Bodybuilding Media Outlets of Today V.S. Yesteryear

It seems as if bodybuilding websites have gone backwards over the past few years.  In my eyes the four major players in online bodybuilding entertainment are: 

1.) Rxmuscle.com

2.) Muscular Development.com

3.) Bodybuilding.com

4.) Flexmagazine.com

Muscular Development

For some reason the quality and frequency of videos have decreased.  I was first introduced to Musculardevelopment.com back in 2009 by one of my gym buddies.  I recall skimming the website for hours on end and taking notes on workout structure, exercise form, and just about anything else the filmed bodybuilder discussed (I was a newbie so give me a break!).  Needless to say Musculardevelopment became a significant part of my life as I was all about the bodybuilding lifestyle.  Quality videos were released on a daily basis.  Some videos that come to mind from MD's glory days include:  

1.) Victor Martinez' In the Trenches with Bill Comstock.  Victor trains back.

       A.) I wanted to provide a direct link to the series but of course the MD link no longer works.  (Video can be found on youtube if you google search the above title)

2.)  Evan Centopani Trains Legs with Chris and PJ Braun Part 1and Part 2.

       A.) Same as above. Unfortunately links do not work. Try google searching the above title in youtube or google.

3.) Kai Greene on the Road: Hungry for the Win Part 1 and 2

     A.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tddkr7Oxf8U

4.) Evan Centopani Road to the Arnold Classic 2012

     A.) Link: http://www.musculardevelopment.com/mdtv/evan-centopani-animal.html

5.) Kai Greene and Oscar Videos. Road to the 2010 Arnold... Leg Day

     A.) Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odP0ka1p9rY

These videos are only a few examples of the quality work that people like Dave Palumbo, Bill Compstock, and Robbie Durand published.  I personally believe that MD has lost a lot of this quality in the videos they now produce.  One series that in my eyes  was a total let down was Behind the Lines with Evan Centopani.  Evan has a large fan base on MD and these videos failed where past Evan Centopani videos succeeded.  Take for example the Evan Centopani Day in the Life Series (Link: http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php/100767-Evan-Centopani-quot-Day-in-Life-quot-Videos-1-5-ALL-VIDS-FROM-EVAN-WEEK-HERE) and Evan Centopani Off Season Cooking video (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkksoCcO5ew).  These two aforementioned videos included quality training footage as well as educational segments in the kitchen.  In addition to these two qualities, the video also gave us a unique lifestyle back drop.  If MD could go back to the days of yesteryear, the website would take its place as the number one bodybuilding media outlet.  Until then it will continue to fall behind the competition. 

RXMUSCLE

            Rxmuscle was created by Dave Palumbo after he parted ways from MD.  I became aware of Rxmuscle shortly after my discovery of MD.  Although it lacked the resources available to MD, RXMUSCLE.com turned out to be formidable competition for MD.  In its early years, RXMUSCLE became famous for its IRON ASYLUM VIDEO SERIES.  Dave Palumbo who in my eyes is one of the best if not the best interviewer in the bodybuilding and fitness industry is the greatest asset of RXMUSCLE.com.  The guy has a ton of knowledge in all aspects of the bodybuilding lifestyle: training, nutrition, supplementation, anabolics, and the mindset/mental aspect of bodybuilding.  Over the years only a select few people have had the ability to contribute to RXMUSCLE.com.  From my understanding John Romano, Jeff the Producer,  Pete the Intern, and Aaron Singerman played major roles in making RXMUSCLE a success (I apologize to others who work behind the scenes).  There is something about Dave Palumbo’s bank of knowledge and interview skills that make almost all his videos entertaining yet educational.  He is able to ask questions and make comments that teach the viewer more about proper training, workout structure, and nutrition/supplementation ideas.  Over the past few years RXMUSCLE has taken a new direction.  I would go as far as to say that it has abandoned the original Iron Asylum Series and has replaced it with an inferior lineup of training videos.  These new videos no longer have Dave Palumbo conducting interviews and I am sure the videographer has also changed since the original Iron Asylum.  Over time the interviewers have changed from Dave Palumbo to John Hansen to Aaron Singerman to Luis Uridel.  One can refer to the videos below to see the difference in educational and entertainment value of the videos.

Dave Palumbo:

1.)    http://www.rxmuscle.com/video/in-the-iron-asylum/179-iron-asylum-training-juan-qdieselq-morel-blasts-legs.html

2.)    http://www.rxmuscle.com/video/in-the-iron-asylum/901-trey-brewer-trains-back-3-weeks-from-the-2009-npc-nationals.html

John Hansen (I’d say second to Dave in terms of quality):

1.)    http://www.rxmuscle.com/video/in-the-iron-asylum/8976-michael-scott-trains-back-before-the-npc-pbw-tampa.html

Luis Uridel (Interesting athlete but again missing the knowledge of Dave P.) :

        1.) http://www.rxmuscle.com/video/in-the-iron-asylum/9761-big-jon-ward-trains-legs-at- the-mecca-2.html

Aaron Singerman (bodybuilders training were definitely entertaining but video would’ve been ten times better had Dave P. been conducting the interview.

1.)    http://www.rxmuscle.com/video/in-the-iron-asylum/8306-might-mike-quinn-hits-back-with-his-training-partner-shw-dave-riley.html

Overall I’d say RXMUSCLE provides some of the best radio and play by play in our business. Scratch that, there is no question that it provides the best radio and written play by play.  Heavy Muscle Radio and Blue Collar Muscle are great.  The play by play for any show is awesome and they maintain their quality regardless of the people contributing to that particular play by play.  Dave P., Chris Aceto, Luis Uridel, and John Hansen all do a great job providing accurate and detailed descriptions.   Some of the new shows that are set to be released in 2014 have potential to be great additions to the site.  However, RX will only become the number one in bodybuilding online media if they are able to incorporate all these new/unique ideas with the old school/traditional Iron Asylum videos with Dave P.

BEST VIDEOS IN BODYBUILDING?

Although they don’t appear on the list of top bb media outlets, I would have to say that Official Animal Pak and UNIVERSALUSA77 youtube channels take the cake.  Surprisingly enough, this supplement company has an amazing advertisement and marketing team that has found its niche in video production.  They provide quality and entertainment for all types of athletes from power lifters, bodybuilders, and strongmen.  Their videos follow a unique plot line which includes training, nutrition, and lifestyle footage.  I definitely have to thank Animal for producing such awesome videos and providing bb fans with great entertainment. Some of the best videos thus far include Universal Road Trip New Jersey Edition, the recent Evan Centopani Being a Bodybuilder video series, and the Evan Centopani Prep for the Olympia and Arnold Classic video series (2012).  Check out their youtube channels:

            https://www.youtube.com/user/UniversalUSA77

            https://www.youtube.com/user/UniversalNutrition

I also want to give a shout out to Mike Pulcinella.  His style still retains the quality and entertainment value he created since his days of working with KAI GREENE’s DVD series. 

I hope all the bodybuilding and fitness fans out there found this little write up interesting.  Feel free to share your thoughts and be sure to check out some of the links from above.

Much Love,

Anthony.