Strong Fitness – July-August 2026

Summary

Paul Buceta's July/August 2026 issue of Strong Fitness — the "Even More Science" issue — puts Kamie van Hoven on the cover with her glutes program inside at page 54, while debunking seven fitness fads and exploring metabolic health, menopause and resilience. The CAD 8.99 issue runs 80 pages with 20 articles.

Editor Rachel Debling frames summer training around science: the cover story "Gain Major Muscle" targets arms, delts and back for summer-ready upper-body strength. "7 Fitness Fads That Faded" on page 28 reviews trends that deserved to die. "Metabolic Health" by Arianne Missimer redefines what healthy actually means. "Be Your Best Through Menopause and Beyond" on page 58 addresses perimenopause symptoms for millennial women. Niyc Pidgeon's "Hone Your Resilience" column teaches persistence. The fitness section includes a Tabata workout that requires zero equipment, a prep-better/recover-better guide, and Brie Turner's "The Bespoke Physique" on parenting self-awareness. New columnist Erin Jade launches "Core Practices" exploring hypopressives.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.50 · Cover Athlete: Kamie van Hoven
Building the body and the life you want. Van Hoven shares her glutes program — three sets, challenging, weekly — starting on page 54. A program designed to fit a busy schedule.

▸ Fitness Features

p.28 · 7 Fitness Fads That Faded
Cold plunges, waist trainers, vibration platforms — the trends that did not survive scrutiny. Each entry explains why the fad failed and what replaced it.

p.64 · Gain Major Muscle
Arms, delts and back workout for visible upper-body strength. Rep schemes, rest intervals and the mind-muscle connection cues that actually work.

p.70 · Summer Sizzler
A Tabata workout requiring only floor space and willingness. 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off — no excuses about missing the gym.

▸ Wellness

p.48 · Metabolic Health
Arianne Missimer on why metabolic health is the real measure of fitness, not weight or body fat percentage. Blood markers, sleep and stress as the new vital signs.

p.58 · Be Your Best Through Menopause and Beyond
Perimenopause and menopause symptoms that get ignored. The article argues midlife changes are not all bad — knowing what to expect changes the experience.

p.46 · Hone Your Resilience
Niyc Pidgeon on why persistence is not always a straight line. Practical reframing for days when the workout or the career stalls.

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Editor's Take

The "Even More Science" theme works because Strong Fitness commits to it — metabolic health, menopause science, the real reasons fitness fads died, all carry actual data rather than wellness platitudes. The Kamie van Hoven cover program is practical enough to run this week. The Tabata workout on page 70 is the most useful single page in the issue for time-pressed readers. But the science framing creates an expectation the magazine cannot fully meet: "Dive Deep" on Ozempic is only a page, and the "Science of Strength" column is new and still finding its voice. The Ozempic coverage needed more space than the issue gave it. Best for: women in their 30s and 40s who want training advice that accounts for hormonal reality, not ignores it.

Strengths
• Menopause coverage addresses a real reader need
• Tabata workout requires zero equipment
• Fads-faded article is genuinely useful

Weaknesses
• Ozempic feature is too short for the topic's complexity
• Science content is uneven across sections

Verdict: Recommended — A focused issue that delivers on its science promise in most places, with practical training content as the backbone.