THE BEST OF HOLLYWOODMUSCLE THE ROCK MARK WAHLBERG CHRIS HEMSWORTH JASON STATHAM ARNIE 21ST BIRTHDAY ISSUE NOVEMBER 2018 $9.50 NZ $9.99 INC GST
YOUR BEST BODY EVER! • Kick-Ass Moves • Game-changing Training Plans • Rapid Results
18 TIPSFOR T-SHIRT READYARMS REVEALED
The Last Sex Taboo ZIN_MH_1118
LEAN &
RIPPED The New Science of Burning Fat
LICENCE TOCHILL HOW TO BEAT ROAD RAGE
NEVER SNEEZE AGAIN! SURVIVE ALLERGY SEASON
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER 30, STAR OF PUMPING IRON
47 NEW 6-PACK CHEATS
CONTENTS
11.18
81 COVER GUY: ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER PHOTOGRAPHED BY
JACK MITCHELL/GETTY
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CHRONOGRAPH WATCH; WORKSHOP T-SHIRT FROM WORKSHOP; JEANS AND SHIRT HIS OWN.
MH revisits the Hollywood icons, led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who’ve defined the male physical ideal. Just in time for your blockbuster transformation.
CONTENTS
11.18 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
H E A LT H
p37 Never Sneeze Again Your tissue-free guide to dodging misery this allergy season.
p74 Posse Power Why the key to beating loneliness is reviving your male friendships.
FITNESS
p30 Jump To It! Build your engine and raise your game with plyometrics training.
p122 Rock The Joint Learn the keys to protecting your joints and playing on till you’re 90.
NUTRITION
p40 Collision Courses Is a big brekkie or a deluxe dinner your ticket to a lean future?
p121 Taco The Glory These spicy Mexican packages are stuffed with muscle-building fuel.
TACT I C S
p22 Top Dog
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One Side Fits All To get the gains, stop spreading the load. Because one hand makes heavy work.
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Spike Your Endurance Refresh your post-workout hydration plan with this trending health drink.
Hit peak fitness the easy way with ex-NRL champ Adam MacDougall.
p46 You Got This Avoid crumbling under pressure with these expert tips on nailing the big plays.
MUSCLE
p50 T-Shirt-Ready Arms The training dos and don’ts for powering up your summer guns.
p129 Stretch Your Gains Hit the mat before the bench to stack on maximum brawn.
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Against The Odds Dominate the field at the races this spring with bold runs at sartorial splendour.
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Rage Against The Machine Driving can turn otherwise decent men into monsters. Quell the fury before it’s too late.
E D I T O R’S L E T T E R
Men's Health Magazine Australia @MensHealthAU @MensHealthAU menshealth.com.au
DREAM LUKE BENEDICTUS Editor
BIGGER
BEN JHOTY Deputy Editor DANIEL WILLIAMS Associate Editor
Right now the MH oice is collectively wearing a party hat slightly askew and congratulating ourselves on blowing out our candles with a single puf. The reason? This issue marks the 21st birthday of Men’s Health in Australia. We thought long and hard about who to put on the cover of this special anniversary issue. But in the end, there could only be one man. Arnold Schwarzengger isn’t on the cover purely because he owns biceps the size of beachballs. Or due to the pivotal role he played in bringing gym culture into the mainstream. He hasn’t nabbed poll position just because he starred in the best action movie of all time (Terminator II: Judgment Day). Or even because he famously insisted the best way to stay healthy was “humping and pumping”. Yes, there’s the fact that he conquered Hollywood to become the world’s biggest movie star despite having a name once deemed unpronounceable. In doing so, he became the musclebound incarnation of the American Dream with his resolute message of self-determination. Even before his breakout movie Pumping Iron had screened, The Austrian Oak had set himself a fairly daunting to-do list. In the lead-up to that ilm’s release, Vanity Fair reported a friendly exchange between him and a Belgian publicist. “What are your ambitions?” she casually asked him over lunch. “I will be the top actor in America,” he said. “Well, you are going to have to erase your accent,” she told him. Arnold smiled. “I will. And one day I will be president of the United States.” Okay, so he missed out on that last one (well, so far). But you get the point: Arnie was always a man with a mission and selfbelief the size of his shoulders. But the true reason that he’s our birthday cover guy is that Men’s Health is essentially a manual for self-optimisation. Every article is packed full of expert tips and tricks to help you enhance the most important areas of your life. Your health. Your emotional well-being. Your relationships. Throughout his three careers – champion bodybuilder, A-list movie star, “Governator” of an economy bigger than Russia’s - no one has embodied that quest for self-improvement like Arnie. Those achievements were the result of a mindset deadset on personal evolution. “The meaning of life,” Arnie once said, “is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer”. And so that’s why he’s on the cover of our 21st birthday issue. Arnie did always vow: “I’ll be back.” But the truth is, he never really left.
DAVID ASHFORD Creative Director JASON LEE Deputy Art Director KATE FRASER Head Of Pictures – Fashion and Health ALEX DALRYMPLE Multimedia Content Producer CHARLOTTE DALZIEL Digital Content Manager – Health SCOTT HENDERSON Associate Digital Editor ALEX PIEROTTI Digital Content Editor CHIEF BRABON Fitness Director JEFF LACK Style Editor KATE NIVEN Grooming Writer
CLARISSA WILSON
Head of Health
KATHY GLAVAS
Marketing Director – Health
JESS LAY
Brand Partnerships Manager
COURTENAY RAMAN
Marketing Manager – Health
SARAH HARRIGAN
ELEANOR BRENNAN
Group Brand Manager – Beauty & Health
Marketing Coordinator – Health
KAYLA CHAPMAN
Production Manager
Brand Executive – Fashion & Health
HARRY PARSONS
Advertising Coordinator – Beauty, Fashion & Health
PAUL KING SAM MAGUIRE
Print Operations Coordinator JEREMY SUTTON
Group Subscriptions Manager
GEREURD ROBERTS Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Magazines MYCHELLE VANDERBURG Retail Sales and Group Marketing Director NICOLE BENCE Commercial Strategy & Solutions Director DEAN PORTER Operations Director
RICHARD DORMENT
KIM ST. CLAIR BODDEN
Editor in Chief, Men’s Health US
SVP/Editorial & Brand Director
SIMON HORNE
CHLOE O’BRIEN
SVP/Managing Director Asia Pacific & Russia
Deputy Brands Director
RICHARD BEAN
Executive Director, Content Services
Director of International Licensing and Business Development
SHELLEY MEEKS
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Printing Bluestar Web, 83 Derby Street, Silverwater NSW 2128. Distribution Gordon & Gotch. Published 12 times a year. Registered business name Pacific Magazines Pty Ltd, (ABN) 16 097 410 896. All rights reserved. Title and trademark Men’s Health © Rodale Press. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission. Men’s Health is a registered trademark and the unauthorised use of this trademark is strictly prohibited.
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ASK MH
THE BIG QUESTION
Does sweating buckets – even if it’s just a short workout – mean I’m out of shape? MC
For a certain type of gym-goer, the sweat patch on their T-shirt is a badge of pride – the surest sign of a workout well done. For others, however, it gives way to a creeping sense of insecurity that their fitness isn’t up to scratch. Quit beating yourself up, MC, because sweating is unequivocally a very good thing. “Perspiration is simply a function of your body’s heat-regulating system,” explains physiologist and performance coach Tom Middlebrough. “The more you sweat, the more physiologically efficient your body is – so relish it.” In fact, the burpee-induced puddle on the mat is also an indication that you’ve triggered excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which means your metabolism will remain fired up long after your workout. Even so, we appreciate that returning to the office with a wet back and glistening brow is less than desirable. To combat this, drink plenty of water during your workout – not just after it – and don’t skip your cool-down. “If you stop abruptly, your body will divert blood to the digestive system and other organs. Less will go to your muscles, so they won’t cool as quickly,” says Middlebrough. Just 10 minutes of lowintensity work is enough. Then, in the changing rooms, place a cold towel on your neck while you check your emails: studies suggest that this part of your body is optimal for cooling because of its proximity to the thermoregulatory centre of your brain. So, go ahead and wear that pale-blue shirt without fear.
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PERSPIRATION IS GOOD, SO DON’T SWEAT IT.
THE BIG CHILL
Water isn’t the only way to rehydrate. Rebalance your body with this cooling shopping list
SPINACH This staple veg is rich in magnesium, an essential electrolyte – along with potassium and sodium – that needs replenishing after your workout.
WATERMELON Studies have found low-fibre, water-packed fruits can hydrate the body twice as well as H2O. Watermelon stands out, with an impressive 92 per cent water make-up.
COCONUT WATER A glass packs around 600mg of blood pressureregulating potassium. Plus, its 5mg of natural sugar make it a worthy alternative to sweetened sports drinks.
ANCIENT SOLUTION TO A MODERN PROBLEM I only have half an hour at lunch to work out. Rush it or halve it? AS
AM I NORMAL?
Myhairline is receding – fast. Do I need a transplant?
Better a little that is well done, than a great deal done imperfectly. Plato
TEXT A PT
RF
Every time I go for a run I get a stitch halfway through. Why? Deep breaths, now. Stitches are more common for people who take shallow ones. They’re just a spasm of your diaphragm.
TAKE THIS FAR FROM FUZZY ADVICE TO FILL IN THE GAPS.
OK, but what do I do about it? Press two fingers upwards at the direct point of pain for 10 seconds. Breathe and keep pressing towards your ribs. Stretch, too. Most stitches are on the right, so raise your right hand and lean to the left.
WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS; PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID ABRAHAMS, JOBE LAWRENSON
That’s better. Will it come back when I start jogging again? It shouldn’t. Try breathing from your belly to take in more air. Thanks, mate. What can I do before heading out in future? Avoid high-fat foods pre-run; they take longer to digest.
KEEP YOUR HEAD
No eggs and avo, then?
REST HARD “If you’re training to excess, the nutrients your hair needs to stay healthy will be directed elsewhere. Give yourself – and your locks – a well-earned break.”
Not pre. Follow this formula:
Stephen Adjaidoo, running coach
It’s a tempting option. And, as hair loss affects 25 per cent of men before hitting 30, you’re in good company weighing up the pros and cons. There’s no doubt that going under the knife can yield successful results: “Follicles transplanted from the back of your scalp to thinning areas still ‘believe’ they’re living there, so won’t be subject to balding,” explains dermatologist Dr David Fenton. However, it’ll hit you where it hurts: your wallet. Prices range from $7,000–$30,000, which is the amount Wayne Rooney reportedly paid for his rug. It’s worth looking into cheaper
options first. Lotions such as Regaine can prevent further hair loss, but not all actually encourage regrowth. Or, you could try systemic hormone tablets, which have proven effective for returfing patchy areas. “They block the conversion of testosterone to the more potent dihydrotestosterone, the hormone responsible for baldness,” says Fenton. But results vary. Another option is to do nothing. In one study, observers rated bald men as more attractive than the more hirsute. Going full Statham could be your best bet, after all.
Employ Fenton’s hacks to ensure today’s hair isn’t gone tomorrow
EAT STEAK “Quality protein is essential for hair growth. Steak is packed with iron, deficiencies of which can trigger balding. It’s also delicious, which is a bonus.”
GO NATURAL “Hair dyes will prevent any lotions you’re using from working properly. Washing your hair more often won’t help either. Highlights are out, anyway.”
SA November 2018
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TEMPRANILLO:
YOUNG & VIBRANT A luscious and food-friendly wine, this elegant Tempranillo from Spain enlivens the palate with succulent fruity and floral notes. Youthful aromas of dark cherry, raspberry and violets leap from the glass while bright summer berry, pomegranate and blackcurrant flavours combine to create a profile with fine varietal tannins.
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MAXIMISING LIFE’S GREATEST LUXURY
IMAGE MANIPULATION: COLIN BEAGLEY
THE NEW HYDRATION UPGRADE POINTS TO ALL-NEW STAMINA
02 WEEKS TO GIVE YOUR ENDURANCE LEVELS A REFRESHING SPIKE
POST-RUN HYDRATION can be a prickly issue. A bottle of Gatorade may bring you back from the brink, but beyond a few extra carbs, are sports drinks working hard enough to boost our performance? Our verdict: they could do better. Research conducted by the Tunisian National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports found that a daily intake of just 150ml of cactus juice – a trending health drink – can make you both faster and fitter. It’s time you caught up. After two weeks of quenching their thirst on cactus, unfit test subjects were able to run further and found exercise easier. The cactus had even increased their VO2 max – the maximum rate at
which your heart and muscles can effectively use oxygen during exercise. Experts consider this measure to be the most accurate indicator of a person’s overall fitness. The study’s cardio amateurs, however, significantly raised their upper limit in a mere two weeks simply by switching beverages. The cactus juice also protects your muscles against exercise-induced decay. The compounds that make training so painful were found in far lower concentrations in the blood of the cactus juice drinkers post-run. So, whatever your ability, you can spike your stamina levels by refreshing your hydration plan. We’ll drink to that. November 2018
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03 HOURS TO PIG OUT ON BBQ RIBS AND CLEANSE YOUR LIVER
THERE’S NO SHAME in admitting that spring is the season of excess. Come October, you’ve earned the right to reward yourself after months of hard, cold-weather training. That means chilled rosé and barbecues – and lots of them. So, rather than waste our breath piously urging moderation, we prescribe a smart protein option that could provide, well, at least a little damage limitation. According to research in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, choosing the right kind of meat for your barbecue can help to protect your liver from the wine you consume while you cook it. Drinking too much alcohol, even for just a few days, causes a build-up of fats in the organ that
could lead to fatty liver disease and ultimately result in liver damage or diabetes. A healthy liver should contain little or no fat. The essential nutrient choline, which is found abundantly in pork ribs, can assist you in trimming yours. Choline keeps your liver lean. One of its key roles is to transport fat from the liver to other areas of your body, where it can be put to better use. Fortuitously, devouring just five barbecued ribs will supply you with your recommended daily intake. So, let yourself enjoy the warm weather with no need to nurse a soda water and lime while you wait out the three hours it takes to slow-cook your meat. Grab some napkins and pig out – then pour yourself another guilt-free glass.
SPARE YOURSELF THE MISERY OF A SOBER BARBECUE.
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TO BUILD A BETTER BODY, YOU NEED TO HIT THE SACK.
02 HOURS TO BURN FAT AND BUILD STRENGTH WITH YOUR EYES SHUT
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THE NIGHT OWLS among us will not want to hear this, but most Australians are declaring “lights out” too late. Hey, we sympathise: tearing yourself away from the soothing effects of a Netflix binge is a rigorous test of a man’s self-discipline. But according to new research, setting yourself a 10.30pm bedtime is the simplest way to score a substantial hit of human growth hormone to build more muscle as you snooze. Your endocrine system – your body’s way of sending messages using hormones – is closely linked to your circadian rhythm. A paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that you are flooded with HGH at around 11pm,
with a smaller influx at around 2am. These timings were developed over millennia and they’re not likely to change to accommodate your Ozark obsession. So, a later lights-out is depriving you of a massive natural injection of a hormone that one study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed can produce a significant gain in muscle mass and give fat loss an impressive boost. If you find it hard to nod off an hour or two earlier than usual, a simple change in your habits could help. Avoid caffeine after 2pm, and read a book in bed until your eyelids get heavy. The important thing is to stick with it. Think of it as the second part of your workout, if you like. Just a lot less strenous.
For local stockist enquiries | Australia 1300 764 437 | New Zealand 0800 456 426 | info@sabre-group.com
RELEASE THE GENIUS IN THE BOTTLE.
THERE ARE MANY things a couple of cold ones are known to improve – your confidence, your proficiency at pool, your enjoyment of a meal deal. But your powers of recall not so much. Well, forget everything you think you know about memory: research from the University of Exeter suggests a work-night drink can be a very smart idea indeed. In a new study, social drinkers were subjected to a memorisation task, after which half of them were given a free pass at the pub, averaging a glass and a half of booze each. When retested the following morning, the drinking group performed notably better. The reasoning is deceptively simple: alcohol interacts with the brain’s hippocampus, inhibiting your ability to learn new information. This frees up space to consolidate your pre-pub memories, moving them from ‘short-term’ storage to ‘longterm’. In other words, you might not recall exactly who paid for the last round, but the meeting notes you were reading over at 4pm will remain unblurred. So don’t feel guilty about unwinding with a beer or a glass of red (we’re partial to McWilliam’s McW Reserve 660 Hilltops Cabernet Sauvignon, $23.99) at close of business. It could prove just the mental tonic you need before a big day in the office. Just don’t try claiming that on expenses.
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12 HOURS TO BOLSTER YOUR MEMORY WITH A POST-WORK DRINK
seikowatches.com
A+ TACTICS
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+ Advantage
STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME
TOP DOG Discover how former rugby league player Adam “Mad Dog” MacDougall made a fortune and got in his best-ever shape by avoiding the hard yards BY DANIEL WILLIAMS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WHEELER
IT’S AROUND 1PM in Sydney’s well-to-do suburb of Paddington when Adam MacDougall sees a chance to walk the talk. This Men’s Health photo shoot is moving someplace else so we all start ambling up a steep rise towards the new location. “Hang on,” says MacDougall, pivoting sharply. “I’ll put these clothes back in the car and run up after you.” And run he does. Because that’s how MacDougall trains nowadays. The grinding, interminable workout is a relic of his footballing past. Now he grabs opportunities to fold bursts of activity into daily living. To that end an alarm sounds on his phone every hour. “It’s my reminder to get up and move,” he says. “I might drop for a set of push-ups. Or I might walk to the shops to get milk.” Add those auxiliaries to a daily 10-minute workout and MacDougall reckons he’s getting all the huff and puff he needs to stay lean and hard. But there’s a catch, right? He could no longer be the tacklebusting beast he was for Newcastle, NSW and Australia? “I’m lighter,” he concedes – by about 12 kilograms. “But I’m also fitter and healthier than I ever was as a player.” Now vacuuming a bang-foryour-buck piccolo in a busy café, McDougall revisits his playing days
with a sometimes regretful air. Dog” by his Newcastle Knights “After a training session it wouldn’t captain. As a guide to character, the have been uncommon for me to eat moniker was always misleading, half a kilogram of lollies and chase says MacDougall. Andrew Johns those with three litres of Gatorade,” didn’t call him that because he says. “It did the trick for recovery, MacDougall was unhinged. “He but it couldn’t have been great for called me that because of my your health.” intensity,” says MacDougall. “On This much is undeniable: he’s and off the field I gave 100 per cent.” richer than he ever was playing The MacDougall story is a footy. As the force behind the lesson in productivity. Why pour all meal-replacement drink The MAN your energies into one endeavour Shake, MacDougall is raking in when you can have something else the bucks. Last financial year he worthwhile bubbling on the side? moved millions of units at $45 a pop Why waste an hour meandering in Australia, New Zealand, China through a workout when upping the and Iran, while a urgency could have spinoff protein bar is it wrapped in 10 rolling off a Brisbane minutes for the same conveyor belt in result? Why cook an You can build strapping legs similar numbers. elaborate breakfast with bodyweight squats by His success when you can chug a taking the quads to failure. has turned him shake? The lazy man’s But the reps required could into a 43-year-old hero? The everyman’s be monstrous. philanthropist: inspiration might be “So pre-fatigue the muscle he recently gave a closer to the mark. before each set by sprinting quarter of a million If you had half on the spot for 30-60 dollars to brainMacDougall’s verve seconds,” says MacDougall. cancer charity you’d be prone to the Mark Hughes bouncing off walls, Foundation. Meanwhile, his books which is what he was doing in Hawaii recently when a hurricane The Man Plan and The 10-Minute confined him to a hotel room with Man have made him a bestselling his kids for 48 hours. “There was author, and his Health Hacker a hurricane outside and a cyclone podcasts a seemingly omniscient inside,” he says. voice on all matters wellbeing. Jovial yet intense, MacDougall Not bad for a guy dubbed “Mad
MUSCLE HACK
November 2018
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A+ TACTICS
helping performance.” After retiring, MacDougall initially kept exercising like a footballer, chasing strength and power by shifting big loads in the gym. But then came an epiphany: I don’t have to do this anymore. “Sure, I could still deadlift 200kg, but I couldn’t walk the next day.” Today, MacDougall is about getting more for less. “Economists talk about the 80/20 rule,” he says. “Twenty per cent of a farmer’s seeds will give him 80 per cent of his crop. So what’s the 20 per cent of your health and fitness investment that’s going to give you 80 per cent of your return?” Were you to train for an hour
HAMMERED: THE TRAINING THAT LETS YOU DO THIS TAKES A TOLL ON YOUR BODY.
“Your kids don’t care how big your guns are or how much you can squat” fellow players whittled away says some players take their NRL their free hours on PlayStation, careers for granted: “They get MacDougall studied . . . for into first grade and think they’ve 20 years. As well as a bunch made it.” Not MacDougall, who of diplomas in exercise and played 195 NRL games over 16 sports performance, he has years and won two premierships Masters degrees in business while never once feeling administration and business complacent. “I ripped in,” he says. coaching. In no small way these “I played every game like it was have been the making of him. my last.” When he retired in 2011 at the Which made sense, because age of 36 he figured he’d become a the end often looked nigh. high performance coach. But then Twenty-five times he went came a turning point: his best under the knife, including nine mate and father-of-three dropped ops on his left knee. “People dead at 44. In his ask me what my grief a mission best achievement began forming in was. For me, it his mind. was overcoming Here are MacDougall’s Around this setbacks,” he says. Top 10 “man superfoods”. time he accosted “Winning grand Build your diet around them. the conservative finals and playing •Eggs •Walnuts •Berries politician Tony for your country •Salmon •Greek Yoghurt Abbott at an NRL were great, but the •Oysters •Oats wellness event. thing I’m most •Whey protein MacDougall proud of is that •Spinach •Avocado told him what a there were times disgrace it was when the doctors that junk food companies were told me I’d never play again and I sponsoring the event. Abbott would always come back.” gave him short shrift. “He said, The entrepreneurship “Mate, if you really cared you’d do started from a condition his something about it and not just mother placed on his pursuing whinge’,” MacDougall recalls. football: he would have to go to That night, MacDougall university. She hoped for a single resolved to act. Ruminating on qualification. But MacDougall his own approach to nutrition, developed an insatiable thirst he decided a meal-replacement for learning. While many of his
DOG’S DINNER
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shake could help a lot of guys. Men need boundaries and simplicity when it comes to food, he reckons. With a shake you can tell them: make this; it’s tasty; now drink it; that’s breakfast or lunch done. “Because choice doesn’t work,” he says. “I know. If you put food in front of me I will demolish it. I have no handbrake.” His shake’s gone gangbusters, MacDougall says, because it’s a good product. But many good products flop. His has soared on the back of pinpoint branding and marketing. And MacDougall is its perfect salesman: an indefatigable force of nature who lives the ideas he can’t stop talking about. For fitness nous, MacDougall was ahead of the game in his league days. He turned up to training one day in compression tights, only to be sent home by a club legend. Another time he hauled bags of ice into the team hotel. His teammates thought they’d be drinking beers within the hour until MacDougall broke it to them the ice was for his bath. He also had reservations about workload. “We were training for the sake of being full-time athletes and to justify the pay packets of a lot of staff,” he says. “We were training too much and doing a lot of activities that were putting stress on the body without
RECOVERY HACK
METABOLIC CHAOS
“Real strength is being able to move your body in different planes. I don’t want to run over the top of guys anymore.” His main message is to keep the exercise and nutrition caper straightforward. He opposes adherence to specific diets like paleo and keto because this fosters an all-or-nothing approach that rarely ends well. “When you get a flat tyre you don’t get out and slash the other three,” he says. “You change the flat one and go again. Same with food. Guys will have a lapse and go, ‘Oh, bugger it’ and eat a family-size pizza. Life isn’t about absolutes. It’s about balance.”
You’ll burn more kilojoules doing this old school 10-minute circuit than by jogging for an hour, says MacDougall. Perform each move for 15 seconds, rest for 15. Complete the sequence 3 times
1|| Star Jum mp rms Stand, ar at your sides, fe eet together. . Jump and spread.
2|| Running On The Spot
Go hard,bringi ing your knees up high like a sprinter and pumping your arms. Optional l: finish with a Lightning Bolt t.
3|| Skipping MacDougall does it sans rope – your call.Either way, aim for speed.
4|| Ups and Downs Sit cross-legged on the floor. Now get to your feet. Faster!
SONNY RAMIREZ/ILLUSTRATION ROOM
your guns are or how much you every day, he says, you might get can squat. They just want you that 100 per cent return. “But to be able to chase them around what happens if you trained for 10 the park, lift them up and swing minutes in the sweet spot? Would them. For me now you be better off the priority is doing a few sets to mobility.” failure of a totalMacDougall body exercise Research has found ‘contrast says his imaginary than spending 20 showers’ help you recover 30 personal trainer minutes on biceps per cent faster from intense is his 70-yearcurls? Would exercise, says MacDougall. old self, who you be better off Switch the water temp makes him train doing a few all-out between hot and cold every cleverly, using his hill sprints than two minutes for five cycles. bodyweight rather jogging for 40 than barbells. minutes?” The “Push, pull, hinge, stabilise answers are yes and yes. and rotate. They’re your five Remember, says MacDougall, movement patterns,” he says. “your kids don’t care how big
5|| Walk/Run Go in one direction for 30 seconds and then come back. Done!
November 2018
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A+ FITNESS
When Life Goes
oom!
Bobby Holland Hanton, Chris Hemsworth’s stu unt double,, takes hits on the job every day. His tips on bouncing ba d for the ack are good average guy’s day-to-day – minus the explosions sions
Hanton says to attempt all stunts under professional supervision. And don’t sue us, please.
TAKE A FAKE JAB 3
SKILL LEVEL: 4 BY TYLER DASWICK // PHOTOGRAPHY BY PEROU // ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEVE SANFORD
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Stunts You Can Do
FALL INTO A SOMERSAULT 1
SKILL LEVEL: 3 1/ Be Cool In the little time you have, try to keep your wits about you: don’t flap or flail or panic. Just commit and then focus on the next steps. 2/ Land Loose “Keep your chin on your chest and your chest up,” Hanton says. Don’t lock your knees, otherwise the impact will go entirely through your legs. That’ll hurt pretty bad.
1/ See It Coming Before a guy throws a punch, he’ll often telegraph the swing. Your “enemy” might tense his body, cock his shoulder or clench his teeth. Have him exaggerate these moves in practice.
3/ Tuck and Roll Distribute the blow of the impact by rolling onto your lats. These muscles will act like built-in shock absorbers. Plus you’ll look legit.
PULL OFF THE HUMAN FLAG 2
SKILL LEVEL: 10
2/ Stay Relaxed “[A punch] will vibrate down your body,” Hanton says. “So be quite loose in the shoulders, hips and neck.” This will also help you react to the punch.
1/ Get Strong This stunt will challenge your obliques, shoulders and biceps in a big way. Before attempting it, train those key muscles by doing side planks and wide-grip chin-ups. 2/ Attach Yourself Find a pole and grip it where it feels most comfortable, says Hanton, about double shoulder-width apart. 3/ Raise the Flag Elbows locked and core braced, kick your legs towards your top hand. Then gradually lower your legs toward your midsection. As you hold your legs out, keep your elbows locked. Flap in the wind for efect.
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3/ Lean with It You’ll see the punch enter your periphery and cross your face. At this moment, snap your neck around to sell the impact. Badass!
A+ HEALTH
4
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN…
Clever or not, these pills are drugs and there are downers. The potential side effects of modafinil include headaches, nausea, sleep disturbance and constipation. But the benefits are believed to outweigh the risks and, while the buzz is undeniable, the FDA does not consider it to be habit-forming – so you can stop if you react badly to it. A word of warning: studies suggest that prolonged use (we’re talking years, not weeks) can cause a 10 per cent drop in your body mass index. Not the most intelligent way to get beach-ready.
…I Take Smart Drugs? Nine-to-fivers are popping legally hazy pills to outwit burnout. But is it clever? This is our prescription
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QUICK THINKING
MODAFINIL FIGHTS FATIGUE AND CLEARS YOUR MENTAL FOG.
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OUT OF THIS WORLD
By the time you get to work, the neuropeptide orexin has hit your hypothalamus to interrupt your sleep-awake cycle and bump you into a state of mental clarity. A University of California study showed that modafinil can improve cognitive function by 21 per cent and reduce mental fatigue by 47 per cent. That’s why it’s prescribed to astronauts, though it works equally well on Earth, too.
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PERFORMANCE ENHANCER
Beyond the workplace high, you can make gains in the gym and bedroom with more regular use. Modafinil has been found to boost histamine levels in the body over time, which doesn’t mean you’ll break out in a rash or start sneezing from hay fever. Rather, you’ll increase your uptake of testosterone, to boost both sexual function and workout performance. It’s a compelling combo, we’re sure you’ll agree.
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TALENT ACQUISITION
New research into the drug’s impact on GABA hormones, which regulate brain function, may make this pill well worth dabbling with in the future. By reducing GABA levels in certain parts of the brain, modafinil is thought to enhance your ability to learn new skills, making for a quick fix when you’re under the pump at work. With office stress now a leading health risk among men, popping a pill to lighten your load may well be the smart thing to do.
WORDS: TOM WARD; ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY
Nootropics such as modafinil – first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 to treat sleep conditions – are gaining ground as a workplace aid to improve performance, focus and decision making. Though a prescription-only medicine in Australia, buying it online without a doctor’s note is easy (if you do so, proceed with caution). Once taken, it is absorbed into your blood and can have a profound effect on your brain function in two hours, sharpening you up for your morning meeting.
THE COMEDOWN
A+ FITNESS
Jump-Start A Sporting Renaissance Make the most of the great outdoors – take a giant leap towards recapturing your former glory beyond the confines of the weights room IT’S NOT OFTEN that we implore you to drop the dumbbells and evacuate the gym, but in this instance we have good reason. First, summer’s close! Second – and more scientifically – it turns out that not only are the bodyweight plyometrics you can perform in the park as effective at building strength as a barbell, but they’ll also improve your lowerbody power output, enhancing your sports performance. That means the lost metre of pace that consigned you to the bench after you hit 30 is back. Game on. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research found that after an eight-week plyometric program, participants of the trial had significantly increased the power of their vertical and standing long jumps – which translates to a leap from water boy to First XI. But more surprisingly, and more pertinently to those who have locked themselves in the weights room for fear of losing their hard-won progress, the jumpers also made equal strides in their back squat one-rep max compared to subjects who focused only on indoor resistance work. Maximise these benefits by filling your park workouts with a primer
of squat jumps, power skipping, tuck jumps and bench jumps. It applies to your upper body, too: a separate study in the same journal found that using plyometric push-ups (where you explode up and your hands leave the floor), in addition to the bench press, produced extra strength gains of almost 5 per cent. And did we mention that a review published by Exeter University associated outdoor exercise with decreases in anger and depression? Still want to argue? All right, let’s take this outside.
LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE Raise your fitness at these upcoming outdoor events
NOOSA TRIATHLON
ENHANCE YOUR POWER BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.
Attempt the Olympic distance: 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run. Resilience essential. (Nov. 4)
Take on the Misty Mountain MTB Marathon in the volcanic crater near Byron Bay. (Dec .15)
PEAKS CHALLENGE Pedal up more than 4000m of Victoria’s most imposing rises. Start training now. (March 10)
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WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON; PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE
RAT RACE
TUNE INTO HBTV AS WE EMBARK ON A CULINARY JOURNEY OF NSW’S HAWKESBURY REGION, AND TRANSFORM A QUINTESSENTIALLY AUSSIE SHED INTO A WORLD-CLASS RESTAURANT
MEET THE LOCALS
FOLLOW THE RENO
SAMPLE THE PRODUCE
homebeautiful.com.au
A+ ADVENTURE
MY FAVOURITE INJURIES 1. COLD SHOULDER In Antarctica in 2008 I was being pulled by kites on skis across the ice, and a massive gust picked me up and threw me through the air. I landed on and broke my shoulder. Because of where we were, Ihadalong fewdayswithadwindling supplyofparacetamol inatent. The shoulder’s still a bit niggly, but it’s okay – people live with worse.
British adventurer Bear Grylls reveals the scars that left their mark on him
5 1
2. PACK BACK
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For fun, I went on a routine jump in Zimbabwe while I was on leave. We were about 4000 metres in the air. The canopy of my chute didn’t open properly and I started coming down. Fast. Before I knew it: boom. My back landed right on the reserve chute, which is tightly packed like a bar across the middle of my back. Then everything went a little black. Later, I remember arriving at a hospital where a doctor stuck this giant needle straight into my back. I tried to stand up. Eventually, I learned I’d broken three vertebrae. I got worse before I got better – things looked grim. So I focused my recovery on a goal: Everest. Eighteen months later, I summited.
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3. PIZZA CHEST
4. EVEREST LUNGS
People always ask if the unglamorous scar on my chest was from wrestling a crocodile or something crazy. Nope. I got it five years ago when I was taking a hot pizza out of the oven in a hurry while wearing swimming trunks and branded myself right across the nipple.
Right after I got back from Everest, I went sailing with some buddies. We were doing a lot of free diving, where you hold your breath and dive down deep into the water. We had really pushed it. IgotbacktotheUKand startedcoughingupblood. Nobody knew what it was.
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5. KARATE NOSE I broke my nose just once. It was in a karate fight for my black-belt examination when I was about 16. I won the fight, though my nose has been wonky and veering to the left ever since.
6. CAMERA THIGH We were filming Man vs. Wild in the Canadian Rockies when a camera and whole metal rig went free-falling down a mountain where I’d just come to a stop at the bottom. It all missed my head by inches and smashed into my left leg, which blew up like the size of two footballs on each side of it and had a massive haematoma that earned a helicopter extraction. If that camera had hit my head, it would have killed me outright. Out of all my accidents, that one was a really close call.
7. SCORPION SHIN I got a really good scorpion bite on my shin in the Sahara when I was with the French foreign legion in 2004. It’s since developed a bit of grisly scar tissue, like somebody’s put a broad bean under the skin of my shin. My kids love feeling that one. – As told to Joshua St. Clair
Then the doctor goes, “Have you been to extremes of high and low altitudes recently?” I tell him, “I have been to the summit of Everest and then did a 100-foot underwater free dive.” “Well, that might explain it.” I spent a bad Christmas Day in the hospital for that.
Former soldier Bear Grylls is the star of TV show Running Wild and the author of the new outdoor survival manual How to Stay Alive (William Morrow Paperbacks; $35, dymocks.com.au).
Top: Jacob and Isaac are best buddies. Bottom: Isaac battled pneumonia at the age of three weeks.
Main Image: The Marshman family at home together in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
BROTHERS IN ARMS
STORY: ALANA WULFF PHOTOGRAPHY: KILEY BLATCH PHOTOGRAPHY
FOR THE FAMILY OF THESE LITTLE CHERUBS, RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE WAS A PRECIOUS HOME AWAY FROM HOME UNTIL THEIR TWIN BABY BOYS TURNED THE CORNER AND BEAT THE ODDS WITH THREE YOUNG SONS and twins on the way, Josh and Crystal Marshman already had their plates well and truly full. But when they received the harrowing news that their unborn babies’ lives were in jeopardy, their world was thrown into upheaval. Already mum to sons Ryan, 9, Sam, 6, and Lachlan, 3, Crystal Marshman was taking pregnancy with MCDA (identical) twins in her stride when she went for a routine ultrasound at 22 weeks pregnant and was told her babies had severe twin to twin transfusion syndrome, which meant they were sharing big blood vessels in the placenta. “Theirs is what’s called a donor twin and a recipient twin,” explains Crystal. “Isaac, our donor, was giving all of his fluid and blood and nutrients to Jacob, the recipient. It’s a double-edged sword – Isaac’s giving everything away so he’s not growing and struggling to live, while Jacob is overloaded with fluid and blood, which can cause heart failure.” The couple flew to Sydney, where they spent five long weeks – with Josh sleeping on the floor of Crystal’s hospital room – as she underwent treatment that included a surgical laser intervention to split the placenta and save the boys’ lives. While successful, Crystal still needed constant monitoring, so she was sent
to Canberra Hospital. While closer than Sydney, it was still three hours from their Wagga Wagga home, so they welcomed the opportunity to stay at Ronald McDonald House Canberra. Crystal’s pregnancy progressed far longer than originally anticipated, but the boys were born early at 31 weeks and one day, Jacob weighing 1590g and Isaac just 1100g. Despite having a congenital heart problem, Jacob has progressed well. “He has some vision loss but we’re working with our early intervention team to get him moving along as quickly as possible,” explains Crystal. Isaac also continues to beat the odds, steadily overcoming issues with his undeveloped lungs and a bout of pneumonia. “He’s crawling now,” says Crystal. “He’s on oxygen but he pulls it off every chance he gets.” Throughout their challenging journey, Crystal and husband Josh have been exceedingly thankful for the security and sanctuary of Ronald McDonald House Canberra. “It’s an incredible place,” says
Crystal. “All up we spent around 110 days in hospital. For me and Josh, being away from our sons, our jobs, our friends, our families ... our time at Ronald McDonald House meant we never had to worry about having a bed or food in our bellies. All of our energy could go to other things – to Jacob, to Isaac, to worrying about the three other boys.” Crystal has especially high praise for the House’s volunteers. “They’re amazing, they just know what you need and give it to you,” she said. Crystal also credits the House with allowing her and Josh to meet other mums and dads who are away from their families – something she says has been an incredible support. “I honestly don’t know what we would have done without Ronald McDonald House,” she explains. “Besides the financial practicalities, it allowed us to meet other families who truly understood what we were going through. We shared, and continue to share, so much with them.”
PLEASE DONATE TODAY – IT’S SIMPLE Without your generosity, Ronald McDonald Houses and other vital RMHC programs have to turn away families in their time of greatest need. Please help families just like your own by visiting rmhc.org.au/donate
A+ WEIGHT LOSS
Split Your Workouts To Double The Burn
IN TODAY’S always-on culture of endless emails, board meetings and school runs, the 60-minute workout has become a myth. Let’s face it: despite the lies we tell ourselves, every wellintentioned lunch-hour session is worn away by warm-ups and showers. Honesty, however, is the best policy. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that admitting defeat to your schedule can pave the way to superior weight loss. The research states that by splitting your 60-minute
workout in two, you can burn double the kilojoules while fitting the bite-size half-hour sessions more easily into your day. In other words, a morning 5K and a hill-sprint finisher followed by lunchtime deadlifts will target your paunch more effectively than slogging for a straight hour – or, rather, 40 minutes. This is down to an increasingly wellknown process called excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Your body continues to use oxygen after your workout to help you recover. This requires
No Half Measures
Mix up your morning cardio to find more interesting ways than running to burn kilojoules in 30 minutes
BOULDERING ROWING
energy, so you keep burning up to 15 per cent extra kJs long after you leave the changing room. The kilojoule burn that you get from EPOC after a single session is finite, however. The scientific advice to split your session in two not only offers you a smart way to circumnavigate your schedule, but will also speed your weightloss progress by doubling the amount of time you spend with the afterburners engaged. So, give yourself a break. When it comes to shedding belly fat, it’s better to do things by halves.
1561 1657
JIU JITSU
1954 2046
CYCLING SKIPPING
2339 KJS
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DIVIDE YOUR SESSIONS IN TWO TO INCINERATE TWICE THE KILOJOULES.
WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON; PHOTOGRAPHY: ARTWORK: PETER CROWTHER
Admit you don’t have time to sweat it out for an hour – and hack your way to all-day fat loss
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A+ HEALTH
MISERABLE? HERE’S WHY Allergy symptoms take many forms – even some we didn’t know about BY RICHARD LALIBERTE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEVI BROWN
HEADACHES, ITCHY EYES, drippy nose? Sure, blame allergies. But allergic reactions may be behind another half dozen or more reasons you feel like hell. “I see people all the time who have symptoms they don’t know are allergy-related,” says immunologist Dr Janna Tuck. Men, especially, tend to brush off allergies as the source of their problems – and as a result, their symptoms can keep them guessing for years. Unfortunately, a dramatic rise in pollen counts likely due to climate change – 42 per cent from 1994-2010, say the lab coats at Rutgers – means your suffering will be more intense and last longer than ever before. Here are eight problems that you can easily solve with simple, appropriate remedies.
DUST TO DUST: SPRING’S POLLEN PROTEINS CAN BRING A MAN DOWN.
November 2018
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A+ HEALTH
ITCHY EARS, MOUTH OR THROAT You might not even notice the itch at first, but you’ll subconsciously make a soft clicking sound by lifting your tongue and using it to scratch your soft palate. “It drives family and coworkers crazy,” Tuck says. W H Y I T’ S A L L E R G I E S If you’re allergic to pollen proteins from plants like birch or ragweed, you might react to similar proteins found in produce. (For an applesto-zucchini list of potentially ticklish foods, go to aaaai.org and search “oral allergy syndrome”.) With this mild variation of a food allergy, nasal and throat passages get riled up upon contact with cross-reacting allergens. The contact allergy may also exacerbate run-of-the-mill seasonal allergy symptoms, such as sneezing. YOU R PL A N Note when the itching occurs to learn if certain foods might be triggering a reaction, and then avoid them in the raw. You may not have to give them up entirely, because cooking destroys allergen proteins. So if you’re a fan of apples, you’ll be fine with apple sauce. Sometimes you can prevent itch just by removing the peel, where cross-reactive allergens tend to concentrate.
FEVER PITCH
NOSE BLEED
FATIGUE You feel exhausted during the day even though your sleep habits haven’t changed a jot. WHY IT’S A LLE RG I E S Allergies prompt your body to release chemicals that trigger inflammation. This alone can wear you out. But these so-called inflammatory mediators also pump up mucus production, causing congestion that can impair breathing and stifle sleep. “It’s functionally like having obstructive sleep apnea,” says allergist and immunologist Dr Andrew Murphy. YO U R PL A N Use a corticosteroid nasal spray (see the next page for options). It acts at the site and may ease inflammation better than an antihistamine will. If you pop an antihistamine instead, pick a non-sedating secondgeneration one. First-generation antihistamines, like ChlorTrimeton, can cause daytime fatigue even when taken at night. “There’s a hangover effect from these first-generation meds, which are long-lasting,” Murphy says. “You’ll think you feel fine the next day, but neurocognitive testing would show that your brain is not at full power.” An unacceptable state of affairs.
This one isn’t so mysterious. Inflammation from the allergy, the use of allergy meds (decongestants, nasal steroid sprays, antihistamines) and the sneezing can sometimes lead to blood-tinged snot or nose bleeds. WHY IT’S ALLERGIES Inflammation, sneezing and blowing make your nose raw, and medications can dry it out, causing tissue in your nostrils to crack and expose blood vessels. Don’t pick your nose. “People manipulate an uncomfortable nose with their fingers, and that can damage dry tissue,” says Dr Beth Corn, an associate professor of medicine at Mt. Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York. YO U R PL A N Apply pressure to your nose for up to 20 minutes while tilting your head forward. For a longterm solution, ask your doctor about nasal steroids. Their inflammation-relieving effects can prevent nose bleeds, although steroids occasionally cause bleeds in some people. You can also keep your nose moist by swabbing it gently with saline nasal gel at night. In rare cases, a nose bleed can be a sign of a disease, so if it lasts longer than 20 minutes, seek medical attention.
BE AWARE: ALLERGIC RHINITIS (HAY FEVER) IS ON THE RISE
% 1 . 17
15-44 Peak age range for hay fever symptoms among Australian men.
1.6 DAYS
More than 1600 plant species are blooming up to this much earlier each year due to global warming. Nature
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
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You’ve ignored your congestion for at least two or three days and notice that your hearing is a bit muffled and/or you can’t smell very well – and therefore can’t taste food. W H Y I T’ S A L L E R G I E S Congestion can put pressure on the middle ear or cause fluid to accumulate in it. Your middle ear connects with the back of your throat, and the fluid build-up makes it harder for your eardrum to transmit sound. Meanwhile, nasal swelling and mucus build-up can block the olfactory sensors in your nose, impairing your smell power. It’s also possible you have nasal polyps; these soft growths result from chronic inflammation. YOU R PL A N Treat your allergy with a nasal steroid spray or antihistamine. Try a decongestant to relieve stuffiness (unless you have high blood pressure, which decongestants can worsen). Don’t use a topical nasal decongestant for longer than two days or you may risk a rebound effect. Your doc can prescribe an oral steroid (like prednisone) to shrink polyps, but in some cases they must be surgically removed.
320% Projected rise in pollen count from ragweed, compared to pre-industrial times, if current levels of carbon dioxide omissions go unchecked. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology
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Australians who report hay fever symptoms, up from 10.3 per cent in 1990.
The pollen season of ragweed (common in Australia) goes for this many days longer than it used to.
Australian Bureau of Statistics
National Academy of Sciences
menshealth.com.au
LOSS OF TASTE, SMELL OR HEARING
0.8C
Rise in average global temp. since 1918 blamed for soaring pollen count. United Nations
SWOLLEN EYELIDS Your face is puffy, especially around the eyes. You might also notice under-the-skin swelling around your lips. W H Y I T’ S A L L E R G I E S A histamine-triggered inflammatory response boosts blood flow, and the extra fluid can make skin puffy. The inflammation also makes nasal passages swell. “You actually have erectile tissue in your nose,” Tuck says. Then, swelling and congestion obstruct your circulation so blood pools in your eyelids. YO U R PL A N Here’s a low-tech but effective remedy: the cold compress. Soak a washcloth in cold water and place it over your closed eyes for about 20 minutes to help shrink blood vessels. But do it while you’re standing up, not lying down, so gravity can help drain blood from around your eyes. To treat the underlying allergy, you have a couple of options – nasal steroid sprays and over-the-counter antihistamine eyedrops (see right), which block histamine receptors in your eyes and can have spillover benefits to nearby eyelids.
STOMACH ACHE Your stomach hurts or you vomit or gag often (especially in the morning), and anti-reflux medications don’t seem to help. W H Y I T’ S A L L E R G I E S You normally swallow just under a litre of mucus a day. (Pub trivia fodder!) Add post-nasal drip and you swallow a lot more – enough to cause stomach pain. Some people even vomit to clear the excess. Mornings may be especially bad because your nighttime breathing thickens mucus and your system has more trouble clearing it out. Or you might have something called eosinophilic esophagitis, a reaction to foods or allergens that inflames the esophagus, triggering upper-abdomen pain.
ILLUSTRATIONS: BROWN BIRD DESIGN
PILLS Antihistamine pills are a starting point. “If your symptoms are mild and intermittent, then antihistamines (Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec) work pretty well, particularly for sneezing, itching and runny nose,” says Dr William Reisacher, director of allergy services at Weill Cornell Medicine. However, these meds tend to lose their effectiveness over time, so don’t use them consistently for longer than two months. When people stay on antihistamines too long, their symptoms can rebound.
NASAL SPRAY If your symptoms linger or are severe, try nasal spray. Antihistamine sprays beat the pill version. Corticosteroid nasal sprays curb inflammation. Or go double duty: “The most effective single med is a combination of an antihistamine and a topical steroid in a nasal spray,” says Dr Harold Nelson. It’s available by prescription and is sold under the brand name Dymista.
EYEDROPS
You might have a headache, but more likely you feel pressure or fullness in your nasal passages.
You have a toothache in your upper molars – pain, a throbbing sensation or sensitivity to cold – but you got a clean bill of tooth health at your last check-up.
W H Y I T’ S A L L E R G I E S Pressure from congestion creates discomfort that can register as tenderness. If you get allergyrelated migraines or haven’t slept well, congestion can worsen an existing headache and seem to concentrate it in the sinuses.
W H Y I T’ S A L L E R G I E S Congestion in the maxillary sinuses, which sit right on top of your upper teeth, could be putting pressure on the underlying choppers’ nerve roots.
YO U R PL A N Use a nasal steroid spray to ease inflammation, but consider adding an oral antihistamine. “The two drugs work differently, so it’s okay to take them together,” Murphy says. To flush mucus and help relieve congestion, use nasal saline. If pain persists, check with your doctor to ensure you don’t have a sinus infection or a deviated septum.
KNOCK YOUR SYMPTOMS OUT BEFORE THEY DRAG YOU DOWN
YO U R PL A N Nasal steroids or antihistamines can subdue your allergic response so you produce less mucus. Another option: saline nasal sprays or washes. These nonmedicine saltwater products help thin the mucus so it’s more easily cleared out. If you need more help, oral decongestants can offer additional short-term relief.
SENSITIVE TEETH TENDER SINUSES
TODAY’S BEST ALLERGY TREATMENTS
YO U R PL A N Anti-inflammatory nasal steroid sprays should relieve tooth pain by clearing up pressure from the allergy. But it could be something else. “Inflamed nasal cavities are a great breeding ground for bacteria, so you can get superimposed sinus infections,” Corn says. A toothache can be a sign your allergy has progressed to something requiring an antibiotic. See your dentist.
If your eyes are unbearably itchy, consider antihistamine eyedrops. You can buy OTC versions (which are applied twice daily) or your eye doctor can prescribe a once-a-day version. “Often I recommend that people start a week or two before the allergy exposure is expected, and continue throughout the allergy season until after the season ends,” says Lorne Yudcovitch, of the Pacific University College of Optometry.
IMMUNOTHERAPY If your allergies are bad, immunotherapy might help. An allergist does blood or skin-prick testing to determine your allergy triggers; then a formula that contains tiny doses of your allergens is placed under your tongue or injected. “Immunotherapy is a way of making you less allergic to the agent you’re sensitive to,” says Dr Eli Meltzer, of the Allergy & Asthma Medical Group and Research Center in San Diego.
November 2018 39
A+ NUTRITION
COLLISION COURSES Whether to front-load or back-load your daily bread is an argument as old as time. We serve up the nutritional stats on which plate to make your focus of the day
BREAKFAST
DINNER
VS
3765KJ
1000g
You can trick yourself into cutting kilojoules by this much throughout the day by timing your eggs immediately after a morning training session
The amount of fat you can burn in two weeks, while also supporting post-workout muscle growth, all by tucking into a hearty evening meal University of Munich
University of Scranton
DON’T SKIP IT
Ditching breakfast for a lie-in lowers your stocks of the reward chemical dopamine, making an afternoon sugar binge more likely
Forgoing dinner to cut your kilojoule intake causes a rise in cortisol, not only slowing your metabolism but also disrupting your sleep
University of Missouri
TODAY’S SPECIAL
! #YolkPorn
Lowers stroke
Curbs hunger
Eggs
Steak
WEIGHTING GAME
Stacking 2930kJ in the morning and limiting your dinners to 830kJ helps you lose 2.5 times more weight than doing the reverse
Creatine boost
Healthy fats
Mouth-watering
Make dinner your largest meal and you’ll find it easier to maintain muscle while dieting, resulting in a better overall body composition
Obesity
Journal of Nutrition
WORST CULPRITS
Diabetes risk
Not filling
Energy crash
Sugary cereal
Microwave curry
Energy bomb Blood pressure spike
Packaging
ENDORSEMENTS “After I’ve smashed a HIIT session first thing, it’s important I refuel my body correctly with a proper breakfast”
“Fasting between 10PM and 2PM the next day has kept me in truly great shape for the past five years” Joe Wicks
Terry Crews
THE MH VERDICT: BREAKFAST WINS! The old adage rings true. While porridge can’t compete with T-bone for taste, the importance of breakfasting like a king to maintain a healthy weight and set the tone for beneficial decisions throughout the day is incontrovertible. It pays to be a morning person, whichever way you slice it. 40
menshealth.com.au
WORDS: ED COOPER; PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT HEARST STUDIOS; FOOD STYLIST: MATTHEW FORD AT HERS AGENCY
Psychosomatic Medicine
A+ SEX
Ace The Date 2
Troubleshoot the Movie Date
The second date is tricky. Make these moves to stop a potential blockbuster sequel from bombing THE RISK You rehash the plot Good sequels (Die Hard 2, The Godfather: Part II) keep the same cast but change up the location. Follow suit: if your first date was coffee or a beer, do the unexpected next time – hit a retro arcade, climbing wall or go-kart track. Think hands-on and competitive: “The trick is to add a stimulus that can help you build a bond and add sexual tension,” says dating counselor Tracy Thomas.
THE RISK You flip the script too far A lesson from Speed 2: don’t give her Jason Patric when she’s expecting Keanu. Instead, pull a Kill Bill and split the date in two. Do something active then add a mellow “part two”. Slowing down offers room for intimacy, Thomas says.
THE RISK The dialogue stinks Think of second dates as character development. Thomas suggests asking openended questions, using “most, best, worst” superlatives. (“Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met?”) That gives you a chance to move beyond first-date quizzing. Reciprocate and watch the plot thicken.
THE RISK You end with a cliffhanger You don’t want any uncertainty about a part three to linger. If you fail to make your intentions clear by the end of date two, you risk being friendzoned, Thomas says. “You can’t go home without conveying some kind of commitment.” It’s easy: plan the third date together as the second wraps. “The gig was great. Next time, the beach!” She’ll have input and it’ll be clear you want to see her again.
Anyone who’s seen Blue Valentine on a date knows the wrong film can kill the mood. This month, match your relationship status with the movie
LESS THAN 1 MONTH BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Mr. Robot’s Remi Malek is Freddie Mercury in this uplifting biopic of Queen. Soaring anthems invite fuzzy feelings for easy intimacy. Nov 1
MONTHS 2 TO 12 FIRST MAN
Ryan Gosling is Neil Armstrong in this biopic directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land). In the honeymoon stage you guys are still shooting for the stars. Oct 11
1 YEAR OR MORE HALLOWEEN
Jamie Lee Curtis returns for the inal confrontation with Michael Myers in the sequel to the horror classic. After a year a good fright could help shake you out of complacency. Oct 28
The classy one-and-done Sometimes, like with The Revenant, once is enough. In the morning, be a gentleman: offer her coffee and breakfast, says relationship expert Christie Hartman. She may say no. But she’ll feel more comfortable. Men’s Health Twitter poll of men:
What’s the best strategy after a 1-night stand? Politely part ways ASAP
36%
Make her breakfast
18% BUILD THE PLOT TOWARD A THRILLING CLIMAX.
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Take her to breakfast
21%
Offer her coffee or OJ
25%
SMOOTH TO GO
IF THE PRESSURE OF ONGOING HAIR REMOVAL GIVES YOU COMMITMENT ISSUES, MAKE A DATE WITH LASER CLINICS AUSTRALIA AND DITCH THE MAINTENANCE
HAIR TODAY Fact: Men have hair. Everywhere. But that doesn’t mean you like it all. Sure, there are ways to get rid of it, like shaving or waxing — and if that’s how you roll, you know it can be a rip-off in every sense of the word. And let’s face it, you can get caught short if it’s been a while between manscaping sessions. So why not look at a long-term solution to body hair that gets rid of it once and for all?
GONE TOMORROW Laser treatment for hair removal means fast, reliable permanent hair reduction. Laser Clinics Australia offers laser hair removal for men and women on every area of the body. Experienced therapists use medical grade Candela GentleLASE Pro and GentleYAG Pro, the world’s most efficient hair-reduction system for smooth skin all year round.
SCULPT YOUR LOOK If there’s a particular area you want to focus on, laser sculpting can streamline your look. BEARD SCULPTING Get a more defined beard line with laser. Save yourself time (and dodge razor slip-ups) in the mornings.
*T&Cs apply. Ask in-store or visit laserclinics.com.au
Q
NECK AND SHOULDER SCULPTING If you have a long neckline or shoulder fuzz, laser can help create definition and a tidy edge between the two.
Q
DIDYOUKNOW.. 6-10 TREATMENTS WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT HAIR REDUCTION Depending on the density and thickness of your hair, you may need as few as six treatments to drastically reduce hair growth.
HAIR LASER OFFER For a limited time only, book your full back laser hair removal treatment with Laser Clinics Australia for just $49 – usually $169*.
BE SUMMER READY IN A FLASH Don’t stress about ingrown hairs, stubble and dense overgrowth when you get the beach call up. You’ll be smooth and ready to soak up some sun. STOP THE SELF DOUBT So you were born with more than your fair share of hair. Laser hair removal can help you feel confident that nobody will ever know you had hair where you didn’t want it to grow.
BOOK IN AT LASERCLINICS.COM.AU
A+ NUTRITION
Brighten up your eating plan with the trending cuisine that fuses flavour and bountiful nutrition. Let’s go, maan
Island Treasures Healthy eating can be stressful. But, rather than agonise over counting macros and kilojoules this summer, we recommend a more laid-back approach: letting the Caribbean’s unique combination of unsung ingredients and punchy flavours feed you some very spicy health benefits. Here, we embrace the good vibes of nutritious eating with Hasan Defour, executive chef at the fast-paced Caribbean joint Baygo. Turn up the heat.
A GOAT This lean red meat is the ideal muscle fuel. High in protein, it has more than double the iron found in chicken, promoting healthy blood flow, plus the B vits will boost performance and endurance. Goat hard or go home.
A SCOTCH BONNETS Fiery heat helps extinguish the pain of DOMS. The red-hot active ingredient capsaicin, which makes this pepper register a scorching 400,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, inhibits the neuropeptides that cause pain and inflammation post-workout.
C JACKFRUIT Appropriated by vegans for its similarity to pulled pork when marinated and cooked, jackfruit contains a high dose of magnesium, which is delicious news for stressedout insomniacs. This mineral has been shown to improve sleep quality.
D PLANTAINS No, they’re not just big bananas. Well, not exactly. Lower in sugar, with a hefty hit of vitamins A and C, this fruit protects your immune system from the effects of a tough workout, so you can lift heavy and not be laid low by illness.
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Power Jerk Though the Caribbean is renowned for its sunny, carefree atmosphere, its jerk marinade is a serious matter. For authentic flavour, and to reap the health- and metabolism-boosting boons of its spice, follow Defour’s plan. Blend together two tablespoons each of thyme, soy sauce and cinnamon, a tablespoon each of brown sugar and allspice, plus two scotch bonnets, six garlic cloves and 180ml of fresh lime juice. The powerful motor of the Smeg 50s style blender ($199, harveynorman.com.au) will leave you with a thick paste in just 60 seconds. Pastes penetrate the meat deeper than rubs, and you can store yours in a glass container for up to a month. Avoid marinating in metal dishes – the material can react chemically with the paste’s acids, causing a change in flavour. Which would be a bloody shame. Leave your meats to marinate for 24 hours to enjoy the full punch of spice. If you have the willpower to wait, that is.
Wah Gwan With your shopping list updated and marinade prepped, it’s time to don your Tommy Bahama shirt and hit the kitchen. Uncover Baygo’s secret to creating healthful Caribbean cuisine – and reap its piquant nutritional payload – with these recipes from Defour. They go particularly well with a rum cocktail, by the way.
A
NO PAIN, NO GAIN CAPSAICIN MAY GIVE CHILLI ITS HEAT, BUT IT’S ALSO BRIMMING WITH HEALING PROPERTIES
LEAN APPETITE Reverse the negative health effects of being overweight with burning heat. Capsaicin is a potent appetite suppressant, which will help you avoid overeating. (British Journal of Nutrition)
B
MUSCLE IN A HURRY GOAT CURRY
RECOVERY JERK BURGER & CHIPS
SERVES 4 • Goat meat, 500g • Medium-spiced curry powder, 50g • Coconut milk, 450ml • Mango chutney, 30g • Jerk paste, 4tbsp • Water, 1.8L • Potatoes, 250g, diced • Carrots, 125g, diced • Cornstarch, 10g • Gungo peas, 300g, drained • Basmati rice, 400g
SERVES 4 • Chicken thighs, 4 • Jerk paste, 3tbsp • A large sweet potato, sliced into chips • Olive oil, 1tbsp • Smoked paprika, 1tsp • Carrots, 50g, sliced • Red cabbage, 50g, sliced Watercress 10g • Watercress, • A fresh lime • Brioche buns, 4, toasted
METHOD Rub 40g of the curry powder into the protein-rich meat and sear in a large pan. Once caramelised, add the chutney, jerk paste, 150ml of the coconut milk and 1.2L of the water. Reduce and allow to simmer on a low heat for two hours. Add the potatoes and carrots, then the thickening cornstarch after 20 minutes. Separately, boil the remaining milk, water and powder with the peas, then add the rice and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Now, plate up and devour.
METHOD Lay out the chicken thighs and score the skin before rubbing in the paste. Leave them to marinate for an hour, or up to 24 hours for properly punchy flavour. Blast in the oven for 40 minutes on 200ºC. Next, cover the chips in the oil and paprika, baking at the same temp for 40 minutes, flipping at 20. To serve, toss the raw veg in the lime juice before piling, along with the chicken, into the buns.
SAFE PROSTATE Research has found that the ingredient ts actively target r prostate cancer ting cells, restrict (or even heir eliminating) th fth. growth by a fif (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)
PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISE PARRY
STEEL HEART id Capsaicinoids block the action of a gene that causes blood vessels to constrict, lowering blood pressure and easing your heart’s workload. (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
C
D
LATE-NIGHT JACKFRUIT WRAP
PLANTAIN POWER-UP ENERGY BALLS
SERVES 4 • A jackfruit • Jerk paste, 4tbsp • Roti wraps, 4 • Kale, 150g • Carrots, 150g, sliced • Red cabbage, 150g, sliced • Watercress, 50g • Mango, 150g, diced • Pineapple, 150g, diced
SERVES 4 • Plantains, 330g, pp chopped • Sweet potatoes, 650g, chopped • Coconut oil, 2tsp • Honey, 2tbsp • Kosher salt, 1tsp • Toasted coconut shavings, 4tbsp
METHOD Cut and core the jackfruit before slathering in jerk paste and covering with foil on a baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes at 200ºC; remove the foil and cook for a further 20. Shred the cooked jackfruit and leave to cool. Place all the other fruit & veg into a large bowl and toss in the juice of the limes to create a raw slaw. Serve with the jackfruit in warm roti wrap.
METHOD Heat your oven to 175ºC. Place the plantains and potatoes on a baking tray lined with foil, drizzle with the oil and toss to combine. Roast for 10 minutes, flipping at 5. Set aside. When cold, pulse them in a blender with the honey and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shaping the mix into 12 balls, roll them in the coconut and pack into your Tupperware.
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A+ TACTICS
You Got This! Choking under stress can derail a game, a date, a workout – even a career. But preventing it involves the same thing that got you into this pressure-filled situation: prep BY RON GERACI
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BLOWING THE JOB-INTERVIEW answer you had down pat. Missing that gimme putt to lose the charity tournament. Letting her leave with those words still in your throat. A choke can alter your life and change how you see yourself in small or pivotal ways. Psychologist Sian Beilock remembers her biggest mental collapse. She was a gifted soccer player with Olympic aspirations until one game when she was goalkeeping for California State. “I was playing well until I realised the national coach was standing behind me, and then I had one of the worst games of my life,” she recalls. “I was so frustrated, I never recovered. It took me out of soccer at the highest level.”
The experience also nudged her to become one of the leading researchers of the phenomenon at the University of Chicago and inspired her to write Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To. Since researchers first began looking at choking in the 1980s, the most commonly accepted culprit has been “thinking too much”— coping with anxiety by obsessing over body movement in an attempt to be flawless. It’s termed “explicit monitoring,” and cognitive and neuroscience have since proved that this tendency does indeed interfere with the brain processes that fluidly glide you through well-learned tasks. “If you’re shuffling down the stairs
and I ask you to think about what’s happening with your knee, there’s a good chance you’ll fall on your face,” says Beilock. In recent years, however, more researchers have begun pointing to another cognitive quirk as a more frequent cause of choking – namely, anxiety and fear of failure, which distract your mind and take critical brain resources (especially working memory) away from the task at hand. It’s thinking too little, in a sense. Broadly speaking, both explicitmonitoring chokers and distraction chokers suffer similar brain breakdowns. Simplified somewhat, thinking too much and thinking too little both strangle your brain’s ability to tap ingrained motor-control skills. In effect, you revert to a bumbling rookie. Though noting the differences in these two choking mechanisms may seem like splitting neural hairs, they matter when it comes to potential fixes. Most common anti-choking strategies are designed to intentionally sidetrack explicit-monitor chokers, such as humming or focusing on a neutral object. But these tips can actually be harmful to distraction chokers and make it even harder for them to perform under stress. Although different people have different choking vulnerabilities and triggers, the following strategies tend to work for both types of chokers in adrenaline-soaked moments: Forget about being clutch. “The idea of clutch performance is a myth,” says performance psychologist Rob Gray. Many guys think they can consciously “get serious” in a stressful situation or marshall their strengths to perform better than usual. It’s false. You can’t raise your game under pressure; the best you can reliably do is deliver your typical performance. If you haven’t rehearsed your pitch until it flows, or practised a kick serve enough to make it 19 out of 20 times, expect to be mediocre or worse when it counts. “Great athletes do the same thing under pressure that they do in other situations, not something radically different,” he adds. Audition with an audience. “Practise under the conditions you’re going to perform in,” says Beilock. This usually means having an audience of people who will be honest and whose opinion you value. This could mean
asking a neutral coworker or your barrister brother-in-law to critique your practice pitch. If that’s difficult to recreate, try videoing yourself. “Chokers hate to be watched,” says Denise Hill, a sport and exercise psychologist. Rehearsing in front of an audience can help inoculate against that fear. The same goes for time pressure. Set a buzzer when practising any timed task or exam. Rehearse variation. Monotonously doing drills like sinking free throws invites choking. “In most sports, performance conditions are always changing,” says Gray. “The key is to add variability into practice.” This means changing angles and pace, performing tasks at different levels of fatigue, asking your test audience to react differently to your pitch, etc. “At the driving range, I’ll pretend I’m playing nine or 18 holes,” says Paul Sullivan, author of Clutch: Excel Under Pressure. “I’m not just hitting the same shot again and again.” Develop a pre-routine. Whether it’s bouncing the ball three times at the foul line, adjusting your feet in a certain way over a putt or doing power poses in the mirror, come up with a pre-routine. Pair it with trigger words that keep you calm and focused on a task or a positive sensation. (“Loose hands” . . . “Make these three clear points” and so on.) Feeling out of control is a key contributor to choking, says Hill. Trigger words in practice and games help maintain this sense of calm.
MIND GAMES
Let It Go Making a habit of going to bed angry can ruin not only your next day but also the foreseeable future. People whose negative emotional responses to stress carry over to the following day are more likely to report health problems and physical limitations ten years later compared with peers who are able to “let it go”, reveals new research from UC Irvine and Penn State. Before you go to bed, write down any negative feelings you have and try to settle lingering beefs.
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Percentage reduction in perceived stress after doing 30-minute group workouts once a week for three months. Training solo did not yield the same benefits. SOURCE: The Journal of the American
Osteopathic Association
Make a fist. Use your left hand and hold it for 30 seconds. Or squeeze a ball. This activates the right-brain hemisphere, which directs visual-spatial processing and, in turn, supresses the left hemisphere, which governs verbal and analytic processing. German researchers found it prevented choking in soccer players and tae kwon do experts in an experimental setting. Have “quiet eye”. Focus intensely on the target, or the absolute centre of the audience. “Skilled performers keep their eyes still right before they start moving,” says Gray. “For example, good golfers look at the ball longer and good freethrow shooters look at the rim longer. We call this quiet eye because you’re
quieting everything down and focusing on one thing.” Hum a song (but only if you’re an explicit-monitor choker). If the fateful act would be insultingly easy – say, knocking in a hanging snooker shot – if only your manhood weren’t riding on it, try humming a song as you focus in. Secondary-task distraction is worth a try if you know you start overfocusing on body control during quiet eye. Most sports chokers are likely in the distraction camp, so their minds are screaming about the horrors of failure, not their pinkie angle. If you’re not certain that you’re an explicit monitor, lasering in on the hole is probably a wiser strategy than humming Back in Black.
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A+ TRAVEL
WIN CITY Want to survive a boys’ weekend in Vegas with your dough and dignity intact? MH’s David Ashford ditched blackjack and showgirls for athletic excess on a 72-hour sporting binge
FRIDAY 15:30 SPEEDVEGAS Track With time scarce, I need to shake off my jet lag fast. At 225km/h to be precise, in a canary yellow Ferrari 258 Italia that somehow manages to stick to the bitumen as my calmly sadistic driver, Tony, repeatedly takes us to the brink of disaster on turn after hair-raising turn. Tony had told me to give him a thumbs up or down and he’d adjust his speed accordingly. With the needle nudging the limit thumbs up certainly isn’t the sane option but I boldly resist the urge to slow him down. Afterwards, Tony is mildly impressed that I didn’t “scream like this big bodybuilder guy we had in last week” but assures me the car had more in it if I’d requested it. A rev-head’s paradise, SpeedVegas is stocked with a range of sleek car porn you can take for a spin around the circuit. I thought I’d be better off in the safe hands of a guy who once went around it 250 times in a day. Maybe that was a mistake.
GETTING THERE United Airlines flies to Vegas via LA and San Francisco from most Australian capitals. united.com
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FRIDAY 19:00 Vegas Golden Knights V Ottawa Senators, T-Mobile Arena Officially jetlag-free I head to the gleaming copper colosseum that is the T-Mobile Arena, just off the Strip. It’s home to Vegas’ newest and brightest sporting franchise, the Golden Knights. A scorched city in the middle of the Nevada desert and an ice hockey team seem an unlikely marriage but with the Golden Knights sitting proudly on top of their division in their first season in the NHL, the locals have clearly fallen for them. VGK apparel is everywhere in the fan-friendly precinct alongside the arena. Vegas is already proving a popular destination for fans of visiting teams and tonight the crowd
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is full of Canadians escaping the late winter chill. The Ottawa Senators shock the hosts in a 5-4 thriller but the locals, perhaps happy just to have a team, don’t seem too disappointed. In 2020 they’ll get their own NFL team when the Raiders relocate here. SATURDAY 11:00 - Rugby Sevens, Sam Boyd Stadium Next, I’m off to watch an even more unlikely contest. Rugby Sevens has hit town and the Las Vegas version has been getting bigger every year. Unfortunately, the weather is also in rare form with a bitingly cold wind cutting across Sam Boyd stadium. Our flapping hospitality marquee is perched tantalisingly close to the goal line. Punters warm up with extra spicy Bloody Marys that splatter Tarantinolike as the frequent conversions bomb
the tent’s less attentive spectators. As the temperature heats up so do the matches. Kenya shock Fiji, the Aussies brush aside Samoa and the US show why they’re the team everyone is talking about, especially superstar Perry Baker. Imagine if you gave Usain Bolt a rugby ball. The Americans around me watching the sport for the first time love it, especially when the hosts go on to win the tournament. SATURDAY 20:00 - UFC 222, T-Mobile Arena It’s fight night in Vegas and I’m about to get my first taste of UFC. It’s back to the T-Mobile Arena where they’ve somehow managed to thaw out the ice and insert an octagon in less than 24 hours. From my bird’s-eye view the octagon seems surprisingly large. You get a sense of the ground fighters cover
WHERE TO EAT Fleur at Mandalay Bay Prepare for outstanding international sport with small plates of outstanding international cuisine prepared by Master Chef Hubert Keller. mandalaybay.com
Beerhaus at The Park Right next to the arena and the perfect place to get into hardcore Hockey-fan mode for the game. theparkvegas.com
Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Enjoy an outdoor breakfast alongside the Eiffel Tower, watching the Las Vegas Boulevard crowds go by, feeling just a little Parisian. caesars.com The Kitchen at Atomic Liquors Located in the hip, newly revitalised Downtown area of Vegas, this gem has a unique New American menu and is a standout in the Vegas craft beer scene. atomic.vegas Sushi Roku A colourful, modern menu of Asian cuisine in an uber-stylish setting that looks straight down the barrel of the Strip. innovativedining.com
Jaleo at The Cosmopolitan For an authentic Spanish experience it’s hard to beat a paella cooked on an open-fire wood grill, one of only three in the world. jaleo.com
and, even though they’re tiny specs from up here, every shuddering blow rings through the air. This being Vegas I take up my driver’s tip to “have a few dollars on the skinny white kid with the bird wings tattoos” and cash in as the impressive Sean O’Malley springs an upset. SUNDAY 09:00 - NASCAR I step out of a helicopter feeling like a rock star and enter the mysterious world of NASCAR. Most of my knowledge comes from watching Cars and Cars 2 with the kids. Today is the day when great swathes of the Mid West come to town, with close to 100,000 devotees visiting over the course of the weekend. As the drivers are announced an almighty boo greets Vegas local Kyle Busch. When I ask a fellow punter
why he explains that 95 per cent of spectators aren’t from Vegas and therefore hate him. As the drivers begin circling in formation amid a deafening roar, foam ear plugs are applied and the packed crowd wave their yellow towels. Then something happens that I hadn’t prepared for. Rather than running back and forth with armfuls of beer and fried chicken for a big redneck party, the crowd is actually here to watch the race. With the noise making conversation difficult, everyone is absorbed in the action. The track appears beneath me like a giant Scalextric starter pack spread across the Nevada landscape. There are no injuries or serious crashes but later my taxi driver tells me it was “the worst goddam NASCAR race” he’d ever seen for that very reason.
SUNDAY 18:30 - Topgolf With my ears still ringing I head for the relative calm of Topgolf. Vegas does everything bigger and better and I’m on the mother of all driving ranges. Balls with sensors are struck across a neon-lit target range. The vibe is more bowling alley than golf course and players of every level pack the four tiers. The higher up you go the pricier it gets. By the top level you’re into Sheiks and celebrities territory and your booth comes with an infinity pool and a butler. I am quietly told JT and Samuel L Jackson are regulars up here. As I watch my ball make a satisfying arc through the Vegas night towards its neon target, a smorgasbord of supersized televised sport behind me, it feels like the perfect way to end what has to be one of the best sporting weekends on the planet.
ACTIVITIES Driving experience at SPEEDVEGAS speedvegas.com Vegas Golden Knights fixtures available at nhl.com/goldenknights Vegas Rugby Sevens at Sam Boyd Stadium March 1-3 2019 usasevens.com/las-vegas UFC Fights at T-Mobile Arena t-mobilearena.com/events/ detail/ufc NASCAR’s Pennzoil 400 Race takes place in March and from this year there will be a second Vegas race in September nascar.com Topgolf Las Vegas topgolf.com/us/las-vegas
For additional info go to lasvegas.com
November 2018 49
A+ MUSCLE
WIN THE RACE FOR BIG ARMS Build last-minute muscle with our tips to make your training pay out fast
DOWN
SQUATS, BRO Legs day is not the only way to incinerate fat at speed. Using battle ropes burns through 40kJ per minute – and it builds your arms, too. College of New Jersey
HOLD
STAY ON TARGET Focus your fire: science shows that dumbbell concentration curls beat barbells for bicep activity. Isolate and then concentrate. American Council on Exercise
UP
PERFECT TIMING Fuelling up on protein immediately pre- and post-workout improves your one-rep max more than spacing out your intake across the day. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
UP
HEADS TOGETHER Your biceps each have two “heads” – long and short. Incline curls stimulate maximal growth in both. Lie back, but don’t relax. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
UP
CHIN TO WIN There’s no need for heavy metal if you want to build iron muscle. Activate your biceps with chin-ups. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
UP
MENTAL GYMNASTICS Imagining flexing your arms five times a week translates to a 13.5 per cent strength increase in real life. Jedi mind-trick your muscles. Cleveland Clinic Foundation
DOWN
DEAD DROPS Lowering your weights slowly is as essential for building big arms as lifting them. For the most eicient results, become a control freak. Journal of Applied Physiology
UP
GET A GRIP Work on your grip to target a wider range of forearm muscles. Try a hand gripper, or use fat grips to thicken your bar for deadlifts. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics
DOWN
BI-FOCUS
UP Bonus boosts
HOLD Steady earners
DOWN Spent ideas
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Your upper arms are two-thirds triceps. Take a break from curls and employ triangle push-ups to achieve tighter sleeves. American Council on Exercise
DOWN
CARB CUTTING
DOWN
Use starch to stack. Triple your pasta intake for three days and swell your biceps by 5 per cent. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
Between-set periods of less than a minute result in an acute growth hormone boost – which means less time in the gym and more on the beach. Sports Medicine
BIG BREAKS ILLUSTRATION: INFOMEN
RISERS AND FALLERS
STYLING BY JEFF LACK PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID COLLINS GROOMING BY STEPHEN FOYLE TALENT LIN XIE
@Viviens Models CHRIS NOFFKE @Chic Management
AGA I NST THE ODDS A basic rule when picking your suit for the races: if you’d feel overdressed wearing it to work then you’re on the right track
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STYLE
If you subscribe to Hardy Amies’ famous maxim that a man should look as if he has put on his clothes with care and then promptly forgotten all about them, you may well be sceptical of the statement suit. But with careful planning and precise attention to details, it can pay to be bold. “When wearing strong colours and patterns, having your suit altered to fit is vital,” says James Jee, head of menswear at luxury Brit brand Jaeger. “If you’re going to draw attention, the basics need to be right: trousers that don’t pool at the ankle, sleeves cut to allow your shirt cuffs to show, and so on.”
TOP LEFT
Connolly suit jacket and trousers $810 (matchesfashion.com) Hugo Boss tie $169 Tommy Hilfiger shirt Hugo Boss sunglasses Brixton hat $250 Declic pocket square Bally shoes $895
TOP RIGHT
$1703
$150 $400
Suitsupply suit $639 Calibre shirt $229 Declic tie $129 Rhodes & Beckett pocket square $69.95 Dior frames $530 Bally loafers $775
$89.95
LEFT
Canali suit $2495 Canali shirt $289 Hugo Boss tie $169 Declic pocket square $89.95 November 2018
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Calibre blazer $699 Calibre trousers $279 Calibre shirt $239 Declic tie $129 & pocket square $89.95
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STYLE
The shortcut to a great fitting suit? Start with the shoulders. Your jacket’s shoulders should sit just on the end of the bone in your shoulder. Get that right and any other adjustments to the body of the suit or trousers can be made relatively cheaply. If you have broad shoulders and a big chest, try a suit with a decent lapel width. The extra fabric will draw the eye across the chest, ensuring your head looks in proportion with your body.
TOP LEFT
Farage suit $1299 Farage shirt $229 Declic tie $129 & pocket square $89.95 Brixton hat $250
BOTTOM RIGHT BOTTOM LEFT
Joe Black blazer $495, trousers $230 & waistcoat $200 Paul Smith shirt $299 MJ Bale tie $99.95
Lardini X Harrolds blazer $1390, waistcoat $425 chinos $465 Hugo Boss tie $169 124 shoes $599 Brixton hat $250
November 2018
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“A good chequerwork pattern allows you to inject some personality into your outfit without shouting too loudly,” says Jee. And he’s right, of course. Except what constitutes ‘good’ very much depends on both the wearer and the maker. A tight template of squares “of around 2in” will work for most body shapes, while larger grids flatter few. In fact, “a good suit-maker will pore over the pattern at the design stage because it significantly affects the wearer’s proportions,” says Jee. “A vertical or horizontal stripe that’s too heavy, for instance, will warp your body shape.” When shopping around, look for accurate alignment of the pattern across the lapels, which is a hallmark of quality.
RIGHT AND p54
Paul Smith suit $1299 Hugo Boss shirt $199 MJ Bale tie $99.95 MJ Bale pocket square $49.95 Akubra Bogart hat $220 Preventi X 124 shoes $1259
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As a barber, I’m right there with you. It can be just as nerveracking for us when a new client sits in our chair. We’ve never cut this guy before; we don’t know what he likes, or what he envisions, or the weird things that his hair does when it’s clipped a millimetre too short. To be a better customer – so we can do a better job, so you can leave with the best haircut – you only need to communicate a few simple things.
The Efron The Buzzed Timberlake
ND O WHAT KI
F
ome HandsW ANT
The Hiddlestone
DO YOUBE? TO
The Hemsworth
The Gosling The Peaky Blinders
Don’t Get Your Hair Cut Before Reading This Let a barber help you with your next visit to the chop shop
BY MATT GOULET AND KATE NIVEN
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SAY YOU’RE NEW to town. Or your regular guy has retired. Or you’re travelling and in desperate need of a cut. Or you’re suffering from the kind of malaise that only a straight razor to the back of your neck and the hum of clippers can fix. Whatever the reason, you’re in the market for a new barber. A scary prospect, I know. Finding a place, let alone a guy that understands exactly what you want and can deliver it, is an endeavour fraught with miscommunication.
Walk in ready to talk about your hair – and talk about it effectively For barbers, an overly fussy client is better than an uncertain one, for a simple reason: decisiveness. So please talk to your barber when he asks, “What are we doing for you today?” I understand it can feel weird describing yourself and your hair and how, aesthetically, you’d like that all to turn out. Most of us get a little uneasy thinking, let alone speaking, about the nature of our looks and our hopes and dreams for them. Recognise that barbers are like fingerprints. Or snowflakes. Or penguin mating calls. The point is: we’re unique You can walk into a spot and, because it seems cool online, think you’re going to come out looking like Clooney. But even in that shop, there might be one barber who’s a relative novice, just getting started in the business, while another is a long-serving stylist who cut his teeth in the salon world and may own it with a pair of shears but isn’t necessarily as trustworthy with the clippers. Or you can get a guy who came up in the old-school shops and chops your lettuce like you’ve just been drafted, or he’s a wizard with the clippers but might start sweating when your hair is longer than 10 centimetres. And there is always a barber who can do it all but never developed the people skills and so comes off as disaffected.
GROOMING
Really, show up with a photo If you’ve got a long Hugo Weaving face and pull up a pic of Gatsby era Leo DiCaprio, we’re going to spend 15 minutes politely dancing around the fact that your head and face and hair can’t do the things you want them to. A fruitful source of reference photos is a Google search of pro football players. You saw the World Cup. There are a ton of those guys with all kinds of haircuts. You can find one who’s got a head shape and hair type similar to yours. But the smartest move is to take a selfie when you feel like your own hair is looking its best. We can get you back to that moment.
Communicate your cowlicks If you’ve got a giant whorl hiding under a bunch of heavy hair and we cut it too short, no one is going to be happy. So warn us. Like the grain in wood, your hair tends to grow and fall in a certain direction. As much as you may want to swoop it left, if your hair insists on going right, embrace it. Come see us more often Depending on the length of your haircut, you can usually make it three weeks (for shorter styles) to six weeks (longer styles) before you need to visit me again. The general rule (and sales tactic) is that as soon as you’re not feeling as good as when you left the shop after your last cut, you’re due.
HOW TO SPEAK BARBERESE Because a Caesar cut in Melbourne can vary in length from a Caesar cut in Tamworth. The right terms that work in any shop:
1
2
3
4
GETTING FADED High, mid or low fade: This refers to how high above the ear the shortest part of the fade will extend before graduating in length. The higher the fade, the more severe the transition. Skin fade: The sides of your head start at shaved (the lowest setting on the clippers), with the length increasing as you go up. If you want to start with more length, ask for a guard (see below) and for him to fade up from there.
STOCK UP LIKE A BARBER If you see any of these products at the shop, grab a chair
Alfaparf Milano Style Stories Sea Spray Gives your locks a beach-day texture by separating strands. $25.95, 03 9336 2088
De Lorenzo DMAN Thickening Gel Spray Promotes the appearance of fuller and thicker hair. $23.95, delorenzo. com.au
Hanz De Fuko Quicksand Dry shampoo meets pomade. It leaves hair matte and pliable. $29.95, 1300 764 437
American Crew Fiber Cream For longer hair, this cream smooths down strays and holds flow in place. $26.95, mensbiz.com.au
ON GUARDS The lower the number of the guard, the shorter the hair. One: One-quarter of a centimetre of hair is left on your head – which is down to just that sandpaper feeling. Three: Half a centimtre of hair is left on your head. Usually what the barber will use if you ask for “short, but not too short”.
GENUINE CONNECTIONS
Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Oil Run two drops through toweldried hair before blow-drying to avoid any frizz. $55, mecca.com.au
Philips OneBlade Use it regularly to line up sideburns and clean up around your ears between cuts. $79.95, shavershop.com.au
Baxter of California Pocket Comb Handy for adding a part; use as a guard for trimming sideburns. $26, mensbiz.com.au
Kevin.Murphy Styling.Brush For swept-back styles, use the brush to lift your hair up and back while blow-drying. $49.95, 1800 104 204
Connected (or blended): The length on the sides blends smoothly into the top where your head begins to round off. Disconnected: The sides are faded without blending into the length up top, creating a drastic overhang. If you like to sweep hair to the side or back and have more to play with near the front, ask for just a slight disconnection.
PROTECT YOUR NECK Tapered, natural or faded: All interchangeable ways of saying you want the hair to gradually get shorter down the nape of your neck. Preferred for shorter cuts. Square: Good for longer cuts. The length at your nape is squared off and stays only as short as the rest of the hair on the sides. Rounded: Like a square neck but the corners of the neck line are lopped off for a more traditional, preppy look.
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ENDURING TIME From GMT psi dials to new w moon n-phase plications, watch h aficionados arre always on thee lo kout for thee latest gimmick.. But, for thee seerious player, a c ssic timepiiecee that withstands sea a al shiftss in n taaste will always be the soun ndeest investmentt PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAX OPPENHEIM WORDS BY ALEX DOAK
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JUST AS ALL good wardrobes should contain a navy blazer, white shirt and blue jeans, every watch collection needs at least one trusty component that can be relied upon, no matter the occasion. What might be considered a “classic” in terms of design comes in all shapes, sizes and metals. But the one thing they have in common is distinguished, unfussy dials in polished cases with a crisp, robust feel. Durable build quality is also a must, which means either Switzerland or Japan is your horological port of call. This will drive up the price of the watch, but, in terms of value, it will hold better than showier models – just look at the enduring hammer prices for auction-room heavyweights such as Rolex or Patek Philippe. If you’re in the market for something a little less obvious, however, fear not: the watches leaving the big houses in recent years have never felt quite so enduring. This is our pick of the finest future classics.
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WA T C H E S
DIAL IT IN
“A symmetrical dial will never age,” says jeweller Sandy Madhvani. “But make it a dark, leather strap”
05
01 BIG HITTER The Reverso, an artdeco masterpiece, was born on the polo fields of the British Raj – you might even call it the first sports watch. While the original design protected the glass from stray mallets by allowing the metal case back to be flipped to the front, this update reveals a second dial with a different time zone, plus a handsome strap by Argentine bootmaker Casa Fagliano. Evidence, if needed, that it really is hip to be square. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Large Duoface Small Seconds $13,000
02 PEDIGREE TICKER Watch snobs consider Abraham-Louis Breguet to be the grandaddy of modern horology – and this Classique is proof of why, after nearly three centuries, his house is still king. The extra-trim mechanics and “guilloché” dial – the face’s intricate hand-engraving – all serve to lend it a pared-back charm. With its bona fide classical lineage, this watch will make the perfect partner to your Savile Row best. Breguet Classique 5157 Extra-Thin $24,100
04 BLUE STEEL The Black Bay is the masterstroke behind Tudor’s meteoric renaissance, winning universal plaudits for the brand since its 2012 launch. Its bold yet elegant heritage design is the template for a series of wellexecuted models, including this year’s blue-face 41mm. A lustrous polish and alluring aqua dial make it equally suitable for boardroom or bar. Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41 $3540
05 VINTAGE CLASSIC The Seamaster, one of the watch world’s bona fide classics, celebrated its 70th birthday this year. To mark the occasion, Omega brought out this vintage stunner that nails all the period details from the notched crown to the leaf-style hands in 18k white gold and the distinctive old-school font. An understated beauty. OMEGA Seamaster 1948 Central Seconds $8275
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03 SQUARE ROUTE Making its debut in 1969, the Monaco was the first square, waterresistant automatic chronograph. But its popularity exploded two years later, when Steve McQueen insisted on wearing it during filming for the iconic racing movie Le Mans in 1971 . This re-edition is a faithful tribute to the original, right down to the crown positioned on the left. If it’s good enough for McQueen... TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 $7650
06 EASTERN PROMISE Since 1960, Tokyo’s favourite watchmaker has been crafting timepieces to rival the likes of Rolex and Omega under its high-end marque, Grand Seiko. This special edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of its 9S calibre, with precision Japanese engineering, durability and enduring elegance written into its DNA. It’s already a classic in the making. Grand Seiko Calibre 9S Hi-Beat Special $9100 November 2018 63
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A BESPOKE GUIDE TO BUILDING
SIX PACK
ABS (WHATEVER SHAPE YOU'RE IN) If you want to know what’s really standing between you and your ideal body, look in the mirror. We all fall into bad habits, but it needn’t be so. Let our guide identify your stumbling blocks and build a training plan that works for you 66
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MUSCLE
BY
SCARLETT WRENCH November 2018
67
THE LAPTOP MARTYR Hours bent over your desk will leave you with bad posture and a weak core. You won’t see your abs until you iron out the kinks, says PT David Birtwistle
Boost your mobility to help your abs pop. Lie with your knees bent, a foam roller across your shoulders beneath you and a bar held behind your head. As you push with your legs, push the roller down your back and up again.
FIX IT
THE DIAGNOSIS
Exaggerated Kyphosis BY WHICH WE MEAN
Your shoulders are hunched
Releasing your tight pecs will improve your posture, giving you a flatter stomach. Align the roller with your spine. Lower your hips to stretch your abs. Grab two light dumbbells behind your head for 30 seconds, then arc them around to your hips and hold again.
FIX IT
THE DIAGNOSIS
Scapular Protraction BY WHICH WE MEAN
Your pecs are in knots
Use this to stretch out your abs and hips, shortened by hours at your desk. In a lunge position, with one knee on the floor, tilt your pelvis under and slowly push your hips forward, squeezing your glutes and lifting your arms overhead. Do five slow pulses, breathing out as you push forward.
FIX IT
Hyperlordosis BY WHICH WE MEAN
Tight hips and weak abs
THE WEEKDAY AUTO-BRO
YOUR COR FINISHER Most of us have a default workout. A run, a stretch, a few minutes on the bench… But if you keep doing the same old thing, you’ll go on seeing the same old results. PT Courtney Fearon, AKA “The HIITman”, has drafted a one-week regimen that’s certain to shock your muscles. Run through your usual moves if you want to, but end each session with one of these 20-minute core-sculptors and you can’t go wrong.
Hitting the gym five times a week is of limited use if you’re just going through the motions. Mix things up for noticeable definition
Monday ABS
Tuesday SPRINTS
Wednesday
Thursday
STABILITY
ABS
Friday
Saturday
SPRINTS
STABILITY
KEY
On these days, perform a circuit of tough, targeted moves such as leg raises, oblique twists, abs wheel rollouts and mountain climbers. 68
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Push through intensive intervals with short work periods and long rests to shed extra fat. Use a treadmill, AirDyne bike or SkiErg machine.
Strengthen your deep core on these days with a combination of plank variations, weighted dead bugs, bird dogs and pull-downs.
Sunday REST
PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON LEE; VENUE COURTESY OF NORTHSHOREGYM.COM.AU; ILLUSTRATIONS: ALCONIC
THE DIAGNOSIS
MUSCLE
THE DEVOUT DATA GEEK Those grisly cardio sessions may look good on your Fitbit and Myzone monitors, but by neglecting core strength work, even the leanest of men will struggle to see their abs
HARD-COR CARDI Dedicating a full session to planks and crunches is joyless – especially if you think a workout isn’t worth doing unless you can share it on social. That’s why PT Ollie Marchon created a heart-hammering workout with a stealthy six-pack element. Blast through 1km on a watt bike, then five rounds of these abs moves. In between rounds, “push” a sled for 20 seconds. Finish with another 1km bike sprint. Grit your teeth.
COR METRIC Hitting your six-pack PB is hard without a way to track your progress. Use this chart to keep tabs
TRACK YOUR TIME
B
B
B
15MIN A
ADVANCED
A
A
17.5MIN
1/ MEDICINE BALL TWIST
2/ BUTTERFLY SIT-UP
3/ REVERSE CRUNCH
20 REPS
20 REPS
20 REPS
Hold the ball (or a dumbbell) in front of you with your feet lifted, back straight and belly tucked (A), then twist from side to side (B). Try to keep your feet up until you’re done.
Crunch up from the floor with the soles of your feet together, knees flared to the sides (A). Return to the floor for the next rep (B). This position will help your abs contract more fully, as well as open up your hips.
Lie flat with your hands under your head (A). Contract your abs to pull your knees to your chest, lifting your glutes off the floor (B). Now, go straight into those sled pushes.
STRONG
20MIN AVERAGE
// THE PLANK CHALLENGE Hold to failure in every attempt, and rest for 60 seconds between sets in the weeks when you perform two. Note your progress between weeks 1 and 8
Week 1
Bodyweight (BW) plank
Week 5
15kg plank + BW plank
Week 2
5kg weighted plank
Week 6
15kg plank + 5kg plank
Week 3 10kg plank
Week 7
15kg plank + 10kg plank
Week 4 15kg plank
Week 8
BW plank re-test November 2018 69
THE INSATIABLE ATHLETE It’s an unfair fact of fitness that the harder you work to burn kilojoules, the more desperately you yearn to replace them. Use this guide to get a handle on your hunger and fuel a more impressive midriff
THE RISE’N’ GRIND SHAK “Fasted training is a great way to burn fat,” says nutritionist Matt Hodges, but it can also awaken an appetite like no other. Your hunger hormones spike when your blood sugar drops, so mainlining nothing but whey post-workout could be what’s triggering you to overeat. Instead, try stocking up on glucose with this smoothie, then let your body rebalance for 30-50 minutes before eating.
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 1)
• Pineapple, 100g • A kiwi, chopped • Fresh ginger, grated • Maple syrup, splash • Coconut water, 200ml
METHOD
01 Chop the fruit, leaving the skin on the kiwi for triple the satiating fibre. Grate in the blood sugar-stabilising fresh ginger. 02 Add the syrup – choose maple over golden for an additional source of antioxidants – and the coconut water, then blend, adding extra water to achieve the texture you fancy.
THE RAW POWER-U A busy afternoon may tempt you to train on empty after work, but depleted glycogen will leave you vulnerable to overindulging as soon as you’re back within reach of a fridge. Refuel and subdue your cravings with Hodges’ go-to pre-workout snack: a raw-food take on the classic Oreo cookie. INGREDIENTS (MAKES 8)
For the cookie • Almond flour, 180g • Coconut oil, 60ml • Agave nectar, 3tbsp • Cocoa powder, 30g • Salt, pinch For the cream • Coconut oil, 60ml • Cashew butter, 60g • Agave nectar, 3tbsp • Coconut milk, 60ml • Vanilla extract, ¼tsp 70
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METHOD
01 Blend the cookie ingredients in a food processor until it forms a dough, then refrigerate. Almond flour is a bona fide hunger suppressant. Rinse out your blender, then blitz the cream ingredients together, too. 02 Form the dough into 16 discs, then press eight of them into a muin tin. Top with cream, followed by another chocolate disc. Freeze your cookies overnight, then pack in your Tupperware for tomorrow’s presession snack.
MUSCLE
15MIN
THE PUMP OBSESSIVE For some men, arms and chest will always take priority. If a lack of cardio has allowed your body fat to creep up, PT Ali McKenzie has your back
HEAVYWEIGHT ABS WORKOUT
. .
If it’s good for your psyche, do away with “cardio days” altogether. With intelligent structuring, you can turn your regular resistance routine into a fat-scorcher. This session’s AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) structure burns through fat and will keep your metabolism high for 24 hours. Blast through the two moves within the set time period, taking no rest (that’s kind of the point). Break for a full five minutes at the end of each round to ensure you’re training at optimum intensity.
A1/BARBELL FRONT SQUAT
A2/LAT PULLDOWN
10-12 REPS
10-12 REPS 15MIN
B1/FARMER’S WALK
B2/PUSH-UP
40M
6-8 REPS 10MIN
C1/DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS
C2/SANDBAG PRESS
10-12 REPS
6-8 REPS
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: LUCKY IF SHARP, DAN MATTHEWS, LOUISA PARRY
THE NERVE RACKER When your brain is on high alert seven days a week, fat loss can seem impossible. Relax and listen to Pure Sports Medicine strength coach Andy Reay
“You’ve heard of cortisol, the stress hormone, right? Well, when levels become chronically high, it can trigger enzymes that instruct your fat cells to grow, obscuring your abs. It also makes sleep more elusive, which limits the amount of testosterone you produce – and the payof you get from exercise. “Fortunately, there are numerous things you can do to solve the problem. First, deal with any irregular eating patterns you might have. Every time you eat, your body releases the hormone insulin, which counteracts
cortisol, so a “little and often” eating routine is wiser than working through your lunch and overcompensating later. “If you’ve been feeling fatigued for a while, serious graft will likely compound your stress, making it harder – not easier – to achieve your abs. On weekdays, try something low impact, such as swimming, or if you’re strength training, do a high-rep, low-weight routine. Save heavy sessions for Sundays, if you like. One tool used by athletes is Heart Rate Variability (HRV) monitoring. By tracking
the time between your heartbeats, an app such as Elite HRV is able to estimate whether your body is fatigued or under stress, allowing you to tailor your training accordingly. “Finally, there are supplements that can help you. They won’t make up for poor lifestyle habits, but magnesium, vitamin C and the lesser known phosphatidylserine, a component of your cells’ membranes, can help to bring down your stress levels. Take a deep breath – your six-pack goal is now one less thing for you to worry about.” November 2018
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THE WEIGHTS ROOM GRAFTER
Get moving You’re in good shape for training. Grab a coffee and go.
It’s a slow week
START HERE
Six-pack abs, like all muscles, are built on rest days. But if you’re not taking any, your body will burn out fast. Avoid having too much of a good thing with Reay’s chart
Six Hours
Just the usual
HOW’S WORK THESE DAYS?
I’m always wiped
HOW HARD DID YOU HIT IT LAST SESSION?
HOW DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT?
See how you go Tackle your usual session, but be mindful of any niggles.
Like a baby
Hell yeah!
DO YOU WANT TO TRAIN? Erm, I guess?
It was brutal
“Good” sore
I’m going strong
HOW’S THE DOMS? ARE YOU TIRED? Hideous
THE BODYWORK PERFECTIONIST Even the man who’s already earned a set of visible abs might be after a little extra polish. That’s why Birtwistle is here to ensure every last spot gets worked out
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1/SERRATUS That’s the bit by your ribs. Can’t see it? Try ring push-ups. Gripping each ring, squeeze your shoulder blades as you lower, elbows locked. Push up hard and round your shoulders. Not a fan? Perform floor push-ups, rounding your back at the top.
I can barely read
Keep it light Make gentle cardio and mobility work your only focus today.
Give it a rest Hit the sofa, mate. You can walk home to it, if you want to.
3/OBLIQUES These are the “side” muscles, the ones that frame your six-pack. If they need work, hold two dumbbells overhead, arms locked and back straight, then bend laterally from side to side. Not a fan? Try walking lunge-and-twists.
2/UPPER ABS
4/LOWER ABS
This is not your typical crunch. Sit with your feet against a wall, holding a 5-10kg plate to your chest. Touch it to the wall, as high as you can, then lie back down, lifting it overhead, and repeat. Not a fan? Try barbell rollouts instead.
These are famously harder to target. To hit them where it (temporarily) hurts, hang from a bar, bring your knees up to 90°, then extend your legs out and back again. Grit your teeth. Not a fan? Try some weighted bear crawls.
MUSCLE
THE LUNCH HOUR LEGEND If long commutes or family duties have confined your daily session to a lessthan-generous lunch break, fear not. Our cheats will have you in, out and back at your desk without a minute wasted
1/TIME IT RIGHT If you have flexibility, try Google’s “popular times” feature: “Search your gym and you’ll find a graph of its quietest hours,” says the PT Dave Thomas.
5/CARRY ON TRAINING Stuck for ideas? “The loaded carry is undervalued and will boost grip strength and core control.” Plus, you can use anything for it: sandbags, weight plates, kettlebells…
YOUR SUPER SUB 6/LOSE THE COOL-DOWN 2/WHAT SUPP? Streamline your nutrition with one supp that does everything. We like Vital All-In-One, a multi-nutritional blend of vits, minerals, detox herbs, pre- and probiotics, antioxidants, fibre and an alkalising pea protein. $60 for 300g, vitaleveryday.com
3/HAVE A PLAN B “Think in terms of movement patterns – squats, hip hinges, presses and pulls – not single exercises,” says Thomas. When your first choice is taken, sub in another (far right).
4/KNOW YOUR WEIGHTS Keep notes – it shouldn’t be trial and error every time. “That said, if the 30kg set is already in use, go lighter and focus on slowtempo lifts with built-in pauses.”
Tag in an unsung move for equal progress
“There’s no evidence that it offsets DOMS,” says Thomas. “A brisk walk back to work will prevent blood collecting in the lower body and help channel it back to the brain.”
7/GUZZLE HARD Slam your post-workout fuel down fast with the Thermos 710ml shaker. Features a removable mixer to blend on the go, fumble-proof grip, plus it’s as hard as your new midsection. $29.99, thermos.com.au
IF THERE’S NO SPACE FOR…
IF THERE’S NO SPACE FOR…
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Deadlift
SUB IN…
SUB IN…
Kettlebell Goblet Squat
Single-Leg Hip Thrust
Front-loading with an irregular-shaped weight places more stress on your abs. Pause at the bottom to make it harder.
Use a heavy weight plate – or whatever you have to hand – and raise one leg at a time to challenge your core.
8/SHOW TIME Okay, so you’ve got your six-pack. Nice work. Now flaunt it to best effect. Sixty-two per cent of Women’s Health readers think boxer briefs are a guy’s best pick. Our pick: Calvin Klein Underwear Monogram Trunk, $49.95, calvinklein.com/au
IF THERE’S NO SPACE FOR…
IF THERE’S NO SPACE FOR…
Bench Press
Bent-Over Row
SUB IN…
SUB IN…
Pallof Press Standing side-on to a cable machine, press the handle out, keeping your core tight. This one is a serious abs-burner.
Banded Pull-Up Assisted machines steady your body, taking your abs out of the game, so wrap a band around your glutes instead. November 2018
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Table for One The efects of isolation aren’t merely psychological. Those who are made to feel socially disconnected are more likely to engage in unhealthy eating habits, according to researchers at the University of Chicago.
CITIES, LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA, HAVE UNITED US – BUT HAVE THEY DIVIDED US, TOO?
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STATE OF MIND
ANTISOCIAL One in three men feel lonely on a regular basis, with those in their mid-thirties most likely to suffer acutely. But its causes run deeper than our relationship status or the size of the city we live in. One MH writer reflects on the challenges of modern male friendships – and asks what can be done BY JOSH GLANCY PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIAN BENJAMIN
November 2018
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my male friends and I spontaneously organised a trip to the bush. None of us is exactly Bear Grylls, and I can’t quite remember how we came up with the idea – but we obviously felt that spending a weekend in a lonely, rural cottage would be an important thing to do. So we packed some hiking boots, emptied a supermarket and committed to 48 hours in the wilderness. Something fascinating happened on that trip, though the schedule was unremarkable. We spent most of the time drinking and gently humiliating each other. There was a failed attempt to roast some beef and an illjudged hike that ended with a trespassing incident. But that wasn’t the extent of things. Though we had all been good friends since university, we had never been away together. It was liberating to leave the city and deposit ourselves in the countryside. Sitting around a fireplace in the middle of nowhere, we somehow felt freer. Embarrassing concerns and old grudges were released from ancient resting places, and we were able to examine our souls. I stayed up all night with one mate, discussing how we felt a little trapped by our lives – I wanted to be a writer and foreign correspondent but found myself chained to an editorial desk job; he had spent several years working in finance but yearned to do something more fulfilling. It was one of those rare conversations that permanently impressed itself upon my consciousness. I’ll never forget its power, nor the extraordinary impact that being away with a group of close male friends can have, creating an atmosphere that was at once fairly savage and deeply comfortable. This trip, I realised a few months later, was the antithesis of loneliness. By then, I’d moved to New York, having obtained the coveted correspondent role. My life had swung violently from one pole to the other – home, surrounded by old friends, to Manhattan, surrounded by strangers. I was single and almost friendless. For the first time in my life, I was truly lonely. So lonely, in fact, that I began to crave the perfunctory smile of the waitress at my local diner. Each morning, I’d look forward to the 76
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A Problem Shared Venting your frustrations when faced with a diicult situation is helpful: the act of talking things over with a friend can reduce levels of stress hormone cortisol, says the Journal of Affective Disorders.
ASSESS YOUR SOCIAL STANDING Do you recognise your own life in these pages? Take this quick self-test, created by psychologist Rob Stewart, to assess whether your personal ties need strengthening
01
02
03
How often do you spend more than two hours talking with your friends?
When you’re stressed or struggling, how many friends would you feel comfortable turning to?
How well do you know your closest friend?
A – Every week B – Every month C – Less often
A – Three or more B – One or two C – None of them
A – Inside out B – Less than you used to C – You’re out of touch
STATE OF MIND
“IIFL LONEL LIN NESS S IS S LIKEH HUNGE ER,, URBAN ISOLATION N IS S ITS S OW WN KIN ND OF STA ARVA ATIION” familiar nod of the corner shop owner who sold me the New York Times. I also developed some strange habits: long, nocturnal walks through the city and pornographic meanderings on my laptop. At times, I took masochistic pleasure in feeling so isolated, letting the city wash over my sense of self, feeling like an extra in an Edward Hopper painting. But mostly it was just miserable. My expectations of New York – the people I’d meet, the conversations I’d have – were enormous. So much of the city’s TV myth revolves around friendships: Girls, Seinfeld, Sex and the City and, of course, Friends. But where was my devoted group of hilarious, dysfunctional pals to help me out of second gear?
LONE WOLVES
A REGULAR PINT MAY PASS THE TIME, BUT HOW MEANINGFUL ARE YOUR CONVERSATIONS?
04
05
How often do you cancel plans with friends for work or other commitments?
Which of these words best describes the majority of your social interactions?
A – Rarely B – Occasionally C – Often
A – Meaningful B – Casual C – Performative
Loneliness is often compared to hunger. It’s a lack of emotional sustenance, the physical pleasure of being in the company of someone who cares about you. But urban isolation is its own type of starvation, and New York City is perhaps the loneliest place to be lonely. I would walk through SoHo or the East Village on a Saturday morning, marvelling at how busy and engaged everyone seemed to be. How did they all seem to know each other? And why didn’t they want to know me? My apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, overlooks the city’s shimmering panorama. It’s one of the world’s most thrilling views – unless you’re feeling lonely. Then the lights mock you, each twinkle a symbol of people
Stewart says: “If you answered B and C for most of these questions, consider the extent to which you may have deprioritised your close friendships. Treat it as you would a work assignment. Decide how many hours you could comfortably put aside each week to meet your friends, and how you’d like to spend time with them – then book it in. Try not to worry if you haven’t seen them in a while. Men are quite forgiving and can pick up where things left off, even if years have passed.”
connecting with one another, drinking, laughing and kissing. Everyone except me. Loneliness feels a lot like depression, though the two are not the same. One study by the University of California, San Francisco, found that the majority of those who report feeling lonely are not clinically depressed. As for me, I had no chemical or pathological reason to be unhappy during those six months in New York. I was like a computer that had been unplugged from the internet. I just needed to reconnect. I needed friends. Over time, this sensation diminished: I found a girlfriend and eventually made enough friends to get by. I’m happy again. But the experience got me interested in the subject of loneliness, so I began to study and write about it. I read Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City and Sebastian Junger’s Tribe. I delved into Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle series of books, through which a wide seam of loneliness and disconnection runs. I quickly realised I wasn’t alone. Millions of others were as lonely as I had been – many of them in the largest, most thrilling cities in the world, living lives of outward success and inner desperation. I also realised there was an element of my predicament that had been quite specifically male. Loneliness isn’t gendered, but men in particular often struggle to express their feelings and form meaningful connections. Many of us find it easier to talk about football or politics than to admit to suffering from a low sex drive or feeling undervalued at work. We don’t know who to tell these things or how to say them. This is why some men flock obsessively to secular evangelists such as comedian Joe Rogan, Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and author and philosopher Sam Harris, who fill the fraternal vacuum with rigorous examinations of the male psyche and spread their gospel through YouTube and podcasts.
THE BOYS’ CLUB Men aren’t good at talking to each other or asking for help. This may be a cliché, but it’s true. Personally, I would rather walk around lost for half an hour than risk looking incompetent by asking for directions. Every November 2018
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girlfriend I’ve had has found this baffling. I need boys’-weekend-in-the-bush levels of comfort and familiarity to open up to another man. The majority of my friends are female, because I generally find the company of women to be more relaxed and engaging. But to help me negotiate my darkest emotions, male company is essential. WhatsApp threads just don’t cut it, no matter how good the banter. Recent research confirms this. A 2017 study at the University of Oxford showed that men bond better through face-to-face contact and activities, whereas women find it easier to hold onto an emotional connection through phone conversations. Our social structures function differently, too. According to a study in Plos One, male friendships are more likely to flourish in groups, whereas women favour one-to-one interactions. “What determined whether [friendships] survived with [women] was whether they made the effort to talk more to each other on the phone,” said Robin Dunbar, who led the Oxford study. “What held up [male] friendships was doing stuff together – going to a football match, going to the pub for a drink, playing five-a-side. They had to make the effort. It was a very striking sex difference.” The conundrum I faced in my first few months in New York was how to make new male friends, a task that seems to get more difficult with age. I’ve only made two close male friends since leaving university, now almost 10 years ago. There have been plenty of mates, colleagues, drinking companions and holiday bromances, but no one new I’d call if my life was falling apart. As men enter their forties, the situation often gets worse. Many become siloed by family life, socialising in couples, maintaining a solid professional network but unable to access the kind of raw, male companionship they need. And many men are more reliant on their partners for emotional support than they’d like to admit. “You have to work to keep it all going,” says one fortysomething friend, who sees his mates less often since they started families. “A Christmas drink or 78
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annual reunion isn’t enough. Getting people to commit when they’re dealing with young kids is a nightmare, though.” How do you make male friends in your thirties and forties? It’s surprisingly hard. You may meet people at work. But, all too often, you come up against a barrier. When I was first in New York, I’d come across guys I liked – we’d even go for a few beers. But then what? The second man date feels a bit odd. It’s just not clear what comes next.
GOING SOLO Some of the causes of modern loneliness relate to how much we’ve strayed from our tribal, evolutionary roots. Technology is one culprit. You know the theory: by linking us together, social media has somehow managed to drive us further apart. In a study of adults aged between 19 and 32, those who spent more than two hours a day on social media were twice as likely to describe feeling “left out” or isolated. Our digital ties can feel like the real thing, but they often turn out to be weak and unsatisfying – ghostly imitations of human contact. The decline of traditional communities as a result of hyper-urbanisation is another. Many of us are now “bowling alone”, as US political scientist Robert D Putnam put it in his book about the decline of civic life. Increasing numbers of people are taking up bowling, he pointed out, but fewer and fewer are doing so in organised teams. I grew up in a close-knit community. As a child, I knew the names of at least half the people on my street. My grandparents lived six doors down, and my cousins were on the next road. I often found this village-style life claustrophobic at the time, but I’d trade it in a moment for the anonymity of my last four apartment blocks. I don’t think I’ve had a meaningful conversation with a neighbour in a decade. One of the biggest hurdles to building modern friendships is time. Friendships need time like a plant needs water. A study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships estimated that it
ESCAPING THE TIME SINK OF DAY-TO-DAY LIFE CAN HELP CEMENT YOUR FRIENDSHIPS.
STATE OF MIND
Better Together People with stronger social bonds have lower levels of inflammation in the body, Ohio State University found, cutting their chances of heart disease. Even those who enjoy spending time alone are shown to beneit.
takes about 90 hours with someone before you consider them a real friend, and 200 to become “close”. But it’s a matter of quality, not just quantity. Friendships require deep time – the nights when you’re in the mood for five drinks, not one, or the wide-open Sundays when you feel like cooking up a flamboyant roast dinner, rather than just catching up over a burger. One bender is worth 100 quick beers after work.
FRIEND REQUESTS Some men are trying to find solutions to these issues. I’m ambivalent about Jordan Peterson’s politics, but the fact that he and many like him have become so popular is a sign that men are yearning for a profound and emotional conversation. I recently came across the Evryman Project, founded by Dan Doty, a film-maker and nature guide who observed in his work that men were desperate to find a way to connect. The project leads men’s trips into the American wilderness . There, they meditate and hike, but their most important task is to sit in a circle and bare their souls. “The simple act of getting together with the explicit intention of opening up, to share all the stuff you don’t normally share, is incredibly powerful,” says Doty. “It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.” Most of Evryman’s participants are between 26 and 42, when men leave their adolescent circles and strike out alone into the world. Doty’s goal is to get men in social situations to go straight for the emotional kill. He uses the following equation: vulnerability x time = depth of connection. Doty believes that by amplifying men’s vulnerability levels, he can reduce the amount of time it takes for them to form real friendships. “We could go to the bar and talk about baseball, then maybe open up a little bit,” he says. “Or – for this to benefit me, so I can enjoy my life and be healthy – we could just cut the shit: this is who I am. We could create bonds that mean something, just go right there.” I’ve attended a couple of Evryman sessions in New York. While fascinating, cynicism prevented me from engaging fully. Besides, I want my friendships to be organic, rather than forged in the New Age microwave oven of organised wilderness bonding. But, for many men, projects such as Evryman are increasingly essential. For me, the lesson of my experience of loneliness is that we need to put close friendships at the centre of our lives – to work towards them in the same way one might work towards a career goal. Every one of us needs a cottage somewhere in the bush, filled with people we trust. Otherwise, we’ll all end up bowling alone. November 2018
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st of ll wood Muscle 30
If you’re hoping to make a blockbuster transformation, look no further. MH reviewed the greatest bodies ever to grace the silver screen and selected 30 cinematic icons who have deined the male physical ideal. Take inspiration – then act on their methods
TOP
WORDS BY JAMIE MILLAR
ICONS
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Sean Connery DR NO
30 Robert De Niro RAGING BULL
1980
Martin Scorsese’s pugilistic masterpiece features what is perhaps the ultimate body transformation by an actor. To play conflicted boxer Jake LaMotta, Robert De Niro didn’t just train like a pro but boxed for real, fighting three bouts and winning two of them. (He also broke co-star Joe Pesci’s rib in one of the sparring scenes.) To quote On the Waterfront – as De Niro does in a scene in this 82
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movie – he could have been a contender: the real LaMotta said the actor was one of the 20 best middleweights he’d ever seen. However, De Niro then piled on the pounds for his scenes as the older, fatter LaMotta, gaining almost 30kg in four months on a diet largely consisting of pasta, ice cream and beer. “The first 15lb [7kg] was fun,” he said. “The rest was hard work.”
1962
He may not have shaken or stirred many supplements by today’s standards, but Connery was a bodybuilder in his early years who took part in 1950s Mr Universe competitions. Reluctant to stop playing football, however, he retained an athletic physique that left him unable to measure up to the (possibly artificially) supersized Americans. So he tried his hand at another profession: acting.
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27 A notorious snob, the 007 creator Ian Fleming initially disparaged the Scot as an “overgrown stuntman”. But film producer Cubby Broccoli’s wife, Dana, saw something that the author didn’t: “He moves like a panther,” she said. Indeed, his mobility was ahead of its time, as this picture proves. More than any other film character, James Bond has become a template for men – and Connery set the mould.
Harrison Ford ORIGINAL INDIANA JONES TRILOGY 1981-89
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Ryan Gosling DRIVE
2011
Ryan Gosling doesn’t expose his “photoshopped” abs in this film – as he does in Crazy, Stupid, Love – but like the threat of violence, his physique is ever present. When he carries Carey Mulligan’s son to the synths of College’s “A Real Hero”, his back muscles visible through the cotton, something primitive stirs in men and women alike. His character is a strong, silent archetype, ready to do whatever it takes to protect those he loves, even if it ultimately drives them away. It’s no wonder Gosling was hailed as “the new Brando”.
Temple of Doom gave us one of cinema’s most enduring body images: Indy on the rope bridge, sleeve ripped to expose his sinewy arm. Jones was supposed to be younger than in Raiders, so Ford hired trainer Jake Steinfeld. Before filming, he hit the gym; on shoot days, he rose at 5am for pull-ups, dips, push-ups and sit-ups. The result helped whip a generation of teenagers into shape.
Will Smith ALI
2011
Will Smith had already gone from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to popcorn-movie king, but this Muhammad Ali biopic established him as a heavyweight in both senses. For the ordinarily gangly actor, bulking up from 84kg to 100kg was “50 times harder” than losing weight for 2007’s I Am Legend. Under the tutelage of Darrell Foster, who coached Sugar Ray Leonard, Smith trained six hours a day, five days a week, boxing, running and lifting. Within a year, he more than doubled his bench from 80kg to 170kg. In a front double biceps pose, Smith says, “Ain’t this just the perfect specimen of a man?” Well, quite.
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Channing Tatum MAGIC MIKE 2012 It’s debatable whether Tatum is the most aesthetically eyepopping of this film’s troupe of male strippers. But if you claim you’ve never fantasised about having moves like Tatum’s – a real-life former exotic dancer – you’re either lying or you can’t bring yourself to watch a picture so explicitly aimed at women. But you should, as it ofers valuable insights into what it’s like to be judged by your physical attractiveness – thankfully not an occupational hazard for the majority of men.
Sting Like Ali
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Smith’s workouts focused on technique. Build a champion physique by mastering Ali’s killer left 01 Not only is boxing a heavyweight fat-torcher, it also targets your pecs, shoulders and core. Set up in a split stance with your feet wider than shoulder width. Distribute 60 per cent of your weight on your back leg. 02 Keep your chin tilted down. The foot of your jabbing arm should be closer to the bag, your elbow in line with your shoulder and hip, and your forearm vertical. 03 Protect your jaw with your back hand and keep your jabbing arm loose. Force should come from your back. Twist your wrist as you punch. Your arm should finish straight but not overextended.
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Jason Momoa CONAN THE BARBARIAN
2011
This reboot was 23 ambitious: the original had achieved cult status, while Arnie, who played Conan, had just won his seventh Mr Olympia competition. But while SUPERMAN 1978 the reboot failed to launch a franchise it At 193cm and 80kg, Reeve helped make Momoa a was initially dismissed as generational man “too skinny” to play the mountain, be it as Khal Man of Steel. A padded Drogo in Game of suit was ofered, but Reeve Thrones or as Aquaman. wanted to supply his own Momoa built muscle muscle. So, bodybuilder and savaged fat with and actor David Prowse trainer Eric Laciste’s (who played Darth Vader) high-volume half-hour was brought in to work sessions, performing Reeve into shape. After seven reps of squats, six weeks of training shoulder presses, incline benches, cable crosses or and eating four meals a pull-ups, resting for a few day, he had bulked up to almost 100kg. seconds, then repeating In unflattering Lycra that for seven sets. Then he’d even Henry Cavill was do six sets, then five apprehensive about, Reeve – and the same all over made you believe that again with two more a man could fly. exercises. Barbaric.
Christopher Reeve
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22 Ryan Reynolds DEADPOOL ( 2016) Hitherto best known as college “party liaison” Van Wilder, Ryan Reynolds’ cubed abs in the 2004 vampire movie Blade: Trinity put him on the lifting fraternity’s radar – but it wasn’t until his title role in Deadpool that he graduated from romcom cheesecake to wisecracking beefcake. And while the film doesn’t so much poke fun at inescapable comic book adaptations as fillet them with twin katanas, Reynolds’ physique was no joke – nor was it obscured by CGI, as it was in his 2011 career low, Green Lantern. Trainer Don Saladino devised a program called “jump, throw, carry”, incorporating a plyometric bound, med-ball slam and farmer’s walk; this was followed by one of the Big Four (a bench press, squat, deadlift or military press session) and isolation work. Deadpool’s beloved chimichangas were presumably of the menu.
Go the Distance
Now in his forties, Reynolds opts for workouts designed to build longevity. Here are his go-to moves for core stability and full-body fitness
01/ Box Squat, 5 sets of 5 reps Unlike his incautious alter ego, Reynolds keeps his personal welfare at the forefront of his mind. Box squats help both to maintain good technique and minimise knee stress. Squat onto a box just below knee height – it’ll prevent you from bouncing up, while targeting your glutes. 02/ Single-Leg Deadlift, 4 sets of 8 reps Practise with your bodyweight before picking up the barbell. Hinge at the hips until your torso is parallel to the floor and your leg is lifted behind you. Push through your standing leg to return. 03/ Sled Push, 5-8 sets of 20m This move combines strength work with cardio, hammering both your lower body and your core. Lean into the sled with your back straight, then brace your abs to drive it forward. Try to keep your sense of humour when the burn begins.
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Carl Weathers PREDATOR (1987 ) The 186cm former Oakland Raiders linebacker may not have the biggest guns in the squad, but he arguably has the best physique. He has clearly been pushing iron as well as pencils, getting up early with the rest of the testosterone-fuelled cast to get a pump on before filming. Weathers could also have made it onto this list for any of his appearances as Apollo Creed, who made Sly look flabby: Muhammad Ali repeatedly challenged him to a fight, possibly jokingly. But it’s for his arm-wrestle handshake – and biceps-of – with Arnie that he muscles his way in.
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Dolph Lundgren ROCKY IV (1985) After winning a scholarship to study chemical engineering at MIT, the Swede was scouted to be a boxer in New York. He was talked out of going pro by his then girlfriend, Grace Jones, whom he had met while moonlighting as a security guard in Sydney.
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Instead, his agent sent him to audition for “some boxing movie”. Unlike in Rocky IV’s iconic montage, Lundgren trained alongside Stallone six days a week for five months: an hour of weights (chest/ back, shoulders/arms or legs) in the morning, then two hours of boxing in the afternoon. Even if you didn’t know he was a former European Kyokushin karate champion, you only had to look at Lundgren to know he’d win in a real fight, too.
Jake Gyllenhaal SOUTHPAW ( 2015) Those first shots of Jake Gyllenhaal as Billy Hope – snarling, snaked with veins – hit the internet like a left hook. Having lost 14kg for Nightcrawler, he had five months to resemble a boxer both in physique and technique. He did it by training twice a day – take a look at the training montage, set to Eminem. Gyllenhaal also flipped a 160kg tyre and beat it with a 10kg sledgehammer, ran 13km, performed 2000 sit-ups a day, and skipped “shitloads”.
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Chris Evans CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
2011
Few superhero film-body transformations are as striking as that of Steve Rogers, who goes from big-hearted wimp to broad-chested warrior after an injection of super-soldier serum. Unfortunately for Chris Evans, the actor who portrayed him, the process was much more painful in reality than a quick jab. He was drilled two hours a day for three months by Simon Waterson, who also trained Daniel Craig for Casino Royale, targeting two major muscle groups at a time before moving onto the core. At least he didn’t have to do any cardio. November 2018 85
17 Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson PAIN & GAIN
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2013
These two Men’s Health cover institutions could have made it onto this list for most of the films in their chest-and-back catalogue. But they have rarely been bigger or better than in this strange but true story of meathead bodybuilders who hatch – then bungle – a kidnap plot. The film is also a smart satire of the particularly American obsession with, er, bigger and better. Johnson
followed a five-day bodypart split, though his trainer Dave Rienzi asked him to reduce his workouts to one intense hour or less, as any more than that can be counterproductive. Supervised by former American football trainer Brian Nguyen, Wahlberg’s bulk-up was more sports scientific, with posterior chain activation, kettlebell swings and goblet squats alongside the bench press.
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Henry Cavill MAN OF STEEL
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2013
Though Henry Cavill refined his physique for Batman v Superman (2016) and Justice League (2017), nothing in either movie etched itself in the memory like those first shots of a shirtless, stacked Clark Kent. Cavill worked with Mark Twight and Michael Blevins of the uncompromising Gym Jones in Salt Lake City, which also chiselled the cast of 300 into Greek statues. He trained for two months alone before joining them for a gruelling four months in Los Angeles. Sadistic workouts such as 100 front squats with the equivalent of his bodyweight in iron were conceived to bolster mental fortitude as much as physical appearance – Cavill’s steely determination is as visible as his muscles.
Super Shredder
To cut fat for Justice League, Cavill worked at ultra-high intensity for short bursts of five minutes. Try this taster 01/ Assault Bike, 12kcal (50kJ) Start with a fat burner. Pump and pedal until you reach your calorie target, then jump straight of and pick up a plate without resting. 02/ Plate Carry, 75kg for 30m Strongman moves trained Cavill’s stabiliser muscles and raised the metabolic demand. After your carry, hit the bike until your time is up.
Jason Statham THE TRANSPORTER
2002
If Lock, Stock (1998) and Snatch (2000) showcased the patter that Statham picked up as a street trader, The Transporter was the perfect vehicle for the gravity-defying athleticism he developed as a diver for the British national team. As he demonstrates when he uses his top to tie up goons before kicking his way across an oil-slicked garage floor, it’s not just about the polished chassis but what’s under the hood. Through sequels, similar franchises (The Mechanic) and an ever-evolving program of martial arts, gymnastic skills and Olympic lifts, he continues to turn back his mileage clock.
Michael B Jordan
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BLACK PANTHER
Jean Claude Van Damme BLOODSPORT
1988
Unlike some of his action hero peers, the functional Muscles from Brussels – a karate black belt and ballet student, as well as Mr Belgium – could move with a fluid grace, which is why he was initially cast as the agile alien opposite Arnie in Predator. Bloodsport, a fight film about an illegal martial arts tournament, made JCVD a star. It also inspired both the sport of MMA and the Mortal Kombat video games: the character Johnny Cage is based on him, right down to his splits. Van Damme was into flexibility before it was cool – or he parodied it in those Volvo ads.
2018
It’s a mark of the intimidating shape he’s in that when Jordan’s “Killmonger” disrobes to reveal his scarred torso ahead of combat with Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa – AKA Black Panther – you fear that nine lives might not be enough. Jordan was ripped in 2015’s Creed but, with trainer Corey Calliet, he went into beast mode, benching 50kg dumbbells. The result? A physique that embodies 21st century black power.
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Steve Reeves HERCULES
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1958
The first bodybuilder to become a household name, Reeves was an inspiration to Arnie and Sly, who watched Hercules “15 or 16 times” as a 12-year-old. The 1950 Mr Universe used then novel methods such as supersetting and performing leg exercises last, so fatigue wouldn’t inhibit his upper-body work. He criticised modern bodybuilders’ steroid use: “If a man doesn’t have enough male hormones in his system to create a nice, hard, muscular body, he should take up ping-pong.” November 2018
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Tom Hardy WARRIOR
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Chris Hemsworth THOR: RAGNAROK 2017 AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR 2018 A god among supermen, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is so heavenly-bodied that he makes Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord feel unworthy. Hemsworth – a rare actor who is as big of screen as he looks on it – and trainer Luke Zocchi mixed bodybuilding with functional exercises such as battle ropes and bear crawls to mould a more defined physique than in previous Thor films. The thunder deity’s triceps are like horseshoes smithed in the forges of Nidavellir, which Thor reignites by biceps-curling open the doors while being blasted by the core of a dying star. This may not make any sense unless you’ve seen Infinity War, but sufice to say that it’s the ultimate expression of “sun’s out, guns out”. 88
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Green Giant
To play Thor, Hemsworth muscled up on a largely plant-based diet. Here’s his sample menu Breakfast Oats with almond milk, nuts, blueberries and flaxseed Mid-Morning Pea protein shake with almond butter, banana and spinach Lunch Bean burger patties and a large raw salad Snack Protein shake or bowl of yoghurt and fruit After Training BCAA drink, vitamin and magnesium supps Dinner White fish with rice and vegetables
2011
For someone neither big (he is under 177cm) nor hard (by his own admission), Hardy does a convincing impression of big, hard men: notably the unhinged career convict in the 2008 drama Bronson and the unintelligible supervillain Bane in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. His MMA fighter Tommy Conlon is in a lower weight category but meaner and leaner, Hardy having shed 15 per cent of his body fat while adding 20kg of muscle. His trainer Patrick “Pnut” Monroe, a former marine, employed a technique called “signalling”: spreading bursts of exercise throughout the day to encourage the body to adapt. Although if you’re doing two hours each of boxing, kick-boxing, fight choreography and lifting, as Hardy was, that’s hardly necessary.
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Hugh Jackman THE WOLVERINE
2013
Known as “Huge Jacked Man” in the MH ofices, the actor and member of the 1,000lb (450kg) deadlift club raised his own bar with The Wolverine, in which he was more ripped than a pair of Logan’s gloves. The X factor was brought by trainer David Kingsbury, who took him out of his 8-12-rep comfort zone. Jackman started his sessions with heavy compound lifts, laying down a strong foundation and increasing his capacity for bodybuilding-style sets later on. Keeping his body fat down while bulking up, he hit his personal best – at the age of 44.
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Marlon Brando A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1951
When Brando first played the part of Stanley Kowalski on Broadway, before starring in the film version, women threw their hotel keys at him. Gore Vidal wrote that the “earthquake” of Brando in his torn, sweaty T-shirt
caused a seismic shift in American sexuality: “Before him, no male was considered erotic . . . A man was essentially a suit, he wasn’t a body.” Brando used his to entice and intimidate – but his performance owed a lot to the gym. It was based on boxer Rocky Graziano, whom he had sneakily observed there. By way of thanks, the actor gave his muse two tickets to the show.
8 Christian Bale AMERICAN PSYCHO
2000
Bale has become synonymous with physical transformations, dropping more than 25kg for The Machinist, then bulking up so much for Batman Begins that he was asked to lose 10kg. But Bale’s best work is in American Psycho, ironically interpreted as an etiquette manual by many bankers. The actor was so determined to land the role that he reportedly trained three hours a day, six days a week, for the nine months it took Leonardo DiCaprio, whom the studio wanted, to depart the project. The precise nature of his workouts is unknown, but the smart guess is that he went method: crunches with an ice pack on his face and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on TV.
Crunch Time
Bale’s character Bateman starts each day with 1000 stomach crunches. Stay sane with a little variety 01/ Oblique Crunch Touch your hands to your head and lift your shoulders, rotating your body to bring your left elbow to your right knee. Swap sides and repeat for defined obliques. 02/ Reverse Crunch This version will target your lower abs. With your arms flat at your sides, lift your hips and raise your knees to your chest. Squeeze, then lower. 03/ Weighted Crunch Grab a plate and lie down, with your knees bent and the weight held to your chest. Crunch up – hold the contraction for a second when you reach the top. Slowly lower back down.
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Daniel Craig CASINO ROYALE
2006
When Craig’s 007 emerged from the water with his gym-bufed pecs, he heralded a sea change in masculine ideals. The now iconic scene evoked Ursula Andress’s entrance in Dr No, but with Bond and not his “girl” as our focus. Craig said the moment was accidental: shallow water forced him to stand. His trunks sold for $78,000, at a charity auction. The actor wanted his Bond to look lethal. Trainer Simon Waterson gave him a licence to kill with a combination of powerlifting and compound exercises that elevated his heart rate to build muscle while maintaining leanness. November 2018 89
Sylvester Stallone RAMBO III
1988
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5 Sly was absurdly chiselled in Rocky III. Preparing for the role, he spent all day running, sparring, lifting, skipping and swimming, cutting his body fat to 2.8 per cent at a lean 73kg. The International Federation of Bodybuilders named him the
Brad Pitt FIGHT CLUB
“Body of the Eighties”. For the third Rambo, however, Stallone pumped himself up into a man-sized action figure who could almost single-handedly take on the Soviet army, by performing pull-downs with 125kg at 82kg bodyweight.
The movie had such an impact that the US policy of violent, unilateral interventions in countries such as Nicaragua was dubbed “the Rambo Doctrine”, and there was concern the film might undermine improving relations with Russia.
1999
“Self-improvement,” declares Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden, “is masturbation.” Despite the unambiguous message of the psychopathic Durden – the alter-ego of Edward Norton’s unnamed narrator – the black-eyed comedy popularised the term “six-pack”, as well as “inguinal crease”. (The result of awe-struck viewers searching: “What is that line that runs from Brad Pitt’s hip to his crotch?”) Click-bait articles purport to contain Pitt’s “actual Fight Club workout”, but he has yet to share his method (he was seen on set using hand weights). Charlie Hunnam’s quip that Pitt “ruined it for everyone” doesn’t just apply to his fellow actors.
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The Cast Of 300 2006
This swords-and-six-packs epic has entered the fitspiration pantheon, and the way that the Spartan warriors were battlehardened has been mythologised. Mark Twight and his Gym Jones team subjected cast, crew and even director Zack Snyder to constantly shifting functional fitness tests and energy restrictions. Four months of Hades culminated in a 300-rep examination: 25 pull-ups, 50 deadlifts with 60kg, 50 push-ups, 50 box jumps, 50 floor-wipers with 60kg, 90
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50 kettlebell cleans and presses with 15kg, and another 25 pull-ups. Star Gerard Butler described Twight’s modus operandi as “dificult in the kind of way where you wish you had never been born – and even more than that, wished he had never been born”.
Trial By Fire
To be considered an “athlete” at Gym Jones, you need to master these tests. See how you fare Run 400m in 1min
Pull-Up 15 unbroken reps
Turkish Get-Up 50% bodyweight
Row 2km in 7min
1RM Deadlift 2 x bodyweight
Run 2.41km in 9min Run 5K in 22min 1RM Front Squat 1.5 x bodyweight
10-Rep Bench Press 80kg
Bodyweight Back Squat 20 reps
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2 Bruce Lee ENTER THE DRAGON
1973
Posthumously released, Lee’s final completed film made a greater impact than his legendary one-inch punch. Still the highestgrossing straight martial arts movie of all time after adjusting for inflation, Enter the Dragon snap-kicked open the doors of Hollywood
studios that had hitherto portrayed Asian men as more Charlie Chan than Jackie (whose neck Lee snaps in Han’s underground lair). You can draw a direct line from the proliferation of dojos across the US that followed the film to the popularity of MMA today.
“Father of bodybuilding” Joe Weider called Lee’s physique the most defined he had ever seen. Years before Pumping Iron, the aspirationally six-packed star lifted functionally, ran meditatively and skipped religiously. He also invented an abs exercise: the “dragon flag”. November 2018
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Naturally, Arnold is numero uno – but for a documentary? Not quite, since much of Pumping Iron was, shall we say, exaggerated. The sixth consecutive Mr Olympia victory, the training methods still traded on by muscle mags four decades later – all of that is true. “But there were certain things that are not true,” Arnie admitted in an interview marking 25 years since the film’s release. “That’s why we never called it a documentary. We called it a ‘docudrama’ . . . because certain things were created in order to make it more interesting.” In reality, Arnie had already hung up his posing pouch before the 1975 contest to pursue acting. He was persuaded to come out of his brief retirement by George Butler, who with Charles Gaines had written a Pumping Iron book that
featured Arnie and wanted to turn it into a film. To create drama, Schwarzenegger invented the character of a relentless terminator: “I said to myself, ‘How can I sell the idea that I’m a machine that has no emotions?’” His story about missing his father’s funeral because it clashed with his contest prep was borrowed from another bodybuilder; his claim that the pump was like “coming” was deliberately sensational to generate press. (“It’s not, trust me,” he said.) At the time, bodybuilding was “the least glamorous sport in the world”, according to co-director Butler: a niche subculture confined to the kind of dark Brooklyn dungeon where challenger Lou Ferrigno (who became TV’s Incredible Hulk) grunts and grimaces. The contrast with glowing Arnie sculpting himself in
“This film brought muscle culture into the light” California’s Gold’s Gym and sunning himself on Venice Beach was purposely made stark by the film-makers. As Butler said, “We defined bodybuilding to a world that knew nothing about bodybuilding.” Their movie brought it into the light. With magnetism so strong that he almost didn’t need to lift the weights, Arnie’s Pumping Iron persona gave bodybuilding mass appeal. Hundreds of gyms sprang up across the US. Butler estimated that just 25,000 Americans lifted weights before the film’s release; a 1982 poll put the number at 34 million. Having previously struggled to find acting roles because of his size and accent (his voice
1 Arnold
was dubbed over in 1970’s Hercules in New York), Schwarzenegger broke Hollywood’s leading man mould and recast it in his own image. As many of the entries on this list demonstrate, that mould still stands. Bodybuilding is mainstream. Though he has always been a campaigner for an active lifestyle, Arnie has not been an entirely benign influence. Natural Born Heroes author Christopher McDougall believes his fame contributed to an epidemic of muscle dysmorphia and static, aesthetic-fixated exercise that we’re still recovering from. Then there’s Schwarzenegger’s – at the time legal – steroid use, which gave a false impression of what was attainable. But, as we’ve come to realise, (clean) resistance training confers health benefits on men of all shapes and sizes. Without Arnie in Pumping Iron, would any of us even lift?
Schwarzenegger 1977
Lifting Legacy Schwarzenegger’s unique twist on the overhead press was so effective that it was named after him: the Arnold press. Use it to build Olympia-grade shoulders
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Why it works It sparks more muscle growth by targeting all three parts of the deltoid: anterior, medial and posterior. A word of warning: it’s tough on the joints, so start light if you’ve been lax with your mobility.
01/ Hold two dumbbells in front of your upper chest, your palms facing your body and your elbows in. 02/ As you raise them, rotate your forearms. You should finish with your arms extended and your palms forward. Never rotate your palms further out than this. 03/ Pause for a beat, then reverse the move to lower. Exhale to lift; inhale as you lower.
VENUE COURTESY OF NORTHSHOREGYM.COM.AU
PUMPING IRON
MUSCLE
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME: ARNIE GAVE MASS APPEAL TO SHEER BULK AND POWER.
A VERY MODERN ICON Arnie’s bodybuilder aesthetic may be old school, but many of his lessons hold firm Add a meditative element to your workouts “By flexing my biceps so much, I learned to control them more completely. This mind-link ability translated into my bodybuilding . . . When I did a curl, it felt special, because I could instantly sense blood rushing into the muscle.” Switch up your routine “The way I trained changed a lot of times, because I’d always try to shock the muscles.” Train for your mind, not just your muscles “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress, and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” Overcome personal hurdles with visualisation “I began to think of my biceps as mountains, instead of flesh and blood . . . When you think of biceps as merely muscles, you subconsciously have a limit in your mind.” Reject quick fixes “There are no short cuts – everything is reps, reps, reps.” November 2018 93
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STATE OF MIND
AGAINST THE MACHINE With road rage incidents leading nightly news bulletins, our streets and highways have become riven with bile, vitriol and, increasingly, violence. What’s driving motorists to madness? One man with a history of losing his cool behind the wheel takes a look in the rearview mirror to try to identify the problem’s root causes and determine what you can do the next time someone grinds your gears By
Stephen Corby
Photography By
Philip Le Masurier November 2018 95
If
I were the police, I’d probably lock me up. Or worse still, take my licence away – either for past crimes or for fear of what I might do next. In the real world, without a tonne of shiny steel and glass around me, I’m not a violent man. Indeed I shun physical confrontations so assiduously you’d think I had a beautiful face to look after. But on the road, I rage. And I really wish I could stop. You’ve probably felt it yourself – research by the Monash University Accident Research Centre found that 86 per cent of Australians admit to being aggressive when driving: that instantaneous, bile-rising, white-hot anger that seems to come from nowhere, like a lit firecracker falling from the sky. Sometimes it sets off a spray of abusive language so foul that I feel truly awful when I calm down . . . and remember my children are in the back. On good days, I’ll leave the window up as I scream at the other motorist. But on the bad days I’ve done stupid, unforgivable and criminal things, acts which truly seem to bear no relation to the person I, my family or my friends think I am. I have chased other motorists, cut them off, brake-tested them, almost run someone off the road. And I have leapt from my car at the lights and spat threats and spleen through the window of an older driver, who responded by taunting me. So I snatched his wallet off the passenger seat. What makes it even more unforgivable is that I’ve been on the other end of road rage.
Don’t Drive Yourself Mad So, someone’s cut you off. Before you blow a gasket, try these tips from Health Direct
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BREATHE
DISASSOCIATE
TALK YOURSELF DOWN
Not only will this help short-circuit an angry, adrenaline-driven response, the act itself is calming. Try taking five long, deep breaths. While you’re breathing, try to relax the muscles in your arms and face.
Try not to take things personally. There’s a good chance that what you perceive as a personal slight is just an error on the other motorist’s behalf. Give them the benefit of the doubt.
While a volley of expletives may be on the tip of your tongue, telling yourself to calm down can actually help quell your anger. Say, ‘I’m not going to let this get to me’ or ‘Stay calm’ while you breathe slowly and deeply.
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Some years ago, an English friend and I were chased through the streets of Barcelona by a gang of hoodlums threatening to beat us into something pulpy after I’d suggested, using sign language, that the driver of their car was someone fond of using a cocktail shaker with great enthusiasm. I thought it was a witty putdown for cutting us off; he didn’t. We escaped only by driving the wrong way up a freeway, an experience we were lucky to survive. Did I learn from this experience? Did I resolve not to let my own anger boil over the next time someone frustrated me on the road? I did not. And do you know what the scary thing about all this is? Those hoodlums and I, we’re no different. We’re driven by the same impulses. We respond to the same triggers. Even scarier perhaps? In all likelihood, so do you.
Highway To Hell I know plenty of other ragers, of course, and somehow, with breathtaking hypocrisy, I’ve always pitied them their lack of self-control. The worst of all is a former colleague we’ll call Alan, who’s pretty much a cauldron of bubbling rage in or out of a car. Not surprisingly, Alan, in his late 40s, reckons he’s mellowing as he ages, but he admits he had to move out of Sydney some years ago, “because I just couldn’t put up with all the incidents on the road, every day, driving me mad.”
STATE OF MIND
“The final catalyst was a guy stealing my parking spot in Bondi, when he could see that I’d gotten there first,” he recalls. “It was a hugely confrontational moment. It was one of those cases where I’d done everything right, and this basic human instinct just kicks in where you feel like, ‘This is unjust, I can’t let this happen’, and off you blow. It’s a very primal thing. When you meet someone on the roads who’s just not playing by the rules, it just creates this fury. This madness.” With neither refusing to budge, Alan and his equally empurpled adversary proceeded to go at it to the horror of onlookers. Finally, the other guy stormed off. But Alan wasn’t finished. “I removed the valves from two of his tyres so he’d be stuck there,” he says. Lauren Shaw, from the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology, did her PhD on the social and psychological factors that influence road rage. She says this idea of “justice” is one that seems to be at the very root of why we lose it at the wheel. “What my research found was that people who responded aggressively to situations on the road tended to have the belief that other people were bad drivers,” Shaw explains. “These are people who take to the road with the expectation that people will be rude or careless or won’t obey the rules. So what triggered them, rather than someone actually putting them in danger, were events that they perceived as discourteous – ‘that person was rude to me by cutting me off’ or driving too slowly. That’s the trigger, that they’ve been
“A BASIC HUMAN INSTINCT KICKS IN. YOU FEEL , ‘THIS IS UNJUST. I CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN’” unfairly treated, that it’s not just, and then people report that their aggressive reaction is about wanting to teach the other driver a lesson.” A person like this will perceive someone tailgating them, for example, not so much as an act of naked aggression but as an act of rudeness, because that person is implying that they’re driving too slowly, Shaw says. “So they’ll slow right down, again, to teach them a lesson.” Remarkably, even in the cold light of several days later, most people will perceive that their acts of road rage were justified: “They did something rude to me so they deserved it”. As if two wrongs somehow actually make it all right. Interestingly, while some drivers described feeling immature or foolish about their hyper-aggressive responses, they also indicated they would be likely to repeat the behaviour were similar circimstances to arise in future, says Shaw, adding that research by insurance firm AAMI found “around 50 per cent of its members admitted to engaging in aggressive behaviours but believing their actions were justified”.
Road To Nowhere As you can imagine, when two people who feel the need to teach everyone else a lesson encounter each other on the road, things can spiral out of control. Shaw calls this “escalation”, and it’s what leads to the episodes that end up on dash-cam YouTube channels or the evening news. Victorian Police Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer finds road rage “absolutely frightening”. “It’s a problem any time anyone loses their cool when they’re sitting in two tonnes of steel,” he says. “We’ve seen deaths on our roads where people have lost their cool and ended up killing someone. This isn’t just shouting but ramming another vehicle.” The Monash University study found that as well as the majority of Australians admitting to aggression on the road, 20 per cent of people also confessed to chasing other drivers to intimidate them. The report’s coauthor, Amanda Stephens, says the figures indicate that road rage is becoming socially accepted in this country. “It’s almost becoming part of our driving culture,” she says.
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“ALMOST A QUARTER OF DRIVERS SAID THEY’D BEEN FOLLOWED MENACINGLY”
Steer Crazy Bad behaviours that can lead to road rage Tailgating (flashing your lights at the motorist in front makes this even worse) Sitting in the fast lane going slowly and refusing to move over Cutting someone off Failure to indicate Failure to give way Braking suddenly without warning, for no reason
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STATE OF MIND
It should come as no surprise that Shaw’s research shows the majority of people have an over-inflated opinion of their own driving abilities, which is a large part of the problem. She also found that while people who tend to have aggressive personality traits are more likely to engage in aggro on the road, plenty of people who are not characteristically angry are capable of uncharacteristic outbursts when they drive. Personally, I resemble that remark.
Cabin Fever There is a tendency to think of road rage as a modern phenomenon – and probably one invented by Americans. Certainly I don’t remember seeing so much of it as a kid, but maybe I just wasn’t driving enough. Yet Shaw says there are reports of driving aggression from as far back as the 1950s (the term ‘road rage’ was coined by an LA TV station after a spate of shootings on its awful freeways back in 1988). She says that while figures are hard to quantify because road rage is difficult to measure and largely unreported, the advent of dash-cam footage may be giving the impression that there’s more of it going on. In its 2017 report on road rage the Australian Institute of Criminology declared the term itself was too nebulous to be used meaningfully: “Road rage is one of those notoriously difficult concepts in crime and justice. In some respects it is, like an elephant, easier to recognise than to define,” the report said. What the experts agreed on was that there were consequences for road violence, including soaring public liability costs and insurance claims. The experience of road violence may also lead some individuals “to withdraw from road usage in part or in full”. One man who does believe it’s getting worse is Western Australia Police Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich. According to WA figures, pulling in front of another car and slamming on the brakes – “braketesting” – is the most common act of road rage reported in that state. And possibly the most dangerous. “People appear to be acting differently and have a different set of values when they are in a vehicle,” Anticich says. “There are people who have certain characteristics or behaviour . . . you would expect them to translate when they are on the roads. But it’s these other people, normal people, who seem to engage in often uncharacteristic behaviours: anger, hatred, bigotry.” Rather than increasing levels of anger
generally, he blames the cosseted cabins of modern motor vehicles for “dehumanising” people. “Back when I was a young fella, you were lucky if you had a radio in your car – more often than not you didn’t have air conditioning so your window was down. You were engaged with the community around you,” he says. “Nowadays, it’s air-con, the windows are up, you’ve got a whole bunch of gizmos there, music and other things blaring. It’s almost as if you’re locked into a microcosm of the vehicle, disconnected from the world around you.”
Road Warrior in Retreat So, with exact figures hard to come by, what can we deduce about the prevalence of road rage in Australia? A survey of Australians by insurer GIO found 85 per cent of people believe drivers are now more aggressive than ever. More specifically, almost a quarter of drivers said they had been followed menacingly by an angry motorist, and 10 per cent said they had been forced off the road, at least once in their lives. Just under six per cent said they had suffered damage to their cars from another driver, and 2.2 per cent had been physically assaulted in a road-rage incident. The figures would suggest that, even if you drive around in a complete Zen state, always letting people in and never honking your horn, you’re eventually likely to be a victim of road rage, anyway. As Shaw explains, the problem is often one of mistaken perception. “What one person sees as being cut off, the other person might just call ‘merging’. While tailgating is seen as one of the worst behaviours, again it’s a matter of interpretation: the person driving too close behind you might not be telling you to get out of the way; they might just not be paying attention,” she says. For his part, my tempestuous colleague Alan is attempting to give up his angry ways, a change of heart that’s largely been driven by the experience of teaching his own children to drive – and realising what a terrible example he’s been setting. “It’s taken me a while to get to this point, and I do still get a bit pushy with right-handlane hogs. I get up their backsides but I tend not to high-beam them anymore, because you need to be conscious of the fact that you don’t know who’s in front of you – there might be some lunatic and it can go from zero to apocalyptic very quickly,” says Alan. “My last bad one was a guy on the highway who
Dodge Fury Road Shine Lawyers advises that the best way to stay safe on the road is to drive courteously at all times and avoid eye contact with other motorists. If someone starts abusing you, keep your distance and do not respond. If the aggressor follows you, do not drive home; drive to a hospital or police station or a highly public area like a mall. Stay in the car with the doors locked and windows up. Do not get out and confront them. Shine Lawyers also offers these tips to avoid angry incidents: • Stay off your phone • Avoid driving when tired • Avoid caffeine or substances that make you agitated • Play calming music • Plan ahead and leave on time • Follow the road rules • Always use the “thank you” wave • Do not tailgate • Keep your hands on the wheel
decided to give me a brake test. So I pulled up at the lights next to this huge-looking Maori guy and said, ‘What the fuck are you doing, you idiot?’ And he shouts back, ‘Did you just call me black?’ ‘No, I just called you an idiot’. And then it was on. We were out of the car, screaming at each other, and only later I thought, ‘Well, that could have ended badly’.” Clearly, Alan is a work in progress. Personally, speaking to Shaw about the causes of road rage has been a kind of therapy, because I recognise that what I’m really reacting to is a kind of social snub, and that becoming enraged about that is as absurd as punching a stranger for stepping onto an escalator before you. But I wouldn’t say I’m cured, because when the rage comes it comes too fast for things like logic and rational thought to get a look in. I’ll do my best. But just in case, I’d recommend avoiding me on the road. Particularly if you’re going to drive like an idiot. November 2018 99
M H D A D
ADAM ON HIS DAD’S SHOULDERS WITH HIS UNCLE CHRIS IN “THE AUSSIEST PHOTO EVER”.
WHAT I’VE LEARNT ABOUT FATHERHOOD .
Comedian Adam Hills, 48 Father of Maisie and Beatrice Bob Hills, my dad, worked in the Qantas cabin crew. The inflight motto, he always used to say, was: “If it moves, call it sir. If it doesn’t, put parsley on it.” As far as I was concerned, my dad’s job was to fly around the world and talk to people over the microphone. Is it any wonder that I do what I do now? How did my dad influence me? Well, on holiday, when I was about eight, I remember someone describing him as the “nicest man in Qantas”. That made me proud. You want to be like your heroes and my dad was definitely one of my heroes. When I was three days old, my dad brought a red-and-green toy rabbit into the hospital to ensure that I’d be a Rabbitohs fan for life. He always took me to their games as a kid - we talked about them all the time. When dad died, his Rabbitohs hat was on the bed next to him. That toy rabbit now sits in my daughters’ playroom. It doesn’t matter how long ago it is when you
lose someone. You have those moments when you want to tell them something. When the Rabbitohs played the 2014 grand final I flew back from London to watch them win. After the game we were all singing “Glory, Glory to South Sydney”. Suddenly, I had tears in my eyes because I just wanted to turn to my dad and put my arm around him. It’s a ridiculous thing the way sons bond with their fathers over sport.
corporate jobs, say, because I want to be back home for bedtime.
Having kids did change me. I think fatherhood makes you more confident in yourself. More grounded.
I was holding my dad’s hand when he took his last breath. It was both beautiful and terrible. In some ways it was the worst moment of my life. But to be able to be there for him meant a lot.
As a father you need to be present. When my dad was away for work he was gone for days and weeks at a time. But when he was back he always had all the time for you – we’d come back from school and sit together and watch cartoons. When I’m with my kids I always try not to do anything else. Fatherhood changed the way I work. It made me more focused. It made me not want to take every single gig. I’ll only do them now if I think they’re worth it. I’ll turn down
What advice would I give a new dad? Don’t get too down on yourself when you do something wrong. If you lose something, put a shoe on the wrong foot, lose your temper . . . just go easy on yourself. As long as you’re trying to be a good dad that puts you way ahead of the game.
Best Foot Forward by Adam Hills is published by Hachette Australia. $32.99 November 2018 101
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M H D A D
SHOOTING BLANKS With sperm counts declining across the West, male infertility has become increasingly common. So why is conception still spoken of as a female issue? MH investigates the last great sexual taboo By Sarfraz Manzoor
Photography by Sun Lee
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AVRADEEP AND EMMA met in 2010, en they were both in their thirties. “My late father was the young gest of 13 children,” Avradeep says. “Growing “ up, I saw the joy that raising me gave my father. My par s’ dream was to have children, and they were great parents. I wanted sometthing like that.” G Given Emma’s age, the couple didn’t feel that they had the luxury of etting to know each other over man ny years before planning a family, so theey started trying for a baby just ear into their relationship. “We did what you’re supposed to do,” recalls Avradeep. “A slots into B, and Bob’s your proverbial uncle.” However, despite months of trying, Emma did not become pregnant. Concerned, they went to their GP, and both partners were given several blood tests. Avradeep was also asked to do a semen test. “I had to produce a fresh sample and get it to the hospital lab within an hour,” he says. “Which is no mean feat, considering the traffic.” A week later, the results arrived while Avradeep was playing squash. Emma collected them and rang him to say they needed to talk. He returned home, and it was then that he learned the reason why Emma was failing to become pregnant: Avradeep had zero sperm. He was infertile. It is estimated that infertility affects one in six heterosexual couples and, in 40 per cent of cases, the cause lies with the man. Despite advances in health science, the problem is only getting worse – a study published last year showed that among men from Europe, North America and Australia, sperm counts have halved in less than 40 years. “Men’s fertility and reproductive health seem very much to be under threat in our society,” says Sheena Lewis, emeritus professor at the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast. “A large meta-analysis published 20 years ago claimed that sperm counts had dropped in the previous 50 years. Everybody said the statistics were wrong, but the paper that came out last year confirms the data.” Despite this, the global conversation around conception still largely centres on women. “The medical and scientific study of reproduction has historically focused on women’s bodies,” says Liberty Barnes, author of Conceiving Masculinity: Male Infertility, Medicine and Identity. “So it’s no surprise that when we started dealing with infertility, this continued to be the case.” There is, perhaps, a correlation between this tendency and the way we seem to know 104
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so little about our declining sperm counts. It’s something we rarely think about as individuals, unless it becomes a problem. As for the medical community, it’s aware that sperm counts are declining – but it’s not sure exactly why. “I often compare sperm production to an assembly line in a car factory,” says Tim Child, medical director of Oxford Fertility, one of the world’s largest IVF treatment centres. “It just takes one bit to go wrong and the end product won’t be as good as it should be. It’s the same with sperm: if there’s one enzyme missing, one protein that’s not quite right, then it could affect the end result.” That this seems to be a predominantly Western phenomenon suggests that the problem isn’t entirely natural. “It has something to do with our lifestyle and our diets,” says Lewis. “We know this because in countries such as India, richer people who adopt a Western lifestyle end up having more issues.” Many of these Western maladies should come as no surprise: obesity, lack of exercise, and so on. Environmental pollutants are a probable factor, with multiple studies linking air pollution with “abnormal sperm shape”. We are also having children later, and sperm quality is significantly poorer in those over 45. But there is, as yet, no smoking gun, no definitive cause. All we have is speculation.
PROBABLE CAUSES When a couple are experiencing fertility issues, their GP will most likely suggest a variety of tests for the woman and possibly a semen test for the man. They will then be recommended IVF treatment. “The reason for my lack of sperm was never discovered,” says Avradeep. “In effect, I was discounted as being ‘useful’ by the fertility unit.” According to clinical embryologist Sheryl Homa, “The triaging is wrong if a man with poor semen analysis is simply sent to an IVF clinic. The IVF clinic offers IVF – it doesn’t offer an investigation. If you go to a butcher’s, don’t expect to find oranges.” Homa used to run IVF labs for both the state and private sectors, but she quit after becoming disillusioned with the persistent marginalisation of men. In 2007, she set up Andrology Solutions in order to focus on men’s health – particularly in relation to their reproductive system. Her hope is to offer a level of investigation, diagnosis and explanation that she feels is missing from the health system. The men who visit the clinic come alone and are given a detailed health questionnaire
FOR THE SCIENCE TO IMPROVE, MEN NEED TO START TALKING.
M H D A D
“OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS, SPERM COUNTS HAVE HALVED IN MUCH OF THE WEST”
HOW TO BEAT THE HEAT
According to a University of Giessen study, a 1°C rise in scrotal temperature can be enough to cause a drop in sperm quality*. Keep tabs on these habits if you’re struggling to conceive
ENJOYING LONG, HOT BATHS USING HEATED CAR SEATS KEEPING YOUR MAC ON YOUR LAP CYCLING IN TIGHT LYCRA WEARING SUPER-SNUG BOXERS *Don’t worry too much. Any damage will only last a few months.
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that is used to assess the cause of their low sperm count. “If we can find out what is behind it, we might be able to treat it,” says Homa. The leading known cause of male infertility, she says, is a varicocoele – a clump of abnormally enlarged veins around or above a testicle. “This leads to an engorgement of blood that heats the testes. If you raise the temperature of the testes too high, you can destroy sperm development.” Homa is convinced of the potential benefits of varicocoele repairs. “There is a lot of evidence that this will improve sperm DNA damage and increase your chances of pregnancy, naturally and with IVF,” she says. So why isn’t it more commonly practised? In this and other respects, the medical community is divided. “In studies where men were randomised either to have the varicocoele repaired or not, the results showed their fertility did not improve,” says Child. “So the guidance is that men should not have it repaired purely for fertility reasons, as there is no evidence that the treatment will help.” Child continues, “In general, there are no drugs, surgeries or medications that can ‘fix’ men’s fertility problems.” For now, he believes IVF remains the best option.
“MANY MEN FEEL A LACK OF SPERM AFFECTS THEIR SENSE OF MASCULINITY”
HIT OR MYTH?
LIFE SUPPORT Avradeep and Emma opted for IVF using donor sperm. “I felt bad for Emma because I was the reason she could not conceive naturally, and why we needed to go down this route,” he says. “She would have to undergo various uncomfortable procedures and blood tests, whereas my lack of sperm ruled me out immediately.” Sometimes, on the drive back from work, he would cry. “I felt useless.” This sense of personal failure is a very common response, explains Homa. “How would I describe the emotional state of the men who come to see me? I think the word is ‘dire’,” she says. “They feel guilty about how they cannot provide what their partner wants most and yet she is stuck with them. I have had men tell me it would be better to divorce, so she could find somebody else. I have had plenty of men break down during a consultation.” Homa sees her clients without their partners, so they are, perhaps, more comfortable about revealing their emotions. In other environments, many of them feel they have to “be strong”. “Men often hide their feelings in front of their partners,” says Lewis, “even if they are heartbroken inside.” Richard Clothier is a marketing manager who married his wife in 2011. After learning he had fertility issues that would make natural pregnancy unlikely, his wife started 106
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Dr Jackson Kirkman-Brown separates media scare story from legitimate strategy
WI-FI & PHONE SIGNALS COOK YOUR SPERM MYTH
While the heat from your laptop can cause short-term damage, no link has been established between Wi-Fi and infertility.
IT’S HEALTHY TO EJACULATE OFTEN HIT
This won’t offer any long-term benefits, but “refreshing” your sperm once every couple of days is beneficial when you’re trying to conceive.
IVF treatment in early 2016. “I kept quiet about my feelings in order to be the ‘knight in shining armour’ who every man wants to be for his partner,” he says. “But it took its toll. Every morning on the drive to work, I would pull up on the same stretch of road and find I was punching the steering wheel with both hands. I was filled with rage and raw emotion, making noises that I had never heard myself make.” That those like Clothier feel they have no outlet for their frustration is a sign that men still feel uncomfortable about discussing their feelings openly. “Men have fewer social support networks,” says Barnes. “[Male
A LOW SPERM COUNT IS A SIGN OF POOR HEALTH MYTH
It’s largely inherited, so while lifestyle factors can help, the chances are that it’s unrelated to anything you’ve done.
PROTEIN SUPPS CAN HARM YOUR SWIMMERS HIT
Unfortunately, there’s some truth here. While most men won’t have any issues, if your sperm count is low, quitting the shakes can help.
infertility] is something that has been taboo for many years, and men don’t have the same resources available to them.” Some are trying to change this. In 2015, Gareth Down set up a Facebook group focused on male fertility. After discovering he had no sperm as a result of testicular lumps during his teenage years, Down and his wife, Natalie, began fertility treatment. The couple had multiple rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) and IVF, and Natalie frequently went online in search of support and advice. When Down tried to do the same, however, he came up against a wall. “The people on the pages were predominantly female, and I couldn’t
M H D A D
DESPITE GROWING AWARENESS, THERE’S NO MEDICAL FIX.
SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE
Total Sperm Count (Millions)
What the latest data** tells us about male fertility
350 Western men, random sample
300 250 200
Western men, fertile
150 1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Year of Sample Collection **HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
find anything to relate to,” he says. “I couldn’t speak openly about how I was feeling.” So, he decided to start his own page. “After I set it up, I had a place where I could post about what I was going through. The strength of the Facebook group is that it is only men – so it seems that [on issues] where men might normally stay silent, they feel able to speak out.” Avradeep and Emma also noticed an imbalance in support. “Compared to the thousands of female infertility blogs, male blogs are in a minority, because men don’t tend to share their feelings much, let alone write about them online for all to see,” says
Avradeep. He started his own blog in 2014 to verbalise his concerns. One anxiety repeatedly mentioned by men with fertility issues relates to how a lack of sperm affects their sense of masculinity. “I have spent my whole career trying to separate fertility from virility,” says Lewis. “Men’s self-esteem is dented when they find they have a low sperm count. They think it makes them less of a man.”
THE NEXT GENERATION Last year, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute announced they had created healthy offspring from genetically infertile
male mice. It was a ground-breaking result, pointing to a potential new approach to tackling infertility. The technique requires further development before it can be tested on humans, but it does offer some hope. “The research being done in genetics is the most promising thing for the future of fertility,” says Barnes, “and the lab scientists who are studying male infertility are finding really interesting answers. I think in 20-30 years, we will know a lot more about what causes infertility and how it can be solved.” In the meantime, while there are no medical fixes, there are things that men can do to improve the quality of their sperm. That you are reading this magazine – and therefore presumably taking an interest in your health – is a good first step. “Men produce new sperm every 70 days,” says Lewis. “So if you were to change your lifestyle for just three months, you might be able to improve your sperm quality.” It’s worth keeping in mind, too, that the world’s Mick Jaggers are the exception: men do have biological clocks. Avradeep and Emma spent seven years and over $60,000 on fertility treatment. After three rounds of IUI and five rounds of IVF, in April this year Emma gave birth to a I girl g they named Matilda Bea. “Matilda means mighty in battle,” explains m Avradeep, “and Bea means bringer of y.” Avradeep’s and Emma’s joy aby offers living proof that ba nfertility need not mean in chiildlessness. “Where donor sperm is used, the big thing that many men like mysellf have to understand is that this donor m is just DNA,” says Avradeep. “The sperm donorr is not the father. Once you get over that hurdle, it’s easier to progress.” For Barnes, the story of Viagra offers ome clues about how progress might be so made. “Viagra and erectile dysfunction m are now commonly talked about in popular discourse, but that wasn’t always the case,” she s says. “I don’t know what it would take for us to be able to acknowledge male infertility as openly as we do erectile dysfunction.” Funding new research is a separate battle – sperm studies are viewed as unattractive, given that they require large sample groups over many years and rarely give clear answers. But the first step towards greater understanding is simply to talk, to encourage men to vocalise their experiences honestly and to allow their voices to be heard. “The more we share, the more it becomes acceptable,” says Homa. “If people understand they are not alone, then the taboo is broken – and the real conversation can start.” November 2018 107
M H D A D
JUDGEMENT DAY As his son prepares to fly the nest, one man takes a clear-eyed look at his performance as a father. Did he pass the most important exam you will sit? By Daniel Williams
LEAN ON ME, FROM FIRST STEPS TO WEDDING DAY.
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Photography by Philip Le Masurier
Way back, when I was the one leaving home, I looked up from the driveway to the verandah at my farewell party of two. My mum was crying, while my dad looked annoyed. I think he felt I’d failed to lend the occasion its proper gravitas. And he was right. I’d marched out of there as though I were off to buy milk. Where were the solemn words of gratitude? Too young and foolish to know better, I’d blown the moment. Thirty years on it’s my son – my first-born – who is about to fly the coop. It isn’t like I won’t see him anymore. He’s going all the way to the next suburb with his fiancée. But this is still the end of something. And with my crack at the daily fathering of my boy winding up, I’ve been thinking about how I did. Well, let’s see. I didn’t stumble in drunk every night, or any night. I never forgot his birthday, swiped his pocket money or made a lunge at one of his girlfriends. So I probably don’t qualify as a train-wreck of a dad. If you’re like me, however, you will have set the bar higher than out-fathering Thomas Markle. Good move. Because experts are increasingly tracing children’s prospects for long-term wellbeing to the father’s influence. According to Darrell Brown, author of Raised By Our Childhood Voices: One Father’s Journey to Raise Confident, Connected, Compassionate Boys, sons who miss out on the validation they need from their dad develop something called a “father wound”. Clinicians who’ve worked with thousands of men, Brown tells me, say that if you walk into any psychiatrist’s office, nine times out of 10 the root cause of the presenting problem is a father wound. Have I inflicted one of those? Time for a lightning review of a 26-year relationship. We got off to a flyer. My wife was so out of it in the hours after delivery that it felt as though the fate of this innocent rested solely in my hands. Love – fierce, protective,
primal – hit like a 10ft wave. Because I have a near-Special Forces ability to cope with sleep deprivation our bond strengthened in his infancy when he demanded company most nights; we whittled away the small hours together. Later it helped that I still liked to play. Not everything, of course – I’m not insane. But kicking and whacking balls? I was always up for a spell of that. As a once anxious kid I grasped that my son’s fears were no less real for being irrational. When he was spooked in the middle of the night I stayed with him until sleep reclaimed him. He remembers that. Regrets? Plenty. (Who are these guys who say they have none?) I feel mine intensely. They often involved sport, which for us was mostly a glue but occasionally a trap. One time, at a family barbecue when he was all of three years old, I was bowling underarm to him so he could clobber the ball with his plastic bat. He was astonishingly good at this and I’d boasted about his talent. But on this day, in front of an audience, he was just fanning the air. Ridiculously, I became frustrated with him until – and this still tortures me – he declared, “I’m hopeless!” When he was 11 I was on the sideline when his soccer team lost 8-0. Like most of his
teammates that day my son had competed without a trace of urgency. So later that morning, during a little indoor game we used to play, I demonstrated (on him) how you harass a guy who’s in possession. He was laughing at first but then started to cry and again I felt like a tyrant fit for public stoning. I was never one of those dads who would gleefully tank a contest with their son. I gather you’re supposed to, but I couldn’t do it. I figured he would beat me when he was ready and until then he could aspire to be as proficient as his old man. Maybe this makes me a bastard. But I don’t think it did him any harm or that he holds it against me. I was a hard marker of his schoolwork where writing was involved. Were he to show me an essay that was shallow, clunky and off-point, they’re the words I would use to describe it. Harsh? I’m not sure. I didn’t expect Shakespeare, just evidence of creative effort. Encouraging him to believe he was capable of anything, that the world was his stage, wasn’t my forte either. In fact, his straightfaced announcement one night that he was going to make his living as a singer gave me one of the heartiest belly-laughs of my life. My wife smacked me but soon joined in, as did
“I WAS NEVER ONE OF THOSE DADS WHO WOULD GLEEFULLY TANK A CONTEST WITH HIS SON” my son. If you could hear him sing – Simon Cowell might say he sounds like a rugby prop fresh from the dentist – you would have laughed too. What else? I didn’t teach him nearly enough skills in carpentry and home maintenance, mainly because I had so few to teach. I too often committed what the University of WA’s Fathering Project calls “boomeranging” – refocusing a conversation that was about the child onto you, even if it’s to deliver a pertinent anecdote. I swore too much and didn’t commit sufficiently to giving him a wealth of new and unforgettable experiences, rather than endless reruns of the stuff that we both liked well enough. So there is no shortage of things over which I could beat myself up. And I’ve been doing that, now and then, for years. But I’ve also realised that if you think you’re going to be the perfect father, a real-life Mike Brady, you’re headed for a fall. Those times when you
mess up – what do they prove? That you’re a bad dad? I doubt it. More likely they show you’re human. Down the track you can ask yourself, how could I have been such a dope? Or you can pose a different question: how has my child turned out? For my part, I look at my son and see a man who’s gentle and law-abiding, considerate of his mother, kind to children and animals, quick to laugh, independent, socially adept and eminently employable. Something must have gone right along the way. The other night we had a farewell dinner for him, just his mum, sister and me. I told him something Darrell Brown had told me – that the question every child needs answering by their father is, Am I enough? “Son,” I said, “you’re not just enough. You are so much more than enough. I could not be more proud of you.” And in that moment, everything was all right. November 2018 109
MH RADAR
Aussie Dads Uncensored
Ahead of Fathers’ Day, MH together with Parents At Work assembled a panel of experts at Atrio Cafe in Sydney to explore the evolving nature of fatherhood and ofer insights into becoming a better dad
Daily Edition’s Tom Williams, Adam MacDougall, Alex Laguna and the Gidget Foundation’s Dr Vijay Roach discuss the importance of assuming an active role in your child’s life.
Betterdads.com’s Alex Laguna, MH editor Luke Benedictus and NRL legend and entrepreneur Adam MacDougall.
Johan Lundström, president of the Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce, outlines the benefits of his country’s generous paid parental leave scheme.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
M H D A D
Patrons admire exhibits from Aussie Dads: The Fatherhood Effect by Johan Bävam.
For once dads went home with a showbag they didn’t have to share with the kids. Thanks to Swisse, Charles + Lee, Kooee! Snacks, Body Science, De Lorenzo, Nuzest, Blow Bar and Karitane. Tom Williams reflects on the challenges of balancing fatherhood with a high-profile job.
Former MH Man finalist Radek Jonak was among many on the hunt for parenting tips.
ESSENTIALS
Our guide to what’s happening and what’s new
SNEAK PEEK Your new summer essential is the white leather men’s sneaker with Tommy Hilfiger’s iconic red white and blue sole and side flag detailing. The Flag Detail Leather Sneaker is available at Tommy.com, and select Tommy Hilfiger retail stores, David Jones and The Iconic, RRP $199.
READY TO RACE Stand out from the crowd this racing season with Calibre’s collection of suits, limited edition vests, Italian made shoes and accessories including hand made detailed flower pins. If you aren’t after a suit, coordinate a tailored blazer with dress pants. Visit calibre.com.au
MENTORS OF MEN The new line up of Van Heusen Mentors includes acclaimed actor and producer Richard Roxburgh, comedian and activist Nazeem Hussain, Paralympic medallist and Invictus Games ambassador Curtis McGrath, rugby league great Billy Slater and businessman Ben Chan. Follow their stories, life and style advice from those who live it at vanheusen.com.au/thementors
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YOU BEAUT UTE The 18MY D-MAX LS-T 4x4 is the perfect choice for men seeking a ute that’s tough but refined. With premium features such as 18” wheels, Sat Nav, leather-accented interior trim, electric driver’s seat and Isuzu’s Passive Entry and Start System (PESS), the D-MAX LS-T 4x4 is equipped to take on any challenge. Visit your local Isuzu UTE Dealer for a test drive or isuzuute.com.au/d-max
TOTE LIKE A TROOPER Otterbox brings the same precision engineering from its phone cases to its durable, highperforming outdoor products. Trooper Soft Coolers are easy to pack and even easier to tote, with wide shoulder straps and unique backpack conversion for the Trooper LT 30. Visit otterbox.com.au
UNDERWEAR EVOLUTION
Move up to the Evolution Trunk, the Calvin Klein trunk made from comfortable cotton featuring a contrasting logo waistband, a contoured pouch and tonal double stitch detailing with a medium rise waist. Stockist: Calvin Klein Underwear stores. RRP $49.95.
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E C AU S E
F I T
122 Bulletproof your joints
I S
T H E
N E W
129 Stretch to succeed
R I C H
SWEET SCIENCE LESSON Could you punch away fat and forge mental toughness in George Foreman III’s hybrid strength/boxing/cardio class? EBENEZER SAMUEL
ALLIE HOLLOWAY
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At a glance Trainx360 at EverybodyFights Lab rat: 180cm, 82kg Workout: 55 minutes Twelve 3-minute stations (including heavy-bag and speed-bag work, rowing, push-ups, kettlebell work and Airdyne fan-bike work), followed by 9 minutes of ab work and conditioning. A 5-minute warm-up and 5-minute cooldown bookend every session. Data Kilojoules burned: 3372 Heart Rate: Max: 192 Average: 149 Resting: 45
FIGHT CLUB Ding-ding.Time to take your training into the combat zone
I’m approaching the end of round 10 in a 15-round gauntlet of a workout class. My trainer, George Foreman III (above), yells, “Go hard! Unleash fury!” And for the next 30 seconds all of us whale away on heavy bags, delivering hook after slamming hook. It’s the Trainx360 class at EverybodyFights in New York, and the lessons are clear for the 50-50 mix of about 30 men and women in attendance. First, punching something with all your might feels great. Second, it’s hellishly tiring. When the bell rings, forget rest: I hit the floor, boxing gloves still on, and hold a plank.
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In cities everywhere, boxing-inspired group workouts are gaining popularity as people seek new ways to burn fat, build muscle, and learn self-defence. At EverybodyFights, you’re training the way Foreman, the son of legendary “Big George” and the creator of EverybodyFights, once did. Most group boxing classes blend bag work with calisthenics to spike your heart rate. This gym pushes you through fat-blasting old-school boxing drills, then uses other gym tools to hone your boxing technique. Sure, you work heavy bags, speed bags and punch machines, and you spar in the ring. But you also battle Airdyne fan bikes, rowing machines and kettlebells. You’re ruled by the clock, fighting through three-minute rounds, just like a boxer. It’s all drawn from the training Foreman himself endured. Back in 2006, with Big George as his coach, he took up boxing in an effort to lose weight. For four years, he trained under his famous father, pummeling his way to a 16–0 record (with 15 KOs). But the more father and son worked together, the more tension built between them. In 2013, Foreman decided to “take a break” from the sport. “I wasn’t getting a dad, and he wasn’t getting a son,” says Foreman, now 35. But G-3 wanted to stay fight-ready, so he built a gym for himself, making sure it had what he needed to stay in fighting shape. Planning his return to fighting, he trained circuit-style, going from rower to Airdyne to kettlebells to suspension trainers to ring work, finishing with core work. When his gym opened to the public, the boxing and circuit-training areas were underutilised, and a friend suggested he turn his own workouts into a group class called Trainx360, which is now his flagship class.
That’s not the only class here. Foreman learned the value of yoga when fighting, so EverybodyFights also offers a Flow class with meditation. There’s also an endurance-focused class with cycling, treadmill running and rowing. “Only 20 per cent of what you do in our classes is actual boxing,” he says. It all lays the foundation you need to be a better boxer. Boxers do a lot of woodchopping drills to build core and leg power; in Trainx360, I slam medicine balls. I squat low to pick up kettlebells, then stand and hoist them to my chest, a lightweight version of the hay-bale flips Foreman did under his dad’s watch. Foreman once slammed mallets into a tyre to hone hand speed; he has me whip battle ropes for the same reason. Foreman keeps us moving, allowing just 15 seconds of rest between rounds. Twelve rounds in, partly because of how hard we hit the bags early on in the workout, I’m dripping sweat, my legs are jelly and my shoulders are on fire. This must be less painful than fighting Ali in his prime, but there’s a moment there when I can’t see how. That’s when Foreman cranks it up. The last three rounds offer no rest, just planks, push-ups and burpees. “Part of boxing,” he says, “is learning how to push through fatigue, extending your perceived limits and working while you recover.” I’m not seeing the “recover” part. Especially not during the final 30 seconds, when I’m most gassed. That’s when Foreman shouts to go all-out one more time on the heavy bag. I throw a jab-jab-cross, fire back-to-back hooks, then deliver another jab-cross. There’s something invigorating about recruiting all your strength to throw those final punches. It’s different from banging out a final set of bench-press reps. This makes me feel like a warrior.
SWEET SCIENCE LESSON
BREAKTHROUGHS
PUT A HEX ON YOUR DEADLIFT If you’re aiming to improve your deadlift, walk away from the classic barbell bar. Instead, try the hex bar. When you deadlift with a hexshaped bar, you stand in the middle of it instead of behind it. According to a Journal of Strength
and Conditioning Research sstudy, deadlifting o generate more with the hex bar allows you to power and velocity and decreeases the distance of the lift, which results in a heavier (and safer) one-rep max.
PUNCH LIKE A PRO UPGRADE YOUR WORKOUTS WITH SOME MOVES AND WISDOM FROM BOXING ROYALTY
FIND YOUR STANCE Get both hands up, shoulders relaxed, chin down so it’s protected by your fist. If you’re right-handed, get your right foot behind your left, but keep your weight evenly distributed. You should be able to bounce back and forth between feet easily. ON THE ROPES: TRAIN TOUGH TO KNOCK OUT ANY OBSTACLE..
PUSH-PULL TO PUNCH The most important punch is the jab (a quick hit forward with your left hand if you’re a righty). The powerful right-hand cross follows. To make that right impactful, don’t just punch. As you’re pushing your right arm forward, rotate your right hip forward and actively pull your left hand and left hip back. Foreman uses the Airdyne to teach this to newcomers; when you pull one bike arm, you must push the other.
BO
1-2 BURPEE It’s a full-body workout and boxing practice all rolled into one. Get into your boxer’s stance; throw a left jab, then a right. Immediately do a burpee, dropping your chest to the ground, then standing back up; quickly get back into boxer’s stance. That’s 1 rep. Repeat this for 1-3 minutes.
ILLUSTRATION: PETER SUCHESKI
PICK YOUR SPOTS Not every punch is meant to be your hardest, something you’ll figure out just minutes into any EverybodyFights class. Crush the bag with those right jabs, uppercuts and crosses, but don’t be too aggressive with every punch, especially the jab; it’ll leave you off-balance and open to attack.
BIRD-DOG PLANK
DUCK WALK
The mechanics of a punch challenge your core to transfer energy from leg to opposite arm. The bird-dog mimics that. Get in push-up position, then lift your right hand and left leg off the ground. Keep stable. Hold, repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep; do reps for 1 minute.
The finest boxers have strong legs that can endure into round 12. Try the duck walk. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Staying low, walk forward 10-15m. Turn around and walk back. Do 3 sets. Follow each set with 20 seconds of jab-crosses.
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ONE SIDE FITS ALL Want to bulletproof your body and gain real strength? Join the unilateral-training revolution EMILY ABBATE
GIACOMONO FORTUNATO
Jay T. Maryniak has gotten used to the stares. They come whenever he does what looks like a plea for Instagram attention, grabbing a loaded barbell, lying on the floor, then standing and hoisting the barbell overhead with one arm. “It doesn’t bug me,” he says. That’s because Maryniak (pictured), a certified trainer, knows what he’s doing. He’s venturing into the world of unilateral training.
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ONE SIDE FITS ALL
Unilateral exercises engage primarily one side of your body to move resistance. That’s a change-up from classics such as push-ups, deadlifts and military presses. Those moves make you use your body symmetrically, muscles on both the left and right sides holding similar (sometimes onerous) responsibilities. Unilateral-training concepts have been around since the late 1800s. Circus strongmen like Eugen Sandow performed the bent press, which had you lift a heavy weight to your right shoulder, bend to the left and straighten your right arm with the weight overhead. It challenged more than sheer strength, demanding shoulder flexibility and stability, along with core strength. But that didn’t filter into mainstream workouts, in which bodybuilding moves have long ruled. In most gyms, you’ll see guys doing curls and bench presses, moves that don’t mimic how your body moves in real life. When you lift a weight with just one side of your body, the abdominal and oblique muscles on your “nonworking” side work to stabilise your torso. The same thing happens during unilateral moves like the exercise that leads people to stare at Maryniak: a barbell Turkish get-up. It’s comparable to a dumbbell curl with the weight only in your right arm (a simple example of a unilateral move). “We’re preparing our bodies for the unplanned events that take place in our daily lives,” he says. “And we’re building joint strength that bulletproofs the body.” That last part is why Maryniak fell in love with unilateral work three years ago. When he turned 30, he found himself battling minor injuries, many born from constantly lifting heavy. Unilateral moves challenged his stabilising muscles so much that he often lifted lighter loads. Most weighted moves, from CrossFit exercises like the snatch to bodybuilding mainstays like the bench press, can be done unilaterally. The more unilateral work you do, says trainer Jeff Cavaliere, the more athletic you’ll become. Most athletic actions, such as a sprint, don’t let your limbs operate symmetrically. Your body is “cross-wired,” says Cavaliere, left arm and right leg moving together. Training limbs individually hones those cross-wired mechanics. Master those and you’ll move better in your sport of choice – and maybe grab extra attention at the gym, too.
MAKING UNILATERAL MOVES Not sure where to start? Steal a few of these exercises from Maryniak and inject them into your workouts. Or do them all in order as a full-body workout, resting 60 seconds between sets and 90 seconds between exercises 1
SINGLE-ARM FRONT RACK CARRY Stand holding a kettlebell in your right hand at your right shoulder. Keeping your chest tall and your torso as straight as possible, walk. Repeat with the kettlebell in your left hand at your left shoulder. YOUR GOAL: 20 steps forward and 20 steps backward (4 sets).
2
DEFICIT BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT Start with your legs shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells or kettlebells at your sides. Place your left foot on a bench or step behind you and your right foot on a weight plate or small step. Bend your right knee, lowering your torso until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then return to the start. YOUR GOAL: 4 sets of 8 per side. LIGHT PLAN Unilateral training has plenty of benefits, but it’s placing new demands on your body. So check your ego at the door. “Since balance and stability are major components here, it’s important to start light and maintain excellent form throughout each rep,” Maryniak says.
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SINGLE-ARM FLOOR PRESS Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, a dumbbell in your right hand, held directly over your shoulder. This is the start. Bend at the elbow and shoulder, lowering your upper arm to the floor, then straighten your arm. YOUR GOAL: 4 sets of 12 per side.
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ONE SIDE FITS ALL
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KNEELING BOTTOMS-UP PRESS Start kneeling on your right knee, left foot firmly on the floor. Tightly hold a kettlebell by its handle in your right hand, bell pointed overhead. Engage your core and straighten your right arm, pressing the weight overhead. Lower back to the start. YOUR GOAL: 4 sets of 8 per side.
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QUADRUPED ROW Place your hands and knees on a bench, core tight. Straighten your right leg behind you, squeezing your glutes. Hold a light dumbbell (pro tip: go lighter than you think) in your left hand, arm hanging naturally. Row the dumbbell toward your rib cage; keep your core tight so you don’t tip to either side. Return to the start. YOUR GOAL: 4 sets of 10 per side.
A NEW BAR START YOUR UNILATERAL TRAINING WITH KETTLEBELLS AND DUMBBELLS. THEN GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL
If you’ve already done some unilateral training, take a page out of my book and integrate barbells (yes, seriously) and EZ-curl bars, building body control and strengthening your forearms and shoulders.
A longer bar shifts the load further away from your hand in both directions, leading the bar to teeter back and forth. You’ll need to slow your reps, piling up muscle-building time under tension and learning body
control. Not all exercises can be done this way (skip the bench press), but single-arm barbell rows, curls and even shoulder presses are worth doing, once you have experience. Ebenezer Samuel, PT
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TAC O T H E G LO RY
TACO THE GLORY
TIME TO MAKE KILOJOULES
5MIN 2160 PROTEIN CARBS 46G 34G
Don’t waste your funds on food-hall salad boxes. These fish tacos are stuffed full of the nutrients your muscles crave after training
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Start by prepping your zingy coleslaw, which is rich in fibre and vitamins C and K. In a medium serving bowl, combine the finely sliced purple cabbage with the shredded carrot, then squeeze your lime juice over the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set the bowl to one side.
Drain the tinned pink salmon and combine it in a bowl with the antioxidant-rich hot sauce (below). Grab your taco shells and blast them in the microwave for 45 seconds. When they’re done, take them out and spoon in copious amounts of your fiery fish mix.
Finally, top off your shells with the crunchy slaw. According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, oily fish such as salmon can lower your blood pressure and your risk of cardiovascular disease – so it’s muscle fuel with long-term benefits, too.
YOU WILL NEED...
• A small purple cabbage • A carrot, shredded • A lime, squeezed • Salt and pepper • A tin of wild salmon • Taco shells, 3
20G
of pr w ild otein in a also salmon – tin of cont wh than ains fewich er 600k J
POWER SAUCE
PHOTOGRAPHY: LUCKY IF SHARP
TURN UP THE HEAT WHEN THE SPRING SUN ISN’T QUITE WARM ENOUGH FOR YOU, RAISE THE TEMPERATURE WITH THIS SUPER-QUICK HOT SAUCE. FEEL THE BURN
In a bowl, mix together a small tin of chopped tomatoes and half a chopped red onion.
Add a chopped red chilli and a teaspoon of paprika. Stir, then microwave for two minutes.
“Can you handle it?” Hot Sauce Mix into your tinned salmon to fire up your metabolism.
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ROCK THE JOINT Why it pays to look after the hardy, yet delicate, structures that hold your skeleton together
RICHARD LALIBERTE
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BRYAN CHRISTIE DESIGN
ROCK THE JOINT
Put down that dumbbell and listen up: muscles aren’t everything. “It’s your joints that make the whole body tick,” says sports medicine specialist Dr Douglas Comeau. But like any mechanical system, they’re prone to wear and tear. And without wellfunctioning joints, it’s challenging to add muscle, shed fat or get anything done around the house. To maintain them, you need to understand how they work and the threats they face. Here’s how to keep your six major joints jumpin’.
SHOULDER TYPE OF JOINT: Ball-and-Socket
Shoulders have an exceptional 360° range of motion but a shallow socket and relatively loose ligaments. “What you gain in mobility you lose in stability,” says orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr Brian Sennett. In other words, you need to know how to look after them so they never let you down.
TOP THREAT: LABRAL TEAR What it is: Damage to the shoulder labrum, a rim of fibrous cartilage that gives the shoulder socket its cup-like shape. A labral tear makes it harder for the ball to stay seated in the socket, so dislocation often follows. Cause: Usually trauma-breaking a fall with an outstretched arm or dislocating a shoulder in an accident – but overuse from throwing or lifting can fray the labrum, too. Treatment: Rehab can strengthen muscles and shore up supporting tendons to stabilise the shoulder. If it doesn’t or there’s danger of dislocation, surgery is usually needed to trim frayed or loose labral tissue or reattach the labrum to the socket. Defence: Do this simple exercise:
Stand to the right of a resistance band fastened at waist height. Holding the end in your right hand, lock your right elbow to your side and slowly rotate your arm outward, pausing in the fully rotated position. Do 15 reps, then stand to the left of the band and rotate inward against resistance. Repeat with your left arm. Future-Proof Your Shoulders: Overdoing overhead motions like swimming, throwing a cricket ball, swinging a racket or even painting walls can result in impingement on your rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons that cover the head of the upper arm bone and hold the joint in place. This can cause the cuff to tear, especially as tendons become weaker and stiffer with age. To prevent it, do this exercise: While standing, lift a 1-kg dumbbell to the side and about 30° forward with arm straight and thumb pointed down, like you’re pouring a beer. Do
NRL CHAMP BILLY SLATER HAD TWO SHOULDER RECONSTRUCTIONS IN 2015-16 BEFORE RETURNING TO FINISH HIS CAREER IN GRAND STYLE.
15 reps per side. According to orthopedic surgeon Nicholas DiNubile, this isolates and strengthens the supraspinatus muscles to support the tendon most often damaged. Watch Out! A popular impingement surgery called subacromial decompression, which smooths bone spurs on the acromion, may not accomplish much, according to a recent study in The Lancet. Patients in 32 hospitals who got the arthroscopic procedure didn’t do any better than a control group that had a sham surgery in which doctors scoped the shoulder but didn’t fix anything. Both groups did only slightly better than people who received no treatment, leading researchers to suggest that other treatments, such as rehab, painkillers and steroid injections, may be more beneficial. Think twice before going under the knife.
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• HINGE
HIP
Adjoining bones flex toward or extend away from each other in a swinging motion along an axis. Ultrasmooth articular cartilage between the bones reduces friction as they move against each other.
TYPE OF JOINT:
Ball-and-Socket Hips have half the mobility of shoulders but a much deeper socket, which makes the joint highly stable – essential for bearing weight, running, jumping and dancing.
TENNIS STAR ANDY MURRAY HAD SURGERY IN JANUARY TO EASE HIP ISSUES AND IS STILL FEELING HIS WAY BACK.
ANKLE TYPE OF JOINT:
Hinge The ankle is highly stable in a neutral standing position. But in a downwardflexed, on-your-toes position the joint depends more on support from injuryprone ligaments and tendons.
ELBOW TYPE OF JOINT:
TOP THREAT: SPRAIN What it is: A tear in one of the ligaments – usually on the outside of the ankle – that supports the joint. Severe sprains that leave the ankle unstable may eventually damage the joint’s bones and cartilage. Cause: Stretching the ligament beyond its limits, usually by rolling the foot as you walk or run on an uneven surface, making a cutting move or stepping on someone’s foot. Just a month ahead of Portugal’s 2018 World Cup bid, star forward Cristiano Ronaldo sprained his ankle and had to leave the game. “Outside of sports, the most common scenario for men is rolling the foot while going down a step,” says Dr Rocco
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Hinge
Monto, spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Treatment: Rest and compress the ankle, possibly with help from a brace. Rehab will build supporting muscles and increase balance with exercises like standing on one foot with eyes closed – important for preventing repeat sprains due to ankle instability. Surgery to reconstruct the ligament and brace the ankle is seldom advised or needed. Defence: Build calf muscles with exercises like standing or seated calf raises to increase support around the ankle and improve balance and stability. “They’re like stirrups that hold the ankle in,” says Monto.
CRISTIANO RONALDO SHOOK PORTUGAL’S HOPES A MONTH BEFORE THE 2018 WORLD CUP WAS SET TO BEGIN WHEN HE SPRAINED HIS ANKLE. BUT WITH SMART REHAB, HE RETURNED TO HAVE A STELLAR TOURNAMENT.
Tendons attaching bones to muscles in both the upper and lower arm come together in the elbow area. Ligaments hold bones tightly in place and stabilise the joint.
Watch Out! It’s important to keep broken ankle bones immobile, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. “You want the joint to bear weight because that generates electrical fields that stimulate the bone to heal,” Monto says. Figure on an active recovery, not a restful one.
TIGER WOODS STRAINED HIS LEFT ELBOW IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE 2013 US OPEN AND MISSED A SUBSEQUENT TOURNAMENT.
ROCK THE JOINT
TOP THREAT: HIP LABRAL TEAR What it is: An injury of the hip labrum, a gasket-like cartilage ring at the rim of the hip socket that helps hold the ball of the thighbone in place and seals in fluid. Besides causing pain, labral tears raise the risk of hip osteoarthritis. Cause: Usually repetitive motion, such as from long-distance cycling or collisions in sports. “We see it a lot in cutting sports like soccer and hockey,” Comeau says. Tennis players are also prone to hip trouble. Two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray finally had surgery in January to ease hip issues that had plagued him for years. Abnormal hip anatomy can also contribute.
Treatment: Physical therapy can help identify and compensate for quirks in your gait or anatomy that may stress the hip, and stretch and strengthen hip-supporting muscles. If these approaches don’t do the trick, a surgeon can use an arthroscope to trim frayed cartilage and reattach the labrum to the socket. Defence: Vary your sports and workouts from day to day to avoid stressing the hip in the same way and to help joints recover. Future-Proof Your Hips: A previous hip injury or normal ageing can erode the articular cartilage that lines the hip’s ball and socket and lead to osteoarthritis. As cartilage diminishes and the
space between the bones closes, damaged bones may grow out and form spurs that can add to pain and limit movement. To keep your hips young, do bridges, planks and lunges to strengthen your gluteus, lower back and hip-flexor muscles, which stabilise the hips. Don’t do lunges with weights, though, to avoid undue stress. Watch Out! Metal-on-metal hip implants haven’t worked out as well as expected. The ball-andsocket combo promised to be exceptionally durable, but the authorities warn they carry risks, including the release of metal particles that may damage surrounding bone and/or tissue. Consider alternative bearing surfaces such as ceramic on cross-linked polyethylene instead.
TOP THREAT: OLECRANON FRACTURE What it is: A crack or break in the elbow’s tip; this can result in an open fracture in which bone sticks through skin and can cause infection. Cause: Usually direct impact with a hard object, such as getting hit by a cricket ball or whacking your elbow against a door frame. Falling on an outstretched arm can also stress the joint enough to separate bone, as can repeatedly poking your elbow into the ribs of someone with zero sense of humour. Treatment: If pieces of bone aren’t out of place, splinting for about six weeks should allow the fracture to heal. More complex fractures require surgery to realign bone fragments. A graft can fill in
• BALL-A ND-SOCKET The rounded, ball-like end of one bone fits into the concave surface of another. The design offers superior range of motion, but stability can vary: high in a deep socket, low in a shallow one. Surrounding tendons and ligaments help keep bones in place.
bone that’s been lost or destroyed. Defence: Wear elbow pads in sports such as mountain biking and snowboarding, which have a higher risk of falls. And just in case you do go down, practise the tuck and roll. On a soft surface, crouch down, bend forward, tuck your head and roll onto one shoulder. Try to curl into a ball as you do so, using your arms for guidance rather than as shock absorbers. Future-Proof Your Elbows: If you’re a golfer or tennis player, take lessons to learn how to swing a club or racquet using your core and whole body, not just your arms. “A poor swing puts chronic strain on tendons, causing overuse damage that can be difficult to heal,” says sports medic Dr Darryl D’Lima. This can result in epicondylitis, a painful inflammation of tendons
that connect forearm muscles to bony protrusions called epicondyles on the outside and inside of the elbow. You know outside (lateral) epicondylitis as tennis elbow and inside (medial) epicondylitis as golfer’s elbow, but both can occur in either sport. Bonus tip: ease into your game. “Massage your forearm muscles at red lights on the drive over,” says DiNubile. “That stimulates blood flow to the area around the joint.” Hit the first few balls gently, working up a light sweat to limber up muscles and ligaments before taking more vigorous strokes. Watch Out! “If your tennis racquet isn’t strung correctly, it will transmit more force up the forearm to the elbow,” says D’Lima. A recent study in Shoulder & Elbow found that lower string tension placed less of a load on the elbow, potentially reducing the risk of lateral epicondylitis.
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Do You Really NeedANewKnee?
KNEE TYPE OF JOINT:
A recent study found that a third of the more than 600,000 knee replacements done annually in the US may not be necessary. Other research inds that more than 10 per cent of patients aren’t satisied with the results. “You need to have moderately advanced arthritis and to have failed conservative care for total knee replacement to be appropriate,” says orthopedic surgeon Dr Nicholas DiNubile. So before going under the knife (and hammer and drill), ask yourself these ive questions:
Hinge Four main ligaments bind the thighbone (femur) with the shinbone (tibia) and kneecap (patella). Knees are versatile and strong but vulnerable to a variety of breakdowns.
How bad is it? People who are dissatisied after surgery tend to have had only mild or moderate pain, or no severe limitations on function, beforehand. Your surgeon should be able to see X-ray evidence of narrowed space in the joint or bone-on-bone. THE AFL’S LUCKLESS ALEX JOHNSON HAD HIS SIXTH BOUT OF MAJOR KNEE SURGERY AFTER SUFFERING ANOTHER ACL TEAR IN AUGUST.
TOP THREAT: ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT TEAR
tendon (or a cadaver tendon) and uses it as scaffolding to reconstruct the ligament.
What it is: A sprain of the front-most of two ligaments that cross each other (hence cruciate) inside the knee. A mild sprain may stretch the ligament without affecting stability, but more severe sprains can partially or completely tear it, leaving the joint loose and likely to further damage the knee’s cartilage.
Defence: Stronger leg muscles make knee joints more stable. To strengthen yours, do these three exercises: walking lunges (3 sets of 10 reps); Russian hamstrings (kneel on the floor with a partner holding your ankles, then lean forward with a straight back for 3 sets of 10 reps); single toe raises (30 reps each leg). For a complete knee-protection plan, visit aflcommunityclub.com.au and search for the Footy First program developed by a group of leading academics funded by the NHMRC. It provides a regimen that includes leg exercises, plus warm-ups, stretches, strengthening exercises and plyometrics aimed at reducing ACL injuries.
Cause: Excessive force from pivoting in a pick-up basketball game, jumping to spike a volleyball or colliding with something much larger than you. That’s why ACL tears are common among athletic younger men. Treatment: Surgery is usually needed, especially if you want to play sports again. Most ACLs can’t be stitched together, so the surgeon usually takes a graft of your patella or hamstring
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Future-Proof Your Knees: The forceful movements that
How strong are my quads? Thigh muscles move and stabilise the joint, so the bigger and stronger they are, the more satisied you’ll likely be after surgery, reports a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Science. cause ACL tears can also damage the meniscus, a rubbery cartilage wedge that provides cushioning inside the knee. Normal ageing also weakens the cartilage, so just getting up from a crouch (or couch) can tear an older knee. “We see it a lot in baseball catchers, plumbers and carpet layers – anybody who torques their knees for a living,” says DiNubile. The aforementioned legstrengthening program for protecting the ACL is a good defence here, too. Watch Out! Unless their meniscus tears are due to trauma such as a sports injury or a fall, people who undergo a partial meniscectomy do no better than those receiving sham surgery or physical therapy, according to recent studies. “If you’re over 50, when a torn meniscus is probably degenerative, you’re likely better off with physical therapy and maybe cortisone injections,” Sennett says.
How do I deal with pain? People who ixate on pain or feel helpless in the face of it can have trouble coping with post-op discomfort and tend to be less satisied with the results. If you are taking narcotics or opioids, DiNubile strongly advises making every efort to get of them before surgery. You’ll have better pain relief after surgery and a signiicantly better surgical outcome, he says.
Am I prepared to do this again someday? Prosthetic materials like titanium and cobalt-chromium alloy still don’t have the longevity of natural bone and soft tissue, so switching out knees in your 50s and early 60s may mean needing a repeat procedure in about 20 years. That’s especially true for men, whose revision rates are signiicantly higher than those of women – possibly because we tend to resume strenuous activities that injured us originally.
Have I tried everything else? Don’t think of knee replacement as a quick ix. Despite its popularity, keep in mind that it’s still a major operation with potential risks and extensive rehab. –Laura Beil
ROCK THE JOINT
•ELLIPSOID
WRIST TYPE OF JOINT:
Ellipsoid The wrist’s collection of bones, ligaments, tendons and cartilage forms the body’s most complex joint. Because it’s not weightbearing, it’ll likely provide problem-free mobility for a lifetime – unless you injure it.
TOP THREAT: SCAPHOID FRACTURE What it is: A break in the scaphoid bone, one of eight small carpal bones in the wrist. (Stick out your thumb hitchhiker style: the scaphoid is under that little divot at the base of your thumb.) Scaphoid breaks account for about 70 per cent of carpal fractures.
circulation. If bones are displaced, aren’t healing, or show signs of decay due to poor blood supply, you may need surgery to align them and hold them in place with screws, pins or wires. After undergoing surgery on both wrists, US Open tennis champion Juan Martin del Potro has fought his way back into the world Top 5.
Cause: Usually falling palm down on an outstretched hand – an injury that often occurs in young men.
Defence: If you don’t want to quit the sports most likely to break wrists – football, soccer, skiing, snowboarding – wear wrist guards and/or learn to tuck and roll.
Treatment: A cast or splint that immobilises the thumb for about six weeks can treat most fractures, especially close to the thumb, where there’s good blood
Future-Proof Your Wrists: A triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tear entails damage to the cartilage on the pinkie-finger side of the wrist that supports and cushions the carpal bones.
In a modified ball-and-socket, the rounded end of one bone (or multiple bones) moves against a shallow, elliptical cavity in another, allowing a wide range of movement.
TFCC tears cause pain near the pinkie, especially when bending the wrist from side to side. As with a scaphoid fracture, it can stem from falling on an outstretched hand (or violently twisting the wrist). Another cause: the sudden binding of a power-drill bit that spins the drill while it’s in your grip. Protect yourself by upgrading to a drill with a torque grip that lets you grab two handles for improved control. Watch Out! If an X-ray doesn’t show a scaphoid fracture immediately, wait. Small breaks often don’t appear until 10-14 days after injury, when poor blood supply causes bone decay that’s more visible on a scan. Wrist still hurting after two weeks? X-ray it again.
BROOKS KOEPKA HAD BEEN SIDELINED BY A TORN TENDON IN HIS LEFT WRIST BEFORE IGNITING TO WIN TWO MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS YEAR.
DIY REPAIR THE BEST JOINT REPAIRS ARE THE BODY’S OWN. “TISSUES NATURALLY REPLICATE AND, THROUGH HEALING, GET BETTER OVER TIME,” SAYS DR DARRYL D’LIMA. THAT’S WHY RESEARCHERS ARE STUDYING WAYS TO BOOST THE BODY’S SELF-REPAIR WITH TECHNIQUES LIKE THESE:
1
PLATELET-RICH PLASMA
Platelets in blood plasma contain proteins called growth factors that promote healing. In PRP therapy, your doc draws your blood, spins it to separate and concentrate the platelets, and injects the preparation into a joint. Studies suggest it’s most effective for chronic tendon injuries, especially tennis elbow, but research hasn’t conclusively shown it’s better than existing treatments.
2
STEM CELLS
Stem cells harvested from bone marrow (new research is looking into extracting them from fat) have the potential to grow into other types of cells. Once programmed in the lab, they’re put into a joint to grow new tissues like cartilage and ligament. The therapy has shown promise in animal studies, and some clinics offer it for osteoarthritis. “But the jury is still out,” says D’Lima.
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CARTILAGE IMPLANTS
US authorities recently approved a procedure called autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) that helps heal damaged cartilage in people without osteoarthritis. A surgeon first extracts one or two small samples of cartilage from your knee in the non-weightbearing zones. These are processed in a lab, and the cells are placed back into the knee during a second operation.
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ENHANCED ACL REPAIR
In a new technique, a scaffold loaded with a patient’s blood is placed between the ends of a torn ACL before they’re sutured. Called bridge-enhanced ACL repair, or BEAR, it stimulates healing in the ligament and doesn’t require a graft from elsewhere in the body. “Good preliminary results,” says Dr Brian Sennett.
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STRETCH YOUR POTENTIAL
STRETCH YOUR POTENTIAL Quit omming and ahhing about yoga’s place in your regimen. Hit the mat to become a complete athlete
YOGA STYLES AND THEIR SUBSTANCE Use our flow glossary to separate the chakra-cleansers from the muscle- builders and find the best yoga offshoot for you
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DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL KIT? No, not harem pants. Your mat is what “connects” you to the floor, so if you’re going to invest in one thing, let’s start there. “The best ones are super-grippy to create a solid foundation,” says Wong. “When I have the choice, I practise on a Liforme yoga mat.” ($247; net-a-porter.com)
VINYASA For a sweat session with aerobic benefits, the most popular form of yoga synchronises motion with breath in a series of fast-paced poses, often rounded off with meditation. 1
WHERE DO I START?
Before you go to a local class, Sit down, Be Quiet. That’s not an order – it’s a book and the essential first stop for men who want to give yoga a try. Especially those wary of chakras, or being the only man in the class. Written by Michael James Wong and his Boys of Yoga collective, it’ll guide you through everything from selecting your class to practising at home.
WORDS: AARON TOUMAZOU; PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM WHITING, STUDIO 33; ILLUSTRATION: BEN MOUNSEY
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WHO’S IT FOR? The serious trainer. Though it may not fit with the incense-infused stereotype, yoga’s pay-off extends beyond the mindful and mental. Its varying “flows” (or sequences) will boost your weights training, build a stronger core, improve your balance and accelerate recovery.
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IS THERE A SIGNATURE MOVE TO MASTER? Start with a classic. Too often, men overlook the “downward dog” to focus on show-off moves, but check your ego. With your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart, lift your hips to create a reverse V shape and hold. This strengthens the back and shoulder girdle – areas weakened by desk jobs.
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WILL IT GET ME RIPPED? No, but it will facilitate it during your other workouts, lengthening muscles and upping flexibility. One “active” and “restorative” flow per week will prime muscles for the gym, making the toughest moves a little easier.
POWER Unashamedly fitness-based, this is your best shot at a chantfree session, with the focus on strength and flexibility. Usually set to a decently upbeat soundtrack.
HOT Step into a room with the heating cranked up to around 40°C. The temperature is intended to prevent injury by warming up muscles, while also burning fat faster.
YIN
GET DOWN WITH THE BASICS.
This aims to reset hard-worked muscles with longer poses that target joints and improve flexibility.
STAY LIMBER TO UNROLL NEW FITNESS GAINS.
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WHAT SHOULD I AVOID? A sure-fire way to disrupt your classmates’ Zen is to leave early. Most sessions end with a five-minute “savasana” – in essence, lying still and calming both body and mind. You may be there to lengthen and strengthen, but the meditative aspect is equally important for most attendees. So try it. While lying flat on your back, mindfully “scan” your body, relaxing each limb as you wind down, and you’ll return to the office with a clear head.
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ONE WORD ANSWER
QUESTION
What item of clothing can make you a better lover – and also improve your sleep?
ANSWER
ONE AFTERNOON IN JUNE, a woman was travelling home from a party in Sydney when her shoes began to nip at her feet. So she slipped them off. Suddenly, as she stopped at a footpath, pain pulsed through her body and she tumbled to the ground. She’d been electrocuted by an exposed wire at a nearby worksite, the current passing into her through her wet socks. (Thankfully, she survived.) For most of us, the biggest shock that socks ever bring is far milder: the faux pas of a mismatching pair, say, or an unwanted glimpse of the loud yellow ones worn by the colleague who also sported a light-up tie at the office Christmas party. If the fashion police are irked by odd combos and outrageous colours, however, they are appalled by a rather ordinary habit. “Please, guys, never ever wear your socks to bed,” pleads fashion website LooksGud. “Your girl would hate it completely.” A female contributor to a separate blog discussion concurs: “This is the one thing I demand never happens . . . I’d rather a guy wear a hat.” Warm, cotton-enclosed feet
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are a turn-off – or so conventional wisdom tells us unequivocally. But science disagrees. Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands found that cold feet were an inhibitor to achieving orgasm; in a controlled trial, couples supplied with socks had a 30 percentage-point higher chance of climaxing than their naked-toed counterparts. Any kind of anxiety can be a dampener for women, while for men seeking physical stimulation, icy extremities are an off-putting distraction. Even if you’re turning in alone, keeping your socks on can heat up your night. According to a team of Swiss scientists, the warmth they create helps to bring about the “rapid onset of sleep” by dilating the blood vessels in your feet – part of the “thermoregulatory cascade of events” that precedes dozing off. Their results suggest that sleeping with your socks on could hasten this process by as much as 15 minutes. So ignore the detractors and hotfoot it to sleep – or something hotter.
WORDS: YO ZUSHI; PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON; PANTHERELLA SOCKS FROM SOCKSFOX.COM
Socks