STRENGTH SENSEI BOOKSHELF
Muscular Development Magazine
A look at one of Charles R. Poliquin’s favorite bodybuilding magazines
The Strength Sensei was a muscle magazine junkie. Although much of the content in popular magazines could be considered junk, he was always able to find hidden jewels that he shared with his followers. One of these magazines that he liked and wrote for was Muscular Development.
Along with Strength and Health, Muscular Development was part of a one-two punch of health and fitness magazines published by the York Barbell Company, which sold exercise equipment and nutritional supplements. Their primary marketing method was Strength and Health, a newsstand print magazine started in 1932 by Bob Hoffman, an early advocate of using weight training for physical and athletic fitness.
Hoffman’s primary interest was competitive weightlifting, and his York Barbell Weightlifting Team dominated US weightlifting for several decades. York won the team title at the Senior National Weightlifting Championships for 29 years, losing to Jim Schmitz’s Sports Palace Team in 1982. For more on Hoffman and York Barbell, check out Muscletown USA by John D. Fair and the Muscles, Smoke and Mirrors books by Randy Roach.
Strength and Health magazine ran for 54 years and heavily focused on competitive weightlifting. However, Hoffman recognized the popularity and financial value of bodybuilding, so in 1964 began publishing a magazine devoted to bodybuilding. In contrast to the Weider publications, MD focused on AAU competitions.
John Grimek competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in weightlifting and won the Mr. America and Mr. Universe titles. He was the editor of Muscular Development until 1964 when it was sold to the Twinlab company in Boca Raton, Florida. (FYI: For followers of the Strength Sensei, the November 1988 issue featured an article he wrote on arm training called “Arm-O-Rama.”)
In 2001, Twinlab sold MD to Steve Blechman. Whereas York Barbell was considered a major competitor of Weider and did not report on IFBB contests, Blechman heavily promotes all the pros. And compared to Grimek’s version, Blechman’s MD is considerably more “hardcore.” Here is their mission statement:
“Muscular Development reports the good, the bad and the ugly! By pulling no punches, we generate a bold, unique stance in the industry by revealing the cold, hard truth. Reality media is the new frontier, and Muscular Development and musculardevelopment.com are leading the way. We provide cutting-edge, scientific research from the most respected experts in the industry, and up-to-the-minute breaking news. Knowledge is power. We are outrageous, we are credible and we are NUMBER ONE!”
Approximately 98 percent of MD readers are male, with 48% percent of the readers being between 21-30 years. Only 9% percent are under 20 and just 2% are over 50. Ninety-four percent of the readers said their primary goals are muscle gain and fat loss. Want to advertise in MD? A full-page color ad is north of $8,000 and an inside front cover spread will set you back about $17,000. On a budget? A 1/3 page, black and white ad is discounted to about $1,700. Of course, check with the MD website for current rates.
Before the Internet, magazines were one of the primary resources bodybuilders went to for inspiration and information about training and nutrition. For this reason, Muscular Development magazine deserves to be mentioned in any discussion about bodybuilding history. (TSS)
[You can subscribe to Muscular Development magazine through their website: musculardevelopment.com.]
