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In our current era of Internet trainers and Instagram fitness celebrities, legit trainers are few and far between.

Having met Mike and visited his training facility back in 2014, I know he's the real deal.

I must have read the original Functional Training for Sports cover to cover at least four times, and would say it's among the resources that have influenced my coaching practices the most.

So you can imagine how stoked I was to learn that an updated version of it was available 13 years after the first edition.

New Functional Training for Sports details the current training methods, progressions and regressions used at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, one of the top gyms in America - and it's without a doubt one of the best strength training books I've read all year.

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Ok, so I'm cheating here a bit.

I've read Never Gymless a few times over the years, so it's not exactly a new find.

Why am I including it on this list then?

Because without a doubt, it's one of the few quality bodyweight training resources available that focuses on building athletic strength and performance instead of strictly gymnastics strength.

(Nothing wrong with the latter but team sports and gymnastics training don't mix well together from a time standpoint)

Plus, you can't miss the passion for training that is evident in Ross' writing.

What's even more impressive is that he can demonstrate all the advanced exercises in the book - one-arm chin-ups, behind-the-back clapping push-ups, just to name a couple.

Many fitness writers can't do that, so they hire fitness models or athletes to demo exercises.

So props, Ross. You deserve to be on this list.

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High-Performance Training for Sports is a bit of an oddity - a textbook that contains a wealth of practical information along with the usual training theory.

(I say it's an oddity because this hardly is the case in strength and conditioning literature)

Various coaches and researchers - such as G. Gregory Haff, Derek Hansen and Joel Jamieson (of Ultimate MMA Conditioning fame) have contributed to the book.

Topics covered range from warm-ups and strength training to agility, jumping, energy systems development, and building youth athletes.

Very informative read and lots of applicable information.

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You'd think that in 2016, off-ice training would be a priority at elite junior and pro levels.

Not so.

The hockey training world, by and large, has ZERO clue how to train for improved strength, health, and performance.

(It would require its own article to point out everything that is so blatantly wrong with off-ice training methods today)

I see it with my own eyes every day working with hockey players, and trust me...

It's not a pretty picture.

In Total Hockey Training, current Minnesota Wild strength & conditioning coach Sean Skahan does a solid job in laying out training practices for year-round hockey strength and conditioning.

Do I agree with everything Sean says or does with his hockey players?

However, his book is one of the few legit resources I've come across aimed directly at the hockey training population that I wouldn't deem complete and utter rubbish.

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There's no abundance of strength training books available on the market today.

Not so for speed training.

The closest you get are some of the old Charlie Francis training manuals where he discusses speed training for sprinters, not team sports.

Fortunately, Travis Hansen has put together a resource that finally bridges the gap between speed training for sprinters and speed training for team sports.

The first part of The Speed Encyclopedia covers basic information on max strength training, plyometrics and Olympic lifting.

But Travis also explains sprint technique, volume, and frequency - very useful information that you won't find in many other books.

As such, you better get your hands on The Speed Encyclopedia if you're involved in team sports as a coach or athlete.