What do you think?
Rate this book
Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building
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.
800 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2008
32 people are currently reading
634 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kennedy
57 books10 followersRobert Kennedy was a Canadian publisher of fitness and bodybuilding magazines. He founded Robert Kennedy Publishing, one of the largest North American publishers of this type of magazine.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 19, 2020
The first book for any beginners (or even intermediate) to start with. From basic foundation to more advanced knowledge like negatives, rest-pause, etc.. Almost everything in one package, would recommend it to gym-goers at any levels!
December 22, 2020
Referenced countless times over the past throughout my fitness and military journey, I decided to give this a go and finally see what all the fuss is about.
What I appreciate the most from reading this, is how much I have matured mentally since I was around 20-27, where I absolutely praised and was very much pro-building culture/scene/mentality. Now that I am 34 years old, I really see how narrow, narcissistic, ego focused/self absorbed it really is. I really think this is an unhealthy practice for men and women, creates serious psychological problems from body dysmorphia, eating disorders, drug usage and abuse, and also the simple fact of obsessing over ones reflection in the mirror wearing grape smugglers, shaving every centimeter of your body of hair, tanning (which is super unhealthy), taking diuretics, wearing make-up, and as my wife would say endlessly lifting pointless weights, so on and so forth is the farthest thing from functionality or masculinity.
I think it really breeds a culture of tan, gym, laundry, sex, social media obsession, psychological issues, drug use, and I can't say it enough is 1000% non-functional. Can a Bodybuilder go on a 5 hour bike ride, hike 14'ers like the settlers of the west in the 1800's, move from point A to point B doing 5-second rushes aka military movements under fire in combat, or even perform in any competitive sport with practicality (baseball, rock climbing, swimming, etc.).
Of course, someone going to the gym to 'look good naked' and get stronger, have more confidence, so on and so forth is an amazing thing and I fully support! But, this book is not about the casual or even dedicated gym goer... this is about wearing a man-thong, getting on stage, and squeezing your buttchecks in front of an audience while flexing and then getting judged by a group of people of who looks the best based off of personal opinions.... how is this a sport again? It's not.
If you're a lady or a homosexual male, you will probably enjoy the imagery of this book, as it is loaded with perfectly shaved, oiled up, shirtless men on nearly every page. Again, 100% supporting my stance and opinion on this non-sport/way of life, going down the path of self obsession, so on and so forth.
As someone who does go to the gym for strength training, weight loss/fitness, focus on being healthy for my family, and functionality to have a higher level of performance when it comes to rock climbing, hunting, playing with my kids, being able to MOVE (run/walk/swim), this book does offer some good information on exercises and workout routines. My favorite being the "Big Seven" chapter/section that is actually quite good. +1 star for that.
As much as we hero worship folks like Arnold, Coleman, Priest, Cutler, so on and so forth... I would not recommend this book or this lifestyle to anyone that I loved or cared about.
What I appreciate the most from reading this, is how much I have matured mentally since I was around 20-27, where I absolutely praised and was very much pro-building culture/scene/mentality. Now that I am 34 years old, I really see how narrow, narcissistic, ego focused/self absorbed it really is. I really think this is an unhealthy practice for men and women, creates serious psychological problems from body dysmorphia, eating disorders, drug usage and abuse, and also the simple fact of obsessing over ones reflection in the mirror wearing grape smugglers, shaving every centimeter of your body of hair, tanning (which is super unhealthy), taking diuretics, wearing make-up, and as my wife would say endlessly lifting pointless weights, so on and so forth is the farthest thing from functionality or masculinity.
I think it really breeds a culture of tan, gym, laundry, sex, social media obsession, psychological issues, drug use, and I can't say it enough is 1000% non-functional. Can a Bodybuilder go on a 5 hour bike ride, hike 14'ers like the settlers of the west in the 1800's, move from point A to point B doing 5-second rushes aka military movements under fire in combat, or even perform in any competitive sport with practicality (baseball, rock climbing, swimming, etc.).
Of course, someone going to the gym to 'look good naked' and get stronger, have more confidence, so on and so forth is an amazing thing and I fully support! But, this book is not about the casual or even dedicated gym goer... this is about wearing a man-thong, getting on stage, and squeezing your buttchecks in front of an audience while flexing and then getting judged by a group of people of who looks the best based off of personal opinions.... how is this a sport again? It's not.
If you're a lady or a homosexual male, you will probably enjoy the imagery of this book, as it is loaded with perfectly shaved, oiled up, shirtless men on nearly every page. Again, 100% supporting my stance and opinion on this non-sport/way of life, going down the path of self obsession, so on and so forth.
As someone who does go to the gym for strength training, weight loss/fitness, focus on being healthy for my family, and functionality to have a higher level of performance when it comes to rock climbing, hunting, playing with my kids, being able to MOVE (run/walk/swim), this book does offer some good information on exercises and workout routines. My favorite being the "Big Seven" chapter/section that is actually quite good. +1 star for that.
As much as we hero worship folks like Arnold, Coleman, Priest, Cutler, so on and so forth... I would not recommend this book or this lifestyle to anyone that I loved or cared about.
August 5, 2025
Ich habe mich lange intensiv mit Muskelaufbau und Bodybuilding beschäftigt und dabei viel ausprobiert von klassischen Trainingsmethoden bis hin zu unterschiedlichen Supplements. Vor Kurzem habe ich mich entschlossen, einmal sarms kaufen auszuprobieren, und muss ehrlich sagen: Ich bin extrem zufrieden mit den Ergebnissen! Bereits nach wenigen Wochen habe ich deutlich an Kraft und Muskelmasse zugelegt, und das ohne unangenehme Nebenwirkungen. Die Produkte auf der Website haben eine Top-Qualität, die Lieferung war super schnell und der Service wirklich klasse. Wer ernsthaft Muskeln aufbauen möchte und nach einer verlässlichen Quelle für SARMs sucht, dem kann ich diesen Anbieter nur ans Herz legen. Probiert es einfach selbst aus es lohnt sich!
December 26, 2025
Beim Lesen der Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding habe ich mich in vielen Punkten wiedergefunden. Gerade das Thema konsequentes Training im Sportstudio zieht sich wie ein roter Faden durch das Buch. Genau das hat mich damals auch gepackt und motiviert, selbst ernsthaft mit Fitness anzufangen – nicht nur ein bisschen, sondern richtig strukturiert. Mit der Zeit habe ich gemerkt, dass mir dieser Lifestyle total liegt. Die Kombination aus Training, Disziplin und Wissen hat bei mir echt viel verändert, und die Ergebnisse können sich sehen lassen. Bei meiner weiteren Recherche bin ich dann auf SARMs kaufen gestoßen. Die Seite hat mir geholfen, mich besser zu orientieren und das Thema aus einer anderen Perspektive zu betrachten.
October 12, 2025
State of the art in 2008, but dated in 2025.
This book was fine for beginners and intermediate body builders in 2008, but a better current guide in 2025 is Jeff Nippard's "The Muscle Ladder, Get Jacked Using Science."
The Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding shows most of the exercises, has dozens of workouts for beginners and intermediates, and lots of workouts done by professionals. The shortcoming is that there is little science and what is presented is what seemed to work in 2008.
This book was fine for beginners and intermediate body builders in 2008, but a better current guide in 2025 is Jeff Nippard's "The Muscle Ladder, Get Jacked Using Science."
The Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding shows most of the exercises, has dozens of workouts for beginners and intermediates, and lots of workouts done by professionals. The shortcoming is that there is little science and what is presented is what seemed to work in 2008.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews