What book did Herschel Walker write about training?

Herschel Walker's Basic Training, co-written with strength coach Terry Todd, PhD, and published by Doubleday in 1985. It lays out graded beginner, intermediate, and advanced programs that mix calisthenics, sprinting, martial arts, pool work, stretching, and some weight training, with more than 100 photos of Walker demonstrating the exercises.

Is Herschel Walker's Basic Training still in print?

No. Basic Training has been out of print for decades, and it was only released as a paperback, first in 1985 and again in 1989. Your options are a used copy from Amazon or another bookseller, or borrowing it from a library, including through interlibrary loan if your branch doesn't stock it.

Why is Basic Training so expensive?

Demand outlasted supply. Walker's training reputation keeps people searching for the book, but no new copies have been printed in decades, so every sale comes from a limited stock of used paperbacks. Condition matters too, since clean copies with intact covers sell for more than worn ones. Check both editions before you buy.

Is Basic Training good for beginners?

It can be. The publisher describes programs graded for high school, college, and weekend athletes, and the plans need only a few simple pieces of equipment. The catch is cost and age. A true beginner may get more value from a current, affordable bodyweight book or a free app with step-by-step progressions.

How many books has Herschel Walker written?

Walker has written two main books: Basic Training (1985), his training guide with Terry Todd, and Breaking Free (2008), a memoir written with Gary Brozek and Charlene Maxfield. Other writers have published biographies about him, mostly during his playing career in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Herschel Walker Book Guide: Basic Training Review and More

Published November 10, 2026 · 9 min read

Herschel Walker built one of the most famous bodies in football on push ups, sit ups, and sprints. In the mid 1980s, he put his method on paper.

The Herschel Walker book most training fans are looking for is Basic Training, co-written with strength coach Terry Todd, PhD. It has been out of print for decades, and used copies aren't cheap.

So is it worth tracking down today? This guide covers what's inside, who it suits, his other books, and modern alternatives. For the daily routine itself, see our guide to Herschel Walker's daily routine.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Quick Verdict

Best for: Walker fans, collectors, and young multi-sport athletes who want a structured, mostly no-gym plan from the man himself.

Skip it if: you want modern calisthenics skill progressions, or you want the cheapest way to start training.

Availability: Out of print. Paperback only, sold used. No authorized ebook.

Check price on Amazon

Want a free, structured version of this kind of training while you hunt for a copy? Download Superhuman Strength, a free calisthenics app that walks you through progressions day by day.

Herschel Walker's Basic Training at a Glance

Detail	Information
Title	Herschel Walker's Basic Training
Authors	Herschel Walker with Terry Todd, PhD
Publisher	Doubleday
First published	August 1985 (a second paperback edition followed in 1989)
Pages	About 200 (1985) and 256 (1989); bookseller listings vary
Format	Trade paperback
In print?	No. Used copies only
Ebook	No authorized ebook or Kindle edition found

Todd matters here. He was an Olympic weightlifter and conditioning expert, so the book pairs Walker's habits with a coach's explanations. That combination is a big part of why the book still has a following.

What's Inside Herschel Walker's Basic Training

There's no public table of contents online, so this summary comes from the publisher's description, buyer reviews, and articles that draw on the book. Sources are listed at the end.

Three Graded 12-Week Programs

According to coaches who have written about the book, it lays out 12-week beginner, intermediate, and advanced programs. The publisher describes them as graded for high school, college, and weekend athletes.

The plans are built to be done at home with only a few simple pieces of equipment. Sessions are scheduled week by week, so you always know what today looks like.

More Than Push Ups and Sit Ups

This surprises most readers. Basic Training is not just a push up and sit up log.

Push ups and sit ups are in there, alongside plyometrics, karate, basketball, pool workouts, sprinting, running, and stretching. Free weight work appears later in the programs. The publisher pitches the goal as becoming quicker, more powerful, and more flexible, in other words a better all-round athlete.

Terry Todd's Coaching and Where Weights Fit

One verified buyer review credits Todd's explanations of the science behind the exercises with lifting the book above a basic exercise manual. The same reviewer notes that it covers basic weightlifting, because Walker added some iron once he reached the pros.

That lines up with Walker's own history. He trained with bodyweight for years and only started lifting several years into his pro football career.

Walker's Own Backstory

The book also tells where his training started. Walker describes being a heavy kid who was often picked last for teams, and whose sister could beat him in foot races.

If you're a fan, that origin story is half the appeal. The other half is the photos: more than 100 step-by-step images show Walker demonstrating the exercises.

What the Book Gets Right

Consistency comes first. Walker's whole approach rests on showing up every day. He has compared consistency to saving money: small deposits that add up over years.

Bodyweight is the base. You don't need a gym to start. That made the book ahead of its time for home training, and it still holds up.

It trains athletes, not just muscles. Sprinting, jumping, martial arts, and swimming build speed and coordination that push ups alone won't give you.

The structure is beginner friendly. Graded programs with set weekly sessions take the guesswork out of starting. Young athletes in particular get a clear path from week one to week twelve.

Curious how big his daily numbers really were? Read about his push up numbers.

One point to keep straight: the book is a structured athletic program, not the famous thousands-of-reps routine. For that routine and how to scale it, go to the full workout plan linked above.

What's Dated or Missing

This book is about 40 years old. That's not a flaw on its own, but you should know what an 80s training book can't give you.

Recovery and training load. Research on sleep, rest days, and managing training load has grown a lot since 1985. A book from that era can't reflect it.

Modern calisthenics skill progressions. None of the sources describing the book mention step-by-step skill ladders toward pull ups, dips, handstands, or levers. Modern calisthenics books are built around exactly that.

Nutrition. None of the sources describe a nutrition section. Walker's own eating habits are famously unusual, which you can read about in his one meal a day habit. Copy his plate with care.

Practical problems. It's out of print, used copies carry a premium, there's no ebook, and the photos and styling are pure 1980s.

If you want the Walker mindset with modern progressions, you can follow a progressive plan in the app and keep the book for the inspiration.

Who Should Buy This Herschel Walker Workout Book

Buy it if:

You're a Walker fan or collector and want the training book he actually wrote.
You're a young athlete, or you coach one, and want a multi-sport conditioning plan with little equipment.
You like fixed, week-by-week schedules more than building your own plan.
You're interested in training history and how elite athletes prepared before modern sports science.

Pick something else if:

You're a total beginner on a budget. Start with our beginner calisthenics workout and add the book later. See our beginner's guide for the first steps.
Your goal is calisthenics skills like muscle ups, handstands, or front levers.
You want the push up and sit up volume routine. That's covered in our guide, not in this book.

Is There a Herschel Walker Basic Training Ebook or PDF?

No authorized ebook or Kindle edition of Basic Training appears to exist. It was only published as a paperback, first in 1985 and again in 1989.

If you've searched for a Basic Training PDF, the legitimate way to get the book is a used print copy or your local library. Ask about interlibrary loan if your branch doesn't stock it.

When buying used, check both editions, since price and condition vary between them:

1989 edition: Check price on Amazon
1985 first edition: Check price on Amazon

Other Herschel Walker Books

Breaking Free: Herschel Walker's Autobiography

Walker's other book is Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder, published by Touchstone and Howard Books (Simon & Schuster) in 2008. He wrote it with Gary Brozek and Charlene Maxfield.

It's a memoir, not a training book. It covers his childhood, his college and pro football career, and his diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder. Unlike Basic Training, it's still in print in paperback and ebook.

Check price on Amazon

Herschel Walker Biography Books by Other Writers

Several biographies about Walker came out during his playing days. Jeff Prugh wrote The Herschel Walker Story (1983), and Jim Benagh's Sports Great Herschel Walker (1990) was written for young readers.

These are fan histories of his football career and are mostly out of print. None of them is a training guide.

Modern Alternatives to Basic Training

If you want a current Herschel Walker training book substitute, these four are easier to find and reflect newer coaching:

Book	Author	Best For	Link
You Are Your Own Gym	Mark Lauren	Beginners who want short, no-equipment workouts	Check price on Amazon
Convict Conditioning	Paul Wade	Simple step-by-step progressions on six key moves	Check price on Amazon
Overcoming Gravity (2nd ed.)	Steven Low	Serious trainees who want detailed programming and skills	Check price on Amazon
Complete Calisthenics (2nd ed.)	Ashley Kalym	An all-round guide with recovery and nutrition	Check price on Amazon

Want the full ranking? See our best calisthenics books.

Use the Book for the Philosophy, the App for the Daily Plan

Basic Training is best at the big ideas: train every day, build on bodyweight, and develop the whole athlete. That's why fans still hunt for it.

What a 1985 paperback can't do is adjust to you. It won't track your reps or tell you when you're ready for a harder variation.

That's where a companion app helps. Superhuman Strength is free, and it gives you structured calisthenics progressions you can follow day to day. Read Walker for the mindset, then get the app free to turn that mindset into a plan.

Not sure which app fits you? Our guide to the best calisthenics app for beginners compares the options.

Final Verdict

Basic Training is a real piece of training history and a fun read for any Walker fan. It's a well-rounded athletic program from one of football's great physical specimens, backed by a respected strength coach.

It's also old, out of print, and pricey. Buy it if you're a fan, a collector, or a young athlete who wants a structured multi-sport plan. Otherwise, a modern bodyweight book will serve you better for less.