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

Summary: Buy this book. Your search ends here. This truly is the Fitness Bible.Pros:1. Book is so massive you gain muscle just from reading it.2. Extremely helpful and accessible. If you're so new that you just want to 'get lean', buy this book. If you are a 260 pound body building champion looking for detailed information on hair styling, posing, and lighting tips, buy this book. If you play any sport at all, buy this book.3. Includes many workouts designed with different goals in mind in many different difficulty levels.4. Includes recipes for protein shakes and healthy eatingCons:1. Makes me feel motivated to change my life. I suddenly have no excuses left.

Provides some standard information for readers with little to no knowledge of weightlifting. Unecessarilu large and a little comvoluted at times for the sake of making the book larger than it needed to be. Recieved the book in damaged condition along the spine despite buying "as new". Pages along the center are poorly seamed/glued to the point where they're falling out.Over this book I'd recommend Frederic Delavier's Strength Training and Anatomy volume two. It condenses alot of the principle from the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding into a well written, easily interpretable book with detailed anatomical illustrations that highlight what muscles are trained with what exercises and how to train them. It also has program recommendations for beginners, intermidiate, and advanced lifters that I still use as a base templet for my own training to this day. A year and change after purchasing this book. Easily the better book on the topic. Mark Ripptoe's "Starting Strength" may also be worth a read for those focused squarely on powerlifting.

I was looking for a book that lays out a simple but effected, A B, C, or 1,2,3, system for muscle and strength building. this is 800 pages, I could not find any work out programs in it. it hs 100's of pic of bodybuilders and how to pose for a pic , the book if you can get thru 800 pages, of advance bodybuilding is well put together. but is useless for the novice who works out to stay in shape and try to increase his performance, what I wanted was a simply book, that layed several routines for upper chest, stomach, reduce pot belly, built some stomach muscels and build leg endurance .. I would not recommend it for any one but seriouse body builders.

I've been wanting this book ever since I was in high school. I was not disappointed. It is true that it is written in Arnold's language and with his insight. I read it with his accent for fun. It has great suggestions and workouts for every muscle. The book is divided up into 5 books, each with there own chapters.There is quite a bit of text and pictures, so if you are visual, prefer reading, or like both you won't be disappointed. Book 1: Introduction to Bodybuilding, Book 2: Training Programs, Book 3: Body Part Exercises, Book 4: Competition, Book 5: Health, Nutrition, and Diet. Now it's time to hit the gym and put the book to good use!!! FYI you can read the table of contents on amazon or google books for more information!

best resource for the novice or well versed bodybuilder. gives excellent step by step for training properly with detailed photos for proper form. it also has a concise lifestyle and health food guide for gaining or losing weight. i cant count the times i have purchased this book for friends who love to live healthy and take time for the gym. forget the personal trainer and their costs, this book will get you where you need to be at a fraction of the cost. a must have!

Very good book about weight lifting, body building and nutrition. Probably 20 years I had it in a hard copy but lost it somewhere. This time I bought and read the kindle version. I realized that a lot of the pictures of different exercises were missing. So I downloaded a copy of it on my computer and ipad and all the pictures were back again. Not sure why some were missing when read directly on my kindle. Kinda annoying if someone didnt know to try and read it on a different device.

I loved this book. Arnold's enthusiasm for bodybuilding is infectious and it is full of so many great anecdotes about his personal experiences while competing in the field. Filled with great pictures of how to do each exercise and has some very excellent sample workout schedules that I've followed and gotten great results with in the just the few months that I've been following them. Just leafing through this book makes you want to go out and lift more!My only criticism is that he only has a single, very short chapter dedicated female competitive bodybuilders. And unlike the gobs and gobs of photos of huge male bodybuilders interspersed throughout the book, he doesn't even include any photos of these women! Come on, Arnold! I see tons of women at the gym, some very serious about weightlifting, and by not making them feel included in this book, you're probably missing out on many potential purchasers of this book.

Arnold has been the symbol of bodybuilding and exercise in the U.S. for decades. Sure a lot of people don't gym it like he did and crossfit and other forms of exercise has exploded but his impact is undeniable. This book is fantastic in giving people a basis for why certain exercises work. The explanations aren't supposed to be from a physio's viewpoint but Arnold does a great job at explaining in layman's terms why these exercises worked for him and why probably they will work for you. You can take what you want and come back to it again and again.

If you're a beginner wondering how you should go about building that sculpted and ripped body, look no further. I bought this book more from interest in the subject matter than any great desire to actually get ripped, but I find myself going to the gym more regularly now than before. I'm not planning on entering any body building contests but I've no doubt that I'll be fitter and healthier from using the information from this Bible of bodybuilding.The style of writing is simple and concise. The information is laid out in easy to find and easily digestible chapters. I particularly liked the personal comments that infiltrate the text, where Arnold explains common practice versus what he did (and probably still does) during his workouts. The chapters on nutrition were particularly useful to me.The addition of photographs both of Arnold and other well know bodybuilders is both interesting and pictorially informative, as I found them to be a great visual aid when combined with Arnolds description of muscles and excercises.All in all, this is one book that will not disapoint, even if you're only (as I am) interested in reaching a moderate state of health and physical perfection. For anyone who is looking to go that one step further, this Bible of bodybuilding will serve as a solid foundation and springboard. Great book that will get used often.

I've literally had a brisk look through this book and can see already, where I've been going wrong, how to improve and most importantly how to achieve my goal.The book is idiot proof. Clear and concise descriptions and pictures show you how to execute an exercise with technical precision. It also shows how an exercise is done incorrectly so you know what to look for.Based on Arnie's advice, I'm not cancelling my gym membership. But the first basic workout can be fine at home, if you have a barbell, dumbbells and a bench...I am so pleased I've now got this book. I've loads from other experts and whilst they may be good, they're not as in depth as this one. I shall still probably use the other books but I'm pretty sure this will be my go to.... I think there's a reason it's known as the bodybuilder's Bible...Can see I'll be using this for many years to come

I havent read the whole book just read here and there and skimmed through it, but being in the medical field I found it shows all you need to know to become a proper body builder, different muscle groups to focus on and nutrition.Theres so much quality photos of famous bodybuilders with their physiques thats nearly in every page thats why its so thick. If any to criticize, this should have been done only on hardbound. Why?the book is heavy, thick and big more or less an a4 size and comes in softbound. Reading this is impossible when youre lying down. It has to be sitting up on a table, the softbound cover will rip in days of reading it thats why it needs to be hardbound. I just placed a plastic cover to at least prevent it from ripping. The book is i guess about 2 kg in weight or more. Great book to collect. Alot of good info in it.

The other reviews about this book are pretty much accurate. This is likely the best set of books on Bodybuilding ever written. There are really 5 books contained as the 5 aspects of Bodybuilding are treated distinctly enough. It likely is the only Exercise book one would need as Arnold always pays credit where it's due by naming the experts on individual aspects of Bodybuilding that you could research on the internet. I would recommend this book above any other you might buy because it's complete. Totally.This book is actually, perfect. I find it good, great, value for money.I don't buy books about Bodybuilding... apart from this one because I knew it would be so darn good, and it is aswell. I've just spent a week reading it right through and due to the style of writing I remember all the info. Arnolds' love of the sport really makes this an easy to read book. His enthusiasm rubs off on you. This book will MAKE YOU want to train. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN, even though it weighs a ton!You need this book in your' life. Seriously.Martin

understand now why they call it "the bible". just fantastic! only wish there were photos of female bodybuilders too. very thorough, but language is easy to understand, good for all levels of bodybuilders, even real beginners. very practical and inspiring. gained 10 kilos mass using this and Rachel McLish's vintage book, looking much more toned and not bulky at all. I'm 45, still need to lose 30 kilos, but FEEL STRONG AND AMAZING after less than 3 months!!