There’s no shortage of weightlifting books out there. Some are brilliant, others are glorified PDFs with a nice cover. I’ve gone through a bunch over the years — from textbooks of the Soviet system to the wild autobiographies to the mindset books that help you stop overthinking before a big lift. Whether you’re a lifter, a coach, or just a nerd about the sport, this list has something worth adding to your shelf.
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Technique, Programming & Coaching
1. Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches – Greg Everett
One of the best all-around guides for anyone serious about weightlifting. If you coach, this is essential. If you lift, this will help you understand the “why” behind good technique.
2. Chinese Weightlifting: A Visual Guide to Technique – Manuel Buitrago PhD
Get a peak behind the curtain to learn what Chinese coaches see using visual examples of correct and incorrect techniques. You’ll find cues, tips, and training suggestions as well as a breakdown of technical errors weightlifters make, often without realizing.
3. Olympic Weightlifting for Sports – Greg Everett
If you write what many call the best Olympic Weightlifting book, you may as well follow it up another one. This book however focuses on athletes and coaches outside of the competitive weightlifting world to present a method of teaching the Olympic lifts and their variants simply, safely and effectively to all types of athletes.
4. Coaching Weightlifting Illustrated – Lionel Isaac
One of my favourite weightlifting books on the coaching of new lifters. If you’re an athlete, this book provides a pathway on how to train effectively, manage your recovery, and avoid the common pitfalls that frustrate so many athletes. If you’re a coach, this book allows you to understand Olympic Weightlifting from the principles in coaching, skill learning, biomechanics, analysis and error correction. A beginner learning plan is included and all exercises and skill drills are illustrated and thoroughly described in terms of teaching methodology and coaching objectives.
5. American Weightlifting – Glenn Pendlay
The late Glenn Pendlay was known for producing some of the USA’s finest lifters in his time. This book contains explanations of his method for teaching snatch and clean and jerk technique, along with programming for beginner, intermediate, and advanced weightlifters.
6. Weightlifting Movement Assessment & Optimization – Quinn Henoch
A fantastic book that finally addresses mobility and stability specifically for Olympic weightlifting by a qualified professional experienced in the sport.
7. Olympic Weightlifting: Cues & Corrections – Daniel Camargo
A great book to have on hand for new coaches. Camargo provides clear, simple strategies for recognizing and correcting the most common technical errors in the Olympic lifts.
8. Triphasic Training – Cal Dietz
Not for beginners, but amazing for coaches or athletes wanting to understand power development. Huge influence on high-level strength and conditioning.
9. DOMINATE: They Can’t Ignore You – Clance Laylor
Clance Laylor is one of Canada’s best strength coaches. In this book he shares his 30+ years of research, development, data-driven science, and field experience in building dominant athletes.
10. Explosive Lifting for Sports – Harvey Newton
One of the earlier American books trying to explain weightlifting movements for athletic performance. Still useful for coaches in multi-sport environments.
11. Rebuilding Milo: A Lifter’s Guide to Fixing Common Injuries and Building a Strong Foundation for Enhancing Performance – Dr. Aaron Horschig
Ever deal with nagging pain or mobility issues? In Rebuilding Milo Dr. Horschig breaks down the most common lifting injuries by body part and gives you actionable assessments and fixes — no fluff, just tools that actually help you lift better and stay healthy. Every coach should have this on the shelf.
12. The Squat Bible – Dr. Aaron Horschig
Great breakdown of squat mechanics, mobility, and common dysfunctions. A must-read if you’re coaching beginners or trying to troubleshoot movement.
13. Weightlifting: Strength and Velocity – Jim Napier
This one is for the nerds, especially if you’re into the physics behind lifting. Napier breaks down why Olympic weightlifting is more about bar speed and timing than just raw strength, and shows how to apply those concepts to squats, pulls, and assistance work. Quite technical, but if you’re a coach or an athlete who likes digging into the deep stuff, this one is for you.
Sport Psychology & Mental Toughness
14. With Winning in Mind – Lanny Bassham
The mental game matters. This book is great for athletes who crumble under pressure or coaches trying to build resilience in their team.
15. The Inner Game of Tennis – W. Timothy Gallwey
Yes, the title is about tennis, but this book is more about focus, trust, and letting your training take over on game day. An easy-to-read game changer.
16. Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life – Mike Krzyzewski
Another non-weightlifting book, but it’s one of the best coaching books out there. Coach K shares powerful lessons on leadership, communication, and building a values-driven culture — all of which translate directly to the gym, especially if you’re leading a team or growing a club.
17. The Language of Coaching – Nicklaas C. Winkelman
More for coaches: understanding communication styles, athlete psychology, and how to actually reach people. Invaluable if you’re running group sessions.
Biographies & Lifter Stories
18. The Sport Is Steroids: One Athlete’s Quest to Set World Records and Win – Pat Mendes
If you followed Pat back in the early YouTube days, you know the rise and fall was wild. This is his story, raw and unfiltered.
19. The White Prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s Secret Story – Ognian Georgiev
Olympic gold, international drug bust, Bulgarian politics — this one reads like fiction but it’s real life.
20. The Greatest Weightlifters of All Time Volume One – Seb Ostrowicz
Weightlifting House’s Seb Ostrowicz has put together covering in great depth the lives, careers, and greatest performances of the 70 greatest male weightlifters of all time.
