WFF MAGAZINES

No Other International Bodybuilding Organization Has Its Own Magazine. The Unique Publishing Activity of the W.F.F.–W.B.B.F..

Since 1989, the World Fitness Federation (W.F.F.) and the World Body Building Federation (W.B.B.F.) have maintained continuous international publishing activity. Today, the Federation unites 140 national member organizations on all continents, and its publications are distributed during major international bodybuilding and fitness events as well as throughout all member countries.

Over nearly four decades, the Federation has published 37 magazines in several languages under various titles, with a combined circulation exceeding two million copies. These publications are preserved in the major libraries of Lithuania, while selected editions have also been included in the collections of the German National Library in Leipzig.

Most importantly, no other international bodybuilding organization has established and continuously published its own international magazine for decades. W.F.F.–W.B.B.F. publications have become not only an important source of sports information but also a permanent documentary record of the history of world bodybuilding.

Publications That Educated Generations of Athletes

The first internationally recognized publication was "Arnold Schwarzenegger Recommends" (Арнольд Шварценеггер рекомендует), published in Lithuania with an extraordinary circulation of 2,000,000 copies and successfully distributed throughout many countries of Eastern Europe.

At a time when specialized bodybuilding literature was almost nonexistent, this publication became the principal educational guide for athletes. For many years it was regarded as the "bodybuilding bible," introducing generations of sportsmen to training methodology, exercise programming, and the fundamentals of bodybuilding theory.

Subsequent publications presented advanced training systems for both amateur and professional athletes, principles of exercise programming, workload planning, scientifically based training methods, and practical experience from the world's leading bodybuilders. These materials significantly influenced the development of bodybuilding in numerous countries.

An Information Bridge Between East and West

During the years when bodybuilding was officially prohibited in many socialist countries, almost no periodical publications covered the sport. The principal exceptions were the Polish magazine "Sport Dla Wszystkich", the Czechoslovak magazine "Trener", and later the East German publication "Schwer Atlet Training."

During this period, Dr. Edmundas Daubaras maintained close cooperation with these editorial offices as well as with Ben Weider's "Flex" magazine, regularly supplying articles and information about bodybuilding events and athletes in the USSR.

Particular attention was devoted to the "Amber Prix International" held annually in Klaipėda. During the years of the bodybuilding ban, together with “Georg Tenno Memorial” this was the only international bodybuilding tournament regularly organized in the socialist world. Through these publications, reliable information about bodybuilding behind the Iron Curtain reached the international sports community.

The International Magazine “Sport of Fitness and Bodybuilding”

Since 1989, the W.F.F.–W.B.B.F. has published the international magazine "Sport of Fitness and Bodybuilding" (Спортивный фитнес и культуризм), which serves as the Federation's official publication.

The magazine is distributed throughout all member countries and at the world's major bodybuilding and fitness championships. Its articles have been reprinted or cited by internet media, newspapers, and specialized sports magazines in Argentina, Austria, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and many other countries.

Initially focused on training methodology and sports education, the magazine gradually evolved into an important historical and analytical publication, systematically documenting international bodybuilding events, organizational activities, and the long-term development of the sport.

The World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia

The logical culmination of decades of publishing activity is the preparation of the World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia.

This unprecedented international project aims, for the first time, to present a comprehensive history of world bodybuilding in a single publication, covering organizations, competitions, athletes, historical documents, and the most significant events in the sport's development.

Conclusions

The publishing activity of the W.F.F.–W.B.B.F. has become an integral part of the history of world bodybuilding. Over nearly forty years, the Federation has created a unique system of educational, informational, and historical publications unparalleled among international bodybuilding organizations.

These publications have served not only as educational resources for athletes but also as an invaluable archive preserving historical facts that might otherwise have been lost. Today they represent an important source for researchers, historians, coaches, and sports organizations worldwide.

It can therefore be concluded that the publishing work of the W.F.F.–W.B.B.F. constitutes one of the Federation's most significant contributions to preserving the historical heritage of world bodybuilding. The World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia represents the natural culmination of this long-term commitment and stands as an international cultural and sporting heritage project of exceptional historical importance.

More information is on international site www.wff.lt