Looking for the best bodybuilding books to help you sculpt your body like that of a Greek god? well, you’ve come to the right place!
With so many out there, we’ve compiled a list of the 13 best bodybuilding books on the market to help you achieve your bodybuilding goals.
You are reading: Best nutrition books for bodybuilding
Want to take your passion for bodybuilding to the next level? Start your fitness career today with a level 3 personal training course from Origym. Download our free course brochure to explore the full range of courses on offer.
#1. arnold schwarzenegger: the new encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding: the bible of bodybuilding – by arnold schwarzenegger and bill dobbins
If you’re looking for a classic bodybuilding book, this is it! Written by bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s a must-have addition to his library.
arnold schwarzenegger is a bodybuilding icon, he has starred in countless blockbuster movies that leave audiences in awe of his body. Arnold introduced this old-school bodybuilding book to the world in 1999 and it’s still as popular today as it was then.
It’s no wonder this is one of the best-selling bodybuilding books in history. get into the mindset of seven times mr. olympia and say ‘goodbye baby’ to that stubborn fat man, and hello to conan the muscular barbarian.
At 800 pages, it’s packed with helpful tips to help you on your way to bodybuilding. Arnie touches on everything from exercise to nutrition to injury prevention to competition preparation.
There’s even a photo section dedicated to “hall of fame” bodybuilders, so you can see what other bodybuilders have accomplished over the years.
Reasonably priced at £19.97 on amazon and available from almost every bookstore, this 5-star book is essential reading for any aspiring bodybuilder. if anyone knows, arnie knows.
amazon rating: 5/5
Published: 1999
pages: 800
Available at: amazon, whsmith, waterstones, blackwell’s, wordery.
price: £19.97 (amazon)
#2. bodybuilding anatomy by nick evans – by nick evans, md
nick evans is a pioneer in the world of modern bodybuilding. he has sold millions of copies of his “anatomy” collection worldwide; this being the follow up to his very popular strength training anatomy.
the anatomy of bodybuilding is one of the best bodybuilding books because evans gives great insight into what it takes to increase muscle size, devoting individual sections to each muscle group, for example how to get bigger arms large.
evans is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, so he knows everything there is to know about the human body and how to get the most out of it.
Evans’ knowledge goes far beyond bodybuilding and he exemplifies each bodybuilding exercise in great detail. This is one of the best bodybuilding exercise books out there, as Evans ensures you know why you’re doing a particular exercise, not just how to do it.
It’s also one of the best natural bodybuilding books on the market, backing up all the advice with science. Plus, as a qualified doctor, you know you can take his word for it!
The paperback copy of this book is available from amazon for £45.16. Although it is the most expensive book on this list, it is reasonable considering that it is one of the best bodybuilding books out there. but if you’re looking for a cheaper option, you can buy the 2015 version of this book for £12.95. It doesn’t have the same legendary status as their 2006 offering, but it covers a lot of the same content.
amazon rating: 4.6/5
Published: 2006
pages: 200
available at: amazon, whsmith, blackwell’s, wordery
price: £45.16 (amazon)
#3. bigger, leaner, stronger: the simple science of building the best male body – by michael matthews
A little differently than some of the other books on this list, Matthews encourages his readers to get a leaner muscular body instead of bulking up massively. So if you’re looking for a bodybuilding book that can help you lose weight aesthetically, this is the book for you. It ranks among the best bodybuilding books for men who aspire to look more like Zac Efron than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
matthew’s methods are extraordinary because he insists that you can get the body you’ve always wanted without giving up the foods you love, without doing cardio, and without exercising more than 6 hours a week. he swears you’ll gain 10 to 15 pounds of lean muscle in a few months if you follow his regimen.
This is also one of the best nutrition books for bodybuilding as Matthews explains how you can continue to eat happily without any guilt. is strongly against the mass consumption of pills, powders and potions and wants you to get your body naturally.
That said, if used correctly, supplements can be a great way to help you bulk up and maximize your gains. but they don’t have to break the bank! Check out our list of the best cheap protein powders here.
While this is not explicitly a vegan bodybuilding book, it promotes the same principles of leading a natural and healthy lifestyle. Check out our guide to weight training as a vegan to see how you can maximize your gains on a plant-based diet!
amazon rating: 4.6/5
Published: 2019
pages: 492
available at: amazon
price: £12.81 (amazon)
#4. functional training and beyond: building the ultimate superfunctional body and mind – by adam sinicki
Although recently published, this is one of the best selling bodybuilding books out there. Functional Training and Beyond is the modern guide to bodybuilding.
explores techniques and methods that other authors on this list haven’t even addressed. sinicki encourages readers to train both their mind and body to maximize results.
sinicki understands that it’s all very well telling you what to do to achieve your perfect body, but if your motivation isn’t there, the muscle structure you hope for won’t come true. sinicki challenges your mind to step up and take control.
as sinicki points out, motivation is the key to success. If you are a pt and want to help motivate your clients, check out this selection of the best motivating phrases for personal trainers.
sinicki is best known for his bioneer youtube channel, where he treats his subscribers to new and innovative training techniques every week. his book is basically a “best of” compilation of his most popular videos, and more. Check out our list of the best YouTube fitness channels for more inspiring fitness videos!
If you’re tired of traditionalists telling you the same thing and want to add a little more excitement to your exercise routine, then this is the best bodybuilding book for you!
amazon rating: 4.7/5
Published: 2021
pages: 384
available at: amazon, wordery, whsmith’s, blackwell’s, waterstones
price: £13.12 (amazon)
#5. anatomy of strength training- by frederic delavier
This is a classic bodybuilding book that has sold over a million copies worldwide, and we can see why!
delavier is an incredibly smart person. Having studied morphology and anatomy for 5 years, as well as dissection for 3 years at prestigious universities, Delavier displays all of his intellect here at Strength Training Anatomy.
See Also: 12 Social Work Books Every Practitioner Should Read
Delavier draws the illustrations himself, mapping out the muscle-building benefits of each exercise. Delavier demonstrates what a slight change in posture and positioning can do for his body. for example, he will explain how to do a sumo deadlift with the correct technique to avoid injury and target the correct muscles.
many readers will realize what they’ve been doing wrong after reading this informative post. you’ll understand what muscles you’re lacking and how you’ll hit with each workout. With color illustrations and a chapter dedicated to each muscle, this truly is one of the best bodybuilding books out there.
You’ll learn more from Delavier’s illustrations than you’ll read in your average science textbook. your bodybuilding knowledge will be multiplied by 10 after reading this fitness masterclass!
amazon rating: 4.7/5
Published: 2010
pages: 192
available at: amazon, whsmith, blackwell’s, waterstones, wordery
price: £14.62 (amazon)
#6. Jim Stoppani’s Encyclopedia of Muscles and Strength – By Jim Stoppani, Phd
Jim Stoppani’s Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength is one of the best bodybuilding books of all time. This 584-page monster bodybuilding book is packed with informative and groundbreaking research by Stoppani. In 2002, Stoppani won the Gatorade Award for Beginning Exercise Science Researcher and it’s clear why.
This is one of the best bodybuilding exercise books as stoppani explains 116 different exercise programs in detail and rates them based on difficulty, duration and time. there’s a section for every stage of a bodybuilder’s journey, whether they’re a novice or an expert.
If you are looking for more workout programs to follow, there are many bodybuilding and powerlifting apps with lots of useful features for beginner or professional bodybuilders.
Instead of reading all of this in one sitting, you can use it as a reference book to refer back to after putting into practice what you’ve already learned. this book is packed with information and can act as the single text on which you will base your bodybuilding progression for years to come.
amazon rating: 4.7/5
Published: 2006
pages: 584
available at: amazon, world of books, whsmith, waterstones, blackwell’s
price: £16.69 (amazon)
Do you want to know more about bodybuilding? here are 3 more items we think you’ll love:
- best bodybuilding and powerlifting apps
- essential bodybuilding shopping list
- best bodybuilding instagram accounts
#7. joe weider’s ultimate in bodybuilding: the master blaster’s training and nutrition principles – by joe weider and bill reynolds
This is without a doubt a classic bodybuilding book. Joe Weider, a household name in the bodybuilding world, co-wrote this famous piece with writer Bill Reynolds. It’s a real old school bodybuilding book!
It was released in 1989 when weider was 70 years old, so he had a lifetime of bodybuilding knowledge behind him. The creator of Mr and Mrs Olympia certainly knows what he is writing about.
This book contains all aspects of the weider system of bodybuilding. His training principles have been followed by top bodybuilders (yes, including Arnie!). Weider writes about everything he has learned and practiced over the years, including instinctive training, progressive overload, body part sequencing, muscle confusion, and supersets.
It’s also one of the best books on nutrition for bodybuilding. Joe Weider lived to the great old age of 94 for one reason: he ate clean and trained well! This is by no means a vegan bodybuilding book, but if you follow a plant-based diet, check out Origym’s list of the best high-protein vegan snacks to help you jumpstart your lifting.
then, as one of the best bodybuilding diet books written by a legend in the field, you can’t go wrong buying joe weider’s ultimate bodybuilding, especially for such a reasonable price.
amazon rating: 4.6/5
Published: 1989
pages: 528
available at: amazon, whsmith, blackwell’s, wordery, waterstones
price: £11.95 (amazon)
#8. delavier’s strength training anatomy exercises for women – by frederic delavier and michael gundill
This is the second time delavier has appeared on this list, and not without good reason. she this time she is targeting the female market.
Delavier understands that much of what bodybuilding experts talk or write is directed at men, so here he flips the script and has produced one of the best women’s bodybuilding books out there.
This is a very useful bodybuilding book for women who are new to using weights. What weight should I lift? What exercise will benefit me the most? How many sets at how many reps? what will make me strong but not bulky? Delavier has all the answers.
If you’re a woman just starting out in bodybuilding, Origym’s list of the best female bodybuilders will give you some inspiration!
is one of the best bodybuilding books for women for a reason. Delavier understands the way the human body works and knows exactly how women’s physiology is different from men’s. As in her 2010 book, Delavier describes how to perform exercises the right way with phenomenal illustrations, detailing exactly what she needs to do to get the most out of every workout.
With 290 illustrations, 159 exercises, and 49 different training programs, Delavier and Gundill offer a great bodybuilding book for women. If you’re a woman looking to get started in bodybuilding, this book has everything you need!
amazon rating: 4.6/5
Published: 2014
pages: 360
available at: amazon, whsmith, waterstones, blackwell’s, wordery
price: £12.75 (amazon)
#9. The Men’s Health Natural Bodybuilding Bible: A Complete 24-Week Program To Sculpt The Muscles That Show – By Tyler English
The bible of natural bodybuilding for men’s health is a sacred text that will help your muscles go from small like david to big like goliath. It would be going a bit far to say that this book can work miracles, but after putting English’s methods into practice, you will really feel like you can turn water into wine (or maybe at least a protein shake).
tyler english is a natural bodybuilding champion and you can see why he won after reading this book. It’s a great insight into the life of a professional bodybuilder, and if you follow it step by step, you might feel like entering a competition.
While this is one of the best bodybuilding books for beginners, it’s also great if you really want to up your bodybuilding game and go pro. english trusts that you have the motivation and pushes you to the limit with intense exercise plans and strict diet rules.
According to English, your diet has to be on point if you want to achieve the naturally muscular body you desire. In this great bodybuilding nutrition book, English tells you what to eat and when, so your time in the gym isn’t wasted.
as english points out in this book, a diet rich in protein is essential for gaining muscle. If you’re trying to fit more protein into your diet, our list of the best low-carb protein powders is a great place to start.
english takes you step-by-step through his 24-week program, encouraging you to precisely follow his unique training and diet. You will burn fat and build muscle with the ultimate goal of being ready to compete when the 168 days are up.
amazon rating: 4.5/5
Published: 2013
pages: 698
available at: amazon, whsmith, wordery
See Also: Stephanie Hudson – Afterlife Saga Series Reading Order – Maryse&039s Book Blog
price: £14.99 (amazon)
#10. serious strength training – by tudor bompa, mauro di pasquale and lorenzo cornacchia
They say 3 is a crowd, right? well, not when it comes to writing about bodybuilding. Tudor Bompa (award-winning sports scientist and former Olympic athlete/coach) collaborated with Mauro Di Pasquale (Sports Medicine and Nutrition Specialist) and Lorenzo Cornacchia (Kinesiologist and former Bodybuilder) to write one of the best exercise books for bodybuilding.
This book combines personal advice with extensive scientific research to provide all the information you need to master strength training. All 3 authors pride themselves on being part of the elite in their field, combining their knowledge to produce something that already feels like a classic bodybuilding book.
list the 80 exercises that cause the most muscle stimulation, as well as detail how readers should structure their diets to meet their individual metabolic profiles. focuses on the 6 key phases of strength training (anatomical adaptation, hypertrophy, mixed, maximal strength, muscle definition, transition).
This excellent bodybuilding book provides great insight on how to improve your current workout routine by pointing out how to properly take advantage of periodization (check out the FAQ for more on that!).
This is by no means a bodybuilding “diet” book, but it does address nutrition and how it can improve your training.
bompa competed in the olympic games and also trained olympic medal winning athletes, so he definitely knows how to achieve peak performance and maintain a high level of training. Combine that with a top nutritionist and kinesiologist, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
amazon rating: 4.5/5
Published: 2012
pages: 368
available at: amazon, whsmith, wordery, blackwell’s
price: £17.45 (amazon)
#11. body sculpting for men – by nick evans, md
another two times in the list. Evans is back with a book as good as his first entry. this time around, there’s more focus on getting the aesthetically pleasing body you’ve always wanted rather than just improving your strength. You’ll be beach ready in no time after following in Evans’ clear footsteps in this great bodybuilding book.
It is without a doubt one of the best bodybuilding books for men. Evans guides you through exercises that will help your pecs pop, your biceps pop, and your abs shine in the eyes of the beholder.
evans also offers a variety of nutrition tips. he gives his opinion on which are the best supplements to enhance your workouts and help accelerate results. He’ll shed fat, build mass, and generally look like a whole new person after putting Evans’ training methods to work.
Although it is about nutrition, this is not technically a bodybuilding cookbook. So if you’re looking for healthy meal inspiration, why not check out our list of the best keto cookbooks?
There are a lot of great bodybuilding books on this list, but if you’re looking to tone up your body and lose weight, this is the book for you.
amazon rating: 4.4/5
Published: 2010
pages: 256
available at: amazon, blackwell’s, whsmith, wordery
price: £13.29 (amazon)
#12. bodybuilding for beginners: a 12 week program to build muscle and burn fat, by kyle hunt
This is truly one of the best bodybuilding books for beginners. Hunt lays out an actionable 12-week plan to get you in the best shape of your life. he will help you go from being a complete amateur bodybuilder to a professional in no time
With accompanying illustrations, Hunt takes you through 45 high-impact exercises as well as 10 warm-ups and cool-downs to progress you from no-muscle to mr. muscle.
In addition to making sure you’re doing the right exercises to maximize your gains, Hunt offers meal ideas, meal prep tips, and a macronutrient guide to help you shed fat and build muscle.
kyle is the owner of hunt fitness, a great online nutrition and fitness training business that is very popular with people looking to increase their knowledge and improve their efforts in the gym and in the kitchen.
If you think you want to further expand your nutritional knowledge and use it to help others, the origym level 4 nutrition course provides you with everything you need to do just that!
This is a well-explained and well-planned book, it just lays out the criteria for what you need to do week by week, day by day. hunt never overcomplicates things, teaching you the basics in part 1 and helping you build a base.
then shows you the fundamental exercises in part 2 with the help of illustrations, and takes you through the 12-week program very smoothly in part 3.
amazon rating: 4.4/5
Published: 2019
pages: 212
available at: amazon, wordery
price: £10.72 (amazon)
#13. starting force: basic slash edition, by mark rippetoe and jason kelly
now to finish the list, here is a book completely focused on an integral part of bodybuilding: weightlifting. Rippetoe primarily writes about how you can use progressive overload to increase your strength and maintain a routine. uses the cycle of stress, recovery and adoption to help you gain strength quickly.
This is one of the best natural bodybuilding books out there. rippetoe shows you how to build muscle naturally, all through the use of repetition and increased barbell lifts, whether it’s through the squat, press, bench press, deadlift, power clean. and the press or power snatch.
is a great bodybuilding book for beginners but also for more advanced lifters as it details the importance of correct technique and form. This is the third edition of Rippetoe’s book, having improved his teaching methods through 4 more years of research and testing. he has perfected his craft and produced yet another exemplary text to add to his collection.
is one of the best bodybuilding training books because to complete each exercise, all you need is a barbell, no other equipment. rippetoe uses the bar like no other bodybuilding expert. In this fully indexed guide to weightlifting, you’ll be left wondering how you’ve trained your muscles in the past.
amazon rating: 4.8/5
Published: 2011
pages: 347
available at: amazon, wordery
price: £29.87 (amazon)
frequently asked questions
what is progressive overload?
In any bodybuilding exercise book, you will likely come across the term progressive overload. this is simply when you gradually increase the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in your workout.
Progressive overload is the best training method to avoid plateauing, so your body never adapts to a particular routine. its goal is to challenge your body and help you become stronger!
what is periodization training?
Another term you’re likely to come across in any of these bodybuilding books is periodization.
Periodization training is the planning of training variation over an extended period of time. It is widely used by athletes looking to optimize their performance in preparation for competition, to prevent overtraining and to improve their overall performance.
before you go!
From classic bodybuilding books to new approaches and ideas, we hope you found something for yourself on our list.
so which bodybuilding book will you add to your library? Whether you’re starting your bodybuilding journey or just want to take your training to the next level, it’s time to start reading!
If these books inspired you, why not start a career in the fitness industry with one of Origym’s personal training courses? Download our free course flyer to learn more about origym and what we offer!
See Also: 9 Subversive Books Like American Psycho – Books Like This One