APRIL 2020
R80.00 (VAT INCL) Namibia: N$80.00 Other countries: R82.50
HARD &FAST 6-Pack Hacks for the Lazy Man Upgrade Your Cardio Engine Fight Flab with Our Meal PrepPlan
04270
THE MH COVER GUY: TOM KEMP ULTIMATE STRONGMAN
UNNING SPECIA
9 77102
mashYourP Live9YearsLonge Cut5%BodyF t
SPEED SHRED Lose21kg in4Months TAKE YOUR GLUTEUS TO THE MAXIMUS GetYourAss intoGear
5 . 4 MINUTE HERO
LAST LONGER IN BED
HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS
And Keep Them!
PROMOTION
IT’S TIME FOR...
Real men. Unreal feats of fitness on Instagram! WANT TO TRY THABANG’S UPSIDE-DOWN TRX PULLUP?
Hang With the Best
W I R15 0 N
00
1/ Chinup + Leg Raise Grip the pullup bar with your palms facing towards you (supinated), use your arms (shoulderwidth apart) to pull yourself up until your chin is just above the bar while simultaneously raising your legs until they are perpendicular to your torso.
#mhbeastmode Firstfinalist
@fitnessbangsa 2/ Wall Mountain Climbers Assume a pushup position with your feet resting against a wall (your toes should be the only point of contact). Make sure that there’s space for your legs to move. Bring your right leg towards your chest (as close as you can) keeping your left on the wall before alternating sides.
Shower to Shower Men il d b ld ffresh h has unveiled bold, new packaging for both their aerosols and roll-ons, but it’s not just a packaging update. The revitalised range incorporates fresh new fragrances, improved formulations and the introduction of anti-perspirant sprays for all day dryness and confidence. Fresh Sport offers 48-hour protection with a cool masculine fragrance. Take Fresh To The Extreme
3/ TRX Suspended Rows Grab your TRX cables and pull yourself while walking up a wall until your body is in line with the floor. This is your starting position. Using only your arms and core, pull your chest towards the TRX until you feel a stretch in your mid and lower back. Keep your back and legs straight throughout.
HOW IT WORKS To enter your video (or someone else’s) into the #MHBeastMode competition, all you need to do is type #MHBeastMode and #ShowerToShowerMen in the comments of any Instagram post. (Note: the account must be set to public.) That’ll put it into the B BeastMode feed on our site: beastmode.mh h.co.za. We will choose our top three videos for the month, and then you vote for your favourite. The monthly winner receivves a Shower to Shower Men hamper and POWERED D R2 000 cash. Then, at the end of four month hs, BY we’ll choose an overall champion who will earn e the Beastmode 2020 title and R15 000 cash h.
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARTIN DE KOCK; SHOT ON LOCATION AT VIRGIN ACTIVE ROOIHUISKRAAL
When Thabang Glen (@fitnessbangsa) flipped a TRX workout on its head, he earned himself the top spot in last month’s MH Beast Mode competition. The personal trainer also walks away with an amazing Shower to Shower Men hamper and R2 000 cash. Now it’s your turn. Film your best bodyweight moves and post the videos on Instagram with the hashtag #mhbeastmode. We want to see what you can do – whether it’s the perfect planche, mad muscleups or a flying Superman pushup, we want to be inspired! Visit beastmode.mh.co.za for more info.
These 3 exercises will get you there:
CONTENTS
MEN’S HEALTH APRIL 2020
COVER STORIES & FEATURES 34 6-PACK HACKS FOR THE LAZY MAN
Succeed with less time and effort.
38 TAKE YOUR GLUTEUS TO THE MAXIMUS...
...while building legs of steel.
40 SPEED SHRED The plan that helped Terence Burger lose 21kg.
66 5.4 MINUTE HERO Top tips to help you last longer in bed.
76 UNRAVELLING Francois Malherbe’s unorthodox method of finding your purpose.
82 UPGRADE YOUR CARDIO ENGINE
An exhaustive guide to increasing your endurance.
88 BAD BLOOD Why you need to decrease your diabetes risk.
94 HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS And keep them!
104 FIGHT FLAB WITH OUR MEAL PREP PLAN
P.115
MH Guide to Style:
The Influencers’ Edition
PHOTOGRAPH BY CARLO FULCIS
65 minutes, 3 steps, 20 meals.
WEEJUN II LARKIN MOC - COGNAC
Photograph: Rudi Geyser/Hero Creative Management; Model: Yannick @ Boss Hair and make-up: Alice Coloriti/Supernova Creative Management; Fashion: Robin-Jade Carolus
CONTENTS
58 Make meal prep simple.
61 The best gear to hit MH HQ this month.
62 Find four deals on wheels.
65 Hook onto these
productivity-boosting hacks.
68 “What’s the least
awkward way to ask someone back to my apartment?”
MH MIND
71 A jury of men share
how they calm their rage.
74 Deal with your anxiety
at warp speed.
MH STYLE
P.23 RUNNING SPECIAL: Run 10k in 40 min
116 Meet the high flyers who take fashion above and beyond.
122 This is the Italian job.
126 Attend a different kind of boot camp.
128 These watches are not a pigment of your imagination.
130 Get a groom with a view.
8 Ride the winds and waves of the 2020 Red Bull King of The Air. 12 Why friendships are important.
14 HIIT isn’t worth all
18 Time for a digital
32 Clinch your PB with
19 What happens
41 Take your workout to
detox.
when you smoke weed.
20 Women’s Health cover star Thembi Seete’s secret to success.
the hype. Here’s why.
15 An expert levels with us about testosterone.
MH WORLD
16 Running advice from four kings of cardio. 6
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
MHBODY
24 Your zero-running
cardio upgrade plan.
28 4 moves to help you
fire up your warm-ups.
30 Put your best foot forward.
this two-move superset. the next level with these training shoes.
MHLIFE
On the Cover COVER GUY
Tom Kemp
PHOTOGRAPHER
David Venni
47 FollowYoungstaCPT’s journeytobecoming CT’s kingofhiphop.
51 Learn all about the
manconomy and what’s worth your hard-earned cash.
56 Barrel up on the boldflavoured benefits of this booze.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PHILIP HAYNES
UPFRONT
Blown Away
A REAL, FILTER-FREE LOOK INTO WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH.
UNFILTERED
Gravity-defying tricks, acrobatic jumps and the thrill of soaring above the waves… Red Bull King of the Air gives a whole new meaning to flying a kite. / BY THAAQIB DANIELS
Cape Town’s mountain range is the perfect backdrop for the event’s high-flying action.
RED BULL KING OF THE AIR DATE
6 FEBRUARY 2020 LOCATION
KITE BEACH, CAPE TOWN
PHOTOGRAPHS
TYRONE BRADLEY, YDWER VAN DER HEIDE, CRAIG KOLESKY
There aren’t many sporting events that would consider wind speeds of 30km/h to be ideal conditions. But Red Bull King of The Air (KOTA) is no ordinary sporting event. On 6 February, the best kiteboarders from around the world took on the joint forces of wind and waves at Kite Beach in Cape Town, performing high-flying tricks in the hopes of being crowned King of the Air. Representing Hawaii, Jesse Richman soared, flipped and ultimately landed on top of the podium to earn himself a second KOTA title. Here’s an unfiltered look at what went down at the eighth installment of Red Bull King of the Air.
1 “We managed to score the perfect day,” says KOTA Sportive director, Sergio Cantalleni. “It was arguably the best day we were going to get during the weather window.”
2 After finishing
second in last year’s contest, Jesse Richman put on a stunning performance and took home the Tiki Warrior trophy.
1 2
2
3 Three kiteflying powerhouses
3
clashed in the final round. Richman topped the podium alongside former champions Nick Jacobsen (2nd) and Aaron Hadlow (3rd).
4 Stephen Akkersdijk just
missed out on a top three finish but will look towards improving his score at the next competition.
4 10
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
5 The expert panel
5
6
of judges were a mixture of sports directors and former highflyers. The group viewed the contest on multiple screens from inside a tent, sheltered from the elements.
6 Nick Jacobsen
earned himself the Mystic Move Of The Day after scoring an outstanding 9.02 out of 10 for one move. He also had three of the top five high-scoring moves of the competition. 6
8 Marc Jacobs waved the New Zealand flag high and then flew even higher. He won the Woo Highest Jump Of The Day after soaring to a phenomenal height of 22m above water.
7
Join The Action
8
For more Red Bull King Of The Air and many other epic events, be sure to follow Red Bull South Africa on Instagram: @redbullza
7 UK highflyer Aaron Hadlow finished in third place on the day. He has two previous KOTA titles to his name along with five World Championships in kitesurfing. His skill and experience were on full display at Kite Beach. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
11
LETTER FROM THE
EDITOR
NewTricks Most of my adult life I’ve had a fairly standard fitness routine; traditional gym 3 to 5 times a week, the occasional 5km run and something interesting over the weekend to break up my routine, like climbing a mountain. But four years ago, thanks to the MH staff challenge, I joined a HIIT gym. It was mostly a bunch of ex-Paarl boys led by an energetic instructor, throwing around tires while doing way too many squats. But it worked because training with like-minded people equals motivation and encouragement. You push each other. You support each other. You become friends. That, my friend, is one level of friendship. Turn to page 94 to find the true meaning of friendship, plus advice on how to deepen that bond. For me, friendship and exercise WE TAKE OUR MH TESTING SERIOUSLY have just always gone hand-in-hand. That’s why I did a few yoga sessions with a mate a couple of years ago. It was mostly to see how I’d respond to something I thought didn’t align with my personality. The surprising benefit was what a calming effect it had on my anxiety. So after a few-years-too-long hiatus, last week I tried Bikram* Yoga for the first time (with the same mate). I didn’t realise that the way you contort your body (well, that’s what it felt like to me) and hold it in position caused a detoxifying effect (putting pressure on your lymph-nodes causes a release). So I’ll be back next week, because it had an even more powerful release of my anxiety, something I’d learnt to live with. According to Meghan Rabbit (p.74), most people with anxiety avoid therapy because avoidance is part of the problem. That’s where Intense Exposure Therapy comes in; I’d never heard of it, that’s why I’m highlighting it here. Rather than having a weekly session where you open up an old wound with little time for it to repair, only to have it ripped open again a week later – a therapist might spend three hours every day for three weeks exposing a patient to their worst fear. The point is… HIIT therapy, Bikram Yoga or whatever it may be, try something new because you never know the impact it could have. You’re never too old to learn new tricks. On the subject of new things: Men’s Health is adding two incredible events to our 2020 calendar: Urban Active on 6 June (p.129) and Residency on 25 July (p.46). Book now and come experience what we share on these pages. ROB CILLIERS EDI ITOR Instagram
@robdcilliers
Danielle Weakley Editorial Director
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*Hot Yoga, fixed sequences of 26 postures in a 41°C room
Email: tellmh@media24.com Twitter: @MensHealthZA Facebook: MensHealthSA Instagram: @menshealthza Youtube: Men’s Health South Africa 12
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
OGILVY SA 27064/E
POST-WORKOUT SIZED THE NEW 250 ML
TO D L O C EXTRA T DROP S THE L A
Enjoy Responsibly. Not for Persons Under the Age of 18.
THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
Why HIIT is a Miss for Your Fitness
a rest week 3 . HIIT can be even more harmful for the uninitiated. A FASEB Journal study found that high-intensity exercise halves the function of the mitochondria that provide your cells with energy to keep them alive. Meanwhile, the American Journal of Medicine documented cases of rhabdomyolysis – a condition caused by muscle fibres breaking
DON’T LET THE UBIQUITY OF HIGH-INTENSITY TRAINING PULL A FAST (THEN SLOW, THEN FAST) ONE ON YOUR HEALTH. INTERVALS COULD BE ALL PAIN, NO GAIN
down and leaking their contents into the bloodstream, leading to kidney failure – in subjects following their first spin class. Newcomers to HIIT also face higher injury rates, if the sheer unpleasantness doesn’t put them off exercise altogether. Most classes incorporate explosive movements or heavy loads in order to induce fatigue.
Increased cardiovascular function, faster fat oxidisation and
But cramming 40 people into a dark room with deafening music and one instructor isn’t exactly conducive to good
maintained muscle mass – all realised by spending less time in the gym. It’s no wonder high-intensity interval training (HIIT)
technique. And while you may feel as
continues to make an impact, topping the American College of Sports Medicine’s
though you’ve had a great workout as you lie on the floor in a puddle of sweat, you’d
2018 survey of worldwide fitness trends. Squeezing all the exercise you need into your lunch break is an appetising prospect. But, truth be told, HIIT is a terrible tool for fat loss – all exercise is, really. Burning a marginally increased amount of fat is redundant if you’ve not also created a calorie deficit – most effectively achieved by making good nutritional choices – in order to lose more than you consume. HIIT’s dominance is more to do with the power of marketing and people’s desire for a minimal-effort magic pill. But a one-size-fitsall workout, however slickly packaged by a boutique studio, can only do so much good – and maybe even some harm. There’s no “best” workout: only the most appropriate given your goals and experience, plus your levels of recovery and stress. A less sexy sell, admittedly. Personally, I never do more than two HIIT sessions per week, because I am not an elite athlete. Unless you are, you probably shouldn’t either, because they’re seriously demanding. In the original study by Professor Izumi Tabata, who lent his name to the trendsetting Tabata protocol, Olympian test subjects were wiped out after performing
THIS MONTH’S ADVOCATE Kemo Marriott is the founder of the Brotherhood training club and Holistic Motions health consultancy
14
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
What you need to do is move more, period, with higher quality and variety. Intensity should be the last thing you consider. This is the surest route to sustainable health and fitness. First, how well can you squat, crawl or run? Hone your skill and control before you ramp things up, whether that’s through adding load, repetitions, or both. In other words, don’t sprint before you can walk.
PUNISHING WORKOUTS COULD BE TURNING YOUR BODY SOFT
DEALS WITH THE DEVIL 1
the eight debilitating rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. That’s intensity 1 . The difference between medicine and poison is the dose – or, in this case, the allostatic load (the “wear and tear” on your body). Your brain doesn’t discriminate between physiological and neurological kinds of stress. So if you’re under the cosh at work, hammering yourself with HIIT will only exacerbate the issue 2 as will HIIT alone if you lack adequate nourishment and recovery. It’s vital to let your body heal from stress – in life and in the gym. Experienced gymgoers are constantly surprised when they return stronger after
SLOW PROGRESS
On ne study* found that steadysta ate cardio elicited the same fitn ness gains in students as HIIT, yett was far more enjoyable.
2
HAPPY THOUGHT
Lig ght-to-moderate activity is pro oven to boost wellbeing in tho ose who are sedentary more than vigorous exercise**.
3
TAKE A LOAD OFF
In a Japanese study, those who took 21-day breaks during a sixmonth regimen saw equal growth in muscle to regular trainees.
WORDS: JAMIE MILLAR | PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON | *JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCE AND MEDICINE | **THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
likely derive greater benefits from doing something safer at a lower intensity.
ASK THE
T EXPERT
THE REAL T
STRAIGHT-UP ADVICE FROM A STAND-UP GUY, EVERY MONTH. / BY KIERAN LEGG
parameters were affected and in that lies the answer! The product he was taking was mimicking testosterone in the blood but not at the receptor level and therefore didn’t have the effect of natural testosterone. Most over-the-counter supplements have no scientific data to support the claims they make. The labels only say, “this may” or “this might”. For all you know, I “might” be a green alien…
MEET DR. MARK OPPERMAN In 2014, Opperman started a dedicated “T Clinic” focusing on the effects of low testosterone on the body and mind. Through his practice, he’s helped men both locally and internationally tap into the benefits of balancing their testosterone levels.
IMAGES SUPPLIED
Are testosterone supplements you can order online safe?
One of my patients, 34, presented with symptoms of low libido, decreased erectile function, fatigue and low energy levels, mood swings and a decreased sense of general well-being. He had been taking an over-thecounter testosterone booster for three months with no change in his symptoms. His serum or blood testosterone levels were high-normal. On closer inspection none of his other biochemical
I’m always tired and don’t have the energy I once had. I’ve fixed my diet and ruled out vitamin deficiencies – do I have low T?
The most common complaint I get from patients is that they feel fatigued. When I take a look at their hormone levels, they often have lower than average testosterone levels. This creates an imbalance with other steroid hormones like oestrogen which can lead to low energy levels. By re-balancing these levels – often through upping T levels – patients can experience improved energy and well-being.
I have anger issues. Is testosterone behind my bad temper?
Yes and no. After treating hundreds of patients, my observation is that higher levels of testosterone do not cause aggression or irritability – in fact, the opposite. In men, testosterone converts to oestrogen. If the balance between these hormones is disturbed, the higher levels of oestrogen can lead to mood swings.
I’m getting older, will my T levels start dropping? Should I be worried? Testosterone levels naturally start declining when you’re in your late 20s. But not everyone will develop hypogonadism (low
T). The most common sign that your testosterone levels have dropped off is decreased libido and sexual functioning. Other signs can include dips in strength, weight gain around the abdomen and mood changes. The scariest thing for me is that younger and younger men are presenting with clinically low T levels.
I’m thinking of getting my T levels tested. Where should I start? If you reckon that low testosterone levels could be affecting your well-being, you should ask your GP to conduct a blood test looking at all your steroid hormones. This should be done first thing in the morning and preferably after a short period of abstinence. Remember that testosterone, like all our steroid hormones, comes from cholesterol, so this should be included as part of the test. The strength of this test is really in the interpretation – so make sure you’re dealing with a doctor who has extensive experience in this field.
Is soy still a big no-no? Or can I go to town on those Chinese takeaways?
Today soy is widely consumed, not only as a source of plantbased protein but also as an ingredient in many processed foods. However, yes, soy is a controversial food – some praise its health benefits, others claim it may be bad for you. Should you avoid it at all costs? For me, definitely not. But I believe moderation in all things is best.
Will lifting weights help boost my T levels?
If you’re a man with low testosterone, exercise might help. After exercise, testosterone levels spike – but not for long. It’s not yet clear what health effects, if any, these temporary boosts may have. Of course, exercise has tons of other well-known health benefits. So, for men whose testosterone levels are borderline – between normal and low – lifting weights could have a potent effect.
*Visit the-t-clinic.com to find out more about Dr. Mark Opperman’s practice.
Testosterone replacement therapy is more a case of “break in case of emergency”. Want to up your T levels naturally? Here’s how:
1.
MINIMISE STRESS A diet of whole foods, regular exercise, good sleep, and even laugher can help reduce stress and improve T levels.
2.
TAKE VITAMIN D Research has shown that vitamin D has various health benefits, says Opperman, and may also be a natural testosterone booster.
3.
HAVE SEX A healthy sex life can play an important role in regulating your sex hormone and testosterone levels.
4.
DON’T DRINK (TOO MUCH) Excessive alcohol or drug use can decrease T levels, says Opperman.
5.
GO HEAVY Exercise is one of the most effective ways to prevent many lifestylerelated diseases. It has also been shown to, at least temporarily, boost your testosterone.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 15
Time For a Digital Detox An Appetite For Success What Makes You High?
COMPILED BY THAAQIB DANIELS
On The Run
Every Step Counts “What you put in is what you get out. You won’t get bailed out by your teammates: all your mistakes show. How hard you train is how you perform in competition. And knowing, at the end, there’s the possibility of that moment when the floodlights are on, you cross the line first, you hear the national anthem – that bit keeps bringing me back.” - Mo Farah, Running legend & Medal hoarder
Whether you’re doing a light jog or full-on sprint, the act of running has countless health benefits and is one of the world’s most popular exercise activities. Use these tips from the kings g of cardio to take your running to tthe next level. Run With Your Arms “I focus on developing muscle in my arms and shoulders because that’s what I use to drive and create moving force. If my arms can move efficiently, my legs will follow.” – Akani Simbine, Olympic Sprinter
Know Your Pain “There’s definitely ‘good’ and ‘bad’ pain. Good pain can be when you push hard in a training session or a race and basically you are just pushing your revs into the red. “I think it’s good for recreational athletes to push through the pain barrier once a week, but only for a short period of time – an hour or so. Just so that they become familiar with good pain and if they do start to feel bad pain, they’re able to tell the difference.” – Ryan Sandes, Trail Runner
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MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Trust Your Mentor “[Your coach] will push you far beyond what you think is possible. But if you stand your ground and put in the work, that’s how you learn to be strong.” – Wayde van Niekerk, 400m World Record Holder
Apps To Keep You Going
Human - best for desk jockeys Strava - best for community Nike+ - best for beginners Runtastic - best for social networking Zombies, Run! - best for gamers
MH Fans Like To Stride Outside: 69% of @menshealthza Instagram followers prefer outdoor running the treadmill (31%) Source: MH Instagram Poll
WORLD
APRIL
M E N ’ S H E A LT H B E Y O N D T H E P A G E
Download your digital copy at zinio.com Works on iPad, Mac or PC.
QUESTION:
BOIL THE KETTLE
How Do I Stop My Phone From Controlling My Life?
The seasons are changing. Bag health-boosting benefits by sipping on rooibos.
We’re all guilty of this. Often we find ourselves glued to our screens mindlessly scrolling through the various apps at our disposal. But now, major software companies are integrating new digital wellbeing features into their latest operating systems. It may sound counterproductive, but there are apps for your phone to stop you from using your phone.
CUPPA?
Take Heart Studies show that drinking six cups of rooibos tea a day can reduce your chances of developing heart disease, which kills over 50 000 people a year, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Grab Zs
HIT UP MH.CO.ZA/HEALTH FOR MORE
3 4 Out Of
The number of women who report having faked an orgasm. In three separate experiments, University of Kansas researchers asked about 1 500 people why they’d faked orgasms.
For women, the most common reason was to please their partners. “Her orgasm can be a sign of satisfying sex for him because it shows that he did a good job,” explains Men’s Health sex advisor Dr. Debby Herbenick. “So, she may feel pressure to orgasm if she feels it’s something he’s looking out for.” Something to note: in the same survey, 41% of dudes admitted to faking it, too. MORE REASONS FOR FAKING IT: MH.CO.ZA/SEX-WOMEN
There are high concentrations of calcium and magnesium in rooibos – both of which enhance the quality of your sleep. It also helps that the tea is caffeine free, which means you can drink it right before bed.
Dodge Flu Rooibos tea has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties, and contains strong antioxidants such as aspalathin and nothofagin, which help boost your immune system.
Visit mh.co.za/food-nutrition for more on rooibos tea.
ON A FITNESS JOURNEY? TAG US! @MENSHEALTHZA #MENSHEALTHZA
@menshealthza Twitter
@MensHealthZA Facebook
Nicholas Mathe @nicholas_fitnness
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MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Matthew Stone @matthewstone
Seb Prentice @sprenna
See all the stories featured by scanning the QR code below.
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MensHealthSA
WORLD WHAT HAPPENS WHEN...
…I Smoke Weed? THE LOW DOWN ON GETTING HIGH.
01. THE HIGHLIGHTS
The brain’s endocannabinoid system helps regulate and control memory, emotions, pain, sensitivity and appetite. When we experience certain sensations – anxiety, pain, stress, you name it – your body releases a flood of neurotransmitters (including cannabinoids) that attach to receptors in the brain. THC, the psycho-active component of marijuana, mimics their activity and can scramble these signals, boosting certain responses and tinkering with others. The result: heightened awareness of certain senses, increased sensitivity to shifts in temperature, feelings of relaxation (or anxiety), and the ravenous drive to eat absolutely everything in sight.
04. BREATHE EASY (OR NOT)
Marijuana smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals as tobacco. So, you’d expect regular ‘tokes’ to carry the consequences of a pack-a-day habit. But studies on the subject are divided. Some suggest these joints are hurting your lungs, while others* found smoking may have a positive effect on lung health. However, even these researchers suggest excessive use could hamper breathing. According to one study, edibles containing THC let you circumvent most of the lung-threatening effects. Tread carefully: edibles take longer to take effect (30-60 minutes vs. the nearly-immediate high of smoking) and it’s harder to control your dosage and thus easier to overdose.
01
02
03
04
05. DOSE OF REALITY
05
WORDS: KIERAN LEGG | SOURCES: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION*
02. SNACK ATTACK
Just a few minutes after that first puff, the week-old pizza abandoned in your fridge starts to look (and smell) like a Michelin star meal. But why does weed have this effect on your appetite? As part of study published in Nature, researchers looked at the effects of THC on a group of mice. They discovered that THC binds to the receptors in the olfactory bulb in the brain thus making aromas from food more potent and, ultimately, more appealing. THC has also been shown to release dopamine, which enhances the pleasure of chowing down. One study even found that a quick “hit” could also mess with the neurons responsible for controlling your level of satiety, making you think you’re hungry even after a full meal.
03. MILE HIGH CLUB
Weed enhances smells, touch and tastes (and that boost may help keep your mind focused on the present). It’s no surprise, then, that marijuana has been shown to have a positive impact in the bedroom. In a JSM study, 133 sexually-active adult women were surveyed during their annual check-ups at an
academic ObGyn practice. Twenty nine percent of these women said they used cannabis prior to having sex, and of those, 68% reported more pleasurable sex. (However, 16% said it ruined the experience). For those who had a better time, most said it enhanced erotic pleasure. Plus, a 2017 study associated regular cannabis use with more frequent sex.
A fatal marijuana overdose is incredibly unlikely, but it’s still possible to overdo it. Cross the line between a happy high and bad trip and you may experience intense feelings of anxiety, confusion, panic and paranoia, and could see hallucinations or undergo delusions. High doses of marijuana can also lead to increased blood pressure, a faster heart rate and nausea and vomiting. Too extra with the ‘erb? A scientific review published in the British Journal of Pharmacology suggests that black peppercorns may curb the paranoia. Pepper has a “phytocannabinoidterpenoid effect” which has been shown to help with depression, anxiety and pain. Regular users report that taking a whiff of this seasoning mid-high reduced many of the negative psychological effects associated with consuming weed.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 19
Find her on the cover of the April issue of Women’s Health
T H E P LU G
Actress, Presenter and Singer
THE SKILL
Instagram: @thembiseete_
THE SOCIAL
THEMBI SEETE
WORLD
Thembi Seete is all about being real. She loves eating. She doesn’t like adulting. And she’ll admit to having salad fatigue sometimes. “When I see people eating only greens I’m like, could you just bring the real food now? You have to eat,” she says. “If I don’t eat I don’t have energy and my machine [body] doesn’t work properly.” Thembi’s insatiable hunger goes beyond what’s on her plate. Singer/rapper of the iconic 90s kwaito group Boom Shaka; prolific actor, TV presenter, dancer and entrepreneur – everyone knows Thembi or a version of her. At 43 (you wouldn’t have guessed, right?) she’s at the peak of her game both professionally and physically. Here are the rules she lives by...
THIS MONTH’S WOMEN’S HEALTH COVER STAR, THEMBI SEETE HAS BUILT HER SUCCESS ON THREE BASIC RULES: STAY HUMBLE, TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR DESTINY AND EAT RIGHT TO KEEP YOUR ENERGY ON FULL-BLAST. READ MORE ON THE SECRETS THAT FEED HER ACHIEVEMENTS. /BY GOTLHOKWANG ANGOMA
An Appetite For Success
MH WOMAN
PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAN LAURENZ
Thembi is a different kind of cover star: she exudes normality. “I’ve had the ‘staying power’ because I didn’t let fame get to me. I stayed level headed and remained being Thembi.” She has transformed herself into a personal brand people want to work with. Staying true to yourself is a succinct summary of her success. “It’s good to be me. I find joy, brightness and positivity in every and any situation I’m in.”
Stay True To Yourself
Thembi’s appeal lies in her ability to be both authentic and beguilingly positive. “When you go through tough times the key is to realise that you have no control over these things. But happiness is a personal choice,” she says. Having a positive mindset for Thembi is two-fold: it helps her move beyond hurdles quickly and assists her in seeing the learning points gained from challenges. “It’s about how you deal with them after that defines you as a person. You have to pick yourself up and just go for things,” she says.
Work On Your Mind
Thembi credits her upbringing for laying the foundation for her work ethic. “From an early age my mother taught me always to think about the future. I bought my first house at 17,” she explains. At that age her career was taking off with Boom Shaka and in the chaotic world of entertainment it’s easy for young stars to make bad decisions with their newfound wealth. “I realised early on that you could get money easily, but it can go just as easily as well. You have to be smart and do something with it. The best way for me to save was to put it where I would never have access to it.” Her mom taught her to have many streams of income and to invest and grow her wealth.
Think Ahead: Plan!
From the Editors of Men’s Health Magazine
ON SALE NOW! ONLY R100
Fast food can be healthy and with MH’s 15 minute meals you can make flavoursome food from scratch. Get 100 pages of energy-boosting breakfasts, protein-packed lunches and low-calorie dinners. You now have the time to eat right all day.
B O DY
Put Your Best Foot Forward Builds Legs of Steel Torch Calories at 40
COMPILED BY MEGAN FLEMMIT
PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES I MODEL: EMMANUEL ALLI AT W MODEL
10K IN 40 MINUTES
THE GOLD STANDARD OF CARDIO TRAINING IS WITHIN REACH. GET UP TO SPEED WITH OUR RANGE OF FITNESS TESTS (PAGE 24), ESSENTIAL UPGRADES FOR TIRED WARM-UPS (PAGE 28), A STEP-BYSTEP GUIDE TO RUNNING FORM (PAGE 30) AND A QUICK SUPERSET TO HELP YOU FINISH STRONG (PAGE 32). SEE YOU AT THE STARTING LINE. EDITED BY ANDREW TRACEY
MH.CO.
/ April 2020 23
BODY MUSCLES TARGETED
THE BIG WORKOUT
The Zero-Running Cardio Upgrade WITH FORM AND FOOD NAILED, HIT THE GYM FOR YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY TO SHAVE MINUTES FROM YOUR 10K. POWER ALL-NEW PERFORMANCE WITH OUR LUNCH-HOUR BLAST AIM FOR 10 MIN RESULTS IN 4 WEEKS DO THIS ONCE A WEEK
02A
BLEEP TILL YOU DROP OP
24 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
01A
01B
01
PUSHUP
Begin by assuming a plank position, with your feet together, your body straight and your palms on the ground below your shoulders (A). Lower your body, touching your chest to the floor (B), then explosively press with your arms, returning to the top of the movement.
WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES I MODEL: EMMANUEL ALLI
The multistage fitness f test – better known on n school sports fields as the dreaaded “bleep test” – is a system dev vised to estimate your aerobic cap pacity. But sub in a barrage of bodyweight moves and it becomes a cardiovascular conditioning too ol that requires little more than a couple of square metres of floor space in your lunch ho our. The test invollves following g an audio recordiing of a set of timed “bleeps” ((which can bee found on iTuness, Spotify or YouTube), workiing each timee the hi case, that h audio sounds. In this means performing one rep of each bodyweight movement. Complete these exercises as quickly as possible while maintaining proper form, moving seamlessly between them to create a “flow” on every bleep. After the last movement, stand tall, breathe… and wait for the next bleep. Keep going until you can’t manage a complete flow in the interval; the last rep you successfully performed is your score. Make a note, and aim to beat it next week.
RUN
ROCK-SOLID STABILITY IN 4 WEEKS
04B
04A
03A
03B
02B
02
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
As soon as you’ve completed the pushup, draw your left knee towards your right elbow, engaging your core (A). Perform the movement under control, but with intent. Return to the plank position, before immediately repeating the move on the other side with your right leg (B). Stand up.
03
SPLIT SQUAT JUMP
Now, step one foot back and sink into a deep lunge, with your left knee almost touching the floor (A). Explode upward, switching legs in mid-air to land in a lunging position with your left leg forward (B). Repeat the jumping motion, this time finishing with your right leg in front.
04
SQUAT JUMP
Stand tall, with your feet at shoulder width. Lift your hands and sink your hips to knee level into a squat position (A). From here, jump upward explosively, aiming for as much height as possible (B). Make sure that you hit the ground with soft knees to avoid injury. Wait for the beep, and return to the pushup.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 25
BODY
6%
THE IMPROVEMENT IN RUNNING ECONOMY YOU CAN EARN BY ADDING WEIGHTS TO YOUR TRAINING PLAN
01A
BACK IN ACTION
26 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
01B
01
KB FRONT RACK STEP-UP 50-40-30-20-10 REPS
Holding the kettlebells in the “front rack” position forces your upper back to work isometrically to maintain an upright position, simultaneously activating your upper and lower body. Step onto a box (A), leading with your left foot, and stand at the top (B). Step back down, right foot first. That’s one rep. Repeat, this time leading with the opposite foot.
02
KB RENEGADE ROW 50-40-30-20-10 REPS S
Now, challenge your possture and balance with this unilateral o move, which will build functio muscle for your upper back as a bonus. Assume a plank with w your hands on the bells, keeping your entire body rigid (A). Shift your nd, then weight onto your left han row the opposite kettlebell to the midline of your body (B). Repeat on the other side.
WORDS: DAVID MORTON; PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES
In this session, you’ll be using a “chipper” format: that means chipping away at the prescribed number of reps for each round before moving onto the next exercise, even if you need to take short breaks to do so. Once you’ve completed 50 reps of each movement, return to the first and make your way through another 40 reps of each, then 30, and so on. By the end of the workout, you will have clocked up 600 total reps, which specifically target the postural muscles of your upper back that keep you upright and moving efficiently during your long runs. The exercises also strengthen your lower body and core, improving your overall stability and reinforcing the way that your hips, abs and lower back work together. Pushing yourself through all of the reps is also a mental crucible: accomplish this feat and you’ll be steeled for the gruelling final kilometres on race day. On your marks…
RUN
ROCK-SOLID STABILITY IN 4 WEEKS
THE SPEC MUSCLES TARGETED
WORKOUT 20 MIN RESULTS IN 4 WEEKS
02A 04A
DO THIS TWICE A WEEK
03B
04B
03A
02B
KB PLANK PULL-THROUGH 50-40-30-20-10 REPS S
Double do own on the plan nk work by incr creassing the lateral and d rota tational instability. Place a kettlebell on the ground to your left. Reach under your body with your right hand (A), ensuring your y hips don’t rotate, and drag tthe kettlebell to your Reverse the move with right (B). R your other hand, returning the kettlebell to its original position.
DEADLIFT 50-40-30-20-10 REPS
Finally, fine-tune the muscles aroun ower i essential if you’re chasing running speed and consistency. Place a kettlebell on the ground in front of you. Hinge at your hips with a straight back and grip the bell. With your lats engaged, stand upright with your arms straight and your core challenged (A). Lower the weight (B), then repeat.
BODY
PERFECT YOUR PREP
GEEK TWEAKS
Warmups
IN YOUR QUEST TO CHASE DOWN YOUR FASTEST EVER TIME, IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT. FIRST, WARMING UP IS NOW NON-NEGOTIABLE. SECOND, THINK FAR BEYOND THE USUAL FOLDS AND BENDS
SQ UAT AND REACH
4 sets of 30sec, 30sec rest This four-move protocol doesn’t justt stretch but activates crucial mu uscle groups. Sit in a low squat, the en put your right hand down and d lift your left hand overhead, stre etching your lats. Hold for two bre eaths. Switch arms.
WOORLD’S GREATEST STRETCH
4 sets of 15sec each side, no rest Ste ep your left foot back, sink into a deep lunge and place your hands on the floor on the inside of your right leg. Twist and reach overhead with you ur right arm, rotating further against the e tension of the stretch. Hold for 15 sec conds, then switch sides.
Leap ahead by fine-tuning your prerace ritual
RE VERSEE LUNG NGEE WI TH ROO TATION
3 sets of 5 reps each ch side, 30sec restt Ste ep your left foot back into a deep lunge. Place your hands on you ur head and rotate as far to your righ ht as possible. Hold, then rotate the oth her way. Switch legs and repeat.
FASCIAL TREATMENT Shift your focus from your muscles to the stuff that surrounds them to fine-tune your performance
28 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
01/ GET JUMPING Fascial tissue stores more kinetic energy than h any other h type. Plyometric training increases its density, giving you extra oomph. Your move: perform five-minute agility ladder drills three times a week, or three sets of 20 jump squats.
ACTIVATE YOUR MUSCLES BEFORE RUNNING AND YOU CAN BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE SIGNIFICANTLY
02/ FIX BACK PAIN Where your middle and lower spine meet is a hot h spot for f raceending pain. If you have a desk job, tightness around your psoas can be the cause. Your move: releasing the psoas isn’t easy. Try the pigeon pose and foam-roll your hamstrings twice a week.
03/ SAVE YOUR SOLE Plantar fasciitis – heel pain due to strained fascia in your sole – commonly occurs among runners, often after exercising with a tight calf. Your move: roll your feet on a cricket ball for a minute per foot and foam-roll your calves for five minutes each day.
WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES | MODEL: ANDREW TRACEY | ILLUSTRATION: FLYING CHILLI
LATTERAL LUNGE
3 sets of 10 reps each side, 30sec restt Kee eping your torso upright with your fee et parrallel and shoulder-width apart, take a lo ong step to the left and lower until you ur left knee is at 90 degrees. Push back up to the starting position, then quickly rep peat, leading this time with your righ ht leg.
A
, THAT’S BOTH
O
RO
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www.mnilifestyle.co.za | 011 465 8697 The most researched complementary medicine in South Africa
BODY A
FORM MASTERCLASS
Put Your Best Foot Forward
B A
THE QUICKEST WAY TO YOUR 40-MINUTE FINISH LINE IS BY TAKING THE TIME TO LAY THE FOUNDATIONS OF SPEED AND TECHNIQUE. NAIL THEM NOW AND YOU’LL GET FITTER, FASTER, EVERY TIME YOU RUN.
STARTING BLOCKS Running may feel like one of those endeavours that doesn’t require much instruction. After all, you just… run, right? But to go fast, you need a strong base. Before you lace up, these movements will toughen up your core and prime your posture. Consider these your go-faster stripes. Earn them.
B
01
FACE PULL 3 SETS OF 20 REPS, 60SEC REST
A strong upper back keeps you upright, increasing your speed and reducing your risk of injury lower down. Grip a pulley or band at chest height (A). Pull towards c s n d while g o r gether s r s
A
2
SPLIT SQUAT JUMP 3 SETS OF 30SEC, 30SEC REST
A longer gait increases your efficiency, so practise getting more air time. Step back and sink into a deep lunge (A). Explode up, switching legs mid-air to land in a lunge p s positio h s w ((B). Re – t g d s – for 30 s c e u .
A
B B
THE EXPERT E Name: e Andrew w Tracey r Expertise: r e Fitness s guru Tracey y knows n building n sspeed is about m more than just u the kilometres e e you rack up on o the road. a Follow w him: i @theandrew. a r tracey
30 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
SUPERMAN BACK EXTENSION 3 SETS OF 10 REPS, 60SEC REST
Strengthen the muscles you can’t see in the mirror to make sure there are no weak links in your trunk. Lie prone on the floor with your legs and arms outstretched (A). Initiate the movement by squeezing your lower back and glutes, while raising your arms and legs off the floor (B). Pause here for one breath and return to the ground.
SINGLE-LEGGED JUMP 3 SETS OF 5 REPS EACH SIDE, 60SEC REST
Practise fast feet and soft landings to mitigate the injury risks of extra kilometres. Raise one foot back (A) and sink into a lunge. Shift your weight forward and explosively jump up, bringing your rear foot through with a raised knee so you land only on the working leg (B), dropping into a quarter squat to absorb the impact.
RUN PHASE 1 SHOULDER THE BURDEN
MASTER YOUR FORM, STEP BY STEP
Set your eyes on the horizon with a relaxed jaw. Keep your shoulders low and slightly taut. As you tire, ensure they don’t drift up. This will help you run tall, keep your back straight and prevent slouching, which can reduce your optimal lung capacity.
WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNE ES I MODEL: EMMANUEL ALLI AT W MODEL
It’s not just putting one foot in front of the other. You take thousands of steps in a 10K, each one bearing a load of five times your weight, so you need sound technique to get ahead of the pack – and stay there.
Put your new skills to the test with our three-days-a-week PB plan from the experts at Runner’s World.
MON
TUES
WED
THURS
FRI
PHASE 2 A CALL TO ARMS
Imagine that you’re holding an egg in each hand to ensure you don’t clench your fist, which tenses your upper body. Bend your arms to 90 degrees, swinging in time to your stride. To maximise efficiency, don’t let them come across your body.
PHASE 3 KEEP IT ROLLING
NOW YOU’RE UP AND RUNNING WEEK
WELCOME TO THE FAST LANE
SAT
SUN
1+3
REST
3KM EASY, 8 X 400M AT 10K PACE
GYM
GYM
REST
8KM EASY, 10 X 100M SPRINTS
9KM EASY
2+4
REST
3KM EASY, 8 X 600M AT 10K PACE
GYM
GYM
REST
11KM EASY, INCLUDE HILLS
9KM EASY
To speed up leg turnover and master an energyconserving stride, ensure that your knee lift is low. You’re aiming for a fluid, cyclical movement. As you move, rolling from your mid-foot onto your toes, use the muscles in your calf to propel you. Smooth and steady wins this race. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 31
BODY THE MH FINISH HER
INAL LEG-UP
01
RUNNING START
Great
WITH A NEW PB NOW W IN SIGHT, ENSURE YOUR LEGS S ARE NEVER OUT OF GAS BY RUN NNING ON EMPTY – YOUR FAST TRACK TO SWERVING MID-RAC CE JELLY LEGS
THE FORMAT Switch between exercises, performing each for a minute. Aim for “tactical maximum effort”: go all out while still finishing the full workout. Do 100 reps of the thrusters and 1.5km of sprints in total. If you complete an exercise early, rest for the remaining time. It’s a race against the clock.
Before you start the timer, jump on the treadmill and get it up to speed, finding a pace that’s fast but possible to hold for a minute. This way, you won’t waste time starting up the treadmill every minute. Start the clock, push hard for a minute, then jump off.
THE LOW DOWN
Grab a pair of dumbbells with a combined weight of approximately half your bodyweight. Standing tall with your legs just wider than your hips, hold them at your shoulders and squat until your hips sink to knee level. Don’t forget to breathe.
32 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
03
SPEED THRILLS
S nd up explosively n press the weights overhead. Lower and repeat for the m ute. Now drop the w ights and jump on he treadmill – don’t th e go of the handrails until your legs are up to speed. Listen or the timer, hop off fo grab the weights. Push for the finish.
WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES I MODEL: EMMANUEL ALLI AT W MODEL
02
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BODY
Can You Succeed With Less Time and Effort? HARD GRAFT ISN’T ALWAYS THE SWIFTEST WAY TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. EASE YOUR PATH TO PROGRESS WITH OUR LAZY MAN’S GUIDE TO ENHANCED FITNESS / BY AARON TOUMAZOU
34 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Q1\
To cut calories effortlessly from your next meal, simply change the ______ of your plate.
Q4\
No time to cook? Which of these takeaways has hidden health potential? A
A
B
Size
Colour
Nuggets
C
Q6\
Flexing which body part will earn you a bigger deadlift PB?
A
Your pecs
Price
B Pick a plate with a colour that contrasts with your meal. It aids mindful eating, cutting 150kcal of your intake. But pile your carbonara into a white bowl, and the reduced visual perception can trigger overeating*.
B
Pizza
B
A
Your jaw
60sec
B
10min
C
Your toes
C
Q2\
Which of these weightsroom habits is scientifically proven to supercharge your strength? PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE, MICHAEL HEDGE, JOBE LAWRENSON, PHILIP HAYNES, STUDIO 33, GETTY IMAGES | ILLUSTRATIONS: BEN MOUNSEY | *NUTRITION JOURNAL | †MCMASTER UNIVERSITY
Q5\
Going all out in the gym for how long will earn you the same aerobic results as a low-intensity 45-minute workout?
A
Sweating
Chow mein
C
30min
B That tomatoes are rich in cancer-fighting lycopene isn’t news – but a Cornell study found that cooking them into a sauce doubles the nutrient’s powers. As for the bubbling cheese and fiery pepperoni? Well, they’re good for the soul.
A But you have to push it. Hop on the air bike and work at maximum effort for one minute and you can enjoy a boost in aerobic capacity, blood sugar control and fat loss similar to that achieved by a 45-minute power walk†.
B Clenching your jaw while gripping the bar can lift your muscle strength, a Spanish study found. Men who did so produced 12% more force than the control group. Chew your way through that set.
B
Selfie-ing
C
Swearing
Q7\
Just __ minutes of reading will shut down stress. A
6
C While A is inevitable and B will exasperate your fellow gym-goers, mouthing off will help you beat the shit out of your old PB. University of Keele scientists swear by it: men who were vocal during bike and hand-grip tests saw a 4.6% boost in power and an 8.2% increase in strength.
Q3\
Adding what to your water will shave minutes off your run PB? A
BCAAs
B
Salt
B
18
C
30
C
Sugar C If you’re not keen on synthetic-tasting drinks, here’s a sweet short cut. The University of Georgia found that runners who swilled and spat sugar water during a 13km run cut their times by three minutes – a performance boost of 5%. Just watch where you spit.
A Some days, even “15 minutes of mindfulness” feels too much for your schedule. Thankfully,burying yourself in a book or (this) magazine can deliver similar effects in just six minutes. The University of Sussex discovered that reading can reduce stress by 68%, making it more effective than listening to music or going for a walk. Scrolling through emails doesn’t count.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 35
Q8\
Q11\
Go to bed at ____ and you will build more muscle in your sleep.
Dozing off on the couch is a lazy habit. A
B
True
A
10pm
B
11pm
False
B Quite Q the opposite. Power down on a Sunday unday afternoon and you you’ll ll wake up smarter. Daytime naps renew your focus and creativity, according to the University of Hertfordshire, with US research finding they curb stress, too. It’s the easiest way to ensure you tackle Monday fully restored.
Q12\
Macro-counting is the only way to lose weight. C
12am A
True A Turning in early has benefits beyond keeping you compos mentis during your morning meetings. Setting a 10pm bedtime will score you a substantial hit of human growth hormone (HGH), which supports muscle growth and fat loss*. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that HGH floods your body at 11pm, a process that is disrupted if you’re deep in the latest docudrama.
Using what can halve your time in the gym – without sacrificing results?
False B Quit crunching numbers. Instead, count on a recent US study that found simply delaying breakfast until 10am and eating dinner by 6pm can cut daily calorie intake by 20%. Over 12 weeks, subjects lost 2kg on average, without ditching their favourite foods. Spag bol tastes just as good at your desk, right?
Q10\
Which drink should you order for an antidote to “booze belly”?
A
Your headphones
B
Q13\
Your phone camera
Which form of procrastination can instantly renew your willpower?
C
Your imagination ur C Have a long, hard think about you training. Scientists found that visualising your workouts can make you stronger. Studies even suggest you can replace real sessions with imaginary ones by mentally rehearsing your reps and focusing on each muscle. After spending four out of eight weeks ditching their sessions for “fantasy” ones, subjects earned a 4% strength boost – only 1% less than the control group†.
36 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
A
Gin and tonic
B
Cider
C
Sauvignon blanc
A Add Angostura bitters to your gin and tonic to take the edge off overindulgence. The Swiss École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne found that bitter tastes trigger “lazy” white fat cells to turn into calorie-burning brown fat cells, firing your metabolism.
A
Watching YouTube
B
Reposting memes
C
Reading the FT
A&B If you find your motivation waning at work, try taking a low-brow break to browse online. A Human Performance study revealed that watching YouTube gym fails and smirking at parody accounts can boost your subsequent productivity.
*NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE | †UNIVERSITY OF GIESSEN, GERMANY
Q9\
B
BODY
Q16\
Q14\
Which exercise will tighten your shirt sleeves the fastest?
Shorter sessions mean slower results. B
False A
True A
Bench press
B
Bar dip
C
Biceps curl
B To speed up your progress to arms that rival Arnie’s, target your tris. They comprise two-thirds of your upper arms – more than your biceps*. Plus, intense post-workout stretching (holding a heavy weight behind your head for 60 seconds, say) will lengthen your muscle fascia, which can expand your arm mass by as much as 318% in 28 days†. B The British Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that admitting defeat to your schedule can earn you superior weight loss: split your 60-minute workout into two bite-size sessions and you’ll burn double the calories. This is a result of excess post-exercise consumption (EPOC), or “afterburn”, in which your body continues to use oxygen after your workout for recovery. Mix up your routine – a 30-minute cycle to work followed by a lunchtime skipping session will burn 370kcal and 500kcal respectively. It’s a gain of two halves.
Q15\
Listening to which of the following during training offers an instant power boost?
Q17\
*AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE | †JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY | **MOLECULAR METABOLISM
Shut Up Stormzy
A “Shut Up” Stormzy
Shape of You Ed Sheeran
B “Shape of You” Ed Sheeran
In My Feelings Drake
Want to reap more muscle from your reps? You need to...
C “In My Feelings” Drake
A Psychologists at Brunel University found that fast-paced music can enhance your output by an impressive 15% – so grime, averaging at a rapid 140bpm, is your ideal support act. Not only does it distract from physical discomfort, its affirmative lyrics will boost motivation. Call it Big Track Energy.
How TRY-HARD 0-5 did you score?
A
Increase the weight
B
Reduce the weight
B Counter-intuitive though it may sound, lightening the load will pack on muscle. In a Japanese study, those who performed their usual sets to failure, followed by one set with a lower weight, lifted their strength by 17.5% more than those who did all their sets with the same weight.
All work and no play makes fat loss a chore. So, stop trying so hard: the University of Tasmania found adopting a relaxed diet at the weekends provides the psychological refresher you need to stick to a strict plan in the week. Who’s up for dessert?
Q18\
Eating which meal component first will curb your appetite?
A
Grilled chicken
B
Sweet potato
C
Side salad
A Polish off the protein on your plate first. This sends the signal to your brain that you’re full sooner, so you won’t overindulge. Opt for moreish wing meat over breast: its amino acids directly target the brain cells that make you feel sated more quickly**.
6-11 WELL FITTED
12+ SPEED DEMON
If you don’t intend to ease up in the gym, at least ensure your routine is multifunctional. Add extra plates to your barbell and you’ll lift your mental wellbeing, according to Sports Medicine, and enjoy the aesthetic gains that hogging the bench affords.
You’ve got fitness hacked. So here’s a bonus tip: researchers found that 30 minutes of intense interval training a day (park sprints on the way home from work, say) are enough to out-train a bad diet, keeping your heart in fighting shape.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 37
BODY THE MH ULTIMATE SERIES
Legs of Steel SKIPPING LEG DAY is real. And if you never do leg exercises, you risk building a physique that resembles an upside-down pyramid. Even worse: you miss a chance to send your body into fat-blasting overdrive. Leg workouts incinerate calories and push your central nervous system to release Hulk-level muscle-building hormones. So, yeah: focus on your legs. But that doesn’t mean you have to do
a bodybuilder slog of squats, deadlifts and sheer pain. Heck, you don’t even have to pick up a barbell. Certified strength and conditioning coach David Otey, has a one-hour lower-body blitz that’ll turn your legs into the fitness engine they’re supposed to be. —EBENEZER SAMUEL
DIRECTIONS: Do this workout twice a week, resting 2 days between each session. On 1 off day, do 4 sets of 10 pushups and 15 close-grip pushups. On the other, do 4 sets of 10 barbell rows and 10 hammer curls. Rest all other days.
THE WORKOUT Do the exercises in order.
1
Stand on two 30cm-high boxes set up more than shoulder-width apart, holding a medium-weight dumbbell or kettlebell, arms hanging naturally (a). Keep your glutes and abs tight. Bend at the knees and hips (b), lowering until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as far as you feel comfortable). Stand back up. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 12.
THE WARMUP Start by foam-rolling your feet, calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes, then do this circuit. Do 3 rounds, resting as needed between moves.
1
Dumbbell Depth Sumo Squat
(a)
Mountain M t i Cli Climber b
3 2
Plank
Set up in pushup position with your forearms on the floor, elbows directly below shoulders, core tight. Hold for 30 seconds.
38 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Arms-Overhead Squat
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and raise your arms straight overhead. Bend at the knees and hips, lowering your torso until your thighs are just past parallel to the floor. Stand back up. That’s 1 rep; do 15.
(b)
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLIE HOLLOWAY
MODEL: JAY MARYNIAK | ILLUSTRATION: KYLE HILTON (SAMUEL)
Get in pushup position. Keeping your back flat, drive your left knee to your chest. Quickly return to start, then drive your right knee to your chest. That’s 1 rep; do 25.
YOUR MUSCLE MASTER
Ebenezer Samuel, is a certified strength and conditioning expert who has trained with professional and Olympic athletes.
(a)
(a)
SUPERSET Do these exercises back-to-back. Complete 3 supersets, resting 90 seconds between each.
2a
2b
Bulgarian Split Squat
Stand with your right foot behind you on a bench or box. Your left leg should be almost straight. Hold dumbbells at your sides (a). Bend your left knee; your right knee will bend as you do. Hold when your left thigh is parallel to the floor (b). Stand. That’s 1 rep; do 10 per leg.
(b)
(b)
EB SAYS:
“This isn’t just strength. You’ll feel a good stretch in your back leg.”
3
With knees bent and feet flat, place your upper back and shoulder blades against a bench. Hold a medium-weight dumbbell on your hips (a). Push through your heels and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees (b). Pause, then lower. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 12.
Stand holding mediumweight dumbbells at your hips, feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent (a). Brace your core. Now hinge at your hips and push your butt backward, lowering your torso. Lower until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings (b). Pause. Stand back up, squeezing your glutes. That’s 1 rep; do 12.
4
Dumbbell Hip Thrust (a)
(b)
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Lateral Lunge
Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees and hips bent slightly (a). Keeping both feet pointed forward, step your left leg to the left, bending your left knee. Shift your weight to that leg and push your butt back until your thigh is nearly parallel to the floor (b). Press back to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 10 per leg.
EB SAYS:
“Don’t expect both sides to feel the same. It’s normal for one leg to have more mobility than the other.”
(a)
5 (b)
Bench Adduction
Lie on your left side, with your forearm on the floor. Place your right calf on a bench. Your left leg should be straight and directly under the bench. Tighten your core (a). This is the start. Now raise your torso so you form a straight line from legs to shoulders (b). Pause for 2 seconds, then return to the floor. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 10 per leg.
(a)
EB SAYS:
“This is a glute exercise, first and foremost. So don’t let your back arch. At the top, focus only on squeezing your glutes.”
(b) MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 39
LOST 21KG!
Speed Up With Age
TERENCE BURGER
HITTING 40, TERENCE BURGER KNEW IT WAS TIME TO REV UP HIS FITNESS. / BY THAAQIB DANIELS BEFORE
Once an avid runner, Terence was injured and couldn’t hit the tar for eight months. When he recovered, he pushed himself to train harder (and better). That’s how he discovered Speed Shred, and shed 21kg of flab in just 16 weeks.
40 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
AGE: 45 LOCATION: Polokwane OCCUPATION: Claims Assessor WEIGHT BEFORE: 96kg WEIGHT AFTER: 75kg TIME TO GOAL: 4 Months
1
THE PROBLEM
“After turning 40, I gained a lot of weight. Usually, I’d shed the extra weight training for the Comrades Marathon. But after hitting the big four-oh I noticed that I wasn’t losing the kilos as quickly as before. Nobody else seemed to notice my weight gain, but I was getting heavier at that starting line every year – and I felt it when I ran.”
THE LESSON: Leading exercise physiologists have discovered that by age 40, the body’s metabolism slows down by 4%. So don’t train less when you turn 40; train harder!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NTEBATSE MOKONE
BODY
Lessons From Speed Shred
We want to hear your weight-loss and personal success stories! Email us at tellmh@ media24. com.
Inspired by Terence’s impressive transformation? Use his advice to sign up and start shredding:
Weight loss starts in the kitchen. “The eating plan is so simple to follow, and it just never felt as if I was on a diet.” Be prepared to put in the work. “I absolutely loved the exercise plans. They were the most challenging exercises I had done in years and the combination of exercises really tested me.” You need to want it. “You first need to make a commitment to change and believe in your strategy before you’ll be motivated to push yourself towards that next goal.”
Scan the code to sign up for the plan.
2
THE CHANGE
“In January last year, I got a running injury and I couldn’t train. Eight months after the injury I went from a fit 78kg to a heavy 96kg. I knew I had picked up weight, but I only noticed when I saw a photo that my running partner took of me. I did not like what I saw. I knew I had to lose the weight.”
THE LESSON: Pay attention to when you’re making progress (and when you’re losing ground). Hold yourself accountable.
3
THE STRATEGY
4
THE RESULT
“In September 2019, I bought a Men’s Health magazine and saw an advert for Speed Shred. This was the bodyweight training I needed. I joined the programme, and even convinced a friend to join me. That next week I started following the eating and workout plan three days a week, which I later increased to four days a week.”
“After 12 weeks of Speed Shred, I lost 17kg and then 4kg the following month. That’s 21kg in four months. That heavy feeling when I ran was gone. I feel that now, in my 40s, I am in better shape than I ever was in my 30s. This style of training makes me excited for the next session. And I now have the ability to push myself harder than ever before.”
THE LESSON: If you’re stuck, get a solid plan. Knowing exactly what you’re going to eat and how you’re going to train each day makes it easier to make healthy choices.
THE LESSON: You don’t need an expensive gym contract or even gym equipment to get a good workout. Your body is your gym – you can train anywhere at any time.
When the going gets tough, hang in there. “We’re just human. Some days you’ll feel that you can conquer the world and some days it’ll feel like the world will conquer you. Stick with it, the end will be worth it.” Cut yourself some slack. “A motto I learnt from following Speed Shred: if you have an off day or you can’t complete your workout, it’s not a problem – life happens. Try it again the next day!”
WANT A SOLID PLAN TO GUIDE YOUR TRANSFORMATION? HEAD TO SPEEDSHRED.CO.ZA Speed Shred is the ultimate 12-week bodyweight training programme and eating plan designed by personal trainer and MH Cover Guy Trevor Lagerwey. Sign up at speedshred.co.za
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 41
BODY AND ANOTHER THING!
Sneak Attack
TRAINING IN THE RIGHT SHOE IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE EW OUT ITSELF. THE WRONG PAIR WILL HAMPER YOUR EFFORTS TS, ILE IL THE RIGHT ONE CAN PUSH YOUR PERFORMANCE TO THE NEX EVEL. E THE MH TEAM LACED UP IN THE BEST TO FIN HE H RIGHT FIT. THESE ARE OUR FAVOURITES.
NADIM NYKER RECOMMENDS…
UA T R I B A S E R E I G N 2 I’m a big fan of functional training and finally there’s a piece of gear that can keep up. Under Armour’s TriBase Reign 2 is so snug it almost forms part of your body, giving you a base that’s broader – with better flexibility and more grip. Its extra-sticky outsole allows for three points of contact, which absorbs even the heaviest impacts and provided serious stability, whether on the battle ropes or banging out burpees. Ground control to major pump it is. R2 199, totalsports.co.za ROBERT CILLIERS RECOMMENDS…
WANITA NICOL RECOMMENDS…
P U M A ZO N E XT Thanks to a pretty flat, broad sole, these have great stability in side-to-side and unilateral movements (like lunges). But what I really like is that there’s still a lot of cushioning, so you can do explosive work like box jumps and skipping without destroying your knees. The upper is soft enough to accommodate broad feet and the heel counter doesn’t dig into your heels. R1 599, za.puma.com
42 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
WORDS: MEGAN FLEMMIT | PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED
REEBOK HIIT TR These are not the comfiest shoes I’ve worn, but they’re certainly one of the best pairs I’ve trained in. While slightly hard, they offer the perfect amount of stability for your foot. My feet were completely supported during the multi-directional movement of my high-intensity interval training session. The fairly flat surface area is ideal for lateral movements, while the textured tyre-like footprint wraps around the edge for added grip in movements like rope-climbing and box-jumps. R1 595, takealot.com
The Legend Returns AN EXHILARATING BLEND OF POWER, AGILITY AND PRECISION HANDLING – THE TOYOTA GR SUPRA IS NOT JUST A REVIVAL, IT’S A REINVENTION.
THE SUPRA OF THE 90S is a curvy, muscle-
bound coupe that takes corners with conviction. Its performance, coupled with a nostalgia-inducing aesthetic and iconic spoiler, have made the car a coveted ride among the world’s diehard motorheads. Building a modern version of this legendary vehicle, that could not only live up to the ethos of its predecessor but carve its own lane among the myriad of sports cars available, was always going to be a tall order – but ultimately, an even greater honour.
“Being asked to make a sports car that offers the ultimate, pure driving pleasure felt like a mandate from heaven,” says Tetsuya Tada, Chief Engineer of the Toyota GR Supra. His brief was to deliver a car that offers a seemingly limitless sense of control, a car that would meet the expectations (or beat them) of even the most hardcore fans. The first step: go to the source. Tada visited Supra enthusiasts’ clubs to speak to owners of older models to find out what makes the Supra special. The response was always the same:
“a straight-six turbo front engine and rear-wheel drive configuration”. It was clear that he would have to retain those core elements, but he was also certain he could build a new car on that foundation that paid homage to the original but revved up to a driving experience like no other. During development, he told his team to hone any aspects of the car that would stimulate the driver’s sense or instincts. “It wasn’t necessary to achieve perfect scores in every aspect,
we just need to make sure the car is fun to drive,” he says. “Anything that goes against that can be disregarded.” That commitment to a pure, adrenalin-inducing driving experience has resulted in the Toyota GR Supra. It’s distinctive look is a nod to its rich heritage. Front and rear styling echo the energy of the legendary fourth generation Supra, while the long bonnet, compact body and double-bubble roof pay homage to the 2000GT. And those resemblances aren’t just skin-deep.
PROMOTION
“A car that offers a seemingly limitless sense of control.” True to form, the Toyota GR Supra packs a punch. It features the same classic sports car format of a powerful, frontmounted six-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive as its celebrated predecessors (albeit a monster 3.0-litre version available in two grades). But thanks to modern innovations – namely a single twin-scroll turbocharger, highprecision direct fuel injection and continuously variable valve control – the engine feels powerful, well-balanced, smooth and free-revving. It all adds up to an exhilarating acceleration n feel (with minimal vibration!). The driver’s cockpit in the new GR Supra, combinees sportier elements with ultraamodern (and ultra-convenient) functionality. Every fixture is designed to help you focus on the driving experience. The low, slim horizontal dashboard maximises your view throug gh the windscreen, helping you u position yourself – even at high h speeds. Controls are tightly grouped for quick and easy operation, and the instrumeent
panel, door trim and centre console blend together as part of a seamless design to give the cockpit a strong, unified feel. The car has been designed to put the most important elements – the paddle shifts, heads-up display, etc. – directly in front of the driver (you’ll find additional switches located on the threespoke steering wheel). Bottom line: when you get behind the wheel, there’s no denying you’ve been handed the reins of a real, unapologetic sports car. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be comfortable. From the racingstyle seats featuring side bolsters to the dual-zone automatic air conditioning to the Bluetoothconnected 10-speaker JBL sound system, the lightweight Supra hasn’t ditched modern luxuries (or safety features) to engineer its unique driving experience. The Toyota GR Supra is proof that nostalgia, innovation and untamed speed can exist in perfect harmony. More importantly, it’s proof that a true legend never dies. Visit www. toyota.co.za/ranges/supra for more information
MH EVENT
2020
T H E V E N U E , M E L R O S E A R C H • J O H A N N E S B U R G • 2 5 J U LY 2 0 2 0
A POWERFUL AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF MASTERCLASSES, INSPIRING TALKS, EXCLUSIVE WORKSHOPS, WINE AND WHISKY TASTING SESSIONS, THE TASTIEST FOOD, AND THE BEST ADVICE FROM THE SMARTEST MEN IN ANY ROOM. THIS SOPHISTICATED BRAND EXPERIENCE IS ALL ABOUT CURATION – FINDING YOU THE BEST IN STYLE, FOOD, TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND THE GREATEST WISDOM FROM MEN WHO ARE SHAPING THE COUNTRY. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT QUICKET.CO.ZA
R350
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Make Meal Prep Simple Scrape the Barrel Find Your Hook
COMPILED BY KELLEIGH KOREVAAR
PHOTOGRAPH BY INDEXFINGER88
The Boy Who Would Be King Award-winning rapper YoungstaCPT has been unapologetically representing Cape Town through his music since 2010. Now, a decade later, he’s risen through the ranks and cemented his name among SA’s rap royalty. This is his moment. BY THAAQIB DANIELS MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 47
“I kinda kept my rapping a secret because a lot of people would make fun of me for wanting to become a rapper,” he admits. “It wasn’t a cool thing at the time. Even the girls would make gat of me. How was I supposed to flirt with a girl and then say ‘I wanna be a rapper’ and expect her to be impressed? So, I kept working on it in my room by myself.”
YoungstaCPT x Muffin Man A city’sacronym may only seem important to people whospend their timein and out of airports, but forrapper YoungstaCPT,the three-letterabbreviation for Cape Town does more than justshow wherehe’s from –it tells the world who heis.
Humble Beginnings Born Riyadh Roberts and raised by a single mom, the 28-year-old from Wynberg in Cape Town’s southern suburbs is a household name around the Mother City. Now he’s making waves across the country after the release of his long-awaited debut album, 3T – which appropriately stands for “Things Take Time”. The body of work that he’d been compiling since 2015 proved to be worth the wait – Youngsta scooped Album Of The Year at the 2019 SA Hip Hop Awards (SAHHA), putting himself, and Capetonian rappers in general, on the map. Butlong before claiming the hip hop crown, Youngsta wasexactly whathisrap name describes–a kid.And like any kid his age, looked up to hisfavourite characters onTV.His passion formusic and entertainment began when he firstwatched a certainFreshPrince of Bel Airwho movedin with his wealthy auntie and uncle in Bel Air. “It all started fromas earlyas Primary School – prettymuch since I firstsaw Will Smith in Fresh Prince,” herecalls. “I always creditthat as the beginning because I wanted to emulate him. Notnecessarily be a rapper– Ijustwanted to be Will Smith.Iwould rapalong to thetheme song and try to match the outfits he wore on the show.” Later on, hediscovered the likes of 2Pac, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and DMX,who would shape his style of rapping and influence the way he delivers hislyrics. On any stage that he’s been given,Youngsta haselectrified the crowd with hisenergy and powerful stage presence, but thiswasn’tthe obvious outcome when he was honing hiscraft inhis bedroom as ateen. 48 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
This isolated dedication made young Riyadh Roberts want to chase his dreams even more, and towards the end of his matric year, he met someone who had a similar vision – DJ, producer and constant collaborator, Muffin Man. “I decided that as soon as I finished school, I would pursue this [rapping] full-time, and nobody could wys me otherwise. Then, literally, in the last week of school, I met Muffin [Man]. It was destiny.” It was the beginning of a brotherhood that sparked a decade’s worth of creative endeavours – starting with the collective music and apparel brand Y?GEN. Youngsta and his team made merchandise to accompany the rap songs and live performances. What started as a couple of t-shirts became its very own store in Wynberg.
“I kinda kept my rapping a secret because a lot of people would make fun of me for wanting to become a rapper,”
LIFE “Some people thought we always had a store,” he says. “And, in a way, we always did. We used to sell our merch out The Loft, which was a club by night, but we turned it into a shop by day. So having the official Y?GEN store has always been part of the plan.”
Momma’s Boy Along with an impressive skill for writing clever rhymes that weaved in some of Cape Town’s colloquial slang, the rapper also gained a lot of attention for his streetwear style and collection of sneakers. This eye for fashion stemmed from his mother’s love for clothes and artistic vision. “My mom definitely schooled me on how to dress. And to this day, I still don’t have a stylist. I style myself. Even in my music videos. She also played a big role in steering me creatively.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY GIDION FELIX/SPORTSCENE
YoungstaCPT hyping up the crowd at Capsule Fest 2019
One ofYoungsta’s recent collaborations with singerKyle Deutsch involvedboth his wizardry with wordsand histaste instyle. Inthe music video for “Face TheSun”, the rapper dons a pair of Arnette shades (from Sunglass Hut) while cleverly mentioning other sunglassbrands in hisverse. Butwhile we, as mere mortals, might wonder how one can transition sosmoothly from hard-hitting hip hop anthems to laidback summer jams –for Youngsta, it’s just “another dayatthe office”.He alsocredits his motherfor inspiring histastein music of all genres. “I’mlucky to havea mother that’s openminded andsupportiveof my creativity. She allowed metoexperiment and listen todifferenttypes ofmusic. Shewould play alot of R&Band House music –some Mary JBlige, Ashanti, Brandy, SWV andthen somehip hop,” he says. “And I’m proud that she did. Because it would benefit me a lot in the future. Now I’m able to crossover to different genres very easily. If I ended up being a very hardcore
‘hip hop head’, I wouldn’t have been able to collaborate as well as I have with artists such as J Something, Chad Saaiman, Jimmy Nevis and Kyle Deutsch.”
The Mixtape Marathon Before dropping his first official album in 2019, Youngsta released 24 mixtapes in 24 months and then six more, bringing the total to 30. His secret to continuously delivering all year round has been consistency and patience. He’s always sharpening his lyrical blade to prepare himself for any project, feature and especially for his live freestyles. “I make songs every day. Some of them will never come out. Some of them will come out next year and people will think it’s new. Even on 3T… Pallet Gun, Powerful and a couple of other songs were made in 2016, but were only released in 2019,” he says.
“People also ask me to freestyle all the time. I don’t like to do it that much anymore – but if someone asks me to, I’m not gonna suck at it. It’s going to sound like I wrote it. Not because I’m the best rapper or anything, but because I’ve been practising and freestyling at all my shows.” Along with freestyling and performing his biggest hits in front of massive crowds, a big factor in Youngsta’s live shows is the hype that he brings on stage. He jumped and ran all over the stage at Rocking the Daisies last year – and the festival-goers fed off that energy. What makes this even more impressive is that he can do it in a Y?GEN bulletproof vest, a headband and high-top sneakers. Surely, there’s some fitness routine that he’s hiding from us, right? “I’ve been running – both on and off stage,” he explains. “I also make sure I drink a lot of water and have lots of fruit. I know that if I want my career to last long, I have to be healthy and up for the challenge. Your body is a temple, as they say. What you put in, you get out.”
Finding His Voice Older YoungstaCPT fans will remember a time when the 2018 SAHHA Lyricist Of The Year didn’t sound like he does today. Like other aspiring bar-spitters, he would rap in an American accent because of the influence that the US has on hip hop as a genre. But he soon realised that to be a global success, he had to start a little closer to home. So he dropped the American act and embraced his native coloured accent while incorporating Capetonian slang. He now rapped the way that he spoke - which would, in turn, make it more lekker to be local. “It’s kind of a cheat card – using the slang,” he jokes. “I always knew I had it at my disposal but I never used it because I was a bit selfconscious [about how it would be received].
YoungstaCPT setting the stage ablaze at Rocking The Daisies 2019
“I think slang became more acceptable after my generation – 90s & 2000s kids – started using it as colloquialisms. And it became something that’s local. Something that’s ours. So after learning most of the American hip hop terms by listening to so many rappers, I thought: ‘why not teach them something?’ “Now, even though I’m still influenced by international rap and western music, I’m putting it into a local context that we, as residents [of this country], can understand and relate to. You [as a local artist] should take certain things from those global examples that make sense to you and then mix it in a pot of your own experiences, then serve it to the mense.”
Things Take Time That’s exactly what he did when he released the much anticipated 3T album. You’ll need about two hours to listen to the full project, which may seem long to some but to Youngsta fans, this is what they’ve been waiting for. The album cover features Youngsta’s grandfather, whose spoken interludes act as narration that seamlessly joins each of the 22 tracks. Youngsta knew that this was the final piece of the puzzle. “My grandfather is the ‘X’ factor of this whole album, that’s why I put him on the cover also. It’s my first album and I’m not on the cover, which is rare in hip hop. I recorded all of his audio back in 2015,” he says. “I think it’s best that I waited so long because it gave me time to decide whether this is what I wanna say and whether these are the best songs for it. And because it was created over a long period of time, listeners get different versions of me as an artist throughout the album.” Now, after bagging awards for not only the album, but for one of the project’s music videos as well, the rapper who turned his personal hobby into a nationwide sensation looks to continue the momentum, but also lend a hand to up-and-coming artists. His advice to them:“If you want to compete in this industry, you’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone, and take the criticism head on. You’re gonna have to exert yourself and make yourself tired – almost daily. Invest more into who you want to be. Don’t be lazy and don’t sleep on yourself… because things take time.”
For more YoungstaCPT, follow him on social media @youngstacpt and stream his new album on Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play Music.
50 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
PHOTOGRAPH BY GIDION FELIX/RED BULL
LIFE
THERE ARE A LOT OF commercials
and celebrities and “celebrities� and books and hashtags and approximately 73 podcasts and at least one campaign telling us how to be great fathers, husbands, friends and colleagues. Their business is the betterment of men. They’re selling wokeness
and intentionality, self-awareness and feminism. And we seem to be buying it. We must be. An entire economy has sprung up to serve and exploit the desire of men to be better people: better dads and brothers and spouses and coworkers. This is, on some basic level, a welcome thing. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
51
LIFE This magazine has been in the business of betterment for years. But we now have a lot of company. We’re not exactly sure when things reached the point where we started looking more critically at the phenomenon. Maybe it was a new television campaign. Maybe it was when Russell Wilson sat at a table to talk to other celebrities about what being a good man means,
for a video promoting Amazon’s Good Man clothing brand. Maybe it was... no, it was definitely the Russell Wilson thing. Here’s a slightly skeptical look at the scope of this economy – this manconomy: who’s making money off our dreams and insecurities as men, what’s being sold, and how they’re selling it.
GET WOKE!
Actor, marketer, and graphic designer who’s done three TED Talks about the influence of movies on young boys
Actor who’s been both praised and excoriated for speaking out on male feminism
Tony ony Porte Porter
Charlamagne tha God
Rich Froning
Author of Breaking Out of the Man Box, CEO of the education initiative A Call to Men
Author of Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me, crusader for mental health in the black community
CrossFitter, Bible verse dropper
Justin Baldoni a Actor, creato tor or of the online talk h w M Man Enough
THE MANCONOMY UNIVERSE
GET HEALTHY!
A sample of the men speaking to men about being men
GET I INTENTIONAL!
Jordan d Peterson “Performance” speaker and lightning rod
David Goggin ns
Dax Shepard
Ultramarathoner ne and former soldier who has a “cure for laziness”
Creator and host of Men’s Health’s favourite podcast, Armchair Expert
John Legend
Terry Crews C
Partnered with Axe to “share a message of inclusive masculinity”
Actor, author, new-masculinity speaker
Young Thug h
Ezra Mill E Miller Has made a brand of his gender-fluid style
GET...CO OL?
52 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Rapper who said in a Calvin Klein ad, “You can be a gangsta with a dress”
PROP STYLING (PREVIOUS PAGE): MIAKO KATOH. GETTY IMAGES (MCGORRY, FRONING, CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, BALDONI, PETERSON, SHEPARD, YOUNG THUG, LEGEND, MILLER, CREWS).
Colin Stokes
Matt McGorry
SPEAK,
BROTHER! THERE’S A CLEAR path to making a killing in the manconomy: write some blog posts, film a TED Talk, land a book deal and then charge companies and universities to hear your spiel. We went undercover to find out how much it takes to bring the following man-speakers to an auditorium near you.
FOR
WHAT “MASCULINITY” SOUNDS LIKE
Podcasts have fast become the go-to destination for big ideas and (seriously) long discussions about masculinity. We listened to hours of conversations, arguments, and pontifications to find the most valuable episodes.
R54K
YOU GET . . . TIM MOUSSEAU Pitch: “Mousseau uses his passion and vulnerability to guide conversations that will leave students inspired to combat sexual violence, redefine masculinity and provoke change.”
FOR
R54K–R62K
YOU GET . . . JEFF PERERA Pitch: “Drawing from over ten years of advocacy, Jeff’s presentations inspire accessible and transformative conversations about what positive and mindful manhood can look like, embracing our full potential and how to ‘be the lesson in action’ where we work, live, and study.”
FOR
R156K–R312K
YOU GET . . . TONY PORTER Pitch: “Tony Porter is an author, educator, and activist working to advance social justice issues . . . and promote a healthy, respectful manhood.”
FOR
R312K–R469K
YOU GET . . . JACKSON KATZ Pitch: “Katz is recognised for his groundbreaking work in gender violence prevention education in schools, the sports culture, and the military.”
FOR
R1.5M–R3.1M
YOU GET . . . JORDAN PETERSON Pitch: “Dr. Peterson’s book Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief, offers a fresh take on the psychology of religion, and the 100+ scientific papers he published with his colleagues and students have substantively advanced the modern understanding of creativity and personality.”
THE PARABLE OF
C U RV Y WIFE GUY The moral of the story is money. By Lauren Larson IT’S FUN TO MAKE FUN of Robbie Tripp, who
in July 2017 became the target of a lot of people’s negativity when he posted a picture of himself and his wife, Sarah, on Instagram. “I love this woman and her curvy body,” he wrote in the caption. Tripp had been posting about his wife’s “thick thighs, big booty and cute little side roll” for years, but some algorithmic alchemy caused that post to go viral, and an Internet dog pile followed. Within days, the world knew him as Curvy Wife Guy. It becomes harder to make fun of Tripp when you learn that in the month after that Instagram post, he and his wife earned R1.5 million from brand deals. Tripp can sometimes wax quixotic, as he does when he’s talking about his wife’s thighs, but when he breaks down the business side of
Armchair Expert (hosted by Dax Shepard) Episode 30: David Harbour Harbour and Shepard discuss their respective battles with alcoholism, the importance of medication and the links between our “gifts and our illnesses.” (The Rob McElhenney episode is a must-listen, too.)
his body-positivity crusade, he does so with a mercenary clarity. Most of his followers are women, he explains, though he usually advertises men’s products: “It’s been proven that they buy a lot of things for their husband or their boyfriend. Even if I’m promoting men’s products, these brands and agencies still realise, ‘Okay, these women will buy this shirt or shaving products for their husband.’ ” Women want their husbands to take up a message of body positivity. Short of that, they want them to wear the shirt the body-positivity guy is wearing. “You may not like it,” Tripp says, “but all you’ve got to do is tune in to our platforms for two seconds to see that there are hundreds of thousands of women around the world that connect with it and need it and want it and love it.” He’s not exaggerating. In May, Tripp released a song and music video called “Chubby Sexy.” “I just felt the creative winds churning inside of me in a musical direction,” he says of writing the rap’s lyrics, which include the immortal verse “She got a waist so big / that her belt can’t reach / so I call her James / and the giant peach.” The song was roundly criticized by the same people who criticized Tripp’s Instagram post – for its extreme corniness and, some suggested, for objectifying plus-sized women. But beyond Twitter and the blogosphere, the feedback was more positive. “I am about to cry, this song is so good for a girl who always was bullied and called ugly because I was chubby,” one YouTube commenter wrote. If there’s a lesson in Curvy Wife Guy’s ascent, it’s that most women are extremely hungry for body-positive content from men. We’ll take it with a side of hubris. We’ll take it from a self-professed creative genius. We’ll take it from a guy who wrote a rap called “Chubby Sexy,” featuring himself. We might retweet the occasional joke at Curvy Wife Guy’s expense, but we might also buy what he’s selling. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 53
LIFE
Paternal (hosted by Nick Firchau) Episode 11: A Hunt for Meaning with Outdoor Guru Jason Hairston Outdoorsman, college football star, and CEO Hairston killed himself only weeks after this episode was taped. In it he discusses his parents’ divorce and his father’s quiet and tough love.
HOW TO MARKET
MASCULINITY
We asked brand managers at Dove, Axe and Gillette how they’re re-grooming men for 2020 and beyond. By Max Berlinger
The Dad Edge Podcast (hosted by Larry Hagner) Episode 12: Traits of a Warrior Part II: The Soft Traits Learn about the importance of self-awareness, patience, humility, honesty, loyalty, and love . . . from a Navy SEAL.
The EVRYMAN Podcast (hosted by Dan Doty) Episode 78: The Loneliness Episode Doty, cofounder of the retreat group Evryman, discusses the damaging isolation he felt as a young adult.
IN 2019, Gillette released two videos, one addressing toxic
masculinity, bullying and sexism head-on and another featuring a transgender man being taught to shave by his father. These are a far cry from the ads I remember from my childhood in the ’90s – virile, bare-chested men giving themselves a clean shave, the razor navigating their well-defined jawlines with ease. Meanwhile, ads for the grooming brand Axe shifted a few years back, from a fratThe short film A Man Like You, by bro swagger to a woke-bro humility. Recent campaigns Harry’s, featuring a young boy teaching have implored guys to “find their an alien about manhood and concluding, “There’s no one way to be a man.” magic” and have included shots of L’Oréal Paris’s 2019 ad addressing gender men dancing in high heels. inequality in the workplace, What’s going on here? From the OG’s of the grooming and fashion This Is an Ad for Men. industries – names such as L’Oréal and Dove – to young upstarts, like theshavingbrandHarry’sandtheInternet-bornclothinglineBonobos, they’ve all created ads that have pushed a more evolved version of masculinity. Amazon has launched its own in-house clothing line and named it, literally, Good Man (ha). Dove Men+Care has adopted paternityleaveasacoreissue,andL’Oréalhasreleasedanadvertisement that reads “This is an ad for men,” using lipsticks of various lengths to highlight the benefits of having women in leadership roles. “What [advertising agencies] realised is that younger consumers don’t see a reason why they should support a brand if it doesn’t speak
Other Men Need Help (hosted by Mark Pagán) Episode 14: She Makes More Pagán brings a natural first-personstorytelling wit to the topic of male financial insecurities.
54 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Modern Love (hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti and Daniel Jones) Episode 2: One Last Swirl This episode features Dan Barry’s essay of the same name, which begins by recounting the death of his daughter’s fish and turns to a reflection on his father’s passing. The essay is read by Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander. Part humor, part existential dread.
Dear Men (hosted by Melanie Curtin) Episode 15: GirlTalk: We crave this from men... All about how to create a creepinessfree romantic experience.
NFL quarterback Russell Wilson leads a roundtable discussion of the question What Does It Mean to Be a Good Man? for Amazon Fashion’s Good Man brand.
to their values,” says Mark Tungate, author of Branded Male: Marketing to Men. “A lot of younger people have a strong, ethical stance on things, whether it be the environment or morality in the workplace. Why would they even bother looking at a
brand that doesn’t actually speak to them?” We talked to three of the people behind these images and asked them to explain how their companies are advertising to men in a world where the very idea of masculinity is quickly shifting. Here’s what they said.
H U C K B E R RY, TA K E M E AWAY
MARK LODWICK,
BRAND DIRECTOR, AXE “Axe, which has always been about confidence and attraction, used to employ a kind of one-size-fits-all approach to it: the guy gets the girl. Around 2016, as we started to pay attention to what younger guys were talking about, what was going on socially, we saw there was a more inclusive approach needed to reflect what guys, what our guy, was experiencing; we felt like we needed to make a shift. As new teen guys come in, you have the opportunity to reestablish yourself as a brand with them. So 12-year-old guys today, they don’t know these [previous] ads. We used who we are – attraction and confidence. But the expression of that, what it means to be a man, that changes with the times.”
Gillette’s controversial ad We Believe: The Best Men Can Be tackles toxic masculinity and the #MeToo movement, stating, “The boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow.”
PANKAJ BHALLA ,
DIRECTOR OF GILLETTE AND VENUS, NORTH AMERICA “2019 is the 30th year of the iconic line ‘The best a man can get.’ We debuted it at the Super Bowl of 1989. As we looked at the line, we wanted to think of the right way to bring it to life. We were already starting to show men in a more modern, contemporary light. We wanted to redefine what ‘The best a man can get’ meant – not just the best razor; we wanted to focus on what kind of man does Gillette intend to emulate and follow. That translated to ‘The best a man can be,’ not just ‘The best a man can get.’ ”
In the world of man gear, the must-have item is a whole new life. By Paul Kita
Axe highlights Google searches related to the struggles and pressures of manhood in Is It Okay for Guys?
Dove Men+Care advocates paternity leave rights in the campaign #DearFutureDads, featuring men sharing precious (really precious!) memories as new dads.
MOLLY KENNEDY,
GLOBAL SENIOR BRAND MANAGER, DOVE MEN+CARE “Our business model is to sell product, but we did a lot of work in 2015 that showed, among other things, that 86 percent of men felt that while the idea of masculinity had evolved, media portrayals weren’t reflecting that. That was one of the drivers of our Super Bowl ads: College for Dad. Studies show that when men become dads, that’s a huge shift in their lives. But everyone would agree that caring is good. And important. “
IN 2005, A FRIEND introduced me to Uncrate.com and changed the way I shopped for clothes, which was rarely and resentfully. Uncrate wasn’t an online store but a “buyer’s guide for men” that paired luggage with pants and bourbon with shirts. Since Uncrate’s launch, other male-centric online buyers’ guides have emerged. Now there’s Manready Mercantile, Gallantry, End., and Mr. Porter – but none have quite commandeered the market in style and substance like Huckberry, which two buddies, Richard Greiner and Andy Forch, started in 2010. Huckberry takes the Uncrate approach and tricks it out with experiential elements, like ski packages and hotel stays. It does indepth reporting on boutique brands. “Starting out, we were a style company, but we were also in the business of inspiration,” says Forch. Greiner and Forch call all this packaging “curation,” but what they’re actually doing is completing the background work for you. “Guys want choice,” Greiner says. “You feel trapped if you don’t have choice. At the same time, you don’t want too much choice.” They’re offering lifestyles – you just need to put yourself in one of the worlds they’ve created. Have I ever bought the entire laydown from Huckberry? No, but I’ve come to appreciate that sense of curation. It’s the same to me as a great chef finding what’s freshest at the market for dinner. Or a trout guide taking me to the most popular pools along the stream. Huckberry and these other man brands aren’t selling us a feeling – they’re selling us a plan.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 55
THE HEALTH SNOB’S GUIDE TO
AMERICAN OAK
Barrel-Aged Booze SOME THINGS GET BETTER WITH AGE, AND THESE DARK SPIRITS ARE NO EXCEPTION. TAP THE CASK AND BARREL UP ON THE BOLDFLAVOURED BENEFITS. / BY KELLEIGH KOREVAAR
Scotch whiskey is typically matured in old bourbon barrels (like the Maker’s Mark bourbon below). As a result, Auchentoshan American Oak takes on the sweet aromas of the bourbon’s vanilla notes, with the addition of coconut.
FRENCH OAK STAVES
Maker’s Mark 46 is made from the fully matured Maker’s Mark from below. They then insert 10 seared virgin French oak staves into the barrel and finish it for nine weeks. This process snags you hints of wood staves and caramel.
B
D
FRENCH FINE-GRAINED OAK
Courvoisier V.S.O.P. cognac spends several years in French fine-grained oak barrels, developing nutty notes and aging to produce a sweet, caramelised, toasted almond flavour.
01 LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL
Unlike popular craft gins that are infused with rosemary, peppercorns, and plants that wouldn’t look out of place in your grandmother’s home, darker spirits usually make use of very few ingredients. That makes the wood they’re aged in all the more important as it adds distinct flavour notes. Learn from this neck of the woods.
56 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
AMERICAN WHITE OAK
A
This wood is seasoned for nine months outdoors before the barrels are fired for 40 seconds to open the staves’ pores and caramalise the natural wood sugars. This gives Maker’s Mark the vanilla notes it’s known for.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL LE GRANGE
c
LIFE
02 JOIN THE DARK SIDE
These cocktails from Steven Zylstra are packed with flavour and health benefits.
Scan to learn how to make more cocktails.
A MAKER’S HIGHBALL
B AUCHIE & ALE
M A K E R ’S M A R K B O U R B O N W H I S K Y, 5 0 M L LEMON JUICE, 25ML B OT T I N G S A P P L E & G I N G E R P U R E E , 3 5 M L P E AC H I C E T E A , TO TO P U P W I T H A P P L E C I D E R, TO TO P U P W I T H P I N E A P P L E S L I C E , TO GA R N I S H
RAISE YOUR GLASS
Bourbon, scotch or cognac are what you can expect to find in the hands of the envy-evoking elite of invite-only clubs and
AU C H E N TO S H A N A M E R I CA N OA K S C OTC H W H I S K Y, 5 0 M L LEMON JUICE, 25ML H O N E Y SY R U P, 2 5 M L YO U R FAVO U R I T E A L E O R A N G E S L I C E , TO GA R N I S H
METHOD This cocktail is one that you build rather than shake or stir (so it’s easy to make). Add all the ingredients into a highball glass with ice. Garnish with a pineapple slice. The apple, ginger and lemon form a trio of health-boosting ingredients that can assist in weight loss.
03
C COURVOISIER ESPRESSO MARTINI
METHOD Add the scotch, juice and syrup to a mug filled with ice. Top up with an ale of your choice. Garnish with an orange slice. Bonus: this makes a great “recovery” drink. A study saw no difference between those who drank water versus a low-ABV beer after exercising in the heat.
luxurious mancaves. But what makes these men ooze cool isn’t what they’re drinking, it’s what they’re drinking from. Whether your glass is half full or empty, the state of your glass matters. Here’s our guide for retiring that branded beer glass and upping the cool factor.
D MAPLE & BACON OLD FASHIONED
C O U R VO I S I E R V.S.O. P, 3 5 M L
M A K E R ’S 4 6, 5 0 M L
COFFEE LIQUEUR , 15ML ESPRESSO (COOLED), 30ML
M A P L E SY R U P, 1.5 TS P B I T T E R S, 3 DAS H E S
S U GA R SY R U P, 1 0 M L O R A N G E P E E L , TO GA R N I S H
C R I S PY M A P L E BAC O N S L I C E , TO GA R N I S H
METHOD In a Boston glass, add the ingredients in the order listed above. Add ice and cap the glass with a metal shaker. Shake very hard for eight seconds and strain into a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a slice of vitamin C-rich orange peel. The hero of this cocktail is the coffee which is known to promote mental sharpness and protect your ticker.
Highball glasses are mostly used for drinks that call for a lot of non-alcoholic mixer and are poured over ice. This is the glass the bartenders tend to use the most. Then there’s the signature of the age-old Moscow Mule, the copper mug, which is branching out. But it’s not
METHOD The good ole’ fashioned gets a healthy upgrade. Bacon contains vital nutrients like thiamin, vitamin B12, zinc and selenium. Add the Maker’s Mark 46, maple syrup and bitters into a tumbler. Top up with ice and stir for 1 minute with a bar stirrer if you own one. Refill the glass with ice. Garnish with a slice of maplecoated crispy bacon.
because of its aesthetic – the copper takes to the ice, creating a much cooler, refreshing drink and there are rumours that it enhances the drinks’ flavour, too. And for your James Bond martinis, the coupe glass has dethroned the martini glass. But why would you want it?
The long stem means your hand won’t warm up the cocktail. Lastly, your bar isn’t complete without a double rocks glass, and if you’re only going to get one, this is the one. The double rocks glass is slightly bigger than a single rocks glass, meaning it works for most cocktails. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 57
LIFE
Meal Prep Made Simple
58 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
BOX OF TRICKS 86/100
UCOOK From R74* ucook.co.za
Daily Dish From R68* dailydish.co.za
TASTE VARIETY EASE OF USE
TASTE VARIETY EASE OF USE
•••••••• •••••••• ••••••••
HANDLE THE HEAT UCOOK is the brand that made meal prep mainstream and sent brown boxes into kitchens all over South Africa. Their neatly packed boxes come with a variety of recipes that usually take between 30 and 45 minutes to prepare. It’s ideal for a busy man who is keen to do more in the kitchen but considers health and taste to be mutually exclusive. You have three types of meals; health nut, easy peasy and vegetarian. Note: some recipes are more challenging than others but you’ll level up in the process.
TAKE THE STRESS OUT OF NAILING YOUR NUTRITION PLAN WITH OUR AUTHORITATIVE PICK OF SA’S BEST MEAL DELIVERY SERVICES.
Winter is on the horizon. If you want to realise your ambition of uncovering your abs before you reach the departures lounge in spring or summer, you need to double your efforts in the kitchen in colder months. Or, better still, halve them – by getting somebody else to do the hard work for you. Granted, meal delivery services are pricier than battling the Sunday queues in Woolworths, but they bring healthy food straight to your door in the form of simple recipe boxes or zero-effort packaged meals. Some are designed for holistic health, with a focus on organic or purely vegan ingredients, while others target people who are training hard. But all of them will help you to look and feel better in a matter of weeks, which is a priceless commodity. This month, we filled the fridges of the MH team and asked them to look beyond the shiny branding to chew through the typical nutritional content of each service and the enjoyability and ease of use that can really make a difference. Hungry for progress? Put your feet up and tuck in.
CHEF’S TABLE 80/100
MH VERDICT ”This is one of the easiest ways to gain new skills, short of going to a cooking class. It took me out of my cooking comfort zone without the dirty dishes or disasters.” - Robert Cilliers, Editor and Creative Director
M
WINNER
Scan to check out this week’s UCOOK offerings.
•••••••• •••••••• ••••••••••
LIGHT BITES Daily Dish suits those with just enough time to cook from scratch. Each meal is organised separately and, apart from the meat and vegetables, the ingredients come measured out and ready to cook. This meal prep option was a firm favourite of the MH team and saw staff members sending instagram-worthy pictures of their culinary creations to our Whatsapp group. Plus, it’s so easy that the full-flavoured and delicious dishes you create are almost a surprise. MH VERDICT ”What I loved most about Daily Dish was that the recipe read as simple but was packed with flavour… So simple, in fact, that my daughters kicked off the cooking in my absence, so things were on the make by the time I got home from work. Dream team, that.” - Dan Weakley, Editorial Director
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
These two contenders we tested are also worthy of your fridge space.
COLD EMBRACE 80/100 We Are Food R65* wearefood.co.za TASTE VARIETY EASE OF USE
PLATED CONVENIENCE
••••••••• •••••••• •••••••
SPOILED FOR CHOICE These hearty, defrost-heat-and-eat ready meals sit at the lifestyle end of the healthy-eating spectrum. They offer a simple way to inject homemade meals (without actually making it at home) into your plan. Plus, if you’re curious about flexitarianism or veganism they have some great options.
WORDS: TED LANE & KELLEIGH KOREVAAR | *ALL PRICES AVERAGE PER SERVING
MH VERDICT “We Are Food’s range of frozen meals are taking those “TV dinners” to the next level. And it’s not just about simplifying the Sunday meal prep, having healthy bites on hand will have you reaching for the freezer instead of the takeaway menu. The low-carb value pack includes 23 meals (such as Paneer Butter Masala and Country Chicken Bake) for R1 510. That works out to R65 per meal. Our verdict: worth it.” - Kieran Legg, Contributing Editor
Pop the individual servings in the microwave straight from the freezer and you’ll have a nutritious meal in just over three minutes. No mess or cleaning up necessary.
FOOD FITNESS FACTORY
You’ll feed both your muscles and your general health with these dishes. All of their meals are prepared fresh and delivered daily. Plus, they don’t cook in bulk, they cook for the individual.
BIG EASY 83/100
GAINS ON THE GO 83/100
Daily Dietitian R138* dailydietitian.co.za
FitChef R65* fitchef.co.za
TASTE VARIETY EASE OF USE
TASTE VARIETY EASE OF USE
•••••••• ••••••• ••••••••••
POCKET EXPERT This ready-toeat meal service (where each meal comes with a snack) is focused on nutrition, health, and, most importantly, taking all the thinking out of hitting your goals. You first fill out a questionairre about your goals, weight, dietary restrictions etc. and then a dietitian plans meals based on that. Each delivery arrives in portioned containers personalisd for you, so all you have to do is heat when hungry. MH VERDICT “This service is a clueless goal chaser’s dream. Although it is the priciest option, each meal comes with a snack. The food was tasty but the real winner was seeing the portion sizes I should be eating for my goals. Turns out I was over-eating.” - Kelleigh Korevaar, Features Writer
••••••• •••••••••• ••••••••
MUSCLE MEALS They’re one of the leaders in clean-eating and don’t compromise on quality, fresh ingredients. FItChef offers enough meal kits that you’re bound to find something to suit you, from 21 day challenges and juice cleanses to sports performance and vegan and vegetarian kits. Or you can select your own meals, smoothies, snacks and drinks to fill your fridge and freeze. MH VERDICT “What really set FitChef apart for me is the variety and the flavour they manage to pack into a meal. Frozen food tends to lose a lot of its flavour and therefore has a bad rep, but not FitChef. And as for the beetroot brownie? I’ll definitely be ordering that again.” - Megan Flemmit, Multimedia Journalist
Scan to check out We Are Food’s value packs.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 59
LIFE
THE CHEF’S TABLE We tried over 50 dishes to find the MH Meal Prep Masters. But these two classic dishes, which separate the amateur from the budding chef, were our favourites to cook. That’s why we nabbed the recipe for you to keep on hand and impress anyone who sits at your dining table.
02 Daily Dish’s Garlic Butter
Sirloin Steak With Mushrooms, Green Beans & Rosemary
4 4 10G 400G
01 UCOOK’s
Exotic Butter Chicken With Tomato & Cucumber Sambal W H AT YO U ’ L L N E E D 4 B R E A ST 40ML SPICE 3 400G 400ML 300ML 80G 400G 200G 10G 40G
FREE-RANGE CHICKEN B U T T E R C H I C K E N C U R RY ONION C O O K E D C H O P P E D TO M ATO COCONUT CREAM B R OW N BA S M AT I R I C E G R E E N L E AV E S BA BY TO M ATO E S CUCUMBER FRESH CORIANDER GINGER OLIVE/COCONUT OIL SA LT & P E P P E R WAT E R
DIRECTIONS
1. Place the rice in a pot and submerge in 900ml of salted water. Bring to the boil with the lid on. When boiling, reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow it to steam for a further 10 minutes. CHEF’S NOTE: Keep the lid
60 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
on for the entire cooking and steaming process. Fluff with a fork and season to taste. 2. Peel and dice the onion. Peel and grate the ginger. Place a pan (that has a matching lid) on a medium heat with some oil. Fry half of the onion and Butter Chicken Curry Spice (to taste) for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked chopped tomato and coconut cream. Bring to a simmer, pop on the lid, and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has a “curry-like” consistency. 3. Make your sambal! Quarter the baby tomatoes. Dice the cucumber. Rinse and roughly chop the coriander. In a bowl, combine the cucumber, baby tomatoes, the remaining onion and coriander (save some for garnish). Season and set aside. 4. Pat the chicken breasts dry, and cut into 1.5cm to 2cm thick strips. When the curry sauce has 5 minutes left to go, add the chicken. Pop on the lid and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally. Rinse and dry the green leaves. When curry is done, stir in the green leaves and season to taste. 5. Serve the butter chicken alongside the rice. Top with the sambal and garnish with remaining coriander. Enjoy!
300G
S I R LO I N ST E A KS C LOV E S GA R L I C, C R U S H E D, P E E L E D A N D F I N E LY CHOPPED F R E S H R O S E M A RY, F I N E LY CHOPPED G R E E N B E A N S, E N D S C U T OFF B U T TO N M U S H R O O M S, SLICED BUTTER OLIVE OIL SA LT A N D P E P P E R T I N FO I L
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare ingredients as indicated above. Boil the kettle. Rub olive oil all over the steaks then scatter with freshly ground salt and pepper and set aside. 2. Place a frying pan on high heat for a few minutes. When hot, add the steaks and pan fry for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, turning only once with tongs (or a pair of spoons). In the last
minute, add a few knobs of butter, the garlic and rosemary to the pan. Once the butter has melted spoon the butter mixture over the steaks for about 30 seconds. Then transfer to a plate, cover with tin foil and allow to rest. 3. Place a saucepan on medium-high heat, add the green beans with enough boiling water to submerge by 2cm. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes until bright green and cooked, but with a slight bite. Drain, melt over a small knob of butter and season with salt andd pepper. 4. Place a frying pan over medium to high heat. Add a few knobs of butter, and once melted, add the mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes – stirring occasionally – until the mushrooms start to brown. 5. Slice the steaks and serve on top of the green beans with sautéed mushrooms on the side.
WORDS: KELLEIGH KOREVAAR | PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED
W H AT YO U ’ L L N E E D
LIFE
THE BEST GEAR TO HIT MH HQ THIS MONTH
FF ICE
UNDE RECO RY FUL ZIP CKET
ERY ACKET
JBL FLIP 5 You want a speaker that’s lighter than your wallet, can reach submarine-depths and can still blast “Chariots of Fire” as you summit Kilimanjaro? JBL’s Flip 5 isn’t far off. It has great sound quality, it’s compact, portable, waterproof and still delivers a boom. It’s a great travel companion that can weather some seriously adverse conditions and hold its own – and at a decent price point, too. R1 999, takealot.com
ecovery pl a big e i how hard you’re able b to train after your st session. To help you get ck to the gym quicker, Und r Armour has created this recovery training jacket. It’s lined with minerals th reflect infrared energy bac to your body, helping your muscles recover faster. Plus, the UA Storm technology helps this layer repel water. And because it’s made from lightweight stretchwoven material it doesn’t sacrifice breathability. Being comfortable while you recoverr has never looked better. R2 699,Under Armour
NUTRIBULLET BALANCE
IMAGES: SUPPLIED
LOGITECH CRAFT WIRELESS A keyboard is hardly exciting tech, at least on the surface. But this wireless typer has a special feature that will help you streamline your workflow. At the top left corner, you'll find a creative input dial – a touch-sensitive controller that adapts to whatever app you're using. Zoom in and out in one app, use it to change the volume in another or control the size of your brush in Photoshop. With Logitech's online profiles, this added feature has near-limitless applications. R2 199, evetech.co.za
We didn’t think it could get much better than NutriBullet’s flagship offering, which catapulted blending into the mainstream. But the NutriBullet Balance has seriously upped the ante – and the likelihood of hitting your health goals. It uses Bluetooth and a built-in scale to help you track calories, set goals and customise recipes from the NutriBullet app on your smart device in real time. Lacking inspiration? The app is jam-packed with recipes for smoothies, soups, desserts, dips and more. Plus, with the virtual nutritionist you can narrow down your options according to your diet (vegan, low carb, high protein etc.), wellness goals and dietary restrictions. R4 999, yuppiechef.com
MH.CO.ZA/ MH CO ZA/ A April il 2020 61
Art of the Wheel ENTRY-LEVEL? LUXURY? WELL, WHICH ONE IS IT? CALVIN FISHER GETS TO GRIPS WITH THIS FOURWHEELED CONUNDRUM
1
Peugeot 5008 THE ONE WITH JE NE SAIS QUOI.
The buying public have moved to SUVs making it the most hotly contested segment of them all. That means you are already spoilt for choice – but I’m here to confuse you further. Have you considered the French cars? See, only the French skip luxury 62 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
altogether and go straight for opulent, decadent even – a shiny marriage of textures and surfaces across the exterior, with tactile treats hither and thither in a cabin that wants to spoil you. I recently sampled the 5008 GT Line 1.6 THP along a lengthy strip of asphalt and gravel and can report that it is both energetic and competent. The overall handling and demeanour was infectious thanks to light and airy living quarters. I've always maintained that manufacturers really need to get the cabin
right, as it's the part of a car that we spend the most time experiencing. It feels special in here, and I'm including that denim-like fabric that Peugeot have covered bits of the interior with. The exterior is one part handsome, two parts stylish. It's a feel-good car that deserves to find its way to many South African driveways. Fuel options (and therefore engine options) include petrol (121kW) and diesel (110kW), all mated to a six-speed auto. Are you ready to own a Peugeot or does that French stigma still put you off despite the new 5-year (100 000km) warranty and service plan? If not, you can pick up the posh SUV for as low as R539 900 or as dear as R604 900 for the flagship GT.
PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED
Luxury cars, those are easy to define – think Bentleys, Porsche saloons, the likes of Maserati et al. Affordable luxury therefore encapsulate anything of a premium nature, so enter the Teutonic three; Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Jaguar and Land Rover… those brazen Brits, too, produce some fine metal. But here are four cars that offer a tantamount level of that upmarket look and feel at a more entry-level price point. Cars, each of them, that left me with a feeling of, “Hmm, I could live with this.”
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LIFE The XC40 is the Tom Hanks of cars. Everyone loves it and it gives a stellar performance, every time.
Lexus ES THE SENSIBLE ONE.
Here’s what I know about Lexus. If you want a sporty one, you get an IS. If you want a posh luxury barge, you get the GS. If you want the ultimate flagship luxury saloon experience, there’s the LS. What about the ES then? Well, upon its initial launch in Mzansi, it was quickly compared to and aligned with its frumpy cousin, the Toyota Camry. However, since then, and especially now in this fresh iteration, the ES has been imbued with a mojo all its own and we can report that the new front-wheel drive ES is at least as good as the rear-drive GS but more affordable than an the IS. Sweet spot achieved then, especially if you opt for the base model 250 EX for R640 400. It boasts a refined driving experience as opposed to favouring a sporty set-up. The 2.5-litre engine is mated with an eight-speed automatic box and pushes out 152kW and 243Nm of torque – so while not terribly dynamic, it’s sublime on the open road with very little noise coming into the cabin from the road and wind, plus a soft and cushy suspension set up. Lexus prefers to sell you a kitted-out car, so buyers may find that there are very little extras that they would like to add to their ES250. Aside from the nice-to-have features mentioned above, the ES is also packed with a raft of standard safety features including driver and front passenger airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, driver and front passenger seat-mounted side impact airbags, front to rear side-curtain airbags, rear cushion airbags and driver support systems such as park-distance control, ABS with EBD, hill assist control, traction control and vehicle stability control. The new Lexus ES iteration has silenced all keyboard warriors.
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Volvo XC40 THE ONE THAT’S PROOF SOMETIMES STYLE IS SUBSTANCE.
I recently referred to the XC40 as the Tom Hanks of cars. Because literally everyone loves this thing. It is a stylish raised C Segment hatchback from my favourite Scandinavian marque. That’s Volvo – nothing less than Sweden’s own luxury brand with cars rivalling the aforementioned German marques model for model, spec for spec. The XC40 plays closest to the BMW X1 and Audi Q2 with a hammer in a velvet glove aesthetic and a cabin that is understated but every bit the premium experience you’d expect. The range can be had as ‘cheaply’ as R524 600 all the way up to R704 R 950 depending on your choice of model, e engine and trim levels. E Engines can be had in n diesel, petrol and hybridised options – all turbocharged units as effficient as they come,
offering between115kW and 185kW. The entire line-up comprises frontwheel and all-wheel drivetrains. Feeling sporty? Volvo will sell you a XC40 blessed with the R-Design package. Want a more stylish aesthetic? Opt for the Inscription pack. Our pick would be the XC40 with an efficient diesel engine, but we’re sensible like that. That said, while the prospect of owning Tom Hanks, sorry, an XC40 is an exciting one, it can also be a pricey one. We recently had one on test with 20-inch wheels, metallic paint, leather seats, a safety and technology pack and panoramic sunroof and its price crept closer and closer to the R800 000 mark and that’s just too much for a ‘Golf-sized’ hatch, even an exquisite one like this. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 63
LIFE VW traded in the stodgy Passat for a surpringly sleek and sporty sedan.
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VW Arteon THE SURPRISINGLY SPORTY ONE.
The mighty Wolfsburg-based proliferator of peoples’ cars has famously delivered us products steeped in legacy for several decades. So imagine our surprise when the stodgy Passat coupe was rebranded as the Arteon. Imagine still our further surprise and delight at the helm of what quickly became one of our favourite sedans ever, now augmented in a fresh R-Line bodysuit. Now, I’m not going to pretend that R752 600 is affordable, but for an executive saloon that can challenge the far pricier German sports sedans with moderate ease, it’s more than justifiable. And I know that I really should be comparing it to its more direct rivals (the A5 and so on) and it can hold its own there as well, but my point is, while the boxy Passat struggled to get 64 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
noticed in this crowd, the crowd-pleasing Arteon won’t. You can get the range topper for the same price as an entry level 3 Series sure, but the VW is AWD, looks menacing and then there are the numbers. From its turbocharged two-litre heart, the Arteon can render 206kW enabling it with a zero-to-hundred sprint of just 5.6 seconds. This, thanks in part to tenacious all-wheel grip and a slippery seven-speed DSG transmission. The mad scientists at VW even gave the petrol-swilling four-pot motor a decent soundtrack too, to match the well-appointed cabin’s sound system. If the Arteon hasn’t been on your radar until now, it deserves to be.
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If the Arteon hasn't been on your radar,it deserves to be.
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LIFE APRIL
THE
Save more money, stress less, and get more done with the right hook.
GOOD VIBES
According to a 2016 Cone Communications study, 76% of millennials were more motivated to work for a company that was socially or environmentally responsible, while 88% said their job is more fulfilling when they’re given chances to make a positive impact. (Most were even willing to take a pay-cut to snag a spot at these philanthropic enterprises). The lesson: find a company that lines up with your values and even spreadsheets will start to spark inspiration.
MONEY MUSCLE
WORDS: KIERAN LEGG
According to a Welltok survey, 96% of consumers would change their health habits if they were rewarded. Your move: find a programme that will drag you to the gym. Try Momentum Multiply which will let you earn up to R3 000 per month, four free GP visits per year and expand your coverage if you’re active. Completing tasks such as racking up 10 000 steps or burning 300 calories in a single sweat session will bag you points that can boost your health score and access new rewards. Visit multiply.co.za to find out more.
REWARDING MINDSET
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology revealed that workers who receive immediate rewards for striking off smaller tasks tend to enjoy their work more than those who only snag rewards at the end of a big project. Break down longterm projects into bite-sized pieces, and reward yourself – i.e. watching the latest Mukbang from your favourite Youtuber when you’re done – to turning getting-shit-done into a satisfying pursuit.
MONEY ON THE LINE
GROW YOUR FOCUS
Research has shown that checking your phone throughout the day hurts productivity. “Forest: Stay Focused” is an app designed to discourage you from touchscreen distractions. How it works: you plant a seed, set a timer and your tree grows in the background. Check your phone and your sapling will wither and die. Over time your forest will be populated with thriving green testaments to your newfound focus. And, if you spend real money, the company will plant real trees for each digital specimen you’ve helped flourish. (Available on iOS & Android)
We’re more motivated when there’s money on the line. In a recent study, participants were divided into two groups and asked to complete a task. The first was rewarded with cash, the other was given money and would forfeit their fortune if they failed. The winners? Those with something to lose. Stikk is an app that lets you put money at stake every time you tackle a new task (available on iOS & Android).
PHONE BANK
Want to save money? Check your smartphone. In a 2016 Federal Reserve study, 62% of consumers with access to a mobile banking app checked their balance before pulling the trigger on a big purchase. Half of them slammed the brakes on their spending. 22Seven is an app that connects your accounts and gives you an overview of your balances, spending (and savings).
SMALL WINS
Procrastination can be productive. Don’t believe us? If you’re dreading a big task, put it off and tackle smaller jobs first. Harvard Business School research found that tracking these small victories – either by using a journal,spreadsheet, to-do list, you name it – led to enhanced feelings of motivation, the type of energy you need to reel in the aforementioned big ‘un. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 65
LIFE
The 5.4-Minute Hero EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT HOW LONG YOU SHOULD LAST IN BED IS A LIE. / BY JULIE VADNAL
How to last longerinbed. It’s one of the most searched questionsabout sex, Googled around 60 500 times permonth (mostly by dudes, we’re guessing). Andinthe past year alone, a story on menshealth.com called “11 Ways to Last Longer in Bed”hashad nearly 700 000 visitors. But we haveasecret to tell you: you don’t need to stress about lasting through marathon sex sessions. In fact, no one expects sex to last as longas Avengers: Endgame – not even the woman
66 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
you’resleepingwith. Still, the signs that men are supposed to last well into the AM are everywhere. Some of them come from pop culture – thanks, Beyoncé, for lyrics like “We be all night” in “Drunk in Love” – and the rest are unsurprisingly from porn. (Gasp, right?) “In porn, people can last forever, so then men’s understanding is that as long as you last forever too, that’s good,” says Dr. Harry Fisch, a clinical professor of urology and
reproductive medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. “But then they don’t consider what is average, what’s normal.” Fisch also blames bad sex education for the rumour that longer sex = better sex. Scientists have researched sexual stamina and found a big gap between how long sex actually lasts and how long people would like it to last. A 2005 study of 500 couples from around the world determined that the average intercourse session lasted
ILLUSTRATION GETTY
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just 5.4 minutes – with or without a condom. Yet according to a 2008 study, most sex therapists agreed that “desirable” sex lasts anywhere between seven and 13 minutes. (That two- to sevenish-minute gap? That’s the sound of men everywhere scratching their heads.) If 13 minutes sounds like an eternity, don’t worry. You don’t need to have the endurance of a long-distance runner. An obsession with lasting foreeeever during sex could even make you imagine you’ve got penis problems. “Many young men think they have premature ejaculation when they’re well within normal limits,” says sex therapist Dr. Laurie Mintz, author of Becoming Cliterate. So while five minutes may seem like a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, it’s still two minutes past being considered premature ejaculation, which is generally an emission that happens in three minutes or less. And in those cases, there are some practical solutions for drawing out the process. (See sidebar.) Most important, an extra-lengthy sex session isn’t what most women say they want. “I feel like guys get a lot of anxiety about lasting a long time for their partner,” says Maddie, 21, a student in New York City. “But really, it’s not about quantity; it’s about quality. And sometimes too long just plain hurts.” That’s because most women – like, almost all of us – don’t get off from vaginal intercourse alone. “A lot of men are under the false impression that thrusting hard and lasting long is the key to a woman’s orgasm,” Mintz says. “But it’s the number-one lie about getting laid.” Sex research backs this up: a study published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy in 2017 found that only 18 percent of women said intercourse alone can make them climax. The rest said clitoral stimulation was either necessary or that it made their orgasms feel even better. What’s more, too much in-and-out action can make a woman dry and cause her pain, says Mintz. Women often take longer than men to orgasm – around 20 minutes to a man’s
A lot of men are under the false impression that thrusting hard and lasting long is the key to a woman’s orgasm.
A HANDY TRICK FOR LASTING LONGER DID YOU KNOW you can
five – but chances are she doesn’t want you pumping away for that long. Most women say they’d rather spend that extra time warming up with foreplay, which Mintz says is a much bigger predictor of female orgasm than a few minutes of thrusting. Not every woman is cool with superquick intercourse, like Amanda, 28, who says she’s a ten- to 20-minute woman. In that case, using a benzocaine wipe such as Roman Swipes from getroman.com (unfortunately, we don’t get them in SA just yet) can numb your shaft to make you last longer, says Fisch. But Amanda adds that no matter how long penetration lasts, foreplay is the most essential part. “The moments leading up to sex are the most exciting to me,” she says. “The actual penetration, it’s just icing on the cake.” Instead of dragging things out with endless thrusting, treat foreplay as her main event, Mintz suggests. Slowly count to ten as you sweep your fingertips or tongue along her hot zones. (Think the thin skin on her wrists, her neck, and her breasts.) Or run a vibrator around her labia and inner thighs. Focusing on foreplay doesn’t just soothe any “Am I lasting long enough?” anxiety; it also makes the eventual penetrative sex that much more sensual for you both. She’ll feel relaxed and lubricated, and you’ll be more than ready to go. Plus, 77 percent of women in that 2017 Sex & Marital Therapy study said that spending time building arousal enhanced their orgasms. Keep in mind that you don’t have to rely on intercourse at all for her to climax – sometimes the best sex happens before you even get to home base.
masturbate your way to better stamina? Light a few candles, grab some tissues and try the “start and stop” and “squeeze” techniques – also known as “edging.” The idea is to stimulate yourself until the “point of inevitability of ejaculation but not cross that threshold,” says Dr. Larry Lipshultz, a urology professor at Baylor College of Medicine. When you feel like you’re about to blow, either stop masturbating (the “start and stop” technique) or squeeze the head of your penis until you can safely stroke again without climaxing (the “squeeze” technique). Eventually, you’ll learn to recognise what it feels like to be right on the edge of an orgasm, and to control exactly when you let yourself go. Training yourself to delay an orgasm takes time (and, let’s face it, a lot of willpower). Practise these techniques three times a week for 30 minutes and you should start seeing results after a few months, says Lipshultz. — JORDYN TAYLOR
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APRIL Ask anything – and we mean anything – about love and sex.
— Andre, Paarl
Vulva. We doubt you’ve heard it from any of your buddies, but the word is gaining traction among enlightened women as the most accurate way to refer to their external sex organs, including the labia, clitoris, and vaginal opening. Saying it might transport you to your grade five sex-ed class, but since most people still say vagina when they really mean vulva, you’ll seem rather cultured if you use it correctly in conversation. (If you want to sound extra worldly, try the Sanskrit yoni.) But if you’re in the middle of actually having sex, p***y and c*ck will never go out of style. I approve of any dirty talk that turns you and your partner on. 68 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
What’s the smoothest, least awkward way to ask someone back to my apartment at the end of a date? — Sbusiso, Sandton “Would you like to come home with me tonight?” When my wife and I go to parties, she tends to get really drunk. How do I help her rein it in? — Kingsley, Bluff First of all, this is definitely a conversation you should have sober. Confess that her party habits make you uncomfortable, since she’s always three steps
ahead of everyone else. Her initial reaction might be anger or denial, because you’ve bruised her pride, but ultimately she’ll want to know if she’s doing something that bothers you. As you talk, try to figure out what’s causing her to drink so much. If she just doesn’t know how to handle her booze, encourage the 1:1 rule: one glass of water after every alcoholic drink. If she’s drinking due to social anxiety or addiction, then it’s time to think about professional help.
I have some expensive sex toys from a previous relationship. If I clean them, is it weird to use them with a new partner? — Ashwin, Bloemfontein If those toys went inside someone else, then the answer is yes. Even if you clean them, sex toys are personal, and you don’t want the ghosts of sex sessions past to be lingering in your bedroom. If your new partner is down, the two of you could try picking something out together – it’s one of the sexiest bonding activities you can do as a couple! Naomi Piercey is the Girl Next Door. Feel free to ask her anything about love and sex.
IMAGES: GETTY (ROOSTER), JOEL ARBAJE (PIERCEY)
Are there preferred words for body parts in 2020? Can I still say p***y and c*ck, or is there a new vocabulary I need to learn?
She says she wants rough sex, but I don’t want to hurt her. What’s a safe starter move? — Xaviar, Kuils River Just because she asked for it doesn’t mean you have carte blanche, so whatever you do, agree in advance on a safe word that either of you can use to dial things back in the moment. Then ease into it with some light hair pulling or spanking. For hair pulling, grab a fistful near the scalp – similar to running your hands through her hair – and squeeze gently. (Even though it’s called hair pulling, it’s not really about pulling – it’s more about adding pressure.) Unless she requests it, avoid a ponytail grab or anything else that could cause whiplash. For spanking, make sure you hit the meatiest part of the bum, and nothing above the cheeks, which can be painful – and not in a good way.
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Find Your Calm Ramp Your Intensity Face Your Fears
COMPILED BY MEGAN FLEMMIT
Between the bills, the tweets, the coffee spills... you’re gonna lose it. Here’s how to manage it a whole lot better. BY JOSHUA DAVID STEIN A FEW YEARS AGO, using the mercurial powers of mom
TRUNK ARCHIVE
logic, my mother sent me the 27-page psychological workup that my then-divorcing parents had ordered for eight-year-old me. This was in 1989, the era of New Kids on the Block and, apparently, heartbreak. On page 22, the therapist, after noting that I was a “very sensitive youngster” but one prone to rage, surmises that “while the anger might be the primary affective emotion, it’s a blanket for the pain.”
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IONS BY
ON DE HAR
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Why my mom sent this I don’t know, but the faded, typewritten pages arrived at a moment in my life when my anger blazed like a Cape Town fire, destructive and zero percent contained. They arrived shortly before I moved out of the home I shared with my then wife and my kids. They arrived as I surveyed the damage my anger had inflicted: the dents in the walls and holes in the doors; the way one of my sons, Achilles, tensed up around me while the other, Augs, never stopped talking, as if his friendly chitchat could keep the peace. I could sense it, too, in my partner, for whom our relationship was like a game of Operation with our eyes closed. Clearly I had always struggled with anger, as many men I know do. Maybe I didn’t struggle with it. Maybe that was the problem – I just thought I was an angry man. Blood type O positive and boiling. It took a lot to wake me up. The first seed was planted a few years before my divorce, during an interview with the chef Eric Ripert. A handsome Frenchman, Ripert runs Le Bernardin, one of America’s best restaurants. We were sitting in the basement office of the place, in a booklined room around the conference table, talking about anger. (This was the heyday of the bad-boy chef, which Ripert was not.) “Joshua,” he said in his still-thick accent, “anger is a weakness. No one is happy to be angry.” A weakness? I thought. How can anger, an armour, be a weakness? But through the years, his strangely elocuted line “No one is happy to be angry” stuck with me and began to take root. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and what it meant for me was that I often found myself in episodes of dissociative anger, smashing shit like the fish sculpture my
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PEPE MARAIS
LUTHANDO ‘SHORTY’ BIKO
Founder of Joe Public United
Former EFC Bantamweight Champ, Multiple-Time Judo SA Champ, Commonwealth Judo Champ
“As a leader in challenging situations when emotions flare, I can either choose to respond appropriately or react with emotion. The other day, someone took my homemade salad dressing from the office fridge. It’s a small thing, but it’s an act that went against my belief that we should stay true to our values and committed to a greater purpose. I reacted rather than responded. I wrote an email I’m not proud of which made its way to the social space. Not great for my brand (or the company’s). Keeping my purpose in mind has been instrumental in dealing with anger in difficult situations.”
mom’s friend Sandy gave my ex and me on our wedding day, yelling cusses, repeating phrases over and over again, rocking back and forth, totally dysregulated. You know, like, cross-the-street type of stuff. I’d get there so quickly I’d have hardly any memory of how I went from zero to furious. I’d be watching like a scared kid as I scared my kids, and I’d be feeling helpless. That sense of helplessness leads to shame, which leads to more anger, which leads to more shame, until you’re a father of two, 38, Virgo, smokes socially, doesn’t know what he wants on Tinder. So no, I was not happy to be angry. Anger
“When I tell people I fight for a living they’re surprised because I always have a smile on my face. I usually only get angry with people when they try to take advantage of me. When that happens I stay calm and try to deal with the situation appropriately. Throughout my training for MMA and participating in the sport, I’ve learnt not to deal with situations with anger, because you end up making the same mistakes and become vulnerable to your opponent.”
is a weakness. Over time, through a lot of work, I’ve come to know that for me anger is like slipping when you’re taking the stairs two at a time and fast as hell. Once you realise you’ve missed a step, you’re already tumbling. Once I’m down the path of anger, I’m at its batshit terminus. The only way I’ve stood a chance of staying upright is to slow down and take it one step at a time. To stay in pain and to be sad and just, well, that’s it... to be in pain and to be sad and to somehow tolerate it. I didn’t need to flip it into anger immediately and off-load it. I could simply acknowledge that,
GEO BOTHA
MIKE SHARMAN
DR IMTIAZ SOOLIMAN
ROLAND GASPAR
Director at Bovest Wealth
OwnerofRetroviralDigital Communications
Founder of International Aid Organisation Gift of the Givers
Radio DJ and Creative Entrepreneur
“In my line of work, you’re constantly in high pressure situations. In the past, I’ve often found myself being reactive and that lets a difficult situation take control rather than me being in control. I’ll get so caught up in trying to prove I’m right, I’ll win the battle but lose the war. One trick I’ve learnt: don’t give an answer immediately. Reply that you’re aware of the situation and you’ll get back to them as soon as possible. This creates time (on both sides) for emotions to subside, and your eventual response will be calm, collected and rational.”
“When you start red-lining and speaking ‘Hulk’, the most important thing you can do is stop and back away from the MacBook. Anger is the spinach to your Popeye and a gateway drug to keyboard warrior antics. Social media isn’t your friend when you’re raging and neither is your in-noroutbox. Embarrassingly, I’ve had people slide into my DMs to ask me to vouch for a mutual friend who resorts to Twitter tantrums. Before you post something, think: ‘Would I be comfortable printing this on a billboard or be okay with my mom seeing this?’. No? Delete it.”
yes, I am in pain right now. When I get angry, I try to loosen my grasp on it and its grasp on me. I say to myself, There is anger, not I am angry. Of course, it isn’t easy. My autonomic nervous system has already gone Code Red. So I cling to that phrase: There is anger. By prying away the first-person pronoun, it’s easier to let that anger course by me. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it’s too late. Nothing can repair that broken fish or the broken relationship it was meant to celebrate. There is pain. There is sadness. But I don’t throw things or use ALL CAPS in shitty text messages or wade
“When I’m travelling on missions, my team is surprised that even in difficult situations, I have a very cool temperament. What people don’t realise is that prayer has a calming effect on the soul. I pray often; it helps keep me calm. In our line of work, getting frustrated with people doesn’t help. It’s easy to say the wrong thing, but it’s difficult to take those words back. Once you break those relationships, it takes a while to build them up again. So we have a policy – don’t create an obstruction for yourself. We’re there to help people not cause more friction.”
deeper into suffering by harming others. Where I live, I’ve got thin walls and can hear other voices in other rooms, raised. Sometimes it’s even my voice that’s raised. Anger is everywhere – on my floor, on my block, in my city, in the country. You’ve read the shrill headlines: we’re in the era of outrage. It’s an epidemic of anger. You can blame social media, partisan politics, chemtrails or Kanye West, but people just seem steamed. There is great power in anger, and it can be used in plenty of positive ways – consider what Rebecca Traister did in writing her #MeToo-era manifesto, Good
“I’m generally a patient, even-keeled person. However, my inner ragemonster bubbles up when people mistake patience or kindness for weakness and gullibility. When clients, colleagues, service-providers or even rude drivers, try to take advantage, I feel the anger building like a literal pressure inside. I deal with it via ‘catch and release’: catch yourself before you act out in anger then release it later. I release by talking it over with my wife or a friend, and we usually end up having a laugh. That and watching series about personable serial killers…”
and Mad, or what Martin Luther did with his 95 Theses. But lately, rage seems not to flow like a river toward a sea of justice but to fester in mosquito-ridden pools. Yet we rarely talk about what makes us mad and hardly ever about how we deal with it. So I decided to do something I had hitherto avoided: I asked. I found half a jury of men – some whom you might imagine to be angry and others not – and asked what pushes their buttons and how they deal with the pushing. Because if all of us can’t be calm all of the time, maybe some of us can be some of the time – and the rest of us can discover that we’re not angry alone.
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High-Intensity Anxiety Training IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY – OR TOO ANXIOUS – TO DEAL WITH YOUR FEARS, A FEW FORWARD-THINKING THERAPISTS CAN HELP YOU TAKE DOWN ANXIETY AT WARP SPEED. IT’S LIKE HIIT FOR YOUR EMOTIONS. BUT YOU’VE GOT TO BE READY TO WORK. / BY MEGHAN RABBITT
DR. BARBARA ROTHBAUM, has been working with people who have post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, since 1986, not long after the condition became an official diagnosis back in 1980. As executive director of the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program and the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at the Emory University School of Medicine, she has seen it all – the jumpy, sweaty, can’t-breathe panic and near fainting that happen when the surf washes over someone’s waist and they’re sure they’ll 74 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
be sucked under; the horror of impending abuse or trauma that flashes up with the click of a key in the lock. It’s never pretty and often doesn’t end well. “Weekly therapy is like ripping off a scab,” she says. “In the week between sessions, the scab heals a little – but you know you have to go back and experience the pain of ripping it off again. Who wants to do that?” Nobody. It’s why most PTSD treatment programmes have a high dropout rate. Hell, it’s why a lot of those suffering from any kind of anxiety – whether it’s a serious fear of flying or an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
that keeps you from using public restrooms – don’t go to therapy at all. “Many people with anxiety avoid therapy because avoidance is part of the problem,” Rothbaum says. It’s also why she and a handful of other practitioners are getting radical, shortening the course of therapy for conditions like PTSD, OCD, panic attacks, and certain phobias – sometimes to three weeks, other times three hours. They’re practising a new, more intense version of exposure therapy. Rather than scheduling weekly hour-long sessions to work on this, a therapist might spend three hours every day for three weeks incrementally increasing a patient’s exposure to their worst fear. A guy with a debilitating aversion to germs might eat from a shared tub of popcorn with no hand sanitiser in sight. Later that week, he might be asked to put his hands on the floor of a public bathroom without washing them afterward. This approach is short. It’s intense. Adopters say it’s like HIIT for your emotions, and science is finding that it gets the job done.
GETTY IMAGES
Inside Anxiety Boot Camp It may be news to many therapists and anxious people, but condensed courses of treatment for anxiety have been around since the ’70s, the brainchild of Swedish researcher Lars-Göran Öst. As a young psychologist, he noticed that his phobic patients didn’t need the 10 to 12 sessions that were typical at the time; he was eliminating their phobias in just four or five. It wasn’t a superpower that he alone had; other therapists could get these results if they were willing to revise their treatment. “Most patients come in for 50 minutes and make some progress, but when they come back the following week, they don’t start their second session where they ended the first – their anxiety has ratcheted back up,” says Öst, now a professor emeritus at Stockholm University. By using intense exposure therapy – coaching a patient with a fear of elevators into an elevator, for example, or letting a spider crawl all over someone with arachnophobia – he was able to disprove his patients’ beliefs about what catastrophic thing would happen if they came in direct contact with whatever it was they feared – usually in two to three hours, but often in as little as an hour. To prove its effectiveness, Öst conducted a randomised controlled trial comparing his method to standard cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and found that not only did his approach work as well, but 90 percent of his patients who were undergoing intense exposure therapy were either much improved or completely recovered after just one session. That’s the kind of time frame even the most overcommitted people can work with. Practitioners seeking a better way to help their patients have launched programs based on this research. For instance, Rothbaum’s therapy for veterans with PTSD requires only two weeks of intense work. The short time commitment has helped lower the dropout rate to about 10 percent from its usual 25 to 50, she says. Dr. Thomas Ollendick, director of the Child Study Centre at Virginia Tech, successfully treats kids with OCD in four days and those with specific phobias (like a fear of dogs or heights) in a single threehour session.
Nobody Calls HIIT Easy In theory, any practitioner trained in CBT should be able to work intensively with people who have anxiety disorders. In reality, inertia and scheduling get in the way. “Despite no evidence that one 50-minute therapy session each week is the best way to do psychotherapy, it’s the standard,” says Ollendick. “We are unsure how this standard evolved.” Scheduling two or three hours at a time over the course of a few weeks is tough for most practitioners, although docs say patients overwhelmingly prefer it. And the work itself is hard. The majority of therapists don’t practise exposure therapy because it’s difficult logistically (how can you treat a fear of elevators if you’re in a building without an elevator?), because it makes them feel uncomfortable (exposure therapy is challenging, for both the patient and the doc, says Ollendick), or simply because they’re used to the standard approach. “A lot of therapists will talk to you about things unrelated to your anxiety, and while that may feel good, it’s probably not helping the symptoms you’re dealing with,” says Rothbaum. Then there’s the money thing. Many insurance companies don’t cover these intensive outpatient treatments, which can cost upwards of R39 000 a week, even if it would mean fewer hours of therapy than the traditional model. Still, there’s hope. At the forefront of intense exposure therapy are professors and researchers, teaching its methods to their students and publishing studies about the efficacy of this HIITstyle approach—two important steps necessary for it to really spread. All the quick-results experts say, however, that CBT delivered in the tradit l weekly format can still be very lpful for anxiety. “In the end, we kn n w that learning to feel less anxious out your anxiety is key,” says clinica psychologist Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz matter how you get there ut it’s important to note th t it doesn’t have to take a lifetime on a therapist’s couch to get that less
HIIT THERAPY: IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU? If you check all of these boxes, you could be a good candidate for a condensed program of intensive therapy. You’ve got OCD, panic disorder, or a specific phobia. There’s no research yet, though, showing that these short, intense treatments work for generalized anxiety disorder. You’re motivated to face your anxiety. This approach works by incrementally increasing exposure to what you fear most, so you have to be committed to experiencing the thing that really freaks you out. “You’ve got to be all in,” says Abramowitz. “Otherwise you’re going to spend a lot of time making yourself miserable, and in the long run it’s not going to help you.” You’re not psychotic and you’re able to steer clear of booze and drugs. This type of therapy is difficult and can bring up a lot of bad memories, says Rothbaum. “We want to make sure patients feel safe when they’re doing this work, not on the brink of a breakdown. And we don’t want you slipping into old coping habits and using substances to dampen the distress that will undoubtedly surface.”
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 75
WORDS BY KIERAN LEGG
ASCENDING THE M AT R O O S B E R G S U M M I T IN THE KAROO
33°22’54.2”S 19°40’12.7”E
Francois Malherbe’s CV isn’t a list of accolades, or on-the-job experiences. It’s not a machine gun rattling off the bullet points of his qualifications. Instead, the career coach – who uses adventures to help his clients find their true purpose – carries a portfolio of uncomfortable moments, times he’s faced the unknown and thrived. “I think my goal is to catalyse curiosity,” he tells me. “I believe without being curious, you’ll struggle to discover what you’re passionate about.” These are the trips that armed Francois with true mental grit and the insight he needed to pursue his true passion – and his roadmap for you to do the same.
33°22’33.0”S 19°39’54.4”E
Francois’ mindset first formed with an epiphany on a yacht somewhere off the coast of Spain. This was in 2010, and at the time Francois felt rudderless. He’d stuck doggedly to the script: finish school, go and study, and then... well, he was stuck at the “and then” part. Afraid to stand still for far too long, he travelled to Europe in the hopes that he could land a job on one of the many chartered yachts docked at the continent’s sunnier docks. Soon, he was out at sea. Working on a yacht is not glamorous. The sunbathing and cocktails are reserved for the wealthy elite with the funds to book one of these boats for a few weeks. For those working: “It’s 95% shit,” admits Francois. “But the other 5%, it’s so good, it makes up for the rest.” But he says there was even a lesson in those gruelling tasks, like cleaning the anchor chain with a toothbrush. “You’re scrubbing away and blow drying each link so they don’t rust,” he says. “You start to learn real discipline.” He spent every night sleeping on the ocean. In the dark, he felt untethered – he felt like he was unravelling, connecting with something deeper, uninterrupted by the noise of everyday life. One evening, sailing along the Spanish coast, a storm swirled into life above the vessel. “At sea, you don’t exactly have headlights to show you the way,” he says. Francois and the captain took turns commandeering the yacht, using the onboard radar to keep track of their position. The craft rocked in the roiling ocean, black waves crashing against the hull as rain whipped the deck. For Francois, it was the first time he felt truly terrified. It was exhilarating. He was forced to live in the present, all his attention focused on the blips of the radar and steering the yacht. When the clouds parted, revealing a full moon, directly on their heading – his heart beating out of his chest – he had a lifechanging epiphany: this feeling of exhilaration, of understanding himself better than he had ever before, of knowing how far he could push himself, this was his reward for being curious. “And I realised that to figure out what you want in life, you first need to build courage to ask that question,” says Francois. “The great 78
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
thing about courage is that it isn’t like an energy drink, something that you knock back and then it’s depleted. It builds up over time, year after ear, and you keep it forever.”
DESTINATION:
MOZAMBIQUE
“AND I REALISED, THAT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE, YOU FIRST NEED TO BUILD COURAGE TO ASK THAT QUESTION.”
Exposure therapy has proven to be one of the best ways to overcome fear – at least in mice. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that delivering concentrated bursts of a certain fear to a group of mice was far more effective at “immunising” the creatures to that stimulus than pacing it out with longer pauses. Francois definitely believes in that approach. It’s why, as a selfdescribed Chief Curiosity Officer, who is taking a new approach to career guidance, he takes groups of students to far-flung corners of the continent to deliver those bursts. They don’t stay in lodges, or even resort to “glamping”. “I want them to feel uncomfortable, and enjoy the sense of self-discovery that
ROWING ON THE O K AVA N G O R I V E R I N B O T S WA N A
SLEEPING UNDER T H E S TA R S I N T H E O K AVA N G O D E LTA
4
3
Whether he’s in the city or out hunting, Francois Malherbe doesn’t leave his home (or tent) without these essential items. 5
9 6
2
Everyday Carry
8
7
1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Arrow Leather Purse Zippo Lighter Opinel Knife Leatherman Leather Passport Holder (signed by adventurer Mike Horn) Artefact Books Waterproof Notebook Fisher Space Pen Fjallraven Cap Garmin Instinct Watch
comes with that,” he says. Francois’s philosophy is simple. “The current systems of career guidance are letting us down.” Experts claim to have all the answers, but those answers are leading students to traditional jobs they don’t really want to be doing. Or, even worse, jobs that are going extinct. “The world has changed drastically, and jobs have, too,” he says. “Modern obs require out-of-the-box thinking, but somehow we’re still telling people to sit in the box.” Through his career coaching sessions, workshops, and expeditions, he hopes to teach people about the values of curiosity. That it’s not so much the answers that matter, but the questions that might get you there. Since 2005, Francois has been taking groups of students to Mozambique. These expeditions are set up as true adventures. They stay on farms or in tents on the coast. And they drive from Cape Town, jumping into rugged overlanders to make the trip. “You could just as easily fly there,” he says. “But there are no lessons in convenience. When we drive there, I hope we get stuck, or we need to replace a tyre. I want to bring people to the present, to focus on solving problems.” He says watching these students, many who have never left the city, is fascinating. “They always seem uncomfortable, almost clumsy in their new surroundings,” he says. “It’s understandable, they’ve been taken away from what they know and are now, for the first time, facing the real unknown.” However, there is another side to these trips. Francois is adamant that the jobs of the future will focus on conservation. “Those who find success, are those who learn to solve problems,” he says. “I want these students to confront the world, to witness the last wild territories we have left and ask themselves: ‘Who is going to clean up the oceans? Who is going to create sustainable energy? Who will be the custodians of the nature we have left?” These trips are a way to make students comfortable with the unknown. However, they are also a MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 79
23°50’0.18”S 22°19’8.56”E
SUNSET STOP IN THE KALAHARI DESERT EN ROUTE TO THE
DESTINATION:
OKAVANGO DELTA
There’s something rustling outside of his tent. It’s the middle of the night, and it would be a strange noise if it were not for the fact that he had just arrived in the reserve, and everything sounded strange. Rubbing his eyes, Francois unzips the tent and crawls outside. The beam of his torch falls on an elephant with its trunk probing the inside of his bucket shower. “I’d been told if you run into an elephant, just shine your light on it and talk to it,” he says. “So I stood there saying: ‘Come on, man, I’m trying to sleep. It’s 4am. You’re going to have to be quiet.’” That was in 2019 during a trip to the Okavango Delta, the sprawling reserve in central Botswana. He had made the journey to train as a guide, a 16-day education that involves roughing it out in the wilderness. His encounter with the elephants was his 80 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
first lesson in dealing with local wildlife, that you had to learn to respect the reserve’s animals, but stand your ground if necessary. Most days were spent tracking animals through the bush, or taking drives to the watering hole. He had arrived in the midst of a heatwave and temps often climbed above 45 degrees. “It was bad at first, but you learn to enjoy it,” he says. “You start to feel nothing but the heat, it really burns the fat from your soul.”Being out in nature has always had a regenerative effect for Francois, and he’s certain its part of a human drive to get out of the city and lose yourself out in the wild. “That’s why you see so many people suffer from anxiety, depression, you name it,” he says. “When we’re stuck somewhere, it can feel like we don’t have the oxygen we need to breathe. We need nature to recalibrate.” Science does seem to support his convictions. Research has shown people living near the coast, or on rivers and lakes are happier than their landlocked peers. And a University of Michigan study found that just
a 20-minute walk in nature can reduce your stress hormone levels. So, does two weeks in the Okavango Delta double down on those benefits? Francois definitely thinks so. Since 2016, he’s travelled to the Okavango Delta for an annual reset. It’s his home away from home, he says. “Life is distilled down to the simplest elements. Instead of reading the news, you’re reading the animal tracks. Instead of worrying about what to watch, you’re content to just sit and soak it all in. It all slows down, and you have the mental space for some real introspection.” In short: you learn to unravel, to extract yourself from the tangled mess of the stressors back home. And it’s there, sitting facing the unknown, that you can learn to know more – about yourself, the people around you, and the world – than you ever did before. For his next trip, Francois is set to travel to the Arctic, jump onto a dog-drawn sled and spend a week slashing through the snow as part of the Fjällräven Polar 2020 event. He’s upping the ante again, delivering those bursts of fear that have helped him get to this point. He’s nervous, no doubt. But that’s a good thing; Francois wouldn’t have it any other way.
PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANCOIS MALHERBE, JOSHUA BUHRMANN
way to create empathy. “It’s only through understanding that you can have empathy,” he says. “To put yourself in someone else’s shoes, or in a place that is not your own, so you can see how to solve their problems.”
“YOU START TO FEEL NOTHING BUT THE HEAT, IT REALLY BURNS THE FAT FROM YOUR SOUL.”
Follow Francois on Instragram (@findingfrancois) or visit unravelling.co.za to schedule your escape.
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A EXHAUSTIVE GUIDE TO ARTWORK BY PETER CROWTHER WORDS BY THE MEN’S HEALTH TEAM
Stamina. Endurance. Fuel. Call it what you will, your cardiovascular system is the engine of your real-life fitness, and the good news is that it’s easy to upgrade. Our user manual will dismantle your body’s mechanics to provide more power, improve your economy and push you further and faster than ever. We all have a high-performance engine inside of us. You simply have to turn the key 82 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
A WELL-OILED CARDIO PL AN WILL PUT MORE PETROL IN YOUR TANK
YOUR PRIMER
Cardio? That’s Just Running, Right? If the mere mention of the C-word conjures images of wiry 10K-ers stoically looping the local park, your understanding of “cardio” is in need of an update. Here’s the rundown Supply and Demand At its core, cardio is “aerobic” training – any activity during which the heart is able to supply enough oxygenated blood to fuel your efforts, whether you’re skipping or squat jumping. In anaerobic training, however, your O2 reserves dry up. Without sufficient oxygen, you’re limited to brief, intense bursts. Put simply, if you can grind out an exercise for two minutes non-stop, that’s your aerobic system at play.
Know Your Type Not all muscles are created equal. Your slow-twitch muscles are built for stamina, while your fast-twitch muscles power short blasts. Developing the former with endurance exercise can boost their mitochondria, the body’s energy generator. But it’s not all jogging, jogging, jogging. Low-rest circuits will get the job done, too.
Don’t Waste Your Breath Your ability to use oxygen can be measured with your VO2 max, or “maximum oxygen uptake”. The higher your score, the more efficiently you can work. It’s genetic in part (we can’t all be Mo Farah), but very few people operate at anywhere near their potential. To boost yours, you need to be training at a minimum of 75% of your max heart rate (below), reports Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. Slow and steady won’t win this race.
Hit Your Max
PACE SETTER
HIITor LISS? Unsure if you should be thinking fast or slow? Use this guide to pick the speed you need HIIT noun High-intensity interval training. Short bursts of hard effort with recovery periods. LISS noun Low-intensity steady state. Longer-duration cardio at a steady, consistent effort.
THE LONG-RUNNER
Yes, he wants to shift a bit of weight, but this man is well aware of the march of Father Time and wants exercise to increase his lifespan as well as decrease his BMI. The Method
LISS The Final Kicker A study by Brigham Young University found steady-state running for 30 minutes per day could be the most effective exercise to beat the Reaper. On average, runners live nine years longer if they lace up before work.
84 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
THE JUST-IN-TIMER
THE STRESS TESTER
THE SLOW GRINDER
THE FIRST TIMER
The clock is ticking before he leaves for his annual fortnight on the beach, but chaos at work is sabotaging his body goals. He is after maximum fat burn in the minimum time.
This overburdened office worker is too busy to think about his six-pack. What he does worry about is having enough headspace to stay sane as the deadlines close in.
This dedicated marathon runner is a cardio-head who, despite his weekly mileage, isn’t getting any faster. He wants this to be the year he finally smashes his PB.
The total beginner. He knows jogging is good for him, but it looks pretty boring. He’s heard that going hard promises greater fitness and fat-burn in far less time.
The Method
The Method
The Method
The Method
HIIT
LISS
HIIT
LISS
The Final Kicker Short and very sharp interval sessions won’t clog up your diary but will keep your metabolism burning calories at your desk. A daily 15-minute session can cut 5% body fat in just 45 days*.
The Final Kicker Anxiety may be at a record high (1 in 5 are affected every year), but the humble jog is a true tonic: Frontiers in Psychiatry showed a correlation between aerobic exercise and a reduction in mental health problems.
The Final Kicker The University of Western Ontario found that six weeks of sprint interval training resulted in greater jumps in VO2 max and running times than regular endurance training. Get faster and train less.
The Final Kicker Start slowly. A study in the American Journal of Medicine reported a case of rhabdomyolysis, a painful condition more commonly associated with military bootcamps, in a healthy but basically untrained newcomer to HIIT.
WORDS: DAVID MORTON, TED LANE, SCARLETT WRENCH, TOM WARD, DOMINIC BLISS | *SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Your max heart rate = 220 – your age. So, if you’re 35 and aiming to work at 80% of your max, you want to stay at about 148bpm
GUIDE TO CARDIO FUEL YOUR ENGINE
The Breakfast of Champions
There are smarter ways to prepare for endurance sports than putting yourself in a pasta-induced coma. We asked an expert at the English Institute of Sport, responsible for coaching British Olympians, to rewrite your recipe for success
James Moran
Performance Nutritionist with British Cycling
SIMPLY COMBINE YOUR CORE INGREDIENTS TO FORM BAT TER, THEN FRY
YOUR STARTER PANCAKE
FOR… EASY-EFFORT TRAINING
FOR… HARD-EFFORT RACING
FREE-R ANGE EGGS, 2, WHISKED A RIPE BANANA, MASHED WHEY POWDER, 2 SCOOPS
LOW-FAT GREEK YOGHURT, 100ML ALMOND BUT TER, ½TBSP FRESH BERRIES, HANDFUL
OATS, 30G MANGO, HANDFUL, DICED HONEY, 1TBSP
22g Carbs | 38g Protein | 12g Fat
37g Carbs | 53g Protein | 21g Fat
75g Carbs | 30g Protein | 14g Fat
Why it works: “Endurance athletes often overlook protein, focusing on carbs,” says Moran. But protein is crucial for tendons and ligaments, as well as haemoglobin (oxygen transporters) and mitochondria (muscles’ energy source). Tailor your toppings to stack up the benefits, whether fuelling a regular jog or the big race.
Why it works: A breezy 10K planned? “It’s common for elite endurance athletes to split up their carb intake to match the demands of their training,” says Moran. Topping your pancakes with yoghurt, nut butter and berries keeps the carb count fairly low. Opt for blueberries: they contain anti-inflammatory nutrients that curb muscle soreness, so you can go harder tomorrow.
Why it works: “For heavy training, carbs aren’t just crucial for energy: they also fuel the immune system, which will be under increased stress,” says Moran. Replace half of the whey with oats, then top with quick-acting carbs. “As a loose rule, your pre-event meal should pack 1g of carbs per kilo of your bodyweight.”
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 85
GUIDE TO CARDIO
GOLDEN AGE
CITY SLICKNESS
While your squat strengt six-pack might peak in your twenties, your capacity for cardio en ce is relatively un ettered by age. Keith Simpson – a 69-year-old 2 rathons under hi well-worn running u d
Put Your Commute to Work
You might not expect to set PBs on your way to the office, but your journey can form a key part of your fitness plan. Choose the right kit to streamline your efforts and your training can beat the train in.
EVEN IN L ATER LIFE, YOUR STAMINA CAN GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
“I did very little exercise before my sixties, when, inspired by my daughter’s running, I took up marathon training. At 64, I set myself the challenge of completing 26 marathons, in alphabetical order, in 26 different countries. The first, in Athens, took me four hours and 49 minutes. My PB is now three hours and 51 minutes, and I’ve progressed to ultramarathons. I’ve even got my eye on a 100-miler. “I built up distances slowly. My original motivation was to lose a few kilos,
downside is that I’ve but running soon Keith became a hobby. I run Simpson shrunk in height by a few millimetres, due three or four times a is a retired to running on hard week, at least 15km physics per run, nearly all on teacher and surfaces, which has compressed my trails. I am fitter now ultrarunner spine. That’s why than I’ve ever been, I prefer trails now. and I can eat more I don’t do any speed because of the calories I’m training, since I don’t need it burning. Not to mention for ultras. I get a real buzz out of “As I get older, I fare better finishing races in front of at longer distances (3). people who are half – or Psychologically, the even a third of – my age endorphins from running give (1).“I’ve seen my body shape me a huge boost, which lasts change, especially my leg the whole day. The feel-good muscles (2), and running factor from running spills over has given me better knee into the rest of my life.” and ankle joints. The only
(1) Time Lords A study by the University of Madrid found an average 18-year-old completes a marathon in the same time as an average 60-year-old. (2) Muscle Up While fast-twitch fibres are smaller in older people, the slow-twitch endurance muscles are less affected by ageing, according the Lund University Hospital in Sweden. (3) Long Game Experts at the University of Zurich found the age of peak performance in distance running increases with the race duration.
86 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Pain Killer At 6cm in diameter, this spiky massage ball is the perfect tool for an on-thego deep tissue massage. It’s small enough to pop into your desk drawer or carry in your bag. Use it to ease back pain, improve
02
Light Touch This glow-in-thedark paint can be applied to your face and body, ensuring you stay visible to drivers. Although targeted at festival goers, this paint comes in handy regardless of when you train. The paint comes in six vibrant colours, glows in the dark and is UV reactive so you’ll shine during the day, too. Glow in the Dark Face and Body Paint, R69, paintglowsa.co.za
circulation, stimulate muscles and ease tension. Just apply the ball in a circular motion for a firm massage. OTG Spiky Massage Ball, R50, sportsmanswarehouse.co.za
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT LUCKY IF SHARP, PHILIP HAYNES, MICHAEL HEDGE | **NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
01
RATE OF IMPROOVEMENT
THE 2020 EFFORT SCALE You don’t n eed to be covered in wires to know how hhard you’re pushing. Consult our updated inttensity chart
03
Hard Case Commute in style with this sturdy and sleek Ferrari Fanwear backpack. With two zip compartments, you have plenty of space to keep your laptop secure and work gear uncrumpled. The crisscrossed bungee cord at the front offers additional space for you to hook your accessories. Plus the padded adjustable straps will ensure you remain comfortable throughout your walk. Ferrari Fanwear Back, R1 200, za.puma.com
IF YOU CAN ACTUALLY CONNCENTRATE ON A PODCAST Training Zonne: ENDURANCE Heart Rate: 60-70% Best for: Re ecovery We mean genuinely following the intricaciess of your favourite true crime series without realising you’ve zoned outt and skipping back 20 minutes. S Slow runs, easy Wattbike ven a long-ish DOMSrides or ev busting walk, really.
IF YOU CAN JUST ABOUT TALK TO SIRI/ALEXA Training Zonne: STAMINA Heart Rate: 8 80-90% Best for: Lactate threshold “Hey Siri, p play next track!” should be what you c can manage. Think rest periods du uring easier intervals, or steady, up p-tempo rows. This is lactate threshold stuff, which will help you sit comfortab bly at 50-80% of your max.
Don’t Lose Your Focus
Pedestrian-free stretch? Fixate on a point ahead of you – the next sandwich shop, say – to reach it 23% faster**
IF YOU CAN’T MENTALLY RECITE POSITIVITY MANTRAS Training Zone: SPEED Heart Rate: 90-100% Best for: Peak performance
04
Power Player Music-free running has its benefits, helping you to keep your wits about you in busy cities. But roadside workouts don’t mean you have to ditch your
lovingly curated Spotify playlist. Designed for runners, these lightweight titanium headphones sit on your temples, conducting sound through your bones so your finalkilometre power track won’t block out the sound of oncoming busses.
Close to, or up to, your max effort: you’re doing hard intervals, deadlier CrossFit workouts or running far too fast for far too long, considering your last 10K was in 2010. Triathletes, sub-3 marathoners and masochists need to hit this level. Aftershokz Out of Ear Bone Conduction Headphones Trekz Titanium, R5 995, takealot.com
IF YOU CAN’T EVEN INSTAGRAM HOW HARD-CORE YOU ARE Training Zone: SPRINT Heart Rate: 110% Best for: Vomiting Max effort sprints of any sort, repeated ad nauseum. That taste of battery in your mouth is lactic acid trying to escape. Ideal for building mental fortitude. Not ideal for doing anything afterwards except lying down. Lunchbreak heroes, be warned.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 87
Bad Blood
NO LONGER CONFINED TO THE AGED OR M A RK EDLY OV ERW EIGHT, R ATES OF T Y PE 2 DIA BE TES A RE RISING FAST, WITH 6% OF THE COUNTRY NOW A FFEC TED. A ND WITH M A N Y CASES GOING UNDIAGNOSED, YOU COULD BE AT FA R GRE ATER RISK TH A N YOU RE A LISE. THIS IS YOUR GUIDE TO STAY ING ON THE SW EE T SIDE OF THE STAT S. WORDS BY TOM CHIVERS - PHOTOGR APHY BY MICHAEL HEDGE
88 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
THE WEIGHT OF DIABETES CASES IS INCRE ASINGLY DIFFICULT TO IGNORE
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 89
Sure, we’ve all heard of it, but people rarely run sponsored half-marathons for diabetes like they do for breast cancer. It affects more people in South Africa than all cancers put together, yet charities focused on diabetes are left in the shadows as others take centre stage.
Know your Risk
hen I was training, type 2 diabetes was only seen in late middle age,” says Jane Armitage, a professor of epidemiology at Oxford University. “You saw it in 60-year-olds, and you saw it, rarely, in 40-year-olds. Now, I see it in teenagers.” Back in 80s, just 108 million people were known to have the disease. Today, it is estimated to affect about 463 million, making it one of the world's biggest killers. Here, in South Africa, roughly 6% of the population suffer from the condition, and it's estimated that nearly 80% of all diabetes-related deaths are among people younger than age 60. By damaging blood vessels, diabetes has the potential to cause problems in any part of the body. It can lead to blindness if it affects blood vessels in the retina; it can cause nerve damage if it affects those in your feet. It causes kidney damage, sometimes leading to renal failure. It increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. These effects are insidious: many people live with the disease for a full decade before they are diagnosed, and around a third of people already have complications – eye damage, kidney damage – by the time it’s identified. According to a report by Diabetes UK, type 2 sufferers can expect to live about 10 years less, on average, than people without it. Yet, despite this grim litany, it remains in many ways a hidden illness.
There are two main kinds of diabetes. Type 1 is rarer, accounting for less than 10% of cases. It’s an autoimmune disease: your body’s defences attack the cells that produce the hormone insulin, which helps to control blood sugar levels. Type 2 is the one that most people think of when they say “diabetes”. It occurs when the body becomes less adept at producing insulin, or less sensitive to the hormone. There are many factors that influence type 2 diabetes. Your family history is important, as is your ethnicity. People of south Asian origin, for instance, are six times more likely to get the disease. One big reason for the increase in rates is, ironically, we’re living longer. “In middle age, about one in 10 people have it, but by the time you’re 70, it’s one in five,” says Julia Critchley, a professor of epidemiology at St. George’s, University of London. But the key factor is the nation’s creeping weight gain, and men are less likely to notice.
“In middle age, one in 10 people have it, but by the time you’re 70, it’s one in five”
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Middle-aged men are disproportionately affected and are twice as likely as women to be living with undiagnosed diabetes. Some of this is biological: men need to gain far less weight to develop the disease. But it’s also habit. “Men simply don’t access their GPs as often as women,” says Alice Connolly, a dietitian who specialises in weight management and diabetes. “Since symptoms are often
MISSING THE POINT: DIABETES ISN’ T JUST ABOUT MEDICATION
silent, most will find out they have diabetes as a result of investigations for something unrelated.” Statistics back this up: only 16% of people diagnosed have proactively asked for a test. We’re leaving a lot to chance – and, increasingly, luck is not on our side.
A Weighted Debate Then there’s our second question: why is it so under-resourced? According to Dan Howarth, head of care at Diabetes UK, much of this is simple stigma. Society can unjustly stereotype those with type 2 as “lazy people who don’t want to look after themselves”, he says, which, of course, is
Bad Blood not the case. It’s the same reason that lung cancer receives less attention than breast cancer: people feel that the victims are to blame. Critchley concurs, citing “lack of understanding and victim blaming”. In patients, or those at risk, this message can be internalised. Because diabetes is a disease of lifestyle, we might reason that it does not pose the same threat as something we perceive to be beyond our control, such as cancer or dementia. This lack of urgency is a problem, because type 2 can be managed effectively if it’s caught early. “Cardiovascular problems used to be the big killer [for those with type 2 disease],” says Armitage. “But recent data from Sweden shows that if you control your risk factors – don’t smoke, keep your blood pressure normal – the increased risk of heart problems is trivial.” The trouble is that not everyone is able to control their risk factors. “We see awful complications,” says Howarth. Throughout the world, it is estimated that every 30 seconds a leg is amputated and 85% of these amputations are the result of a diabetic foot ulcer, according to an article in The American Journal of Managed Care. In South Africa, by 2030, it's estimated we'll be spending more than R35 billion to manage diabetes and treat complications. The kicker: these complications are – for the most part – preventable. Prevention, says Armitage, is not only better than a cure: it's a damn sight cheaper, too.
CASE STUDY #01 “I didn’t realise how destructive diabetes can be if you don’t take it seriously” – Yian Jones Yian was diagnosed with type 2 in 1990. “It got picked up by chance,” he says. “I went for a routine medical. I’ll never forget the way the doctor told me. He said, ‘You’re diabetic, old son.’ I was 21.” Yian had been essentially symptom-free, but he was overweight. “I never watched what I ate. The doctor put me on metformin and insulin, and it should have prompted me to make lifestyle changes.” As many before him have found, however, major
overhauls aren’t easy. And Yian, by his own admission, didn’t take the diagnosis seriously enough: “I didn’t feel like I had to do anything, and carried on as normal. My weight continued to balloon. I wasn’t looking after myself.” He peaked at 290kg and had a gastric bypass in 2010. Then, by eating more healthily and exercising, he lost half his weight. “I thought it would be the end of my problems,” he says, “but diabetes had already taken hold.” The problems started with neuropathy – loss of sensation in his feet. He developed charcot foot, a weakening of the bones that can lead to disability. He has so far avoided amputation, but isn’t out of the woods yet and lost the sight in his right eye
from retinopathy, a common complication. His wife, he says, is amazing – “nothing seems to faze her” – and they try to remain active. “I’m 50 years old,” Yian says. “I don’t want to feel like an old man.” He feels there’s not enough information available about the risks of diabetes. “I didn’t realise how destructive diabetes can be if you don’t take it seriously. You need someone to tell you, ‘If you carry on, you will lose your eyesight, or the feeling in your fingers and feet.’” He’s now committed to raising awareness, talking at to diabetes workshops and medical students. “I tell them the truth,” he says. “I never looked after myself, but now I do. If sharing my story can help others, that’s what I’ll do.”
Curing the Incurable Prevention may be the goal, but there have been major advances in treatment, too. It has recently been shown that a diagnosis is not always a life sentence. The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial, funded by Diabetes UK, divided more than 200 volunteers into two groups. They gave half of them the best currently prescribed diabetes care, including medication and dietary advice. The other half were put on a strictly controlled diet: soups and shakes adding up to just 800 calories per day – about a third the usual quota for an adult man. At the end of the 12-week study, 45% of the dieting group no longer
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met the diagnostic criteria for diabetes. Even more remarkably, when they checked up on the subjects two years later, they found that 70% of those who had gone into remission were still free of the disease. “We don’t talk about reversing it,” cautions Howarth. “We stress the word remission. It means the disease has stopped causing the symptoms.” There’s plenty they don’t know – it has only been three years since the trial began, and it may be that the subjects still see complications after a decade or more. But Howarth is hopeful. This is a major breakthrough. Until relatively recently, the idea that patients could come off insulin was seen as wishful thinking. “Everyone thought I was nuts at the time,” says Sally Hope, a retired GP. Hope was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more than two decades ago, aged just 40. She had recognised the symptoms – fatigue, thirst. “And I realised I needed to think about this”. But her GP, unusually, didn’t put her on medication and instead suggested a change of diet, a suggestion that Hope didn’t take well. She wasn’t overweight and felt she ate fairly well. But then she noticed that she often defaulted to sugar and carbs without thinking about it – a shop-bought sandwich here, a shortbread there. “I cut out all of the sugar,” she says. “I was really strict.” She even swapped out pasta for grated veg to cut down on carbs. “And, just like that, my blood sugar went back to normal.” Since then, three of her own patients – all, she notes, doctors themselves – have gone into remission using diet.
The Right Changes So, what’s your move? If you haven’t got diabetes and want to avoid it, then weight control – or, more accurately, reducing the amount of fat around your midsection – is your best route. Although Hope found success by managing her carbohydrate intake, Connolly points out that carbs are not the sole culprit. “Our bodies are well equipped to process sugar when we’re healthy,” she says. Fruit, dairy and wholegrains, for example, have all been linked with a decreased risk of developing the disease, thanks in part to their high 92 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
CASE STUDY #02 “Not eating for three months isn’t something to enter into lightly” – Joe McSorley Joe was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2014. He had been largely symptom-free, just like Yian Jones and thousands of others before them, but following a consultation with his optician about changes in his prescription, he was advised to speak to his GP. The diagnosis came as a shock. He was fairly fit at the time: “I did plenty of walking and played five-aside a couple of times a week, although I was carrying a bit of excess weight,” he says. Two years into his
treatment, Joe was offered a chance to take part in the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial: 12 weeks subsisting on low-calorie shakes and soup. “Not eating for three months isn’t something to enter into lightly, so I wanted to be sure I could see it through to the conclusion,” he says. “I don’t believe in doing things in half measures.” The trial had a remarkable effect. Within the first week, Joe had lost 1.5kg. “After that, the weight loss became more dramatic.” Ten weeks later, he had lost more than a fifth of his bodyweight, from 93kg down to 73kg. His diabetes went into remission. But, he says, that was the easy part. “The hard part was getting back to eating normally.” It took a major
overhaul of his mindset – “I no longer feel I have to finish a meal if I’ve had enough” – and he expects it will be a lifelong effort. Joe is also much more active now, and says that at age 58 he is probably fitter than he was at 21. When he retires from his job as an engineer, he plans to become a personal trainer and lifestyle coach. While he was lucky enough to have the willpower and support of his family to keep up his lifestyle changes, he believes society needs to do much more – to educate people about the risks of diabetes, to show how it can be beaten, and to reduce the temptations for people to overeat. “I think the food industry could be brought into line by the government,” he says.
“Of those who have been diagnosed with type 2, only 16% proactively asked for a test” fibre and protein contents increasing satiety. Critchley agrees: “The key thing is losing weight. How you do it doesn’t make much difference.” The word “weight” can often be something of a misnomer: a body mass index (BMI) within the normal range doesn’t offer you a free pass. According to a recent study in the British Medical Journal, people of a healthy weight with high body fat are more likely to develop diabetes than those classed as overweight, but who carry less fat. The former body shape, often dubbed “skinny fat”, can result from a number of factors, including chronic stress and sleep loss – all the things you know are bad for you, but that don’t necessarily show up in the mirror. A full lifestyle overhaul won’t prove easy for everyone. We are not all blessed with equal willpower, and people living under challenging circumstances, such as those in poverty or with poor mental health, will always find it harder to make the necessary changes. Everyone quoted in this piece was keen to stress that, while individual responsibility has its part to play, we cannot collectively “will” our
SWING YOUR ODDS There are smarter ways to curb your risk than cutting out sweets Do: Lift heavy
Running isn’t the quickest route to health. Mayo Clinic found weight training and improved strength can reduce your risk of type 2 by 33%.
Don’t: Binge on protein
You may think lean meat is an ally, but all excess calories raise your risk. Research suggests a plant-based diet cuts your risk by 23%.
Do: Eat in the morning
Routine is key. A Harvard study found people who ate breakfast every day were half as likely to get diabetes as those who skipped it.
Don’t: Fear cheese
A 2018 study analysis in Plos One found those with the highest dairy intakes had a 30% lower diabetes risk than those who avoided it.
Do: Prioritise sleep
An animal study in Japan showed just one night’s missed sleep could alter enzymes in the liver and raise your chance of diabetes.
Bad Blood
DIABETES CAN LE AD TO DR ASTIC SURGERIES, INCLUDING AMPUTATION
CASE STUDY #03 “The thought of losing my eyesight terrified me” – Daniel Halliday “I saw my diagnosis as a bit of a death sentence,” says Daniel. He had been worried about diabetes for years, but wasn’t tested for it until 2017 when his blood pressure results came back high. “The doctor said, ‘Well, you are overweight.’ I felt like he was putting the blame on me.” At the time, Daniel was suffering from agoraphobia (a fear of leaving the house) and anxiety. “I had a really sedentary lifestyle,” he says. After his diagnosis, Daniel went into denial. “I had no idea how big an impact it can have,
and the complications you’re at risk of,” he says. “There’s a lot of ignorance and people play down its seriousness. I just tried to forget about it. I continued to eat whatever I wanted and my weight peaked at 137kg.” He had been put on metformin tablets but didn’t like how they made him feel, so he stopped taking them. At a routine eye screening, he was told he had retinopathy. “The thought of losing my eyesight terrified me,” he says. At first, he panicked. “I virtually stopped eating,” he says, “and lost 12kg in a month.” But it just made his anxiety worse. He finally reached out for help. He was advised to eat a balanced diet of around 1 600 calories a day. He cut out pastries, switched from red meat to white and reduced his fat intake. “It was
hard, especially when I saw other people eating things I wanted.” After losing 32kg, he plateaued. “Then I knew I needed to throw myself into exercise to challenge my agoraphobia,” he says. He took up walking – “I aimed for 16 000 steps but it was often 25 000” – and now goes to the gym every day. He is now 92kg and has gone into full remission. “I was on top of the world when my consultant told me. She said she’d never seen such a turnaround in a year without metformin.” Just as importantly, it has improved his confidence. “I’ve never felt fitter,” he says. “It’s been incredibly hard, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.”
way out of the diabetes epidemic, and blaming people for their diagnoses is incorrect and counterproductive. “It’s a societal problem requiring societal responses,” says Critchley. “It’s incredibly hard to lose weight when there are so many factors obstructing us.” But, if there’s one thing we do know for sure, it’s that neglecting the problem will only feed it.
Assess your odds at riskscore.diabetes. org.uk. If you’re concerned about your score, are over the age of 40, or are experiencing symptoms such as fatigue and constant thirst, schedule a health check with your GP. MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 93
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MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 95
DO I HAVE ANY
REAL FRIENDS?
A scientific-ish analysis of one man’s social circle. BY RICHARD DORMENT THERE IS SOMETHING alittlesadabouta40-year-old
man spending thebetterpartofasummertrying to figure out if hehasanyfriends.Fine:it’salotsad, but a few monthsago,aftermysocial-mediafeeds started filling upwithpostsonacrisisinmen’s friendship – menhavenofriends;menaredying of loneliness; wecan’tevendofriendshipright!– I looked in the mirrorandaskedsomehardquestions. Do I have any realfriends?WouldIbehappierwith more friends? Andwait–isthisreallywhatIlook like now?So I did what any rational person would do. I interviewed 12 sociologists, psychiatrists, linguists and anthropologists about what it actually means to have and be a friend today. I read hundreds of pages of studies on how guys build and maintain friendships. Then I conducted my very own survey
“Do you consider me a friend?”
about what kind of friend I am. I randomly selected about 70 people from my contact list, sent them ten multiple-choice questions (thanks, Survey Monkey!), and promised them total anonymity in exchange for some brutally honest feedback. I started with a simple question – “Do you consider me a friend?” – and went deeper from there. The results helped me understand not just the state of my own friendships but also what people get wrong (and right) about Male Friendship™. According to my own research and the work of others, turns out that most men do have friends – we’re just used to doing friendship in our own imperfect way. And as with everything else in our lives, we could probably benefit from getting better at it. Herewith, a few of my highly unscientific findings.
“How good of a friend would you consider me?”
1
Median score
You kind of know and vaguely like me OF THE 70 OR SO PEOPLE who got the survey, 41 of them took time away from being bored at work or scrolling through Instagram to answer my questions, and each and every one said they considered me a friend. Which is a strong, reassuring, nothing-to-sneeze-at number. But then why, on a recent Saturday night when I had an extra ticket to a boxing match, did I struggle to find someone who felt like a good enough friend to sit ringside with for a long evening of BS-ing between undercard fights? Dr. Keith Hampton, a sociologist at Michigan State University, walked me through the social behaviours that might have put me in this position. “Men tend to have larger, more diverse overall social networks than women,” he explains. They are also more likely to focus on “bridging” (building looser, more diverse networks that are helpful for getting ahead professionally), whereas women are better at “bonding” (building closer, more intimate relationships). Maybe I’ve been building bridges my whole life, sometimes at the expense of bonding. It would explain my boxing-match conundrum.
96 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT: I know and like a bunch of people, but there aren’t many I feel close to (or who, evidently, feel close to me). Still, three close friends feels like enough – I didn’t go to the boxing match alone – and it tracks with most of the research around friendship. “Multiple studies have obtained the same result for the mean size of American discussion networks,” says Dr. Matthew Brashears, an associate professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina who’s been studying friendship for nearly two decades. Those “discussion networks” – which roughly translates to people you talk to on a regular basis – are about three people for women and men, which makes me wonder about all those stories in my social feed about men having no friends. The confusion seems to date back to 2004, when the General Social Survey reported a huge increase in social isolation, particularly among men – and since social isolation is tied to higher risks of depression, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and early death, people sort of freaked out. This was the survey that birthed 15 years’ worth
Number of people who said they feel close to me: 3
10 We’re basically Oprah and Gayle
of think pieces about the dangers of men having no friends. The only trouble with it is that it was probably wrong. To measure social isolation, the GSS researchers asked survey respondents to name up to five people to whom they felt close enough to have “discussed important matters” over the past six months. The study never defined “important matters” – big life events? thoughts and feelings? the playoffs? – and Brashears and other researchers have since uncovered that most of the people who didn’t talk to anyone about important matters simply felt they didn’t have anything important to say. In other words: men had people to talk to – they just didn’t do it. More recently, a YouGov survey of 1 254 men and women found similar results. Its biggest conclusion wasn’t that men and women have different numbers of friends – almost half of all men and women said they have one to four close friends (just like me!) – it was that men are more likely than women to say they don’t really need friends. We can deal with our important matters all by ourselves, but hey, thanks for asking.
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“What’s the thing you like least about me as a friend?” TOO UNRELIABLE: 5% TOO SELFISH: 0% T O O C L O S E D O F F : 74% W E D O N ’ T H AV E A L O T IN COMMON: 21%
THE OVERWHELMING majority of people
said that I “can be too closed off and emotionally distant”. Which is a fair enough knock – I typically keep things to myself. “On average, men are less comfortable expressing and sharing emotions than women are,” says sociologist Dr. Richard Schwartz. “They have less of a vocabulary for emotional things, and their friendships tend to be based on doing things together rather
than sitting face-to-face and having a conversation about intimate things.” This shoulder-to-shoulder model of friendship, as it’s known, is deeply rooted in the American male experience. But when we rely too heavily on those transactional relationships, we miss the benefits of having emotional connections. “It’s not just that it feels nice to talk about stuff with friends,” says Dr. Mario Luis Small, a professor of sociology at Harvard. “There’s a ton of research documenting the importance of literally just talking. In one study about women with breast cancer, people were randomly assigned to talk or not talk about the issues they were facing. And the women who met once a month to talk through their experience lived almost twice as many months as the women who were told not to talk about it. Among men and women battling rheumatoid arthritis, among people who suffer from asthma, you see the same results.” But there’s a downside to too much talking, says Dr. Amanda Rose, a professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri. If friends spend all their time analysing problems instead of having fun,
they might end up depressed and anxious – a psychological condition called co-rumination. “We should be aiming for that sort of sweet spot where we can interact and enjoy close relationships without getting too weighed down by taking on other people’s problems too strongly,” Rose says. While a lot of us could benefit from building more intimate connections, it can be hard to call a friend and say you want to see them, Schwartz says. “It’s a little embarrassing to want something in that way, but we all feel better and thrive better when we have a couple of relationships in which we feel we are actually known by the other person.” So, 41 friends, three close friends, and only a few more sentences to fit on this page. The takeaway for me and maybe you: Spend all the time you want drinking beer or playing basketball with your friends, but try to talk more. Not too much. Just a little. And if you can’t find a friend you feel comfortable with, find a therapist. Who knows? After some time on the couch, you may be ready to open up a bit more over beers or basketball and forge a handful of deeper, richer friendships. Last time I checked, everyone could use another friend.
W WINNING AT FRIENDSHIP Can gaming keep men connected?
T
BY SEAN O’NEAL HE TRADITION STARTED,
Matthew recalls, not long after he left his college friends behind to attend law school. Once a week, the friends started meeting up virtually, first through co-op titles like Resident Evil 5 and then, as their displaced group swelled, rounds of Dungeons & Dragons. Brian, 53, shares a similar story: after graduation, he and his friends kept in touch by playing Halo 2, meeting weekly for nearly a decade and a half. Although one friend has more or less fallen off, Brian and his buddy Greg still keep the standing invite, using voice chat to fill each other in on major life events, all while protecting humankind from annihilation. Online gaming also gave Lucas, 27, the pretext he needed to reach out to guys he’d once spent nearly every afternoon with, huddled around a Nintendo 64. He looked up their old usernames on his PlayStation and, through games like Rocket League and Fortnite, managed to rekindle many of his old friendships. Gaming, he says, reduced some of the inherent awkwardness of having those conversations over the phone.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUR NEXT FRIENDSHIP How long does it take to make a new friend? Check the timeline.
98 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
For millions of men, this is now part of the lure of multiplayer video games, which around 25 percent of all adults either played or watched in 2016 and 2017. Half of those people reported that “friendship” was one of their main reasons for playing, whether it was finding new relationships or keeping tabs on real-life friends. It’s a growing phenomenon that puts to rest the stereotype of the gamer as isolated and socially maladjusted. “It’s how I found out [Greg] was getting married again,” Brian says. “He told me he wouldn’t be able to play for the next few weeks because he was going on his honeymoon.” These days, Matthew, now 35, says it’s just one friend he keeps up with through gaming, but it’s more regular than before. He estimates at least 25 percent of those sessions are spent checking in. “There are some friends I was very close with but don’t see very often, and when I do see them, I feel like the entire time we have to catch up on everything that’s happened in their lives,” Matthew says. “And I don’t feel that way with him.” Granted, these may not sound like the strongest friendships to begin with. If
A 2018 study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that people became “good/best” friends after 200 hours of interaction. “There are ways to help new friendships along,” says Dr. Geoffrey Greif, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. “There are also red flags to look for. Your gut will tell you a lot.”
you can casually announce something as life altering as your own wedding while waiting for a screen to load, are you really connecting? But this question isn’t specific to video games – it’s the defining existential crisis of our age, in which we spend more time interacting with one another’s socialmedia profiles than we do with the far less curated people behind them. Games are just the latest manifestation of this kind of virtual friendship. There’s already some debate around whether friendships that exist primarily online can ever feel as meaningful as those that involve regularly meeting in person. Evolutionary psychologist Dr. Robin Dunbar, is skeptical that online interactions can forge lasting bonds and believes they may even hinder the social skills needed to make connections in real life. Others, like Dr. Geoffrey Greif, author of Buddy System: Understanding Male Friendships, are (slightly) more optimistic. “If somebody is lonely and they find a way of communicating with people around video games, and that helps them, then that’s a good thing,” he says. Still, Greif adds that if someone spends all of their time talking online, he’d advise them to cut it down to 90 percent and use that remaining 10 percent to find more face-toface interactions. Whatever your opinion, perhaps it stands to reason that we should adjust our attitudes about the relationships you can have within video games. When I suggest to Brian that some people might not consider his mostly online friendships “real,” he openly scoffs. “That sounds silly,” Brian says. “People bond over all sorts of stuff. If we bonded over fishing, is that not ‘real’? All you’re doing is drowning worms and drinking.
HOURS 1–2
HOURS 3–10
HOUR 24
THE HANDSHAKE
THE CONNECTION
THE FIRST TEXTS FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES
No matter where you meet, there’s ample room for the initial good-to-meet-you small talk. The next level will happen or it won’t, so don’t sweat it too much, says Greif.
“This stage will establish a lot: What kind of work does this guy do, do we talk the same language, do we like golf versus chess versus hitting the gym?” Greif says.
Here, you’ll notice possible deal breakers like bigotry, misogyny and mismatched politics. What will you tolerate? Greif’s litmus test: “Do I like myself when I’m around this person?”
ON ROBINSON: SWEATPANTS BY JOHN ELLIOTT. VINTAGE ROBES.
+ HOURS 30–33
HOUR 48
HOUR 60
HOUR 80
HOUR 94
THE FIRST BRO DATE
THE FIRST CONFESSION
THE FIRST FAVOR
THE FIRST DATE WITH PARTNERS
THE CROSSROADS
Women tend to thrive in face-to-face scenarios (wine and talking), while men do well in shoulderto-shoulder situations, says Greif. Grab a beer, but watch or do something, too.
When do you reveal deep personal information? You really need to read the room, Greif says. “You may have to make the first outreach, and that carries risk.”
Where’s the favour on the pain scale? Asking a friend to help you move isn’t a character test, but posting bail kind of is.
It’s a good indicator, says Greif, but remember that you don’t have to force everyone in your life on one another. Don’t punish yourself and your pals for being multifaceted.
If you’ve made it this far, you probably have a legit friend. If it’s mutual, you’re golden. But if it’s him and not you, you may have to distance yourself.
HOUR 200 AND BEYOND
THE FUTURE Relax. You’re now free to ask your buddy to murder your in-laws.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 99
How did you two meet? SAM: We met at Second City Detroit. Tim was my level-A teacher. I was 18. TIM: Yeah, yeah. I was 21. It was the very first class I ever taught, I think. Our mutual friend was like, “My friend Sam’s gonna be in your class.”
BEST FRIENDS INTERVIEW Sam Richardson of Veep (left) and Tim Robinson of I Think You Should Leave have been best friends for more than 15 years, with a TV show to prove it: the duo’s beloved, and defunct, Comedy Central series, Detroiters, is a tribute to not just buddy comedies but also their own relationship. (Catch it streaming on Comedy Central.) So we asked them to host these pages and offer us a peek into their goalworthy friendship. INTERVIEW BY MATT GOULET
100 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
When amid all that did you realise, “Oh, this guy is my friend”? TIM: I don’t know if there’s ever a point where I can look at it and go... BOTH: “That’s it.” SAM: Because you look back and it’s a whole era of times. We were both super into Christmas. You bonded over that? BOTH: Absolutely! SAM: Just listening to Christmas songs nonstop while we’re at each other’s
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THE
How did you become friends? SAM: We would go to a bar; there’s a bar right next to Second City Detroit. TIM: The Town Pump. SAM: Right down the way. And Tim and our friend Bret would sneak me into the Town Pump. Not like it was super hard to do. TIM: It was not, yeah. I had been going there for a long time. SAM: Just make your voice a little deeper. “Yessir.” In the Town Pump, early on, we hit the ground running. We got each other pretty quickly. TIM: Our last few years in Detroit, we got super close. We did shows together. We would spend long nights together sitting on my porch or at [Sam’s] palace of booze and would just shoot the shit till, like, the sun came up. Then our trajectories kind of went the same. We both went to Chicago at the same time. Got on touring companies in Chicago at the same time. We kind of followed each other around. SAM: We got hired onto the main stage of Second City Chicago the same day. They hired us together.
houses, like, “Oh, this is a great one!” TIM: I remember calling you one Thanksgiving eve at two in the morning and saying, “Turn on PBS right now. There’s a Jack Benny special on.” SAM: And then we were on the phone watching Jack Benny together. In Chicago, we’d go across the way to Corcoran’s, a restaurant right across the street from Second City. We’d always get what we’d call the turf and turf, where we’d order a burger and wings and we’d cut the burger in half and split the wings. TIM: Yeah, we’d look at each other and say, “Turf and turf?” Did you ever have to define the relationship and say, “You’re my best friend”? Or was it understood? SAM: There’s not, like, a moment. We’ll definitely still get drunk and be like, “You’re my number-one guy. You’re my best friend in the world. Just got to let you know.” TIM: Yeah. It doesn’t go unsaid. SAM: It certainly does not go unsaid. Every phone call ends with “I love you, bud.” TIM: Yeah. “I love you, pal.” It can be hard for a lot of guys to say that. SAM: I just think there’s no airs between us. There’s no fear of lost masculinity. It’s very secure in that. How did doing Detroiters, and essentially becoming a business partner with your best friend, affect the friendship? SAM: It helped the show tremendously, because we had such a shorthand that we just knew each other’s thinking. We only had, like, one fight on set, and I think that’s incredibly rare. What was the fight about? TIM: I’m paranoid and I have all these ailments, and I think at one point I was freaking out about a bump on my leg. And Sam did just what my wife does: “Well, go to the fucking doctor!” SAM: He’s like, “I’m not going to the doctor!” TIM: I think he got frustrated with me constantly being like, “I don’t know what this is.” SAM: It just got heated. It got to that. Then we were in this huge fight. Like, one of the biggest fights that we’ve ever been in, but we were still filming the scenes.
TIM: Yeah, I recently watched the episodes. I can pinpoint the scenes, but I can’t tell we were fighting. Which is insane. One of the unique things Detroiters did was implicitly incorporate race. Tim would be the only white guy in the room, and it would go unacknowledged. How has it been a factor in your friendship? SAM: It really hasn’t, at least not between us. I mean, Tim eats some things only white people eat. TIM: [Laughs] This just turns into ’90s stand-up. SAM: “Y’all heard of pastrami? Tim made up pastrami.” TIM: That’s good. I made up pastrami. SAM: “Pastrami?! Okay. It’s just chicken. When’s the last time you’ve ever gone into a grocery store and seen a pastrami?!” TIM: Now it’s just a guy who’s never been to a grocery store. SAM: But it’s never really been a thing. On the show, we were very specific not to make it “Look at this white man!” Because he’s part of the family. If in real life that was the thing, that’d probably be a rocky relationship. TIM: Not to throw them under the bus, but there were some Comedy Central notes that were like, Talk about the differences! And we were like, Well, we’re trying to show our real friendship, and that’s not part of our real friendship. SAM: We had to finally be like, No, trust us. There’s so much more that’s real to the relationship. Because if it was about “Man, you’re so different from me,” then you wouldn’t be friends. You’re no longer working together on Detroiters. Do you still see each other a lot? SAM: Weekends. Weekdays. I was just at Tim’s son’s birthday party. TIM: It’s exactly the same. SAM: We had worked on Detroiters and the main stage, but outside of that, we’ve always been trying to find something else to do. TIM: Yeah, but it’s not based around that. It’s based around the friendship first. That’s so important to us. I was just thinking about when we were in Chicago. Sam came over so much that my son, who had just started talking, whenever there was a knock on the door, no matter who it was, would say, “I think so, Sam’s here.”
... THREADIQUETTE: The New Rules of Group Chats
Text-message threads give you zero excuses not to stay in touch with friends – but there’s a code you must follow. Send messages in full sentences. Not. Word. By. Word. Your friends love you, but they don’t want to drown in your message notifications. Finish typing everything on your mind before you hit send.
Acknowledge everyone’s contributions. Ignoring your friends is rude IRL, and it’s also rude in the thread. Throw Kevin an LOL for his cat video before steering the conversation in a new direction. (And don’t just click the “HAHA” reaction button – it’s lazy.)
Keep it tight. There is a sweet spot for how many friends you should add to the thread. With fewer than four members, conversation might stall. With more than ten, your phone could be blowing up all day.
Don’t screenshot. The group chat should be a safe place whenever you need to get vulnerable with your buddies. What happens in the thread stays in the thread.
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“I GOT SOBER AND FOUND A NEW KIND OF F R IEN DS HI P.”
Around my dad and my drinking buddies, I learned to ignore my feelings. Then I discovered how to connect with men in a way I never could before.
W
HEN I GOT SOBER in 2017,
my new AA sponsor, a tall, goofy painter named Kip, invited me to a men’s stag meeting in the basement of a church in downtown Los Angeles. I arrived early, shook some hands, and sat nervously in the circle of folding chairs. Soon the room was filled: 25, maybe 30 men of all ages. The space boomed with their laughter. There were hairy, macho men sitting with thin, tattooed hipsters, and suited business types grabbing coffee and cookies for old men with walkers. There was even a priest who sat in the corner. Everyone called him Father. It took me about five minutes to realise how scared I was of all of them. Each man in the circle had a few minutes to tell a bit of his story, and my heart thumped as my turn approached. At one point, my vision went blurry. All I wanted was to think of something I could say that would impress these guys. Let them know I was okay, that I was one of them. An epic war story maybe, or a joke. My turn came. Fifty or so eyes affixed to me. “I’m Sean,” I said. “I’m an alcoholic.” My throat went dry. Every good line I’d come up with disappeared. And I panicked. WHEN I THINK OF BEING A KID, I think of
riding around in the passenger seat of my dad’s old Toyota 4Runner. My dad lived to drive – 40,000, 50,000 miles a year. His carbon footprint rivaled those of small airlines. Even a Sunday-morning
102 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
coffee-and-doughnut run became a grand adventure of loading up the dog, rolling down the windows, turning up the stereo and accelerating our way toward glory. It was during these rides that I received my education on how to be a man. There was classic rock or country music to sing along to, and there was proud proselytising from my father, who was alone with a captive audience (seven-year-old me) and no one to tell him he was wrong. One thing I learned in the truck is that I was never right. Maybe I was just seeing things the wrong way. Maybe I could just be a bit more flexible. Me about my father’s new wife: “I don’t think Barbara likes me.” Dad: “Aw, buddy, of course she does. You just have to do exactly what she says. You know what Papa used to say: ‘You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’ ” Me: “I’m scared about the science project. Do you really think we’ll be able to build a rocket?” Dad: “Scared? C’mon! You’re talking to the 1965 Boy Scout science-fair champ right here.” Eventually I stopped speaking at all, because my dad – a longtime human resources consultant – would deftly swat away my every concern with a very particular brand of PR juju. His manipulation was so subtle it took me 30 years to realise I didn’t actually have any of my own feelings. Instead, I learned to be a nice guy. To shut my mouth, to mask all that vinegar with honey. And it ended at the bottom of a
bottle. Because when you silence your true feelings, you get overwhelmed. You start living for others and denying yourself. And ultimately you get really, really angry. Some men indulge in their anger – they’re the guys you see bullying the barista, picking fights on Twitter – but if you’re like me, you end up turning that anger on yourself, and it later becomes hopelessness. My dad wasn’t spared, either. His own depression culminated in his suicide in 2005. I toasted his death and kept on going. So I joined AA, raw and hurting and surrounded by men whom I’d already decided had the potential to injure me. I simultaneously wanted to punch them in
SUITS AND SHIRTS BY HUGO BOSS
BY SEAN HOTCHKISS
the face and have them pat me on the head and say, “I love you, son.” It was all pretty head-spinning. So what wound up coming out of my mouth in that first stag meeting was a cry for help. “I just feel like the new kid on the playground,” I said, my eyes never leaving the tile floor. After the group, a guy my age came up and put his arms around me. “I’m no good at any of this stuff, either,” he said. His name was Alexander, and he became one of my first sober buddies, who I would learn were very different from the types of friends I’d had before. Recovery bonds
you quickly with people. You cut through the garbage and get to the kinds of vulnerabilities that social-research professor Dr. Brené Brown, L.M.S.W., writes about – and it transforms you. I’d always had a lot of male friends. We shared common interests, connected over sports, music or our careers. We got fucked up together after work or did cocaine on the weekends. But the relationships never went much deeper. To go deep, I turned to the feminine. When I was a kid, my mom was the one who listened, so I shared my feelings with women. My 20s are a graveyard of women who started as friends, became friends with benefits and then turned into strangers when things got too intimate. Later, I began opening up to gay men I met working in fashion in New York. Beautiful friendships developed, but something was missing. I had to risk real connections with other straight men. Shortly after I joined AA, my therapist recommended Robert Bly’s seminal book Iron John, which shed some more light on my daddy issues. I learned that looking to women for the acceptance I’d sought from my dad was futile – like going to the dentist for a triple bypass. I needed to go through the discomfort of making male friends who I felt would try to deny me my feelings, as my father had. I took a hiatus from dating and hung out exclusively with dudes. Initially, I felt all my adolescent pangs of acceptance bristling. Texting Ray to grab coffee or chatting up Jarrett after a meeting made me feel as vulnerable as I did when enduring any female courting process. Over the next few months, I went to Kip’s painting studio to play guitar. I took boxing classes with Ben, hiked with Mark, geeked out on Free Solo with Bruce, and talked dharma over green tea with Danny. Slowly, I began to build intimacy with men. I didn’t have to be nice, and no one tried to change me. In fact, these guys seemed to accept me exactly as I was. Alexander and I put together a group of sober guys who would meet to run trails in the park. The runs were hot, dusty, and gratifying, but the best part was just hanging out in the parking lot afterward,
I DIDN’T AVE T O BE NICE, AN NE TRIED TO CHANGE ME. IN FACT, THESE GUYS SEEMED TO ACCEPT ME EXACTLY AS I WAS.
”
shooting the shit. It reminded me of being a kid again, before booze, before puberty, before all the confusion started. As the wound around my dad healed and I stayed sober, I started taking more risks. I enrolled in grad school, and early on, I noticed a tall guy with a long face who looked familiar. Nate had been one of my best friends 30 years ago. We’d lost touch when my mother moved to an adjacent town, but we quickly bonded all over again. Turns out we had some things in common: addict fathers and the subsequent pain around male relationships. He was a spiritual guy who lived in an ashram in L. A., and I went to visit him one day. We talked for four hours, covering the entire 30 years we’d spent apart. To talk through my experience with someone else who grew up like me, in a tough section of Maine, was healing on a new level. He didn’t even have to say, “I get you.” I just saw it on his face. Nate was a talented songwriter, and he agreed to play me something he’d been working on. He sang of men growing and evolving together – of conquering fears and being “broken wide open.” On the trip home from the ashram that night, I cried. Like sloppy, clown-faced, Michael Jordan cried. It was the kind of male behaviour that never would have flown in my dad’s truck. But I was driving now.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 103
65 MINUTES 3 Steps 20DISHES Cookonceandscoreamonthofweekdaymeals?It’seasierthanyouthink with our simple, step-by-step plan. WO R DS BY K E L L E I G H KO R E VA A R R EC I P ES & P H OTO G R A P H Y BY SA L LY O'N E I L L
104 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
S
T
This is for you. You, with real-life commitments – a job, a social life, a family, and probably zero time to really be reading this (did you feed the dog?). Like you, Sally O’Neill – aka @thefitfoodieblog on Instagram – is juggling a million things. Businesses, a degree, her mental health, working out, travelling. But there’s a key to eating healthily without spending hours in the kitchen and wasting your money ordering UberEats and it can be found in Sally’s cookbook The Fit Foodie Meal Prep Plan. Sally’s method is simple: Step 1, prep your protein; Step 2, batch and stash; Step 3, put it together. The following six recipes require just over an hour of hands-on prep time and you can combine them – with the addition of a few ingredients – to make 20 different combinations so you’ll never get bored. That’s all there is to it. Now we’re not about to waste any more of your valuable time, so, in the words of the great Macklemore: let’s eat.
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 105
Step 01
PREP YOUR PROTEIN 2
The main event is where you’ll learn skills for prepping a few good basics that you can use over and over.
CAULIFLOWER STEAKS
4 PORTIONS | HANDS-ON PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES “Slice a cauliflower into thick ‘steaks’. Save any rogue florets to make vegetable rice, or toss them into smoothie bags.”
1
LARGE CAULIFLOWER OLIVE OIL
1 T FAVOURITE HERB/SPICE MIXTURE 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. Remove the large outer leaves from the cauliflower (leaving some on is fine) and trim the stalk. 3. Slice lengthways through the centre to produce four 2cmthick ‘steaks’. 4. Lay the steaks on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and flip over to coat both sides.
1
LEMON-GRILLED BARRA
4 PORTIONS | HANDS-ON PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
“This recipe works well with any white-fleshed fish. Try it with dorado, tilapia or whatever is on special at the fishmongers. It makes an awesome addition to salads or tacos.”
over and sprinkle with garlic powder. Thinly slice the remaining lemon half and lay over the top of the fish.
4
DORADO FILLETS (APPROXIMATELY 200G EACH)
2
TA B L E S P O O N S O L I V E O I L
1
LARGE LEMON
5. Grill for 15-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flakes with a fork. Serve scattered with herbs.
1
TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER
¼ CUP SLICED SPRING ONION 2
TA B L E S P O O N S C H O P P E D F R E S H PA R S L E Y (OPTIONAL) F R E S H H E R B S , TO S E R V E
1. Preheat the grill on high. 2. Lay the fish in a glass dish or on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle with olive oil. 3. Grate the zest from the lemon and sprinkle it over the fish, then squeeze half the lemon juice
106 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
4. Scatter the spring onion and parsley (if using) over the top.
Make: Before cooking, prep the fish and freeze in portions. You can defrost a portion in the fridge before grilling. Save: Cooked fish can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight. Tip: Many lemons from supermarkets are waxed. Avoid getting wax all over your fish by pouring boiling water from the kettle over the lemon in your kitchen sink. Give it a quick scrub with a veggie brush to remove any residue.
5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and any herbs or spices that take your fancy. 6. Roast for 25–30 minutes until golden and tender. Make: Make these at the same time as you make your roast veg. Save: Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Tip: These work well as a toast substitute for breakfast. Top with sliced avocado and a poached egg for a super-quick nutritious start to the day
4 3
MILK-POACHED CHICKEN
4 PORTIONS | HANDS-ON PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
“Poached chicken offers a deliciously consistent moist texture, and takes less time than you’d think. The milk captures the flavours and can be reserved and uses as a soup base (see below).”
750ML
MILK
4
GARLIC CLOVES
10
PEPPERCORNS FRESH TARRAGON
4
CHICKEN BREASTS
1. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat, together with the garlic, peppercorns and tarragon (if using), until just simmering. 2. Lower the chicken breasts into the poaching liquid and set a timer for 15–20 minutes, depending on their size. 3. Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and set aside.
4. Allow to cool before slicing the chicken or shredding into long strands with your hands.
NUT BUTTER FALAFAL
MAKES ABOUT 18 | HANDS-ON PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
“Chickpeas and nut butter are great vegetarian protein options. Add your favourite flavour combo from the options below or invent your own.”
4 0 0 G TIN CHICKPEAS, DRAINED AND RINSED ½
CUP CHOPPED COOKED PUMPKIN
50G
(½ CUP) ALMOND MEAL OR OTHER FLOUR
1
TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
3
TABLESPOONS NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER (OR ALMOND BUTTER/TAHINI)
1
TABLESPOON LEMON JUICE
3. Add your choice of flavours to the mixture in the blender (see below for some suggestions). 4. Roll the mixture into balls with your hands. If the dough is a little wet, add more almond meal or flour, a little at a time. 5. Place the balls on a silicone baking sheet or a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Save: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Tip: You can poach chicken in the same amount of stock, or plain old water, if you’re trying to keep it super simple. Same method and cooking times apply.
2. Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until they are well combined.
S A LLY’S TOP 3 F L AVO U R COMBOS
Save: Store in the fridge for 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.
Traditional
Moroccan
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons turmeric
+ 1 teaspoon allspice
+ 1 teaspoon garam masala
+ 1 teaspoon onion powder
+ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Green Goodness ½ bunch fresh basil + ½ bunch fresh mint + 2 tablespoons pine nuts
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 107
Step 02
BATCH AND STASH
In this step you’ll be batchbaking and making snacks and meals that can be eaten straight away, or refrigerated and frozen for later use.
1
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
4 PORTIONS | HANDS-ON PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
“This is a clever a way to get everyone to eat more veggies. It’s a super-versatile recipe, too: serve these as a side dish or stack them high for a filling weekend breakfast.”
2
Z U C C H I N I ( B A BY M A R R O W S ) , G R AT E D OR SPIRALISED
2
L A R G E E G G S , L I G H T LY B E AT E N
4 0 G ( 1 / 3 C U P ) C O C O N U T F LO U R 2
SPRING ONIONS (SCALLIONS), SLICED
¼
CUP CHOPPED FRESH HERBS
½
T E A S P O O N S E A S A LT
¼
T E A S P O O N F R E S H LY G R O U N D B L A C K PEPPER
2
TA B L E S P O O N S C O C O N U T O I L , F O R F R Y I N G
1. Put the zucchini in a bowl with the eggs, coconut flour, spring onion, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix well until combined. If the mixture is too wet to shape, add a little more flour. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more egg. 2. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add 2 tablespoons of mixture. Fill the base of the pan but don’t let the individual fritters stick together. 3. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove fritters from the pan and drain on paper towel.
Save: Store fritters on a layer of paper towel in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. The paper towel will help keep them crispy. Tip: If you prefer, replace the coconut flour with almond meal or buckwheat flour.
108 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
2
MARINATED CHICKPEAS
2 PORTIONS |
HANDS-ON PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES “This high-protein bowl of goodness is so easy to prepare and it’s delicious as a snack or a side dish.”
4 0 0 G TIN CHICKPEAS, RINSED AND DRAINED. 1
SMALL RED ONION, THINLY SLICED
1
TEASPOON CUMIN SEEDS
1
TEASPOON CORIANDER SEEDS
1
TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
½
TEASPOON SEA SALT
2
TABLESPOONS RED WINE VINEGAR FRESH THYME LEAVES, TO SERVE
1. Put the chickpeas into a bowl, along with the onion. 2. Add the cumin, coriander, olive oil, salt and vinegar. Mix well. 3. Cover and refrigerate. Save: Keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, or freeze for up to 1 month. Tip: Make the recipe with tinned lentils instead of chickpeas. Prepare both at the same time to keep your options open at each meal.
DR E S S IT UP
The right dressing can make or break a dish.
Pea & Almond Pesto Pe 1c cup fresh or efrosted frozen peas de + 1 cup almonds + 2 arlic cloves + ½ bunch ga fre esh mint, leaves cked + 1 bunch fresh pic ba asil, leaves picked + 125ml (½ cup) extra virrgin olive oil + salt & epper to taste pe
The Simple One 260g (1 cup) plain yoghurt + 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard + 2 teaspoons sriracha
The Green One 4 tablespoons lime juice + 4 tablespoons tahini + 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + 2 tablespoons mustard + 1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked + 1 teaspoon ground ginger + 1 teaspoon ground coriander + 1 tablespoon honey or 10 drops liquid stevia + salt and pepper
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 109
Step 03
PUT IT TOGETHER
This is where you get your inspiration to assemble your items into enough combinations that you won’t ever be groaning as you pull out a tupperware from the fridge.
Combo 1:
Nut Butter Falafel
+
Pea & Almond Pesto
+
Corn Tortilla
+
ADD: Red Onion, Cucumber, Herbs
Hummus
Combo 2:
Nut Butter Falafel
+
Marinated Chickpeas
+
Salad Greens
+
Coconut Tzatziki Dressing
Nut Butter Falafel
+
Perfect Roast Veg
+
Black Bean Hummus
+
Olive Oil
+
Dried Apricots, Chopped
Combo 3:
Combo 4:
White Bean Hummus
+
Nut Butter Falafel
+
Radish
+
ADD: Tomatoes, Black Sesame Seeds, Salad Greens, Pomegranate Seeds
Vinaigrette
Combo 5: ADD: Herbs, Salt, Chilli Oil Cauliflower Steak
+
Pea & Almond Pesto
+
Poached Egg
+
Black Bepper
Cauliflower Steak
+
Milk-poached chicken
+
Pea & Almond Pesto
+
Pine nuts
+
Tomatoes
Cauliflower Steak
+
Lemon-grilled Dorado
+
Marinated Chickpeas
+
Lentil Hummus
+
Salad Greens
Combo 6:
Combo 7:
Combo 8:
Zucchini Fritters
+
Marinated Chickpeas
+
The Green One Dressing
+
Julienned Cucumber
ADD: Pecans, Pickled Celery, Fennel, Carrot, Onion, Lemon Wedges, Coriander
Combo 9: ADD: Lemon Zest, Dill Zucchini Fritters
110 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
+
Salmon Gravlax
+
Coconut Tzatziki Dressing
+
Black Bepper
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 111
Step 03 PUT IT TOGETHER ...continued Combo 10:
Zucchini Fritters
+
Lemon-grilled Dorado
+
Coriander
+
Teff
+
Vinaigrette
+
Roasted Pumpkin Mash
+
Black Bepper
+
Olive Oil
Combo 11:
Zucchini Fritters
+
Feta
Combo 12:
Lemon-grilled Dorado
+
Vinaigrette
+
Shaved R
+
Coriander
Lemon-grilled Dorado
+
Avocado
+
Pars rsley
+
Lime
Lemon-grilled Dorado
+
Pea & Almond Pesto
+
Perfect Roast Veg
ADD: Carrot, Capsicum, Spring Onions, Salad Greens, Grilled Lemon Wedge
Combo 13:
+
Hazelnuts
Combo 14:
Combo 15:
Milk h d Milk-poached Chicken
+
Buckwheat
+
Miso Broth
+
Coriander
Milk h d Milk-poached Chicken
+
Cauliflower Steak
+
Pea & Almond Pesto
+
Pomegranate Seeds
Milk poached Milk-poached Chicken
+
The Simple One Dressing
+
Salad Greens
+
Chopped Avocado
ADD: Spring Onion, Black Sesame Seeds, Herbs
Combo 16:
Combo 17:
+
Toasted Coconut Flakes
Combo 18:
Mariinated Chickpeas
+
White t B ean Bean Hummus
+
Feta
+
Tomatoes
Marinated Chickpeas
+
Milk poached Milk-poached Chicken
+
Salad Greens
+
Avocado
ADD: Corn, Coriander, Herbs, Dried Chilli Flakes
Combo 19:
Combo 20:
Marinated Chickpeas
112 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
+
Sp Spiralised ira alised Veggies
+
Lemon & Tahini Dressing
+
Avocado
ADD: Sesame Seeds, Spring Onion, Parsley
+
Corn Tortilla
The Fit Foodie Meal Prep Plan by Sally O’Neill, R370 Murdoch Books UK
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 113
YOUR PERSONAL TRAINER ON THE MOVE
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T S H EG O KO K E , G E M A E N TAY LO R
+
R O B E RTO D E R O S A
01 Switch Things Up
Here’s a more relaxed and modern way of dressing up that suits every guy. It’s so simple to get right if you follow a few basic principles: invest in a capsule wardrobe of casual and formal pieces that can be mixed and matched. To take your casual game to a new level, match a blazer (like this one) with cargo pants.
Sunglasses R6 390 Celine at sdmeyewear. co.za, DoubleBreasted Blazer R5 299 scotch-soda.com, Chain R110 markham.co.za, Township Scarf R4 200 lalelascarf.org
116 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
STYLE
HIGH Two style game-changers share the looks they’ll be channelling when the mercury dips.
BY AZEEZ JACOBS PHOTOGRAPHS CARLO FULCIS
Winter is on its way – and the cold season is the perfect time to rethink your wardrobe. VJ Tshego Koke and digital maverick Gemaen Taylor are known for showing up in style whatever the occasion, so we tapped their sartorial senses to bring you the looks you need to master as temps drop. From your 9-to-5 grind to R&R in the great outdoors, these style tips will add a sharp, classic feel to every outfit.
The shacket is turning into a menswear staple. Essentially it’s a shirt-jacket that’s spun from thicker fabrics such as canvas, flannel and wool. Not only is a shacket heavier, this outer layer also has structure, which will let you wear it open without it losing its shape. Grab one in any colour – we like green, navy and beige – and wear it with your favourite jeans, over a polo neck or under your warmest parka.
Shacket R459 dickies. co.za, Jeans R3 999 diesel.co.za, Watch R459 Tomato at bacherco.co.za
118 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
FASHION ASSISTANT: NADIA EKSTEEN | GROOMING: LISA BAILEY | DIGITAL ASSISTANT: NICOLA SUTTLE
02 Full-Metal Shacket
STYLE
03 Mancho Man
Not everyone can pull off a poncho – trust us, there’s a fine line between effortlessly stylish and looking like the odd one out. The trick: serious confidence. So, if you have Gemaen’s swag, you can definitely pull it off. Wear a poncho as an outer layer but don’t overthink it, just throw it on or wrap it around your shoulders for that unfazed, casual look. Style this oversized asymmetrical garment with form-fitting pieces underneath like a Henley or polo neck shirt. Add a killer pair of boots to channel the spirit of Clint Eastwood in The Man with No Name.
Sabrina sunglasses R6 500 Tom Ford at sdmeyewear.co.za, Poncho R2 200 zeitgeistmw.com, vest R120 edgars.co.za, Pants R2 199 Tommy Hilfiger (021 418 0516)
STYLE
04 The New Camo
Fresh camo patterns will help break up the wardrobe monotony and won’t leave you looking like you’re on a call of duty. This shade doesn’t need much styling: wear the shirt on its own or rock a polo neck underneath and pair with relaxed-fit chinos or cargo pants. The perfect style switch-up – let loose like Tshego! Camo Jacket R3 899 diesel.co.za, Dromer cargo pants R2 499 gstar.com/en_za
05 The MicroPattern
A stylish wardrobe includes more than just denim jeans, says Gemaen. This season, try micro-pattern houndstooth or checks in a fitted style. These fabrics say (not shout) playful, and that subtlety helps them mesh with anything you’d previously pair with your dependable denim. Bottom line: a micro-pattern will give your wardrobe an instant boost. Chain R499 americanswiss.co.za, Trench Coat R3 999 gstar.com/en_za, Pants R429 hm.com/za, Rhude Cell King Sneakers R2 799 za.puma.com
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 121
The Right Size
“With autumn weather being so unpredictable, the main thing I look for in staples is versatility, and a good coat ticks all the boxes,” says Roberto. “Coats can be light enough to pair with a simple Tee when it’s milder and a polo neck for a more structured and stylish look. A sleek, minimalist design provides endless outfit opportunities.”
ITALIAN STYLE IS SOPHISTICATED, TIMELESS, A LITTLE OPULENT AND PROOF THAT ANYONE CAN LOOK GOOD IF THEY HAVE THE RIGHT WARDROBE. BY AZEEZ JACOBS PHOTOGRAPHS CARLO FULCIS
We might not have access to the same quality tailoring as the average man in Milan, but we do have Roberto De Rosa, an Italian style fundi who knows how to blend contemporary colours, prints and textures with timeless silhouettes and details made for winter.
DIGITAL ASSISTANT: NICOLA SUTTLE | FASHION ASSISTANT: NADIA EKSTEEN
Polo neck R399 markham.co.za , Coat R2 400 zeitgeistmw.com
STYLE
Tone It Down
Tonal dressing means wearing different shades of one primary colour. It’s a simple way of avoid the pitfalls of mismatched hues and a shortcut to looking turned out with little thought. “The obvious choice is to wear all black, but monochrome green is also a vibe,” says Roberto. The trick: play with different textures so that you don’t look like a pantone chart. Airblaze Jacket R3 299 g-star.com/en_za, Africa Scarf R1 900 lalelascarf.org , Knit R1 099 Superdry (011 784 0496), Pants R2 649 Tommy Hilfiger (021 418 0516), Verdon Bold sneakers R1 299 lecoqsportif.co.za
MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020 123
Break The Rules
A blazer or jacket needs a collared shirt? Trousers should be worn with a belt? Sunglasses only in summer? “No,” says Roberto. He loves breaking traditional fashion rules. When in doubt, change your outfit, he says. Wearing a belt? Try wearing the buckle off-centre and then wrap the leftover leather around the belt itself. Or try leather monk shoes with no socks and the buckles unfastened – perfectly imperfect. Pia Sunglasses R5 990 Tom Ford by sdmeyewear.co.za, City Shield Denim Coat R4 899 g-star/en_za, Pocket Square R400 lalelascarf.org, Blazer R6 099 Tommy Hilfiger (021 418 0516), Polo Neck R720 zeitgeistmw.com, Jeans R1 699 Superdry, Trainers R3 855 Diadora.com
124 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
STYLE
The Bomb
“Another winter essential is a funky looking bomber jacket,� says Roberto. This printed version is great for injecting some attentiongrabbing colour into your white button-up and dark trousers combo. Accessorise with sunglasses to maximise the cool factor. Bomber jacket R1 499 Fundudzi at thespace.co.za, Helly Hansen Sling Bag R1 799 za.puma. com, Pants R1 600 zeitgeistmw.com
Boots
diesel.co.za
R5 999
treadandmiller.co.za
Milo boots R1 299
R3 299
g-star.com
Garber Derby Boots
STYLE
W O R D S M AT T H A M B LY PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES GARAGHTY
Combat’s impact on fashion has never missed a step, and this winter, military boots are reclaiming their stomping ground. Make sure you’re fit for parade.
Boot Camp
palladiumboots.co.za
R1 549
Pallabrouse
A SOFT TOUCH Polish your boots in the evening then buff in the morning. It moisturises the leather to prevent blistering or cracking.
catfootwear.co.za
R1 999
Resistor Boot
STYLE
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
True Colours No, it’s not a pigment of your imagination – watches are brightening up
Navy. Grey. Black... Face facts: the majority of your wardrobe is invariably comprised of these colours. Yes, men are wearing brighter shades than ever before, but chances are that po-faced neutrals are still the bedrock of your day-to-day wear. And that’s okay. Canary-yellow trousers aren’t for everyone. But your accessories are a sure-fire way to pep up your look with a well-deployed punch 128 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
of colour. Which brings us to your timepiece. White, black or champagne watch dials have long dominated men’s wristwear. But the options are suddenly a whole lot broader. The Swiss watch fairs last year were enlivened by bolder hues – think forest green, cobalt blue and even salmon pink. Not only is this a refreshing change, but it also makes sense. After all, if you invest your hard-earned cash in a new watch then you probably want people to notice it, too.
1.
Emporio Armani Giovanni R5 599, watchrepublic.co.za
2. Luminox Series 3050 Navy Seal R6 499, bellaluna.co.za 3. Fossil Commuter R1 999, watchrepublic.co.za 4. Victorinox I.N.O.X. R7 995, arthurkaplan.co.za 5. Seiko Sport Sense R6 499, seikoboutique.co.za 6. Swatch Polapurple R1 220, shop.swatch.com 7.
Nixon The Porter R2 999, superbalist.com
8. Breitling Avenger II Seawolf R60 800, breitling.com 9. Lorus Sport R1 499, bellaluna.co.za
WORDS BY LUKE BENEDICTUS
1
MH EVENT
LO O K G O O D / P E R FO R M B E T T E R
For the first time ever in South Africa, a new experience like never before, brought to you by Men’s Health, Castle Light and Mall of Africa. Part fashion show, part shopping experience, part product activation – all curated to provide the best activewear and style advice for the modern man. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT QUICKET.CO.ZA
R150
Includes: X DISCOUNT VOUCHER BOOKLET X GOODIE BAG IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MALL OF AFRICA • JOHANNESBURG • 6 JUNE 2020
GROOMING Bright Smile This toothbrush’s tapered bristles are proven to remove up to 50% more plaque from between teeth than manual versions – and reaches deeper below the gum line. Sunstar GUM ActiVital Sonic Toothbrush R259 dischem.co.za
Close Shave Makes maximum contact over contours and gets virtually every hair. Plus, one refill snags you a month of shaves. Gillette Fusion Proglide Silvertouch Manual Razor R170 takealot.com
Fresh Faced F This lightly-scented shaving cream – you get notes of citrus-heavy cedrat – delivers a smooth, moisturising shave. The micro-sized tube means it’s travel-ready, too. Cedrat Aftershave Cream Gel R215 za.loccitane.com
STASH THESE IN YOUR DOPP KIT AND YOU’LL ALWAYS TRAVEL IN STYLE. / BY AZEEZ JACOBS
Elevating what’s in your toiletry bag has the potential to make you look and feel like a new man on the road; a man who cares about what goes into his routine, no matter where he is. To get you started, we’ve chosen some of the best grooming and hygiene products for your kit. Each merges form and function for a travel experience that won’t leave your looks on layover. 130 MH.CO.ZA/ April 2020
Clear Look Keeping your face clean is key to every skin care regimen. Avoid heavy cream cleansers that can clog pores. Look for formulas containing salicylic acid, which deep-clean pores and remove dead skin cells. Clearing Skin Wash 50ml R229 dermalogica.com
Softer Beard Thicker than the hair on your head, beard hair needs to be tamed if you’re hoping to cosy up with someone at your destination. Rub this into the follicles. Long Market Barber Beard Oil 30ml R130 woolworths.co.za
Face Lift Travelling between climates will take its toll on your skin. This moisturiser keeps your skin hydrated to combat dryness, flakiness, shine and oiliness. Nivea Men Moisturising Gel Active Energy 50ml R140 dischem.co.za
MODEL: GEMAEN TAYLOR | PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES GARAGHTY | STYLING: NADIA EKSTEEN
Groom With a View
Brush Above Featuring both fine and coarse teeth to handle thick and fine hair, each tip is carefully polished, so it glides through follicles with ease. Jack Black Styling Comb R130 absoluteskin.co.za
ADVERTISING PROMOTION
Don’t Miss Out Want to know what’s hot and happening in retail? Here’s the latest from our advertisers.
FITCH & LEEDES GRAPEFRUIT TONIC
Zesty – and sensational. Fitch & Leedes Grapefruit Tonic transforms every G&T and cocktail into a sensory experience. A flurry of zesty grapefruit, combined with a delicate hint of bitterness, always hits the spot. With its wonderful coral complexion, this grapefruit tonic takes you from day to night – and it’s sensational, with or without alcohol. www.fitchleedes.co.za
SORBET SKIN WORKOUT
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FITFLOP FLEXKNIT SNEAKERS
Light weight, solid engineering. Sneakers that free your feet – to flex, breathe, and move without feeling weighed down. On top they sport knit uppers that are unbelievably light, stretchy and breathable. Underneath, they’re engineered with feather-light, hyper-flexible Anatomiflex midsoles that move with your feet. Available on shoetopia.co.za and takealot.com. More info @ 021 510 4428.
UGG BOOTS AND SHOES
Fashion and comfort in one. UGG has become one of the biggest brands in footwear – by combining fashion and comfort with the spirited youthful culture of southern California. Have a look at the range of men’s suede boots, leather sneakers, loafers, slippers and sandals on shoetopia.co.za and takealot.com. More info @ 021 510 4428.
SCORE GT
Great-tasting sugar-free game-changer. Double your power with Score GT – the sugar-free taste sensation that packs an explosive guarana surge. With the same great taste as the popular Original Score Energy Drink, packed with B vitamins and a double shot of guarana, you can now score guilt-free. Find it at leading stores. www.drinkscore.co.za
GNC CLIMB
Aim higher. Climb higher. Endurance activities of high intensity and long duration require the body to expend lots of energy. The GNC Climb range offers comprehensive solutions for daily support, immune and digestive support, energy, stamina, and recovery. Available in powder mix for workout energy, single-serve sachets to go the distance, energy liquid for mental prep, and optimal carb-to-protein-ratio recovery bars. The GNC Climb range is available at leading Clicks stores nationally, or online at www.clicks.co.za.
INSIDE!
SMALL STEPS, FAST RESULTS
49
POWER MOVES
ABEGINNER’SGUIDETO
STRONGMAN TRAINING BUILD SIZE ANDPOWER THAT’S FIT FOR PURPOSE 11 SIMPLE FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING PLANS PACKONNEW MUSCLE & STRIPAWAYOLDFLAB
FromtheEditorsofMen’sHealthMagazine
ON SALE NOW! ONLY R100
Fast food can be healthy and with MH’s 15 minute meals you can make flavoursome food from scratch. Get 100 pages of energy-boosting breakfasts, protein-packed lunches and low-calorie dinners. You now have the time to eat right all day.
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MAKE A STRONG START
“Pushing, pulling and carr ying are all hard-wired into ever yone’s DNA”
HEAVY, AWKWARD LIFTS HONE YOUR BODY FOR EVERYDAY FITNESS THAT REALLY WORKS
MEN’S HEALTH 5
MH 04.2020
01
THE FOUNDATION OF
STRENGTH
The clue is in the name: to get ahead in strongman, putting more plates on the bar is a priority. The big basics in this phase will build solid foundations on which you can release your inner Mountain. The squats, deadlifts and presses will deliver accelerating strength gains, and each session is chased with a fat-burning finisher. Repeat these on a weekly rotation, following the “progressive gaining” guidelines, until you’re ready to move on
6 MEN’S HEALTH
RAW POWER
WORKOUT 01: PULL
DAY OF THE DEADD
B
A
Kick off with the “King of the Li fts”, a mass-building opening salvo that t will simultaneously work nearlyy every muscle group. This pull-centric d is the first of three sessions, whhi you’ll switch between on a wee k rotation. Use it as an introducti to our strongman workout formula ula of a big compound lift, a powerful “assistance” superset and a spicedup strongman finisher.
01\
BBARBELL DEADLIFT 5 X 3-5 3 5 REPS
With your feet at shoulder width and your shins touching the bar, reach down and grasp it with an overhand grip (A). Brace your core and stand tall (B), bringing your hips to the bar hard at the top. Rest for two to three minutes between sets to ensure that you’re fresh for each round.
REAL-LIFE BENEFITS BULLETPROOF LOWER BACK
SUPE RSET B
A
PROGRESSIVE GAINNINNG As soon as ou cann complete all of the s ets at the top end of the rep range, it’s time to add some plates to your next session
B
02a\ LAT PULL-DOWN 4 X 6-8 REPS
Reach up to grab the handle with an overhand grip just wider than your shoulders (A). Pull your elbows back and down, squeezing your shoulders together, pausing to feel the tension in your lats (B). Resist the urge to use momentum. Your gym’s cable machine will work just as well, by the way.
A
02b\ BARBELL HIP THRUST 4 X 6-8 REPS
Sit on the floor with your upper back resting on a bench and hold a barbell across your hips (A). Tuck your heels under your glutes and drive your hips upward, pushing through your feet (B). Lower slowly. Complete the set and go back to the pull-downs.
MEN’S HEALTH 7
MH 04.2020 TRI -SET
B
A
STRRONG FI NISHHER Takee onthisAMRAP(asmany rooundsasposssible)for ibl )f r 10minuttes B
03a\ REVERSESLEDMARCH 20M
Attach straps to a sled and grip onto them with both hands – you should be approximately 2m away from the sled when they’re y re taut (A). (A) Explosively march backward for 20m 2 with powerful steps (B). Immediately release the straps and prepare for the return journey journey.
03c\
HEAVYKBSWING 10REPS
Grip a kettlebell with both hands. Hinge at your hips and push your glutes back until your torso is parallel to the ground, swinging the weight beneath you (A). Squeeze your glutes and snap upright explosively, using your hips to drive the kettlebell up to eye level (B). After your 10th rep, return to the straps for another round on the sled, and keep working until your 10 minutes are up.
8 MEN’S HEALTH
A
003b\ SLEDPU 10REPS
Now, grasp the handles of the sled with your arms fully locked out and lean in, so your torso is almost parallel to the ground ground. (A). (A) Keeping your head up, up drive the sled by marching forward, again taking large, powerful steps (B). Then, grab a kettlebell.
B
RAW P
WORKOUT 02: PUSH
SHOULDERR THE BURDEEN
B
In the interests of balance, offset each pull day with a day focusing on pushing. Where a more traditional gym approach might favour the bench press, for strongmen, the overhead presss re supreme. Getreadytobuildsomesizeable boulderswhereyourshouldersusedtobe–– tocraftyourselfintoabigger,stronger,morre completeathlete.
A
01\ BARBELLPUSHPRESS 5X3-5REPS
Stand tall, holding a barbell across the top of your chest, with your hands underneath the bar. Brace your core and bend at the knees slightly (A). Push back up to standing, driving the bar off your chest and fully locking out your arms overhead (B). Rest for two minutes between each set.
REAL-LIFE BENEFITS FUNCTIONAL T-SHIRT PUMP
SUPE RSET
B
B
A
ELL 02a\ CLOSE-GRIPDUMBB BENCHPRESS 4X8REPS
Lie flat on a bench, gripping a heavy dumbbell in each hand (A). Keeping your elbows close to your body, explosively press the weights upward until your arms are fully extended and the dumbbells are touching above you (B). Get off the bench and grab a slightly lighter set of dumbbells for the second part of the superset.
02b\ DUMBBE 4X8REPS
ZPRESS
Sit upright on the floor, holding the dumbbells up to your shoulders. Spread your legs out in front of you and keep them straight to create a secure base (A). Brace your core and drive the dumbbells upward, until your arms are fully locked out (B). Rest for two minutes, before repeating this huge “push” couplet.
MEN’S HEALTH 9
MH 04.2020 SUPERSET
03a\
CIRCUS DB GROUND-TO-OVVERHEAD 10-1 REPS
With your spine neutral, utral reach down and grasp g a single, heavy du umbbell (A). Now, from a deep d squat, stand up explosiv vely, pulling the weight onto your shoulder and driving it upward. In one smooth s motion, press the dumbbell above your head until your arm is fully locked d out (B). Return the weightt to your shoulder, then low wer it to the ground. Do ni
03b\
B
OVERRHEAD CARRY 2 X 2 0M LENGTHS
Now, pick up a pair off slightly lighter dumbbells and press them overhead (A). Pause P for a moment to stab bilise them, then march intently for 20m, before turning around and walking back b (B). Focus on actively pusshing the weights upward throughout. As soon as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re done, drop the dumbbells and go strraight back into your next ro ound of presses, removing one rep with each round.
10 MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HEALTH
B
A
RAW POWER
WORKOUT 03: LEGS
NEVER SKIPP LEG DAY
A
There’sanoldsayingintrainingcircles:“Youccan’t shootacannonoutofacanoe.”Admittedly,our expertiseinnauticalwarfareislimited,butweedo knowathingortwoaboutgoingtowaronweights. Itisafactuniversallyacknowledgedthatallth pressingpowerintheworldwon’thelpyouwi astrongandstablelowerbodytocarryyou.Soo, prepareyourself: legs day cometh.
B
01\
REAL-LIFE BENEFITS SUNDAY LEAGUE STRIKE POWER
BARBELL RBELL BACK SQUAT 5 X 3-5 REPS
Stand tall holding a barbell across the back of your shoulders (A). With an upright torso and straight back, squat until the crease of your hips sinks below your knee (B). Pause, then stand back up explosively. Rest for two to three minutes between each set.
S UPERSE T
02\
A
ROMANIAN DEADL IFT
B
4 X 8 REPS
Pick up a barbell with an overhand d grip. Maintaining a tight core, slowly low wer the bar, keeping your knees soft and your legs y g as straight g as y you can (A A). When your hamstrings feel th he big ggest stretch, or when the bar touc ches ground, hinge back upward ((B). Rest for two minutes, then repeat.
B STRRONGM AN F ThisA intwo-minutebloc s. UUseyourrest urrest,anddon an n’t holdback
03a\\
A
B
DUMBBELL DEADLIFT
03b\ b\
FARMER’S WALK
MAX REPS IN 60SEC M
MAX LENGTHS IN 60SEC
H Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing h in. With your chest up and sshoulders back, bend your legs to touch the weights to the floor (A). Drive through your legs to come back up y ((B). At the 60-second mark, move straight into the next m exercise. e
Switch to the heaviest dumbbells you can manage, brace your core and stand tall (A). March forward for 20m, before turning around and heading back (B). After your minute is up, drop the dumbbells and rest for two minutes. Repeat for five rounds.
MEN’S HEALTH 11
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7 -7+ !*--7 /7 88 <- $ < <% $ -? 7% 0 12 7'/ <% $ <'$%< , *-@ 7 '< <- (>8< -? B->7 -7 % ,8>7',$ B-> -,*B !* A < <% * -@2 >8 <- +'7 <% ?' @ 0 1 -7 A/*-8'? *B 7 ? 78',$ <% +-? + ,<2
6
MH 04.2020
02
A REAL TEST OF
METTLE
With a strong foundation laid, it’s time to test whether your functional might is up to the challenge. These provide a taster of strongman events, giving you tangible results you can try to beat each time. You’ll perform fewer reps than in the workouts so far, allowing you to tap into your competitive side while maintaining proper form. Progress by deploying these workouts in the days between the Phase 1 sessions – and get ready to go huge
14 MEN’S HEALTH
WEE
WORKOUT 01: LIFT
D WARRIOR
CIRCUIT
BALLS OFFIRE
B
Unfortunately, not every weights room has an Atlas stone lying around,buttheD-ballisonebit ofgear commonly found in commercial gyms thaat allows you to explore “odd object training”. For each exercise, push for as many reps as you can in one minute. Perform the entire circuit five times for a strength-building, lung-searing protocol th takes less than 40 minutes. Grip it and rip it.
A
01a\
D-BALL OVER BAR MAX REPS IN 60SEC
Keep your back straight as you bend down to grip the D-ball in both hands. Lift it to your chest and rest it on your thighs (A). Now, stand up explosively and push the ball over a bar, set above chest height (B). Duck underneath nderneath and repeat on the other side. side Go hard forr a minute, then rest for 60 seconds.
REAL-LIFE BENEFITS INSTANT, ALL-DAY ENERGY
B B
A
01b\ D-BALL BEAR HUG CARRY MAX 20M LENGTHS IN 60SEC
Lift the ball back up, but this time hug it as tightly as possible to your chest (A). Take long, powerful steps forward and focus on breathing steadily and deeply (B). Don’t worry if you drop the ball: just pick it up and continue from where you left off until the minute is up. Then, take another 60 seconds’ rest.
BALL OVER SHOULDER 01c\ DD-BALL 01 MAX REPS IN 60SEC
Grip the ball again with a straight back (A) and lift it to your chest, resting it on your thighs. Power upward and roll the ball over one shoulder to the floor (B). Turn around and repeat for 60 seconds, then take two minutes’ rest. You’ll need it, since you’ll then start from the top for four more rounds.
MEN’S HEALTH 15
MH 04.2020 TRI-SET
WORKOUT 02: BALANCE
B
ONE-SIDE D LADDER
Strongerwithyourdominantarm?Trainingoneside atatimecorrectsmuscleimbalances.“Unnilateral training”ensuresonesideisn’tdoingallthework, andyou’llalsofeelthebenefitsinyourcoreasyour absstruggletokeepyoustable.Forthefirsttwo exercises,startwith10repsoneacharmaandwork yourwaydowntoonerepeach,withtwolengthsof carrieseachtimeyoufinishyourdeadlifts.
A
0 aa\\
REAL-LIFE BENEFITS CRUSHING HANDSHAKE GRIP
BARBELL JAVELIN PRESSS 10-1 REPS
Rest a light barbell on your shoulder, tightly gripping the centre (A). Bend at the knees and explode up, driving the bar off your shoulder and pressing overhead to full lockout (B). Perform the prescribed reps, switch sides and repeat before grabbing g g a slightly g y heavier bar for the deadlifts.
SUITCASE 01b\ DEADLIFT 10-1 REPS Stand with a barbell on the floor at your side. Squat down with a slight hinge and grip the bar dead centre (A). Maintaining a neutral spine, drive your feet into the floor and stand upright (B). Perform the required number of reps, switch to A the other side and repeat. Stand tall on your final rep, keep hold of the bar and go straight into the carries.
16 MEN’S HEALTH
B
WEEKEND WARRIOR
01c \
2 X 20M
SUUITCASE FAARMER’S CARRY
On your last suitc case deadlift, brace yo our core and squeeze the bar as a tightly as possible (A). Now, N lean forward slightly and a march with intent for 20 0m, before dropping the barr, turning around and repeating with the opposite arm m, returning to your starting position. p No time to waste: go directly into your next rou und of presses, dropping one rep each round.
A
B
PROGRESSIVE GAINING For a true test of hand and forearm strength, wrap a fat grip around the bar. Then you’ll really feel the burn
MEN’S HEALTH 17
MH 04.2020 TRI-SET
WORKOUT 03: CARRY
FULLY LOADED
A
There’s nothing more functional than caarrying heavy stuff. Loaded walks are a cornerstone of pro strongman training, but anyone cann reap the benefits. This medley of movements will test your ability to keep moving under a loadd, until the buzzer sounds.Perform each exercise back to back for 20 minutes, resting only if you have to. Keep a count of your sets: it’s what you’ll need to beat next time.
REAL-LIFE BENEFITS CARRY 10 SHOPPING BAGS FROM THE CAR
B
01a\
BAR BELL OVERHEAD CARRY 2 X 20M 0M LENGTHS
Press a heavy barbell overhead, then pause to stabilise the bar (A). Pushing upwards through your palms, march for 20m (B), before turning around and returning to the start. As soon as you’re done, drop the bar to the ground and move straight onto the next carry.
BARBELL ZERCHER 01b\ CARRY 2 X 20M LENGTHS With the barbell as close to your shins as possible, squat down with a flat back and roll the bar into the crooks of your elb bows. Squeeze your han nds together to securre the bar in your arms and stand upright, maintaining a neutral spine (A A). Complete your tw wo lengths, walking with your head up p and fists tight (B). Return the barbell to the ground before your last movement, m ensuring your torso remains upright and core braced.
B
A
18 MEN’S HEALTH
WEEKEND WARRIOR DUM MBBELL DUCK 01c \ WA LK 2 X 20M LENGTHS Select the heaviest dumbbell you can shrug and stand it up bettween your feet. Squat do own with an upright torso an nd grip the top of the bell with h both hands. Stand uprig ght (A) and march forward d with the dumbbell between n your legs for two lengths (B). Drop the dumbbell, make a note of one completed round and move straight back to the bar.
A
B
POWERING OON Once you can com plete a workout of these walks without dropp ing the weight, up u it to 30m
MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HEALTH H 19
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+
MH 04.2020
03
LEARN TO MOVE ANY
MOUNTAIN
Now, you’re ready for the real thing. A regular gym can open the door to strongman training, but to become a modern-day Hercules, you’ll need an upgrade. Whether that means investing in new gear, scouting out a functional space or finding a good log in the woods, Phase 3 will develop your power like nothing that has come before. Perform these workouts once a week on top of Phases 1 and 2 for a taster of the world of competitive strongman.
22 MEN’S HEALTH
RO STRO NGMAN CIRCUI
WORKOUT 01: LOG
PRESSING MATTERS
A
Performthefirsttwoexercisesofourlog-lifting triofollowingarepschemeof15,then10,thenfive, movingstraightintoadiaphragm-crushingcarry aftereveryroundofpresses.Doeachexerciseth timeswithoutrest:that’s oneround.Then,take threeminutes’rest,thendoittwicemore.That’s 9 cleansand90presses,andninecarries,justincaas youthoughtthiswasgoingtobeeasy.
01a\
LOG CCLE 3 X 1 5-10-5 REP
B
With your feet unde er the log, grip the handles with a straight back (A). Thi Thinkk off your ffavourite it motivational meme, then explode up, rolling the log g to y your chest (B). Pause at the top p for a breath. On the last rep, stop at the chest and mo ove directly onto your next task: getting this thing in th he air.
REAL-LIFE REAL LIFE BENEFITS WEAR A LUMBERJACK SHIRT WITH PRIDE
B
A
B
A
01b\
LOG PRESS 3 X 15-10-5 REPS
With the log resting on your chest, elbows forward and core braced (A), bend at the knees and push up explosively, pressing the log to full lockout above your head (B). Lower it under control, absorbing the weight by bending at the knees, then use this energy to drive immediately back up.
01c\
LOG ZERCHER CARRY 3 X 3 ROUNDS OF 2 X 20M LENGTHS
Squat down with a flat back and roll the log into the crooks of your elbows. Squeeze your hands together to secure the log and stand upright (A). Complete your two lengths with short, deliberate steps (B), keeping your head up, and your hands and core tight. Don’t rest until you’ve done three circuits.
MEN’S HEALTH 23
MH 04.2020 TRI-SE
WORKOUT 02: SANDBAG
B
BAG IT UP
Probably the most accessible weapon in the strongman’s arsenal, the sandbag may also be the most versatile (see page 20). Using the heaviest bag you can lift, you’re going to be moving an awkward object, as fast as possible, undeer fatigue. This workout involves working every minute on the minute and resting for the remainder. Butt you’l add a rep to the first two exercises, follow we an extra carry, every minute, until you cann n longer complete the reps in 60 seconds. It’ll be worth the pain.
REAL-LIFE BENEFITS ZERO FEAR OF MOVING HOUSE
SQUAT 01b b\ 1 REP (ADD A REP EACH MINUTE M UNTIL FAILURE)
SANDBAG TO SHO SHOULDER 01a\ 1 REP (ADD A REP EACH MINUTE UNTIL FAILURE) Hinge down to grip the bag with a straight back (A). Hug g the bag g to y your chest and rest it on your thighs. Drive through your heels to move up and heave the bag onto your should der (B). Hold for a breath, then drop it and set up to repeat on the other side, alternating until you hit your target reps.
A
Stand up u with the bag again, but thiss time hug it tightly to your chest (A). With a flat back an nd upright torso, squat down d until your hip passes below your knee (B). Think about sending your hips back, then down, to stop yourself from tilting forward onto your toes. After your last rep, dro op the bag, stand it up betw ween your feet, and hug it to your chest. You’re ready for the carries – get straightt to it.
B
24 MEN’S HEALTH
PRO STRONGMAN
01c \
SANDBAG BEAR HUG CARRY 2 X 20M LENGTHS (ADD 20M EACH MINUTE UNTIL FAILURE) Keeping the bag firmly gripped to your chest (A), take short, powerful strides. Keep your head up and back straight (B). If you drop the bag, pick it up from where you left off and continue until you hit 40m. Rest for the remainder of the minute before adding a rep to each of the first two moves, and a length to the carry. And keep on trucking.
A
B
CARRY OVER If you find your development is plateauuing, work up to a sandbag thhat’s 75% of your bodyweigght
MEN’S HEALTH 25
MH 04.2020 SUPERSET
WORKOUT 03: FARMER’S HANDLE
FARM STRONG
B
An age-old test of fortitude, farmer’s handles will test you from the soles of your feet to the exhausted fibres of your shoulders. Graduating from dumbbells to specially designed grips will allow you to go heavier than ever. You’ll be worki in a ladder format, descending from five reps to one in the deadlift, with a long, heavy walk between each round. Then you’ll round off each set by holding until you drop. There are three setts. Get ready for the hardest walk of your life. REAL-LIFE BENEFITS MENTAL GRIT AND DETERMINATION
ER’S CARRY 01b\ FARM 2 X 20 M LENGTHS
After your final deadlift, keep hold of the handles an nd take a deep breath to brace your core. Ta ake short, deliberate strides forward (A). At the end of the length, lower th he handles, turn around, perform another dead dlift and return to the startt (B). Go immediately into your y next round of deadliftts. After your final walk of each h set, pause and go into the e final movement.
26 MEN’S HEALTH
A
A
01a\
FARMER’S HANDLLE DEADLLIFT 5 1 LADDER X 3 (45 reps totaal) 5-1
Standing between the handles, squat down to grip the bars with a flat back (A). Keeping your core tight, focus on pushing the floor aw way to stand tall, pausing for a second at the top of the rep (B). Return and repeat until your re eps are up, then move straight into the carry.
PRO STRONGMAN
02\
FARMER’S ISO HOLD UNTIL FAILURE
After completing your fifth walk of each set, pause for a couple of breaths. Face a running clock if possible. Grip the handles firmly (A) and stand up. Maintain an upright position with a focus on breathing deeply (B). Hold this position until your grip (or fortitude) gives out. Rest for a couple of minutes, then do two more ladders of deadlifts and carries. It won’t get easier.
FAIL TO SUCCEED When failure fails to come, it’s time to add another few rungs to the ladder. Go for 10-1
MEN’S HEALTH 27
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