Most people don’t use dietary supplements because they’re sick. They use them because they’re well—and they want to keep it that way. A common misconception about supplements is that they’re weaker versions of prescription drugs that treat disease. But trying to prevent and treat serious illnesses are not the main reasons people take supplements, according… read more
Author Archives: Jim Schmaltz
An Antidote to Scandal
The last few months have seen a number of sports idols disgracing themselves. Lance Armstrong leads this rogue’s gallery of fallen heroes after his dramatic confession to Oprah Winfrey that he stuffed his veins with EPO, testosterone and his own blood. While Armstrong was trying to defuse LieStrong, Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o was explaining his… read more
Return of the King
Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman aims to conquer another field: sports nutrition. Maybe it’s the melodious Louisiana drawl, the “aw shucks” grin, or his easy, meandering gait, but Ronnie Coleman doesn’t strike the casual observer as having the kind of type-A personality and intensity that drives someone to fight and claw his way to the… read more
Fat of the Land
Recently released statistics on national obesity and diabetes rates are scary. Like a 350-lb guy sitting next to you on a five-hour plane trip scary. America’s extra tonnage isn’t merely an opportunity for cheap jokes, however. It really is a crisis. The nation’s already overstressed health-care system is further burdened by diseases caused by obesity,… read more
Fighting Shape
I don’t know if this is our best issue ever, but it’s certainly our Frenchiest. (I realize that’s not a word, but it’s proof of the risks we’re willing to take in 2013. No fear!) Our cover subjects, actor Gilles Marini and UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo, are French immigrants who made it big in the… read more
Mission Readiness
As you can see from our cover, former Green Beret Grady Powell is certainly fit, but not like the usual muscle-bound athletes who regularly grace our cover. Real-life heroes don’t have Mr. Olympia-level physiques that bulge out of Spandex. Green Berets and other Special Forces members aren’t even allowed to divulge the details of their… read more
Don’t Call It a Comeback
Photography by Jason Ellis Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler is skipping the ‘12 Mr. O. Disappointed? Wait until you see him in ‘13. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” Jay Cutler would undoubtedly concur with that modern invocation of Billy Shakespeare’s famous line. Seconds after the Massachusetts native earned his first Mr.… read more
The Hidden Wonders of Creatine
A few years ago, creatine was under attack by misinformed alarmists fretting over the supplement’s use by young athletes. Wrongly blamed for the premature deaths of collegiate wrestlers who applied disastrous dehydration methods to cut weight, creatine was high on the hit list of those hand-wringing purveyors of the “mommy state.” And it continues to… read more
Games Without Thrones
Competitive sports aspire to achieve tran- scendent moments, but the Olympics seem to have a monopoly on them. Despite the occa- sional overhyped, overpaid superstar (we’re looking at you, Lebron), the athletes who com- pete every four years in the Summer Games make tremendous sacrifices with no guarantee of glory or riches. Sure, the endorsement… read more
Remake, Remodel
You ever heard the saying: “Exercise is the poor man’s plastic surgery”? Sure, squats, bench presses and cardio aren’t going to give you the equivalent of chin implants and facelifts, but an effective training and nutrition program can mimic some surgical alterations, like liposuction, tummy tucks and glute implants. Even breasts can look enhanced with… read more