Musclemag International: May 2011 - Review

Musclemag International's (MMI) May 2011 edition has as its focus getting leaned out by Summer. There is also an additional cover story about Jay Cutler's (on cover) Arm Workout that changed history and allowed him to be the four time Mr. Olympia. MMI's philosophy of eat clean, train hard and emphasizing health over size resonates with me so I will freely confess I like them the best of all the bodybuilding mags out there.

Best Quote: "I can't die; it would ruin my image" - the late Jack LaLanne (p.297)

Highlight Article: Actually there are two involved with getting lean by summer that stand out "The Ketogenic Diet" and "The Everything Cardio Guide" that fit the bill on this one. Really when getting ripped it is less about training and more about nutrition and cardio. (p. 126-146) Both articles deal with this idea.

Best Regular Feature: Joel Stubbs' column is a hit with me this week as it talks about the Big Man and nutrition. Joel being a big man himself makes this a column from someone who is there and that means authentic. He still remains my favorite of the regular pro columns. (p.262-263)

Notable Articles:
1. "Sugar Shock" - Great nutrition article on the actual effect of fruit juice in nutrition. It isn't always good. (p158-166)
2. "Workouts That Rewrote History" - great chronicling about how Jay Cutler took the throne from Ronnie Coleman and got it back from Dexter Jackson (p.238-251)
3. "Rock Your Back" - great article about Ronny Rockel's back workout. (p.104-111)

Dud: "Take the Easy Whey": I only label this one a dud because of timing as Muscle and Fitness released their supplement guide this month and to follow it two weeks later with the same stuff is a little off.

Graphics Content Review: Solid as always, although nothing really caught my eye this week as super great. The magazine is just clean and crisp with good photos and illustrations; so the challenge for them is to do something off the charts. Eye candy this month is Jacqueline Suzanne and I am fairly certain that there would be little construction going on at any site she showed up at as the men would be busy doing other things.

Rating: Four and a Quarter stars, solid work as always. I guess what I am waiting for is a wow factor that will give them something even more. I love the two sections and content being solid and timely. Graphics great as always. Every article was good as far as content although the Whey article showed poor timing.

Musclemag International: April 2011 - Review

Musclemag International's (MMI) April 2011 edition has as its focus getting ripped. That is cutting back the fat so you can see those abs you've been working on all winter long. You have been working on them right? It is the right time to start thinking about it, so MMI is trying to get a jump on that thinking.

Best Quote: "God gave men a penis and a brain but only enough blood to run one of them at a time" - Michael Alvear p.282. Sad, but so true.

Highlight Article: "Assault on Abs" - in keeping with the theme of this month, the highlight article is great in that it tackles all aspects of abdominal training save one - nutrition. That said, everything else is outstanding whether you lift at home or the gym this is a good one. (p. 100-116)

Best Regular Feature: I actually want to highlight whole group of them that gives MMI it one truly great unique feature -- The back of the entire magazine is called Musclemag Hardcore. This effectively gives you two magazines for the price of one. MMI's Hardcore has tips and advice from real pros including one of my favorites Joel Stubbs. Why is he a favorite of mine? Because he is six feet, three inches tall. Just one inch shorter than me, so his advice often is more helpful to the taller bodybuilder such as myself. Also here are Mark Dugdale, Johnnie Jackson, Craig Richardson and Hidetada Yamagishi with regular features.

Notable Articles:
1. "Get Cut, Caveman Style" - Not only is this great article on the paleo nutrition plan, which highlights the current debate in nutritional understandings, it also gives me a chance to praise illustrator Mark Collins. Mark gives MMI some its unique graphics content, not only in an article like this one, but also in Muscle Bites where he offers up a unique illustration for each report given. (p.122-130)
2. "Watch Out Megflab is Officially Contagious" - Johnny Fitness is SO RIGHT on this one! (p.48-49)
3. "America's Strongest Family" -- Very inspirational article of IFBB Pro Andy Haman and his family. It is nice to see a father and mother pass on their love for fitness to all of their children. (p. 178-188)

Duds: Maybe I am being nit picky here but the sport med regular feature about spinal compression (p.80-82) seemed a little incomplete. It showed what options there are for treatment, but offered little in the way of preventative advice. Not a true dud, but missing something.

Graphics Content Review: Professional as always. Unique graphics for each article, unique illustrations and artwork. Photos crisp and clear; not grainy at all and that was true for both color and black and white. Eye candy this month is model Heather Shanholtz and she proves why married men should stay away from baseball if they wish to remain faithful.

Rating: Four and a half stars. This one was great. It has something for everyone and every fitness level. The articles are informative and well written without resorting to technical language. The graphics were outstanding. The focus of MMI is always about improving yourself at whatever level you may find yourself and this one demonstrates that very well. This issue is a demonstration of why I say it is the king of them all.