Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy (Second Edition) by Bret Contreras is a highly visual fitness and exercise science guide designed to help readers build strength, improve mobility, and enhance athletic performance using only bodyweight exercises. Combining anatomy education with practical training instruction, this book demonstrates how different exercises activate muscles throughout the body and how to perform movements safely and effectively.
Written by renowned strength and conditioning expert Bret Contreras, the book provides a scientific yet accessible approach to functional fitness and bodyweight training. It is suitable for beginners, athletes, personal trainers, physiotherapists, rehabilitation specialists, and fitness enthusiasts seeking effective workouts without the need for gym equipment.
The text covers major bodyweight exercises targeting the chest, shoulders, arms, core, back, glutes, hips, and legs. Exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, planks, bridges, dips, and advanced calisthenics movements are explained step-by-step with detailed anatomical illustrations showing the primary and secondary muscles involved during each movement.
The second edition includes updated exercise variations, improved anatomical artwork, progression strategies, flexibility training, injury prevention tips, and guidance for customizing workouts according to individual fitness goals. Readers learn how to improve muscular endurance, stability, balance, coordination, posture, and total-body strength using scientifically designed bodyweight programs.
Special emphasis is placed on exercise technique, biomechanics, movement efficiency, and proper alignment to reduce injury risk and maximize muscle activation. The book also explains training progression, workout intensity, recovery, and functional movement patterns important for athletic conditioning and long-term physical health.
Illustrated muscle diagrams make it easy for readers to understand how exercises affect specific muscle groups, making the book both an educational anatomy resource and a practical fitness manual. Its clear instructions and visual format support self-guided training at home, in gyms, or during sports conditioning programs.
Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy remains one of the most popular and trusted resources in bodyweight fitness education, blending anatomy knowledge with practical strength-training techniques for safe and effective physical conditioning.
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,
,SECOND EDITION
Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy
Bret Contreras
, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Contreras, Bret, 1976- author
Title: Bodyweight strength training anatomy / Bret Contreras.
Description: Second edition. | Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics, [2026]
Identifiers: LCCN 2025012921 (print) | LCCN 2025012922 (ebook) | ISBN 9781718234529 paperback | ISBN 9781718246577 spiral
bound | ISBN 9781718234536 epub | ISBN 9781718234543 pdf
Subjects: LCSH: Bodybuilding--Training | Muscle strength | BISAC: SPORTS & RECREATION / Bodybuilding & Weightlifting |
SPORTS & RECREATION / Training
Classification: LCC GV546.5 .C655 2026 (print) | LCC GV546.5 (ebook) | DDC 613.7/13--dc23/eng/20250519
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025012921
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025012922
ISBN: 978-1-7182-3452-9 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-7182-4657-7 (spiral)
Copyright © 2026, 2014 by Bret Contreras
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