Articles

Part of the reason the 1980’s and 1990’s are so romanticized by bodybuilding fans is the dark mystery that surrounded the sport. Back then, we didn’t have the 24 hour media cycle to follow every waking minute of every IFBB bodybuilder. As fans, we didn’t even learn results from the Mr. Olympia or Arnold Classic for 6 weeks until Flex Magazine hit our mail boxes. The internet, Facebook, and YouTube brought the sport to the masses, but it also took away a lot of the enigmatic anonymity that hovered over bodybuilding.

by Mike Arnold

Our knowledge of bodybuilding nutrition has come a long way since the days when Vince Gironda first advocated a red meat and egg only diet. Dietary concepts we now consider basic, such as macro ratios, nutrient timing, and meal frequency were rarely considered just a couple generations back. In those days, there was a heavy reliance on protein and calories, while pre-contest “prep” consisted primarily of carb cuts and reducing overall food intake. The whole process was much more simplistic, without any of the complex dietary manipulations we see today.

by Mike Arnold

“Bodybuilding isn’t about health” is a statement uttered frequently by today’s BB’ing enthusiasts. Yet, as a byproduct of the physical culture movement, its practice was rooted in a philosophy which placed health above all else. Throughout the first few decades of the sport, this core value remained central, with physical development being considered just one aspect of the greater whole, but as the years passed by a gradual transition took place, in which the original principles that defined the movement gave way to the appearance centered incarnation that dominates today.
This shift in priorities was met with no small amount of resistance, as bodybuilding purists continued to push their ideals on the masses, but as the 1960’s drew to a close it became apparent that the tide was changing.

by Cade Thomas

The grass is always greener on the other side, they say. This cliche is nowhere more applicable than the bodybuilding debate of metabolism. Who has it harder? The resident skinny kid who claims he has to eat unimaginable amounts of food to force the scale to budge or the chubster who didn’t know he even had abs but sees gains in strength and muscle mass rather quickly?

by Monica Mollica

Testosterone is popularly known as the “sex hormone”, with “sex” referring to both its masculinizing effects that gives rise to sex differences between men and women, as well as sex (the activity). In terms of the latter, testosterone is well known for its libido boosting effect, in both men [1-4] and women [5-9] regardless of age. Testosterone increases sex drive even in older women, and has thus been designated as the “infallible aphrodisiac” as early as 1940.[10] But does it work the other way around also… Does sexual activity increase testosterone levels? Let’s see what research shows…

by Geoff Roberts

As any true bodybuilding fan should know, Lee Priest may be the most outspoken athlete on the topic of drugs that our sport has ever seen. Lee would regularly get himself into hot water with his open drug discussions, while simultaneously forming and destroying his extensive fan base. Lee would claim these low, sometimes nonexistent (off season), drug doses that would automatically compel most fans and insiders to either think he was a liar, talking to the fans like they are stupid, or that he is a true genetic anomaly. More times than not, the former is the prevailing opinion. Many individuals believe that these low drug amounts, which are roughly one fourth or less of what is generally accepted as a “pro cycle”, are simply impossible. Although, for several very specific reasons, I have a few major issues with this knee jerk position of impossibility.

by Geoff Roberts

Despite what many skinny-fat guys may claim, the overwhelming majority of men wish to be large, muscular, and lean. The same can be said for what most females prefer in a man as well. A girl with a scrawny boyfriend or husband might claim that she prefers scrawny guys from a sexual standpoint, however Mother Nature tells us she is lying. That said, very few men will desire this muscular physique intensely enough for them to actually live a lifestyle that results in such a physique. These few men, for all intents and purposes, are called bodybuilders.

by Mike Arnold

2014 and 2015 were brutal years for the muscle building sector of the supplement industry. As most of you know, the government cracked down pretty hard on the prohormone/designer wagon, banning what was at the time, the most potent class of muscle building products on the market. Seeing the writing on the wall, IronMag Labs (IML) decided to be proactive in its approach and tackle the challenge head-on. Rather than allowing compound selection to be determined by a pre-set profit margin (standard for most companies), IML decided to work from the opposite angle.

by Geoff Roberts

I have been following and working in the bodybuilding/fitness/supplement industry for well over a decade. In fact, I paid my bills by running different supplement stores for the vast majority of that decade. Over this time, I have garnered much knowledge on the topic of dietary supplements, and of course, I have tried nearly every supplement you could possibly think of. Through the use trial and error, as well as dealing with many health problems in my life, I have systematically filtered out the supplements that were/are absolutely useless, while at the same time creating a list of supplements that have benefited me greatly and stood the test of time. Based on my specific health goals, along with the universal goals of muscle growth and fat loss, these are my main supplement go-tos, which have come out on top through all my years of research and experimentation.

by Chris Marzarella, CFT

Aaah the new year’s resolution. For years, many folks have tried to make promises for the new year that encompassed quitting smoking/stop drinking, making more money/be a better worker, start eating healthier­lose weight­exercise. There’s nothing wrong with these. I made a pact with myself to watch less TV and devote myself to more gaming. So far, I’ve been racking up levels on FallOut 4 like a madman, while Master Chef, Food Network, House and The Housewives of NJ (it’s a guilty pleasure, don’t judge me) have started to panic because I’m no longer there.