Top 10 Gift Books for Exercisers and Athletes

1. Sports Injury Handbook : Professional Advice for Amateur Athletes

A must have for athletes, exercisers and weekend warriors. Eveything you need to know about sports injury, symptoms, first aid prevention and rehabilitation. Highly recommended for those who want to understand what they can do about exercise aches and pains.

2. The Sports Medicine Bible

A clear sports injury and fitness reference book that provides the latest techniques for sport injury management and prevention. The author writes directly to serious recreational athletes and provides clear, concise information about how to prevent injury with flexibility training and strengthening, and how to quickly return to sports after an injury that often change the way sports medicine has been practiced in the past.

You'll also learn about: sports nutrition, female-specific injuries, designing workouts for your sport, flexibility and strength, and training equipment. This is a great resource for every athlete.

3. The Runner's Handbook

It's the best selling running training guide for a reason - it provides excellent, practical information for runnings. Author Bob Glover provides beginners and intermediates with the knowledge they need to get started and stay in shape through running. From the very first steps out the door to competing a marathon the book holds your hand the entire trip.

4. Acsm's Resources for The Personal Trainer

Whether you are a personal trainer or want to know how to design a safe and effective training routine, this ACSM reference manual has all the details. This book is used to prep for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer exam, so it provides all the information needed about fitness program design fro; the start: fitness assessments, exercise prescription, fitness class leadership, anatomy and physiology review, injury prevention, sports psychology tips, injury management and first aid for trainers.

5. Nutrition for Serious Athletes

Dan Benardot, PhD, RD, LD. explains proper nutrition, hydration, supplements, meal timing, good diets vs. bad diets, and sport specific diets in a clear, precise manner. The great part of the book is a terrific index of meal plans, and nutritional values of foods.

6. Fodor's Great American Sports and Adventure Vacations

Perfect for the adventure athlete on your list, Fodor's Great American Sports and Adventure Vacations lists over 500 organized trips and schools supporting active travel and sports training vacations. Expert opinions preovided that compare schools, outfitters, and trips for everything from canoeing and rafting to skydiving, golf, and wilderness survival.

7. Performing in Extreme Environments

A wonderful reference guide for athletes who perform in extreme conditions. The book details the physiological effects of extreme environmental conditions, and then offers plans for changing training patterns, eating habits, fluid intake, clothing, and medications, to accommodate these conditions.

8. Getting Stronger

If you want to understand the basics of weight training for general fitness and sports performance this book covers it all. Including detailed instructions and illustrations as well as information about equipment, injury rehab and programs for specific exercise equipment.

9. The Art of Sport: The Best of Reuters Sports Photography

The Art of Sport is the perfect coffee table book for any sports enthusiast. This collection of sports photos taken by Reuters photographers is stunning and inspirational. In addition to seeing great shots you get the inside scoop on the story behind the photo. Photographers explain how they came to witness these events and how they managed to document them.

10. Applied Sport Psychology

A comprehensive and practical guide written to help coaches and sport psychologists develop peak performance in their athletes by using the latest advances in sport psychology. Divided into separate sections for motivation and leadership, communication, mental training, program implementation, and current issues.