The Bottom Line: This is a great magazine for people who weight train as long as you don't take the amazing muscles too seriously. The information is terrific.
Joe Weider’s magazine Muscle & Fitness was a staple in my house for several years. What I used to do after I became a Personal Trainer several years ago was cut out the articles that I thought would help me train my clients. Needless to say I have files full of articles on every body part as well as general fitness issues. When Muscle & Fitness Hers came out, as a woman, I found I had more in common with that magazine and stopped buying the original on a regular basis. I still do pick it up if it catches my eye and the February 2002 issue did.
One other reason I stopped reading Muscle & Fitness on a regular basis was the repetition of the topics, not unlike many magazines. Basically I just got bored with it. This magazine is geared toward men and you will see mostly men but not exclusively men. It is also for people who weight train. Although my feeling that the people in the magazine are hard core body builders, something most of us can’t relate to, many can still learn a lot from the magazine.
~I have a few intact magazines – as I said, most are pulled apart. In front of me I have June 2000 and February 2001, which I am reviewing. The covers look almost identical. The man and woman on it are both in bathing suits and look similar. They are not the same people! It is interesting, though, that the covers have very muscular men and the women are in fantastic shape, but the covers don’t depict the size of the muscles within the cover. I suppose that is to appeal to a broader public. The February edition has 270 pages, which is about average. You will pay a whopping $5.95 for the magazine on the newsstand. (CVS or any store)
~The cover tell us that we can “Get Your Body Back” with new workouts and 55 pages of training as well as ׅ Best Exercises to Beat Bad Genetics.” We are also told there is a free 2002 desk calendar inside. Truly based on the cover this did lure me in. I use Muscle & Fitness, as I said, for tips for new weight training ideas and this one looked great. Was it? You’ll have to continue reading!
~In general each month the sections are similar. You will see a section on Training and one on Nutrition. In addition in the February issue there is a section on the Olympia Report, which is a 13-page section on the Mr. and Ms. Olympia competition. You will probably only be interested in this section if you compete, but even if you don’t you may follow some of the heavyweights such as Ronnie Coleman and Susie Curry. The pictures of them are amazing and my only hope is that anyone new to weight lifting not thinks they will ever look like these athletes.
Let’s look at the section on Training, which has 7 articles in it.
~There is a 7-page article on “Pump up with Push-Ups” which show how to train your pecs (chest muscle) at home with 9 variations of “this classic move. I think this is a terrific article. Push-ups are a great way to train the chest and this article rates the degree of difficulty, what it’s good for, how to do it right and detailed pictures. There is also a sample home push-up workout. This is exactly the kind of article I will cut out and put in my file under Pecs!
~ One of the cover stories is a 6-page article on beating bad genetics. It deals with targeting genetic weaknesses and shows specific exercises that will target areas that you may have a more difficult time building. The theory of the exercise is discussed, as is the execution with pictures. Although none of the exercises were new to me, the theory behind helping bad genetics (That’s one of my problems.) is presented in a new light and I enjoyed the article. It is written by Brian Rowley who has a Master’s Degree.
The February issue has 3 articles in the Nutrition section.
~ I was impressed with the article “How Safe Is Ephedra” considering that much of their many, many pages of advertisements are for products with this supplement in it. It is written by a Ph.D. and discusses the good, bad and ugly of this supplement. Contrary to what I thought the article would say, it tells it like it is and discusses when ephedra is contraindicated, various dosages and realize that there are risks. We are also warned not to use it if you are under 18 and whether or not you want to believe it, many, many high school children are using ephedra. If you are one of them, please stop and talk with your doctor. In an article such as this you will find that the author has referenced his material and also has a disclaimer that the material is not to be replaced by a doctor's recommendation.
~ The magazine is chock full of interesting articles and departments. You can read a success story, although not quite like those in Shape, is featuring a woman this month. Rather than just having lost weight, however, she has become “hooked on bodybuilding.”
~ There are many one-page articles that I usually find interesting. There is one, again featuring a woman, on ׇ ways to shape up safely.” It is different from most other articles I am used to reading because it really targets the novice. This is presented by Betty Weider (Joe’s wife) and she says that she welcomes letters and hearing comments.
~Although the magazine is for the bodybuilder it does appeal to newcomers, in my opinion, because it is a way to learn how to do various exercises correctly. Unless you have a trainer or book, you will get to the gym or work out at home and perhaps get hurt. Using Muscle & Fitness as a guide to what exercises to do for what body part and how to do them, is really, really helpful.
~The calendar, by the way is nothing special although there have been fantastic pull out sections in other issues.
~The website is www.muscle-fitness.com. There is a 1800 number- 340-8954 that can be called also if you want to subscribe. There is a promotion at the site, which says: “Send me my FREE trial issue of MUSCLE & FITNESS! If I like it I'll pay just $34.97 for 11 more issues (total of 12), that's a 51% savings off the newsstand price. I'll also receive the exclusive MUSCLE & FITNESS 32-page Complete Guide for Beginning Bodybuilders, FREE with my paid subscription. If I choose not to subscribe, I'll return your bill marked "cancel" and owe nothing. The trial issue is mine to keep FREE!"
That will cost you less than $3.00 an issue, which, in my opinion, is a great price for all the information you are getting. The website is excellent and you will get a good idea of what the magazine has to offer. From the site: “Need a workout right away? Find it fast in our new Training section. Or get expert fitness advice with our exclusive new Expert Q&A tool. Visit the Muscle Talk Community Forum. And don't forget to check out our red-hot Nutrition & Supplements section, along with our wildly popular Photo Gallery. Check back often -- we're adding new material all the time.”
My final thoughts:
I really like this magazine. It is obviously not for everyone, just as a craft magazine isn’t for someone who doesn’t know what a glue gun is. But if you are interested in weight lifting, need some motivation and inspiration, are looking for some new and fresh ideas for workouts and are not intimidated or feel pressured into looking like a bodybuilder on steroids, then I highly recommend Muscle & Fitness.
If Muscle & Fitness Hers wasn’t on the market now, I would be subscribing to Muscle & Fitness again especially if I found myself wanting the magazine every month. The subscription rate is an excellent deal.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them.
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