Muscular Development - June 2011 - Review

Muscular Development Magazine (MD) June 2011 features Arnold Champion Branch Warren on the cover. This issue is all about Branch and all the other MD athletes that did well at the Arnold Classic.  I really was a great contest for them  and it makes them a real threat at Olympia.  In this issue, MD was blowing it own horn a bit but 'it ain't braggin' if you did it'.

Best Quote: "Everything I have, I owe to Bodybuilding.  People ask me where I got my work ethic and my  discipline and it was from bodybuilding" - Branch Warren (p.180)

Highlight Article: "Is Arnold Champ Branch Warren the Next Dorian Yates?" -- This article explores exactly this question and the parallels are tight -- Dorian and Branch both work hard and do not care about what others think.  They both overcome genetic limitations through hard work.  Yeah, I think it is possible. (p. 176-187)

Best Regular Feature: At the risk of being redundant, No Juice Bodybuilding on p. 262 hit it again.  Layne Norton strikes again about not being a hater but instead focusing on self improvement.  Sorry the guy is really resonating with me right now.

Notable Articles:
1. Team MD invades the Arnold: Branch Warren, Dennis Wolf, Victor Martinez and Evan Centopani -1,2,3,4 at the Arnold Classic.  Team MD interviews and a good look at each athlete. (p. 158-169)
2. Biceps Blitzkrieg! -- Dennis Wolf's bicep workout. (p192-201)
3. Victor Martinez Bigger and Better: Great look at The Dominican Dominator current Training and thus why he is re-surging. (p.204-213)

Duds:
1. Ramblin' Freak -- don't read it anymore, the f-word is substituted for the actual English language.
2. Any article about drugs and drug use in bodybuilding.  Trust me, I know that the whole issue is not as bad as people say, but by doing these your are endorsing the breaking of the Law.  I know some are legal, but it is the appearance of evil that bothers me.  Plus, being an natural bodybuilder, I can't use them.

Graphic Content Review:
MD is brilliant at times: their black and white photos are some of the best in the business.  However, they get both repetitive in their graphics and their overuse, in my opinion of black and white backgrounds.  There regular features never change their graphics.  You can definitely see that they are more concerned about other things than their graphics.

Eye Candy:
This month we have a triple threat: Bikini Competitors  Nicole Nagrani, Sonia Gonzales and Nathalia Melo.  MD does it right when it comes to eye candy this month.  Three top competitors wearing the bikinis they make look good in competition is the way to go.  Also, these ladies finished first, second and third respectively, so it was a top championship lineup.

Rating: 3 and half stars: Good at times, but lagging behind at times.  I liked the interviews and as always MD has lots of good info to digest.  Good to see Branch Warren and the rest of Team MD get their due respect as well.

Flex: May 2011 - Review

The May 2011 edition of Flex Magazine features Pro Bodybuilder Kai Greene on the cover. Dubbed the Build Old-School Muscle Issue, this issue promises gains in strength, size and focuses on arms. Kai Greene sat the Arnold Classic out this year, but that does not mean he has been idle as he has his sights set on the New York Pro this year. Flex, as always if focused on the sport of Bodybuilding and does its level best at covering as many aspects of training and competition as possible.

Best Quote: "Nobody Trains for Seventh, Eighth or Tenth." - Kai Greene p 168.

Highlight Article: "The O-Men Workouts" - Covers various workouts of Five former Mr. Olympias and analyzes why they worked. Each Mr. O (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, Lee Haney, Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman) is featured in one of their best body parts and then dissected as to why the workouts worked. (p 125-141)

Best Regular Feature: This month I want to highlight the NPC Report. Usually Flex has this one the back of every issue and it is a good dose of information hitting the highlights of the NPC Amateur Bodybuilding scene. It is nice to see at least one mag cover the sport's amateur side. (p.275-280)

Notable Articles:
1. A New York State of Mind: A great interview with Kai Greene. You know, I am starting to become a Greene fan, at least until he goes up against Phil Heath or Branch Warren. (p. 166-174)
2. Eat Like a Pro: You have to see this one day of diet that Phil Heath is on during the off season. I don't often say this, OMG! (p.196-205)
3. Power Circuits: A Circuit Training Workout for Bodybuilders. No kidding. (p. 180-190)

Duds:
I am not sure about this one. On the cover, there is the expression "7 Keys to the Perfect Workout". Maybe someone could point it out to me, but I couldn't find it inside the mag.

Graphic Content Review:
Solid and Varied as always from Flex. Lots of pictures and some great shots from the Arnold Classic all the way through. Flex really puts the color into things and I like that. Lots of good photos

Eye Candy:
IFBB Figure Pro Kathleen Tesori in some very good shots. This is how a bodybuilding magazine should do a photo shoot of a woman. Get one of your pros and showcase them. Playboy playmates simply look too soft and with some pros there is still some mystery to some of their parts. Not much, but some. (p. 252-258)

Rating: Four Stars. Solid in every way but nothing really says "wow!" but still good. Graphics are good and varied with tons of good shots from the Arnold Classic. Good one.

Muscular Development: April 2011 - Review

Muscular Development (MD) also has Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover. The main focus is all the prep going on for the Arnold Classic and at the time of writing the contest is over. Congrats to Team MD with the top three finishes and some others who placed well. The central thing about this MD is some insider stuff on the movie Pumping Iron, a film that can be credited not only for promoting bodybuilding success but fitness in general.

Best Quote: "I plan on winning the show, so that's it. I train for first place and nothing else will be acceptable" -- Victor Martinez (p.178)

Highlight Article: "The Story Behind Arnold and Pumping Iron" - This is actually an interview with George Butler who made the film. Many things I already knew from watching the special features from the 25th Anniversary special edition of Pumping Iron but there was some new stuff as well. In addition there are some great photos, not just of Arnold, but of Lou Ferrigno as well. (p.162-170)

Best Regular Feature: The nod goes to former Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates' column "Blood and Guts: What you need to know before your first show" It is very nice to see an old pro with lots of experience share this knowledge. It covers a lot of ground and offers sound advice. Thanks Dorian. (p. 290-294)

Notable Articles:
1. Thunder Thighs Throwdown: Branch Warren and Evan Centopani go at it in Legs (p.146-157)
2. Hard as a Rock: This was a very inspiring article about Ronny Rockel. Talk about a guy who had to overcome adversity (p.188-196)
3. Dennis Wolf's 15 Best Lifts: I like articles like these where the pro simply tells you what is best for them and why. (p. 220-235)

Duds:
1. Ramblin' Freak - repeat of last months review
2. Anything involving Anabolics -- I don't use them, so none of these articles are useful to me.

Graphics Content Review:
Someone at MD has either been reading my reviews or a light bulb has gone on because black back grounding has given way to some other colors and the magazine has lost some of its dark feel. More use of color in the rest as well. There is a poster of The Oak to pull out. This months Major Distraction is Nathalia Melo. Melo is a IFBB Bikini Pro and I have only one complaint. I am not expert photographer but isn't putting a girl with nice earth tones to her hair, eyes and skin against a white and metallic setting in black and white outfits kind of harsh. Thank God the girl herself still pulls off the shoot.

Rating: Four and a quarter stars. The changes in graphics are step in the right direction and the vintage photos from Pumping Iron are great. Content is solid with good information for the most part.