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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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comicfights

Every Fight Scene Should Be More Like Ultraviolent Anime

Whenever I see two big powerhouse comic-book fighters, super stylized with either humongous muscles or humongous hair, I instantly speculate about their power levels, how…

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Can We Trust Action Heroes’ Crazy Body Transformation Stories?

When you’re buying your groceries, you can’t help but notice a men’s magazine cover story like, “Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Body and How to Get It.”…

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In a 17th-Century Castle, the World’s Grandest War Game Comes to Life

The people tasked with saving the world are squatting around high-powered computers set up on wooden tables in an old Polish castle named Moszna, moving…

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Inside Synthol Nation, Where Fake Swole Is the Goal

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

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

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The Life of a Female Fast Car Hustler

toughguys

Two Pittsburgh Tough Guys Made MMA Safe for Everyone But Themselves

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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