Men's Health (magazine)

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This article is about the magazine. For the medical specialty, see Andrology. For the academic discipline and other matters relating to male health, see Men's health.
Men's Health

Taylor Kitsch on the cover of Men's Health (U.S.), April 2009.
Editor David Zinczenko
Categories Health
Lifestyle
Frequency Monthly
Circulation 1.9m (2008) (U.S.)
15m (2007) (Worldwide)
Publisher Rodale Press
First issue 1987
Country Flag of the United States United States
Based in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States
Language English
Website menshealth.com
ISSN 1054-4836

Men's Health (MH), published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 38 editions around the world, a monthly circulation of 1.85 million, and 12 million monthly readers. It is the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of men's life and health. The magazine’s website, MensHealth.com, averages 40 million page views a month.

Contents

[edit] History

Launched in 1987 as a health-oriented service magazine by founding editor Mark Bricklin, Men’s Health has evolved into more of a lifestyle magazine for men, covering all aspects of a guy’s life: health, fitness, fashion, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology, fashion and finance. Stephen Perrine, the magazine’s former editorial creative director, once summed up the breadth of the magazine’s coverage as follows: “I don’t have problems. I have story ideas.”

David Zinczenko 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 2004, Zinczenko began putting celebrities and athletes on the cover exclusively, and with their shirts on—a big departure from the cover look of the 1990s. In May 2006, the magazine published a limited edition color cover of Josh Holloway. For its 20th Anniversary issue in November 2008, Men's Health scored its biggest cover get ever with their exclusive interview and photo shoot with future President-elect Barack Obama. "Obama understands that Men's Health has a massive reach and when you want to get a message to men, there's no better place to communicate with them than within the pages of our magazine," said Editor-In-Chief David Zinczenko. "And he's the prototypical Men's Health guy: fit successful, a good dad, a good husband, and a guy who could put up big numbers on the electoral board, and the backboard. He was a natural for the cover of the magazine during this important time for our nation.".

Under Zinczenko’s leadership, Men’s Health has been nominated for eight National Magazine Awards. It won in the category of personal service in 2004, the first for the magazine, and for parent company Rodale. It was also named to Advertising Age’s “A List” multiple times, and to Adweek’s “Hot List.” In 2007, Capell’s Circulation Report named the magazine “Best Newsstand Performer of the Decade.” In March 2008, Adweek named Zinczenko “Editor of the Year.”

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.

Zinczenko is a regular contributor to NBC’s Today Show, often appearing weekly, and has appeared on Ellen and Oprah. He was also a Jeopardy question. He is a best-selling book author. His Abs Diet franchise has sold more than 1.5 million copies to date. And his book published in December 2007, Eat This, Not That, coauthored by Men’s Health food and nutrition editor Matt Goulding, has more than 850,00 copies in print. Zinczenko and Goulding have gone on to publish three more books in the Eat This, Not That! series: Eat This, Not That! For Kids (August 2008), Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide (January 2009), and Eat This, Not That! Best & Worst Foods in America (June 2009).

In 2009, Men's Health published the Belly Off! Diet book, based on the popular weight loss testimonial column in the magazine.

[edit] Criticism

Men's Health magazine has been criticized for its relentless focusing 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.[1]

[edit] Spin-offs

In 2004 under Zinczenko's direction, Men’s Health spun off Best Life. May 2009 was Best Life's 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. Women’s Health magazine is now published 10 times a year. David Zinczenko is the editorial director. 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 January 2009, Michele Promaulayko was named editor-in-chief of Women's Health.

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 (a.k.a. “Mr. Magazine”), chief of the journalism department at Mississippi University. The test issue of Men’s Health Living was edited by Bill Phillips, executive editor of Men’s Health. In January 2009, a second Men's Health Living issue hit newsstands.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Baker, Peter (2000) quoted in The Independent, 5 December 2000. "Who needs topless soap stars when you have a great body?"

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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