning by Gregory Haff

If you want to improve your strength and conditioning for martial arts then this book is a great start. It’s developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (yes, that is legitimately a thing!) and has lots of up to date research.

It should also be noted that this book is great for those who are a bit nerdy and really want to delve deeply into the science. With this said, it’s still readable if you’re a regular person, but for those who want to really learn the intricate details of strength and conditioning, this book is perfect.

Training for Warriors by Martin Rooney

As the front cover shows, this book is heavily geared for those that are into MMA. It also promises an 8 week course which can transform your body. This also features a section on weight cutting which may be useful for those planning on competing in MMA or similar martial arts competitions.

As well, it’s supplemented by over 720 color pictures which is good if you’re someone that learns visually. You’d be right to expect that this book covers practically every martial art going, from grappling to striking and everything between.