Industry News
Queens Guy Muscles His Way Into All-Female Gym
Amnon Kent, 63, has a membership to a women-only Lucille Roberts in Forest Hills.
Athletes on Their Own With Nutritional Supplements
Olympic swimmer Jessica Hardy's positive drug test led to lawsuits for product liability, defamation....
Hydroxycut Recall Problematic for Dietary Supplement Industry
Iovate Sciences recalled its Hydroxycut products after the FDA warned consumers to immediately stop using the popular weight-loss offerings following the reporting of 23 adverse health events—including a number of cases of serious liver damage and one death—in people who had taken the products....
Florida Eliminates School Steroid Testing Program
In a re-allocation of scarce resources that law enforcement might do well to follow, Florida has eliminated its program for testing high school athletes for anabolic steroids. Now only three states have testing programs - New Jersey, Illinois and Texas....
Maker of Detour Energy Bars Files Bankruptcy on Peanut Recall
Forward Foods, which makes high-protein, snack and meal replacement bars primarily under the Detour name, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, saying that a "significant" amount of its inventory must be condemned....
Fitness Clubs Feeling the Pinch as Members Cut Back
The health club industry, with $18.5 billion in revenues reported in 2007, has been almost recession-proof in the past. But many health clubs have experienced a drop in membership over the past year because many consumers don't have the disposable income to spend....
Coca-Cola Sued Over Vitamin Water Health Claims
Coke and Pepsi both sell so-called functional beverages, which they say have vitamins, nutrients or stimulants such as caffeine or guarana....
2009 Miss America Pageant Showcases Muscle
This year's Miss American Pageant featured many contestants who demonstrated a healthier, more muscular version of the female ideal....
Peanut Butter Bars Related to Salmonella Outbreak are Recalled
There is a massive salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter products and peanut butter paste that has now climbed to 486 people affected. Jars of peanut butter are safe, but check the list if you eat peanut butter bars....
New Pressure on Energy Drink Manufacturers
The energy drink market grew another 15% in 2008, and has doubled since 2004. But the millions of young teens chugging back these drinks has lawmakers in some States concerned....
Macon Bodybuilder Offers Free Fitness Camp for Overweight Kids
Bodybuilder Mary Toole hopes to raise enough money to make the camp, and the training and attention from nutritionists that would come with it, free to 40 obese kids....
Amid Financial Crunch, Health Clubs Get in Shape to Keep Members
Discounts and increased marketing budgets are among the strategies to attract and retain customers beyond the new year's surge....
Airman Angela Candage also a National-Level Weightlifter
At McGuire Air Force Base, Airman 1st Class Angela Candage is the number one ranked weightlifter in her weight class. In March, she will be competing at the Arnold Classic....
No Recession for Online Dating Sites
Maybe misery loves company? The sour economy is driving scads of singletons online to look for love, and the uptick in the bodybuilding community has been noticeable. But money worries mean people are scaling back on actual dates....
Fitness Athlete Karla Reyes Wins Prolab Contest
Los Angeles fitness model and athlete Karla Reyes has won the 2008 Prolab Contest, with a prize of $20,000. The contest kicked off at the 2008 Arnold Sports Weekend in Columbus, Ohio....
IFBB Pro Amy Peters and Steve Kulco are Engaged
Long-time couple IFBB Pro Amy Peters and national level bodybuilder Steve Kulco are engaged to be married. The wedding is set for September 9th, 2009 in Michigan....
Carla Sanchez Releases "Training for Two" DVD
Team Performance Ready founder and show promoter Carla Sanchez has released a training DVD for expecting mothers showing them how to stay fit safely and effectively through their pregnancy....
Omaha Gym Sparks Debate Over Age-Based Discounts
A 55-year old woman was quoted a much higher monthly price than a younger woman, but apparently some forms of age discrimination are legal....
Jennifer Nicole Lee to be Honored as Female Spokesperson of the Year
Soccer mom and fitness star Jennifer Nicole Lee, "JNL" to those in the know, is being honored as "Female Spokesperson of the Year at the Star Physique Awards on January 23, 2009....
"Southern Muscle Plus" Expanding to Northeast, Changing Name
Southern Muscle Plus, a long-standing publication in the bodybuilding and fitness industry, will be changing its name to "American Body Plus" and expanding to include coverage of contests in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania beginning with the December 2008/ January 2009 issue....
Judge Rejects Craig Titus' Request for Sentence Reduction
District Judge Jackie Glass shot down a request for a reduced sentence from convicted killer and former professional body-builder Craig Titus....
Bally Total Fitness Files Bankruptcy Again, Goes on Sale
In a court filing, lawyers said Bally "encountered a liquidity crisis" in the summer of 2008 because of declining fees and dues and rising operating costs and capital spending....
It's Official - NPC Major Rule Changes Announced for 2009
As BW previously announced, the one piece posing suit judging round for both figure and fitness has been eliminated in the NPC. Here are the rest of the official changes, based on the NPC Board of Governor's meeting at Nationals in Atlanta, including a description of the new bikini division. ...
Teen Bodybuilding Fan's Online Suicide Prompts Soul-Searching
Teen bodybuilding fan Abraham Biggs overdosed on anti-depressive drugs while on live web cam, with many egging him on. He remained comatose for hours online until he tragically passed before authorities arrived....
Facing Economy, S&M Gals Dig in Heels with Union Bid
New York's dominatrixes have been getting spanked by the economy recently - and now, they're lashing back. ...
NPC Eliminating One Piece Posing Suits for Fitness and Figure
The National Physique Committee (NPC) is eliminating the one piece posing suit round for both figure and fitness contests beginning in 2009....
Pepsi to Distribute CytoSport's Muscle Milk
Pepsi Bottling Group has signed an agreement with CytoSport, Inc. to distribute Muscle Milk, a leader in protein-enhanced functional beverages in the U.S. The distribution agreement with PBG will greatly increase Muscle Milk's market penetration. ...
NPC Vice Chairman Steve Stone Passes Away at Olympia
NPC Vice Chairman and co-stage expediter Steve Stone has suffered an apparent heart attack and passed away in Las Vegas, one hour before the Olympia finals....
Magazine Heavyweight Kennedy in Stellar Shape at 70
Robert Kennedy's creations fill newstands everywhere - MuscleMag International, Oxygen, Maximum Fitness, Reps, American Curves and Clean Eating....
Unfair? Jose Canseco's Name May be Removed from Miami Street
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe Martinez offered a resolution to permanently remove Jose Canseco's name from a street that bears his name....
Energy Drink Costs Set to Drop with Anheuser-Busch Subsidiary
Did you ever wonder why energy drinks seem to cost twice as much as comparable amounts of soda? Well those high-priced days may be coming to an end....
Fitness Icon Monica Brant Filming New Infomercial
Monica Brant will be filming an informercial for a machine called the Muscle Flex, after F.E.M. camp in September....
Vitamin Shoppe Launches Online Forums
Tradional "Bricks and Mortar" companies like GNC, Vitamin World and Vitamin Shoppe are being forced to step up their online game in response to upstarts like Bodybuilding.com....
Calories Come Off and the Lights Come On
A gym in Portland, Oregon, will use exercise equipment to generate renewable energy....
Ireland's Glanbia Pays $315 Million for Optimum Nutrition
Glanbia Plc, the producer of a third of Ireland's milk and cheese, said it paid $315 million for Optimum Nutrition Inc., a U.S.-based maker of sports nutritional supplements....
Titus and Ryan Sentenced in Slaying of Assistant
Former IFBB professional bodybuilder Craig Titus was sentenced today to serve 21 years to 55 years in prison for the December 2005 slaying of 28-year-old Melissa James. His wife, IFBB Fitness Pro Kelly Ryan, was sentenced to six years to 26 years. ...
Friday Sentencing Set for Fitness Pro Kelly Ryan, Craig Titus
Bodybuilder Craig Titus and Fitness Pro Kelly Ryan are scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow in Las Vegas, at 10am pacific time....
High School Steroid Testing in Decline as Economy Weakens
Even the nation's largest and most expensive steroids-testing program for high school athletes in Texas is screening for less than a third of substances it prohibits....
New Jersey Steroid Dealer Linked to Trenton Cops Pleads Guilty
A Hamilton, New Jersey man is facing six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of distributing the performance enhancing drugs human growth hormone and anabolic steroids. ...
Governor Schwarzenegger Tears Knee Cartilage During Gym Workout
The 61-year-old Republican governor tore his meniscus, cartilage that acts as a shock absorber in the knee, while working out in the gym earlier this month....
Figure Pro Felicia Romero Joins Derek Anthony on Team GAT
Rapidly rising IFBB Figure Pro Felicia Romero has joined the German American Technologies ("GAT") supplement team, as a sponsored athlete....
Ex-Model Jailed for Importing Steroids
Brendan James Brophy, a former male model who ran a successful business selling illegally obtained human growth hormones and steroids, has been jailed....
Dietary Supplement Label Database in Development
As sales and use of dietary supplements continue to climb, currently there is not yet a complete, comprehensive, publicly available and readily accessible Internet source of dietary supplement label information....
Bodysport Tackles Critical Subject - Female Athlete Abuse
Bodysport Radio has devoted a show to the subject of female athletes in abusive relationships, and how to get out, two months after the death of Amanda Savell....
Trafficker David Jacobs had Steroids in his System when he Died
Convicted steroids trafficker David Jacobs’s autopsy results show he had a high level of testosterone and steroids in his system when he died, but experts differ on whether “ ’roid rage†made him kill his former girlfriend and then commit suicide....
Don Catlin - Gatekeeper for Clean Sports Changes Focus
Don Catlin, one of the world’s top antidoping researchers and the team behind the BALCO exposure, is tired of chasing down drugs. Now, he wants to help clean athletes prove their innocence. ...
E-Retailers Use Online Forums to Create Customer Loyalty
Retailers who have created online forums say they generate traffic, provide valuable customer feedback and build loyalty. They are relatively inexpensive to build, and successful forums are not costly to maintain, in large part because engaged forum members take responsibility for monitoring content. ...
Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman Sues Gold's Gym
Ronnie Coleman, who has been crowned Mr. Olympia eight times, is suing Gold's Gym for allegedly using his image on a poster without permission....
Jealousy Tied to Jacobs and Savell Murder-Suicide
David Jacobs, who repeatedly said he wouldn't go public with former customers' names because he did not want to disrupt their lives, made an exception with NFL player Matt Lehr....
Is Steroid Use the Next Frontier in Anti-Discrimination Fight?
Christian Boeving, a fitness model who is paid to endorse bodybuilding products, freely admitted he had used legally prescribed steroids since he was 16 and has been released from his contract because of it. ...
