Wednesday, July 2, 2008

HCC: Magazines That Suck

I recently picked up a magazine at Barnes and Noble after not finding anything else I wanted to buy. The magazine, Men's Health, is similar to one I used to get when I was younger and hulkier but stopped my subscription after realizing that the editor-in-chief was Joe Wieder (who incidentally also owned Wieder Global Nutrition, etc.) and that the magazine was primarily used to plug is products. Anyway, I decided to get this for a quick, easy read that might also keep my motivation up while working out. Well, it was quick and easy. I swear, this magazine has 2 or 3 pages of add per page of large, bold type and pictures.

But what's more is that the organization is terrible. It throws little snippets of information without really tying into the larger picture. For example, on page 24, the magazine recommends eating wheat germ instead of taking Centrum Cardio, referencing a study in which men who consumed more multivitamins have a higher chance of getting prostate cancer. Then, on page 42, the magazine recommends taking "a daily multivitamin, like Centrum," because beta-carotene was found to be beneficial for brain health.

The other thing that bugs me is that these magazines are really just large ads. I can handle it when the magazine includes advertisements on every other page or even when they subtly place the ad for running shoes following an article on running. What I fuckin' hate is when every article recommends a product and gives the price and how you can order it.

For example, there is a one page pseudo-article on triathlons that was basically a plug for three really expensive, unnecessary items (pricey swim/run unitard, bike, and shoes). The thing that bugs me is that this is supposed to be a health magazine, not a pricey gadget magazine. WTF do I need to drop circa two grand to do a triathlon? If the point is being healthy, my 10 year old swimsuit, 7 year old mountain bike, and 5 year old sneakers should suffice. Unless you actually have a shot at winning, you don't need all that gear.

Obviously, not all magazines are as bad as this, but I think it's often hard to find the good ones. Stay away from this smut. All filler, no killer.

3 comments:

Slider said...

You got a magazine similar to Men's Health when you were younger? Does that mean you subscribe to the AARP Magazine now?

Speaking of mags, anybody remember SI for Kids? I do - that was the shit.

Anybody ever bought a porn(o)? I once took one from a friends' dad.

The Hulk said...

I forgot, see the thing you gotta know about the Hulk is that I was pretty much unstoppable circa 2000. Most people would agree that I was pretty much an adonis, molded from titanium. I could break a man's neck with my pecs. These days, the only way I can kill a man is if I sit on him. Ah glory days.

Oh yeah, and the only time I ever bought porn was when I was in France. I gave that shit to Jeremy.

Jeremy said...

French porn is weird. It took me an abnormally long time to get off while looking at it. I'm pretty sure I re-gifted that to Sammy.