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Arnold Schwarzenegger won Mr. Universe at 20 and the Mr. Olympia title seven times, and he wrote about it before he was a film star: Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder came out in 1977, seven years before The Terminator. Training manuals followed, including the Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1985). After two terms as Governor of California he published a full memoir, Total Recall (2012), and at 76 a self-help book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life (2023). This guide covers his six key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 6 key books · 1977–2023 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s key books are Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977), the Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1985), the memoir Total Recall (2012) and Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life (2023). Start with Be Useful; read Total Recall for the full life story.
Where to Start with Arnold Schwarzenegger
If you want his advice for life
→ Be Useful (2023) — seven “tools for life”.
If you want the whole life story
→ Total Recall (2012) — from Austria to Sacramento.
If you want the bodybuilding years
→ Arnold (1977) — his first book, from 1977.
If you want to train like him
→ Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1985) — his training reference.
6 Arnold Schwarzenegger Books, in Order
Arnold
Written with Douglas Kent Hall and published in 1977, the year the documentary Pumping Iron was released. It was his first book, about the bodybuilding career that brought him from Austria to the United States in 1968.
Arnold’s Bodyshaping for Women
A training guide aimed at women, published in 1979.
Arnold’s Bodybuilding for Men
A training manual written with Bill Dobbins, setting out exercises and programmes for men from beginner to advanced level.
Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding
A large reference work on bodybuilding. It was revised with Bill Dobbins and reissued as The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding in 1998.
Total Recall
His full memoir, written with Peter Petre and published in 2012. It runs from his childhood in Austria, through bodybuilding, his film career and his marriage to Maria Shriver, to his years as Governor of California (2003–2011), and addresses the 2011 revelation that he had fathered a child with a member of his household staff.
Be Useful
Published in October 2023. The book is organised around seven “tools for life”, drawing on his bodybuilding, film and political careers.
In What Order to Read Arnold Schwarzenegger
His books fall into two groups. The four from 1977 to 1985 belong to his bodybuilding years and are mainly training books; the 2012 memoir and the 2023 self-help book look back on a whole career.
Most general readers start with Be Useful or Total Recall. They overlap in their stories, but Total Recall is the complete chronological account and Be Useful uses the same material to make practical points.
A reading path
1. Be Useful (2023)
2. Total Recall (2012)
3. Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977)
4. Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1985)
Everything Else Arnold Schwarzenegger Published
Beyond the 6 key books: 1 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Fitness books and new editions
1
1 book · 1998
- 1998The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuildingthe revised edition of the 1985 encyclopedia, with Bill Dobbins
The years · 1947–2023
Quick facts about Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Known for
- Seven Mr. Olympia titles, film stardom from Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator, and two terms as Governor of California
- 1947
- Born in Thal, Austria
- 1970
- First Mr. Olympia title
- 1984
- The Terminator
- 2003
- Elected Governor of California
- 2023
- Be Useful
- Born
- 30 July 1947, Thal, Austria
- Bodybuilding
- Mr. Universe at 20; Mr. Olympia seven times (1970–1975, 1980)
- Film
- Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2 (1991)
- Politics
- Governor of California, 2003–2011
- Married
- Maria Shriver, 1986; divorced 2021
- Documentary
- Arnold (Netflix, 2023), a three-part series
The red mark is 2023: Be Useful, his self-help book.
How Arnold Schwarzenegger Writes: Plain Instruction, Big Stories
His early books are instruction manuals first. Even The Education of a Bodybuilder is about training, and the encyclopedia is a reference for the sport.
His later books are written with professional collaborators — Peter Petre on Total Recall — and look back on a whole life, from Austria to Hollywood and Sacramento.
Be Useful turns that experience into seven “tools for life”, which makes it the most direct of his books and the easiest place to start.
Watch
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis on Be Useful
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks with Jamie Lee Curtis at Live Talks Los Angeles in 2023 about his book Be Useful.
Frequently asked questions about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s books
How many books has Arnold Schwarzenegger written?
Six key books, listed on this page, from Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977) to Be Useful (2023). He also published the revised New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1998) and the Arnold’s Fitness for Kids guides.
What are Arnold Schwarzenegger’s books in order?
Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977), Arnold’s Bodyshaping for Women (1979), Arnold’s Bodybuilding for Men (1981), Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1985), Total Recall (2012) and Be Useful (2023).
Where should I start with Arnold Schwarzenegger?
With Be Useful (2023). If you want the complete story of his life, read Total Recall (2012).
What is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most famous book?
Among general readers, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life (2023) and the memoir Total Recall (2012). Among his training books, the Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1985) is the best known.
Did Arnold Schwarzenegger write his books himself?
He worked with co-writers on several: Douglas Kent Hall on The Education of a Bodybuilder, Bill Dobbins on Arnold’s Bodybuilding for Men and the New Encyclopedia, and Peter Petre on Total Recall.
What is Be Useful about?
It is a self-help book organised around seven “tools for life”, drawing on his careers in bodybuilding, film and politics.
Does Total Recall talk about his affair and his son?
Yes. In May 2011, shortly after he left office, it became public that he had fathered a child with a longtime member of his household staff. Total Recall (2012) addresses this. He and Maria Shriver divorced in 2021.
What allegations were made against Schwarzenegger in 2003?
Shortly before the 2003 California recall election, the Los Angeles Times reported allegations of sexual misconduct from six women. He apologised, saying he had “behaved badly sometimes”, while also disputing parts of the reports, and he won the election.
Is the Netflix series Arnold based on his books?
No. Arnold (Netflix, 2023) is a separate three-part documentary series, though it covers the same life as Total Recall.
Footnotes
- Arnold Schwarzenegger — Wikipedia
- Be Useful — Penguin Random House
- Total Recall, with Peter Petre — Calgary Public Library
- Bill Dobbins — Wikipedia
- Schwarzenegger fathered child with household staff — Bangor Daily News
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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