The Weider magazines and American Media Inc.The dirty fight with Dr Phil.

It would be an exaggeration to say the National Enquirer owns FLEX magazine.But it's uncomfortably close to the truth.
The parent company of  the Weider magazines;Flex,Muscle & Fitness, and Men's Fitness is American Media Inc.AMI as it's also known is a media company that owns the tabloid publications the National Enquirer,Star,The Globe,OK! and Soap Opera Digest.
They also own the online gossip site RadarOnline.com.

Here is their site. http://www.americanmediainc.com/

Weider Publications which was founded by Joe and Ben Weider was sold to AMI in 2003.Joe Weider died in 2013.Ben Weider,who was head of the International Federation of Bodybuilders,died in 2008.
Eric Weider,Ben's son,now runs the Weider family business.
Dr Rafael Santonja is now head of the IFBB.

Bodybuilding as it now exists was largely the Weider brothers creation.
AMI is in the business of selling sleaze,and muscle.I think that's bad for Bodybuilding.Joe Weider made a terrible mistake.
The circumstances are understandable.He was an old man and was aware of his mortality.I'm sure AMI offered a lucrative payout.But why didn't he consider the reputation of the company he sold out to? It was shortsighted to say the least.
The gossip empire of AMI is built on the worst kind of mentality.It panders to the petty minded curiosity,and contempt of the jealous losers of the world.A bunch of uneducated drudges who want to stick their noses up other people's business.People who for some reason find the private lives of celebrities interesting.They've been trained to consume this silly noxious nonsense.
Do they ever notice the fact that the gossip rags lie? And if they're not outright lying they're exaggerating,and warping the truth.Always taking the most sensationalistic view of things.Which is in fact not an ethical way to cover information.It's toxic.
Who can even keep up with the stream of lurid drivel that passes by on the store racks.Does anyone even bother to take any of it seriously? I don't know.I hope not many.
I suppose it would be possible to have a form of  gossip that wasn't ruthless bile.But this isn't it.

So the latest mess involving this purveyor of crud is the feces throwing fest that is going on between AMI,and Dr Phil McGraw.
It seems they had some kind of agreement to lay off him,and it ran out.
He sued them.For quite a mint of money too.
So in retaliation AMI has blasted Dr Phil with a smear campaign across seemingly all of it's media outlets.
Including the bodybuilding websites.It's unwanted,and annoying.
It's not the muscle world's fight.But they are using everything they have to attack their enemy.
On the FLEX website for instance.

I don't know about,or particularly care about Dr Phil's case.I've never been a viewer of his show more than a few times.I have no idea how this will turn out.I have no idea if any of the allegations against him are true.
But it could be critical for AMI.No doubt they're concerned with the recent lawsuit against the gossip news site Gawker.They were sued by the pro wrestling performer Hulk Hogan for publishing a sex tape.
They lost. It might put them out of business.Of course they appealed.
I have no sympathy for them.They brought it on themselves.See the New York Times Gawker article of May 2016.

And here is one very pertinent quote from the article that AMI should keep in mind.

Several of the suits have found fault with Gawker’s tendency to link coverage across several websites, opening up the stories for reader discussion and, in some cases, online harassment.

So maybe not such a bright idea to run a smear job on all your websites?
I would honestly just laugh if this all blows up for AMI and guts them.That probably won't happen though.I don't have subscriptions to any of their fitness magazines.Most of the Bodybuilding scene is online now anyway.But still it's a shame for such a disreputable company to own these old muscle mags.
However this suit with Dr Phil turns out they should keep it off the Bodybuilding sites.

Monica Mollica on Hormone Therapy for Women

Monica Mollica has also written on hormone therapy for women.Which is great because there isn't much coverage of the issues involving women's hormone usage in the Bodybuilding media.There is some coverage of Women's use of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids ( AAS ) for muscle building.But not comprehensive writing on the whole picture of Estrogen,Progesterone,and Testosterone in women,and HRT treatment in mature women.Mollica has made a point of addressing these issues.
She provided some links to articles she has written for a company "Ageless Forever" that specializes in Anti-Aging.It's a commercial site,and is clearly promoting the companies business.So I would take that into account on a site providing medical information.But it's still interesting.

Article; What are Bioidentical Hormones?

http://www.agelessforever.net/bioidentical-estrogen-progesterone-hrt/what-are-bioidentical-hormones

This is a really interesting article on the use of DHEA by Women.It may help provide relief from menopausal symptoms,and help mature women retain some vitality as they age.It discusses DHEA vs traditional HRT,and dosing considerations.

http://www.agelessforever.net/bioidentical-estrogen-progesterone-hrt/dhea-why-it-is-especially-important-for-menopausal-women

Monica Mollica on Testosterone deficiency and treatment in Men

Monica Mollica has posted an interesting article on Will Brink's site about a consensus conference held in late 2015 to address issues relating to treating men with testosterone deficiency.This is mostly about older men,and not those using testosterone for performance enhancement in athletics.
It supports the conclusion that testosterone can be used safely,and does have genuine health benefits
Mollica has been doing some really good work in bringing the scientific evidence about testosterone usage to the public.This is not Bro,or Sis science.

http://www.brinkzone.com/anti-aging-and-hrt/testosterone-deficiency-and-treatment-the-facts/

Earplugs equal peace and quiet

I'm sure everyone knows about earplugs.But have you ever actually tried them?
Trust me.They're effective,and comfortable.
I work out at home in my own gym area.I can listen to whatever I want,or nothing.But if you work out in a crowded public gym you're probably getting bombarded with auditory distraction.Crappy music,people talking, announcements over the speaker system.Some people tune things out better than others.
I find excessive noise a bother so I've been wearing earplugs for a long time.
I know you can listen to music on your own device.But that's active listening.Maybe some people really get charged up listening to music when they work out.Good if that works for you.But there are a number of situations when quiet is sweet relief.Maybe you have to take a bus to the gym.Pop in the plugs,and tune out the environment.And if you're at the gym and you don't want people talking to you,it can send a message that you're in serious mode.You won't even have to wear a rude t-shirt telling people to bug off anymore.
Of course they can also be a great help in reading/studying/focusing on work whatever the setting.   

The ones I included a picture of are from the top brand in the business,Mack's.They make a whole line of earplugs for different needs.Including for swimming,and shooting sports.
They do make very soft earplugs for sleeping.Now you can live with that snoring spouse a little easier.Maybe you won't have to throttle the neighbor for his yapping mutts.
They are actually soft enough to be comfortable.After awhile you hardly notice they're in.I find that once I'm asleep I don't tend to register much outside noise.The trash trucks can do their banging business without waking me up.But I can still hear the alarm clock when it goes off.( I use an interesting kind of alarm clock which I'll post about some time ).
If you're at all prone to anxiety,I think these could be helpful too.It does reduce the general stimulation.
They might be helpful to a kid with ADHD,or Autism to reduce distraction,or provide a calmer feeling.

A few notes on use.They do make some out of silicone that are like soft putty.They will conform to the ear,but are a little too gushy.They can squish too far into the ear canal.They also need to be cleaned,and reshaped after use.You'll wake up with your hair stuck to them.I did use them in the past.But I prefer the foam ones.
The foam earplugs will come in different levels of decibel reduction.That's the measure of environmental sound reduction.It will state the level on the package.Such as NRR 29 dB.That means the reduction will be 29 decibels if used properly.
I would advise you to clean your ears before putting in the plugs.You don't want greasy,waxy ears anyway.You can wash them with soap,and water and dry them well.You can also use a rag,or tissue and clean the outside with a little hand sanitizer like Purell..Of course Q-tips tells us never to put swabs in your ear canal.I'm sure we all carefully avoid doing this too.
The foam plugs are squeezed into a tighter shape,and inserted into the ear canal where they will expand to fit snugly.They can be reused a number of times.When they feel like they're getting dirty,throw them out.
They're not expensive.
The quiet is well worth the price.

I just want to live in peace and quiet. Agnetha Faltskog
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/peace_and_quiet.html

Sleepy time workout

Not having an adequate night's sleep is lousy for working out.You just feel sleepy,and slightly out of it.Maybe more than slightly.
It happens to people for different reasons.Some can't fall asleep,some can't stay asleep. Some fall asleep,wake up and thrash around for an hour then fall back asleep,and over sleep and feel like crap.
I almost always fall asleep fine.I wake up to pee,and can't fall back asleep sometimes.My brain just won't let me back down.Then my cat comes into the bedroom,and finishes the job by sitting on me.I don't blame my cat.I'm her servant.She needs things.Sigh.

That happened today.I was about two hours short of my usual eight hours.So I just got up,and got on with my day.
I was very sleepy,and was feeling the aches and pains.Two cups of coffee.
But I had a leg day scheduled,and was determined to do it.I watched a few videos on YouTube to put me in a better frame of mind.Warmed up my legs.Rubbed on a little Aspercreme,and hit the stationary bike.I did about five minutes of intense on and off sprints.Felt much better,and ready to go.
I did a strong leg workout.Deep squats.Good weights.Did some work on the hamstrings,and calves too.Not an overlong workout.About an hour and fifteen minutes.
I was sleepy when I started,and satisfied when I was through.

It's not about feeling like it.It's about doing it.

That's one of the great lessons of experience.

What makes a weightlifter?

Doing it of course.But that's not all.
This is a question of what you are to yourself,and what you appear to be to others.Do you look like a weightlifter?And what does a weightlifter look like? Do you have to look like you lift to be the authentic article?
I think the stereotype is the bulky,lumbering oaf.Which is mostly exaggerated.Many people lift weights and don't look that abnormal.I think some Olympic Weightlifters who are great at what they do could walk down the street in regular clothes,and not stand out too much.A Power Lifter may be very strong looking,but would some people know by looking at them what they could do?
Some lift and look extraordinary.I wish I looked more like I lift than I do.I've done a lot of hard work with not enough awesome looking to show for it.I do train like a Bodybuilder.But I haven't always eaten like a Bodybuilder.I admit I feel cheated by that.But we don't all have the self discipline,or genetics,or the good fortune to be equally rewarded for our workouts.
I don't talk much about my lifting with others.I'm not involved in the gym culture even though I've spent time in gyms.I talk about it a little with my Doctor,a few friends,a few relatives.But I just don't have it in me to brag.Maybe if people looked at me and really noticed.I wonder what it must feel like to wear your work for all to see? That has to be one of the major reasons people work out in the first place.But I've rarely gotten that payoff.I'm inherently modest anyway.It might make me uncomfortable to get more attention.So maybe I'm not missing much.
I think we're lifters because it suits us.We're human Dray Horses.Take the bit in our teeth and haul away.Work hard for the sake of it.Pull.Push.Struggle.Lift.
That's me.I recognized it when I saw it.I knew I should do that.Like a string vibrating in sympathy to another string.I saw my kind.
I don't need other people to give me credit for it.I know how much work I do.
I think that's the best attitude to have.Wear it on the inside,and be comfortable with it.The strength is always there.I don't need other people's eyes to affirm it.I'll keep lifting no matter what.
But yes,I'm trying to bring it all in line more now.That feels like being a proper weightlifter,and respecting the whole process.
So I lift weights,train,bodybuild for myself.I live it.

The Golden Weight Set

This is from the back of Muscle and Fitness magazine from the early 80's.
The big deluxe weight set from Weider.My parents ordered it for me when I was a teenager.
I think I had other weights before this.I'm sure I did.Some of those bulky maroon plastic concrete filled dumbbells second hand.Before that the metal bar from my closet.If you're a determined kid,you make due.
I'm not sure the set I got was precisely like this.I don't remember the head harness.Also I really don't think they sent that many plates.I think that was for the photo to show what could be done with it.Still that's it.The goofy metal barbell shoes which were hopelessly awkward to use.The stick,and string were for your forearms.I think the black handles were to make some kind of kettlebell.I did eventually get better collars.
Here's the crazy thing.I still have it,and use it.Most of it anyway.
There is very little 'Planned Obsolescence' in barbells.You have to appreciate that.I can't tell you much money I spent restringing my tennis rackets with expensive french gut.But the iron...it lasts.