CATEGORIES

Can Marvel Regain its Superpowers? - Critical savaging. Box-office meh-ness. Cultural irrelevance. How did the MCU lose its dominance over all screens, and what will it take to restore it?

For the next 11 years and 20-plus films, Marvel Studios sat atop Odin's High Seat.Its movies grossed billions upon billions of dollars, their casts were stacked with Hollywood legends, and people like me (and probably you, too) were invested. When Spider-Man: Far from Home concluded what Marvel Studios called The Infinity Saga-the overarching story of its first 23 movies-it did so with the promise that there was so much more to come.Then an evil worse than Thanos himself besieged the planet: Covid-19 blacked out theaters and blocked MCU releases for all of 2020. When Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings emerged to lead the Phase Four charge in 2021, things were, somehow, off. The epicness of it all was... missing. In what was supposed to be a pause before the next classic blockbuster marathon, Marvel seemed winded instead.

6 A.M. With...Marcus Freeman - The head coach of Notre Dame football challenges himself by training daily and lifting heavy.

Marcus Freeman finishes his one-mile warmup run at the same place every morning: in front of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, in the middle of Notre Dame's campus in South Bend, Indiana. I always look at that clock, because it tells me that time's running out, he says. It's a reminder that time's running out at Notre Dame and in life. He walks by the Golden Dome, pausing at the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue as a way to center myself and feel grateful for this life, before he hits ND's athletic complex for his leg-and-chest-day workout.

Tren Nation - How an obscure bovine steroid became gym Gen Z's favorite social-media muscle flex.

Not anabolic steroids. Not testosterone. Not creatine or multivitamins or a high-protein diet. No, Frank and Jesse (who both spoke on condition of anonymity because trenbolone is deemed illegal) immediately jump to trenbolone, which has quickly developed a rep for increasing muscularity and decreasing body fat all at once. Among bodybuilders it's known as the god of all steroids for its potency. To teens and young men, it's simply tren, a ticket to the prototypical social-media-friendly physique. Why? Frank, who's now 18, explains tren's growing popularity with all the confidence and expertise of someone who Googled tren once (mostly to see how jacked it made cows), watched hundreds of hours of tren content on Tik Tok, and made a ton of tren jokes. If the only thing you care about is putting on muscle, he says, it really does seem like tren is the thing to take.

Say What? - Hearing loss isn't just a thing that happens to your parents. Nearly one in five people in their 20s show signs of it already. And it puts your brain and well-being in danger, too. Luckily, new tech can help. Listen up.

Hearing loss isn't just a thing that happens to your parents. Nearly one in five people in their 20s show signs of it already. And it puts your brain and well-being in danger, too. Luckily, new tech can help. Listen up. An estimated 15 percent of American adults-that's about 38 million peoplehave some level of hearing loss, according to the CDC. Research increasingly suggests that untreated hearing loss can lead to other significant health issues, including depression and Alzheimer's disease.

Back-Round Check! - Tap into next-level total-body strength and supercharge muscle gains by learning when and how) to round your back in the gym.

Lift with your legs, not with your back. It's a cue many trainers use anytime you bend down to lift something heavy. It makes sense, too, since conventional wisdom holds that rounding your back with heavy weight leads to injury. But if you look closely at a strongman like Tom Stoltman hoisting a 300-kilogram (661-pound) Atlas stone, you'll notice that his spine isn't ramrod straight at all. Instead, he's almost hunching forward, curling his entire spine around the stone. And if you scroll fitness social media long enough, you may come across an exercise called the Jefferson curl, which asks you to stand holding a light barbell, then lower the barbell while simultaneously rounding your back as much as possible.

Christian Mccaffrey is Him - He's entering his eighth season in the NFL, but the league's most electric running back is not slowing down.

Every off-season for the past seven years, Christian McCaffrey, the San Francisco 49ers' All-Pro running back, has met up with Brian Kula, C.S.C.S., a trainer he's worked with since eighth grade. They talk about any injuries and any niggling pain from the previous season, do a battery of strength and movement tests, and then create a program "to turn CMC back on."

A Merciless Sun

Just over a year ago, Kekoa Lansford watched from a hilltop as the Maui wildfires incinerated his hometown.

ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT'S ME, JAKE

How societal menace and serial disrupter JAKE PAUL is trying to change the sport of boxing, influence influencer culture, and, gulp, maybe change the world, too.

THE REINVENTED QUARTERBACK

A 2023 bookended by injuries pushed the Bengals' JOE BURROW to reconstruct his entire approach to fitness and nutrition.

THE WRECKING BALL WIDEOUT

DK METCALF pursues an old-school path to hardcore strength: PUSH. YOUR. LIMITS.

FATHERHOOD BUT WITH QUESTION MARKS

I've always wondered if I'm a good dad. So I did something drastic: I asked my kids.

THE SEMI-COMPLETE USER'S GUIDE TO...YOUR KIDNEYS

Protein's bad! You're drinking too much water (or maybe not enough?)! Our experts set the record straight on what keeps these filters going.

THE MUSCLE SPRINT

Crush all major muscle groups, blast calories, and supercharge your cardio with this dumbbell workout, which has an intense 55-rep ladder scheme that minimizes rest and maximizes fun.

IS HYROX WORTH ALL THE HYPE?

Move over, CrossFit. A new (and friendlier) brand of functional-fitness competition is currently sweeping the nation.

CONFESSIONS OF A CEREAL KILLER

COLD POP-TARTS? ALMOND MILK? PROTEIN CEREAL? WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THAT? WE ASKED LIFELONG BREAKFAST LOVER JERRY SEINFELD.

When Cancer Comes for Your Nuts

Testicular cancer rates are rising, and it's most common among young men ages 20 to 40. Here, one guy describes his shocking diagnosis when he was just 24-and the warning signs that other guys should never ignore.

"Everything You Want is on the Other Side of Fear."

Ryan Gosling and David Leitch are the star and director of The Fall Guy, the romantic-action-comedy blockbuster stunt-fest you'll see at least twice this summer. But they've also built a bond over stunt work, pain, and purpose.

6 A.M. With...the Olympic Fencer

Miles Chamley-Watson's workouts are filled with jokes-and rapier-sharp intensity.

WHAT MAKES A FATHER TOUGH

Social-media wormholes, political tensions, planetary peril-who would WANT TO RAISE A KID in this world, anyway? Well, these guys. Here's what BEING A DAD has TAUGHT EACH OF THEM about HAVING GRIT right now.

FRAUD-PROOF YOUR FINANCES

Scams are everywhere, and money is one of the biggest sources of anxiety for American men. Protect your money (and peace of mind) with these moves.

THE SEMI-COMPLETE USER'S GUIDE TO...THE PANCREAS

For a small, blow-dryer-shaped organ deep in the abdomen, the pancreas has a lot of power. Here's how to keep it happy so you stay healthy.

THE NEW SCIENCE OF HIP MOBILITY

Own the weight room, crush backyard football, and beat back pain by strengthening and stretching your hips.

GOT L-THEANINE ON THE BRAIN?

Supplement makers claim this amino acid focuses the mind and calms the nerves. We have questions.

THE MOVEMENT + MUSCLE WORKOUT

Get stronger and faster with this two-part session that packs on muscle-and primes you for light-speed runs, too.

THE NEW PLYO POWER-UP

How modern takes on an old fitness favorite can calibrate your training for an insta-boost of athleticism and strength.

Beyond Obesity

Ozempic! AirSculpt! Body positivity! The revolution in how we gain and lose weight and how we think about gaining and losing weight is just beginning.

Are Weight-Loss Drugs Right for You?

If you're thinking about taking anti-obesity drugs, peep this expert-backed* chart to see if you qualify, then make an appointment with your doctor.

6 A.M. With...The CEO of Robinhood

Regular sweat sessions help Vlad Tenev feel confident and in control even when the stock market is all over the place.

"I'm Big and I'm Strong"

These guys have dealt with fatphobia, body shaming, and the pressure to lose weight their entire lives. Here's how they developed a mentally healthy approach to the number on the scale.

JOHN BRZENK IS STILL GOING STRONG

At nearly 60 years old, BRZENK is holding his own at arm wrestling tables the world over. What the hell?