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Lean Muscle
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Active Lifestyle

The Worst Muscle & Fitness Covers of All Time

Not every issue can be a home run and in 75 years we were bound to have some atrocious, cheesy and lousy covers.

by Chelsea Tuthill
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The Worst Muscle & Fitness Covers of All Time

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1 OF 16

1 of 16

Bad covers 75 anniversary july 1981

July 1981

This cover boasts only two headlines, one of which we dropped a little red heart in the middle of—to go with the flexed arm that resembles a heart? Was that the connection? We’ll never know, but it appears that if you have an arm that looks like his you’ll have women posing on it seductively.

2 of 16

Bad covers 75 anniversary march 1984

March 1984

Obviously for Samir Bannout, Lion of Lebanon, we needed to have a live lion on the cover with him. Why wouldn’t we? 

3 of 16

retro-july-1985-worst

July 1985

It was a classic role reversal. We took former NFL running back Ed Marinaro, handed him a tiny dumbbell, and stuck him in a feminine pose that was typical of covers back then. Female bodybuilder Peggy Bertelsen, meanwhile, assumed the dominant masculine pose, for a cover that, while we can appreciate the sentiment, doesn’t hold up too well.

4 of 16

Bad covers 75 anniversary may 1986

May 1986

Get in shape like Steve Bond and women will tear off your spandex, too! Nothing says “sensuous and strong” like this gesture of affection.

5 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary sept 1986

September 1986

Are they laying on a roof? A parking lot? It’s certainly not a beach, but this is our issue featuring the “Swimsuit Spectacular.”

6 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary january 1987

January 1987

Another cover that uses the word “sensuous” in a headline. Let’s not even talk about how the woman is posing or her facial expression.

7 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary may 1987

May 1987

It seems like some of our worst covers were swimsuit issues, but at least this one has some water going on and not just people laying in swimsuits on cement…right?  

8 of 16

Bad covers 75 anniversary march 1989

March 1989

Check out this headline: “Calf implants—We ask the man who owns one!” Just one calf implant? We’d hate to see what the other leg looks like. We also made a list with five bullet points…then left two bullets blank.

9 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary december 1990

December 1990

Another bad swimsuit edition—look at that desperate look of longing on the woman’s face.

10 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary october 1992

October 1992

A greased up, nameless woman caressing and hanging on the cover man. Must have been a top seller? Mike O’Hearn even got to grace two of them—lucky him.

11 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary december 1992

December 1992

Here’s O’Hearn again just two months later—the women are multiplying.

12 of 16

Bad covers 75 anniversary june 1993

June 1993

Were these swimsuit issues for men or women? 

13 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary july 1994

July 1994

Three months in a row of bad covers. None of the models on this cover are looking in the same direction and one of our big stories for the month was about “Lean, Shapely Legs.” 

14 of 16

Bad covers 75 anniversary august 1994

August 1994

That smile, fake tan, and young woman—add on the word “sex” scrawled underneath and this doesn’t seem creepy at all, does it?

15 of 16

Bad cover 75 anniversary september 1994

September 1994

Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce) wore this unfortunate pink getup. It didn’t do her many favors.

16 of 16

Bad covers 75 anniversary october 1996

October 1996

Let’s start with the title being filled in with clouds that remind us of Windows 98…no, we won’t continue.

Back to intro

July 1981

This cover boasts only two headlines, one of which we dropped a little red heart in the middle of—to go with the flexed arm that resembles a heart? Was that the connection? We’ll never know, but it appears that if you have an arm that looks like his you’ll have women posing on it seductively.

March 1984

Obviously for Samir Bannout, Lion of Lebanon, we needed to have a live lion on the cover with him. Why wouldn’t we?

 

July 1985

It was a classic role reversal. We took former NFL running back Ed Marinaro, handed him a tiny dumbbell, and stuck him in a feminine pose that was typical of covers back then. Female bodybuilder Peggy Bertelsen, meanwhile, assumed the dominant masculine pose, for a cover that, while we can appreciate the sentiment, doesn’t hold up too well.

May 1986

Get in shape like Steve Bond and women will tear off your spandex, too! Nothing says “sensuous and strong” like this gesture of affection.

September 1986

Are they laying on a roof? A parking lot? It’s certainly not a beach, but this is our issue featuring the “Swimsuit Spectacular.”

January 1987

Another cover that uses the word “sensuous” in a headline. Let’s not even talk about how the woman is posing or her facial expression.

May 1987

It seems like some of our worst covers were swimsuit issues, but at least this one has some water going on and not just people laying in swimsuits on cement…right?  

March 1989

Check out this headline: “Calf implants—We ask the man who owns one!” Just one calf implant? We’d hate to see what the other leg looks like. We also made a list with five bullet points…then left two bullets blank.

December 1990

Another bad swimsuit edition—look at that desperate look of longing on the woman’s face.

October 1992

A greased up, nameless woman caressing and hanging on the cover man. Must have been a top seller? Mike O’Hearn even got to grace two of them—lucky him.

December 1992

Here’s O’Hearn again just two months later—the women are multiplying.

June 1993

Were these swimsuit issues for men or women? 

July 1994

Three months in a row of bad covers. None of the models on this cover are looking in the same direction and one of our big stories for the month was about “Lean, Shapely Legs.” 

August 1994

That smile, fake tan, and young woman—add on the word “sex” scrawled underneath and this doesn’t seem creepy at all, does it?

September 1994

Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce) wore this unfortunate pink getup. It didn’t do her many favors.

October 1996

Let’s start with the title being filled in with clouds that remind us of Windows 98…no, we won’t continue.

Author picture
Written by Chelsea Tuthill
Also by Chelsea Tuthill
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