Super C issue

STAR ATHLETE ROB FORTE IS THE

-PACK
FITTEST IN 10 MINUTES
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 65
WOD gives?
Check our
CrossFit
special

56
The most
hardcore sport
on the planet

29
You’ll love her
657-muscle
workout

Breakthroughs 34 Wellness 48 Grooming

Give colds the flick Skincare for blokes
19 Upgrade 36 Up your game 50 Relationships
Why you should be Blast a six-pack in Dating a mum with kids
skipping rope now just 10 minutes
52 Style
20 Health 38 Weightloss The perfect-fitting suit
Eat more veggies to No-effort fatloss hacks
stay stress-free 54 Drive it
40 Inspiration The Subaru Outback
22 Fitness Glen’s great makeover
Great news! Dark 56 Ride it
chocolate ups stamina 42 Health Motocross grunt
The true price of beer
24 Life 58 Fit Bloke
Challenge Features
Book a holiday to 44 Travel
beat the winter blues All the guts and glory
Did Buddha do burpees?
61 Coverguy 84 Road to ripped
26 Diet Australian CrossFit We go beyond the fads
Mix the perfect post- 42 legend Rob Forte to uncover the real
workout beverage HOW ALCOHOL prepares for battle rules of fitness
SCREWS UP
YOUR DIET 65 CrossFit 90 Obstacle racing
Game Changers All you need to know Our comprehensive guide
to storm the box now to barbed-wire crawling
and other muddy fun
29 Bonk on 72 Power play
Sex is the new 657- 30 ways to get stronger 98 Food vs. pills
muscle workout — from supping with Is real tucker better for
30 Nutrition creatine to hitting the sack you than supps or is there
a happy medium?
Food myths busted
78 Pub grub
for your benefit
Make a plate of bangers
32 Training ’n’ mash that’s the envy
Six stupid workout of your local
mistakes fixed
 july
84
The new rules
of getting
ripped

72
30 ways to get
stronger now

The Body Book

90
No obstacle
is too great
105 Don’t act your age
Train for younger cells

107 Moving parts

Beaut bodyweight workout
107
110 Cardio expert USE YOUR
Running for joint health BODYWEIGHT
TO BUILD
112 Technique MUSCLE
Become a flye guy
ON THE COVER
114 Trainer tips Regulars
HOW to boost your bench Rob Forte
P H O T O G R A P H Y:
116 Keto power
10 View from the top ROSS FORTE
Reach ketosis in 30 minutes
12 Ask Men’s Fitness
118 Muscle expert 14 Training diary
Lift heavy with ease
16 Hot shot
120 Nutrition 126 Scoreboard
Pick the right pre-gym supps
129 Subscriptions
123 Gun show 132 The Cooldown
20 minutes to huge arms
 when my time is my own.

Solar
Chronograph

seiko.com.au
 V IE W FRO M T HE T O P
’
Fitness EDITORIAL
Editor Todd Cole
todd@mensfitnessmagazine.com.au

made easy Associate Editor Ashley Gray

ART
Art Director Tania Simanowsky

SUBSCRIPTIONS

G
etting really fit, super ripped or hugely Subscriptions Manager Julie Hughes
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MEN’S FITNESS jacked is dead simple. Scroll though
Instagram #transformation and you’ll PUBLISHERS
Super Cr issue Todd Cole, Ian Brooks
see virtually anyone can do it. Hell,
you can do it. Here’s what most of the ADVERTISING
STAR ATHLETE ROB FORTE IS THE
6-PACK Commercial Director Tim Fernandes
FITTEST N 10 MINUTES
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THEULTIMATE
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www.mensfitnessmagazine.com.au
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music. Out of synch, it’s a jarring noise.

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 Send your questions to askMF@mensfitnessmagazine.com.au ● Wise up

Ask Men’s Fitness

I have OK biceps but my
Q triceps are non-existant
and give the impression I have
chicken wings? What can I do?
The easiest move to get started
started with is a dip. And the good
news is you can do it in your Resist the salt
loungeroom. Sitting on the floor, assault by eating
place your feet on the seat of a chair. home-cooked
Lock your feet in, then lift yourself food.
up as high as you can using the
power of your arms. After 20 or so
reps you will start to feel a burn in
your triceps, which shows they are
being activated. As you get better at
the move, increase reps or elevate
the height of the seat so that there is
more pressure being exerted on
your arms.

There’s this guy at the gym

Q who curses every time
he works out. It drives me
mad. Surely, it can’t be doing
anything for his health.
It might make you cringe, but your
swearing “mate” is actually on to
something. Apparently, cussing
makes you go harder. Research on
cyclists carried out by the British
Psychological Society indicated
they were able to go faster if they
dropped the F-bomb during
performance. The same increase
in strength and power was also
observed when people took part in
a hand-grip test. Previous
experiments have shown that
swearing heightens resistance to Q I’m a single guy We’re sure your doctor would have suggested a few
pain. Why? Scientists aren’t sure
just yet, but they think it might who eats out a lot, obvious changes, but without doubt the best thing
have something to do with the fact
but according to you can do is stop buying takeaway. Research in the
that turning the air blue
stimulates the nervous system. the my doctor my journal Circulation
n showed we get almost 71% of our
sodium levels are sodium from food outside the home, with salt added to
I have read that probiotics
Q are essential for a healthy
gut and strong immune
too high. How can food at home and at the table only coming in at around
6% and 5% respectively. Time to start eating in then.
system. How can I make sure I cut back?
I have the right amount?
Your intestines are home to 500
million bacteria, some good and
some bad. Probiotics are often
referred to as “good bacteria” —
they help the body absorb
important vitamins and minerals,
including calcium, iron, chromium SuperCr issue
and vitamins A, D, E and K, just to SUBSCRIBE TO GET IN TOUCH
name a few. The first thing you
can do is add more yoghurt to your
MEN’S FITNESS STAR ATHLETE ROB FORTE IS THE
6-PACK
Post your fitness questions.
FITTEST IN 10 MINUTES
THEULTIMATE
diet. But look for the words “live You’ll get 12 issues MAN IN OZ ABSBLAST
AFL
SMASH
and active cultures” on the for just $69 — that’s HIS KILLER
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MAKEFOOD
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probiotic punch. You can also try YOURLOCAL!

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kefir, a thick and tangy yoghurt-

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wide variety of probiotic bacteria p129 or call 02 9439 1955 TOGET
STRONG
and 11g of protein per cup.

12 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
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● Training diary
1 MONTH
AWAY
July 1-2
Gold Coast
2 MONTHS
AWAY
August 25-27
Oxfam Trailwalker
3 MONTHS
AWAY
September 17
Blackmores
Airport Marathon Where: Sydney Running Festival
Where: Gold What: Walk with a Where: Sydney
RUNS

Coast, Qld bunch of mates for What: The scenic

What: The country’s 50km or 100km through marathon, half marathon
most famous 42.2km rugged Hawkesbury and 10km events take
race also has half- bushland to the harbour in the Sydney Harbour
marathon, 10km and and help raise money Bridge and finish at the
5.7km options. for poverty. Opera House.
Contact: goldcoast Contact: trailwalker. Contact: sydney
marathon.com.au oxfam.org.au running festival.com.au

July 13-16 August 17-20 September 16-17

Velothon Sunshine The Redback Amy’s Gran Fondo
Coast Where: Alice Where: Lorne, Vic
Where: Mooloolaba, Qld Springs, NT What: Cycle the
RIDES

What: Choose from a What: Ride the single Great Ocean Road
one-day ride of either track around Alice over 45km, 65km
95km or 155km around Springs over or 120km. The event
the Noosa Hinterland, four days and six is also a qualifier
or a three-day ride stages, taking in for the UCI World
consisting of 110km, the awesome Red Championships in
90km and 155km stages. Centre landscape. Varese, Italy.
Contact: velothon Contact: rapidascent. Contact:
sunshinecoast.com/ com.au/theredback amysgranfondo.org.au

July 24 August 5-6 September 9-10

TRIATHLONS

Sydney Duathlon Yeppoon Triathlon ATEC Expo

Where: Olympic Festival Where: Royal Hall of
Park, Sydney Where: Yeppoon, Qld Industries, Sydney
What: This run/ride What: Attempt the Moore Park Precinct
/run event features Olympic, Sprint or What: The Australian
two distances: Enticer in tri-friendly Triathlon, Endurance &
the “Enticer” — 20-25 degree Cycling Expo allows you
2km/10km/1km weather on the tropical to interact with the
and the “Sprint — Capricorn Coast. latest products and
5km/19.5km/2.5km. Contact: learn from experts.
Contact: eliteenergy. yeppoontriathlonfestival. Contact: atecshow.
com.au com.au com.au/

July 22 August 27 September 10

North Shore Great Adventures Pier 2 Pub
Where: Hawaii, US Green Island Where: Hervey
What: Make your mid- Ocean Swim Bay, Qld
SWIMS

year holiday break count. Where: Green What: Head to

This 3km course starts Island, Qld the warm waters of
at Laniakea beach What: Green Island is sub-tropical Queensland
swimming in the direction a coral cay 27km of the for 3km, 1km or
of Haleiwa town and coast of Cairns — the 500m races in
ending at Pua’ena perfect setting for a smooth, surf-
Point surf break. 500m, 1.5km or 3km free conditions.
Contact: northshore ocean swim. Contact: oceanswims.
swimseries.com/ Contact: green-island. com.au
com.au/oceanswim
July 1 August 12 September 23-24
Southwest Winter Warrior Raw Challenge
ADVENTURE

Mudfest Challenge Where: Doyalson,

Where: Margaret Where: Marysville, Vic NSW
River, WA What: At least 20 What: With over
What: Try either the obstacles over 14km 55 obstacles across
“Dirty Dozen, a 12km in the winter snow a 7km course, this
long course, or the “Mud around Lake Mountain event, on the NSW
Mayhem”, a 5km short – a thorough test of Central Coast, will
course, and finish with skill and endurance. test the most hardcore
a tasty Bootleg burger Contact: challengers.
and refreshing beer. warriorchallenge. Contact:
Contact: mudfestwa. com.au rawchallenge.com.au
com.au

Got an event in your state that MF readers can train for in 2017? Email details to ashley@mensfitnessmagazine.com.au with a couple of good action photos.

14 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
Are you fit
enough for
the challenge?

MELBOURNE SO LD OU T!

BRISBANE SO LD OU T!

SYDNEY 100KM | 50KM 25–27 AUGUST

PERTH 100KM | 50KM 22–24 SEPTEMBER
● Hot shot

BMXtreme
On the volcanic Greek island of Milos lies the white rock formation of
Sarakiniko Bay. If the moon had a beach, this would be it. It looks like
something out of a sci-fi movie — which makes it perfect terrain for
BMX bandits chasing an extra-terrestrial thrill. Then there’s the
glistening Aegean Sea some 20m below, threatening to make riders
pay for even the slightest mistake. It’s an intoxicating combination
dare devils such as Panos Manaras can’t resist. The 28-year-old
BMX champ from Athens was so enraptured by the cliffs’ lunar-like
bumps and craters he decided to go no-hands mid-air. Fortunately,
he didn’t end up in the drink or speared by a pointy ridge. Instead, he
powered along the craggy surface like nobody’s business. “A lifetime
dream come true,” he panted afterwards. And who could doubt him.

16 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 Red Bull content pool

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 17
va a e n e ea oo a s e a
 Hard-hitting news from the cutting edge of modern research

Breakthroughs Think skipping is just

Don’t skip T for boxers and little

girls? Then you’re

a beat
missing out on an
any time, any place exercise
that can work wonders for your
physique and performance.
Jump rope to shed fat Skipping burns around the
and get fit fast. same number of calories per
minute as running but has far
less impact on your muscles,
joints and tendons, making
it a low-impact form of high-
intensity cardio. It can also
improve your balance and
co-ordination — that’s what
happened to footballers who
added it to their training,
according to the Journal Of
Sports Science Medicine. The
beauty of skipping is it requires
just one cheap bit of kit (plus
a little space) and it can be
adapted to fit any training plan.
Do it as a warm-up before a
cardio or weights session, or
between sets to keep your heart
rate high and add a fat-burning
element to muscle-building
workouts, or as an end-of-
session finisher to push your
heart and lungs to the limit.

J A N UJ A
URLY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 19
Health Breakthroughs

Eat more
veg to stay
stress-free
You know you’re supposed
to eat at least five portions
of fruit and veg a day for a
healthier body. Yet hitting — and
exceeding if possible — your daily
veg target is just as important for
your mental health as it is for our
physical health,according to a study of Eat your greens
more than 60,000 people. Research in for a better-quality
the British Medical Journal Open found state of mind.
that people who ate five to seven
servings of veg a day had a 12% lower
risk of suffering from stress than those
who ate none or one, measured over a
two-year period. However, fruit intake
had no impact on stress.

Call time on daily drinking 4 reasons to eat more watermelon

■ Better sex ■ Dodge disease

SIGN UP
FOR DRY JULY Watermelon has When you eat
been described as watermelon some
Taking time of “nature’s Viagra” of the citrulline
booze has great thanks to its ability is converted into
health benefits, to increase libido another amino acid,
such as sleeping and enhance arginine, which
better, having blood flow to you- both improves heart
more energy and, knowwhere. That’s health and helps
of course, no down to its high maintain a stronger
shitty hangovers! concentration of immune system,
(See our story citrulline, an amino meaning you’ll
right and page 42.) acid that relaxes spend less time
That’s why MF is ■ In the pursuit of your liver that can be blood vessels. on the sidelines.
a huge supporter getting lean you deadly. As your main
of Dry July. The ■ Recover faster ■ Healthy heart
probably already detoxification organ
money raised Necking some of Drinking
know you should your liver filters out
from going on the the fruit’s juice watermelon juice
steer clear of alcohol — damaging toxins, and
wagon for a month after a hard weights can decrease your
it’s called a beer belly going to bed sober
goes towards for good reason, after
session could help risk of developing
gives it time to repair,
cancer support all. But if you don’t reduce the severity atherosclerosis —
according to the
organisations want to give up the JournalOfHepatology. of post-workout a build-up of fat in
across Australia, grog then you should Research found that muscular aches and your arteries that’s a
to help improve aim for at least one people who drank six pains, according contributor to heart
patient comfort, night of abstaining a nights a week had a to the American disease — according
care and week to help prevent significantly lower Chemical Society. to an animal study
wellbeing. Check the onset of cirrhosis, chance of developing That means you’ll by the University of
dryjuly.com which is a build-up cirrhosis than those Sweet and juicy — be back under the Kentucky in the US.
and the watermelon’s bar sooner.
for details. of fatty tissue in who drank every day. not bad either.

20 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
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you can rehydrate while enjoying a full German Pilsener flavour.
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holstenzero.com | Tel: 1300 046 578 | HolstenZeroBeer 0.0% ALCOHOL

TAKE YOUR TRAINING OUTSIDE
■ If the only blue
sky you ever see is
through the window
of your office or car,
you need to put on
your runners and get
off the beaten track.
Taking your training
outside will help
beat gym boredom,
reinvigorate your gains
and improve your
mental health and
wellbeing, according to
an analysis of 11 trials
involving more than
800 people which was
22 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
published in the journal
EnvironmentalScience
AndTechnology. It
found that subjects
who exercised in the
great outdoors reported
an improved sense of
wellbeing compared
with training inside,
as well as an increase
in energy levels,
greater enjoyment
and satisfaction from
their workout, and a
heightened likelihood
of repeating the
activity soon.
Train outdoors
and you get to
see more of this.
Eating dark
chocolate
Fitness
Breakthroughs
increases
endurance and
performance.
Last longer
on the track
A few squares of dark chocolate
every day won’t just satisfy
your sweet tooth and prevent
you from eating less healthy snacks
— new research says it will also
improve your athletic performance.
Amateur cyclists given 40g of dark
chocolate a day used less oxygen
than a group given 40g of white
chocolate when cycling at a moderate
pace, and covered a greater distance
over a two-minute all-out time trail,
according to research published
in the Journal Of The International
Society Of Sports Nutrition. It’s thought
compounds in dark chocolate called
epicatechins, a type of flavanol,
increase nitric oxide production
in the body. This has the effect of
dilating blood vessels and reducing
oxygen consumption to help you go
faster for longer. It’s a similar effect
that comes from drinking beetroot
juice, but we think dark chocolate is
a far more appetising prospect.
Ask Men’s Fitness
MEMBERSHIP
HAS ITS
PRIVILEGES During a training It depends on whether
program, is it you’re training for
On the fence about strength and power
alright to miss
joining a gym or going or hypertrophy
a rest day if
it alone? Sign on the (muscle growth). If
I’m not particularly it’s the former, the
dotted line. In a new
study from Iowa sore or gassed? answer is no. You
State Uni in the US, need to make sure
75% of subjects who your central nervous
were gym members system gets proper
met government rest. If you miss a rest
guidelines for day it will compromise
physical activity your goals. As for
(at least 75 minutes hypertrophy, the
of vigorous or 150 answer is yes. But
minutes of moderate that depends on
exercise a week) your ability to recover.
compared with just Just make sure your
18% of nonmembers. energy levels aren’t
Gym rats also had dropping because
lower odds of being of the extra training,
obese, a smaller waist
because that can
(about 4cm less for
result in injury through
men), a lower resting
reduced focus.
heart rate and better
heart health.
 Life
Breakthroughs

Get away to beat

the winter blues
It’s no wonder the middle of the year can
be depressing: it’s cold, it’s dark and it
can feel as if there’s not much to look
forward to. Which is why you should book
your next holiday now because the anticipation
of getting away can lift your mood. A Dutch
study of 1,530 people published in the Applied
Research In Quality Of Life journal found
that we derive the most happiness from
anticipating a getaway — even more than
actually being on holiday.
Another reason to book your break now is that
people who give themselves more than a month
to plan their holiday report higher happiness
levels and lower stress levels — before, during
and after the trip — than those who leave it to the
last minute, according to the Institute of Applied
Positive Research. And put some distance
A good set of between you and home: the research
inflatables is a must found 84% of the subjects’ best holidays
for any holiday.
over the past five years were abroad.

KEEP 3 ways to save more cash now Running shoes won’t lift your game
YOUR FEET
HEALTHY
■ Don’t shop hungry ■ Get coffee to go
Food shopping when Grabbing a $5
starving is bad for cappuccino on
your waistline — your way to work
you’re more likely each day will cost
to buy high-calorie you around $100
snacks — as well as a month. You don’t
your wallet, with have to give up
Warts, athlete’s hungry subjects coffee — just buy
foot and nail fungus spending 21% more a flask and bring
are the bane of than full ones in your own brew to
a sportsman’s a University of save hundreds of
existence, as Zaragoza study. dollars a year. It’s
they can quickly worth the effort if
become serious ■ Move your money you’re serious about
problems if not Financial gurus say cutting down costs.
treated properly. you should put 20% ■ Arnieswears by same kind ofgrip you
Excilor Protector of each pay packet properlifting shoes, needto maximise
Spray safeguards aside for the future. whichis reason muscle engagement.
feet against all If you want to, or enough for most Weightlifting shoes
these conditions. just want to save for guysto stopcranking typicallyfeature soles
It’s invisible, is something fun, set outdeadlifts in their madeof plasticor
easy to apply, up a direct debit on runners.Butthere’s hardwood. Thisrigid
can be removed pay day to transfer also a scientficreason sole enablesthe heels
anytime, and funds from your whyyou should ditch to drive deepinto
gives eight hours account straight to yourtrainers. Because the floor,increasing
of protection. a savings one. If you runningshoes are so leverage. Yep, it’s
excilor.com/en-au/ don’t see the cash wellcushioned,it’s time to shelloutfor
protector-spray/ impossible to get the a pair, guys.
you won’t spend it.

24 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 Diet
Breakthroughs

Not the
only whey
A whey protein shake might be
the most common after-gym
beverage for people looking to
build muscle, but that doesn’t mean it’s
the most effective. To maximise your
mass-building potential, you need to
take the pick and mix approach and
combine whey, casein and soy
proteins, according to a new study
published in the Journal Of Applied
Physiology. Researchers from the
University of Texas, US, found that using
this protein blend prolonged the delivery
of select amino acids to muscle tissue
for an hour longer than using whey by
itself. It also caused an extended spike in
amino acid net balance during the early
post-workout recovery phase. Both
these effects lead to increased muscle
building. For the perfect blend, mix 20g
of casein, 10g of whey and 10g of soy.

labelled “low salt” healthy adults

Salt shake-up or “reduced salt” shouldn’t exceed
Eating less salt often have a worse 2,400mg of salt a
means you will Dial in your sodium nutritional profile day — but the body
Ask Men’s Fitness urinate less and intake and you’ll… than their saltier needs some sodium
cousins. Moral: Don’t to control BP, so
sleep better ■ Get more sleep eat processed foods!
What can I eat to If you want to lose don’t go
burn fat quicker? weight faster then try during the night. After slashing their below 500mg.
increasing your intake salt intake just a ■ Join the club
of fibre, specifically bit — from 1,070mg More than 50
resistant starch which (about 2 teaspoons) countries around
is not digested in the to 800mg/day — 200 the world have
small intestine and subjects found they adopted voluntary
so not classified as a were peeing less and or mandatory
type of dietary fibre. It reductions in the
resting more during
is found in foods such salt content of
the night.
as potatoes, bananas, certain foods.
grains and legumes, ■ Save your liver
and can improve gut Too much salt can ■ Tame your BP
We’re shedding kilos
health (by feeding your To maintain normal
just looking at her. damage your liver,
“good” bacteria) and blood pressure,
but processed foods
help stabilise blood
sugar levels, the key to
safe and sustainable
Eating a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables will provide your body
weight loss. The
research, published
with the essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Of course, it’s
in the journal Nutrition not always easy to manage that — but there’s welcome news from science.
POP A PILL New research suggests popping a daily multivitamin tablet will help
Bulletin, also found TO REDUCE
eating more of this support your body’s systems in case you struggle to hit your five-a-day
CANCER RISK
type of fibre enhanced fruit and veg target. A study of 15,000 men over four years found that those
feelings of fullness by who took a daily multivitamin were up to 8% less likely to develop prostate
producing more short- or colorectal cancer than those who didn’t. The research, publishedin the
chain fatty acids. Journal Of The American Medical Association, also reported that there was
a 12% reduction in cancer mortality among subjects who took a daily pill.

26 M E N ’ S F I T N E S S J U LY 2 0 1 7
1 cup Pureharvest Almond Milk Blend all ingredients in
1 frozen banana blender and enjoy!
1 scoop organic protein poweder
1 tbsp nut butter
For an extra kick add 1 shot espresso

Pureharvest Almond Milk is available in the Long Life Milk aisle of Coles & Woolworths

pureharvest.com.au
 EVERY THING YOU NEED TO MAKE LIFE WORK FOR YOU

GameChangers
The 657
muscle
workout
The human
T body contains
657 muscles but
most of the time we use
less than half of them.
Sending a text works just
38, a quick sprint only 99
and a golf drive a piddling
What a pity her 137. According to a new
arm is araldited study, the only way you can
to her side.
get all 657 of these fibrous
champions functioning at
the same time is to indulge
in a steamy session of sex.
Physiotherapist and muscle
anatomy expert Mike
Aunger, who conducted the
research for Upbeat Active,
said a good bonk was the
ultimate full-body workout:
“We require every muscle
to fire on all cylinders. In
the bedroom, every muscle
matters.” That’s because
skeletal, involuntary and
cardiac muscles have to
work together to increase
blood flow and intensity.
When you factor in a 2013
study from Montreal Uni,
which showed women burn
an average of 69 calories per
25-minute bedroom romp
Sex is the only exercise and men 100, you have yet
that works every more reasons to up your
muscle in your body. time between the sheets.
● Game Changers Eat to get lean

Food myths
busted!
We look at the
science to separate
the food facts from
the fiction so you
can develop
healthier eating
habits.

High-protein foods
will not damage
organs such as
the kidneys.

30 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
“Carbs after journal Metabolism, In reality a high-
it then increases carb dinner can
6pm make significantly during help reduce body fat
you fat” deeper REM sleep to by sending you to
the extent that your sleep faster because
■ This one really RMR is the same at carbohydrate
won’t go away. The night as it is in the consumption
belief that eating day, according to the increases blood
carbs at night is European Journal Of concentrations
a fast route to fat Clinical Nutrition. of the amino acid
gain is built on the What’s more, if tryptophan, which
assumption that our you exercise you makes you feel
resting metabolic rate significantly increase drowsy. People who
(RMR) slows down your RMR during ate a high-carb meal
during sleep, so any sleep, according to the in the four hours
excess energy gets Canadian Journal Of before bed fell asleep
stored as fat. While Applied Physiology, faster than those who
energy expenditure prompting your body weren’t given carbs
does decrease 35% to burn more fat in a study conducted
during early-stage as it recovers from by the University
sleep, according to the exertion. of Sydney.

red meat in Group from 17 countries,

“High protein 1, advising people published in the
to limit daily intake Annals Of Internal
diets damage of both to no more Medicine, found
your kidneys” than 70g. However, it total saturated fat If you’re fit and eat
carbs for dinner or
matters what meat consumption had no
■ We evolved to tea, you will burn
you eat: organic and relationship to heart them of during sleep.
become the smartest grass-reared red disease risk, while found in margarine. behind its cancer-
animal that’s ever meat is very diferent research in the British Butter is also a source fighting properties.
walked the Earth nutritionally to that Medical Journal of vitamins A, D, E Microwaving was
thanks to a diet high which has been found death rates and K, as well as next best, with stir-
in protein, so it’s factory farmed or among men with selenium, a powerful frying and boiling
hard to believe that heavily processed. heart disease actually antioxidant that resulting in the
in the last human increased when they plays a big role in an greatest nutrient
generation — a ditched saturated efficient metabolism. loss because of
blink of the eye in
“Butter is bad fat for the type of Time to dust of that the veg’s exposure
evolutionary terms — polyunsaturated fat
protein has suddenly for your health” butter dish. to high heat and
vitamins leaching
started damaging into the water.
our kidneys. And you ■ Butter spent The high saturated fat
decades in the “Cook This supports
shouldn’t believe it, content in butter has no Harvard research
because the study nutritional vegetables
that linked high wilderness because link to heart disease risk. completely”
that found the best
of a suggested link cooking method for
protein intake to retaining nutrients
organ damage was between its high ■ Still boiling your
saturated fat content is one that “cooks
done on people with broccoli? Step away quickly, heats food
pre-existing kidney and heart disease, from the saucepan
obesity and high for the shortest
disorders. If you’re now if you want amount of time,
in good health a cholesterol. But maximum goodness
support for butter is and uses as little
high-protein diet from the veg for liquid as possible”.
can help weight loss spreading — global better health.
sales were up 7% That sounds like
without any side Researchers from microwaving to us.
efects, according to in the five years to Zhejiang University
2014, while sales of Eat your capsicum
the Journal Of The in China cooked raw, though: a
International Society non-dairy spreads broccoli using the
such as margarine medium one
Of Sports Nutrition, as most common contains around
well as reducing blood fell 6%, according to cooking methods
research firm Kantar 150% of your
pressure, according to and concluded that daily vitamin C
Dutch research. Worldpanel — because steaming kept intact
the studies behind needs, but cooking
It’s worth noting the most number of capsicum above 190°
that the World Health these claims has been nutrients, including
discredited. irreparably damages
Organisation last year soluble fibre, vitamin the antioxidant,
classified red meat as A meta-analysis C and glucosinolate,
of 72 studies of according to the US
a Group 2 carcinogen the compound National Institutes
and added processed 600,000 people thought to be of Health.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 31
● Game Changers

6stupid
workout
Kettlebell swings
develop the posterior
chain, which
builds protection

mistakes
against injury.

Guys who focus too much on their

“mirror muscles” and ignore bodyweight
exercises are missing out in the gym.

1 ) Neglecting 3 ) Taking every 5 ) Overemphasising

body-weight work set to failure anteriormuscles

■ Can’t do as many ■ If you do ■ Overdeveloping

pushups as you can everything to full mirror muscles (pecs,
reps benching your muscle fatigue, you abs, biceps, quads) can
bodyweight? Do can limit gains, burn lead to imbalances
more of the former. out mentally and get and injuries. “Work on
“The strongest injured. In general, the posterior chain
athletes kilo for kilo take no more than — shoulder capsule,
tend to be gymnasts one to two sets per hamstrings, lower
and wrestlers, move to failure. back, neck,” says
who can lift their Kenn. Try kettlebell
bodyweight,” says 4 ) Doing too much swings, Romanian
Joe “Big House” Kenn, isolated core work deadlifts, glute-ham
strength coach raises and face-pulls.
for the Carolina ■ For the core, add
Panthers in the NFL. one to two isolation 6) Over-resting
“If a guy on our team moves (planks,
can do pullups or crunches, dead ■ Powerlifters aside,
chinups, we always bugs) to moves for a minute of post-
advise that instead of larger body parts. set rest should
a machine exercise.” Great for the core: allow recovery
front squats, but also keep
2 ) Ignoring deads, standing training intensity
mobility and (not seated) high. “You should
conditioning overhead be in and out of the
presses, gym in an hour,
■ These oft- bentover rows, with warmup,
overlooked and Turkish 3 cooldown and a
components are getups. good lifting session,”
crucial to a says strength and
well-rounded routine. conditioning expert
For mobility, try Jason Ferruggia.
dynamic stretches
before lifting, static
holds after training,
and Pilates or yoga
on of days. For
conditioning, tack
on some HIIT to the
end of a workout “The strongest athletes kilo
three days a week or for kilo tend to be gymnasts
lift circuit-style (one
and wrestlers.”
exercise to the next,
no rests).

32 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
● Game Changers Wellness

Boost your
defences
Seven powerhouse immunity enhancers every guy should
consider stocking up on this winter. B Y A D A M B I B L E

Staying fit and eating healthy — along with getting

S plenty of shut-eye and regularly washing your hands
— are the four most effective ways to avoid a miserable
cold or flu bug. But if you really want to bolster your chances
of keeping illness at bay, a little immune system adjustment
is in order. From tried-and-true options to newly emerging star
players, these are the supplements you should be popping:

Rising Stars Probiotics Spirulina

Each of the ■ Already known ■ A blue-green
supplements that to help promote algae that often pops
follow have been
proper gut health, up in questionable-
drawing attention
probiotics also pack looking Day-Glo-
lately for their
some lesser-known colored “health food”
potential cold- and
benefits, such as the drinks, spirulina
flu-fighting cred.
ability to strengthen can’t be counted
the immune system. out on appearance
Elderberry Around 70% of our alone. There is
immune system serious evidence
■ This flavonoid- cells are in our that it has a variety
packed fruit appears gut; probiotics of potentially helpful
to have some serious can help make uses, including
congestion-fighting them significantly strengthening
potential. A study stronger and better immunity, says
in the Alternative at fighting of Patel. Animal
Medicine Review infection, says Patel. research on
found that its extract The most
G E T I T: spirulina is strong;
reduced the length common probiotic, and though there
of flu symptoms L acidophilus, occurs hasn’t been much
by almost three naturally in foods testing done on
days. “Elderberry like yoghurt, kefir, humans, one 2008
has been shown to and kimchi, but you study did find
help kill a number can also get it in that taking 2g of
of diferent viruses,” capsule form. Most spirulina a day for
says Kamal Patel, experts recommend several months
director of examine. a dose of 1 to 10 helped some men
com, an independent billion colony- and women to
nutrition resource. forming units a day overcome nasal
“It also contains for up to two weeks. allergies. “Spirulina
anthocyanins — plant
compounds known
PerkiiProbioticWater
to help support the MF TOP PICK
A300mlbottleof Perkii
immune system.” Gut health containsbillionsofthe
Elderberry
G E T I T: goodprobioticsyour
is available in stomachneeds—andonly
capsules or liquid 26calories.Itcomesin
form; look for refreshingstrawberryand
watermelon,lime and
Sambucol and
coconut,andmangoand
Sinupret brands,
passionfruitflavours.
which have been perkii.com.au
the most intensively
studied.

34 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
is very safe, and
may help to lower Vitamin C
inflammation in
Four more (surprising) ways to ■ This classic cold THE DIET
the body, improving
overall health as boost your immune system fighter can help DOCTOR
boost immune
well,” Patel adds. TRAINER MOODI
Pills and Get outside. function — but
G E T I T : Spirulina
D E N N A O U I A N SW E R S
potions aren’t Spending time in
only if you take it UT
comes in powder, before getting sick.
pill and liquid the only ways nature is one of the
to fight off best ways to boost the Vitamin C is critical
form — and studies for a properly
infections. immune system, says
show they’re all functioning
These a University of Illinois
basically the same. meta analysis of more immune system,
strategies can
Whichever form you than 21 studies. and not getting
also help keep
select, aim for up to enough regularly
your immune Skip some meals.
8g daily. may put you at
system strong
A 2014 study from the
and healthy. higher risk for a
US found that fasting
cold, says Patel. One
Tinospora can protect the
2013 meta analysis Why is it more
cordifolia immune system from
damage while helping of 30 studies on important than ever
■ Used primarily in it regenerate crucial more than 11,000 for men to work out?
India, this up-and- immune cells. people showed that
coming herb has a men and women ■ Guys are dying
Be social. living with high too young. Male
variety of potential
A 2014 Carnegie physical stress life expectancy in
benefits, from
Mellon study found — like marathon Australia is four years
regulating blood
that social support less than females.
sugar to enhancing runners — were
— including physical Men are also three
the immune system. 50% less likely to
contact with a times more likely
“Tinospora cordifolia catch a cold if they
significant other — to commit suicide.
can help a type of took 200mg of
can reduce infection Even at birth we are
immune cell called risk by 30%. vitamin C daily.
born with a weaker
a macrophage more Foods like
G E T I T:
De-stress. immune system,
easily consume capsicum and
A 2016 Texas Tech which means infant
errant germs that oranges are high in
study found that mortality is higher
we don’t want in our C; or take 250mg in for boys than girls.
a type of Chinese
bodies,” says Patel. supplements a day. Despite these
meditation called
Add it to
G E T I T: Integrative Mind- (The RDA is 60mg terrible stats, we
water or mix it with Body Training can for men over 19.) still tend to smoke
ghee and ginger; drastically improve and drink more than
aim for 300mg three immunity. women. And we don’t
Zinc
times a day, or 10 seek medical help as
to 15g daily. ■ This essential often as women either
and experienced the biggest dose — probably because
mineral, which acts
significantly less possible, allow the we think we’re too
Classic sick time than those
like an antioxidant
busy or we view it as
garlic to sit for about in the body, keeps
Immune aids who didn’t. 15 minutes after a sign of weakness.
the immune system
G E T I T : Add fresh dicing, so maximum Guys, check your
Arm yourself with working at its
garlic to meals. amounts of the egos at the door! Get
these proven cold peak, says Patel.
When sliced or compound health checks, go to
busters to clobber Studies have also
chopped, the cloves have time to form. the gym and watch
germs that might shown that zinc can
release a compound Or take 600 to what you eat.
otherwise turn you help to reduce the
called allicin into 1,200mg garlic It is scientifically
into a snivelling, duration of colds. A
your food. For proven that training
sneezing mess. extract twice daily. 2016 meta analysis
increases the
in the British feel-good chemicals
Journal of Clinical
Garlic serotonin and
Pharmacology dopamine in your
■ Numerous found that men who brain. Eating whole
studies have had colds saw their foods reduces
shown that garlic symptoms clear up degenerative
has antiviral and in three days if they diseases of the
anti-inflammatory took zinc lozenges, brain and reduces
properties that can compared with the likelihood of
help stimulate the seven days for those depression and
immune system. In who took a placebo. anxiety. It also
fact, a study in the Use lozenges
G E T I T: makes us less prone
journal Advances (avoid sprays, which to alzheimer’s and
in Therapy reported can afect the sense multiple sclerosis.
that subjects of smell); aim for What changes
taking a daily 4 to 25mg every will you make
garlic supplement three hours for three tomorrow?
had fewer colds to 14 days.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 35
● Game Changers Elevate your game

The Coach
He won’t cop bullshit from anyone!

Hanging leg
raises work the
core like nobody’s
business.

UNDER THE THUMB

Hey Coach, I was wondering what I do about my

girlfriend who constantly gives me shit. We’ve
been going out for a year and it started really
good. The sex was tops and there was lots of it,
but it’s stopped. And no matter what I do now to
please her, she’ll find fault. If I get her flowers,
they’re the wrong type. Same with restaurants,
movies, gifts… anything. I keep trying but get
nowhere. If we do stuf I want to do (outdoor
stuf) she complains. What do I do?

■ Son, the simple movie you want to see.

solution is to dump
her, The trouble is,
you’re working in the
female’s frame of
reference. She’s calling
the shots, making the
judgements, dictating
You got to not care if she
goes. That might just
want to make her stay.
Either way, you’ll be
better off.

10 minute abs what’s acceptable.

Stop trying to please
her. Start pleasing
yourself. Do what you
STOP TRYING
TO PLEASE
HER. START
DOING WHAT
You don’t have to live in the gym 24/7 to keep the lean physique you’ve want to do, eat the food YOU WANT
worked so hard to build. By MF Editors you want to eat, see the TO DO.

Many guys train B) Avoid boozing like Belushi WRISTY BUSINESS

M their arses (as well as
other parts) off to get
in shape only to find
themselves slacking off once
they’ve hit their targets. Soon
the six-pack becomes a four-
pack, which then morphs into
one rotund ab. Panic sets in, and
suddenly a month’s worth of two-
a-days seems the way to go. But
it doesn’t have to be that way
— you can scale back without
destroying your physique if you:
A) Eat clean 85-95% of the
time, and keep your body
fat at 10% or lower.
in Animal House.
C) Train your body hard two or —
Hi Coach, Tim here. I’m a 19-year-old student
and I can’t stop watching porn. I will watch it
for hours, sometimes all day if I don’t have uni.
preferably — three days a week, and I wank, too. A lot. I think I have a problem. (BTW,
throw in a 10- to 15-minute body- I don’t have a girlfriend.)
part finisher after each session.
■ Tim, you poor sod. Of then a week. At your
To get your beachworthy abs, crush course you don’t have a age, it’s natural to enjoy
this two-round circuit routine. girlfriend. And yep, you buffing the banana a fair
Rest 1 minute before Round 2. got a bit of a problem. bit, but if you’re doing it
While pulling the piss all day, well son, that’s
pump might be a happy just not right. If you
pastime between can’t stop, have a
1) Hanging leg raise google for strategies or go
relationships, it can’t
10-min. 2 sets 15 reps
take over your life. The to howtostopmasturbation.
Abs Circuit 2) Kneeling leg raise simple thing is to stop. com. (Yep, it’s a real
2 sets 15 reps Go fap-free for a day. website.) And if it’s still a
Torch fat with
Then try two days, problem, consult your GP.
this awesome 3) Decline medicine
abs workout ball twist
2 sets 10 reps
Got something health- or fitness-related to ask The Coach? Email
your burning questions to info@mensfitnessmagazine.com.au.

36 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2017

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● Game Changers Weight-loss

Adding chillies
to your meal CEREAL
will prevent
over-eating.
KILLERS
DITCH HIDDEN SUGARS
F R O M YO U R D I E T F O R
B E T T E R H E A LT H

Surprise
Sugar

SOUPS

Shop-bought soup
may seem like a
healthy lunch or
dinner option,
but a 400g can
of tomato soup
contains 19.4g of
sugar, more than
20% of your 90g
daily allowance.
Blend vegetables

Zero-effort fat loss hacks

Follow these tips and form some new no-effort healthy habits to get and stay lean.
at home and
freeze leftovers
for another day.

C E R E A LS

Many breakfast
1Add some heat 2
Drink a schooner
3
Pump up the
4
Find some time
cereals are
packed with
to your cooking before every meal volume to meditate sugar, with the
worst offenders
■ You’ll need more ■ Sorry — we mean ■ Simply listening to ■ Meditation can containing up
water for this tip of water, nothing else. your favourite tunes improve feelings of to 37g of the
because adding Drinking under half a can help you work positivity and lower white stuff per
chillies to your food litre of water is one of out harder for longer stress, which can 100g serving.
will set your mouth the simplest, easiest to burn fat faster. improve your chances And then there’s
on fire — but more and most efective WHY IT WORKS
of shedding fat. the sugar in the
significantly it’ll also hacks you can start Subjects who listened WHY IT WORKS milk to consider
prevent you from doing right now to to their own playlist A few minutes of too. Ditch your
over-eating, one of start to strip away fat. could exercise for 20% meditation each day breakfast bowl for
the biggest factors WHY IT WORKS longer than a control can reduce stress, poached eggs on
behind fat storage. Subjects on a calorie- group who had to according to research wholemeal toast.
WHY IT WORKS controlled diet who train in silence, in a from Carnegie Mellon
S M O OT H I E S
Chillies are good for drank 500ml of study carried out at University. Because
burning body fat not water half an hour Brunel University. the stress hormone Ready-to-drink
because they increase before their three And the music cortisol encourages smoothies contain
your metabolic main daily meals lost made even the fat gain, the lower some of your daily
rate but because a 2kg more over longer and harder your levels of stress vitamin intake, but
compound in them 12 weeks than sessions feel easier the better able your a 250ml serving
triggers the same those who didn’t, in subjects’ minds. body is to burn fat. contains almost
response in your according to the 35g of sugar, 30%
stomach as when journal Obesity, more than the
Performancefood,fast
it’s full, according because the water MF TOP PICKS equivalent amount
BodyMealsareasuper-
to a University of made them eat Body Meals convenientprotein
of a soft drink.
choice.They’reprep-free, Make your own
Adelaide study. fewer calories at
non-perishableanddon’t smoothie and add
meal times.
requirerefrigeration. some veg
bodymeals.com.au and spices.

38 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2017

Not all snacks are
created equal. :KŢUż,JŬQŸ7XůDƃ

HEALTHY BODIES
*UŸ0ŰRŽ3UƆ7ŢLƅ
CELL PROTECTION
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A1121
● Game Changers Inspiration
“The doctor told me if I didn’t
lose weight by the age of 40,
it would be too late.”
onthreetypesofblood atthesideoftheroad,
pressuremedication.” thenfurther,between
Initially Glen chose telegraphpoles.The
the surgical option — fitterhefelt,themore
a gastric band — as a heuppedtheante.
solution to his obesity Hebeganusinglight
problem and the results weightsatthegym,and
were impressive. In the workingwithapersonal
first year, he dropped traineronendurance,
20kg, but after a while coreandstrength.
TALE OF THE SCALE he learnt to cheat the Feelingfitterandmore
GLEN DUNKLEY band—sometimeseven confident,hedecided
eatingtillitmadehim hewouldrunSydney’s
AGE:36 vomit.Thebandalso CitytoSurfover14km,
LIVES: PORT meanthehadno recordingaverysolid
STEPHENS, NSW incentivetoexercise,and timeof1hr29min.
JOB: HEALTH AND becausehisjobentailed He’snowtippingthe
SAFETY MANAGER alotofairtravel,hewas scalesat112kg,alossof
HEIGHT: 180CM eatingoutnightafter morethan38kgin18
night.“Iwaslivingthe months.Hisgoalisto
WAS: 150KG-PLUS,
highlife,drinkingalot runtheGoldCoastand
5XL SHIRT SIZE
andhavingfun.”The Sydneyhalfmarathons
LOST: 38KG excessfatquickly thisyear,andtheNew
NOW: 112KG, returned. Yorkmarathonin2018
XL SHIRT SIZE BecauseGlen’sa withhisuncle,Robert.
positive,upbeatkind Bestofall,Glenhas
ofguy,theonlytimeit been able to bin the
reallydawnedonhim high blood pressure
thathewasdrastically medication and can
overweightwasonplane nowhavefunwithhis
flightswhenhesensed kidswithoutfearhe’s
otherpassengerswere goingtokeelover.“We
thinking:“Ihopethis cangostand-uppaddle
bloke’snotgoingtosit boardingandsurfing.

Fierce focus
nexttome.” Ievenplaysocceron
Indeeditwasonatrip aFridaynight.”
toPerthtwoyearsago Oneofthehardest
thatGlentookthefirst thingshasbeenhis
Glen Dunkley has a successful career, but when he weighed more stepstowardsregaining recentdecisiontogive
than 150kg his life was on the line. It was the desire to be a good father controlofhisbody. upalcohol.“Idrinklotsof
to his young family that spurred him into action. Normally in the late waternow,”hesays.“My
afternoon he would matesribmeaboutnot
have a few drinks at the drinkingbutthepayof
bar before heading on to forthemisIcandrive
dinner. But this time, a themabout.”
Inhisown he didn’t feel like miningcompany.The work mate suggested Glen’s diet is still
words,Glen exercising. The trouble onlydrawbackwasthat they go for a walk. The a work in progress,
I wasalways was he kept on eating henowhadmoremoney efect was immediate: although he is on a
a“bitpudgy” the same food as he to spend on eating out “Ifeltheapsbetterand missiontoreducecarbs
growing up. He says had before — “lots of and drinking hard. mythinkingwasclearer, andnowonlyeatspasta
it’s partly an inherited McDonald’s and sweet Itwasmarriageto too,”Glensays. once a week instead
thing: he comes from a stuf” — and he piled Katieandthebirth He kept up the of most days.
family of bigger-framed on the weight. ofhistwochildren walking and reduced Happywiththegains
people. But it didn’t stop Glencan’tremember thatbroughtmore his alcohol intake: he’smadesofar—“IfI
him leading an active everbeinglessthan perspectivetohishealth his rule was if he stopnowIfeelIwillbe
life: he played rugby 100kg—forthemost —andhisweight,which drank before dinner he lettingpeopledown”
leagueinhishometown parthe’slearnttolive hadnowballoonedto wouldn’t drink after it. —Glensayshehopes
ofNewcastleandwasan withbeingalarger morethan150kg. Healsoditcheddessert. tobeaninspirationto
excellentsurfboatrower. guy.Soashisweight “Iwantedtobe He became so guyswho face similar
However, at 17, climbedthroughout healthyformykids,” focused on walking weight problems: “If
an attack of chronic histwentieshewasstill Glensays.“Andthe he’d get angry if he I can do it, having a
fatigue syndrome-like abletoearnauniversity doctortoldmeifIdidn’t couldn’t do it. He also job where I’m always
symptoms laid him low degreeinhealthand doanythingtolose incorporated running on the move and in
for an extended period safetyandscorea weightbeforeIwas40,it into his routine, first diferent time zones,
and when he recovered high-powered job at a would be too late. I was between the white posts anyone can do it." ■

If you’ve a story like Glen’s you’d like to share, send an email to ashley@mensfitnessmagazine.com.au with clear before and after photos (photos must be at least 1MB each).

40 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
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● Game Changers Health

Thetrue
priceofa
Time to ditch that dream
of turning the ocean
into a sea of beer.

schooner
If you’re serious about building
a fitter, faster or leaner body
then the science says you should
avoid alcohol after training.

After a long, hard workout

A nothing quite quenches your
thirst like an ice-cold schooner
of beer. Water, an electrolyte drink or a
protein shake would be better for you,
obviously, but sometimes only the amber
nectar can hit the spot. Indeed, there is a
direct correlation between people who
work out more and alcohol consumption,
says research published in the American
JournalOfHealthPromotion. But how
detrimental to your training and your
fitness goals is a post-workout schooner?

Slower recovery Food cravings Poor sleep Fat storage

The taste of
Anyone who has ever After training, your Consistent sleep is Whether you work beer without
had a few too many blood sugar levels essential for better out for faster times the hangover
will know that even are low because a training performance or for a leaner body,
simple tasks the lot of your readily and recovery, and drinking too much
morning after, like available energy while boozing before too often will end
■ We’ve established
that beer is not
getting out of bed, stores are emptied. bed might send your ambitions
a trustworthy
require Herculean A night of drinking you to sleep faster, simply by making companion on
eforts. So drinking lowers them further, it impacts sleep you fatter. A gram any fitness journey,
after a tough workout so you wake the next quality. In a study, of alcohol contains but that doesn’t mean
will derail the next morning in a state subjects who drank seven calories, just you have to give it
day’s workout – but of hypoglycaemia just before bed did two less than a gram up. Holsten 0.0% is
the efects can last (very low blood have more slow wave of fat, but unlike an alcohol-free beer
well into the day after sugar levels). This sleep patterns (called fats — which contain that won’t sabotage
that too. The negative is one reason we delta activity), which vitamins and other your workout and
impact is even crave sugary and is the period of deep compounds essential health goals. Brewed
more pronounced fatty foods when sleep associated with to good health — in accordance with
if you are training hungover. Indulging restoration. But they alcohol calories the German purity
in an endurance that urge will spike also had heightened are nutritionally law, it’s a ballsy
discipline, according and then crash alpha wave patterns, empty, containing pilsener with a crisp
to research published blood sugar levels. which your brain little more than finish. Best of all, you
can drink it all night
in the journal Sports Have a high- displays when energy you don’t
When you’re and not wake up with
Medicine, because protein breakfast hung-over, your
you’re wide awake, need. With around
a headache
booze slows the of scrambled eggs body craves salty, according to the 200 calories in
next morning.
speed at which and lean bacon sugary food. Alcoholism: Clinical 600ml of beer, or 180
Available from
your body recovers. with wholemeal & Experimental per 250ml glass of Dan Murphy’s,
This afects muscle toast instead. Research journal. wine, these excess danmurphys.
recovery but also This competition calories cause com.au
further compromises between alpha and weight gain and
your immune delta waves disrupts obesity, according to
system, which is sleep, which is why the journal Clinical
already weakened you’ll often wake Laboratory Sciences.
by your endurance up still feeling tired
eforts, making it after drinking.
harder for you to
fight of illness.

42 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
● Game Changers Travel fit

Did Buddha
do burpes?
MF editor Todd Cole trains at a Thai resort that combines
a bootcamp fitness program with spiritual guidance.

44 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
IthinkBuddhadiddoburpees.Lotsofthem,everyday.
It’smytheorybecausethere’sthiscuriouspractice
inBuddhismtodaywherethepractitionermoveshis
claspedhandsfromheadtonecktoheart,thenkneels
beforelayingflatonhisstomach,handsextendedin
front.Thenhereversesthismovetoastandingposition
beforerepeating.It’snotuncommonforBuddhiststodo
30 “sets” of 30 “reps” during the course of a day’s worship.

Calleda“prostration”, spirituality.Onthe detoxandstress

itlooksforalltheworld dietaryfront,fasting, managementprograms,
likeaslowburpee.It’s nowaproven weightlossandyoga
not,ofcourse.It’sa weight-lossregime, retreatstothewell-
devotionalgesture featuresheavilyin heeledoftheworld.It
adelicious,super- complexthat’d giveany
usedtoshowreverence Buddhism.Infact,the won“WorldwideHealth
cleanmenuandafew fitnessnutaboner.But
andisbelievedtoinvoke Buddhaisreputedto &WellnessDestination
longchatswith Frankdidn’tneedany
venerationandpurity, havesaid:“Idonoteat oftheYear”recentlyat
Kamalaya health aformerHindumonk ofthatshinynew
andnixconceit. amealintheevening. theWorldSpa&Wellness
resort ofers about,well,life’s equipment.Justa10kg
Ididafewdaysof Noteatingamealinthe Awards. Ithasalso
everything from purpose,fitnessand dumbbell,andaSwiss
theseprostrations eveningI,monks,am pickedupSpafinder
yoga to HIIT and personalgoals.Indeed, ball.Sixtyminuteslater,
onceforanotherstory, awareofgoodhealth…” WellnessTravelAwards Thai boxing. Kamalaya’sfounder, Frankworeaclassic
andwhileIwasn’t Buddha,itappears,was 2016:BestinAsia
JohnStewart,livedin Thaismile—Iwasina
enlightened,astrange onthenowfamous andCondéNastTraveller
anAshraminNepal puddleofsweatonthe
calmdescendedupon 5:2Intermittent SpaAwards2016:Best
for16yearsstudying mattgaspingforgaslike
me;acalmI’veonlyfelt Fastingdietwaybefore DestinationSpa.No
underBabaji, afreshly-landedfish!
withexperienceslike itbecameabestseller. smallfeat.
aHimalayanmaster Itwastheendof
intensemulti-day Togetabetterhandle Recentlyit
teacher. theseconddayI
fitnessevents,long onthewholeconcept beganoferinga
I’d bookedinto metmyspiritual
treksorkillerworkouts. ofspiritualityand comprehensive
theComprehensive mentor.Rajesjhwas
Theprocessgotme fitness,Itravelledtoa fitnessprogramwith
OptimalFitness calledthe“Blackberry
thinkingaboutexercise, resortonKohSamui everythingfromThai
program.Iwasweighed, Monk”.Beforehe
fitnessandhowtheytie thatI’d heardemployed boxingandHIITtoyoga
checked,measured studiedancientAsian
intospirituality.The afitnessprogram andbespokestrength
andquizzedbefore philosophiesfor14years
Eastseemstoconnect combinedwithspiritual trainingaswell
beginningmyfirst hewasaverysuccessful
allthreetogetherand guidance. asnutritional
sessionwithalittle charteredaccountant
increasinglythis KohSamuiisa guidance. Theprogram
Thaiguywhocalled inchargeofseveral
approachiscreeping touristytropical iscombinedwith
himselfFrank. largebusinesses.
intoWesterntraining islandofthecoastof twice-dailymassages,
Kamalaya has a gym Rajesjhsatcross-
regimes.MostEastern Thailand.Fortyminutes
leggedandstaredinto
martialartsincorporate fromtheairport,past
mysoul.Iaskedwhy
someelementof gunranges,countless
mostpeopleinthe
deferencetoahigher girliebarsandmoped
Westcouldn’tachieve
purposeanddevout hireshops,sits
theirfitnessgoals.He
humility. Kamalaya.Atfirst
pausedandconsidered
BruceLee’s blush,itlookslikeany
thequestion.
quasi-spiritualquotes upmarketAsianresort.
“Forexerciseto
andmemespepperthe It’sleafyandluxurious
bebeneficialand
interwebs.Mindfulness andbacksontoabeach
successfullong-term,
andmeditationarethe soidyllicifaunicorn
thebody,mindandspirit
newtoolsinhigh-end trottedoutofthejungle
mustbeconnectedto
sportscoaching.Atits surroundedbygolden
theexercise,”hereplied.
mostpure,yoga,the butterflies,you
“Thebodyissimplythe
go-tocross-training wouldn’tbesurprised.
machine,themindis
regimeforcountless Kamalayabills
beingpresenttogoals
athletes,isameditative itselfasawellness
andneeds,andthe spirit
practice grounded in resort ofering
isawareness.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 45
● Game Changers Travel fit
“Spiritualityis hippieinthe’70sthen
attention.Through becameasuccessful
attentioncomesa businessmenandis
spaceofhappiness.If nowaworld-renowned
youarehappy,youwill artdealer.
notquit.Mostpeoplein Herespondedinan
theWestcan’tconnect email:“Themodern
allthree. Westernapproachto
“First,theyneglect physicalfitnessdidnot
thespirit.Thenthey emergefromholistic
losethemindand understanding.Infact,
finally,theyarejust comingfrommodern
abodyperforminga science,ithas,like
repetitive,boringtask. medicine,been
Sotheyquit.” separatedinto
Inodded,said,“Yes,I specialtiesnot
see”alotandpretended necessarilyconnected
Iunderstoodwhathe toeachother.Our
wastalkingabout.It bodiesandminds
rattledaroundmybrain havebeendividedinto
thenextdayduring individualunconnected
yoga,lapsinthepool, parts…Eastern
anda90-minute philosophicaltraditions
massage.Butitdidn’t seealllifeasan
click.Surely,stickingto integratedwholewhere
afitnessregimewas exerciseisapartofthe “Eastern tradition Thedaysfollowed buthadtomeetRajesjh. yousuddenlygotit?
simplyamatterof pathtowisdom, apatternoftraining Isatwithhimand Ididthen.Itwasn’t
self-discipline.What personalgrowthand
sees life as an
bliss:workout,eat confessed Ididn’t thatcomplex.
didspiritualityhave transformation.” integrated whole clean,massage, understandwhat Lookingbackover
todowithit? Transformation. where exercise repeat.Sleep. hemeantabout mylife, I thoughtabout
IthoughtI’d flick Personalgrowth.Like is a part of the Theweek-long spiritualityand whenI’d enjoyed
thequestiontoJohn manyofyouIsuspect, programwas fitness. Heasked: trainingthemost,
Stewart.Johnwas Ihavetheseinspades path to wisdom.” well-variedand “Whendoyoulove andwhenI’d been
ayogimonkwho, thankstoalifelong interesting,the training?” successful.
reversingRajesjh’slife pursuitofexercise. PTsknowledgeable Ireflectedonmy Itwas thetimes I’d
course, started as a I was still confused. andinspiring,and kickboxingsession: hadagoalandwas
thepropertyan “WhenI’mrightintoit.” doingitforsomeone
instagramjunkie’swet “Thatisawareness,” else: helpingan
dream.ButRajesjh’s Rajesjhresponded. overweightmate/client
wordswereariddle “Whenyourmindis shed lard;trainingwith
thatcontinuedto inthepresent,inthe abuddyforarace;
hauntme. now,andnotwishing raisingcashfora
JustbeforeImet itwasover.Andwhy charityrun; wanting
himagain,Idida doyoutrain?” mykidstofeelproud
sessionof kickboxing “Tokeepmyweight oftheirdad.
—acherishedpastime undercontrol,plus Iffitnesshasahigher
ofmine.Myinstructor, Iwanttolivetoan purposethat’s
all65kgofhim,could oldage.” importanttoyou,then
havedisassembledmy “Bothverygood you’llneverquit.It
88kgframeeasily, goals,”heobserved. mightbefortheloveof
butlikealltheexperts Silence. yourchildren,mates,
atKamalaya,his “AndIguess,”I thelessfortunateor
approachwasfun continued,“Iwantto yourcountry.Ifyou’re
andfriendly. beanexampletomy trainingforsomething
Iworkedmyheartout twinboysandteenage greaterthanyourself,
onkicksandsparring, girl.Iwantthemto you’llnevertrain
finallydeliveringsome understandhealth harder.
crushingblowstothe andfitness…” BackinAustralia,
bag.Ibeganlaughing Rajesjhsatback, Irereadanemailfrom
withpurejoy.Sodidmy witha“there-you-go” John:“IntheEast,there
trainer.Itwasgenuine flourishofhishands. isanunderstanding
fun.Timeslippedaway Haveyoueverhad thatwehumanbeings
andtheideaofquitting an“ah-ha”moment? areapartofsomething
nevercrossedmy Asplitsecondwhere muchlargerthan
mind. Whenmytrainer youwantedtolaugh ourselves…”
calledtime,Ihadburnt out loud because It made sense.■
over800Caloriesand
myEPOC[rateof
oxygenintake]was For more information on Koh Samui-
throughtheroof. based luxury health resort Kamalaya,
I wanted to do it again, go to kamalaya.com.

46 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
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● Game Changers Grooming

Thewages
of skin
How to keep pimples and acne at bay.

Pock-marked red, dry and irritated

Acne vulgaris The solution

(or simply acne)
The pizza face look
is a long-term The key ingredients
is so last year.
skin condition for fighting acne are
characterised by salicylic acid, which
areas of blackheads, inhibits the growth
whiteheads, pimples, or reproduction
greasy skin and of bacteria;
possibly scarring. niacinamide, an
anti-inflamatory;
Pimple planet symsitive 1609, a
skin-desensitising
In 2010, acne was ingredient that
estimated to afect quickly reduces
650 million people redness and
globally making it the irritation; and aloe
8th most common vera, bisabolol,
disease worldwide. chamomile and
Most people think of cucumber.
it as a puberty issue,
however, while it Where can I find it?
is less common in
adulthood than in Try Lqd Blemish
adolescence, nearly Control serum. It
half of people in their contains all of the
twenties and thirties above ingredients,
continue to have and is excellent for
some level of acne. getting rid of pimples Acne is the 8th

Common treatment
or ingrown hairs
that threaten to
most common
disease worldwide.
Shorty the barber
Kickarse advice from grooming expert Shorty Maniace.
sabotage important
Benzoyl peroxide dates. It also reduces
is used as a topical the appearance I started biking to that’ll pull sweat away I do when customers
treatment. While of swollen pores, work, but when from the body — it’ll sweat in the shop.
it is very efective by removing I get there I’m keep you cooler. After that, give
at killing the bacteria, whiteheads and always drenched At the office, wet a yourself a sponge bath.
unfortunately it blackheads. with sweat. I don’t washcloth with really Comedian George Carlin
can also cause the Lqd skin expert want to smell or cold water and put said, “All you need to
skin to become feel gross all day. it on your brow. Or do is wash the four key
Anthony McDonough
(The office has no keep a couple of areas: armpits, arsehole,
shower.) What wet washrags in a crotch and teeth.” It’s
can I do? refrigerator if you have so fucking true, that’s
MF TOP PICKS JEREMY, PERTH one — in fact, get a where smell is produced.
small fridge and keep it So sponge bath that
You know, I always under your desk for stuf, towel yourself
want to open my car just that. of and apply more
door and knock people Then put more cold deodorant and you’ll
like you of their water on the cloth and be good to go.
bikes for being dab it on the bone
overachievers. behind your ear —
I’m kidding. Riding is that’ll instantly cool
great — but being you of. Or use an ice
sweaty is a problem. cube — not so long you
BIC Flex 3 Men’s Men’s Botanics Lqd Blemish Control So, first, shower at have a brain freeze,
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facebook.com/bicflexau/ mensbotanics.com.au lqd.com.au

48 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
strategic partners
 ● Game Changers Dating

Tykecasting
Dating a woman with kids is like running a romantic
obstacle course with time-outs for covert sex. But if
she’s a keeper, it’s well worth it. By Sarah Rose

Romance was confounding even back in uni, when every

R dude still had his hair and nobody had reproduced. But
now your world of available women includes mums —
that is, the mother of other men’s children. Dating has entered a
new dimension, one with inscrutable small humans who control
the damsels you want to save from distress. Here’s what to do:

Get creative Cool but kind will be four parties

about sex. in this relationship:
■ Show kindness you, her, her kid —
■ Your go/no-go and a semblance of and the Birth Father.
window remains the liking kids — but don’t Adding him to
third date, but the go overboard or kiss the mix creates
signals will be all her munchkin’s arse. a new layer of
new. You now have Talk to him as if he complexity — with
to schedule sex were your boss’s wife no easy wins. Once
around a third party: or a dental assistant. you’re knee-deep
the kid Ask questions. in intimacy with her,
So, when she says You’ll get one-word ask for an intro. Then
her ex has him for answers. That’s OK: use pickups and
the night, consider it You’re dating Mum, drop-ofs as casual
excellent news. Note: not moppet. getting-to-know
This doesn’t mean And if he really opps or to difuse
sex will happen at hates you, but she any drama.
her place. Your place doesn’t dump you, be
not appealing? Get a flattered: She wants Understand where
maid. Better yet, get to keep you around. you stand.
a room. The kid’s simply
being territorial. ■ With rugrats in the
Make way for picture, there’s zero
dimples. Stay neutral. chance you’ll ever be
the top person in this
■ Let her tell you ■ You can’t parent woman’s life — but
when you get to her kids, so don’t try. that window of
meet Potty Pants. My Their fights aren’t narcissism was
ex self-immolated your fights. If you short-lived anyway
when I joked about stay together, you’ll (if it existed at all).
meeting his 6-year- be Not My Father So take the long
old anytime before for years. I treat my view: Dating a mum
she was, say, old date’s ofspring like means you get to be
enough to drive. He feral, if adorable, with someone with
slow-walked the intro animals, keeping my a proven capacity
since it reminded him distance and letting for selflessness.
his wife was never them make the first Give it a gamble:
Teddy bears coming back and he move. Ask only that nothing risqué,
have all the fun. was alone. nothing gained.
the menagerie be
The timeline on respectful, with no
real-life ofspring name-calling, biting
will likely be age- or mud-slinging
dependent: Babies catapults.
have no idea you
exist. Teenagers
Dating a mum
Meet the dad.
can smell you from means you get to
miles away. So follow ■ Even with modern be with someone
Mum’s lead. And fertility science, all with a proven
whether she calls you tadpoles come with
capacity for
her BF or the plumber, some sort of father.
just roll with it. Chances are there selflessness.
50 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2017
● Game Changers Style
Made to measure is
not a stitch-up — it’s ASK THE
the best way to buy
a suit that truly fits. EXPERT
B LO K E S T Y L E T I P S
YO U C A N ’ T D O W I T H O U T

How can I clean

my Converse
sneakers? They’re
pretty gross, but
I don’t want to
throw them out…

■ Got a washing
machine and a Mr.
Clean Magic Eraser?
Then it’s a cinch.
“If your sneakers
have seen better
days, it’s easy to
get them looking —
and smelling — like
new again,” says
cleanandscentsible
.com’s Jenn Lifford.
First, remove the
laces; use a dry
brush to loosen
dirt, debris and
mud in the grooves
of the soles; treat
major stains with
a laundry stain
remover; and take
a wet Magic Eraser
to the dirty, nasty-

A measure of greatness looking rubber

parts. (And when
you’re done with
that, use it on your
In today’s topsy-turvy world, keeping your suit up to date can be a pain in the proverbial. But rather golf clubs, bike
than fight a losing battle trying to keep up with crazy-arse fashions, smart Aussie guys are seeking helmet, tyre rims,
out a long-term solution: made to measure. Let our mates at PeterJackson show you how it’s done. even a scummy
bathtub — the thing’s
amazing, and we’re
Madeto personaliseallaspects alittlemore accentuatesyour not getting paid to

M Measure
isa
ofdesign,fromthesize
ofthelapels—youdon’t
individuality intoyour
wardrobe,sothatyou
massiveshoulders
andchestandtapers
say that.)
Put the shoes
no-fuss wanttolooklikea don’tresemblea atthewaist. and laces in the
formofcustom 1970scarsalesman personality-freezone.It washing machine
tailoringthatgives — tolining. goesdownatreatwith TheEveryman with detergent, plus
youawidevarietyof the oppositesex a cup of vinegar if
optionstocreatea Who’sitFor? becauseitshowsyou ■ Customtailoringis the shoes are extra
garmentuniquetoyour payattentiontodetail nolongerarichdude’s smelly. For dark or
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 Ride It!

Like a
machine
Motocross is way more physically
demanding than you’d ever imagine.

56 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 It’s a widely held belief that athletes who compete
in motorised sport don’t need to be very fit. Take
motocross. You sit on a powerful dirt bike for
around 30 minutes. How physically demanding
can that be? “There are many sports in the world
and although I’ve been fortunate enough to train
athletes within a bunch of these, I am yet to find
a sport that matches the overall physical demands
of motocross,” says Todd Jarratt, development
coach at CSF: Performance Development
Centre on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

“By overall, I mean once... Now repeat this packing on too much Star Aussie
the combination of two to three times in motocross rider motocross racing.” which were pock-
muscle, as the power
aerobic and anaerobic a day and you’ve got Kade Mosig develops The training, like marked with deep,
to weight ratio in
endurance, strength, a typical motocross the strength needed most elite level sports, nasty-looking bruises.
motorcycle racing is
mobility and balance, race day.”
to power through 30 varies immensely He looked like he’d
hugely important.” minutes of hell.
core control, Training for this between riders and been in a fight. He said
In weekly training,
skill-acquisition, type of ordeal is as coaches. Jarratt says: it was from the hail of
riders are taken
decision making and rigorous as any “The easiest way to rocks riders in front
through 30-plus
mental endurance.” non-motorised athlete. describe the amount kick up at 50km/h.
95-100% HRM sprint
Motocross is a race During the pre- and variety of training I was invited to give
laps to mimic the
of up to 40 riders on a season, professional completed by the sport a go a few
half-hour race
man-made dirt circuit motocross racers train motocross racers is to weeks later near
conditions, with
with jumps and turns five to six days per think of the training Tenterfield in the New
gym-based strength
testing skills and week, with multiple volume of a triathlete, England region of NSW.
maintenance next.
fitness. While each sessions per day, the intensity of a track The energy levels
“Motocross usually
of these facets is key, Jarratt says. These cyclist, and the grit and required were huge. An
oversteps the aerobic
fitness is the most pre-season sessions injury management of of-road bike weighs
boundary and requires
under-appreciated involve aerobic base an MMA fighter.” 120kg. I kept dropping
anaerobic energy
and unreported. and maximal strength And there are injuries it, and must have done
contribution for
Jarratt explains: development, with — and not just from 30 deadlifts that day
around half an hour
“Motocross requires injury rehab and accidents. Walking picking it up. Even
at a time,” says Jarratt.
an “all-out sprint” weakness also around the pits when I had a good run,
“So riders train
80-100% of maximal addressed. at a meet, your hanging on required
weights, but are
heart rate, for half an “The aerobic base correspondent spied immense strength
cautious of getting
hour with zero rest, work consists mainly a rider inspecting his and stamina. And the
too big as weight
which generally leads of steady-state, heart upper body and arms, concentration fried my
plays a huge role in
to more than 500 rate zone based eforts nervous system.
calories being burnt of running, swimming, After an hour of
per race.” cycling, mountain puttering along
He says that during biking, rowing or like a newbie I was
each race, the body skiergs. The strength absolutely stufed —
relies heavily on the development is more like I’d done a rigorous
aerobic energy system, dependent on the HIIT workout. I
but because of the rider’s technical lifting lay on the ground,
intensity involved, it ability, but for those and vowed never to
also requires constant who have a few years underestimate the
anaerobic support, of lifting experience fitness and athleticism
through the anaerobic under their belts, you of motor-based
glycolytic system. would expect to see a athletes again.
“Maxing out” the lactic near maximal load and
iKapture photography

acid energy system low volume (low sets Is this for you? Head
just once results in and reps) scheme over to yamaha-motor.
huge muscular fatigue, completed. com.au to see what is
he says. “Think of leg, “This is to increase on offer for Motocross
core, chest, arm and their maximal and Enduro riders.
back day DOMS all at strength without

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 57
 Fit Bloke Challenge
Men of steel
Twenty guys, three days of body-breaking
workouts and one seriously knackered winner.
That was the tale of heroic courage on display
at the 2017 Men’s Fitness Fit Bloke Challenge.

The burpee box

jumps sorted the
men from the boys.

58 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 It was lots of training with
I tough.
It was
heavy equipment in
extreme heat, so he
ball- was well-prepared
breakingly tough. for the Challenge’s
But after two unrelenting pace
sessions of brutal — but he still found
physical exercise the burpee box jumps
against the clock hard going. “They
involving some of weren’t the normal 24
the fittest guys in inches,” he said. “They
Australia, the Men’s were 30 inches and it
Fitness Fit Bloke really gassed me.”
Challenge winner It was in the second
for 2017 was finally round of kettlebell
crowned. swings when nearest
His name: Lachlan rival Luke slowed
Dansie, a fireman up that Lachlan’s
from Sydney’s persistence paid of.
inner-west. Lachlan, “I could see Luke put
39, finished a his bells down, so I
crushing 37 seconds made sure I wasn’t
ahead of second- going to let them go,”
placed Luke Douglas, Lachlan said. “I’d done
recording a time of a fair bit of grip work “You have to back yourself. Stick
12min 17sec. in practice and I kept to a pace you can maintain and
The final (see box on holding on.” don’t get put of if others are
for workout) included Luke says he hoped in front of you.’’
two rounds of to overhaul Lachlan
pullups, clap at that point but he
pushups, 40kg was so knackered his
deadlifts, 24kg grip strength let him you keep your form old personal trainer where you end up on
kettlebell swings, down. The 25-year- and don’t go out too from Newtown in the leaderboard, you
40kg front squats, old RAAF Physical hard you will go fast. Sydney’s inner-city, can be guaranteed
burpee box jumps Training Instructor So I was hoping to was stoked just to your body will be a
and an arm-busting from Canberra also go smooth and fast, make it through whole mess of pain
farmer’s carry. found the burpee box and catch up on the his heat on the first for days to come.
Each competitor jumps tough — “I had box jumps.” day of competition. “After winning I felt
had to complete a trouble landing on Of course, not “The experience of great, but gee, my
designated number the box and staying everyone could being here has been legs were sore the
of reps before they upright” — but that podium like star inspiration for me next few days.”
could advance to the didn’t stop him performers Lachlan to push myself
next exercise — the pushing Lachlan and Luke. Some guys harder. My aim was
culmination of three to the death. were competing in to compete with Can you cut it?
days of heats and “You really have to Winner Lachlan Dansie their maiden fitness the others and finish
semifinals. dig deep. My mantra (centre) with runner-up tournaments. Dean in the top five, and
Indeed, the final is smooth is fast. If Luke Douglas (left). Lieschke, a 28-year- I did it.” This is an exact
followed on only So what was the reproduction of the Fit
minutes after a Bloke Challenge final
key to winning? workout. Remember,
semifinal of similar Apart from having the guys who did it were
muscle-screaming superhuman coming off a gruelling
intensity. No wonder endurance, awesome semi-final only minutes
before. Go hard!
Lachlan was utterly cardio and muscular
wrecked when he TWO ROUNDS
conditioning, and
Each competitor must
stepped up to receive a ticker that never complete the designated
his winning booty in says die… number of reps before
front of hundreds of “Mentally, you have progressing to the next
exercise.
cheering fans at the to back yourself,” said
Darling Harbour Lachlan, who first ● 25 pullups
International entered the Fit Bloke
● 20 clap pushups
● 25x40kg deadlifts
Convention Centre Challenge in 2011.
● 50x24kg kettlebll
in Sydney. “Stick to a pace you
swings
After the race, can maintain ● 20x40kg front squats
Lachlan said his and don’t get put of ● 20x30-inch burpee
strategy had been to if others are in front box jumps
get out in front early of you. They might ● 6x10m farmer’s carry,

and hold on. As a fire slow down.” (24kg kettlebell in

fighter, he had done But no matter each hand)

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 59
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 MF
COVER
GUY

May
the
R O B F O R T E I S A U S T R A L I A’ S G R E AT E S T

C R O S S F I T T E R . H E H A S C O M P E T E D AT

THE REEBOK WORLD GAMES SIX YEARS

I N A R O W, A N D I S E Y E I N G A S E V E N T H

A P P E A R A N C E I N A U G U S T. I N A N

E X C LU S I V E I N T E R V I E W, T H E 3 0 -Y E A R -
Forte
O L D M E L B U R N I A N R E V E A LS T H E P R E P

HE’S PUT HIS BODY AND MIND THROUG H

be
IN ORDER TO NAIL A T O P 1 0 F I N I S H .

with
you
 The Games, held from August

hen
3-6 in the mid-western US city of
Madison, takes in over 380,000
competitors from more than 175
countries. Through a series of
gruelling elimination trials known
as the “open” [competitors submit
footage of themselves performing
designated workouts] followed
by the “regionals” [the top guys
from the Open duke it out in a full-
body, high-intensity workout], the
competition is whittled down to just
Rob Forte gets asked how long he’s been training for the 2017 Reebok Crossit 40 men and 40 women.
Games he says “seven years”. And he’s not being a smartarse. Since 2011 — his irst The inals comprise up to 15 events
Games appearance — Forte has been honing his competition strategy and reining over four days. In 2016 they included
lung-busting workouts such as
training techniques on a daily basis at his CrossFit box in the Melbourne suburb of “Murph”: a 1.6km run, followed by
Frankston. So far his best inish at the world championships is 12th in 2014 — last ive rounds of 20 pullups, 40 pushups,
60 squats and another 1.6km run
year he placed 17th on the leaderboard — but he is conident a PB isn’t far of.
— all done wearing a 9kg vest. Rob
smashed it, inishing high up the
leaderboard in seventh position.
The two workouts that caused him
the most problems were the “Suicide
Sprint”: an 840ft (256m) shuttle run
for time, and the 500m ocean swim.
He inished 38th in both. He won’t
get caught short again.
“I had a shoulder niggle every time
I swam in training and it would afect
the rest of my lifting performance
so I didn’t do much of it last year,”
Rob says. “But this year I’ve joined a
swim squad run by [record-breaking
ultra athlete] John Van Wisse, and
it’s really helped me. Last year, I’d
only done 2km swimming before
the games, this year I will have done
40km. I’ve also been doing track
sprint sessions.”

How much time do you spend

adjusting to US conditions?
I go over two weeks before it starts
to expose myself to the heat of their
summer. Training-wise, I just tread
water — making sure I’m ready to
go at the right time.

Who will be your toughest rival?

Mat Fraser [2016 champion] is
the most well-rounded guy there.
Last year he eliminated all the
weaknesses he had from the year
before. You look at him now and
think: what can’t he do?
How do you deal with nerves?
I’m normally pretty calm. I
remember my irst Games event in
2011. It was at the beach. There was
At a ripped 174cm squatting, swimming, running and
and 88kg, Rob Forte
is the perfect size pushups and I inished sixth so it
for a CrossFit athlete. boosted my conidence. The thing I
had to deal with was seeing famous

62 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 Rob’s
metcon
WOD
Train like a
CrossFit champion.
FORTE WOD
5 rounds
for time of:
10 barbell
thrusters(40kg)
10 burpees
20 double
unders
DESCRIPTIONS
Barbell
thrusters Start
with a front squat
and end with
a press overhead,
finishing in the
centre over the top
of your body.
Burpees Drop
to a pushup with
chest touching
the ground. Jump
your feet back in
under your hips
then spring up and
clap over your
head to finish.
Double unders
The rope passes
under the feet
twice per jump.

guys in reality that I’d only ever seen
on YouTube before. You expect
them to beat you, which is not the
head space you really want to be in.
Obviously, that’s changed now.
What do you say to yourself when
you hit a wall in competition?
Diferent things for diferent events.
The Double DT [10 rounds of 12
deadlifts, 9 hand power cleans and
6 push jerks at 70kg] last year was
long enough that you could slow
down in the middle. My mantra was:
“The more it hurts, the better I’ll
feel afterwards”. I knew if I passed
through the pain I would feel good
when I inished and I did. Before I
approach bar movements I always
say: “I can and I will” to myself. At the
Open this year my motto was: “Move
towards the pain instead of moving
away from it.” Find the pain quicker
and go with it. Obviously you can
only do these things if you’ve trained
and prepared right, though.
The mental side is key for you.
There’s not much that separates the
guys physically at the Games, so it
can help you get an edge. For me the
mental game is nearly 50%. If you
learn how to handle the pressure
of performing in public I reckon
you could go from, say, 15th to 5th.
For me, mental toughness is easy —
blocking things out. It’s about getting
into the zone and how that makes
you perform better. And the way to
do that is by putting something on
the line or where something’s at risk.
It makes you focus more.
Do you follow a competition diet?
I don’t like to change what I eat too
much. I eat Paleo food. It makes me
feel better to eat that way — it’s not
just about eating for fuel. So that
means meats like lean chicken, lamb,
pork and beef, plus veggies and carbs
like sweet potato, pumpkin and
quinoa. I’ll have pizza but I always
remember how I feel the next day
and I don’t like that bloated feeling.
But if I go out and everyone’s eating
the dessert I’ll have it. I don’t let my
diet take a toll on me mentally.
My motto at the Open this year
was: “Move towards the pain instead
of moving away from it.” Find the
pain quicker and go with it.
You discovered CrossFit in 2009.
How has it changed you?
The way I see the world has
completely changed. Everything
that’s happened to me because of
it has been great. I opened my own
gym, I’ve travelled the world, but
it’s the mental side of things that
has been important. I used to be
frightened to talk in front of people,
now I run classes and like public
speaking. I can handle people, social
situations and stress better. It’s
such a positive environment where
everyone helps you learn.
YourMumNellamadeittotheGames
last year in the Masters 55-59 age
division. That must have been an
honour for the Forte family.
It was good having her there but I
couldn’t watch her perform because
her events were on during my
orientation.Itwasnerve-wrackingfor
her, but I told her to have fun and not
stress. She’ll be there again this year.
Can you improve on your 2016 inish?
I know I’m better than last year, but
I don’t have a placing goal — just
daily goals. I know I’m capable of
breaking the top 10. ■
J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 63
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CROSSFIT

SPECIAL

INSIDE THE BOX

S T I L L H AV E N ’ T T R I E D I T Y E T ? I T M I G H T B E T I M E T O S M A S H A WO D . BY A L I S O N T U R N E R
 Constantly challenging and ever-growing in popularity, CrossFit is clearly no
lash-in-the-pan itness fad. While simple in concept— turn up, do your Workout
of the Day (WOD), feel awesome, go home — the many beneits of CrossFit are as
diverse as its adherents. That’s also one major drawcard for the sport — anyone
can do it, you just have to show up. For many, the competitive nature of CrossFit
is the sport’s major appeal. As well as pushing your own boundaries, CrossFit
allows you to compete against others in your gym, and even across the world. It never becomes stale
because every day there is a new challenge — a new way to push yourself and see how far you can go.

But above all else, what every CrossFit fan will tell you is
that there is a spirit of fellowship among CrossFitters that you
won’t ind in a regular gym. Everyone supports each other and BEST SUPPORTING ROLE

cheers each other on. There is little room for ego, and even less
for exclusion or judgement. At CrossFit, everyone is equal, no
matter how many muscle-ups you can do.
WOD YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT?
Want to get started? First you need to find a “box”. Not a
cardboard one — box is the term for a CrossFit gym, and there are
more than 13,000 licensed CrossFit affiliates around the world.
Just head to crossfit.com and use their Affiliate Finder Map to
search for a box near you. The website is also where you’ll ind
the Workout of the Day — there are thousands of them up there,
and a quick scroll through will give you a good idea of what types
of exercise are required.
If you think it all seems too hard, don’t. You don’t need to
be an elite athlete to start CrossFit, you just need to start. Your
CrossFit coach can help you to learn and master the moves, and
there’s always the option to adapt the exercises to your level and
your abilities. Every human body is diferent, and so too is every
CrossFitter’s story about how they discovered the new itness
love of their lives.
Blaine Duncan, 23, found CrossFit after a back injury ended
his career in the RAAF. A friend of his who also had back issues
recommended CrossFit as it had helped him in his recovery.
Duncangaveitagoandlovedit.Infact,hewassokeen,hedecided
to train as a Level 1 coach. He now trains at Picton CrossFit, south
of Sydney. “I wanted to fast-track my progression,” he says. “So I
Selena Quintrell was looking for something new and challenging.
She wanted to get stronger and itter but found she became easily
bored with exercise and had never had much success with attending
a regular gym. After asking a friend who did CrossFit, she decided to
give it a go. She hasn’t looked back since.
“I ind it like a team sport in the way you build friendships with the
people you work out with. Some people call it the CrossFit community
and I suppose that’s what it is. Everyone supports everyone whether
it’s just a hard day in life or it’s a hard workout. It’s the only sport I know
of where the person who comes last gets the most cheers!”
Quintrell’s experience with CrossFit has taught her that it’s not about
being the best in the gym — it’s about being the best you can be. And
her fellow CrossFitters at CrossFit North Gong on NSW south coast
have always got her back.
“If someone’s struggling, everyone will encourage them to just keep
going, she says. “I remember once not long after I had started CrossFit,
when I was always the last person to inish a Workout of the Day. Even
though I was determined to inish, on this particular day I was feeling
down and just wanted to stop. The run part of the workout seemed like
it was going on forever and I’d been lapped by everyone and I knew
everyone else had all inished. But then I heard footsteps and two of
the guys from the box came running up beside me. They ran with me,
encouraging me all the way to the end. It just made me smile when I felt
like giving up; it made me feel like part of the team.”
WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK

became a coach so I could coach myself.”
Duncan was immediately taken by CrossFit as he was amazed
at what he saw other CrossFitters doing. “For me it wasn’t about
being competitive, it was more about functional itness,” he says.
“I started with no knowledge and I was relatively unit and a bit
overweight. Now I’m competing in local competitions.” In 2018
Duncan plans to aim for the CrossFit Regionals — the nation-wide
competition that pits the country’s best against each other.
“CROSSFIT IS THE ONLY
SPORT I KNOW WHERE
THE PERSON WHO
COMES LAST GETS
THE MOST CHEERS.”
Coach Vilimir Yordanov trains CrossFitters at CrossFit RJ in Sydney. He
found CrossFit when he was racing motorbikes and wanted to get into
peak shape for the racing season. Already a personal trainer, he soon
decided to qualify as a CrossFit coach after falling for the sport.
“A CrossFit coach does so many things and is so important for the
development of the athlete,” he says. “As coaches, we like to insist on
perfect mechanics, or as near perfect as possible, to minimise the risk
of injury and ensure that the athlete is pain-free and actually enjoying
what they’re doing. You’re there to move your body, but you’re also
there to enjoy yourself.”
A CrossFit coach has to know a lot more than just the physical
mechanics. They also learn how to scale exercises (changing the
weights or adapting the exercise to suit the individual) and spot errors.
Then there are the logistics of organising classes and programming
workouts. There’s even an element of psychology involved — in a
hectic class environment with music blaring and people pumping
weights, a good coach needs to know how to efficiently and efectively
correct a mistake.

66 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
Blood, sweat and no fears:
Clockwise, from above:
weighted situps add extra
grunt to standard abs
exercises; setting up the
gear for a competition;
muscle-ups are synonymous
with CrossFit; the sport’s
ethos summed up in a
singlet; box jumps test
power and flexibility.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 67
 What the WOD? Decoding the language of CrossFit
Don’t have a clue what some guys mean when they talk about thrusters and double unders being part of the WOD at the CrossFit box? Read this.

Workout of the Day Double Under (DU)

(WOD)
■ While jumping rope,
■ Plain and simple, this allow the rope to pass
is the set of modalities under your feet twice
that your coach uses to while you’re still in the
put you through hell on air. As an alternative,
any given day. you can do three single
unders for every DU
As Many Rounds As
that is required (eg: 20
Possible (AMRAP) DUs = 60 SUs).
■ Complete a circuit
Pistol
as many times as you
can within a given time ■ No, this has nothing to
frame. For example, do with gun control, so
6-minute AMRAP: 5 everyone please relax.
deadlifts, 10 pullups, A pistol is a one-legged
20 double unders. squat, which helps
When 6 minutes is up, to isolate each leg
record your total rounds and build lower-
completed. Note: body strength.
AMRAP may also mean
“as many reps Snatch
as possible”.
■ Get your minds out of
MetCon the gutter. The snatch
has many variations
■ Short for metabolic (power, hang, muscle),
conditioning, this but the overall goal is to
CrossFit devil is usually use a wide grip to lift a
a few exercises repeated barbell from the floor to
AMRAP-style. The an overhead position in
“Cindy” workout of the one fluid and lightening-
day (20 minutes of 5 fast motion. Tip: Keep
pullups, 10 pushups, the bar close to your
and 15 squats) is a good body when hoisting it to
example. Some boxes allow for better balance.
offer MetCon-only
classes for anybody Chipper
who wants to steer
clear of the heavy lifting ■ Everyone who does
associated with standard CrossFit is in a chipper
CrossFit WODs. mood all the time — oh
wait, that’s not right.
Thruster “Chipper” refers to a
WOD that you have to
■ Thrusters feel chip away at in order
like the bane of all to finish. It consists
CrossFitters’ existence, of a series of multiple
especially during movements (usually 5
“Fran” when they’re to 10) where each
done 45 times with athlete is trying to finish
complementing pullups. the entire thing as fast
To do this move, grab as humanly possible.
a barbell and start
with the bar resting Kipping
against the front of
your shoulders. Hold the ■ Kipping uses
barbell with a hook grip. explosive strength to
Drop into a full squat gain momentum.. For
position while keeping example, kipping pullups
the barbell at shoulder are completed without
level. Return to standing dropping from the bar.
position in an explosive This move starts on
The snatch is an
all-over exercise (thrusting) motion the pullup bar with a
that works the and push the weight powerful hip drive,
glutes, hammies, up over your head. explosive kick and strong
quads, calves, Bring the barbell back pull from the arms in
traps and delts. down to your shoulders order to create enough
and repeat. momentum to get your
chin up over the bar.

68 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 Yordanov says you don’t need to
be super it to start CrossFit.
“Sure, you see these crazy guys
carrying heavy weights around and
you think you can’t do it because you
have to be so it, but we all started
somewhere before we reached
this level! We see someone starting
out thinking they can’t be as fit as
everyone else but as the weeks
pass you see them progressing.”

FITTER THAN FIT

Donovan Pierro, 23, though he was

pretty fit. As a rugby league and
basketball player, he was active
and training regularly. But after
discovering CrossFit he knew there
was another whole level of fitness
that he wanted to get to.
“I’d had an interest in CrossFit for
a few years, but it wasn’t until last
year that I swapped from my regular
gym and jumped over to CrossFit,”
he says. “Everyone I knew who did
it was happy. I felt it enough to give
it a go, but afterwards I had never felt like that before! It uses muscles
you’ve never used before. It hurts, but it’s a good kind of pain — you’re
knackered, yes, but happy. You get this endorphin rush from it.” Approximately four-and-a-half years ago I headed down to my
Since taking up CrossFit, Pierro says he has never felt in better shape. local box, introduced myself and the rest is history!”
“I never thought I’d be at this itness level,” he says. “I’m so it and The CrossFit community tends to attract driven, passionate
strong now. And that feeling when you get your irst muscle-up? A part individuals, and for Lee, being around like-minded people
of you feels so good. I remember thinking, ‘How the hell did I get up every day has inspired him to realise his full potential.
there?!’ It was a feeling of elation.” “CrossFit has instilled purpose in my life and a great sense of
While Pierro still has many more moves to master, he loves the fact belonging,” he says. “CrossFit has enabled me to travel around
that you can constantly see your own improvement as time goes by. the world, for both enjoyment and business, meeting some
“It’s not like bodybuilding where it’s just about how you look in a amazing people along the way.”
mirror,” he says. “You’re looking at your performance. I used to always For Lee, 31, and his business partner Ben Dineen, The WOD
be in the regular gym doing bodybuilding stuf and I was sort of it, but I Life was born out of their own personal need to access quality
wasn’t super it. I was stuck in the gym ideal that if I didn’t look a certain products to support their training. “Back in the early days of
way I was training for no reason. Now I’m training for a reason, and I’m CrossFit, there were not many brands available in the market,
happy to go and train. I want to do this for the rest of my life.” let alone Australia,” Lee says. “The market was amazingly
fragmented, with no centralised hub or location where you
A NEW CALLING could get involved in the community and pick up all the gear
For Adelaidian Andy Lee, CrossFit did more than change his itness you needed to support your training. Our goal was to bring all
level — it led to a whole new career. Lee is co-founder of the WOD of these brands together, under one roof, coupled with content,
Life — an online CrossFit clothing and equipment store. When he irst education and motivation to fuel the functional itness lifestyle.”
discovered CrossFit he was already in good shape, but the sport has The community response to The WOD Life has been,
since transformed both his according to Lee, “absolutely insane”.
body and his life. “From our irst customer to our newest, our goal to inspire
“Coming from a sporting healthy and active lives has definitely resonated among
background, I was always the community,” he says. “As a team we are amazingly
looking for the best way motivated to continue to improve our ofering, provide great
to train to develop both “CROSSFIT HAS quality products at an afordable price in one easy location.”
my strength and overall
INSTILLED A
conditioning to assist my
PURPOSE IN AGE IS NO BARRIER
competitive sports,” Lee says.
MY LIFE AND A
GREAT SENSE A common misconception about CrossFit is that it is only for
“I’d heard about CrossFit on
the internet and was after a
OF BELONGING. muscle-bound 20-year-olds. The truth is CrossFit is for anyone

change of scene after losing

I’VE MET SOME — of any age from kids to 80-year-olds, in any shape or size.
AMAZING PEOPLE.” Andrew Mevissen, 52, took up CrossFit only four years ago,
interest at the local gym.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 69
MF TOP PICKS

GEAR UP FOR THE BOX

Reebok Activchill tee

Whether busting out thrusters
or smashing pullups, the stretch
fabric of this nifty workout shirt
moves with you. It also has
sweat technologies to keep you
cool. $55, reebok.com.au

Reebok Nano 7 Weave

This excellent new shoe
comes with a flexible bottom for
mobility and traction. The added
heel piece creates a fit lockdown
for better leverage as you lift.
Ideal for Crossfit. reebok.com.au

70 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 brother Ricky was headed for the Australian CrossFit Regionals.
“After a day at the office, you look forward to spending time
with some kindred spirits at the gym,” he says. “We’ve got that
spirit to excel and be our best. People think it’s going to be
intimidating walking into a CrossFit gym, but people at CrossFit
are the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”
Many older people feel they might not be it or strong enough
to do CrossFit, but as Mevissen has discovered, it can be
adapted to any body. “I’m in my 50s so I don’t want to injure
myself,” he says. “I scale the weights back if I need to, so it’s still
challenging and rewarding but safe. I don’t do stupid weights.
It’s about stretching boundaries but not letting your ego get out
of control. I enter it with a determination to succeed.”
Mevissen is currently working on mastering new skills:
“Double-unders, free handstands, muscle-ups — I can do two
and then I need a cup of tea!”
The continual challenge that CrossFit ofers is one of the main
reasons Mevissen and thousands of other Aussies love the sport
so much. “You never know what you’re going to get, he says.
“You turn up and ind out what the WOD is — there’s always that
element of surprise.”

JUST GIVE IT A GO

If you’ve been hankering to try CrossFit out but feel intimated,

Mevissen urges you to reconsider.
“Don’t think that everyone knows what they’re doing,” he
says. “They’re just normal people having a red-hot go. Do your
best. No one expects you to do any more than that.”
Duncan also urges would-be CrossFitters to take the step
and for the past two years he has come irst in Australia in the 50-54
and chance their hand at the sport. “Everything is scalable;
scaled division in the CrossFit Open — a worldwide competition open
everything is relative to your level of fitness,” he says. “If
to any CrossFitter who wants to see how they stack up against the rest
you’re worried about one move, there are always 10 other
of the planet. Mevissen took up CrossFit because he was searching for
options available to you. That’s what the coach is there for. And
something more challenging than his regular gym workouts.
just remember — everyone starts at the same level. And the
“I was looking for something with a bit more oomph — something
atmosphere is incredible. It inspires you.”
rawer and grittier,” he says. “There was more in me than just the gym. I
Yordanov admits that even he was doubtful when he irst
work long hours in an office, so at the end of the day I want to move my
encountered CrossFit, but never looked back once he began.
body. We all need to move our bodies more!”
“Just start slow. Don’t put unrealistic goals on yourself. But
Mevissen’s regular gym was close to a CrossFit box. “I was seeing
also don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m never going to look as it as that guy.’
them having way more fun than me doing biceps curls,” he says. He is
Because who knows? You never know your potential.”
now a fully-ledged CrossFit addict, and is enjoying the many beneits
So what’re you waiting for? That CrossFit box is calling you. ■
that the sport has brought him. “People tell me that I look in great
shape,” he says. “A lot of guys my age let themselves go — they get some
kind of warped pride in having a dad bod, but we’ve got these bodies to COOL COMPETITION

look after. We owe it to ourselves to stay in shape.” BUILD YOU OWN BOX
The psychological beneits are also a key part of CrossFit’s appeal for
Mevissen, who believes the sport has made him happier. “Part of it is
mental, he says. “You might see the Workout of the Day and think, ‘I’m
too old for this shit,’ but you just chip away at it and then you’re done
and you feel great. Excuses have no place in CrossFit. We’re all self-
limiting, but CrossFit teaches
us that we can do more than
we think.”
As well as the challenging
nature of the sport, Mevissen
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J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 71
72 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 30
ways to get

stronger
You don’t have to be Einstein to work out summer bodies are built in winter. Here are our top tips for
turning yourself into a lean, mean, brawny, beach-ready machine.

01
Throw your
weight
around
Using machines
to train can get
you just as big
as throwing
up free weights,
according to a
recent study.
 09
Add in
Stock up on
vitamin E
avocados for
the maximum
Vitamin E,
vitamin E hit. a powerful
antioxidant
and staple of
almonds and
avocados,
is crucial
because it
helps heal
the muscle
cells that
rupture during
exercise.

Go to bed Down some lighter weights (up four times a day times or four. The
2 with casein
Supplementing
4 coffee
A study from
to 50% of max)
for 20 to 25 reps,
for six days gave
a group of athletes
exercises included
eight resistance
10 Rest 3 to
5 minutes
before a 1RM
with casein — Coventry University matched the gains a 6.5kg bump in movements with Your body needs
a slow-digesting in the United achieved when 1RM (one-rep max) three sets of to regenerate
protein powder Kingdom reports lifting up to 90% of in squats. 10 to 12 reps. as much ATP
— before you that drinking a cup of max for eight to 12 (adenosine
sleep has been coffee approximately reps. The key to it Gym It Up, Mind triphosphate)
shown to stimulate
overnight muscle
45 minutes before
a squat session can
all is making sure
you lift till the point
7 Part 1
Research that
8 your
performance
— a cell’s main
source of energy
growth. Also, a give you close to a of fatigue. appeared in the A study on how — to fuel muscle.
study from the 29% bump in weight. Journal of Exercise visualisation Take a moment or
Journal of Nutrition Consume Physiology can help in the two and let your
found that protein
supplementation 5 Lighten up,
will ya?
6 creatine
Research published
online showed
insignificant
weight room found
that those who
body feel fully
recovered before
right before Research from in the journal differences in conduct mental attempting a PR.
sleep boosts McMaster Uni in Nutrients found gains in three lifting exercises of their
muscle synthesis Canada has shown that 5g of creatine protocols: two performance in the Gym It Up,
by almost 22%. that lifting with supplementation times a week, three gym can lift up to
14% more weight.
11 Part 2
The Journal of
And studies have Sports Medicine
shown that the
Do cardio after lifting exact same signals
and Physical
Fitness found

03
Aerobic exercise performed before that fire when that with volume
resistance exercise significantly you are actually equalled out, it
lifting weights also doesn’t matter
reduces performance even when show up when just much if you train
unrelated muscle groups are involved. thinking about once a week or
the moves. twice a week.

74 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 Work out with mates
to harness your
competitive spirit
and crack new PBs.

Train with a gorilla

12
Pumping iron with someone
who motivates or even
intimidates you can push
you to up your intensity.
 actively push your
heels into the floor
and force your body
backward to help
turn the press into
a full-body exercise.

Get the
25 band
back together
Banded side steps
are great for
improving hip
stability and
protecting the
knees from injury.
They can also help
strengthen the
hips, to prevent the
knees from wobbling
during squats.

Bend
26 the bar
Another great
bench tip: Grip the
bar tightly — hands
about shoulder-
width apart — before
Squeeze, please starting a lift. Then,

13
when you have
Squeezing the bar hard for three to five the bar up, keep
seconds before your set gives you a squeezing firmly,
connected feeling throughout your body trying to “bend” it in
half as you press.
and primes you to stay tight during the lift.
Be an

Beg off Gym It Up, 5x5 protocol does hypertrophy, but and improves grip
28 arse man

14 the brews
If you booze
15 Part 3
According to a
not lead to greater
strength gains
only 80% 1RM
increased muscle
strength, which
helps you lift more.
Tightening your hips
and glutes can lead
to better stability
before you paper published than stopping short strength. and will help you put
exercise, muscle in the Journal of failure. up more weight on
biopsies show of Strength and Adjust Go for any exercise.
reduced activity
in the chemical
Conditioning
Research, both 18 Spread out
Do squats
20 for age
Train the same
23 a spin
Light cardio is Rest
pathways tied to
muscle growth
heavy-weight/
lower-rep and
and deadlifts as far
apart from each
muscles three
times a week for
the best form
of active recovery
29 longer
A study on eight
and recovery. moderate-weight/ other in a training the first year or for pretty much any weeks of training
higher-rep routines week — or on the so, then twice a workout. Spin for found that three-
elicit similar gains in same day — as week when you 10 to 15 minutes minute rest
muscle growth. possible so that get stronger. on a bike at a low intervals stimulated
there’s ample resistance and significantly greater
Hit the recovery time leisurely rate.
16 sack
Aim for seven to
before the next
session.
21 Hang in
there
1RM bench-press
and arm-mass
Grasping a bar and Get pushy gains compared
eight hours of
restful sleep per Gym It Up,
holding on helps
decompress joints
24 When
bench-pressing,
with one-minute
rest intervals.
night to allow your
body the time to
19 Part 4
A study in the
replenish nutrients
and rebuild muscle.
Journal of Strength Rub it in
and Conditioning
Getting a massage can

22
found that after four
Avoid weeks of training reduce inflammation and
17 failure
For new lifters,
to failure using
30% 1RM or 80%
swelling, so sign up for
taking sets to 1RM, both elicited regular sessions.
failure during a similar muscle

76 MEN’S FITNESS M
JUAY
L Y2 2
001 71 7
 Beef is no longer the
poor cousin to chicken.
30
It’s a muscle-building Switch
powerhouse. chicken
for beef
Red meat
has plenty of
protein, but
also creatine,
and more
vitamins,
minerals and
calories than
chicken. It
could be the
change you
need to get
your muscles
growing again.

A quarter cup
of almonds packs
25% of your
daily magnesium
needs.

A 150g steak
contains 40g of
protein, plus a
heap of creatine.
78 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 O U R O W N
MAKE Y

PUB G R U
THE TUC
B
K E R AT Y
O U R L O

IS T O N P
C A L M IG H

U B FAV E
S
T B

W
E

IL
T

L
A

M
S T Y B U T IT

A K E YO U
’S P R O B

R HEART
A B LY N O

S IN G A N
T

D
D

Y
O

O
IN

U R
G Y O U R T IC

TA S T E B U
KER ANY

DS EXPL
FAV O U R

ODE!
S

OUR TW

Cop it sweet
No pub burger is complete without
a serving of chunky hot chips or
shoestring fries. The bad news
is they go straight to your belly.
Solution: use sweet potato.
While sweet potato and spuds
have around the same amount of
fibre and protein, sweeties have
potassium and magnesium for
healthy blood pressure, iron for
healthy blood, calcium for dem
bones, and managnese for fast
wound-healing and powering
metabolism. They’re also lower
in calories and carbs. Cut 500g
of sweet potato into 1cm-thick
fries, toss with a little oil, salt and
pepper and cook in a 210˚ oven
for around 20 minutes.

BEEF
BARMAID’S CHOICE
PALE ALE
Loretta says you’d be mad
to go past a schooner of
ice-cold beer with your beef
burger. “A lot of my regulars
can’t resist a frothy VB when
they order our deluxe
Aussie burger,” she
says. “Although, if you
ask me, I would go for
something a little more
exotic, like a crisp 4
Pines Pale Ale. I like
a man who’s not
afraid to experiment
with his taste
in liquor.”
80 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
Classic beef burger
Meals don’t come more blokey than hamburgers. They’re easy to wolf down
— cutlery is for whimps! — it’s OK to spill the juices all over your unshaven
chin, and they absolutely rock with a glass of your favourite alcoholic bevvie.
However, there are a few
problems with the average pub
burger. Like size. The normal
serving for a hamburger is stated
as 50g but many pubs will plate
up burgers that are 225g or more
— meaning at least 590 calories
and 50g of fat. And that’s before
you add the buttered white bun,
the greasy fried egg, the crispy
fried bacon...
The first step is to get the meat
right. Ask your friendly butcher
to mince a lean cut of beef. Cook
your pattie in a non-stick pan, so
you’ll only need minimal oil. The
bun is also important: stick with
a wholemeal or sourdough bun
(unbuttered): they’re lower GI and
won’t make your insulin levels
spike. Plus, sourdough is also
high in protein.
Make it
INGREDIENTS
100g lean beef mince
½ brown onion, chopped
fine
½ garlic clove, crushed
½ tbsp Worcestershire
sauce
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ egg, whisked
salt and pepper
½ tbsp olive oil
1 wholemeal or
sourdough bun
toppings of your
choice
W H AT T O D O
1) Combine all except oil,
bun and toppings in
a bowl. Use hands to
form it into one or two
patties, depending on
how big you want your
burger to be. Chill in
fridge for 30 minutes.
2) Heat pan to medium
low, cook pattie
for 4 minutes each
side, or until desired
doneness.
3) Heat grill to high,
cut bun in half and
toast lightly.
4) Put pattie on bottom
half of bun, then top
with toppings of
your choice.
5) Slam it down!
Finally, your toppings: any veg
is fine (we love lettuce, iconic
Aussie beetroot, tomato and
sautéed onions). And a single
slice of cheese will add flavour
and calcium. An egg fried in a
non-stick pan (read, minimal oil)
will also give you that gooey,
yolky messiness you can’t get
enough of. And don’t forget to
limit sugary sauces.
 BARMAID’S CHOICE
INDIA PALE ALE
Show bartender Brandy your
tasty sausage and she can
match it. With these yummy
turkey bangers, there’s no
doubt in her mind: “A bottle
of Modus Operandi Session
IPA is exactly what you
want here,” she says.
“The citrus flavours
go well with turkey’s
subtle sweetness.
Or, if you want to go
a little darker, try
a Belgian strong
ale. It will totally
rock you.”
Y
R K E
TU
Bangers ’n’ mash
Who’da thunk butchers ofcuts wrapped in intestinal casing — read “sausage”
— would taste so damn good. Paired with creamy mashed potato, they’re
the ultimate barly combo. But this man-food classic can also lab your abs...
Turkey bangers are your leanest
option — less than 7.5% fat. Beef
snags average at 18% fat, while
pork ones pack about 22%.
By grilling your bangers you’ll
also keep the fat and cals down —
poke holes in your snags with a
fork to let the fat drain out, and
cook ’em on a drip tray so the
grease runs away instead of
pooling around your snags and
soaking them with fat.
Subbing in cauliflower with
your potato mash also cuts cals
and carbs and ups the fibre —
while 100g potato has 60 calories
and 11.2g carbs, the same amount
of cauli has only 25 calories and
2% carbs, plus it’s 2.8% fibre
compared to spuds’ 1.8 per. By
One turkey sausage
packs 5g of protein
but only 3 carbs.
making your own mash you’re
also skipping all the butter and
cream that restaurants add to
make their mash creamier.
Low-fat gravy is the final clever
touch. Most gravies are made
from the fats and juices left over
from cooking the meat. We nix the
fat and cals by using veg, stock
and cornflour instead.
Make it
INGREDIENTS
2 turkey sausages
100g desiree potatoes,
peeled, chopped
¼ cauliflower, leaves
trimmed off, cut
into florets
splash of skim milk
olive oil
½ cup finely
chopped onion
½ cup finely
chopped mushrooms
2 cups chicken,
beef or veg stock
2 tbsp cornflour
pickled onions
and parsley to top
W H AT T O D O
1) Grill your bangers.
2) Parboil your potato
and steam your cauli
until a fork can easily
be inserted into both.
Use a hand blender
to whizz both veg
together into a purée.
Add a splash of skim
milk if you want, and
season with salt.
3) To make the gravy,
in a saucepan sauté
onion, mushrooms
and parsley in oil
and ¼ cup stock until
vegetables are tender.
Combine cornstarch,
pepper and ½ cup
of stock; stir until
smooth. Add to pan
with the remaining
stock. Bring to boil,
stirring occasionally;
boil for 2 minutes.
4) Lay your bangers
on a bed of mash,
pour over gravy
and top with onions
and parsley.
J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 81
 Make it

INGREDIENTS

olive oil spray

H O O K 3 rashers 97% fat-free

bacon

C 1
3
chicken breast fillet
slices wholemeal,
sour dough or rye
1 tomato, sliced
3 lettuce leaves
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt,
cottage cheese,
mustard or avocado,
or a mix of your choice
salt and pepper

W H AT T O D O

1) Spray a non-stick
pan with olive oil
spray. Cook bacon to
desired doneness.
Grill chicken breasts.
Dice bacon and slice
chicken breast thinly.
2) Toast bread. On
one slice layer
half the bacon,
chicken, tomato,
mayo substitute and
lettuce. Top with a
second slice of toast,
and layer with the
remaining ingredients.
Top with a third slice
of toast.
3) Cut into halves or
quarters and serve.

To cut down on
unnecessary fats, grill
the chicken breast.

BARMAID’S CHOICE

PILSNER
Chicken club sanga
Join the club — only this time, your membership fee doesn’t include the side
It’s Bonny’s job to keep
efects of high cholesterol. This healthy version of the iconic club sandwich
you contented — she tastes like it was made in God’s kitchen and ticks all the right nutritional boxes.
always knows exactly
what you want. “I’d reach
for a Balmain Pilsner to go
with your sanga,” she says.
Bonny reckons the fruity Alas, the traditional and As with the burger bun, we There are several tasty-
fi i h f this crisp much-loved club sandwich is recommend you go with but-saintly substitutes to
er is what not very good for you. Why? wholemeal or sourdough bread. mayonnaise — take your pick
well with There are four compelling You could even go for a high- (or mix) from Greek yoghurt,
y-filling
reasons. One: the unhealthy fibre rye bread. cottage cheese, mustard or
icken and
con combo. high-GI white bread. Two: To upgrade the all-important avocado. All will add moisture
eer, bacon oily bacon. Three: torrents of bacon, buy the lean stuf (97 % and flavour, but far less fat.
d chook — does mayonnaise. And four: the fat-free). Grill on a drip tray, then Finally, the chips. Ditch ’em.
ny better?” mountain of chips on the side. pat down with paper towels to Simple. Instead, try a cabbage
sks. Here’s what you need to change. cut more grease. salad or some pickles on the side.

82 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 BARMAID’S CHOICE
SPARKLING ALE
Svetlana has seen plenty of
pie in her time, and knows just
what you want to do with one.
“I’d go for a Coopers Sparkling
Ale for this recipe,” she says.
“It’s unique and complex, just
like me.” If you want to skip
beer altogether, go for a
red instead. Svetlana
knows just the thing: “A
glass of Josef Chromy
Pepik Pinot Noir will
finish off your
meal nicely,”
she says.
“Trust me.”
Meat pie
The ol’ dog’s eye is as Aussie as budgie smugglers and Hills hoists. The trouble is,
most of us eat it at the footy — ie, from a packet and smothered in tommo sauce.
Our recipe is just as tasty — but it won’t tax your ticker or wobble your waistline.
The humble pie has several
potential dietary downfalls. If it’s
a gastro pub you’re at, your pie
is bound to be sky-high in fat,
thanks to the crispy, buttery
pastry and the sauce inside.
If it’s a less fancy venue, your
pie probably comes in a plastic
bag, straight from the warming
oven behind the bar. Not only is
this super high in fat and
calories, you also don’t really
know quite what it is you’re
eating. Lips and arseholes? Ears
and anuses? Uh, no thanks.
Oh, and then there’s the litre
of sugar- and salt-loaded tomato
sauce you have to squirt all
over it to make it more palatable.
Not good, guys.
BEEF
Our MF pub grub-inspired
pies avoid these pitfalls by using
actual pieces of steak, hardly
any oil and only a pastry topper
to massively cut fat and cals.
They’re also ridiculously
easy to make, so you can
whip up a bunch of them for
your mates or the family at
short notice.
Make it
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup plain flour
500g rump steak,
fat trimmed, cut
into 2cm cubes
olive oil spray
1 onion, chopped fine
25g mushrooms
½ carrot, sliced
2 tbsp gravy powder
1 sheet low-fat
ready-rolled puff
pastry
2 tbsp low-fat milk
4 ceramic pie pots,
approx. 1 cup size
each
W H AT T O D O
1) Put beef and flour in
a large snaplock bag.
Shake until the beef
is coated.
2) Spray a frypan with oil
spray and heat. Cook
beef in batches for
3-4 minutes each. Put
aside, save juices.
3) Lower heat to medium
and cook onions until
softened, then toss
in the mushies and
carrot and cook for
another few minutes.
4) Add beef and juices
back to pan with veg.
Mix gravy powder with
a cup of hot water, add
to the pan. Season
to taste and bring to
the boil, then reduce
to low; simmer for 25
minutes.
5) Spray pie pots with oil
and spoon beef mix
into each one.
6) Cut pastry sheet into
quarters. Place over
pie pots, trimming off
excess. Brush with
milk, poke holes in
pastry with a fork.
7) Cook in a 200° oven for
30 minutes. Serve hot.
J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 83
 NESS
FIT

FUEL

THE NEW RULES OF

GETTING
Time to change.
Old ideas about
fitness and
nutrition could be
holding you back.

BY JOEL SNAPE

Diets come and go, exercises go in and out of fashion, but some
things work forever. To transform your brain as well as your
body, we’ve compiled a guide to everything you need to
know to build a lean, defined body.
 YES YOU CAN

Say hello to your abs

You don’t have to live

like a protein shake-
chugging monk to
get killer abs. While
we might not all be
able to get into the
kind of shape our
model is in here, if
you eat the right
foods in the right
quantities and get
your arse to the gym
regularly, you could
well start to see the
start of a six-pack. Just
stay away from six-
packs of the fun variety.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 85
 RULE ONE

Calories do
count (sort of)
In the strictest sense, it’s true that if you
take in more calories than you burn through
activity or exercise, you’ll put on weight —
and if you burn more than you eat, you’ll lose
it. But calorie counting isn’t as simple as that.

It’sanimprecisescience,
sincemethodsofcounting
themvary,whilethe
amountofcalorieswe
absorbfromfoodchanges
basedoneverything
fromthewayit’sprepared
(cookingtypicallymakes
morecaloriesavailable
forabsorption)toour
individualgutbacteria
(peoplewiththehighest
proportionoffirmicutes
bacteriaabsorbaround150
caloriesadaymorethan
thosewiththelowest).
Besides,it’strickyto
calculatecalorieswithout
carryingascaleora
measuringspoon:one
teaspoonofpeanutbutter
has around 100 calories,
butwasthatblobyoujust
gobbledmoreorlessthana
teaspoon?It’salsotoughto
besurehowmuchyou’re
burning—everything
fromyourgeneticsand
weightlosshistorytoyour
body’sbrownfatlevelsand
sleephabitscaninfluence
burnrate.
Finally, there’s evidence
calorie restriction alone
won’t get it done. In a
study published in the
ArchivesOfInternal
Medicine, only 12% of
patients treated for
obesity via calorie
restriction lost weight, and
only 2% maintained their
weight loss for two years
after treatment.

THE PLAN
■ If you aren’t keeping track, it’s easy to overlook the latte Spot the
and croissant on your commute (a 500-calorie gut punch) imposter.
or the chicken salad you scoffed at lunchtime. Spend three Using fried
or four days noting everything you eat (treats included) chicken in a
salad can bust
to get an idea of where you can make easy savings, then
your calorie
focus on making good food choices rather than slavishly targets.
recording every strawberry you ever eat.

RULE TWO THE PLAN

Nutrients are key ■ Replace carbs by

upping your protein. A
2004 review of studies
hunger hormone
ghrelin) and also
boosts your body’s
supplement with fish oil.
Macros sorted? Time
to turn to micronutrients.
Not all food is created equal. Hopefully, you concluded that higher propensity to burn fat. “Aim to eat vegetables
protein intake increases Take stock of with every meal,” says
realise that 100 calories of energy from broccoli is your fat intake too. trainer Adam Wakefield.
satiety (probably by
nutritionally diferent from 100 calories from Ben & reducing levels of the Several studies “Not only do they satisfy
Jerry’s. So it’s worth considering the macronutrient suggest that eating carb cravings, but they
monounsaturated have beneficial effects
and micronutrient make-up of your diet.
fats can help that range from tissue
optimise the way repair to immunity.
your body processes As a rule, you can
When it comes to on a low-carb diet carbohydrates, have as much leafy or
macros — carbs, protein had the highest directing them to cruciferous veg as you
and fats — it might be everyday calorie muscle tissue rather like, but take it easier on
worth reducing the expenditure after the than fat stores. starchy carbs like sweet
former if you want to diet was over, which Cook with olive oil, potatoes.” And consider
lose body fat: a 2012 researchers suggested eat avocados or supplements: A fish oil
study published by the came from better flaxseeds, and – if tablet can help too —
Journal Of The American insulin control leading you’re having trouble there’s evidence that it
Medical Association to fewer calories being getting enough healthy helps to regulate insulin
found that volunteers stored as fat. fat elsewhere — sensitivity.

86 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

Fast or slow cardio
works best. Avoid
moderate cardio.
J U LY 2 0 1 7
RULE THREE
Be smart with cardio
For high-speed fat loss,
fast or slow cardio is
best, with moderate a
distant third. In a study
published in the journal
Metabolism, subjects
were put on a 20-week
“traditional” endurance
program or a 15-week
high-intensity plan. The
HIIT group lost nine
times as much fat as the
traditional group. The
scientists concluded
that interval training
improves metabolic rate
so you continue to burn
fat after exercise.
But slow exercise? Yes,
walking works too. “It’ll
stress your system
less and is easier to
recover from than
jogging,” says trainer
James Adamson. “So it’ll
spare your hard-earned
muscle while giving
you a gentle fat loss
boost.” It’ll also avoid
spikes in cortisol, the
stress hormone which
puts your metabolism
on pause. This is called
low-intensity steady
state (LISS) exercise.
The plan
Aim for three or
four weights-based
workouts a week,
with cardio included
via either one or two
separate high-intensity
sessions, or a short
“finisher” after your
main workout. You
don’t even need kit:
in a 2015 study that
compared 15 high-
intensity exercises,
burpees beat
everything but battle
ropes for causing a fat-
burning response. “If
you’re an experienced
trainer, do sprints
outside or using cardio
kit,” says Adamson.
“The rower and bike
work better than the
treadmill, since you
don’t have to worry
about timing your
jump onto the belt.”
Aim for a 1:3 work/rest
ratio, so 15 seconds on,
45 seconds resting.
MEN’S FITNESS 87
 RULE FOUR High intensity
resistance training
Lift weight to
lose weight (HIRT) speeds up
weight loss.
Shifting iron isn’t
everyone’s first choice
when it’s time to trim
the fat — but it should
be. “Weight training
with reasonably heavy
weights and rest periods
of 60 seconds or less
is ideal for fat loss,”
says Adamson. “First,
it produces metabolic
stress, which forces your
body to burn calories
for recovery. Second, it
builds muscle, which
raises resting metabolic
rate so you’re burning
calories even when you
aren’t training. Training
for fat loss is about
maximising the all-
day burn.”
If you want to speed
things up and are
prepared for some
unpleasantness,
there’s an even faster
way: high-intensity
resistance training, also
known as HIRT. In a 2013
study published in the
journal Lipids In Health
And Disease, people who
did a HIRT workout of
three exercises for three
sets of six reps each lost
more fat in around 30
minutes a session than
a control group lifting
more weight, over more
exercises, in 60 minutes.

The plan

■ To bring the HIRT

to your training, split
your workout into three
or four big compound
moves and use a
technique known as
“rest-pause”. After your
final set of each move,
take a 15-second break,
go to failure again and
repeat. Ideally, you’ll
get around ten reps on
your initial set, six on
your first rest-pause
set, and three on your
final, horrible one.
Alternatively, finish
with a cluster set. For
your final set, do as
many sets of three reps
as possible, taking 20
seconds of rest between
each mini-set.

88 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

like
oaded
bs
RULE SIX
Not all fat is equal
Having some subcutaneous fat — the type under your skin — is essential,
and possibly even desirable. The problem? As you age (or eat badly) your
body loses this “good” fat and stores more visceral fat around your belly,
between your organs and streaked through your muscles.
Andthere’sevidencethat
whenthisfatbuildsup,it
releasessubstancesthat
interferewithyourbody’s
abilitytoprocessglucose,
leadingtoinsulinresistance
andhamperingyourbody’s
abilitytoburnfat.Basically,
thebiggeryouare,theless
ableyourbodyistoburnfat.
It’salsoknowntocause
inflammationinthecolon
and artery walls, and may
Buyer
beware!
Pre-prepared
pastas like
this one are
usually loaded
with fat, plus
bad carbs.
afectmoodbymessing Tofindoutifyou’rein
withendorphinsandstress thehigh-riskcategory,
hormonecortisol.Andthe measurethecircumference
newsgetsworse:ina2015 ofyourhipsattheirwidest
studythattracked15,000 pointandyourwaist,then
people,researchersfound dividethewaistnumber
otherwiseslimadultswith bythehipnumber.Aresult
anabove-averagewaist-to- higherthan1meansyou’re
hipratio—anindicatorof carryingtoomuchweight
visceralfat—hadahigher aroundyourmiddle,putting
riskofdeaththanpeople youatincreasedrisk of
withasimilarbodyweight obesity-linked problems
but smaller waist. including type 2 diabetes.
RULE FIVE
Strategy beats
willpower
You’re planning to eat healthy, but
something comes up at work and you end
up staying too late for cooking to be an
option. So it’s a dash through the ready-
meal aisle, then a bag of chips on the way
home to keep your blood sugar levels up.
Might as well write today of, right?
There’s a better way. The perception, so if you see
science of willpower is a yourself as a strong-
hot topic: until recently, willed individual, you’ll
it was accepted that it act accordingly. The
was a finite resource, good news is it doesn’t
drained by everything actually matter — if you
you do. Now, some opt for strategic thinking
scientists argue that over get-it-done grit, life
it’s based on self- gets easier anyway.
THE PLAN
■ “Don’t rely on making then prep what you can
good food decisions on — chopped vegetables,
the go — make planning a cooked meat — on Sunday
key part of your training or Monday. “Make one new
week,” says nutrition meal a week, then next
coach Jess Wolny. “Treat week cook it again — with
it like learning new gym tweaks if necessary — and
moves: start with basic, add something new to the
big-bang-for-your-buck repertoire,” says Wolny.
stuff like learning how to “Your ultimate aim is to
shop or prep better, then be able to throw together
move on to fine-tuning a meal out of almost
anything.”
specific recipes or habits.
If you have to cut down If it works for you, do
from four workouts to your food shopping online:
three to fit that in, it’s you’ll avoid impulse buys
worth it.” Plan your meals and create a list of basics
for the week on Sunday, that’s easy to re-order.
THE PLAN
■ According to studies, Second, stay off the
visceral fat may be the booze. There’s evidence
easiest type to lose via that even moderate intake
lifestyle changes (because — say, two schooners
it’s the stuff your body a day — can increase
stores for emergencies). abdominal fat. ■
First, get more exercise.
In 2012, researchers at
Harvard Medical School
identified a hormone
called irisin, secreted
during exercise, that
improves blood
sugar regulation and Reduce beer
led to weight loss intake and
in mice. Studies decrease your
suggest it works by gut size.
tricking visceral fat
into acting like brown
fat, the form that
burns energy.
HOW TO ACE AN
I F YO U WA N T A T E ST O F G R I T A N D S K I LL A S W E LL A S P OW E R A N D S P E E D , O B STAC L E R AC I N G I S YO U R N E X T
OBSTACLE RACE
C H A LL E N G E . P I C K A N E V E N T, T H E N R E A D O N F O R A T R A I N I N G P L A N T H AT ’LL M A K E YO U L E A N E R , FAST E R A N D ST RO N G E R .
 Apart from being custom-

A built for bragging rights,

the modern obstacle
course race is a much
better test of full-body itness than
your typical 10K or long-distance
cycling event. Its blend of walls,
pits and bars is designed to tax your
upper body just as much as your
cardio. In most races, you’ll be able
to get around the course on grit
alone — but doing well (or, whisper
it, competitively) demands strength,
co-ordination and balance, as well as
a power-to-weight ratio that ensures
you’re lean as well as keen.
So consider this your call to
(stronger) arms: sign up for an event
now and, rather than aiming to
coast on the day, plan to get through
in style. How? By improving on
your strengths, shoring up your
weaknesses and becoming a better
all-round athlete.

01
CHOOSE
YOUR
CHALLENGE

FOR TEAMWORK FOR A TEST OF METTLE F O R M E N TA L S T R E N G T H

TOUGH MUDDER REEBOK SPARTAN TRUE GRIT

■ The biggest, if not the toughest. Typically
it involves 18-20km of hilly racing, with
chunks of deliberate unpleasantness like the
Arctic Enema (a plunge into icy water) and
electric shocks alongside the more physically
challenging stuf. Mudders eschew timing
chips and competition in favour of teamwork:
some obstacles are impossible to get through
unaided, so helping each other through mud
pits and over walls is key. toughmudder.com.au
■ It’s a fixture of the racing calendar for a
reason. The Spartan’s Sprint, Super and Beast
options ofer everything from an hour-long
jaunt to a half-day of barbed wire crawling,
tyre dragging and carrying heavy things.
Failure in obstacles means punitive burpees,
so it’s a good idea to get your rope-climbing
technique locked in now. spartanrace.com.au
■ The guys who created True Grit have a
combined experience in the Australian Army
of over 33 years, with the last 20 years in
Special Forces. Their courses run over 10-12km
with more than 30 obstacles per event. Yep,
this is seriously hardcore. For example, in the
“Low Wire Entanglement” you’ll commando
crawl under barbed wire, through muddy
terrain, being mindful of the simulated mines
exploding around you. truegrit.com.au

Key skills: Toughness, teamwork Key skills: Speed, agility Key skills: Stamina, willpower

92 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 02
BUILD
BETTER
ENDURANCE
Stop-start racing means bursts of
speed beat steady-state cardio. Plan
your PB accordingly, with advice from
ultra runner and Merrell footwear
ambassador Andrew Murray.

MONDAY
SPEED INTERVALS
“Obstacle races are very
stop-start, so when I
trained for Tough Mudder
I played an activity that
mimicked that pace once
a week — like five-a-side
soccer or squash. If
that’s not an option, do
Teamwork is at intervals that mimic the
the heart of pace of your race: 400m
repeats with relatively
obstacle racing. short rests will work.
Or you could simply do a
quick 5K with occasional
bursts of speed.”
TUESDAY
GRIP WORKOUT
Hang from a bar with
both arms then let go
with one hand and reach
down to tap your knee
before grabbing hold
again. Repeat on the
FOR HARDCORE RUNNERS FOR FUN
other side. Do as many
reps as possible.
TOUGH BLOKE CHALLENGE KRYPTONITE CHALLENGE
■ Designed for the weekend warrior, in this ■ This course is all about teamwork and
WEDNESDAY
obstacle race you will brave 25-plus hair- having fun. It has over 40 hardcore obstacles HILL SPRINTS
raising obstacles over a cross-country course and challenges for you and your mates to
“I did some hill reps once
laden with thick mud pits and ice-cold water attempt. Knee pads, elbow pads and gloves
a week. This can help
crossings. Make sure you get as many outdoor are essential as you’ll be clambering over and
build speed and stamina,
kilometres in your legs as possible, because crawling under all kinds of military-style in addition to the physical
negotiating trails is part of the enjoyment. obstacles. kryptonitechallenge.com
and mental strength you
toughblokechallenge.com.au need.” Find a 50-100m
hill, run up it and walk
back down. Repeat five
times, and add a rep or
Key skills: Trail running, all-round fitness Key skills: Speed, endurance two a week.
THURSDAY
POWER WORKOUT
Do the workout in
“Power Up (And Over)”
on p94.
FRIDAY
REST DAY
SATURDAY
LONG RUN
“It’s tempting to spend
your time on training
for mud and obstacles,
but don’t neglect the
running element in your
race — some of these
races can be of half
marathon distance or
even longer. The general
principle is to do one
longer run a week. Build
it up gradually so that
two or three weeks
before the race, you
can run the distance
of the actual race. This
is a must, as on race
day having to go over
obstacles and through
mud will make it feel
further.”
SUNDAY
REST DAY

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 93
03
POWER UP Combatting gravity
with functional
(AND OVER) strength is critical.
Explosiveness is useless unless it gets
you over the obstacles. Add these
moves to your regular routine to build
sport-speciic power.

O B S TA C L E : Q U A R T E R P I P E

MOVE: SPRINT
■ You’re unlikely to find one to practise on,
so train on the flat. You’ll want to be as fast as
possible over 50m to stand a chance of gripping
the lip unaided. Do 6x50m repeats with a couple
of minutes’ rest — and when it comes to the
real thing, lean back just slightly to convert
horizontal momentum into vertical.

O B S TA C L E : U N D E R - O V E R S

MOVE: STEP VAULT

■ Getting over chest-high fences (and
occasionally, under nets) is easy enough, but
adding efficiency will make it faster and less
tiring. Practise on your gym’s plyo boxes.
Approach at a jog, plant one hand on the top
and take a quick step with the opposite foot as
you sail over the box.

04 GET
O B S TA C L E : WA L LS

MOVE: CAT HANG PULLUP

FUNCTIONALLY
■ These build upper-body strength combined
with the co-ordination needed to bring your
STRONG
legs into play. Hang from a wall with your knees Curls won’t help on the course — you
raised. With your toes pressed to the brickwork,
need a strength regime that mimics
pull yourself up to the edge, then lower again.
Once you’re confident, push up to straighten your the demands of the real thing. Use this
arms at the top and climb onto the wall. routine once a week.
94 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 05
HAVE A
PROPER
BREAKFAST
It’s the most important meal of race
day — apart from your celebratory post-
shower feast. Here’s your fuelling plan.

2 HOURS TO GO
BREAKFAST
“Give yourself plenty
of time to digest before
the race starts,” says
obstacle racer Luke
Lawrence. “Porridge
with a serving of fresh
fruit is a good bet.” Low GI
foods are best because
they last longer. So aim
for a mix of slow carbs for
long-range fuel and simple
sugars to get you ahead
of the pack.
MID-RACE
UNLEASH GEL
“Depending on the length
of the race you may need
to fuel as you go if you
are really pushing hard,”
says Lawrence. “If you
are using gels, ensure you
have tested them prior
to the race. Isotonic gels
have more water added so
you won’t require a drink
with them.” Plus they’re
easy to carry.

1 HOUR TO GO
DRINK UP
“Ensure you have a good
level of electrolytes and
fluids going in on the lead-
up,” says Lawrence. If you
lose a lot of fluid through
sweat, lightly salting your
breakfast will keep your
levels up.
POST-EVENT
EAT UP
“You’re going to ache
regardless, but grab a
protein drink before you
reach for the alternate
post-race celebration
liquid refreshment,” says
Lawrence. You’ll kick-start
recovery and stop muscles
breaking down.

ROPE PULL-UP LOADED CARRY INVERTED ROW ROPE PULL

4 x MAX REPS
If you haven’t got a rope,
sling a towel over a pullup
bar. If you have, work on
technique as well as grip
by practising the lock-
off, where you grip the
rope between your feet
and slide them up
to take the weight off
your arms.
5 x 30SEC 3 x MAX REPS 5 X 20M
Carrying heavy objects is It’ll help with cargo The Spartan Race calls
a staple of races whether net-based obstacles, but it the Hercules Hoist —
it’s a log, jerry can or also build core strength hauling a heavy weight
fellow human. Hard for wall traverses. Set over a pulley with an
pressed to find them in up underneath a waist- arm-over-arm pull. Mimic
your gym? Improvise height Smith machine it in the gym by borrowing
with a heavy farmer’s bar, or use a TRX, lying a battle rope and looping
walk — one dumbbell flat on your back. Pull one end around a
in each hand — or a your chest up to the sandbag, then pulling.
Bulgarian bag across kit, pause and lower Use your back, not just
your shoulders, taken under control. your biceps.
as far as possible.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 95
06
SMASH IT
ON RACE
DAY
Where might you slip up
— and where can you push
on through? Our obstacle
veterans have the answer.
If you’ve done your homework,
you shouldn’t get any nasty
surprises on race day. “Look
online, and make yourself
familiar with the obstacles
you’ll encounter by watching
YouTube videos,” says coach
Shaun Dixon. “Some are
surprisingly technical, and
a little bit of muscle memory
can get you through fast.”
If you’re committed, aim to
try the toughest obstacles
beforehand. “If there isn’t an
obstacle training centre near
you, try Parkour training or
look for a climbing wall — they
often have bouldering areas,
monkey bars or ropes you can
practise technique on,” says racer
Luke Lawrence.
On the day, arrive early and
warm up. “Cardio warm-up’s
crucial but so is getting your
legs, arms and grip warm as you’ll
be running on uneven ground,
jumping, landing and grabbing,”
says Lawrence. “A ligament
tweak can ruin your race. If you
get a chance to warm up your
hands, use it.”
Finally, don’t forget to enjoy
it. “The elite runners at the Make sure you get
front will look pretty serious, your legs, arms and
but everyone is there for fun
first and foremost,” says grip warm before
Lawrence. “Smile for the cameras, competing.
wave to the spectators and
enjoy the post-race schooner.”
Responsibly, of course. ■

96 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
 REAL FOOD

IS KEEPING IT REAL ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO EAT? IT DEPENDS ON YOUR GOALS… AND YOUR LIFE.
 VS. PILLS

WE INVESTIGATE THE BENEFITS OF USING A BIT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN YOUR DIET.

“Eat food.
Not too much. Mostly plants.” This
advice from food writer Michael
Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s
Dilemma, is short, memorable and
— on the face of it — pretty sensible.
Twinned with a couple of his other
dietary commandments — “Don’t
eat anything your grandmother
wouldn’t recognise” and “Don’t eat
anything you can’t spell” — it’s
become the go-to advice for anyone
who wants to keep eating healthy
and easy. But is it really that simple?
For one thing, there’s compelling
evidence that “real” food isn’t as
real as it once was, its nutritional
value leached out by selective
breeding, factory farming and
over-processing. For another, pills
and powders have never been more
advanced, and the best ones harness
decades of scientific research into
best-practice nutrition to help you
top up on nutrients that are nearly
impossible to get elsewhere.
And as a man interested in fitness,
your needs are likely to be a bit
different from those of the more, shall
we say, couch-loving gentleman. So
based on the evidence, do you need
supplements in your life? Can they
ever be better than the real thing?
And might the day come when you
can live on them exclusively?
ROUND 1: THE PROBLEM WITH FOOD
Basics first: if you’re going to exist
on “real” food, it’s still worth paying
attention to where it comes from.
Studies comparing wild plants with
their shop-bought counterparts, for
instance, make worrying reading.
Once species of wild apple has 100
times more phytonutrients than
the Golden Delicious in your
basket, and wild dandelions and
potatoes have similar advantages
over their selectively-bred
supermarket brethren.
Part of this is a taste issue — many
of the most beneficial phytonutrients
have a bitter taste, so when farmers
ONE SPECIES OF WILD APPLE HAS 100
TIMES MORE PHYTONUTRIENTS THAN
THE GOLDEN DELICIOUS IN YOUR BASKET.
select for sweetness they disappear
from the food chain. Farmers, food
retailers and consumers also tend
to prefer plants that are low in fibre
and high in starch and oil, and while
these are energy-dense, they’re
otherwise nutritionally lacking.
“It’s not about nutrients you can’t
get from foods — it’s what the foods
Real food is not no longer contain,” says Nick
as nutritious Barnard, author of Eat Right. “Most
as it once was
due to selective industrially farmed foods have
breeding and over shown dramatic declines in
processing.
micronutrients since the 1950s.
Only by seeking out foods from
regenerated soils, from pastured
or grass-fed animals, and from
sustainable stocks of wild fish will
you have a chance to find sufficient
micronutrients. And even then, you
have to eat such foods with a wide
diversity, seasonally, and with a
range of preparations — some
cooked, some raw, some sprouted,
some fermented — and with an
understanding that some nutrients

zinc and sodium
than factory-
farmed meat.
in food aren’t accessible without
cooking or eating with fats.”
A good start is to eat veggies that
are nutritionally not too different
from their wild ancestors: rocket, for
instance, has only been recently
domesticated, and comes with a
decent hit of cancer-fighting
glucosinolates, while herbs bred for
their intense flavours have (mostly)
escaped the curse of selective
sweetening. Consider your meat
carefully too: grass-fed beef comes
with more potassium, zinc and
sodium than its factory-farmed
counterpart, with twice the content
of CLA (conjugated linoleic acids,
which aid fat loss) and up to five
times the omega 3 fatty acids. With
fish, mercury content in predatory
varieties means that even wild-
caught can be an unreliable option
— so marine food sources that are
high in omega 3s but low in mercury,
such as krill and algae oil, are
arguably the best options.
OUND 2: SUPP BENEFITS
There are some
nutrients it’s almost
impossible to get in
adequate quantities
from food alone.
Dietitian Dr Carrie
Ruxton recommends iron
nd zinc supplementation
r hard-training athletes,
ngside a daily 500mg of
A/EPA for anyone short
mega 3s, with the caveat
s still better to get all three
al food.
also good evidence that
upplementation might
efits even for non-gym-
thought to have neurally
e effects, for instance, and a
y published in the American
f Psychiatry is not the
o conclude that it might
pression. The levels taken
udies would be tricky to
ut taking powdered creatine
rate. CLA falls into the most nutritionists know which they
gory — it’s easy to get the would prefer.
amount that studies suggest can burn
“There are a ton of advantages to
fat via supplements, but nearly getting anywhere from five to ten
impossible with meat. servings of vegetables a day, but for
But just as with real food, quality a lot of people that isn’t realistic,”
is an important consideration. “Taking says body composition specialist Luke
supplements themselves often isn’t Leaman. When that’s the case, he
an issue,” says nutritionist Dale adds, “it’s worth getting in as much
Pinnock, author of How To Cook veg as you can, then topping up with
Healthily. “It’s the form of supplement a good-quality greens supplement”.
that matters. For example, you can Something that goes hand in hand
get calcium carbonate or dicalcium with not getting enough veg is a lack of
malate supplements. The first is chalk fibre, especially for those who spend
with a bioavailability — how much all day in an office. Not everyone is
your body can take in — of about 4%, keen to have a steaming pile of
while the other is a superior form microwaved broccoli every lunchtime,
with greater uptake. As a general so if a fibre supplement is easiest to
rule, if you can buy a thousand stomach, then it’s the best alternative.
capsules of something for $1 it’s For most people, 1g of protein per
probably not worth taking. You kilo of bodyweight a day is enough
really do get what you pay for when — but with many studies suggesting
it comes to supplements.” There’s no that 2.5g can add muscle at speed
such thing as a magic pill, especially while minimising fat loss, there’s a
when it’s cheap. case to be made for packing it in. Even
the medical community recognises
ROUND 3: CONVENIENT FOOD
the benefits: the protein-sparing
modified fast (a fast but with the bare
Even with the best intentions, it’s minimum of fluids, vitamins and
not always easy to eat perfectly. And protein) is sometimes used for
when the available options are patients requiring serious calorie
stripped down to supplements or restriction for fat loss. Other studies
a service-station sandwich… well, back up what bodybuilders have
J U LY 2 0 1 6 MEN’S FITNESS 101
known for years — protein shakes work for including powerful antioxidants like body-composition goals, supplements
both losing fat and gaining mass, and often lycopene and lutein. But there’s still including CLA, creatine and protein are
better than solid foods if they’re more some concern that phytonutrients alone probably a sensible add-on.
convenient to take on board. aren’t enough: more than 30 studies, for Mother Nature is smart, and we haven’t
What about fortified foods? Here experts instance, show that eating foods rich in outwitted her yet, so whenever you can,
disagree. Barnard is completely against betacarotene can reduce lung cancer risk, keep it real. Ultimately, if you’re ever
them, but Ruxton and Pinnock are but supplementing with betacarotene (in in a conversation with Michael Pollan,
cautiously pro. “They can be great, but a 1999 study published in the American remember: your grandmother might
the quality of the product is the most Journal Of Clinical Nutrition) did nothing not recognise wild rocket or Peruvian
important factor,” says Pinnock. “If it has to mitigate the risk. Until more research potatoes. And if you can’t spell what
100mg of vitamin C, but ungodly amounts is done, assume that veg is better. you’re eating, maybe you just need to
of sugar and colourants, then it defeats its “Replacing meals entirely is daft,” says learn to spell better. ■
purpose.” Ruxton says that “some fortified Pinnock. “Sure, you might be able to create
products can be a good source of B a product that delivers a complete spectrum
vitamins for energy release while some of nutrients, but the psychology of the
yoghurts have added vitamin D and behaviour bothers me. The whole idea of Glass war
calcium which boost bone health. But a ritualistic quick fix rather than adjusting What should you throw in your
again, you have to look for quality — if the behaviour and lifestyle for long-term benefit smoothies? It depends on your goals.
nutrients aren’t absorbed, they might as isn’t a safe state of mind to get in. Also, let’s
well not be in there.” be honest… it’s pretty dull.” THE FAKE SHAKE THE ALL-NATURAL
The rise of protein bars means there’s THE WINNER: BALANCED DIETS
This all-supplement No artificial
one more thing to look out for. Including blend packs on colourings or flavours
high levels of bovine protein or gelatin is a muscle but also in this health-based
The overall message? Supplements can adds a nod to overall shake, which comes
cheap way to up the grams-per-bar on the do things that whole foods can’t— but health. with muscle benefits.
front of the packet, but doesn’t translate to whether you need to take advantage of 30g whey protein Handful of spinach
quality protein. Always check the packaging. that depends on your individual situation. powder
A more recent addition to the range is It’s certainly worth getting most of your ■ Fresh blends
■ Your body will easier than frozen,
meal replacements. Some make headlines nutritional intake from real food — and assimilate it quickly and it’s high in
by claiming they can replace food almost also worth doing some research to make for post-workout vitamins A, C, E and
entirely, offering a minimum of 100% gains. K, as well as iron.
sure you’re getting the best possible
of most essential vitamins and minerals nutritional value from what you eat. 8g greens powder Ginger
alongside a 37:30:30:3 split of carbs, Fish oil, greens and vitamin D supps are ■ A good greens ■ It has protective
fats, proteins and fibre. They add worthwhile additions to your diet, and supp will combine effects against
phytonutrients to a plant-rich base mix, if you’ve got specific performance or the likes of spirulina, cardiovascular
chlorella, green tea disease, and reduces
and kale powder to muscle soreness.
Beware of meal nudge you into ten- Add a thumb-sized
replacements. The a-day territory. Don’t portion.
nutrients in them use it to replace real
often don’t work as veg, though. Handful of oats
well as they do in
actual food. 5g creatine ■ Slow-digesting
carbs will bulk out
■ Ups your body’s your shake — toss
stores for fast- in a handful.
twitch explosiveness
and added muscle. Handful of frozen
Some protein brands blueberries
include it in the mix.
■ They’re cheaper
1tsp fish oil than the fresh
variety, and almost
■ Sounds disastrous as packed with
in a shake, but it antioxidants.
doesn’t have to
be. Flavoured 1tbsp peanut butter
varieties offer fat
loss benefits and ■ Natural — just
protection against peanuts with no
Alzheimer’s — with added sugar — is
barely a grimace. better, and gives you
We promise. a helping of healthy
fat and protein.

250ml almond milk

■ It packs just as
much vitamin D and
calcium as regular
milk — and means
the shake is suitable
for those avoiding
animal products.
feel a billion times better
The rage We all know that regularly
getting to the gym or

against age
repeatedly putting in any
type of physically taxing exercise
can improve a whole host of health
markers and reduce the risk for lots of
TRAIN REGULARLY AND YOUR different diseases, from diabetes to
CELLS WILL APPEAR NINE heart disease. But a new study from
YEARS YOUNGER. Brigham Young University in the US has
discovered that high levels of physical
activity may actually make our cells
appear to be about nine years younger
than those in couch potatoes.
Researchers looked at data that
measured telomere length in cells
from over 5,000 people enrolled in
the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey. Telomeres are the
protein endcaps on our chromosomes,
and the longer they are, the younger
they are as the tips get broken off bit
by bit as each cell replicates. The
survey also included information
on how many activities the subjects
participated in over 30 days, which
let the scientists figure out how much
physical activity they were getting.
They found that sedentary
people, and even those who had
low to moderate activity, had the
shortest telomere length, while
those with the highest levels had
significantly longer telomeres. The
study defined high physical activity
as the equivalent to running for 40
minutes, five days a week.
If you are up for keeping your cells
younger and preventing telomeres
from deteriorating too soon, why not
hit up one of our highly challenging
and intense workouts. Along with
building lean muscle, looking better and
improving health, you may just be
giving your cells a dose of youth-
regenerating power.

J U LY 2 0 1 6 MEN’S FITNESS 105

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 ● Body Book Get fit

Moving
parts
Want to improve mobility, lose weight,
and enhance your athleticism? Keep
the iron on the rack and train using
just your own bodyweight.
BY BRIAN MATTHEWS

■ We can’t always make

it to the gym to pump
iron. The good news is a testing
bodyweight workout will
more than suffice. In fact,
some personal trainers believe
that bodyweight exercises are
superior to weights for building
functional strength. This
program hits the core, lower-
body and arms, and is designed
to nuke fat and build muscle.
Don’t hold back!
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAY SULLIVAN

The 30m sprint

will amp up your
heart rate and
test athleticism.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 107

● Body Book Get fit

How It Works
Leave the battles for
gym real estate to the
meatheads. Some
tunes, a little space
and this crop of
bodyweight moves
are all you need to
build muscle and
whip yourself into a
sweat-covered mess.
What’s unique about
this specific grouping
of exercises are the
added benefits: The
plank and sit-out
target core, arms,
and lower-body
strength without
compromising your
spinal health (hear
that, crunches?!).
Duck walks and
squats to side lunges
help loosen up those
big joints as you work
on exploring and
developing a greater
range of flexibility
while you train your
lower body. And
sprints and tuck jumps
ramp up your heart
rate and test overall
athleticism.
Knock this routine
out as prescribed
— changing up sets
and reps to fit your
schedule — and you’ll
have no valid excuse 1
to skip a workout.
DUCK
WALK
Place your hands
behind your head
and descend
into a squat. If
possible, aim
to have your
upper thighs
parallel with the
floor. However,
Directions while safe, the
2) Sit out 5) Squat to side duck walk can
You have two options
The routine 2-3 sets lunge place significant
15-25 per side 2-3 sets stress on the
for performing this
routine: After a five- 10-15 per side knees, so squat
3) Plank to
to 10-minute dynamic to whatever
push-up 6) Sprint
warmup, either do all 2-3 sets depth feels
sets and reps for one 1-3 sets comfortable.
To failure 30m
move before going Keep your torso
1) Elbow-touch
to the next, or cycle 4) Duck walk upright, chest
through a set of each Plank 7) Tuck jump
2-3 sets high and core
move as a circuit, 2-3 sets 2-3 sets
20-40m braced as you
resting as needed. 10-15 per side 10-15 reps
walk forward
20-40m.

108 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

 THE SQUAT TO
SIDE LUNGE
LOOSENS UP
BIG JOINTS,
ENABLING YOU
TO GO DEEPER
AND HARDER.

2 3
SQUAT ELBOW-
TO SIDE TOUCH
LUNGE PLANK
Stand with feet Set up in a pushup
about shoulder position and
width and execute place your hands
a squat rep to directly under
whatever depth your shoulders.
feels comfortable Maintain a neutral
while keeping spine and slowly
tension in your pick one hand up
ankles, knees off the ground
and hips. Stand and bring it over
tall and then take to the opposite
a lateral lunge, elbow. Lightly rest
keeping your toes your hand on your
pointed forward elbow for a two
or slightly out. count. Go back to
Return to the the start position
start position and repeat with
and repeat the opposite hand.
the sequence, If at any point you
this time side notice your pelvis
lunging with the shifting, adjust
opposite leg. your feet wider.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 109

 Body Book Cardio expert

Feeling Your knees

become more
resilient when

kneedy?
exposed to
trail running.

Believe it or not,
running may
actually be good
for your knees —
especially if you
use the outdoors,
not the treadmill,
as your track.

Sure, the

S excuse
“Ican’t
run,it’ll
hurtmyknees”has
gottenlegionsof
couchpotatoesoff
thehook—butits
usefulnessmay
havefinallyrunout.
AnewBrigham
YoungUnistudyfrom Trail or treadmill? treadmill and Throw in that wind butt kicks, and
theUSonhealthy overground running. resistance — which walking lunges
■ Opt for running
runnersages18to35 “These changeups can increase a loosen up muscles;
outside rather
provide greater runner’s workload post-run, yoga-
foundthatrunning than on a treadmill
variability to your by 2–10%, depending based stretches like
for30minutesdidn’t whenever possible,
musculoskeletal on his speed — and runner’s lunge,
causesoreness says Harvard Medical
system” — much running al fresco warrior one, supine
andswellinginthe School’s Dr Irene
better than the wins every time. split, and half pigeon
joints—infact,it Sprague Davis.
repetitive stress help range of motion;
actuallyreduced “When you run Twist and stretch
incurred from a stave of swelling
inflammation. In outdoors, you’re treadmill workout. and soreness; and
■ Because each foot
constantly varying Oxygen keep anti-
otherwords,running strikes the ground
your speed, and the consumption and inflammatory
maynotonlyhelp about 600 times per
terrain and surfaces muscle recruitment powers strong.
youfeelbetterin kilometre when you
are always are also higher
andoutofthegym run, Sprague Davis
changing,” says when you run Don’t sit down
suggests adding
butalsomakeyou Sprague Davis, an outdoors compared for this!
some stretches and
lesslikelytogeta expert in the with pounding a yoga to counteract ■ The BYU study
jointdiseaselike diferences between treadmill belt. stifness and prevent also found that
osteoarthritis. injury while you’re compared with
Thatalonewarrants getting back your running, sitting is
Running outdoors on diferent
afewvictorylaps… outdoor-run mojo. substantially worse
terrain prevents the kind of Pre-run, dynamic
butwhereshould for the knees. So,
repetitive strain injuries you stretches like leg couch potatoes, the
you do them?
get on treadmills. swings, high knees, race starts now!

110 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

 Body Book Technique
Using a heavy
weight puts extra
pressure on the

Become
shoulder joint.

aflyeguy
Build a bigger chest by tweaking
this classic cable move.

People doing
P dumbbell flyes is
a common sight
in most gyms, and that’s
because it’s one of the few
exercises that isolate the
chest to build muscular
size and strength. Yet
the likelihood of seeing
someone do it correctly
is far smaller. Often the
weights selected are too
heavy, placing excessive
pressure on the delicate
shoulder joint, forcing a
movement range that’s
Focus on how the
too narrow, and ensuring movement of your arms
that momentum does and wrists increases
more of the lifting than tension on your chest.
the muscles. In short,
it’s a waste of time.
Instead, to build a bigger
and stronger chest
effectively and safely,
do standing cable flyes.
This machine move
keeps tension on your
chest muscles for both
the lifting and lowering
parts of each rep, which isn’t
the case with free weights.

MF TECHNIQUE

CABLE FLYE FORM GUIDE

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE

Stand tall in the Keeping your chest As your hands come Focusing on how this Slowly reverse
middle of a cable up and core braced, together, rotate your movement of your the movement all
machine, holding a initiate the move and wrists so your palms wrist and arms the way to the
D-handle attached — still with that bend face upwards, then places tension on the start, keeping full
to the high pulley in your elbows — hold your hands middle of your chest, control of the
in each hand with bring your hands together with little hold the position for weight throughout
a slight bend in around in front of fingers touching, a one or two count. the return.
your elbows. your body to meet squeezing your chest
between chest and muscles hard.
SETS: 3 REPS: 12
bellybutton height.
/cellucor @cellucor @cellucor
 Body Book Trainer tips

Boost your
bench
It’s the one move
everyone loves to
do, but it’s also the
one move most
people don’t do
effectively. Get this
classic big lift right
and you’ll start
building a bigger
and stronger chest
straight away.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR

Head Back Core and glutes Chest

Tempted to watch yourself in the
mirror like you’re doing biceps
curls? Don’t be. “The back of your
head should be in contact with the
bench from the moment you lie
down to the moment you rack the
weight,” says strength coach Andy
McKenzie. “Raising your head
will have an efect on your body
position and prevent you from
staying as stable as possible.”
The bench press works your chest,
so you don’t need to worry about
your back, right? Wrong. “Most
guys don’t get tight enough before
they set up to bench,” says
strength coach Paul Carter. “You
need to have a strong scapular
retraction — so pull your
shoulders down hard into the
bench.” This will create tension
across your torso to keep your
body compact and tight, giving
you the ability to push harder
when lifting heavier.
“You need to maintain a strong
arch in your lower back as you lift
and lower the weight, so make sure
you get into this position before
you even put your hands on the
bar,” says McKenzie. “Your glutes
need to be in constant contact
with the bench, and tensing them
hard enables you to maintain that
lower-back arch and keep your
core braced, which is essential
to keeping both your upper and
lower body stable.”
“Lowering the bar to nipple level
allows you to lift the heaviest
weight because it keeps your
shoulder and elbow joints in
their strongest and most stable
position,” says PT Olly Foster.
Keep your chest up and “proud”
throughout the entire rep.
Inhaling deeply as you lower
the bar and exhaling forcefully
as you press it back up will help
keep your torso stable.

114 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7


FIVE
Hands
“Your hands should grip the bar
about shoulder-width apart to
maintain the best position to
press the weight up,” says
McKenzie. “If your grip is too
wide you risk placing too much
pressure on your shoulder joints,
and going too narrow places a
strain on your elbows. Grip the
bar as hard as possible — when
you press the bar up, imagine
you’re trying to bring your
hands together.” But don’t actually
move them.
A GOOD ONE-REP
MAX ON THE BENCH
IS YOUR OWN
BODYWEIGHT
FIVE
Hands
As you drive your head, upper
back and glutes into the bench,
you need to do the same with
your feet on the floor. This
creates total-body tightness that
allows your muscles to fire at
their maximum potential. “Press
your feet hard into the floor to flex
your quads,” says Carter. “The
body works in synergy, so having
your entire body as tight as
possible will help you bench more
weight instantly.”
3 moves to build
bench strength
To work muscles more effectively
when bench pressing, and make
greater gains, it’s vital to focus on
correct form — as explained in this
spread. If you want to bench heavier,
though, these three exercises will help
you by strengthening some of the key
supporting muscles that work with the
chest to lift and lower the bar.
DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS
■ You have to lift lighter than with a
bar, but training each side of your body
independently helps ensure one side isn’t
taking on more of a challenge than the
other, giving you more balanced strength
when you get back under the bar.
DUMBBELL TRICEPS EXTENSION
■ In any big lift you’re only ever as strong
as your weakest link, and neglecting
your triceps can severely hamper your
big bench aspirations. Start with light
dumbbells and master the full movement
range, then increase the weight.
DUMBBELL FLYE
■ The flye is one of the very few lifts that
isolate the chest muscles entirely so that
they do all the work. Targeting them like
this will help you get a better “feel” for
how these muscles move so you’ll have
a stronger mind-muscle connection
when benching. This allows more muscle
fibres to fire at once to get — and keep —
the bar moving .
J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 115
 Body Book Supps

Keto power
Ketosis in 30 minutes without saying
goodbye to carbs? Time to try the supp
that’s revolutionising the fitness world.

The Ketogenic diet,

T ketones and ketosis

are all buzzwords in
the fitness world
right now. However, up until
recently, reaching the state of
ketosis meant an extremely
strict diet many would ditch
after a few days.
Ketone supplements
Enter the exogenous ketone enable you to reach a
supplement. Undoubtedly one of state of ketosis in just
the hottest fitness products on
the market right now, ketone 30 minutes.
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It also has other
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conditions like polycystic One company leading the ketone
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So what exactly is ketosis? in the world.
When your body runs out of
‘I TRAINED FOR 56 DAYS IN A ROW’ Ketosis is when
sufficient carbohydrates
High profile trainer and Brisbane- your body uses
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based gym owner, Ian D’Andrade,
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metabolic state called ketosis.
“Originally I used a brand called
Studies show that the body and
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brain actually prefer using
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switch to Keto High Octane and
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it’s transformed my energy levels
Before the arrival of exogenous
completely,” he said. “I trained for
ketone supplements, reaching
56 days in a row — I’ve never done
and maintaining a state of
that,” he said.
ketosis was extremely difficult. It
Feedback from his clients has
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been 100% positive and Ian is
low-carb diet for 3 to 7 days (less
seeing the results first hand.
than 20grams per day) and you’d MF TOP PICK
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support to seek counselling.
For more information go to
ihls.com.au
or call
1300 557 224
 Body Book Muscle expert

Driving your feet into

the floor will turn on
the glutes and quads,
enabling you to recruit
greater muscle power.

Lift heavy with ease

Follow these six steps to make moving heavy weights easy — and build strength fast.

1 2 3 4 5 6
Drive your feet Use chalk to lift Engage your core Raise your chest Control your Time rest periods
into the floor bigger weights and keep it tight and keep it up breathing better to perfection
■ When performing ■ Don’t lose your grip. ■ When lifting heavy, ■ This is true of ■ For better cardio ■ To burn fat, rest
deadlifts or squats, Instead, rub chalk on you are only ever almost every lift, performance you periods must be short.
making sure your feet your hands and the as strong as your because raising your need to breathe with To build muscle they
are planted firmly on bar. This will wick weakest link. Once chest and keeping your lungs. Better need to be a little
the floor is essential moisture for a much that breaks down it up helps maintain heavy lifting, though, longer. But to build
to getting a good lift — closer grip. It also you’ll not only fail to correct posture means breathing raw strength you
and the same is true ramps up friction as lift the bar, you also through every rep. from your belly. need to get enough
when you’re benching. it smooths out the put yourself at a much WHY IT HELPS WHY IT HELPS
rest between sets to
WHY IT HELPS
cracks on your hands higher risk of injury. “It requires the “By breathing into your perform at your best.
“Pushing your feet and on the bar. WHY IT HELPS contraction of your belly and keeping your WHY IT HELPS

into the floor helps you WHY IT HELPS “Core strength is true back muscles - abs tight, you create “Strength training
activate your glutes The first thing you’ll strength, because essential when doing internal tightness that uses a diferent
and quads,” says notice is how much you’ll perform every heavy compound equals heavier lifts energy system from
PT Tom Wright. “It tighter you’re gripping lift better if you have moves,” says Wright. — and a far lower risk cardio, and even
also creates torque, the bar, enabling a strong core,” says “Locking your of injury,” says Wright. hypertrophy,” says
allowing you to you to push more Wright. “Almost shoulder blades back “Hold your breath until Wright. “It uses the
generate more force weight. To get the full all compound and down creates a near the end of the short-duration ATP
for a more powerful efect, try using chalk movements transfer solid platform to work movement, reset and system that requires
lift. Whether it’s for with a deadlift. You energy through the from on the bench, go again. You can longer to replenish
a deadlift or a bench will be shocked at legs to the upper and an upright expect to add 5-10% itself. Aim for three
press, proper foot how much more limbs via the core, so posture for all other to your lifts by minutes of rest if
placement can really leverage you get. a breakdown in this lifts. It will also aid mastering this.” you’re doing three
give you the edge.” chain can be costly with your breathing reps or fewer.”
for strength.” and bracing.”

118 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

 Body Book Workout fuel

Ignite your
workout
Use our expert guide to pick the right pre-gym supplement
and you’ll make greater gains faster.

If you want to have better training sessions, no

I matter what your exercise goals are, it’s vital to
consider your pre-workout nutritional strategy.
“Pre-workout supplementation should be an important
component of your overall approach to nutrition, whether
you are training for increased muscle mass, a reduction
in body-fat levels or better sport or athletic performance,”
says Aaron Deere, a sports nutritionist, functional medicine
consultant and advanced personal trainer. “The nutrients
you consume just before training can have a big impact not
only on gym performance, but also how quickly your body
recovers.” Here are Deere’s three key recommendations.

ONE TWO THREE

Caffeine Beta-alanine BCAAs

HOW DOES IT HELP? HOW DOES IT HELP? HOW DOES IT HELP?

Cafeine has a This naturally- Branched-chain

fat-burning efect occurring amino acid amino acids are a
because it instructs has been shown in combined form of
your fat cells to studies to increase the three essential amino
release their fatty levels of a compound acids: leucine,
acids for fuel. Studies called carnosine in isoleucine and
have also shown your muscle cells, valine. BCAA
that it lowers your which bufers supplementation
perceived rate of muscular fatigue to before and during
exertion, which allow you to train training prevents
makes training harder for longer. muscle tissue being
hard feel easier. H O W D O I TA K E I T ?
broken down and
H O W D O I TA K E I T ? Beta-alanine is a encourages new
“Doses of 3-9mg key ingredient in tissue to grow, giving
per kilogram of many supplements you bigger, stronger
bodyweight have designed to be taken muscles.
been discovered to before a training H O W D O I TA K E I T ?

deliver an ergogenic session — and you’ll “A dose of around

or fat-burning efect,” know if yours does 6g of BCAAs before
says Deere. “The exact because it usually training has been
efective dose is causes a tingly or shown to elevate
dependent on your prickly feeling in your blood and muscle
cafeine tolerance.” For skin. If you’re creating amino acid levels by
a 75kg man the lower your own pre-workout approximately 130%,”
end is around 225mg supplement stack, says Deere. “The
of cafeine, which is the standard dose is higher this is, the
the equivalent to 2-5g, according to more primed your
about two cups of filter independent research body is to build muscle
cofee. If you use a firm Examine. and burn fat.” BCAAs
pre-mixed pre- can make you
workout product, deficient in other
check the label for nutrients, specifically
exact cafeine vitamin B6, so take a
dosages. preventative daily
multivitamin.

120 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

 EXPERT ADVICE

Drink coffee
for the perfect
power nap

Taking an afternoon
power nap can improve
heart health, according
to the Journal Of
Psychophysiology.
And the key to a mid-
afternoon mini-snooze
is a well-timed cup of
coffee, says Yann Le
Meur, a sports scientist
at the French Institute
of Sport. Use his tips
to make 40 winks work
for you.

SET THE SCENE

“Turn off your mobile
phone and any other
potential distractions,”
says Le Meur. “If
background noise
is unavoidable, put
on headphones with
relaxing music.” Wearing
an eye mask to simulate
darkness is his final
prep tip.

H AV E A C O F F E E
The idea is that the
caffeine kicks in just as
you’re aiming to wake
TAKING 6G OF BCAAS up again — about 20-odd
BEFORE TRAINING minutes after you drift
CAN INCREASE into slumber. “A caffeine
LEVELS OF MUSCLE- nap will not only improve
BUILDING AMINO your performance but
it’ll also lessen how
ACIDS IN YOUR
sleepy you feel when you
BLOOD BY 130%. wake,” says Le Meur.

SET AN ALARM
Factor in the five or
so minutes that it’s
likely to take you to fall
asleep, then add about
20 minutes to that time.
“If you have a habit of
pressing the snooze
button and going right
back to sleep, put your
alarm on the other
side of the room,” says
Le Meur.

GET GOING
The power nap’s done
— time to harness that
power. Le Meur suggests
a few sets of star jumps
and pushups to get your
blood flowing. Bright
light and splashing water
on your face will also
help to get you alert and
back in the game.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 121

 WE DIDN’T
INVENT TEQUILA
Te q uila ha s b e e n a ro und fo r c e nturie s, b ut we to o k the time to g e t it rig ht,
c ra fting a sma ll b a tc h sp irit tha t’ s wo rth sip p ing slo wly. It re q uire s Me xic o ’ s
fine st 100% We b e r Blue Ag a ve , ha nd -se le c te d a nd d istille d in c usto m
c o p p e r stills fo r a smo o th finish e ve ry time . We d id n’ t inve nt te q uila ,

WE JUST PERFECTED IT.

The p e rfe c t wa y to e njo y Pa tró n is re sp o nsib ly. Ha nd c ra fte d a nd imp o rte d e xc lusive ly fro m Me xic o b y The Pa tró n Sp irits Co mp a ny, La s Ve g a s, NV. 40% a b v.
 ● Body Book Gun show

20mins
tobigarms
Fill out your T-shirt sleeves with bigger biceps
and thicker triceps using the three supersets
in this quick and efective workout.

■ One of the smartest ways to add muscle

mass to your upper arms quickly is to hit
your biceps and triceps hard with moves that
work them from multiple angles and through
varying rep ranges. This approach will recruit
and tax many more muscle fibres in your upper
arms — the key to stimulating faster muscle
mass growth. But that doesn’t mean training to
exhaustion: choose the right approach and you’ll
be able to train hard but efficiently, so you can
get it done and start the recovery process that
will lead to bigger and stronger arms.
That’s where this workout comes in. It consists
of three antagonistic supersets, which means
the first move of each superset works your
biceps and the second hits your triceps. This
approach is proven to work your muscles
harder in less time. What’s more, the sets and
reps change with each superset as the workout
progresses, which means you’ll tap into both
fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibres to make
bigger gains in less time.

Antagonistic
supersets work
muscles harder.

THE GUN SHOW

HOW IT WORKS

Do this arms-building
workout twice a week for
a month, for a total of eight
times over the next four
weeks. Leave at least three
days between sessions.
The moves are paired into
three supersets: the first
exercise of each superset
all work the biceps, while
the second move of each
superset targets the
triceps. Do all the stated
reps of 1A, rest for 30-40
seconds, then do all the
reps of 1B and rest for
another 30-40 seconds.
Repeat this pattern for
the stated number of
sets, then move on to the
second superset and so
on. The number of sets
per superset decreases
as the workout advances
while the number of reps
increases, an approach
that will recruit and
fatigue more muscle
fibres, resulting in greater
growth. Maintain perfect
form for each lift, moving
your muscles through a
full range of motion and
keeping the reps controlled
to maximise muscle
activation.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 123

● Body Book Gun show

1A)
CHINUP
Sets: 5 Reps: 8
Tempo: 3010 Rest: 30sec

Grasp a chinup bar with

an underhand grip,
hands shoulder-width
apart. With your core
braced and chest up,
pull your chin until it’s
higher than the bar.
Lower under control
to a dead hang.

1B)
TRICEPS DIP
Sets: 5 Reps: 8
Tempo: 3010 Rest: 30sec

Grip parallel bars with

your chest up and body
tensed. Slowly lower
yourself by bending
your elbows, then press
back up powerfully
without locking your
elbows at the top.

2A)
CABLE ROPE
CURL
Sets: 4 Reps: 12
Tempo: 2011 Rest: 40sec

Hold a rope cable

handle with palms
facing, elbows tucked in
to your sides. Keeping
your chest up, curl the
handle up and turn your
wrists so your palms
face you as you reach
the top. Lower back to
the start under control.

124 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

 2B)
ROPE
PRESS-
DOWN
Sets: 4 Reps: 12
Tempo: 2011 Rest: 40sec

Stand tall holding a rope

cable handle with palms
facing. Keeping your
elbows tucked in to
your sides, press your
hands down so they
go either side of your
thighs. Slowly return
to the start.

3A)
EZ-BAR
BICEPS
CURL
Sets: 3 Reps: 15
Tempo: 2011 Rest: 30sec

Hold an EZ-bar with an

underhand grip, arms
straight and elbows
tucked in to your sides.
Keeping your chest up,
curl the bar up, then
Photography Tom Miles Model Sean Lerwill@WModels Thanks to Ultimate Performance (upfitness.co.uk)

lower back to the start

under control.

3B)
EZ-BAR
BICEPS
EXTENSION
Sets: 3 Reps: 15
Tempo: 2011 Rest: 30sec

Stand tall holding an

EZ-bar above your head
with an overhand grip,
arms straight. Keeping
your elbows fixed in
place, slowly lower the
bar behind your head,
then press it back up
powerfully.

J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 125

S EBOARD
BODY MEALS
Meal prep takes time. We
hate doing it. Take-out food
is rubbish. And frozen meals
and other ready-made meals
all need a plan of some sort.
That’s where Body Meals
comes in. Body Meals is
preparation-free, non-
perishable and doesn’t
require refrigeration. It’s a
healthy, portion-controlled
meal solution you can
keep in the pantry and
take with you anywhere
and eat anytime.
It’s also packed with
nutrients: each meal
contains at least 48.9g
of protein. Choose from
yummy Lean Beef &
Veg, Chicken Shiitake,
Steak & Mushroom and
Tandoori Chicken.
Specifically formulated
for active people on the go,
Bodymeals has a 4.5 health-
star rating, with no added
sugar or preservatives and
is low in sodium.
>> bodymeals.com.au;
Get 20% off with code
“MFJULY20”
126 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
High Performance Guide
SO GOOD SOY MILK
Soy milk is a nutritious and
delicious creamy milk made
from soy beans. Chock with
protein and essential minerals,
it’s naturally lactose- and
cholesterol-free. It also has
the added benefit of half
your daily calcium and
vitamin D requirements
in just one 100ml glass.
>> sogood.com.au
MELBOURNE
MEDIBANK
MARATHON FESTIVAL
Registration is now open for
the Melbourne Medibank
Marathon Festival, held on
Sunday, October, 15, 2017.
With more than 30,000
participants expected to
take part, the festival is
Melbourne’s premier
running event.
>> melbournemarathon.
com.au
SEIKO PROSPEX
SOLAR ANALOGUE
PADI EDITION
Powered by light sources,
this superb sportsman’s
watch has a 10-month power
reserve, and is 200m water-
resistant, allowing you to dive
and swim with confidence.
>> $599, seiko.com.au
C4 50X
Powerful energy intensifier
C4 50X features 50% more
of the active ingredients per
scoop that were key to the
power of the original C4
Extreme. C4 50X also has
two new ingredients: TeaCor
for hard-hitting energy; and
XCELICOR™ to help the
energy last longer.
>> nutritionsystems.
com.au
ADIDAS
PUREBOOST DPR
The new Adidas Pureboost
DPR is dropped low and
wide to take runners closer
to the streets. Its signature
BOOST technology has a new
8mm head-to-toe ofset to
store and unleash energy
more efectively. An awesome
pair of running shoes.
>> $220, adidas.com.au
REID CYCLES
URBAN X2
The ultimate urban commuter.
Built for city life, the Urban
X2 features comfortable
geometry, powerful disc
brakes and 27 Speed Shimano
gearing. Perfect for the
weekday commute and
weekend adventures.
>> $549.99, reidcycles.com.
au/urban-x2.html
GO NATURAL HI
PROTEIN NUT
CRUNCH BAR
These 50g delicious
wholefood protein bars
deliver performance nutrition
naturally without the usual
chalky protein bar taste! They
contain 13g of high quality
protein from whey and nuts
— 26% of your recommended
daily intake.
>> $3.29, gonatural.com.au
PATRON SILVER
TEQUILA
Patron Silver Tequila doesn’t
spend any time in oak
barrels and as such it has a
lighter, fresher taste. Perfect
for the ultimate margarita.
A top-quality white spirit
made from the finest weber
blue agave plant.
>> patrontequila.com/en-au
SILICEA MAN
ONE A DAY
This formula has ingredients
specifically selected for men
to assist with healthy hair,
stronger skin and nails. It
also helps repair damage to
connective tissue, tendons,
ligaments and joint cartilage
that may occur as a result of
over-vigorous gym or sport
activities
>> $39.95, silicea.com.au
UNSWEETENED
ACTIVATED
ALMOND MILK
Pure Harvest’s full-flavoured
non-dairy milk is made from
real organic activated almonds
with no added sweetener. It’s
a 100% natural recipe and is
carrageenan-free.
>> pureharvest.com.au/
J U LY 2 0 1 7 MEN’S FITNESS 127
S EBOARD
BREWART
The world’s first fully
automated personal brewing
system. It enables you to
brew your own pub-quality
beer at the touch of a button,
monitor and control your
brew from your smart phone
and then keg and dispense
without requiring CO2.
>> Available from Harvey
Norman; brewart.com
High Performance Guide
KETO HIGH OCTANE
Recently rated No.1 in
the world for ketone
supplements, Keto High
Octane is capable of putting
you into a state of ketosis
in just 30 minutes and has
been proven to give you
more energy, an increase
in your repetitions and
a shorter recovery time.
>> ketohighoctane.com
OAK PLUS
Everyone loves the great
taste of OAK flavoured
milk, but what if you could
also drink it to help with
post-workout recovery?
Well, now you can, thanks
to new OAK Plus. Specially
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exercise, each serve of
OAK Plus boasts 30g of
protein for muscle recovery,
is low in fat and has
reduced sugar, making it
the ideal post-workout
drink. For everyone from
fitness fanatics to weekend
warriors, OAK Plus is an
excellent new drink that
makes post-workout
recovery so much easier.
>> $3.90/500ml, facebook.
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Caramel, Cinnamon Roll,
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>> sunwarrior.com
One in seven Australians
will experience the “black
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point in their lives. No
matter what your situation,
it can knock you for six.
The good news is that
depression can be treated
and, in some cases, even
prevented. Learn more and
find valuable self-help tools
at the website below.
>> blackdoginstitute.
com.au

128 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7

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 The Cooldown
Captain
courageous
In 2014, Phil Davis sufered a horriic
onield injury that almost resulted in
him losing a kidney. The 26-year-old GWS
leader reveals the hard work he did to get
his football career back on track, as he
drives the Giants’ quest for a maiden lag.
I N T E R V I E W B Y A S H L E Y G R AY
130 MEN’S FITNESS J U LY 2 0 1 7
Your injury — a lacerated right kidney — was described by a doctor
as worse than a car accident. What did you learn from it?
I look back at it as a distant dream now. It relaxed my view
on football. You’re never going to enjoy football as much as
you did when you were 16, but before the injury I would get
stressed about the challenge of playing in the AFL. Now I
enjoy it rather than stress.
What was the lowest point of the ordeal?
Before the second surgery, when I was told I would probably
lose my right kidney. When I woke up, the irst thing I did was
look at my stomach to see if there was a ish hook scar. And
when I saw there wasn’t I knew I still had it.
How difficult was it to get back on the field again?
My playing weight was 94kg but because I wasn’t eating or
exercising it had dropped to 86kg. It was a gradual process.
The irst thing I had to do was get back to being a human,
and the irst exercise I did was a 15-minute walk. [Former
Collingwood star] Nick Maxwell said that playing again after
a serious injury you get so distracted trying to win and do
the best for your team that self-preservation is not an issue.
And he was right. You have to put your body on the line. The
only thing I did was wear a kidney guard for the irst few
matches, but that was to please my mum.
What do you work on in the gym?
It’s mainly about hamstring strength, which gives me great
balance on the ield. That means lots of hammie curls and
Nordic curls. Leg and hip strength is probably the most
important thing for me as a defender. It doesn’t matter how
big you’re up top if you can’t hold your ground with your legs,
especially against big players. You also need running itness.
In a game I clock up between 12km and 14km, so in preseason
we run 40-50km a week. During the season we run about
7-10km a week in addition to what we do on the ield.
What do you eat the night before a match?
I go for some low GI carbs and protein — usually ish or
chicken, plus pasta and salad. I ind red meat too heavy. I’ll
also have some cake afterwards. It’s the one thing I ind hard
to say no to, especially banana cake.
You’re lining up a long-range kick at goal. What’s going through
your head at that point?
You get 30 seconds, so I try to take all of that time, so that
I can lower my heart rate, because you’re usually tired after
taking the mark. Then I try to keep my weight forward and
kick through the ball keeping everything straight. Then only
a bad drop of the ball can put you of.
As co-captain, how do you react when your side is up against it?
I try to remain calm. It’s easy to get too psycho and that gives
of the wrong message to the team. You’ve got to ind the
balance between staying calm and telling a few hard truths.
Who are your toughest opponents?
Josh Kennedy [West Coast Eagles] and Tom Lynch [Gold Coast]
because they are both very strong, hard to spoil and are super
competitive, and Buddy Franklin [Sydney Swans] because he’s
big and strong and he’s got lightning pace.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Do the little things well — and do them repeatedly. Pay
attention to detail. That’s one of the reasons for my success.
Great preparers become great players, and you notice that
those guys are the ones who always get through form slumps
whereas guys who don’t prep properly won’t. My advice is
to do the things you can control really well during the week,
because on the ield you won’t be able to control everything.
OAK
PLUS
PLUS THE
PROTEIN
PLUS MUSCLE
RECOVERY

KILL HUNGRYTHIRSTY DEAD

 BLACK
IS THE NEW BLACK.

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