This guide was written and reviewed by Serge, MSc . As a martial artist and natural lifter with over 10 years of training experience, what I share comes from my own training and from digging into the research behind it.
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Long before I ever picked up a barbell seriously, Arnold was the name that made lifting look like something worth doing.
The discipline, the self-made drive, and the idea that you can build yourself through consistency have inspired me. They have done so for as long as I have trained.
So when I talk about his New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, I am not coming at it as a neutral reviewer. This is the man who got a lot of us into the gym in the first place.
I have been lifting for over ten years, and like most people I started without much real knowledge. Wrong exercises, a careless diet, not enough recovery, I made the lot. I cover that in my post on the mistakes I made in my first year of lifting.
A solid reference would have saved me a lot of wasted time. This book is often described as one of the most complete there is. Having gone through it, here is my straight take on what it offers, who it suits, and how a natural lifter should read it.
What This Book Is
The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, written by Arnold with Bill Dobbins, has earned its nickname as the bible of bodybuilding. It is a thick, thorough reference covering training, nutrition, injury prevention, mindset, and the history of the sport, illustrated throughout.
It is not a quick read or a quick-fix program. It is a deep resource you come back to over time. A few things stand out.
Detailed Training Sections
According to the book’s description, the training sections cover every muscle group, with methods for building strength, size, and definition. The principles are foundational, and a lot of modern training advice traces back to ideas Arnold helped popularize.
If you want to put numbers on progression, I built a Progressive Overload Calculator. Enter your last session and get your next weight, your rep target, and a short outlook for the sessions after it.
Practical Nutrition
The nutrition guidance is described as practical rather than faddish. It covers how to eat to build muscle and manage body composition without gimmicks.
Keep in mind that nutrition science keeps moving. Treat any specific numbers in an older book as a starting point, and cross-check them with current sources.
Injury Prevention and Recovery
There is genuine depth on injury prevention and recovery, including warm-ups, treating common issues, and training in a way that keeps you in the game.
For warm-ups, I created a Warm-Up Set Calculator. It gives you a simple set of ramp-up loads leading to your working weight, so you lift prepared.
Mindset and Motivation
Running through all of it is the mindset and motivation side, the part Arnold is arguably most famous for. The psychology of staying committed, pushing through plateaus, and building discipline is woven throughout.
For me that is the most valuable thread in the whole book. If you are stuck, my posts on the no-progress phase and training when you don’t feel like it pair well with it.
How a Natural Lifter Should Read It
I want to be straight about something, because it matters and most reviews skip it. This is a bodybuilding encyclopedia from the competitive bodybuilding world, written by the most famous competitor the sport has ever had.
That world has long involved performance-enhancing drugs. Some of the book’s content comes from that context, including the contest-level physique goals, the training volume, and parts of the supplement and competition material.
I train natural, drug-free, and have for over a decade. So I suggest you take the timeless fundamentals and the inspiration, and apply the rest with context.
The training principles, the work ethic, the mindset, and the basics of eating and recovery apply to any lifter. The competition-specific, physique-at-all-costs material is worth understanding, but it was written for a different game than the one a natural lifter is playing.
Read that way, it is one of the most valuable training references you can own. You are not trying to copy a Mr. Olympia’s contest prep. You are learning the foundations from someone who understood them better than almost anyone.
To keep your expectations realistic, check my FFMI Calculator. It shows how your lean mass compares with typical natural levels for your height, and what the next level would take.
Who Should Read It
This book suits a wide range of people. Beginners get a complete grounding in how training and nutrition work, instead of piecing it together from random sources the way I had to. For a simpler starting point, see my post on how to start strength training.
Experienced lifters get a deep reference to return to and a lot of detail on developing specific muscle groups. Anyone who needs a shot of motivation gets it from Arnold’s own words and story.
If you came up admiring Arnold the way I did, it is also just a book worth having on the shelf. It holds the fundamentals from the person who inspired a lot of us to start.
Who Should Skip It
Skip it if you want a short, ready-made program. An encyclopedia asks you to read, choose, and plan for yourself.
A more focused book may suit you better. My review of Bigger Leaner Stronger covers a single plan, and my review of Strength Training Anatomy focuses on how muscles work.
Skip the high-volume contest material if you are new, injured, or recovering poorly. Copying advanced routines is a fast way to burn out.
How to Get the Most From a Reference Book
Here is a general approach, not a program. Read the fundamentals first, then mark the chapters that match your goals.
Pick a simple plan and run it for several weeks before you change anything. Use the book to answer questions, not to add new exercises every week.
Cross-check anything that sounds extreme with current guidance. This post shares general information. It is not medical advice, so see a professional for injuries or health concerns.
Why I Recommend It
I am not going to pretend this book is a magic shortcut, and it does not claim to be. What it is, is a deep, foundational reference from someone whose discipline and approach have inspired me for my whole training life.
Take the fundamentals and the mindset, and read the competition-era material with the context that you are training natural. Then you have one of the most complete training resources ever put together.
For me, recommending it is easy, because Arnold is a big part of why I started in the first place. My post on consistency and patience in natural lifting shares what I have learned since.
FAQs
What is The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding about?
It is a comprehensive guide to weight training and bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger. It covers training, nutrition, competition strategies, and the history of the sport.
Who is this book suitable for?
It suits all levels, from beginners starting with weights to advanced and competitive lifters. It also appeals to athletes from other sports who train with weights.
What topics are covered?
Weight training methods, diet and nutrition, sports psychology, injury prevention and treatment, competition preparation, and the history of bodybuilding.
Does it include guidance for specific muscles?
Yes. It gives detailed guidance on how to train and develop each muscle group for a balanced physique.
Does it cover competitive bodybuilding?
Yes, including posing, contest preparation, and handling publicity. It is useful for anyone considering the stage, though a natural lifter will read the contest material with that context in mind.
Are there illustrations?
Yes. The book features detailed photos and illustrations demonstrating exercises, techniques, and form.
What makes this book unique?
It combines Arnold’s perspective as a seven-time Mr. Olympia with real depth and breadth. Training, nutrition, history, mindset, and motivation all sit in one reference.
