Brie and Nikki Bella are undoubtedly two of the most influential WWE divas in recent history. The twin sisters ushered in the WWE’s reality TV era, held numerous championships, and are popular even among those who don’t watch wrestling.

Their relationships and recent dual-pregnancy announcement have been covered by almost every gossip site. And now, it looks as if their invaluable contributions to the wrestling industry will be recognized. 

Wrestling rumor site WrestleVotes first reported that the twins are being considered for the WWE Hall of Fame’s 2020 class. The duo, who were the first female-only pair to grace Muscle & Fitness’ cover, would join Dave Bautista, another M&F cover model, at this year’s ceremony. (So apparently, the trick to getting into the hall is to be on our cover—our lines are open, WWE Superstars). 

WWE has not yet confirmed the announcement, but people are already buzzing with excitement over the possibility. 

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“The Hardcore Legend” Mick Foley even tweeted his support for the idea. “Great athletes, excellent attitudes, mainstays in the Divas division for years before the women’s revolution— and were tireless ambassadors for @WWE well before @TotalDivas brought them mainstream attention,” Mrs. Foley’s baby boy said.  

The Bellas have become much more than a great wrestling team. They were two of the first divas to appear on the reality show Total Divas, which gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female wrestlers. In 2016 they got their own spinoff, Total Bellas, which will begin its fifth season on April 9. 

And their lives have even become a federal matter (literally). When Nikki Bella and John Cena got engaged at WrestleMania 33 (they later broke up, and Nikki is now engaged to Russian dancer Artem Chigvintsev), Iowa Congressman Rod Blum asked then-U.S. Small Business Secretary Linda McMahon why it took Cena so long to ask her. 

McMahon, the WWE’s former president, simply said, “You’d have to ask him.” 

It seems 2020 is shaping up to be the Bellas’ year. Both are expecting children (Nikki’s first and Brie’s second) and are due within two weeks of each other. We can’t wait to see what else is on the horizon for the dynamic duo.

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Yoga is no longer just that thing stay-at-home moms do while they wait for their child’s school day to end. The ancient Indian exercise has been found to have a number of benefits for everyone, bodybuilders included, ranging from better mental health to an improved immune system. 

And now there’s one more benefit to doing yoga—it can help get rid of your throbbing back pain. 

A review published in the journal Holistic Nursing Practice found people who practiced long-duration yoga had drastic reductions in back pain and stopped using painkillers to deal with aches. The benefits were found in people suffering from one-time back pain to chronic sufferers. 

Tai chi and qigong (a martial arts-style exercise form) also had benefits, though not as pronounced as yoga’s. 

The researchers believe the findings could lead physicians to prescribe yoga for patients suffering back pain instead of addictive painkillers and opiates. 

“Our review provides emerging evidence that movement-based mind-body interventions could benefit veterans and others experiencing chronic low back pain,” Cheryl Krause-Parello, Ph.D., the review’s co-author, said in a release. 

Back pain is more than an annoyance—it can lead to decreased mobility, which can affect people’s lives and job performance. The studies the researchers looked at found that people who started yoga as a means to treat back pain stuck with it, and there was only one case where a person suffered further injury (though it’s unknown if that was due to yoga or external factors). 

If that’s not enough to sell you on it, consider that six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates took up the practice and has said it has changed his life. Wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page has also opened his own yoga business and has transformed many, from helping a man lose nearly more than 100 pounds to helping a disabled veteran defy the odds and walk on his own again. 

So roll out the mats and get moving. 

The March 2020 edition of Muscle & Fitness has all the workout and nutrition tips you need to start losing all that winter fat. 

Most men start thinking of retirement as they near 50, but 48-year-old Mark Wahlberg is not your average man—he’s even busier than ever. The Bostonian spoke to us about how F45 Training has transformed his physique and why he decided to invest in the business, his upcoming Netflix movie Spenser Confidential, and more. 

Plus, UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya chats wth us about fighting and anime, the “World’s Strongest Gay” Rob Kearney discusses some pressing matters, and C.T. Fletcher still has one more motherf****ng set left in him. 

In our Train section, we debate which move is best for your next pull day, show you how to imitate a Viking press at your gym, and one of our editors explains why he was called “the deadlift guy.” 

Because abs are made in the kitchen, our Eat section is filled with recipes to keep you energized and lean out for summer. We also find out whether you should go for Guinness or Jameson on St. Patrick’s Day and dissect the ingredients in the Beyond Burger. 

Kolohe Primeau breaks down his Golden Ratio workout; we show you how to put your exercise balls to the wall for maximum gains; and flow expert Eric Leija shows you five workouts for more muscle, stability, and mobility. 

And since Muscle & Fitness includes FLEX, you’ll also get the latest bodybuilding news, as well as more advanced workout and nutrition tips. Roelly Winklaar breaks down his s-pec-tacular workout; strength icon Stan Efferding details his Vertical Diet; and we ask IFBB Pro League athletes what’s on their workout playlist. 

Pick up the March edition for all this and more! Whatever your fitness goals are, we’ve got all the tips you need right here in Muscle & Fitness and FLEX. 

Jon Jones retained his title at UFC 247 in Houston, TX, but the victory, like most of Jones’ career, was shrouded in controversy. Many believe that it was the light heavyweight challenger, Dominick Reyes—a boxing-savvy up-and-comer—who won the first three of five rounds and was deserving of the W. 

And considering that Jones’s last three title defenses were all close decisions, we’re not surprised to see him shying away from a purported move up to the heavyweight division. 

That doesn’t mean his proposed bout with Brock Lesnar won’t happen, though. According to Sports Illustrated, it seems as though “Bones” is seriously considering a move over to the WWE. All of the money with none of the uppercuts? That sounds like a good deal to us. 

Reyes got robbed for sure 👀 #UFC247 #JonesvsReyes pic.twitter.com/s7VsfRJSoi

— YvesRoyce (@Yvesroyce) February 9, 2020

 

At this point in his career, Jones isn’t gaining much by taking fights with newcomers. He’s cleaned out two different generations of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, secured the record for most UFC title defenses with 14, and is firmly, and forever will be, in the GOAT conversation. Seriously, what is there left for him to do?

Every fight he takes from here on out is an opportunity for him to lose—and nothing more. While he’s an exciting fighter to watch, the WWE may be a smart move. Jones will be less prone to injury, make a ton of money (assuming he’s a hit), and won’t have to deal with the constant pressure of having a target on his back, or, rather, his face.

 

 

 

 

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Becky Lynch thinks Vince McMahon has a better Billionaire Strut than Conor McGregor (via @marcraimondimma)

A post shared by ESPN MMA (@espnmma) on Feb 11, 2020 at 5:12pm PST

Former Bantamweight stars Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler have done it, and WWE Superstar and former M&F cover model Becky Lynch thinks that Conor McGregor could also make the move—so, what does Jones really have to lose? A lot less than if he keeps on fighting. 

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It seems as if almost everything we encounter causes fertility damage these days, from the sugary foods we eat to the phones we carry in our pocket. 

One of the biggest culprits is bisphenol A, commonly referred to as BPA, a synesthetic compound used in plastic water bottles and other materials. Past research has found everyday exposure to BPAs can decrease semen quality.

With sperm counts dropping rapidly—a 2017 study found that sperm counts in most major countries fell by 50 percent over the past four decades—researchers have been trying to find ways to protect men from further damage. 

But now, you might be able to reverse harm already done to your little swimmers with the help of a compound already found in your body and food. 

Harvard Medical researchers discovered that the antioxidant Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, reversed most of the reproductive harms caused by BPAs in a study conducted on worms.  

The findings, published in the journal Genetics, could lead the way to future fertility treatments.

“Now, as we continue to screen for and study how chemicals affect reproductive health, we can also ask the next really important question: Given that we’re all exposed, how can we mitigate those effects in order to improve fertility and have healthier births?” Monica Colaiácovo, professor of genetics in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, said in a release. 

CoQ10 is a naturally-occuring antioxidant produced by the human body, but also found in meat and fish. It’s also available in supplement form. Its fertility benefits are already known, however this is the first case that has showed it could repair damage already done to the reproductive system.

But don’t rush out to the supplement store just yet. As the researchers point out, humans are not big worms and the CoQ10 used in the experiment was a very pure form of the antioxidant—nothing like what you’d be able to get commercially. 

The researchers, though, are optimistic of what the findings could mean for future research.

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