Bill Phillips (2015)

Guilty? Nah. The Men’s Health cover is a mirror. When readers look into it, they see some version of themselves staring back. It can be an idealized version—a guy they aspire to be. The most important thing is that our cover guys have something to teach our readers. If we can inspire a reader to pick up the magazine, that’s the first step toward improving his life. That’s what Men’s Health is all about. That’s also the idea behind the book—take one step today to be better than you were yesterday.

What IS traditional masculinity, these days? For the last three decades we've been moving beyond rigid sex roles, in favor a broader definition of men, and we fully support that, because it gives guys more opportunities for the pursuit of happiness. Take a look at our reader votes for this year's Ultimate Men's Health Guy. A transgender guy leading the way, and he's sharing the reader vote with soldiers, firefighters, and personal trainers. They all have the to right six-pack abs, and to the honorific title of "MH guy." We support them all.

Yes, suicide is a scary problem. As I say in the book, it’s the second-leading cause of death among men younger than 34. We’ve covered it directly several times over the past years. Here’s a link to one of my favorite all-time Men’s Health stories, about a police sergeant who walks the Golden Gate Bridge and quite literally talks people off the ledge: http://www.menshealth.com/golden-gate-suicides. Now wouldn’t be a bad time to remind everyone that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-TALK.

A healthy sex life is part of an overall happy, healthy life, so I think it's important to have articles about sex. But if you look at our magazine, website, and social media, sex articles account for less than 15% of our content. It might seem like more, but that's because sex sells, and is maybe just a LITTLE bit more memorable than an article on fish oil supplements.

Because the scent strips make the magazine smell FABULOUS. And, I need them all.

We're not so much about the perfect wife, but rather, perfecting the average relationship. Whether you walk the aisle is up to you. Thank you for your question, Mr. Leykis.

I was in the business for 20 years before I got this job. I was never in a rush--I always knew deep inside that I’d be an Editor-in-Chief at a major magazine someday. There were times when I questioned if it’d happen, of course. Once, I was passed over for a big job at another title, and a creative director friend of mine took me out for a beer and said: “Remember, you always have your talent, and talent always rises.” I’ve never forgotten those words. They ring true in any industry.

The first step is to find your motivation to take some sort of positive action. If that means buying a magazine or book, great. If you can do it on your own, that's fine too. MH's mission is to empower men to gain control of their physical and emotional lives. We'll be there if/when they need us. And, yes, diet is absolutely key. If you're still drinking soda or putting sugar in your coffee, start dialing it back right there. That will inspire you to make other great changes, and soon you'll be on your way. Think of it as a virtuous cycle.

Last November's feature about our search for the Ultimate Men's Health Guy hit all the notes we want to in the magazine, showing how all guys are a work in progress, and that we can pull ourselves up if we work hard enough at it. Our cover guy and first UMHG Noah Galloway was a wounded Iraq vet and an inspiration to everybody who met him and read about him. Including me. Oh, and then there was Dancing with the Stars...

At 26, I’d just moved to New York from Washington, DC. I was working at a trade magazine in DC, and moved because I wanted to break into consumer mags. I took a freelance copyediting job at Popular Mechanics. And then, five years later, married the woman who hired me. So, yeah, it was a great move.

We're cheering on those dad bods, because it's heartening when reality can be considered sexy. We all should be loved for who we are, not some image of a perfect body. A lot of us on staff combine working out with chilling out--it's a healthy way to live. A fat gut is a symptom of bad health. But being lean and fit, and not crazy or obsessive? We salute you, Dad Bod! You can have the bod and the beer, and live more happily because of both.

Wait, there are other magazines like MH? Not on this planet, because nobody combines our expert sources, the hard core research, and the actionable service that changes lives. There might be others who pretend to do all that, but they're just hoping newsstand visitors make a tragic mistake in the checkout line. Accept no substitutes! MH or death!

How fit are you? If you’re not in shape, keep it simple. Take one step—literally—so you see a positive change and feel better. That could mean a daily walk at lunch. (Or buy a dog!) After a week or two, add a countdown workout to the end of your walk: 8 pushups and then 8 squats, then 7 and 7, 6 and 6, and so on—down to zero. If you’re able to do that, start at 9. And then 10. After about 5 weeks, you’ll have created a new fitness habit. Now you can experiment with new workouts and harder routines. Workouts.MensHealth.com has a ton of them. Just as important, fix your diet. Watch your calories and cut out ALL sweetened drinks. I gave up soft drinks years ago and the pounds melted away.

The Men's Health office right now: http://giphy.com/gifs/movie-scream-300-jvlbHKwIXSDEQ

I am personally crazy about BJ Gaddour and David Jack and their DVD workouts series for MH. That way I can work out in the privacy of my basement, and swear at them when necessary. NO MORE BURPEES, thanks!

Jimmy Fallon was among the greatest, interviewing himself for his own cover story. Then a few months later, he had our OTHER fave cover guy Hugh Jackman on, and they were comparing cover lines. Jimmy didn't like BURN FAT 24/7, for some reason!

We've got a huge GYM JONES feature coming up in our September issue. Check it out.

Ha! It'd be a full-time job. There's not an editor here who follows every single tip from our magazine. Every guy is different, so we try to load our magazine with advice that works for all kinds of men. It's good to see all the different workouts, diets, and lifestyle advice we give, but we don't expect our readers to follow every bit of advice.

I had to ask our Executive Style and Grooming Director Brian Boye for this one. He recommends Kiehl's Body Fuel Energizing Wash: "It's a great body wash for athletes and sweaty guys. It removes excess oil and sweat and has caffeine, which energizes your skin."
Because I live with three women, I use L'Occitane Shea Butter Verbena. Okay, I lied. I use it because I love it.

Not often enough.

I'm sending BJ Gaddour out right now to kick their asses. Please share addresses.

In the interest of saving time & answering as many questions as possible, I'm re-posting the response I just wrote to a very similar question. (Hope that's OK!)

If you’re not in shape, keep it simple. Take one step—literally—so you see a positive change and feel better. That could mean a daily walk at lunch. (Or buy a dog!) After a week or two, add a countdown workout to the end of your walk: 8 pushups and then 8 squats, then 7 and 7, 6 and 6, and so on—down to zero. If you’re able to do that, start at 9. And then 10. After about 5 weeks, you’ll have created a new fitness habit. Now you can experiment with new workouts and harder routines. Workouts.MensHealth.com has a ton of them. Just as important, fix your diet. Watch your calories and cut out ALL sweetened drinks. I gave up soft drinks years ago and the pounds melted away.

Previous editorial regimes at MH thought of the cover as strictly a sales tool, so they pushed what worked. (Your link is to an article that ran in 2009!) I think of cover lines as a reflection of our tons of useful stuff, plus the sense of humor in the magazine, plus an awesome guy we can all learn from. Quite a formula, and worth repeating! But we don't repeat lines!

No. Could you introduce us?

It's not easy--unless you're blessed with perfect genetics. Dan John, one of our fitness experts, suggests these three steps:

1. Sleep 10 hours a night.

2. Eat 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day.

3. Train as hard as you can in the time available (up to three hours a day for some!)
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First, edit your question down to 25 words. And I'm not kidding, because efficiency in writing is the first virtue. Second, target a magazine on a subject you actually know something about, and read the last year of issues. Third, come up with ten ideas, and then throw them out. Fourth, come up with ten more, and throw those out, too. Fifth, more ideas, and they may finally be ones that your target magazine hasn't heard before.

The first step in any media career is to live a rich life. Travel widely, read widely, watch omnivorously, think deeply, and write a lot. And, because we live in 2015, you need to become a master of communications gadgets, so do that in your spare time. Exhausted yet? Try law school!

Not really.

Hah. We must have commented at the exact same time.