Muscle Magazines

[TaurusJake]

I haven't bought too many muscle magazines lately, but yesterday I looked at a few of them and I can't believe how things have changed. Most of the pages in the mags are filled with supplement ads, to the point where I had to really search to find the actual articles. Are all the mags like this? All of them seem to be Flex wannabees. Even my favorite, MuscleMag, has gone way downhill.

Are there any mags worth checking out anymore?

[musclemike05]

Originally Posted by TaurusJake

I haven't bought too many muscle magazines lately, but yesterday I looked at a few of them and I can't believe how things have changed. Most of the pages in the mags are filled with supplement ads, to the point where I had to really search to find the actual articles. Are all the mags like this? All of them seem to be Flex wannabees. Even my favorite, MuscleMag, has gone way downhill.

Are there any mags worth checking out anymore?

I don't bother with them any more for this very reason. There is so much on the web now that it seems pointless to pay a lot of money for what is essentially an advertising booklet. Bodybuilders Inc on runboard and this site, among others keep me up to date.

[benchdude]

I agree. a couple years ago I checked one out for probably the first time in almost 10 years and I would guess that AT LEAST 65-70% of it was full-page ads. I guess they have to make their money some way, but I don't know why it would be different than back in the 80's or early 90's when they were good.

[LG2005]

I have to agree that the muscle magazines have gone way too far overboard with the advertisements and you know that most of the stuff being advertised is pure crap designed primarily to suck the cash out of the wallets of the naive.

When you do find an article you can probably find the same article in a previous issue, just change the photos and change the name of the persons involved and randomize the workout routines and viola! new article.

If, ... if I get a magazine nowdays, its for the pictures (if you can find them) only. If the cover doesn't grab my attention I don't even look at them.

I'm sorry but I'm NOT going to pay 8 to 10 dollars for two pounds of advertisements and possibly one article. However, a really really hot new picture that I can add to my collection might be worth it.

Yeah, the whole muscle magazine scene has gone too commercial. Much better and more personal information on the web.

[LittleArm]

Musclemag is probably the worst offender for the "Special Six Page Ad Reports". The cover of this month's issue actually lists a feature "The World's Biggest Bodybuilder Rates the Fatburners". It's an Darrem Charles (hardly the world's biggest bodybuilder.) I do like their bodybuilder interviews (they used to be called Star Profiles) and I enjoy their features about the golden era of bodybuilding, with lots of rare black-and-white photos.

Ironman and Flex are good for contest coverage.

Muscle & Fitness is probably the best for practical information on training and diet.

Muscular Development is a joke. It's become very amateurishl it's like reading an internet message board (no offense!) with all the swearing and childish insults they publish.

[charliepanayi]

Muscular Development is especially bad nowadays, especially so as I remember reading it back at the start of the decade and am sure it was pretty decent then.

[Yachirobi]

I just want to know when some of these mags will come out of the closet and admit to being what we all know they are: soft porn for gays and straight women. Our gay youth need something to honest to jack off to that won't warp their fragile little minds!