Pain is Temporary Zine by Benny Safdie

To truly punch, you must learn to grow within.

Issue 30 travels back in time to the advent of professional no-holds-barred fighting and the era of The Smashing Machine—when magazines like Martial Arts Training and Grappler taught fighters how to hone both body and mind for survival in the ring. Learn how to throw a knee-strike into a front headlock, find out where to eat high-protein meals on the road, and master the art of Buteyko breath.

Featuring an introduction by director Benny Safdie, archival MMA photography by Marcelo Alonso, and training drills from the original Smashing Machine, Mark Kerr.

Edited by design and “dark health” writer Sami Reiss, with stories by Reiss and culture writer Chris Gayomali.