I saw a copy of the most recent issue of Muscle Media (May 01). I know most T-mag readers have not had this mag on their radar screen in years. What was interesting is that publisher Michael Sitzman has vowed to return Muscle Media to its once “hardcore glory days.” Who would ever think that the publication would ever admit to putting out a magazine that was “not up to par.” They had the balls to admit to it in this issue. There was mention of Dan Duchaine, Poliquin, and Mooney! Who would believe those names would ever pop up in Muscle Media again given its current direction. Guys what are your thoughts on this one? Keep in mind this is a publication that made a drastic change in their philosophical direction with no warning or good reason.
Well I know many people might feel the same, but I think if they do that, they would sure be hurting their pocket books. I think that the hole body for life thing is great for beginers and great motivation to get people up off the couch and in the gym. BFL is probably the most used program in the gym. I have been to 3 gyms in the last year and ever one has at least 2-3 people carring around their excel spreadsheets.
DonD:Change in philosophical direction? Agree. No good reason? Disagree. It was to expand their reader base to a more profitable demographic; women and profesional middle-aged men. The “Hardcore” is often composed of 1) Teenage and College Age boys either who don’t spend a lot of money or don’t have a lot of money.2)Those always looking for a “good and cheap source”, “how do I make my own?” or 3)So indebted by the search for anabolics and phamaceuticals that other supplements are often frowned upon as “garbage” (not a profitable attitude for the supplement companies). (editorial note:DEMOGRAPHICS DEAL WITH PERCENTAGES AND AVERAGES, SO IF YOU DON’T FIT THESE STATEMENTS, GOOD! KEEP YOUR FLAMES TO YOURSELF!)
I personally think that “Muscle Media” will probably attempt to morph into something like “Muscle and Fitness”; a more “mainstream” mag with some “Hardcore” features. They are not dumb. After capturing such key demographics, I doubt that they will do anything that will cause them to lose that percentage of market share.
I have been a subscriber to Muscle Media since the Muscle Media 2000 days of Duchaine and TC. It was a great hard core edgy bodybuilding magazine. Muscle Media eventually went into the toilet and I was fixing to cancel the subscription because I had had it with the garbage they were putting in it. It wasn’t even a good magazine for beginners. I GOT THE NEW ISSUE and am very impressed with the change. They have an interview in the magazine with Pavel Tsatsouline that is very interesting as well as ripping the Adkins diet in an in depth article. They said in the future issues that they will be doing “60 minutes” style journalistic approach to uncovering improprieties in the health and fitness industry.
What?!! No more Tony Robbins?! I’m cancelling my subscription damn it! 
Have any of you checked out the latest Sports Supplement Review put out by EAS? I must say it’s a big improvement on the 3rd edition. Not what I was expecting from them.
I’m still waiting for my sports supplement review to come in the mail. I heard Phillips didn’t write it–he’s too busy gloating with his hollywood friends. But is there any mentioning of Biotest Products in the new review? I’m surprised in the new direction they are heading. Although I’m gonna miss Ron Harris’ comments about the skinny Tom Archipley and how he needs to be fed.
How many people here bought lifetime subscriptions back in the TC/DD/CP days of the magazine? Yeah, me too, so if I can get more than 2 to 5 minutes of reading material out of it, I will be grateful. I think the label says my subscription runs out in 2099.
It will never be the old MM2k. They may start talking about more things that are advanced but I doubt the pro steroid attitude or even mention of them being used safly will continue to be non exsistant.
Is this new improved issue out on news stands?-I’d like to see it.
I would to know what T.C. thinks of this.
I too would love to hear TC weigh in on this one. I tend to think that turning your back on your core readership (MM2K) 97’, then asking them to renew subscriptions because of some epiphany is quite ballsey!
Who cares? I got T-MAG!
Samir
Wow, I hadn’t heard that Sitzman was vowing a return to “the old days”. I wish them luck, but I don’t think they can pull it off. I don’t mean to sound too cocky here, but this is like the producers of the Andy Griffith show or something coming back 30 years after the show went off and saying that they’re going to start making the show again. That’s fine, but it’ll never be the old show, especially since they don’t have Andy and Barney (me and Bill–Bill’s Barney). Oh, they still have Opie and Aunt Bea, but that wouldn’t be much of a show, would it?
I took a look at the new issue, still doesn’t seem very ‘hardcore’ to me. It is minus the ‘inspirational’ photos in the middle of the mag, but still seems a little fluffy to me. They’re talking about making a separate magazine for women called ‘Energy’…neato. Bill Phillips is sporting a bleached hair-do in the Q&A column. I think if they were smart, with the available financial resources, they’ll start a different mag for the more ‘hardcore’ crowd, and keep muscle media for the Body-for-Lifers. Anywho, we’ll see.
Well, I won’t be buying “Energy” or any other women’s mag.Talk about condescending and patronizing! The writing is at third grade level and the subjects are teenage.I checked out Arnolds BBing for women once, and he had women squatting, holding onto the back of a chair!!! What a CROCK!! So I bought Lee Haney’s BBing book (This was in '95)and only read MM2K. All the guys in the gym kept borrowing my reading material. Have not looked at MM for 3 years now and don’t plan on ever looking at it again,they’ll just be copying T-Mag anyway.
the new mag is so-so but do check out the new ssr–much better than version 3 from BP