Fitness Magazines

[bigbob111]

Can some of these "fitness" magazines really be taken seriously? I picked up a copy of Fitness RX today, and honestly Id rather have my money back. The occassional article might be interesting to read, but they all seem very repedetive after a while, and im begining to see why many people ignore bodybuilding as a sport. How many times can you write about something before its done to death I suppose?

[Rarity]

Some people see bodybuilding as a mental illness these days (wanting to grow impossibly huge, I suppose). Which quite frankly, after seeing some... cases... I can agree with.

[bigbob111]

googlesearch "idiot on steroids" and youll see the darkest of it. Personally I can see a clear case of narcism porn with a lot (most) of the muscle mags sold today. Why the hell do their readers need to look at ads for penis enlargement supplements that almost certainly dont work? Also, those weightloss energy drinks probably do the exact opposite in real life. Anyone ever tried clorophyl? Its a substance found in plant leaves that supports photosynthesis. someone put this expensive crap in a bottle, and "theoretically" it should provide more energy. Too bad it gets digested in the stomach.

[Geek2Jock]

There are only so many ways to exercise a given bodypart so their 'articles' are repetitious after a while, maybe a year or so. The bulk of the magazine is advertising, heavily paid for by product manufacturers who have to be able to afford to sponsor their current IFBB pro.

[BIGJOEY]

I am always amazed at some of the post here. Its just as bad as some bodybuilding forums. Most fitness magazines such as Fitness RX Today are just there to seel products and adverstising. Its no worse than the info-commericals that sell pills to make you bigger. AS for doogling " idiots on steroids" well you can do that with any sport so that doesnt mean shit.
And you can also say that some other sports could qualify for mental illness as well. If you havent lifted or bodybuild or competed then you really have no clue. Since most people 98% are lazy as hell, want instant results even though it took them ages to get fat as fuck, and are willing to spend money on usless crap it's still their choice. Please don't tell me you have never bought one of these products because we all know thats a load of bs. There are countless ways to do things with excersise but since 98% do it wrong because its a visual thing and most guys and girls in the gym think the fit chick or the massive guy knows what they are doing and it will work for them. thats like buying a BMW and using a lawn mower book to fix it. Since your body works on angles and ranges of motition thats how your supopose to lift but i figure by now i have lost 99% of you with that statement. LOL So my point is if you don't want the ads in the fitness magazine then don't buy them. Lots of sites have excellent info but try to use the ones that actually are correct. And i don't mean bodybuilding.com try muscualrdevelopment.com . At least there competitors and pros write info and answer questions correctly.

[digger]

I agree 100%.

The most successful athletes (including bodybuilders) have risen to the top through hard work and something akin to scientific methods of training and diet. They try new approaches to find better ways of training, and they adopt what works and avoid what doesn't. I know it sounds obvious. Here's what is not obvious: the products sold in these magazines are by and large not instrumental in the results of these top performers, except for the money that they get from endorsements (bodybuilding is not a cheap sport). Taking chlorophyll never made any competitor what he is today. Scientists would say it's crap and real bodybuilders would say it's crap. If that were obvious, then these ads (and infomercials, etc) could never work.

Unfortunately, Americans have such a poor grasp of science and such weak critical thinking skills that they'll believe anything.

The only reason many of the "idiots on steroids" know what works and what doesn't is because they've forced themselves to learn. They know far more about what, if anything, in those magazines is credible and they know far better than the general public (and politicians) what the risks and benefits of their own regimens are. Just don't interpret their pictures in ads and on products as a real statement of support for that product--it's just about the money.

Originally Posted by BIGJOEY

I am always amazed at some of the post here. Its just as bad as some bodybuilding forums. Most fitness magazines such as Fitness RX Today are just there to seel products and adverstising. Its no worse than the info-commericals that sell pills to make you bigger. AS for doogling " idiots on steroids" well you can do that with any sport so that doesnt mean shit.
And you can also say that some other sports could qualify for mental illness as well. If you havent lifted or bodybuild or competed then you really have no clue. Since most people 98% are lazy as hell, want instant results even though it took them ages to get fat as fuck, and are willing to spend money on usless crap it's still their choice. Please don't tell me you have never bought one of these products because we all know thats a load of bs. There are countless ways to do things with excersise but since 98% do it wrong because its a visual thing and most guys and girls in the gym think the fit chick or the massive guy knows what they are doing and it will work for them. thats like buying a BMW and using a lawn mower book to fix it. Since your body works on angles and ranges of motition thats how your supopose to lift but i figure by now i have lost 99% of you with that statement. LOL So my point is if you don't want the ads in the fitness magazine then don't buy them. Lots of sites have excellent info but try to use the ones that actually are correct. And i don't mean bodybuilding.com try muscualrdevelopment.com . At least there competitors and pros write info and answer questions correctly.

[BIGJOEY]

LOL thata funny about the americvans part. Funny how the top bodybuilders are all american along with the best contest prep guys, All competive bodybuilders her have a excellent understanding of nutrition and other related things. Based on your remark it's obivious that you really have no clue.

[nzbodybuilder]

Yes, a lot of fitness mags can get quite repetitive, and filled to the brim with adverts - sometimes they can be 6 pages, not side, but PAGES long! Here in NZ, I buy Flex, the Australian edition. 1/3 the size of the American edition, and of course cheaper, but that 1/3 is full of articles, including recepie ideas (I now have a number of ways to make protein pancakes ).

BIGJOEY, I hope this doesn't come across as shorsighted, but from my limited point of view, Americans control the bodybuilding world, so of course Americans would always be at the top.

"Americans have such a poor grasp of science and such weak critical thinking skills that they'll believe anything"

You only need to watch Fox "World" News to get that!

[digger]

No no no! I must have been unclear. I think that serious bodybuilders--including (especially?) those in the US--*do* have a profound understanding of diet and nutrition. I think the most Americans do not, and that they also have very poor science, math, and critical thinking skills (I live in Seattle, so this isn't a dig from some foreign country). It's only by preying on this ignorance that those ads and infomercials succeed. Please reread my post. I wrote that bodybuilders force themselves to learn everything they can about nutrition and exercise. Maybe force is too strong a word--their sport drives them to it in a way that most Americans simply never feel.

I don't think most bodybuilders can answer questions about physics at a greater or lesser rate than the average American. So, not so much. But they can answer questions about nutrition and exercise far better than the average person.

Originally Posted by BIGJOEY

LOL thata funny about the americvans part. Funny how the top bodybuilders are all american along with the best contest prep guys, All competive bodybuilders her have a excellent understanding of nutrition and other related things. Based on your remark it's obivious that you really have no clue.

[bigbob111]

Magazine publishers only anticipate their readers to last about a year at most depending on their age group. so if the articles are repeated word for word, maybe no-one will notice? Unless of course you happen to have a small collection and it becomes obvious.

So far I havnt seen many articles claiming that a real compedetive athlete traines for 3-6 hours a day. Think of it this way - Arnold trained twice a day 7 days a week for a total of 28 hours and he came second place.

Truth hurts me too. ouch

Maybe i should take up pottery or basketweaving?

[Gene]

The thicker a bodybuilding magazine it is the less informative it is. It's full advertisements for crap products to sell to the naive bodybuilding wannabe's. It will have some great photos of the pros but after you've bought one magazine you never need to buy another one unless all you want it for is JO material. Instead of paying $10 for a magazine once a month for a year try spending that money on some really good books on nutrition and bodybuilding technique, and actually read and study them. The pictures aren't so great but the information is a lot better.

[inm]

Originally Posted by BIGJOEY

LOL thata funny about the americvans part. Funny how the top bodybuilders are all american along with the best contest prep guys, All competive bodybuilders her have a excellent understanding of nutrition and other related things. Based on your remark it's obivious that you really have no clue.

Originally Posted by digger

No no no! I must have been unclear. I think that serious bodybuilders--including (especially?) those in the US--*do* have a profound understanding of diet and nutrition. I think the most Americans do not, and that they also have very poor science, math, and critical thinking skills (I live in Seattle, so this isn't a dig from some foreign country). It's only by preying on this ignorance that those ads and infomercials succeed. Please reread my post. I wrote that bodybuilders force themselves to learn everything they can about nutrition and exercise. Maybe force is too strong a word--their sport drives them to it in a way that most Americans simply never feel.

I don't think most bodybuilders can answer questions about physics at a greater or lesser rate than the average American. So, not so much. But they can answer questions about nutrition and exercise far better than the average person.

This line of thought is embedded in all western thought by now- "we are stupid, and I know, I live in X". Heck, the US has a president that thinks so!
Personally, I dont like this self-deprecating , taken 5 steps too far approach. I'm not sure if its a symptom or cause for the decline of the west, but that's a whole other story..

Fitness magazines are worthless. people write there with information 15 years ago. anyone who is a member of a good sports forum (whatever sport that may be), has access to information that these magazines will discover in 10 years.

[Nick Brooks Fit]

I just look at the workouts they show and see if i can get any tips and try new things.