Known for his creativity and style, Kleveland will be a favorite in Big Air, Slopestyle, and Knuckle Huck this weekend at the Aspen X Games, which runs from Jan. 26-28 and will televised on ESPN.

Muscle and Fitness caught up with the Norwegian star to discuss why he’s not sweating the gym currently, how he overcame a potentially career-ending injury, and how he’s been able to utilize his gaming to land tricks.

From The Sticks to the Snow

One of Kleveland’s favorite games is I-Illusion’s Shredders. The studio says the game is their love letter to snowboarding and was created with a “for riders, by riders” ethos. Given the absurdity action sports games can have, Shredders is realistic in its approach to the focus being on landing tricks.

“I remember playing SSX and doing these crazy tricks that I thought were undoable,” Kleveland says. “But now we’re basically doing the tricks that we thought were undoable, which is kind of crazy because video games should be crazy. And it just tells that the level of snowboarding is crazy right now.”

All it takes is viewing a crazy trick from multiple angles on the video game for Kleveland to transfer that over to when he’s actually on his board. He also enjoys playing Call of Duty to help take his mind off of snowboarding and even likes to practice on a Formula 1 simulation rig. With another passion being cars, he says he’d love to one day get behind the wheel of a vehicle to compete.

No Gym, No Problem

Marcus Kleveland recalls 2020 being the last time he was routinely training in the gym. It had nothing to do with testing his deadlift or bench press max. It was all part of programming to help return strength to his right knee after he had shattered his kneecap while practicing for the 2018 Dew Tour. It’s not that Kleveland is averse to the gym. He just feels the only way for him to get better at the sport he loves is to continue doing it and enjoy it as much as possible.

“I never really looked at snowboarding as a typical job or something that I have to do,” he said. “I love the sport. I’ve always had super fun when I go out. You can do it with friends and family. “Once you start thinking of something as a job, it’s easy to lose the joy in it.”

Marcus Kleveland Never Really Processed How Bad His Knee Injury Was

For any athlete, hearing that you might never be able to compete again from a doctor has to be even scarier than any potential injury. This was Kleveland’s reality in 2018 when his kneecap was “crushed into a lot of pieces.” Maybe it was youthful defiance or that snowboarding had been his love since he started at the age of 3.  But when Kleveland heard those words, he went about getting his body prepared in order to be ready to compete again.

“I think I never really processed how bad it was,” he said. “For me, I didn’t want to let that sink in. It was like, I’m for sure getting back and I’m gonna be 100%. I didn’t care whatever the doctors were telling me.”

Marcus Kleveland says he never doubted himself or got to a place of depression during his rehab. His family and friends helped keep his spirits high. He also played a lot of video games and kept his mind busy. He missed the next two years before making his return at the X Games in 2020.  That year he took home silver in Big Air competition. Given the injury occurred before he could even step foot into a bar, when he speaks on returning from an injury, he sounds wise beyond his years.

“I feel like once you get injured, you just gotta think positive,” he says. “Whatever’s happened has happened already and there’s nothing you can do about it. You just have to be positive and look forward.”

Nerves Come with The Territory

The X Games is one of the biggest events of the year. Competitors want to put on a good performance and show their best. Even with being a 13-time X Games medalist, Kleveland says he still gets nervous. The nerves are more so a result of being hyped due to the crowd and trying to top himself. His confidence never wavers as he’s truly already prepared from the work he puts in before approaching the starting gate.

“I just try to ride a lot of snowboard before the contest, just to be able to really do the basic things and really visualize the runs that I’m about to do,” Kleveland says. “That helps you to believe in yourself because you’ve done these tricks thousands of times before. It’s just a matter of putting them down when it counts.”

Music from Travis Scott and Don Toliver usually also helps Kleveland mellow out and focus on the task at hand.

Follow Marcus Kleveland on Instagram @marcuskleveland.  Also tune into live coverage of the X Games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.

When you walk past the reception area and into the main corridor at RT FIT in Retford, Nottinghamshire, England, you are greeted with an inspirational wall featuring Ryan Terry’s Olympia medals. Last year, on his ninth attempt, the Englishman was finally able to claim the Olympia crown in Orlando but it’s amazing to think that with a growing young family and the biggest bodybuilding show of his life to prepare for, Terry was also toiling away with another lifelong dream; that of designing and building his own gym. With the doors now open, new members and the media alike are giving RT FIT the once over. Thankfully, all agree that this is one amazing place to workout in.

“Everything I’ve ever tried to work towards, I’ve always set myself a goal,” Terry tells M&F. “Yeah, it took a lot longer to get this place open just because, obviously, my career has been very hectic and I’m very grateful for what I’ve done over the past ten years but this is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I felt like it was a time in my career now where I thought that I could really give the time to it and build what I feel is one hell of a facility.”

What Does RT FIT Have to Offer?

Ryan Terry’s vision for RT FIT was to create a space that improves the lifestyle of it’s members and to that end features an array of convenient services. Want to get a haircut? No problem, this gym has it’s own salon. Want to grab a healthy meal on the go? No worries, the “RT EATS” area has you covered and not only can you grab a clean bite but they also roast their own coffee beans in-house. There’s a recovery room offering pulsed electromagnetic therapy for pain relief as well as cryotherapy and deep tissue massage to boot. But besides all of those welcome extras, what really matters to most is the gym floor itself, and having teamed-up with PRIMAL, visitors won’t be disappointed.

This exciting new facility meets the requirements of all fitness levels and is separated by zones that cater to each body part, so members can spend more time doing reps and less time hunting for equipment. There is exclusive gear here too, such as a standing chest press and a linear shoulder press from PRIMAL’s performance range, not to mention a range of dumbbells that go all the way to 176 Pounds / 80 Kilograms, a viking press  and an innovative vertical leg press.

What is the process of making leading gym equipment?

For Steven Rinaldi, the CEO and founder of PRIMAL, taking ideas from world-class experts and like Ryan Terry and other partners such as the Stoltman brothers is helping the brand to really standout. “We need those ideas,” Rinaldi explains to M&F. “We need everyone, from the first-time users of a machine to say ‘this is too fiddly’ to the Stoltman’s putting seven or eight plates each side of a standard chest press, and testing it, and really having a play. I’ve spent half an hour with Ryan today, we’ve been around two or three machines, taken the feedback on board, and that’s gone straight to our design guys. There’ll be a version two and a version three, and it continues to progress.”

When a partner such as Ryan Terry comes up with an idea for a new piece of equipment for PRIMAL to turn into a reality, how long does it take? “It’s probably closer to a year,” explains Rinaldi. “Sometimes the idea will start on paper and sometimes it will start from a machine that another brand has had, maybe a machine from the eighties or nineties that went away, and we’ll see how we can make the mechanics better or how can we tweak it. The (basic) design will go to a CAD designer, then there’s a prototype in the factory, then we might send a prototype over to a gym like Ryan’s, or The Stoltman’s Strength Centre. Once we know all the positive and negative feedback, we make final tweaks and then it goes into production. When it comes to feedback, the response to RT FIT has been overwhelmingly positive. There are strength classes, and female only sessions. There’s also spin class and yoga for getting your sweat on, and even a multi-angled mirror room for posing practice.

Of course, if anyone understands the equipment and machines needed for building muscle, it’s the 2023 Olympia Men’s Physique winner, Ryan Terry. He says that finally reaching first place is in large part thanks to the progress he has made with his back. No doubt, he’ll be spending a lot of time at RT FIT as he aims to defend the title in 2024. Graciously, Terry took this writer through one of his epic back sessions. 

Click Here to try it for yourself.

But. while the news will send shockwaves through many live sports and entertainment industries, those who have followed pro wrestling’s fortunes know that WWE has a track record for carving out a path for others to follow.

“This deal is transformative,” says Mark Shapiro, the president and COO of WWE’s parent company TKO, in a press release marking the news that WWE Raw and other bone-bending content will be headed to Netflix. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”

TKO’s announcement that Netflix will gain the exclusive rights to air WWE Raw live, on a weekly basis, in addition to premium events such as The Royal Rumble and Survivor Series outside of the US (NBC’s Peacock service currently enjoys these rights domestically) wasn’t the only bombshell news released this week.

The company that owns WWE, and also UFC by the way, rang the opening bell at The New York Stock Exchange yesterday, alongside its newest member of the TKO Board of Directors; Dwayne Johnson. Apparently, as part of the arrangement, Johnson will now own the rights to his iconic “The Rock” trademark and is also expected to return to the ring to face WWE’s Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.

An incredibly exciting day for our business. @TKOGrp continues to grow bigger and better every day. Welcome to the team, @TheRock. https://t.co/t1UNLBWuIV

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 23, 2024

Undoubtedly, the shifting of WWE’s programming, to become primarily a streaming product, is about staying ahead or at least with the curve when it comes to maintaining and finding new audiences. While WWE SmackDown is set to move from Fox to the USA Network, this is likely done by NBC as a way to add more WWE to Peacock’s streaming service, especially with them losing RAW to Netflix.

What Is WWE’s Track Record for Exploring New Ways to Find an Audience?

Ever since Vince McMahon took his father’s local pro wrestling show and began to dominate the business on a national and then global scale back in the 80s, WWE has built up an incredible track record for finding innovative new ways to reach a bigger audience. When McMahon bet everything he had on the success of his first WrestleMania pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in 1985, there were many industry insiders that scoffed at the idea of him being able to make the concept work. This year, however, will mark the fortieth anniversary of the “show of shows”. WrestleMania is now a two-night event that is competed over by bids from host cities, much like the Olympics or the Super Bowl. And, speaking of the NFL, they didn’t launch their first dedicated streaming service “NFL+” until July 2022, whereas the WWE Network was available globally online way back in 2014.

Why is Live Sport Such as WWE so Important to Broadcasting Platforms?

Whether or not you consider WWE to be a sport will depend on your view of the athleticism and exhibition of skill that these talented combatants display time after time, but one thing that is becoming clear is the fact that live content is the most sought-after acquisition for broadcasters on any platform. This is because live action is considered to be “appointment viewing.” If you don’t watch a game or special event as it happens, you are likely to encounter spoilers. Of course, fear of spoilers drives the real-time viewership up, and makes this style of programming more attractive to advertisers.

While WWE’s own Network was a financial success, the majority of its content was leased by NBC’s Peacock service. It’s a way for the broadcaster to offer unmissable shows to its subscribers. When that deal was struck, many people couldn’t understand why WWE would change its business model from owning its own service to instead licensing out its bodyslams and piledrivers to other streamers. But the stats soon explained it all. Peacock, with its more mainstream audience, was able to build a larger total viewership for WWE, thanks to new people discovering its shows without needing to subscribe to WWE’s dedicated niche network.

And, on top of getting around $1 billion over five years to share its programming with Peacock, WWE now consistently sets record ratings for the various premium live events shown on its platform. In fact, more people watch WrestleMania and its superstars like Cody Rhodes and Becky Lynch than ever before. So it makes sense for WWE to seek the same model with its flagship linear television show, Raw. Netflix, with more than 260 million worldwide subscribers, will put WWE in prime position to see continued growth. Plus they are reportedly paying them $5 billion for that privilege over 10 years.

Netflix and chi… Wrestle? https://t.co/qiucSpHsKu

— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) January 23, 2024

WWE’s Deal with Netflix Explained

“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” says Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

Netflix plans to show Raw live on it’s platform beginning January, 2025, and will also be able to show events such as WrestleMania and other premium live events to those in other countries where the Peacock arrangement is not in place, such as the UK and Europe. With WWE giving the eventual “Stone Cold” Stunner to linear TV, the company’s track record of finding new ways to grow its audience will no doubt serve as wake-up call for other sports leagues and live content providers that are still stuck in the diminishing era of traditional television.

For more information on WWE click here

At least two more athletes were also signed to Division II colleges last year, but it is clear that all these guys have one thing in common. At the NFL Academy’s swanky official signing day in London, they told Muscle & Fitness that strength had conditioning had been a game changer in turning them into the prospects that they are today.

London’s Henry Lyes, who has just signed with NCAA Division II college Glenville State in West Virginia, came to the NFL Academy with no previous experience of playing football but his love of the sport and background in rugby made for a great foundation. The academy’s focus on gym work, however, was a learning curve in its own right. “The biggest difference for me, in terms of the academy and what I did before was the strength and conditioning, and an emphasis on being an athlete,” Lyes tells M&F. With NFL Academy players being expected to get their academics studies in order, Lyes says that it’s all about balance when vying for a college football scholarship. “My goal is to make it to the NFL and I can’t wait to get working out there,” he beams.

Lyes is not the only NFL Academy player who has just earned a U.S. scholarship and attributes much of his success to strength and conditioning. Italy’s “EJ” Ofosu is also headed to Glen State. He explains that the level of play in the United States, where football is firmly embedded in the culture, is intense and appreciates how the academy readied him in terms of impressing the scouts. While he will be expected to shine at GSU, Ofosu explains that this is nothing new for him. “Loughborough University have provided us with great facilities and great gyms, so it’s really about just putting in the work (in the U.S.), and we know we can do it. “

Strength and Conditioning Prepares Athletes for the Challenges of Gameplay

London’s Daniel Akinkunmi has played across the full offensive line and considered more than 30 Division I offers before committing to OU and the Oklahoma Sooners. He feels more than prepared to play at the highest level. “Our (NFL Academy) strength and conditioning staff are amazing,” he says. “We strip it down to the basics.” Akinkunmi explains that there’s just as much training off the field as there is on it, and his time at Loughborough University involved isolated sessions for speed and strength. When you consider that this 300-pounder can run a 40-yard dash in a seriously impressive 4.9 seconds, you’ll appreciate that his strength and conditioning investment was essential.

So, what aspects of strength and conditioning must any aspiring football player include in their regime? “The main task that gets all the attention is the 40-yeard (dash) because at the end of the day, it’s a speedy game, so you want to make sure that you’ve got speed,” says “EJ” Ofosu. But he also understands that this is a task that almost all footballers work on, so to gain the extra edge, you need to become strong as well as fast. Playing on the defensive line, Luke Yau Gayle understands this too, and spent countless hours in the gym to become a rounded Division I athlete. “You want to lift heavy weights, but it’s also about the technical stuff,” explains one of the University of Buffalo’s newest recruits. He points to the power clean as a fundamental tool in his armour. “You want to do workouts that can relate to being on field skills,” he adds.

Power Cleans Can Translate Success From the Gym to the Football Field

Power cleans, a variation of the clean and jerk, is a great lift for football players because it works on both speed and strength. The power clean will improve a range of important skills such as hand-eye coordination and explosive power.

Try it for yourself:

• Start with the barbell on the floor, over your feet.
• Bend your knees and lower yourself down and grip the barbell a little wider than shoulder-width.
• Pull the bar smoothly by pushing down on your heels until the barbell is at mid-thigh level.
• Now comes the speed aspect as you perform a shrug and raise the bar to a front squat position. Keep you elbows up and back straight.

“Playing d-line is a physical position,” adds Luke Yau Gayle. “You have to get your hands on someone at all times, run them over, and things like that, so you’ve gotta lift. You’ve got to lift heavy. You’ve got players that are 300 pounds.” Mastering the power clean along with squats and deadlifts as a great way to work on your athletic performance is also backed up by a range of studies and reports, including the International Journal of Strength & Conditioning.

Learning to master speed and explosive power in the gym will give any player an edge on the football field, helping them to understand how fast they can get in and out, or bulldoze their way through any situation. Not only that, but strength and conditioning work will also improve a football player’s stance. While NFL Academy players also watch countless hours of film in order to understand both the physicality, and the theory behind football, replicating the challenges of gameplay in the gym is another great way to become better from all angles. M&F wishes all these athletes well as they embark on their exciting college careers.

Click Here For more information on enrolling in the NFL Academy visit!

“This place is ideal for that,” explains Terry of his incredible new facility. “Last year, (the back area) was a muscle part that I really needed to grow. That was the defining moment for me… the missing piece for winning the Olympia. So, I designed some pieces with PRIMAL and I’ve put other pieces in which I really like, that (were) already pat of the PRIMAL equipment anyway, and it has really, really helped to bring my back up.” Eager to learn from the iconic bodybuilder, I jumped right in.

Ryan Terry’s Back Workout Explained

I found that the Olympia champ often likes to start his workouts with supersets for a thorough warmup, getting the blood flowing to his muscle tissue and preparing his body for the tasks ahead. Beginning with back extensions and targeting mostly the lower back, this exercise works the erector spinae —  the muscles that run along the spine. When executing these, Terry explained the importance of squeezing the muscles in your back as you raise up, in order to avoid a more glute focused extension. In this workout, Terry chose to superset the back extensions with deadlifts because deadlifts will work the erector spinae, but also the rhomboids and lats, making them a great exercise for the upper back too.

Now warmed up and with beads of sweat making their way down my face, we move onto the main workout. RT FIT has a brand spanking new plate loaded, seated, low row machine that is driven by a cam belt, but you can swap this for whatever low row equipment is available at your gym. Here though, we are exercising on a world’s first, that Terry has designed alongside PRIMAL. “This is probably my favorite machine,” he says. “It just gets a really good connection. It humbles you a lot because it’s quite a heavy machine anyway, so you don’t have to be stacking the weight and looking like the strongest man in the gym, it’s a brilliant machine.”

Grasping the handles, I pulled them towards me and squeezed by shoulder blades together at the end of the movement — to engage my upper back muscles. The low row will work much of your back brilliantly, adding the posterior deltoids (located on the shoulders) and lower and middle trapezius to the mix. Terry explains that he likes to work with four sets of ten to twelve reps during the main workout, but he also likes to go by feel, so he might add reps or sets depending on the day.

“I’ve always kept my enjoyment of training because I keep it sporadic,” he explains. As the bodybuilder executed his reps on the low row, it also becomes clear that this is a great way to get a pump from the biceps as he pulls the weight towards him.

Next up is the lat pulldown. At RT FIT, there’s another piece of innovative equipment that is proving popular, and this is the forward facing seated lat pulldown machine with rotating handles for a more comfortable range of motion. When doing a lat pulldown, Terry says that those with longer arms can use a wider grip. You can also experiment with neutral, pronated, or underhand grips with your reps. “I typically like to go shoulder width apart .. because you’re going to target the lat,” he explains, noting that this is also a great way to work on the width of the upper back. The champ demonstrates the move for me, noting that it is important to keep our backs completely straight, rather than arching the shoulders forward. It’s my turn next, and as I do my very best to impress one of the very best bodybuilders of all time, I give it my all. “Awesome,” says my dream gym partner. Someone pinch me!

Finally, we head for the bent over row. “This is typically what has brought my back up, compound lifts,” shares Terry as we stand over the barbell. “Machines are great for isolation but if you really want to hit that back and grow that core strength to keep everything tight, you can’t neglect the free weight work as well.” The bent over row works your upper, middle, and lower back, including the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes) and core for stabilization. “It’s a winner all day long,” he concludes. If anyone knows about what it takes to win, its Ryan Terry.

Ryan Terry’s Back Day Superset Warmup

• Superset: Back Extensions & Deadlifts. 4 Rounds x 12 – 15 Reps for each exercise

Ryan Terry’s Back Workout

• Plate Loaded Seated Low Row. 4 x 10-12 Reps
• Forward Facing Lat Pulldown. 4 x 10-12 Reps
• Lat Pulldown. 4 x 10-12 Reps
• Bent Over Row. 4 x 10-12 Reps

“I don’t know any other musicians that work out as hard as I do,” he says, “so yeah, I might be the fittest musician.”

It’s not King’s first attempt at expanding his brand from sports to music. In 2022, King caught the eyes and ears of music fans with “Sweet Tea,” a pop, EDM, and country mashup that celebrated kicking back and enjoying life. The song elevated King’s status as a serious musical artist, cracking the Country Radio top 200, generating 800,000 hits on YouTube, and catching the attention of stars such as Dwayne Johnson.

However, King isn’t giving up launching footballs for dropping beats, both are equally sharing his attention these days. Playing for the defending champion Arlington Renegades, King’s currently preparing for the season opener of the newly created UFL—a merger between XFL and the USFL—which kicks off its season on March 30.

At the same time, he’s also preparing for more live performances in 2024, to help promote his new album which is scheduled for early 2024. It shouldn’t be too hard a switch from field to stage for this physical specimen. However, King admits to overlooking the physical demands one of his first concerts required, an event hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.

“I was moving on stage so much that I started getting winded,” he recalls. “I was like, damn, I need to run a little bit more.” The second time, however: “It was cake,” he says. “I had so much wind I was ready to run sprints in the Vegas casino.”

To stay physically ready for both disciplines requires King to be a little more disciplined yet eclectic with his training. Hitting the weights, sprints and hoops, along with some boxing go with his kicking regimen. He wouldn’t describe his workouts as overly technical, but to stay fit requires a mixture of constant preparation and repetition.

“Nothing has to be that hard,” King says. “You either got the talent or you don’t. And if you don’t, work on it a little harder.”

Marquette King Trains Like No Other Musician

King gives props to other artists who show a flair for fitness, such as rappers Nelly and Snoop Dogg, as well as Wiz Khalifa who is known for enthusiasm for MMA-style training. To be fair, King doesn’t really give much thought as to who’s the fittest in his new field of work. “I’m a professional athlete,” the former Raiders punter says.

According to King, who averaged 48.9 yards as a rookie with the Raiders in 2013, a punter is like being “being an Avenger”—no two punters are alike or share the same skillsets. When kicking, some excel at high flies or low line drives or placing the ball out of bounds. King, however, can hit it both high and long as well as perfecting the art of burying the opposition deep inside their 20 yard line, as he did 40 times out of 70 kicks in 2015.

Where the 2016 second-team All-Pro stands out from other punters is his athleticism. His days as a wide receiver in high school and college at Fort Valley State were on full display during a single play last season with the Renegades. With the rules not allowing for kicks out of bounds, King launched one to the sky, high enough that he was able to race downfield to down it at the opponent’s 10-yard line. Despite its unique display of athleticism, King is left unfazed by the football feat. Plays like that are the result of a training regimen that makes him still one of the best at his position.

“I do the things a lot of punters don’t do,” Marquette King says. “I’ll do skill position work, wide receiver stuff, like explosive workouts, ladder drills, hurdles, and agility work. Stuff that works the fast- twitch muscles.”

A normal day for King has him waking up at 5:30 and heading straight for the for the gym or Arizona’s AZ Kicking and Training, where he’ll perform kick after kick after kick. “Repetition, repetition, repetition,” he says is one of the secrets to punting.

King says his workouts range from heavy lifting several times a week in order to maintain the strength and muscle to not only make it through a grueling football season, but also to maintain a musical appearance when the call for a music video is scheduled “I still have to look good,” he says.

Every now and then, Marquette King will mix in some boxing to go with weight training, but he says one of his favorite method of conditioning is hitting the basketball courts three days a week for some hoops action.

“I feel like basketball is really good at like working with quickness just getting all over it over overall shape,” he says.

Big things my guy
Keep doin’ it strong and congratulations on becoming champions this weekend!
Digging ‘Sweet Tea’! Cool vibe & catchy. @XFL2023 @XFLRenegades https://t.co/pihdu1hQId

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 16, 2023

Marquette King Mixes Music for His Mental Health

The end of his morning workout means that King’s day is just beginning. In addition to preparing for the UFL season, King also splits his time focusing on his music career. Making music may not be an everyday thing, he says, but on most days, King says if he’s not in the recording studio preparing songs, he’s at home listening and studying beats and looking for lyrical inspiration.

It was around the 2015 football season that King discovered both his talent and passion for music. On a whim he came up with “I got the Cup,” a song based around partying at the club, which became a quirky cult favorite among King enthusiasts (he has over a million followers on Instagram), generating he says nearly 20,000 downloads.

“The excitement that I have into it and a lot of people downloaded the song,” Marquette King says. “And I was like if people like this, then the stuff I’m making now…it would be ridiculous.”

Today, King’s crossover career is indeed rolling. In addition to the recent debut of “I Can Kick A Ball” and his upcoming album, in December, his video for another song, “Summer Nights” was dropped as well.

King calls his style a a blend of EDM, pop, and some country. Inspired by artists like Calvin Harris, right now his interests lie in deep house music and R&B, with artists like Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and others on continuous loop at the moment.

“I bounced between all of those genres,” he says.  I feel artists should not be boxed in one thing… it can kind of be hard to be to push music out in the U.S. because people only see me as an athlete. And I feel like as an artist, you should be able to paint your style on different types of beats because you’re artists—unless you want to continuously do the same thing.”

Being creative also has been a welcome antidote for Marquette King’s mental well being, he says.  He admits he fights off battles with ADHD and says one of his keys to keeping his mind right is to put lyrics to music. He hopes others get some inspiration from his work.

“Sometimes I have days where I don’t have people to talk to sometimes,” he admits. “And the best way I can get I feel out is putting it in a song and it’s like it’s so many people in the world. I’m sure it’s somebody in this world is going through the same thing that I’m going through. So maybe they like the song or it’s a way to just get it out and once I talk about it, put it out there then I’ll think about it and deal with it no more.”

Mixing Music and Football is the Perfect Therapy

As an artist, Marquette King’s goal isn’t just to be recognized worldwide, it’s also to reach and entertain an audience through his music, especially impacted with mental health issues.

“I’m focused on being one of the most well-known artists in the world,” he says. “I want to use music to impact people, help them out with mental health and just bring a good time to any to any place anything you don’t want to bring a good time there, because life’s too short.”

He hopes to get the call back to the NFL, but for now is relishing in the free-spiritedness life in the UFL has been offering the Phoenix resident. As a member of the XFL champion Renegades a season ago, the league offered King the opportunity to share a bit of both his athletic and artistic worlds, by performing after a game. He still appreciates the gesture from the upstart league.

“They asked me to perform at our last home game in Dallas, I got to perform in front of like 2,000 people,” Marquette King says. “That was cool. That may have never been done before, but they encourage you to be yourself.”

Although his music career is on a rapidly inclining trajectory, there’s still room on Marquette King’s schedule to remain an superstar performer on the football field as he’s proven season after season.

“Punting has been very therapeutic for me and has always been fun” he says. “I like watching the ball go up in the air really high. When you’re kicking a ball in practice, you may feel like you’re by yourself, but you’re actually doing something that can benefit your defense and put them in a position to win a game or dominate that series. It’s one of the best feelings in the world for me.”

It means better health and more gains for you.

There are a few exercises where mobility and strength meet head-on, with the goblet squat being the No. 1 example. Not only do they improve your mobility and strength, but they improve it for other exercises, too. The adductors, commonly known as the groin muscle, often get neglected when improving hip mobility and performance in and out of the gym.

When they are tight or injured, you’ll know about it. Then, a steady diet of mobility and lateral exercises like side lunges and Cossack squats will be on the training menu. If you want to step up your adductor game before that happens, Justin Farnsworth, DPT, CSCS, and Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialist and coach with over 20 years of experience, has the exercise for you.

Benefits of the Cossack Squat

• “Cossack squats are gold,” explains Farnsworth.
• Gets people in a plane of motion we typically neglect, especially as we age and sit in chairs.
• Absolutely MONEY for hip joint inferior capsule mobility, adductor mobility on the stretched leg, and hip external rotation on the loaded leg.
• Gets people into a more “athletic” position of lateral motion.
• IMO, it’s a movement EVERYONE should be doing and doing at least weekly. With mobility and ROM access, if you never lose it, you never need to get it back.“

Stationary Box Cossack Squat

“The setup of the stationary box Cossack squat accomplishes two main purposes,” says Farnsworth.

“First, it acts as a bridge to getting people into a deeper Cossack if they can’t access it due to weakness, stiffness, balance, pain, or coordination. The box provides a constraint and target while queuing a weight shift backward.

Second, this setup allows us to work on hip external rotation, which is a ROM of the hip that is commonly lost and limits squat depth and access. The initial portion of a squat requires hip ER, and as we get deeper into flexion, it requires IR. This setup allows us to take a bullseye approach to the specific limitation of ER loss.

This variation will target the adductors and quads due to the higher ROM. With a unilateral load, we will get anti-rotation core benefits, although those are secondary.” explains Farnsworth.

Stationary Box Cossack Squat Form Tips

“Grab a box and sit on the corner with your glutes directly above it (allows you to sit DOWN vs. just back). Do this FIRST to ensure you are at a height where you do not get a pinch in your hips.

Then, plant the other leg wide in a groin stretch position with the heel down and toes forward. Have a DB or KB in the arm of the working leg side, and lunge until you feel your glutes touch the box. Sit on the box and offload about 50% of your body weight onto the box.

Let the other arm come out in front as you lunge to counterbalance your body, and as you lunge back, the straighter leg can do one of two things depending on your comfort level and mobility.

1. You can keep the toes forward with the heel down (seen in the video), requiring MORE adductor mobility.
2. You can rotate your hip, turning the toes to the sky, and usually require less adductor mobility.” says Farnsworth.

Set and Reps Suggestions

Farnsworth suggests this works well as a secondary accessory movement done with either strength or hypertrophy with mobility focus in mind. For strength, perform four sets of six to eight reps. For hypertrophy and mobility, focus on three sets of 12-plus reps, trying to inch deeper each set.

Still, getting serious about your ab game requires a multifaceted approach to scorching fat while building muscle, not to mention keeping your heads straight while doing so. Fortunately, Canadian natural bodybuilder, powerlifter, and highly respected coach Jeff Nippard has explained everything you need to know in his latest viral YouTube video.

While it’s true that cutting your body fat level to 20% and below is what will generally reveal your abs, it’s not true to say that muscle building is irrelevant. As Nippard explained, that’s like saying you don’t need to grow your biceps. The more you build on your abs, the more chiseled they will look, and they will look fuller too. To that end, Nippard provided a complete, easy to follow plan:

Jeff Nippard’s Simple 6-Pack Abs Training Tips

In the video, Nippard explains that you should perform these non-negotiable exercises twice per week, on Mondays and Thursdays for example, taking the last set to failure.

Upper four-pack focused exercise

• Loaded Kneeling Cable Crunch (or Plate Loaded Crunches): 3 sets, 10-15 reps

Focus the tension on your abs Progressively overload by adding some weight or a rep to each set every time you train

Lower abs focussed exercise

• Hanging Leg Raise: 3 sets, 10-20 reps

You can use a Roman Chair, pullup bar, or triceps dip bars to execute this exercise. Focus the tension on your abs. If you are unable to complete straight leg hanging leg raises, begin with bent knees and straighten as you progress with this exercise. Nippard prefers to add a rep to each set each week until he gets to 3 sets of 20. After that, he can add further tension by adding ankles weights or slowing down the time under tension.

Cardio

• 30-Minute Low-Moderate Intensity Cardio Sessions: Two to five times a week

“It would also be smart to include some cardio in your plan, even if it isn’t required for weight loss,” says Nippard. “Research shows that combining weight training and cardio leads to smaller waists than just weight training alone.”

The bodybuilder went on to explain that being more active with cardio will also allow you to eat more calories, noting that more active people tend to be more successful at keeping the weight off over the long term according to science. “So, feel free to include two to five thirty minute low-moderate intensity cardio sessions per week,” he concluded.

Of course, no amount of training will reveal those abs until your body is lean enough for them to pop, and that’s where nutrition comes in.

Jeff Nippard’s Simple 6-Pack Abs Nutritional Tips

Calories

“It’s very simple,” says Nippard. “Take your current bodyweight in pounds and multiply it by 10-12. That’s how many calories you’ll need (per day).”

Protein

“Then, take you goal bodyweight, also in pounds, and multiple it by 0.8 -1,” he explains. “That’s how much protein you’ll need (per day, in grams).

Fat

“Make sure you eat at least 50 grams of fat, per day, and whatever’s left over are free calories. They can be carbs, fat, or protein,” says Nippard, noting that he would always steer people towards minimally processed, nutrition wholefoods where possible… most of the time.

Supplements

Protein supplementation isn’t obligatory, but it can make hitting your total daily protein intake a lot easier says Nippard, who also recommends 5g of daily creatine monohydrate for it’s strength and muscle-mass gaining properties in 75% of responders. Lastly, Nippard says that around 200mg of caffeine from coffee, tablets, or pre-workout supplements, is a good idea because it has a small thermogenic effect but also helps to keep you more focussed and dialled-in during training. However, due to our ability to increase our tolerance of caffeine, only use it on days where you feel you need it, or cycle on and off at regular intervals.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Avoid Cutting Too Fast

“This is a near guaranteed way to not only lose muscle and strength but rebound all the weight back as soon as the diet is over,” says Nippard, who goes on to explain that for sustainable fat loss, you should be aiming to lose somewhere between 0.5 to 1% of your bodyweight per week. So, if you currently weight 200 pounds, try to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. The coach also suggests taking a 2-to-3-week diet break every 3 months, because almost all of those who take these breaks see greater weight loss when they return to their caloric deficit.

Don’t just rely on the weight scales

Because your body composition will change and you will likely be putting on muscle as part of your training, relying only on the weight scales could be misleading. Instead, Nippard recommends that you should take progress photos once per month in the same lighting. This will give you a more reliable view of your physique as it changes, plus you will have these photos to look back on as you progress. Monthly waist measurements will also show that you are losing fat even when the scale isn’t reflecting it.

So, there you have it, a simple and complete guide to shedding pounds and shredding your abs. And, if you want to go pro, download Jeff Nippard’s MacroFactor app that adapts to your individual metabolism, with a free trial here!

How do you try to satisfy the range of activities that athletes might undertake in NANOs such as CrossFit, hardcore weightlifting, and running?

“It’s definitely a challenge, right,” says Short. “You’re not going to make the best training shoe in the world and the best running shoe in the world, those are two different needs … you need a soft cushion when you’re on a running shoe, and obviously, when you’re doing strength training or CrossFit, a lower profile and more stable shoe. We’ve got this lift and run technology in the Nano that we feel really strongly about where it’s kind of an adaptable system. If you are lifting heavy, the dome in the back flattens out to keeps you nice and stable. Then you’ve got the Floatride Energy Foam in there, and it makes it feel more cushioned a little bit more runnable. If you’re going just for a long run, obviously, most people should wear a running shoe, but if running (under around 3 miles / 5 kilometers) is a part of your workouts, we want it to be an enjoyable part.”

How did Reebok go about trying to make the X4s the best NANO yet?

“It was collection of data. We took all the feedback from reviews,” explains Short. “You know, we focus on the negatives, we also look at the positives and what we don’t want to mess with, right? What did people really like about the X3? For the X4, all the feedback we got indicated people weren’t asking for a wholesale change of the shoe. They weren’t saying; ‘This shoe is off the mark.’ The X3 was one of our most popular and one of our best-selling. So, it’s always tough to kind of come back after that but I do think the X4 is a truly an upgrade and I’m not just saying that to sell shoes.

“I truly believe I’ve worn the X4, probably, more than anyone in the world and I tell you, it is one of my favorite NANOs of all time. There’s just something about the fit and feel that we really focused on; wearability and then the warmth of the shoes. We’ve been seeing a trend where after people have done a very intense workout, they rip their shoes right off afterwards and we did some studies around like; ‘Why do we get that warm during workouts? And what causes that? How can we help?’ So, we did add to the upper for a little bit more ventilation, to let some airflow get in there. We were able to knit that into our upper which was a really cool technology for us. That took a lot of time to get right. Then, just the overall weight. We wanted the X4 to be a nice weight. You don’t want it too lightweight, where people don’t feel stable, but you also don’t want it super-heavy either. So, it’s finding that balance. I do think the X4 feels a little lighter on foot than the X3. So, we’re always collecting that data and we encourage people to leave comments because we read them all and really consider them, as we’ve obviously got to make decisions around what we want to update versus what we don’t.”

How does the overall build of the Reebok NANO X4 compare to the X3?

“We took a total dissection of the X3 and decided where we could strip out some things,” says Short. “We did not sacrifice any sort of durability. We know a training shoe has to be durable. That’s something that we take pride in, right? Durability and stability — we didn’t mess with those two things, but we made sure that everything is on there for a reason, not just because we had it in the last few iterations.

“We brought the heel clip down from a visual standpoint and it actually helped improve performance as well, so it wasn’t just a visual thing. Stability is number one and second is durability. We just we know that people’s shoes take a beating, even things like air squats, or getting in and out of rowers, training shoes take a beating and that’s a good thing. That’s why we use the Flexweave upper that we’ve used on the last several NANOS because it’s just a perfect technology; lightweight, breathable, flexible, and durable, all in one. That’s why we haven’t changed it, we just keep evolving it and improving it.

“A bigger ask lately is just making sure that the shoe looks great in and out of the gym, people are looking for a shoe that they can wear beyond the gym, to run errands afterwards, without feeling like they have this big piece of equipment on their feet, so that the shoe just fits with their outfit.”

What does the future hold for the appearance of the Reebok X4’s and beyond?

“it’s fun, right?’ says Short. “We have a full color team and we know the trends. We do have our traditional colorways, we’re always going to have a black and white shoe as we know those are very popular within the NANO franchise, but for us, it’s about telling stories through colors and the good news of NANO is that we pretty much have the ability to hit every taste of the consumer, so we’re not just stuck. There’s a lot of places to add color, especially with the ventilation panels. The idea is we want to make sure that the canvas of the NANO X4 and the Nano (in general) allows us to really play. We’ve seen an increase in bright-color shoes, like all-over one-color brights and so you’ll see some of that moving forward as well. The good news is we’ll have something for everyone because we know it’s hard to really nail it with just one colorway because everyone’s very particular on their shoe colors.”

The Reebok NANO X4 is available now at Reebok.com and all good shoe retailers priced at $140.

The backstory behind the chin-up test is it was a last-minute addition to the combine, and some players didn’t prepare for it, with some being caught out. That being said, chin-ups and pull-ups are arguably the best tests of relative upper-body strength, and if you’re hoping to be a professional athlete, you should be able to bust out a few.

I’ve been able to do chin-ups since high school because I didn’t weigh much, but other bigger people struggle. However, it should be a goal for every gym-goer and athlete to be able to perform chin-ups because relative strength matters.

Here, we’ll get into what’s needed for chin-ups, their benefits, and why ice hockey players need to do them.

What Muscles Do Chinups Work?

There were reasons Sam Bennett wasn’t able to do one chinup besides being hard. Here are four muscle factors that are needed for chin-ups.

• Thoracic Mobility: Extending your upper back spinal area allows you to strengthen your upper back and lats better. It’s not to say you cannot do chin-ups without thoracic mobility, but it is better with it.
• Core Strength: Chin-ups are sneaky core exercises because your core kicks in to keep your lower body still and your lower back in neutral. The core allows your larger back muscles to do their job. Getting that chin above the bar will be a struggle if you lack core strength.
• Relative Strength: This is what you can lift compared to your body weight. Good relative strength is essential to perform chin-ups.
• Grip Strength: As you are hanging vertically with your entire body weight supported by your hands, if you cannot grip it, you cannot rip it.

Benefits of Performing Chin-Ups For Hockey Players

Besides looking like a badass, chin-ups build muscle and strength in the upper back, biceps, and lats and are the best test for relative upper-body strength. When you want a tapered back, chin-ups and pull-ups are the essential exercises to get there.

Improved Grip Strength

If you cannot grip the bar, your chinup chances go down the drain. Chin-ups train your supporting grip strength, and holding on for a time will improve your grip strength and endurance.  Developing a firmer grip will improve your performance with all exercises and movements requiring grip strength, including holding a hockey stick.

Increased Upper Body Strength

Chin-ups and your ability to do them are the best measures of your relative strength. With the number of muscles it trains, and because you’re pulling your entire body weight (plus load if you are advanced), you will build huge amounts of relative strength with the chinup.

Hypertrophy

Chin-ups will add muscle to your forearms, biceps, upper back, and lats because of the incredible tension they need to perform a chinup. But one caveat: you’ll need multiple reps and go through a full range of motion to add muscle.

Why Hockey Players Need To Do Chin-ups

Most pulling exercises, including chin-ups, are great for ice hockey players to maintain good posture during battles on the ice, reduce injury risk, and put more power on the puck. This 2011 study concluded that two off-ice performance tests were the most highly correlated to on-ice performance, and one of them was the max chinup test.

But research doesn’t tell the whole story. Kevin Carr, CFSC, LMT, and partner at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Boston, MA, has trained his fair share of ice hockey players. Here, Kevin gives you the low down on why ice hockey players need to do chin-ups.

“The development of upper-body strength, specifically in the muscles surrounding the shoulder girdle, is significant for performance enhancement and injury reduction in sports. Vertical pulling exercises like chin-ups are extremely valuable for developing the lats, rhomboids, posterior shoulder, biceps, forearms, and hand musculature.

In collision sports like hockey, the value of muscle hypertrophy cannot be overstated to reduce impact-related injuries. The more mass you carry and the muscle you have in your body, the better you can both dish out and withstand impact from other players. The latissimus dorsi is the largest muscle in the upper body, and chin-ups are a fantastic tool for developing it and adding mass to your upper body.

Chin-ups will improve your upper body strength to improve shooting velocity and your hand and wrist strength, which is valuable for stick handling. Often overlooked as a grip exercise, the time spent hanging from the bar in a chinup is a great developer of the hand muscles and wrist flexors necessary for shooting and stick handling.” explains Carr.

Upper Body Workout For Hockey Players

Now you know chin-ups are the bomb; here is an upper body workout that ice hockey players or anybody else can perform to improve upper body strength and muscle.

1A. Chin-ups (or negative Chi-nups)

• 4 sets, 3-5 reps (2 minutes rest between sets)

2A. Dumbbell Or Barbell Floor Press

• 3 sets, 6-12 reps

2B. Rope Face Pull

• 3 sets, 20 reps

3A. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

• 3 sets, 8-15 reps

3B. Dumbbell Deadstop Row

• 3 sets, 10-15 reps

4A  Lateral Raises

• 2 sets, 12-15 reps

4B. Side Plank

• 2 sets of five breaths on each side

“It’s very important to me,” he said. “I can’t imagine my life without fitness. I still get up first thing and run because it can give me clear thoughts and wonderful clarity.”

A native of Alabama, Grinston’s first connection to sports and fitness came justfrom playing outside when he was a kid. Like many kids in his home state (Roll Tide), he watched college football and played the sport himself at the younger levels growing up. He was also into martial arts and running.

“I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t out doing something active.”

Grinston joined the United States Army in 1987 when he was 17 years old. He completed basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His family is familiar with service thanks to his grandfather and uncle, but he clearly didn’t envision the long-term career he would wind up having when he first signed up. Along with serving his country, he wanted to set himself up for the future.

“When I first joined, I was thinking about how I could use some college money, and I had several friends that were joining. We had always talked about it, so when the opportunity came up, I took it.”

Grinston reported that he didn’t score 300 on his first PT test, but he still passed it. Others were glad he passed, but he was disappointed he didn’t max it out. He immediately committed himself to reaching that goal. All he needed was the incentive to know he didn’t the first time.

“I did it again after basic training and got 299. The running took some time to master because I had to get under 12 minutes. Once I was able to master that, I got 300.”

That commitment to personal excellence transferred to his life in service. Throughout Grinston’s career, he would be deployed overseas multiple times, including as a part of Operations Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, Inherent Reserve, Enduring Freedom, and to Kosovo. He has held several leadership positions in artillery throughout his journey, and that leadership has provided a great service to his country. Part of that leadership included showing others that they were capable of more than they believed.

“If they said, ‘I can’t do that, it’s too hard,’ I would tell them to add the word ‘yet.’ You can’t do it yet. Adding that word can make a big difference, and that helped them figure out how to do it. It was all about the mindset.”

Over two decades after he joined the Army, he found himself being sworn in as the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army on Aug. 9, 2019. That was never a formal goal for him when he first committed to service, but he was honored to have held the position.

“There were a lot of things going through my mind that day. There are a lot of responsibilities that come with that,” he explained. The husband and father of two would end his active-duty career in service in 2023 with several honors, including the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2nd award), Bronze Star Medal with Valor (2nd award), and the Bronze Star medal (3rd award). Along the way, he earned the Ranger tab, Master Parachutist badge, Air Assault badge, Drill Sergeant Identification badge, and the Combat Action Badge.

Starting in January 2024, Grinston began a new career, but it isn’t too far away from his previous one. He now works as the CEO of Army Emergency Relief (AER), a nonprofit organization assisting soldiers and families in financial need. While he is working in a new role, he’s still in a leadership role and making a difference in the lives of America’s heroes in uniform and their families.

“If a soldier goes on emergency leave and needs assistance to fly back, we’re going to help you get that ticket. That is a combination of grant and loan. We also do scholarships for family members and children. AER is a great organization, and I’m really proud they selected me to lead that organization.”

Aside from his new professional role, he still considers himself an advocate for fitness and wellness. He hopes that he can continue to spread the good word of health to both veterans and future members of the military. He intends to remain an example through his actions as well as his words. As someone who has been physically pushing himself since childhood, he finds himself to be his best when he focuses on his fitness.

“To this day, I’m still that way. I don’t know what the world would be like for me if I wasn’t active. That is not a life I want to have.” For more information about Army Emergency Relief, go to www.armyemergencyrelief.org.

Follow Maj. Michael “Tony” Grinston on LinkedIn

Saladino is no stranger to sculpting Hollywood’s elite so that they’d fit perfectly into a Lycra bodysuit. Having worked with high profile actors such as Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Emily Blunt, this in-demand PT formulates his workouts based on each client’s upcoming roll. For Deadpool, the goal here is about getting Reynolds into a state of hypertrophy (muscle growth) by taxing the muscle fibers and forcing them to adapt and get larger. To this end, one of Saladino’s staple Deadpool 3 arm workouts revolves around supersets and tri-sets, where two or three exercises are performed in quick succession with minimal rest. As with any muscle building program, make sure that the rate of protein that you are consuming is greater than that of the muscle breakdown (around 1 gram per pound of bodyweight) and expect to sweat, so stay hydrated.

Superheroes Build Muscle Using Supersets and Trisets

Reducing the rest periods between sets is a great way to speed up workouts and keep them engaging, especially for experienced gym-goers that want to shake things up a bit. You may also find that you are raising your heartbeat to greater levels as you bring in more of a cardio aspect to your session, requiring stamina and endurance and scorching more calories as you go.

Fatiguing the muscles through multiple sets with little rest will help you to push past plateaus and efficiently target muscle groups. Saladino has it all figured out for you with the initial tri-sets being designed to warm you up and focus on mobility (so that you can ace those sword fighting battles of course). The supersets, on the other hand, are about getting you buff enough for your comic book debut. Each superset will blast opposing muscle groups, for example: biceps then triceps, meaning that you will obliterate your arms in order for them return bigger and better than ever before.

“Crime and heroics never stops, so why should you?” asks Saladino. “So, beginners back off the intensity a bit. For those of you who feel like you can handle it, put your foot on the f*** gas and go as hard as you can.”

The Deadpool Arm Day Workout

Tri-set: 3 Rounds

• Thread the Needle for 20 Seconds
• Arms Bars for 20 Seconds
• Cats & Dogs x 10 Reps

Superset 1: 4 Rounds

• Close Grip Barbell Curl x 8 Reps
• Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension x 8 Reps
• Rest for 90 seconds

Superset 2: 4 Rounds

• Zottman Curl x 10 Reps
• Single Arm Overhead Cable Extension x 10 Reps
• Rest for 90 Seconds

Superset 3: 4 Rounds

• Single Arm Cable Curl (to chin height) x 12 Reps
• Reverse Grip Pushdown x 12 Reps
• Rest for 90 Seconds

The best way to stay in the loop is to be paying attention now, and we got you covered thanks to Olympia TV and the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channels. Here’s a glimpse at what you have to look forward to this week.

Prime Time Muscle

It’s been over two months since Derek Lunsford became bodybuilding’s first champ-champ by winning the 2023 Mr. Olympia, but fans are still talking about who should’ve been the winner of that historic contest in Orlando, FL. Tim WIlkins, Terrick El Guindy, and Chris Cormier returned for a new season of Prime Time Muscle, and they immediately held El Guindy’s feet to the fire by asking him how Lunsford was awarded the Sandow Trophy. The IFBB Pro League judge gave his full assessment as to why Lunsford was the better man that weekend, and he backed his claims up with knowledge that fans won’t get anywhere else. Do the quarter turns really make that big of a difference? Watch and learn for yourself.

Andrea Shaw Interview

The ladies of Femme Flex Friday and Isabelle Turell of The Fit Rockstar Show needed a week off after doing heavy lifting for several weeks, but the fans of the women’s side of the stage were treated to a special interview of none other than four-time Ms. Olympia Andrea Shaw. Shaw joined eight-time Ms. Olympia Lenda Murray, Bob Cicherillo, and El Guindy for this exclusive hour-long conversation covering a wide array of topics. Right off the bat, Shaw shared that she enjoyed the holidays, but she was excited to “unofficially” be in prep for her run at Olympia number five. Will she do any other shows as well? They also cover other topics such as Detroit and Michigan sports and opinions about the men’s side of bodybuilding.

The Meance Podcast

Over on the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel, Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Cormier held another legends roundtable on this week’s episode of The Menace Podcast, and they were joined by 2014 Arnold Classic champion Dennis Wolf. Wolf provided updates on his life, reflected back on an amazing career, and he even shared his thoughts about the current state of bodybuilding. Which new pros does he have his eyes on, and who does he see winning the 2024 edition of the Arnold? Save a cardio session for this one because it will be a great listen.

While you’re on the M&F channel, make sure you subscribe so you can catch the latest episodes of REPS with Zack Zeigler and John Romano every Tuesday and Thursday.

A bona fide MMA superstar, Francis Ngannou entered the world of boxing when he competed in the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ against Tyson Fury, which opened Riyadh Season on Oct. 28, 2023. It was a fight for the ages as Ngannou landed a left hook and dropped Fury toward the end of the third round. While the champ got to his feet and eventually won on points, many within the boxing world felt that Ngannou had done enough to take the title.

Although he had lost the fight, Ngannou’s strong debut shocked the world and stamped his name as a legitimate world title contender. To that end, he will face Anthony Joshua at “Knockout Chaos” on March 8. AJ, a former WBA, IBF and WBO World Champion is back on form after winning his last three fights and defeated Otto Wallin in five rounds just at ‘Day of Reckoning.’ It was a fight that many critics felt marked his return to the elite end of the heavyweight rankings, but in order to become the champion once again, he will first need to get past the wild-card that is Ngannou. It is understood that the winner of this fight will likely box the winner of the upcoming to Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk bout in order to claim a brand-new Undisputed Boxing Championship belt.

Spending much of his time in training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Ngannous’ Head Boxing Coach, Dewey Cooper had a plan to use every available minute for training rather than travel. Rather than head back from the London press conference, team Ngannou instead boarded a flight straight to Saudi Arabia. “We’re here to train and fight, we’re here to train and prepare for the fight, so time is of the essence,” Cooper told M&F of their upcoming Saudi stay. With Ngannou’s breakthrough boxing success against Tyson Fury coming after just four weeks of intensive training, the coach intends to use the extra time available until March 8 to get the former UFC Champion acclimatized to the environment in Riyadh. “All work and dedication makes fight night just celebration,” added Cooper. “We’re here to work, and then Francis (will) win his fight on March 8.”

Cooper understands the process of getting ready for a fight more than most. He is a former boxer and two-time world kickboxing champion who went undefeated between 2001-2004. Hiis understanding of boxing and MMA is proving to be a huge asset for Ngannou, who also recently signed to fight with the PFL. The man they call “The Predator” pledges to continue silencing the doubters when he takes to the ring for his second professional boxing fight. “People have always doubted me and I always proved them wrong,” said the Cameroon-born star in an interview with Matchroom boxing ahead of the conference. “It is clear I am a trouble for elite boxers and AJ should prepare himself for a battle because I am like nothing he has ever faced. It is going to be another spectacle for boxing fans in Riyadh, only this time I have no intention of leaving it in the hands of the judges.”

If Francis Ngannou and Cooper were able to rock the current champion with just four weeks of training, the boxing world waits with wonder to see what he can to with this extra preparation time against Anthony Joshua.

Follow Francis Ngannou on Instagram Here!

That said, it’s important to stock up on gear that keeps you safe, warm, and comfortable in low temps.

Without a doubt, these winter essentials are all you need to have the best (and safest) winter workout experience.

Safety Tip: Avoid wearing cotton material in cold weather at all costs – especially as the base layer. Cotton does not wick moisture and can cause your body temperature to drop which can lead to hypothermia. Cotton might feel comfortable but is a dangerous choice when temps fall.

How to Layer Up:

1. Base Layer – Look for moisture-wicking material such as polyester or acrylic as it will pull sweat away from your skin keeping you dry and safe.
2. Warm and Breathable – Material such as wool or fleece will keep you warm while allowing your skin to breathe.
3. Wind and Rain Protection – Opt for fabric that will block wind and keep you dry in snowy or rainy conditions; Nylon, Polyester, and Tricot.

Winter Gear Essentials

Adults L.L. Bean Bruder Polarized Sunglasses

Designed with 100% UV A, B, and C protection, these stylish shades feature glare-cutting polarization offering lightweight comfort and a flattering rectangular shape suited for both men and women.

Buy Them: $29.95, at L.L Bean (Unisex)

Mountain Hardwear Cabin to Curb Hat

Wick sweat and keep your head warm in this stylish beanie. Perfect for outdoor winter activities, this cap won’t let your body heat escape while keeping you dry all day long.

Buy It: $28.00, at DicksSportingGoods (Unisex)

Adults Stabilicers Walk Traction Device

Designed to keep you from falling on slippery terrane, the adult Stabilicers are a must-have for icy walks and hikes during the cold winter months.

Buy Them: $29.95, at L.L.Bean (Unisex)

Stormlock Highloft Gloves

Keep your hands warm and dry in these windproof, water-repellent, light, and breathable gloves. Pair them with your favorite Winter activity for the best cold-weather protection.

Buy Them: $39.95, at JackWolfSkin (Unisex)

Smart Wool Merino Wool Neck Gaiter

Protect your neck and face from harsh Winter wind. Made from All-Season merino fabric, this gaiter is lightweight and durable. The longer length ensures maximum coverage and wearability in various weather conditions.

Buy It: $36.00, at REI (Unisex)

Alpspitze Down Hoody – Men’s and Women’s Insulated Jacket 

Extremely packable, the Alpspitze jacket is the perfect insulation layer for winter adventures. The impressive 800-fill down jacket keeps you warm and insulated, even in damp conditions, and is 100 percent windproof.

Buy It: $369.95 men’s and women’s at, JackWolfskin

Darn Tough Mountaineering Socks

Designed for long-distance hiking in cold temps, this pair features a performance fit resulting in no slipping, bunching, or blisters while the fabric blend safely pulls moisture away from the body.

Buy Them:  $35.0,0 men’s and women’s at REI

Everquest Texapore Mid M Snow Boots

The aggressive tread of the outsole on this shoe provides a solid grip on winter surfaces while the cushioning EVA insole relieves the strain on your joints when walking. The high-performance insulation keeps your feet warm in temperatures as low as -30 °C and also copes extremely well with snow and rain, thanks to its waterproof, breathable, and sustainably manufactured TEXAPORE ECOSPHERE membrane.

Buy Them: $149.95, men’s and women’s at JackWolfskin

Alpspitze Wool Pants Base Layer

The Alpspitze Wool Pants are a great base layer for winter sports, specifically designed for strenuous ascents and fast descents. Featuring breathable, fast-drying merino wool, the pants provide warmth and optimal temperature regulation. The natural fiber has an antibacterial effect and reduces unpleasant odors. Additionally, the ¾-length offers maximum comfort when wearing winter boots.

Buy It: $89.95, women’s and men’s at JackWolfSkin

Alpspitze Wool Long Sleeve Base Layer

Pair the wool pants with the snug-fitting Alpspitze Wool Long Sleeve for the ideal base layers for winter sports. Also featuring breathable, fast-drying merino wool, this top base layer provides reliable warmth and temperature regulation. The natural fibers also have antibacterial and odor-resistant properties. The half zip also allows you to wear the collar open or closed.

Buy It: $119.95, Women’s and Men’s at JackWolfSkin

Activate Thermic Pants Winter Hiking Pants

The Activate Thermic softshell pants are a must-have for winter activities. The Texashield Stretch Thermic fabric makes them water-repellent, wind-resistant, and breathable. The reverse side of the double weave fabric is textured to provide thermal insulation. Additionally, the special cut and articulated knees ensure maximum freedom of movement and the cuffs on the pant legs can be adjusted.

Buy It: $139.95, – Women’s and Men’s at JackWolfSkin

Atmosphere Insulated Pants

Cozy, warm pants, ideal for throwing on over base layers in really cold conditions. Insulated with a blend of 700-fill natural down and Texatherm Core Reused/Recycled fill, and protected by Texashield Reused/Recycled Pro Double Rip, these pants are warm and durable enough for any occasion. Also, with Bluesign® approved materials, these pants boast a reduced environmental impact. Easily packable, you can stuff these pants in your bag.

Buy It: $159.95, Women’s and Men’s  at  JackWolfSkin

Unisex Wool Thermal Light Shirt

Whether you choose this top as your base or second layer you will be kept warm and dry no matter the Winter activity. With Raglan cut sleeves for freedom of motion and comfort, this shirt is a cold-weather must-have essential.

Buy It: $94.95, at BRYNJE

There is none of ‘it’s all you, bro’ as the spotter peels the barbell from a lifter’s chest. As great as chinups are for the upper back and lats, there is a way to target the lats for more significant hypertrophy by putting your feet up.

Feet up what, you ask?

Let Gareth Sapstead (MSc CSCS), a sought-after physique training specialist, Olympian Coach, and Author of Ultimate Abs, explain the benefits of the rack chin-ups.

What Makes The Basic Chinup a Standard

We could go on and on about the effectiveness of chinups, but Sapstead will keep it short and sweet before getting to the good stuff.

“Regular chinups are a time-tested classic for building muscle and strength. Everyone should be able to perform just one set of double-digit reps to show off their relative strength.From a hypertrophy standpoint, the lats and upper back receive excellent stimulation using an underhand grip, especially in the lengthened range of motion, triggering stretch-mediated hypertrophy. This is only if you’re using a full ROM. Plus, your hands support your entire body weight, and your anterior core works overtime, making the chin up more than just a back-strengthening exercise. As meat and potatoes lift, a chinup has you covered in many areas.” explains Sapstead.

Why Rack Chinups Are Even Better

“Rack chin-ups solve many problems when using regular chinups as a bodybuilding exercise. Due to the extra stability provided by your feet on a bench and the angle of your body, you’ll feel it more in the target muscles you’re trying to work,” says Sapstead.

“Chinups are the gold standard for strength and performance because it’s you versus gravity. But, to build your back, particularly your lats, rack chin-ups offer some unique benefits over regular pull-ups. Along with more stability and a more focused pull, there’s also the change in position of the pelvis to consider and how that affects lat loading.

With rack chin-ups, you’ll notice that your pelvis will move slightly into a posterior pelvic tilt (imagine tailbone tucking under), where your lats insert results in an even greater loading of them in the stretched position at the bottom of the rack chin-up compared to a more neutral pelvis seen with regular chinups. We’re really sweating the small stuff here, but when optimizing your hypertrophy, every 1% adds up.

Don’t mistake rack chinups as an “easier” chinup, either. You’ll likely only be able to do a similar amount of these as your regular chinups, but you’ll notice a more controlled and focused movement.” explains Sapstead.

How To Do Rack Chinups

1.   Begin by setting up a squat rack or using a Smith machine at an appropriate height.
2.   Place a bench far enough away from the bar so you can hook your heels over the backrest. Having the bench set to somewhere around a 15-30 degree incline helps.
3.   Stand facing the bar, ensuring you have a firm grip with your palms facing towards you, around shoulder-width apart.
4.   Hitch your heels over the back of the bench, maintaining a slight knee bend. Some people also prefer to keep their knees straight, which is a matter of personal preference.
5.   Start by pulling yourself upwards, focusing on using your upper-back muscles, specifically your lats.
6.   Aim to pull your chin up towards the bar while keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
7.   Your torso should still be relatively vertical, and with your butt pointing down towards the floor – resist pushing your hips up as you pull up.
8.   Slowly lower back to the starting position, maintaining control and focusing on the stretch of your lats at the bottom.

Sets & Reps: Sapstead suggests that 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps work well here. You can progress by adding load by wearing a weighted vest or placing weight plates, a dumbbell, or even a small barbell across your hips and thighs. Since your hips stay down, they rest securely in position.

And appearance-wise, by looking at him onstage rocking a tank top as he bangs out the dozens of rock classics the band has delivered since the ’80s, Rzeznik’s  still-shredded biceps at this age are the opposite of 50-something who choose to cover up their dad bods. And the best is yet to come, the ageless artist says. By his own admission, Rzeznik is leaner, stronger, and setting PRs in the gym today, a feat his 25-year-old self could never fulfill.

He’s also cleaner, ditching the alcohol and drugs and opting for Whole Foods along some RedCon1 MREs as continues touring the world.

“I mean, I quit drinking and quit smoking, I even quit eating a lot of crap,” he says. “I’ve just gotten a lot more experience on how to take care of my body, exercise and diet, and trying to do a little bit of stress relief and trying to get my head together like that. But the most important thing is the workout because I’m 58 years old now, back in my 30s, it was a lot easier to bounce back.”

It’s been more than 25 years since Buffalo-based alt rockers broke out as true music superstars with their classic album “Dizzy Up the Girl. Rzeznik is still belting out top tunes such as “Slide” and “Iris,” and has several worldwide tour dates lined up in February in Australia and New Zealand. Performing at his best night after requires a steady regimen of training every day no matter the city he stops at, while keeping his diet relatively clean, and vocals at peak levels.

And as one of rock’s elder statesmen, Rzeznik looks to other icons as motivation to keep fit and perform for as long as fans continue packing venues.

“I mean, we got to tour with the Stones [in 1989],” he recalls. “I was watching [Mick] one night and that guy pulled his shirt up, and I was like, how do you do that? It was just crazy then. But I don’t see why I can’t go into my 70s.”

It’s all in the Routine

Before a pair of platinum-selling albums “A Boy Named Goo” and “Dizzy Up the Girl,” turned the Goo Goo Dolls into worldwide superstars, Rzeznik and the rest of the band were a bunch of 20-something dudes from Buffalo driving from gig to gig in an old, used van. Despite the less than ideal environments back then, Rzeznik would still make it a priority to find a gym—preferably free—when he rolled into any  college town and get in a good workout, as well as a bath.

“We were young, back then we looked like we were going to college there,” Rzeznik recalls. “So we’d literally just pull onto a campus. walk right in, and go use the gym. Then we’d take a shower there because we were traveling around in a van, we’d stink most of the time.”

Now when he travels on the band’s upgraded mode of transportation—Rzeznik brings with him the travel essentials: PowerBlock dumbbells, a pullup bar. Despite maintaining his ripped physique,  getting the proper diet is a challenge, he says usually his on-the-road staple is a rotisserie chicken and microwaved sweet potatoes (he also brings along a chef’s knife to help carve up the bird). “The tricky part is eating while on the road,” he admits.

Even though Rzeznik can afford 5-star luxury and amenities, his first weightroom option remains old school. “I’m a total fan of the meathead gym because you always have a squat rack,” he says, “and they’ll always have an area to just lift big.” His traveling training routine is simple and non-negotiable: Pick up his rental car, find a Whole Foods to stock up on chicken (with a steak thrown in every once in a while), then Google up the best local gyms in the area and get the workout in. It’s not just to get his body in order, but also to get his head right prior to performing.

“I’ll eat something, go to the gym, and then shake it off—that workout usually gets the blood moving as well as knowing that I kept the commitment to myself,” he says. “That usually brings me out of it, and then come show time, it’s so much easier.”

When it comes to training, Rzenik still sticks to the classic one body part per workout regimen. Sometimes he’ll create a workout based on one of his favorite online fitness personalities. “I love Jeff Cavaliere and AthleanX, he says. “I like to sometimes do like hybrids of his workouts.”

Most of the time, however, he’s created his own version of high-volume training—100 reps per exercise. Whether it’s biceps curls or dumbbell rows, according to Rzeznik, the goal is to hit the century mark with as little rest as possible. It may take a few breaks and a few breaths, but the singer hits the mark and feels the burn.

Performing 100 reps is an acquired training taste, he says, but the results speak for themselves. For a singer pushing 60, he’s putting numbers that the 30-year-old Goo Good Dolls singer could never achieve. His proudest achievement so far is hitting double-digit pullups post-50.

“I’m stronger than I’ve ever been,” he brags, “I couldn’t do a pullup back then, now, 25 years later, I can knock out 10.”

According to John Rzeznik, a Good Singer Requires a Good Set of Glutes

If you’ve attended a Goo Goo Dolls concert lately, you may have noticed Rzeznik has barely lost a step of his high-energy musical pace if any, although he admits the band requires a day after three straight days of performances. He normally uses a heart rate monitor to keep track of his onstage performance progress, which sometimes doubles as not just a concert for thousands of fans, but a physically and cardiovascularly taxing workout for its lead singer.

“For most of the show, I’m kind of up like, in around that like, 70% heart rate max, so I’m actually getting some cardio in while I’m singing,” he says.

Despite the high-intensity stage show he brings, his training is a little different than your normal athlete. However a musician does run into the occasional the wear and tear injuries. For Rzeznik, he’ll normally check in with a physical therapist to treat the occasional tennis elbow he’s developed from years of guitar playing may flare up or some knee aches from the constant stage running back and forth. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

However, a fitness element unique to musicians—particularly singers, is keeping the vocal cords healthy. It’s another training layer Rzeznik has had to be aware of in order to continue performing at a high level. Although for the average shower-singing individual, some octave training exercises may seem sufficient, Rzeznik works nearly an hour a day keeping his voice strong with both vocal exercises,

To keep maintaining the musical mastery he has for nearly five decades, Rzeznik has to train his vocal cords, with the help of vocal coach Eric Vetro. “He’s incredible,” he says. “I’ve learned to do all this crazy core workouts, you know, because it’s like when you sing, you use diaphragmatic breathing, and you have to have a strong core.”

Surprisingly, vocal training for Rzeznik is more than voice work. A strong singer requires a strong backside. Yes, glute and core work. “Have you ever watched a concert film?” Rzeznik asks. ”There’s a lot of guys who just stand there singing and start busting out in a sweat. And you’re like, Why is that guy sweating like that? “It’s because they’re working their core. It’s basically like an isometric exercise.”

In addition to abs work, Rzeznik adds squats and deadlifts for not only strength and size but to sustain his singing style that can wear over the course of an extended world tour.

“It’s important to be physically fit to sing because you you’re engaging your your glutes and your lower abdominal muscles to create the support to get a proper tone,” he says.

John Rzeznik Is Nowhere Near His Final Encore

Now nine years sober, Rzeznik has been a part of rock ‘n’ roll cultural. Although, the party like a rock star mantra will never completely go away, Rzeznik looks at himself and artists like Chris Daughtry, as jacked a musician performing today, as the new norm. More and more artists he says are noticing the obvious correlation between a well-maintained physique and a long and successful career.

“I think as you get older, you better get your ass in shape because nobody really wants to see a an old fat dude on stage,” he says.

He points to ageless rock stars—singers like Bret Michaels, Billy Idol, Sting, Def Leppard’s Phil Collen all maintain nearly the same tktk post 50 and 60 as they did back in their 20s. he points to one of his mentors, legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff, now at age 70 and going stronger than ever, , as the poster child of the modern day musician. “He hits the drums like he’s still in his 20s,” Rzeznik says. “He still enjoys his wine, but he makes sure he fulfills the commitment to himself.”

How long will Rzeznik continue performing worldwide, as he’s about to embark on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in February. As long he enjoys performing. “I don’t see why I can’t keep doing this well into my 70s. Unless it makes me miserable, then I’m not going to do it.”

Judging by his training and physique, there’s no signs pointing to Rzeznik or the band slowing down, with fans still packing arenas nearly five decades since the Goo Goo Dolls’ debut album. It’s something he’ll always grateful for. “They paid a bunch of money to come see you—you got to deliver,” he says. “I’m grateful that people still come to our shows and I can I can I can support my family playing music. Who would have thought, some punk rock kids from Buffalo?”

And now as a father, staying fit takes on a bigger meaning Rzeznik than extending his stage career, his wellness is critical in order to be his best version for his 7-year-old daughter, Liliana. “I have to be physically prepared,” he says. “I decided it was time to become a dad at 50. I take her to school and all the dads are 20 or 25 years younger than me. So I have to be in good shape, because she’s counting on me.”

One such veteran is Kevin Flack, who has seen combat as a soldier and is working to excel in business now as a supplement brand owner. Fitness has been a part of his life going back to childhood, and he’s committed his life to helping others see the benefits today.

Flack described his younger self as energetic. He grew up in Washington state and was active in snowboarding, kayaking, and fishing, which are common in that part of the country.

“I was just engaged with a lot as a teenager,” he recalled. “I also did baseball and soccer, but it was outdoor stuff 24/7.”

Another common thread of his youth was service. His grandfather was a pilot in World War II, but he never got to meet him. His father was in the Air Force as well.

“Our whole family is full of patriots,” he said proudly. “I used to watch those WWII in color documentaries and try to figure out what my grandpa did because I never met him. That was the largest part of me joining.”

Flack and his younger brother both served in the United States Army. Flack was a part of the 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division from 2006 until 2012, and he saw action in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was overseas when he became a father to his son, Wyatt.

“I held him for the first time when he was a month and a half old, and I was on leave from Afghanistan.”

Flack returned home and relocated to Iowa, where he devotes as much commitment as a father as he did as a soldier. He called the decision to focus on fatherhood his proudest moment from his time in service.

“Wyatt is the whole reason I ended up in the Quad Cities. It was time to be a dad, and it’s been me and him ever since.”

Flack got a job contracting as a Family Assistance Specialist for the Illinois National Guard. As is the case with many heroes who return home, Flack faced struggles that would lead him to seek treatment. He would self-admit to St. Cloud VAMC for a three-month inpatient PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment program. During that struggle, his role as a parent to Wyatt was compromised, but he would overcome the adversity and become a regular part of Wyatt’s life again. He and Wyatt’s mother now share joint custody.

“That’s my pride and joy right there.”

Activities such as kayaking and camping for days at a time helped him mentally while he was shifting from military life to civiilian life. These excursions served as a positive outlet to progress through life beyond the uniform. Later on, he started Downrange Excursions, a nonprofit organization which was his way of not only finding peace for himself but for other veterans as well.

“You can either self-medicate, or you can use what brought you peace as a child, and outdoor activities was what brought me peace. When you’re out on those trips, you’re not focusing on those things you can’t control that can cause some people to self-medicate because you’re thinking about what is going on in front of you.”

After nearly ten years of commitment to Downrange Excursions, Flack is now focused on another passion and avenue for helping others improve wellness. Downrange Supplements is known as “the brand of the troops” because it was founded by members of the military for the members of the military as well as the general public. With supplements such as their preworkout “1st Call” and their “Mermite” protein powder, their goal is to help their consumers “continually improve their fighting position,” which is an infantry expression that Flack feels applies to everyone’s lives. Flack has been active in the weight room since he was a kid, and it’s a part of his life today. So, creating a brand that can help maximize potential in the gym made perfect sense.

“When one door closes, another opens. I learned that throughout my journey. I realized that this is my actual passion.”

The growth of the supplement brand is oyet another way that Flack is still advocating for the well-being and support of those in service as well as for law enforcement, first responders and their families. He’s not alone in this venture, either. He’s working alongside other veterans and leaders such as retired SEAC John Troxell, soldier and MMA fighter Colton Smith, and other members of the brand’s Task Unit. Flack found a way to stay connected to everything he loves while making a positive impact. He sees a bright future for Downrange, and he hopes that it can serve as a part of more success stories in fitness and service in the future.

“The connection to the military and love I have for supplementation made me realize there was a need for a legitimate brand of the troops. Making money is cool, but having an actual brand that people from administrative levels to infantry truck drivers to connect to and can help make health and fitness the focus is what it’s all about.” For more information on Downrange Supplements, go to www.downrangesupplements.com and follow @downrangesupps on Instagram.

Incredibly, is it understood that while almost half of Americans intend to start and keep a new years’ resolution, only around 9% make good on their hopes to be consistent with their plan according to research by Strava. One of the biggest reasons that we often fail to “become the best version of ourselves” is because we opt out of too many of the things that we enjoy, in the quest to reach our goals. Whether you hope to become stronger, faster, or lose weight, you need to be able to maintain your new, more active lifestyle in a sustainable way. This means finding a balance. Instead of quitting alcohol altogether, perhaps you could drink during fewer days of the week, or chooser a less strong alternative. For those with a sweet tooth, you could choose an ice cream such as Halo Top, which has less calories than the regular cold stuff.

“It’s pretty easy to get discouraged by New Years’ resolutions when they are too rigid or limiting,” says Ryan Roznowski who is the Director of Brand and Marketing at Halo Top. “But when there is a way to progress on our wellness journeys without having to cut out the things we love like ice cream sticking to New Year’s resolutions is something we can all pull off.”

With a multitude of flavors, a regular tub of Halo Top contains around 330 calories and there are low carb options too. In August 2017, Halo Top became the best-selling ice cream in the U.S., disrupting the market share that had been held by the industry giants. It was also hailed by Time Magazine as one of the top innovations in that same year.

To make the act of keeping your 2024 new years’ resolutions all the sweeter, Halo Top is building a team of “Halo Top Athletes”, offering you a $5K endorsement deal and including ice cream (of course!), exclusive swag, a series of 1:1 coaching sessions, and even your very

own talent manager. Selected Halo Top Athletes will share their progress online, illustrating how they are sticking to their resolutions and inspiring others to do the same. From hitting PR’s in the weight room, to running that first marathon, anyone interested in joining the new Halo Top Athletes team can click here and apply by sharing their 2024 fitness or wellness goals. Everyone who is keeping their new years’ resolution, is a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia, and is 18 years of age or older, is eligible to get involved. Applications are open now until January 20, and the final roster of Halo Top Athletes will be announced February 20.

In an era where men seek natural solutions to enhance vitality, Inno Supps introduces T-Drive Magnum — a groundbreaking supplement designed to elevate male well-being through a revolutionary testosterone-boosting formula. As the landscape of male vitality supplements evolves, Inno Supps’ T-Drive Magnum emerges as a testament to the power of natural ingredients in promoting holistic health.

Everywhere you look, there’s a new T-booster on the market, signaling a true demand in the evolving market of male vitality supplements. But Inno Supps rises to the top with T-drive Magnum when it comes to natural supplements to supercharge male sexual health.

Inno Supps T-Drive Magnum sets the stage to explore the evolving stage of male vitality supplements and the growing need for trusted solutions.

Unveiling Inno Supps T-Drive Magnum: A Revolutionary Breakthrough Designed to Elevate Male Vitality

If you’re ready to kick things up a notch in the pursuit of peak male performance in the bedroom, plus overall health, well-being and vitality, look no further. Inno Supps’ T-Drive Magnum is the game-changer in the world of male vitality supplements. As we ride the wave of embracing all things natural for health, T-Drive Magnum steps into the limelight, promising a holistic boost to male vitality. But before we dive into the awesome benefits it packs, let’s take a look at what makes this testosterone-boosting formula so effective.

1. Boost Testosterone Production By Over 37%

Potent botanicals in T-Drive Magnum — Tongkat Ali and Fadogia Agrestis — have been clinically shown to help maximize both free and total testosterone levels. These ingredients stimulate hormones that trigger the testes to produce up to 37% more testosterone for ultimate male vitality. Blended with all the other testosterone-inducing ingredients, T-Drive Magnum is the best way to optimize male hormones naturally.

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Backed by studies, the powerhouse ingredient Fadogia Agrestis, combined with Horny Goat Weed, Fenugreek Extract, Tribulus Extract, and Coleus Forskohlii, fuels T-Drive Magnum, enhancing endurance and vitality. Experience elevated male sexual arousal, and heightened orgasms, and conquer age-related hormonal challenges effortlessly.

Stimulate Muscle Gains and Reduce Belly Fat By Up To 31%

T-Drive Magnum can help rapidly reduce fat stores and increase muscle mass. Tongkat Ali is clinically shown to help cut belly fat by up to 31%, paving the way for a chiseled physique. By optimizing your testosterone levels, you’ll supercharge muscle growth, strength, and endurance, while also elevating energy and motivation for better overall gym performance.

So how does T-Drive Magnum make the magic happen? It all boils down to the natural blends of ingredients that we break down below.

T-Drive Magnum Ingredient Breakdown: Elevating Male Performance Naturally

T-Drive Magnum is not merely a supplement; it’s a testament to the power of science and nature working in tandem. Now, let’s delve into the heart of this transformative formula with an in-depth breakdown of its key ingredients, each contributing to the synergy that makes T-Drive Magnum a true breakthrough in male vitality supplements.

Male Performance Enhancing Complex – Horny Goat Weed Extract and Fadogia Agrestis

• Dramatically increases testosterone production
• Helps achieve up to a threefold increase in sex drive to amplify bedroom performance
• Enhances energy, strength and muscle growth

Testosterone Potentiation Compound – Tongkat Ali

• Supercharges testosterone production by up to 37%
• Reduces belly fat by up to 31.9%
• Increases sperm concentration, motility and semen volume

Sexual Function Boosting Blend – Fenugreek Extract, Tribulus Extract and Coleus Forskohlii

• Naturally skyrockets libido
• Helps achieve prime masculine physique
• Optimizes male sexual function

Inno Supps T-Drive Magnum is Doctor-Approved and Endorsed

Inno Supps relies on a team of board-certified physicians who endorse the ingredient blends and benefits of each and every product. And board-certified urologist Dr. Anika Ackerman totally stands behind T-Drive Magnum. Her endorsement is rooted in the product’s potent and sought-after ingredients, offering users a reliable solution for their male well-being.

“As a practicing urologist, T-Drive Magnum unleashes supercharged total and free testosterone levels for unrivaled sex drive, stamina and relief from ‘aging man’ symptoms,” said Dr. Ackerman. “This product is revolutionary, incorporating the most potent and sought-after ingredients on the market, all the most highly bioavailable forms.”

Embrace Natural Male Vitality with T-Drive Magnum

T-Drive Magnum is your all-in-one solution for unlocking peak male performance and vitality. With the power to supercharge testosterone production by over 37%, stimulate muscle growth, and conquer stress, this groundbreaking supplement offers a transformative journey to a healthier, more energetic you.

Backed by scientific validation and doctor-approved and endorsed, T-Drive Magnum is not just a promise but a proven catalyst for male well-being.

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This is sponsored content. M&F is not endorsing the websites or products listed in this article.

However, going full steam ahead and doing an overhaul of your entire routine both in and out of the gym has a high probability of making you feel overwhelmed. That can lead to frustration, and then you’re back at square one.

Instead, start picking apart ways to make healthier decisions. Use these tips to create lasting habits that lead you into the New Year — and beyond.

1. Start Puny, Think Mighty

Big goals are like heavyweight titles, and you’re in the featherweight division – for now. A 2020 scholarly scribble in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise says starting with puny goals is the secret sauce. And a 2019 brainy piece in Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences backs it up. So, forget the gym-hero daydreams and start with a walk. Yes, a simple, boring walk. Why? Because science said so. Aim for those 10-minute strolls that even your grandma brags about on Facebook. Keep it up, and soon you’ll be the one flexing in the family photos.

2. Find Your Fun or Suffer the Treadmill

Here’s a shocker: doing stuff you loathe will forever be as enjoyable as a root canal.  So if you dislike lifting heavy, don’t center your entire routine around that. You’ll find a reason to quit. Although it should be common sense, there is science to back this up: a 2017 study published in Frontiers in Psychology and a 2013 report from Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that fun or enjoyment is the glue to sticking with your sweat sessions. In other words, explore and try out different activities to see which ones you like most.

3. Track It, or It Didn’t Happen

Research published in 2016 in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that self-monitoring weight and physical activity led to greater weight loss and weight loss maintenance compared to subjects who didn’t self-monitor. Whether it’s with an app or old-school pen and paper; it might be worthwhile if you’re aiming to finally make a New Year’s resolution stick.

4. Make It Convenient

Weave your training or activities into your schedule. Don’t shoehorn them in. A 2018 study in BMC Public Health reported that providing yourself with easy access gets you moving. Get your stuff out the night before, find a gym in proximity to your home or work, and schedule time that fits comfortably into your day-to-day.

5. Stack Your Habits

A 2019 report in Nature Human Behaviour suggested that piggybacking new habits with old were more likely to stick with the new behavior.

Here’s what that might look like:

Cue: As you get ready to leave for work (your existing habit), you remind yourself to take the stairs (your new habit).

Action: Instead of taking the elevator, you take the stairs. You might even time yourself or count the steps to add a little challenge.

Reward: After successfully taking the stairs, you might reward yourself with a small coffee or a pat on the back for sticking to your new habit.

6. Recruit a Buddy

Research published in Preventive Medicine and Health Psychology found that recruiting someone to train with you leads to more progress. A few positive effects include:

• increased motivation
• improved performance
• enhanced mood and well-being

7. Exercise Patience & Prioritize Recovery

Research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that it takes roughly 66 days for habits to stick. Don’t take that as gospel, but the point is that habits don’t take shape overnight, and you won’t see changes in body competition overnight, either. Sometimes, you will feel like giving up, slacking off, or too sore to train.

Prioritizing recovery as part of a fitness routine is crucial for long-term health and athletic performance. And it so happens our partners at Charlotte’s Web have a customizable CBD recovery set you can pick up to aid your recovery efforts.

The Recovery Gift Set (gummies, hemp extract oil, and balm or balm stick) features a blend of ginger, turmeric, and full-spectrum hemp extract with CBD, Ginger and turmeric are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce muscle soreness and speed up recovery time​*.

Studies indicate that CBD can help modulate the body’s inflammatory response after workouts, potentially aiding in quicker recovery and readiness for the next training session. This can be particularly beneficial following exercise-induced muscle damage, which is a normal part of the muscle-building process but can lead to temporary inflammation and soreness.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This entry is sponsored by Charlotte’s Web.

Cardillo started bodybuilding at 14 years of age and saw success by applying high intensity workout principles taught to him by Nautilus inventor, Arthur Jones, and Mr. Universe Mike Mentzer. He trained less than an hour per workout, four days each week. His workouts consisted of one all-out set of each exercise, performed to muscular failure, doing two to four sets per body part, unlike most bodybuilders who typically perform 15 sets each. Through his workouts and unique nutrition program, he developed extraordinary muscularity, causing Bob Kennedy of Muscle Mag to coin the term “shredded” to describe his extreme muscular conditioning.

John Robert Cardillo started winning bodybuilding titles at a very young age. “I won Junior Ontario Championships at 16, the Junior Canada Championship at 17, and the Open Mr. Ontario at 18,” he said. He also won Eastern USA Open and two more Mr. Ontario Championships before retiring at 23.

He then shifted his focus to the fitness business. “Over three decades, I opened 52 fitness clubs in Canada, averaging 50,000 square feet in size. I have had more than 5,000 full-time trainers work for me, teaching my HIT3 Workout and Transformation Diet programs to thousands of my members.”

Renting a 4,000 square-foot former martial arts studio, Cardillo spent three months renovating the space. He continued with his 4 times/week hi-intensity workouts at 6:00 am, and the rest of the day he was busy with manual labour on his gym. Obsessed with all-day, non-stop renovation work, he had no time to eat and had only 1 meal when he arrived home after 9:00 pm. He did not like to eat breakfast, having only coffee before workouts and drinking water all day. This continued for three months until the gym was completed. To his surprise, he had managed to get in incredible muscular shape, with friends asking him if there was an upcoming competition.

This experience gave Cardillo something to think about. After consulting with a biochemistry professor, who suggested that he read several studies on the function of hormones, it became obvious to him that the body’s hormones affect the state of behavior and hunger.

John Robert Cardillo also learned that during the daytime, while he was doing lower-intensity manual labour, his body was using stored fat for energy. When the body is not being fed glucose (from carbohydrates), the pancreas will not release insulin and instead releases a hormone called glucagon. Glucagon stimulates the liver to release glucose and fat cells to release fatty acids for energy requirements, resulting in the reduction of body fat.

Discovering this, Cardillo changed his bodybuilding prep diet strategy to a daily 22-hour fasting period, followed by a 2-hour feeding period, which included a healthy meal at 8:00 pm and a small snack at 10 pm. The two meals consisted of 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fats. The ingested food got metabolized overnight during sleep, and all the hormonal activity occurred during that time. By the time he woke up, his hormones were back to normal, and his cells had the fuel needed to carry on with his daily activities. By following this new eating program, Cardillo was able to easily stick to his competition prep diet and develop a “shredded” physique.

Today, John Robert Cardillo still works out four days each week, 45 minutes per workout, using his HIT3 workout system and follows his Transformation Diet Lifestyle Program to maintain a lean physique with 8% body fat. He says, “It’s my lifestyle. I’m not on a diet.”

One can imagine the expression on people’s faces when Cardillo introduces his 22-2 nutrition program. Cardillo explains, “People may incorrectly think that the body is going to cannibalize muscle during the 22-hour fasting period, which isn’t true. While fasting, the body will access only stored energy from our fat reserves. The only time the body starts to use amino acids from muscle cells is if the fast continues for long periods of time, such as 1 to 2 weeks or longer.”

“Fasting for 22 hours is perfect for fat loss while allowing the body the ability to increase lean muscle with proper training and two nutritious evening meals, because these meals are perfectly balanced with all the nutrients required.”

At first, people think that transitioning from their traditional way of eating to my Transformation Diet would be almost impossible. That is why he has a strategy to help work their way to his eating program.

“North Americans have a dependency on eating carbohydrate laden processed foods at every meal. To break this dependency, it is important to go through a four-day break-in period. By the end of the fourth day, their carbohydrate dependency is over, and their first meal of the day will be at 7:00 pm followed by a snack at 9:00 pm.

Cardillo shared, “This constitutes their first 22-hour fast. Days following, they are shocked by how well they feel. No hunger pangs, incredible energy, and clarity of thought!”

In his new book, The Transformation Diet Lifestyle Program, Cardillo makes the case that if individuals follow his program, they will easily lose two pounds per week of body fat. He features some of his clients who have achieved extraordinary results. Their testimonials are inspirational. Cardillo’s philosophies/strategies are backed by medical research studies/references.

“This book provides all the information needed by individuals who want to understand how body fat is gained or lost,” Cardillo said. “The healthy meal recipes included contain nutritional breakdowns and meal prep information for healthy, nutritious, and satisfying cuisine!

John Robert Cardillo is optimistic that his new book will continue the work he invested time and resources into over his career. “This is the cumulation of my long career in the fitness industry. By overweight individuals following the program outlined in my book, the obesity crisis that has afflicted the North American population would be eradicated. That’s why writing this book was important for me to do.”

Cardillo’s book can be found on Amazon and at transformationmastery.net. You can also follow Cardillo on Instagram @johnrobertcardillo.

In 2023, wearable technology and equipment accessories continued to rise to add variety to your home and gym workouts. Adding variety is excellent for keeping your interest high and for your gains. Although keeping up with trends is essential, especially with your health and fitness, you should remember that some fitness trends will always stay in style.

You know, stuff like barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and that little thing called progressive overload. When thinking about adding something trendy to your workouts, always consider whether it adds or takes away from what you’re already doing. Have you got it? Good.

With that in mind, five coaches with their finger on the fitness pulse weigh on which fitness trends they see will rise in 2024 and what will hope to die a fitness death.

Melody L Schoenfeld, MA, CSCS, an award-winning trainer, international speaker, and coach

Flourish: Training and nutrition based on your goals and values.

Perish: Demonizing vegetables.

Why Flourish: “Working out is often dogmatic: “You have to train THIS WAY and do THESE EXERCISES, or you’re WRONG!!” or “You have to eat THIS WAY, or you’re GONNA BE POISONED AND DIE.” The fact of the matter is that there are a lot of ways to move and a lot of ways to be healthy. If you’re meeting your nutritional needs, feel good, and your behaviors match your goals and values, then you’re likely on the right track. If your training supports how you want to feel, goals, and values, chances are, you’re training the right way.”

Why Perish: “Regarding veggies, recently, it’s become a big trend to go into supermarkets and say that THIS food is TOXIC because it has THIS ingredient/chemical/etc. But the fact is that nutrition is complex, and isolating one element of food isn’t a handy way of evaluating the whole. Veggies, fruits, whole grains, and legumes have many health benefits. If you don’t feel good eating them, don’t eat them. But if you’re eliminating them based odadsn some of the pseudoscience being put out there right now, you’re doing your overall health a disservice.”

Mike T. Nelson, Ph.D. Creator of the Flex Diet Cert & Phys Flex Cert, CSCS, CISSN,

Flourish: Flexible Nutrition

Perish: Long Fasting

Why Flourish: “Flexible Nutrition, when you follow solid nutrition principles, most people can reach their fitness goals.  It is doubtful that you need to weigh your broccoli daily, but you do need to understand that calories, macros, and micronutrition all matter.  Hit the basics with a solid yet flexible plan, and you don’t have to live on shoe-leather chicken breast and canned tuna only.”

Why Perish: “The idea that everyone needs to do a super long three- to seven-day fast. This is a big macho pissing match not based on any real human data. No cells from an aging one-eyed ferret are not human data.   If you want to do it as a challenge, maybe there is a place for it, but the idea that “science has proved” there to be a ton of documented benefit is BS.   Maybe in time, that will happen, but right now, I would give it a hard pass.”

Allan Bacon, Ph.D., Founder, Maui Athletics Fitness Coaching

Flourish: Focusing on shut-eye.

Perish: Extended Fasting.

Why Flourish: “I would love to see a shift to focusing on what matters in 2024.  So many people are looking for a quick fix and miss out on what will help.  Proper sleep is one of those core practices that can supercharge your performance in the gym and your physique.  And everyone ignores it!

Most adults require 8 hours of sleep, whereas intensely trained athletes require 9-10 hours. (Venter 2012) This has many benefits, including potentially doubling the testosterone compared to less than 7 hours! (PMID: 19684340, 17520786, 6405703)”

Why Perish: “ I would like to see the idea of extended fasting go the way of the tyrannosaur.  Not only does it come with no distinct benefits (not for cancer, body weight, cardiometabolic health, etc.), but it can exacerbate nutrient deficiencies and lean muscle loss.

Research suggests that there is no benefit for otherwise healthy people to extend fasting beyond the calorie deficit it creates, which means a standard continuous diet of equated calories yields the same benefits without the negatives. Even when we look at autophagy, that life-extending process you hear touted on every pseudo-scientific podcast, it appears that fasting makes no real difference and that a calorie deficit alone does the job. (PMID 31810345)”

Andrew Coates, Coach, Writer, and Speaker

Flourish: Home-cooked meals

Perish: Overcomplicating health and fitness information

Why Flourish: “This industry loves to glorify meal prep but can portray it as an arduous chore of bland food that takes up an entire Sunday. Instead of the growing reliance on expensive food delivery apps, one of the best ways to lose unwanted body fat and get back to a healthier routine is to prioritize 2 to 3 windows of time each week to cook a nourishing meal at home and scale the amount to produce a batch of meals that can last for 3 to 4 days at a time.

Having home-prepared meals means we’re less reliant on eating out, eating convenient, impulsive, fast, and often higher-calorie food. Recognizing that it doesn’t take much time or effort to cook a larger batch of ingredients into 4-6+ meals vs. just 1 goes a long way to see the time cost value of cooking at home.”

Why Perish: “The overcomplicating and “optimization” of fitness and health. The barrier to starting and staying consistent isn’t education. It isn’t a knowledge gap. It isn’t ensuring you get sunlight within an hour before waking or waiting to drink your coffee for a few hours. It doesn’t ensure you turn your wrist at the perfect angle to target the right muscle. Influencers, charlatans, and profiteers now have more avenues through social media to build brands upon sensational and often made-up rubbish.

We need fewer barriers to moving. How we move matters less than the fact we move at all. The exact foods we eat matter less than creating sustainable lifestyle habits that encourage us to progressively eat less ultra-processed food, more protein, more fruit and veggies, and fewer calories.”

How do you play racquetball?

One of the best things about racquetball is how simple it is to learn. Similar to handball and squash, racquetball requires the server to strike the ball and bounce it off the floor and onto the court’s front wall. The opposing player must hit the ball as it returns from the wall, only allowing for one floor bounce after it hits the wall. Only the server can score, and they gain a point by hitting the ball against the wall in a way that means their rival cannot return it within one bounce. If the server fails to return to the ball, then the opponent will gain the serve and their chance to score.

There is no net to hit the ball over, and unlike many racket-based sports, racquetball generally has no out-of-bounds-areas, making for exciting gameplay. The ball can hit the sidewalls or the ceiling on the way to the front wall, making for some epic angle work. Tournament games are played until the first person reaches 15 points but in recreational games you can set your own limits. Some players agree that the winner must be two points ahead, but this is not an official rule.

While the rules of racquetball are pretty simple, mastering the sport takes time. Peter Facinelli tells M&F that he first fell in love with the game in his twenties, and that his opponent, who was twice his age at that time, would constantly beat him. “I was younger, and I was quicker than him, but he literally had such great ball control,” recalls the star. “That was Chuck Daniels, the director and writer.”

Is racquetball good for getting fit?

Racquetball is an excellent sport for gaining and maintaining fitness levels. Beginners can expect to burn up to 500 calories at a standard pace while advanced players such as Facinelli can torch 800 calories in an hour.

There are plenty of studies that show those who play racket sports have less risk of heart disease and other ailments, meaning that leisure activities like this are a great way to keep fit as we age. On top of the physical benefits, improving your strategy around racquetball will keep your mind sharp too. Facinelli says that he is not a fan of going on long runs because he doesn’t find them stimulating, whereas racquetball is a great way to run around. “So, I’m doing something fun, and I’m getting the cardio that I need, and I’m also using my mind a lot,” he explains.

Can I combine racquetball with a gym session?

Peter Facinelli says that his gym sessions have improved both in terms of his output and his enjoyment since he began playing racquetball right before his gym sessions. Not only does he find that he is warmed up and more mobile, but he also feels amped up and ready to attack the weights with more gusto than when he did weights alone. “This is something that really helps me get out of bed, go and do something I enjoy, I’m already at the gym, and now I’ll lift for a little bit and keep my other muscles in shape,” he shares.

How do you get started with racquetball?

Fortunately, racquetball is one of the most assessable sports out there with courts available to hire in most local indoor sports centers. You don’t need to worry about the weather and in terms of equipment, the racket and balls are often available to hire, or you can pick your own equipment up. If you purchase entry level gear, it is not an expensive sport to get involved in. Games can be played with one opponent, or as doubles. If there are only three players, you can still participate under ‘every player for themselves’ rules. The star believes that everyone can grow into worthy racquetball players. “It’s a little awkward at first,” says Facinelli of getting to grips with the fast-paced nature of the game. “But you stick with it, and I’ve had people that have never played before, and within a month they are so much better and within three months they’re really good. You just keep showing up and playing, and you will start to figure out the angles.”

Peter Facinelli’s Go-To Racquetball Tips

“The trick to racquetball, if I learned anything from all the way back to Chuck Daniels teaching me … he never really moved a lot because it is all about ball positioning,” explains the On Fire actor and director. “So, you don’t have to run as much — if you can direct the ball to where you want it to go, you’ll make the other person run.”

Peter Facinelli says that he tries to stay in the center of the court and have his opponents running around him in order to pick up his points. If a player is behind him, he’ll give the ball a little tap with his racquet so that his rival will need to switch positions fast. “Maybe they will get it, and maybe they won’t,” he explains. With more than twenty years of experience playing racquetball, Facinelli says he can often think two or three moves ahead in terms of where he wants to hit the ball. “Time is slowing down, and speeding up, and slowing down. It’s really a fascinating game; mentally and physically, and I enjoy it.”

Follow Peter Facinelli on Instagram!

It’s just understood that big muscles are found in the gym. What you actually do once you’re in there to locate them in any large amount is a matter of great conjecture, but that’s another discussion. However, the conjecture element is germane to this discussion. While much conjecture indeed lies in the methodology that would most effectively and efficiently lead to muscle hypertrophy, I think we can all agree that such debate is still centered around a common belief. Unfortunately, there’s a band of devout capitalists gorging off the fitness industry’s ample teat, promising, in one form or another, a good enough-to-buy sounding workaround to what lies at the heart of the aforementioned group. In essence, they’re marketing the “easy button.” and this is nothing new.

I first discovered that I wanted/ had to get jacked when I was 12 years old. The Mr. Olympia contest was on ABC’s Wide World Of Sports. My dad just happened to be watching it and called me into the den, “you have to see this!” I came sliding around the corner in my socks on the hardwood floor and immediately came face to face with Sergio Oliva hitting a crab shot, and his ears nearly disappearing under his traps. Next to a gang of Hell’s Angels, that was the coolest thing I ever saw. Now, in addition to a Harley, I also needed to build me some muscles! As it turned out, it was easier to build a custom Harley – several of them over my lifetime in fact – than it was to build a custom physique.

The concept of building a bike is a fairly well-conceived and straightforward notion; cut up a bunch of metal and bolt it together. But building muscle? In 1972 in upstate New York? How do you do that? How do you even find out? (remember, no Instagram back then).

So there were these things called “magazines” that we used to read in an actual building called a library. Not completely extinct, you can find some old relics still in print on the checkout line at the grocery store. One of the big ones, when I was a kid, was called Boy’s Life (imagine trying to get away with such a title today!). In the back of the mags, there were all kinds of ads for all kinds of guy stuff from camping to hunting and fishing, woodworking plans, various camps, building project stuff, and quite naturally that included your physique. Joe Weider of course advertised in there, and so did several bodybuilders selling programs and weight sets.

Other contraptions too. One of the gimmicks I fell for was this pulley thing with two ropes that you hung on a door knob. The ropes went from each hand, through the pulleys, and to a stirrup into which you’d put each foot. You’d lie on the floor, start with one arm over your head, and pull it down as your corresponding foot rose up. As you lowered your foot, you pulled down with the other hand and your other leg would pass the downward-moving leg on its way up. Kind of like a flat scissoring motion. Doing this for five minutes a day was supposed to somehow result in “washboard abs.” (That never happened). And, of course, Charles Atlas was turning the 95-pound weakling, who got sand kicked in the face, into a jacked-up MMA fighter, using a weightless system he invented called dynamic tension. And other stuff too…

It was all confusing. What was true? Who’s program worked? Who’s muscle-building drink? Which brand of equipment? Weight sets? No weights? In reality, none of that shit worked. Boys all over America spent dimes and quarters like mad searching for the answer to a question we were all not even comfortable asking, nor even complaining about getting ripped off trying to find out. How do you make your muscles bigger? Man if that ain’t the $64,000 question at the heart of nearly every boy’s passage into manhood. Or at least it should be.