The High Performance Journal Written By Dan Go - September 29th, 2026

I have a confession: I find most health books on the market are too boring, buried in technical jargon, or don't have much depth past the book cover.

These ones are different. Each of them have changed my life and, to this day, I'm able to benefit from what I've learned.

The beauty of a great book is you get to borrow 20+ years of someone's expertise, condensed into 200 pages.

These are the 7 books that have changed my life, and I'll have a link for each of them down below.

You ready? Let's go 🔥

1. Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle by Tom Venuto

What this book is: This is what I consider to be the bible of ​fat loss​, created by a natural bodybuilder who spent decades gaining weight without using drugs.

What can I expect to learn? How to figure out your calorie needs, set your protein, carbs, and fats, and adjust week to week based on results instead of guessing. The workouts are a bit outdated but still effective. An underrated part of this book is the time Tom (the author) spends on ​goal setting​ and ​mindset​. That was one of my first times reading about goal setting, and it's had a profound impact on my life.

Who would get the most benefit? This is for the person who needs to learn the basics of fat loss from a calorie, macro, and workout perspective. Anyone who is trying to transform their body for the first time would do themselves a service by reading this book first.

You can grab the book ​here​.

2. The Circadian Code by Dr. Satchin Panda

What this book is: This book helps guide you through the operating system of your body, known as your ​circadian rhythm​. It is written by Salk Institute researcher Dr. Satchin Panda, whose lab put time-restricted feeding on the map.

What can I expect to learn? How to coordinate every organ in your body so it runs on a schedule. You'll know ​when to eat​, how (and when) to prime your body for wakefulness and ​sleep​. Following the tips in this book will help you feel more aligned with your brain and body.

Who would get the most benefit? Anyone over 40, really. Our circadian rhythms get weaker as we age. Part of feeling great in our bodies is working with our rhythms instead of against them. It's especially for the person travel across time zones, work late, and eat whenever the day allows. I've used many of the tips during my travels from Hawaii to NYC to totally align my body to the time zone I'm in, helping me avoid a lot of the jet lag that comes with travel.

You can grab the book ​here​.

3. Core Performance by Mark Verstegen

What this book is: This is the training system Mark Verstegen built working with elite athletes, but adapted for regular people like you and me. I specifically used this book to learn how to ​properly warm up the body​ in a way that primes it for the workout ahead.

What can I expect to learn? How to warm up with purpose, build strength through your hips, torso, and shoulders (he calls it pillar strength), and how to improve recovery so your body can start making gains.

Who would get the most benefit? The person who feels tight all over the body and wants to feel like their joints are healthy again. I found the best benefit of this book is that it teaches you how to move before putting weight on the barbell.

You can grab the book ​here​.

4. The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

What this book is: This is a book about being present, but I use it as a book that helps ​calm my nervous system​.

What can I expect to learn? How to notice your thoughts without automatically believing them. Tolle calls it watching the thinker. Once you create that small gap between a thought and your reaction, you receive the gift of observation over reaction.

Who would get the most benefit? This is for the person who lives in their head and can't get out. I found it worked best for my ​stress eating​. As someone who used to use food and substances as a coping mechanism, this helped me slow down my thoughts and become more aware of my bad eating habits to the point where I could improve them without much effort.

You can grab the book ​here​.

5. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

What this book is: I see this (along with The Power of Now) as the operating system for ​managing your mind​. Psycho Cybernetics is a 1960s classic from, of all people, a plastic surgeon. Dr. Maxwell Maltz found that some patients do completely change the way they look but still see themselves exactly the same way. That is where he came up with the self-image hypothesis that has helped me change many areas of my life.

What can I expect to learn? Your self-image works like a thermostat. If you push past it, you'll find a way back to where you think you belong. Maltz teaches mental rehearsal as a way to change that thermostat from the inside, so when you make changes, it feels normal rather than an attack on your subconscious.

Who would get the most benefit? This is for the person who keeps trying to lose the same 20 lbs. over and over again. Many people think that this is a physical issue when it's really a self-image and psychological issue. I know that because this was something I had to deal with as I was getting my body in shape.

You can grab the book ​here​.

6. Strength Training For All Body Types by Lee Boyce and Melody Schoenfeld

What this book is: This book is a practical guide for finding the perfect exercises for your ​unique body type​.

What can I expect to learn? Your limb length, torso length, and even leverage can change how an exercise like a squat, deadlift, or bench press should be performed. In this book, I've gotten the best benefit from finding the best exercises for my particular body type. I've stopped trying to force exercises that everyone says I should do when it doesn't feel right.

Who would get the most benefit? The person who wants to find the right exercises for their body. Some exercises will always feel awkward for you, while others feel natural from the first rep. This book shows you why, so you can build a program around the movements your frame was made for.

You can grab the book ​here​.

7. The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

What this book is: This book is about modern life and how it is slowly deteriorating our ability to feel human. Author Michael Easter took a look at what happens to us when modern life removes every hard thing and how we can fight modern living by doing more hard things.

What can I expect to learn? Why boredom, hunger, cold, and real physical challenge are good for you in the right doses. Easter introduces the idea of a misogi, which is one genuinely hard challenge a year used to harden yourself.

Who would get the most benefit? I wish everyone would read this, to be honest. Our lives have become climate-controlled, convenient, and optimized to reduce friction as much as possible. But that's not what leads to a good life. We need the right friction to feel human, or else we lose meaning and purpose. It's beautifully written and the antithesis to how life is lived today.

Grab the book ​here​.

Take Control Of Your Education

These books have had a profound impact on my life. I still find myself re-reading them from time to time as a reminder.

Information is a commodity, and all the people I coach have free access to it. What a great book does is change how you see a problem and give you inspiration to apply the principles to your life.

My advice is to pick one, read slowly, and put one idea into practice before moving on to the next.

Which health book had a massive impact on your life? Reply back to this email and let me know.

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help:

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Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.