I have a new resolution: I’m going to finish a book when I start it, and I’m only reading one at a time. I have a bad habit of skipping around, reading three books at a time and never finishing any of them. I have decided that if an author and editor have taken so much time and care to write a book, I will probably enjoy it a lot more if I read it in the order intended and planned out by the author. I’ll share with you what I’m reading so that you can track my obsessions and judge me from afar.

The book I’m reading now: Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe

I am almost finished with it and really enjoy it. I have learned more about weightlifting from this one book than all the other sources I’ve ever read or been exposed to. I had a great strength coach in high school who was great about programming and the basics of lifting, but didn’t really take the time to work through the nuances of each lift. I then got mired and overwhelmed by the half-bajillion programs that are in Muscle and Fitness, and unfortunately I just gave up on it. I didn’t want to be a bodybuilder, because those guys weren’t “tough” in my book. They were just big. I didn’t really know where else to look for actual strength training, so I gave up and got lazy for the next ten years or so.

When we found out Banu was pregnant with Sapphira, I decided then and there that I was going to get my ass back in gear and get in shape. Right around that time is when 300 came out, and I learned about “functional strength”, kettlebells and high-intensity-interval training. I was hooked. I’ve been working hard for two years now, and I feel a lot better. Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe is really helping me get dialed in on the major lifts and I love it.