Fitt for lif

lifee

March 2016

No gym or
cape required
Blast your body fat

4.20

ALL YOU NEED

FOR A BIGGER
CHEST

(No 1: Get a dog)

C@ntrol MSS

hugoboss.com

Contents
March 2016

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

p54 Whats your muscle IQ?

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

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

Updates

I dont know
how my arms
would look when
theyre in shape

p15 Winter winner

Get outside when the
temperature dips and reap
the fat-burning benefits
of exercising in the cold
p19 Hit the deck
Ever eaten food off the
floor? The five-second
rule wont save you, but
having a carpet might
p27 Rice and easy
Sushi is a miracle of
muscle-building goodness,
especially if you learn
how to roll your own

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

Fuel
p83 Flash in the pan
These few simple upgrades
will turn pancakes into a
healthy feast you can enjoy
every day of the year
p95 Pizza delivers
It doesnt have to be a dietary
disaster if you choose wisely,
says MFs nutritionist and
takeaway fan Drew Price

p43

Trainer
p110 Roll back fat
They arent just for recovery.
Try these foam roller-based
fat-loss moves, then ease
out the knots afterwards

p64

p72

p113 Bro science on trial

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

p83

p105

p129 Heart work

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

Q: Are you
having fun
yet?

IN THIS
ISSUE

We asked three of our

experts for their best
muscle-building advice

Im always surprised by how peoples

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

Emil Hodzovic

Doctor, strongman and

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

Brendan Chaplin

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

Set performance goals

Even if your main aim

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

Have a plan

Get one from a good source, and give it time to work.

Youll be able to hit the gym with condence that you
arent wasting your time, and youll see progress.

Embrace the process

The gym isnt something to distract yourself from

with intra-set visits to the Candy Kingdom. Training is
the thing thats supposed to be a distraction from real
life focus on it, and youll quickly start to enjoy it.
In this issue youll nd an abundance of advice and
workouts to help, but weve got one more way to
make the process easier than ever - our new bespoke
80-day plan, available at tbt.menstness.co.uk. Its a
training-and-eating plan tailored to your goals,
meaning youll get your best results ever.

Joe Barnes, Editor

@MF_Barnes

8 | March 2016

Aslan Steel

YOUR BEST EVER

BODY STARTS AT

TBT.MENSFITNES
S.C

O.UK

Calisthenics pioneer (p64)

The most overlooked part
of training is straight-arm
strength. People are so used
to flexing that often theyre
afraid of locking out or
keeping their arms straight
but thats what you need for
complete arm strength.

THINK LIGHT AND

IMPROVISE

OUR LOWEST FAT SPREADABLE

MADE WITH REAL BUTTER

THE MFERS

Issue 189

March 2016

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#iceage

Hacking my way up a frozen

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work. But the rush of exhilaration I felt
when I successfully scaled it was more
than worth the effort (abseiling down
without impaling myself on a pickaxe was
a bonus too). Visit slovenia.info for more.

Matt, features writer

#LastLeg

I joined TV presenter Alex

Brooker in the gym and found out how
training around a disability throws up
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#FitBrit

View your gym as a playground

and exercise never becomes a chore and
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10 | March 2016

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MFAQ
PB | EXPERTS

Got a question?
MensFitnessMagazine

@MensFitnessMag

USETHE
HASHTAG
#MFAQ

Can I do genetic tests to

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

Ive been following

the same diet as my
colleague but Im not seeing
the same eects. Why?
Mike, London
Youre doing the same amount
of physical activity too, right?
The answer may lie in the
results of a recent study
published in the life sciences
journal Cell, which found that
the same meal is metabolised
dierently from one person to
the next. To nd out which
foods are holding you back,
nutrition experts recommend
an elimination diet, in which
you remove one food at a time
from your intake and monitor
the results. Alternatively, just
sabotage your colleagues
eorts so you feel better.

Photography Alamy

Is it true that if I eat too

much protein Ill get fat?
Phil, London
This old and somewhat
bizarre myth stems from a
study in the American Journal
Of Clinical Nutrition, which
found that 30g of protein per
meal was the best for building
muscle and that upping it to
40g didnt improve the massgaining eects. But that
doesnt mean excess protein is
converted to body fat that
simply isnt an energy-ecient
means of dealing with it. Still
need convincing you wont get
tubby? Explorers who ate
nothing but protein developed
a condition called rabbit
starvation, a form of
malnutrition that occurs when
the body doesnt get any fat.
12 | March 2016

Some men are more

irritable than others but
that doesnt mean theyre
low in testosterone

Ive noticed Im getting more tired

and irritable recently. Am I just
turning into a grumpy old man?
Peter, Northampton
Theres a chance you may have Testosterone
Deficiency Syndrome (TDS), which can
cause low libido, irritability and reduced
muscle mass among other things. A study
presented at the British Endocrine Societys
2015 conference found that 46% of men
with TDS believe their symptoms are agerelated and dont seek treatment. One
of the authors, Dr David Edwards, said,
Testosterone is required by all men for a
healthy life physically and psychologically
so its important that low testosterone is
treated. If youre concerned, see your GP.

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FREE
GIFT

Last issues issues

Your Timbersports
feature (MF February)
has convinced me I need
more rotational movement
in my training. I dont have
access to a cable machine,
or an axe, so how do I train
these movements?
Conor, Dublin
Good on you, Conor! Get
a resistance band, like the
Bodymax Power Band from
powerhouse-tness.co.uk,
and start with horizontal
band woodchops. Dont pick a
band thats too thick or youll
have a job moving it at all.
Begin with the 30mm purple
band and youll be chewing
up fallen trees in no time.

03
16

Updates

What matters now

Make
winter
work
for you

Low
temperatures
have also
been shown to
reduce pain

Words Max Anderton

Photography Alamy

Chill out while you work

out to burn more ab

t wont be long until springs in full swing and

were moaning about pollen counts instead
of nippy weather. In the meantime, head
outside and make the most of the unique fatburning benets of exercising in low temperatures
anything lower than 5C does the trick. Not only
does the cold make your body more ecient
at converting sugars into energy, a new study
from the University of Geneva found exercising
in the cold creates more good brown fat.
But what exactly is brown fat? Its cells are
primarily a site of metabolism and heat production,

says Razeeb Ahasan of Public Health England. It

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

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So relax, now you can look your best whilst battling the elements.
craghoppers.com

Updates | Fitness

HIIT
CONFIRMED

Another reason
not to skip leg day

A groundbreaking study shows brain health starts below the waist

hunning squats? Then youre putting your mind at risk. A Kings College London
investigation into how lifestyle choices aect brain development measured thinking,
learning and memory over ten years studying twins to avoid physiological dierences
that might skew the results and found the best predictor of cognitive decline was leg power.
Its compelling to see such dierences in cognition and brain structure in identical
twins, based on leg power, says lead study author Dr Claire Steves. If having chicken
legs isnt enough of a motivator to focus on your lower body, the prospect of staying
mentally sharp should be. The best move for leg power is a toss-up between leg press
and back squat, but the latter is our choice because it will release more body-building
growth hormone. Do three sets of ve, and increase the weight every week.

Runnings sweet spot revealed

You dont need to become

an extreme endurance
athlete to get the maximum
health benet from jogging.
An analysis of previous
large-scale studies concluded
we only need to run 5-10km
each week to reduce weight,

blood pressure and risk of

stroke. Any more and there
isnt much benet beyond
burning calories, while
clocking up more than 30km
a week can actually have the
opposite eect. If youre new
to running, start with a 5K,

says coach George Anderson

(runningbygeorge.com).
After a month, add 1km a
week until youre doing 10K
and getting faster every time.
Log times, track progress and
let us know when you beat the
42-minute MF oce record.

Intervals under
30 seconds
The cell response
that spikes the
metabolism slows
past the halfminute mark.
Maximum eort
for all intervals
Anything less
wont have the
same eect. Go
hard, dig deep,
then go harder
and dig deeper.
Sessions less
than 30 minutes
After half an hour
the mitochondria
are no longer
aected in the
same way and fatburning drops o.
March 2016 | 17

Words Max Anderton Illustration Sudden Impact

Photography Tom Miles Model Greg Cornthwaite

Its not just

good for your
legs and
mind squats
build core
strength too

Weve long
known highintensity interval
training (HIIT)
is an eective
way to lose fat,
but Stockholms
Karolinska
Institutet only
just gured
out why. Its all
about how going
at-out aects
mitochondria
the bits in our
cells responsible
for generating
energy. The
most important
discovery, though,
was the elements
of a perfect fatburning session.
Heres what to
look for in your
HIIT workout.

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Updates | Nutrition

GM gets the
go-ahead

Scientists have been

tinkering with crops since
the 1990s, but now the
green lights been given for
human consumption of a
genetically modied food
thats not plant-based.
AquAdvantage Salmon
grows twice as fast as the
normal variety, will soon
be in shops in the US and,
according to its makers,
has no biologically
relevant dierences in
its nutritional prole.

The Bottom Line Its reassuring,

but were disappointed GM isnt making

food better. Add more protein, omega 3s
and vitamins then well get excited.

5-second rule: the facts

Words Max Anderton Illustration Ryan Chapman Photography iStock

layground science has taken a beating from researchers at Aston University.

Apparently, when you drop food on the oor, its the amount of bacteria
on the spot it hits not how long it stays there that determines whether or
not its safe to eat. If youre clumsy but really cant bear to bin tasty treats, eat
in a carpeted room. Tile and wood surfaces harbour 70 times as many germs.
But unless youve recently been preparing raw meat on the surface in question
(or a pets been wandering around on it), theres no real need to worry. After
all, E. coli and the lesser-known S. aureus are the only bacteria that will make
you genuinely ill the rest will actually strengthen your immune system.

SCIENCE WATCH

Scrutinising the latest research developments under the MF microscope

Good news for...

Cheapskates

Tea absorbs toothstrengthening uoride

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

Bad news for...

Diet drinkers

Going sugar-free wont

save your smile. Fizzy
pop and sports drinks
soften enamel by 30-50%
and a recent study
found no signicant
dierence in sugarless
versions. Drink sparkling
water with lime, which
discourages fat storage.

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

March 2016 | 19

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Updates | People

Peak
performance
with Chris
Sharma
Follow the advice of the worlds best
rock climber and youll be able to
scale any challenge

Words Max Anderton Photography Alamy

Find your motivation

You have to have your head in the right

place if you ever hope to perform at the
highest level, says Sharma. Knowing
why you want to achieve something is the
st real step to doing it, whatever it is.
My reason? Simple I love climbing and
would be doing it whether I was paid to
or not.

Feed the passion

If someones obsessed about what they

do whether its athletics, music, art,
science or business you can see it in
their eyes, says Sharma. Thats not to say
you shouldnt sign up for, say, a marathon
because its not your life goal just dont
expect to be inspired. If you love what
you do youll start getting creative with

it and it becomes a lifestyle,

rather than just a sport.

Make new routes

In climbing there are a lot

of ways to progress and a big part of it is
nding new places and doing rst ascents
that arent necessarily about diculty,
but about adapting yourself to explore
uncharted territory, says Sharma. The
lesson? It isnt always about doing what
everyone else is doing: nding your own
challenge is key.

Redefine success

Some of the climbs I work on take years

to gure out and that means failing
over and over again, says Sharma. If
I did them solely for the satisfaction of
nishing I would have burned out ages
ago. Instead, I do it because I love every
stage not just the end result. Focus on
the small steps that get you to the nish
line, not just the peak of the mountain.

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

Now, now, now

Its not just about the fun stories youll tell

afterwards, so stay fully focused on every
step. Of course, my goal is always to get
to the top, but the only way to do that is
to concentrate on being in the moment,
says Sharma. If youre just thinking
about getting to the summit youre not
focused on the present and things can,
and will, go wrong.

Enjoy the view (but dont relax)

Achieved what you set out to do? Great,

you can relish the feeling but that
doesnt mean slow down. The better you
get, the harder it is to progress further,
but while you sit on your laurels the next
generation will be pushing the bar a bit
further, says Sharma. If that happens,
you can either be discouraged and quit,
or it could light a re under your butt.
Chris Sharma appears in Point Break
see it in cinemas from 12th February
March 2016 | 21

Updates | Training

MUST-DO
MOVE

Build
injury-proof
knees

How to do it

Start in an upright position, then

bend one knee, lift the other leg
behind you and grab your ankle
like youre doing the classic
footballers quad stretch. Slowly
lower until your back knee touches
the ground, then stand back up. Too
hard? Do it without holding your
ankle. Too easy? Hold your ankle in
both hands.

For the man looking

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

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

Desk stretch

Grab a ruler or something else

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

Wall W

Stand with your back and forearms

against a wall. Lower your arms
to form a W shape, then back up.
Youll protect your shoulders and
activate the surrounding muscles.

Standing batwing

Keeping your back at, take a small

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

Illustrations Sudden Impact

Words Joel Snape Photography Danny Bird Model Callum Melly@vanderlammie.omn

Introducing the shrimp

squat, your no-weight tool
for ferocious leg strength

March 2016 | 23

Updates | Adventure

Get some
edge

Words Matt Huckle Photography John Wellburn

Want some inspiration for getting

o-road? This American cyclist
might have the answer for your next
Sunday ride
Chris van Dine rode miles of unmapped
trails in southern Peru to nd a new route
to the Inca city of Choquequirao. It was
an expedition that required the pro cyclist
to be medic and mechanic too. If you break
your leg you have to gure out how to get
out of there by your own volition, says the
35-year-old Pennsylvanian. It didnt seem to
slow us down though, he adds with a laugh.
As well as being a challenging route to ride
Van Dine wasnt even sure theyd be able to
nd a way through the rich history was a large
part of the appeal. It was the capital of the
Americas in the 1500s. Theres lots of mystery
around it. It beckons your inner Indiana Jones.
Despite a few situations that forced Van
Dine and his small team to huddle under
rocky outcrops in freezing rain hoping
for the weather to break, they nished
the route in ten days. Its dicult to say
what distance they travelled, but Van Dine
estimates they ascended around 12,000m
in total. While this expedition was strictly
for the professionals, he says, theres
nothing to stop anyone getting started on
a smaller and slightly less ballsy scale.

1. Get the right bike

Enduro mountain bikes are a middle ground between
a traditional cross-country bike, which will have a
wide range of gears, and a full-on downhill bike. Its
light, with 5-6in suspension and a good gear ratio.
Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of bikes you
could do a lap in the park or go on a ten-hour ride.
2. Tap into experience
You dont have to work everything out on your
own! Bike shops are great places to spend time
you can pick the brains of other riders and the
mechanics who work there. Its often a starting
point to getting invited on group rides.
3. Dont throw money away
Avoid the marketing and gizmos. Its very easy to spend
a lot more money than you need to. Just remember
you dont need a 3,000 bike to have fun. Theres also
nothing like watching an experienced pro riding an old
hunk of metal smoking someone with all the fancy tech.
24 | March 2016

Va n D i n e s t e a m
had to contend
with altitude
sickness as well
as vertiginous
drops and
an almost
nonexistent trail

March 2016 | 25

I WAS VERY KEEN TO PICK UP AS MANY SKILLS

AS I COULD. I WANTED TO BE THE BEST I COULD.
I HAD AN INTERNAL DRIVE TO IMPROVE AND BE
A REALLY GREAT INSTRUCTOR. IVE SEEN A LOT
OF DEVELOPMENT AND ITS A STEEP LEARNING
CURVE. I REALLY ENJOY THE SATISFACTION I
GET FROM SEEING PEOPLE ACHIEVE.

BECOME A LES MILLS

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

as a Les Mills instructor are great.

Les Mills works with over 2000
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and has 20 different scientically
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Call: 0207 264 0200 or email:
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Updates | Eat Smart

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

Words Ben Ince Illustrations Joe Wilson Photography Joseph Sinclair

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

ushi has become as much

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

Roll with it

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 1)
2 sheets of nori
seaweed

150g sushi rice,

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

Follow Hayamizus advice to make

masterful maki in four simple steps
mas

Place a nori sheet on the rolling

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

Using your ngers, press down

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

Lift up the bottom edge of the nori

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

Remove the mat and cut the roll

into six equal pieces with a sharp
knife, then repeat the process
with the remaining ingredients.

March 2016 | 27

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ROADBIKE (10/15) | VERY GOOD | INDIVIDUAL TEST
The Rose is rather a touring than a cross-country bike and thus impresses
all frequent riders who not only ride on asphalt roads, but also on gravel and
forest paths. The frame is robust, and taking into consideration the attractive
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This test relates to the TEAM DX CROSS-3000 2016.

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Can you really

wear jeans to
work out?
Denim on the gym oor used
to be a no-no but these new
trousers are ideal for exercising

Updates | Gear
CLIMB

Per
P
erfo
form
rman
ance
ce jjeans
eans
ea
ns
ar
are
e on
Performance
the rise.
rise
ri
se.. It ssounds
ound
ou
ndss li
like
ke a
n
the
an
oxymoron
on,, but
but iits
ts surprising
t
su
ng
oxymoron,
w many
many activities
act
ctiv
ivit
itie
iess are
are better
bett
be
tter
how
whil
ile wearing
wear
we
arin
ing
g them.
them
th
em. People
Peop
Pe
ople
le
while
have been
bee
een
n climbing
clim
cl
imbi
bing
ng in jeans for
have
year
ye
arss because
beca
be
caus
use
e of their comfort,
com
omfort
rt,
rt
years
dura
du
rabi
bili
lity
ty and
nd relative cheapness
cheapnes
ess
durability
and now
now companies
comp
mpan
aniess are
and
catc
ca
tchi
hing
ng on
on and
and making
maki
ma
king versions
ver
ersi
sion
onss
catching
with more
mor
ore
e stretch
stre
st
retc
tch
h and
and better
bett
be
tter
er
with
rang
ra
nge
e of motion.
mot
otio
ion.
n. MF tested
tes
este
ted
d the
the
range
top brands
bran
br
ands
ds and
and picked
pic
icke
ked
d the
the best.
best
be
st..
top

The Simonds (28,

decathlon.co.uk)
decathlon.
n.co
co.uk)
are stretchy
stretc
st
tchy
hy
enough
gh that
nothing
nothin
ing except
ability
y could
coul
co
uld
stop us
us nailing
nail
na
iling
overhangs,
overha
hangs, while
the harness sits
on the ove
oversized
vers
rsized
waistband
waistb
tban
and
d without
with
wi
thou
outt
slipping
slip
sl
ippi
ping
ng and
and
chang.
cha
an
ng. Since
Sin
ince
ce
switching
switch
chin
ing
g to these,
the
hese
se,,
our knees
knee
kn
ees have
have
looked
look
oked
ed better
bet
etter
than
than they
the
hey
y have
ha
in years
yea
ears
rs thanks
tha
hank
nkss
to their
the
heir
ir superior
superio
iorr
protection.
prot
pr
otec
ot
ecti
ec
tion
ti
on.
on

LIFT

Are yo
Are
you on
extremely
familiar
ex
fami
mili
liar
ar
terms
with the
te
he
squat rack? Levis
Athletic
5411 At
54
Athlet
etic Fit
it
(80,
levis.com)
(80
(
80, levis.co
com)
m)
have
ha
ve roomier
upper legs and
slightly
bigger
a sl
slig
ight
htly bigge
ger
rear
re
ar so you dont
don
do
ntt
have
ha
ve to
o go for
or
waist
a bigger
bigg
bi
gger
er w
aist
ai
st
to ccompensate.
ompe
om
pens
nsat
ate.
e.
Theyre snug
Th
ug
to llift
iftt in,
if
in but
bu
loose
loos
lo
ose
e enough
en gh
to comfortably
get low without
worrying
worr
wo
rryi
ying
ng about
abo
bout
ut
embarrassing
emba
em
barr
rras
assi
sing
ng rrips.
ips.
ip
s.

RIDE

Vulpines Jinzu
Raw Selvedge
jeans
(159,
je
vulpine.cc)
vulp
vu
lpin
lp
ine.
e.cc
cc)) have
cc
have
attened
at
atte
tene
te
ned seams,
ne
seam
se
ams,
meaning
mean
me
anin
an
ing
g theres
th
s
no need
nee
eed to reach
rea
each
ch
forr Vaseline
Vase
Va
seli
line
li
ne after
aft
fter
er
long
ng sessions
ses
essi
sions in the
saddle.
We enjoy
sa
strapping
stra
rapp
pping our lock
to the heavyweight
belt loops, wh
while
other road users
enjoy the raised
rear waistband
that
at prevents them
em
getting
gett
ge
ttin
ing
g an eyeful
eye
yeful
of our
our arse
ars
rse
e crack.
crac
cr
ack.
k.

HIKE

Words Max Anderton Photography James Lincoln

Made
Ma
de with
wit
ith
h a qu
quic
quickickic
kdrying
dryi
dr
ying
yi
ng h
hybrid
ybri
yb
rid
ri
d
fabric,
Rohans
fabr
fa
bric
br
ic, Ro
Roha
han
ha
nss
Jeans
Jean
Je
anss Plus
an
Plus (75,
(7
75,
5,
rohan.co.uk)
roha
ro
han.
n.co
co.u
.uk)
k)
are
ar
e ou
ourr legwear
legw
le
gwea
earr
of choice
cho
hoic
ice
e fo
forr
coun
co
countryside
untr
trys
ysid
ide
e
stom
st
stomps.
omps
om
ps.. Theyre
ps
They
Th
eyr
re
e
also
al
so more
mor
ore
e
brea
br
breathable
eath
thab
able
le than
tha
han
n
norm
no
normal
rmal
al denim,
den
enim
im,,
whic
wh
which
ich
h means
mean
me
anss that
that
unlike
unli
un
like
li
ke most
mos
ostt jeans
jean
je
anss
an
yo
you
u dont
don
do
ntt ha
n
have
ve tto
o
peel
pe
el them
the
hem
m o after
afte
af
terr
te
long
lo
long,
ng,, damp
ng
damp treks.
tre
reks
ks..

March
Marc
Ma
rch
h2
2016
016
6 | 29

OPERAT
IONS
ANALYS
T
NURSE

DOCTOR
MARKE
ENGINE TEER
ER

ACHIEVE
SOMETHING
REMARKABLE
This year get ready for an adventure like no other,
cross an ocean, or circumnavigate the globe.
No experience is required for the race of your life.

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Updates | Experts

Q: Are there any antihair loss products

that actually work?

Photography iStock

There are many factors that inuence

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

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

Q: How can I tell if I

actually have a food
allergy or intolerance?

Ask D
An y quesrtiNick
o
Tweet us ns?
#

AskDrNick

s a rule, if your body reacts quickly, its likely youre allergic,

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

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

Q: I just cant seem to

lose weight. Could a
medical condition be
holding me back?
Stagnating weight loss can be
frustrating, but while there are
medical conditions that can cause
it such as underactive thyroid
disease, arthritis or depression
for most people the problem is
simply lifestyle-related. To burn fat
eectively, you need to be physically
active, minimally sedentary and take
a balanced approach to nutrition.
Theres no great secret formula:
cutting out processed and junk foods,
reducing your alcohol consumption,
exercising regularly and being as
active as possible every day really is
the best prescription for getting lean.
March 2016 | 31

Learn to enjoy
the mountains
safely in winter

Join us at the National Mountain Sports Centre on one of our Welsh or Scottish winter
walking and mountaineering courses and unlock a whole new world of winter
adventure. Enjoy top-flight instruction, hotel-standard en-suite accommodation, great
meals, a well stocked bar and some of the most amazing scenery in the UK.

www.pyb.co.uk
Plas y Brenin The National Mountain Sports Centre Capel Curig Conwy LL24 OET Tel: 01690 720214 Email: info@pyb.co.uk
www.plus.google.com/+plasybrenin

www.facebook.com/plasybrenin

www.twitter.com/plasybrenin

Health

Updates | Experts

Joel
Snape

MF s associate editor says

the idea of reducing burger
consumption to save the
planet is overambitious and
unfair but theres a better,
more reasonable way

Q: Do I need
to cut back
on meat?

o the Governator wants us all to eat less meat

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

Photography Alamy

Meat market expansion

But heres the thing: asking people nicely to eat less meat isnt
going to help. Even if you and I and all the nice people who pay
attention to thinktanks and the star of Kindergarten Cop stopped
eating meat, it wouldnt be enough it wouldnt stop most of
America from cramming down quarter-pounders and it certainly
wont convince McDonalds to stop their expansion into China.
And why would it? We Westerners have all had our fun with our
hipster burger bars and hotdog-eating competitions, and telling
developing nations they have to live on tofu and kale forever
because weve changed our minds smells a bit like bullshit.

1.5billion
The number of cows
in the world

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

So heres a dierent solution: more technology. Bill Gates,

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

110

How many kilograms of methane each one

produces, every year

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

March 2016 | 33

Follow Andy at

andy_torbet

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

Photography Rob Franklin

Q: Whats the
best way into
skydiving?
A: The most common way is to
complete your AFF (Accelerated
Free Fall) Course. After ground
training youll complete seven
jumps, each introducing a new
skill, with instructors holding on
to you. You then get to jump on
your own, with a pro watching,
for ten jumps. Then youre
qualied and can choose your
discipline, such as wingsuiting,
free ying or base jumping.
Skydiving might appear to be
an adrenaline sport for fearless
maniacs but its actually very
safe. You dont need to possess
superhuman levels of tness,
but the better your mobility and
exibility, the easier it is to relax
and form stable body positions in
the sky. A strong core will make
some manoeuvres easier and
help prevent injury in the event
of a tricky opening or landing
but its more about technical
skill and mental strength.
34 | March 2016

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

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

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

A: Hitting a cave is a lot like hitting

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

Q: Im booking a city break

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

Q: How do I put some

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

THE

RACE
SUN
LAKE DISTRICT

A fantastic challenge for teams of four

in the Lake District. Cycle 50 miles,
climb Helvellyn and canoe Thirlmere.
Start at sunrise, nish by sunset.

Climb Cycle Canoe

Places
limited

3 September 2016

The race is on. Sign up today to secure your place in this famous team
event. Pay a registration fee of 195 and commit to raising funds that
could change the lives of babies and children.
For further information and to register online

actionforcharity.co.uk

ction
for charity

lifechangingevents

01590 677854

events@actionforcharity.co.uk
Race the Sun Lake District is managed by Action for Charity on behalf of Action Medical Research

Charity reg. nos 208701 and SC039284

Training

Updates | Experts

Melody
Coleman

The personal trainer and body transformation

specialist (bodyprojectpt.com) says
aiming for a daily 10K is an effective
target, no matter what shape youre in

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

Photography iStock

ctivity trackers like Fitbit suggest

we should set a daily goal of 10,000
steps but whats the medical basis
for that gure? There isnt any. The
gure stems from 1960s Japan, when
a pedometer called manpo-kei (which
literally means 10,000 step meter)
was created. It was a goal that sounded
challenging yet achievable, and this
became the core of its marketing strategy.
Although the 10,000 gure was
arbitrary in its conception, research
conducted since the 1960s shows that
people who increase their walking to hit
the target do experience health benets.
One study showed that it reduces blood
pressure, while another found it has
positive eects on blood glucose levels.
For people who lead sedentary
lifestyles, aiming for 10,000 steps is a
no-brainer on the path to tness. But
what if youre no stranger to the gym?
Slow and steady cardio has had a bad
rap in the past few years, but walking
10,000 steps roughly 8km a day
has health benets for everyone.
Some might argue that you could just
skip one latte a day instead 10,000 steps
burns around 400 calories but then

Slow and steady

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

The average person

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

youd be missing out on the numerous

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

Better
circulation

It encourages your
hearts left ventricle
the artery that pushes
blood out to the
rest of the body to
increase in capacity.

might think running would be a better

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

Improved
recovery

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

Eective
preparation

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

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Updates | Experts

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

The
weight-loss consultant
Steve Miller is a clinical hypnotherapist

specialising in weight management and

condence building (yourweightlossmaster.co.uk)

onstructive fat-shaming is the only way to get a grip on

our nations obesity crisis because a soft approach just
gives people permission to make excuses. I see people
whove tried countless diets. What they really need is to feel
shame about fat. I want people to be really disgusted.
I get clients to eat in front of a mirror to remind them how
unattractive they look and of the role eating plays in that. I also
get them to carry a photo of themselves at their fattest. This
creates a psychological aversion to obesity, and it works.
Being overweight makes a person feel uncomfortable, creates
low self-esteem and will probably end up killing them, so it
should be demonised. We did it with smoking, and we should
do the same with excessive eating. For example, the people
behind the counters of fast-food joints shouldnt serve obese
people. You wouldnt knowingly sell booze to an alcoholic.
Nothing else is working. No-one has to be fat. Lets all adopt
a cruel to be kind approach and solve this problem together.

The psychologist

Dr Bryony Bamford is clinical director of

The London Centre for Eating Disorders
and Body Image (thelondoncentre.co.uk)

The
campaigning columnist
A self-described Body Positive Warrior,

Fran Hayden blogs at franhayden.wordpress.com

and contributes to The Hungton Post
and The Independent, among others

at -shaming is absolutely not OK. Health and body

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

Photography Alamy

riticising anybody who doesnt conform to a personally held

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

MF
SAYS
Joel Snape,

associate editor

Theres much more to being overweight

than not caring about how you look or
a lack of willpower. Getting in better
shape is undoubtedly a healthy aim
but fat-shaming just isnt constructive.

The
personal trainer
John Richardson has been in the tness

industry for eight years, working privately in

London with clients of all shapes and sizes

ts a fallacy to suggest that overweight people are solely

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

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16

Personal best

Game-changing
gear and inspiration

IN THE GYM WITH

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

Words Matt Huckle

Photography Mike Massaro

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

PB | Exposure

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

Brooker realised his

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

You used to joke about being the tenth

most inuential disabled person in
Britain. How did you react when
the Shaw Trust put you second?
That was weird, wasnt it? I always used
to joke about it. I came behind Tanni
Grey-Thompson. I beat Hawking and he
had a lm out! I bet Eddie Redmayne is
gearing up to play me in a lm now. Hes
probably getting his prosthetic hands
tted as we speak. But yeah, second most
powerful disabled person in Britain. I
dont think itd work as a chat-up line.

Thats quite a way to come in

four years. Before the 2012
Paralympics you were unknown.
I went into the Paralympics on a nineday contract, expecting to go back
up to Yorkshire afterwards and work
for the Press Association again.
Your rst live interview was
with David Cameron, right?
I was meant to be doing Boris Johnson but
about half an hour before the start they
were like, Youre going to interview the
Prime Minister ve minutes before Boris
Johnson. There were 11 million people
watching and I was shitting myself.
You pulled it o though.
Yeah. We had a chat before we started
and I said, Im going to ask you three
basic questions, Prime Minister. I
asked three easy questions, he gave
three easy answers and we both
looked good and went on our way.
Nice. But werent you trying
to be a football reporter?
The only football stu I did over the
whole of the Paralympics was after
the very rst Last Leg show, when I
interviewed Arsenal players playing
44 | March 2016

volleyball. Then I got a call saying the

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

arms smaller than mine and Im like,

Shit, what do I do here? Thats what
creates the awkwardness. Its never,
Oh this guy looks weird so Im going to
be a prick to him. Well very rarely.
Is that why you did the Scope
End The Awkward campaign?
Yeah. Its a really good campaign
it reected my own attitudes.
There was a backlash about it
making light of disabilities though.
Im very lucky that within the realms
of my disability Ive been able to lead a
very independent life. For some people
it hasnt been so easy, and I understand
that. There are people whove suered
from prejudice or been bullied at
school. Its not meant to be a joke. But
honestly, I think there are some disabled
people who are bitter Im not one of
those people, but that doesnt mean I
dont see where theyre coming from.
I grew up never seeing anyone like me
on TV. Its a really big thing. It doesnt
have to be the same disability just
talking about disability in general.

Replacing dumbbells
with resistance bands
allows Brooker to
perform more moves

Awkward
encounters

Meeting people isnt

always plain sailing
for Brooker

Animal attack

Someone asked me if a wild

animal had attacked me. I
said, You think an animal
has come and damaged both
hands the same way? It wasnt,
like, a tiger with OCD.

Folk hero

Louis Walsh from The

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

You cant do that

Someone once said my

tweets about Football Manager
were obviously lies because I
couldnt use a laptop. I never
talk about things I cant do.

Bodyimageisabig
enoughthingwithout
seeingyourselfinHD
onaFridaynight
Duy explains how they use resistance
bands in place of dumbbells in many
exercises, as well as communicating
constantly to make sure the right muscles
are being hit. We focus more on keeping
the muscle under contraction, rather
than doing loads of reps, he says.
You lost a lot of weight for the
C4 documentary My Perfect
Body. Have you kept it o?
I continued it for a while, but then I got
married. I just thought, Fuck it and
didnt train as hard. I weighed myself
after a while and I was back up to 89kg.
When I saw that, I started training

twice a week and Ive kept it going ever

since. Johns adapted style of training
made me believe I could get in shape.
He worked hard with me and is the
main reason why Ive kept going.
Nice work. Does being on TV make it
easier or harder to stay motivated?
Body image is a big enough thing as
it is without seeing yourself in HD on
a Friday night. Im more conscious
about my weight than I am about my
disability. That tells you a lot about how
male body image is now and probably
how much Im used to my disability. If
I know Ive put on weight, Im gutted.
Do you have tness goals
beyond keeping trim?
Before I did My Perfect Body Id say I
couldnt because my arms were little.
Then I started training and realised it
was just an excuse. Now Ive got a goal.
Most people can see someone on TV or
in a magazine and think, I want to get
in that shape. But I dont know how my
arms would look when theyre in shape
so I just have to kind of get on with it.

Good luck with it. Will you be

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

Natures
finest

Some products in our bathrooms

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

PB | Grooming
1

1 Melvita Roll-on Deodorant

Rather than blocking pores with

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

2 MOA The Green Balm

The yarrow herb is a centuries-old

healing balm. Use it after shaving to
soothe skin in seconds, no matter how
haphazard the razor strokes.
12.50, moa.london

3 Bulldog Original Face Scrub

This doesnt just exfoliate, it uses

essential oils to promote new
skin cell growth and keep your
face looking and feeling fresh.
5, meetthebulldog.com

4 Magik Organiks Ache Away

Hard gym session? Battered on the

rugby pitch? These natural bath salts
soothe sore muscles and pump out
decongesting eucalyptus oil.
12.50, magikorganiks.com

Words Max Anderton Photography Joseph Sinclair

5 This Works Light Time

Open Eyes

A smidge of this vitamin-rich

algae and aloe vera infused cream
rubbed into the bags under your
eyes instantly stops anyone
asking, Big night, was it?
25, thisworks.com

6 Spiezia Organics Body Oil

Rub this on your body when youre

fresh out of the bath or shower. It
keeps skin softer than any cream weve
ever used and doubles as massage oil.
22, spieziaorganics.com

7 Green People Age Defy+

This SPF15 moisturiser uses sea

fennel stem cells to slow the gradual,
yet inevitable, transformation of
us all into grumpy old men.
35, greenpeople.co.uk

Lose your
poison

The two main chemical

offenders you wont
find in this lovely lot

PARABENS

Used in around 85%

of cosmetics, these chemical
preservatives have been
linked to cancer.

SULPHATES

They help products foam up,

but are also poisonous skin
irritants that can cause red
patches, dryness and itching.

March 2016 | 47

PPBB | EXPERTS
EXPERTS

2016s best road

runners
Our jargon-free
recommendations will
keep you comfortable
and injury-free

Best for energy efficiency

Best for serious

runners

A thin layer of Sauconys bouncy

Everun material sits beneath the
insole, along with a larger chunk
under the heel of the Triumph
ISO2 (135, saucony.co.uk). The
manufacturer
rer claims it gives an 83%
increase in energy return. While
we cant conrm that gure,
there is a noticeable
oticeable
spring with
th every step
an eect amplied
by the shoes
oes
lightness.

The Asics MetaRun

(200, asics.co.uk)
actually adapts to
your running style.
Theres plenty of ex,
but the shoe becomes
rigid if the arch of your
foot drops too much,
reducing pressure.
Its weird, in a good
way we even noticed
the sole return to its
original shape after
each stride. A top
choice for any runner
who can aord it.

Best for longdistance newbies

Heavy and fully

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

48 | March 2016

PB | MF Picks
Best for improving form

The Brooks Launch 3 (90,

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

Best for fashion and function

Best for
sock-like comfort

The foam sole of the

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

How we tested

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

March 2016 | 49

Words Max Anderton Photography James Lincoln

A water-repellent upper in the Nike

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

The smart tracker

Garmin Vivosmart HR

A mix of activity tracker and

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

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

Photography Henry Carter

looks mean Ive been wearing this

24/7, while the Connect app has got
me addicted to checking stats.
Tested by Ben Ince, deputy editor
Looks
Accuracy
Features
Overall

Damn smart
and ultracomfortable

The sports coach

MOOV Now

One battery
charge lasts
six months

The data junkie

MS Band

PB | Group Test

You wont nd smart

features or even a screen on
the MOOV Now (from 55,
moov.cc). What it does have
is a six-month battery life
and multi-part training plans
that you access through an
app. Itll coach you through
swimming, running, cycling,
boxing and HIIT sessions,
with accurate sensors and tips
such as swing arms faster
and take shorter strides. It
even piped up if my posture
slumped (shoulders back!).
Tested by Matt Huckle,
features writer
Looks
Accuracy
Features
Overall

You can track sleep, count steps,

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

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

March 2016 | 51

PB | Group Test
The stylish one
Shine 2

Ditching a screen in favour of

a face made up of 12 individual
LEDs makes the Shine 2 (80,
amazon.co.uk) look more like
futuristic jewellery than an
activity tracker. They show
progress towards my step goal
and light up in dierent colours
when I get a text or call. It also
vibrates if I havent got o my
arse in a while. Considering
extended sitting is linked to
a load of health issues, its
basically saving my life.
Tested by Sam Rider,
tness editor
Looks
Accuracy
Features
Overall

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

Smart features are

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

The cardio king

Apple Watch Sport

The motivator
Fitbit Charge HR

While not always rigorously

accurate (I racked up a few
steps sitting on the train), the
Charge HR (120, tbit.com)
is consistent and, more
importantly, fun. Monitoring
heart rate, steps, calories
and kip quality, it essentially
gamies tness if youre
anything like as competitive
as us youll be taking
unnecessary stair runs to the
sixth oor at work to beat
a PB. This isnt the tracker
to prepare for an Ironman
its not waterproof for a
start and doesnt provide
especially constructive
feedback but a great
motivational tool for even
the most gym-phobic user.
Tested by Joe Barnes, editor
Looks
Accuracy
Features
Overall
52 | March 2016

Aside from being a top-notch

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

Will have you

jogging on
the spot while
youre brushing
your teeth

TRANSFORM
YOUR
BODY
with
Burn fat and build muscle with the 80-Day Total Body Transformation
a plan tailored to your goals from the experts at Mens Fitness
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TOTAL BODY
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54 | Month 2015

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

Words Joel Snape

Photography Steve Neaves
Styling Hayley Lawrence
Grooming Becky Rule
Model Chris Roberts@vanderlammie.com

March 2016 | 55

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

The forearm

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

56 | March 2016

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

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

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

Q
Which athletes
have the best
calf strength?
A

Dancers

Jumping and
sprinting are
highly dependent
on your posterior
chain thats your
glutes, hamstrings
and back muscles
which is why its
possible to have
tiny calves and
still be successful
in anything from
basketball to the
100m hurdles. One
place you cant
get away with it,
though, is ballet.
To stand in the
position known
as demi-pointe,
dancers train for
up to ten hours a
day, mostly with
a variation of the
calf raise known
as the relev.
A normal
person should
be able to do 20
single-leg calf
raises on each
side, says trainer
Chad Waterbury.
But most people
cant. Do three or
four unsupported
calf raises on each
side to activate
your ankle
muscles, then put
your ngers against
a wall or desk for
balance while you
do an all-out set on
each side, starting
with your strongest
leg. Repeat three
times a day, take
48 hours o, then
do it again. In a
couple of weeks
youll have bigger,
stronger calves.
Tights optional.

58 | March 2016

Whats the
best piece of
equipment
for building a
stronger core?
A

The abs wheel

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

abdominis (thats
your six-pack)
and obliques.
Add a pulse for
optimum time
under tension:
do ten reps, stop
at the end of the
movement, then
do ten minireps where the
wheel moves
only a couple
of centimetres.
Youll still need
to eat right to see
your abs, but at
least youll know
theyre there.

Which of your leg

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

Of Biomechanics
found that shearing
tension on the
ACL (the fragile
ligament that
football players are
constantly tearing)
is higher during
leg extensions
than even on
heavy squats or leg
presses.
The solution?
Use 1 squats,
which Olympic
skiers swear by to
slope-proof their
knees. Squat down
slowly, taking ve
seconds to hit the
bottom, come up a
quarter of the way,
then go back down
and come up until
your knees are
short of lock-out.
Thats one rep. Do
four sets of four.

March 2016 | 59

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Whats the strongest

muscle in the
human body?
A

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

March 2016 | 61

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

Its a tie

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

62 | March 2016

How
many
did you
know?

0-2

Do you even science,

bro? Nobodys saying
you need a degree in
biology, but knowing
which muscles youre
working helps.

3-4

Not bad, but a quick

refresher wouldnt
hurt. Ask a PT what
muscle groups youre
working during your
next session: you
might be surprised.

5-6

The dierence?
Chin-ups average
higher activation
in the biceps, while
pull-ups make the
lower trapezius
muscles the
triangle-shaped
bit in the middle of
your back work
harder, so its
worth doing both.
Combine them as a
nisher: set a timer
and do sets of two
to four pull-ups
every 30 seconds
then when you
cant do any more,
switch to chin-ups
and carry on.

You certainly know

your gastrocnemius
from your gracilis
(probably), but
theres room for
improvement.

7-8

Near-awless, as long
as youre converting
those brains into gains
by hitting the iron as
well as the books.

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64 | March 2016

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

BODIES

A growing army of athletes are

proving that you dont need fancy
gyms or heavy barbells to get
lean, strong and muscular. Meet
the elite bodyweight warriors
combining outrageous aerial
acrobatics with brute strength
in the sport of calisthenics

Words Nick Levy Photography David Holbrook

March 2016 | 65

Chris Luera worked in

catering before giving it
up to become a trainer
and bar athlete

66 | March 2016

acing beneath a pull-up bar housed

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

theres not a lot of paperwork when it comes to use of the

pull-up bar at your local park the rise of calisthenics is an
indisputable fact. In the American College of Sports Medicines
annual survey of 3,000 tness professionals, bodyweight
training is cited as the number one exercise trend for 2016.
Theres no doubt that calisthenics is establishing itself both
as an eective way to build muscle and as a competitive sport
in its own right, and calling it street workout makes it sound
ultra-modern. But its origins are ancient. Before the battle of
Thermopylae in 480BC, a small group of around 300 Spartan
warriors (yes, those ones), realising that they were being
spied on by Persian scouts, performed their own version of
street workout. Or as they knew it, kalos sthenos beautiful
strength. It was basically the Ancient Greek equivalent of
doing biceps curls before an arm-wrestling contest. So sure,
bodyweight training is a modern trend, in much the same
way philosophy, Euclidean mathematics and yogurt are.
However, in the two and a half thousand years between
Leonidas and Luera, calisthenics suered from an image
crisis. In the 1960s and 70s especially, it was what coldhearted, steel-bodied Soviet soldiers did to stay in shape,
and the reason for the ubiquity of star jumps in school
PE sessions. By no means creative; in no way fun.
It has no such problems with perception
today. While Luera and his fellow
bodyweight warriors are the driving force
behind the rise of modern calisthenics, its
rebirth began with one man, and one video.

Gymnastics
is very
strict
Just go out
and invent
something

Today Aslan Steel, 31, is one of the top

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

The inuential four-minute video

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

A dicult childhood and

jail time were no barriers
to Luera becoming a street
workout champion

Its no coincidence
that some of street
workouts biggest
names have more
in common than
their love of a welldeployed V-sit.
Hannibal Langham
was a sometime
bike mechanic,
most-of-the-time
cannabis dealer
who couldnt aord
rent, let alone a gym
membership. Closer
to home, Terroll
Lewis, founder of the highly respected Brixton-based crew
Block Workout, served an 11-month prison sentence thanks to
his involvement with a notorious south London gang. When
he got out he attempted to join Fitness First, but was turned
away because he didnt have a bank account from which to
set up a direct debit. Thwarted, like Langham before him, he
took his workouts to the monkey bars at his local playground.
Its a familiar story for Luera. When I was younger, I got in
a bit of trouble and went to prison a couple of times, he says.
What sort of trouble? I was on drugs. My birth parents both
died when I was young. My mom overdosed. My dad gave me
up for adoption and soon after I went to the foster home, he got
shot in a bad drugs transaction. Luera was three years old.
He soon entered the adoptive care of his great-aunt and
uncle, who he now talks of aectionately as his real parents.
He nevertheless found it dicult to stay out of trouble, hence
his familiarity with the correctional facilities of southern
California. Eventually, determined to turn his life around, Luera
took a bartending job with a local catering company. It paid
the bills and kept him out of trouble, but he was miserable.
The real blow would come in 2012 with the death of his
great-aunt. He ghts back tears as he talks about losing

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

68 | March 2016

The false
grip used for
muscle-ups

Mastering the back

lever takes supreme
strength and balance
but no weights

Holding the
planche takes
phenomenal
biceps and core
strength

March 2016 | 69

Steel (left) was inspired

by Hannibal Langhams
2008 street workout
video now he organises
competitive calisthenics

the one constant hed had in his life. I

couldnt sleep at night. Id just dwell on
how she wasnt here any more. I started
going to the gym to get tired, to distract
myself, to make sure I wouldnt try to
kill myself in the middle of the night
thinking about how shes gone.

TV cameras and elevate calisthenics into

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

You get a
natural,
balanced
shape, and
you can tell
its useful

It was at the gym that he rst saw

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

The competitive side of street workout is in its infancy,

but many involved in the sport hope it will soon attract the
70 | March 2016

YOUR NO-GYM STRENGTH PLAN

Choose your exercises wisely, and you dont need weights to build
strength. Do each of these sessions once a week, leaving at least 48
hours between them, using the recommended rep ranges below

Start in a press-up position but

with one arm straight out to the
side. Lower yourself to the oor,
then press back up. Do half your
reps on one side, then switch.

Bodyweight skullcrusher

Crucifix press-up

Inverted row

Head banger

Youll need a table, chair or other surface

of similar height for this. Put your hands
together on it and, keeping your body as
straight as possible, lower yourself until
your heads below your hands.

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

Workout 1 Push

Archer press-up

Beginner
Sets 10 Reps 5
Rest 2min

Lie face-down on the oor with your

hands spread wide to your sides. Getting
up onto your ngertips if you can (palms
if you cant), lower your chest to the
oor and then press back up, feeling the
stretch in your chest.

Negative muscle-up

Youll need a pull-up bar for this

workout. Jump or get a friend to
help so youre above the top of it,
then lower yourself into the bottom
position of a dip, then through a reverse
pull-up. Jump back to the start.

Lie under a waist-height bar (or table)

with your feet on the oor and your
body in a straight line. Pull up until
your chest touches the bar, pause,
then lower yourself under control.

With your palms facing away from you,

pull up to a bar until your chins above it.
Extend your arms until theyre straight,
keeping your head high, then pull back to
the bar and nally drop down. Caution:
do not try this on a home pull-up bar.
March 2016 | 71

Illustrations James Carey@Debut Art

Workout 2 Pull

DOG
Get a

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

72 | March 2016

G
March 2016 | 73

01
Getapooch
A dog isnt just a mans
best friend having a mutt can
also keep you greyhound-slim.
Everyday stress floods your body
with the hormone cortisol, which
triggers the storage of fat, but
a University of Missouri study
proved that hanging with hounds
releases the feelgood hormone
oxytocin to keep belly-bloating
stress at bay. Dog-owners are also
34% more likely to get out and
exercise. For the greatest benefit,
choose the most suitable breed
of dog for your preferred type of
exercise (see below) shuffling
around with a wheezing pug just
gives off the wrong vibe.

Picktherightdog
Make sure your new BFF matches your activity

Running

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

74 | March 2016

Watersports

If youre an openwater swimmer

or a kayaker, a
Newfoundland
with its thick,
water-resistant
fur is the perfect
companion. If you
dont have room
for one (they can
grow up to 65kg),
a Portuguese
water dog is
another option
and theyre also
non-allergenic.

Mountainmen

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

02

03 04

People who
understand food
labelling weigh
4.5kg less than
people who dont,
according to
research published
in Agricultural
Economics.
Check the
ingredient order
manufacturers
are legally bound
to put the biggest
one rst. If your
protein bars rst,
second and third
ingredients are
varieties of sugar
(sucrose, fructose
and saccharin,
say), its basically
a sugar bar.

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

Read the
label

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

Run on
grass

Choose a
coloured
bowl

Next time you

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

06

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

07

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

08

WAYS TO LOSE FAT

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

09

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

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

14

11

Snack on
plums

Next time youre

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

12

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

Devour p
porridge
ge
Muesli may look like a cold version
ve
of porridge
but scientists from Sydney University
niversity found that
porridges gloopy consistency makes it twice as
lling, even when the portions contain the same
amount of calories, so youll nd it easier to
reject that mid-morning oce doughnut.

13

Clench
your st
to ght
hunger

Next time you

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

15

16

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

Whatever you
tuck into at
lunchtime, eat
it alone. A study
published in
Physiology &
Behaviourr proved
that eating with
people you know
wrecks your focus
and causes you
to consume 18%
more grub. We
wouldnt suggest
ignoring your
girlfriend or kids
at the dinner table
but a weekday
lunch is one meal
you can enjoy
alone without
making your
family hate you.

Turn o
your iPad
y

Eat lunch
alone

17

18

Shrink your plate

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

If you cant help

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

Use a
smaller
plate

Chew gum

20

19

WAYS TO LOSE FAT

Drink
while you
cook
When youre
prepping
prep
pr
eppi
ep
pi dinner
tonight,
toni
to
nigh
ni
gh guzzle
of water
half
ha
lf a litre
l
while
you chop
whil
wh
ile
il
e yo
slice.
and
an
d sl
slic
ic Research
published
in the
publ
pu
blis
bl
is
journal
jour
jo
urna
ur
na Obesity
showed
show
sh
owed
ow
ed that
people
peop
pe
ople
op
le who drank
500ml
500m
50
0mll of water
0m
before
30 minutes
min
meals
meal
me
alss for 12 weeks
al
much smaller
ate
at
e mu
portions
port
po
rtio
rt
ions and
and
lost
lo
st 44%
44% more
mor
ore
e
weight
weig
we
ight
ig
ht than
tha
han
n those
thos
th
ose
os
e
who
wh
o didnt.
didn
di
dnt
dn
t..
t

Drizzlelemon
onyourlunch

Give your stomach

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

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

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW GO TO:

21

22

Sprinkle
some
cinnamon

Sweat
for two
minutes

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

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

24

Buy a heavier spoon

Investing in weightier, higher-quality
cutlery wont just impress your guests at
dinner parties itll automatically slash
your food intake. Research at Oxford
University showed that heavier cutlery
captures your attention when you eat
and tricks your brain into thinking your
food tastes better. With a happy belly you
wont be raiding the snack cupboard two
hours later.

23

WAYS TO LOSE FAT

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

25

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

RESOLUTION
NOT REVOLUTION
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FREE EVERY
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Find out where at
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WAYS TO LOSE FAT

WA

26

28

29

Bag a
break

Fidget
more

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

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

27

Stock
ock up
p
on
n olive oil
If you
ou cant ditch
your
ur passion for
belly-bloating
y-bloating buns
and
d loaves, slosh
some
me olive oil over
your
ur bread and
youll
ull eat much
less.. A study in
the International
Journal
urnal Of Obesity
showed
owed that using
olive
e oil instead
of butter
utter causes
diners
ners to eat 23%
less bread and
consume
nsume 16%
fewer
wer calories
overall,
erall, so your
stomach
omach will soon
look
ok more like
a thin
in chapatti
and
d less
le like
lik a
burger
burg
rger bun.

30

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

Drink
coffee
afterlunch
If you know
youll be stuck at your
desk all afternoon,
perk up your fatburning furnace with
a shot of coffee after
lunch. Research in
the American Journal
Of Clinical Nutrition
showed that caffeine
elevates resting
metabolism by 3-4%
for over 2 hours,
so youll be torching
more energy than
that smug juicesipping know-all
next to you.
March 2016
201 | 81

03
16

Fuel

Get fit in
the kitchenn

Pimp
your
pancakes
Theyre
traditionally
eaten on Mardi
Gras, aka Fat
Tuesday but
you can avoid
abbiness with
these musclebuilding recipes

Kick-start your day with this

spicy, protein-rich morning meal
75g ham hock / 2 eggs,
scrambled / 1tsp paprika

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

Shrove Tuesday might be a good excuse to pig out on

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

March 2016 | 83

Words Ben Ince Photography Joseph Sinclair

The
breakfast
booster

Fuel | Eat This

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

Rosemary will increase

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

Th
The
healthy
healt
dess
dessert
Sweet
Swee
Sw
eet need
ee
neednt mean fattening
with
wi
th this ch
chocolatey
prot
pr
protein
otein pu
ot
pudding
20g dark cchocolate, broken
20
into pieces
in
piece / 200ml natural
yogurt / 5
yo
50g blueberries

Dark chocolate and

blueberries contain
antioxidants that help
you recover after a tough
session, says Hopper

84 | March
h 2016
2 01
016
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Fuel | Gear

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

Freshly
ground
goodness
Words Ben Ince Photography Joseph Sinclair

The key to your best ever burgers?

Healthy home-made mince

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

BEAT
THEIR
MEAT

Three more ways to ensure

yours is superior to the
supermarkets

BEST FOR
SAUSAGES

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

BEST FOR
F
VALU
VALUE

Kenwood MG510
80 johnlewis.com
This stylish device can process
a mighty 2kg of meat a minute
thats about 18 quarterpounders making it perfect
when youre feeding friends
at a winter barbecue.

BEST FOR
SPEED
SP

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

March 2016 | 87

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

88 | Month 2015

Fuel | Slow Cooking

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

If your idea of curry

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

In the slow cooker (7 hours)

Put all the ingredients except the peas and

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

On the hob (1 hour)

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a

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

Why I slow cook

Ben Ince, MF deputy editor

Its idiot-proof

Which is a big plus if like

me you nd cooking
anything with more than
four ingredients a serious
challenge. Most recipes allow
large margins for error with
quantities and cooking times,
and burning your food is
pretty much impossible.

Experimenting is easy

I tend to have ve or six go-to

recipes at any one time, which
Ill cook week after week. The
basic nature of slow cooking
throw everything in, leave it
to stew for hours lets me mix
things up with minimal risk
and attention, which is perfect
for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Theres minimal washing up

Doing the dishes is the

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

PB | EXPERTS

100g chickpeas provides

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

90 | Month 2015

Fuel | Slow Cooking

In the slow cooker (9 hours)

Traditionally eaten to break the fast at the days end during

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

Put the oil, lamb chops, onion, celery, ginger,

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

On the hob (2 hours)

Heat 1tbsp of oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan

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

Chop and
change

Save yourself a few quid with these cheaper,

chewier but slow-cooker-friendly meat cuts

Pork cheek

Chicken neck

These are inexpensive but

full of avour, plus they
contain very little fat, says
head chef David Philpot
(paternosterchophouse.
co.uk).

Cheaper than loin, blade

(or shoulder) is particularly
high in energy-enhancing
iron, says chef Allan Pickett
(piquet-restaurant.co.uk).

Beef shin

Beef skirt

Chicken thigh

Restaurants use these all

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

Slow-cooking shin softens

the connective tissue and
gives it a delicate texture,
says Pickett.

It isnt as tender as regular

cuts such as llet, but skirt
is far more economical and
has a delicious, mature
avour, says Bennett.

Pork blade

Thigh is a relatively common

(and inexpensive) option, with
high levels of brain-boosting
vitamin B6, says Bennett.
March 2016 | 91

PB | EXPERTS

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

In the slow cooker (8 hours 30 minutes)

Essentially a swanky Canadian version of

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

Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the slow cooker.

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

On the hob (3 hours)

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3. Heat the oil in a large,

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

Fuel | Slow Cooking

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

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

In the slow cooker (4 ho

hours 30 minutes)

Put the chilli, pepper, maple syrup, salt, garlic, apple

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

On the hob (2 hours 45 minutes)

m

Preheat the oven to 160C/ga

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

Slow cooking 101

Mast your machine with these
Master
crucial tips from Olivia Andrews

Always defrost

Cooking meat from frozen (or even

partially frozen) can allow food-poisoning
bacteria to multiply, so you need to make
sure its fully thawed before you start.

Keep a lid on it

Taking the lid o for a sni will let all the

heat out and slow cookers take a while
to heat up. If you do need to stir or check
it, replace the lid as soon as possible.

unless its boozy

The lack of evaporation makes it harder

to cook o alcohol, which can give food
a harsh taste. After adding booze, take
the lid o and simmer for a few minutes.

Be wary of beans

A slow cooker doesnt get hot enough

to destroy the natural toxins in raw
kidney beans. Canned beans are safe,
but dried red kidney beans or similar
should be soaked overnight and boiled
in fresh water for ten minutes rst.

Whole Food Slow

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

Fuel | Eating Out

Nutritionist Drew Price investigates the state of food on high street
Britain to find out what were actually eating. This issue

How to keep it healthy

But it doesnt have to be this way.

Pizza can be healthy at a basic level
its just bread, tomato, cheese, meat
and veggies, after all. As with most
foods, the key is to always choose
high-quality, minimally processed
ingredients and sensible portion sizes.
Opting for thin crust rather than deep
pan which is loaded with fattening
vegetable oil is a good place to start,
because it can reduce total calories by

Smart
swaps

Drews choices included

both the horrendous hotdog-stuffed-crust and the
healthier salad-filled option

up to 40%. Swapping regular dough

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

Pepperoni for Parma ham

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

If youre feeling adventurous (and

healthy) you could try lahmacun, also
known as Turkish pizza, instead. With
a thin, crisp base topped with freshlyground mince, onions, tomatoes, herbs
and spices, its far closer to the dishs
origins which are actually Middle
Eastern, not Italian than a Dominos.
Whats more, a whole pizza contains just
700 calories, with most of those coming
from heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil.

Four cheese for mozzarella

and blue cheese

Trading a quadruple serving

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

Garlic dip for extra virgin

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

February 2016 | 95

Photography iStock

Few high-street foods vary in

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

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Super
bowl

Goats cheese
is rich in
muscle-building
protein

Beefs offers
brain-boosting
vitamin B12

Hit the ground

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

onventional wisdom
says that summer is for
showing o six-packs
while winter is for
drinking them expanding
your waistline in the process
(go ahead, tell yourself its
just to keep warm). But it
doesnt have to be that way.
Take this hearty recipe that
has everything a man needs
to stay lean and energised
including protein, healthy
fats and slow-digesting carbs
and will help you head
into spring with last years
summer body still intact. No
time machine required.

Words Olivia Langdon, Ben Ince Photography Christopher Testani

To make

Cook the quinoa according to

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

Avocado
provides bonestrengthening
vitamin K

544 50g 41g 20g

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

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

March 2016 | 97

Fuel | Drink This

Super Strawberries
Home
made
gains

Shake
things up

1 scoop of strawberry whey / 5

strawberries, stalks removed / 400ml
milk / 1tsp vanilla extract / Water, to taste
One regular strawberry contains 20% of
your RDA of recovery-improving vitamin C,
which is why this recipe contains ve.

Bored with the same old bland protein powders?

Reinvent your post-gym drinks with
these tness-boosting combos
Words Ben Ince Photography Henry Carter

muscle

fat loss

immunity

energy

Healthy Honey

Big Breakfast

Blue Flu Fighter

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein / 2tsp

manuka honey / 1tsp vanilla extract /
400ml coconut water / Water, to taste

1 scoop of vanilla whey / Handful of

porridge oats / 1tbsp Greek yogurt /
400ml almond milk / Water, to taste

1 scoop of strawberry whey / Handful of

blueberries / Handful of blackberries /
2tsp manuka honey / Water, to taste

Keep winter bugs at bay with manuka, a

honey with anti-bacterial properties.
erties.

This morning milkshake has four

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di
dierent

A potent antioxidant cocktail that will help

of winter.
stave o illness in the depths
ep

98 | March 2016

Punchy Chocolate Peanut

Power Latte

Fruit Fusion

1 scoop of chocolate whey protein /

400ml milk / 1tbsp peanut butter /
2tsp cocoa powder / Water, to taste

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein / 100ml

chilled coee / 300ml almond milk /
1tsp cinnamon / Water, to taste

1 scoop of plain whey protein / 1 orange,

peeled / 400ml pineapple juice / 1
banana, sliced / Water, to taste

Like liquid Snickers in a glass (but a lot

healthier) with high levels of hearthealthy monounsaturated fat.

Trade your normal morning coee for a

bonus hit of calcium-heavy almond milk
and insulin-regulating cinnamon.

Winters the best time of year to enjoy

seasonal citrus fruits, when their levels of
health-boosting vitamin A are highest.

Green And Lean

Energy Banana

Berry Blast

1 scoop of chocolate whey / 2tsp

supergreens / Handful of kale /
1tsp axseed oil / Water, to taste

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein /

400ml coconut milk / 2tsp honey /
1 banana, sliced / Water, to taste

1 scoop of strawberry whey / Handful of

blueberries / Handful of raspberries /
200ml milk / Water, to taste

Not a fan of greens? Try mixing it with

delicious vitamin K-rich blueberries.

One banana contains 25% of your

RDA of brain-boosting vitamin B6.

Berries are the ultimate low-fructose fruit

perfect if youre trying to lose weight.

March 2016
201
016 | 99

THINK MORE ABOUT

RECOVERY
Finding a whey protein that balances unsurpassed
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The Facts
20 g protein | Only 97 Calories | Only 1.1 g FAT
PROTEIN CONTENT

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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MADE IN AN
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Reflex Nutrition sponsored athlete

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FLEXING FOOD
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TEAPIGS
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Matcha is 100% organic green tea leaves,

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03
16

Trainer

Your blueprint for success

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

1 Will doing
OCRs make
me fitter?

The best thing about obstacle races, says

Dirty Dozen Racing founder Doug Spence,
is they make exercise fun, accessible and
collaborative. You can cover 20km without
thinking, or make new friends simply by
oering to haul them out of an icy stream.
You build such a rounded tness a
caveman tness, says top British racer Jon
Albon. Theyre a throwback to being active as
a kid, turning park walls, benches and trees
into impromptu assault courses. Theyve also
helped the 26-year-old Albon with his other

passion, mountain ultramarathons, suggesting

they can enhance rather than harm your
cardio. Its not like running marathons where
the main object is the time you nish in, says
Albon. Youre chasing experiences, not PBs,
so theyre always fun, always exciting.
Spence echoes that sentiment, citing a bus
driver who lost 35kg to take on his race and
propose to his girlfriend at the nish line.
Thats OCRs in a nutshell. Done right or even
done wrong they can give you a tness and
self-condence that can change your life.
March 2016 | 105

Trainer | Training Secrets

Will I survive?

THE
EXPERTS
THE COACH

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

THE WORLD
NUMBER ONE

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

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

In ve years of Tough Mudder theres

been one fatality, an accident that
occurred at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic event
in West Virginia despite 75 paramedics
and rescue divers being onsite. To put
that in context, 28 runners died during
marathons between 2000 and 2009,
according to the American Journal Of Sports
Medicine (most due to heart problems).
That doesnt mean theres nothing to
beware. Obstacle courses exploit your fears.
Spence, co-founder of one, plays them
down. Albon, conqueror of most, relishes
them. They make you feel alive, he says.
Midlands event Tough Guy is designed to
take you to the limits. Its always January
so its extremely cold. When I did my rst
one there was ice on the water where you
swim, says Albon. Logs crossed the route
so I had to dunk my head under repeatedly.
It was a shitstorm of hypothermia. Facing
these challenges is what keeps people
coming back for more. Afterwards you feel
you can do anything. Its such an escape
from just sitting in front of your desk.

Tough Guy, one of the longestestablished OCR events, takes

place in the January chill

4 Whats the best thing to wear?

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

with water (as two Dirty Dozen regulars raising money for
Great Ormond Street learned the hard way, says Spence).
Regardless, remember to bring wet wipes, antibacterial
hand wash and wellies to wade through the lagoon-like
conditions that quickly form around the showers.
If you hope to enjoy rather than simply endure the
conditions, Spence recommends man-made bres that dont
hold water. Albon doesnt race in the UK without a neoprene
hat and, perhaps unsurprisingly for someone sponsored
by o-road specialist VJ Sport, advocates a solid pair of trail
running shoes above all. The Irock shoes are the best Ive
found, he says of VJs footwear designed for orienteering.
If youre slipping around youre wasting energy.

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

Trainer| Training Secrets

6 Could they
make me rich?
Competing at them probably wont, although
Albon did pocket $10,000 (6,700) for
winning the 2014 OCR world championships
in the US. Winners of Toughest, a new race
coming to the UK from Scandinavia in April,
will take home 5,000 and a six-month lease
of a Mini. Its hardly the EuroMillions jackpot
but does show how, as with CrossFit, corporate

sponsorship is starting to pour in and generate

momentum for the UKs fastest-growing sport.
For those who arent former GB roller hockey
players or expert fell runners (Albon is both),
winning the rst-place prize money might be a
stretch. But renting a eld, building your own course
and getting a couple of hundred people to hand over
50 is becoming a well-trodden cash-spinning route.
In 2010, Tough Mudders co-founders turned
$20,000 of personal investment into half a million
dollars. Today annual revenue clears $100m.
Spence, who used to work in sales, followed a
similar model and its enriched more than just
his bank balance. My old job was never fun. Now
every day is fuelled by energy and enthusiasm.

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

For a fun day out

Should I carb-load
the night before?
Even among marathon
runners, dosing up on
stodgy pasta and potatoes
isnt the accepted wisdom it
used to be, and in OCR the
approach to nutrition tends to
be more relaxed.
Albon prefers to follow
a normal diet and keep
his race nutrition simple.
Before the event I have
things that dont repeat on
me like porridge, bready
food like a cinnamon bun.
Clif Bars are great because
they give you a steady release
of energy. He recommends
you eat two hours before
so youre neither full nor
hungry on the start line.

For the running-averse

During the race its easy to

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

For the tactician

TOUGH MUDDER, various

dates and locations
All about having fun with your
mates like a moving stag do.
toughmudder.co.uk

DIRTY DOZEN, various

dates and locations
Heavy on obstacles but
light on running.
dirtydozenraces.com

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

Distance 18-20km
Obstacles 20
Electric shocks
Chip timed
OCR qualier

Distance 6-18km
Obstacles 30
Electric shocks
Chip timed
OCR qualier

Distance 8km
Obstacles 40
Electric shocks
Chip timed
OCR qualier

Not every obstacle course is designed

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

For a test of your mettle

For the military fitness fanatic

TOUGH GUY, Wolverhampton,

January and July
It exposes you to your fears but
makes you feel alive.
toughguy.co.uk

THE SUFFERING,
Leicestershire, 12th March
Fell running plus drill sergeant-style
orders from the courses reapers.
thesueringrace.co.uk

Distance 15km
Obstacles 25
Electric shocks
Chip timed
OCR qualier

Distance 5-16km
Obstacles 35
Electric shocks
Chip timed
OCR qualier

For an alternative
to the bench press

SPARTAN, various dates and locations

Requires muscle lots of carries, tyre ips,
spear throws and 30-burpee penalties.
spartanraceuk.uk

Distance 5-20km
Obstacles 25
Electric shocks
Chip timed
OCR qualier

March 2016 | 109

Photography Tough Guy, Jacques Holst/Toughest

8 Are these events

about winning or
just taking part?

Trainer | Fat Loss

Pain-free
fat loss

HOW IT WORKS

The moves in this workout are split

into pairs. It combines explosive,
full-body moves with core-targeted
technical exercises, and nishes
with mobility-enhancing stretches,
says Westcott. The result: a
comprehensive session thatll torch
calories, strengthen your abs and
leave you feeling fresh by the time
your heart rate returns to normal.

Words Sam Rider Photography Danny Bird Model Callum Melly@vanderlammie.com Clothing GymShark Luxe
Legacy Shorts 23, GymShark Form T-shirt 20, gymshark.com, Adidas AdiZero Feather Prime 72, adidas.co.uk

Add the foam

roller to your flabbanishing arsenal

Pain is weakness leaving

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

DIRECTIONS

Do 20 reps for the power and core

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

session. It can also serve as

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

The art of selfmyofascial release

Roll your weary limbs the right way

INVESTIGATE

For the quads, lie on the

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

MANIPULATE

Target the knots with another

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

ELONGATE

With knots released and blood

ow boosted, stretch your quad.
From kneeling, gently raise your
back foot to lengthen the muscle
for 60-90 seconds.

1a

3a

JUMP-OVER BURPEE PRESS-UP

Jumping over an object

forces you to be explosive

1b

RUSSIAN TWIST

ROLL-OUT

Kneel with your forearms

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

Jump and rotate in the air

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

2a

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

With your hands on the

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

Clench your glutes to keep

your core locked out

Too easy? Do walking

roll-outs from standing

3b

YOGA CAT STRETCH

With the roller under

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

Hold the roller with straight

arms and lift your legs and
back o the oor to balance on
your bum. Keeping your abs tensed,
twist slowly from side to side

Breathe in as you arch

to increase the stretch

2b

ARCHER PRESS-UP

In the top of a press-up with

one hand on the tube, bend
the other arm to lower your body
while the arm on the roller extends
to your side. Then push back up.

MF
SAYS

Sam Rider, fitness editor

If theres one piece of training kit to splash out on
in the January sales, its a foam roller. Without good
mobility, eorts to get stronger, build muscle or
even sit comfortably at your desk will be futile.

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

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Trainer | The List

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

THE MUSCLE PUMP

Illustration Dan Woodger

BRO-SCIENCE Grow faster by swelling

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

POST-WORKOUT WINDOW

BRO-SCIENCE Consume protein 20

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

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

Viagra is the best

supp for major
muscle swole

youll have ample glucose and amino

acids available. Protein intake over the
whole day is what you need to watch. A
daily dose of 2g per kg of bodyweight is
recommended but if youre taking your
training to the limit, consuming protein
as soon as possible is advisable.
VERDICT FALSE

NO CARBS AFTER DARK

BRO-SCIENCE Any carbs eaten

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

FREQUENT FEEDING

BRO-SCIENCE You must eat protein

every two hours, day and night, to
feed your muscles.
REAL SCIENCE Dont take this too
literally, says Hodzovic. Setting alarms
through the night for hourly shakes will

You can promote blood

flow to your chest for
more muscle growth by
sleeping on an incline
Train in your basement
so youre closer to the
Earths core where gravity
works your muscles
harder physics, yo

disrupt your circadian rhythm, sending

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

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

BRO SCIENCE If you dont have

DOMS, you didnt work hard enough.
REAL SCIENCE The full name should
be Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness In
Response To Unaccustomed Exercise,
says Hodzovic. Anything youre not used
to will cause it. A bodybuilder who takes
a walk in the hills will get DOMS. Its a
sign of muscle damage, one factor that
causes growth, but its not a prerequisite
so dont think youve had a poor workout
if youre not in agony later. If every
session kills you, your nervous system
will suer, as will your capacity to train.
VERDICT FALSE
Follow Hodzovic on Instagram
@projectgoliath

Make yourself cry

while lifting to trigger
a stress response
that boosts oxygen
to your guns

Skip cardio your

heart only has a preset
number of beats before
it stops anyway
March 2016 | 113

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Trainer | Gym-Free Workout

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

et a set of weights for the

house, the thinking goes,
and at some point youll
outgrow them: conventional
squats and curls wont challenge
you enough and itll be time
for an iron re-up. But theres
a solution at hand. By picking
moves where its impossible
to cheat, sometimes known as
self-limiting exercises, youll
challenge the muscles youre
actually trying to target while
keeping larger muscles out
of the equation. The workout
here targets ve prime movers
for a full-body session thatll
challenge you even with the
smallest of dumbbells.

Each of these moves

comes with a form
tweak to prevent
cheating, but you still
need to make sure
youre strict. Keep
the movement to
the muscles youre
supposed to be
working, and youll
see benets from
this plan faster.

Reverse goblet lunge

Holding a dumbbell will

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

DIRECTIONS

Do the sets and reps

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

Bent-over row

Bend at the waist

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

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

Floor press

This limits you to

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

Sliding single-leg
deadlift

The SLDL usually

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

Kneeling
overhead press

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

B
March 2016 | 117

Words Joel Snape Photography Rupert Fowler Model Freddie Abrahams@WAthletic

Adidas Los Angeles shoe 65, adidas.co.uk

HOW IT WORKS

New PB

Heroic run

Strong abs

Impressive dinner

Tag: #mensfitnessuk

Win: Goodies
Follow MF on Instagram
@MensFitnessUK

Trainer | Skills

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

Words Sam Rider Photography Daan Verhoeven

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

The pulse can

slow to as
little as 20bpm
known as
bradycardia

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

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

214m

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

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

Humans can
survive at amazing
depths due to the
mammalian dive
reex, Skolnick
says. As the
lungs contract,
blood vessels
involuntarily
constrict, pushing
blood to the
core to ll the
vacuum with
uid that cant be
compressed. At the
same time, blood
vessels in the heart
and brain dilate,
ooding them with
oxygen so you can
function, and the
spleen contracts,
sending a fresh
supply of red
blood cells into the
circulatory system.

20m+

Youve already
mastered it

Were born to dive

10-20m

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

At 10m the lungs

shrink to half their
normal size

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

0-10m

What goes down

might not come up

Its breathtaking

You must be able

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

What it takes

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

March 2016 | 119

FITBRIT
FINAL2015

Words Sam Rider Photography Tom Miles

After months of lung-busting, sweat-soaked training,

Britains finest athletes went head-to-head at our
annual challenge to crown the best of the best

The main event

Run

600m at
1% incline

How fast could you complete the FitBrit challenge?

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

(men red,
women blue)

ViPR tilt

10 reps
(men 20kg,
women 10kg)

Bike

1.5km
(men level 12,
women 10)

Medicine ball
press-up
10 reps

Goblet squat

20 reps
(men 24kg,
women 16kg)

Sandbell slam

30 reps (men
9kg, women
5.5kg)

Row

400m

March 2016 | 121

Trainer | FitBrit

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

People power

First up, the teams set

the standard. Ramonas
Bacanskas, Jack Hambleton
and Tason Williams rattled
through the circuit, each
playing to their impressive
strengths to nish in under
seven minutes. Fuelled
by vociferous support,
Adam Whittaker and
Paula Buckmaster claimed
the individual mens and
womens masters crowns
before Luna Reimers and
Andy Watson belied their
amateur category status to
win in times that would have
threatened the elites.
122 | March 2016

Youneedtobe
aseriousfitness
all-rounder
toqualify

Mens winner Charles

Green looks relaxed
on the treadmill
The nal move, the
400m row, requires
competitors to push
through the pain barrier

Burton and Will Kane

go head to head

Elite competitor
Richard Burton
tackles the box jump

Luna Reimers belies her

amateur status with a
stellar performance

Tracy Davies (centre)

hits the kettlebell swings
hard as she defends
her FitBrit title

In the penultimate event

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

Trainer | FitBrit
THE WINNERS
Mens Elite

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

Womens Elite

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

Mens Amateur

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

Womens Amateur

Womens masters winner

Paula Buckmaster
receives her award

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

Womens Masters

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

Mens Masters

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

Team

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

The masters, elite, mens amateur and team

winners, anked by Fitness Firsts Lee
Drabble (left) and MFs Sam Rider (right)

can just give it everything. Now Im so

relieved. Ive done what I set out to do
to prove that fitness is a continually
growing thing, its not just a one-off. My
goal is to defend this title every year.

Star wars

The nal event was billed as hot favourite

Kane against Fitness First head trainer
Richard Burton, whod posted one of the
fastest times in the qualifying rounds.
On the treadmill, Burton tore into a
blistering lead. Kane, proving his CrossFit
pedigree, clawed Burton back until a
full-throttle sprint on the rowers left both
men sprawling on the oor gasping for
124 | March 2016

air. But it wasnt enough from either

man. In the previous heat the towering
Charles Green had set an unbeatable time
of 8min 30sec to take rst place.
I was shocked to come first, Green
said after picking up his prize a
three-month supply of Multipower
supplements, which was awarded to
all the winners as well as a bonus
TomTom heart rate monitor for the
leading elite man and woman. Beating
Will Kane and the other competitors was
amazing, said the former Marine and
cardio specialist, who trains at CrossFit
Havering, with an indoor rowing club
called Fitness Matters and with running

club Dagenham 88 Runners. You need

strong cardio above all else, but for high
intensity, not long distance. The event
is only around ten minutes so youve
got to get used to pushing yourself
all-out over short bursts. Eight sets of
500m rows with one minute of rest
between each is the perfect training.
With the competitors tucking into
Multipowers abundance of recovery
bars and shakes, the victors were already
eyeing their next challenge. Ill be back
next year, Green said, following Daviess
lead. Now, the only question is whether
youll be there to stop them defending
their crown. In 2016, its your turn.

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Month 2015 | 127

Trainer | Supplements

Get a cardio
boost

Fuel your sessions

the right way for
the best results

As you exercise, you burn

through reserves of muscle
glycogen stored from food
youve eaten. Sugars (such
as fructose and glucose) and
maltodextrin (a carbohydrate
derived from corn starch) in
each mouthful of an energy
bar provide an alternative
source to keep you going when
youd usually be agging.
Alternative source A banana

For extra sweaty effort

Isotonic drink

Any high-GI carbs will

improve your endurance
for high-intensity
exercise over one hour

Isotonic means this solution

has a similar concentration
of dissolved sugars and
electrolytes (like potassium,
chloride and magnesium)
to body uids, promoting
faster hydration than plain
water. Especially useful in
humid conditions when you
nish a session feeling like
a wrung-out sponge and
pure H2O just isnt enough
to keep you hydrated.
Alternative source Add
100ml cordial and tsp
salt to a litre of water

For an empty tank

Sweets

For power endurance

Beet juice

If youre out before breakfast,

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

MF SAYS
Sam Rider,
tness editor

Taken pre-race, this upgrades

your circulatory system so
youre more ecient and will
recover faster. Its nitrates
convert into nitric oxide, a
vasodilator that widens blood
vessels and boosts oxygen
delivery to your muscles.
Alternative source
200g beetroot

The goal is to get fit, not fat. Gulping

down a sugary energy drink may help
if youre training as hard as you can,
but if youve barely broken sweat, it will
only boost your belly, not your cardio.

For fast-digesting
convenience
Energy gels

Like energy bars, they

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

For your longest

training sessions
Dual energy drink

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

Save these for high-tempo,

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

For mental focus

Caffeine

For preventing muscle loss

Holy basil

Instead of providing the body

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

The science on this

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

Words Sam Rider Photography iStock

For added oomph

Energy bar

March 2016 | 129

03
16

Body Work

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

Keep your fat loss

targets on track
with just 90
minutes a week

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

March 2016 | 131

Trainer | Body Work

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

HOWIT
WORKS

For more from Chaplin, visit strengthandconditioningeducation.com

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

Workout 1

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

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

DUMBBELL
BENCH PRESS

SETS 4 REPS 6-8

Lie on a at bench, holding
dumbbells with an overhand
grip either side of your chest.
Drive your feet hard into the
oor and press the weights
straight up, then lower them
slowly to the start position.

A
B

A
B

DIRECTIONS

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

ONE-ARM ROW

SETS 4 REPS 6-8 EACH SIDE

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

LYING LEG RAISE

Unilateral moves
work your core
twice as hard

SETS 4 REPS 12 REST 60SEC

Lie on your back, holding the
bench rmly with your hands.
Keeping your legs together
and straight, raise them,
contracting your core to lift
your lower back slightly o
the bench. From here, keep
your core engaged and lower
your legs slowly until theyre
just o the bench.

PULL-OVER

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

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

B
A

ECCENTRIC
BICEPS CURL

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

REVERSE LUNGE

SETS 3 REPS 8 EACH SIDE REST 60SEC

Holding dumbbells in
each hand, take a big step
backwards. Make sure youre
en lower your
balanced, then
back knee until its just o
the oor. Keep your back
upright and your front
fro
ront
nt
knee in line with your front
foot. Return to the start
ep alternating
alterna
nating legs.
and keep
h 2016 | 133
March

Trainer | Body Work

DENSITYSETS

FINISHER Density set

Do as many rounds as possible in 5min

How to use this

training protocols
devastating
power to forge
indestructible
muscle

SPIDER-MAN
PRESS-UP

REPS 5 EACH SIDE

Start in the top of a press-up
position. Bend your arms to
lower your chest until its just
o the oor and, as you do,
bring one knee out towards
your elbow, then return to the
start. Alternate sides.

Density sets are highrep, low-rest barrages

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

A
B

DUMBBELL LUNGE
AND REACH

REPS 5 EACH SIDE

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

BARBELL
OVERHEAD LUNGE

REPS 5 EACH SIDE

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

A tough challenge
for your oblique
stomach muscles

Workout 2

Go heavy with the weights and high with

the reps to keep progressing
A

BARBELL LUNGE

SETS 4 REPS 6-8 EACH SIDE

Holding the bar on the back
of your shoulders, with your
chest up and core braced, take
a big step forwards and lower
into a lunge so your back knee
is just o the oor. Drive up
with your front foot to return
to the start. Alternate sides
with each rep.

PUSH PRESS

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

A
B

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

W-GRIPP
NARROW-GRIP
UP
PRESS-UP

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

FIREUPYOURENGINE

Pre-heat your bodys fat

burning furnace with this
five-minute TRX drill
REPEAT THE
FOLLOWING
THREE TIMES

JUMP SQUATS FOR

YOUR QUADS AND GLUTES

Hold the handles

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

PRESS-UPS FOR
YOUR CHEST AND CORE

Lean into the TRX

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

REVERSE LUNGES TO KNEE

TUCK FOR YOUR HIP
FLEXORS AND HAMSTRINGS

From the start of the

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

YS FOR YOUR BACK

AND SHOULDERS

Start in the position

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

Trainer | Body Work

A

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

BODY SAW

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

Add movement to the

simple plank to make it
innitely more effective

CHIN-UP

EXTRAMEASURES

Struggling to shift excess

weight? Tighten up your
diet and ramp up your
calorie burn with Chaplins
fat-trimming tips

136 | March 2016

SETS 3 REPS TO FAILURE

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

DOUBLE YOUR GREENS

Forget your ve a day. To support

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

HEAT UP AND DOWN

After your warm-up, stoke

your metabolic re further with
ve minutes of high-intensity
intervals. Alternate 30 seconds
of all-out eort on the bike or
rower with 30 seconds at an
easy pace. Do the same to nish
each session. Finishing in a
sweaty mess is a good sign.

Used sparingly, going

to failure is a surere
muscle builder

TAKE A BREAK

Sacrices are for Olympians. For

everyone else, denying yourself
the occasional treat will break
your discipline and backre in
a gluttonous feast. Have two or
three cheat meals a week think
ribs with chips or a meat feast
pizza. Earn the right to indulge
with a good workout rst.

DIVEBOMBER
PRESS-UP

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

FINISHER Density set

Do as many rounds as
possible in 5min

DUMBBELL
HIGH PULL

KETTLEBELL
SWING

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

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

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

March 2016 | 137

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Average day
Joe Wicks aka @thebodycoach

With half a million Instagram

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

7am
Instagram

When I ran boot camps I didnt

always look forward to getting out
of bed. Now I attack each day. Im
on a mission to rescue the world
from low-calorie diets. With social
media I can reach thousands.

8am

Set a high incline on the

treadmill, then sprint
for 20sec and rest 40sec
for 15min. It melts fat.
My business
mentor Bev
James used to
say, Youre
going to be
famous.
Because of
her I started
to believe it,
and now Ive
seen that if you
work hard you
can literally
do anything.
75,000
people have
bought my 90
Day SSS plan,
and 99% of
the comments
are positive.
Thats
because Im
promoting
good changes
and because
I never post
when drunk.

HIIT workout

9am
#LeanIn15 video

10am
The oce

1pm
Refuel

3pm

I dont snack much.

Ill just have three big
bastard meals over a day.
Youre not going to die if
you havent had a meal
for a few hours.

Regram

5pm
Hang tough

7pm
Fine dining

I only train four times a week. I

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

Im trying to convert the world to get

more fats in their diet. Eggs, coconut oil,
avocado, butter, oily sh, nuts its miles
better than carbs for sustained energy. If I
do eat carbs its only post-workout.

If you slip up,

I say join the
club. On a
night out I
drink mojitos
like water and
I cant get
enough of Flat
Iron steaks.
Just dont let
your blow-out
last the whole
weekend.

11pm
Unwind

I work on my laptop until 11pm.

Then I watch an hour of a show,
anything from Grand Designs to
Luther. If you burn out, everything
suers, so you should always
prioritise health above all else.

IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

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

146 | March 2016

Words Sam Rider. Visit thebodycoach.co.uk to nd out more about Joe Wickss 90 Day SSS Plan. Joes rst book Lean In 15 is out now.

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ONLY THE

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ADD
SIZE AND
STRENGTH

GO FROM
SKINNY
TO RIPPED

TRANSFORMATION
MANUAL

FOUR REAL MEN. FOUR TRANSFORMATIONS. MF READERS SHARE THEIR PLANS AND ADVICE
BUILD
FUNCTIONAL
MUSCLE

GET
LEAN
AT 40

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MAKE A
CHANGE

Anyone can transform their fitness and build a brand

new body. Not convinced? Heres the evidence from
four MF readers and how to emulate them

f youre training but not

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

RICHARD
BROWN
04

JON
ROOKE
12

SACHA
MAHOOR
18

BLEDDYN
ESCOTT
24

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

Jon discovered
it wasnt too
late to shed 40
years of fat with
these weights
sessions

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

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

FREE

ROWING

WITH THE MARCH 2016

ISSUE OF MENS FITNESS

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

WORDS Joel Snape | DESIGN Camille Neilson | SUBEDITOR Jo Williams

PHOTOGRAPHY Tom Miles, Danny Bird, Jenni Leskinen
WORKOUT MODEL Sean Lerwill @WAthletic

ADD SIZE &

STRENGTH
Richard Brown trained for years, but small
changes were what finally gave him results
It has been an education,
says 26-year-old journalist
Richard Brown, reecting
on his past eight weeks of
training. Having a specic
plan to follow has made
all the dierence and I can
really see the results.
Until recently, the quest to
get ripped had been a long,
frustrating one for Richard.
I was working out four times
a week for an hour and a half
each time but couldnt shift
the fat covering my muscles.
Then he turned to trainer

Rich Phillipps for guidance

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

MENS FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED
Richards trainer Rich
Phillipps shares his top
tips for getting ripped

HIGH PROTEIN

Getting enough protein

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

MAINTAIN INTENSITY

Its all well and good

following a perfectly
formulated routine, but
if you want to get big
results you need to push
yourself hard during
every working set.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Aim to increase the weights

you lift each week and keep
a detailed training diary.

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

KEEPING
IT CLEAN

Richard ate lean and clean to build muscle while

keeping fat off. Heres his 2,500 calorie-a-day plan
Richard was on a very
low-carb split to keep his
body burning fat while he
trained, says Rich Phillipps.
Most of his calories came
from protein and fat he
wasnt ever in starvation
mode, but his body learned
to use fat as fuel. He also
drank 2.5 litres of water a
day. Here we take a look at
his nutrition-plan options.

DAILY TOTAL
MACRONUTRIENT

CALORIES

GRAMS

Protein

1,190

300

Fat

1,190

132

120

30

Carbs

WATER GOAL

2.5 LITRES
DAILY MENU

1 breakfast choice

500 calories each

3 snack choices

250 calories each

2 lunch choices

500 calories each

1 dinner choice

250 calories each

SNACKS
Celery with 40g
almond nut butter
150g green olives
30g mixed nuts
(unsalted)
large avocado
75g crudits
with hummus
MENS FITNESS

ADD SIZE & STRENGTH

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

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

LUNCHES
Chilli pot

200g lean beef mince

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

Grilled
chicken salad

Breadless prawn
sandwich

Coconut
turkey stir-fry

Thai beef salad

200g grilled chicken

breast and leafy salad with
2tsp olive oil, 1tsp sesame
seeds and lemon juice

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

300g prawns mixed with

1tbsp coconut cream,
lime juice and coriander,
rolled in a lettuce leaf

200g lean beef strips,

lettuce and grated
courgette, cooked with
1tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp sh
sauce and fresh chilli

MENS FITNESS

ADD SIZE & STRENGTH

DINNERS
Turkey meatballs

150g turkey breast mince,

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

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

Prawn curry

150g prawns with 100ml

coconut milk, tsp nut
butter, lime juice, curry
powder and chilli paste,
served with steamed spinach

Chicken hotpot

150g chicken breast slowcooked with 200ml chicken

or vegetable stock, herbs and
spices, served with mixed veg

Paprika cod

200g baked cod with

smoked paprika, served
with steamed veg

Grilled pork loin

200g pork loin marinated

in garlic and ginger, served
with steamed green beans

BIG UP TOP

Richards plan combined growth-hormone-promoting compound moves with isolation work

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

DAY 1

UPPER-BODY POWER
SETS

10

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1A Rack deadlift

10

30X0

1B Bench press

10

4010

90sec

2A Pull-up

12

3010

2B Dumbbell incline chest press

10

3010

60sec

3A Dumbbell single-arm row

11

3010

3B Dumbbell incline ye

11

3130

45sec

4A Dumbbell lying triceps extension

2210

10sec

4B Rope cable triceps extension

11

4010

90sec

MENS FITNESS

ADD SIZE & STRENGTH

DAY 2

EXPLOSIVE MUSCLE
SETS

REPS

1A Dumbbell seated overhead press

10

4010

1B Barbell back squat

31X0

90sec

2A Dumbbell lateral raise

10

3010

2B Lying hamstring curl

10

40X0

60sec

3A Bulgarian split squat

11

3010

3B Dumbbell reverse ye

11

3011

45sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

TEMPO

REST

4A EZ-bar Scott curl

11

3020

10sec

4B Hammer curl

11

2020

90sec

Tempo indicates the

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

11

GET LEAN
AT 40

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

12

stu like low-fat products

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

MENS FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED

Stephen Mabin shares his

advice for getting lean
as you approach 40

EMBRACE FUNGI

Id eat mushrooms as
a treat, says Jon. A
250g tub is just 1g fat, 1g
carbs and 5g protein
40 calories in total.

GET YOUR CARBS RIGHT

Dieting lowers your

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

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

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

13

HIGH AND LOW

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

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

DAY 1

LOWER BODY
1A Back squat

14

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

3010

1B Seated leg curl

3010

1C Seated dumbbell external rotation

3010

4min

2A 45 leg press

15

4010

15sec

2B Barbell walking lunge

15

2010

15sec

2C Leg extension

15

4010

2min

3 Prowler sled push

4 laps

2min

MENS FITNESS

GET LEAN AT 40

DAY 2

UPPER BODY

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1A 45 dumbbell bench press

3010

1B Chin-up

3010

1C Standing barbell calf raise

3010

4min

2A 30 incline dumbell
press (neutral grip)

15

3010

15sec

2B Pull-down (palms facing)

15

3010

15sec

2C Pronated grip dumbbell chest ye

15

3010

2min

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

15

DAY 3

UPPER BODY

16

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

1A Front squat

3010

REST
/

1B Barbell good morning

3010

1C Cable rear delt ye (unilateral)

3010

4min

2A Split squat (front foot elevated)

15

3010

15sec
15sec

2B Romanian deadlift

15

3010

2C Hack squat machine

15

4010

2min

3 Static bike sprints

40sec

90sec

MENS FITNESS

GET LEAN AT 40

DAY 4

LOWER BODY
SETS

REPS TEMPO

REST

1A Bench press

3010

1B Wide-grip pull-down

4010

1C Wide-stance calf extension

(using leg press)

20

2010

4min

2A Seated barbell military press

15

3010

15sec

2B Barbell upright row

15

2010

15sec

2C Dumbbell lateral raise

15

3010

2min

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

17

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

After training for years

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

18

was concentrating all my

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

MENS FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED
Trainer Tim Walkers
template for packing on
size is simple but smart

PICK PROTEIN

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

GET STRONG

I got him to do a lot of

overhead pressing and
deadlifts to increase his
overall strength.

RUN IT OFF

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

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

19

DOING THE WORK

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

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

DAY 1

CHEST & TRICEPS

20

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1A Bench press

2010

1B Dragon ag

10

3010

1C Reverse crunch

2010

90sec

2 Dumbbell incline press

2010

90sec

3A Dip

2010

30sec

2B Incline dumbbell ye

12

3010

90sec

4A Triceps press-down

10

2010

15sec

4B Hanging leg raise

15

2010

60sec

5A Overhead rope extension

12

2010

30sec

5B Cable twist

15

2010

15sec

5C Plank

60sec

60sec

MENS FITNESS

GO FROM SKINNY TO RIPPED

DAY 2

BACK & BICEPS

1 Deadlift

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

10X0

150sec

2 Weighted pull-up

1010

150sec

3A Seated row

10

2010

30sec

3B Lat pull-down

12

2010

90sec

4A Dumbbell pull-over

10

2010

15sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

4B Leg raise

12

2010

60sec

5 Barbell curl

10

2010

90sec

6 21

21

2010

90sec

21

DAY 3

LEGS
SETS

22

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1 Squat

10X0

2-3min

2A Reverse lunge

12

1010

15sec

2B Abs roll-out

12

2010

45sec

3A Close-foot leg press

10

2010

15sec

3B Leg curl

12

2010

60sec

4A Leg extension

12

2010

30sec

4B Jump lunge

30

60sec

5A Calf raise

20

2010

15sec

5B Kneeling rope crunch

20

2010

15sec

5C Bicycle crunch

30

1010

15sec

MENS FITNESS

GO FROM SKINNY TO RIPPED

DAY 4

SHOULDERS & CHEST

SETS

REPS

TEMPO

REST

1 Overhead press

10X0

2-3min

2A Dumbbell lateral raise

12

2010

15sec

2B Behind-the-neck barbell press

12

2010

90sec

3A Front raise

12

2010

15sec

3B Upright row

12

2010

15sec

3 Shrug

10

2011

60sec

4 Incline bench press

12

2010

90sec

5A Standing cable ye

12

2010

90sec

5B Kneeling rope crunch

12

2010

90sec

5C Bicycle crunch

12

2010

90sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

23

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

24

Daniel Wheeler. Bleddyn

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

MENS FITNESS

LESSONS LEARNED
Daniel Wheelers four
keys to fast fat loss

BE ACCOUNTABLE

Although I mostly trained

Bleddyn remotely, he
checked in with me daily
by text. This accountability
kept him honest and on
track. You dont want to
let someone else down.

FIND A HEALTHY TREAT

Bleddyn has a sweet tooth,

so I told him to have casein
with Greek yogurt and
blueberries before bed.
It satised his cravings,
kept him motivated and
boosted his recovery.

SAVE CARBS FOR DINNER

Bleddyn would only have

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

SLOWLY ADJUST CALORIES

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

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

25

BUILD AND BURN

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

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

DAY 1

SHOULDERS

26

SETS

REPS

REST

1 Barbell military press

60sec

2 Dumbbell overhead press

60sec

3 Shrug

60sec

4 Lateral raise

12

60sec

5 Rear ye

20

60sec

6 Front raise

10

60sec

MENS FITNESS

BUILD FUNCTIONAL MUSCLE

DAY 2

BACK & BICEPS

SETS

REPS

REST

1 Deadlift

60sec

2 Pull-up

60sec

3 Bent-over row

12

60sec

4 Seated cable row

20

60sec

5 Barbell biceps curl

60sec

6 Dumbbell hammer curl

60sec

7 Dumbbell preacher curl

12

60sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

27

DAY 3

LEGS
1 Squat

28

SETS

REPS

REST

60sec

2 Leg press

60sec

3 Leg extension

12

60sec

4 Hamstring curl

12

60sec

5 Walking lunge

20

60sec

6 Calf press

25

60sec

MENS FITNESS

BUILD FUNCTIONAL MUSCLE

DAY 4

CHEST & TRICEPS

SETS

REPS

REST

1 Decline bench press

60sec

2 Incline dumbbell bench press

60sec

3 Incline dumbbell ye

12

60sec

4 Cable ye

25

60sec

5 Dip

60sec

6 Close-grip bench press

60sec

7 Dumbbell overhead extension

12

60sec

8 Rope extension

25

60sec

TRANSFORMATION MANUAL

29

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