Musclemag International - June 2011 - Review

Musclemag International

Musclemag International's (MMI) June 2011 edition feature Ronnie Coleman on the cover.  The magazine promises to be an extreme muscle gain issue.  You know for a guy who is 'retired' from the sport of bodybuilding, Ronnie Coleman still gets some serious press.  Guess being a former 8 time Mr. Olympia will do that for you. 

Best Quote: "Bodybuilding is a tough sport because you have to do it from the time you get up until the time you go to bed, every day." - Ed Nunn (p.235)

Highlight Article: "Extreme Mass, Extremely Fast" - This article is quite long and covers every aspect of mass building from training split, rep ranges, routines and principles for individual exercises.  I am definitely going to file this one away for my next mass building cycle. (p. 120-150)

Best Regular Feature: "The Big Risk of Beach Muscle Training" - There are a lot of guy that train only for the beach muscle, this article reminds all of us that this is not only stupid from a bodybuilding point of view, it is also a health risk during training. (p73-74)

Notable Articles:
1. "Explosive Lifts for Extreme Growth" - Good article on the potential for power lifting to help the bodybuilder to achieve quicker results. (p108-118)
2. "Big Time" - Eight nutrition tips that help a bodybuilder add quality mass (p.154-162)
3. "Fix It or Forget It" - Well done article on common training errors, identifying them and fixing them (p. 240-250)

Duds: You know I looked hard but each article actually had some value to me.  Good work.

Graphic Content Review: Of the all, MMI has the best overall graphics.  They work hard not to be repetitive, their pictures are solid and colorful.  In this issue they had some great shots of the Arnold Classic and Branch Warren's victory there.  In addition, the cartoons are good and unique every week.  Really high end professional all the way around.

Eye Candy: This month MMI features Jenna Webb.  One thing Robert Kennedy has going for him is that he also produces a men's magazine called American Curves and he gets to showcase some really unique talent here in MMI because of it.  Jenna Webb probably made the camera melt on this one and Gregory James should be very proud on this shoot.  Jenna is an extremely sensual woman. (p. 198-210)

Rating: 4 stars.  Very solid as usual from MMI.  Very Solid Mass building issue.    

Flex: February 2011 - Review

The February 2011 Issue of Flex Magazine features the 'X-Man' Toney Freeman on the cover and has the main theme of developing the X-frame. (As an aside, how a guy nicknamed 'The X-Man' because of his near perfect X-frame and proportions has never won a Mr. O is beyond me. Probably just confirms the fact that bodybuilding has a gotten a little size crazy instead of looking at overall aesthetics.) Muscle and Fitness' bigger brother also focuses on mass building. It is after all the season for mass building, unless you are headed to the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH in early March.

Best Quote: "My Entire Body Can Always Improve" Kai Greene p. 180.

Highlight Article: 'Operation X' (p.114-132): If you are a bodybuilder and the X-frame is a problem for you, this program promises to help you out. The focus is on Delts, Legs and Abs and it is because of that, I believe that this will definitely work.

Best Regular Feature: Joe's Page (p. 26) Joe Weider has a regular column in Flex and this month it is a great one. He looks back to the July 1950 issue of Your Physique where he predicted ten things that would happen in the world of physical fitness and the importance bodybuilding would play in the future. He was very good in his predictions.

Notable Articles:
1. 'Perception of Character': I have made it no secret that I am not a big Kai Greene fan. However, I may change my tune after this article. Kai's seventh place finish at the Mr. Olympia has definitely brought a new level of humility to a man who was already pretty humble. It has also brought some new found respect from me as well.
2. 'Hell on Wheels': Ben Pukulski is one of the fastest rising stars in bodybuilding and given the intensity of his leg routine -- I can see why.
3. 'Muscle Meals': Good nutrition article to add some variety to your meals. Much Better than last time with the fast food info that was very thin.

Dud Articles:
1. None, Really. I even have to say the sound bite issue from last month is toned down a bit as well. Most of the time there is something valuable in every article.

Graphics Review:
Flex still dominates this month with the variety of photos and pictures of competitors. They definitely do good work on quality as well. The photo's of Kai Green were actually very well done and show a guy who is starting to get focused on details and symmetry and not just size. The 'green and black' outfit photo shoot I have mentioned before is of Deena Walsh and it has some incredible back and shoulder shots of the aerospace engineer/figure pro. The sexy girl spot however is taken up by Romanian bikini pro Anca Marcus.

Rating: 4 and quarter stars. This issue is solid and the graphic well done as always. The sound bite problem shows a little improvement over last month. I always like a magazine who can focus on the x-frame and mass at the same time. Well done.