Fitness can be depicted as a condition that helps us with looking, feel and set forth some courageous energy. Real Fitness incorporates the presentation of the heart and lungs, and the muscles of the body.
Australian YouTuber and online fitness coach, Tammy Hembrow’s ‘Saski’ Collection of gym wear, featuring strapless bodysuits, has been available since late 2022, but the internet can’t stop talking about it. Ultimate comfort or completely inappropriate? It seems that the fitness community is divided. With her new ‘Tropicana’ line being released into the world, we took a look at the reaction so far.
Recently taking to Instagram to show off her latest collection, Hembrow cuts a stunning figure in a range of revealing activewear, but perhaps the most attention-grabbing garment is the concept of a strapless bodysuit. While the attire looks great, and is no doubt perfect for the Australian sun, many gym goers were quick to criticize her couture.
Taking to the gymsnark channel on reddit, user ‘honchiebobo’ commented “How do all these women keep them up? I would be so worried during every lift that I am about to flash the gym.”
Fellow user, ‘QueenSparkleGlitter’ was even more unsure. “Horror story in 3 words: strapless gym gear” read the scathing comment.
“This has to be a joke,” asked ‘Clairegardner23.’ “Any normal person exercising doesn’t want to wear something short and tight or strapless. It’s so stupid.”
But of course, taste is individual. One look inside your local gym will probably present more than a few short and tight outfits. Supporting Hembrow’s designs keenly are her IG followers, and many can’t wait to spend their money on strapless.
“Brown, defo,” said ‘steveaucott1974, although it wasn’t clear if that was a sign of purchasing, or just admiration for the model herself. Still, her new range titled ‘Tropicana,’ featuring the controversial strapless brown bodysuit is likely to fly off the shelves.
“Just when you think @saski sets can’t get any cuter, you go and release the Tropicana collection!” exclaimed mayj1995. Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying!
DC have announced that principal photography has begun on the new Superman movie as of February 29, so with a fresh Supergirl spin-off also in the works, M&F takes a look at the latest actors set to don the capes and fight for “Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow.”
Originally titledSuperman: Legacy, the new movie based on the man of steel, set to be released next summer, has recently had its title edited toSuperman, and with Henry Cavill out of the franchise, David Corensweet has started work as the comic book icon, leaping into the leap year just like the last son of Krypton.
Who is David Corensweet?
As of writing, David Corensweet’s Instagram account contains just one post, and this is the first mysterious glimpse of the new Superman movie provided by director James Gunn. The 30-year-old actor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is perhaps best known for playing the projectionist inPearl(2022) and for starring in eleven episodes ofThe Politician(2019-2020) as ‘River Barkley.’
IMDB lists Corensweet as 6’ 4” tall, so he will have no difficulty towering over the likes of Lex Luther. And, while little is known about the plot so far, rumours are swirling that the story will focus on Superman’s early years, as he gets to grips with life as a superhero.
Who is Milly Alcock?
23-year-old Australian actress andHouse of Dragon(2022) star, Milly Alcock is set to play the Girl of Steel inSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow(or perhaps it will be cut to simply;Supergirl) but since the movie is in pre-production, this film is not expected to hit screens until 2027. There is speculation however, that Alcock’s version of Supergirl will make an appearance in the upcoming Superman movie. James Gunn has also commented that this is “not the Supergirl we’re used to,” leading to speculation that this of the angel of the sky may be more complex and edgy than some of the all-American girls of the past.
How will these new actors fair on the big screen, with even bigger shoes to fill? Perhaps Superman himself put it best; “There is a superhero in all of us. We just need the courage to put on the cape.”
The movements we do, whether sports or daily activities, come with an element of risk. Without the appropriate strengthening and recovery, this stress can lead to pain. One of those pains is the dreaded golfer’s elbow.
Golfer elbow, also known as pitcher’s elbow, is an inflammation of Medial epicondylitis (inner elbow ) caused by the excessive force of bending the wrist toward the palm. Movements like swinging a golf club, pitching a baseball, throwing a football, racket sports, or even imbalanced strength training may lead to golfers’ elbow.
If you have pain in your inner elbow during your warm-up, your driving distance is down, and the pain in the elbow is up, you may suffer from golfer’s elbow. Here, two physical therapists, Bo Babenko and Dan Swinscoe, give you the lowdown on treating and curing this elbow pain.
What Are The Causes Of Golfer’s Elbow?
The leading cause of golfers’ elbows is, surprisingly, not golf. Yes, golf is one of the causes, but it’s not tied to a single activity or injury. The main symptom of the golfer’s elbow is pain on the inside of the elbow, which worsens during activities involving wrist and forearm movements.
Here are the key points regarding the causes of golfer’s elbow.
Overuse or Repetitive Strain
It’s thought that golfer’s elbow is due to overactivity or repetitive strain when performing strenuous activities repeatedly. However, light to moderate repetitive activities are not among the leading causes of a golfer’s elbow.
Isometric Strain Injury
Locking the elbow in a position for an extended period, such as when sitting at a computer, playing on your cellphone, or sleeping with your elbow bent, are some of the causes of golfers’ elbow.
Bad Habits
Daily activities and habits—including prolonged inactivity—might contribute to this condition. It’s essential to consider habits like sitting posture, sleeping positions, or any activity that puts prolonged pressure on the elbow. All of these can play a part in developing golfers’ elbow.
Much misinformation suggests that only repetitive use or excess strain from specific activities causes a golfer’s elbow. Although it may be a cause, repetitive use isn’t the only cause. However, most people have no one reason for developing a golfer’s elbow because it is usually a variety of factors.
Golfer’s Elbow And How It Affects You
Although we may not know the exact root causes of golfers’ elbows, a quick PT examination and question session will let you understand you have it, explains Babenko.
“The common way gofers elbow will present in the early phases while lifting is when you start to grip things like a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell, you’ll feel a dull achy sensation right in that elbow, and it feels like the muscle is cold. This feeling goes away, usually after the area is warmed up,” says Babenko.
When you feel pain in the inner elbow while swinging a golf club, the problem isn’t your elbow, but the main issue is elsewhere, explains Swimscoe.
“While swinging a golf club, the legs, torso, and upper arms create the bulk of the power to propel the club, and the hands are supposed to control the club’s face.
A widespread problem is the golfer doesn’t create power with the rest of the body and thus tries to propel the club face with forearm muscles. Over time, these tissues break down and create inflammation,” says Swimscoe.
Physical Therapy Tips For Golfer’s Elbow
When it came to pain and injury, the old-school way would have you rest and treat it with ice, compression, and the occasional painkiller. But now, most PTs know and have been trained better. Loading the elbow joint appropriately with enough rest and recovery and establishing better movement patterns go a long way in reducing golfers’ elbow symptoms, according to Babenko and Swimscoe.
“Wrist flexion and extension exercises will be the primary pieces of the puzzle. Biceps curls and any grip strengthening like pinch, grip holds hanging, or farmer carries type work will help improve your symptoms and long-term strength to support using your elbow for activities in and out of the gym,” explains Babenko.
This eccentric-focused wrist curl by Swimscoe will provide a mechanical stimulus to assist with the healing of the degenerative tissue in the elbow tendon. Once the elbow feels better and you want to improve your golf swing, the two exercises by Swimscoe below, the Stork Turn and the Row And Twist, teach your body to rotate and hit the ball with power without using your elbows.
“Both exercises take the strain off the elbow, and it should have it feel better,“ explains Swimscoe. Not only that, but you might also see some improvements in your driving distance too.
More Information You Should Know About Golfer’s Elbow
Pain is complicated, and exercise is only part of the picture when it comes to the healing process; when dealing with golfers’ elbow, pay attention to your daily activities, posture, and what you put into your mouth.
“Nutrition can help the healing timeline, starting with eliminating possible inflammatory foods. Most clients I work with increase their fish oil, collagen, and overall protein intake to assist healing,” explains Babenko.
Using a multifaceted approach that includes exercise, nutrition, and teaching your body improved movement patterns will have you crushing a golf ball off the tee and your regular strength workouts.
Sylvester Stallone has made a veritable movie industry out of his epic on screen boxing sagas, but in a recent Instagram post, Sly has revealed the one man who he felt was the worst boxer in the “whole universe” while making the 2013 sports comedy movie,Grudge Match.
Stallone’s portrayal of Rocky Balboa put him in the ring with some of film’s greatest athletes: From the late, great, Carl Weathers’ turn as Apollo Creed to the wrecking machine that was Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, the people’s champion even took on genuine boxers like Antonio Tarver, receiving genuinely painful punches from his on-screen opponents in the process. But in a new video posted to the actors Instagram account, Sly reveals that it was theRaging Bullstar Robert De Niro who showed the least promise in the squared circle.
Sylvester Stallone names Robert De Niro as the worst movie boxer he’s worked with
The two titans of cinema were united in the sports comedy, Grudge Match and the plot saw the screen icons playing the roles of aging boxers who were past their glory days but were still fuelled by a bitter rivalry and an unwillingness to hang up the gloves. It is a genuinely funny movie and includes a great supporting cast including Kevin Hart and Kim Basinger, but it bombed at the box office, and while the movie is still definitely worth a stream, Stallone says that De Niro was no raging bull.
“… I thought, ah, he’s Raging Bull, he’s gonna come here, he’s gonna kick my butt, I’ve heard all these stories,” said Stallone. “He gets in (the ring) and I can tell his knees were shaking … he put his gloves on and kinda looks like lobster claws, so I said let’s move a little bit, and ‘oh my God!’ I said; ‘you’re a great actor, but you’re the worst boxer I’ve ever seen in the whole universe.”
In fairness, De Niro was 70 when the movie was released and well past hisRaging Bulldays. The machine that is Sylvester Stallone, however, was still fighting fit at 67.The Taxi Driverstar responded to being told how awful he was in the ring by seeking help from the most successful movie boxer of all time: “… He kind of admitted it, \[saying] ‘I don’t know what to do, point me in the right direction,’” says Stallone. “And I said; I’ll do my best but I’m warning you, your Oscars aren’t gonna save you in here! So, keep punching Bobby.”
Grudge Match is not a movie that either man will likely be remembered for, but their friendship and comradery is clearly stronger than ever.
WrestleMania, otherwise known as the Super Bowl of pro wrestling just got even bigger for WWE fans with the announcement of a 5-day fan event titled “WWE World.” If you are headed to Philly for a grappling vacation this April, here’s all you need to know.
WrestleMania has come along way since the advent of its first pay-per-view held in Madison Square Garden back in 1985. These days, the biggest show on the pro wrestling calendar is a week-long event, attracting fans from all around the world, and is now a two-night stadium filling extravaganza. Still, one aspect of the “Show of Shows” that did take a hit as a result of the Covid pandemic was the scaling back of WWE’s official fan mecca, then known as “Axxess.” Due to rules around personal distancing in 2020, WWE was forced to scrap the festivities, including autograph signings, meet and greets, and interactive fan experiences. While Axxess did return in 2022, this was in a reduced form that was largely made of a merchandising superstar. Now, the concept of “Axxess” is back, and it has a new name to boot. Enter “WWE World” — A five-day event that will begin on Thursday, April 4, and conclude on Monday April 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in WrestleMania XL’s host city of Philadelphia. This dream event for rabid WWE aficionados is being put together in partnership with Fanatics.
WWE is offering a “First of its kind” experience with WWE World
“Fanatics has a phenomenal ability to customize offerings for fans and we’re excited to partner with them on this first-of-its-kind experience for the WWE Universe atWrestleMania XL,” says Scott Zanghellini, who is WWE’s Co-Head of Revenue Strategy & Development.
While the lineup for WWE World in April is only just beginning to take shape, already announced for April 5 is the chance to get a VIP ticket that grants fans a ‘meet and greet’ with WWE World Champion, Seth Rollins. Also announced for April 5 will be a live recording of the “Pat McAfee Podcast,” hosted by the former NFL player and current WWE color commentator.
“Through unique content, Superstar access and immersive experiences, we look forward to curating a captivating event for all fans who are in Philadelphia for WWE’s marquee event,” says Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events. Tickets to WWE World are available now at:https://www.fanaticsevents.com/wwe/tickets
WrestleMania XL will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on April 6 & 7. Limited tickets remain here!
If you thought that OnlyFans was only reserved for risqué material designed to empty your PayPal account, you might be surprised to learn that the platform is also becoming a place where MMA fight aficionados can take a look at the fastest rising stars in one of Europe’s leading promotions; the Full Contact Contenders League.
Here, M&F has some highly suitable work content for you to read.
Announced March 7, 2024, FCC has announced a partnership with OnlyFans ahead of FCC 37 set to be held in Liverpool, England. In addition to streaming the weigh-ins for the main card, fight fans will also be able to take a look at some of the hottest up and coming stars of the cage for free as preliminary matches are aired at no cost.
One of those potential preliminary matches will see Izzy McGaughey putting on the 4oz gloves for the very first time. Izzy fights out of Manchester Top Team and has an MMA record of 5-1-0. McGaughey will face Shamara Cavalcante who is making her MMA debut.
Also on the card is OnlyFans creator, Sammy Jo Luxton(1-0-0) vs. Agata Truskolaska (0-1-0).
The Full Contact Contenders League has grown from strength to strength since being launched in 2011 by promoter, Adam Teh. Since then, many rookies have gone on to become household names as they journeyed to big leagues like the UFC, including Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett, Tom Aspinall, Muhammad Mokaev, and Lerone Murphy.
“As the market leader in subscription social platforms, FCC is thrilled to be partnering with OnlyFans,” says Teh. “We are excited to strengthen the FCC community, by offering fans new and unique ways to connect with and support their favourite fighters. Fans will also benefit from explosive MMA action at our live streamed events, as well as behind the scenes footage, interviews and tutorials from some of the best athletes in MMA. We cannot wait to showcase FCC on OnlyFans!”
FCC 37 will also be available on UFC Fight Pass, with an exciting main card that sees an Interim Light Heavyweight title clash between Wales’ Bobby “The Body Snatcher” Pallett (8-2-1) and Brazil’s Tony Silva (7-3-0). Weigh-ins for the pro-bouts will be streamed exclusively on OnlyFans from 5.30 a.m. EST (10.30AM GMT) on Friday March 8. The preliminary and amateur bouts will be streamed from 9.30am EST (2.30pm GMT) on Saturday 9th March. Now you’ll have a respectable reason to justify that OnlyFans account you signed up for!
I know I rolled my eyes during the last show and went off on a little tirade when the topic of Greg Valentino’s gall bladder issue was relegated immediately to his steroid use from 25 years ago voiced in the comments. This knee-jerk reaction is generally trumpeted by those not in the medical profession, ignorant of any personal facts about the individual, his health, and his family history; or they’re just ignorant. It is the latter adjective with which I would like to take issue, mainly because it’s not their fault.
The Cyclops of Public Opinion: Navigating Misconceptions
There’s an old saying in Mexico that goes, ‘in the land of the blind, the Cyclops is king.’ I can’t fault those in our audience who come to the table ill-informed. You’re all blind to the issue, and the cyclops, who was in charge, only had one eye, and it was jaundiced at that! So, I’m going to go ahead and go off on a little rant about it. I’m going to meander all over the place and leave out some of the events that transpired in between the gaps, but I only have so much space. The path I’m about to go down is book-length to do it any real justice. I’m only going to hit the peaks of my particular view of things—from a much less jaundiced eye than the cyclops.
So let’s say you were born blind. All throughout your childhood, everyone close to you was also blind—your parents and grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles… but you didn’t know that. You thought they could all see because they spoke very confidently about such things as the sky being green with yellow stripes. Now, you don’t know that’s not true. You’re relying on the info you’re given, from supposedly trusted sources, so you believe it.
Then, someday later, you stumble across someone who can see. They say hello to you and comment that ‘it’s such a beautiful sunny day today.’ And you respond by saying something like, ‘Is the green and yellow striped sky really bright?’ They say, ‘dude, the sky is blue. Solid color. No stripes.’ Then you naturally respond by countering the assertion, ‘No it’s not!’ You shout. ‘The sky is green with yellow stripes!’ And therein lies the problem with misinformation. We have people who can’t see arguing about the color of the sky.
Put PEDs aside for a minute and look what happened with marijuana. Can you imagine the reaction a hard toking Rastafarian, fresh off Negril beach, would have if he sat down to watch Reefer Madness? Those primitive, overly melodramatic scenes of high school students, lured by pushers to try marijuana… For those of you who don’t know, immediately upon the first toke, the travesties unfolded. These included becoming addicted, eventually leading the teens to become involved in various crimes, such as a hit and run accident, manslaughter, murder, conspiracy to murder and rape. While all this is happening, they suffer hallucinations, descend into insanity, associate with organized crime and, in one case, commit suicide. Can you imagine this today? The Rasta man would still be laughing. Unless he got arrested for weed. Then he’d still be crying.
The Political Football of Performance-Enhancing Drugs
Over the years, the government has picked a fight with various drugs. In the ’60s and ’70s, it was weed and heroin. In the ’80s, it was cocaine and Quaaludes, then club drugs, GHB, painkillers, Fentanyl… All throughout the decades, the DEA has been… let’s say ‘directed’ to go after certain drugs specifically, usually to satisfy pressure from one lobby or another, parent groups, public outcry, whatever. It was only a matter of time before steroids would be found in the crosshairs.
Shutterstock
That time came in 2005 during the State Of The Union Address. In it, President Bush (the younger one) decided he was going to shoot fish in a barrel and proclaim his assault on steroids. He stated: ‘The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message… that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.’ This, of course, was after baseball emerged from its post-strike slump.
Why was this like shooting fish in a barrel? Bush was the managing partner of the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1994, a period that overlapped with the steroid era in baseball. Jose Canseco, who played for the Rangers during part of Bush’s tenure, was known as ‘the godfather of steroids’ and had not only admitted to using steroids during his career, he also had been linked to, or somehow assisted in, the use of steroids by numerous teammates… I should probably stop here and say that any direct involvement or knowledge on Bush’s part regarding Canseco’s steroid use is speculative on my part and not definitively proven… But, the likelihood of him not knowing is pretty slim. It’s a fact that Canseco was openly known as the godfather of steroids. Bush couldn’t possibly not have known.
Nevertheless, some weeks later, then US Attorney John Ashcroft personally read – from the steps of the White House – the indictments against BALCO president Victor Conte and several others on numerous counts of trafficking steroids to athletes. That saga went on to suck in Barry Bonds and… That’s a whole other tangent we can talk about on another show….
The ’90s Major League Baseball strike lasted from August 12, 1994, until April 2, 1995. This strike was a labor dispute between Major League Baseball (MLB) players and team owners over issues such as revenue sharing, salary caps, and free agency rules. It was the eighth work stoppage in MLB history and resulted in the cancellation of the remainder of the 1994 regular season, the entire postseason, and the World Series. The strike was resolved when the players and owners reached a new collective bargaining agreement on March 31, 1995, allowing the 1995 season to commence. But the fans were still pissed.
By the time the ’95 season opened, fans were thoroughly disenchanted and had gotten used to no baseball and weren’t going to the games. MLB was hemorrhaging money, and they were desperate to get fans back in their stadiums. By 1998 MLB was set to pull out all the stops. Baseball was literally on the ropes. Ultimately, the directive from MLB was, according to Jose Canseco during an interview I did with him, for the players to ‘do whatever it takes’ to generate interest in baseball. Apparently, ‘whatever it takes’ had undisclosed boundaries.
Everett / Shutterstock
Both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were having remarkable seasons in ’98, hitting home runs at an unprecedented pace. Fans became captivated by their pursuit of the single-season home run record set by Roger Maris in 1961.
As McGwire and Sosa continued to hit homers at an extraordinary rate, media coverage of their chase intensified. Television networks, newspapers, and magazines devoted significant coverage to the race, generating widespread interest and excitement among fans. The home run race captured the attention of not only die-hard baseball fans but also casual sports enthusiasts and the general public. People who may not have previously been interested in baseball were drawn to the drama and suspense of the record-breaking chase. It was as American as it gets.
On September 8, 1998, Mark McGwire surpassed Roger Maris’s record by hitting his 62nd home run of the season. Sammy Sosa also reached the 62-homer mark later that month. These historic milestones achieved by McGwire and Sosa further fueled public fascination with the home run race, and provided a unifying and feel-good story for baseball fans, helping to heal some of the wounds left by the bitterness of the 1994–95 strike. The excitement surrounding McGwire and Sosa’s accomplishments brought fans back to the ballpark and rejuvenated interest in baseball.
Overall, the 1998 home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa is regarded as one of the most memorable and significant moments in baseball history. It played a crucial role in revitalizing interest in the sport following the turmoil of the strike years and reaffirmed baseball’s place as America’s No. 1 pastime… But, it was ‘all drugs.’ So, after MLB cleared $1 billion in profits, they threw the players, who did do whatever it took, under the bus. But not without help.
Texas Ranger outfielder, Jose Canseco, had a contentious relationship with many individuals in baseball, including teammates, coaches, and team executives. His career had been marred by controversies, including legal troubles and allegations of misconduct on and off the field. By coming forward with revelations about steroid use in baseball, Canseco may have hoped to rehabilitate his image and portray himself as a truth-teller who was willing to confront uncomfortable truths about the sport. In his 2005 tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big, Canseco recounted numerous personal conflicts and grievances within the baseball world, suggesting that his decision to expose steroid use may have been motivated in part by a desire to settle scores or seek revenge against those who he felt wronged him.
Subsequently, Canseco’s accusations against America’s favorite pastime got the attention of Congress, particularly those on the House Government Reform Committee, led by Chairman Tom Davis. The House initiated the hearings to investigate the prevalence of steroid use in baseball, the effectiveness of MLB’s drug testing policies, and the role of league officials and players’ union representatives had in addressing the issue.
The congressional hearings provided a platform for lawmakers to question witnesses, including current and former MLB players, league officials, medical experts, and representatives from the players’ union, about the extent of steroid use in baseball and its impact on the sport.
Ron Sachs / Shutterstock
The first set of hearings took place on March 17, 2005, where Canseco testified to his own steroid use, and also implicated his former teammates, claiming that he had personally injected other players with steroids. The revelations in Canseco’s book and his congressional testimony sparked widespread controversy and further scrutiny of steroid use in baseball. They received significant media attention and public scrutiny, leading to reforms in MLB’s drug testing policies and stricter penalties for players caught using PEDs.
Overall, the congressional baseball hearings were initiated in response to public outcry and concerns about the integrity of the sport in the face of widespread doping allegations. They played a significant role in raising awareness about the issue of PEDs in baseball and prompting reforms to address it. The lion’s share of the concerns over steroids in baseball was not only the nefarious message it sends to kids, but much hay was also made over fairness and the ‘level playing field.’
Apparently, fair competition requires a ‘level playing field’ where all competitors abide by the same rules and regulations. This includes rules against certain substances or practices that could provide an unfair advantage. Unfortunately, the scope of that idea becomes hypocritical. The advantage of certain substances and practices is not unfair when everyone has equal access to them. That is the exact definition of an even playing field. The rules against the use of PEDs are designed to quell a moral issue. It’s because some athletes think they are ‘dangerous’ and don’t want to use them that they are banned. In so doing, an unequal playing field has been created! You take something that is readily available to any athlete who wants it and ban it because certain athletes don’t want to use it. The objective of an athlete should be to win. Whatever it takes. To try to limit that in favor of athletes who simply don’t want to do whatever it takes is horribly unfair to the athlete who wants to leave no stone unturned when it comes to being the best.
The Bodybuilder’s Burden: Death, Steroids, and Public Perception
Kent Leckie
Imagine if bodybuilders were vilified, outed, and prosecuted for using steroids like the baseball players were. No one would be over 250. Bodybuilding is the most overtly steroid-dependent sport on the planet, bar none by a country mile. Yet, the top three at the Olympia have yet to be hauled before Congress and grilled about the audacity of their steroid use, the character-destroying message it sends our precious youth, and the assault on the public trust that the players are following the rules! And the bodybuilders are like, ‘Rules? What rules? We have rules?’ And therein lies the rub, people care about the sanctity of baseball. No one gives a rat’s ass about bodybuilding. Therefore, bodybuilding is the de facto unlimited class in sports. Run what ya brung, no limits, bring on the horsepower and the displacement. Do whatever it takes.
Then somebody dies.
Oh boy… what a cacophony of impeccable ignorance follows. First, for some reason, once you become a bodybuilder you’re not allowed to die. Ever. If you dare have the audacity to wander off this earth anytime before your 700th birthday, the cause had to be some lurid aspect of bodybuilding, most likely from steroids. If a bowler dies, it’s never from the hot dogs and beer; if a golfer dies, it’s never from riding the golf cart and drinking whiskey; if a basketball player dies, it’s never from the cocaine and partying all night. But, if a bodybuilder dies, it was the drugs. Period. No other acceptable answer.
Next, to hammer that point home, comes the parade of twenty-something-year-old internet bro-scientists, whose credentials are their post counts. These guys know absolutely nothing. Yet, they will, with authority and impunity, state that the cause of death, without ever knowing a single thing about the decedent, his health, his family history, toxicology reports, or autopsy, was from steroids. And their followers swoon. It’s probably one of the most pathetic and predictable sequences of events I frequently encounter. Tragic too. Because it highlights an incredible wave of acceptable ignorance in society. These people are blind, and they are not only arguing the sky is green with yellow stripes but their followers cheer them on!
The reason? Steroids are bad, m’kay. They got that way long before these authoritative blowhards were even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes. It was because steroids had infiltrated the great American pastime and gave it a black eye and put asterisks in its record books. The media cried in outrage and sensationalized every aspect of steroid use.
The Hooton Narrative: Exploiting Tragedy for Fame and Financial Gain
Then they got Taylor Hooton, who tragically took his life on July 15, 2003. Suddenly their cause had a face. Hooton was a young, good-looking, high school baseball player who, according to his family, had begun using anabolic steroids in an attempt to enhance his athletic performance. His suicide became a focal point in discussions about the dangers of steroid use among young athletes, and his father, Don Hooton, became an advocate for raising awareness about the risks of PEDs in sports. Don Hooton testified at the congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball in 2005, sharing his son’s story and advocating for stricter measures to combat doping in sports. Unfortunately, it was based on a lie.
The fact that Taylor had been taken off his mild Nandrolone cycle cold turkey and prescribed the anti-depressant Lexapro – a drug with a black box warning stating the drug is known to cause suicidal ideation in adolescent patients – was never mentioned. The Taylor Hooton suicide has been dissected numerous times over the last decade by numerous clinicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals amassing quite a bit of peer-reviewed and published data. Here’s a brief synopsis of the published material by Dr. Jack Darkes:
‘Taylor Hooton reportedly colored his hair and looked twice when he passed a mirror and was always concerned about his looks. In combination with a reported desire to be bigger suggests potential body dissatisfaction which is associated with both AAS use and suicide as a form of ‘socially-prescribed perfectionism.’ He had low self-esteem, a family history of depression (mother), a suicide attempt (sister) and was taking anti-depressant medication (Lexapro). His AAS use was allegedly motivated by wanting to excel at baseball, although some sources have suggested it had more to do with personal appearance and status.’
To date, there is no published data in the medical literature that suggests steroid use, or cessation of steroid use, by itself, incites suicidal ideation. Just the words of Don Hooton stating, ‘I know it was the steroids that got him.’ Transcendental science if I ever heard it.
Fact is, the journals are rife with data demonstrating suicidal ideation in adolescent patients treated with SSRIs. So, with so much statistical data against him, why has Hooton been blaming steroids and not SSRIs? Why is he picking on steroids, scientifically the least likely of culprits? Why is he campaigning so hard to demonize them?
Matthew Cavanaugh/EPA / Shutterstock
Because, with such a vocal steroid attack in the wake of your son’s suicide, you not only get to testify before Congress during the baseball hearings but also twice more. You get to start a non-profit foundation in your son’s name and guilt guys such as MLB president Bud Selig into donating a million dollars on behalf of MLB. Then you name yourself president and decide to pay yourself up to 32% of the millions you take in to run the foundation. You get to have Mark McGwire personally apologize to you. You get to go all over the country sounding like an expert getting your picture in the paper and being named Texas Sports Personality of the Year by the Dallas Morning News. You don’t get that going after SSRIs. Steroids made Don Hooton a celebrity. Steroids made Hooton a lot of money. Suing the makers of Lexapro would have gotten him less than nothing.
The absolute garbage being proffered by guys such as Don Hooton is only eclipsed by the money they’re making doing it. Proof, I’ll reckon, is the fact that since Taylor Hooton’s suicide almost two decades ago, the scientific community has still not assigned ‘anabolic steroids’ as the cause of one single teen suicide. Yet Hooton is out there raking in millions preaching that it could still happen because – despite mountains of evidence to the contrary – Don says he knows that his son died from them. I’m sure Hooton is claiming this statistic as his victory. The only thing more revolting than Hooton’s mission is the abject moron who supports him. Unfortunately, there are more than a few living in the land of the blind.
But, as with all things that don’t bear fruit, Don is losing ground. The alarmists have lost much credibility from parent groups calling creatine a steroid and Hooton proclaiming that veteran actor Tom Hanks opened a show on Broadway ‘high on steroids’ for having had a cortisone shot in his injured hand. Don sounds a bit desperate.
Challenging the Steroid Stigma
I could go on and on and, like I said before, write a book on the topic. There’s still sprinter Ben Johnson’s debacle, Lyle Alzado’s death, wrestler Chris Benoit who killed his family then himself… and much more. There are just so many fake reports out there it’s difficult to contain them all. Suffice to say, however, the media isn’t done. The fear-mongering will never subside. It is clearly the media that is complicit in spreading the false narrative that not only denigrates the benefits of steroids in favor of the mock horror stories, as well as hampering the use of steroids for anti-aging and other health-related benefits. Just like marijuana, steroids had been given an erroneous bad rap from supposedly trusted sources.
And that brings us full circle. This is why you believe steroids are bad and kill or maim all who take them. Congratulations, you have been brainwashed by the media. Anyone who would take Greg’s gallbladder issues and automatically assign them to steroid use proves it.
Just a few weeks ago at the WM Phoenix Open, Nick Taylor reminded the golf world just how special he is in the moments when the pressure is at its highest. Needing two birdies in his last three holes to force a playoff, his next shot was from 167 yards that landed six feet from the hole, where he would get his birdie, followed by another birdie at No. 18 to force the playoff, and clinching his fourth victory on the PGA Tour with an 11-foot birdie on the second extra hole.
In terms of personalities on the tour, Taylor is soft spoken, humble and will happily talk about his family as easily as he does the game he loves. Much like the Canadian’s demeanor on the course, the contents of his gym bag are all about what’s necessary. He sat down with M&F to discuss his items, how his dietary choices have changed with fatherhood, and why getting the body moving after traveling is important.
Every player on tour has different needs. When is your approach when it comes to training?
A lot of my training is stability. I think if I leave a workout feeling better than when I started, that’s probably the main goal. A lot of stuff that I do focuses on the upper scaps (scapula), core, and then my legs. That was kind of what the emphasis was this off-season. At tournaments, there’s definitely that, but it’s also built in with a warmup to get the body moving, try to engage everything a little bit in the warmup, and then go to the range. The warmups are usually planks and dead bugs.
How much of your offseason work is dictated by what happened during the season?
First, we start with how my body felt during the year. I look at information with my trainer and maybe it’s an area that we need to improve in. If that involves getting stronger in that area, look at that. This year was the first time I’ve had a good chunk of time off — two to three months — to look at it. I’ve been with my trainer since I’ve been on tour. I got in contact with a trainer in Scottsdale (AZ)—Carson Kemp—where I spent most of the year. He did his assessment. A lot of it was core and upper scaps for me. For a while, I was pretty unstable. I might need to be adjusted or get a little more tissue work up there.
Getting stronger there has helped minimize that but also keep me stronger in those areas and that’s been a main emphasis. I see him a few times a week and that’s been a good addition.
As your career has progressed, how has your philiosphy on dieting evolved?
There’s been more emphasis on certain things and more awareness. What’s honestly helped — which is completely separate—is that my son has a peanut/sesame allergy. That has been a brand new learning curve for me and my wife with knowing what’s in foods, and what’s in the ingredients, and trying to get cleaner foods. I have my Athletic Greens every morning and I love it in coffee. Ever since my kids were born. I’ve gone to coffee a lot.
Now, it’s about having more awareness of protein, whole foods, how much sugar, and stuff. I could definitely improve my eating on course. I’ve never been a huge eater on the golf course during competition, but getting a better routine with electrolytes, and what gives me energy to get me through the round. I eat a lot of bananas and macro bars on the golf course. It’s now about finding stuff for me that’s going to keep my energy level where I want it to be.
With all the traveling, you have to get your cheat days here and there.
I love guacamole. I’m more of a fan of savory and salty. So, chips and guac, I could crush that for hours. Thai food is my favorite. With my son’s allergies, we’ve gone a long time without it because there are peanuts everywhere in Thai food. I used to be a Sour Patch Kid fan but I try to avoid that a little now.
What does recovery look like after a tournament?
With a lot of my tournaments, I have my physical therapist with me. So pre-round, post-round tissue work. A lot of it might be the daily routine stuff like flushing the body. It could be my neck is bothering me because I slept wrong last night and I’ll get that corrected. Travel days can take a lot out of you. So, there’s recovery there with drinking lots of fluids and staying on top of your sleep.
It’s also important to try to get movement in if you have time on the day you travel. Hopefully, nothing feels super awkward when you wake up the next morning but I’ll get a flush done or stretched and that makes a big difference for me.
Courtesy Nick Taylor
What’s in Nick Taylor’s Gear Bag?
Adidas Apparel
I love the Boost shoes. Those are my favorite shoes and I’ve probably had way too many pairs. I wear them to work out, but I love wearing them out, too. With the shoes, I always think that’s the first thing I look at—what kind of new color schemes they got, and what they’re going to do.
Buy adidas Men’s Performance Hat: $17.49 at Worldwide Golf
