Arnold's Bodybuilding for Men Paperback – October 12, 1984

Great book with all the necessary instructions needed.

I have been into physical fitness all my life. Even though I was quite familiar with the use of weights and body building, when I saw this book (Arnold’s Bodybuilding for Men by Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Bill Dobbins) at a super bargain price on Amazon, I immediately purchased it. Even though this book was published in 1981; nevertheless, the information in this excellent book is still of great value for anyone seeking a clear and comprehensive basic bodybuilding course.The text is organized into ten areas. The first part introduces you to fitness and body building principles. The second part covers the basic program series to get you started. The third, fourth and fifth part covers the exercise series to follow. Improvisational training is explained in the sixth section. The seventh section covers teenage training. Competition and bodybuilding is explored in section eight. Diet and nutrition is emphasized in section nine. The final section covers weight training for all ages.The advice given in this excellent text is simple, effective and practical for anyone who desires to learn how to build their strength and fitness level. For those who do not know Arnold Schwarzenegger, he is a seven time winner of the Mr. Olympia title.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The Samurai Heart: An old warrior’s poetic tribute).

Don't let old books fool you. This book is great for building lean muscle, no doubt. A friend of mine, some 20 years older, was told by his doctor that he desperately needed to lose 30 pounds. I was in decent shape, in my mid-twenties, but wanted to add some muscle and definition. So I picked up this book one summer and we both agreed to follow Schwarzenegger's Series I and Series II plans. [I believe the workout plans are golden and worth the entire book!] Essentially the plan is weight circuit training that progressively builds - and is one of the easiest workouts to begin and yet one of the most difficult workouts to continue and finish. In the end, my friend and I did both Series I and Series II (never made it to Series III, which, by the way is brutal) - spending some three months dedicated to it. I gained some 10+ of lean muscle, really changing my look, and my friend lost 15 pounds (pretty good assuming he gained muscle as well!). He continued the program for several more months and lost a total of 25 pounds, again, after gaining muscle. So I would encourage anyone to pick this up and give it a three month try and see what it does for you. Top notch book!

Although it goes somewhat into the science of nutrition, it is not nearly as comprehensive with bodybuilding diet information (specifics on schedule, foods, supplements) as I was hoping. It covers a wide range of exercises. It does well here even leaving room to write notes of your own.Overall I highly recommend this for anyone young or old who want to get to the next level in fitness and weightlifting. Why? Because it grounds you. We are constantly being bombarded with new training techniques and diets that are often times just a gimmick. This book does not do that. It is centered on solid, proven information.The book helps bring one back down to earth when there are so many opinions on what is effective, good or bad for you. That is the biggest thing it brought home from this read. It was a reality check. If you read bodybuilding articles (lifting programs and diets) it seems to me everyone is trying to sell us something. Maybe not always with our best interest in mind. This book isn't selling you anything. It considers itself already sold and just gives you the raw information Arnold wanted to impart to the reader.Although there are some in the back, there aren't pictures of Arnold featured in the training examples of the book. If they ever make an updated version they should consider changing that.

As archaic as a book written in 1981 must sound, I'm profoundly impressed. This book is written for the every-man/woman in a manner that is easy to understand. I personally felt that Arnold had a lot of empathy for any person that just wants to get fit and healthy and the structure of the regimen he lays out for us is well explained and cumulative. Even following the first portion would be safe, healthy and attainable for anyone that was inspired and decided to make even a minimal commitment to a weight-training routine. The routine that Arnold has prepared for us gets progressively more intense with super-sets becoming circuits in a 3-stage process (you'll understand all of that as you read the book) and just as a teaser at the very end, he gives us his training regimen that he used in '80 to win his final Mr. Olympia title. All of the exercises with the exception of the sit-up, which can be converted into a crunch, are still completely relevant. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to make a positive change in their life by becoming more fit and healthy. Read the book and see for yourself!