M WIN THE

WAR ON FAT
Our 2006 Men’s Health poster
series concludes with a total-body
workout that’ll not only help
you survive the holidays,
but leave you leaner than ever.
BY M YAT T M U R P H Y

YOUR GOAL: A LE AN, S TRONG BODY

YOUR TIME : 30 MINUTES
Men gain the most fat between Thanksgiving and January 1, a fact that
makes “lose the gut” a perennial staple atop New Year’s resolution lists.
To help you combat winter weight gain—and prime your body for
future muscle growth—we turned to Juan Carlos Santana, M.Ed.,
C.S.C.S. As CEO of the Institute of Human Performance, in Boca Raton,
Florida, Santana works with high-performance athletes and builds
South Beach bodies year-round. By not allowing the calendar
to determine the shape you’re in, he can position you for your best
fitness year ever.
Santana’s principles are simple but effective: (1) Work large amounts
of muscle to rev up your metabolism. (2) Strengthen your core and
hone your balance to safeguard injury-prone areas. (3) Apply both of

2006
these precepts to one fat-torching routine, performed 3 days a week
with at least a day of rest between workouts. The result: You’ll be
leaner and stronger than you were before the holidays. And that means
you’ll be free to use your New Year’s resolutions for something other

POSTER than dropping your deadweight.

THE PAYOFF

SERIES FASTER FAT LOSS

Your body must burn
an additional 50 calo-
HARDER ABS
This workout may
appear devoid of ab
BIGGER MUSCLE
By working all your
major muscle groups

BUILD ries a day to maintain

every new pound of
muscle you build.
exercises; it’s not. The
Swiss-ball pushup
forces your abs to con-
in one session three
times a week, you’ll
give each muscle more

A BETTER This routine targets

areas where you can
add mass fast. For in-
tract to keep you bal-
anced; the medicine-
ball chop and torso
frequent attention
than conventional
bodybuilding workouts

BODY
stance, the squat works rotation both engage do. Studies show that
the largest muscles of your core fully; and this leads to greater
your lower body, while the squat challenges growth—while
the bench press and your abdominals reducing the overall
seated row develop throughout the entire time you spend
your upper body. movement. in the gym.

POSTER_MH1206_PSTR1-4rev1.indd 1 11/1/06 10:50:00 AM

 2006 Poster Series Build a Better Body
W IN T HE WA R ON FAT
BENCHMARK
OF SUCCESS
HOW DO YOU
MEASURE
UP?
The single-leg squat
touchdown is one of the
most natural athletic
movements: You bend at
the knees while balancing
on one leg. So even if
you’ve never done the
exercise, you’ll find yourself
in similar positions in
sports. As a timed test, the
move measures your
ability to stay strong while
keeping a stable base, an
important factor in almost
any activity, and key to
building muscle.
Balance on your right
leg with your knees
slightly bent. (See Circuit
3 for photos.) Start your
stopwatch. Slowly bend
your knee to lower your
body toward the floor while
reaching toward the
outside of your right foot
with your left hand. Push
through your heel and
squeeze your glutes to
return to the starting
position, then repeat as
many times as you can.
Stop the clock when you
lose balance and have
to stand on both feet. Then
restart the clock and
repeat on your left leg.
Track your progress in the
chart at right.
35
P ER C EN TAG E O F M EN W H O
F IN D I T M O R E DIF F IC U LT T O
W O R K O U T T HI S M O N T H T H A N
AT A N Y O T H ER T IM E O F Y E A R
59
MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS WHO
RESOLVE TO LOSE
WEIGHT EVERY YEAR
62
Percentage increase in your
body’s ability to use fat for energy
a whopping 16 hours after your
weight workout—that’s well into
your day off, using this plan
POSTER_MH1206_PSTR1-4rev1.indd 2
CIRCUIT 1 CIRCUIT 2 CIRCUIT 3
20
Do each exercise in this circuit without resting between moves. Do each exercise in this circuit without resting between moves. Do each exercise in this circuit without resting between moves.
Rest for 45 to 60 seconds and repeat the circuit twice more. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds and repeat the circuit twice more. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds and repeat the circuit twice more.
Then move to the next circuit. Then move to the next circuit. Percentage of men
who keep their workouts
1
under 40 minutes
3
BARBELL BENCH PRESS A
Lie on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grab the bar with your
hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart and hold the weight with 1
your arms extended over your chest. Pull your shoulder blades back SEATED ROW NUMBER OF TIMES
BETTER YOUR AB
and together, then lower the bar to your chest. (Tuck your elbows in— Sit at a seated-row station or on
WORKOUT IS WHEN
don’t let them flare out to the sides.) Pause, then push the weight back up. the floor a couple of feet from YOU DO PUSHUPS ON
The plan: Perform eight to 15 repetitions. a low pulley cable, your feet on A SWISS BALL (AS
the footrests or a weight plate. SHOWN) INSTEAD OF
A B ON THE FLOOR
Attach a handle that allows
you to use a neutral grip (palms
40
A B
facing each other). Grab the
B handle and slowly draw it toward
1 your midsection while keeping
Percentage of men who want
BARBELL SQUAT your back perpendicular to the their winter workouts to help
Place a barbell at chest height in a squat rack. Grab the bar with an floor. The handle should touch them burn fat and get ready
for winter sports
overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width and rest it across the just below your chest. Pause,
back of your shoulders. Lift the bar off the rack and step back. Keeping then slowly allow your arms to
your back naturally arched, bend at the hips and knees until your thighs straighten.
are parallel to the floor. Press yourself back up into a standing position.
The plan: Perform eight to 15 repetitions.
The plan: Perform eight to
15 repetitions.
TRACK YOUR
PROGRESS
Add up the total time it
2 2 takes to perform the single-
A
SWISS-BALL PUSHUP SINGLE-LEG SQUAT leg squat touchdown with
With the balls of your feet on TOUCHDOWN both legs, and the total
the floor, assume the standard Balance on your right leg with number of reps you were
pushup position, but place your knees slightly bent and
able to do. Divide each
your hands on the sides of a your hands on your hips. Slowly
number by two and record
Swiss ball directly under your bend your knee to lower your
A B A B the resulting averages
shoulders. Spread your fingers, body toward the floor while
in this chart. Follow the
with your thumbs pointing reaching toward the outside
forward. Keeping your body in workout and retest
of your right foot with your left
a straight line from your head hand. Push through your heel yourself every week. Go to
to your heels, bend your arms and squeeze your glutes to MensHealth.com/poster for
until your chest touches the ball. B return to the starting position. more fitness tips and to
Pause, then push yourself up to The plan: Perform 15 to 20 check out the previous
the starting position. 2 repetitions on each leg. nine posters in this series.
The plan: Perform 10 to 15 ALTERNATING ROW
repetitions. Grab a pulley handle in each hand and step back so there’s slight tension
in the cables. Quickly pull the left handle in toward the left side of
your chest. Allow your arm to straighten as you draw your right arm in.
The plan: Perform 10 to 15 repetitions with each arm.
START [AV ER AGE T IME /
AV ER AGE REPS]
3 A B C
MEDICINE-BALL
CHOP
Stand holding a medicine ball WEEK 1 [AV ER AGE T IME /
A
4 with your arms straight and over AV ER AGE REPS]
B your left shoulder. Pivot to the
left so that your right heel rises
off the floor and your torso faces
A B
left. This is the starting position.
Quickly bend your knees and
rotate your torso to the right as
WEEK 2 [AV ER AGE T IME /
AV ER AGE REPS]
you draw your arms across your
body and down. Once the ball
is outside your right lower leg, WEEK 3 [AV ER AGE T IME /
AV ER AGE REPS]
3 quickly reverse the motion to
TORSO ROTATION
Grab the handle of a shoulder-high pulley cable (or resistance bands)
with both hands. With your left side to the weight stack and both arms
return to the starting position.
Complete your repetitions, then
switch positions to work the
3
DUMBBELL CROSS PUNCH
Stand holding a pair of light dumbbells in front of you, palms angled in.
extended toward the stack, step away until you feel tension. Keeping opposite side. Punch your left fist forward and slightly to the right, rotating your WEEK 4 [AV ER AGE T IME /
AV ER AGE REPS]
your arms straight, rotate your shoulders to the right, then return. The plan: Perform 10 to 15 wrist as you go. Draw your arm back as you punch with your right fist.
The plan: Do 15 to 20 repetitions, then turn around and repeat. repetitions in each direction. The plan: Perform 15 to 20 repetitions with each arm.
Photographs by B E T H B I S C H O F F, grooming: Mia Sarazen
11/1/06 10:50:11 AM