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Oliver Lee Bateman

Oliver Bateman is a contributing writer to MEL Magazine. He writes about the extreme sides of fitness, the weirder sides of MMA and pro wrestling, and the unorthodox lifestyles of professional athletes. His writing on these topics has appeared in publications such as the Paris Review, the Atlantic, and the New Republic. Ever since he was a little kid, he's been really good at exercising.

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synthol

Inside Synthol Nation, Where Fake Swole Is the Goal

Hang out on the internet long enough and you’re bound to come across eye-catching stories about synthol: men inflating their testicles, teens inflating their arms…

tshirts

I Started An Online Support Group for Men Who Can’t Get Rid of Their T-Shirts

First the T-shirts were bagged up for transport to Goodwill, then the tears came, then the rest of the move happened. That’s how it went…

wrestlercrotch

The Very Ballsy Ways Pro Wrestlers Decide What Kind of Trunks to Wear

If you watched wrestling during its early 1990s nadir, back when the WWE was mired in a steroid scandal and Atlanta-based rival WCW was still…

femalecarhustler

The Life of a Female Fast Car Hustler

toughguys

Two Pittsburgh Tough Guys Made MMA Safe for Everyone But Themselves

instagraminfluencers

All Fitness Influencers Are Full of Shit

footballeconomics

The NFL’s Shocking Income Inequality

infernomatch

The Flaming Table Is Wrestling’s Greatest Stunt and Most Poignant Metaphor

bodybuildingtrolls

The Unheard History of Bodybuilding Forums, as Told by the Trolls and Counter-Trolls Who Made Them Huge

kratom

My Three Months on Kratom, the ‘Miracle Drug’ for Bodybuilders and Opiate Addicts

gronkretirenow

The Ineffable Bro-ness of Rob Gronkowski

stonelifting

From Working Men to World-Class Athletes, Stone Lifting Has Always Been the Ultimate Feat of Strength