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  1. #16
    musclesportmag.com Joe Pietaro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mobster View Post
    I disagree. It became something less but started out ok. They were THE go-to source back when they started out. Others fell by the wayside. However, sites like MD (when John and Dave were there and after) and RX now (as well as various YT channels now) took up where Flex was ands carried it on beyond where they stayed.

    When sites like Bodybuilding.com and later Amazon started doing webcasts Flexonline didn't. As I say - good start but dropped the ball.
    When I worked for FLEX in 2012, it was when Robbie Durand was the Editor-in-Chief and Mike Salazar was doing a lot of stuff there, as well. They wanted to build up the forum on the site and we tried, but it never really caught on at all. The magazine was pretty good with ZKK doing his column and a bunch of top-name IFBB pros with their ghostwritten columns (I did about four of them every month).

    The good thing with Robbie is that he recognized the need for video content on the site and did a lot of just that. Mainly interviews before and after shows and behind-the-scenes material from the on-location photo shoots.

  2. #17
    Moderator Mobster's Avatar
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    100% on the forum. They never did well with that at all.
    06, 08, 09 and now 2010 British (4x) and 2008/2010 European Grip Champion (2x)

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by USMC 1371 View Post
    What big chains is Flex sold at? I would like to buy the last one. The first one I bought was with Mohammed Benaziza on the cover.
    FLEX is generally on all major magazine stands. Most Wal-Marts carry it, & any big box bookstore will have it.

  4. #19
    OLYMPIAN MusclePoppins's Avatar
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    I enjoyed having the magazines in the house and going through them during cardio at the gym.

    The website had some good lead-up videos to the Arnold and Olympia in 2009, 2010, 2011. The best was Kai Greene and Oscar Ardon in an empty gym with no music doing a hard back workout late at night.

    Eventually everything stopped and the ads made the website almost impossible to use, not that there was anything to see on it anyway.

    They could have still ran a good website, but demolished their own online presence and coverage. At the very least it would have been nice to have easy-to-access (and organized) video archives of all the athletes. There was a lot of good stuff.

    Now we rely on Instagram posts from top guys who don't release photos or training videos anymore. There's no build-up. The sport feels empty and we put too much pressure on Kevin Levrone's leg development to prop it up for us.

    Eventually there will be no coverage. The promoters seem to discourage it.

    During Jay Cutler's comeback in 2013 when Phil and Kai were at their peak was the last time magazines and online coverage of the athletes still felt like it was going to be okay for a bit longer. There was still lots of content leading up to shows. But the decline sped up after that.

    I thought we'd be okay though. I thought RX would be the last man standing and covering all the shows, and eventually live-streaming all the shows. One-stop-shopping for bodybuilding content. But Dave wanting to cover a show has become a reason to call the police.
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  5. #20
    OLYMPIAN EvanL's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MusclePoppins View Post
    I enjoyed having the magazines in the house and going through them during cardio at the gym.

    The website had some good lead-up videos to the Arnold and Olympia in 2009, 2010, 2011. The best was Kai Greene and Oscar Ardon in an empty gym with no music doing a hard back workout late at night.

    Eventually everything stopped and the ads made the website almost impossible to use, not that there was anything to see on it anyway.

    They could have still ran a good website, but demolished their own online presence and coverage. At the very least it would have been nice to have easy-to-access (and organized) video archives of all the athletes. There was a lot of good stuff.

    Now we rely on Instagram posts from top guys who don't release photos or training videos anymore. There's no build-up. The sport feels empty and we put too much pressure on Kevin Levrone's leg development to prop it up for us.

    Eventually there will be no coverage. The promoters seem to discourage it.

    During Jay Cutler's comeback in 2013 when Phil and Kai were at their peak was the last time magazines and online coverage of the athletes still felt like it was going to be okay for a bit longer. There was still lots of content leading up to shows. But the decline sped up after that.

    I thought we'd be okay though. I thought RX would be the last man standing and covering all the shows, and eventually live-streaming all the shows. One-stop-shopping for bodybuilding content. But Dave wanting to cover a show has become a reason to call the police.
    Yea those classic flex videos were awesome. I remember way back maybe 2007 or 2008 flex made a post with Phil Heath and it was when Phil first made the transformation into a monster and it just said "wtf" and I can't seem to find it anywhere. But videos like this were classic flex online I don't know why they didn't keep this up
    https://youtu.be/EelfXYa_-aU

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  6. #21
    OLYMPIAN EvanL's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by EvanL View Post
    Yea those classic flex videos were awesome. I remember way back maybe 2007 or 2008 flex made a post with Phil Heath and it was when Phil first made the transformation into a monster and it just said "wtf" and I can't seem to find it anywhere. But videos like this were classic flex online I don't know why they didn't keep this up
    https://youtu.be/EelfXYa_-aU

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
    I found the photo I remember this came out in 2008 and everyone knew Phil was the next big thing
    3396.jpg

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  7. #22
    musclesportmag.com Joe Pietaro's Avatar
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    I suppose it's sort of a double edged sword but it seemed as if FLEX was trying to separate itself from the old Weider days when that was their strongest asset. But they tried to 'modernize' it and go away from that style and look. Grasp that history and don't shy away from it just because people are using Instagram.

  8. #23
    OLYMPIAN EvanL's Avatar
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    Just read that AMI (American Media) who just recently dropped flex is in talks to possibly acquire Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Money and Time magazine's which would explain why they were trying to "lighten the load" and got rid of flex. If they end up buying sports illustrated I would expect them to fold muscle and fitness into that.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  9. #24
    musclesportmag.com Joe Pietaro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by EvanL View Post
    Just read that AMI (American Media) who just recently dropped flex is in talks to possibly acquire Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Money and Time magazine's which would explain why they were trying to "lighten the load" and got rid of flex. If they end up buying sports illustrated I would expect them to fold muscle and fitness into that.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
    Wow. That would be a huge acquisition getting those titles. I also read that AMI bought Men's Journal and will be 'merging' Men's Fitness into that, thus leaving them with M&F & MJ. Perhaps M&F will go back to a more bodybuilding style since they have the other side covered.

  10. #25
    OLYMPIAN EvanL's Avatar
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    The final cover just arrived in the mail. Strangely enough with an offer to renew my subscription to flex for 2 more years! Lol20180323_214420.jpg

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  11. #26
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    I subscribe to M&F & it has done more bodybuilding content in recent issues. It covered both the USA & the Nationals this last year (besides the Olympia). The April issue I just got is completely standard, though--cover is a promo for the "Ripped by Summer" feature, w/ IFBB pro Anton Antipov, advice on squatting, nutrition info, two figure competitor spreads, & media crossover info (NFL draft & golf). It remains to be seen whether it gets more hardcore. Zack Zeigler is exec editor now. I just renewed.
    Last edited by hifrommike65; 03-24-2018 at 08:18 PM.

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