100 Best Bodybuilding Books of All Time

We've ranked the best bodybuilding books using expert recommendations, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised book cover1

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised

Arnold Schwarzenegger

5.0
From elite bodybuilding competitors to gymnasts, from golfers to fitness gurus, anyone who works out with weights must own this book—a book that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could write, a book that has earned its reputation as “the bible of bodybuilding.”

Inside, Arnold covers the very latest advances in both weight training and bodybuilding competition, with new sections on diet and nutrition, spor
Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body book cover2

Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body

Michael Matthews

4.8
MICHAEL MATTHEWS' #1 BESTSELLING NATURAL BODYBUILDING BOOK WITH OVER 400,000 COPIES SOLD. If you want to build muscle, lose fat, and look great as quickly as possible without steroids, good genetics, or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym and money on supplements ... regardless of your age ... then you want to read this book.
Strength Training Anatomy book cover3

Strength Training Anatomy

Frederic Delavier

4.8
The third edition of Strength Training Anatomy offers the most compelling artwork ever applied to a strength training resource.

Packed with over 600 anatomical illustrations of muscles from each major muscle group, the updated edition features 48 additional pages, 12 new exercises, and 18 stretches.
Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training book cover4

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training

Mark Rippetoe

4.7
Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training is the new expanded version of the book that has been called "the best and most useful of fitness books." It picks up where Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners leaves off. With all new graphics and more than 750 illustrations, a more detailed analysis of the five most important exercises in the weight room, and a new chap
Practical Programming for Strength Training book cover5

Practical Programming for Strength Training

Mark Rippetoe, Lon Kilgore

4.5
Body by Science: A Research-Based Program for Strength Training, Body Building, and Complete Fitness in 12 Minutes a Week book cover6

Body by Science: A Research-Based Program for Strength Training, Body Building, and Complete Fitness in 12 Minutes a Week

John Little

4.5
Building muscle has never been faster or easier than with this revolutionary once-a-week training program

In Body By Science, bodybuilding powerhouse John Little teams up with fitness medicine expert Dr. Doug McGuff to present a scientifically proven formula for maximizing muscle development in just 12 minutes a week. Backed by rigorous research, the authors prescribe a weekly high-intensity progra
Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder book cover7

Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

Arnold Schwarzenegger

4.5
Five-time Mr. Universe, seven-time Mr. Olympia, and Mr. World, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the name in bodybuilding. Here is his classic bestselling autobiography, which explains how the “Austrian Oak” came to the sport of bodybuilding and aspired to be the star he has become.

I still remember that first visit to the bodybuilding gym. I had never seen anyone lifting weights before. Those guys were hug
You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible Of Bodyweight Exercises For Men And Women book cover8

You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible Of Bodyweight Exercises For Men And Women

Mark Lauren, Joshua Clark

4.4
Providing the only exercise equipment anyone will ever need again, this guide presents to the public, for the first time, the most elite Special Operations fitness exercises to fit their schedule and their wallet. Providing the most effective, efficient, inexpensive, and convenient routine for exercise available, this simple program requires no gym or weights—only the human body. For thousands of
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman book cover9

The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman

Timothy Ferriss

4.4
Thinner, bigger, faster, stronger... which 150 pages will you read?

Is it possible to:
Reach your genetic potential in 6 months?
Sleep 2 hours per day and perform better than on 8 hours?
Lose more fat than a marathoner by bingeing?

Indeed, and much more. This is not just another diet and fitness book.

The 4-Hour Body is the result of an obsessive quest, spanning more than a decade, to hack the huma
Becoming a Supple Leopard book cover10

Becoming a Supple Leopard

Kelly Starrett

4.4
LEARN HOW TO HACK HUMAN MOVEMENT

Join the movement that has reached millions of athletes and coaches; learn how to perform basic maintenance on your body, unlock your human potential, live pain free…and become a Supple Leopard.

Improve your athletic performance, extend your athletic career, treat body stiffness and achy joints, and rehabilitate injuries—all without having to seek out a coach, doct
Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence book cover11

Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

Gary Mack

4.4

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story book cover12

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Arnold Schwarzenegger

4.4
One of the most anticipated autobiographies of this generation, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall is the candid story by one of the world’s most remarkable actors, businessmen, and world leaders.

Born in the small city of Thal, Austria, in 1947, Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to Los Angeles at the age of twenty-one. Within ten years, he was a millionaire businessman. After twenty years, he was the
Yoga Anatomy: Your Illustrated Guide to Postures, Movements, and Breathing Techniques book cover13

Yoga Anatomy: Your Illustrated Guide to Postures, Movements, and Breathing Techniques

Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews

4.3
The best-selling anatomy guide for yoga is now updated, expanded, and better than ever!

With more asanas, vinyasas, full-color anatomical illustrations, and in-depth information, the second edition of "Yoga" "Anatomy" provides you with a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement and of yoga itself.

From breathing to inversions to standing poses, see how specific
Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding: The Master Blaster's Principles of Training and Nutrition book cover14

Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding: The Master Blaster's Principles of Training and Nutrition

Joe Weider, Bill Reynolds

4.3
"This massive and authoritative Master Blaster book is the greatest bodybuilding book ever written, primarily because it is firmly based on the training principles of the Weider System of Bodybuilding, which have been followed by literally every bodybuilder in the modern history of the sport. I began developing my Weider System back in the 1930s and continue to refine and add new Weider Training P
Pumping Iron book cover15

Pumping Iron

Charles Gaines, George Butler

4.3
Who are they and why do they do it?—these men who dedicate themselves to building bodies like Hellenistic statues; who crisscross the world competing for titles as grandiose yet as publicly uncelebrated (Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Mr. Olympia) as their gargantuan physique; whose daily lives are as rigidly defined and regulated by their obsession to mold the ideal body ... only their fellow muscle
Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building book cover16

Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building

Robert Kennedy

4.3
Featuring the most up-to-date information and 800 pages of color images, "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding" presents a user-friendly book that offers valuable information on nutrition, supplements, exercising, and posing.
The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Sexier, Healthier YOU! book cover17

The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Sexier, Healthier YOU!

Adam Campbell and Editors of Women's Health Maga

4.3
The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises is the essential workout guide for anyone who wants a better body. As the most comprehensive collection of exercises ever created, this makeover manual is a body-shaping power tool for both beginners and longtime fitness buffs alike. From start to finish, this 480-page makeover manual bulges with hundreds of useful tips, the latest findings in exercise scie
Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised and Updated Edition book cover18

Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised and Updated Edition

Pavel Tsatsouline

4.3
Six years after the publication of the original S&S, people are still getting great results from the program and the book has never left the Amazon weight training best-seller list. So why another edition? Pavel answers with a quote from a novel: You know our motto: "We never let well enough alone."

This is Kettlebell Simple & Sinister: Revised & Updated Edition or simply S&S 2.0.

Learn how to use

Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Advanced Guide to Building Muscle, Staying Lean, and Getting Strong book cover19

Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Advanced Guide to Building Muscle, Staying Lean, and Getting Strong

Michael Matthews

4.3
If you want to build as much muscle as naturally possible...be able to bench press, squat, and deadlift gargantuan amounts of weight...and maintain a ripped, beach-ready physique year round...then you want to read this book. If you've been lifting weights for any period of time, you've probably wondered... What does it really take to make the jump from a "good" physique...from being "kinda strong.
Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder book cover20

Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder

Samuel W. Fussell

4.3
Delavier's Women's Strength Training Anatomy Workouts book cover21

Delavier's Women's Strength Training Anatomy Workouts

Frederic Delavier and Michael Gundill

4.3
Delavier's Women's Strength Training Anatomy Workouts delivers the exercises, programming, and advice you need for the results you want. Based on the anatomical features unique to women, this new guide sets the standard for women's strength training.

290 full-color illustrations allow you to see inside 157 exercises and 49 programs for strengthening, sculpting, and developing your arms, chest, back
Bodybuilding Anatomy book cover22

Bodybuilding Anatomy

Nick Evans

4.3
Sculpt your physique like you never thought possible! With full-color, detailed anatomical illustrations of exercises, combined with step-by-step instructions on how to perform them, Bodybuilding Anatomy is the ideal resource for gaining mass and defining your muscles.

Focusing on the primary muscle groups of shoulders, chest, back, arms, legs, and abdominals and targeting muscle zones and hard-to-
Never Let Go: A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning book cover23

Never Let Go: A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning

Dan John, Pavel Tsatsouline, Dave Draper

4.3
Dan John breaks down the most complicated concepts of strength training and high-performance athletics in his personal, no-nonsense, thought-provoking and motivating style.
From Head to Toe Padded Board Book book cover24

From Head to Toe Padded Board Book

Eric Carle

4.3
From Eric Carle, the New York Times bestselling creator of beloved books including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug, comes From Head to Toe, a colorful and energetic book that will have young readers clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and wiggling their toes!

Giraffes can bend their necks, monkeys can wave their hands, and donkeys can kick their legs. And so can you! Thro
The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess book cover25

The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess

Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe, Alwyn Cosgrove

4.3
Finally, a weight-training book that doesnt treat women like weaklings. This book is for the woman whos ready to throw down the Barbie weights and start a strength and conditioning program that will give her the body she wants. Illustrated.
High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way book cover26

High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way

Mike Mentzer, John Little

4.3
A PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

High-intensity bodybuilding advice from the first man to win a perfect score in the Mr. Universe competition

This one-of-a-kind book profiles the high-intensity training (HIT) techniques pioneered by the late Mike Mentzer, the legendary bodybuilder, leading trainer, and renowned bodybuilding consultant. His highly effective, proven approach enables bodybuilders to get results--a
Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy book cover27

Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy

Bret Contreras

4.3
Increase strength, build mass, burn fat, and define your muscles. With full-color anatomical illustrations, step-by-step instructions, and training advice, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy is the authoritative resource for sculpting your physique without free weights, machines, or expensive equipment.

Targeting all muscle zones and primary muscle regions--arms, chest, shoulders, back, core, thi
The Black Prince: My Life in Bodybuilding: Muscle vs. Hustle book cover28

The Black Prince: My Life in Bodybuilding: Muscle vs. Hustle

Robby Robinson

4.3
"Diary of the Black Prince" tells the story of how Robby Robinson, a black man from the south, overcame the limitations of his time to become one of the greatest bodybuilders the world has known and a legend in the bodybuilding cult. As a longtime advocate against steroid abuse and in contrast to their destruction to the body, Robinson shares his unique outlook on life and secrets that have allowe
Delavier's Stretching Anatomy book cover29

Delavier's Stretching Anatomy

Frederic Delavier, Jean-Pierre Clemenceau, Michael Gundill

4.3
Get an inside view of the muscles in action during every stretch you perform!

"Delavier's Stretching Anatomy" is your guide for increasing flexibility, improving range of motion, toning muscles, and relieving pain and discomfort. The very best stretches for shoulders, chest, arms, torso, back, hips, and legs are all here, and all in the stunning detail that only Frederic Delavier can provide.

With o
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book cover30

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

Tom Venuto

4.3
This manual will reveal to you all the secrets of permanent fat loss. It is written by a man who has discovered these secrets the hard way - through long years of trial and error. Using the information in this manual will allow you master the art and science of losing body fat by a shorter and less costly route; by “modeling” those who have gone before you and learning from an expert.

This book wa
Ultimate Cuts: 7 Secrets to Burn Fat Fast as Hell book cover31

Ultimate Cuts: 7 Secrets to Burn Fat Fast as Hell

Brandon Carte

4.2
If you are like me, you have tried a lot of products, workouts, and diets that have not helped you lose fat and get ripped. Fifteen years ago, I started working out and I was totally clueless. I wasted a lot of time with bs diets and workout plans and I was never able to get as ripped as I wanted.

After years of trial and error, I finally found the few secrets to getting ripped and losing fat fast!
The Bodybuilder's Kitchen: 100 Muscle-Building, Fat Burning Recipes, with Meal Plans to Chisel Your Physique book cover32

The Bodybuilder's Kitchen: 100 Muscle-Building, Fat Burning Recipes, with Meal Plans to Chisel Your Physique

Erin Stern

4.2
100 delicious recipes and proven meal plans to burn fat, build muscle, and chisel your physique.

How do professional bodybuilders get that chiseled look? It's as much about what happens in the kitchen as it is about what happens in the gym. Professionals fuel their bodies with precise nutrients delivered at specific times to achieve their sculpted physiques, and now you can, too. The Bodybuilder's
Muscle Myths: 50 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making book cover33

Muscle Myths: 50 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making

Michael Matthews

4.2
If you've ever felt lost in the sea of contradictory training and diet advice out there and you just want to know once and for all what works and what doesn't--what's scientifically true and what's false--when it comes to building muscle and getting ripped, then you need to read this book.

Let me ask you a question. Do any of the following claims sound familiar?

"I have bad genetics--I'm a 'hardgain
New Functional Training for Sports book cover34

New Functional Training for Sports

Michael Boyle

4.2
Train to perform at the highest level with the lowest risk of injury. New Functional Training for Sports, Second Edition produces the best results on the court, field, track, and mat, not just in the weight room.

Michael Boyle, one of the world's leading sport performance coaches, presents the concepts, methods, exercises, and programs that maximize athletes' movements in competition. A series of f
The Strength Training Anatomy Workout book cover35

The Strength Training Anatomy Workout

Frederic Delavier, Michael Gundill

4.2
Over one million readers have turned to "Strength Training Anatomy" for strength training's most effective exercises. Now put those exercises to work for you with "The Strength Training Anatomy Workout."

"The Strength Training Anatomy Workout "is your guide to creating the body and the results you want. Strengthen arms and legs; increase muscle mass; sculpt chest, back, and core; firm glutes; incre
Bodybuilding For Beginners: A 12-Week Program to Build Muscle and Burn Fat book cover36

Bodybuilding For Beginners: A 12-Week Program to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

Kyle Hunt

4.2
The Bodybuilding Meal Prep Cookbook: Macro-Friendly Meals to Prepare, Grab, and Go book cover37

The Bodybuilding Meal Prep Cookbook: Macro-Friendly Meals to Prepare, Grab, and Go

Michelle Vodrazka

4.2
38

Train Like a Bodybuilder: Get Lean. Get Big. Get Strong.

Erin Stern

4.2
A full color, step-by-step guide to training like a professional bodybuilder, with over 60 step-by-step exercises, 10 structured workouts, expert guidance on nutrition, training techniques, and more.

If you want to get strong and ripped naturally, then you need to train like a pro! Building a natural body that is strong and lean takes effort and know-how. Natural bodybuilder Erin Stern is a two-tim
Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book book cover39

Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book

Dave Draper

4.2
Winning Bodybuilding: A complete do-it-yourself program for beginning, intermediate, and advanced bodybuilders by Mr. Olympia book cover40

Winning Bodybuilding: A complete do-it-yourself program for beginning, intermediate, and advanced bodybuilders by Mr. Olympia

Franco Columbu

4.2
Anabolics book cover41

Anabolics

William Llewellyn

4.2
William Llewellyn's ANABOLICS is the most comprehensive guide to performance-enhancing drugs ever written. This monster encyclopedia covers it all, from steroids, to growth hormone, insulin, and just about every imaginable agent in-between. With over 800 medical citations, ANABOLICS cuts right to the science. You'll learn everything there is to know about this controversial subject, from one of th
The Simple Six: The Easy Way to Get in Shape and Stay in Shape for the Rest of your Life book cover42

The Simple Six: The Easy Way to Get in Shape and Stay in Shape for the Rest of your Life

Clinton Dobbins

4.2
Bodybuilding: The Complete Contest Preparation Handbook book cover43

Bodybuilding: The Complete Contest Preparation Handbook

Peter J. Fitschen and Cliff Wilson

4.2
The popularity of bodybuilding is at an all-time high, and the sport is continuing to grow. But seasoned competitors and beginners often have questions about how to look their best on show day. Written by expert bodybuilding coaches Peter Fitschen and Cliff Wilson, Bodybuilding: The Complete Contest Preparation Handbook will guide you through every step of the process to select a competition, prep
The Quick and the Dead: Total Training for the Advanced Minimalist book cover44

The Quick and the Dead: Total Training for the Advanced Minimalist

Pavel Tsatsouline

4.2
Beyond Brawn: The Insider's Encyclopedia on How to Build Muscle and Might book cover45

Beyond Brawn: The Insider's Encyclopedia on How to Build Muscle and Might

Stuart McRobert

4.2
The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40 book cover46

The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40

Jonathon M Sullivan, Andy Baker, Nassim Nicholas Taleb

4.2
The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40 directly addresses the most pervasive problem faced by aging humans: the loss of physical strength and all its associated problems – the loss of muscle mass, bone mineral loss and osteoporosis, hip fractures (a terminal event for many older people), loss of balance and coordination, diabetes, heart disease related to a sedentary lifesty
Embodied Posture: Your Unique Body and Yoga book cover47

Embodied Posture: Your Unique Body and Yoga

Stacy Dockins

4.2
Embodied Posture contains valuable information for yoga teachers and students alike. Embodied Posture Methodology, or EPM, empowers you to align yoga postures to best suit your uniqueness. Through over 25 years of studying the human body and teaching yoga, Stacy Dockins developed this innovative approach that integrates bio-individuality and long-term, sustainable functional wellness. Combining bo
Beyond Bodybuilding book cover48

Beyond Bodybuilding

Pavel Tsatouline

4.2
Smash Your Training Plateaus, Overcome Injuries, Make Unprecedented Strength Gains and Grow More Muscle. with a Classical Education in the Wisdom of the Past - and the Scientific Breakthroughs of the Modern Day MastersPavel has spent his life immersed in the study and practice of practical strength training. as it applies in the very hard testing ground of both American and Soviet Spec ops, of the
Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence book cover49

Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence

Eric Goodman

4.2
RADICALLY REDEFINE YOUR CORE

Foundation by Dr. Eric Goodman and Peter Park shifts the training focus from the front of your body to the back. By strengthening the full posterior chain and correcting poor movement patterns, you will maximize power, flexibility, and endurance and say goodbye to back pain.
The Naked Warrior: Master the Secrets of the Super-Strong - Using Bodyweight Exercises Only book cover50

The Naked Warrior: Master the Secrets of the Super-Strong - Using Bodyweight Exercises Only

Pavel Tsatsouline

4.2
Have you noticed-the greater a man's skill, the more he achieves with less? And the skill of strength is no exception. From the ancient days of Greek wrestling, to the jealously guarded secrets of Chinese Kung Fu masters, to the hard men of modern spec ops, warriors and allied strongmen have developed an amazing array of skills for generating inhuman strength.But these skills have been scattered f
Tactical Strongman: The Complete Guide book cover51

Tactical Strongman: The Complete Guide

Josh Bryant

4.2
Bill Pearl's Keys to the Inner Universe book cover52

Bill Pearl's Keys to the Inner Universe

Bill Pearl

4.2
Body For Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength book cover53

Body For Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength

Bill Phillips, Michael D'Orso

4.2
Mention the name Bill Phillips to any of the people he's helped transform and you will see their faces light up with appreciation and respect. These people include:

Hundreds of thousands of men and women who read his magazine for guidance and straightforward information about exercise, nutrition, and living with strength.

Elite professional athletes, among them John Elway, Karl Malone, Mike Piazza,
Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results book cover54

Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results

Jim Wendle

4.2
Lift Like a Girl: Be More, Not Less. book cover55

Lift Like a Girl: Be More, Not Less.

Nia Shanks

4.2
The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer: The Art, Science and Philosophy of a Bodybuilding Legend book cover56

The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer: The Art, Science and Philosophy of a Bodybuilding Legend

John Little and Joanne Sharkey

4.2
The last word on how to build a better body--from the late, great Mike Mentzer

With his revolutionary "Heavy Duty" system, Mike Mentzer changed the way bodybuilders train, showing them that "less is more" when it comes to making great gains. In "The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer," you will discover Mike's most advanced training techniques and philosophies--previously known only to his inner circle and per
51 Plant-Based High-Protein Recipes: For Athletic Performance and Muscle Growth book cover57

51 Plant-Based High-Protein Recipes: For Athletic Performance and Muscle Growth

Jules Neumann

4.2
Dottir: My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time CrossFit Games Champion book cover58

Dottir: My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time CrossFit Games Champion

Katrin Davidsdottir, Rory McKernan

4.2
This is a memoir by two-time CrossFit Games champion, Katrin Davidsdottir.

Dottir is two-time consecutive CrossFit Games Champion Katrin Davidsdottir's inspiring and poignant memoir. As one of only two women in history to have won the title of “Fittest Woman on Earth” twice, Davidsdottir knows all about the importance of mental and physical strength. She won the title in 2015, backing it up with a
Championship Bodybuilding: Chris Aceto's Instruction Book For Bodybuilding book cover59

Championship Bodybuilding: Chris Aceto's Instruction Book For Bodybuilding

Chris Aceto

4.2
60

Strength Training Bible: The Complete Guide to Lifting Weights for Power, Strength & Performance

William Smith and David Kirschen

4.2
The all-in-one guide to building strength and power!

Experts agree the fastest and most effective way to build strength and increase muscle mass is to lift weights. Written by top strength training professionals, Strength Training Bible is the comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide to mastering the basics of weight lifting and barbell training. Divided by fitness levels, Strength Training Bible
Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy book cover61

Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy

Brad Schoenfeld

4.2
Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy, Second Edition, is the most comprehensive resource on muscle hypertrophy in the world. Written by Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, an internationally renowned expert on muscle hypertrophy, this book is the definitive resource for strength and conditioning professionals, personal trainers, sport scientists, researchers, and exercise science instructors who are se
Enter the Kettlebell!: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen book cover62

Enter the Kettlebell!: Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen

Pavel Tsatsouline

4.2
With Enter the Kettlebell! Pavel delivers a significant upgrade to his original landmark work, The Russian Kettlebell Challenge. Drawing on five years of developing and leading the world's first and premiere kettlebell instructor certification program, and after spending five years of additional research into what really works for dramatic results with the kettlebell-we have Enter the Kettlebell!P
Built To The Hilt: Creating A Muscularly Strong And Superbly Conditioned Body That Will Last A Lifetime book cover63

Built To The Hilt: Creating A Muscularly Strong And Superbly Conditioned Body That Will Last A Lifetime

Josh Bryant

4.2
In your hands, is the book people are saying will be the most talked about and most widely used bodybuilding and strength book ever written!
Inside its pages, here is what is waiting for you…

The lifetime training secrets revealed by one of the world’s top trainers.

The never before seen exercises and photos that will inspire you to train TODAY.

The most advanced scientific tips (backed by hundreds of
Pro Style Bodybuilding book cover64

Pro Style Bodybuilding

Tom Platz

4.2
Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach book cover65

Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach

Frederick C. Hatfield, Frederick Hatfield

4.2
Explains the fundamentals of weight training, recommends exercises, and discusses drugs, nutrition, motivation, and contest preparation.
The Mind in Body Building book cover66

The Mind in Body Building

Frank Zane and Christine Zan

4.2
The Mind in Body Building is about how to use your mind to improve your body and your life. It contains many personal growth techniques: how to meditate, different ways to evoke the Relaxation Response, selecting and using positive affirmations, dream work, visualization to enhance body image and behavioral change, high tech mind building entrainment methods such as light sound machines, dichotic
Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth book cover67

Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth

Don Tate

4.2
Little Friedrich Muller was a puny weakling who longed to be athletic and strong like the ancient Roman gladiators. He exercised and exercised. But he to no avail.

As a young man, he found himself under the tutelage of a professional body builder. Friedrich worked and worked. He changed his name to Eugen Sandow and he got bigger and stronger. Everyone wanted to become "as strong as Sandow."

Inspired
The Tao of Wing Chun: The History and Principles of China's Most Explosive Martial Art book cover68

The Tao of Wing Chun: The History and Principles of China's Most Explosive Martial Art

John Little

4.2
Wing Chun is the most popular form of Chinese Kung Fu in the world today, with over four million practitioners. The art as it is presently understood has been handed down from teacher to student for more than three hundred years.
Until now, no one has ever stepped back and taken a critical look at why this art's techniques are presented and performed the way they are. This book, by Wing Chun master
The Art of Lifting book cover69

The Art of Lifting

Bongcheol Kim, Seungmin Oh, et al

4.1
Lee Haney's Ultimate Bodybuilding Book: The 8-time Mr. Olympia's Revolutionary Program for Building Mass, Strength and Power book cover70

Lee Haney's Ultimate Bodybuilding Book: The 8-time Mr. Olympia's Revolutionary Program for Building Mass, Strength and Power

Lee Haney and Jim Rosenthal

4.1
Lee Haney is the only man to win eight Mr. Olympia titles--and he won them consecutively. Host of his own television show, he is one of the most popular figures in bodybuilding and fitness. His work with boxer Evander Holyfield and basketball star Kevin Willis has proven that weight training can ehnance performance in other sports; his Atlanta-based gym, Lee Haney's World Class Fitness Center, tea
The Year One Challenge for Women: Thinner, Leaner, and Stronger Than Ever in 12 Months (Muscle for Life) book cover71

The Year One Challenge for Women: Thinner, Leaner, and Stronger Than Ever in 12 Months (Muscle for Life)

Michael Matthews

4.1
72

Your Body Is Your Barbell: Lose Weight and Get into the Best Shape of Your Life in just 6 Weeks Using Nothing but Your own Bodyweight

Bj Gaddour and Editors of Men's Health Magazi

4.1
With Your Body Is Your Barbell, a reader will have no excuse not to get into the best shape of his or her life . . . simply, easily, and in just 6 weeks in the convenience of his or her own home. Metabolic training expert BJ Gaddour, CSCS, whom Men’s Health magazine calls one of the 100 fittest men of all time, has created a remarkably efficient and effective body-transforming workout and nutritio
Power to the People!: Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American book cover73

Power to the People!: Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American

Pavel Tsatsouline

4.1
How would you like to own a world class body-whatever your present condition- by doing only two exercises, for twenty minutes a day? A body so lean, ripped and powerful looking, you won't believe your own reflection when you catch yourself in the mirror. And what if you could do it without a single supplement, without having to waste your time at a gym and with only a 150 bucks of simple equipment
74

The Lost Secret to a Great Body

David Bolton

4.1
Anatomy Bodybuilding: A Complete Visual Guide book cover75

Anatomy Bodybuilding: A Complete Visual Guide

Ricardo Canovas Linares

4.1
Understanding how muscles in action function is key to performing exercises correctly and getting a great workout. In Barron's Anatomy & Bodybuilding, highly detailed anatomical illustrations demonstrate exactly what happens in the body during exercise.

The muscles of the back, shoulder, abdomen, arms and legs are featured with special sections for glutes and abs. Health and fitness trainers, stude
Blood and Guts book cover76

Blood and Guts

Dorian Yates

4.1
The New High Intensity Training: The Best Muscle-Building System You've Never Tried book cover77

The New High Intensity Training: The Best Muscle-Building System You've Never Tried

Ellington Darden PhD

4.1
Certain to become the bible of HIT-the training that revolutionized lifting with shorter, far-more-intense workouts-New High Intensity Training by Ellington Darden is the last word on how to achieve explosive growth safely, without steroids!

For many dedicated bodybuilders, the weight-lifting theories of Arthur Jones are gospel. It was Jones, the inventor of Nautilus exercise equipment, who first d
The Strength Training Anatomy Workout III: Maximizing Results with Advanced Training Techniques book cover78

The Strength Training Anatomy Workout III: Maximizing Results with Advanced Training Techniques

Frederic Delavier and Michael Gundill

4.1
Fr�d�ric Delavier, the mastermind of the best-selling Strength Training Anatomy phenomenon, is at it again. More than two million readers have turned to his books, including Strength Training Anatomy, to find the most effective exercises in strength training. The Strength Training Anatomy Workout provided beginners with program guidelines to develop fitness and athletic performance. The Strength T
C-Mass: Calisthenics Mass: How to Maximize Muscle Growth Using Bodyweight-Only Training book cover79

C-Mass: Calisthenics Mass: How to Maximize Muscle Growth Using Bodyweight-Only Training

Paul Wad

4.1
Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training 3rd Edition with Online Video book cover80

Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training 3rd Edition with Online Video

NSCA -National Strength…

4.1
Created by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training, Third Edition With Online Video, is a practical resource for current and aspiring strength and conditioning professionals and personal trainers. With unmatched visual demonstration of a variety of free weight and machine exercises, the text is a valuable tool for those preparing
Plant-Based High-Protein Cookbook: Nutrition Guide With 90+ Delicious Recipes (Including 30-Day Meal Plan) (vegan prep bodybuilding cookbook) book cover81

Plant-Based High-Protein Cookbook: Nutrition Guide With 90+ Delicious Recipes (Including 30-Day Meal Plan) (vegan prep bodybuilding cookbook)

Jules Neumann

4.1
Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-training Technique book cover82

Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-training Technique

Stuart McRobert

4.1
To benefit from lifting weights, you must work out consistently and effectively. But if you do not use correct exercise technique, you will often get injured, and you will be unable to work out consistently and effectively no matter how good the design of your exercise routine or workout may be. Correct exercise technique is the bedrock of training success.

Properly done, weight-lifting exercises

83

Body for Life Success Journal

Bill Phillips

4.1
New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Bill Phillips comes Body–for–Life Success Journal. With over three million copies sold and after more than three years on bestseller lists, Body–for–Life is still going strong. People everywhere are discovering that they too have the power to change their body, their mindset, their life. They are discovering that when they make a change, they make a di
Conbody: The Ultimate Bodyweight-Resistance Boot Camp--Inspired by a Story of Extraordinary Hope book cover84

Conbody: The Ultimate Bodyweight-Resistance Boot Camp--Inspired by a Story of Extraordinary Hope

Coss Marte

4.1
Plant-Based Muscle book cover85

Plant-Based Muscle

Robert Cheeke and Vanessa Espinoza

4.1
Co-authored by plant-based athletes with more than 35 years' combined experience, Robert Cheeke and Vanessa Espinoza, Plant-Based Muscle is the most complete plant-based fitness book to be released since Shred It!. Sharing experiences from different perspectives, and different backgrounds in exercise and sports nutrition, this plant-based fitness duo brings you the information, motivation, and ins
86

Weight Training for Women: Exercises and Workout Programs for Building Strength with Free Weights

Brittany Noelle

4.1
Your starter guide to greater strength

You deserve to feel powerful, both inside and out. And no matter your age or fitness level, Weight Training for Women is your guide to building strength with free weights. Jumping into a new lifting routine can seem intimidating, but this body-positive book does the heavy lifting for you (pun intended), by walking you through the basics of developing a weightl
Dinosaur Strength and Power: Course #2: Heavy Partials book cover87

Dinosaur Strength and Power: Course #2: Heavy Partials

Brooks D. Kubik

4.1
Hypertrophy: Muscle fiber growth caused by mechanical tension book cover88

Hypertrophy: Muscle fiber growth caused by mechanical tension

Chris Beardsley

4.1
89

Strength Training for Fat Loss

Nick Tumminello

4.1
No fads, gimmicks, or miracle claims. Just science-based programming, sensible strategies, and the results you desire.

In Strength Training for Fat Loss, Nick Tumminello, renowned trainer and innovator in the field of human performance, explains how to use the 3 Cs of metabolic strength training--circuits, combinations, and complexes--to accelerate your metabolism, maximize fat loss, and maintain m
Gorilla Suit: My Adventures In Bodybuilding book cover90

Gorilla Suit: My Adventures In Bodybuilding

Bob Paris

4.1
"I built my American dream one rep at a time," says Bob Paris in Gorilla Suit, an unguarded memoir of his rise to the top of the world of professional bodybuilding.

This is the first-ever, honest, behind-the-scenes look into the world of professional bodybuilding and what the actual life of a bodybuilder is like. Paris show us bodies to the limit, and beyond, and discusses the price bodybuilders p
Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple book cover91

Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple

Pete McCall

4.1
What are the biggest obstacles to sticking to a workout plan? You don't have enough time? It costs too much? You don't have enough equipment? You don't know how to get the results you want? Now you can set those excuses aside.

Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple gives you the solution you need with efficient and effective workout programs that use only one piece of equipment. You
Periodization Training for Sports book cover92

Periodization Training for Sports

Tudor Bompa, Michael Carrera

4.1
Sports conditioning has advanced tremendously since the era when a "no pain, no gain" philosophy guided the training regimens of athletes. Dr. Tudor Bompa pioneered most of these breakthroughs, proving long ago that it's not only how much and how hard an athlete works but also when and what work is done that determines the athlete's conditioning level.

In Periodization Training for Sports, Bompa de
Unleashing the Wild Physique: Ultimate Bodybuilding for Men and Women book cover93

Unleashing the Wild Physique: Ultimate Bodybuilding for Men and Women

Vince Gironda and Robert Kennedy

4.1
94

Bodyweight Strength Training: 12 Weeks to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

Jay Cardiello

4.1
Serious Strength Training book cover95

Serious Strength Training

Tudor Bompa, Mauro Di Pasquale, Lorenzo Cornacchia

4.0

Maximize your strength and muscle definition by applying the latest breakthroughs in scientific research to your training. The new edition of Serious Strength Training presents


-scientifically based guidelines for periodization workouts,

-new information on incorporating popular bodybuilding systems into the periodization plan,

-80 exercises that cause the greatest stimulation in the muscles,

-a nutri
Cardio Sucks: The Simple Science of Losing Fat Fast...Not Muscle book cover96

Cardio Sucks: The Simple Science of Losing Fat Fast...Not Muscle

Michael Matthews

4.0
If you're short on time and sick of the same old boring cardio routine and want to kick your fat loss into high gear by working out less and...heaven forbid...actually have some fun...then you want to read this new book.

Here's the deal:

The "old school" of cardio has you doing grinding, grueling long-distance runs or bike rides for hours and hours each week to burn a little bit of fat and, unfortun
97

The Vegan Bodybuilder's Cookbook

Samantha Shorkey

4.0
Essential Recipes and Meal Plans for Plant-Based Bodybuilding

When it comes to gaining muscle, protein is king in the nutrient world, but you don’t have to be a carnivore to get “swole.” Plants contain the nutrients needed to support your bodybuilding efforts. The Vegan Bodybuilder’s Cookbook is your comprehensive guide to keep you on track towards shredded success.

Learn to complement your training
Strength Training Past 50 book cover98

Strength Training Past 50

Wayne L. Westcott

4.0
Increase your strength to improve your health, your appearance, and your performance with Strength Training Past 50.

Strength training offers many benefits for active adults, including enhanced athletic performance, reduced risk of disease, and decreased symptoms of arthritis, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Whether you are just getting started or have been training your entire life, Strength Training P
99

Suspension Training

Jay Dawes

4.0
For strength, stability, core power, flexibility, and balance, suspension training delivers results. Used by the best of the best, from professional trainers to the elite athletes they work with, suspension training is a respected and essential component of conditioning programs worldwide. Now, the ultimate suspension training expert shares the ultimate in suspension exercises and programs.

TRX Sus
The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution: The Slow Motion Exercise That Will Change Your Body in 30 Minutes a Week book cover100

The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution: The Slow Motion Exercise That Will Change Your Body in 30 Minutes a Week

Fredrick Hahn

4.0
Join the Slow Burn Fitness Revolution!

In The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution, authors of the three-million-copy bestseller Protein Power team up with leading fitness expert Fred Hahn to revolutionize the way America gets strong, lean, and healthy. The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution lays out the accumulating body of scientific evidence that shows the spend-hours-in-the-gym approach to exercise is over.