What I Read

Here’s a look at some of the things that I’ve read over the years of training, I’ve actually bought every Flex magazine since the year 2001 and still collect them now. As far as Muscular Development, Men’s Health and Muscle & Fitness  I’ll pick them up every once in awhile. While Flex has more ads then actual content I’ve found that the others usually have more articles about sex, new tech gadgets & sports then I care about. I just want to be HUGE, if wanted to see the cool new digital camera/clock/ipod/picture frame I’d by Maximum.

Arnold Bodybuilding Encyclopedia - I purchased the Arnold bodybuilding encyclopedia the same year I started collecting Flex. I would definitely urge any beginner to pick up that book as it is filled with a lot of general information and its a good way to get familiar with the names and basic techniques of a lot of exercises.

Flex -  It shows basically all pro bodybuilders and exercises they use. The content is more for those who already know a little bit about what they’re doing, but can be useful to beginners also. Worst part is the amount of ads it has.

Muscle & Fitness – It’s the same company as Flex “Joe Weider”, but has a lot more “How To” information than Flex. It shows more athletes and natural lifters as opposed to all pro bodybuilders. Basically a middle ground magazine.

Muscular Development – This seems to be the biggest competitor to Flex and shows mainly pro bodybuilders and hardcore lifting. The magazine is usually HUGE physically and seems to have a lot of cartoons and ads. It’s amusing, but not my favorite.

Men’s Fitness – It takes a very general approach and seems to have everything from sports athletes to bodybuilding to wrestling and a lot of “How To”. Honestly, I’d almost be embarrassed to be caught reading it. Most of the “How To” photos are comparable to those found in an airplane emergency manual. Also a lot of sex, tech gadgets & sports info.