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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Advisory Board
SOMETIMES, EVEN WE NEED ADVICE. HERE’S WHO WE ASK.
STRENGTH TRAINING
FOOD
M O T I VAT I O N
CJ Murphy, M.F.S. Owner, Total Performance Sports, Everett, MA
Danny Boome Celebrity chef, currently on Good Food America for Veria Living
Martin E. Ford, Ph.D. Professor of education, George Mason University
Jim Smith, C.P.P.S. Owner, Diesel Strength & Conditioning
Candice Kumai Author, Clean Green Drinks, candicekumai.com
R E L AT I O N S H I P S
Zach Even-Esh Owner, Underground Strength Gym, Edison, NJ
Devin Alexander Celebrity chef; host, PBS’s America’s Chefs on Tour; New York Times best-selling author
WEIGHT LOSS
Bob Harper Fitness expert; trainer, NBC’s The Biggest Loser Chris Powell, C.S.C.S. Trainer; author; transformation specialist, ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss Frank G. Bottone Jr., Ph.D., R.D. Author, The Diet Denominator: Fill Your Tank for Less
SPORTS PERFORMANCE
Jason Ferruggia, Fitness expert; owner, jasonferruggia.com Dan Trink, C.S.C.S. Owner, Trink Fitness Jon Hinds Owner, Monkey Bar Gym, Madison, WI Kevin Lilly Former D1 football player; trainer of actors and athletes
Tammy Nelson, Ph.D. Certified sex therapist, New Haven, CT Michael Aaron, Ph.D. Certified sex therapist and couples counselor, drmichaelaaronnyc.com Moushumi Ghose, M.F.T. Licensed psychotherapist and sex therapist, New York City W I L D E R N E S S S U RV I VA L
Thomas Coyne, E.M.T. President, Survival Training School of California, Tehachapi, CA M A L E H E A LT H
FINANCE
Roy Cohen Career counselor; author, The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide; careercoachny.com Chris Bart, Ph.D. Business consultant; author, A Tale of Two Employees D E R M AT O LO GY
ENDURANCE
Pete Jacobs 2012 Ironman world champion, Sydney, Australia
Steven Lamm, M.D., Director, Men’s Health Center, New York University Medical Center FAS H I O N
SPORTS NUTRITION
Shelby Starnes IFBB bodybuilder; owner, shelbystarnes.com
Tina West, M.D. Board-certified dermatologist; founder of the West Institute, westskinlaser.com
Nate Miyaki, C.S.S.N. Author, The Samurai Diet; owner natemiyaki.com
Annet King, Director of global education, the International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica
NUTRITION
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Angela Lemond, R.D.N. Owner, Lemond Nutrition; spokesperson, American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Jay Dicharry, M.P.T., C.S.C.S. Director of biomechanics, Rebound Physical Therapy
Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D.N. Award-winning writer, nutrition consultant, spokesperson
Jorge Valls Men’s fashion director, Nordstrom Michael Gordon Store director, Tourneau TimeMachine, NYC GROOMING
Anthony Sosnick Founder, Anthony grooming brand Israel Leon Master barber, The Art of Shaving, NYC P SYC H I AT RY
Michael A. Grandner, Ph.D., Instructor, Penn Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology
ADVERTISING SALES pieter@dhsmedia.co.za FOR MORE INFORMATION PHONE: +27 10 006-0051 MAIL: PO Box 71450, Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2021 ADDRESS: First Floor Block 6 Fourways Office Park, Cnr Roos Street & Fourways Boulevard, 2191 EMAIL: info@dhsmedia.co.za WEB: www.mensfitness.co.za FACEBOOK: facebook.com/MensFitness South Africa TWITTER: @mensfitness_sa INSTAGRAM: mensfitnessmagazine
PUBLISHER & CEO
Dirk Steenekamp dirk@mensfitness.co.za
Men’s Fitness South Africa is published by DHS Media Group (Pty) Ltd in South Africa for South Africa. Material in this publication, including text and images, is protected by copyright. It may not be copied, reproduced, republished, posted, broadcast, or transmitted in any way without written consent of DHS Media Group (Pty) Ltd. The views and opinions expressed in Men’s Fitness South Africa by the contributors may not represent the views of the publishers. DHS Media Group (Pty) Ltd as well as its employees accept no responsibility for any loss that may be suffered by any person who relies totally or partially upon any information, description, or pictures contained herein. DHS Media Group (Pty) Ltd is not liable for any mistake, misprint, or typographic errors. All prices shown are in ZAR. Any submissions to Men’s Fitness South Africa become the property of DHS Media Group (Pty) Ltd. © 2017 American Media, Inc. The name “Men’s Fitness” and the Men’s Fitness logo are registered trademarks of American Media, Inc., and used under license by DHS Media Group (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. The United States edition of Men’s Fitness is published monthly by American Media Inc.
MANAGING EDITOR Jason Fleetwood - jason@dhsmedia.co.za FOOD EDITOR Izelle Hoffman - izelle@dhsmedia.co.za GROOMING EDITOR Greg Forbes - greg@dhsmedia.co.za GAMING EDITOR Andre Coetzer - andre@dhsmedia.co.za TECH EDITOR Peter Wolff - peter@dhsmedia.co.za ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR Toon53 Prod. - toon53@dhsmedia.co.za MOTORING EDITOR John Page - john@dhsmedia.co.za SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Charlemagne Olivier - charlemagne@dhsmedia.co.za SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR Luba V Nel - luba@dhsmedia.co.za
Sep/October
SEP/OCT 20 21
MEN’S FITNESS
7
Your best life
What winners know
Live smarter, look better, and play harder with tips from Men’s Fitness THE REJUVENATING CLEANSE
Pureberry Weight-loss Cleanse Q After a well-deserved break and a more than likely very enjoyable festive season, you’ll want to rejuvenate your body and start your new diet with a fully cleansed metabolic and digestive system. We recommend Pureberry’s Weight-Loss Cleanse to increase vitality, hydrate the body and skin, promote weightloss and tone your muscles. R2 150 , pureberr y.co.za
THE INSPIRATIONAL READ
Africa’s Billionaires by Chris Bishop Q Be inspired to have a successful year by taking advice from some of the continent’s wealthiest people. This timely read gives insight into how one single entrepreneur’s efforts can affect the lives and jobs of African citizens. R215, loot.co.za
T HE R AP ID FAT BU R NE R
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T HE STAT E ME N T T IM E PI E C E
Bell and Ross V2-94 Bellytanker Q Kick the year off by making sure you’re at the top of your game and always on time with this incredibly stylish piece by Bell & Ross. The perfect corporate accessory to have you taken seriously in the office, the ultra-curved sapphire with anti-reflective coating makes a statement without shouting. TBC, Bell & Ross stores
THE PERFECT RUNNING SHOE
Adidas Supernova Shoes Q These men’s running shoes maximise the energy-returning benefits of their boost midsole with a lightweight, elastic stretch web outsole. An engineered mesh upper with seamless panels provides superior ventilation and comfort. R1 999, a d i d a s . c o . z a
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The Ultimate Workout
Gun show
TACKING ON A FEW SETS OF CURLS AND KICKBACKS AFTER YOUR REGULAR ROUTINE ISN’T ALWAYS ENOUGH. BREAK THE TYPICAL CYCLE AND PUT YOUR ARMS THROUGH HELL — THEN WATCH THEM GROW. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES MICHELFELDER
HOW IT WORKS
The longer muscles spend working while tensed, the better they adapt to the load by getting bigger and stronger. This routine trains the bi’s and tri’s from every angle and keeps them under tension for extended periods. Some sets will last as long as a minute — prepare to feel the burn.
1) EZ-BAR CURL Sets: 3 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 60 sec
Hold an EZ-curl bar with a shoulder-width grip. Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl the bar until your biceps are fully contracted.
2) DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL Sets: 3 Reps: 10–12 Rest: 60 sec
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your sides. Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl the weights up.
3) EZ-BAR REVERSE CURL Sets: 3 Reps: Work for 60 sec. Rest: 60 sec
Hold an EZ-curl bar with an overhand grip, hands spaced shoulder-width apart. Don’t allow your elbows to drift forward as you curl the bar.
Sean Hyson, is the former group training director for Men’s Fitness. seanhyson.com
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D i o r H o m m e ; F i t n e s s Te c h : J e b S t u a r t J o h n s t o n
Perform the workout once per week. On exercises that call for 60-second sets, choose a load that allows you about 30 reps, but don’t go for a specific number. Set a timer for 60 seconds and perform as many reps as you can with perfect form and a normal cadence. Don’t rush.
2) Switch things up by curling both weights at the same time or alternating from side to side. Pull each one across your body for even more variation.
S t y l i n g b y C h r i s t i n a S i m o n e t t i ; G r o o m i n g b y M a t t h e w Tu o z z o l i /A t e l i e r M a n a g e m e n t u s i n g
Directions
4) TRICEPS PUSHDOWN Sets: 3 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 60 sec
Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station and hold an end in each hand with elbows flexed. Allow your elbows to drift forward a bit as you extend them and then let them drift backward as you lower the weight.
5) DIP Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 60 sec 6) On alternating sets, drop the cable pulley below shoulder height and pull the cable on an upward angle. This will provide more of a stretch in the long head of the triceps.
5) Make sure your arm is completely straight in the second part of the motion. If you’re unable to straighten your arm completely, you’re using too much weight. With your hands, add a slight down-and-outward twist at the bottom to give the move an extra kick.
Suspend your body over parallel bars and lower yourself down until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
6) OVERHEAD CABLE TRICEPS EXTENSION Sets: 3 Reps: Work for 60 sec. Rest: 60 sec
Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station. Face away from the station and step forward, raising your arms overhead and bending your torso until you feel a stretch in your triceps. Hold the position and extend your elbows.
Turn this into a total-body beast by adding a few sets of barbell squats, deadlifts, and 5) Lean slightly forward to bring some of the pump into your chest.
bench presses.
SEP/OCT 20 21
MEN’S FITNESS
11
ALL IT TAKES IS ONE SIMPLE #ACTOFGENEROSITY
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Hard-hitting news from the cutting edge of modern research
BREAKTHROUGHS S t y l i n g b y C h r i s t i n a S i m o n e t t i ; G r o o m i n g b y C a s e y G e r e n / B e r n s t e i n & A n d r i u l l i u s i n g L a u r a M e r c i e r ; F i t n e s s Te c h : J e b S t u a r t J o h n s t o n
Want max muscle?
Seize the daylight!
orning guys get out at the butt crack of dawn. Day guys try to squeeze something in at lunch. (Good luck with that.) Late guys hit it once the work whistle blows. But it’s all good as long as the workouts are consistent, right? Maybe not. According to a new study out of Northwestern University USA, muscle tissue runs on the same circadian clock — the internal 24-hour timer that regulates cell functioning — that the rest of the body does. If true, that means there’s an optimal time for muscle cells to use oxygen to create energy and allow for better performance. The study found that when the muscles in mice were genetically altered to ignore the little rodents’ circadian clock, they lost their ability to use sugar for energy. They also stopped creating lactic acid, the by-product of intense exercise that allows glucose breakdown and causes that burning sensation in your muscles. Knowing when muscles will work at their optimum output could help scientists develop techniques for maximum power, they speculate. –ADAM BIBLE
M
Are you more of a night person? The same may not go for your muscles.
Pants: LULULEMON Sneakers: APL Tech: FITBIT
Muscle
Breakthroughs
A cup of joe can boost squats Q For some easy gains on leg day, go for caffeine, says a study from the UK’s Coventry University. On five different training days, nine male lifters were given either regular coffee, decaf, decaf and 425mg pure caffeine (in gel caps), pure caffeine alone, or a placebo 45 minutes before a squat session. Result: They squatted 33% more on decaf-plus-caf, and 29% more on regular coffee than on a placebo.
Lift weights, pump up your brain Q The stronger you get, the more your brain benefits, a study from Sydney University in Australia has discovered. Researchers put 55 to 86-yearolds with “mild cognitive impairment” — a precursor to Alzheimer’s — on a weight-training program in which they lifted 80% of their max twice a week for six months. By the end of the study, the parts of the subjects’ brains linked to cognitive function had grown in size; the subjects also showed an increase in brain IMAGE power on tests. Now that’s what TK we call an “iron supplement”!
Go minimal to grab gains when lifting big iron.
Get big by going “barefoot”
Ask Men’s Fitness
MIKE R, JOHANNESBURG
Who is that masked man? If he lifted and took casein, he’s making gains while sleeping.
T
Q “Lift weights at least three hours before bed and take casein — a slow-digesting protein powder — before bed”, says Jorn Trommelen, owner of nutrition tactics.com. “Research shows that when resistance exercise is performed earlier in the day, more of the pre-sleep protein ends up in muscle and is used to form new muscle proteins”, he says. The synergy between resistance exercise and protein lasts for at least 24 hours after exercise.
wearing minimalist shoes while exercising can make your legs and feet significantly stronger than wearing regular sneakers. The six-month study followed 18 runners
FOR MORE GREAT NUTRITION TIPS, GO TO MENSFITNESS.COZA
in regular kicks and 20 runners in minimalist shoes (stretchy-fabric uppers, zero heel-to-toe drop, and a 3mm outer sole — no midsole cushioning or arch support). At the end, the regular-shoe wearers’ leg/foot muscles hadn’t grown — but the leg muscles of the barefoot-shoe folks had gone up in size by 7%, their foot muscles by 9%, forefoot muscles by 12%, and rear-foot muscles by 7%. And though the study was done on runners, researchers believe that wearing a similar shoe during other types of workouts, including lifting, will bring similar results.
Q An after-workout sauna is great for soothing tired muscles. But the new trend in recovery — unlike the traditional steam bath we all know and love — is a sauna that uses infrared light, the invisible (and harmless) part of sunlight that makes our skin feel warm. Instead of heating the air, as steam does, the more efficient infrared light directly heats the body, so nearly 90% of the heat is absorbed. It also penetrates deeper than steam heat — about 4cm into tissue, compared with just the outer layer of skin that a steambath reaches. Not many gyms have infrared saunas, so check for a studio near you. The new hotness: infrared heat
S t y l i n g b y C h r i s t i n a S i m o n e t t i ; G r o o m i n g b y M a t t h e w Tu o z z o l i /A t e l i e r M a n a g e m e n t u s i n g D i o r Homme; Cof fee: Get t y; Sleepmask: Ben Alsop
I know sleep is important for recovery. What can I do to get the “best” sleep possible for muscle growth?
hink the whole “barefoot” sneaker trend is just for runners? Think again. According to researchers at Hong Kong’s Poly University,
Nutrition
Breakthroughs
Fast foodies don’t care about nutrition labels
Q Getting 200mg of curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric (the base of most curries), a day can reduce muscle damage from intense training, the American College of Sports Medicine reports. A potent antiinflammatory, curcumin has more punch than many other antioxidant all-stars, like dark chocolate and red wine — which, together, we like to think of as “dinner”.
Q Surprise! Just 8% of folks who eat fast food give a crap about what’s in it, according to US researchers. And though all grease slingers in the US are required by law to display that nutritional data, it probably hasn’t made much difference: The study also showed that the only customers who benefit from such info are those who 1) are already motivated to eat healthy, 2) know how to estimate daily calorie intake, and 3) are surprised by the posted stats. In other words, pretty much nobody who eats fast food.
Eggs boost vitamin E in salads ating a big, healthy salad that’s chockfull of a variety of colourful veggies — kale, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots — for lunch is an easy way to get a wide range of essential daily nutrients. And a study from 2015 revealed that simply adding some eggs to your salad can bump up your body’s ability to absorb antioxidants called carotenoids by up to eight times. Now a follow-up study has found that
Ask Men’s Fitness Are bugs really so full of protein and other nutrients that I really should be *gulp* eating them? J A C O V, F R E E S TAT E
Cricket score. Insects like crickets and mealworms are mineral-rich.
E
Q Yup — insects are basically six-legged sirloin, says Yemisi Latunde-Dada, PhD, of King’s College London. “We’ve known that insects are rich in protein and beneficial fats, and high in calcium, iron, and zinc”, she says. “Our new report now suggests that edible insects like grasshoppers, crickets, and mealworms are also mineralrich, with double the available iron of red meat, and more absorbable minerals like copper, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.” Get crunching!
tossing three cooked eggs into a salad can increase your absorption of vitamin E nearly sevenfold.
FOR MORE GREAT NUTRITION TIPS, GO TO MENSFITNESS.CO.ZA
Vitamin E — found mostly in leafy greens, oils, seeds, and nuts — has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, supports the immune system, and may help prevent heart disease, so use this easy trick to up your levels without taking supplements.
Q Food and hospitality researchers from Drexel University in the US recently found that, to maximise your enjoyment when eating out, go for a mismatch of cuisine styles when you order your meal. In their experiments, they paired Italian or Thai dishes of varying quality — either an appetiser or entrée — with each other and found that when a high-quality appetiser preceded a subpar main course, diners reacted negatively. But when the cuisines were mixed and matched, eaters had a much more positive dining experience — regardless of how tasty each dish was — and rated the meal more enjoyable overall. Changing up cuisines makes meals more satisfying
C l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p r i g h t : J a r O f L e m o n s . c o m ; G l o b a l P/ G e t t y ; G e t t y
Curry can beat down inflammation
Caffeine is a stimulant and energy booster, making it ideal during low energy dieting. Glucomannan ensures the feeling of fullness and satiety during bouts of intense dieting. Cinnamon Extract works naturally to support healthy insulin function. Green Tea Extract (EGCG) enhances mental alertness and is a powerful antioxidant. Peppermint Leaf Extract supports the digestive tract & reduces digestive distress. Dandelion Root Extract is a potent diuretic, assisting with water retention. Choline Bitartrate has been proven to promote a faster rate of lipolysis. Green Coffee Bean Extract has been shown to decrease carbohydrate digestion.
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Cardio
Breakthroughs
Listening to music while doing HIIT will keep you coming back for more.
To HIIT it big, crank up the tunes S
Exercising even a little bit pays off
Q That minimum 150 minutes a week of regular exercise you’ve been
told you have to get to stay healthy and ward off disease? Even if you dip a bit below that, you won’t completely screw up your health, says a recent study from a university in Canada. lt found that working out at a level of “low physical fitness” — about 20% below the average for healthy people, or about 30 minutes a week — still lowers your risk of developing heart disease. Though, honestly, we’d caution against taking this too much to heart (so to speak) — the more exercise, the better, it’s been proven — so why aim low?
Buddy, can you spare some gym time?
Q Working out while experiencing anger can triple your risk of having a heart attack within an hour afterwards, says a Canadian University study that analysed data on 13 000 people in 52 countries. That’s no reason to give up on exercise (duh); heart disease is still the No. 1 cause of death, and exercise lowers that risk. Just don’t use it to vent the next time you learn you’ve been cheated on, or get cut off by some asshole on the road.
Q Not feeling your workouts like you used to? Get a new workout partner. That’s the upshot of a new study from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, which found that working out with a supportive gym buddy can inspire you to exercise more than trying to go it alone. What to look for in a training pal, say researchers: emotional encouragement (downers and defeatists need not apply!) and practical support, like helping you keep to your schedule.
Ask Men’s Fitness My friend keeps going on about how awesome yoga is. Yeah, yoga classes are hot chick meccas, but is yoga really “exercise”? VIN S, CAPE TOWN
Dog, you need to do more. Most yoga is no more strenuous than hanging up laundry, a new study says.
Q Yoga’s great for flexibility and relaxation; but most yoga poses can be classified only as “light intensity physical activity” — the same as hanging laundry, says a new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise . Yes, a few poses — sun salutations, standing bows, triangles — are more vigorous, says study VIP D Enette Larson - Meyer, PhD, “so for more intensity, find a faster-paced session that features those. But it won’t have the intensity of an aerobic activity like running”.
From top right: Glyn Kirk /Get t y; James Michelfelder
cratch most “regular exercisers” and underneath you’ll find someone who tried HIIT (high-intensity interval training) once and just couldn’t hack it — the short-but-extreme bursts of effort can be daunting for fitness pros and sweatinglike-a-pig newbies alike. It’s a shame, because HIIT can boost your body’s fat-burning abilities and give you a time-efficient cardio and health strategy: Just 10 minutes, three times a week, can get you as healthy as the recommended 150 minutes a week of low-intensity exercise (see below). But there’s hope: Listening to music of any kind — as long as it’s your favourite tunes — during HIIT will make you not only enjoy it more but also look forward more to the next brutal session, says new research in the Journal of Sports Sciences. So pop in the earbuds and pump up the jams — the sweat will be even sweeter.
F*&#!! angry exercise can kill you!
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ON TOP
Everything you need to make life work for you
S t y l i n g b y C h r i s t i n a S i m o n e t t i ; G r o o m i n g b y M a t t h e w Tu o z z o l i /A t e l i e r M a n a g e m e n t u s i n g D i o r H o m m e
A straight 120 seconds of medicine ball slams will slap your core into submission and have your quads begging for mercy.
Two minutes of hell Thanks to the exploding popularity of the king of all gym-time torture devices, the VersaClimber, agony-inducing total-body training is all the rage. By Bill Bradley Photographs by Marius Bugge
THE MORTON
What if life was as easy as riding a jet ski? Soaring over choppy waves and ocean mist, feeling unstoppable in the cool breeze. Well, Alex Morton says it is.. when you think, feel, and do things a certain way.
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MEN’S FITNESS
SEP/OCT 20 21
“ At age 21, Morton was a struggling college student living off of taco bell and ramen noodles. Just two years later, he became a millionaire. Now, with his earnings elevating over $50,000,000, 31-year-old Morton is an entrepreneur, momentum creator, best-selling author, and speaker who simply wants to help as many people as he can level up in their lives. He spends his days educating and inspiring people around the world to turn their dreams into a reality. He’s simplified the philosophy behind becoming a success. Whether the goal is wealth, health, or simply pure happiness – life can be like riding a jet ski when you understand the rules to the success game. According to Morton, the first step to reaching a goal is knowing exactly what you want. Picture that bank account with all the zeros you can imagine or the 6-pack abs that peak through your shirt. Then, figure out what strategy will get you there and start taking steps to reach that end goal. He says we must find people who have exactly what we want, begin to say what they say and do what they do and over time that same success can be yours. While the journey to success won’t be easy, Morton says that “all you have to do is compete with yourself. Focus on getting 1% better every single day.” It doesn’t matter if a wave knocks you off your jet ski, if you don’t become a millionaire in your first year, or you need to take a break in between sets at the gym. What does matter is your ability to display persistence and commit to your end vision and accomplishing your goals. “It’s not going to be one straight shot to success. You’re going to go through many ups and downs, trials and tribula-
Make the decision to be the hardest worker in the room in all areas of your life.”
tions.” Keep getting back on that horse, back on that jet ski, and stay focused on where it is you’re going,” says Morton. What other people perceive as failures; Morton doesn’t believe they are setbacks at all. Instead, when the strategy doesn’t go according to plan, it’s an opportunity to evaluate weaknesses and get better. Ignoring or minimizing downfalls only limits potential but when you recognize what went wrong and fine-tune the strategy, it makes success inevitable. In Morton’s words: “Become a student of the game, whatever game you’re in. Make the decision to be the hardest worker in the room in all areas of your life.” If your investments aren’t generating profits, learn everything there is to know about the market. Don’t have enough stamina to run a mile? Train even harder so that you can effortlessly one day run three. Success isn’t easy but it can be simple. Understand that we must know what we want, why we want it, make a game plan, have the right people in our ear, work hard, and success is on the way. It’s simple. Whatever it is you’re set out to accomplish, do it the way you would ride a jet ski; when you fall off into the water, understand why, get back on, and don’t make the same mistake twice. Make sure to get back up and keep going! Follow Alex on Instagram @alexmortonmindset for more inspirational stories and all his latest news and upcoming events!
SEP/OCT 20 21
MEN’S FITNESS
23
On Top Elevate your game
Pain-free push-ups Don’t let aching wrists ruin a great workout by Amy Roberts
1) CHECK YOUR FORM If you don’t have carpal tunnel or an acute injury yet doing push-ups causes wrist pain, form may be the culprit. Here’s how to fix it. Assume the proper position: hands (flat, not tented) under the shoulders at the top of the push-up and alongside the pecs at the bottom. O
As you lower, pitch your chest forward and keep your elbows tucked in, making an A-frame with your head. O
O As you come down, press into the ground and slightly shift your knuckles toward your thumb. This rotates the forearms and creates room in the wrist joint for flexion.
2) USE DUMBBELLS If your form is correct but your wrists still hurt, place a pair of dumbbells (kettlebells also work) shoulderwidth apart on the floor and grip them as your “base”. This holds your wrists straight rather than bent, taking the onus off the wrists.
ush-ups are, undeniably, one of the best exercises for building a rock-hard core and improving total-body conditioning. But as any military grunt or CrossFit devotee can tell you, if you’re going big on push-ups, you need to take care of your wrists or you could be in for a world of pain. Here are four ways to keep aching wrists from ruining your push-up regimen.
P
The elevated hand position also lets you dip lower, working your chest and triceps even harder.
3) SWITCH TO KNUCKLE PUSH-UPS No ’bells nearby? Make fists and push up on your knuckles instead, which strengthens your wrists and improves the bone density in your hands.
4) UP YOUR WRIST MOBILITY Finish with these moves to make your wrists more flexible: O
Wrist circles:
Rotate 20 sec in each direction. O All-fours flexion: While on your hands and knees, lean forward into your hands and hold for 30 sec. Then rotate your hands — fingers pointing toward your legs — and lean back for another 30 sec.
Counter-stretch: Still kneeling, place backs of hands on floor, fingers toward legs; lean back slightly for 30 sec. O
Wrist pain doesn’t have to end your push-up routine.
S t y l i n g b y C h r i s t i n a S i m o n e t t i ; G r o o m i n g b y M a t t h e w Tu o z z o l i /A t e l i e r M a n a g e m e n t u s i n g D i o r H o m m e ; F i t n e s s Te c h : J e b S t u a r t J o h n s t o n
Nothing kills your push-up mojo like wrists screaming out for mercy.
On Top
Screen grabbers Want to up your score with online dating? Swipe the slate clean — and meet the nicest girls — by following these tips. By Sarah Rose
he greatest invention in romance since condoms, dating apps are pure efficiency: thousands of women, no long profiles to read, no grammar mistakes to harrumph over, nothing but the essentials: picture, age, first name, and a fortune cookie. If you’re interested only in hook-ups, there’s a mathematical strategy for maximising hits: Swipe right for everyone. This works when you think about dating the way a shark thinks about eating. But if you’re looking for love — or simply good company — you’re in for “Hot or Not?” the video game. And, like any gamer, you need a winning strategy.
T
WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A SITE TO GET SEXY ON YOU THINK: All single women are on Tinder and variety is my ally. SHE THINKS: Tinder is a
Greyhound bus full of slobbering old men. TRY THIS: Stop
carpet bombing; investigate surgical strikes. Women give high marks to Bumble, the “lady first” app, for safety features that chase away twitchers, droolers, and stalkers. Or check out Bristlr, for women who like men who grow beards. Every kink has its fan base.
WHEN YOU’RE SETTING UP YOUR PROFILE
I rock a six-pack in my mirror selfie, I’ll post that. YOU THINK:
TRY THIS: Pictures
are a split-second opportunity to land that right swipe, so:
want a partner in crime. We’ll travel all across the country, where we can be friendly, explore, do CrossFit, eat healthy, meditate, and banter like my grandparents who met on Tinder.”
An online dating profile isn’t an essay contest — just answer four basic questions.
baggage is showing.
TRY THIS: This isn’t an essay contest. Answer four basic questions: who, what, where, and how tall. An avid music lover, unrepentant hedonist. Into soccer and biking. In Joburg now but a true Capetonian at heart.
TRY THIS: Frame quali-
YOU THINK: In a world of bunny rabbit boilers, reveal no identifying details. SHE THINKS: I know
nothing about him. TRY THIS: Be Googleable. Offer a Twitter or Instagram handle. Dangle enough data for her to find you on LinkedIn or Facebook. If she’s Nancy Drewing you, she’s interested.
YOU WRITE: “I
SHE THINKS: Left. Also,
yawn.
YOU WRITE: “Be real.
What you think is hot and she thinks is hot is often , well, not.
No serial daters. No pen pals. Look like your picture. No bitches.” SHE THINKS: His
ties you’re seeking in the most positive light possible — otherwise you’re just taking your neuroses for a walk. Never underestimate the power of “Looking for a connection”. WHEN YOU’RE READY TO MAKE CONTACT
people I may have overlooked because all they wrote was a mere “Hello, [YOUR NAME HERE].” So, hey, here I go: “Hello, [HER NAME HERE].” WHEN YOU’VE MADE THE CONNECTION YOU THINK: We’re texting back and forth, she totally wants me.
YOU WRITE: “Hey, wuts
SHE THINKS: Is he ever
up? ;)”
going to ask me out?
SHE THINKS: I don’t date illiterates. Or speak emoji.
TRY THIS: After the third volley, make the call to action: “We can’t really learn about chemistry on an app, Want to grab a drink Thursday?” [YOUR NUMBER HERE]
TRY THIS: The first con-
versation: Now this is the essay contest. Run up the score with full sentences. Craft a cut-and-pastable opener you can recycle: “It’s harder than I like to admit coming up with a clever intro to follow a few pictures and a 200-word profile. Now I’m feeling kind of bad about
Get off your app fast. GPS alone will never be enough to find a soulmate. You still have to go out and meet her. There must be fireworks. And there’s no app for that — yet.
TheLicensingProject.com
SHE THINKS: This dude has no friends. Also, no job.
1) Get a great headshot to lead with (read: smile, take off your sunglasses). 2) Demonstrate your interests with a landscape shot in which she can also see your face. That ironman finish is badass; a close-up of you surfing will get her wet, too. 3) Avoid clichés: In a ski suit and goggles. On a boat looking off at the horizon. Arms around a bunch of bros holding drinks. In a fancy sports car. Cuddling newborns. Holding a fish. Holding a gun. 4) Women love pets, but two or more shots with your animal besties veers into furry fetishism.
Hot Releases Get behind the wheel for the driving experience of a lifetime, discover your origins as an elite assassin, or save the free-world from the tyranny of the Third Reich! We’ve got it all this season. by Andre Coetzer
GRAN TURISMO SPORT
The granddaddy of driving simulators finally makes its current-gen debut on the Sony behemoth, the PlayStation 4. For years the name Gran Turismo was seen as the ultimate in creating a true driving experience on your home console and GT Sport continues that fine trend. As expected, the game handles beautifully, giving you that rare white-knuckle sensation while expertly navigating through chicanes in the world’s most exotic supercars. The balance between recreating real-world driving skills and enjoyable game driving is spot on, a feat very few racing games
manage. The game itself looks better than ever, especially if you’re fortunate enough to be playing on a 4K television. The HDR in GT Sport is incredible and perhaps the best implementation of High Dynamic Range in any game to date. Sadly the damage model is a big disappointment and does take away from the realism of a race as you just bump off other cars and barriers with barely a scratch to your multi-millionrand supercar. Also, the single player mode lacks features and options, sometimes feeling more like a tutorial for the online component. This will hopefully be fleshed out with future updates and content add-ons. The online
component however is where the real racing magic lies, with numerous modes and competitive leaderboards, this is where any true driver will earn their racing stripes. Overall, GT Sport is an impressive racing package, with gorgeous graphics and incredible reallife physics, but if you’re a single player only kind of speed racer, then GT Sport might be a slight disappointment, for now at least. Available on PS4 at btgames.co.za (R899) ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS
After taking a well deserved two-year hiatus, Ubisoft’s seminal open-world series returns with arguably the best game
in the saga. Prepare to discover where it all started as we travel to the glory days of Ancient Egypt and follow the adventures of the first ever Assassin, Bayek an Egyptian Medjay hell-bent on revenge. The world in Assassin’s Creed Origin is not only spectacularly beautiful, but it’s mind-bendingly massive with a myriad of different locations from the pyramids of Giza, the great Hellenistic city of Alexandria to the lush farmlands along the Nile Delta. Exploring magnificently detailed Egypt is an experience in itself and one can sometimes find hours wasted staring off at the towering pyramids in the distance. But no game will survive
on looks alone and fortunately Origins is so much more. Main protagonist Bayek is a very likeable hero and one that is easy to root for. He has all the charm and humour of series favourite Ezio with a bit of a darker side to give him more depth. The redesigned combat feels like an achievement and less like a chore as with previous iterations. It’s quite clear that Ubisoft has taken cues from other successful games such as The Witcher and to a degree Dark Souls, and it’s all the better for it. A once stagnating series now feels rejuvenated and better than ever. Ready yourself for an epic journey through a fantastic world and discover
the origins of the infamous assassin’s brotherhood. Available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One at btgames.co.za (R915) WOLFENSTEIN 2: THE NEW COLOSSUS
The world has fallen to the Third Reich and the Nazis are in control. America as we know it is no more and the streets are littered with SS soldiers and propaganda. Only one man can stop the Nazi war machine, only one man has the grit and determination to stare down the Reich and laugh in its face. That man is series protagonist BJ Blazkowicz and he is currently broken. In Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, the sequel to the massively popular 2014 reboot “The New Order”, your hero starts off in a wheelchair, horribly injured after the events from the first game. But it’ll
take more than a few broken bones to keep the ultimate Nazi killer down and soon you’ll find yourself back on your feet in a rather surprising way. A new country to explore and a vulnerable BJ are just two of the biggest changes in The New Colossus. Weapons are now customisable allowing for even more creative ways to tear apart your enemies. As always the guns feel amazing to shoot, with satisfying sound and visual feedback. Shooting Nazis never felt or sounded so good. There is also a surprisingly engaging story, one that takes you into BJ’s past to realise that he is more than just a stonecold killer. Those who enjoyed the 2014 Wolfenstein will find the same satisfying gunplay, the ridiculous overthe-top enemies and the hilarious yet
emotional storyline. The New Colossus is a fantastic sequel and delivers on everything a modern first-person shooter should be. Available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One at btgames.co.za (R825)
J A N U A R Y / F E B SREUPA/ O RY S C T2 2001 281 MMEENN’ ’SS FFII TT N NE ES SS
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On Top Get out
Getting down in Dubai On this month’s Adventure Calendar: What to do and where to go in the land of sand and skyscrapers.
Dubai has a wellearned reputation for its rapid progression and development. The iconic city with its sprawling skyscrapers brings truth to the saying “if you build it, they will come”, and indeed, they, the tourists, are coming. If you’re going on holiday and considering Downtown Dubai here are some family-friendly activities and places to see.
of attractions on offer it’s obvious to see why Dubai Mall is both the world’s largest and most visited mall. There’s lots to do. Aside from a wide variety of shopping on offer, you can chill out at their Olympic-sized skating rink which is a great place for a day out (dubaiicerink.com). The Dubai Mall is also home to popular tourist attractions such as the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo which features thousands of aquatic animals and a 270-degree walkthrough tunnel (thedubaiaquarium. com) as well as the 2800-seater 22-screen Reel Cinema megaplex (http://reelcinemas.ae).
SEE VISIT
The Tallest Building in The World In the wonderful city of skyscrapers, you definitely have to visit the tallest of them all, the Burj Khalifa dubbed the tallest building in the world. On the 122nd floor is the world’s highest restaurant At.Mosphere. There, you can literally ‘eat in the sky’. Enjoy breathtakingly spectacular views and delicious food (atmosphereburjkhalifa. com). If you’re more of a scenic person and enjoy panoramic views you can visit the observation deck on the 124th floor, referred to as ‘At The Top’. There you can take selfies in the sky or snap memorable pictures of the beautiful city and landscape. A definite ‘must do in Dubai’ (tickets.atthetop. ae). Visit burjkhalifa.ae for more on what this majestic building has to offer.
The City and what it has to Offer Downtown Dubai has many attractions and now there’s a way to see it all at once on the Dubai Trolley. The red tram hop-on hop-off transit system transports people all around the city at a comfortable 10km/h passing various locations on the way. That’s more than enough time to take in the sights and sounds. Trolleys run from 4pm to midnight on weekdays and from 3pm to 11pm on weekends. Here are a few places you should visit on your way; visit the Dubai Fountain for beautiful water displays that resemble the famous Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas. Shows take place every 30 minutes in the evenings. Visit Burj Park which overlooks the majestic Burj Khalifa, perfect for a sunny day out, a picnic or birdwatching.
FOR THE KIDS S H O P AT
Dubai Mall It’s First Class With over 1200 retail outlets and a variety
The Mall That Has It All In Downtown Dubai there is something for everyone. The Dubai Mall
is the perfect place for the kids. Aside from the aquarium and cinema there are specific attractions tailored to appease children and young adults. There’s the Sega Republic which is loaded with arcade games and theme park rides such as the Giant Slider or Sonic Hopper (segarepublic.com). You could also take the children to KidZania which is an awardwinning children’s ‘edutainment’ concept. Specifically catering to children aged 4 to 16, KidZania offers a safe, unique, and realistic educational environment that allows kids to do what comes naturally to them – role-playing. So, they’ll have fun and learn at the same time. Teach your kids all kinds of career options at this indoor town for children (kidzania.ae).
DOWNTOWN DUBAI
Experience The Lifestyle Downtown Dubai offers a premium lifestyle, dining, shopping and entertainment experience. You’ll have tons to do, but here are some great places you should really visit during your stay. Try the award-winning Asado restaurant, where you will dine like royalty. Here you’re treated to some of the best food on offer as well as a stunning one-of-a-kind view of the Burj Khalifa. Or if you prefer a relaxed day of pampering you can visit the Address Boulevard Spa. Here you’ll experience 5-star service of the highest standard leaving you feeling relaxed, refreshed and content.
LAMBORGHINI’S POSTER CHILD IS
BACK! Past, present, and future all combined to deliver emotive performance.
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"WHILE IT HAS ALL THE TROPES OF A 70S SUPERCAR ON THE OUTSIDE, THE NEW LPI 800-4 IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH LAMBORGHINI’S MOST MODERN MODELS"
Clear out that bedroom wall clutter, a new Lamborghini is on its way and happens to be inspired by the most iconic bedroom wall poster of all time, the Countach! If you were a kid of the 90s, like me, the holy trinity of
vanilla. It was the wild child of the supercar dawn, hugely impractical, garish under-equipped, not all that fast but eccentrically styled. The epitome of a supercar that carved out Lamborghini’s
bedroom posters went something like this; the Lamborghini Countach, the Ferrari F40, and as an outlier, the Porsche 959. Now Lamborghini is reviving the nameplate – some call it retro, others call it a modern interpretation. Either way, it’s a big deal and the weight of expectation on its shoulders is massive!
identity. Needless to say, the prospect of a Countach some fifty years later brings a lot of questions and anticipation about Lamborghini’s ability to walk the tightrope between old school and new school. Over time, the Lamborghini name has evolved considerably, helped in no small part by its fusion with sibling company, Audi. This has finessed some of the Italian’s sharp edges and brought a great deal of civility to the ergonomics. But there are still those who want a raw-skinned Lamborghini, especially when it bears the iconic name. It’s a tricky marriage to get right.
“The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was,” says Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann. “One of the most important automotive icons, the Countach not only embodies the design and engineering tenet of Lamborghini but represents our philosophy of reinventing boundaries, achieving the unexpected and extraordinary and, most importantly, being the ‘stuff of dreams”. In no uncertain terms, the Countach, made its peers of the same era look absolutely
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Nearly all Lamborghinis were named after a famous fighting bull, however, the Countach got its name from someone’s – a security guard’s - verbal reaction upon seeing it for the first time. Lamborghini claims that the name, pronounced ‘Coon-tach’ is an
“exclamation of the Italian Piedmontese dialect that indicates astonishment and admiration for something”. Some fifty years later and the new official name is Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4. What’s clear from the outset is how faithful the new version is; considering that modern cars all need to comply with a suite of safety rules that weren’t existent some 50 years ago. “The Countach not only embodies the design and engineering tenet of Lamborghini but represents our philosophy of reinventing boundaries,” explains returning boss Stephan Winkelmann. Lambo’s design boss Mitja Borkert is, unsurprisingly, quite proud of the finished product. “The Countach LPI 800-4 is an incomparable design opportunity: to take a car so important and continue its evolution into a new era is a unique privilege.” And yes, before you wonder too hard, of course, it has scissor doors. But while it has all the tropes of a 70s supercar on the outside, the new LPI 800-4 is right up there with Lamborghini’s most modern models. Underneath that wedge, the
Countach is hewn from the same architecture
acceleration is rapid going from 0-60mph in
idiosyncrasies here, the new Countach is a
as the Lamborghini Sian – without doubt, a gamechanger in Lamborghini’s history
2.8 seconds, 0-124mph in 8.6 seconds and only tailing off at 221mph. Unlike the
facsimile of the Aventador’s high-tech cabin lead by the 8.4inch touchscreen which quickly
because of it being the first hybrid-assisted model.
original, the new version has an all-wheel-drive baked into the performance
becomes a one-touch smartphone interface. “The Countach was provocative and
As with the original, a V12 sits a few inches
hardware and this gives the Countach genuine 365-day usability, as does the 7-speed
polarising,” Borkert said. “It made people smile and stare but its infamous
behind the seats but is stretched to 6.5-liters
automatic transmission.
recognisability demonstrates the purity of its
and producing 770hp. In normal sanity terms, it’s plenty but is now supported by a 48-volt
Other clues to its modern evolution include the materials. No longer is steel and steel
design legacy. The Countach LPI 800-4 elevates that clarity to a new level, celebrated
electric motor adding 34hp and resulting in a combined power output of 804hp. Being
tubing good or light enough. Any excess weight from the supercapacitors is clawed
in an exclusive limited edition to take its place in motoring history,” he added.
Lamborghini, the usual Li-ion battery configuration was deemed too mundane so
back by carbon fiber in the door panels, front splitter, and wing mirrors, some of which is
Exclusivity for the new Countach will be maintained thanks to only 112 units being
instead, supercapacitors supplement the power curve and help with low-speed
left exposed, while owners will have a selection of Heritage paint options like Bianco
produced from €2 million each – a far cry from the Countach’s original price of $52,000
maneuvering. Supercapacitors are significantly lighter and reportedly are three
Verde Medio and Bronzo Zante to choose from. Lamborghini’s well-known hexagonal
nearly fifty years ago. According to sources, most have already been snapped up, but that
times more powerful than traditional hybrid setups.
design is highlighted in areas like the brake lights, wheel design, and engine covers.
doesn’t mean they can’t live on your wall. Pawan Dhingara
The only limitation being that supercapacitors do not allow for engine-off
Inside is where the new Countach is night and
running – and therefore no zero-emission
day different to its forebear. The Countach
capability – and this will therefore be the reason that Lamborghini will no longer use
was infamously difficult to drive with offset pedals and visibility so limited that the
this setup going forward. When everything is hooked up,
common technique for reversing was to open the door and crane your neck outside. No such
UBER OR NEUTERED HATCH?
Does Audi’s S3 still have the fizz?
There are hot hatches and then there is the Audi S3. It’s always been something of the archetypal performance hatch, the one that added a few more steroids to the bloodline without enduring heavy compromises and brought a whiff of premium air with it. And because of that, it held a certain prestige and quality appeal. The fact that it’s been thoroughly eclipsed by the RS3, Mercedes-A45 AMG merely shows how completely bonkers and power-obsessed the hot hatch scene has become. So the question to be asked is, where does an Audi S3 find itself in the year 2021? At first glance, the answer seems to be by honing and distilling the vintage formula. On top of that there are two options of bodystyles; a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan – the latter
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being our pick. The S3’s engine doesn’t create any headlines for itself, preferring instead to stick with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 286hp and 400Nm, at least that’s the full wad in countries where the engine has been slightly detuned. Other (read bigger) markets such as Europe and China all receive the higher 307hp output version. For the first time in S3’s history, a manual version isn’t a box you can tick. In real terms out on the road the horsepower difference goes by without a trace, even the stopwatch fails to see what the fuss is about, recording 4.8 seconds for the 0-60mph sprint in absolute clinical control and precision. This is still an easy car to drive fast and forgiving, as is the familiar Audi way, but it’s also reassuring to know that Audi hasn’t dropped the ball or tried
to juggle too many. Audi’s all-new modular dynamic handling control system is as sophisticated as it sounds, moving torque between the axles and wheels depending on the levels of grip, and how that fits in with the parameters of the selected driving mode. Audi says the system can even send 100 percent of the power to the rear axle, which sounds more hypothetical to our minds than anything else. The S3’s presence on the road is defined a lot by the color. Python Yellow gets the ad campaigns buzzing but most will buy it in a shade of silver where it goes about its business like an undercover assassin. The styling as a whole appears as though it was done by a guillotine. Horizontal slots in the bonnet pay homage to the early Quattro rally car and
there’s flicks of contrasting paint to add some visual depth and muscle. There are four pipes out the back which is two more than the Audi RS3 gets but for the most part, the styling is only lightly warm rather than bubbling hot. Poking around the interior, you notice a drop in quality and some mismatched materials. You can’t fool us with your digital screens and fluid animations. Even the Golf R – which happens to be cheaper - is starting to feel like a more cohesive and premium design. By contrast, the S3’s cabin ambiance is cold and unfriendly, not only because of the jagged lines but also because the touchpoints are small and lacking tactility. Better just to use voice activation. Audi is really chipping away at a formula that they perfected a long time ago but in doing so some of the fun factor has been lost. It’s enormously competent, fast and digital but so are the alternatives, some of them even from the same family. Pawan Dhingara
SEP/OCT 20 21
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NISSAN’S NEW NINJA KID Old school meets new school in this 400hp rear-wheel drive sportscar
With all the SUVs, dinky crossovers and pickups currently on sale, it’s easy to forget that Nissan is pretty well versed in the making of sportscars and supercars – these low-volume, halo cars just haven’t been much of a focus of late. But in order to pour some excitement back into the brand, Nissan has lifted the lid on its seventh generation Z car. Nope not the 400Z as some dubbed it, this one is just called the Nissan Z, and that’s some bold statement. We’re pleased to report that the legacy looks to be intact. Nissan has followed the recipe of rear-wheel drive, two doors, and engine upfront. That engine is a 3.0-liter turbo V6 with either a 6-speed manual or nine-speed auto. There aren’t any official performance figures to start challenging the internet with but considering that this car is going to go up against the Toyota Supra, it’ll need to do 0-60mph in under five seconds. The Nissan Z will also come off the dealer floor in two variants; the Sport model is actually the base one and the Performance model will have a higher sticker price because of the launch control, limited-slip differential, larger wheels, beefier brakes, sports exhaust, and premium audio system. It’s a chunk of stuff that’s
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rather essential in a 400hp sportscar and the fact that you can have all that, and the manual gearbox has been high on our wish list for a long time.
Behind that retro look reminiscent of myriad Datsun Z models, is a chassis that boasts new levels of rigidity and lightness. There’s even a carbon fiber
prop shaft for cars fitted with the manual gearbox. Chances are it should feel like a purer, nimbler, and more comfortable Nissan R35 with a more modern interior. That interior is defined by a very 90s looking gauge cluster sitting on top of the dashboard. These gauges measure boost pressure from the turbo, turbo speed, and voltage and unlike modern displays are not customizable. Above the gear lever is an 8-inch touchscreen as well as a 12.3-inch touchscreen. Wi-Fi is also standard. Chief product specialist Hiroshi Tamura believes that Nissan has made the best Z yet. “With each generation, we raise the bar, pushing the limits of Z and continuing to tap into the human instinct for that next thrilling journey. More than just powerful and agile, the 2023 Z is designed to be one with the driver for all kinds of on-road adventures,” Tamura said. Not all countries will be able to get their hands on a Nissan Z – the UK for instance is not on the list but most of the USA is. Pawan Dhingara
SEP/OCT 20 21
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On Top HotSeat
Firdous Asmodien. The All-rounder USN SA Ambassador and USN Body Makeover Challenge winner, diver and drifter Firdous Asmodien gives us some insight into her journey into fitness. by Charelle Johnson
FIRDOUS’S USN SUPPLEMENTS PICKS: • PHEDRACUT LAVA X: IT’S AN EXTREME THERMOGENIC CAPSULE WHICH NOT ONLY HELPS TO SHRED FAT QUICKLY, BUT ALSO GIVES ME A BOOST OF ENERGY.
• USN BCAA AMINO LEAN: IT PROMOTES MUSCLE STAMINA, STRENGTH AND RECOVERY, BOOSTS MUSCLE TRAINING INTENSITY AND ENDURANCE.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself
and your history as an athlete. A: I’m a Physiotherapist by profession, running two physiotherapy departments at two specialised TB hospitals. As a child growing up, I was very athletic and active. I played all sports and often found myself playing cricket, soccer and games with the boys during school intervals and holidays. I always made it onto the school athletic and sports teams, competing in sprints, long distance running, long jump, high jump, netball, etc. I never had a problem with my weight or health growing up. I used to eat like a horse and still have a healthy weight because I was so active. I excelled in sports and academics. When I had completed my Honours degree in Physiotherapy at UWC and started working, I found myself being less active than what I used to be. However, I still stayed somewhat fit. I got married and life was good. Q: At what point did you
• USN PURE GLUTAMINE MICRONIZED POWDER: IT HELPS REDUCE EXERCISERELATED MUSCLE BREAKDOWN, IT MAY SPEED UP RECOVERY AND INCREASES MUSCLE STAMINA AND STRENGTH.
• USN CREATINE MICRONIZED POWDER: IT INCREASES PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN SUCCESSIVE BURSTS OF SHORT-TERM, HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE.
realise you wanted a makeover and decide to enter the USN Makeover Challenge? A: Well, as good as life was, I was thrown a curve-ball, which completely changed everything for me. I was diagnosed with a condition called Endometriosis, which made it difficult for me to start a family. I tried all forms of medical procedures, but was unsuccessful. The thought of me never being able to have kids made me slip into a deep depression very quickly. I found myself comfort eating, being anti-social, staying indoors mostly and in no time, I had gained excessive weight. I only realised how far I had let myself
go when I saw a picture of myself on Facebook, which someone else had posted. I had fat cheeks, a double chin, flabby arms and a big belly. I was shocked! For someone who had always been skinny all my life, in spite of how I ate, I was fat for the first time in my life and I was absolutely disgusted at myself. For the next few days, I suddenly noticed all the thin skinny girls in miniskirts and shorts. These skinny girls were everywhere and I felt so uncomfortable in their presence. This was when I knew I had to do something. I happened to be standing in the queue of a local store, when my eye fell on the cover of a local health and fitness magazine. The cover girl looked strong, happy and confident. I picked it up and started browsing through it while in the queue. I saw the USN advert with the words “#ChallengeYourself”, which somehow resonated deeply with me. I ended up buying the magazine and read it from cover to cover several times. I couldn’t get those words out of my mind “#ChallengeYourself”. For the next few days, that was all I could think about. I then decided to throw caution to the wind, challenge myself and entered The USN Body Makeover Challenge. Q: What has been the most
rewarding part of your fitness journey? A: Being able to succeed in getting myself out of that depression and then realising that this was something that I was actually good at made me feel really good about myself. Not only did I love what I saw in the mirror but I was happy, outgoing and socialising again. What I hadn’t realised was how my journey had impacted
others too. I was overwhelmed by the support, encouragement and messages I received from people - some who I had never even met and had only known on social media platforms. I was sharing my story on social media to document my own personal journey and to help me stay focused, not knowing that it would help so many others too. The fact that my journey was inspiring others to live a healthier lifestyle was extremely rewarding for me. My fitness journey also helped me to become more disciplined, focused and confident in all other aspects of my life. Q: What challenges did you
encounter after the challenge had ended? Did you find it tougher to maintain and stay motivated to keep fit? A: By the end of my 12 -week weight-loss challenge in May 2015, I had dropped 13,3% body fat. I was a lean machine and felt amazing. I was in a daily routine, eating healthy and training hard, which was second nature for me then. I kept going after the 12 -week challenge had ended and made further improvements in sculpting my body, becoming fitter, faster, stronger and mentally sharper by the day. My personal trainer at the time advised me to enter bodybuilding competitions. At first I wasn’t too keen on the idea, but as I had adopted the “#ChallengeYourself” philosophy in life, I decided to enter. My 1st competition was IFBB Western Province, in August 2015. I had prepped for Beach Bikini, but was too lean for the category and had to enter Fitness Bikini, which was already a win for me. I was thrilled when I placed 3rd at my very first competition. That was
all I needed to get hooked on bodybuilding as a competitive sport. I found myself entering more competitions and used the competitions as deadlines to achieve a certain milestone in my journey in terms of transforming my body. The fact that I placed well at these competitions was an extra bonus for me. The highlight of my fitness journey thus far, was becoming the South African Champion in Fitness Bikini last year, achieving my Protea Colours in the IFBB the year after starting my USN Body Makeover Challenge and having the honour of representing my country abroad at the IFBB World Championships. It still amazes me to think how much I was able to achieve, all because I picked up a magazine on that particular day, in that queue. It gives me goosebumps when I think of it! Q: How do you approach your
daily personal nutrition? A: I eat every two and a half hours. Eating correctly and on time is crucial if you want great results! For my busy lifestyle, I find that bulk meal prepping works wonders. I always have chicken breast and broccoli meals and ostrich mince and rice meals fully stocked in my freezer. When I bulk prep, I cook enough meals for about 2 weeks. It takes me about one hour to cook all the food, pre-pack it and store in my freezer. I colour-code my containers: pink for chicken and blue for ostrich mince. This simplifies my life. I save on cooking time, electricity and it prevents me from straying from the plan, as it’s already cooked. My meal bag is also always fully stocked with all my USN supplements and protein powders for shakes. So in the morning when
I leave for work, it’s as easy as grabbing my meals out of the freezer and putting them in my meal bag. The only meal I cook daily is my 6 boiled eggs and oats for meal one. I believe that simplicity is key. The more we complicate life the less likely we are to stick to it.
how fast I was. So who knows, I might decide to challenge myself and venture back into athletics in 2018. I have also been approached to do
some TV shows and a movie next year, which will make use of my fitness and motorsport skills, but I am not at liberty to discuss that yet… Watch This Space!
Q: What are your fitness goals
for 2018? A: My current physique goal is to build legs and booty a bit more. I am currently prepping for the Arnold Classic Columbus Ohio, which will be held in March 2018 and Arnold Classic Africa, which will be staged at The Sandton Convention Centre in May 2018. It is such an honour and privilege for me to be able to compete and represent my country on these international platforms. Hopefully I am able to bring home some medals for South Africa again this time around! I was also encouraged by Western Province Athletics Team officials last month to try out for the WP Athletics Team, after placing 1st for 100m sprints at The Better Together Games in October last year, with a sprinting time which seemed to really impress the WP Athletics Team officials. They gave me a contact number and urged me to call them. It’s amazing to see how increased strength in my legs, resulting from bodybuilding, has translated into increased power and speed. I haven’t done any sprinting since I was a child at school, more than 20 years ago, but even I was impressed at SEP/OCT 20 21
MEN’S FITNESS
41
Smarter ways to rule the kitchen
Eat toWin Zero Sugar? Zero Problem. BRING BALANCE TO YOUR DIET IN 2018 WITH THESE AMAZINGLY LOW-SUGAR, HIGH-FIBRE, SUPER DELICIOUS MUSCLEFRIENDLY MEALS PHOTOGRAPHS BY LINDA XIAO
FOR MORE ON ZERO SUGAR DIET, BY DAVID ZINCZENKO (BALLANTINE), TURN TO PAGE 49.
V Shrimp, mushroom, and goat-cheese flatbread is gloriously high in fibre.
THIS MASTERFULLY SEARED TUNA — ATOP A TASTY BED OF SPINACH, BLACK BEANS, PEAS, WALNUTS, AND PARMESAN — IS ONLY 4.6 GRAMS OF (NATURAL!) SUGAR, WITH A WHOPPING 14.6 GRAMS OF FIBRE.
Eat toWin Guy food The Supreme Carnivore’s Dinner
STEAK WITH BULGUR, GREEN BEANS, AND ASPARAGUS
Food st yling by Hadas Smirnof f; Prop St yling by Nidia Cueva
Q Grill a 200g
Zero Sugar Diet, is an in-depth eating plan specifically designed to detox your body, bring your hormones into balance, heal your liver, and take away food cravings while delivering rapid weight loss. Generally speaking, it works by doing one thing very, very effectively: drastically lowering your sugar consumption while boosting your fibre intake at the same time. Zero Sugar Diet requires lots of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole, unprocessed grains; plenty of lean, healthy, satisfying, sugar-free foods like eggs, turkey, chicken, and fish; and just the right amount of sugar-free fats, like guacamole. With the dishes here — a sampling of a full day’s worth of food courtesy of Zero Sugar Diet (Ballantine Books) — you’ll replace simple carbs with high-fibre foods and see your belly starting to flatten out within days. You’ll also get ripped and feel more energised. Are you down? We thought so.
V This dish is so delicious and healthy it doesn’t have to be just for breakfast.
The Belly-Flattening Breakfast
YOGHURT WITH FRUIT AND NUTS Q Aside from,
say, a bowl of Kellogg’s, you’re looking at the easiest dish on Earth to make. Simply combine ½ cup of both blackberries and raspberries, ¼ cup bran cereal, 1 tbsp sliced almonds, and ½ cup plain Greek yoghurt and bam! It’s a meal with a paltry 231 calories, 12.8 grams natural sugar (the good kind!), 13.7g fibre, and a whopping 14.7g protein.
The Way-HealthierThan-It-Looks Lunch
The Ultimate Lean Dinner
SHRIMP, MUSHROOM, AND GOAT CHEESE FLATBREAD
SEARED AHI TUNA WITH SPINACH SALAD
Q This flatbread
masterpiece: Sear a great piece of tuna in extravirgin olive oil for 3 minutes, and lay it atop a salad made of spinach, black beans, fresh peas, chopped walnuts, and parmesan. Add a splash of red-wine vinegar, and you’ve got 580 calories, 4.6g natural sugar, 14.6g fibre, and 18.2g protein. Wash it down with a glass of Pinot Noir (122 calories) — you’ve earned it.
is both filling and tasty. Sauté 2 cups sliced mushrooms, 230g peeled shrimp, ½ cup chopped pumpkin seeds, and a small red onion. Brush bread with olive oil, sprinkle on Herbes de Provence, arrange the spinach in a layer on the flatbread, and pile the onion mix and 60g goat cheese on top for just 240 calories, .5g natural sugar, and 7.2g fibre.
Q A simple
striploin steak over high heat for about 8 minutes, then add 1 cup green beans, and ½ cup asparagus to the grill on a double layer of aluminium foil and drizzle with remaining oil (10 to 15 minutes). Add the chopped walnuts and spoon veggies over bulgur, sprinkle it all with lemon juice and congrats: You’re looking at 680 calories, 3.6g natural sugar, and 33.45g protein. If you’ve gotten your workout in that day, pair it with a glass of Cabernet (120 calories). The Perfect Midday Smoothie
RASPBERRYALMOND SMOOTHIE Q To be 1000%
clear: Zero Sugar Diet is cool with a little sugar — but only the natural kind (from fruit), and only along with enough fibre to offset it. This 98-calorie smoothie, made with ice and 1 cup each fresh raspberries, unsweetened almond milk,and unsweetened cocoa power, has the perfect ratio: 5g sugar to 9g fibre.
Eat toWin Fast Fuel
Pasta from the
SUPER HEALTHY, DELICIOUS, ABS-FRIENDLY “SPIRALISED” VEGGIE NOODLES PUT FLOUR PASTA TO SHAME
ejoice, fellas: You needn’t banish your favourite bowl of gloppity goodness to cheat days, or — even more depressing — load your go-to sauce on some underwhelming pasta understudy (see: “whole wheat”, anything labelled “gluten-free”).Easy-to-make spiralised vegetables — whole veggies sliced into spaghetti-like threads — can turn the tuber or legume of your choice into a to-die-for Italian feast. Unlike flour-based pastas, noodles made of squash, beets, sweet potatoes, et al, are low in calories, high in smart carbs/fibre, super filling (because of their water content), and won’t spike your blood sugar. Best of all, with the right sauce, they’re flat-out tasty as hell.
R
BY IAN EPSTEIN PHOTOGRAPH BY LINDA XIAO
BOX IT UP:
The Best Premade Veggie Noodles
Squash spaghetti! (And other great plant pastas)
Great alternatives to the typical wheat - or rice-flour noodles.
More than 20 veggies can be spiralised. Here, the six we love most. SWEET POTATO
SUMMER SQUASH
TASTE : Honeylike;
TASTE : Buttery,
makes sauces pop
with a nutty aftertaste
H I G H I N : Vitamins A, C; potassium
H I G H I N : Carotenoids, folate, manganese
B E ST S E RV E D : Sautéed,
B E ST S E RV E D : Raw
roasted
sautéed
PAI RS WE LL WI TH :
PAI RS WE LL WI TH :
Curry/raisins/onion; thyme/garlic/chillies
Pesto; tomato-based sauces
BEETS
KOHLRABI
TASTE : Earthy,
subtly
sweet H I G H I N : Folate,
TASTE : Peppery H I G H I N : Vitamin
fibre
or
C,
fibre B E ST S E RV E D : Raw,
sautéed, roasted
sautéed, boiled
PAI RS WE LL WI TH :
PAI RS WE LL WI TH :
Feta/roasted hazelnuts; tarragon/sage/ sautéed butter
Asian notes, like teriyaki or sesame oil/oyster sauce/ lemon juice
CUCUMBER
EGGPLANT
Clean, crisp, refreshing
Slightly tart H I G H I N : Vitamin B; fibre; copper
TASTE :
H I G H I N : Vitamins K, B5; copper B E ST S E RV E D : Raw PAI RS WE LL WI TH :
Yoghurt dressing / coriander/dill; vinegar/oil
TASTE :
B E ST S E RV E D :
( TA K E A LOT.C O M ; R 8 4 )
Subtly nutty, this chickpea pasta is very high in protein and fibre. Orgran Vegetable Rice Spirals ( TA K E A LOT.C O M ; R 4 9 )
It is naturally wheat and gluten-free and is also a delicious, versatile product that provides diverse nutrition over wheat pasta and is easier to digest.
Tomato sauce; fresh basil/roasted tomatoes/Parmesan cheese
please! Veggie noodles are the world’s healthiest indulgence.
Shred it and cook it!
Sautéed
PAI RS WE LL WI TH :
Another bowl,
Word to the wise: You never, ever, want to overcook these makeshift noodles
Q Making veggie noodles is fast and easy: 1) Get out your spiralizer (see page 52 for our pick). 2) Choose your vegetable and lop off the ends. (If it’s large, like a sweet potato, cut it into chunks.) 3) Pick the noodle size (eg, spaghetti vs fettuccine), nuzzle the veg against the blade, and start turning the hand crank. The noodles will spool out of the blade like Play-Doh. 4) Eating the noodles raw in salads or as a side dish? Marinate them (try teriyaki sauce or olive oil/lemon) for up to 30 minutes. 5) Cooking the noodles? Sauté them in a pan with a bit of oil; drop them into boiling water till they’re al dente; or oven-roast them. But never leave them cooking too long (2–6 minutes max. They’ll turn to mush in an instant!)
Food st yling by Hadas Smirnof f; Prop st yling by Nidia Cueva
B E ST S E RV E D : Raw,
Happy Earth People Chickpea Pasta
garden Ultra-versatile beet pasta is as tasty raw (here, with Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley) as cooked.
Eat toWin Two rights and a wrong The best new appliances you need right now—and one you absolutely don’t
RIGHT!
A pot that takes your pasta seriously Q Not all pasta pots are created equal: Our biggest pet peeve is a too-short drainer insert that doesn’t fit enough noodles for a group. The Legend Euro Chef Stainless-Steel 24cm Stockpot, however, is the right size and has a clear lid so you can see what’s up and the 8.5L capacity is perfect for preparing large meals. It’s also dishwasher safe with cool-touch handles. R890 , takealot.com
RIGHT!
The Hurom slow juicer is not only the best looking, it also makes the best juice.
A smart, affordable spiralizer
Squeeze the life into your juice
Q The Humble and Mash quick prep spiralizer has a unique multi-blade system allowing you to create different types of noodles with three blades to choose from: ribbon, thin spiral and thicker spiral. You can quickly and easily enjoy endless creative possibilities using marrows, carrots, potatoes, apples, beetroot and much more. R500, yuppiechef.com
Got an older Juicer? Chuck it out or donate it to the Salvation Army because the cold-press juicer is here to stay.
C
WRONG!
Cold-press Nobody’s favourite way to cut pizza
juice is more
Q Look, we love kitchen shears. They’re great
nutritious
for snipping herbs, cutting a chicken, chopping tomatoes in the can, and, yes, even slicing pizza. But “pizza scissors” — shears with a slice-shaped spatula attached — like these from Kitchen Maestro make us crazy. Buying one of these is like saying you failed “Pizza Cutting 101”. It’s hard to store, hard to clean — and hard to keep a straight face while using it. R110, lazada.com
and even lasts longer in the fridge.
But, more notably, a centrifugal juicer also creates oxidation, which can damage nutrients and affect the juice’s shelf life. (Think: Apple slices turning brown when exposed to air.) A masticating juicer, on the other hand, slowly crushes the fruit/veg and squeezes out the juice, which extracts more juice, especially from leafy greens. There’s also little oxidation during the crushing process, so cold-press juice
can be kept for longer periods than that from a centrifugal juicer. Our pick, the Hurom H-AA Slow Juicer, is the top new model from a pioneer in the category. It’s quiet and powerful, has a small footprint, looks great on the counter, and even lets you make different types of juice without cleaning between batches by simply running water through it. It even makes nut milks, ice cream, and tofu! R7 600, yuppiechef.com
P r o p s t y l i n g b y M e g u m i E m o t o /A n d e r s o n H o p k i n s
alling all juicing fiends: If you haven’t invested in a “cold press” (aka masticating) juicer yet, do it now. That’s right: Now . Here’s why: Juicers come in two basic types. The most common, the “centrifugal” juicer, grinds and spins fruits and veggies at high speed to separate juice from pulp, in the process creating heat (hence “cold” in the name of its competitor, the “cold press”).
Eat toWin Fit Chef Q&A
Super cut
Hedlund specialises in New Nordic cooking, the restaurant world’s “gourmet health food”.
ASK A BUTCHER M E AT Y FA C T S F O R H E A LT H Y CARNIVORES
How chef Gabriel Hedlund spends all day in the kitchen — but stays shredded
B R YA N M AY E R , DIRECTOR OF B U T C H E RY E D U C AT I O N , FLEISHERS CRAFT BUTCHERY
by Nils Bernstein
ure, Swedish-born chef Gabriel Hedlund is a Michelin star winner. But seeing his lean physique and massive bi’s, it’s words like “fitness freak” not “full-time foodie” that instantly spring to mind. One of his secrets: the vegetable-heavy, intrinsically healthy New Nordic fare (like raw mackerel with nasturtium, green tomato, and horseradish) he’s become famous for. But Hedlund follows an even simpler diet at home and sticks to a strict fitness regimen, too. We asked the chef, whose new joint N’eat (short for “Nordic eatery”) just opened in NYC, USA, for specifics.
S
How do you balance a chef’s lifestyle — crazy hours, tons of food — with staying fit? It’s about staying focused. What I cook at the restaurant is all about flavour; what I cook at home is more like what every bodybuilder eats — some variation on plain rice, chicken, and broccoli. I’m sure it’s great chicken and broccoli. It could be better!
F r o m l e f t : M a d i s o n M c G a w / B FA ; R y a n S c o t t
What’s your workout regimen? I run outside four mornings a week before work and go to the gym six times a week,
THE FLAB BLASTER FAT- LO S S T I P S FROM THE WORLD’S M O S T FA M O U S TRAINER BY GUNNAR PETERSON (@GUNNAR)
What’s the best cut of beef to cook at home if I want a lean steak but one that still has lots of flavour? M AT T M , P O R T E L I Z A B E T H
Q “The merlot steak — some call it the velvet steak — is incredibly lean, but it’s also a beefy and extremely flavourful, quickcooking cut. It’s roughly 450g and comes from the heel of the round, or the back leg. It’s something like a flank steak but without all the muscle fibres. Salt it an hour before you make it, then throw it into a hot skillet with a little bit of extra-virgin oil and cook it (three or four minutes per side for medium-rare), and that’s pretty much all there is to it. Let it rest five minutes, then slice it across the grain.”
but I’m so hooked. I have a hard time taking a rest day. I use mostly dumbbells and barbells — not machines that much, but when I do, the simpler the better. What’s your favourite healthy snack? The pancakes I make for breakfast. Just oatmeal, eggs, peanut butter, and banana — but they’re so good, I feel guilty about them. Guilty pleasure? Burgers. And I’m a sucker for french fries. Kitchen utensil you couldn’t live without? My Ninja blender!
Three things that are always in your refrigerator? Chicken, eggs, and vegetables. Which vegetables? All of them. I always have seven or eight different vegetables in the fridge. Favourite off-duty drink? Hendrick’s Gin and tonic, with a cucumber slice.
If I’m eating clean, is three hours of cardio a week enough to lose fat? ELIAS S, JOHANNESBURG
What’s an uncommon ingredient guys should get familiar with? Buckwheat. Most people nowadays are terrified of eating wheat flour — and carbs in general — but buckwheat is a seed, not a grain. You don’t feel bloated, it has a lot more protein, and it doesn’t react in the body like other flours do. And it tastes great.
Q If you make the right meal (and drink) choices, get enough sleep, and do resistance training (to boost calorie burning), then, yes, three hours of cardio a week should do it. While you’re at it, try these tweaks to ignite extra fat burning:
D U R AT I O N : Do 30–60 minutes of cardio at a time. I N TE N S IT Y: Keep your heart rate at 65–85% of your anaerobic threshold but spike it with higher-intensity intervals. F R EQ U EN CY: I’d say daily, so it becomes routine. But bottom
line, do what fits your schedule without adding stress — that raises cortisol, causing your body to hoard the very fat you’re trying to jettison. Just be consistent and have fun with it, because there’s simply no getting around having to do it!
STEPPING OUT ONE MAN CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY BLAZERS. IN A SUIT OR OVER A T, KEEP IT STYLISH WITH THIS STAPLE EXTRA LAYER. BY CHARELLE JOHNSON
/
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIRSTEN HO
GROOMING BY ALEXIA CHARILOU
J A C K E T: Z A R A R 1 0 9 9 ; T - S H I R T: MR PRICE R49, JEANS: COTTON ON R599
S H I R T: ZARA R629; TIE: ZARA R429; J A C K E T: ZARA R1 799; WA I S T C O AT: ZARA R899; PA N T S : Z A R A R899
Learn It!
Tips and tactics for living smarter
Yes, if you swapped out your daily soda for a glass of water, you’d save 150 calories a day. It adds up: Over the course of an entire year you could lose of upwards of 7 kilograms..
The seven simple life hacks guaranteed to make you a happier, stronger, and more productive person in 2018 try to stand between you and your first marathon, a major weight loss, or the job of your dreams. Thinking big — and having big goals — is important, especially as you set your sights on a new year. That said, sometimes thinking a little bit smaller — in fact, maybe making just a few minor tweaks to your routine — can yield some pretty big W’s, too. That could mean just swapping out a single drink of the day for water and watching your weight plummet. Or using a simple timer at your desk that will up your productivity tenfold. Or even doing some very small, invisible exercises that will have a major impact on your sex life. Best of all: None of these tricks costs a cent, and none of them takes much time. Yet according to experts from a range of disciplines — productivity, nutrition, dating, finance — they all offer measurable results. N O W, W E ’ D N E V E R , E V E R ,
Pr o p s t y l i n g by We n d y S c h e l a h / Ha l l ey Re s o u r c e s
Small change. Big difference.
By Jeff Wilser
1) TO GET THINGS DONE,
teaspoons of sugar… or nearly as much as a can of Coke.
You know those red kitchen timers that are in the shape of a tomato? That’s the inspiration for this hack. Instead of trying to focus on work for hours on end, carve your time into 30-minute chunks. Work on a task for 25 minutes, then give yourself five minutes to goof off, zone out, or screw around on the internet. Repeat. “It’s highly effective”, says productivity guru Michael Sliwinski, CEO of nozbe.com. “When you really focus on your task and work on it without any distractions, you’ll be surprised by how well you can perform.”
4) TO HAVE BETTER SEX,
TRY THE “POMODORO” TECHNIQUE.
2) TO TRIM STRESS,
DO A “2 BY 4.”
“The less stress you have in your body, the better you’re able to perform. Stress makes you stupid”, says Emily Fletcher, the founder of Ziva Meditation. She recommends a simple hack that requires no knowledge of Zen, meditation, or mindfulness: what she calls the 2x breath. “If you’re getting heated with a coworker or your partner, simply stop and take a walk about the room or down the hall”, explains Fletcher. “As you walk, breathe in for two steps and out for four. Do this for a few minutes, then come back and finish the conversation. It gives you a way to calm the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the body”. 3) TO DROP SOME FAT,
SWAP ONE DRINK FOR WATER.
“Stop drinking one soda and replace it with water every single day”, explains nutritionist Mitzi Dulan, co-author (with NFL legend Tony Gonzalez) of The All-Pro Diet. “Doing this every day saves you 150 calories, which adds up to a yearly weight loss of 7 kilograms”. You might think, “Right, but I’m smarter than that, and I already switched to diet soda years ago”. Yet the same principle applies to healthierlooking drinks like juice. I used to drink OJ every morning because it feels healthy — vitamin C, right? But the average 350ml glass contains nine
DO KEGELS. (YES, REALLY.)
They might sound weird or scary or even, well, unmanly, but Sex Therapist Gloria Brame, PhD, (author of The Truth About Sex) says that Kegels are the single best thing you can do to boost your performance in the sack. “Kegels are essential for male sexual health. They keep your anatomy healthy, enhance virility, and assist with proper bladder and bowel function”. Here’s how you do it: Clench down on the pelvic muscles for a few seconds, then release. Repeat three times. And you’re done. If you’re not sure exactly where these muscles are, go to a urinal. “Hold back your urine stream. Stop, let it start to flow, stop. Repeat two more times. Now you know which muscles you need to work”, says Brame. Doing the exercise is quick and easy. You can perform it at your desk, in your car, or in an elevator — whenever you have a free moment.
The Five Biggest New Year’s Resolution Killers Avoid these common blunders to keep your 2018 goals on track 1) Never: Set vague goals. “Get in shape!” is too ambiguous; keep ’em concrete. If you want to gain muscle, set a goal of “gaining muscle”. Period. 2) Never: Throw in the towel after a small relapse. Shit happens. Accept it. Don’t give up on losing 10 kilograms just because you had two cheat days in a row. Get back on your plan. 3) Never: Coast and forget. How many times have you made a resolution on Jan 1, then forgotten it by February? Make a point to toss a monthly reminder on your phone’s calendar. 4) Never: Brag about it to your friends. Even if you accomplish your goals, you become insufferable. Don’t be That Guy. 5) Never: Set unrealistic goals. This can backfire. So maybe your resolutions shouldn’t be “5% body fat, make my first billion, and marry Margot Robbie”.
5) TO TAME YOUR SCHEDULE,
PLAN YOUR DAY THE NIGHT BEFORE.
“Planning out your day the night before has significant benefits for both the early risers and the night owls”, advises Mike Vardy, founder of Productivityist. “Early risers can hit the ground running with their game plan, allowing them to be more productive from the get-go.” And if you’re a night owl? Suddenly you have an agenda that gives you direction in the grogginess of morning, letting you build momentum for later in the day. 6) TO GET WEALTHIER,
TURN CENTS INTO MEGA SAVINGS.
First National Bank offers a great savings feature called Bank Your Change where each transaction rounds up to the nearest rand, adding the difference to your savings account. You can also select a top-up amount of R2, R5, R10, R20 or R50 for each swipe of your card. FNB then adds your top-up amount to the cents you’ve saved on your purchases. The best part is that it’s free to activate, free of fees, offers instant access to the
funds and helps foster a healthy habit of saving. 7) TO STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS,
(ALWAYS) TELL WOMEN THE TRUTH.
“Right now, say this sentence in your head: ‘I choose to tell women the truth, no matter what. I will be a man of my word’”, says dating and relationship coach Lindsay Chrisler. The logic? Too often we instinctively tell lies for her protection. This backfires. “Women don’t need protection. You may not sleep with the woman that night, but you will have integrity, a clear conscience, and higher-quality women surrounding you. The truth is the secret to a hot sex life.” That, and clenched pelvic muscles. Q Jeff Wilser is the author of Alexander Hamilton’s Guide to Life. Twitter: @JeffWilser
Burn It!
The guy’s guide to spending money
Conquer yourcubicle Abs-sculpting furniture. A noise generator that blocks out nasal-voiced Janice in accounting. Guy-approved foliage. Here’s what you need to build your personal office Shangri-la in 2018.
persuaded HR to buy you that standing desk. Congrats! (Also: Welcome to 2018.) Maybe you’ve invested in a stress ball, tomato timer, foam roller, and standard-issue sound-cancelling headphones, too. This is all great stuff to improve your daily grind, and we wholeheartedly approve. But if you think you’ve done everything you can to pimp your workspace for the sake of your productivity, you’ve still got a ways to go. With the smart buys that follow, you can turn any drab cubicle into an oasis of good energy and intense focus where great work gets done. Because when you’re at the office, you should work smarter and faster, not harder. SO YOU FINALLY
by Mark Ellwood
Get a more charitable foundation Sure, a standing desk helps break the office monotony, but it also shifts all that body weight from your ass to your knees and feet. What else to get? A standing mat. You can probably get by with a thick slice of rubber. The ergonomic love child of a skateboard and a Bosu ball.
Sit up straight If you can’t opt for a sit-stand setup, you can at least invest in a gizmo that will improve your seated posture. A bunch of upstarts are battling to design the best one, but my favourite so far is the Kneeling Chair (R4 289, ergonomicsdirect.co.za) which is a chair that offers excellent ergonomic support and ease of use. It is ideally suited for people suffering from lower-back problems as the chair reduces the amount of pelvic rotation normally associated with sitting. The ergonomic design eases the hip forward and encourages an upright posture by aligning the back, shoulders and neck to relieve strain and reduce the stress in the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region of the back.
Three office-productivity tips from (the other!) Mark Ellwood Our Burn It! columnist speaks to his doppelgänger, the productivity expert and consultant Mark Ellwood (no relation!), to discuss how to upgrade your office habits, too. 1) Don’t Hide Behind Headphones If you’re using them to avoid interruptions, don’t, says Ellwood. It’s better to attack confrontations head-on and gauge the level of urgency. “Ask them if it’s urgent, how much time it will take, and then pick a time frame when you’ll respond”, he says. “Get back to them on your terms, not theirs.” 2) Face the Wall Visual distractions are fuel for procrastination. To prevent them, says Ellwood, turn your desk to face the wall. It will focus the mind and help you keep your goals on track. Is it boring? Sure. That’s why you should take occasional breaks and walk around. 3) Never E-mail When You Can Talk If you have something to say, say it – don’t e-mail it — and this holds especially true if you’re talking about potentially awkward subject matter. Constructive feedback should always be delivered verbally. Basically, says Ellwood, you should treat e-mails like Twitter: “If you can’t say what you need in five lines or fewer, you should pick up the phone or walk across the office.”
find yourself anticipating the end of every recording.
Start seeing green
BONNINSTUDIO/Stocksy
Tune out the chatter Light sleepers aren’t the only ones who need to tune out noise — cubicle drones also suffer from the hubbub of open-plan offices. Sound bounces off all those filing cabinets, making it hard for Zen-craving workers to hunker down. “The biggest complaint people have in their work environment is noise”, explains NCIDQcertified Interior Designer and workplace consultant Lisa Whited. Her suggestion? Pick up a “white noise” generator. Unlike the swooshing sound fron an HVAC/ mechanical-air-handling system, white noise, she says, is balanced to mask the sound waves of the human voice — perfect for blocking out your cubemates. She likes the compact PrivacyMate, which doesn’t rely on looped noise but rather generates fan or white-noise sounds, each with 10 different variations so you won’t
Potted plants aren’t just for show. Back in the ’80s, NASA figured out that astronauts didn’t have to breathe in as much recycled crap when they kept a few plants around. “The right plants purify a host of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, commonly found in offices,” explains Karen Kingston, a clutter- and spaceclearing expert. Better yet, the most voracious VOC eaters are also among the hardiest, so even brown-thumbed Dil-
Plants aren’t just for show. Even small ones can purify the air around your desk.
berts in artificially lit caves who always forget about watering plants can keep them alive.
Clean up your desktop Too much stuff is stressful — one US study from Princeton found that physical clutter will subconsciously compete for your attention, with negative consequences. Conquer your paper mountain with brightly coloured accessories cabinets and desktop doodads. From trays to pen pots, all working together so you can custom-build the best setup for you.
Digitise and declutter Stashing those papers is only half the battle — go beyond filing with a scanner to turn folios into digital files. Organisation guru Kingston recommends the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500, which creates searchable Mac- and PC-compatible PDFs at a scanning speed of up to 25 double-sided pages a minute. “It’s really hard to stop any paper landing on your desk, but a scanner of this quality means it can be processed and gone in minutes”, she says. If you don’t want (or can’t) go paperless, embrace it: Whited recommends trashing your trash can so that whenever you need to junk something, you’ll have to get up and walk a few paces to the main recycling bin. It’ll improve your blood flow and alertness, even during that mid-afternoon slump.
Mark Ellwood is the author of Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World.
Egemen Ertugrul Photographer | @jasonellisphoto
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Egemen, great to have you on the cover this month! Everyone has their own special story about how they got involved in health and fitness, could you tell us a little bit about your journey to where you are today? Growing up in Izmir, Turkey, my family taught me to play all types of sports and physical activity. In high school I became a certified professional life guard, from there I continued to work as a professional water aerobics instructor, certified massage therapist with the American Red Cross. It was in college when I started focusing my attention on physical fitness. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in physical education I moved to the USA to gain experiences, share my passion and knowledge with others, and make my family proud. How do you balance keeping fit and leading a busy life? I always try exercising early in the morning before getting busy with daily life. Scheduling is very important to maintain daily discipline, therefore I have my calendar setup with different variety of daily workout. Most importantly, I always choose an exercise that I really enjoy. If I’m travelling , I always think about the travel time involved and the diet, how it will impact my fitness. While travelling if I’m not able to go to gym, I do a workout at the place I’m staying or go running outdoors. What are the training principles you stick to? I believe and follow a High Intensity workout and always rest less than 30 seconds between sets. What is your typical training routine? Below is my typical routine and at the end of the week, I start the same workout cycle again. MONDAYS – Chest and Triceps Exercise
Sets
Reps
Barbell Bench Press
4
10,8,8,6
Incline Bench Press
3
8,8,6
Decline Bench Press
3
8,8,6
Dumbbell Flys
2
10
Dumbbell Pullover
2
8
Triceps Extension
4
10,8,8,6
Triceps Dip
3
10
Triceps Bench Dip
3
8
TUESDAYS – Back and Biceps Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlift
5
10,8,8,6,4
Chin up
2
8
One Arm Dumbbell Row
3
8
Seated Row
2
8
Close Grip Lat Pull Down
3
10,10,8
Standing Barbell Curl
3
8,8,6
Close Grip Preacher Curl
3
8,8,6
Incline Dumbbell Curl
2
12-14
Concentration Curl
2
10
WEDNESDAYS – Rest Day/Cardio THURSDAYS – Shoulders and Forearms Exercise
Sets
Reps
Machine Shoulder Press
3
10
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
3
8-10
Military Press 4
10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
2
10
Dumbbell Shrugs
2
10
Upright Row 2
10
Standing Wrist Curl
4
10
Barbell Wrist Curl
4
10
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
5
10,8,8,6,4
Leg Extension
3
12
Leg Curl
3
12
Standing Calf Raise
4
12
Seated Calf Raise
2
12
FRIDAYS – Legs
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When it comes to nutrition, are there any fundamentals you don’t deviate from? I like to keep same meal for daily breakfast. I always maintain low carb diet and take protein shake before sleep. I always stay away from fried food and caffeine. I don’t believe in cheat meal, everything in moderation with a disciplined workout routine. How can you maintain muscle while dropping body fat? By keeping high protein diet and lot of creatine along with amino acid. Definitely have a lot of daily vegetables and making sure to get full 6-8 hours of sleep. How do you stay motivated to stay in the best shape and form? I made physical activity part of my daily routine. It has become a way of life for me. Along with exercise, I love to play sports such as Soccer and Basket Ball. Life happens, so there are days when it’s hard to find motivation or time for exercise, but I make sure I don’t fall back on excuses. What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever been given and would like to pass on? Every meal has to be portioned, no excuses. You have to make this a way of your life and not just do it occasionally . No matter how bad your cravings are telling you to go for candy over healthy food, do your best to stay away from sweets. What would you say are the biggest fitness myths that a lot of people still mistakenly believe even today? When people think they can burn more fat on an empty stomach ! While this statement might technically be true, because in the morning the body is deprived of nutrients so will tap fat stores. Wiedenbach says it is the wrong approach, “Working out on an empty stomach burns more muscle, which defeats the purpose of any fat-loss diet. I also believe that working out in a fasting state is sub-optimal, since the lack of nutrients will not allow for peak performance.” Any final words to our readers out there? The real workout starts when you want to stop. Bodybuilding isn’t 2 hours in the gym. It’s a lifestyle.
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HYPED –UP Up the ante on the sports field, court or in the gym with these quick and functional pieces that wont affect your form. BY
CHARELLE JOHNSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
KIRSTEN HO GROOMING BY
ALEXIA CHARILOU
T-SHIRT
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ZARA R529 SHOES
FILLING PIECES AT HYDRAULICS R4 790
RELAX IN CASUAL LOOKS THAT HIT THE SWEET SPOT BETWEEN GYMWEAR AND HANGOUT GEAR.
T-SHIRT
COTTON ON R169 TIGHTS
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LE COQ SPORTIF R449 SHORTS
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SUPERDRY R1 849
PREVENT PREMATURE AGEING BY SQUEEZING EVERY DROP OUT OF THESE VITAMIN-RICH PRODUCTS.
2
3 1
5
7 4
6
PERFECT FIT GROOMING
Juice up
YOUR SKIN ENRICHED WITH A HEALTHY DOSE OF ALL THINGS JUICY, THESE STELLAR FACEFIXERS WILL RESCUE SKIN ASAP PRONTO EDITED BY
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PHOTOGRAPH BY
BEAUCIENCE
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1) Men’s Protective Moisturising SPF 15 Cream This Moisturising SPF15 Cream for Men is a luxurious day cream which will leave your skin feeling soft and cared for.
5) Revitalising Body Cream This body lotion has a non-greasy formula that is enriched with HYDRA IQ and vitamin E which gives your skin a revitalising kick and immediately provides it with an extra burst of freshness, all day, every day.
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T H E R AV I N E
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R51, CLICKS
T H E C A P TA I N
6) Shave Oil The shave oil helps your razor do all the hard work while giving you an enjoyable, smoother shaving experience and eliminating those nasty, unsightly, painful nicks and bumps. R 1 9 9, TA K E A LOT.C O M
SORBET MAN
7) Face Wash and Scrub The 2-in-1 Face Wash & Scrub is a refreshing facial cleanser made with biodegradable beads that invigorate tired, lacklustre skin. Its cooling aqua and menthol formulation energises and oxygenises the skin, while cleaning and exfoliating all in one. R79, CLICKS
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4) Pure Clay Detox Face Wash contains three pure clays, combined with charcoal, in a cleansing gel for clearer, fresher and brighter skin every day. R 9 9, TA K E A LOT.C O M
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Easy DOES IT
Gone are the days when casual meant sloppy. Throw on these easy pieces and let your charisma make an entrance wherever you go. By Charelle Johnson Photography by Kirsten Ho
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PA N T S : COT TO N ON R499; SHOES: F I L L I N G P I E C E S AT HYDRAULICS R4 990
SUNGLASSES: P R A D A AT WAT C H REPUBLIC R5 890
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THE BY PHOTOGRAPHS BY
77 28
FRIEND CON
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WILLIAM HEREFORD
MEENN’ ’SS FFI ITTNNEES S JA / 1F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 M SS S E P /NOUCATR2Y0 2
NECTION As you get older, you inevitably lose touch with your buds — which, new research shows, can have a terrible impact on your health. But maybe growing apart isn’t inevitable after all. Here’s how one intrepid group of friends, among them a Navy SEAL, a fighter pilot, a neuroscientist, and a tech exec, resolved never to let that happen — and, not coincidentally, got really, really fit at the same time.
Clothing: TOMMY HILFIGER
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There’s a terrible moment in every guy’s life, usually somewhere in his mid-30s, when he realises that he and his best friends have begun to drift away from one another. You know how it is. Those weekly rounds of beer? They’re not even monthly anymore, they’re yearly. And that golf outing that keeps getting delayed? You haven’t thought twice about it. All of a sudden, you’re busy and married, and when it comes to your buddies, you feel like lone planets with rarely crossing orbits. Sure, you get to catch up when someone gets married — and you can always be relied upon for a hearty “congrats!” on Facebook when someone announces a new child — but you can’t help but feel that the party is somehow over. This grim realisation had dawned on Jared Cohen and his five best friends, on New Year’s Eve, in 2015. They’d all descended on the US city of Baltimore for a wedding — one was the groom, another the officiant, Cohen and the rest were groomsmen and ushers. But before the evening’s festivities began, they escaped for an afternoon run to burn off some energy and jitters. The Sun was out, the air was a balmy 10°C, and the guys — one wearing a tuxedo (it was a wedding, after all) — darted through the maze of office towers downtown. Soon, they found themselves facing a long, steep hill, and did what any selfrespecting group of hypercompetitive men in their mid-30s would do: They sprinted as fast as they could to the top, which they reached panting, sweaty, and smiling. As Cohen and his friends stood high above Baltimore’s Inner Harbor — a group of pre-middle-aged Rocky Balboas basking in the triumph of their summit — it felt like they were a decade younger, when they had few responsibilities and no shortage of time to spend with one another. Later that night, the six of them were drinking wine when Cohen brought up his recent resolution to get in the “best shape of his life”. Decker Walker, a management consultant, piped in that his girlfriend had just bought him the P90X3 video. The rest of the guys were intrigued, and no doubt a little drunk, so they all agreed to join him the next day for a workout session. Sure enough, the group met in the cramped gym at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore for a January 1st workout that was a hilarious mess, according to Walker. It was a bunch of hungover guys contorting themselves into awkward positions, arms flailing, legs dangling, and bodies teetering over into near belly flops. “We were all over the place”, Walker said. “We looked ridiculous.” But they were also having a blast. When Walker said he planned to keep up with the program by working out every day for the next 90 days, Cohen had an idea. “Let’s all do it”, he said. The rest of the group wasn’t sure — 90 days of working out every day? Who was going to be able to pull that off? But no one was going to be first to back down. I N 2018
I T ’ S E A S Y T O F O R G E T H O W I M P O R TA N T A C T UA L
friendship really is. On Facebook, we’ve all got hundreds, sometimes thousands, of friends, and we’re told that we live in an era of unmatched interconnectedness. Who needs to make an effort? You can just read your newsfeed and see your old buddy’s pictures — or his latest political rant — right? Isn’t that keeping up? Well, no, it isn’t, and that’s especially true if you’re a man. US University of Maryland School of Social Work Professor Geoffrey L Greif, author of Buddy System: Understanding Male Friendships, famously categorised women’s friendships as “face-to-face” and men’s friendships as “shoulder-to-shoulder”. When female friends get together, they’re comfortable sitting across from one another and just talking. Male friends usually
G r o o m i n g b y C o r e y Tu t t l e / H o n e y A r t i s t s
Clothing: UNDER ARMOUR AMAZON.COM/ FASHION
need to perform an activity to reach the same level of intimacy. Sure, men can pour out their hearts to one another, but that tends to happen only if we’re doing something together. When Cohen and his friends ran through Baltimore, they were engaging in classic “shoulder-toshoulder” behaviour, catching up on one another’s lives and enjoying one another’s company by finding a challenge to share in. “When we hang out, we always like to do stuff that has people moving instead of just sitting around”, says Walker. This shoulder-to-shoulder behaviour isn’t just fun. Studies have consistently shown that friendship leads to all manner of positive outcomes. Having a friend you see on most days, for instance, boosts your sense of well-being by the same amount as earning an extra R200 000 a year. If that friend lives within two kilometres of you, all the better, because, according to Economist, Author, and Professor Paul Dolan, PhD — who’s also a world-renowned expert on happiness — people who have friends who live that close are 25% more likely to feel happy than those who don’t. Even if you don’t have someone who lives nearby, main-
taining intimate friendships is key. A study of Swedish men found that friendship significantly decreased their risk of suffering a heart attack; romantic attachments did not. On a darker note, Psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad found that having few social ties increases your risk of dying in any given moment by the same amount as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. None of these happiness and health findings even touch on the impact of friendship on improving cognitive function, boosting pain tolerance, and making challenges seem less daunting — yet there are benefits, too. And yet, as men get older, they’re finding themselves increasingly short on time to maintain those relationships. The Pew Research Center in Washington DC, USA, recently found that modern-day fathers spend nearly three times as many hours with their children and twice as many hours doing housework as their fathers and grandfathers did in 1965. With demanding careers and only so much time in a day, men are faced with a paradox: Being a good dad and a good husband seems to inevitably lead to being a bad friend.
A STUDY OF SWEDISH MEN FOUND THAT FRIENDSHIP SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED THEIR RISK OF HEART ATTACK; ROMANTIC ATTACHMENTS DID NOT.
Clockwise: Walker, McLean, Cohen; McLean; Cohen and Pope Francis, in 2016; and the gang in 2015.
COHEN
MET HIS FRIENDS IN HIS EARLY
20 S ,
WHEN THE SIX OF THEM
were scholars together. Sure, they were Type-A über-achievers, but they were also your typical twentysomething guys, playing knock-down, drag-out intramural basketball games, throwing boozy costume parties, and taking adventurous trips. “It’s the type of group where, if we were walking across a field, we wouldn’t be able to get from Point A to Point B without two of us racing”, says Cohen. They’ve all gone on to ambitious careers in wildly different fields. Cohen, now 35, wrote a book on Middle Eastern youth culture and
was hired by Condoleezza Rice as part of the US State Department’s policy planning staff. Today, he’s the founder and President of Jigsaw, a think tank within Alphabet Inc, Google’s parent company, which deploys technology to fight violent extremism, attacks on free speech, and cyberbullying. (Wired called Jigsaw “Google’s Internet Justice League”.) Walker, a former college football player with a logical mind and a mischievous streak, became a partner at a management consulting firm. McLean is a Naval Academy grad who Cohen imagines “becoming Governor of Wisconsin someday”, and has made his career flying fighter jets. Dov Fox, a workaholic intellectual who moonlighted as a stand-up comic, got his dream job as a Law Professor. Alex Pollen, the laid-back, outdoorsy type, recently became a neuroscientist and Assistant Professor with a lab at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine in the US. The energetic guy who seemed to always be leading the group into wild adventures? He became a US Navy SEAL. By the time they’re reunited in Baltimore, and flailed about the Hotel Monaco gym, their careers had flung them across multiple states and countries. So, as they began their fitness challenge, they decided to keep one another posted on their progress every day over WhatsApp. The heckling started immediately. The first to finish his workout on a given day would write to the group with some version of “I knew I was going to win, I just didn’t know it would happen this early”. If someone in the group hadn’t reported his workout by the afternoon, he’d get taunts: “Where are you, it’s 4pm, are you out?” But, in between, the men used their fitness challenge to just, well, be friends. They shared pictures of their kids. They chimed in with updates about their lives. The shoulder-to-shoulder back-andforth was getting mixed in with some very classic face-to-face talk.
C l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p r i g h t : C o u r t e s y o f s u b j e c t ; L’ O s s e r v a t o r e R o m a n o ; Cour tesy of subjects; William Hereford: Opposite page: Photofest
“Figuring out how to manage one’s time is the most difficult thing a man — and a couple — has to do”, says Grief. “So, if I’m 35, when do I have time to be with my family, when do I have time to be with my spouse, when do my spouse and I have time to be with our couple friends, and when do I have time to be alone? I haven’t even mentioned work. So, as you turn more to the work world and the world of family, it’s a real challenge to keep the friends who were so important to you in your late teens and early 20s.” So, yes: Guys, too, have trouble “having it all”. But what Cohen and his friends began to realise as their workout challenge started to progress was that finding time for friendships, fitness, and family didn’t have to be a zero-sum game. Maybe those aspects of life could actually strengthen one another. “My wife always says she has a lot of fun being with me when I’m around those guys”, says Cohen’s friend, Jeff McLean. “It’s like I’m a more animated version of myself, I kind of light up a little bit more. Remember Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where they had those three stones and when you put them together they’d all glow? I feel like that with us.”
HOW NOT TO SUCK AT FRIENDSHIP
When you Google the words male friendship, you get articles with headlines like “Do Men Suck at Friendship?” Well, do they? Men do not suck at friendship. Men’s friendships just look different from women’s friendships. There’s a myth that somehow because we’re not as emotionally or physically expressive as women, our friendships are less than.
The smartest ways to stay buds, according to Geoffrey Greif, the author of Buddy System: Understanding Male Friendships and a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work
So how do men’s friendships actually work? Men like to get together, but they like to get together shoulder-to-shoulder, not face-to-face, like women do. They feel more comfortable doing activities with other guys. Men would rather play golf or watch the game than sit together in an intimate French restaurant sharing a bottle of wine. Can shoulder-to-shoulder friendships be meaningful? Absolutely. Shoulder-to-shoulder allows you to get into highly personal stuff. What happens is that, for many men, it’s safer to talk about feelings and insecurities if the game is on in the background, offering a distraction. Men today spend many more hours on childcare and housework than their fathers and grandfathers did. Do you find that friendships lose out? When you get to your late 20s and early to mid-30s, you’re more apt to be coupled up, to have children, to climb the ladder at work, and you tend to not have as much time for your friends. In past generations, men had more “permission” to stop off at the bar with their friends on the way home from the factory or the court or the corporate suite, while their wives took care of dinner and took care of the kids. That doesn’t happen as much now. People drink less; and men actually want to be home with their kids and assume more responsibilities. They’re also married to women who say, “Hey, I’ve got a meeting at 8 o’clock. You have to be here”. These are profound social changes.
Butch and Sundance: Hollywood’s original bromance.
Outside of going to happy hour every day like Don Draper, what should men today do to make and maintain friendships? Men tend to like to be around men who are at their same level of masculinity, whatever that means to them. So, getting involved in activities you like doing is a good start to forging friendships. So, that’s number 1. Number 2 is: Don’t wait for people to reach out to you — reach out to them. Don’t sit at home and say, “Why doesn’t Joe ever call me?” You need to call Joe first.
They hadn’t talked this much since grad school. inducing symptoms with gut-busting runs on the treadmill. Their fitness improved, though not everyone stuck with the McLean’s wife gave birth to their second child, and he found challenge. The Navy SEAL never even started, choosing instead himself performing burpees outside the postpartum recovery to watch from afar; but everyone agreed he was in the best shape room. Walker got off intercontinental flights in Tokyo and anyway. And Pollen ditched in the first week. “As a scientist, I forced himself to work out as soon as he arrived at his hotel. Fox know that every experiment needs a control group”, he says. In dropped out in late September, finding himself for a day on solo mid-January, Cohen feared he’d drop out when he daddy duty. “I went to the guys with my tail flew to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum between my legs and said, ‘I couldn’t make “ AROUND THESE in Davos and had no gym access in his rented apartit happen’.” GUYS, I LIGHT UP”, ment. But he adapted, keeping his streak going But the benefits were palpable for SAYS MCCLEAN. with a body-weight workout of planks and pusheveryone. As McLean puts it: “I’m happier “ REMEMBER INDIANA ups. A week later, he and Pollen took a vacation to talking to them every day.” JONES AND THE Antarctica. On the sea voyage from Tierra del Fuego, With Cohen, Walker, and McLean closing TEMPLE OF DOOM, their boat careened over the massive swells of the in on their 366-day streak, I ask Cohen what WHERE THEY’D Drake Passage, and Cohen felt nauseated. Game he’ll do after the challenge ends. Answer: PUT THREE STONES over? Hell no. He and Pollen hit the vessel’s small He’ll wax eloquent about the benefits of this TOGETHER AND gym to lift weights and pull out 500-metre sprints kind of a workout program, not just for him THEY’D GLOW? on a rowing machine. “After that”, Cohen says, “my and his friends, but potentially for any group THAT’S US.” feeling was that I could keep going for 366 days”. of guys with a desire to stay in touch and get in shape. All you need is some discipline and W H E N T H E 90- D A Y M A R K A R R I V E D , C O H E N , W A L K E R , a smartphone. M C L E A N , and Fox had all maintained an unblemished workout But how, I wonder, will Cohen keep the conversation going streak, and Walker sent them all celebratory trophies decorated once the fitness challenge is finished? with a bodybuilder in an Atlas pose. That could have been it, but by There’s a pause, then Cohen makes a not-so-surprising revelathen, working out every day — and talking every day — had become tion. “When you’ve invested 366 days, how do you bring yourroutine practice, so the four men re-upped for the entire year. self to stop and sleep in?” he says. “I plan to just keep going. The twists and turns continued. Cohen contracted a mild case It anchors my day, no matter where in the world I am and no of Lyme disease but bested it quickly, fighting off the lethargymatter what I’m doing.” Q
WIN THE WAR ON
IN THIS EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM HIS NEW BOOK, ZERO SUGAR DIET, MEN’S FITNESS UNLOCKS THE SECRET TO ACHIEVING THE PERFECT HEALTHY DIET: MASTERING THE DAILY BALANCING ACT BETWEEN SUGAR AND FIBRE. WITH THIS DETAILED AND DELICIOUS PLAN, YOU’LL GAIN MUSCLE, LOSE WEIGHT, AND FEEL GREAT — FOR LIFE.
SUGAR
L e v i B r o w n / Tr u n k A r c h i v e
PHOTOGRAPH BY JARREN VINK
ONE
MY STRUGGLE WITH SUGAR
through my gym clothes day after day was the only way I’d stay healthy and in shape. And then I came across research that changed everything. And I learned that while I had, indeed, been doing almost everything right, the fact was I was trying too hard. Weight loss was easier than I ever imagined. And you’ll discover how in Zero Sugar Diet.
TWO THE PATH TO AUTOMATIC WEIGHT LOSS IN 2015, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS RESEARCHERS
IF YOU ASKED THE 25-YEAR-OLD ME TO PREDICT WHAT
Pr o p s t y l i n g by We n d y S c h e l a h / Ha l l ey Re s o u r c e s; O p p o s i te p a g e: A l a my ( 7 ); Press images: McDonald's; Chili's; Applebee's; Dunkin Donuts
ZERO SUGAR DIET CHAMPIONS FOODS THAT H AV E M O R E FIBRE THAN SUGAR. THAT ’S THE “SWEET SPOT” — A DIETARY SAFETY ZONE THAT WILL PROTECT YOU FROM DAMAGE.
my 40s would look like, I would have used just one word to describe them: fat. Fat was my inevitable destiny. I’d grown up as a lonely latchkey kid with a serious sugar addiction; my best friends were the Three Musketeers, and all I knew of the world outside my suburban Pennsylvania neighbourhood was French vanilla, English toffee, and Dutch chocolate. When my 90 kilograms went into the US Navy Reserves after college, I could see the disgust on the faces of the basic-training instructors: Who sent us this leaky old tugboat? And how the heck are we supposed to turn it into a battleship? The Navy did whip me into shape — morning revelry of burpees and sprints for months on end will do that to you — but when I entered the workforce soon after, the weight began to pile back on. So, I started exercising like a fiend, completing the New York City Marathon twice and turning the company gym into an extension of my office. But in a lot of ways, I was just trying to outrun the devil. My father had struggled with severe obesity for most of his own adulthood — he’d be dead from a weight-related stroke by the time he was 52 — and there was no reason to believe that destiny wasn’t awaiting me too. No matter how hard I exercised, nothing could overcome my own desires for sweet, instantly gratifying confections. As I gained success in my career, first as an editor and author and then as founder of Eat This, Not That! — and later as the Editorial Director of Men’s Fitness and founder and CEO of Galvanized Media — I learned a ton about eating right. I learned about good fats and bad fats, about the role of protein in helping us burn unwanted flab, about how to time my meals to ensure I was getting the maximum muscle-building benefits of each and every morsel. And as that body of knowledge grew, so too did my ability to help others lose weight and live healthier, happier lives. But I was still exercising like a fiend because I was still a slave to my sweet tooth. I’d struggle to stay awake during meetings, longing for a cup of coffee and a chocolate-coated energy bar. I figured that sweating
compared two sets of dieters. One set had spent the previous year doing pretty much everything that I did: cut calories, reduced saturated fat, ate lots of fruits and vegetables, took the skin off their chicken, ate low-fat dairy items, cut sodium, ate more fish, reduced trans fats, cut back on sugar, and exercised a minimum of 150 minutes a week. The other group did none of those things. All they did was eat more fibre, at least 30 grams a day. Yet after a year, both groups showed nearly identical reductions in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and inflammation. I dove deeper into the research, and as I did, I began adding more fibre, chiefly in the form of fresh vegetables, whole fruit, beans, whole grains, and nuts/seeds, into my own day. I discovered how incredibly easy it was to stop hunger in its tracks and, even better, to put an end to the energy lulls and cravings that had haunted me since my youth. But more important, I had begun to unravel the mystery of why we’re so much heavier today than we were back in the 1980s and how we could all begin enjoying easy, automatic weight loss without so much desperate effort. As I began to teach others this simple method of nutritional balance, I saw how quickly they could see dramatic results. Now I’m going to teach this revolutionary new program to you. If you follow it, you will quickly and efficiently bring your body into perfect balance and begin dropping excess pounds at a rapid pace. And in doing so, you’ll discover a new way of walking through the world, one that keeps you safely out of the grasp of weight gain and one of the biggest diseases of our time. And you’ll do it by eating foods you love — yes, even foods from your favourite restaurants and supermarkets; even burgers, bacon, and pasta. You will flatten your belly, improve your health, and look, feel, and live better than ever. And you will set yourself up for a lifetime of effortless success. The Zero Sugar Diet works because it targets the most virulent virus of all: Added sugars. And it was developed with the cutting-edge recommendations of the world’s most preeminent medical associations in mind.
NO WAY TO SUGARCOAT THIS! A GLAZED DUNKIN' DONUT HAS 260 CALORIES, 1 GRAM OF FIBRE, AND 12G OF SUGAR—AWFUL, RIGHT? BUT CHECK OUT HOW OTHER POPULAR FOODS IN THE SUGAR-LADEN SOUTH AFRICAN DIET COMPARE. (THE POWDERED DONUT SHOWN HERE IS EVEN WORSE!)
= Kellogg’s All-Bran, 5.1g per 40g serving: ½ a donut
= PnP Full Cream Milk, 9.6g per 250ml cup: ¾ of a donut
= Simba Peanuts & Raisins, 8.1g per 45g serving: ¾ of a donut
= BRM Cooked Pork Belly Ribs, 13g per 500g serving: 1 donut
= Pineapple Salad, 12.1g per 100g: 1 donut
= Parmalat Medium-Fat Fruit Salad, 12.2g per 100g: 1 donut
= Steers Barbeque Sauce, 15.6g per 100ml: 1 1/3 donuts
= Heinz Tomato Soup, 18.8g per 400g can: 1 1/2 donuts
= All Gold Tomato Sauce, 21.3g per 100ml: 1¾ donuts
= BBQ Ribs (full): 2 1/3 donuts
= Coca Cola, 1 can: 3½ donuts
YOUR BREAK-IN-CASE-OFEMERGENCY HEALTH FOODS
THREE
SUGAR AND FIBRE: A BAD ROMANCE
A
OUR BODIES AND OUR BRAINS HAVE ALWAYS NEEDED A STEADY SUPPLY of sugar. In fact, researchers
from The Quarterly Review of Biology recently discovered that our brains use up to 60% of the body’s blood glucose. In terms of evolution, they believe that once prehistoric man learned to cook — unlocking the simple sugars in starches like potatoes and making them more bioavailable — it triggered the changes that, over time, increased the size of our noggins. But this sugar always arrived in relatively small doses, from fibre-rich sources like fruit. It’s important to understand that nature paired sugar and fibre together. You see, our current relationship with sugar is codependent and a little unhealthy, sort of like a relationship that still has lots of love, but lots of dysfunction as well. Like a bad boyfriend, sugar is toxic, at least when it’s allowed to linger in the bloodstream for too long. So even though we need it to live on, there’s also the ever-present threat that it’s going to do us harm. That’s why when sugar hits the bloodstream, the pancreas responds by releasing the hormone insulin. Insulin traffic-cops the sugar, helping to convert it into glucose to be stored in the liver and the muscles, and to triglycerides, which are stored in the fat cells. Back when sugar came with a natural fibre escort, everything was fine. Sugar got released into the bloodstream slowly, thanks to the fibre, and the pancreas could take its measured time doling out the insulin you needed. It was like having your best friend at your back to make sure your lovable but troubled boyfriend didn’t get out of hand. But once we began refining sugar — starting with that first boiled This article is excerpted from sweet potato — we started delivering sugar more rapidly into our Zero Sugar Diet: bloodstream. As our craving for sugars grew, so too did our techThe 14-Day Plan to Flatten Your Belly, nologies; we went from boiled roots to root beer and started creating Crush Cravings, and foods that dosed us with more rapid-fire sugar than our bodies were Help Keep You Lean for Life, by David designed to handle. These sugars are called “free sugars”, meaning Zinczenko, now in anything added to foods by a manufacturer, cook, or consumer, plus bookstores. thezero sugardiet.com sugars that are naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices.
SUCROSE THE SUGAR GLOSSARY Sugars come in pretty much three forms. Here’s all the dope.
simple, healthy diet — one that’s high in fibre and low in sugar, preservatives, and unhealthy fats — is all that’s needed to keep your body’s inner workings as smooth and sleek as the day they rolled off the assembly line. But for those rare (we hope) times when you’ve been overindulging in the bad habits of the past, help your body recover from an excess of abuse by going big on these nine foods.
Also known as table sugar to you and me, it’s the granular stuff, teaspoon or two you add to your coffee, those fine white crystals dusted over a deepfried koeksister. It’s a slightly complicated molecule, so our bodies don’t really want to have to deal with it. In fact, within seconds of sucrose hitting our intestines, our enzymes split it into two separate molecules: glucose and fructose.
GLUCOSE
Asparagus Q It’s a natural diuretic, so asparagus can help relieve bloating and other unpleasant feelings. Its balance of amino acids and minerals may also work to alleviate hangover symptoms. Avocado Q This super fruit contains two oils, linalool and geranyl acetate, shown to have a positive effect on digestive disorders. In a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers fed 22 different fruits to a group of rats that had liver damage. The avocado was the most beneficial in restoring liver function. Bananas Q Thanks to their potent levels of potassium, bananas can help counterbalance the effects of sodium on the body and so reduce water retention. They’re also packed with resistant starch, which helps feed your healthy gut bacteria. Beets Q The skin of lemons, limes, and other citrus fruits contains an antioxidant called d-limonene, which has been shown to stimulate liver enzymes.
fried chicken: Nutrients in the greens bind to bile acids in the body, helping block the buildup of cholesterol in the bloodstream, according to a study in Nutrition Research. Dijon Mustard Q For a mere 5 calories, a teaspoon of mustard can boost metabolism by up to 25% for several hours, according to English researchers. Just make sure you’re eating pure mustard, not the sweetened honey-mustard stuff. Sardines Q A three-week study in the International Journal of Cardiology found that smokers who supplemented with just 2g of omega-3s a day — about what you’d get in a 120g serving of sardines — showed marked improvement in the elasticity of their arteries. White tea Q A study in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism found that white tea can break down fat in the body while simultaneously blocking the formation of new fat cells.
Collard greens Q There might be a reason why collards are often served alongside
This is simple sugar found in all carbs that is used immediately by our bodies for energy or stored in the muscles and the liver as glycogen. That’s the stuff that shoots directly into the bloodstream and causes our pancreas to pump out insulin; insulin pulls it out of the bloodstream so the body can use it, and if there’s too much of it, stores the excess as fat.
FRUCTOSE The most problematic type of sugar health-wise. The body can’t really use fructose for energy — at least not right away. Fructose is instead shuttled to the liver, where it’s metabolised and stored as fat. This process causes spikes in the hormone ghrelin, the “I’m still hungry” hormone that sends us out seeking additional calories. Fructose may increase blood pressure, increases heart rate, and boosts myocardial oxygen demand (basically, how much oxygen your heart needs to function). It may also contribute to inflammation, insulin resistance, and overall metabolic dysfunction. And we get more fructose in our diets today than was ever possible before thanks to high-fructose corn syrup, the sweetener used in soda and most other convenience foods.
Now worried that this bullying boyfriend called blood sugar is rushing through your system, the pancreas can overreact, releasing too much insulin and sucking too much sugar out of our blood. That’s called hypoglycemia, essentially a sugar crash: that shaky, famished feeling that’s different from your standard belly-rumbling hunger. Because our bodies overreacted and stored all that sugar as fat, we suddenly need more sugar, and we need it fast. So, first and foremost, you gain weight. But then almost every health fear you’ve ever stayed up at night worrying about can be linked to this vicious cycle. In a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers looked at 37 different studies on the effects of highsugar, low-fibre diets and concluded that “higher postprandial glycemia is a universal mechanism for disease progression”. In English, that means that “meals that raise your blood sugar will kill you”. And not just in one way. If you’re susceptible to heart disease, elevated blood sugar will raise your cholesterol levels and your blood pressure. If diabetes runs in your family, it will boost your chances of developing insulin resistance. If obesity is a risk for you, this is the gateway. In fact, this review found links between high-sugar, lowfibre meals and type-2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, colorectal cancer, and gallbladder disease. “It’s time to reduce our exposure to processed sugar”, Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA, tells me. “We don’t need any more research on this.”
FOUR
BUT HERE’S WHY AVOIDING SUGAR IS HARD AS HELL
LAST YEAR , THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED
approval of a new Nutrition Facts label, which includes a separate line for added sugars, forcing companies to list what’s added and what’s natural for the first time in the US. And the US Department of Agriculture, the World Health Organization, and the American Heart Association have all come out vociferously against added sugar: For men, the AHA recommends no more than 150 calories per day from added sugars, or nine teaspoons. That sounds like a lot, but here’s the thing: You don’t have to be slugging Coke all day to far exceed those guidelines. The problem is, even if you’re vigilant, the numbers add up because sugar is in everything — especially foods it doesn’t belong in, like bread, peanut butter, pasta sauce, salad dressing, and oatmeal. In the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Ultimately, these added sugars can be worse for your blood pressure than salt and can cause your skin to sag (glucose and fructose link to amino acids in your collagen and elastin and wreak
havoc on your skin’s support system), and people who get 25% or more of their calories from added sugar are more than twice as likely to die from heart disease as those who eat less than 10 percent, according to a study in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. One out of 10 Americans falls into that category. But here’s what you’re going to do about it.
FIVE FIND YOUR “SWEET SPOT” RIGHT NOW! ZERO
SUGAR
DIET
BEGINS
WITH
A
TWO-WEEK
PHASE
1.
For the first 14 days, your goal is to avoid all added sugars — period. Then, after that, make sure your foods have less sugar than fibre. That’s the “Sweet Spot”, a dietary safety zone that will protect you from all of the damage that sugar can do. When you’re in the sweet spot, you’re getting the carbohydrates you need to run your body and your brain, and the fibre you need to keep those carbohydrates moving through your body slowly, ensuring that there’s no sugar rush that sends your body into a frenzy of fat storage. I’ve provided an extensive grocery list to help you effectuate this plan in Zero Sugar Diet, but the ingredients will include whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole, unprocessed grains. To balance out your meals, I’ll have you add in Power Proteins — lean, healthy, satisfying, sugar-free foods like eggs, ostrich, chicken, and fish — and Flat Belly Fats (like sugar-free salad dressings and guacamole), which will help to heal your body and keep you satiated as your body quickly detoxes. Once you cut out added sugars and add fibre, you dramatically reduce the impact of food on your liver, relieving that beleaguered organ of its fat-storing duties and allowing it to do what it does best: manage your cholesterol levels. You’ll start burning fat because reducing your intake of calorie-dense sugar carbs automatically reduces the amount of calories you’re consuming on a daily basis, which forces your body to burn fat stored around your midsection for energy, rather than the sugars it takes from carbohydrates. You’ll feel less hungry as your body detects that you’ve started to lose weight. By slowing the progress of carbohydrates through your body, fibre helps give you a continuous, steady dose of energy, so you never get the “I’m empty” signal. You’ll find that your belly will begin to flatten out within days and you’ll feel more energised and fit. In one of the most stunning studies of recent years, scientists have linked refined sugar to a condition called sarcopenia — basically, age-related loss of muscle mass. It happens because added sugar actually blocks the body’s ability to synthesise protein into muscle. By reducing the impact of sugar, this plan will keep your muscles younger and stronger — protecting you from injury and helping you to burn fat faster and more efficiently. And by slowing your body’s absorption of carbohydrates, you’ll keep your body and your brain more fully fuelled all the time, beating both general physical fatigue and the brain fog that can often accompany it. You’ll no longer need to make poor food choices as a way of getting quick energy, and you won’t be dragging through those afternoon hours. When your first two weeks are up, you’ll begin Phase 2: The Zero Sacrifice for Life. For this, you’ll follow many of the guidelines above but allow yourself a couple of cheat days, including a few alcoholic drinks and the occasional sweet. Because when you find your Sweet Spot, there are more benefits than you ever imagined. Q
AC Y T2 2001271 MMEENN’ ’SS FFII TT N S S E PM/ O NE ES SS
8951
Body Book YOUR
body PERFECT
GAME PL AN
THE NINE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER MALE PHYSIQUE ATTRIBUTES — CHISELLED V-CUT ABS, THE BULGING TRICEPS “HORSESHOE”, THE ABOVE-THE-KNEE “TEARDROP”, AMONG OTHERS — AND HOW ANY GUY CAN FINALLY ACHIEVE THEM BY P E T E R KO C H
PHOTOGRAPHS BY M A R I U S B U G G E
LET’S NOT KID EACH OTHER: AS MUCH AS WE HIT THE GYM TO FEEL AWESOME, LIVE LONGER, COMPETE WITH OUR BUDDIES, RELIEVE
stress, and, of course, have a damn good time slinging giant pieces of steel, it doesn’t hurt that working out makes us look damn good too. Which means that, if you’re a guy seeking to round out your sex appeal, you’re probably more than familiar with all the coveted (admittedly superficial) physical attributes that constitute a “perfect male physique” — the ones even hardcore gym rats have trouble achieving. These include the well-defined arm “horseshoe” (see: Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter), ridiculously chiselled V-cut abs (see: Brad Pitt in Fight Club), and the giant wingspan of a well-carved upper back (see: Hugh Jackman in any film in which he sprouts metallic claws). So, with the help of some of the world’s best trainers, strength coaches, and strongmen, we’ve laid out in exhaustive detail everything it takes to achieve them. If you’d love a physique even Michelangelo’s David would be envious of, we’d advise you to start here.
SEP/OCT 20 21
MEN’S FITNESS
87
GOAL NO. 1
THE TAPERED
TORSO O REMEMBER THE OLD ADAGE that “abs are made in
the kitchen?” Well, the same principle applies to your entire midsection. “You can do all the gym work in the world”, says Zach Even-Esh, founder of New Jersey’s The Underground Strength Gym in the US, “but if your body’s covered by a layer of fat, then nobody will know”. That’s why getting yourself on a very strict, clean diet — with the right balance of proteins, fats, and carbs — is the key to transforming your flabby torso into a perfectly cut, tapered midsection. But how do you do it? The first order of business is to get your math in order, and that means calculating what your overall calorie intake needs to be, says sports nutritionist and strength coach CJ Murphy, MFS, owner of Total Performance Sports, in Malden, USA. So, if pure fat loss is your goal, you need to set the goal of ingesting roughly 16 to 24 calories per kilogram of your entire body weight per training day, depending on how active you are and how much fat you need to shed. (And remember: Be honest with yourself.) If you’re already fairly lean and you just want better muscular definition, you’re allowed 24 to 30 calories per kilogram of body weight. (Though it’s best to start on the low end and see how it goes.) So, if you’re a 90-kilogram guy looking to get lean, at 20 calories per kilogram, you’re looking at roughly a 4000-calorie-per-day diet. Now what should it be? Well, Murphy recommends a simple high-protein carb-cycling program, with which you eat more carbohydrates on your strength training days and less on days off, creating a caloric deficit that torches fat. So, let’s start with strength-training days. First, of course, you’ll need lots of lean protein. “That includes anything that swims, runs, or flies”, says Murphy. Meaning: steak, chicken, fish, ostrich, and ground beef. Eggs and protein powder are good too. As a rule of thumb, Murphy calculates meats at 7 grams of protein per 30g serving. “Different foods have different values, yes, but if you’re eating a wide variety of meats you’ll still be in the ballpark, which is what we want.” All told, that means roughly 2g of protein per kilogram of body weight (calculated at 4 calories per gram). So that same 90-kilogram guy needs to eat 200g of protein every gym day. Then there are carbs: Sweet potatoes, white rice, white potatoes, and fruit are all good carbs to power your workouts. Those carbs should make up 35-45% of your daily
When eating to get lean, it’s best to confine your carb intake to pre- and post-workout or the evening.
PRO TIP
Want a cheat meal? Murphy advises you to take a tight pair of jeans. Wash and dry them, put them on, take pics, and note how they fit in the waist. Do the same thing every two weeks. If they’re looser, you’ve earned a cheat meal.
calories, calculated at 4 calories per gram. We’ll give our guy 220g. The remainder of your calories each day can be made up of vegetables and healthy fats, like nuts, nut butters, olive oil, and avocado. (Calculate fats at 9 calories per gram.) For our guy, that comes to roughly 35g of fat. On non-strength-training days, you should cut carbs up to 50% and increase fat to 20-30% of total calories to help fill you up, reduce hunger pangs, and increase your likelihood of sticking to it. So, our example guy should eat 200g of protein, 125 g of carbs, and 50g of fat for a total of 1750 calories. But when you eat is important too. “Earn your carbs”, says Murphy, which means you should be ingesting carbs directly pre and post-workout. Also, save the bulk of your off-day carbs for the evening, which prevents you from bingeing at night and gives you a little more energy (in the form of stored glycogen) to carry into the next morning. “Carb cycling isn’t the only way to put on lean muscle mass, but it’s the simplest”, Murphy says. “It’s easy, people get it, and it’s hard to screw up.”
Body Book Carve yourself GOAL NO. 2
BROADEN YOUR
CHEST
The triceps muscle has three “heads”: long, medial, and lateral. The lateral is key to the horseshoe.
O “NOBODY LIKES A CHICKEN CHEST”, says trainer Murphy,
and we can’t argue with him. If you want to project an image of strength and power, a broad, chiselled chest is one of the oldest, most time-honoured ways of doing it. But there are better ways to build pecs than the bench press. “The bench does work the chest”, Murphy says, “but it also works a bunch of related muscles, like the deltoids and triceps, among others”. With these other exercises added to your once-aweek pec workout, you’ll have a “chest you can balance a beer on” in no time. Murphy first suggests the highly underrated decline dumbbell press. “It activates more available pec fibres than any other exercise”, he says. “It’s almost all pec because the range of motion is so short that your delts and triceps don’t do a ton of work.” The angle also allows you to use heavier weights, which equates to more work and a bigger chest. (Using a weight that allows 10 to 12 reps on your first set, perform five sets, pushing each one until you’re one rep shy of failure.) Then it’s on to flyes. Murphy advises using bands or chains to put less wear and tear on the shoulders. (When the weight unloads as you go down on chain flyes, your shoulders will be safer at the bottom and you’ll get a more powerful pec contraction at the shoulder.) With bands, you can loop an exercise band around each hand and behind your back before picking up dumbbells. (Do four sets of 15 to 20 reps.) Finally, “dips are like the squat for the upper body”, says Murphy, “in that they’re a great way to increase pec mass”. They press the muscles fully and also hit stabilising lats and abs hard when done with proper technique. (Perform 50 dips in as few sets as possible.) But to really stimulate YOUR TIME-PRESSED growth, try suspension trainer TRANSFORMATION! flyes, which utilise full-body If you just want to get back in shape in 2018 tension. “Plus, it’s done from an and you’re a crazy-busy dude, here’s how angle that you hardly ever use to go from zero to hero in only 90 minutes a week, according to Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, when doing presses”, Murphy the author of The M.A.X. Muscle Plan. says, “which creates a totally new stimulus that causes your Perform each exerQ Lat Pulldown nervous system and muscles to cise for 8 to 15 repetiQ Shoulder Press work differently, stimulating tions, depending on Q Squat whether your goal is growth”. To do it, ensure that Q Romanian muscle endurance Deadlift you’re maintaining a strong (lower weights, higher Q Bench Press plank position throughout each reps) or strength Q Barbell Bentover (higher weight, lower Row flye. Perform 40 total in as few reps), and go from Q Leg Press sets as possible, using a body one move to the next Q Glute-Ham Raise angle of 45 degrees. without stopping. Do the circuit three times in 45 minutes.
GOAL NO. 3
GET THE TRICEPS
HORSESHOE O NEWS FLASH: THOUGH BICEPS are cool, triceps actually
make up the bulk of the upper arms. Growing big arms and — even more impressive, carving out a detailed triceps horseshoe — means working every part of the muscle. “You need to make sure you hit all three heads of the muscle — long, medial, and lateral”, says Noah Bryant, CSCS. “While you can’t completely isolate them, you can do exercises that emphasise each one.” Add these three moves to your routine as much as twice per week — on chest day and shoulder day. The first exercise, which hits your triceps’ “long head”, is the EZ-curl bar French press. To do it, sit on a bench and grasp the EZ-curl bar with a pronated grip. Start with straight arms and the bar directly overhead. Lower the bar by bending your elbows. Go as far as you can while keeping your back, neck, and upper arms straight and perpendicular to the ground. It’s important to perform the full range of motion if you want better results. Return the weight under control to the overhead starting position. Then the triceps dip is Bryant’s top choice for hitting this deep-down part of the triceps. Set up on a dip bar like you would for normal dips, only this time you’ll keep your body straight up and down (perpendicular to the ground) and your feet underneath you rather than crossed behind you. Lower yourself until your forearm and upper arm make a 90-degree angle, then push yourself back up. To hit the lateral head, Bryant suggests straight-bar cable pushdowns. “The lateral head is the one most responsible for the ‘horseshoe’ shape of the triceps”, Bryant says, “and working it is extremely important to get that look”. Any movement that pushes weight down will hit the lateral head, which runs on the outside of the arm, but this is his favourite. Start with the bar about chest level, your elbows in tight to your body, and your upper arms pointing straight down to the ground. Keep your elbows tucked tightly in to your body, and push the bar down while keeping your upper arms static. Feel your triceps moving the weight — and your horseshoe getting more and more cut.
Body Book Carve yourself Performing strongmanstyle carries work more than just your grip— they hit your whole body.
GOAL NO. 4
GOAL NO. 5
GROW YOUR
GET A WIDE UPPER
GLUTES
BACK
O TO REALLY FILL out a pair of blue jeans with an
O A STRONG, WIDE upper back doesn’t just look
amazing rear, Toronto-based coach and personal trainer Lee Boyce put together this stand-alone workout you should add to your routine as many as two days a week. Stick with the order described here — from most isolated to most dynamic — so you start with the heavier lifts. That way your body will recruit more fast-twitch fibres, which is key to building strength. But a few ground rules to ensure you’re doing them right: 1) Always maintain a neutral spine, and don’t round or arch your back; 2) Press through your heels; 3) Make sure your hips are always the pivot point; 4) Start light, and make small progressions. First: the barbell hip thrust, a building-block exercise that helps train the hip-hinge movement without having to co-ordinate other joints for an effective workout. To do it, sit on the floor and roll a loaded barbell into your lap. Lie back with your shoulders against a bench, bend your knees, and plant your feet on the floor. Then drive through your heels so you raise your hips off the floor to full extension. Next: sumo deadlift, a deadlift variation that uses a wider stance — with toes rotated further out — to better activate the glutes. Be sure to use a narrow grip (inside your legs), push your hips back, and lean slightly forward to grab the barbell. Keep the barbell close to your body as you lower it back down. Finish with the dumbbell step-up, which works the posterior chain even harder. Start by standing behind a bench that brings your thigh parallel to the floor when your foot is on top. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step up onto the bench, but leave your trailing leg hanging off. Return to the starting position.
great, says Jeb Stuart Johnston, a US Brooklyn-based Strongman. It opens up your shoulders and improves posture. You stand taller and appear more confident. To get there, Johnston recommends hitting the upper back with some of the same full-body functional movements that are central to Strongman competitions. Loaded carries force every muscle in the body to work together to lift and stabilise heavy odd objects, and much of the load is placed on the upper back. They also provide tremendous cardiovascular benefit. “Any of these would be great as a finisher on back day”, he says, “or try pairing them with sled pulls and car pushes to make your own ‘Strongman Saturday’.” The first is the farmer’s walk, a Strongman staple that works the whole body, developing powerful legs and hips, increased core strength, and incredible grip strength, in addition to making your back stronger and more stable. To do it, simply grab the heaviest dumbbells or kettlebells you can comfortably carry (half your body weight in each hand is a good starting point) and do it. “Also, nothing taxes your posterior chain and your lungs quite like sandbag carries for distance”, says Johnston. “Simply pick up your sandbag and walk for as long as you can without dropping it. Easy peasy.” Finally, there’s the snatch-grip deadlift, a deadlift that puts you at a mechanical disadvantage with a wide grip that engages the lats and rear deltoids and keeps them engaged for more time as a result of the longer range of motion. To do it, set up like you would for a regular deadlift, but take an extra-wide grip on the bar. Always lower in a controlled manner, keeping the back flat through the entirety of the movement.
PRO TIP
One of the best things you can use to build size and strength anywhere, Murphy says, is a pair of Grip4orce which is a US based product (grip4orce.com). They increase bar thickness and force you to squeeze the bar throughout each exercise, which causes targeted muscles to contract harder and recruit surrounding muscles for a better workout. If you can get yourhands on a pair of these you’re golden
GOAL NO. 6
GET WELL-DEFINED V-CUT
ABS
G r o o m i n g b y M a t t h e w Tu o z z o l i /A t e l i e r M a n a g e m e n t u s i n g D i o r H o m m e .
O EVER SINCE CELEBRITIES started showing off those
V-shaped cut lines that start below their abs and disappear into their pants, girls have been lusting after them and guys gunning for them. Even if you have six-pack abs, though, the V itself is very hard to sculpt for one simple reason — it’s not a muscle. “The V is formed by the inguinal ligaments”, says New York-based personal trainer Ryan George, “and that’s hard to build”. We all have inguinal ligaments, which originate from the hip and run into the pubic region, but most of us have a layer of fat covering it. “If you really want the V-cut to be prominent”, George says, “more important than anything is eating clean so you can achieve really low body fat”. We’re talking 8% (for help with that, refer back to number one). That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are exercises that target the obliques and transversus abdominis that can indirectly engage it and cause it to grow more defined. For this George recommends the cable woodchop because it engages the obliques and is a functional movement, the seated medicine ball trunk rotation, which also targets the obliques and — bonus — can be done anywhere, no machines required, and, finally, the kettlebell windmill, which engages the entire trunk. In the case of the latter, remember to start with a wide straddle stance and aim to touch your toes with your free hand while keeping that kettlebell up to the sky the entire time. Repeat these three exercises 12 to 15 times, then start the circuit over. Perform three rounds two to three times a week, taking care to rest your core in between to up your chances of carving out your V-cut.
It takes more than crunches for rippling abs. You need to attack them from multiple angles with a barrage of exercises.
Body Book Carve yourself GOAL NO. 7
BUILD BIGGER
BICEPS O THEY MAY NOT be the most functional muscles you need to
grow, says Murphy, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to look great at the beach. Here are three moves to add to your routine twice a week. The first is the towel pull-up. Simply drape a thick towel evenly over a pull-up bar, take hold of either end using a neutral grip (palms facing each other), and perform pull-ups. You get a ton of bicep work on this and because the towel is so thick and you have to constantly squeeze it, it smokes your forearms so you can develop an iron grip. Perform 50 total pull-ups in as few sets as possible. “Hammer curls are also an outstanding exercise for making biceps bigger”, Murphy says. “Everybody focuses on the biceps
brachii — or the biceps itself — but the brachialis runs beneath the biceps, and hammer curls work the brachialis in particular. A bigger brachialis pushes the biceps up further, making them appear bigger.” Working the brachioradialis also increases the size of the forearm, which makes the arm appear fuller. Using a weight that allows 10 to 12 reps on your first set, perform five sets in total, pushing each one until you’re one rep shy of failure. Finally, work in some barbell chain curls. “Using chains for resistance with barbell curls is great”, Murphy says, “because — since weight increases as the chain is lifted off the floor and your biceps get closer to full contraction — you can overload the weight you’re lifting compared with a regular weighted bar”. Do five sets of 8 to 10 reps.
GOAL NO. 8
TEASE OUT YOUR
TEARDROP O THE VMO, or vastus medialis oblique, is the most impressive leg
muscle to define, if only because it’s the only quad muscle visible when you’re rocking boardshorts. Located in your lower quad, a fully developed VMO not only creates a teardrop-shaped cut just above your knee, but it also acts as an important stabiliser that guards the joint against injury. For his part, trainer Nick Tumminello recommends focusing on exercises that hit the entire quads hard. “If you develop the quads overall”, says the trainer and founder of Performance University, “you’ll get the coveted teardrop”. Mix these exercises into your regularly scheduled leg workouts once a week for a teardrop that would make any pro cyclist jealous. Start with the leg extension, Tumminello says, “which comple-
ments squats and lunges because it loads the quads in part of the joint range you don’t get from those movements”. When you’re standing at the top of a squat or lunge and your knees are extended, you’re not getting any force through your quads, but the leg-extension machine keeps the tension on through the entire range. Expert tip: You can work the quads harder by elevating your heels with 2-kilogram plates. For the heels elevated squat, set up as you would for a normal squat, only elevate your heels 3 to 5 centimetres using weight plates. Bend your knees and lower your body in a controlled manner until your hamstrings touch your calves and your glutes are below your knees, then return to starting position.
Hammer curls work the arm’s underlying muscles to make them look fuller, bigger, and veinier.
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MEN’S FITNESS
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Body Book
THE NUMBERS THE GUY
80kg, 1.8m, 35year-old active male
Recommended Baseline Macros CALORIES
2 600–2 800 PROTEIN
1.7g/kg body weight = 135g protein daily, 27g per meal (20% of total calories) C A R B O H Y D R AT E S
357–385g (55% of total calories) FAT
72–77g (25% of total calories)
The protein project For massively bulking up muscle, protein is the ticket. With our sample three-day plan, you’ll learn how to get just the right amount — at just the right time. By Jim White, and Lindsay Brown Photographs by Linda Xiao
Lean on lamb. One 85g serving packs 23g of protein and five times the omega-3s as beef.
o question about it: Protein is king. But more isn’t necessarily better — there’s a limit to how much your body can use in a setting (about 30g). Plus, to avoid breaking down muscle protein, you need to pair it with just enough carbs (yeah, the macro you keep neglecting) to repair damaged tissue and stimulate new growth. More specifically, complex carbs help restore glycogen levels and shuttle protein quickly and more efficiently to depleted muscle cells. Timing is crucial, too: Studies show that getting about 20g of protein and 20g of carbs an hour before and after training (45 minutes of resistance training and moderate cardio, four days a week) is the perfect trifecta for amping total body mass. So how do you put it all together? Check out the sample three-day nutrition plan we’ve curated for you, then use it to customise your own long-term muscle-building meal plan.
N
Body Book Chow down Marinate in lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic for moist, flavorful pork.
Done deal. You know pork is cooked when a meat thermometer reads 60°C and the juices run clear.
Damn Easy Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
•
700g boneless pork tenderloin
2
tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste
3
garlic cloves, minced
1
tsp dried thyme
1
tsp dried rosemary
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley INSTRUCTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 200˚C; place rack in the middle. 2) Trim off fat and silver skin from pork; pat dry with a paper towel and pierce all over with a fork. Rub with 1 tbsp olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Choose wisely. The leanest cut — the most protein and least fat — from a fourlegged animal comes from the loin.
Max your protein: Sample Day 1 BRE AKFAST
MIDMORNING SNACK
LUNCH
SNACK
DINNER
• ¾ cup dry (1½ cups cooked) oatmeal topped with:
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese topped with:
• 90-120g grilled chicken (27g) topped with:
• 1 whole banana topped with:
• 120g Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin
1 tbsp raisins ¾ cup blueberries • 2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites (hard-boiled or pan-fried) 1 tsp olive oil for cooking Topped with ¼ avocado
1 tbsp slivered almonds • 1 medium apple
1/ 3
cup hummus
• 1 whole sweet potato topped with: 2 tsp whipped butter and cinnamon • 2 cups cooked non-starchy veggies (asparagus, peppers, spinach)
30g all-natural nut butter (or a side of whole almonds or walnuts)
WORKOUT
• Drink 500ml water
(SEE RECIPE, RIGHT )
• 1 cup whole-grain couscous 1 tsp olive oil for cooking • 2 cups fresh salad greens topped with: 1 cup fresh veggies 2 tbsp vinaigrette salad dressing
4) Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large ovensafe pan (cast iron or a Dutch oven). Add pork and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. 5) Bake uncovered for 15 minutes (turning halfway through), or until centre of pork registers 60°C on a meat thermometer. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. N U T R I T I O N (PER SERVING)
310 calories, 13g fat, 1g carb, 45g protein
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Food st yling by Hadas Smirnof f; Prop st yling byNidia Cueva
3) Combine garlic, thyme, rosemary, and parsley in a small bowl. Rub into pork until evenly coated.
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Sample Day 2
Tuck it. To evenly cook a loin, tuck the thinner ends under and tie with cooking twine (or ask the butcher to do it).
BRE AKFAST
• 1 whole-wheat English muffin or bagel topped with: 2 tbsp natural peanut butter • 1 whole banana • 1 cup skim milk MIDMORNING SNACK
• 1 cup carrot sticks • 1/3 cup hummus • 2 hard-boiled eggs LUNCH
• 120g salmon cooked with fresh herbs and citrus • 1 cup whole-grain pasta or brown rice • 1 cup cooked veggies SNACK
• Smoothie: 180g low-fat yoghurt ¾ cup frozen berries Scoop of protein powder (10g) WORKOUT
• Drink 500ml water DINNER
• 90-120g Roast Beef (SEE RECIPE, BELOW )
• 1 whole sweet potato • 2 cups sautéed kale, red peppers, snap peas
Fast-Fix Roast Beef
Sample Day 3
(SHOWN, RIGHT) SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS
•
1.2kg centre-cut beef tenderloin
BRE AKFAST
LUNCH
WORKOUT
1
tbsp olive oil
• Smoothie:
• 90g 96% lean ostrich burger on whole-wheat bun topped with:
• Drink 500ml water
Salt and pepper, to taste
180g Greek yoghurt (8g)
INSTRUCTIONS
1 cup mixed berries
1) Preheat oven to 220°C. Rub beef with oil and at least 2 tsp each salt and pepper. 2) Roast in a pan 30 to 45 minutes (turning halfway through), until desired doneness. 3) Remove from oven and cover with foil; let rest 10 minutes before serving. N U T R I T I O N (PER SERVING)
409 calories, 20g fat, 0g carb, 55g protein 96
MEN’S FITNESS
1 whole banana 1 cup spinach or kale 1 scoop protein powder (20g)
Beef has all nine essential amino acids to help repair muscles post-workout.
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1 cup unsweetened coconut water MIDMORNING SNACK
• 2 hard-boiled eggs • 1 low-sugar granola bar • 30g mixed nuts
DINNER
½ cup kimchi
• 90g MediterraneanStyle Stuffed Lamb Loin
¼ avocado
(SHOWN, RIGHT )
• 1 cup black rice • 2 cups raw veggies (carrots, peppers, celery) SNACK
• 90g ostrich breast rolled up with 30g provolone cheese • 1 medium apple
• 1 cup farro mixed with sautéed onions • 2 cups heirloom tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper
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