Men's Health (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Men's Health published by Rodale Inc.
Rodale Press
Rodale, Inc., is an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties. Rodale is headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania and also maintains a satellite office in New York City, on Third Avenue....

 in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...

, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

  brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...

, nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

, sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...

, lifestyle and other aspects of men's life and health
Men's health
Men's health refers to health issues specific to human male anatomy. These often relate to structures such as male genitalia or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, males....

. The magazine's website, MensHealth.com, averages 38 million page views a month.

History

Launched in 1987 as a health-oriented service magazine by Mark Bricklin, Men’s Health has evolved into a lifestyle magazine for men, covering areas such as health, fitness, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology, fashion and finance.

Bricklin, along with Rodale editors Larry Stains and Stefan Bechtel, produced three newsstand test issues in 1987. The results led Rodale to launch Men's Health as a quarterly magazine in 1988 and begin to sell subscriptions. Bricklin, who was editor-in-chief of Prevention magazine, appointed Mike Lafavore as editor of Men's Health that year. In his subsequent 12 years as editor-in-chief, Lafavore grew the circulation from 100,000 to more than 1.5 million, took the publishing frequency to 10 times a year, and expanded the magazine's brand to a number of countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Mexico and Russia. He created the editorial formula still in use today, brought aboard Steven Slon, a veteran of the service journalism category, imported Greg Gutfeld
Greg Gutfeld
Greg Gutfeld is an American television personality, political satirist, humorist, magazine editor and blogger. Gutfeld is the host of Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld on the Fox News Channel. He is also one of five co-hosts/panelists on Fox News political talk-show The Five, which debuted on July 11, 2011....

 from Rodale's Prevention title and worked with longtime staff editor Denis Boyles
Denis Boyles
Denis Boyles is a writer, editor, former university lecturer and the author/editor of several books of poetry, travel/history, criticism, practical advice and essays, including Design Poetics , The Modern Man's Guide to Life , African Lives , Man Eaters Motel , A Man's Life: The Complete...

, a former Playboy contributing editor, to develop the magazine's influential and distinctive "regular guy" voice.

Lafavore left Men's Health in 2000, the same year Capell's Circulation Report named the magazine "Circulation Performer of the Decade." He appointed Greg Gutfeld as his successor. Gutfeld, now the host of "Red Eye With Greg Gutfeld" on Fox News, ran afoul of Rodale's upper management due to his irreverent sense of humor. After a year, he was replaced by David Zinczenko, with whom the managers were more comfortable.

Men's Health now publishes more than 20 foreign editions. The magazine does not run ads for tobacco or liquor companies, they also do not run ads for supplements and herbal remedies.

David Zinczenko
David Zinczenko
David Zinczenko is the editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine and editorial director of Women's Health, Prevention, and Organic Gardening. He authors the bestselling series, Eat This, Not That! and the Abs Diet...

 has been the editor-in-chief of Men’s Health since 2000. Jack Essig is the publisher. During this period, the magazine’s circulation has grown 30 percent, and ad pages have grown 80 percent, from 700 pages to 1150. In 2000, they had 21 international editions. In 2001 they were consistently selling 400,000 copies at newsstands and overall circulation was 1.6 million. In 2001, the magazine started the annual list of cities with the healthiest men based on twenty "live-long parameters, including death rates (both homicide and disease); illness rates (high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, etc.); body-mass index; fitness training; even environmental factors like number of parks, golf courses, etc." In 2003, the circulation was 1.7 million. In 2006, the circulation was close to 1.8 million.

Men's Health magazine has been criticized for its relentless focus on developing the perfect body, which can increase men's anxieties about their bodies. This can make men more prone to developing eating disorders and compulsive over-exercising. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

stated, "Since its debut in the late 1980’s, the magazine has surpassed traditional men’s books like Esquire and GQ by following the formula of best-selling women’s magazines — by catering to men’s anxieties about their bodies and sexual performance." Columbia Journalism Review stated the magazine "deals overwhelmingly with self-care and, in fact, exaggerates the possibilities for autonomous personal transformation." Zinczenko argues that "overcoming the resistance of the 86-percent male audience to health as a subject" and redefining health as "inclusive of everything that could improve a man's life. Great sex. Great food. Endorphin-boosting exercise. Looking and feeling your best. We turned health into a concept every guy would want to embrace, starting with the healthy guy on the cover".

The magazine has also been criticized for reusing cover taglines. In response, Zinczenko explained that the majority of magazines (80 percent) are subscription and those covers usually do vary from newsstand version, "Twenty years of Men’s Health has certainly produced several lines that have proven themselves effective at newsstand, which makes up about 20 percent of our print run. We plan to keep using the most effective marketing tools to reach the largest market we possibly can," he said. In July 2010, the magazine was criticized for including tiny credit lines on the cover rather than inside as a possible quid pro quo for advertisers. Zinczenko stated that it was to benefit readers from having to dig for the information and they had been doing the credits for over a year including for brands that don't advertise. A spokesperson for American Society of Magazine Editors confirmed that no rules were broken and the director for print strategy at a media planning and buying firm, said the mention was "too small of a plug to get brands excited".

In 2004, Zinczenko began putting celebrities and athletes on the cover, such as David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...

, Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...

, Jason Statham
Jason Statham
Jason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels...

, Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...

, LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...

, Josh Duhamel
Josh Duhamel
Joshua David "Josh" Duhamel is an American actor and former fashion model. He first achieved acting success in 1999 as Leo du Pres on ABC's All My Children and later as the chief of security, Danny McCoy, on NBC's Las Vegas...

, Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...

, and with their shirts on—a big departure from the cover look of the 1990s. In 2004, Rodale filed suit against Men's Fitness for its redesign which makes it "a copycat version--one that is obviously intended to confuse consumers." In May 2006, the magazine published a limited edition color cover of Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...

. In the first half of 2006, newsstand sales for Men's Health rose from 492,000 to 544,000 during a price increase from $3.95 to $4.50. In 2006, the magazine and the Rodale's other properties made extensive efforts to increase online content including adding video to each section, getting every major section editors to blog and adding an online ad sales director.

In fall 2007, Men’s Health launched the FitSchools initiative to combat childhood obesity. The magazine sends health, fitness, and nutrition experts to selected schools each year to remake the physical education programs and school lunch offerings. Gettys Middle School, in Easley, South Carolina, was the first FitSchool. In spring 2008, the magazine launched The FitSchools Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the mission to help end childhood obesity and get America’s kids interested in healthy, active living.

The January/February "2008 The Year of You" edition became the all-time single-copy sales issue in the magazine's history with 750,650 copies. In 2008, Steve Madden was named vice president and editorial director for Rodale International, where he will oversee all editorial content at Rodale's international titles, including the foreign editions of Men's Health. Also, in 2008, they partnered with Google to make back issues available. In July 2008, they became the first to "create the first fully interactive advertising magazine in America," where users snap a picture of an ad and an immediate promotional bounce-back will be sent to their phone." For its 20th Anniversary issue in November 2008, Men's Health featured an interview and photo shoot with future President-elect Barack Obama. In 2010, Obama was again featured in reference to the health-care debates of the time and his proposed health plans. In 2011, another politician, Congressman Aaron Schock of Illinois, graced the cover baring his chest to promote fitness. The cover was released on May 9th on the Today Show with Matt Lauer where Congressman Schock encouraged people to form healthy eating and fitness habits, and join the Men's Health "Fit for Life Summer Challenge," to shed pounds. Within minutes, the Congressman's 6-pack abs caught the attention of multiple publications and went viral.

In 2009, Men's Health published the Belly Off! Diet book, based on the popular weight-loss testimonial column in the magazine. The popular column, "Eat This, Not That!" (ETNT), also became a book series in 2007 and later developed different versions (children, supermarket, restaurant, diet book) and free iPhone applications. EatThis.MensHealth.com was the most highly trafficked section of MensHealth.com in 2009 with 1 million unique visitors and 15 million page views a month. In September 2009, the column "Ask Jimmy the Bartender" was turned into an iPhone and iPad application.

In 2010, Men's Health became one of the first consumer magazines to enter the iPad market. The magazine's first application, "Men's Health Workouts," has maintained a position at or near the "Top 10" in the Health & Fitness category since its debut.

Spin-offs

In 2000 MH-18 (magazine)
MH-18 (magazine)
MH-18, published by Rodale Press, was a magazine covering teen lifestyle. It was the first magazine targeted specifically to 13- to 18-year-old males. The magazine, a youth-oriented version of Men's Health magazine, ceased publication in November 2001....

, a youth-oriented version of Men's Health covering teen lifestyle, was spun-off but ceased publication in November 2001.

In 2004 under Zinczenko's direction, Men’s Health spun off Best Life
Best Life
Best Life, published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, was the first luxury service magazine for men, and the fastest-growing men's magazine in America, with a circulation of more than 500,000.-History:...

.
May 2009 was Best Lifes last issue. Best Life was published 10 times a year and had a circulation of more than 500,000. Stephen Perrine, the former editorial creative director at Men’s Health, was the editor-in-chief. David Zinczenko was editorial director. In March 2008, Best Life finished #2 on Adweek’s prestigious “10 under 50” Hot List, which recognizes magazines with fewer than $50 million in ad revenue.

In 2005,
Men’s Health spun off Women's Health. The test-issue team was headed by Bill Stump, a former Men’s Health editor who was then the head of Rodale Inc.’s New Product Development department. Within a year the circulation was at 750,000. Women’s Health magazine is now published 10 times a year. David Zinczenko is the editorial director. In January 2009, Michele Promaulayko was named editor-in-chief of Women's Health. In March 2008, Women’s Health finished #1 on Adweek’s “10 under 50” Hot List. The magazine was named #2 on Advertising Age's 2008 A List. Women's Health has a circulation of 1.1 million.

In 2007,
Men’s Health spun off Men's Health Living, a newsstand special which was named one of the 30 most notable launches of 2007 by Samir Husni, "Mr. Magazine" and chief of the journalism department at Mississippi University. Samir Husni stated that Men's Health Living is a "new genre of men’s magazines that cater to non-woman related issues in a man’s life - that has gone unfulfilled for years: interior design and home that meets the needs of the affluent man." The test issue of Men’s Health Living was edited by Bill Phillips, executive editor of Men’s Health. The first issue sold around 200,000 copies at $4.99 each out of 375,000 sent to newsstands. In January 2009, a second Men's Health Living issue was at newsstands, 450,000 copies at $5.99 each.

In 2007, they also spun off
Men's Health on Campus as a test with a goal for quarterly publication thereafter.

In 2009,
Men’s Health spun off Children's Health, a special issue that was part of a Rodale publishing idea to work with President and First Lady Obama to show support for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...

. The magazine published how-to stories about fitness and nutrition for children.

Awards and recognition

In March of 1994, Advertising Age magazine named Mike Lafavore its "Editor of the Year." [March 6, 1994]. Four years later he won the International Herald Tribune Award for "International Editor of the Year" for his work on Men's Healths foreign editions. The magazine was also nominated for several National Magazine Awards, including "General Excellence" under his editorship. Under Zinczenko’s leadership, Men’s Health has been nominated for 15 National Magazine Awards or "Ellies," which are administrated by Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

's Graduate School of Journalism and presented by the American Society of Magazine Editors
American Society of Magazine Editors
The American Society of Magazine Editors is an industry trade group for editors of magazines published in the United States. The group advocates on behalf of member organizations with respect to First Amendment issues, and serves as a networking hub for editors and other industry employees...

 (ASME).

Men's Health won in the category of Personal Service in 2004, the first win for the magazine, and for parent company Rodale. In 2010, Men's Health took home the "General Excellence" award. Menshealth.com's Eat This, Not That! portion of their Web site took home the 2010 Digital Ellies award, also sponsored by the ASME, for best "Interactive Tool," an award honoring the outstanding use of interactive tools that enable users to create or share content, participate in communities, improve the quality of their lives or enjoy recreational activities. In 2010, Minonline.com deemed menshealth.com's personal trainer channel, the "Best Premium Site," an award recognizing subscription sites oriented around service. And in 2011, Men's Health won an Ellie in the category of "Personal Service" for an article, "I Want My Prostate Back" by Larry Stains.

Global Editions

Although Men's Health was founded in the U.S., its international editions have made it the world’s largest men’s magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

  brand. The magazine's worldwide circulation including all editions has reached a monthly circulation of 1.85 million, and over 20 million readers worldwide. Men's Health is currently published in 44 editions.

Its international editions account for over 80% of the magazine's trade volume. In each market, local editors commission or purchase articles for their own market and share content with US and other editions. The selected articles are then translated by local translators and the translations edited by the local editors to make them match the "well-educated informal" style of the American edition. Usually these editions started out as translations of the US version of the magazine, but over time many non-US editions became unique, providing local material more germane to local readers.
  • Australia
  • Brasil
  • Croatia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Italy
  • Kazakhstan
  • South Korea
  • Malaysia
  • Netherlands
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom: see Men's Health (British magazine)

  • See also

    • Carolyn Kylstra
    • List of men's magazines
    • MH-18 (magazine)
      MH-18 (magazine)
      MH-18, published by Rodale Press, was a magazine covering teen lifestyle. It was the first magazine targeted specifically to 13- to 18-year-old males. The magazine, a youth-oriented version of Men's Health magazine, ceased publication in November 2001....

    • Nat Mags
      Nat Mags
      Nat Mags was a British magazine publisher based in London. It was established in 1910 by William Randolph Hearst and was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation....

      (UK publisher)

    External links

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