Mens Fitness Uk - March 2016 6w1e4n

Fitt for lif lifee

March 2016

No gym or cape required Blast your body fat

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ALL YOU NEED FOR A BIGGER CHEST

(No 1: Get a dog)

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Contents March 2016

p54 ON THE COVER p131 Drop 5kg in a month Two fat-blasting workouts for a lean body in four weeks p98 Instant energy …or immunity, or muscle, or fat burning – all in a DIY shake p88 Cook once, eat all week Take the hassle out of food by mastering the art of slow cooking p105 Conquer Tough Mudder The world champion and the sport’s leading coach offer tips that will let you take on any obstacle course race 6 | March 2016

p54 What’s your muscle IQ? Find out more about your muscles for better gains – and do our hugely effective med ball chest workout p64 Superhero abs Everyone can be strong, no matter who you are. Welcome to calisthenics p23 The 2min muscle hack No kit, no gym – just a simple squat tweak that will make a big difference p72 30 simple fat fixes Each one takes little effort – and they all add up to a better body

Get back in shape There’s no time like the new year for restoring your body to its former glory. This issue will make that easy with dozens of straightforward tips and moves to get you burning fat and building muscle

Updates

“I don’t know how my arms would look when they’re in shape”

p15 Winter winner Get outside when the temperature dips and reap the fat-burning benefits of exercising in the cold p19 Hit the deck Ever eaten food off the floor? The five-second rule won’t save you, but having a carpet might p27 Rice and easy Sushi is a miracle of muscle-building goodness, especially if you learn how to roll your own

Personal Best p43 Alex Brooker The Last Leg presenter s MF in the gym to discuss keeping in shape, other people’s awkwardness and unexpectedly interviewing the PM

Fuel p83 Flash in the pan These few simple upgrades will turn pancakes into a healthy feast you can enjoy every day of the year p95 Pizza delivers It doesn’t have to be a dietary disaster if you choose wisely, says MF’s nutritionist and takeaway fan Drew Price

p43

Trainer p110 Roll back fat They aren’t just for recovery. Try these foam roller-based fat-loss moves, then ease out the knots afterwards

p64

p72

p113 Bro science on trial If you want to separate fitness fact from gym fiction, step away from the broscientist and ask a doctor. MF sets a few things straight p116 Keep it light Smaller weights and a limited range of motion make this tough home workout a real test of strength

p83

p105

p129 Heart work Choose the best supplements and energy foods to your most intense cardio efforts March 2016 | 7

Q: Are you having fun yet?

IN THIS ISSUE

We asked three of our experts for their best muscle-building advice

I’m always surprised by how people’s best intentions at the start of the year to improve their health and fitness can fade so quickly. By the second week of February, according to consumer research body the IHRSA, 80% of the New Year crowd at the gym have dropped off, with 50% quitting for good by March. Those are not good stats – unless of course you’ve barely got space to swing a kettlebell at your local gym – so what’s going wrong? I’ve had the pleasure of editing Men’s Fitness for six months now, and the main thing I’ve learned in that time is that, for people who struggle with their fitness, the biggest hurdle is simply that they haven’t started enjoying it enough. It’s a shame. Exercise should be one of life’s great pleasures, not a chore. I know many of our readers are well past this stage, loving that sweaty buzz after a run or the endorphin high of getting a new squat PB. But if you’ve just ed us and are struggling to maintain motivation, here’s how to speed things up:

Emil Hodzovic

Doctor, strongman and founder of Project Goliath (see p33) “Forget training a muscle once a week. If you really want to make it grow, hit it either directly or indirectly every two to three days.”

Brendan Chaplin

UFCandTeamGBcoach(p131) “There are two types of hypertrophy, so focus on the right one. For size, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is attained through training with higher reps and lower weight. Sarcomere or myofibrillar hypertrophy is more effective for functional performance and is achieved through lifting heavy loads.”

Set performance goals

Even if your main aim is to lose the dad-bod, keeping track of your pull-up score will give you tangible goals to chase every session – and more regular highs than endless selfie-analysis.

Have a plan

Get one from a good source, and give it time to work. You’ll be able to hit the gym with confidence that you aren’t wasting your time, and you’ll see progress.

Embrace the process

The gym isn’t something to distract yourself from with intra-set visits to the Candy Kingdom. Training is the thing that’s supposed to be a distraction from real life – focus on it, and you’ll quickly start to enjoy it. In this issue you’ll find an abundance of advice and workouts to help, but we’ve got one more way to make the process easier than ever - our new bespoke 80-day plan, available at tbt.mensfitness.co.uk. It’s a training-and-eating plan tailored to your goals, meaning you’ll get your best results ever.

Joe Barnes, Editor @MF_Barnes

8 | March 2016

Aslan Steel

YOUR BEST EVER BODY STARTS AT

TBT.MENSFITNES S.C

O.UK

Calisthenics pioneer (p64) “The most overlooked part of training is straight-arm strength. People are so used to flexing that often they’re afraid of locking out or keeping their arms straight – but that’s what you need for complete arm strength.”

THINK LIGHT AND

IMPROVISE

OUR LOWEST FAT SPREADABLE MADE WITH REAL BUTTER

THE MFERS

Issue 189

March 2016

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The staff and readers of Men’s Fitness are always in the thick of the action

MEN’S FITNESS Dennis Publishing Ltd, 30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD EDITORIAL Joe Barnes 020 7907 6519 Joel Snape 020 7907 6816 William Jack 020 7907 6522 Ben Ince 020 7907 6528 Chris Miller 020 7907 6520 Sam Rider 020 7907 6523 Matt Huckle 020 7907 6498 Alex Sowa 020 7907 6518 Camille Nielson (art), Gareth Beach (subbing) Staff email [email protected]

Editor Associate Editor Art Director Deputy Editor Managing Editor Fitness Editor Features Writer Designer Thanks this issue

Ben, deputy editor #iceage

Hacking my way up a frozen waterfall at the Mlacca-Mojstrana iceclimbing centre in Slovenia was hard work. But the rush of exhilaration I felt when I successfully scaled it was more than worth the effort (abseiling down without impaling myself on a pickaxe was a bonus too). Visit slovenia.info for more.

Matt, features writer #LastLeg

I ed TV presenter Alex Brooker in the gym and found out how training around a disability throws up challenges most people don’t face – and not just in having to alter moves to suit you. After all, how do you set body goals when you’ve not got anyone to compare yourself with? Find out on p43.

DIGITAL Head of Digital Content Max Anderton 020 7907 6847 [email protected] Group Publisher Acting Publisher Group Publishing Director Editorial Director Group Managing Director

MANAGEMENT Russell Blackman Nicola Bates James Burnay Pete Muir Ian Westwood ADVERTISING Rick Asiyani 020 7907 6713 Stephen Cooke 020 7907 6558 Lisa Jay 020 7907 6765 Carly Activille 020 7907 6702 Branton Palin 020 7907 6579

Advertising Director Director Agency Director Agency Manager Senior Sales Executive Creative Solutions Project Manager Avril Donnelly 020 7907 6618 Creative Solutions Project Co-ordinator Ludovica D’Angelo 020 7907 6613 Northern Representative Steph Binns 01423 569553 Fax 01423 709319 Managing Director Julian Lloyd-Evans MARKETING PR and Communications Director Jerina Hardy 020 7907 6607 Marketing Co-ordinator James Young 020 7907 6424 PRODUCTION Production Manager Daniel Stark 020 7907 6053

Sam, fitness editor #FitBrit

View your gym as a playground and exercise never becomes a chore – and if you play enough, you might become great at it. That’s how 30 men and women earned a slot at the 2015 FitBrit Challenge final, our annual event to find the fittest in the land. Read the report on p121.

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Sam, online writer #hipop

10 | March 2016

Sam Pashley 020 7907 6541 Anj Dosaj-Halai 020 7907 6132 [email protected] SENIOR MANAGEMENT

After a pelvis operation, I’ve got four months of recovery ahead. Hours of rehab exercises may not be fun but, on the other hand, prescription morphine is the best thing ever. Frankly I’m writing this while high as a kite, and I’m starting to think I am actually Sigmund Freud.

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Men’s Fitness is available for syndication. Please Nicole Adams on [email protected] or +44 (0) 20 7907 6134 for details. Did you know? You can reserve a copy of Men’s Fitness free at any newsagent in the UK. Ask your newsagent for details. Origination and retouching by Mullis Morgan. Printed by Polestar Bicester. Distributed by Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT. Tel 020 7429 4000. © Copyright 2016 Dennis Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. Men’s Fitness is a trademark of Felix Dennis and may not be used or reproduced in the UK or Republic of Ireland without permission. Men’s Fitness is published in the UK and Republic of Ireland by Dennis Publishing Ltd and is sold subject to the following : namely that it shall not without the written consent of the Publishers first given be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of Trade at more than the recommended selling price shown on the cover and that it shall not be lent, resold or hired out in a mutilated condition or in any unauthorised cover by way of Trade or affixed to or as part of any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.

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USETHE HASHTAG #MFAQ

Q

Can I do genetic tests to see which sport my son will be best at? Mitch, Leeds Hoping you’ve produced the next Leo Messi or Lewis Hamilton? Well, genetic tests that claim to identify athletic prowess in children are available – but they’ve been rubbished by the British Journal Of Sports Medicine, which branded them unreliable. Want more proof? In 2013, 22 companies were selling them, but 14 have since folded. You’ll have to find out if young Cristiano is good at sport the old-fashioned way.

Q

I’ve been following the same diet as my colleague but I’m not seeing the same effects. Why? Mike, London You’re doing the same amount of physical activity too, right? The answer may lie in the results of a recent study published in the life sciences journal Cell, which found that the same meal is metabolised differently from one person to the next. To find out which foods are holding you back, nutrition experts recommend an elimination diet, in which you remove one food at a time from your intake and monitor the results. Alternatively, just sabotage your colleague’s efforts so you feel better.

Photography Alamy

Q

Is it true that if I eat too much protein I’ll get fat? Phil, London This old and somewhat bizarre myth stems from a study in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, which found that 30g of protein per meal was the best for building muscle and that upping it to 40g didn’t improve the massgaining effects. But that doesn’t mean excess protein is converted to body fat – that simply isn’t an energy-efficient means of dealing with it. Still need convincing you won’t get tubby? Explorers who ate nothing but protein developed a condition called “rabbit starvation”, a form of malnutrition that occurs when the body doesn’t get any fat. 12 | March 2016

Some men are more irritable than others – but that doesn‘t mean they’re low in testosterone

Q

I’ve noticed I’m getting more tired and irritable recently. Am I just turning into a grumpy old man? Peter, Northampton There’s a chance you may have Testosterone Deficiency Syndrome (TDS), which can cause low libido, irritability and reduced muscle mass among other things. A study presented at the British Endocrine Society’s 2015 conference found that 46% of men with TDS believe their symptoms are agerelated and don’t seek treatment. One of the authors, Dr David Edwards, said, “Testosterone is required by all men for a healthy life physically and psychologically so it’s important that low testosterone is treated”. If you’re concerned, see your GP.

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Q

Your Timbersports feature (MF February) has convinced me I need more rotational movement in my training. I don’t have access to a cable machine, or an axe, so how do I train these movements? Conor, Dublin Good on you, Conor! Get a resistance band, like the Bodymax Power Band from powerhouse-fitness.co.uk, and start with horizontal band woodchops. Don’t pick a band that’s too thick or you’ll have a job moving it at all. Begin with the 30mm purple band and you’ll be chewing up fallen trees in no time.

03 16

Updates

What matters now

Make winter work for you

Low temperatures have also been shown to reduce pain

Words Max Anderton Photography Alamy

Chill out while you work out to burn more flab

I

t won’t be long until spring’s in full swing and we’re moaning about pollen counts instead of nippy weather. In the meantime, head outside and make the most of the unique fatburning benefits of exercising in low temperatures – anything lower than 5°C does the trick. Not only does the cold make your body more efficient at converting sugars into energy, a new study from the University of Geneva found exercising in the cold creates more “good” brown fat. But what exactly is brown fat? “Its cells are primarily a site of metabolism and heat production,”

says Razeeb Ahasan of Public Health England. It also contains more iron and consumes more oxygen than normal fat, meaning it “may help adults maintain a healthy body weight by helping burn off excess calories”. It might not be a coincidence that obesity has increased since central heating became standard. Now get your joggers on and do your The Bottom Line Burn more fat with best Rocky IV every workout by heading outside for a session whenever the forecast is frosty. training montage impression. March 2016 | 15

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Updates | Fitness

HIIT CONFIRMED

Another reason not to skip leg day

A groundbreaking study shows brain health starts below the waist

S

hunning squats? Then you’re putting your mind at risk. A King’s College London investigation into how lifestyle choices affect brain development measured thinking, learning and memory over ten years – studying twins to avoid physiological differences that might skew the results – and found the best predictor of cognitive decline was leg power. “It’s compelling to see such differences in cognition and brain structure in identical twins, based on leg power,” says lead study author Dr Claire Steves. If having chicken legs isn’t enough of a motivator to focus on your lower body, the prospect of staying mentally sharp should be. The best move for leg power is a toss-up between leg press and back squat, but the latter is our choice because it will release more body-building growth hormone. Do three sets of five, and increase the weight every week.

Running’s sweet spot revealed

You don’t need to become an extreme endurance athlete to get the maximum health benefit from jogging. An analysis of previous large-scale studies concluded we only need to run 5-10km each week to reduce weight,

blood pressure and risk of stroke. Any more and there isn’t much benefit beyond burning calories, while clocking up more than 30km a week can actually have the opposite effect. “If you’re new to running, start with a 5K,”

says coach George Anderson (runningbygeorge.com). “After a month, add 1km a week until you’re doing 10K and getting faster every time.” Log times, track progress and let us know when you beat the 42-minute MF office record.

Intervals under 30 seconds The cell response that spikes the metabolism slows past the halfminute mark. Maximum effort for all intervals Anything less won’t have the same effect. Go hard, dig deep, then go harder and dig deeper. Sessions less than 30 minutes After half an hour the mitochondria are no longer affected in the same way and fatburning drops off. March 2016 | 17

Words Max Anderton Illustration Sudden Impact Photography Tom Miles Model Greg Cornthwaite

It’s not just good for your legs and mind – squats build core strength too

We’ve long known highintensity interval training (HIIT) is an effective way to lose fat, but Stockholm’s Karolinska Institutet only just figured out why. It’s all about how going flat-out affects mitochondria – the bits in our cells responsible for generating energy. The most important discovery, though, was the elements of a perfect fatburning session. Here’s what to look for in your HIIT workout.

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Updates | Nutrition

GM gets the go-ahead

Scientists have been tinkering with crops since the 1990s, but now the green light’s been given for human consumption of a genetically modified food that’s not plant-based. AquAdvantage Salmon grows twice as fast as the normal variety, will soon be in shops in the US and, according to its makers, has “no biologically relevant differences in its nutritional profile”.

The Bottom Line It’s reassuring,

but we’re disappointed GM isn’t making food better. Add more protein, omega 3s and vitamins – then we’ll get excited.

5-second rule: the facts

Words Max Anderton Illustration Ryan Chapman Photography iStock

P

layground science has taken a beating from researchers at Aston University. Apparently, when you drop food on the floor, it’s the amount of bacteria on the spot it hits – not how long it stays there – that determines whether or not it’s safe to eat. If you’re clumsy but really can’t bear to bin tasty treats, eat in a carpeted room. Tile and wood surfaces harbour 70 times as many germs. But unless you’ve recently been preparing raw meat on the surface in question (or a pet’s been wandering around on it), there’s no real need to worry. After all, E. coli and the lesser-known S. aureus are the only bacteria that will make you genuinely ill – the rest will actually strengthen your immune system.

SCIENCE WATCH

Scrutinising the latest research developments under the MF microscope

Good news for... Cheapskates

Tea absorbs toothstrengthening fluoride from soil, but not every cup has the same amount. Tests carried out on 49 types found cheap varieties averaged twice as much as the pricy ones – apparently Tesco Original is best.

Bad news for... Diet drinkers

Going sugar-free won’t save your smile. Fizzy pop and sports drinks soften enamel by 30-50% and a recent study found no significant difference in sugarless versions. Drink sparkling water with lime, which discourages fat storage.

Nature’s greatest fat burner Forget the miracle powders and potions. The best way to burn more fat is with blackcurrant extract, according to a study by the University of Chichester. When cyclists were tested at three intensities, there was a huge 27% rise at the highest intensity and 15% at the lowest. “Nothing else increases fat oxidation so substantially,” says the study’s author Mark Willem, a professor of exercise physiology. But why’s it so effective? “We observed a higher activation of an enzyme that transports fat into the powerhouse of the muscle, the mitochondria.” Test subjects took 300mg tablets daily, so for the best results, do the same. The active ingredient is also found in other dark fruits and veg such as aubergines, plums and cherries, so eat those to burn more fat.

March 2016 | 19

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Updates | People

Peak performance with Chris Sharma Follow the advice of the world’s best rock climber and you’ll be able to scale any challenge

Words Max Anderton Photography Alamy

Find your motivation

“You have to have your head in the right place if you ever hope to perform at the highest level,” says Sharma. “Knowing why you want to achieve something is the fist real step to doing it, whatever it is. My reason? Simple – I love climbing and would be doing it whether I was paid to or not.”

Feed the ion

“If someone’s obsessed about what they do – whether it’s athletics, music, art, science or business – you can see it in their eyes,” says Sharma. That’s not to say you shouldn’t sign up for, say, a marathon because it’s not your life goal – just don’t expect to be inspired. “If you love what you do you’ll start getting creative with

it and it becomes a lifestyle, rather than just a sport.”

Make new routes

“In climbing there are a lot of ways to progress and a big part of it is finding new places and doing first ascents that aren’t necessarily about difficulty, but about adapting yourself to explore uncharted territory,” says Sharma. The lesson? It isn’t always about doing what everyone else is doing: finding your own challenge is key.

Redefine success

“Some of the climbs I work on take years to figure out and that means failing over and over again,” says Sharma. “If I did them solely for the satisfaction of finishing I would have burned out ages ago. Instead, I do it because I love every stage – not just the end result.” Focus on the small steps that get you to the finish line, not just the peak of the mountain.

Sharma moved to Catalonia to t a ke o n t o u g h routes like this one in Oliana

Now, now, now

It’s not just about the fun stories you’ll tell afterwards, so stay fully focused on every step. “Of course, my goal is always to get to the top, but the only way to do that is to concentrate on being in the moment,” says Sharma. “If you’re just thinking about getting to the summit you’re not focused on the present and things can, and will, go wrong.”

Enjoy the view (but don’t relax)

Achieved what you set out to do? Great, you can relish the feeling – but that doesn’t mean slow down. “The better you get, the harder it is to progress further, but while you sit on your laurels the next generation will be pushing the bar a bit further,” says Sharma. “If that happens, you can either be discouraged and quit, or it could light a fire under your butt.” Chris Sharma appears in Point Break – see it in cinemas from 12th February March 2016 | 21

Updates | Training

MUST-DO MOVE

Build injury-proof knees

How to do it

Start in an upright position, then bend one knee, lift the other leg behind you and grab your ankle – like you’re doing the classic footballer’s quad stretch. Slowly lower until your back knee touches the ground, then stand back up. Too hard? Do it without holding your ankle. Too easy? Hold your ankle in both hands.

For the man looking to build leg strength outside the gym, options are limited. Your quads, hamstrings and calves are already hauling your upper body around all day, so they need much more load to shock them into growth. The pistol squat – where one leg stays out in front as you lower – is one option, but requires more ankle and hip flexibility than strength. Something else is needed. Enter the shrimp squat. With no extreme mobility requirements, it builds balance and leg strength at the same time, making it the perfect tool for runners and casual five-a-siders in need of more strength around the knees and quads. It’s your go-anywhere solution for improved legs.

The tea-break posture fix The office is ruining your posture. Fix it in the time it takes to boil a kettle

Desk stretch

Grab a ruler or something else that lets you keep your hands 30cm apart. Press your elbows down onto the desk until you feel a stretch in your lats.

Wall W

Stand with your back and forearms against a wall. Lower your arms to form a W shape, then back up. You’ll protect your shoulders and activate the surrounding muscles.

Standing batwing

Keeping your back flat, take a small step away from the wall, then press your elbows back until your thumbs touch your armpits. Pause for ten seconds and repeat once.

Illustrations Sudden Impact

Words Joel Snape Photography Danny Bird Model Callum [email protected]

Introducing the shrimp squat, your no-weight tool for ferocious leg strength

March 2016 | 23

Updates | Adventure

Get some edge

Words Matt Huckle Photography John Wellburn

Want some inspiration for getting off-road? This American cyclist might have the answer for your next Sunday ride Chris van Dine rode miles of unmapped trails in southern Peru to find a new route to the Inca city of Choquequirao. It was an expedition that required the pro cyclist to be medic and mechanic too. “If you break your leg you have to figure out how to get out of there by your own volition,” says the 35-year-old Pennsylvanian. “It didn’t seem to slow us down though,” he adds with a laugh. As well as being a challenging route to ride – Van Dine wasn’t even sure they’d be able to find a way through – the rich history was a large part of the appeal. “It was the capital of the Americas in the 1500s. There’s lots of mystery around it. It beckons your inner Indiana Jones.” Despite a few situations that forced Van Dine and his small team to huddle under rocky outcrops in freezing rain hoping for the weather to break, they finished the route in ten days. It’s difficult to say what distance they travelled, but Van Dine estimates they ascended around 12,000m in total. While this expedition was strictly for the professionals, he says, there’s nothing to stop anyone getting started on a smaller and slightly less ballsy scale.

1. Get the right bike “Enduro mountain bikes are a middle ground between a traditional cross-country bike, which will have a wide range of gears, and a full-on downhill bike. It’s light, with 5-6in suspension and a good gear ratio. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of bikes – you could do a lap in the park or go on a ten-hour ride.” 2. Tap into experience “You don’t have to work everything out on your own! Bike shops are great places to spend time – you can pick the brains of other riders and the mechanics who work there. It’s often a starting point to getting invited on group rides.” 3. Don’t throw money away “Avoid the marketing and gizmos. It’s very easy to spend a lot more money than you need to. Just you don’t need a £3,000 bike to have fun. There’s also nothing like watching an experienced pro riding an old hunk of metal smoking someone with all the fancy tech.” 24 | March 2016

Va n D i n e ’ s t e a m had to contend with altitude sickness as well as vertiginous drops and an almost nonexistent trail

March 2016 | 25

I WAS VERY KEEN TO PICK UP AS MANY SKILLS AS I COULD. I WANTED TO BE THE BEST I COULD. I HAD AN INTERNAL DRIVE TO IMPROVE AND BE A REALLY GREAT INSTRUCTOR. I’VE SEEN A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT AND ITS A STEEP LEARNING CURVE. I REALLY ENJOY THE SATISFACTION I GET FROM SEEING PEOPLE ACHIEVE.

BECOME A LES MILLS INSTRUCTOR NOW. WWW.LESMILLS.COM/ BECOME-AN-INSTRUCTOR–UK DO YOU WANT TO GET PAID TO DO A JOB YOU LOVE? Are you ionate about helping and ing other people to be the best they can be? Les Mills is looking for more likeminded people to its growing team of 10,000 instructors across the UK. The fitness industry offers a great career to people who have the ion and desire to others to become more fit and healthy. In the past year the industry has increased in value of 5.4% taking it to a £4.3bn sector. The employment opportunities

as a Les Mills instructor are great. Les Mills works with over 2000 clubs across the UK and Ireland and has 20 different scientifically proven workouts that are updated each quarter with the freshest moves and the best music. If you want a dynamic career with loads of opportunity, and continual professional development get in touch today. Call: 0207 264 0200 or email: [email protected]

Updates | Eat Smart

Strengthbuilding sushi This DIY take on a Japanese classic is packed with carbs and protein to fuel muscle growth

Words Ben Ince Illustrations Joe Wilson Photography Joseph Sinclair

S

Nori is rich in a wealth of vitamins including A, B6, C, E and K

ushi has become as much of a lunchtime staple as sandwiches, with UK sales of miniature seaweed parcels rising nearly 100% since 2012 and the industry now worth £40 million a year. But most shop-bought sushi’s packed with added salt, sugar, flavourings and preservatives, none of which do your midsection any favours. If you want it fresh, more nutritious and better-tasting, there’s no substitute for making your own – and it’s easier than you might think. All you need is a rolling mat – available from waitrose.com for £1.50 – and this straightforward maki recipe from chef Kiyozi Hayamizu (kikkoman.co.uk). For optimum results, enjoy it after a trip to the gym, when your body will be primed to use the fast-digesting carbs from the rice to build muscle. We guarantee you’ll never be tempted by those soggy supermarket sushi packs again.

Roll with it

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 1) 2 sheets of nori seaweed

150g sushi rice, cooked according to packaging instructions 75g salmon, sliced into batons Wasabi, to taste Soy sauce for dipping (optional)

Follow Hayamizu’s advice to make masterful maki in four simple steps mas

1

2

3

4

Place a nori sheet on the rolling mat with the smooth side 5mm away from the bottom edge. Spread half the sushi rice evenly on the nori, leaving a 1cm gap along the top edge uncovered.

Using your fingers, press down to make a horizontal trench across the centre of the rice, then spread a little wasabi in it and lay half the salmon slices on top.

Lift up the bottom edge of the nori ri with the mat and roll it as tightly as possible. When you reach the top edge, dab a thin line of water across the exposed area with your finger to help it stick, then complete the roll to form a cylinder.

Remove the mat and cut the roll into six equal pieces with a sharp knife, then repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

March 2016 | 27

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Can you really wear jeans to work out? Denim on the gym floor used to be a no-no – but these new tros are ideal for exercising

Updates | Gear CLIMB

1

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March Marc Ma rch h2 2016 016 6 | 29

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Updates | Experts

Q: Are there any antihair loss products that actually work?

Photography iStock

There are many factors that influence hair loss, including nutritional deficiencies and autoimmune conditions, but by far the most common is androgenic alopecia – better known as good old-fashioned male pattern baldness. And although there’s no magic pill or potion that can stop it altogether, the good news is there’s some evidence that medications like Minoxidil – sold primarily as Regaine in the UK, although there are other brands – can prevent further thinning and hair loss, especially if you catch it young.

Dr Nick Knight A GP in training, with a PhD in performance nutrition and physiology, Nick is MF ’s resident health expert. Follow him on Twitter @Dr_NickKnight

Q: How can I tell if I actually have a food allergy or intolerance?

Ask D An y quesrtiNick o Tweet us ns? #

AskDrNick

A

s a rule, if your body reacts quickly, it’s likely you’re allergic, while a slower reaction usually means you’re intolerant. Of the two, allergies are far more serious, as they can lead to potentially life-threatening issues like anaphylaxis, where swelling around the throat closes your airways and chokes you. But don’t panic. Most of the time it’ll be a milder intolerance, which is usually because your body lacks the correct enzymes to break down a particular food. Symptoms can include skin problems like rashes or swelling, gut complaints such as nausea or wind, and respiratory issues like congestion or dry coughs. If you already suffer from conditions that affect these areas – such as irritable bowel syndrome or asthma – you could be more susceptible to allergies. Either way, your GP will be able to diagnose you, and tell you how to tweak your diet to avoid the symptoms. That doesn’t have to mean cutting out foods altogether – scaling back your intake or tweaking other aspects of diet and lifestyle can often combat intolerances. This information is for guidance only and does not constitute nor replace a medical consultation with your GP. If you have concerns over the issues raised then it’s important to consult them for further advice.

Q: Should I be worried about my alcohol intake? If you’re asking the question, you’re probably already worrying on some level. To calm (or confirm) your fears, ask yourself the following: 1. Have you recently felt the need to cut down your drinking? 2. Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking? 3. Have you felt guilty about your drinking? 4. Have you felt like you needed a drink first thing in the morning? If you answered “yes” to two or more of the above, it’s worth having a chat with your GP. If not, your current boozing shouldn’t cause you undue concern – although it’s worth having at least two, preferably consecutive, alcohol-free days every week to let your liver recover fully.

Q: I just can’t seem to lose weight. Could a medical condition be holding me back? Stagnating weight loss can be frustrating, but while there are medical conditions that can cause it – such as underactive thyroid disease, arthritis or depression – for most people the problem is simply lifestyle-related. To burn fat effectively, you need to be physically active, minimally sedentary and take a balanced approach to nutrition. There’s no great secret formula: cutting out processed and junk foods, reducing your alcohol consumption, exercising regularly and being as active as possible every day really is the best prescription for getting lean. March 2016 | 31

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Health

Updates | Experts

Joel Snape

MF ’s associate editor says the idea of reducing burger consumption to save the planet is overambitious and unfair – but there’s a better, more reasonable way

Q: Do I need to cut back on meat?

S

o the Governator wants us all to eat less meat to protect the environment. Yes, you read that right. Arnold himself, the man whose memoirs record that he ate “a huge amount of beef” and once told someone (OK, in the not-very-good film Escape Plan) that they “hit like a vegetarian”, recently spoke out at climate talks in Paris to recommend that people have a couple of meat-free days a week. A huge amount of greenhouse gases come from cattle, he points out, while it’s entirely possible to be strong and healthy on a vegetarian diet. Technically, he’s got a point. The livestock sector produces about 15% of global greenhouse gases, roughly equivalent to all the exhaust emissions of every car, train, ship and aircraft on the planet. Cows might be delicious, but they’re also one of the least emission-efficient animals, producing huge amounts of waste per kilo of marbled rib-eye. And, as climate-change thinktank Chatham House has pointed out, demand for meat is growing worldwide as incomes rise, with consumption expected to rise 76% by 2050. Something has to be done.

Photography Alamy

Meat market expansion

But here’s the thing: asking people nicely to eat less meat isn’t going to help. Even if you and I and all the nice people who pay attention to thinktanks and the star of Kindergarten Cop stopped eating meat, it wouldn’t be enough – it wouldn’t stop most of America from cramming down quarter-pounders and it certainly won’t convince McDonald’s to stop their expansion into China. And why would it? We Westerners have all had our fun with our hipster burger bars and hotdog-eating competitions, and telling developing nations they have to live on tofu and kale forever because we’ve changed our minds smells a bit like bullshit.

1.5billion The number of cows in the world

“If it bleeds, we can kill it. But not eat it”

So here’s a different solution: more technology. Bill Gates, for instance, has recently committed a large chunk of his fortune to moving the world past fossil fuels and mitigating climate change – it’s not enough to just switch the TV off and walk around a bit more, he points out, we need an entirely new alternative to oil. In a similar way, what would help us right now is an alternative to cows: something that lets us eat burgers without feeling like we’re missing out, but also won’t leave us choking to death on cattle flatulence. Stem-cell burgers, made using lab-grown muscle fibres that contain absolutely zero cow, are one option; test-tube chicken, currently being developed by biomedical engineer Amat Gefen, is another. Both are currently difficult and expensive to make, but it’s worth the cost – beyond reducing energy costs and emissions, they’ll limit the need for forests to be razed to make space for livestock. Can we mass-produce them on a large enough scale, fast enough, to stop the The Bottom Line Asking people to planet from overheating? eat less meat is unlikely to work – but 3D We’d better. After all, the printed meat needs more development current biggest threat to the time to be a viable alternative. world isn’t the Terminator: it’s a cow near you.

110

How many kilograms of methane each one produces, every year

£200,000 The current cost of producing a single 3D-printed burger

March 2016 | 33

Follow Andy at

andy_torbet

Andy Torbet A former paratrooper and bomb disposal officer in Iraq, Andy is now an extreme skydiver, underwater explorer and climber – and MF ’s new regular adventure expert

Photography Rob Franklin

Q: What’s the best way into skydiving? A: The most common way is to complete your AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) Course. After ground training you’ll complete seven jumps, each introducing a new skill, with instructors holding on to you. You then get to jump on your own, with a pro watching, for ten jumps. Then you’re qualified and can choose your discipline, such as wingsuiting, free flying or base jumping. Skydiving might appear to be an adrenaline sport for fearless maniacs but it’s actually very safe. You don’t need to possess superhuman levels of fitness, but the better your mobility and flexibility, the easier it is to relax and form stable body positions in the sky. A strong core will make some manoeuvres easier and help prevent injury in the event of a tricky opening or landing – but it’s more about technical skill and mental strength. 34 | March 2016

Ask Email Andy instagra, tweet or adventu m your re #AskAnquestions dyT

Updates | Experts Q: I want to go caving. How dangerous is it?

A n d y To r b e t : definitely not a fearless maniac

A: Hitting a cave is a lot like hitting a mountain. Some have easy paths, while others require a high degree of technical skill and physical strength. Many of the UK’s underground caverns can be enjoyed with nothing more than a helmet and torch. Others require hours or even days spent below ground, abseiling from waterfalls, squeezing through tight, serpentine ageways and swimming across chilly subterranean lakes. Take Ogof Ffynnon Ddu in Wales – it’s 274m deep and 50km long. As long as you can cope with tight spaces, caving can be an incredible workout. You’re forced to use a variety of crawl patterns, deep squats and lunges, pull-ups and press-ups as well as climbing ropes and ladders along a three-dimensional assault course through rock, mud and water. Basically it’s the original Tough Mudder.

Q: I’m booking a city break – she wants shopping, I want adventure. Any suggestions? A: How about Milan? I don’t have much idea about shopping, but I’m told it’s famous for fashion and handbags (essentially small, useless rucksacks). More importantly, the Italian style capital is only a couple of hours’ drive from Mont Blanc. An ascent in summer is hard work but as long as you’re fit and determined you should make it the 4,809m to the top of western Europe’s highest peak. Alternatively, try Budapest, where after some romantic strolls you can explore a labyrinth of flooded ages and caves beneath the city. The water is clear and geothermically heated. There are over 200 caves ranging from family-friendly to if-you’re-not-prepped-you’ll-die – which no-one wants on a weekend away.

Q: How do I put some adventure into my stag do? A: Plenty of companies offer abseiling, climbing, coasteering and the like for stag parties but they can be a bit bythe-numbers. Why not do it yourself by heading to the west coast of Scotland and hiring sea kayaks? There you can paddle your way round Knoydart Peninsula to the Old Forge, Britain’s remotest pub (only reachable by trekking or by sea). One of the great things about a sea kayak is that it can carry masses of gear, and you have a kayak each so there’s plenty of room for food, fuel, kit and liquid refreshment. This means you can fish, snorkel or rock climb by day, and then wild camp on the beach with a driftwood fire and a wee dram at night. March 2016 | 35

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Training

Updates | Experts

Melody Coleman

The personal trainer and body transformation specialist (bodyprojectpt.com) says aiming for a daily 10K is an effective target, no matter what shape you’re in

Q: Do you really need to take 10,000 steps a day to be fit?

Photography iStock

A

ctivity trackers like Fitbit suggest we should set a daily goal of 10,000 steps – but what’s the medical basis for that figure? There isn’t any. The figure stems from 1960s Japan, when a pedometer called manpo-kei (which literally means “10,000 step meter”) was created. It was a goal that sounded challenging yet achievable, and this became the core of its marketing strategy. Although the 10,000 figure was arbitrary in its conception, research conducted since the 1960s shows that people who increase their walking to hit the target do experience health benefits. One study showed that it reduces blood pressure, while another found it has positive effects on blood glucose levels. For people who lead sedentary lifestyles, aiming for 10,000 steps is a no-brainer on the path to fitness. But what if you’re no stranger to the gym? Slow and steady cardio has had a bad rap in the past few years, but walking 10,000 steps – roughly 8km – a day has health benefits for everyone. Some might argue that you could just skip one latte a day instead – 10,000 steps burns around 400 calories – but then

Slow and steady wins the race Three more reasons why low-intensity cardio is important (even if you already have a six-pack)

The average person takes 3,000-4,000 s t e p s a d a y, a c c o r d i n g to the NHS

you’d be missing out on the numerous health benefits you get simply by moving. Apple CEO Tim Cook was exaggerating when he called sitting “the new cancer” but if there’s one thing all modern studies into longevity prove, it’s that regular movement is the key to long life. A low-impact activity that can be done every day without straining ts or muscles, brisk walking gets your heart working at about 60% of your max rate, enough to provide health benefits without overtaxing your body. You

Better circulation

It encourages your heart’s left ventricle – the artery that pushes blood out to the rest of the body – to increase in capacity.

might think running would be a better choice for losing that belly, but in fact it has the potential to induce catabolism (the breakdown of muscle for energy) and encourage cortisol production, which in turn encourages fat storage. It’s perfectly possible to be fit without worrying about hitting a target set by a Japanese marketing team 50 years ago, but aiming to take 10,000 steps a day is an easy way to stay as healthy as possible. Get a tracker, make a game of it and reap the rewards.

Improved recovery

By increasing blood flow, it removes the by-products of highintensity exercise, which means less pain after tough workouts.

Effective preparation

It replenishes the chemical building blocks and enzymes needed to lift weights, so you’ll be ready for a gym session. March 2016 | 37

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Updates | Experts

Q: Is it ever OK to fat-shame? A mystery organisation recently gave cards to overweight people in London telling them they are fat and need to change. Those people are despicable – but can fat-shaming ever be justified?

The weight-loss consultant Steve Miller is a clinical hypnotherapist

specialising in weight management and confidence building (yourweightlossmaster.co.uk)

C

onstructive fat-shaming is the only way to get a grip on our nation’s obesity crisis because a soft approach just gives people permission to make excuses. I see people who’ve tried countless diets. What they really need is to feel shame about fat. I want people to be really disgusted. I get clients to eat in front of a mirror to remind them how unattractive they look and of the role eating plays in that. I also get them to carry a photo of themselves at their fattest. This creates a psychological aversion to obesity, and it works. Being overweight makes a person feel uncomfortable, creates low self-esteem and will probably end up killing them, so it should be demonised. We did it with smoking, and we should do the same with excessive eating. For example, the people behind the counters of fast-food ts shouldn’t serve obese people. You wouldn’t knowingly sell booze to an alcoholic. Nothing else is working. No-one has to be fat. Let’s all adopt a “cruel to be kind” approach and solve this problem together.

The psychologist

Dr Bryony Bamford is clinical director of The London Centre for Eating Disorders and Body Image (thelondoncentre.co.uk)

The campaigning columnist A self-described “Body Positive Warrior”,

Fran Hayden blogs at franhayden.wordpress.com and contributes to The Huffington Post and The Independent, among others

F

at -shaming is absolutely not OK. Health and body size are of no concern to you if that body doesn’t belong to you. All you’re doing is endorsing body shaming in an already image-obsessed culture. People are incredibly susceptible to fat-shaming talk – that if our bodies don’t fit society’s supposed ideal, we’ve somehow failed. This sense of failure can be detrimental to self-esteem and in some cases can even lead to suicide. You don’t get to decide how someone else lives in their own skin. Fat-shamers need to learn that what they’re doing could cause loss of life – I have a tough skin, but I know plenty of people who might not be able to cultivate a positive outlook in the face of demeaning comments. If you perpetrate such things, it’s not the individual you’re targeting who should be ashamed – it’s you.

C

Photography Alamy

riticising anybody who doesn’t conform to a personally held ideal is bullying and is never acceptable. I see first-hand the negative impact of weight-related criticism, which affects not only its direct victims but also those who absorb fat-shaming messages on a wider cultural level. I see psychological distress, lowered self-esteem, reduced self-worth and body shame. What’s more, treating people this way can be completely counterproductive. Both extreme dieting and emotional distress are known to result in a tendency to overeat. In this sense, fat-shaming actually contributes to making some people gain more weight. Whether or not fat-shaming can ever encourage weight loss, it certainly creates far more problems than it could ever solve. As with any challenging personal goal, encouragement, and advice are needed to achieve lasting results, not bullying.

MF SAYS Joel Snape,

associate editor

There’s much more to being overweight than not caring about how you look or a lack of willpower. Getting in better shape is undoubtedly a healthy aim – but fat-shaming just isn’t constructive.

The personal trainer John Richardson has been in the fitness

industry for eight years, working privately in London with clients of all shapes and sizes

I

t’s a fallacy to suggest that overweight people are solely responsible for their situation when there’s a boatload of evidence to the contrary. Education, financial status, genetics and mental health all play a huge part. I deal with many people who are caught in vicious cycles of over-indulgence and selfdepreciation. It’s not as simple as saying, “Just eat less”. Overeating can be an addiction, and I’m sure it won’t be too long before it’s classified in the same way as alcohol or drug addictions are. From my experience, people don’t want to be fat, and making overweight people feel bad about it won’t achieve anything other than proving that the person doing it has a few issues themselves. The flipside is that I will always find it hard to sympathise with people who make themselves ill through overeating when close to a billion people in the world are dying from hunger. Where obesity is concerned, more education is needed to empower people with the knowledge that they can do something about it. March 2016 | 39

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Personal best

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IN THE GYM WITH

Alex Brooker MF tackles the weights room with the Last Leg presenter and Britain’s second most influential disabled person to talk male body image and how he tweaks training to suit him

Words Matt Huckle Photography Mike Massaro

Month Mont Mo March nth nt h 2016 2 2015 015 01 5 | 43

PB | Exposure

C

roydon-born journalist turned TV presenter Brooker meets MF at PureGym Oval, where he trains twice a week. Since the 2012 Paralympics – which saw the launch of Channel 4’s The Last Leg, now a staple of the Friday night TV schedule – his profile has risen to the point where he’s getting some, er, interesting accolades.

Brooker realised his weight had crept up after he got married, so he hit the gym again

You used to joke about being the tenth most influential disabled person in Britain. How did you react when the Shaw Trust put you second? That was weird, wasn’t it? I always used to joke about it. I came behind Tanni Grey-Thompson. I beat Hawking and he had a film out! I bet Eddie Redmayne is gearing up to play me in a film now. He’s probably getting his prosthetic hands fitted as we speak. But yeah, second most powerful disabled person in Britain. I don’t think it’d work as a chat-up line.

That’s quite a way to come in four years. Before the 2012 Paralympics you were unknown. I went into the Paralympics on a nineday contract, expecting to go back up to Yorkshire afterwards and work for the Press Association again. Your first live interview was with David Cameron, right? I was meant to be doing Boris Johnson but about half an hour before the start they were like, “You’re going to interview the Prime Minister five minutes before Boris Johnson”. There were 11 million people watching and I was shitting myself. You pulled it off though. Yeah. We had a chat before we started and I said, “I’m going to ask you three basic questions, Prime Minister.” I asked three easy questions, he gave three easy answers and we both looked good and went on our way. Nice. But weren’t you trying to be a football reporter? The only football stuff I did over the whole of the Paralympics was after the very first Last Leg show, when I interviewed Arsenal players playing 44 | March 2016

volleyball. Then I got a call saying the producers wanted me presenting rather than reporting. I said no at first. What changed your mind? The producer said, “If you stay as a reporter you’ll get another ten minutes’ screen time during the whole of the Paralympics. Or you can do this and you’ll be on prime-time TV every night for the next seven days.” So I thought, “Yeah, fuck it, I’ll do it”. Brooker’s trainer, John Campbell Duffy, comes over at this point and explains the session: a full-body workout. Duffy is a childhood friend of Brooker’s and the pair say their lack of awkwardness about his disability has helped them make good progress. How often do people act awkwardly towards your disability? Sometimes, but I’m quite forward so I address it quickly. No-one is trying to be rude. It’s all down to human curiosity and wanting to do the right thing. I’m the same. I meet people with little

arms – smaller than mine – and I’m like, “Shit, what do I do here?” That’s what creates the awkwardness. It’s never, “Oh this guy looks weird so I’m going to be a prick to him”. Well… very rarely. Is that why you did the Scope “End The Awkward” campaign? Yeah. It’s a really good campaign – it reflected my own attitudes. There was a backlash about it making light of disabilities though. I’m very lucky that within the realms of my disability I’ve been able to lead a very independent life. For some people it hasn’t been so easy, and I understand that. There are people who’ve suffered from prejudice or been bullied at school. It’s not meant to be a joke. But honestly, I think there are some disabled people who are bitter – I’m not one of those people, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see where they’re coming from. I grew up never seeing anyone like me on TV. It’s a really big thing. It doesn’t have to be the same disability – just talking about disability in general.

Replacing dumbbells with resistance bands allows Brooker to perform more moves

Awkward encounters

Meeting people isn’t always plain sailing for Brooker

Animal attack

“Someone asked me if a wild animal had attacked me. I said, ‘You think an animal has come and damaged both hands the same way? It wasn’t, like, a tiger with OCD.’”

Folk hero

“Louis Walsh from The X Factor mistook me for the singer from Mumford and Sons when we met. He was so embarrassed when he realised. It was a genuine mistake.”

You can’t do that

“Someone once said my tweets about Football Manager were obviously lies because I couldn’t use a laptop. I never talk about things I can’t do.”

“Bodyimageisabig enoughthingwithout seeingyourselfinHD onaFridaynight” Duffy explains how they use resistance bands in place of dumbbells in many exercises, as well as communicating constantly to make sure the right muscles are being hit. “We focus more on keeping the muscle under contraction, rather than doing loads of reps,” he says. You lost a lot of weight for the C4 documentary My Perfect Body. Have you kept it off? I continued it for a while, but then I got married. I just thought, “Fuck it” and didn’t train as hard. I weighed myself after a while and I was back up to 89kg. When I saw that, I started training

twice a week and I’ve kept it going ever since. John’s adapted style of training made me believe I could get in shape. He worked hard with me and is the main reason why I’ve kept going. Nice work. Does being on TV make it easier or harder to stay motivated? Body image is a big enough thing as it is without seeing yourself in HD on a Friday night. I’m more conscious about my weight than I am about my disability. That tells you a lot about how male body image is now – and probably how much I’m used to my disability. If I know I’ve put on weight, I’m gutted. Do you have fitness goals beyond keeping trim? Before I did My Perfect Body I’d say I couldn’t because my arms were little. Then I started training and realised it was just an excuse. Now I’ve got a goal. Most people can see someone on TV or in a magazine and think, “I want to get in that shape”. But I don’t know how my arms would look when they’re in shape so I just have to kind of get on with it.

Good luck with it. Will you be covering the Paralympics in Rio? Yes – and we’re doing another series of The Last Leg. How important was 2012 for changing how people felt about disabilities? The Paralympics played a role in desensitising people. There are a lot of people who saw disability in a different way for the first time, including me. I’d never watched the Paralympics before 2012 but people got on board because it received proper coverage that showed it as a proper sporting event. And it was. You realise it’s not just, “Oh look at this guy, he lost a leg. This is his sob story.” He lost a leg but he can run really quickly. Duffy signals to us that our session is drawing to a close, which is just as well because we’re knackered. As we shake hands Brooker looks remarkably fresh. It seems his adapted training is working. The Last Leg is on Fridays at 10pm on Channel 4 from 12th February. Thanks to PureGym Oval (puregym.com) March 2016 | 45

Nature’s finest

Some products in our bathrooms destroy the planet – and could even be slowly killing us. Use these natural alternatives to save the world (and look great doing it)

PB | Grooming 1

2

3

4

1 Melvita Roll-on Deodorant

Rather than blocking pores with aluminium particles as antiperspirants do, a naturally occurring amino-acid complex kills bacteria to stop sweat developing a stink. A woody fragrance completes the back-to-basics vibe. £10.50, melvita.com

2 MOA The Green Balm

The yarrow herb is a centuries-old healing balm. Use it after shaving to soothe skin in seconds, no matter how haphazard the razor strokes. £12.50, moa.london

3 Bulldog Original Face Scrub

This doesn’t just exfoliate, it uses essential oils to promote new skin cell growth and keep your face looking and feeling fresh. £5, meetthebulldog.com

5

6

7

4 Magik Organiks Ache Away

Hard gym session? Battered on the rugby pitch? These natural bath salts soothe sore muscles and pump out decongesting eucalyptus oil. £12.50, magikorganiks.com

Words Max Anderton Photography Joseph Sinclair

5 This Works Light Time Open Eyes

A smidge of this vitamin-rich algae and aloe vera infused cream rubbed into the bags under your eyes instantly stops anyone asking, “Big night, was it?” £25, thisworks.com

6 Spiezia Organics Body Oil

Rub this on your body when you’re fresh out of the bath or shower. It keeps skin softer than any cream we’ve ever used – and doubles as massage oil. £22, spieziaorganics.com

7 Green People Age Defy+

This SPF15 moisturiser uses sea fennel stem cells to slow the gradual, yet inevitable, transformation of us all into grumpy old men. £35, greenpeople.co.uk

Lose your poison

The two main chemical offenders you won’t find in this lovely lot

PARABENS

Used in around 85% of cosmetics, these chemical preservatives have been linked to cancer.

SULPHATES

They help products foam up, but are also poisonous skin irritants that can cause red patches, dryness and itching.

March 2016 | 47

PPBB | EXPERTS EXPERTS

2016’s best road runners Our jargon-free recommendations will keep you comfortable and injury-free

Best for… energy efficiency

Best for… serious runners

A thin layer of Saucony’s bouncy Everun material sits beneath the insole, along with a larger chunk under the heel of the Triumph ISO2 (£135, saucony.co.uk). The manufacturer rer claims it gives an 83% increase in energy return. While we can’t confirm that figure, there is a noticeable oticeable spring with th every step – an effect amplified by the shoe’s oe’s lightness.

The Asics MetaRun (£200, asics.co.uk) actually adapts to your running style. There’s plenty of flex, but the shoe becomes rigid if the arch of your foot drops too much, reducing pressure. It’s weird, in a good way – we even noticed the sole return to its original shape after each stride. A top choice for any runner who can afford it.

Best for… longdistance newbies

Heavy and fully cushioned, the Skechers GORun Strada (£90, skechers.co.uk) is perfect for long runs where form is likely to slip as the kilometres clock up. That’s because the sole has denser sections that boost stability while still allowing for full range of motion – like bowling with the kiddy-bumpers down.

48 | March 2016

PB | MF Picks Best for… improving form

The Brooks Launch 3 (£90, brooksrunning.com) has a springy forefoot that helps encourage a more pronounced toe-off – rather than bouncing off the middle of your foot, which saps energy and increases the risk of injury – while the lack of seams spreads pressure evenly, eradicating stress points. The upshot? No more red patches on our feet, no matter how far we run.

Best for… fashion and function

Best for… sock-like comfort

The foam sole of the Adidas UltraBOOST (£100, adidas.co.uk) takes the shock of a hard landing and uses the energy as extra propulsion, while the rubber outsole is stickier than the floor in a student bar on £1-a-pint night. The upper part is a breathable mesh that takes a couple of hours to mould to your foot, but once it has it feels more like a slipper than the supercushioned running shoe it is.

How we tested

Upgrade editor Max Anderton ran a 5K, 10K and half marathon in every pair, while fitness editor Sam Rider did a 10K in each to offer another opinion

March 2016 | 49

Words Max Anderton Photography James Lincoln

A water-repellent upper in the Nike Pegasus 32 Flash (£95, nike.com) keeps toes dry – unless you deliberately stomp in big puddles, as we did while testing – and the Flywire cables hug feet for snugness from sole to ankle. The reflective Flash shines blue, green and orange when car headlights hit it, for a Northern Lights-style effect that looks amazing and enables cars to see us on badly lit roads.

The smart tracker Garmin Vivosmart HR

A mix of activity tracker and sports watch with added smart features (call, text and email notifications), the Vivosmart HR (£120, garmin.com) automatically records steps, sleep and heart rate. When I used a tracker before I soon lost interest, but the five-day battery life, lightweight design and subtle

Boost your performance with the right tracker The MF team strap on the bestselling offerings to find out which is perfect for you

Photography Henry Carter

looks mean I’ve been wearing this 24/7, while the Connect app has got me addicted to checking stats. Tested by Ben Ince, deputy editor Looks Accuracy Features Overall

Damn smart and ultracomfortable

The sports coach MOOV Now

One battery charge lasts six months

The data junkie MS Band

PB | Group Test

You won’t find smart features or even a screen on the MOOV Now (from £55, moov.cc). What it does have is a six-month battery life and multi-part training plans that you access through an app. It’ll coach you through swimming, running, cycling, boxing and HIIT sessions, with accurate sensors and tips such as “swing arms faster” and “take shorter strides”. It even piped up if my posture slumped (“shoulders back!”). Tested by Matt Huckle, features writer Looks Accuracy Features Overall

You can track sleep, count steps, record your heart rate, use GPS and even be told when to apply sunscreen with the second version of the MS Band (£200, microsoftstore.com). I’ve become stat-obsessed thanks to the comprehensive companion website that shows everything from VO2 max to sleep quality. It’s also the only device that walks you through workouts, counting reps and timing rest periods. Tested by Joel Snape, associate editor Looks Accuracy Features Overall

Guided gym w o r ko u t s m a k e the MS Band a virtual PT

March 2016 | 51

PB | Group Test The stylish one Shine 2

Ditching a screen in favour of a face made up of 12 individual LEDs makes the Shine 2 (£80, amazon.co.uk) look more like futuristic jewellery than an activity tracker. They show progress towards my step goal and light up in different colours when I get a text or call. It also vibrates if I haven’t got off my arse in a while. Considering extended sitting is linked to a load of health issues, it’s basically saving my life. Tested by Sam Rider, fitness editor Looks Accuracy Features Overall

Wa ke s y o u f r o m a light sleep phase with a gentle vibrating alarm

Smart features are second to none, p l u s i t w o r ks w e l l with training apps

The cardio king Apple Watch Sport

The motivator Fitbit Charge HR

While not always rigorously accurate (I racked up a few steps sitting on the train), the Charge HR (£120, fitbit.com) is consistent and, more importantly, fun. Monitoring heart rate, steps, calories and kip quality, it essentially gamifies fitness – if you’re anything like as competitive as us you’ll be taking unnecessary stair runs to the sixth floor at work to beat a PB. This isn’t the tracker to prepare for an Ironman – it’s not waterproof for a start and doesn’t provide especially constructive – but a great motivational tool for even the most gym-phobic . Tested by Joe Barnes, editor Looks Accuracy Features Overall 52 | March 2016

Aside from being a top-notch smartwatch that looks great on my wrist, the best thing about the Apple Watch Sport (from £299, apple.com) is listening to music – it has 2GB of memory – and recording runs or cycles without needing any other tech strapped to me. It plays well with apps such as Strava and Runkeeper, while sending all data to the Apple Health dashboard so I can easily view progress in graph form. Tested by Max Anderton, head of digital content Looks Accuracy Features Overall

Will have you jogging on the spot while you’re brushing your teeth

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54 | Month 2015

WHAT ’S YOUR MUSCLE IQ? Are you training smart as well as hard? The more you know about your own body, the more you’ll be able to target weakness and maximise strength. Read on, and make sure your brain’s firing on all cylinders

Words Joel Snape Photography Steve Neaves Styling Hayley Lawrence Grooming Becky Rule Model Chris [email protected]

March 2016 | 55

Q

What muscle is the best signal of full-body strength? A

The forearm

Hand-grip strength is a good predictor of total-body muscular strength and endurance, according to a study in the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research – while other studies show that a powerful grip’s also linked to longevity.

56 | March 2016

Strengthen yours with fat-grip moves: wrap a towel around the bar before rows, curls or deadlifts, and you’ll strengthen your grip alongside your other muscles.

Q

Name the three muscles in your upper arm A The biceps, triceps and brachialis You probably got the first two, but it’s the third you should focus on if you’re heading for the gun show. The brachialis sits directly underneath the biceps and plays a key role in making your arms look bigger. Training with hammer-grip curls will help, but it’s not the full story – as speed of movement increases, brachialis activation downshifts, pushing more stress onto the biceps. Fix them with super-slow curls: squeeze your muscles throughout each curl, then pause for two seconds at the top of each rep, trying to squash your biceps with your forearm. Do ten reps, then finish the set with a 20-second squeeze. You’ll burn – but you’ll grow.

Q Are dumbbells or barbells better for chest growth? A Dumbbells True, you can probably shift more weight with a bar. But technically, the main function of the pectoral muscles during pressing exercise is “transverse adduction”, or bringing the arms towards the centre of the body. Obviously, there’s a limit to how much you can change your arm position with a bar, but dumbbells will give you a longer range of motion: let your hands go below chest level at the bottom of the move and then bring the dumbbells together at the top. For a high-definition finisher, do a final set of press-ups on a medicine ball, stopping at the top of each rep to ‘squeeze’ your hands together as hard as possible – you’ll feel your pecs activate. Hold for five seconds, then do four more reps for a set. March 2016 | 57

Q Which athletes have the best calf strength? A

Dancers

Jumping and sprinting are highly dependent on your posterior chain – that’s your glutes, hamstrings and back muscles – which is why it’s possible to have tiny calves and still be successful in anything from basketball to the 100m hurdles. One place you can’t get away with it, though, is ballet. To stand in the position known as demi-pointe, dancers train for up to ten hours a day, mostly with a variation of the calf raise known as the relevé. “A normal person should be able to do 20 single-leg calf raises on each side,” says trainer Chad Waterbury. “But most people can’t. Do three or four uned calf raises on each side to activate your ankle muscles, then put your fingers against a wall or desk for balance while you do an all-out set on each side, starting with your strongest leg. Repeat three times a day, take 48 hours off, then do it again. In a couple of weeks you’ll have bigger, stronger calves.” Tights optional.

58 | March 2016

Q

What’s the best piece of equipment for building a stronger core? A

The abs wheel

Forget the crunches. In a study comparing “traditional” abs exercises including crunches and sit-ups with moves using kit like suspension trainers and the Abs Revolutionizer (no, us neither), the wheel was the clear winner, scoring higher muscle activation across the upper and lower rectus

abdominis (that’s your six-pack) and obliques. Add a “pulse” for optimum time under tension: do ten reps, stop at the end of the movement, then do ten minireps where the wheel moves only a couple of centimetres. You’ll still need to eat right to see your abs, but at least you’ll know they’re there.

Q

Which of your leg muscles should you train to prevent knee pain? A The VMO It stands for vastus medialis oblique, but don’t worry about that. Known as the “teardrop” muscle by bodybuilders, it connects your patella (kneecap) to your femur (thigh bone) and plays a key role in running, jumping and almost any other movement that involves extending your knee. Not surprisingly, your local bro-scientist might tell you that leg extensions are the best way to train it, but don’t head for the machines just yet – a study in the Journal

Of Biomechanics found that shearing tension on the ACL (the fragile ligament that football players are constantly tearing) is higher during leg extensions than even on heavy squats or leg presses. The solution? Use 1¼ squats, which Olympic skiers swear by to slope-proof their knees. Squat down slowly, taking five seconds to hit the bottom, come up a quarter of the way, then go back down and come up until your knees are short of lock-out. That’s one rep. Do four sets of four.

March 2016 | 59

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Q

What’s the strongest muscle in the human body? A

The gluteus maximus Fine: if you’re being picky, it’s actually the masseter muscle in the jaw, which works on a shorter lever than the bigger muscles and can exert up to 4,337 Newtons of force. But in of cross-sectional area – and overall musclefibre count – it’s the glutes, which are key in everything from squatting to sprinting. To make sure they’re awake and firing, do wall squats before leg day. Stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart and toes touching a wall, then squat back and down without your knees brushing the brickwork. Do three sets of five and you’ll feel your glutes firing during weighted moves.

March 2016 | 61

Q

Which activates your back muscles better – a pull-up, or a chin-up? A

It’s a tie

Just to clarify: chin-ups are when your palms are facing you, pull-ups are when they’re facing away. And depending on what you’ve been told, you may be surprised to find that in a study published by the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, electromyographic (EMG) signals were collected from volunteers doing both exercises, and muscular activation in the latissimus dorsi – the biggest muscles of the back – was roughly the same for both.

62 | March 2016

How many did you know?

0-2

Do you even science, bro? Nobody’s saying you need a degree in biology, but knowing which muscles you’re working helps.

3-4

Not bad, but a quick refresher wouldn’t hurt. Ask a PT what muscle groups you’re working during your next session: you might be surprised.

5-6

The difference? Chin-ups average higher activation in the biceps, while pull-ups make the lower trapezius muscles – the triangle-shaped bit in the middle of your back – work harder, so it’s worth doing both. Combine them as a finisher: set a timer and do sets of two to four pull-ups every 30 seconds – then when you can’t do any more, switch to chin-ups and carry on.

You certainly know your gastrocnemius from your gracilis (probably), but there’s room for improvement.

7-8

Near-flawless, as long as you’re converting those brains into gains by hitting the iron as well as the books.

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NO WEIGHTS NO COST SUPERHERO 64 | March 2016

S

Aslan Steel demonstrates the assisted single-arm front lever – one of the toughest calisthenics movements

BODIES

A growing army of athletes are proving that you don’t need fancy gyms or heavy barbells to get lean, strong and muscular. Meet the elite bodyweight warriors combining outrageous aerial acrobatics with brute strength in the sport of calisthenics

Words Nick Levy Photography David Holbrook March 2016 | 65

Chris Luera worked in catering before giving it up to become a trainer and bar athlete

66 | March 2016

P

acing beneath a pull-up bar housed under a railway arch in one of southeast London’s grittier districts, s so Chris Luera – Tatted Strength to his friends – does not look like your typical athlete. With his shaven head, long beard and waist-tocranium ink, it’s easier to picture him rolling up to a Hell’s Angels roadhouse than it is to imagine him standing atop a medal podium. Until he takes hold of the bar, that is. He begins by pulling his chin up to the top of the steel frame before effortlessly gliding up and over it, straightening his arms above the bar. Slowly, he rotates his body back underneath it until he’s lying dead horizontal, as if floating on a bed of air, before folding his body into a right angle. Then he spins his legs through his arms to hang flat, face-down, high above the concrete floor. This series of gravity-defying moves – muscle-up into front lever pull-up into one-arm L-sit into reverse lever – is performed with all the elegance, precision and control of an Olympic gymnast. Not that you’ll spot the Los Angeles native turning out for Team USA at the Rio games this summer. (That noise you just heard was Louis Smith et al breathing a collective sigh of relief.) Luera, you see, is no gymnast, but a practitioner of the fastest-growing sport in our nation’s towns and cities today. Calisthenics – also known as street workout, owing to the urban arenas from which it emerged and where continues to thrive – is a jaw-dropping mash-up of the aerial acrobatics of gymnastics, the flair of breakdancing and the playfulness of parkour. “The thing is, gymnastics is very, very strict,” says Luera, 33, who – with his California drawl – both looks and sounds like a character from Grand Theft Auto. “The younger generation wants to do tricks, they want to get strong, but they don’t necessarily want a coach or someone that’s drilling them to keep their toes pointed.” He has the utmost respect for the guys in Lycra doing stride swings on their pommel horses, he says, but it’s the rules and regulations that he finds stifling. “In calisthenics, you don’t have to do every gymnastic movement – iron cross, swallow, this and that… Just go out there and invent something. Show us what you’re going to bring to the table. Your personality. You.” This emphasis on creativity over discipline is just one reason behind the growth calisthenics has experienced in the past few years. While the precise number of people forsaking the gym in favour of street workout is hard to quantify

– there’s not a lot of paperwork when it comes to use of the pull-up bar at your local park – the rise of calisthenics is an indisputable fact. In the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual survey of 3,000 fitness professionals, bodyweight training is cited as the number one exercise trend for 2016. There’s no doubt that calisthenics is establishing itself both as an effective way to build muscle and as a competitive sport in its own right, and calling it “street workout” makes it sound ultra-modern. But its origins are ancient. Before the battle of Thermopylae in 480BC, a small group of around 300 Spartan warriors (yes, those ones), realising that they were being spied on by Persian scouts, performed their own version of street workout. Or as they knew it, kalos sthenos – beautiful strength. It was basically the Ancient Greek equivalent of doing biceps curls before an arm-wrestling contest. So sure, bodyweight training is a modern trend, in much the same way philosophy, Euclidean mathematics and yogurt are. However, in the two and a half thousand years between Leonidas and Luera, calisthenics suffered from an image crisis. In the 1960s and 70s especially, it was what coldhearted, steel-bodied Soviet soldiers did to stay in shape, and the reason for the ubiquity of star jumps in school PE sessions. By no means creative; in no way fun. It has no such problems with perception today. While Luera and his fellow bodyweight warriors are the driving force behind the rise of modern calisthenics, its rebirth began with one man, and one video.

“

Gymnastics is very strict… Just go out and invent something

”

Today Aslan Steel, 31, is one of the top street workout athletes in the UK, a professional course tester for Ninja Warrior, founder of calisthenics crew Bar Mob and, along with Luera, a senior figure in the World Calisthenics Organisation (WCO). He first saw the “Hannibal For King” video while he was still getting to grips with bodyweight training. “I was just starting to get pull-ups, working on my muscle-ups, then I saw what Hannibal could do and I was like, ‘Jesus Christ’. It seemed impossible.” March 2016 | 67

The influential four-minute video shows Hannibal Langham – shirtless and hyper-cut – performing a sequence of skills that would set the bar for calisthenics in the 21st century. At the time, in 2008, few people had heard of Langham, aside from his fellow residents at the homeless shelter and the families at the playground he used as his gym. Then a friend ed the clip to YouTube. Ten million views later, “Hannibal For King” is recognised as the modern origin of street workout. That’s not where the internet influence ends. Moves like handstands, planches and human flags are highly photogenic, as are the shredded physiques of the men performing them. Forget sunsets, kittens and avocado on toast – this is what Instagram was made for. “YouTube, Facebook, Instagram have all exploded calisthenics,” says Luera. “You’ve got guys like me and Aslan and Hannibal constantly fighting for better, stronger moves, and we’re putting out all that content on social media. People are seeing that and being drawn in. It’s a very big part of why we’re growing so much.” We challenge you to watch a video of Luera slowly lowering himself from a straight-arm planche into a reverse lever without breaking a sweat and not immediately go looking for a set of parallel bars. And there lies possibly the greatest appeal of calisthenics, another tried-and-tested hand-me-down from ancient Greece: its democratic nature. No matter who you are, what your background, education, financial situation, age or gender, you can start bodyweight training. “As long as you’ve got a pullup bar at your local park, or even just a tree branch, that’s all you’re ever going to need for calisthenics,” says Steel. “You don’t need a gym hip, you don’t need expensive, fancy equipment. Anyone can do it. And it starts with just one pull-up.”

A difficult childhood and jail time were no barriers to Luera becoming a street workout champion

“

It’s no coincidence that some of street workout’s biggest names have more in common than their love of a welldeployed V-sit. Hannibal Langham was a sometime bike mechanic, most-of-the-time cannabis dealer who couldn’t afford rent, let alone a gym hip. Closer to home, Terroll Lewis, founder of the highly respected Brixton-based crew Block Workout, served an 11-month prison sentence thanks to his involvement with a notorious south London gang. When he got out he attempted to Fitness First, but was turned away because he didn’t have a bank from which to set up a direct debit. Thwarted, like Langham before him, he took his workouts to the monkey bars at his local playground. It’s a familiar story for Luera. “When I was younger, I got in a bit of trouble and went to prison a couple of times,” he says. What sort of trouble? “I was on drugs. My birth parents both died when I was young. My mom overdosed. My dad gave me up for adoption and soon after I went to the foster home, he got shot in a bad drugs transaction.” Luera was three years old. He soon entered the adoptive care of his great-aunt and uncle, who he now talks of affectionately as his “real parents”. He nevertheless found it difficult to stay out of trouble, hence his familiarity with the correctional facilities of southern California. Eventually, determined to turn his life around, Luera took a bartending job with a local catering company. It paid the bills and kept him out of trouble, but he was miserable. The real blow would come in 2012 with the death of his great-aunt. He fights back tears as he talks about losing

Anyone can do it. And it starts with just one pull-up

”

68 | March 2016

The false grip used for muscle-ups

Mastering the back lever takes supreme strength and balance – but no weights

Holding the planche takes phenomenal biceps and core strength

March 2016 | 69

Steel (left) was inspired by Hannibal Langham’s 2008 street workout video – now he organises competitive calisthenics

the one constant he’d had in his life. “I couldn’t sleep at night. I’d just dwell on how she wasn’t here any more. I started going to the gym to get tired, to distract myself, to make sure I wouldn’t try to kill myself in the middle of the night thinking about how she’s gone.”

“

TV cameras and elevate calisthenics into the mainstream. The format is simple: over the course of three three-minute rounds, competitors take it turns to throw down a sequence of moves which their opponent must then match and improve on. The other guy does a handstand press-up midway through his routine? You do a single-arm handstand press-up. He bounces on his palms; you’d better bounce then lower yourself into a planche. Judges (usually well-respected athletes in their own right) choose the winner based on familiar criteria: difficulty, creativity, control, execution and crowd interaction. Think Step Up, if Channing Tatum could do a 360° spin at the top of a muscle-up. When not wiping the floor with all comers, Luera and Steel run WCO-certified workshops around the world to introduce bodyweight training and its various progressions to new audiences. The message is simple: don’t pay for the body you want, get creative instead. “In calisthenics, you get caught up with gaining more strength to do the next move, or to get a longer hold, and the amazing by-product is you get ripped,” says Steel. “And the shape is a natural shape, a balanced, well-proportioned shape, and you can tell it’s useful. Those muscles are used for something.” True. They’re used for balancing horizontally over a giant anvil, for nailing 360° spins over the top of 2m-high bars, for using the power and potential of the human body in ways that no trained athlete has ever even considered. It’s safe to say the Spartans had no idea what they’d started.

You get a natural, balanced shape, and you can tell it’s useful

It was at the gym that he first saw someone doing a muscle-up, raising his torso up and over the pull-up bar. Luera was inspired and began a regime of bodyweight training. “Before I found calisthenics, I had no ion,” says Luera. “I was just working, dreading my job. This gave me ion.” Sport has long been recognised for the transformative effect it can have on someone’s health and happiness. But there is arguably no sport with a more consistent or more powerful track record for positively overhauling lives than street workout. Clearly you don’t have to come from an underprivileged background to excel in calisthenics, but in an era when 37% of Team GB’s medal-winning athletes at London 2012 had a private school education, it’s one of the only sports with not a single barrier for entry – one that anyone can shine at. Less than four years since he unceremoniously hoisted himself up into his first muscle-up, Luera is now the two-time middleweight champion of Battle of the Bars – one of the most prestigious calisthenics competitions in the world.

”

The competitive side of street workout is in its infancy, but many involved in the sport hope it will soon attract the 70 | March 2016

YOUR NO-GYM STRENGTH PLAN Choose your exercises wisely, and you don’t need weights to build strength. Do each of these sessions once a week, leaving at least 48 hours between them, using the recommended rep ranges below

Start in a press-up position but with one arm straight out to the side. Lower yourself to the floor, then press back up. Do half your reps on one side, then switch.

Bodyweight skullcrusher

Crucifix press-up

Inverted row

Head banger

You’ll need a table, chair or other surface of similar height for this. Put your hands together on it and, keeping your body as straight as possible, lower yourself until your head’s below your hands.

Intermediate Sets 5 Reps 10 Rest 90sec Advanced Sets 10 Reps 10 Rest 60sec

Workout 1 Push

Archer press-up

Beginner Sets 10 Reps 5 Rest 2min

Lie face-down on the floor with your hands spread wide to your sides. Getting up onto your fingertips if you can (palms if you can’t), lower your chest to the floor and then press back up, feeling the stretch in your chest.

Negative muscle-up

You’ll need a pull-up bar for this workout. Jump – or get a friend to help – so you’re above the top of it, then lower yourself into the bottom position of a dip, then through a reverse pull-up. Jump back to the start.

Lie under a waist-height bar (or table) with your feet on the floor and your body in a straight line. Pull up until your chest touches the bar, pause, then lower yourself under control.

With your palms facing away from you, pull up to a bar until your chin’s above it. Extend your arms until they’re straight, keeping your head high, then pull back to the bar and finally drop down. Caution: do not try this on a home pull-up bar. March 2016 | 71

Illustrations James Carey@Debut Art

Workout 2 Pull

DOG Get a

(and 29 other surprising ways to lose fat) It’s not all kettlebell swings and kale crisps. Small changes add up to big fat loss, and every one of the tweaks you’ll find here is simple, smart and sustainable. Read on – and get ready to shed Words Mark Bailey Photography Joseph Sinclair Illustrations Dan Woodger

72 | March 2016

G March 2016 | 73

01 Getapooch A dog isn’t just a man’s best friend – having a mutt can also keep you greyhound-slim. Everyday stress floods your body with the hormone cortisol, which triggers the storage of fat, but a University of Missouri study proved that hanging with hounds releases the feelgood hormone oxytocin to keep belly-bloating stress at bay. Dog-owners are also 34% more likely to get out and exercise. For the greatest benefit, choose the most suitable breed of dog for your preferred type of exercise (see below) – shuffling around with a wheezing pug just gives off the wrong vibe.

Picktherightdog Make sure your new BFF matches your activity

Running

Not surprisingly, dogs bred to hunt (like Labradors and Weimaraners) or to pull sleds (huskies, malamutes) will keep up with you even on marathon threshold runs. For a more compact alternative, a Jack Russell has almost boundless energy.

74 | March 2016

Watersports

If you’re an openwater swimmer or a kayaker, a Newfoundland – with its thick, water-resistant fur – is the perfect companion. If you don’t have room for one (they can grow up to 65kg), a Portuguese water dog is another option – and they’re also non-allergenic.

Mountainmen

An all-rounder like an English or Irish setter can easily cope with vertiginous hikes, although serious walkers might prefer the power of a Bernese mountain dog. Again, the Jack Russell is a perfect small alternative – and will even fit in your rucksack.

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People who understand food labelling weigh 4.5kg less than people who don’t, according to research published in Agricultural Economics. Check the ingredient order – manufacturers are legally bound to put the biggest one first. If your protein bar’s first, second and third ingredients are varieties of sugar (sucrose, fructose and saccharin, say), it’s basically a sugar bar.

Switching your morning pavement plod to a run through a grassy park or sandy beach will help you torch more fat. A study in the Journal Of Experimental Biology revealed that running on soft surfaces burns 1.6 times more energy than running on pavements because your muscles have to work extra hard on uneven terrain. There’s less chance of stumbling across a deli full of pastrami baps, too.

Read the label

Spice up your dinner Chop up an extra chilli in your stir-fry. A study in Physiology & Behaviour showed that spicy foods slash cravings for fatty, salty and sweet grub, while the University of Wyoming found that the capsaicin in chillies increases your fat-burning metabolism.

Run on grass

Choose a coloured bowl

Next time you graze on crisps or biscuits while watching football on TV, eat them out of a red or blue bowl. A study in the journal Perception showed that the brain is tricked into thinking snacks served in coloured bowls taste more intense than those from white bowls, so you’ll scoff less without even thinking about it. Final score: beach body 1, belly fat 0.

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Enjoy a two-course meal Bulldozing straight into your main course at dinner time could turn you into a pork chop. Experts at Pennsylvania State University discovered that eating a starter of vegetable soup satisfied diners’ grumbling guts before the main course arrived and they consumed 20% fewer calories overall. In other words, double your courses and can fat for good.

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Eat grapes before you shop If you often hit the supermarket with a list of veggies but come home with bags of pastries, it’s probably because your willpower is starved of glucose. Research in the Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology proved that willpower drops with th your glucose levels, ls, so eating glucose-rich ose-rich grapes before fore you shop will sweeten your chance ance of avoiding the cake aisle.

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WAYS TO LOSE FAT

Munchoncheese Giving up cheese in a bid to slim down is a bad idea. In a study published in the Journal Of Agriculture And Food Chemistry, a group of men who ate a cheese-rich diet had higher levels of the compound butyrate, an antiinflammatory fatty acid that boosts your fat-burning metabolism, than those who ate other dairy products or a control diet. If you’re concerned about your fat intake, stick to cottage cheese and feta, which are relatively low in fat.

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Eat slow slower Chewing yo your food slowly might make you look like a camel but it will also help you shift the fatty hump around your middle. Rese Research in the Journal Of Clinical Endocrinology And Metabo Metabolism showed that men who ate ice cream slowly produced hig higher levels of appetite-busting peptides in the tho who wolfed down their food. gut than those March 2016 | 75

Watch TV on delay Stream all your favourite TV shows – or watch tch them on a ten-minute nute delay – so you can fastforward through the filthy M&S food porn ads. Scientists at the he University of Southern hern California used functional nctional magnetic resonance ce imaging to track the he brain activity of subjects ts as they were shown pictures of fatty food, and they discovered that simply looking g at food activates the brain regions associated ed with hunger. appetite and hunge ger. you’ll Skip the ads and you ou’ll mid-show also avoid that midd-show dash to the cookie jar.

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Snack on plums

Next time you’re ambushed by am the th munchies, reach for a plum. re Research by the Re University of San Un Diego’s School Di of Exercise and Nutritional Nu Sciences showed Sc that th plums suppress hunger su better than be cookies, so you feel co fuller for longer. fu Not No bad ba for just ju 30 calories ca and an 0g of fat.

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Eat eggs for breakfast Swapping your morning toast for a three-egg omelette could be the easiest fat-loss trick you pull today. Research in the Journal Of The American College Of Nutrition found replacing that replaci grain-based a grain-base with eggs breakfast wi fullness and boosts fulln lunch cuts your lu over 160 intake by ov calories. In fact, lasts the effect las asts hours, for 36 hours rs, so be eating you’ll still b yo portions smaller port sm rtions tomorrow. tomo to morrow. mo

Devour p porridge ge Muesli may look like a cold version ve of porridge but scientists from Sydney University niversity found that porridge’s gloopy consistency makes it twice as filling, even when the portions contain the same amount of calories, so you’ll find it easier to reject that mid-morning office doughnut.

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Clench your fist to fight hunger

Next time you walk past the office vending machine, tighten your fist into a ball. Research in the Journal Of Consumer Research revealed that people who clench a muscle for 30 seconds are better able to control their impulses, giving you more chance of ignoring that shiny sack of Skittles. It will also come in handy next time your finger is hovering over the Buy button for a £300 cashmere cardigan on ASOS.

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According to the Lighting Research Centre, gadgets reduce production of melatonin – a hormone that helps you sleep – by 22%, while the University of Chicago found that sleep loss sparks an 18% drop in leptin, a hormone that tells your brain you’re full, and a 28% increase in ghrelin, which triggers hunger. Ditch the iPad after 9pm to bag more shut-eye and dream your way to a better body.

Whatever you tuck into at lunchtime, eat it alone. A study published in Physiology & Behaviourr proved that eating with people you know wrecks your focus and causes you to consume 18% more grub. We wouldn’t suggest ignoring your girlfriend or kids at the dinner table – but a weekday lunch is one meal you can enjoy alone without making your family hate you.

Turn off your iPad y

Eat lunch alone

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Shrink your plate and you’ll shrink your gut. A study published in the American Journal Of Preventive Medicine showed that people given a larger bowl served themselves 30% more food than those given a smaller bowl – even though they were no hungrier. If your dinner plate is the size of a satellite dish, swap it for a Hobbit-sized plate and you’ll eat less.

If you can’t help snaffling a bag of Haribo every time you pick up your copy of Men’s Fitness magazine, chuck a stick of gum m into your mouth uth on the way y to the shop. A study udy in the journal urnal Appetite proved oved it reduces duces cravings avings for sugary gary snacks. acks. Plus, not even a Tangfastic ngfastic dummy mm tastes mmy good od when you’ve u’ got u’ve mint-mouth. nt nt-mouth.

Use a smaller plate

Chew gum

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WAYS TO LOSE FAT

Drink while you cook When you’re prepping prep pr eppi ep pi dinner tonight, toni to nigh ni gh guzzle of water half ha lf a litre l while you chop whil wh ile il e yo slice. and an d sl slic ic Research published in the publ pu blis bl is journal jour jo urna ur na Obesity showed show sh owed ow ed that people peop pe ople op le who drank 500ml 500m 50 0mll of water 0m before 30 minutes min meals meal me alss for 12 weeks al much smaller ate at e mu portions port po rtio rt ions and and lost lo st 44% 44% more mor ore e weight weig we ight ig ht than tha han n those thos th ose os e who wh o didn’t. didn di dn’t dn ’t.. ’t

Drizzlelemon onyourlunch

Give your stomach omach some lemon aid by squeezing lemon n juice into everything from stir-fries and salads to fish h dishes and fruit shakes. It blunts the post-lunch insulin nsulin spike that causess your body to store fat and helps it store carbs rbs as fuel instead off blubber, so you’ll ll feel citrus-fresh for your next trip to the gym.

March Marc Ma rch rc h 2016 2 01 016 6 | 77

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW GO TO:

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Sprinkle some cinnamon

Sweat for two minutes

Simply chucking cinnamon on top of your midmorning yogurt can help you fight flab. The spice limits surges in blood sugar and slows down the emptying of the stomach, according to a review in the Journal Of Diabetes Science And Technology, which means you’ll feel fuller for longer and suffer fewer cravings. Scientists at the Chicago College of Dentistry have shown that it kills bad breath too.

Whether you hit the treill during your lunch break, commute to work on your bike or just nail a post-work sprint for the bus, find a way to knock out a two-minute all-out effort today. A report in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition And Metabolism showed that just 120 seconds of high-intensity effort increases the potential for fatty acid oxidation so your body burns more fat whatever you’re doing.

24

Buy a heavier spoon Investing in weightier, higher-quality cutlery won’t just impress your guests at dinner parties – it’ll automatically slash your food intake. Research at Oxford University showed that heavier cutlery captures your attention when you eat and tricks your brain into thinking your food tastes better. With a happy belly you won’t be raiding the snack cupboard two hours later.

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WAYS TO LOSE FAT

Listentopopmusic Working out to cheesy pop tunes like Katy Perry’s “Firework” or David Guetta’s “Titanium” can help you exercise for longer and and shed s more fat. Research in the Journal Of Sport Sport And Exercise Psychology confirmed that synchronising synch your running pace to music with with a tempo of 125bpm – as those tracks have – causes c au a 15% improvement in endurance. Check Chec out jog.fm for more 125bpm fat-burners.

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Take a morning g walk Yes, walking obviously burns a few calories, but it’s the timing that really matters. Scientists at Brigham Yo Young Univ University si in i the th US ffound nd that ha 45 minutes of moderate exercise in the morning reduces the desire for food later in the day – giving you a 24-hour fat-dodging bonus. March 2016 | 79

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WAYS TO LOSE FAT WA

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Bag a break

Fidget more

If you enjoy running, rowing or cycling in the gym during your lunch hour, take a break halfway through the session and you’ll nuke more fat. A Japanese study found that taking a break during cardio exercise helps you metabolise more fat than simply exercising without stopping. Try nailing that three-minute plank you’ve been gunning for while you’re resting.

Research published in the journal Science has shown that simple everyday fidgeting – like tapping your feet to iPod tracks at your desk or walking around the office while you’re looking at notes – can burn an extra 350 calories a day, turning your dull day at work into a fat-melting exercise regime. Being annoying has never felt so good.

27

Stock ock up p on n olive oil If you ou can’t ditch your ur ion for belly-bloating y-bloating buns and d loaves, slosh some me olive oil over your ur bread and you’ll u’ll eat much less.. A study in the International Journal urnal Of Obesity showed owed that using olive e oil instead of butter utter causes diners ners to eat 23% less bread and consume nsume 16% fewer wer calories overall, erall, so your stomach omach will soon look ok more like a thin in chapatti and d less le like lik a burger burg rger bun.

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Cool your beans Adding resistant starch – a type of fibre found in beans – to meals increases your body’s ability to burn fat by 23%, according to a study in Nutrition & Metabolism. And if you cook the beans the night before and allow them to cool, you’ll crank up the resistant starch content for additional fattorching gains.

Drink coffee afterlunch If you know you’ll be stuck at your desk all afternoon, perk up your fatburning furnace with a shot of coffee after lunch. Research in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition showed that caffeine elevates resting metabolism by 3-4% for over 2½ hours, so you’ll be torching more energy than that smug juicesipping know-all next to you. March 2016 201 | 81

03 16

Fuel

Get fit in the kitchenn

Pimp your pancakes They’re traditionally eaten on Mardi Gras, aka Fat Tuesday – but you can avoid flabbiness with these musclebuilding recipes

Kick-start your day with this spicy, protein-rich morning meal 75g ham hock / 2 eggs, scrambled / 1tsp paprika

MF SAYS Ben Ince, Fuel editor Recipes by Myles Hopper of Mindful Chef (mindfulchef.co.uk)

“Shrove Tuesday might be a good excuse to pig out on pancakes, but their high levels of blood-sugar spiking white flour can lead to fat storage if you have them more often. Swap your standard mix for this energy-enhancing upgrade, though, and you can indulge any time. Just blend six egg whites, 50g porridge oats, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of baking powder and 1tbsp natural yogurt in a food processor.”

March 2016 | 83

Words Ben Ince Photography Joseph Sinclair

The breakfast booster

Fuel | Eat This

The rkout workout fueller eller Packed with slow-release ease carbs, this cheesy feast will get your body primed for exercise ercise 100g sweet potato, cubed and sautéed / 15g stilton, ilton, crumbled / 1tsp chopped opped fresh rosemary

“Rosemary will increase b l o o d f l o w,, w h i l e t h e probiotics in stilton will help improve gut health,” says Hopper

Th The healthy healt dess dessert Sweet Swee Sw eet need ee needn’t mean fattening with wi th this ch chocolatey prot pr protein otein pu ot pudding 20g dark cchocolate, broken 20 into pieces in piece / 200ml natural yogurt / 5 yo 50g blueberries

“Dark chocolate and blueberries contain antioxidants that help you recover after a tough session,” says Hopper

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Fuel | Gear

Kitchen Craft Home Made Cast Iron Mincer No8 (£30, amazon.co.uk)

Freshly ground goodness Words Ben Ince Photography Joseph Sinclair

The key to your best ever burgers? Healthy home-made mince

If you’re partial to a quality meatball, burger or sausage – and given their levels of protein, you probably should be – a meat grinder is definitely a worthwhile investment. The problem with shop-bought mince is that it’s often been ground days before it reaches your trolley, causing a loss of nutrients and flavour thanks to oxidisation. Mincing your own will give you more quality control, as well as ensuring it’s free from the mashed-up bone and cartilage that are sometimes used for extra bulk in meat products. For bonus man-points, opt for an old school hand-powered grinder: it’ll add some butcher’s shop cred to your kitchen and give you a forearm workout every time you use it.

BEAT THEIR MEAT

Three more ways to ensure yours is superior to the supermarket’s

BEST FOR SAUSAGES

Homegear 1800W Professional Electric £50 tesco.com Banger buffs will be in their element with this gadget, which comes with three different sausage-making attachments to suit your preferred texture.

BEST FOR F VALU VALUE

Kenwood MG510 £80 johnlewis.com This stylish device can process a mighty 2kg of meat a minute – that’s about 18 quarterpounders – making it perfect when you’re feeding friends at a winter barbecue.

BEST FOR SPEED SP

VonShef Electric £30 tesco.com With three blades of varying thicknesses, this versatile machine can craft everything from fine pâté to chunky meatballs.

March 2016 | 87

Healthy Healthy seasonal s ea s o n al comfort comfort food food cooked cooked for for maximum maximum flavour flavour with wit minimum fuss Words Ben Ince Illustrations RE Wilkinson Typography Lotta Scott

88 | Month 2015

Fuel | Slow Cooking earty, cheap and hassle-free, slow-cooked food is ideal fuel for days when it’s so cold that a trip to the shops feels like a polar expedition. Simply fire up your cooker in the morning, fill it with nutritious whole foods and enjoy a ready-made feast (and a welcoming, aroma-filled house) when you get home. The following recipes from Olivia Andrews’s book Whole Food Slow Cooked also feature alternative hob and oven options for days when you need a quick fix. And the beauty of them is that they’ll all keep for days so, if you feel like it, you can cook one and keep eating it for the rest of the week – saving you even more time and effort.

If your idea of curry for breakfast is reheating takeaway leftovers, it’s time to up your game with a morning meal that helps you burn fat for hours with its high levels of capsaicin. Ingredients (serves 4) 20g butter / 2 sprigs curry leaves / 2tsp brown mustard seeds / 3tsp finely grated fresh turmeric or 1tsp ground turmeric / 1 red onion, finely grated / 1tbsp finely grated ginger / ½tsp ground fennel / 1tsp ground cumin / 1tsp ground coriander / 500g waxy potatoes, cut into 3cm cubes / 3 vineripened tomatoes, halved, coarsely grated, skins discarded / 140g frozen peas / 8 eggs / Sliced green chilli and coriander sprigs, to serve

In the slow cooker (7 hours)

Put all the ingredients except the peas and eggs into the slow cooker. Add 125ml of water and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, then cook on low for seven hours. Stir in the peas and cook for a further five minutes until warmed through. Meanwhile, poach the eggs in a pan of simmering water until done to your liking. Serve the curry topped with the poached eggs, sliced chilli and coriander sprigs.

On the hob (1 hour)

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric, onion, ginger, fennel, cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, for about five minutes until the onion has softened. Add the potatoes, tomatoes and 125ml of water and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the peas and cook for a further five minutes until warmed through. Meanwhile, poach the eggs in a pan of simmering water until done to your liking. Serve the curry topped with the poached eggs, sliced chilli and coriander sprigs.

Why I slow cook Ben Ince, MF deputy editor

It’s idiot-proof

Which is a big plus if – like me – you find cooking anything with more than four ingredients a serious challenge. Most recipes allow large margins for error with quantities and cooking times, and burning your food is pretty much impossible.

Experimenting is easy

I tend to have five or six go-to recipes at any one time, which I’ll cook week after week. The basic nature of slow cooking – throw everything in, leave it to stew for hours – lets me mix things up with minimal risk and attention, which is perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

There’s minimal washing up

Doing the dishes is the kitchen chore I despise above all others, so anything that reduces the workload is a big bonus. Most slow-cooked meals require little extra kit – a chopping board and a knife is pretty much it – and create hardly any mess. Winner. March 2016 | 89

PB | EXPERTS

100g chickpeas provides 50% of your manganese RDA, which helps to control blood sugar and prevent fat storage

90 | Month 2015

Fuel | Slow Cooking

In the slow cooker (9 hours)

Traditionally eaten to break the fast at the day’s end during the observance of Ramadan, this Harira soup also makes for a perfect pre-gym winter warmer. Not a fan of lamb? Swap the chops for chicken thighs or stewing beef. Ingredients (serves 5) 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil / 500g lamb chops, trimmed / 1 large onion , finely chopped / 2 celery sticks, cut into 1cm pieces / 2tsp ground ginger / 2tsp ground cinnamon / 2tsp ground turmeric / Large pinch saffron threads, soaked in 1tbsp hot water (optional) / Large handful each of coriander and parsley, finely chopped, including the stalks / 800g canned chopped tomatoes / 1 litre chicken stock / 100g chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed / 55g dried green lentils, rinsed / 2tbsp lemon juice

Put the oil, lamb chops, onion, celery, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron with its soaking liquid, the stalks from the coriander and parsley, tomatoes, stock, chickpeas, lentils and 250ml of water in the slow cooker. Season with salt, then cook on low for nine hours until the meat and pulses are tender. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped parsley and coriander and check the seasoning.

On the hob (2 hours)

Heat 1tbsp of oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the lamb, season with salt and cook for two minutes on each side until browned. Remove and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil, onion, celery, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron with its soaking liquid and the stalks from the parsley and coriander. Cook for three to five minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Return the meat to the pan, along with the tomatoes, stock, chickpeas and 250ml of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes until the meat and pulses are tender. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped parsley and coriander and check the seasoning.

Chop and change

Save yourself a few quid with these cheaper, chewier but slow-cooker-friendly meat cuts

Pork cheek

Chicken neck

“These are inexpensive but full of flavour, plus they contain very little fat,” says head chef David Philpot (paternosterchophouse. co.uk).

“Cheaper than loin, blade (or shoulder) is particularly high in energy-enhancing iron,” says chef Allan Pickett (piquet-restaurant.co.uk).

Beef shin

Beef skirt

Chicken thigh

“Restaurants use these all the time and you should prep them at home too,” says chef Lee Bennett. “Cook them for hours and the meat will melt in your mouth.”

“Slow-cooking shin softens the connective tissue and gives it a delicate texture,” says Pickett.

“It isn’t as tender as regular cuts such as fillet, but skirt is far more economical and has a delicious, mature flavour,” says Bennett.

Pork blade

“Thigh is a relatively common (and inexpensive) option, with high levels of brain-boosting vitamin B6,” says Bennett. March 2016 | 91

PB | EXPERTS

50g cheese provides 40% of your RDA of w o r ko u t - f u e l l i n g phosphorous

In the slow cooker (8 hours 30 minutes)

Essentially a swanky Canadian version of chips and gravy, poutine is the ideal slowcooked way to eat protein-rich beef shin, chuck steak or short ribs. Have it after exercise, when your body is primed to use the carb-heavy potatoes for muscle growth. Ingredients (serves 5) 5 medium waxy potatoes, cut into wedges / 1tbsp olive oil / 1kg beef shin, cut into chunks / 40g butter / 1 red onion, finely chopped / 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped / 3tbsp plain all-purpose flour / 500ml stock / 250ml beef stock / 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce / 6 thyme sprigs, tied together with string / 200g melting cheese, such as provolone, raclette or mozzarella / Chopped parsley or chives, to serve 92 | March 2016

Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the slow cooker. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and cook for five minutes, then put in the slow cooker. Cook the onion and garlic in butter in the pan on medium heat for three minutes. Add the flour, stir, gradually stir in all the stock, then bring to the boil and add the Worcester sauce and thyme. Pour into the slow cooker and cook on low for six hours. Remove the beef and shred, then return to the slow cooker for another two hours. Discard the thyme, add the cheese and cook for 15 minutes.

On the hob (3 hours)

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 3. Heat the oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Cook the beef as above, then the garlic and onions as above, then add the flour. Gradually stir in all the stock, along with 250ml of water, and bring to the boil. Add the Worcester sauce and thyme, then return the beef to the casserole and cook in the oven for two hours. Remove the beef and shred, then return to the casserole with the potatoes. Cook for 45 minutes until the beef and potatoes are tender. Discard the thyme, scatter cheese over and return to the oven until melted.

Fuel | Slow Cooking This sticky American classic is an ideal option for cheat days, satisfying your sweet tooth with natural sugars from the maple syrup and apple. Ingredients (serves 5) 2kg American-style pork ribs / 1tbsp smoked paprika / 1tsp chilli flakes / 2tsp freshly ground white pepper / 4tbsp maple syrup / 1tbsp sea salt flakes / 4 garlic cloves, minced / 1 granny smith apple, peeled, finely grated / 1tbsp apple cider vinegar

Garlic is rich in sulphur-containing compounds that help to soothe inflammation after exercise

In the slow cooker (4 ho hours 30 minutes)

Put the chilli, pepper, maple syrup, salt, garlic, apple and vinegar in the slow cook cooker and mix. Add the ribs and coat well, then cook on high for four hours, turning the ribs halfway through. Re Remove the ribs and cover loosely with foil. Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan co and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer re for 15 minutes until thickened. Brush the ribs with the thicken sticky sauce and serve with a large green salad.

On the hob (2 hours 45 minutes) m

Preheat the oven to 160°C/ga 160°C/gas 2-3 and line a roasting tin with baking paper. Combine the paprika, chilli, pepper, maple syrup, salt, garlic, apple and vinegar in a small saucepan Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook and bring to the boil. Reduc for ten minutes. Set the glaze aside to cool. Add the ribs to the roasting tin and brush generously with the glaze. Cover gen tightly with foil and cook in the oven for two hours, then take the foil off and cook for another 30 minutes until tender, anot turning halfway through and brushing with more of the glaze. Serve with a large green salad. salad

Slow cooking 101 Mast your machine with these Master crucial tips from Olivia Andrews

Always defrost

Cooking meat from frozen (or even partially frozen) can allow food-poisoning bacteria to multiply, so you need to make sure it’s fully thawed before you start.

Keep a lid on it…

Taking the lid off for a sniff will let all the heat out – and slow cookers take a while to heat up. If you do need to stir or check it, replace the lid as soon as possible.

…unless it’s boozy

The lack of evaporation makes it harder to cook off alcohol, which can give food a harsh taste. After adding booze, take the lid off and simmer for a few minutes.

Be wary of beans

A slow cooker doesn’t get hot enough to destroy the natural toxins in raw kidney beans. Canned beans are safe, but dried red kidney beans or similar should be soaked overnight and boiled in fresh water for ten minutes first.

Whole Food Slow Cooked by Olivia Andrews (Murdoch Books, £14.99). Photography by Steve Brown. March 2016 | 93

Fuel | Eating Out Nutritionist Drew Price investigates the state of food on high street Britain to find out what we’re actually eating. This issue…

How to keep it healthy

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Pizza can be healthy – at a basic level it’s just bread, tomato, cheese, meat and veggies, after all. As with most foods, the key is to always choose high-quality, minimally processed ingredients and sensible portion sizes. Opting for thin crust rather than deep pan – which is loaded with fattening vegetable oil – is a good place to start, because it can reduce total calories by

Smart swaps

Drew’s choices included both the horrendous hotdog-stuffed-crust and the healthier salad-filled option

up to 40%. Swapping regular dough for the wholemeal option (which is available at most mid-range chains like Zizzi at no extra cost) will help too, steadying your blood sugar levels and helping you avoid fat storage. Toppings and dips should also be as natural as possible (see Smart Swaps, below) to ensure you maximise your nutrient intake and dodge unnecessary extra calories, sugar, salt and additives.

Pepperoni for Parma ham Provides all the same protein-packed meaty goodness but with less waistline-expanding nitrates and additives.

If you’re feeling adventurous (and healthy) you could try lahmacun, also known as Turkish pizza, instead. With a thin, crisp base topped with freshlyground mince, onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices, it’s far closer to the dish’s origins – which are actually Middle Eastern, not Italian – than a Domino’s. What’s more, a whole pizza contains just 700 calories, with most of those coming from heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil.

Four cheese for mozzarella and blue cheese

Trading a quadruple serving of (often fake) processed cheese for two actual ones gives you less fat and more bone-strengthening calcium.

Garlic dip for extra virgin olive oil and mashed garlic This simple DIY condiment features healthy oleic fatty acids and phytonutrients, unlike the takeaway variety, which is full of dodgy processed oils.

February 2016 | 95

Photography iStock

Few high-street foods vary in quality as spectacularly as pizza. Years of cultural tweaks on the classic doughy disc formula have created a nutritional minefield, with some very good, and some worse than a deepfried Mars bar. So what’s good? Well, definitely not the hot-dog-stuffedcrust Texas BBQ number I ordered from my local takeaway (pictured, top right). I was expecting high levels of fat and calories, and it didn’t disappoint: 120g of mostly saturated and trans fats provided over 100% of my guideline daily amount (GDA), as did the 2,660 calories. But what was more shocking was the whopping 80g of sugar it contained, which is more than you’d get in two cans of Coke. The effect was a sickeningly sweet flavour that even the 12g of salt – a staggering 200% of GDA – couldn’t balance out. To make matters worse, at the cheaper end of the takeaway spectrum there’s often no way of telling how genuine any of the ingredients are. A 2014 trading standards investigation found that over 90% of the pizzerias it inspected in Lancashire alone used “analogue cheese” – a cheap, artificial substitute – instead of the real thing, while two-thirds of their “ham” actually contained turkey DNA. Neither of these is reassuring given the raft of studies linking processed foods with serious diseases.

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Hit the ground running this spring with the help of one easy man-meal

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onventional wisdom says that summer is for showing off six-packs while winter is for drinking them – expanding your waistline in the process (go ahead, tell yourself it’s just to keep warm). But it doesn’t have to be that way. Take this hearty recipe that has everything a man needs to stay lean and energised – including protein, healthy fats and slow-digesting carbs – and will help you head into spring with last year’s summer body still intact. No time machine required.

Words Olivia Langdon, Ben Ince Photography Christopher Testani

To make

Cook the quinoa according to packaging instructions and set aside. Place a frying pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil and squash. Sauté for ten to 12 minutes, or until the squash is tender with lightly browned edges. Add the onion and stir. Season the flank steak and, in a separate pan on a medium-high heat, sear it for five minutes each side (giving you a medium-rare steak). Set aside, then slice when cooled. When the onions begin to caramelise, add the cooked quinoa and spices. Stir to mix, then turn off the heat and set aside. Cook the egg according to preference. Then, in a separate bowl, add the squash/quinoa mixture. Top with the avocado and steak slices, then add the egg. Sprinkle on the goat’s cheese.

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INGREDIENTS (SERVES 1) 50g quinoa (uncooked) / ½tbsp extra virgin olive oil / 200g butternut squash, diced / ¼ onion, thinly sliced / 150g flank steak / ½tsp sea salt / Black pepper, to taste / ½tsp chilli powder / ½tsp garlic powder / ¼ avocado, sliced / 1 egg / 1tbsp goat’s cheese

March 2016 | 97

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Trainer

Your blueprint for success

Overcome any obstacle Whether you’re a mud junkie or an obstacle course virgin, make sure you rise to the challenge with our experts’ tips Words Sam Rider

1 Will doing OCRs make me fitter?

“The best thing about obstacle races,” says Dirty Dozen Racing founder Doug Spence, “is they make exercise fun, accessible and collaborative. You can cover 20km without thinking, or make new friends simply by offering to haul them out of an icy stream.” “You build such a rounded fitness – a caveman fitness,” says top British racer Jon Albon. They’re a throwback to being active as a kid, turning park walls, benches and trees into impromptu assault courses. They’ve also helped the 26-year-old Albon with his other

ion, mountain ultramarathons, suggesting they can enhance rather than harm your cardio. “It’s not like running marathons where the main object is the time you finish in,” says Albon. “You’re chasing experiences, not PBs, so they’re always fun, always exciting.” Spence echoes that sentiment, citing a bus driver who lost 35kg to take on his race and propose to his girlfriend at the finish line. “That’s OCRs in a nutshell. Done right – or even done wrong – they can give you a fitness and self-confidence that can change your life.” March 2016 | 105

Trainer | Training Secrets

Will I survive?

THE EXPERTS THE COACH

Doug “The Beard” Spence, 37 Spence is not your average fitness coach. He left his sales job, set up an event called Dirty Dozen Racing and built an assault course in his garden he calls the Backyard Jam to train people to defeat obstacles. Book races and classes at dirtydozenraces.com

THE WORLD NUMBER ONE

Jon Albon, 26 Fell runner Albon got his first taste of OCR at a freezing cold Tough Guy in 2011 where he came from 1,500 people back to finish 76th. Since then he’s won almost all of them. He was the shock winner at the US-based Spartan and OCR world championships in 2014, won Tough Guy and defended his global title last year and spent most of 2015 ranked No1 in the sport. Get more training tips from Albon at obstaclecourse.training 106 | March 2016

2 3 So how do I train for one? “If you only do two things it should be to go running and bouldering,” says Albon, who set up online training hub obstaclecourse.training with fellow elite OCR athletes Ryan Atkins and Matt Murphy. “Climbers have incredible strength compared with their bodyweight and are light enough to run fast.” Some of the best competitors hail from Scandinavia (Albon is based in Bergen, Norway) and so does the most effective training principle for the sport. “Fartlek, meaning ‘speed play’ in Swedish, where you rotate between slow, medium and fast pace on training runs, will get you used to the stop/start races,” says Spence. Combine this with simple bodyweight exercises like press-ups, jumping lunges, burpees and pull-ups. Use the trees that line your run as markers. Pick one in the distance, sprint to it, do 30 seconds of exercises, then jog to the next tree. “Vary your running,” adds Albon. “Do long, slow, fast and short sessions on different terrain, especially on grass and trails.” Give yourself at least three months to train for one. Know what distance you’re taking on and build up to that gradually. Spence and Albon agree that pumping up your mirror muscles will not get you to the finish line. “The best-looking bodies are rarely the most functional,” says the 1.79m, 65kg world champion.

In five years of Tough Mudder there’s been one fatality, an accident that occurred at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic event in West Virginia despite 75 paramedics and rescue divers being onsite. To put that in context, 28 runners died during marathons between 2000 and 2009, according to the American Journal Of Sports Medicine (most due to heart problems). That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to beware. Obstacle courses exploit your fears. Spence, co-founder of one, plays them down. Albon, conqueror of most, relishes them. “They make you feel alive,” he says. Midlands event Tough Guy is designed to take you to the limits. “It’s always January so it’s extremely cold. When I did my first one there was ice on the water where you swim,” says Albon. “Logs crossed the route so I had to dunk my head under repeatedly. It was a shitstorm of hypothermia.” Facing these challenges is what keeps people coming back for more. “Afterwards you feel you can do anything. It’s such an escape from just sitting in front of your desk.”

Tough Guy, one of the longestestablished OCR events, takes place in the January chill

4 What’s the best thing to wear? Race entry fees are steep enough without forking out on NASA-constructed bodysuits and Q-level gadgets. Albon suggests using a GPS watch will ensure you know the distances you’re capable of covering on training runs, but the truth is, your kit will be so trashed by the finish line that the less precious you are about it the better. Tough Mudder give you the option to “donate” your crud-caked trainers after you’re done. It’ll save your washing machine getting clogged with soil and TM’s industrial-grade jet washers should resurrect them to clothe those in greater need than yourself. If you are running for a good cause beware the comedy onesie, which converts into a human-sized sponge at first

with water (as two Dirty Dozen regulars raising money for Great Ormond Street learned the hard way, says Spence). Regardless, to bring wet wipes, antibacterial hand wash and wellies to wade through the lagoon-like conditions that quickly form around the showers. If you hope to enjoy rather than simply endure the conditions, Spence recommends man-made fibres that don’t hold water. Albon doesn’t race in the UK without a neoprene hat and, perhaps unsurprisingly for someone sponsored by off-road specialist VJ Sport, advocates a solid pair of trail running shoes above all. “The Irock shoes are the best I’ve found,” he says of VJ’s footwear designed for orienteering. “If you’re slipping around you’re wasting energy.”

5 How do you prepare for the mud, ice and electric shocks? Tough Mudder and Tough Guy both boast about their 10,000-volt zapping contraptions, which sound terrifying – but don’t be discouraged. Amperage is the key unit to note when it reaches your skin, and these shocks score around ten amps – on a par with getting Tasered. Unpleasant but not life-threatening. “It hurts most when people run through with their eyes closed and get tagged in the head,” says Albon. The alternative? Man up, he says bluntly. “Pain is perception. Accept it’s going to sting a little and suck it up.” You shouldn’t self-Taser in training, but you can replicate other conditions. “You’ll get wet and muddy, so you should get used to it,” says Spence. “When the heavens open, don’t use it as an excuse. Grab your kit and face the elements.” Albon says you can learn much more from running outdoors than just running on a treill. “Run with wet feet, get used to running with little stones in your shoe. Most importantly, I’ve never seen someone go for a run in the torrential rain without having a big smile on their face. It’s just more fun.” March 2016 | 107

Trainer| Training Secrets

6 Could they make me rich? Competing at them probably won’t, although Albon did pocket $10,000 (£6,700) for winning the 2014 OCR world championships in the US. Winners of Toughest, a new race coming to the UK from Scandinavia in April, will take home £5,000 and a six-month lease of a Mini. It’s hardly the EuroMillions jackpot but does show how, as with CrossFit, corporate

sponsorship is starting to pour in and generate momentum for the UK’s fastest-growing sport. For those who aren’t former GB roller hockey players or expert fell runners (Albon is both), winning the first-place prize money might be a stretch. But renting a field, building your own course and getting a couple of hundred people to hand over £50 is becoming a well-trodden cash-spinning route. In 2010, Tough Mudder’s co-founders turned $20,000 of personal investment into half a million dollars. Today annual revenue clears $100m. Spence, who used to work in sales, followed a similar model – and it’s enriched more than just his bank balance. “My old job was never fun. Now every day is fuelled by energy and enthusiasm.”

7

NAVIGATE THE OCR MINEFIELD Jon Albon helps you pick the best OCR for your aspirations 108 | March 2016

For a fun day out

Should I carb-load the night before? Even among marathon runners, do on stodgy pasta and potatoes isn’t the accepted wisdom it used to be, and in OCR the approach to nutrition tends to be more relaxed. Albon prefers to follow a normal diet and keep his race nutrition simple. “Before the event I have things that don’t repeat on me like porridge, bready food like a cinnamon bun. Clif Bars are great because they give you a steady release of energy.” He recommends you eat two hours before so you’re neither full nor hungry on the start line.

For the running-averse

During the race it’s easy to follow the marathon template and load up on bananas, energy drinks and bars, but bear in mind the distance. Albon will only have fastabsorbing gels for a quick boost if racing over an hour, and avoids solid food unless it’s more than six hours. At the finish, tradition states a warm beer or cider is thrust into your hand like a rugby initiation, but you should forgo this ritual when training. “Chocolate milk is my go-to recovery drink to restore carbs and protein,” says Albon. Call it glycogen replacement.

For the tactician

TOUGH MUDDER, various dates and locations “All about having fun with your mates – like a moving stag do.” toughmudder.co.uk

DIRTY DOZEN, various dates and locations “Heavy on obstacles but light on running.” dirtydozenraces.com

TOUGHEST, London, 23rd April “Technical, grip-related obstacles and a test of strategy.” toughest.se/en

Distance 18-20km Obstacles 20 Electric shocks ✓ Chip timed ✗ OCR qualifier ✗

Distance 6-18km Obstacles 30 Electric shocks ✗ Chip timed ✓ OCR qualifier ✓

Distance 8km Obstacles 40 Electric shocks ✗ Chip timed ✓ OCR qualifier ✓

Not every obstacle course is designed to be raced. Tough Mudder prides itself on putting “camaraderie over finisher rankings”. If you want to know your final standings, pick events that use chip timing – and if you reach a point where you’re eyeing a place at the OCR world championships, make sure your race is a qualifier for the main event (see below). “To improve your chance of hitting the front you should take your running and climbing game to the next level,” says Spence. a club for each that’ll help you build a good base of cardio and grip strength to get you between and over any conceivable obstacle. If you’re in a team, agree on your expectations before you start. Decide how fast you want to go, who’ll set the tempo and who’ll be the base of the human pyramid to scale steep walls. Working on technique for the trickiest obstacles will help and, for certain races, Albon highlights the importance of tactics. “Choose strategic races where you can get the edge over those faster or stronger than you,” he says. The Toughest event has long and easy or short and hard lanes and you can qualify to get a higher start position, while Spartan Race has punishing burpee forfeits if you mess up. If first place rather than friendship is your goal, get yourself in the elite wave and don’t stop to give anyone a leg up. But be warned: most of these races prioritise teamwork over finish times and you might come unstuck if you go it alone. “The best thing about OCR is that total strangers will offer each other a helping hand,” says Spence. It’s not about being the best, but about doing your best. “Nobody judges anybody. If you get caked in dirt no-one will sneer at you – in fact we actively encourage it.”

For a test of your mettle

For the military fitness fanatic

TOUGH GUY, Wolverhampton, January and July “It exposes you to your fears but makes you feel alive.” toughguy.co.uk

THE SUFFERING, Leicestershire, 12th March “Fell running plus drill sergeant-style orders from the course’s ‘reapers’.” thesufferingrace.co.uk

Distance 15km Obstacles 25 Electric shocks ✓ Chip timed ✗ OCR qualifier ✓

Distance 5-16km Obstacles 35 Electric shocks ✗ Chip timed ✓ OCR qualifier ✓

For an alternative to the bench press

SPARTAN, various dates and locations “Requires muscle – lots of carries, tyre flips, spear throws and 30-burpee penalties.” spartanraceuk.uk

Distance 5-20km Obstacles 25 Electric shocks ✗ Chip timed ✓ OCR qualifier ✓

March 2016 | 109

Photography Tough Guy, Jacques Holst/Toughest

8

8 Are these events about winning or just taking part?

Trainer | Fat Loss

Pain-free fat loss

HOW IT WORKS

The moves in this workout are split into pairs. “It combines explosive, full-body moves with core-targeted technical exercises, and finishes with mobility-enhancing stretches,” says Westcott. The result: a comprehensive session that’ll torch calories, strengthen your abs and leave you feeling fresh by the time your heart rate returns to normal.

Words Sam Rider Photography Danny Bird Model Callum [email protected] Clothing GymShark Luxe Legacy Shorts £23, GymShark Form T-shirt £20, gymshark.com, Adidas AdiZero Feather Prime £72, adidas.co.uk

Add the foam roller to your flabbanishing arsenal

“Pain is weakness leaving your body.” That’s the maxim of dullard trainers who only feel they’ve delivered their money’s worth if you’re left whimpering and hobbling out of the gym after each session. The brutal truth? Pain is a sign your body’s in trouble. “You should be out of your comfort zone, especially when you’re looking to burn unwanted calories from your midriff, but not writhing in agony,” says trainer Fred Westcott (interfyt.com), who created this plan. Enter the foam roller. This simple tube, when used right, can soothe tight muscles before, during or after a

DIRECTIONS

Do 20 reps for the power and core moves 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B with no rest between each. Repeat three to five times depending on your training experience and energy levels, resting 60 seconds between each round. Finish with 20 seconds each of the stretches 3A and 3B, again repeating between three and five times but with no rest.

session. It can also serve as a multifaceted prop – a med ball, abs wheel and fitness step rolled into one – to add an extra challenge to a bodyweight circuit. This fat-loss workout combines both to get your internal calorie furnace firing, stretch muscles before they start to tighten and provide emergency massage therapy to jump-start the recovery process. No pain, all gain.

The art of selfmyofascial release

Roll your weary limbs the right way

INVESTIGATE

For the quads, lie on the tube on one thigh and roll very slowly from below your pelvis to above your knee 20 times, looking for any knots. 110 | March 2016

MANIPULATE

Target the knots with another 20 shorter rolls to break them up (like tenderising meat). Increase the pressure each time. Relax and breathe deeply.

ELONGATE

With knots released and blood flow boosted, stretch your quad. From kneeling, gently raise your back foot to lengthen the muscle for 60-90 seconds.

1a

3a

JUMP-OVER BURPEE PRESS-UP

Jumping over an object forces you to be explosive

1b

RUSSIAN TWIST

ROLL-OUT

Kneel with your forearms on the tube. Keep your core rock-solid as you slowly extend forwards so the roller comes towards you. Reverse to the start.

Jump and rotate in the air to land facing the roller. Put your hands on the tube and drop into a press-up. Drive back up and leap over to the other side.

2a

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

With your hands on the roller, jump your feet forward alternately as fast as you can. Keep your hips low to maintain a straight back.

Clench your glutes to keep your core locked out

Too easy? Do walking roll-outs from standing

3b

YOGA CAT STRETCH

With the roller under your thighs, press down with your hands to pull your body forwards and gently arch your back. Slowly reverse to the beginning.

Hold the roller with straight arms and lift your legs and back off the floor to balance on your bum. Keeping your abs tensed, twist slowly from side to side

Breathe in as you arch to increase the stretch

2b

ARCHER PRESS-UP

In the top of a press-up with one hand on the tube, bend the other arm to lower your body while the arm on the roller extends to your side. Then push back up.

MF SAYS

Sam Rider, fitness editor If there’s one piece of training kit to splash out on in the January sales, it’s a foam roller. Without good mobility, efforts to get stronger, build muscle or even sit comfortably at your desk will be futile.

HOW DID YOU FIND IT? #SHARETHEPAIN March 2016 | 111

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Trainer | The List

5 bro-science theories under the microscope ou believe – For training knowledge, who should you view or the the Prof with his double-blind peer review swole lord with tribal tats and two-litree shake jug? ic knows best Doctor and bodybuilder Emil Hodzovic

1

THE MUSCLE PUMP

Illustration Dan Woodger

BRO-SCIENCE Grow faster by swelling your muscles with high reps. REAL SCIENCE “Getting a ‘pump’ on helps your muscles grow – even if you’ve only got five minutes to work out,” says Emil Hodzovic, an A&E medic who moonlights as a competitive WBFF bodybuilder. “A few reps triggers the release of nitric oxide, a vasodilator that widens blood capillaries, helping draw glucose and amino acids into the muscles and causing protein synthesis.” A quick pump workout before you hit the pool will help your muscles look good in the short and long term. “Think high-rep supersets. My go-to: five sets of 15 decline press-ups and ten dips.” VERDICT TRUE

2

POST-WORKOUT WINDOW

BRO-SCIENCE Consume protein 20 minutes after a workout or all is lost. REAL SCIENCE “Yes, if you’re a pro athlete, but not for the rest of us – even bodybuilders,” says Hodzovic. The fear is that workouts are catabolic so they break down muscle and you have to shovel down protein to switch into an anabolic state. “In reality, the food you ate before training will be digesting for hours so

Do you even lift? The best/worst bro-science claims overheard by our readers

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you’ll have ample glucose and amino acids available. Protein intake over the whole day is what you need to watch.” A daily dose of 2g per kg of bodyweight is recommended – but if you’re taking your training to the limit, consuming protein as soon as possible is advisable. VERDICT FALSE

3

NO CARBS AFTER DARK

BRO-SCIENCE Any carbs eaten before bed will just be stored as fat. REAL SCIENCE “The number of calories you eat over 24 hours has a far greater impact than when you consume them,” says Hodzovic. The idea that evening carbs are stored as fat is as unfounded as thinking training on an empty stomach is the only way to torch calories. “The body can balance how it uses fat, protein and carbs through the day. As long as you’re in a calorie deficit you’ll burn calories.” VERDICT FALSE

4

FREQUENT FEEDING

BRO-SCIENCE You must eat protein every two hours, day and night, to feed your muscles. REAL SCIENCE “Don’t take this too literally,” says Hodzovic. Setting alarms through the night for hourly shakes will

“You can promote blood flow to your chest for more muscle growth by sleeping on an incline” “Train in your basement so you’re closer to the Earth’s core where gravity works your muscles harder – physics, yo”

disrupt your circadian rhythm, sending hormones like cortisol and testosterone, which control fat loss and muscle growth, haywire. But doing this during the day can promote muscle. “Research suggests a hit of around 20g protein from whey or whole food every three hours triggers optimum muscle protein synthesis.” Protein is also very filling, so you’ll be less inclined to reach for the cookie jar. VERDICT HALF TRUE

5

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

BRO SCIENCE If you don’t have DOMS, you didn’t work hard enough. REAL SCIENCE “The full name should be ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – In Response To Unaccustomed Exercise’,” says Hodzovic. “Anything you’re not used to will cause it. A bodybuilder who takes a walk in the hills will get DOMS. It’s a sign of muscle damage, one factor that causes growth, but it’s not a prerequisite so don’t think you’ve had a poor workout if you’re not in agony later.” If every session kills you, your nervous system will suffer, as will your capacity to train. VERDICT FALSE Follow Hodzovic on Instagram @projectgoliath

“Make yourself cry while lifting to trigger a stress response that boosts oxygen to your guns”

“Skip cardio – your heart only has a preset number of beats before it stops anyway” March 2016 | 113

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Trainer | Gym-Free Workout

Light weights, big results Use self-limiting exercises to toughen up your workout, and give old dumbbells a new lease of life

G

et a set of weights for the house, the thinking goes, and at some point you’ll outgrow them: conventional squats and curls won’t challenge you enough and it’ll be time for an iron re-up. But there’s a solution at hand. By picking moves where it’s impossible to cheat, sometimes known as “self-limiting” exercises, you’ll challenge the muscles you’re actually trying to target while keeping larger muscles out of the equation. The workout here targets five prime movers for a full-body session that’ll challenge you even with the smallest of dumbbells.

Each of these moves comes with a form tweak to prevent cheating, but you still need to make sure you’re strict. Keep the movement to the muscles you’re supposed to be working, and you’ll see benefits from this plan faster.

1

Reverse goblet lunge

Holding a dumbbell will stop you from swinging your arms and keep the focus on your quads, where it should be. Hold the top of the bell in both hands in front of your chest, then take a big step back into a lunge, letting your back knee brush the ground before you step back up. Repeat on the other leg to complete one rep.

A

2

DIRECTIONS

Do the sets and reps shown for each move, resting for 45 seconds between sets. Increase the reps as you improve (as shown in the table). Aim to complete the whole routine twice a week.

Bent-over row

Bend at the waist with a dumbbell in each hand, keeping your legs straight. Row the weights up to your chest, focusing on bringing your elbows back rather than pulling with your hands. If your back moves, you’re cheating.

A Week 1 Sets 3 Reps 6 Week 2 Sets 3 Reps 8 Week 3 Sets 4 Reps 6 Week 4 Sets 4 Reps 8

B

3

B

Floor press

This limits you to a smaller range of motion than the dumbbell bench press, safeguarding your shoulders and forcing you to use correct form. Press the dumbbells overhead, keeping your shoulders pressed to the floor. Lower until your triceps touch the floor.

A

B

4

A

5

B

Sliding single-leg deadlift

The SLDL usually has a “seesaw” effect – keep your foot on a towel to stay under control and cancel this out. Start with a dumbbell in each hand and lean forward with your back neutral, allowing your foot to slide backwards. Use your back and hamstrings to straighten up.

Kneeling overhead press

Always find yourself adding a bit of leg drive to your overhead pressing? This fixes it. Kneel, holding the dumbbells at shoulder height. Press up until your arms are straight, then reverse the whole move.

A

B March 2016 | 117

Words Joel Snape Photography Rupert Fowler Model Freddie Abrahams@WAthletic Adidas Los Angeles shoe £65, adidas.co.uk

HOW IT WORKS

New PB

Heroic run

Strong abs

Impressive dinner

Tag: #mensfitnessuk

Win: Goodies Follow MF on Instagram @MensFitnessUK

Trainer | Skills

Dive to 100m Freediving is an exploration of the unknown – both of the ocean and of man’s physical limits. How deep could you go?

Words Sam Rider Photography Daan Verhoeven

T h e r e t u r n f e e l s l i ke swimming against a stiff current until the final 10m

The pulse can slow to as little as 20bpm – known as bradycardia

At 20m underwater g r a v i t y t a ke s over and you sink like a stone

Herbert Nitsch of Greece holds the No-Limits record of 214m set in 2007, using a weighted sled to dive down and an inflatable bag to return

214m

Freediving is universal. You’ve probably done it yourself. “Anybody who’s ever dived to the bottom of a pool has done it,” says Skolnick. Roman freedivers used it to erect underwater barricades. The Ama are mostly female Japanese divers who look for pearls in a tradition said to go back two millennia. Freediving became a sport in 1949 when Italian Air Force captain

9 9 % o f b l a c ko u t s happen on return to the surface, 0.9% happen beyond 10m

“Humans can survive at amazing depths due to the mammalian dive reflex,” Skolnick says. As the lungs contract, blood vessels involuntarily constrict, pushing blood to the core to fill the vacuum with fluid that can’t be compressed. At the same time, blood vessels in the heart and brain dilate, flooding them with oxygen so you can function, and the spleen contracts, sending a fresh supply of red blood cells into the circulatory system.

20m+

You’ve already mastered it

We’re born to dive

10-20m

Competitive freediving – diving as deep as possible on a single breath – tests the limits of human ability in the most hostile environment on Earth. “Hundreds of metres below the ocean’s surface organs compress, light disappears and one mistake could kill you,” says Adam Skolnick, author of One Breath: Freediving, Death And The Quest To Shatter Human Limits. Yet it’s rarely lethal. In 2013, American Nicholas Mevoli, the focus of Skolnick’s book, was the first death in over 35,000 competition dives.

At 10m the lungs shrink to half their normal size

Raimondo Bucher dived 30m to win a 50,000-lira bet.

0-10m

What goes down might not come up

It’s breathtaking

You must be able to hold your breath at the surface for close to six minutes to be capable of diving to 100m. “It takes hundreds of hours under water to prepare your body for the demands of deep sea equalisation,” says Skolnick. The hatha yoga pose uddiyana bandha, or upward abdominal lock, is practised daily by elite freedivers. It helps them control their diaphragm and fight the urge to gasp.

What it takes

• Zen-like calm • Six-minute lung capacity • 20bpm resting heart rate Difficulty rating 10/10

March 2016 | 119

FITBRIT FINAL2015

Words Sam Rider Photography Tom Miles

After months of lung-busting, sweat-soaked training, Britain’s finest athletes went head-to-head at our annual challenge to crown the best of the best

The main event Run

600m at 1% incline

How fast could you complete the FitBrit challenge?

Kettlebell Plyo box over swing 30 reps jump 20 reps (men 24kg, women 16kg)

(men red, women blue)

ViPR tilt

10 reps (men 20kg, women 10kg)

Bike

1.5km (men level 12, women 10)

Medicine ball press-up 10 reps

Goblet squat

20 reps (men 24kg, women 16kg)

Sandbell slam

30 reps (men 9kg, women 5.5kg)

Row

400m

March 2016 | 121

Trainer | FitBrit

A

photo finish, an almost inconceivable comeback from a competition legend, a stunning upset and dozens of athletes with determined, almost manic grins on their faces throughout. This is the Men’s Fitness FitBrit Challenge, in association with Fitness First and Multipower – the ultimate test of speed, cardio, strength and mental toughness. Starting with a punishing 600m treill run, the event includes a circuit of draining kettlebell swings and goblet squats, awkward ViPR and sandbell moves, explosive box jumps and medicine ball press-ups, a relentless cycle and a final, heartpounding 400m row. You need to be a serious fitness all-rounder to get through the qualification process – which our readers have been attempting since August – let alone to take the win. This year there were more chances to earn victory, with added categories for teams, amateurs, masters and the elite, but there were still plenty of nerves when the competitors arrived at Cottons Fitness First in London Bridge in December. Returning to defend her title from fierce rival Nicky French was 2014 winner Tracy Davies. In the men’s event was one of Britain’s leading CrossFit athletes Will Kane, seen limbering up with a “gentle warmup workout” of overhead squats and power cleans.

People power

First up, the teams set the standard. Ramonas Bacanskas, Jack Hambleton and Tason Williams rattled through the circuit, each playing to their impressive strengths to finish in under seven minutes. Fuelled by vociferous , Adam Whittaker and Paula Buckmaster claimed the individual men’s and women’s masters crowns before Luna Reimers and Andy Watson belied their “amateur category” status to win in times that would have threatened the elites. 122 | March 2016

“Youneedtobe aseriousfitness all-rounder toqualify”

Men’s winner Charles Green looks relaxed on the treill The final move, the 400m row, requires competitors to push through the pain barrier

Burton and Will Kane go head to head

Elite competitor Richard Burton tackles the box jump

Luna Reimers belies her amateur status with a stellar performance

Tracy Davies (centre) hits the kettlebell swings hard as she defends her FitBrit title

In the penultimate event came the hotly anticipated grudge match between Davies and French, although they also had to beat a rapid time of 9min 44sec set by FitBrit newcomer Jordan Edwards in the previous heat. From the off, French rattled into a lead. Davies lost valuable seconds, missing reps and struggling to get her treill up to speed. By the time she had strapped her feet into the rower, the defending champion was almost 15 seconds behind the field. With just 200m to go she was still lagging, clocking a speed of 1min 42sec/500m. Then she let fly. “I just pulled for my life,” Davies said later, reflecting on her remarkable win. Somehow, with lactic acid searing in every muscle and fear of failure driving her on, Davies accelerated to an astonishing 1min 36sec/500m to overtake French and win by two seconds. “With 200m to go I knew I had to go,” she said. “By then you know the end is coming so you March 2016 | 123

Trainer | FitBrit THE WINNERS Men’s Elite

1 Charles Green 8min 30sec 2 Will Kane 8min 38sec 3 Doug Harrison 8min 55sec

Women’s Elite

1 Tracy Davies 9min 33sec 2 Nicky French 9min 35sec 3 Jordan Edwards 9min 44sec

Men’s Amateur

1 Andy Watson 9min 1sec 2 Phil Marsden 9min 15sec 3 James Ingham 9min 39sec

Women’s Amateur

Women’s masters winner Paula Buckmaster receives her award

1 Luna Reimers 10min 5sec 2 Amy Scott 10min 20sec 2 Helen Morrcoat 10min 20sec

Women’s Masters

1 Paula Buckmaster 11min 4sec 2 Sarah Turner 11min 27sec 3 Toni Polak 12min 29sec

Men’s Masters

1 Adam Whittaker 10min 1sec 2 Matt Latorre 10min 17sec 3 Danny Olive 11min 8sec

Team

1 Ramonas Bacanskas, Jack Hambleton, Tason Williams 6min 57sec 2 Ryan Hogan, Barbara Izyk, Janwary Knight 7min 15sec 3 Lucy Andrews, Tim Andrews, Chris Kinne 7min 17sec

The masters, elite, men’s amateur and team winners, flanked by Fitness First’s Lee Drabble (left) and MF’s Sam Rider (right)

can just give it everything. Now I’m so relieved. I’ve done what I set out to do – to prove that fitness is a continually growing thing, it’s not just a one-off. My goal is to defend this title every year.”

Star wars

The final event was billed as hot favourite Kane against Fitness First head trainer Richard Burton, who’d posted one of the fastest times in the qualifying rounds. On the treill, Burton tore into a blistering lead. Kane, proving his CrossFit pedigree, clawed Burton back until a full-throttle sprint on the rowers left both men sprawling on the floor gasping for 124 | March 2016

air. But it wasn’t enough – from either man. In the previous heat the towering Charles Green had set an unbeatable time of 8min 30sec to take first place. “I was shocked to come first,” Green said after picking up his prize – a three-month supply of Multipower supplements, which was awarded to all the winners – as well as a bonus TomTom heart rate monitor for the leading elite man and woman. “Beating Will Kane and the other competitors was amazing,” said the former Marine and cardio specialist, who trains at CrossFit Havering, with an indoor rowing club called Fitness Matters and with running

club Dagenham 88 Runners. “You need strong cardio above all else, but for high intensity, not long distance. The event is only around ten minutes so you’ve got to get used to pushing yourself all-out over short bursts. Eight sets of 500m rows with one minute of rest between each is the perfect training.” With the competitors tucking into Multipower’s abundance of recovery bars and shakes, the victors were already eyeing their next challenge. “I’ll be back next year,” Green said, following Davies’s lead. Now, the only question is whether you’ll be there to stop them defending their crown. In 2016, it’s your turn.

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Trainer | Supplements

Get a cardio boost

Fuel your sessions the right way for the best results

As you exercise, you burn through reserves of muscle glycogen stored from food you’ve eaten. Sugars (such as fructose and glucose) and maltodextrin (a carbohydrate derived from corn starch) in each mouthful of an energy bar provide an alternative source to keep you going when you’d usually be flagging. Alternative source A banana

For… extra sweaty effort Isotonic drink

Any high-GI carbs will improve your endurance for high-intensity exercise over one hour

Isotonic means this solution has a similar concentration of dissolved sugars and electrolytes (like potassium, chloride and magnesium) to body fluids, promoting faster hydration than plain water. Especially useful in humid conditions when you finish a session feeling like a wrung-out sponge and pure H2O just isn’t enough to keep you hydrated. Alternative source Add 100ml cordial and ¼tsp salt to a litre of water

For… an empty tank Sweets

For… power endurance Beet juice

If you’re out before breakfast, a handful of jelly beans eaten throughout your morning run will provide sucrose and maltodextrin to prevent muscle glycogen depletion. Consume with water to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort and stick to 30-60g per hour. Alternative source Raisins

MF SAYS Sam Rider, fitness editor

Taken pre-race, this upgrades your circulatory system so you’re more efficient and will recover faster. Its nitrates convert into nitric oxide, a vasodilator that widens blood vessels and boosts oxygen delivery to your muscles. Alternative source 200g beetroot

The goal is to get fit, not fat. Gulping down a sugary energy drink may help if you’re training as hard as you can, but if you’ve barely broken sweat, it will only boost your belly, not your cardio.

For… fast-digesting convenience Energy gels

Like energy bars, they delay fatigue and improve endurance. The tubes are easy to get your teeth into when at full tilt and the gooey sugar hit is easier to digest – although it can cause stomach pangs because water is drawn into the stomach to dilute them. Alternative source A dollop of honey

For… your longest training sessions Dual energy drink

T h a n ks t o t h e i r h i g h sugar concentration they can cause dehydration, s o t a ke w i t h w a t e r

Save these for high-tempo, high-stakes races like triathlons or ultradistance runs where glycogen depletion becomes a limiting factor or you’re on the go for more than 2½ hours. The combo of glucose and fructose in a 2:1 ratio overcomes glucose saturation in your stomach, transporting more sugar where it’s needed. Alternative source Mix 60g glucose and 30g fructose in a litre of water

For… mental focus Caffeine

For… preventing muscle loss Holy basil

Instead of providing the body with an alternative fuel source as carb supplements do, this stimulant perks up your central nervous system with mood-enhancing endorphins for improved alertness, performance and muscle fibre recruitment. It’s as effective for road running as it is for the squat rack. Alternative source An espresso shot If fat loss is your aim, this is better than any carb-based supplement

The science on this supplement is still quite raw, but preliminary studies suggest it can encourage fat burning and preserve muscle – which is especially useful if you love to run but struggle to maintain size. Also known as ursolic acid and most commonly found in apple peels, it does this by inhibiting and stimulating key hormones and reactions in the body. Alternative source Peel of one apple

Words Sam Rider Photography iStock

For… added oomph Energy bar

March 2016 | 129

03 16

Body Work

Drop 5kg in a month Words Sam Rider Photography Danny Bird Model Lee McLaughlin@WAthletic

Keep your fat loss targets on track with just 90 minutes a week

Minimum effort, maximum results. That’s the dream combo when it comes to working out, especially if you’re battling waning enthusiasm for getting a sweat on and those healthy New Year resolutions are a distant, taunting memory. This plan, used by the England rugby league squad to cut fat and build lean muscle in a short pre-season window, delivers on both counts. “In each 45-minute session you’ll get through a high number of reps and cycle between muscle-stimulating heavy lifts and pulse-quickening light bodyweight drills,” says performance coach Brendan Chaplin, who created these two streamlined workouts. “So long as you’re strict on keeping your rest periods short, body fat will have nowhere to hide.” In total these sessions will eat up less than 1% of your week – freeing up more time to convince your boss that you should apply a similar low-effort, big-results balance to your day job.

March 2016 | 131

Trainer | Body Work

Brendan Chaplin has worked in pro rugby, MMA, tennis and cycling and is managing director of Strength and Conditioning Education, the UK’s leading developer of aspiring fitness professionals.

HOWIT WORKS

For more from Chaplin, visit strengthandconditioningeducation.com

“To build lean muscle, first you need to break it down,” says Chaplin. “This plan uses a high volume of exercises, time under tension and reps to failure that’ll stress your muscle fibres and tissue enough that they’ll have no option but to grow back stronger.” Couple them with bonus high-intensity intervals on p135 and the nutrition tips on p136 for your ultimate fatburning plan.

Workout 1

TRI-SETS EXPLAINED In these workouts you perform moves A, B and C back to back with minimal rest between them. Each move works a different muscle group, so it can rest while your respiratory system is still being taxed to keep you burning calories.

A

Pack on strength and size with these action-packed exercises A

DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS

B

SETS 4 REPS 6-8 Lie on a flat bench, holding dumbbells with an overhand grip either side of your chest. Drive your feet hard into the floor and press the weights straight up, then lower them slowly to the start position.

A B

A B

DIRECTIONS

There’s an easy option and a slightly harder one. The first is to do these two workouts once a week. The second is to do three workouts, in a 1-2-1 then 2-1-2 format, week by week. Either way, keep increasing the weight you lift or the number of reps to keep your body challenged, your muscles growing and body fat 132 | March 2016

C

B

ONE-ARM ROW

SETS 4 REPS 6-8 EACH SIDE your knee on the bench and plant the other leg wide for balance. Keeping a natural arch in your back and your core braced, lift the weight to the side of your chest, making sure your elbow is tucked in. Pause and return slowly. Complete all reps on one side, then the other.

LYING LEG RAISE Unilateral moves work your core twice as hard

SETS 4 REPS 12 REST 60SEC Lie on your back, holding the bench firmly with your hands. Keeping your legs together and straight, raise them, contracting your core to lift your lower back slightly off the bench. From here, keep your core engaged and lower your legs slowly until they’re just off the bench.

A

B

A

PULL-OVER

SETS 3 REPS 8 Lie on your back holding the dumbbells together above you. Keeping your core engaged and arms straight, lower the weights beyond your head until you feel a stretch in your chest, then return to the start.

More time under tension, rather than load, makes muscles grow

A

B A

B

ECCENTRIC BICEPS CURL

SETS 3 REPS 12 Hold dumbbells ells by your sides with your our palms facing forwards. rds. Curl the weights up to your chest, using momentum if needed. The he weights should be slightly ightly ly heavier than you would ld use for strict-form reps. ps.. Squeeze ps Sque Sq ueez eze e your biceps hard, hard ha rd, then rd then lower them slowly, taking lowly, tak akin ing in g five seconds to o reach the starting position. ion.

B

C

REVERSE LUNGE

SETS 3 REPS 8 EACH SIDE REST 60SEC Holding dumbbells in each hand, take a big step backwards. Make sure you’re en lower your balanced, then back knee until it’s just off the floor. Keep your back upright and your front fro ront nt knee in line with your front foot. Return to the start ep alternating alterna nating legs. and keep h 2016 | 133 March

Trainer | Body Work

DENSITYSETS

FINISHER Density set Do as many rounds as possible in 5min

How to use this training protocol’s devastating power to forge indestructible muscle

A

A

SPIDER-MAN PRESS-UP

REPS 5 EACH SIDE Start in the top of a press-up position. Bend your arms to lower your chest until it’s just off the floor and, as you do, bring one knee out towards your elbow, then return to the start. Alternate sides.

Density sets are highrep, low-rest barrages that’ll stimulate a huge amount of muscle building and fat burning. Pick a timeframe and do as many reps as you can, resting as little as possible. Try them with anything from press-ups to goblet squats – an MF favourite is to do as many back squats with your bodyweight on the bar as you can in three minutes. But prepare for the lactic acid to burn and the DOMS to be savage. Some light exercise (the same moves with a very light weight) the next day will speed up recovery.

B

A B

DUMBBELL LUNGE AND REACH

A

B

REPS 5 EACH SIDE Stand holding dumbbells by your sides. Keeping your arms straight throughout, take a big step forwards into a lunge and touch the dumbbells to the floor just ahead of your front foot. Powerfully drive back up with your front leg to return to the start. B

C

BARBELL OVERHEAD LUNGE

REPS 5 EACH SIDE Hold a light barbell overhead with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your glutes and core engaged so your torso is solid, then lunge forwards. Alternate sides. Always be sure to find your balance as you plant your foot before dropping into the lunge. 134 | March 2016

A tough challenge for your oblique stomach muscles

Workout 2

A

Go heavy with the weights and high with the reps to keep progressing A

B

BARBELL LUNGE

SETS 4 REPS 6-8 EACH SIDE Holding the bar on the back of your shoulders, with your chest up and core braced, take a big step forwards and lower into a lunge so your back knee is just off the floor. Drive up with your front foot to return to the start. Alternate sides with each rep.

B

PUSH PRESS

SETS 4 REPS 8 Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at shoulder height. Lower into a quarter squat, then drive up powerfully, using the momentum to press the dumbbells overhead, keeping your core and glutes strong to protect your back.

A B

Changing ging hand position keeps po ps press-ups s-ups up effective A

C

W-GRIPP NARROW-GRIP UP PRESS-UP

B

SETS 4 REPS 10 Perform a standard dard press-up but with your hands narrower than shoulder-width. width. Keep cked close your elbows tucked to your body to target your cs more than triceps and pecs your shoulders..

FIREUPYOURENGINE

Pre-heat your body’s fat burning furnace with this five-minute TRX drill REPEAT THE FOLLOWING THREE TIMES

JUMP SQUATS FOR… YOUR QUADS AND GLUTES

Hold the handles with straight arms and lean back slightly so the TRX takes your weight. Lower into a squat, then explode into a jump. Aim for ten reps.

PRESS-UPS FOR… YOUR CHEST AND CORE

Lean into the TRX with the handles either side of your chest. Keep your core strong so you remain stable as you press yourself up. Do ten reps.

REVERSE LUNGES TO KNEE TUCK FOR… YOUR HIP FLEXORS AND HAMSTRINGS

From the start of the jump squat position, lunge back with one leg. As you return the leg, drive your knee towards your chest. Do five on one side, then switch.

YS FOR… YOUR BACK AND SHOULDERS

Start in the position pictured left. Then, keeping your arms straight and your shoulder blades retracted, extend your arms up and to your side to make a Y-shape with your body. Again, shoot for ten. March 2016 | 135

Trainer | Body Work A

SUMO DEADLIFT

Be An Athlete vest, available 2016, baaclothing.com. com. Zara basic plush tros, £20, zara.com. Adidas Supernova Glide 7 £74, adidas.co.uk

SETS 3 REPS 6 y Stand with your feet wide apart. Keeping your chest up, bend your legs and grab the barbell with hands narrower than shoulderwidth apart. Keep your core braced as you drive through your heels to raise the weight, pushing your hips forwards to stand tall, then reverse the move to the start.

B

A

B

BODY SAW

SETS 3 REPS 15 Get into a plank position, ing your weight on your feet and forearms. Keeping your body in line and feet together, slowly rock your body forwards and backwards. Squeeze your abs and glutes to help you keep your hips up.

A

B

Add movement to the simple plank to make it infinitely more effective

A

C

CHIN-UP

B

EXTRAMEASURES

Struggling to shift excess weight? Tighten up your diet and ramp up your calorie burn with Chaplin’s fat-trimming tips

136 | March 2016

SETS 3 REPS TO FAILURE Hold a chin-up bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body, then lower under control.

DOUBLE YOUR GREENS

“Forget your five a day. To your training and reduce the urge to binge, aim to eat ten portions of vegetables a day, and a hefty serving of lean protein with each meal. Limit your sugar intake to immediately before and after training when it’ll help your body repair muscle.”

HEAT UP AND DOWN

“After your warm-up, stoke your metabolic fire further with five minutes of high-intensity intervals. Alternate 30 seconds of all-out effort on the bike or rower with 30 seconds at an easy pace. Do the same to finish each session. Finishing in a sweaty mess is a good sign.”

Used sparingly, going to failure is a surefire muscle builder

TAKE A BREAK

“Sacrifices are for Olympians. For everyone else, denying yourself the occasional treat will break your discipline and backfire in a gluttonous feast. Have two or three cheat meals a week – think ribs with chips or a meat feast pizza. Earn the right to indulge with a good workout first.”

A

DIVEBOMBER PRESS-UP

A

REPS 10 Start with your feet shoulderwidth apart, hips high and head tucked in so your spine remains neutral. Keeping your legs straight, bend your arms to bring your head towards the floor, then push through and up, arching your back ack but keeping your waist off the floor. Reverse the move back to the start.

FINISHER Density set Do as many rounds as possible in 5min

B

C

C

B

DUMBBELL HIGH PULL

KETTLEBELL SWING

REPS 10 In the bottom of a squat, hold dumbbells in front of your shins with straight arms. Drive up explosively to stand and use the momentum to draw the weights up to chest height, keeping your elbows high and rising onto the balls of your feet.

A

REPS 10 Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and push the kettlebell off your body to start the swing. As you lower, hinge at the hips by pushing your glutes back. When you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, drive your hips forward, allowing the kettlebell to rise to head height.

B

A

B

As a warm-up up or finisher,, kettlebell swings ng will bring g fat-burning g intensityy to any ny workout

March 2016 | 137

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Average day Joe Wicks aka @thebodycoach

With half a million Instagram followers, a renowned training programme and the ink still drying on his first book, Lean In 15, the 30-year-old is one busy man. Does he even sleep?

7am Instagram

When I ran boot camps I didn’t always look forward to getting out of bed. Now I attack each day. I’m on a mission to rescue the world from low-calorie diets. With social media I can reach thousands.

8am

Set a high incline on the treill, then sprint for 20sec and rest 40sec for 15min. It melts fat. My business mentor Bev James used to say, “You’re going to be famous”. Because of her I started to believe it, and now I’ve seen that if you work hard you can literally do anything. 75,000 people have bought my 90 Day SSS plan, and 99% of the comments are positive. That’s because I’m promoting good changes – and because I never post when drunk.

HIIT workout

9am #LeanIn15 video

10am The office

1pm Refuel

3pm

I don’t snack much. I’ll just have three big bastard meals over a day. You’re not going to die if you haven’t had a meal for a few hours.

Regram

5pm Hang tough

7pm Fine dining

I only train four times a week. I might go for a walk for a breather, and I use a pull-up bar at home. Sometimes I just hang from it to work my arms, lats and grip strength.

I’m trying to convert the world to get more fats in their diet. Eggs, coconut oil, avocado, butter, oily fish, nuts – it’s miles better than carbs for sustained energy. If I do eat carbs it’s only post-workout.

If you slip up, I say the club. On a night out I drink mojitos like water and I can’t get enough of Flat Iron steaks. Just don’t let your blow-out last the whole weekend.

11pm Unwind

I work on my laptop until 11pm. Then I watch an hour of a show, anything from Grand Designs to Luther. If you burn out, everything suffers, so you should always prioritise health above all else.

IMPROVE YOUR LIFE 1 “Training early keeps you energised for the day ahead.” 2 “Fuel yourself with healthy fats instead of sugar-spiking carbs.” 3 “Stick to your guns. Success takes patience and consistency.”

146 | March 2016

Words Sam Rider. Visit thebodycoach.co.uk to find out more about Joe Wicks’s 90 Day SSS Plan. Joe’s first book Lean In 15 is out now.

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MAKE A CHANGE

Anyone can transform their fitness and build a brand new body. Not convinced? Here’s the evidence from four MF readers – and how to emulate them

I

f you’re training but not seeing the results you want, it’s all too easy to shrug and tell yourself it will never happen. Perhaps you’re not the right body type, or injuries have taken a permanent toll, or you’re too old to build a new physique. Guess what? None of those is true – with dedication and a structured plan, absolutely anyone can turn their fitness around and get the body they want. Whether you want to add muscle, shed fat or build a strong, functional frame, you can do it. These four men did – and here they share the straightforward methods they used.

RICHARD BROWN 04

JON ROOKE 12

SACHA MAHOOR 18

BLEDDYN ESCOTT 24

Richard details the workouts and eating plan he used to add size and strength

Jon discovered it wasn’t too late to shed 40 years of fat with these weights sessions

Struggling to add muscle, Sacha Row your rethought his way to and a training bigger back diet to bulk up p24

Forced by injury to give up rugby, Bleddyn found a new focus and built a superstrong body

FREE

ROWING

WITH THE MARCH 2016 ISSUE OF MEN’S FITNESS

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

WORDS Joel Snape | DESIGN Camille Neilson | SUBEDITOR Jo Williams PHOTOGRAPHY Tom Miles, Danny Bird, Jenni Leskinen WORKOUT MODEL Sean Lerwill @WAthletic

3

ADD SIZE & STRENGTH Richard Brown trained for years, but small changes were what finally gave him results “It has been an education,” says 26-year-old journalist Richard Brown, reflecting on his past eight weeks of training. “Having a specific plan to follow has made all the difference and I can really see the results.” Until recently, the quest to get ripped had been a long, frustrating one for Richard. “I was working out four times a week for an hour and a half each time but couldn’t shift the fat covering my muscles.” Then he turned to trainer

4

Rich Phillipps for guidance and started focusing on form. “There were exercises I’d been doing wrong for a long time. As soon as I corrected them, my results improved hugely. My single-arm row, for example, increased from 35kg to 50kg.” The other crucial element was Richard’s diet. More protein was on the agenda, and even a bit of booze was allowed thanks to his dedication to other aspects of the diet.

MEN’S FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED Richard’s trainer Rich Phillipps shares his top tips for getting ripped

HIGH PROTEIN

“Getting enough protein is the key to building quality muscle while also burning fat,” says Rich. “Aim to take in 2.5g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight every day.”

MAINTAIN INTENSITY

“It’s all well and good following a perfectly formulated routine, but if you want to get big results you need to push yourself hard during every working set.”

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

“Aim to increase the weights you lift each week and keep a detailed training diary.”

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

5

KEEPING IT CLEAN

Richard ate lean and clean to build muscle while keeping fat off. Here’s his 2,500 calorie-a-day plan “Richard was on a very low-carb split to keep his body burning fat while he trained,” says Rich Phillipps. “Most of his calories came from protein and fat – he wasn’t ever in starvation mode, but his body learned to use fat as fuel.” He also drank 2.5 litres of water a day. Here we take a look at his nutrition-plan options.

DAILY TOTAL MACRONUTRIENT

CALORIES

GRAMS

Protein

1,190

300

Fat

1,190

132

120

30

Carbs

WATER GOAL

2.5 LITRES DAILY MENU

6

1 breakfast choice

500 calories each

3 snack choices

250 calories each

2 lunch choices

500 calories each

1 dinner choice

250 calories each

SNACKS Celery with 40g almond nut butter 150g green olives 30g mixed nuts (unsalted) ½ large avocado 75g crudités with hummus MEN’S FITNESS

ADD SIZE & STRENGTH

BREAKFASTS 200g beef steak cooked in 1tsp butter, served with onion and green veg, such as broccoli or spinach Three-egg omelette with onion and pepper, cooked in coconut oil 150g smoked or baked salmon and ½ avocado, plus one poached egg Two 50g steak burgers, plus two eggs (any style) 200g beef cold cuts and ½ avocado (plus a squeeze of lemon)

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

7

LUNCHES Chilli pot

200g lean beef mince with onion, garlic, chilli powder, green pepper (optional), 50g kidney beans, salt and pepper

Grilled chicken salad

Breadless prawn sandwich

Coconut turkey stir-fry

Thai beef salad

200g grilled chicken breast and leafy salad with 2tsp olive oil, 1tsp sesame seeds and lemon juice

300g turkey with 120g mixed vegetables and 1tsp coconut oil

8

300g prawns mixed with 1tbsp coconut cream, lime juice and coriander, rolled in a lettuce leaf

200g lean beef strips, lettuce and grated courgette, cooked with 1tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp fish sauce and fresh chilli

MEN’S FITNESS

ADD SIZE & STRENGTH

DINNERS Turkey meatballs

150g turkey breast mince, chopped onions, fresh herbs and paprika rolled into balls and baked in the oven. Serve with cauliflower mash (boil for 15 minutes then mash with 1tsp butter and salt) or other veg of your choice

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

Prawn curry

150g prawns with 100ml coconut milk, ½tsp nut butter, lime juice, curry powder and chilli paste, served with steamed spinach

Chicken hotpot

150g chicken breast slowcooked with 200ml chicken or vegetable stock, herbs and spices, served with mixed veg

Paprika cod

200g baked cod with smoked paprika, served with steamed veg

Grilled pork loin

200g pork loin marinated in garlic and ginger, served with steamed green beans

9

BIG UP TOP

Richard’s plan combined growth-hormone-promoting compound moves with isolation work

Do moves marked 1A/1B as supersets, completing all reps of both with minimal rest. After both moves, rest and repeat.

DAY 1

UPPER-BODY POWER SETS

10

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1A Rack deadlift

4

10

30X0

/

1B Bench press

4

10

4010

90sec

2A Pull-up

3

12

3010

/

2B Dumbbell incline chest press

3

10

3010

60sec

3A Dumbbell single-arm row

3

11

3010

/

3B Dumbbell incline flye

3

11

3130

45sec

4A Dumbbell lying triceps extension

3

9

2210

10sec

4B Rope cable triceps extension

3

11

4010

90sec

MEN’S FITNESS

ADD SIZE & STRENGTH

DAY 2

EXPLOSIVE MUSCLE SETS

REPS

1A Dumbbell seated overhead press

4

10

4010

/

1B Barbell back squat

4

8

31X0

90sec

2A Dumbbell lateral raise

3

10

3010

/

2B Lying hamstring curl

3

10

40X0

60sec

3A Bulgarian split squat

3

11

3010

/

3B Dumbbell reverse flye

3

11

3011

45sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

TEMPO

REST

4A EZ-bar Scott curl

3

11

3020

10sec

4B Hammer curl

3

11

2020

90sec

Tempo indicates the speed of the lift. 4010 means you take 4sec to lower, pause for 0sec, take 1sec to lift, and pause for 0sec. X means explosive.

11

GET LEAN AT 40

Age is nothing but a number for Jon Rooke, who used his impending 40th to push himself to his lowest-ever body fat For some men, the approach of their fifth decade means it’s time to buy a sports car, get really into meditation or have a ruinous affair with an office junior. Not Jon Rooke. “I just wanted to get fit properly and lose the spare tyre,” says Jon, who had a job in PR and the boozy-lunch lifestyle to match. “My 40th was a year away – it’s a big milestone and I thought it might be my last big push.” Jon had one workout with trainer Stephen Mabin and was hooked – but the pair decided to build up slowly rather than go all-out. “We spent the first three months just getting my nutrition right,” says Jon. “Stephen really wanted to focus on my food intake and he started educating me on

12

stuff like low-fat products being full of sugar. Every week we’d swap out a bad habit for a good one, such as swapping fruit juice for water or green tea.” The workouts were basic, but brutal. “Early on, a lot of it was getting my body conditioned, so we’d do a lot of squats and deadlifts – Romanian deadlifts in particular to make sure my back was strong,” says Jon. “We’d do a lot of bodyweight stuff – some kettlebells where we’d do six movements, ten reps of each, in one huge set. Or we’d do squats with them. We’d vary between strength phases and hypertrophy. “My favourite moves? Trap bar deadlifts and stiff-leg sumo deadlifts. What can I say? I like lifting things.”

MEN’S FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED

Stephen Mabin shares his advice for getting lean as you approach 40

EMBRACE FUNGI

“I’d eat mushrooms as a ‘treat’,” says Jon. “A 250g tub is just 1g fat, 1g carbs and 5g protein – 40 calories in total.”

GET YOUR CARBS RIGHT

“Dieting lowers your output of key fat-burning hormones,” says Stephen. “You can reset these with a weekly high-carb day. Incorporate these once you get below 12% body fat.”

DO FULL-BODY WORKOUTS “When fat loss is the goal, opt for full-body workouts,” says Stephen. “The more muscles you use, the greater the metabolic disturbance. In other words, the more body fat you burn.”

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

13

HIGH AND LOW

Stephen Mabin used an upper/lower body split to keep Jon burning fat and building muscle

Do the moves as supersets or tri-sets, as indicated by the letter – 1A, 1B and 1C together with minimal rest, for example.

DAY 1

LOWER BODY 1A Back squat

14

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

8

8

3010

/

1B Seated leg curl

8

8

3010

/

1C Seated dumbbell external rotation

8

8

3010

4min

2A 45° leg press

3

15

4010

15sec

2B Barbell walking lunge

3

15

2010

15sec

2C Leg extension

3

15

4010

2min

3 Prowler sled push

4

4 laps

X

2min

MEN’S FITNESS

GET LEAN AT 40

DAY 2

UPPER BODY

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1A 45° dumbbell bench press

8

8

3010

/

1B Chin-up

8

8

3010

/

1C Standing barbell calf raise

8

8

3010

4min

2A 30° incline dumbell press (neutral grip)

4

15

3010

15sec

2B Pull-down (palms facing)

4

15

3010

15sec

2C Pronated grip dumbbell chest flye

4

15

3010

2min

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

15

DAY 3

UPPER BODY

16

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

1A Front squat

8

8

3010

REST /

1B Barbell good morning

8

8

3010

/

1C Cable rear delt flye (unilateral)

8

8

3010

4min

2A Split squat (front foot elevated)

3

15

3010

15sec 15sec

2B Romanian deadlift

3

15

3010

2C Hack squat machine

3

15

4010

2min

3 Static bike sprints

4

40sec

X

90sec

MEN’S FITNESS

GET LEAN AT 40

DAY 4

LOWER BODY SETS

REPS TEMPO

REST

1A Bench press

8

8

3010

/

1B Wide-grip pull-down

8

8

4010

/

1C Wide-stance calf extension (using leg press)

8

20

2010

4min

2A Seated barbell military press

3

15

3010

15sec

2B Barbell upright row

3

15

2010

15sec

2C Dumbbell lateral raise

3

15

3010

2min

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

17

GO FROM SKINNY TO RIPPED Ectomorph Sacha Mahoor had trouble adding muscle. Hard, basic lifts took him from slimline to stacked

After training for years and getting increasingly frustrated with his lack of progress, 26-year-old recruitment consultant Sacha Mahoor turned to personal trainer Tim Walker (eomfitness.com) to pack some muscle on to his slim frame. Tim’s prescription? Protein – and lots of it. “I aim for about 200g a day,” says Sacha. “To be honest, I’m not the healthiest guy – I eat a lot of shit! I’m quite good at shedding fat naturally, but what I wasn’t doing – and what I do now

18

– was concentrating all my meals around a solid source of protein. I never had a problem eating in volume, I just needed structure.” Sacha also benefited from planning his workouts properly. “I’d never trained smart,” he says. “I’d maybe do an hour in the gym, doing mostly chest and arms. Now I split my workouts into chest and triceps, back and biceps, with a legs day and maybe a shoulders day. I’ve got work commitments, so I try to do only three workouts a week but make them more efficient and high-intensity.”

MEN’S FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED Trainer Tim Walker’s template for packing on size is simple but smart

PICK PROTEIN

“Sacha consumed 3g of protein per kilo of bodyweight every day, including a lot of red meat,” says Tim.

GET STRONG

“I got him to do a lot of overhead pressing and deadlifts to increase his overall strength.”

RUN IT OFF

“With a high-calorie diet Sacha could have put on fat, so his weekly ‘homework’ was sprinting.”

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

19

DOING THE WORK The 5x5 plan Sacha used improves strength and adds size, as well as challenging the nervous system to recruit more muscle

Do the moves as supersets or tri-sets, as indicated by the letter – 1A, 1B and 1C together with no rest, for example.

DAY 1

CHEST & TRICEPS

20

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1A Bench press

5

5

2010

/

1B Dragon flag

5

10

3010

/

1C Reverse crunch

5

5

2010

90sec

2 Dumbbell incline press

5

5

2010

90sec

3A Dip

4

6

2010

30sec

2B Incline dumbbell flye

4

12

3010

90sec

4A Triceps press-down

3

10

2010

15sec

4B Hanging leg raise

3

15

2010

60sec

5A Overhead rope extension

3

12

2010

30sec

5B Cable twist

3

15

2010

15sec

5C Plank

3

60sec

/

60sec

MEN’S FITNESS

GO FROM SKINNY TO RIPPED

DAY 2

BACK & BICEPS 1 Deadlift

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

5

5

10X0

150sec

2 Weighted pull-up

5

5

1010

150sec

3A Seated row

4

10

2010

30sec

3B Lat pull-down

4

12

2010

90sec

4A Dumbbell pull-over

3

10

2010

15sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

4B Leg raise

3

12

2010

60sec

5 Barbell curl

4

10

2010

90sec

6 21

3

21

2010

90sec

21

DAY 3

LEGS SETS

22

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1 Squat

5

5

10X0

2-3min

2A Reverse lunge

4

12

1010

15sec

2B Abs roll-out

4

12

2010

45sec

3A Close-foot leg press

3

10

2010

15sec

3B Leg curl

3

12

2010

60sec

4A Leg extension

3

12

2010

30sec

4B Jump lunge

3

30

X

60sec

5A Calf raise

3

20

2010

15sec

5B Kneeling rope crunch

3

20

2010

15sec

5C Bicycle crunch

3

30

1010

15sec

MEN’S FITNESS

GO FROM SKINNY TO RIPPED

DAY 4

SHOULDERS & CHEST SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1 Overhead press

5

5

10X0

2-3min

2A Dumbbell lateral raise

4

12

2010

15sec

2B Behind-the-neck barbell press

4

12

2010

90sec

3A Front raise

3

12

2010

15sec

3B Upright row

3

12

2010

15sec

3 Shrug

3

10

2011

60sec

4 Incline bench press

4

12

2010

90sec

5A Standing cable flye

4

12

2010

90sec

5B Kneeling rope crunch

4

12

2010

90sec

5C Bicycle crunch

4

12

2010

90sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

23

BUILD FUNCTIONAL MUSCLE After injury ended Bleddyn Escott’s sporting career and he grew a spare tyre around his midsection, he decided to channel his competitive instincts into getting fitter than ever It’s a common predicament for retired sportsmen: after a life of hard training and a hefty diet to match, the end of their career heralds a ballooning waistline. This was the problem Bleddyn Escott faced after injury curtailed his promising rugby career. “When I was playing I could eat what I wanted, when I wanted,” says Bleddyn, a 26-year-old engineer. “But when I stopped I got fat. I was over 100kg and 20% body fat. I wanted to feel fit and get into shape, and I knew I needed a goal.” Not one to do things by halves, Bleddyn signed up for a fitness model competition just 12 weeks away. To get in shape, Bleddyn hired fat-loss specialist

24

Daniel Wheeler. Bleddyn trained five days a week, splitting sessions between strength, hypertrophy and cardio. To help him lose fat but not muscle, he was cycling through low- and high-carb days. The day before a heavy session was high in carbs to power the lifts, while the day before a cardio workout was low in carbs so his body was primed to use body fat for energy instead of muscle glycogen. After 12 weeks Bleddyn had shed almost 20kg, dropped to 8% body fat and competed at the UK Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation event. His prize: an Easter egg. “I was training through Easter and love chocolate,” says Bleddyn. “It was worth the wait.”

MEN’S FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED Daniel Wheeler’s four keys to fast fat loss

BE ABLE

“Although I mostly trained Bleddyn remotely, he checked in with me daily by text. This ability kept him honest and on track. You don’t want to let someone else down.”

FIND A HEALTHY TREAT

“Bleddyn has a sweet tooth, so I told him to have casein with Greek yogurt and blueberries before bed. It satisfied his cravings, kept him motivated and boosted his recovery.”

SAVE CARBS FOR DINNER

“Bleddyn would only have carbs near the end of the day. This was a treat to motivate him through his training and it also helped to improve his sleep for better recovery.”

SLOWLY ADJUST CALORIES “Bleddyn cut his calories to get in shape for the competition. After doing that, he has to increase his intake gradually because any drastic increase will be stored as fat.”

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

25

BUILD AND BURN

Bleddyn mixed heavy sets with hypertrophy to hit every type of muscle fibre and keep fat at bay

Warm up with a couple of lighter sets of the first exercise in each workout, resting for 30 seconds between each.

DAY 1

SHOULDERS

26

SETS

REPS

REST

1 Barbell military press

4

6

60sec

2 Dumbbell overhead press

4

8

60sec

3 Shrug

4

8

60sec

4 Lateral raise

4

12

60sec

5 Rear flye

4

20

60sec

6 Front raise

4

10

60sec

MEN’S FITNESS

BUILD FUNCTIONAL MUSCLE

DAY 2

BACK & BICEPS SETS

REPS

REST

1 Deadlift

4

6

60sec

2 Pull-up

4

8

60sec

3 Bent-over row

4

12

60sec

4 Seated cable row

4

20

60sec

5 Barbell biceps curl

4

6

60sec

6 Dumbbell hammer curl

4

8

60sec

7 Dumbbell preacher curl

4

12

60sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

27

DAY 3

LEGS 1 Squat

28

SETS

REPS

REST

4

6

60sec

2 Leg press

4

8

60sec

3 Leg extension

4

12

60sec

4 Hamstring curl

4

12

60sec

5 Walking lunge

4

20

60sec

6 Calf press

4

25

60sec

MEN’S FITNESS

BUILD FUNCTIONAL MUSCLE

DAY 4

CHEST & TRICEPS SETS

REPS

REST

1 Decline bench press

4

6

60sec

2 Incline dumbbell bench press

4

8

60sec

3 Incline dumbbell flye

4

12

60sec

4 Cable flye

4

25

60sec

5 Dip

4

6

60sec

6 Close-grip bench press

4

8

60sec

7 Dumbbell overhead extension

4

12

60sec

8 Rope extension

4

25

60sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

29

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