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by Arnold Schwarzenegger with Bill Dobbins
Is there anything that Arnold Schwarzenegger cannot do? From revolutionising the world of bodybuilding by winning Mr. Olympia an impressive seven times to charming movie goers with his famous three word phrase (‘I’ll Be Back!’) in the blockbuster movie Terminator and then to leading the people of California as their Governor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to have had more than his share of the American dream, but that is not even scratching the surface. Way back in the 1970s good old Arnie actually had his berth as an author with his first ever book ‘Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder’.
Although this 1977 book was a bestseller at that time, Arnold Schwarzenegger talent as an author mostly went unnoticed by mainstream readers and book critics. However, amongst members of the bodybuilding community, Arnie was revered for his vast understanding of bodybuilding workout/training methods and programs, nutrition and dietary plans, sports psychology, the prevention, treatment and management of injuries.
This is probably why when his second book – ‘Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ was released back in the 1990s, it was widely anticipated, well received and absolutely embraced by bodybuilders from all over the world.
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With ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ by Arnold Schwarzenegger with Bill Dobbins, you have a complete bodybuilding guide designed for amateur and professional bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, and anyone interested in maintaining good workout and dietary habits.
If you have not already gotten your copy of ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ by Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you should stick around for an exclusive overview of the book in this post.
A Review of ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ by Arnold Schwarzenegger
‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ is an 800 paged book consisting of five books in one. Under the first book titled ‘Introduction to Bodybuilding’, you have five chapters, namely:
- Chapter 1: ‘Evolution and History’,
- Chapter 2: ‘The ABCs of Bodybuilding’,
- Chapter 3: ‘The Training Experience’,
- Chapter 4: ‘The Gym’, and
- Chapter 5: ‘Getting Started’.
In Chapter 1, you will get to learn about the dynamics of bodybuilding in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. You will also learn about ‘The Explosive Growth of Bodybuilding’ (pg. 36) and ‘The Arnold Classic Weekend’ (pg. 39) which exposes what a typical weekend was in the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger the bodybuilder and seven time winner of Mr. Olympia.
Chapter 2 of Book One ‘The ABCs of Bodybuilding’ examines weightlighting, bodybuilding and resistance training. In this chapter, you will also learn about aerobics and the basics of bodybuilding to get you started as a bodybuilder the Arnie way!
As you flip over to Chapter 3 of Book One, you learn about ‘Training for Women’ (pg. 82) and the power of positive thinking in bodybuilding training. Chapter 4 takes you to the gym and educates you on what you should look out for when you decide to go to a gym as well as the methods and benefits of training in your own home.
In Chapter 5, Arnie tells you what gear you need to have in order to get started as a bodybuilder. He talks about having a ‘Training Diary’ (pg. 103) and bodybuilding for the young, middle-aged and the elderly.
The second book is titled ‘Training Programs’ and this part consists of seven chapters and these are:
- Chapter 1: ‘Basic Training Principles’: In this chapter, you will understand sets, reps, progressive resistance, breathing and stretching techniques amongst others.
- Chapter 2: ‘Learning your Body Type’: Here you will get a better understanding of your body type, muscle building and metabolism and ‘Body Composition Testing’ (pg. 171). You will also learn about the three major training methods, namely; ‘Ectomorph Training’ (pg. 169), ‘Mesomorph Training’ (pg. 170), and ‘Endomorph Training’ (pg. 170).
- Chapter 3: ‘The Basic Training Program’: If you want your know more about ‘The Basic Muscles’ (pg. 175), the importance of ‘Rest and Recuperation’ (pg. 176) and ‘When to Train’ (pg. 179), then you should check out this chapter.
- Chapter 4: ‘Advanced Training Principles’: Learn about intensity training and the principle of power-training in chapter 4 of Book Two.
- Chapter 5: ‘Building a Quality Physique: The Advanced Training Program’: Arnie explains when you should move over to advance training in this chapter. You will also learn about ‘Training Weak Areas’ (pg. 213) and ‘Weak Point Training’ (pg. 212).
- Chapter 6: ‘Competition Training Program’: As a competitive bodybuilder, this chapter will broaden your knowledge on ‘Training Volume’ (pg. 220)while teaching you how to build a physique that is highly competitive. You will also learn about ‘Muscle Separation’ (pg. 224) and ‘Outdoor Training’ (pg. 227).
- Chapter 7: ‘Mind Over Matter: Mind, The Most Powerful Tool’: Learn about setting personal bodybuilding goals, ‘Learning from Failure’ (pg. 233) and ‘How Bodybuilding affects the Mind’ (pg. 243).
Book Three of ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ by Arnold Schwarzenegger with Bill Dobbins Is titled ‘Body Part Exercises’. This chapter provides a comprehensive exercise and workout program for various parts of your body including; your back, arms, leg, abdomen and chest.
In the fourth book simply titled ‘Competition’, you have three chapters that focus on what you should expect in competitive bodybuilding and bodybuilding events. Chapter 1 talks about ‘Posing’ providing you with information on the history, art and the ‘Scoring’ (pg.582) behind this event in competitive bodybuilding.
The second chapter focuses on your ‘Total Preparation’ for a bodybuilding competition looking at the type of ‘Posing Oil’ (pg. 668) you should use, the type of ‘Hairstyle’ (pg. 669)that wows judges and the sort of ‘Body Hair’ (pg. 671) you should shave off amongst other preparations.
Book Five and the final book that makes up ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ book by Arnold Schwarzenegger is titled ‘Health, Nutrition, and Diet’. This book consists of four chapters as follows:
- Chapter 1: ‘Nutrition and Diet’: This chapter highlights basic nutrients and the sort of nutrition that is required by bodybuilders.
- Chapter 2: ‘Weight Control: Gaining Muscle, Losing Fat’
- Chapter 3: ‘Contest Diet Strategies’: Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about getting into shape, how to measure changes in your body, how to test for ketosis, drugs in sport and the ‘Side Effects of Steroid Use‘ (pg. 758). He also mentions ‘Training, Posing, and Diet’ (pg. 771), what it is like on ‘The Morning of the Contest’ (pg. 772) and ‘After the Contest’ (pg. 773).
- Chapter 4: ‘Injuries and How to treat Them’: In this last chapter under the fifth book of ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’, Arnie explains how to train around injuries, ‘Cold-Weather Training’ (pg. 788), how to increase your diet, how to avoid dehydration, and how your immune system responds to injuries.
In Conclusion
As a budding or experienced bodybuilder, there is so much to learn from reading ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding’ by Arnold Schwarzenegger with Bill Dobbins.
This book serves as a “bodybuilding bible” and you can always go back to reading up on any of the books and chapters to refresh your memory and knowledge. What makes this book so much fun to read is that it is told from Arnie’s point of view and life experiences.
Arnold Schwarzenegger openly talks to you about his bodybuilding mistakes and guides you, so that you don’t make the same errors in your bodybuilding program. By reading this book, you are indeed learning from one of the best, a legendary figure in the world of bodybuilding and an amiable personality that has endeared in the hearts and minds of people for four decades and counting.
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