Into Bodybuilding?
Bodybuilding is growing in popularity with even women getting involved so it makes sense that there would be a growing presence on the internet of bodybuilding sites. It can be challenging, however, to locate sites that actually have useful information since there has also been a jump in websites promoting various supplements and other items for sale but offer very little practical advice. Hence the purpose of this list. While there is no guarantee there won’t be a bit of sales going on with them, they are popular with those looking for bodybuilding information as evidenced by their Alexa traffic ratings. So, now instead of spending hours trying to find information, you can use that time where you really want to – at the gym!
1. BodyBuilding.com: http://www.bodybuilding.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 530
This site is more heavily visited than any other site about body building and has the largest online fitness community with millions of members. It is free to join so members use it to set a goal, find a plan, track their progress and stay motivated daily. It is also an online supplement store with thousands of reviews and ratings. They also offer a free newsletter. The plans are a popular part of the site with plenty of choices for burning fat, building muscle, gaining strength or physique transformation. A wizard feature will even help with setting up a plan. They also have a forum with nearly 6 million threads, over 160 million posts and over 7 million members.
2. T Nation: http://www.t-nation.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 6,732
This site is also quite popular and is loaded with articles, workouts, videos and forums. As with most bodybuilding sites there is also a store area which has supplements, clothing, books and equipment that can be purchased. The site is easy to navigate with drop down menus and a search feature for locating content. The articles section has a number of subcategories including training, workouts, diet & fat loss, supplements, powerful words, promotion and also an 1998 -2012 archive. A very nice feature on the site is a video library of exercises. The workout section is also top notch.
3. Muscle & Fitness: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 9,098
This is the website for the popular Muscle & Fitness magazine. It has 5 main sections including Workouts, Nutrition, Supplements, News & Features and Videos. The workouts pulldown allows users to choose such workouts as abs, arms, back, chest, legs and shoulders or go to workout tips or workout routines. The nutrition pulldown gives three options – recipes, lose fat and gain mass. The recipe section has 130+ entries for protein packed meals. They offer a newsletter SignUp as well. Quite a bit of useful information is packed into this website.
4. Get Big: http://www.getbig.com/headlines/
Global Alexa Rating: 28,985
The main use of this website is for reading up on the results from the various championships around the world along with links to photos from a number of them. There are also blogs and news on the site. While this site won’t be particularly helpful with someone’s bodybuilding pursuits it is informative about championships and that can be a great motivator. It is getting a fair amount of traffic so obviously that information is valuable in and of itself.
5. Muscular Development: http://www.musculardevelopment.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 28,993
This is also a useful site for reading up on contests. It includes the IFBB and NPC schedules and also has archived information about contests from 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Besides contest information there is also a category for breaking news and bodybuilding news that readers will find informative. Another section of the website is titled Videos MDTV which includes such things as a training archive, interviews archive, Branch & Johnnie archive and more. The articles section includes information on chemical enhancement, research & review, fat loss, supplements, sex, nutrition and training. They also have five forums – No Bull, Victor’s Journal, The Zone, Women’s HQ and Staff and Pros. The blog section includes blogs from a number of people including Ronnie Coleman, Branch Warren, Johnnie O. Jackson, Essa Obaid and more. Lots of content will make this a favorite site for bodybuilders.
6. Flex Online: http://www.flexonline.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 30,116
Flex Online is a pretty nice site for getting up to date on bodybuilding news as well as information to help with training and nutrition. An interesting feature of the site is the Athlete Spotlight section. They also offer two free newsletters – The Hard Times which is about news, show coverage and more; and Training and Nutrition which gives expert advice on how to fuel and train for ultimate gains. Contest news is given for both IFBB and NPC contests.
7. ExRx.net: http://www.exrx.net/
Global Alexa Rating: 31,820
This site is a free resource for any exercise professional or enthusiast, not just bodybuilding. There are over 1,400 exercises in the exercise library. There is also a fitness assessment calculator and numerous reference articles. A menu along the left side can be used to get to the site area desired which includes bodybuilding as well as fitness testing, aerobic conditioning, kinesiology, weight training and weight management. The calculators are a great resource on this site and there are quite a few different types including metabolic calculators, pace calculators, fitness testing, body composition, calorie requirements and much more.
8. StrongLifts: http://stronglifts.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 38,723
The site offers strength and muscle building strategies that the site touts as being accomplished with no drugs or supplements and training only three times a week. The site includes blog posts and guides. It also offers a report, video and mobile app as part of a starter kit that is offered free of charge. You also get access to a free newsletter with daily tips. Whether someone goes on to the StrongLifts Inner Circle is up to the reader – they only accept GOLD members once a month but you can click the ‘Join the early bird list’ to be included the next time membership is opened. In the meantime check out the starter kit along with the content on the site to see if this is something that fits in with your bodybuilding goals.
9. Scooby’s Workshop: http://scoobysworkshop.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 57,998
This website is based on the philosophy that anyone can look great and feel great through bodybuilding – it is not just for entering contests. There are lots of tools on the site including two different meal planners, running for beginners, teen bodybuilding, protein calculator, getting boot camp ready, bodybuilding nutrition and more. Blogs are set up into nice organized categories including teens, men’s workout plans, women’s workout plans, exercise, fitness tools, nutrition and bodybuilding myths. And in case you are wondering if the name comes from an old cartoon, it doesn’t – the owner of the site is Scooby Werkstatt who started it in 2005.
10. Dave Draper Iron Online: http://www.davedraper.com/index.html
Global Alexa Rating: 106,266
Dave Draper is a professional athlete, actor and author. His championship titles of Mr. America, Mr. World and Mr. Universe should tell you that this is a site full of useful information. He offers a free weekly newsletter and even encourages people to sign up for that before getting too involved in the site. He wants to help encourage and motivate you toward your fitness goals. The site is jam-packed with blogs, forum threads, columns, workout routines, advanced workout considerations, nutrition tips and so much more.
Whether you’ve been into bodybuilding for 10 minutes or 10 years, these ten websites will help you reach your goals as well as curb your curiosity for news about the world of bodybuilding. It makes no difference whether you are training for a contest or just want to like what you see in the mirror. Make this the year you make those changes you’ve been thinking about.
