Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy

Increase strength, build mass, burn fat, and define your muscles. With full-color anatomical illustrations, step-by-step instructions, and training advice, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy is the authoritative resource for sculpting your physique without free weights, machines, or expensive equipment.

Targeting all muscle zones and primary muscle regions—arms, chest, shoulders, back, core, thighs, glutes, and calves—Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy presents 156 of the most effective bodyweight exercises that can be performed anytime, anywhere. With expert advice from renowned strength trainer Bret Contreras, you’ll learn how to modify, combine, and sequence exercises to ramp up your routine and avoid plateaus.

In depth yet practical, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy takes you inside every exercise through stunning anatomical artwork that reveals primary muscles worked along with the relevant surrounding structures, including bones, ligaments, and tendons.

Whether you are just beginning your quest for a better body or simply seeking a proven approach for training at home, on the road, or on the go, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy is a one-of-a-kind resource that you’ll refer to again and again.

Bret Contreras, PhD, MS, CSCS, has become known in the strength and conditioning industry as the Glute Guy because of his expertise in helping clients develop strong, shapely glutes. In 2015 he earned his PhD in sport science from the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, where he studied under biomechanics expert John Cronin. Contreras has conducted numerous electromyography experiments in his research.

As the former owner of Lifts Studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, Contreras worked closely with hundreds of clients ranging from sedentary people to elite athletes, and he invented a glute-strengthening machine called the Hip Thruster. He currently trains figure competitors, writes programs for clients from all over the world, and consults for various professional sport teams. He is the author of the bestselling book Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy (Human Kinetics, 2014) and coauthor of Strong Curves (Victory Belt, 2013).

Contreras is a distinguished lecturer in strength and conditioning, presenting at many conferences throughout the United States, including those hosted by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is editor in chief of the NCSA’s Personal Training Quarterly and cofounder of Strength & Conditioning Research Review. He is a peer-reviewed author and regular contributor to well-known industry publications including Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Oxygen, and MuscleMag. Oxygen magazine voted him the Glute Expert in their 2010 glutes edition. Contreras maintains the Strength of Evidence Podcast, where he discusses important topics in strength and conditioning.

"Bret Contreras is hands down one of the top fitness professionals. If you want to learn the science and art of bodyweight training, there is no better resource than Bret's book, Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy."

Brad Schoenfeld, MSc, CSCS, CSPS-- Author of The M.A.X. Muscle Plan

“Bret Contreras is extremely knowledgeable about biomechanics, and Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy is a tremendous resource for anyone wanting a better understanding of performing bodyweight exercises.”

Joe Dowdell, CSCS-- Founder and Owner of Peak Performance, New York City