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Beyond the Fairway: Indie Music Star Michael Marcagi on Balancing Tour Life and Fitness

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After breaking out with his emotionally driven folk-rock sound and viral success on songs like “ Scared to Start ,” rising singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi has quickly become one of music’s most talked-about new artists. But while his career is accelerating fast, Marcagi is learning that life on the road requires the same discipline and endurance as any athlete. For Marcagi, touring life looks a lot different these days than it did growing up in Ohio. Now based in Boulder, the Midwest native says the move has completely reshaped the way he approaches health, fitness, and recovery while balancing a demanding performance schedule. Between hiking, running, and spending more time outdoors, Colorado’s lifestyle has been a welcome adjustment. “Coming from the Midwest, where winters are cold and gray, I’m just having a good time being outside almost every day,” Marcagi tells Muscle & Fitness. “It’s been really nice.” Before music became his full-time career, Marcagi was a competitiv...

Thoracic Spine Mobility Drills for Rotation Power: 5 Exercises to Improve Athletic Performance

You often see demonstrations of rotational power, like baseball pitchers able to throw 100 mph fastballs or batters hitting massive home runs. But it’s not just baseball. Rotational strength is needed for nearly every type of athletic and everyday patterns. Think of rotational movement in activities such as: Sprinting and changing direction Reaching across your body Carrying groceries Backing out of the driveway The issue is that we lose rotation from too much sitting and too little movement variety, leaving the thoracic spine locked up like an old, rusty hinge. It’s a classic case of move it or lose it. But when that happens, your body still finds a way to rotate—just not from the right place. If your thoracic spine can’t rotate, your lower back eventually will. Rotating the lower back too often can cause pain and hinder athletic performance. Rotational power depends on your ability to generate and transfer force through the torso. If the thoracic spine can’t move, you have...

Marcus Ericsson Shares His Mental—and Physical—Preparation for a Second Indy 500 Title

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Winning the 2022 Indianapolis 500 may have been the biggest mental challenge Marcus Ericsson has ever had to pull off. And if needed, when the checkered flag waves in less than two weeks for the 110th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” he’s prepared to do it all over again in order to return to Victory Lane. With practice rounds already underway for the May 24 classic, the swift-moving Swede hopes to channel the same mental edge he tapped into three years ago—this time driving the No. 28 Honda and wearing Andretti Global black. Ericsson has been putting in the work. Sure, there’s the weight-room grind and the conditioning that comes with 500 miles at speeds over 200 mph, but he credits his dedicated work with a mental performance coach for helping him handle high-pressure moments with a stronger level of confidence. “I’ve always been interested in the mental side of things,” he says. “I think it is very powerful for anyone really, but for an athlete, it can be a game ...

The Science-Backed Dropset Strategy That Builds Strength and Muscle Together

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Dropsets have been around forever, and there’s a reason they never really disappeared from serious training programs. They’re simple, they’re brutal when you want them to be, and they give you a clear way to squeeze more work out of a muscle after the heavy lifting is done . Anyone who has stripped plates off a barbell or moved down the dumbbell rack knows exactly how fast a normal set can turn into a much harder challenge than expected. Most lifters still think of dropsets as a bodybuilding finisher . You hit your main work, chase the pump at the end, and leave the gym feeling like the target muscle got torched. That approach has value, especially when hypertrophy sits at the top of the priority list. But if that’s the only way you use dropsets, you’re only using part of what the method can offer. A more tactful approach is to build dropsets around performance first. Work up to a heavy top set, take a calculated drop in weight, then use your back-off sets to build muscle with clean...

Sam Sulek Shares Brutal Back Workout for Massive Lat and Upper-Back Gains

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Social media star and bona fide Men’s Classic Physique Competitor, Sam Sulek is back in the gym following an impressive eighth place at the Arnold U.S. and seventh place at the Arnold U.K . this past March, and the big man is now hoping to make some serious gains with his back before returning to the competitive stage. “I think I’m going to start with all rows, then all pulldowns,” explained the content creator who has a proclivity for getting his pump on. If you would like to follow this heavy back day, here are the exercises that Sulek selected. Just be sure to figure out your own form by going light first, then finding a working weight that suits your individual strength level. News Sam Sulek’s Weight Cut Strategy for the 2026 Arnol... Recently at 229 pounds, the young bodybuilder says he’s not worried about making weight. Read article Sam Sulek’s Complete Back Workout Routine Mid-Back Row — 3 Sets to f...

Dorian Yates’ Brutal Calf Workout: The 2 Exercises He Used to Build Massive Diamond Calves

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Dorian Yates was known as “The Shadow,” and certainly, the silhouette that he cut on the Olympia stage earned the iconic British bodybuilder six consecutive titles, but despite his reputation for building an enormous chest, shoulders, and arms, Yates was all about impressing his judges with the finer details too . So, all the way down to his calves, Dorian Yates built himself a phenomenal physique and thankfully, he’s shared the process so that others can follow. Training Dorian Yates Talks Volume and Mass The six-time Mr. Olympia winner shares his equation for success. Read article The 2 Calf Exercises Dorian Yates Swore By for Bigger Lower Legs Taking to Instagram with a series of informative posts, Dorian Yates revealed that his preferred calf exercises were the standing calf raise and the seated calf raise. While these are staple moves, they are often neglected in the gym in favor of more glamorous lifts ...

Bear Rinehart Is Preparing and Performing Like It’s Game Day

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Like a football powerhouse, Bear Rinehart and NEEDTOBREATHE have been riding a high-octane offense at every tour stop for nearly a quarter century. The jump from South Carolina bar band to platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated showstoppers has come from the same tried-and-true game plan: Leave every ounce of energy onstage each night, leave fans wanting more, then leave town and repeat at the next stop. Although an artist’s work has no offseason—there’s always new music to craft and songs to release, such as the recently dropped video for “Take Me Dancing” —the new season begins Aug. 26, when the alt-rock-Americana artists kick off The Long Surrender Tour in Maryland Heights, MO. At age 45, Rinehart is nowhere conceding an ounce of energy to Father Time, not for this tour, nor hopefully for any in the near future. “Maybe I’m one of those guys who still thinks he’s 20, but in terms of the live show, I feel like we’re better than we’ve ever been,” Rinehart says. When he was 20—at a time...

WWE’s The Miz Reveals His Workout, Recovery, and Longevity Secrets at 45

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since M&F sat down with Mike “The Miz” Mizanin ahead of the release of his WWE 24 documentary back in 2025 . But time moves fast when you’re busy balancing a Hall of Fame worthy pro wrestling career with a burgeoning television presence. Fortunately, M&F managed to slow The Miz down just long enough to catch up with the fighting fit 45-year-old, and we soon found out how he leans into longevity, and how he’s able to stay in peak shape while juggling WWE and American Gladiators. While The Miz currently has his hands full with Danhausen in WWE, there’s one accolade that cannot be taken away from his stellar in-ring career. The Miz is the only pro wrestler ever to defend a world title against John Cena at WrestleMania, and with the “You Can’t See Me Star” now retired, that feat can never be repeated. In terms of hanging up his own boots, however, The Miz has much more to do. “When I was coming up, I learned from the best,” he tell...