by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN You’ve probably heard of fennel before, but do you know all of the health benefits you can experience when you add them to your diet? It’s actually pretty surprising. What many people never… 

by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN I’m not gonna lie… using salmon sperm to improve your skin health sounds kinda fishy. But I guess when it comes to anti-aging, people will do just about anything to look younger. We’ve… 

by Christian Duque

In just the last couple of months I took notice of four IFBB Pro League contests with lineups that all but made me cringe. I’m talking about the Cali Pro, the (Reno) Legion Sports, the Toronto Super Show and the Empro Classic. These shows lacked any real competitive value in their lineups and were won by guys who have never seen the Olympia Top 6. Not only that, but most of the winners have never been in the Olympia Top 10. As a member of the media, I want to sound off because the sheer number of these contests will serve to dilute the Olympia title. We’ll delve into that topic on a variety of fronts, including the doing away with the points systems and to a lesser extent the restraint of the federation to make more conscientious use of the special invite.

by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN Diet trends are nothing new, and quite frankly, I’m getting sick of them. The latest on everyone’s radar that is buzzing is the Sugar Diet. Now, I’m going to be real with you…… 

by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN When you think about strength training, you probably picture barbells, dumbbells, or even resistance bands. But what if I told you a simple bucket of rice could level up your grip, hand, and… 

by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN While many people love putting mustard on their hamburgers and hotdogs, mustard oil is something that many people haven’t considered supplementing with — and that’s a shame. Mustard oil comes from the seeds of… 

by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN When you think about progressive overload, your mind probably goes straight to the gym. More weight. More reps. Pushing past your limits to build muscle and strength. You’re not wrong. But what if… 

by Christian Duque

Folks, I don’t like writing puff pieces. I never have; however, a large part of what I do for IronMag is to write about what’s hot in the sport of bodybuilding. What’s hot could mean what the fans are talking about, maybe something I feel especially passionate about, and/or what’s trending. Physique-based sports aren’t big enough to actually trend on social media rankings like major league ones. While the algorithm might treat a certain story more favorably than others, it’s rare that something inherently from this sport makes it to the mainstream trending charts. Some rare instances include the passing of Rich Piana, the iffy accusation against Mr O Shawn “Flexatron” Rhoden, or the recent gang beatdown of a special needs man at Elev8tion Fitness in Miami at the hands of Wes Watson and his gang of goons.

by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN I have a sad reality to share with you. Spending time in the gym doesn’t mean you’re making progress. Too many people walk in, go through the motions, and leave without any real… 

by Christian Duque

Do superstar bodybuilders have a moral obligation to keep their fans in check with regards to how they act with other competitors? This is a very interesting concept and one that I find to be foreign not only to bodybuilding but really to any other sport. Because just a few days ago former Mr Olympia Derek Lunsford took to the airwaves to more or less point out Nick Walker’s fans. And the way that he did it was very classy and it was also very professional, but it raised some questions in me as a writer that I would like to put into this article. Now I wrote an earlier version of this piece yesterday and decided to scrap it because I went off on a tangent. The tangent that I went on was more sarcasm and dry humor than actually tackling the topic at hand. And the reason why I did that is because I found it a little bit ironic that somebody like Derek who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars at shows, who has a tremendous social media following, and who is living his best life, would then complain about the woes of stardom.