Top Bodybuilding Sites

We have published our list of what we think are the top bodybuilding sites on the Internet. We based our decision on the amount of traffic each sites receives on a monthly basis.

What do you think of our choices? Are there sites that you find useful, but are not listed? Leave your comment about our choices. Sometimes a site can be very helpful with advice, and supplement reviews, but not have the most visitors.

Male Fitness Model: Derrick Davenport Playgirl Man of the Year

Derrick Davenport was born and raised in South Carolina. A good southern boy who was raised by his mother, Derrick took an early interest in fitness and exercise and began training at an early age. In school, Derrick was always very active in sports, and he follows a definite competitive edge.

Derrick received his college degree from the the University of South Carolina. He quickly landed a coaching position at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Derrick was closely associate with the Bolettieri Academy where Venus and Serena Wiliams train.

In the fall of 2004, Derrick met photographers Steve Henry and Tom Watkin. After several photo shoots with these two photographers, Steve Henry suggested Derrick pose for Playgirl Magazine. The editors at Playgirl loved Derrick's look and chose Derrick for the May cover and centerfold of Playgirl. He was later chosen as Playgirl Magazine's Man of the Year.

Derrick's Playgirl debut was huge for his career! Quickly a fan site was developed for him and within a few days, thousands of people had joined Derrick Davenport's Yahoo Group

In April 2005, Derrick signed with Mega Muscle Productions to produce a series of videos. His first, Derrick Davenport's Complete Circuit Training is already being hailed as "one of the most visually stunning workout videos ever created."

Derrick has just completed filming on another video and all his products are available for sale through his online store.

In addition to all the new products featuring Derrick, he signed on to join the team of Mega Muscle Models, one of the hottest model management companies in the country.

What does the future hold for Derrick? He is getting ready to launch his exclusive "members-only" section on DerrickDavenport.com. In August, Derrick will begin production on new fitness videos focusing on yoga and other forms of fitness.

Keep watching DerrickDavenport.com for the latest on Derrick!

Male Underwear Boxcover Contest

In honor of National Underwear Day, Campus Men offers a Male Underwear Packaging Contest encourage shoppers to enter photos taken via their cell phones of the best and worst (or funniest) underwear packaging.

Male Fitness Trainer Shawn Phillips on Myspace

For those of you who live in Los Angeles, consider networking with Shawn Phillips, one of the most popular trainers in Los Angeles. Shawn is using myspace to market his services and offers several free fitness videos and tips on his myspace profile. Here is his bio: Shawn has trained a variety of celebrities, was the founder of Perfect Body, Inc., has been a spokesperson for Time Warner, manages three health and fitness websites, was featured four times on KCAL 9 news 9 on the town, has appeared on a variety cable shows, runs a successful personal training practice, and is currently working on an infomercial.

Shawn's approach to fitness is both unique and compelling. He uses a three dimensional approach which includes the mind, body, and spirit. This approach has been extremely useful and effective to help people lose weight.

Shawn's background is wide and diverse. He attended UCLA graduating with honors in Economics and Philosophy. While attending UCLA, Shawn was a model with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency. After graduation, was hired by the esteemed investment bank, Merrill Lynch, as an institutional broker and then subsequently transferred over to Smith Barney to become a Financial Advisor. After his 4 year stay in finance, Shawns health was diminishing so he left the industry, starting a new career as a Fitness Consultant.

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Male fitness modeling has different standards than bodybuilding

The first questions a young guy should ask if if he wants to be a bodybuilder, or does he want to be a male fitness model for magazines which feature leaner guys such as FitnessRX or websites such as Strengthnet or Al American Guys? If a college guy wants to get into male fitness modeling (not bodybuilding) getting lean is important.

A camera can add 10 pounds to any appearance. Maintaining a lean, toned body for fitness modeling requires diligence.

Some college guys feel they have to "gain weight" before they are photographed for fitness-type modeling. This is not necessarily true. Our male model photographer says that a defined, toned physique is preferable for fitness modeling and is more important than gaining weight or getting bigger. Our male model photographer can make a 160 lb. guy look awesome!

Defined muscles provide edges that a camera can record Guys with the bigger, bulkier bodies without much definition appear "plump" on film. The best male fitness models are always those with little body fat and more defined muscles, even if those muscles are not very big! The good news is that during a fitness modeling shoot, male models usually lose water and lean-up tremendously because they perspire from the heat after a few days on location.

Click on the headline for this article to read more on the Campus Men site.

Fitness Modeling is Sometimes a Ruse to Get Young Guys into Porn

Often times fast-talking dudes from New York or Los Angeles will phone some athletic young guy and start bedazzling him by dropping names of magazines and campaigns his models have done.

He says "Our models have appeared in Fitness RX, Men's Fitness"... blah blah blah and then slips in that "We also cast for a few adult projects".

Truth be told, it is likely that he has no fitness magazine opportunities and if he does, it is for some thinly veiled homoerotic fitness magazine which shows models doing squats in speedos. It is likely he wants you to get into jackoff videos, and there are no fitness modeling opportunities.

With the exception of Rob Sager, it is highly unlikely the fitness industry is going to book from an agency that also books porn. It takes contracts with supplement companies to earn substantial money in fitness modeling. Are these organizations going to tend to work with people in porn?

So, when a person on the phone mentions "adult productions" casually in passing. Move on. When they mention "Playgirl style projects", ask the exact name of the project. They are likely mentioning the Playgirl name to give legitimacy to their real (sketchy) endeavor.

Remember, no model release can be truly encompassing of every angle and protect you - so you must rely on the reputation of the person you are dealing with. Don't be afraif to ask for the name and email of a young guy who they have already worked with. If there relationship with that guy had no problems, there should not be a problem with supplying you their email address as a reference..

Make Fitness Modeling Audition Photos Simple

How to create simple, snapshot-style photos for male modeling auditions

Guys do not need to submit professional male modeling photos to audition for fitness modeling.

Well-lit digital snapshots your roommate or friend shoots for you after lifting weights is fine for for most needs.

Most guys lose sight of what casting directors and decision makers want: to see what a potential male fitness model who lives thousands of miles away really looks like.

Here is the point: they do not care about what your fireplace, or sofa, or bedroom posters look like. They want to clearly see your body. Some guys make a big production of audition photos, taking time to create "nice photos" with a good settings. Well, the more of your living rom you include, the less of your body is viewable to the person who makes decisions.

Here are some tips for creating audition photos:

We do not care where the photos are taken. Outdoors or indoors is fine. The background is unimportant! The more you include of the room, the less we see of your body.

The person shooting the photos should stand close enough to you so not much background is visible in the picture. We want to see you -- not your living room!

Turn on every light in the room. The more light the better. Shadows and darkness is bad.

Unique book: How to Become a Fitness Model

We came across a unique book you might want to check out. Scott White has published a book titled "How to become a fitness model". Although we have not read it, we figure it must have at least $39 worth of info - since the male fitness modeling industry is so tricky to enter. If you have read it, or plan to purchase it, be sure to post a comment in response to our mentioning of the book - to let others know what you thought of the book's advice on fitness modeling.