Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building [Hardcover]

Robert Kennedy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2008

This book offers what no one else does – a gorgeous user-friendly book that informs you about everything from bodybuilding nutrition, to supplements, to exercises, to posing.  

Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Robert Kennedy; Har/Pstr edition (September 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552100510
• ISBN-13: 978-1552100516
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Sports
  • #17 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Weight Training

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Bodybuilding Book, October 19, 2008

By 

Frank M. Meyers (Shaker Hts., Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building (Hardcover)

Having seen every issue of Musclemag International since issue #1, I didn't expect to see anything new with the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. I am happily surprised with the great content of this book. It really is an encyclopedia. With chapter titles like The Key to Anabolic Growth, Synthol and Bodybuilding in the Golden Years this is a great book for beginners and veterans alike. Intense routines and a walk down the memory lane of bodybuilding make this one of the best bodybuilding books ever.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not on par with Arnold's Encyclopedia of BB this is better :D, October 28, 2008

By 

Y. Emre Karasan "Y.Emre Karasan" (Istanbul, TR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building (Hardcover)

Musclemag is my favourite BB Mag, and Bob Kennedy has written many great books, so I had very high expectations from this book.
Let me tell you that, while it doesn't exceed my expectations it very well satisfy them.
It covers many grounds that Arnold's or Bill Pearl's Encyclopedia's didn't cover, Bob Kennedy is a great writer and publisher, this book is another testimonial for that fact.

Let me Share its Chapters:
1.Laying the Groundwork
2.The Body You're Building
3.Ready,Set,Go!
4.Principles of Nutrition
5.Intermediate Level Concerns
6.Advenced Level Training
7.BB the Greatest of Sports
8.Earning Living through BB
9.The Big Seven Exersizes
10.The M.A.S.S System Training
11.Training with the Superstars
12.The Complete BBer
13.BB Sociology
14.Hardcore Growth

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You get a workout just holding the book!, November 30, 2008

By 

smf - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building (Hardcover)

This book is beautiful! I have a large library of bodybuilding books and magazines collected from the 80's and I'm always looking for something new and different to add to my collection, which is not always easy since every book out there seems to be a repeat of something else.

The book is a hardback which makes it somewhat heavy and awkward to hold and I can see over time how the binding may start to get stressed and begin to break because of the weight. If it's placed on a sturdy shelf and cared for, it should never fall apart- but it's something to consider. I almost wish they would have just made it a paperback because books are meant to be read and therefore endure some level of abuse from time to time. Hopefully they will get a paperback version out there soon. Also, it has a dust-jacket which is a bit annoying because of course it's going to slip off and get torn over time.

The book covers almost every aspect of bodybuilding that I can think of, including history and famous bodybuilders (vital information for beginners to the sport), how to stretch safely (something most bodybuilders overlook from time to time), how to make money in the industry, contest preparation and promotion, mass gaining, "the pump", individual pro's workouts, nutrition, basic physiology/biology, a "question and answer" chapter in the back, side affects of steroid use, training injuries, etc.

Really there's nothing it doesn't cover, so a beginner to the sport would really get a lot out of this large book. I am a natural competitive female bodybuilder and am also a personal trainer, and still found this book to be informative and thorough and am proud to add it to my extensive collection of literature.

The pictures are mainly of male bodybuilders which is always disappointing because I think it's equally important to read about the history of women's bodybuilding and explain the differences in muscle building between men and women. There is a quick rundown of the beginning of female bodybuilding with a large picture of Cory Everson (page 24-25), but it's really only two pages long and gives a basic explanation of why female bodybuilding is not as popular (ie. extreme masculinity being a turn-off, etc).

I subscribe to MuscleMag International and have for years, so I'm used to the writing style and information that Robert Kennedy provides in his publications. The pictures in this book are some of the best I've seen in any book I own, and they are inspiring. As a trainer, I like to keep myself informed from a scientific viewpoint, but also from the perspective of the people I train. Most of them will pick up books like this looking for information and it's important that I know what they are reading to better guide and educate them. This is one book I would recommend to any client of mine who appreciates the bodybuilding lifestyle and is not turned off by the larger than life physiques in this book. It is thorough enough to educate a newbie- but to also shed some light on the bodybuilding counterculture that is truly fascinating and unlike any other sport in the world.