Customer Reviews

Oxygen

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Whether you intend to become a fitness pro or are just an average gal wanting to get in better shape, Robert Kennedy's Oxygen is a magazine that caters to both. This glossy mag is chock full of information and inspiration on every single page. Unlike the other recently deceased women's fitness magazine, Hers, Oxygen is never boring and never skimpy on articles.

Every single issue has a variety of workouts, clearly laid out. There is sage advice to accompany these routines - and not just form and technique! In these pages, you'll find beauty routines, fashion, book reviews, music suggestions, nutrition, inspiring stories and more. Newer forms of fitness are introduced (yoga, pilates, etc.), so this isn't just limited to weight lifting/cardio. There is usually competition coverage as well as advice for those who are aspiring to become a fitness pro. Think this is just for the pros? Think again - each month, there are columns devoted to moms and moms to be as well as a column for the over 40 crowd written by the feisty Tosca Reno.

Many industry pros offer their stories in each issue - Monica Brant Peckham, Kelly Ryan, Jen Hendershott and more! This magazine continues each month to help me stay on track with my fitness goals. Whenever I get sidetracked or discouraged, each month, my Oxygen comes into my mailbox, giving me a little nudge in the right direction. Highly recommended!

Oxygen is great if you are SERIOUS about staying in shape. The articles and models are very inspiring and motivating. Unlike some other magazines that you flip through and toss aside, Oxygen keeps you intrigued the whole month. The fitness competitors list their workouts and diets, reminding you how they got those great bodies! After reading Oxygen I'm ready to hit the gym!

This magazine is great for those who are serious about fitness and/or women's body building and fitness competition. If you are overweight and out of shape and looking to start losing weight then this magazine is probably too advanced for you. You would be happier with a magazine like Shape. I also subscribe to Shape but find Shape is more about jogging, yoga and weight loss. Oxygen is more free weights and body building. I love the detailed work outs and have gotten great results following them. All of the women are very inspiring!

Yes, it has a lot of ads but no more than any other mag. They have to sell ads to make money & stay in business. No one says you have to buy what they are advertising.

I have purchased several issues of Oxygen...I am serious about fitness...in fact I race kayaks and work out extensively in a gym. And I have liked alot of the information that Oxygen has...BUT I am put off by the large amount of the magazine that is supplement ads...and it does bias their articles...you will see them suggest supplements over food in many instances. So just beware of this as you pick through the good information from the hype to sell product.

Obviously "ugly" comments below were written by the uneducated with uneducated guesses and assumptions. I LOVE this magazine. There are awesome workouts, great meals and great stories to inspire one and all. Yes, it does cover fitness/figure competitions, but it doesn't mean everyone has to look like that or get their bodies to that level... it's a magazine for inspiration... to look at the physcially fit (who are only able to look like that when they compete, not 365 days of the year as everyone knows is unhealthy... even those who do compete). yes, the downfall to this magazine is all the supplement advertisements... but what is a magazine without advertisements? Every magazine you look at has some form of adverstisements and since this is technically the "bible" of fitness, there are going to be advertisements tailored to supplements.

i will admit, I was somewhat offended by reading what the "ugly" had to say. They must've been jealous, because I felt that way towards fitness like they do when I was in their shoes (I weighed 180 at one point on my 4' 11" frame), or upset because they didn't do the research on this magazine and just assumed it would be another girly magazine with false info on how to lose those last 20 lbs by doing useless no weights exercises or the "as seen on TV" cardio DVDs/exercise machines/gimmicks. Those women are NOT ugly and all are NOT bodybuilders... most were fitness competitors doing gymnastic type routines and only lifting to tone. Weight lifting does not a body builder make. You would have to lift to the extreme, power lift and in the pros take steroids (hence the ugly men-looking women).

So... if you want to take your body to the next level... better yet, actually lose some fat in a healthy manner and need some inspiration, please buy a copy of this magazine. check it out. If you're into fitness/figure competitions, well, obviously this is the bible. :)

As for the uneducated below, I am competing in my first figure competition in 9 days. Of all the things I have learned through my trainers, most of the supplements you see in the ads are not condoned by them. And contrary to popular belief, we don't all consume protein shakes all day, nor does this magazine say you HAVE to to reach your weight loss goals. And substituting toast with jam for a bagel with cream cheese is just as bad, because you're substituting sugar for fat. Doesn't make any sense. I am one who was overweight and have learned a great deal from magazines like this... every magazine, whether it be fitness, fashion, etc. must be taken with a grain of salt every now and then, because not even the so-called "experts' can agree with what works and what doesn't. Everyone's body is different.

Look at this magazine, do the research, make an educated choice!

I was getting utterly sick of all the other so called "fitness" magazines that were 70% makeup and clothing ads.
I found Oxygen and Womens M&F and i'm hooked on both. You don't see the same old boring exercises just stacked in diffrent routines like the other magazines. You get a lot more variety. And I love the special editions on "butt" and "nutrition" etc.

For awhile I was undecided about Oxygen; some of the articles were helpful, such as the guides in their 'Glutes' issue showing proper form for squats, lunges, etc. However, they didn't distinguish b/w some of the more advanced moves versus more basic ones. Granted, to the person who has been working out awhile, it would be obvious, but to someone just starting out, it may not be, and could easily hurt themselves. More detailed instructions would have been helpful. Other than that, the recipes looked good.

Also, I have to say their 'Off the Couch' issue was quite inspiring! It featured several stories of REAL women losing weight and getting into shape. For this, I give Oxygen BIG kudos for! Let's face it, celebrities have access to the best personal trainers money can buy. Real women don't - they have to make do with what they have, and the fact these women made such great strides in health and fitness, and look fabulous to boot? Again, brava, Oxygen! More stories like these, please!

What I didn't like about Oxygen, was the lack of scientific data to backup their nutrition and diet plans. One diet in the 'Off the Couch' issue I felt was a bit extreme; it was to lose 10 pounds in 21`days - so restricted were the calories, they advised not to do much exercise during the diet (first week was 1100 calories per day, gradually going up each week). And supposedly an earlier, simliar diet they published was even MORE extreme. This isn't necessary! According to Denise Austin, an actual exercise physiologist, you shouldn't lose more than 2 pounds per week, as you can be losing muscle as well as fat if you do. And with her diet in 'Shrink your female fat zones' the least calories you take in are 1400 and the most 1800. This is coupled with a sensible workout plan. There are many other diet plans that aren't as extreme as Oxygen's, and you can still get the same results, if not better, because you're not depriving yourself.

Ditto for their 'getting started working out at home plan' - again, a great thing to include as many people can't afford to go to a gym; but one of the moves I thought was a bit too advanced for beginners (specifically, the straight-legged reverse crunch on a bench; an easier version should have been included as well). And their refusal to explain why the plan works - as to not 'bore' the reader with whys and wherefors? How is backing up what you say boring? I personally like to know how and why something works. Your readers DO think, Oxygen. Really, they do.

Lastly, the constant advertising of 'buy more Oxygen!' and plugging Tosca Reno's Clean Eating books in practically every article was just irritating; even in the success stories, each person OF COURSE buys Oxygen and the Clean Eating books! Plus there was a not-so-impartial review of Reno's latest book. PLUS another article promoting her Training Journal book. My Gods, Oxygen! A few ads are ok, but do you have to push her books in every freakin article? Or buy more Oxygen! Subscribe and back issues! Subscription ads are one thing, but this was just too much! I don't like being marketed to while I'm trying to get info. Supplement ads? That's to be expected. ALL fitness magazines have these. But enough already!

So, all in all, I think Oxygen COULD be a great magazine, if they just tone down the marketing and backed up what they said; they should actually cite their sources, like Prevention and Fitness Rx do. This way, they would be reliable as well as motivating.

Oh, and one last thing, Oxygen - PLEASE get a REAL exercise physiologist to give advice instead of a publisher! Robert Kennedy may be a good publisher / businessman, but that doesn't qualify him to give fitness and nutrition advice - sorry...

I dunno...I think if you're looking for an affordable, but reliable, health and fitness magazine, go with Prevention. And if you're really into weight lifting, go with Fitness Rx, or even Muscle and Fitness Hers (though Fitness Rx is my first choice).

I love this magazine mainly because I am a figure and fitness competitor. It has great tips. If you are not competitor and just love to workout, this magazine is for you, too! You will get motivated by every article and meal plans! I do not recommend magazine for individuals who are just looking to get toned and not to cut body fat to supreme low levels. Oxygen can at times overly advertise the supplements. I used to get Shape mag but I did not like the models in that mag. They looked way too small to be advertising fitness. I highly recommend this mag for those individuals are INTERSTED IN COMPETITIONS!

I absolutely love this magazine! It is a wonderful motivation for anyone who wants to be healthy and strong. I will be 38 in a few weeks, and am considering competing in a fitness competition because of this magazine. I read it from beginning to end, and my husband even reads it. He always asks if I saw the article on this or that, which is an indication that the information presented is useful and engaging. If you are serious about your health, want to get in shape or want to take your body to the next level, this is the magazine for you.

I have been trying for so long to find a women's fitness magazine out there that is this informative, motivating and jammed packed with useful stuff instead of a bunch of ads for years. I have been weight training and working out at the gym for almost 4 years and I can't tell you that my enthusiam for what I do in the gym 5-6 days a week has nearly TRIPLED! The first issue I read was the 75th issue with the 6 fitness pros on the cover. I have read that thing like 20 times since I got and I keep telling everyone how great this magazine is! It's like a one-stop shop for food and diet tips, weigth training and cardio, beauty tips, real stories and overalll inspiration. (Don't we all just wanna look like Maggie Diubaldo? I know I do :o)). This is it,look no further. For women who wanna stay fit or are even just thinking about stepping into a gym, you MUST subscribe to Oxygen, you will surely be as psyched as I am.