TweetBest Bodybuilding & Strength Training Books


If you want to master a subject, the general rule is that you have to read in your subject at least one hour every day. According to Achievement expert Brian Tracy, if you read one hour a day for three years, you will become an expert in your field. Read an hour a day for five years, you'll be a national expert in your field. Read an hour a day for seven years, you'll be an international expert in your field.

Motivational expert Jim Rohn says, "All the successful people with whom I have had contact are good readers. They read read, read. It's their curiosity that drives them to read. They simply HAVE to know."

The great Charlie "Tremendous" Jones says, "You will be the same person five years from now except for the people you meet and the books you read." I couldn't agree more.

I am a total bookworm. Actually, I am beyond bookworm - I admit it, am a "book geek!" My idea of a great Saturday night is five hours in my home office with a 300 page book - and finishing the whole thing. I've devoted my life to self-study in all areas of personal development, not just health and fitness.

My personal reading goal is at least three books a week. I'll lose an hour of sleep before I'll lose an hour of reading. At a rate of three books a week, that's 156 books a year or 1560 books in ten years. In fact, I've read almost 2000 books since I started this discipline some 16 years ago. Do you think the knowledge from 2000 books has had any influence on my personal development, both physically and in every other dimension? Can it do the same for you? I think you know the answers.

Since I'm such an avid reader, I'm frequently asked, "What do you think is the one best book on bodybuilding and weight training?

I don't believe there is such a thing as THE single best book. Nor is there such a thing as THE best way to train. In my opinion, pigeonholing oneself into a single training methodology is where dogmatic fundamentalists go wrong. Their approach may be entirely valid, but it's only one of many valid methods.

I would recommend that you keep an open mind and learn as many different techniques and approaches as possible. Look at each one of these techniques as an arrow in your quiver - as one weapon in your arsenal of many weapons. If you only have only one arrow in your quiver, you're in trouble. If you only have one club in your golf bag, you're not going to play too well; one tool in your tool box...well, you get the idea.

If you choose to learn from only one source, you're limiting your education and stifling your progress. Study from a variety of sources. Build a library. Examine each approach with an open mind. Weigh the pros and the cons. If it makes sense to you, try it. If it works for you, adopt it as a part of your own training philosophy. If it doesn't make sense or if you tried it and it didn't work, then throw it out. In other words, learn from everyone, keep the best and throw out the rest. Be a student, not a follower.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Writings are useless unless they are read, and they cannot be read unless they are readable." There are many outstanding books on bodybuilding and weight training, but many of them are so technical or scientific that they are either too difficult to understand or they just put you to sleep. Many of these books leave you with more questions than answers. You begin reading confused and when you finish reading, you're even more confused.

Some authors write in a technical jargon that could only possibly be deciphered by fellow scientists and academics. Sometimes I think bodybuilding and fitness writers are more concerned with impressing and receiving the approval of their academic peers than with helping their readers achieve their goals. Lately, I've noticed that the race is on to see how many scientific references an author can cite in one book. It started with dozens, then hundreds and now I see references number into the thousands. (I'm soooo impressed.... not!)

They do this to sell worthless supplements too. Just say things like "scientifically proven," "university tested" and "backed by clinical research" in an advertisement. Then put a list of technical references at the end of the ad and voila! Instant credibility - even if there are just as many studies in the literature (which weren't mentioned), that refute the findings of the studies quoted. But I digress.... Sorry... Back to what I was saying about books...

It never ceases to amaze me how some writers can take a simple concept and make it sound mystical, complex, and a thousand times more confusing than it really is. They would rather write, "Mr. Aikman propelled the prolate spheroid" instead of "Troy threw the football." I think they do this on purpose so you stay confused and continue to believe you need the guru's "help" and "advice" forever - what do you think?

Despite the glut of junk you have to wade through, both in products and books, there are some real gems if you know where to look.

If I were to pick one book on weight training to start with, I'd highly recommend Ian King's "Get Buffed." It's a great book because Ian is a really great communicator. He gets his point across in a way that anyone can understand (He doesn't speak in a lot of scientific lingo that sounds like a foreign language). He's also a no-B.S. kind of guy who is NOT afraid to speak his opinions, even if they go against conventional wisdom. Get Buffed is not a textbook for exercise physiology students - it's a practical guide for everyone: The information applies to recreational exercisers, bodybuilders, weight loss seekers and athletes alike. Its' 300 pages and 100,000 words. No long lists of references. No fancy technical terms. Just pure practical information. Ian is "the man."

Other classic must-reads include Frederick Hatfield's books, Arnolds massive encyclopedia and his autobiography (Education of a Bodybuilder), and Chris Aceto's excellent nutrition and training tomes (all of them).

It's not that you shouldn't make the effort to read the textbooks and the more difficult, technical stuff like Zatsiorsky, Siff, or Paul Chek: If you have the patience and are willing to put in the effort, you can learn a lot from them. But for a beginner or general reader, some of these books might as well be in Greek because they're written by strength training professionals for strength training professionals. For example, here's something that training and biomechanics genius Paul Chek wrote:

"This faulty motor sequence disrupts load sharing by first recruiting the scapular adductors, shortening them beyond the range of their optimal length/force and length/tension relationships, which then leave the scapulohumeral musculature to perform the remainder of the work." (No kidding, Paul actually writes like this...God bless him.)

With that in mind, here is Tom Venuto's "Best bodybuilding & weight training books list, Version 2.0" Sorry I don't have time to give a detailed review of each book, but what I did attempt to do is let you know what type of info you can expect to find in each book and what audience would benefit the most from each book. Feel free to e-mail me me if you want more info on a specific book, whether it's right for you and where to get it

Get Buffed by Ian King This is one of my favorite books on training for strength, fitness and physique enhancement and should be one of the first books in your training library. Ian is such an effective communicator. He's a strength and conditioning coach by trade, but the info in Get Buffed has applications to everyone - not just athletes.

Get Buffed II by Ian King More 'Get Buffed.' If you own Get Buffed Volume one and enjoyed it, you will enjoy the sequel as well.

The Book of Muscle by Ian King and Lou Schuler Ian King teamed up with Lou Schuler of Men's Health magazine fame for this excellent, photo-filled guide to building strength and gaining muscle. The book is incredibly thorough, starting with muscle physiology, moving into exercise descriptions with photos for each exercise and concluding with what most people want the most - lots of routines (you get 18 month's worth). If you enjoy the Men's health genre (magazines & books) you will love this book. Ladies, don't flip through this at the bookstore and say "naw, this is only for guys." It may be filled with masculine pronouns, but the information is solid gold for men or women. And besides, if you're female, you might just enjoy all the eye candy (i.e., men's health models)

The Poliquin principles by Charles Poliquin: Charles Poliquin is regarded by many as the best strength coach in the world. His book "The Poliquin Principles" is a great source of killer routines and techniques for advanced bodybuilders and those seeking muscle mass.

Modern Trends in Strength Training by Charles Poliquin A technical look at the science of sets & reps. Might be a bit deep for beginners, but belongs on the shelf of every serious strength coach, trainer, bodybuilder or weight training enthusiast

Escalating Density Training - The Ultimate Guide to Massive Arms by Charles Staley: Staley's Escalating Density Training, also known as EDT, is a scientifically sound and highly effective program. "Density" is the concept of performing more work in less time. When increasing density is combined with progressive overload, the results can be mind-blowing. If you have skinny arms, this program will fix that in no time! Hopefully, coach Staley will continue this series with more of the same for all of the other body parts.

Championship Bodybuilding by Chris Aceto: Chris Aceto is a bodybuilding journalist, trainer and nutritionist to top professional bodybuilders. Championship Bodybuilding is Aceto's instruction guide to training, aerobics, nutrition, pre-contest dieting, carb depleting and loading, body fat control and supplements. This is not a sports training or "Men's fitness" type of book - It will appeal to the bodybuilding purist.

Understanding bodybuilding Nutrition & Training by Chris Aceto: A good combination of training and nutrition info for the serious bodybuilder. Straightforward, not overly scientific and easy to read.

Keys to the Inner Universe by Bill Pearl Four Time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl has created the most comprehensive illustrated guide to weight training exercises in the world. Literally thousands of exercise variations in 642 encyclopedic pages. A classic.

Brawn by Stuart McRobert: Bodybuilding for the drug free and genetically typical, focusing on brief and intense workouts. McRobert can be somewhat dogmatic in his belief about super-abbreviated training, but this book provides one of the best explanations of the progressive resistance concept you'll ever find. Kudos go to Stuart for his emphasis on the importance of form, safety and plain old common sense in training.

Beyond Brawn by Stuart McRobert: The sequel and companion guide to Brawn. No glossy pics, just 500 pages of densely packed info.Despite its size, this is an easy read because of the way Stuart arranged the content into short numbered paragraphs: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc. I applaud Stuart for his continued emphasis on drug free training.

Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier: Frederic Delavier is anatomical artist and he has filled and entire book with amazingly detailed illustrations of all the popular strength training exercises (free weights and machines) with the muscles being worked shaded in red (Very cool). Detailed to the last muscle fiber! A great education for the beginner and a super reference guide for the advanced; keep it within reach. Also check out Strength Training Anatomy for Women.

Science and Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir Zatsiorsky: Very technical; heavy stuff. Will interest trainers, strength training professionals, olympic lifters, powerlifters or serious students of the iron game.

Power a scientific approach by Fred Hatfield: Fred "Dr. Squat" Hatfield is the man who squatted 1014 pounds at the age of 45, so when he speaks of power, you'd best listen.

Bodybuilding a Scientific Approach by Fred Hatfield: The title is pretty self explanatory. Not just a book of sets, reps and exercises, but also an in depth look at muscle physiology.

Hardcore bodybuilding a Scientific Approach by Fred Hatfield: Another 400+ excellent pages of bodybuilding science from Dr. Squat. Even more thorough and up to date than his first "scientific bodybuilding" book.

Supertraining by Mel Siff:A landmark work about the biomechanics and physiology of sports specific training. A long and challenging read; worth the effort for the strength professional or serious student.

Facts & Fallacies of Fitness by Mel Siff: Exposes common myths and fallacies about exercise, strength training and nutrition. Includes a few shocking revelations that that may surprise even the most seasoned athlete or trainee. A great book for anyone.

Unleashing the Wild Physique by Vince Gironda. Many in the iron game believe that Vince Gironda was the greatest bodybuilding trainer who ever lived. Vince had a controversial and unique approach and in his book you will find bodybuilding concepts and secrets that you definitely won't find elsewhere.

High Performance Bodybuilding by John Parillo: Hard-core training info for the serious competitive bodybuilder

50 Workout Secrets by John Parillo: More info for the serious bodybuilder. Not overly technical; an easy read with lots of photos.

Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger: Might be overtraining for most people, but this is still the definitive source from the best of the best. (worth owning just for the inspirational photos alone!)

Education of a Bodybuilder - Arnold Schwarzenegger: More biography than training instruction, but get it anyway for the motivation. Peer inside the life and the mind of one of the greatest bodybuilders who ever lived.

Body for Life by Bill Phillips A basic, but solid guide to fat loss and weight training for beginners. The program is simple to follow and incorporates nutrition, cardio, strength training and a good dose of motivation; a winning combination. (just skip the supplement plugs - these principles will work with or without the supplements).

ABS Solution by Shawn Philips: Shawn Phillips, brother of Body For Life author Bill Phillips, has written a excellent book on abdominal training. The ab programs are geared more towards bodybuilding and physique enhancement rather than sports conditioning (although he does utilize some Swiss ball work). Personally I think Shawn's ab routines are terrific - they are very similar to the way I train abs myself. ABSolution is not just about abs though; you'll also find complete full body workouts with photos, nutrition information and answers to common questions. The book is filled with training photos, plus great inspirational photos of Shawn. The man has a tremendous physique with a great natural look... (I may have to challenge Shawn to an ab pose-down one of these days J ... that would be a close one, eh?)

Designing Resistance Training Programs Fleck & Kraemer: A classic textbook and reference guide for the strength and conditioning professional.

Essentials of Strength & conditioning by Thomas Baechle: The official textbook and reference guide for the national strength and conditioning association (NSCA) and the certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) certification. 658 page textbook. Not for casual reading; meant to be studied.

Target Bodybuilding by Per A. Tesch: Enlightening, photographically illustrated look at which muscles are activated in each exercise.

RIPPED 1, 2 & 3 By Clarence Bass: Nutrition and training info by Mr. 2% body fat himself

Fabulously Fit Forever - Frank Zane Three time Mr. Olympia's guide to staying lean and muscular at any age.

Keys to Progress by John Mcallum: A complete collection of John McCallum's strength training articles. Written as dialogue; easy read.

Priming the Anabolic Environment by Will Brink: Short, 128-page guide to nutrition and training for the serious bodybuilder. Excellent info from a well known independent industry expert, including some "forbidden" topics that others wouldn't touch.

Brother Iron, Sister Steel by Dave Draper: Dave has an entertaining and readable style. Great training info, plus nostalgic Iron game stuff.

Loaded Guns by Larry Scott: Some very interesting and effective bodybuilding tricks from the first Mr. Olympia. Biographical and instructional

Robert Kennedy too many books to list - man, he is one prolific dude!

Kinesiology of Exercise by Dr. Michael Yessis A wee bit dry and technical, but still a very good guide to biomechanics and kinesiology

Beyond 2001: New Approaches to Scientific Training: A very technical manual about bodybuilding biomechanics. Some neat stuff and unique exercise variations you definitely won't find anywhere else (if you can find a copy, that is.)

Super Squats by Randall Strossen: Yes, this is the infamous brief but brutal 20 rep squat routine that has packed more muscle on more people than perhaps any other routine in history. This is a routine every bodybuilder has to do at least once in their lifetime.

Optimal Muscle Training by Ken Kinakin: This book is all about biomechanics, anatomy, muscle testing, resistance training technique, and injury prevention. What I really like about it is that instead of making sweeping generalizations about exercise safety or effectiveness, he analyzed 125 popular weight training techniques and rated them according to risk - benefit ratio. Some parts are technical and best appreciated by fitness professionals, but this would make a great addition to any library (A great value too because it includes a DVD)

Athletic Body In Balance by Gray Cook: This is NOT a typical "bodybuilding" or weight training book. Cook, a master trainer with an orthopedic and sports physical therapy background developed this manual primarily for athletes, personal trainers and strength coaches. Topics include identifying weak links, analyzing movement patterns, developing resistance to injury, core training, developing stability, balance training, strength training, endurance training, speed development, agility, and plyometrics.

Strength Ball training by Lorne Goldenberg and Peter Twist. This is one of the better books on swiss ball and medicine ball exercises. Readable and useful for the layperson as well as the fitness professional. 69 exercises described in detail, with photos.

Fitness and Strength Training for all Sports by Hartmann and Tunnemann: Weight training for sports; best appreciated by athletes, strength coaches and personal trainers.

Science of Sports Training by Thomas Kurz: Strength training for sports; not a "bodybuilding" book.

Awesome Abs by Paul Chek: A 47 page guide to scientific ab training. Teaches you ab anatomy and biomechanics so you'll be less likely to get injured and less likely to get scammed by all the various abdominal gimmicks proliferating these days.

Legendary Abs by Jerry Robinson & Health For Life: Even with all these balls, wobble boards and other new toys the trainers like so much, this is still, in my opinion, one of the best ab training guides out there - dated as it may seem - if your goal is bodybuilding/cosmetic. For rehab and/or sports conditioning, you may want to look into the work of Paul Chek and David Grisaffi.

The Strongest Shall Survive by Bill Starr: A classic oldie but goodie on strength training for sports and football)


Weight training: A Scientific Approach by Stone & O'Bryant Technical and scientific. Excellent reference for the serious student or strength and conditioning professional.


Some of these books you may already own or at least have heard of. Chances are good though, that many of these you have never heard of. That's because the best sellers at Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble are rarely the best sources of information. They are simply the most publicized (or hyped). I recommend you not only dig into the mainstream books, but also delve into some of the more esoteric and scientific stuff.

Let me leave you with one important tip. When you want to get good at something or achieve a goal in any area, one of the best ways to do it is to totally immerse yourself in the subject. Create or put yourself in a motivational and educational environment. Surround yourself with books. Read every day. Study constantly. Mix and mingle with others on the same path. Seek out mentors and coaches. Spend a lot of time in the gym. Change gyms if that will help. Put up pictures on your wall, on your computer screen and monitor. Write down your goals. Get INCREDIBLY INTERESTED in the subject. Become fascinated... enthralled... captivated. Cultivate INSATIABLE CURIOSITY. Absolutely steep yourself in the subject you want to master and an amazing thing will happen: Not only will your knowledge increase, your ENTHUSIASM and MOTIVATION will soar through the roof. And when that happens, your results will soon follow.

Editor's note: This is version 2.0 of this list. I'm sure I'll update this book list again in the future and I'll keep you posted on anything I add. If you have any suggestions for other books that should be on this list (bodybuilding, weight training or strength training), please e-mail me. E-books have been excluded from this list as I will review the best ebooks elsewhere on the fitren.com website

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