Former Men’s Fitness editor launches digital-only fitness mag Alpha Man

A former editor of Men's Fitness and his deputy today launched a new digital-only fitness and health magazine called Alpha Man.

Jon Lipsey and Joe Warner, the former editor and deputy editor of Men's Fitness, are behind the new launch.

It is available solely as a free monthly app for tablets and mobile, downloadable on iTunes and GooglePlay App Store.

Lipsey said: “This technology affords us the opportunity to do so many new exciting things. Our reader is at the centre of this experience, effortlessly swiping and scrolling through a complete guide to being fitter, healthier and more successful in every area of his life.

“We have created…an exciting environment which our tech-savvy audience will relish as it allows them a level of engagement with the editorial that simply doesn’t exist in any other fitness/lifestyle media, especially print.”

Warner argues a dgiital-only magazine will allow “former readers who are no longer buying print to re-engage with fitness magazines” as well as appealing to younger "digital natives" who he claims have “bypassed print”.

This year saw paid-for print circulation fall in men’s fitness and lifestyle mags with Men’s Fitness down 21.8 per cent year on year and Men’s Health down 6.1 per cent.

This is Lipsey and Warner’s second digital magazine venture together, and in contrast to their first publication, specialist training magazine IronLife, Alpha Man will try to appeal to a more mainstream mass-market.

Partnerships with advertisers (L’Oreal Men Expert and Adidas are signed up for issue one) and selling products in-app are part of Lipsey and Warner’s wider plan to make the venture profitable.