100 Best Weightlifting Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best weightlifting books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

Featuring recommendations from Caterina Fake, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Jon Favreau, and 18 other experts.
1
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 chapter dealing with the most important assistance exercises, Basic Barbell Training offers the most complete examination in print of the most effective way to exercise. less

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2

Strength Training Anatomy

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.
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3
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, sports psychology, the treatment and prevention of injuries, and methods of training, each illustrated with detailed photos of some of bodybuilding's newest stars.
Plus, all the...
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4
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. less

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6
MICHAEL MATTHEWS' #1 BESTSELLING WOMEN'S FITNESS BOOK WITH OVER 250,000 COPIES SOLD. If you want to be toned, lean, and strong as quickly as possible without crash dieting, "good genetics," or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym and money on pills and powders...regardless of your age... then you want to read this book. less

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7
Olympic Weightlifting is a comprehensive guide to learning and instructing the Olympic and related lifts. Includes sections on teaching progressions, lift analyses, error correction, programming, competition, supplemental exercises, warm-up protocols, nutrition, and sample training programs. "Simply the best book available on Olympic weightlifting." Don Weideman, Vice President, Pacific Weightlifting Association "Without a doubt the best book on the market today about Olympic-style weightlifting." Mike Burgener, USA Weightlifting senior international coach "Outstanding, Accurate, and Concise!... more

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8

Becoming a Supple Leopard

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, doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or masseur. In Becoming a Supple Leopard, Kelly Starrett—founder of...
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9

Mind Gym

An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

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.

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Recommended by Michael Gervais, and 1 others.

Michael GervaisOne of the books I often give away is Mind Gym by Gary Mack. It’s a very mechanical, easy, lots-of-white-space-on-the-page book. And it’s one of my favourites, a very applied synopsis of mental skills from a sport and performance psychology standpoint. (Source)

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10
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 human body. It contains the collective wisdom of hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of...
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Jon FavreauI’ve given [this book] to people. (Source)

Bryan CallenI probably have recommended The Art of Learning and The 4-Hour Body, I'm not kidding, more than any other books. (Source)

Marin GerovTalking of Tim Ferriss, his series (The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef) have been extremely good resources for improving work, health, and learning. (Source)

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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11
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 the extreme hand-held gym from the man who started the kettlebell revolution.

Simple & Sinister will physically prepare you for almost...

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12

Never Let Go

A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning

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. less

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13

The New Rules of Lifting for Women

Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess

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. less

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14
Recommended by Mark Bell, and 1 others.

Mark BellDid a great job of presenting a condensed, simplified, but effective method for getting stronger. (Source)

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15
Revised edition includes 100 new exercises!

The Men’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 book is a body-shaping power tool for both beginners and long-time lifters alike. This book contains hundreds of useful tips, the latest findings in exercise science, and cutting-edge workouts from the world's top trainers.

Backed by the authority of Men's Health magazine, this revised edition of the bestseller will feature 100 new...
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16

Delavier's Women's Strength Training Anatomy Workouts

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, shoulders, abs, legs, and glutes.

Step-by-step instructions work in tandem with the anatomical illustrations to ensure understanding of maximizing the efficiency of...
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17

Total Recall

My Unbelievably True Life Story

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 world’s biggest movie star. In 2003, he was elected governor of California and a household name around the world.

Chronicling his embodiment of the American Dream,...
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Yaro StarakI love really detailed biographies, the thick ones, like the Arnold Schwarzenegger one and also Steve Jobs, the one done a few years ago was nice and solid really goes into the details, I love those. They’ve always been really impactful, whether it’s an entrepreneur or an athlete or a well-known celebrity or expert or historical figure, those biographies have had a big impact on me as well and... (Source)

Irina BotnariI’m definitely a story-lover and maybe that’s why I like to read a lot of biographies. It’s fascinating to discover how people with different backgrounds, interests, businesses, careers have found solutions for various challenges from all areas of their life. Elon Musk, Andre Agassi, Phil Knight, Maria Sharapova, Arnold Schwarzenegger are only a few of good recent ones. A specific moment when I... (Source)

Michael HerrmannSchwarzenegger's autobiography. Very interesting as well. He's a true self-made man. (Source)

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19
This the most thorough English-language book available on the subject of program planning for Olympic-style weightlifting. Takano covers the theoretical and practical issues, the biological and mathematical underpinnings, and provides a straightforward process for developing training programs with plentiful examples. Bob Takano s book, "Weightlifting Programming: A Winning Coach s Guide" is excellent. This book has so much great information, every Olympic-Style Weightlifting coach should buy it read it and use it as a reference in their coaching. Lifters that like to know the "nuts and bolts"... more

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20
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 muscles respond to the movements of the joints; how alterations of a pose can enhance or reduce effectiveness; and how the spine, breathing, and body position are all...
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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21

Strong Curves

A Woman's Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body

This is not your run-of-the-mill fitness book. Developed by world-renowned gluteal expert Bret Contreras, Strong Curves offers an extensive fitness and nutrition guide for women seeking to improve their physique, function, strength, and mobility.

Contreras spent the last eighteen years researching and field-testing the best methods for building better butts and shapelier bodies. In Strong Curves, he offers the programs that have proven effective time and time again with his clients, allowing you to develop lean muscle, rounded glutes, and greater confidence.
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22
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 years—from Ancient Greece’s Olympic athletes to tomorrow’s U.S. Special Forces—humanity’s greatest physical specimens have not relied on fitness centers or dumbbells, but have rather utilized their... more

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23

Strength to Love

"If there is one book Martin Luther King, Jr. has written that people consistently tell me has changed their lives, it is Strength to Love."



So wrote Coretta Scott King. She continued: "I believe it is because this book best explains the central element of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence: His belief in a divine, loving presence that binds all life." That insight, luminously conveyed in this classic text, here presented in a new and attractive edition, hints at the personal transformation at the root of social justice: "By...
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24
The anatomy of strength, size, and definition!

Over 1 million readers have turned to Strength Training Anatomy for the most effective exercises in strength training. Now put those exercises to work for you with The Strength Training Anatomy Workout, Volume II.

Over 500 full-color photos and 485 full-color illustrations allow you to go inside 60 exercises, 19 stretches, and 9 programmed workouts to see how muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures and how variations, progressions, and sequencing can affect muscle recruitment, the...
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25
Riding decades of success, this program has turned human toothpicks into stalwarts, and stalwarts into legends. After a few minutes under a squat bar, you will find out what you’re made of: wussies hate it, hardies revel in it . . . the routine in this book is so tough that only the highly-motivated can handle it. Step up to the challenge of getting bigger and stronger, sans drugs, fancy equipment or food fads. less
Recommended by Zach Even Esh, and 1 others.

Zach Even EshThe Book Super Squats is awesome. Kids need to be reading stuff like that. Coaches in their 20s need to read it as well! https://t.co/lPsAicMUR3 (Source)

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26

Delavier's Stretching Anatomy

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 over 550 full-color photos and illustrations, you'll go inside more than 130 exercises to see how muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures and learn how...
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29

The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living

Carbohydrate restricted diets are commonly practiced but seldom taught. As a result, doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, and nurses may have strong opinions about low carbohydrate dieting, but in many if not most cases, these views are not grounded in science. Now, whether you are a curious healthcare professional or just a connoisseur of diet information, two New York Times best selling authors provide you with the definitive resource for low carbohydrate living.

Doctors Volek and Phinney share over 50 years of clinical experience using low carbohydrate diets, and together they...
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30

Science and Practice of Strength Training

This new second edition of Science and Practice of Strength Training comes with many additions and changes. A new coauthor, Dr. William Kraemer, joins Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky in expanding on the principles and concepts needed for training athletes. Among Dr. Kraemer's contributions are three new chapters targeting specific populations--women, young athletes, and seniors--plus the integration of new concepts into the other chapters.

Together the authors have trained more than 1,000 elite athletes, including Olympic, world, continental, and national champions and record...
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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
31

The Strength Training Anatomy Workout

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; increase hip flexibility . . . it's all here, and all in the stunning detail that only Frederic Delavier can provide!

Over 150 full-color illustrations allow you to get inside more...
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32
A lost friend, a new love, and a town full of secrets... One night in the town of Hell, Ariel's best friend goes missing. Those around her believe Jenna ran away, but when Ariel is tormented by nightmares and paranormal activity, she realizes Jenna's disappearance was part of a bigger mystery. Ariel's obsession with haunted houses and horror movies makes her the perfect detective.

But to complicate matters, a handsome newcomer named Henry Rhodes plagues her with unwanted attention. Though he doesn't believe in the supernatural events, she enlists his help and that of quirky nerd...
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33
An inspiring story of how a Mormon kid with Tourette's found salvation in books and weight-lifting.

Josh Hanagarne couldn't be invisible if he tried. Although he wouldn't officially be diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome until his freshman year of high school, Josh was six years old and onstage in a school Thanksgiving play when he first began exhibiting symptoms. By the time he was twenty, the young Mormon had reached his towering adult height of 6'7" when — while serving on a mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints — his Tourette's tics escalated to nightmarish levels.
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34

Supertraining

The shock method * The development of adaptation process during the long term sport activity * The "compensatory adaptation" * Current Adaptive Reserve of the human organism * The strategy to manage the adaptation in the training process * The specificity of protein synthesis in the adaptation process * The structural reconstructions during the adaptation process and the phenomenon of Supercompensation * Heterochronism of adaptive reconstructions * The function efficiency in a high - adapted organism * The optimal regime of adaptation * The phenomenon of immune defence decrease * The general... more

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35

Stretching

The book Stretching was first published in 1975 when fitness awareness was in its infancy. Stretching has since sold over two million copies in the USA and has been published in 24 foreign editions worldwide. Now after twenty-one years and with many other books on the market, it has become the most widely-used and recommended book on stretching and its popularity continues to grow each year. The reasons for this may be the book's simple, user-friendly organization, the easy to follow individual stretches and principles, the ample line drawings by Jean Anderson, and the need for every body to... more

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36

Scientific Principles of Strength Training

In Scientific Principles of Strength Training we have created one of the most comprehensive resources ever available on the topic of building strength.

Checking in at nearly 400 pages, Scientific Principles is co-authored by Dr. Mike Israetel (author of The Renaissance Diet), Dr. James Hoffmann (Exercise Science Professor at Temple University) and Chad Wesley Smith (Top 10 Raw Powerlifter of All-Time). This trio of authors has given Scientific Principles a unique combination of scientific and practical knowledge, not found in any other text.

Covered in Scientific...
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37
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 science, and cutting-edge workouts from the world's top trainers.  Inside The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises you'll find: 619 Exercises!
All expertly demonstrated with color photographs, with...
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38

Bruce Lee

The Art of Expressing the Human Body

Learn the secrets to obtaining Bruce Lee's astounding physique with this insightful martial arts training book.

The Art of Expressing the Human Body, a title coined by Bruce Lee himself to describe his approach to martial arts, documents the techniques he used so effectively to perfect his body for superior health and muscularity.

Beyond his martial arts and acting abilities, Lee's physical appearance and strength were truly astounding. He achieved this through an intensive and ever-evolving conditioning regime that is being revealed for the first time in...
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39
There are lots of things about weight training in general and barbell exercise in particular that can only be learned by spending way too many hours in the gym. And honestly, unless you're a gym owner, this is a really weird way to spend 75 hours a week. Mark Rippetoe has been in the fitness industry since 1978 and has owned a black-iron gym since 1984. He knows things about lifting weights and training for performance that most other coaches and professionals have never had the chance to learn. This book of essays offers a glimpse into the depths of experience made possible through many... more

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40

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning

Developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and now in its fourth edition, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning is the essential text for strength and conditioning professionals and students. This comprehensive resource, created by 30 expert contributors in the field, explains the key theories, concepts, and scientific principles of strength training and conditioning as well as their direct application to athletic competition and performance.

The scope and content of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Fourth Edition...
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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
41
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!Pavel lays out a foolproof master system that guarantees you success-if you simply follow the commands! . Develop all-purpose strength-to easily handle the toughest and most unexpected demand..... more

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42

The World's Fittest Book is set to become every fitness enthusiast's bible. Dubbed the body's complete user guide, it will become the go-to resource for learning all you need to know about building muscle, losing fat, eating (healthy) cake and unlocking your superhuman physical potential.

Packed with workouts the author tried and tested in the pursuit of multiple world records, it's more than a book, it's the greatest training tool ever written! Designed for anyone who wants to make permanent and lasting changes to their food and...
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43
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 functional assessments help in determining the design of a specific plan for each athlete. Self-reinforcing progressions in exercises for the lower body, core, upper body, and...
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44
Finally, a research-based book that covers all facets of optimizing the development of muscle and strength. Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength, Second Edition, is a comprehensive training guide and reference that provides

* definitions of key terms and concepts;

* evaluations of equipment options, including TRX, BOSU, and kettlebells;

* explanations of the role and importance of each muscle group;

* latest nutrition information for losing fat and increasing muscle mass;

* presentations of the best exercises,...
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45

The Barbell Prescription

Strength Training for Life After 40

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 lifestyle, and the loss of independence.

The worst advice an older person ever gets is, “Take it easy.” Easy makes you soft, and soft makes you dead. The Barbell Prescription maps an escape from...
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46
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? And how about not only being stronger than you've ever been in your life, but having higher energy and better performance in whatever you do? How would you like to have an instant download of the... more

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47
Providing exercises for all parts of the body and taking you step-by-step through each movement, highlighting exactly which muscle should be working when, Strength Training is the ultimate personal trainer. With an emphasis on clear demonstration of optimum technique, detailed outlines of the muscles used, and advice on avoiding common pitfalls, Strength Training provides the maximum safeguard against the danger of injury, and helps you stay at peak fitness. less

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48

Delavier's Anatomy for Bigger, Stronger Arms

"Delavier's Anatomy for Bigger, Stronger Arms" is your guide to the massive biceps, triceps, and forearms you've always wanted.

Over 330 full-color photos and 130 anatomical illustrations allow you to go inside more than 100 exercises to see how muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures and how variations, progressions, and sequencing can isolate specific muscles to help you achieve targeted results. It's like having an X-ray of each exercise

"Delavier's Anatomy for Bigger, Stronger Arms" includes over 30 proven programs for strength, size, and...
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49
Have you ever gotten into your car after a long day at work, and even though you promised yourself you'd hit the gym, you head straight home for the couch instead? Have you ever been unable to stop hitting the Snooze button every morning (instead of the gym)? Have you ever been secretly afraid that you just don't have what it takes to really change your body and life? Have you ever struggled so much to build a better body and life that you wondered if it's really worth it? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, I understand. I've been there myself. Years ago, I was stuck in a rut in... more

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50

Arnold

The Education of a Bodybuilder

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 huge and brutal….The weight lifters shone with sweat; they were powerful looking, Herculean. And there it was before me—my life, the answer I'd been seeking. It clicked. It was...
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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
51
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, thighs, glutes, and calves--Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy presents 156 of the most effective bodyweight exercises that can be performed anytime, anywhere. With expert...
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53
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.
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54
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..".from looking "athletic..".to having an outstanding looking, extraordinarily strong, ripped body that just makes people say "WOW"? You know, the type of body that makes people wonder if you're on... more

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56
Executed with the requisite tenacity, intensity and precision, Purposefully Primitive methods can and will favorably alter the compositional makeup of the human body. Primitive tools and simple modes are used to power sparse methods. We force the body to favorably reconfigure itself by generating physical and psychological fierceness during training. Commonsense nutritional strategies and Old School training tactics are synchronized and placed within a periodized timeframe. The three interrelated Purposefully Primitive disciplines (weight training, cardiovascular training and nutrition) need... more

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57

Squat Every Day

Thoughts on Overtraining and Recovery in Strength Training. less

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58
Finally, a book about mobility and stability specifically for Olympic weightlifting by a qualified professional experienced in the sport. Henoch lays the ground work with clearly explained theory, and then provides a systematic process for recognizing problems, discovering their sources, and addressing them effectively, all with the express purpose of achieving safe, optimal positions and movement patterns for the snatch and clean & jerk. Contains over 900 photos and illustrations.

"Henoch has assembled a straightforward, systematic approach to evaluating and correcting...
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60

THE Complete Keys to Progress

Who knows how many teenagers in the 1960s bought Strength & Health magazine primarily to inhale John McCallum's articles - he taught us to squat, how to achieve success through hard work, and how to care for our health as we built size and strength, and the whole time, he entertained us with his stories filled with such characters as the legendary Maurice Jones, the mythical Marvin, and the mountainous Doug Hepburn. Here they are: the full collection of the original John McCallum articles, classic gems. If you were to only buy one book - ever - on how to train, this is it. 288 pp. less

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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
61

Delavier's Sculpting Anatomy for Women

Shaping Your Core, Butt, and Legs

Get an inside view of muscles in action. Like having an X-ray as you work out, "Delavier's Sculpting Anatomy for Women" features full-color photos and detailed anatomical illustrations of exercises for slimming, shaping, and toning the core, butt, and legs.

Whether you're looking to eliminate love handles, tighten your glutes, or add definition to your legs, "Delavier's Sculpting Anatomy for Women" presents the exercises, programming, and advice for the results you want. It's all here and all in the stunning detail that only Frederic Delavier can provide!

Step-by-step...
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62

The Men's Health Gym Bible (2nd edition)

The Men’s Health Gym Bible is the ultimate resource for the total gym experience. Men’s Health fitness advisor Michael Mejia and co-author Myatt Murphy will teach you how to use various types of gym equipment for optimal strength and cardiovascular fitness. In addition to hundreds of exercises for strength and cardio equipment like free weights, stability balls, and treadmills, this updated edition is filled with exercises and expert fitness advice for cutting edge equipment like TRX suspension training, sandbags, and kettle bells. With almost 700 photos, this edition features... more

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64

Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha

A Real World Guide to an Unreal Life

Are you a guy who's interested in building rock hard muscle, erasing your belly fat, boosting your testosterone, and having more mind-blowing sex than you thought possible?

If so, then Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha was written specifically for you...

In his new book, celebrity trainer and Men's Health expert John 'Roman' Romaniello teams up with expert Adam Bornstein, former editor for both Men's Health and LIVESTRONG. Together, they reveal the secrets they've discovered that will give any man—no matter how old...
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Recommended by Terry Crews, and 1 others.

Terry CrewsI read [this book]. And I was like this is crazy. It was unthinkable that you only eat eight hours in a day and a sixteen hour fast. And I do it every day. (Source)

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65
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 was written for you as a simple, yet detailed instruction manual. You get step-by-step instructions: Do this, don’t do that, eat this, don’t eat that, and so on. This is not just an...
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67

Dottir

My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time CrossFit Games Champion

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 second win in 2016, after starting CrossFit in just 2011.

A gymnast as a youth, Davidsdottir wanted to try new challenges and found a love of CrossFit. But it hasn't...
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Recommended by Annie Thorisdottir, Mat Fraser, and 2 others.

Annie ThorisdottirI met Katrin during her first week of attending CrossFit classes, shortly after my first CrossFit Games championship...Her story is a reminder to fans and aspiring athletes that anyone can achieve greatness if they are willing to work hard enough. It’s also a testament to the power of Iceland’s Dottirs that makes my heart swell with pride. (Source)

Mat FraserKatrin Davidsdottir is a fierce competitor with a great story. In the season leading up to my first CrossFit Games championship she was my primary training partner, and she pushed me to new levels of performance. That year I trained by myself mostly, but I would picture her there next to me and think, she wouldn’t be putting the bar down… she would be taking shorter breaks. But Kat wasn’t always... (Source)

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70

Arnold's Bodybuilding for Men

The complete program for building and maintaining a well-conditioned, excellently proportioned body—for a lifetime of fitness and health.

In Arnold's Bodybuilding for Men, legendary athlete Arnold Schwarzenegger shows you how to achieve the best physical condition of your life. For every man, at every age, Arnold outlines a step-by-step program of excercise, skillfully combining weight training and aerobic conditioning. The result—total cardiovascular and muscular fitness.

Arnold's program of exercise features stretching, warm-up and warm-down routines, and three...
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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
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71
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 Kitchen provides expert guidance on what to eat, when to
eat it, and helps you understand how our bodies use what we eat to burn fat and build lean, strong muscle....
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73

Bodybuilding

The Complete Contest Preparation Handbook

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, prepare for the contest, and make the transition to the off-season. With no other book like it on the market, Bodybuilding offers you scientifically supported and experience-based... more

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74

Dance Anatomy

Experience the raw energy and aesthetic beauty of dance as you perfect your technique with Dance Anatomy. Featuring hundreds of full-color illustrations, Dance Anatomy presents more than 100 of the most effective dance, movement, and performance exercises, each designed to promote correct alignment, improved placement, proper breathing, and prevention of common injuries. The exercises are drawn in stunning detail, capturing the dancer in motion and highlighting the active muscles associated with each movement so you can develop and strengthen different areas of the body. You... more

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75
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 seeking information regarding muscle hypertrophy, including the mechanism of its development, how the body structurally and hormonally changes when exposed to stress, ways to most effectively... more

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78

Destroy the Opposition

The Definitive Guide to Elite Powerlifting less

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79
Men's Health The Book of Muscle by Lou Schuler and Ian King is the World's Most AUTHORITATIVE Guide to Building Your Body

You probably know a lot about building muscle. You know which curl is the best for your biceps, you do every possible exercise for your abdominals, and your 20-set bench-press routine is the envy of everyone in the gym. So why haven't you gotten the results you want?

This book has the answer. In fact, it probably answers every question you've ever asked about how your muscles work: What makes them grow? What makes them show? Why didn't that champion...
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80
By far the most popular topic among Men’s Health magazine readers is muscle building. Young or middle-aged, men equate muscle with power, success, and sexual attractiveness. And a new generation of young men is hungry for a definitive guidebook that shows them the steps to the bodybuilding stage.

For decades, the seminal work has been Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, but GenY is ready for a fresh new guidebook that takes a healthier approach to bodybuilding written by the poster boy for clean eating and natural homegrown muscle, Tyler...
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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
81

Yeah Buddy!

My Incredible Story!

Yeah Buddy! Lightweight Baby!

Introducing the Incredible True Story of the Greatest Bodybuilder Ever

Ronnie Coleman s Autobiography, told by Ronnie Himself

Best known for winning the Mr. Olympia title eight times, and for lifting every heavyweight in existence (including an 800-pound squat for two easy reps), Ronnie Coleman came from humble beginnings.

Born in rural Louisiana to a single mother, Ronnie rose from poverty to achieve his lifelong goal of becoming the best bodybuilder in history. In the process, he learned about life, victory,...
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82

Anabolics

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 the most trusted experts in the field.

A few reasons why William Llewellyn's ANABOLICS remains the #1 Bestselling Anabolic Reference Guide worldwide: - Nearly 200 Pharmaceutical Compounds...
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83
From square one to living strong―a beginner’s guide to weight lifting.

You don’t have to hire a personal trainer to learn how to lift weights the smart, safe way. The Beginner’s Guide to Weight Lifting is the perfect companion for men and women who are starting from scratch and want to begin working out at the gym or at home.

From air squats to barbell bench presses, you’ll explore beginner-friendly exercises with clear illustrations so you can perfect your form, get stronger while building muscle, and improve your cardiovascular health. The Beginner’s Guide to Weight...
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84

Delavier's Mixed Martial Arts Anatomy

From powerful blows to explosive kicks, Delavier's Mixed Martial Arts Anatomy takes you inside the action and impact of one of the world's most popular, grueling, and challenging sports.

Over 230 full-color photos and 120 anatomical illustrations allow you to go inside more than 120 exercises specifically selected for the neuromuscular demands of the sport. You'll see how muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures and how variations and sequencing can isolate specific muscles to enhance the full arsenal of combat skills.

Delavier's Mixed...
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86
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 Training Anatomy Workout II followed to offer serious strength trainers and bodybuilders the keys to creating lean muscle mass. Now, in The Strength Training Anatomy Workout... more

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87
ARE YOU READY TO BUILD THE LEAN, MUSCULAR, STRONG, AND HEALTHY BODY YOU'VE ALWAYS DESIRED? The Year One Challenge for Men is a workout journal companion to the bestselling book Bigger Leaner Stronger. With the Bigger Leaner Stronger program, you can gain 20 - 25 pounds of muscle and build an impressive amount of muscle and strength in just one year. This book contains a full year's worth of workouts, properly laid out so you can record and track your progress, as well as some of the author's favorite motivational quotes and recipes from his bestselling cookbook, The Shredded Chef. If you're... more

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89
A customizable-and realistic-fitness program specifically created for midlifers who want to lose weight, revitalize energy, and build habits for increased longevity. Today's exercising adults are caught in a bind: Those who take it seriously and work out aggressively end up with chronic aches and pains in midlife because they don't know how to adjust their programs as they get older. And those who take it easy end up with overfed, underdeveloped bodies that don't respond well when they decide to get serious about exercise. Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, fitness experts and authors of The New... more

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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
91
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-time Ms. Figure Olympia and she knows what it takes to build a body the right way. Now you can use the same natural bodybuilding techniques Erin uses to build lean, strong muscle, and...
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92

RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning

93

Strength Training Past 50

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 Past 50 has you covered. In the third edition of this best-selling guide, you'll find these topics:

- 83 exercises for free weights, machines, bands,...
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95

Brawn

Most bodybuilding books are alike. They are typically a collection of photographs of bodybuilding superstars, together with training routines that never work for the average person. Brawn is totally different and directly challenges most contemporary bodybuilding advice. Most importantly, Brawn focuses on the techniques, routines and strategies that actually work for typical bodybuilders. less

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96
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 nutrition program based on just a handful of simple moves, the Bodyweight Eight. These no-equipment-required exercises are all one needs to build a strikingly symmetrical, perfectly... more

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97
This compelling biography of Doug Hepburn, the weightlifter who won gold for Canada in Stockholm in 1953 and at the British Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954, delivers fascinating, first-hand information about an unusual Vancouver athlete and the sporting world of the 1950s and 1960s. In this plain-spoken and moving biography of a strength legend, Tom Thurston captures the story of a Canadian who may have been the strongest man in history. The book traces Doug's rise to prominence, his temporary fall from grace as he battled alcoholism, and his re-emergence as an advocate for drug-free sport.... more

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Don't have time to read the top Weightlifting books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.