dfh f5d6d rumjd4

BUILD YOUR BEST BODY JULY2021

LOOK GOOD FEEL GREAT! YOUR SUMMER SHAPE UP STARTS HERE (P30)

BEAT THE HEAT Hot-weather hydration tips

NEW! STRENGTH TRAINING COLUMN How to create an effective routine (P96)

F I T N E S S

&

A D V E N T U R E

GET RIPPED WITH BANDS

Torch fat and build full-body muscle

10

BEST RUNNING SHOES

TOUR DE FRANCE

INSIGHTS FROM THE WORLD’S BEST RIDERS

CORE TRAINING

Gymnast Joe Fraser’s go-to exercises £4.40

RUNNING PUNKS PROTEIN POWDERS GARDENING GAINS

INCORPORATING

EDUCATION AWARDS 2021

EDITORIAL Editor Isaac Williams Art Director Xavier Robleda Editorial postal address: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL ADVERTISING TANDEM MEDIA LTD Managing Director Catherine Rowe 01233 228750 catherine.rowe@tandemmedia.co.uk Account Manager Ben Rayment 01233 228752 ben@tandemmedia.co.uk Ad Production Manager Andy Welch 01233 220245 mensfit@tandemmedia.co.uk MANAGEMENT Managing Director Phil Weeden Chief Executive Steve Wright Chairman Steve Annetts Finance Director Joyce Parker-Sarioglu Publishing Director Kevin McCormick Subscriptions Director Gill Lambert Retail Distribution Managers Eleanor Brown, Steve Brown Senior Subscriptions Marketing Manager Nick McIntosh Head of Events Kat Chappell Publishing Operations Manager Charlotte Whittaker Print Production Manager Georgina Harris Print Production Controller Anne Meader DISTRIBUTION (UK) Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP, Tel: 0330 390 6555 DISTRIBUTION (N. IRELAND AND REP. OF IRELAND) Newspread, Tel: +353 23 886 3850 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd COVER Model: Parker Cote Photography: Garreth Barclay Kelsey Media 2020 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright.

The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to emails received. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties.

Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously.

For more information on our privacy policy, please visit kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy. If you have any queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy you can email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@kelsey.co.uk

EDITOR’S LETTER

ISSUE 255 JULY 2021

oll out the factor 50. Fire up the barbecue. Summer is finally here! And this issue of MF is your blueprint for looking and feeling your best as the mercury rises. From fat-loss strategies, to strength training advice – including how to create an effective gym programme – and elite insights from this year’s Tour de France riders, we’ve got all bases covered.

Our lead feature offers 14 ways to fire up your fitness for the sunshine months ahead, with sciencebacked methods for getting in shape in double-quick time. Elsewhere, we dig up the mind and body benefits of gardening – which is experiencing unprecedented popularity after the year just gone – and go jogging with the Running Punks: the club sticking two fingers up to the traditional running scene. We’ve also got interviews with Joe Fraser – the rising star of GB gymnastics – and rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll.

You’ll find in-depth reviews of the latest fitness kit and nutrition products, too, including the ten best running shoes on the market right now, portable exercise tech for staying in shape away from home, and a look at the ‘clear protein’ powders shaking up the recovery scene.

All that, plus exclusive workouts, performancefocused recipes, and standout stories from the world of health and fitness.

Isaac Williams, Editor isaac.williams@kelsey.co.uk

WITH HELP FROM… ANDREW LLOYD

is a journalist fascinated by unique people.

This issue he catches up with the Running Punks (p38).

MARK BAILEY

is a regular contributor. This issue he looks at the fitness lessons we can learn from Tour de France riders (p50).

JAMES GRIFFITHS

is a fitness expert and founder of Wild Training.

Read his new strength training column on p96.

TIERNAN DOUIEB

is a comedian and writer who rages against the machines (health apps) on p98.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Men’s Fitness is published every month.

UK annual subscription price: £50.40 Europe annual subscription: £62 USA & Canada annual subscription: £62 Rest of world annual subscription: £68 CONTACT US UK subscription and back issue order line: 01959 543747

Overseas subscription order line: 0044 ( 0 ) 1959 543747 Toll-free USA subscription order line: 1-888-777-0275 UK customer service team: 01959 543747 Customer service email address: subs@kelsey.co.uk Customer service and subscription postal address: Men’s Fitness magazine, Customer Service Team, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court,

Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, United Kingdom WEBSITE Find current subscription offers at shop.kelsey.co.uk/men Buy back issues at shop.kelsey.co.uk/menback ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Manage your subscription online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount

JULY 2021

3

CONTENTS

35 “BODYWEIGHT TRAINING CAN

INCREASE MAXIMUM FORCE BY 15 PER CENT AND POWER BY 13 PER CENT”

56

UPDATES

IN FOCUS

09 15 Mins With

30 Fit for Summer

Rugby player Maro Itoje

10 News

Discover the power of pink and pints

14 Mind

Body image and the need to veg out

16 Cover Star

Meet this issue’s frontman, Parker Cote

PERFECT FIT

21 Running

Shoes

Ten of the best for 2021

26 Tech Talk

Portable kit to keep fit away from home

4

JULY 2021

Your blueprint for reaching peak condition for the sunny days ahead

38 Running Punks

The group sticking two fingers up to the traditional running scene

44 Gardening Gains

Bolster body and mind by joining the greenfingered revolution

50 Tour de France

Elite endurance insights from the leading contenders at this year’s race

56 Joe Fraser

We talk strength, mobility and going for gold with the rising star of GB gymnastics

60 Andes Adventure

What trekking 1,000 miles taught this MF contributor about endurance and fortitude

ISSUE 255 JULY 2021

86

FUEL 68 Nutrition News

Facts and findings from the world of food

70 Clear Protein

The new type of powder shaking up the industry

72 Hydration

How to hydrate effectively to beat the heat

76 Recipes

Nutritious meals from health app Oro

76

84

44 09

TRAINER 81 Six-Pack Secrets

How to unveil the abs that lie beneath

82 Brian O’Driscoll

The rugby legend’s mission to get people moving

84 Band Workout

Build beach-ready muscle with this routine

86 Chest, Arms, Core

The gym-based session to blitz your upper body

90 Train Wright Workout

Scorch fat with this bodyweight blast NEW COLUMN

96 Give Me Strength

How to create an effective training programme

98 Final Thought

A comedian rages against the machines JULY 2021

5

●UPDATES

NEW RULE OF THREE Scientists have developed a simple new three-minute exercise formula that has been proven to extend the length and quality of your life

T

6

JULY 2021

DURING THE WORKING DAY, TRY THE FOLLOWING LIFE-LENGTHENING CIRCUIT EVERY HOUR, ON THE HOUR

kind in the world, featuring data from more than 130,000 people.

SHAKE THINGS UP “We wanted to find out what the perfect cocktail of physical activity throughout a day was for maximum health, in terms of the time spent sitting, exercising, just moving around, and sleeping, and how these all work together,” explained Professor Sebastien Chastin. “Our new formula found that three minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per hour of sitting will get the balance right and help you live a longer, healthier life.”

Given that most of us spend between 50-70 per cent of our time sitting down, this is important news.

It suggests a regular sprinkle of exercise during the day could be more important for your health than one longer workout.

1a. JUMPING JACK X 50 SECS (Rest x 10 secs)

1b. PRESS-UP X 50 SECS (Rest x 10 secs)

1c. BODYWEIGHT SQUAT X 50 SECS (Rest x 10 secs)

Words: Mark Bailey | Photography: Getty Images

hree minutes is not long enough to boil an egg, or to make it through most songs on Spotify, but new research suggests it is more than enough time to save your life.

A global team of scientists, led

by Glasgow Caledonian University, found that performing three minutes of moderate exercise for each hour of the day you spend sitting down could cut your chances of an early death by 30 per cent. Although guidelines suggest we do 30 minutes of exercise per day, the experts found that did not correlate with a reduced mortality risk for anyone who spends extended periods sitting down. However, when those people did three minutes of exercise for every hour spent sitting, their odds of an early death were slashed. The four-year study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, is the largest of its

3-MINUTE WORKOUT

“We’re pleased to support the development process of the Healthspan Elite Energy Gels.

Not only are they a convenient way to get fuel whilst on the bike, the riders are delighted with the natural ingredients used, which make the gels taste great.”

Georgina Impson Davies, Great Britain Cycling Team and EIS Nutritionist

£4 off

EACH BOX OF 24 SACHETS

Available in 4 naturally delicious flavours: Passion Fruit, Citrus and Apple & Blackcurrant RRP

£35.99

Espresso (with caffeine) RRP £39.99

www.healthspanelite.co.uk FREEPHONE 0800 80 30 123 Follow us on:

OFFER CODE:

The fuel of British Cycling

MENF-JJN

NEW

@healthspan.elite

@healthspanelite

*Passion Fruit, Apple and Blackcurrant and Citrus RRP £35.99, Espresso RRP £39.99 (24 sachets). Everyone has the right to complete in clean sport and all British Cycling members are bound by the UK Anti-Doping Rules. You can find further information about managing supplements risks at www.britishcycling.org,uk Quote code MENF-JJN when ordering at checkout. Free delivery on Healthspan Elite® orders delivered to UK addresses. Voucher valid until 23/07/21 at www.healthspanelite.co.uk and only when purchasing Healthspan Elite products. Single use only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or subscription.

UPDATES●

15 MINUTES WITH…

MARO ITOJE

Photography: Under Armour

At just 26, Maro Itoje is one of the first names on the team sheet for both club (Saracens) and country (England). He’s even a nailed-on starter for that precious pinnacle of northern hemisphere rugby: the British and Irish Lions.

Having recently signed with Under Armour – a partnership that will see UA donate £1 million of performance sports apparel to KIT US OUT – Itoje is also leading the way off the field as one of the few rugby players who truly transcends the sport.

MF grabbed 15 minutes with Itoje at the end of UA’s ISO-CHILL product launch. Here’s what he had to say…

With fitness it’s all about how you package it. At times, it might not be the most fun thing in the world, but it’s necessary to play and perform at a certain level. If I wasn’t a rugby player, I wouldn’t have been exposed to this type of training, so I would train in a slightly different way.

But if I were to stop being a rugby player today, there are definitely a lot of aspects I would keep up – and maybe some I wouldn’t.

We’re always [as rugby players] exposed to new ways of conditioning and different training stimuli. But the fundamentals of strength and conditioning haven’t really changed for quite a while. You still need your compound lifts, and to load your legs and back for strength and injury prevention.

Trap bar deadlifts are my go-to. The trap bar takes the load off the back a bit, but still allows you to get the work in.

A lower-body session might look like this: • 5 x 5 on the trap bar • Weighted concentric jumps • Romanian deadlifts • Prowler sled finisher I try to eat little and often, rather than having massive meals. But it’s really just about sticking to a balanced diet. Obviously you need to get your protein and your greens in, as well as a necessary amount of carbs.

And then it’s about making sure you don’t overindulge too often – which can be easier said than done.

I want to be a very, very, very successful rugby player. I want to win. I want to be part of teams that are dominant and always competing for trophies. I want to experience the highs that rugby can give me.

Competition, passion, and the ability to get better are what really motivate me.

JULY 2021

9

●UPDATES

THINK PINK

t h e n e x t t i m e yo u’re s h o p p i n g f o r e n e r g y d r i n k s o r f l a vo u re d w a t e r. A n e w s t u d y, p u b l i s h e d i n t h e j o u rn a l Fr o n t i e r s i n Nu t r i t i o n , l e d b y t h e C e n t re f o r Nu t r a c e u t i c a l s a t t h e Un i ve r s i t y o f We s t m i n s t e r, f o u n d t h a t p i n k d r i n k s i n c re a s e e xe rc i s e p e r f o rm a n c e b y 4 . 4 p e r c e n t – m u c h h i g h e r t h a n c l e a r d r i n k s . It’s n o t t h a t the colour pink has any magical nutritional properties, but bright colours trigger a ‘f e e l - g o o d’ effect that can make e xe rc i s e s e e m e a s i e r. T h e re s e a rc h e r s c h o s e p i n k a s i t i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h s w e e t n e s s a n d t h e re f o re m a k e s t h e brain think of sugar intake. The subjects who consumed p i n k d r i n k s e n j oye d e n h a n c e d f e e l i n g s o f p l e a s u re , a n d a c h i e ve d h i g h e r r u n n i n g s p e e d s a n d l o n g e r d i s t a n c e s .

Quick Question:

If you’re still nervous about returning to the gym this summer, don’t be. The average Covid-19 infection rate at health clubs across Europe has been just 1.12 per 100,000 visits, according to a ThinkActive report, suggesting gyms are much safer than you think. The data was based on more than 115 million visits to 4,360 health clubs across the UK and other European nations.

CAN BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES BUILD MUSCLE? If you think you need to lift heavy to see results, think again. “There is a misconception that bodyweight exercises will not build muscle,” says Ben Camara, founder of Remote Coach (remotecoach.fit). “But look at some the world’s best gymnasts and calisthenics masters – you won’t see a lack of muscle there.”

Bodyweight drills can be effective muscle-builders, because of the enhanced volume you can achieve through regular repetition of these home-friendly exercises. (And when you take into account that the average weight of a UK man is 84kg, that’s plenty to work with.)

“The volume of your bodyweight workouts are the real driver to create a stimulus for hypertrophy,” explains Camara, who recommends chin-ups and pistol squats.

“Increasing the volume of your workouts, alongside the range of motion and the time you put your muscles under tension, will also produce a progressive overload to stimulate real growth.”

INKING FEELING

When you feel stressed out, the hormone cortisol surges through your body, causing you to retain more body fat. But a study by the University of Sussex found that reading a book can help to reduce that kind of belly-building stress by up to 68 per cent. To double down on stress-relief, reread one of your favourite old books: Washington’s American University found that doing so for just six minutes promotes enough therapeutic self-reflection to slash unwanted stress.

you’re planning on squeezing in a few beach runs this summer, you’ll joy some bonus fitness benefits. A study in the Journal of Experimental ology found that running on soft surfaces burns 1.6 times more energy an running on concrete pavements, because your muscles have to work tra hard to conquer the soft, uneven terrain. This calls for a holiday.

10

JULY 2021

Words: Mark Bailey | Photography: Getty Images

SWEAT SAFE

TURN THE PAGE

●UPDATES

ANYONE FOR A PINT?

It’s t h e n e w s yo u’ve b e e n w a i t i n g f o r : a d r i n k i n yo u r l o c a l b e e r g a rd e n i s o f f i c i a l l y g o o d f o r yo u .

A n e w s t u d y p re s e n t e d a t t h e A m e r i c a n C o l l e g e o f Ca rd i o l o g y’s 7 0 t h A n n u a l S c i e n t i f i c Se s s i o n f o u n d t h a t m o d e r a t e a l c o h o l i n t a k e – d e f i n e d a s n o m o re than two drinks per day for men – is associated w i t h a l ow e r r i s k o f d y i n g f r o m c a rd i ov a s c u l a r d i s e a s e w h e n c o m p a re d t o t e e t o t a l l e r s . “ We f o u n d t h a t s t re s s - re l a t e d a c t i v i t y i n t h e b r a i n w a s h i g h e r i n n o n - d r i n k e r s w h e n c o m p a re d w i t h p e o p l e w h o d r a n k m o d e r a t e l y, ” s a i d Dr K e n e c h u k w u Me z u e , t h e l e a d a u t h o r. “ T h e t h o u g h t i s t h a t m o d e r a t e a m o u n t s o f a l c o h o l m a y h a ve e f f e c t s o n t h e b r a i n t h a t c a n h e l p yo u re l a x , re d u c e s t re s s l e ve l s a n d , p e r h a p s t h r o u g h t h e s e m e c h a n i s m s , l ow e r t h e i n c i d e n c e o f c a rd i ov a s c u l a r d i s e a s e . ” It’s n o t a n e xc u s e t o d r i n k . Bu t i t i s g o o d re a s o n n e ve r t o f e e l guilty after a post-work pint.

MUSIC MATTERS

According to researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, listening to music represents a ‘total brain workout’ for your grey cells. Their research has shown that listening to music helps to slash anxiety and blood pressure, improve mental alertness and memory, and strengthen neural pathways and connections.

3 Ways To...

BOOST YOUR FERTILITY FERTILITY EXPERT DR ATTILIO D’ALBERTO OFFERS SOME SIMPLE STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING YOUR CHANCES

Your phone addiction is wrecking your health – even when you try to relax. Researchers at Kent State University found that an increased level of smartphone use is associated with a diminished experience of daily leisure time, leading phone addicts to feel uptight, stressed and anxious, even when they’re doing other things, like seeing friends or watching sport on TV. On the other hand, people who use their phone for less than three hours a day enjoy their leisure time much more, and subsequently suffer less boredom and distress.

12

JULY 2021

2. REDUCE PLASTICS The use of plastics is a growing problem, not only for the environment but also for male fertility as they can act like oestrogens. Make a particular point to cut down the use of products containing BPA or phthalates. It’s been proven that these chemicals are hormone disruptors and can negatively impact sperm quality.

3. OPTIMISE YOUR DIET Research has shown that replacing meat with fish improves sperm count and morphology. White fish improves sperm morphology, while dark fish improves sperm count. Consuming two servings of fish a week in lieu of two servings of processed red meat has been associated with a 60 per cent higher total sperm count.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

As the UK’s first interactive fitness mirror, the VAHA acts like a virtual personal trainer, streaming directly into your home like a hologram to deliver more than 200 different workouts for every type of training goal and exercise preference. Live classes are also provided around the clock and, if you like a more personalised experience, you can even book individual training sessions with real trainers, who then connect live to your mirror at a time that suits you. Two sizes of VAHA mirror are available, with prices starting from £1,150, while a monthly membership to access the workout platform costs £39.

Visit vaha.uk to find out more.

Words: Mark Bailey | Photography: Getty Images

STOP SCROLLING

1. KEEP COOL A man’s testicles are outside the body to keep them cooler for optimal sperm production. Sperm and its production are damaged by excessive heat, so don’t sit with your laptop on your lap, avoid wearing overly restrictive pants, and keep hot baths to a minimum.

●UPDATES

SLEEP IT OFF

Research by Duke University has found that even adults in their twenties and thirties vary wildly in their biological age, with those of an older biological age already suffering a premature decline in their physical and c o g n i t i v e h e a l t h . T h e r e ’s o f t e n a s i m p l e c a u s e , a s a n o t h e r American study suggested people who have less than five hours’ sleep per night had an ‘excess hear t age’ 5.1 years beyond their real age. If you struggle to get enough shuteye at night, napping during the day can help, with new research published in BMJ Psychiatry showing that regular siestas prevent cognitive decline.

OUT OF TOUCH

Virtual reality can make you lose your sense of time, say experts who advise that designers should incorporate clocks into the design of VR environments to prevent problems such as disrupted sleep patterns in habitual gamers. Research has shown that gamers who enter immersive VR spaces experience ‘time compression’, but the simple addition of clocks could prevent the negative effects taking hold.

Weigh your fruit and veg to cut your stress. A high intake is known to help lower stress levels, and now a study published in Clinical Nutrition reports that the key is to have about half a kilo every day. Researchers found that those who ate at least 470g of fruit and vegetables daily had ten per cent lower stress levels than those who consumed less than 230g.

14

JULY 2021

470g fruit & veg = 1 sweet potato (125g) 1 apple (70g) 2 carrots (110g)

65g blueberries

100g broccoli

PURPLE PATCH Inhaling lavender can be a safe, cost-effective way to soothe anxiety. The famous purple flowering plant comes from the Mediterranean, but now grows across Europe and beyond, and people have been using its aromatic petals and oil to help themselves get off to sleep for centuries. Now researchers suggest that physicians should make more use of the herb’s calming properties.

Words: Simon Cross | Photography: Getty Images

Pile on the Pounds

BODY IMAGE

Instagram photos of ripped fitness influencers have a detrimental effect on the mental health of young men, according to Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which has launched its own Insta feed to try and encourage positive male body image. The charity found that nearly half of British men have struggled mentally because they’re unhappy with the way they look. CALM CEO Simon Gunning told the BBC, “Body image issues are massively prevalent in women and girls. The same pressures apply to men, but we don’t discuss them in the same way.”

TRY A SUBSCRIPTION TO In every issue..

• Workouts

• Training advice • In-depth features • Exclusive interviews

PAY JUST £5 FOR FIRST 3 ISSUES 3

ISSUES FOR

£5

GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE:

• Pay just £5 for your first 3 issues.

• Continue to save 24% after your trial.

• Every issue delivered to your door at no extra cost, before it hits the shops.

• Never miss an issue.

SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/MEFP0621 OR CALL 01959 543 747 VISIT

*

QUOTING CODE MEFP0621

Lines open Mon-Fri, 8.30-5.30pm. Calls charged at your standard network rate.

*

Terms & conditions: Offer available for UK customers only. You will pay £5 for your first 3 issues. Your subscription will then continue every 6 months at £19.99 – saving 24%. For overseas rates please visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/MEF. Offer closes 31st August 2021. *Full UK subscription rate for 12 issues is £52.80, USA & EU £62, RoW £68.

●UPDATES COVER STAR MEET THE FRONTMAN:

parker cote On the cover this issue is PT and fitness model Parker Cote. Originally from Rhode Island, the 34-year-old now lives in Boston, and in 2015 he set up his own personal training studio, Parker Cote Elite Fitness. His English bulldog, Tuco, is his trusted training partner, and when it comes to fitness he preaches consistency over extremes (Parker, not the dog).

16

JULY 2021

Rapid Responses FAVOURITE BIT OF FITNESS KIT? Cables: they’re so versatile.

Photography: Chris Fanning

Men’s Fitness: Parker, how Gym too busy? Simply squat with your British bulldog would you describe your training (20-25kg) instead philosophy?

Parker Cote: It’s best summed up with two words: avoid extremes. It pains me to see people spending a lifetime going in and out of shape using silly, extreme methods. My approach has always been longevity-based. I started out as a skinny teenager and gradually built lean muscle over the years. Because my results came very gradually, I was able to keep them.

Too many people look for quick fixes. In fitness, quick fixes simply don’t exist. Yes, you have to be disciplined, diligent and consistent, but you also need to have balance.

I personally enjoy the strategy of training one muscle group per day.

I love incorporating supersets for their time-saving, fatburning benefits, and I utilise a variety of compound and single-joint moves to make sure the body is balanced in all ways: top to bottom, left to right, front to back.

“In fitness, quick fixes simply don’t exist”

MF: How often do you work out?

PC: Five to six days per week, depending on my schedule.

I don’t see it as work, though; I use workouts as a way to clear my head and set a positive tone for the day.

MF: Do you pay equal attention to your nutrition?

PC: Absolutely! Nutrition knowledge and application is essential for fitness success. You can do the best workouts in the world, but if your nutrition is poor you will never see long-term results. My diet consists primarily of lean meats, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and nuts. I make sure to have a cheat meal once a week for a mental break from eating clean, but also to boost my metabolism. I believe cheat meals are essential for longevity in fitness. I’ve been eating healthily for 20 years, and cheat meals have allowed me to adhere to a smart plan in a balanced way.

FAVOURITE WORKOUT MUSIC? Hip hop, indie & 50s.

BEST TIME TO TRAIN? First thing in the morning.

FITNESS PET HATE? Poor form.

WORKOUT WISDOM

FAVOURITE EXERCISE? Hanging leg raise.

“I love resistance bands, because they provide progressive resistance, meaning the weight increases as the concentric portion of the move occurs. That provides a different stimulus to the muscles, leading to growth. Also, they are versatile and portable, taking up next to no space when you’re on the move.”

HARDEST EXERCISE? Weighted pull-ups.

Parker Cote on the benefits of bands

Photography: Jon Malinowski

MF: What’s the biggest learning curve you’ve experienced in relation to your fitness?

PC: When I was younger, I was so eager for results that I became impatient. But my dad had the simplest advice: he said that anyone who was in the shape I wanted to be in had just been doing it for longer – meaning, the guys with physiques that inspired me just had more years of training under their belts. If I stayed consistent, I too would achieve the results I wanted to. That advice allowed me to ease back and thoroughly enjoy the process of getting in shape.

BEST CHEAT MEAL? Buffalo chicken pizza.

CHECK OUT COTE’S BEACH-READY BAND WORKOUT ON PAGE 84

JULY 2021 17

Photography: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

PICTURE PREVIEW

GB’s Joe Fraser competes in the Men’s Parallel Bars Final during day ten of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in October, 2019.

Fraser’s flawless routine was enough to win gold, making him the first British gymnast ever to bag top prize on the apparatus at the World Champs.

Pirouette to page 56 to read our interview with Fraser, in which he reveals the dedication, discipline and physical prowess required to be an elite gymnast.

SUCCEED IN STYLE

FEET FIRST In the market for a new pair of running shoes? We’ve got you covered very runner’s biochemistry is unique, which means certain shoes will be perfect for some and terrible for others. That said, there are three key things everyone needs to consider when trainer shopping. Firstly, the shoe should fit your foot snugly, without having to do the laces up tight. Secondly, the shoe should naturally flow with your stride (and make you want to run faster). Finally, the shoe should fit your running mechanics, meaning if you start to feel irritation in areas that have bothered you in the past, that’s a sign you’re not wearing the right pair. To help you put your best foot forward, we put a selection of the latest running shoes through their paces – here are the ten that came out on top.

E

ON CLOUDULTRA £160, on-running.com

KEY FEATURES

Words: Kieran Alger and Isaac Williams

Double down: The Cloudultra is the first outdoor trail shoe to feature On’s Helion superfoam, with two layers of Clouds for boosted impact absorption and cushioning.

Speedy boarding: The Cloudultra’s Speedboard plate is wider in the middle of the shoe to improve efficiency and comfort over longer trail miles.

Wrap star: The upper features a two-layer, durable and breathable sandwich mesh made from 100 per cent recycled Polyester, with a wrap-fit construction and integrated tongue for sock-like fit.

The Cloudultra is a max-versatility shoe built for long days and high miles on the trails and mixed terrain. It’s just as happy on the road as it is the riverside, gravel paths, quick bursts through forest glades, or rocky routes on steeper mountain slopes.

A double layer of On’s clouds work with a trail-tuned Speedboard – and 4mm lugs – for a comfortable and responsive ride that’s just the right side of firm.

A closed outsole also fixes the annoying stonecatching habit that’s plagued past iterations of On shoes. A shoe well worthy of your attention.

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★ ★

JULY 2021

21

●PERFECT FIT RUNNING SHOES PUMA VELOCITY NITRO £100, puma.uk.com

KEY FEATURES

Soft centred: Nitrogen-infused EVA foam cushions every step, with just enough bounce to maintain energy return.

Budget buy: OK, £100 is hardly cheap as chips, but it is significantly more affordable than most newrelease runners.

One for all: The Velocity Nitro is light enough for speed play, but durable and cushioned enough for going slow and steady.

A true all-rounder, Puma’s Velocity Nitro is as at home flying around a track as it is plodding out slow Sunday long runs. If the brand hasn’t quite set the road-running world alight to date, this shoe lays down a real marker. The Nitro Foam cushioning provides a nice amount of spring for picking up the pace, with enough cushioning to maintain comfort when the distance increases. A TPU heel piece wraps around the heel to add a touch of stability, too.

All in all, this is a seriously impressive shoe suitable for all manner of distances and running styles – and for significantly less money that most other newreleases on the market.

NIKE REACT INFINITY RUN FLYKNIT 2 £139.95, nike.com

KEY FEATURES

Wide boy: The Infinity’s sole is wider under the midforefoot to provide a more stable ride.

Rocker fellas: The Hoka-like curved rocker midsole is designed to help improve the efficiency in your foot strike cycle.

Easy going: At 300g, the Infinity is on the heavier side and is definitely better for easy recovery than uptempo training miles.

Great for casual runs and easy recovery efforts, this second-gen update of Nike’s popular everyday training shoe comes with the same soft and responsive React midsole foam and a wide base that gives stable and cushioned landings. A new Flyknit mesh upper – and a padded tongue and heel – also improves the all-round comfort and lockdown fit.

This shoe is plush, roomy and flexible, though at a heavier 302g the Flyknit 2 is best laced up for slower miles and those exploratory ambles where you’re running without much time-focused intent.

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★ ★

22

JULY 2021

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★ ★

SALOMON PHANTASM £165, salomon.com

KEY FEATURES

Fast and light: This is a shoe that feels even lighter than its sub200g weight.

Weld done: The stitch-free upper melts around your foot for a barely-there feel.

Above the curve: A curved midsole lends itself to a natural running style, allowing you to touch down and toe-off in one fluid movement.

As light as a 199g feather, this is a shoe built with fast times in mind. Salomon is best known as a rugged trail brand, but in recent years it’s stepped onto the road and the Phantasm represents its most stripped-back, speedfirst product to date. If you’re a seasoned runner, with sound biomechanics and a well-tuned running style, chances are you’ll love the barely-there feel of this

shoe – including the Energy Surge proprietary foam, proving a touch of bounce for next to no weight.

Here’s the but…if you’re either new to running, tend to heel strike, or are simply heavy set, you’re likely to want something with a little more protection.

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★

★ ★

★

NEW BALANCE FRESH FOAM 1080 V11 £135, newbalance.co.uk

KEY FEATURES

Joy of socks: The one-piece mesh upper with integrated tongue hugs your foot for sock-like comfort, but without limiting your foot’s freedom to flex.

Running up that heel: The 1080 V11’s cupped ultra-heel design keeps the foot nicely cradled without blister-inducing slippage or movement.

Flex appeal: The V11’s outsole has carefully placed grooves that allow the sole to flex, helping the shoe to move with your foot for a softer, smoother feel.

With excellent step-in comfort and a disappearing feel on the foot, this 263g, midweight, daily trainer screams reliable comfort and performance for those easy

to mid-intensity miles. The big midsole stack of FreshFoam X is slightly firmer than some heavily-cushioned shoes, but strikes a good balance between soft landings and energysaving response. The one-piece mesh upper, meanwhile, adds a touch of sock-like snugness that feels supportive but also leaves plenty of wiggle room for your toes.

This is one of those versatile shoes you’re always happy to lace up.

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

★ ★

VEJA MARLIN V-KNIT £145, veja-store.com

KEY FEATURES

Post-petroleum: The Marlin is made from 62 per cent biobased or recycled materials.

Comfort king: It may be named after the fastest fish in the ocean, but the Marlin’s main perk is its next-level comfort.

Stick it on and you won’t want to take it off.

All-rounder: Lightweight, breathable and dynamic, but complete with stylish good looks, this is a shoe equally suited to Sunday strolls as jogs round the park.

A wardrobe staple among fashion aficionados for some time, ecoconscious trainer brand Veja has branched out into the crowded world of running shoes – with impressive results. Following the award-winning Condor, the Marlin is made from recycled and sustainable materials, but how does it perform? In a word: well.

Though probably a little heavy for anything too quick, the shoe’s ample cushioning, breathability and foot-hugging comfort make it perfect for lower-intensity outings. As you’d expect from

Veja, it also looks the part, and if running isn’t your thing it makes for a comfy, fine-looking gym trainer.

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

JULY 2021

★

23

●PERFECT FIT RUNNING SHOES UNDER ARMOUR FLOW VELOCITI WIND £140, underarmour.co.uk

KEY FEATURES

Smart choice: Sensors embedded in the midsole track your runs and running form, and fire data via Bluetooth to MapMyRun, unlocking real-time coaching and post-run tips.

Go with the flow: The new 8mm drop of Flow midsole foam provides cushioning, durability and traction.

Warp speed: Zonally structured uppers provide support in the right places, while saving weight elsewhere in the shoe.

Bucking the Under Armour trend for bulkier shoes, the 241g Velociti Wind is by far the brand’s lightest and best to date. The first to feature a new lighter and springier Flow midsole foam, it’s agile and nimble, albeit with a firmer feel that makes it ideally suited to shorter, faster training miles or racing half marathons. There are bonus tracking and coaching skills, too, with built-in sensors that sync easily with the MapMyRun app to track distance, pace, cadence and stride length, as well as offering coaching feedback during and after your runs.

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

★

HOKA CARBON X2 £160, hokaoneone.eu

KEY FEATURES

Plate it safe: The full-length carbon plate is less highly sprung than some carbon inserts, which makes for a more subtle response that’s good for longer runs.

Metarocker and roll: The Carbon X’s curved sole helps improve efficiency and smooth your transition from foot down to toe.

Get your kicks: The extended heel kick-back is designed to spread the impact if you strike more on your medial or lateral side.

At 234g, Hoka’s second-generation endurance racer is lighter than the original but oddly feels more clunky underfoot. That’s largely down to the ‘swallow tale’ protruding heel that adds more heft to the shoe. There is a punch to the Carbon X2 at faster paces – just don’t expect a Nike Vaporfly kick.

The high stack of bouncy, responsive midsole foam runs slightly softer than the original Carbon X, while the more subtle-running carbon plate works with Hoka’s trademark rocker, to roll your foot through to a springy toe-off. A fun, lively ride with ample room in the toe box – good for going long.

24

JULY 2021

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★

★

ALLBIRDS DASHER MIZZLE £130, allbirds.co.uk

KEY FEATURES

Sweet sensation: The carbon-negative SweetFoam EVA midsole has a 7mm drop and a Nike Infinitestyle wide base for good stability.

Lighter footprint: The Mizzle’s carbon footprint comes stamped inside the shoe – starting at 10.4kg CO2e, which is as much as 30 per cent less than a regular running trainer.

Rinse and repeat: Unlike most running shoes, the Mizzle is designed to survive a spin in the washing machine.

Most high-performance running shoes are made from nasty petro-chemical-based materials. That makes them great for setting parkrun PBs, but less good for the planet. Allbird’s water-repelling, eco-friendly Dasher Mizzle is different. It looks and runs like a firmer version of the popular Nike React Infinity Run, but swaps plastics for more sustainable alternatives, like sugarcane-derived midsoles. All in all, a good option if you run shorter distances a few times a week for fitness, and you care more about Planet Earth than chasing Strava segments.

Comfort

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★

★

Comfort

★ ★ ★

★

Cushioning

★ ★ ★ ★

Responsiveness

★ ★ ★

★

OVERALL

★ ★ ★

★

SAUCONY RIDE 14 £125, saucony.com

KEY FEATURES

Feel the PWR: Saucony’s trademark PWRRUN cushioning provides a super-soft ride.

On FORM: Engineered mesh in the FORMFIT upper provides breathability and a comfortable fit.

Gain traction: The rubber outsole is durable and grippy on the wet, while providing just enough resilience over rocky terrain.

The latest addition to Saucony’s line of super-soft, distance-oriented running shoes, the Ride 14 offers plush cushioning with a surprising amount of snappy responsiveness. It’s not a stability shoe, per se, but that soft yet firm cushioning does offer a sense of security for anyone who tends to over or underpronate. There are plenty of high-performance specs – including the engineered mesh upper for lightweight breathability – but the sense is this is a shoe tailor-made for beginners or anyone who wants to prioritise comfort over picking up the pace.

JULY 2021

25

●PERFECT FIT TECH TALK

TRAVEL TECH Suitcase-friendly fitness gadgets to help you stay in shape wherever you are

olidays are edging back onto the agenda.

If that means lying on a sun lounger, sipping cocktails and pressing pause on your regular fitness routine, then we’re right beyond you. After all, quality rest is what keeps us physically and mentally primed to pursue our goals. But with more time and less pressure, holidays can also be the perfect time to train. So whether you wind up in a Spanish villa or on a Cornish campsite, we’ve lined up the best travel-friendly fitness tech to keep your training – and resting – on track.

H

POLAR IGNITE 2 £199.50, polar.com

With built-in GPS and heart-rate monitoring, plus a 20-hour GPS battery life, the Ignite 2 packs all the required fitness watch skills to track your regular holiday cardio sessions. Indoor and outdoor runs, rides and swims are covered with the usual features and real-time insights such as heart-rate-zone training, and pace and distance tracking. FuelWise provides feedback on your carb, protein and fat fuel usage for every session, and you can now broadcast your heart stats to gym cardio machines.

All that makes the Ignite a great all-round fitness tracking tool way beyond a two-week getaway, but what really boosts the Ignite’s travel-companion creds is the FitSpark workout recommendations tool. The watch serves up daily cardio, strength and mobility workout suggestions, all tied to your recent training load and your current recovery state – based in part on your sleep and how well your autonomic nervous system has bounced back overnight. Each workout comes with basic but easyto-follow animated drills on the watch, that guide you step-by-step through your sessions without the need for a phone or tablet.

Polar has also added a wonderfully simple

26

JULY 2021

weekly training summary screen that shows how your workouts from the past seven days spread out across the different intensity zones – so it’s easy to spot when you’re doing too much of a good thing. All your info is brightly presented on an always-on colour touchscreen display with an ambient light sensor for OK readability in most light. The Ignite is also waterproof to 30m, offers linked-smartphone music controls and basic notifications.

At 35g, it’s on the lighter side for a fitness tracker, though fans of more robust timepieces might find the stripped back design a little too minimal.

However, if you’re looking for a simple, reliable and wellfeatured fitness tool, to keep your work rate ticking over without the stress of training plans or the need for additional kit, this has a lot going for it. (Not least that sub£200 price tag.)

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★

APPLE FITNESS (+ APPLE WATCH) £9.99 per month, apple.com

A recent newcomer to the growing line-up of remote-training options, Apple’s fitness platform offers a familiar package of video-guided, trainer-coached workouts on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Sessions last anything from five to 45 minutes, with HIIT, strength, core and yoga you can do anywhere, plus a range of cycling, rowing and treadmill running workouts – ideal for the kit you’ll find in most hotel gyms. All sessions also come with a handy trainer preview of the fate that awaits you.

What makes this different, though, is the Apple Watch. Partly because you’ll need a Watch Series 3 or later to use the service, but also because all your vital watch-tracked metrics are beamed onto the screen for added live insights and motivation. You can customise the on-screen stats and choose to watch your Apple Rings close, or battle the Burn Bar, comparing your effort to others who’ve done the same workout. If you already own an Apple Watch you can also tuck into a free month-long trial.

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★

PELOTON APP

FIIT

You don’t have to own or have access to a Peloton bike or treadmill to make the most of Peloton’s live and on-demand coached training sessions. The digital-only membership gets you access to all the indoor cycling, running, walking, bootcamp, strength and outdoor (audio-only) classes on phone, tablet or beamed to a TV. You can pair a heart-rate monitor to track your stats, jump on any stationary bike or treadmill, or just follow strength and conditioning sessions wherever you’ve laid your beach towel.

Fiit was one of the early pioneers to make boutique-style, trainer-led sessions mobile. It pairs an app with a repcounting chest strap to deliver on-demand, expert-coached fitness sessions on your tablet, phone or TV. The strong selection of classes range from strength and cardio, to mobility with pilates and yoga. Difficulty ratings, along with a breakdown of the drills you’re about to do, make it easy to see what you’re signing up for before you start sweating. And the simplicity of firing up an app, sticking on a strap and smashing out a workout pretty much anywhere offers ideal holiday convenience.

£12.99 per month, onepeloton.co.uk

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★ ★

From £10 per month, fiit.tv

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★ ★

JULY 2021

27

●PERFECT FIT TECH TALK

MYZONE SWITCH £140, myzone.org

TANGRAM SMARTROPE £79.95, tangramfactory.com

The first EGC-style chest strap and optical arm strap in one, the Switch’s unique versatility makes it perfect for packing on holidays, where your fitness pursuits might range from HIIT sessions in the hotel gym, to open-water swims. For motivation, MyZone’s app gamifies workouts by quantifying your heart-rate capacity and assigning you a golf-style handicap. During each session, your work rate is converted into points to propel you up (or down) a range of leaderboards and competitions with friends, family or total strangers.

Fast-feet rope sessions make for brilliant low-impact workouts that test your cardio engine and improve coordination and balance. In fact, studies show that ten minutes of skipping is as effective as half an hour’s running – plus you can do it poolside. This lightweight, stashable smartrope takes rope jumping to the next level. Embedded LEDs and the motion of the rope float your jump stats in the air in front of you, in real-time, like a holograph. You can track sessions, set targets and follow guided interval workouts, too.

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★

TRX TRAINING CLUB

£19.99 per month or £10 per class, club.trxtraining.com/en-gb You can stick a TRX in a backpack and use it anywhere trees grow – so unless you’re holidaying in the Arctic, it’s a very useful travel fitness tool. Having said that, putting together an effective suspension session can be a tad daunting if you’re new to this training method. The new Training Club solves that problem. A bit like Peloton, you get access to live daily classes and a library of on-demand sessions, guiding you through the routines that’ll. You can also pay extra for one-to-one personal training, or just enjoy a seven-day free trial.

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★

28

JULY 2021

TAKE A BREAK ADSFIT MINI

From £76, addsfit.com At just 360g and not much bigger than a drink can, this travel-friendly, three-speed portable massage gun provides over six hours of portable percussive muscle therapy. You get two attachments, a gentler flat head, and a thumb-style add-on that’s ideal for getting into tricky knots and tight places. It kicks out 3,000 percussions per minute, with less than 40 decibels of working noise, so it’s pretty quiet, too. And it conveniently charges via USB-C, so there’s no need to save space in your bag for a bulky charger.

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★★

BOSE SLEEPBUDS 2 £229.95, bose.co.uk

Whether you’re shooting for quality shuteye or dozing on a lounger, banking sleep in strange – and sometimes noisier – places can prove tricky. Bose’s Sleepbud can help you silence the hubbub and secure some much-needed rest. The earphone-like buds play preloaded, soothing sounds that mask up to ten hours of unwanted noises, helping you nod off faster and stay asleep longer. They bring happy silence to planes and trains, too.

Words: Kieran Alger

OVERALL ★ ★★ ★★

JULY 2021

29

IN FOCUS SUMMER FITNESS

T H E B L U E P R I N T F O R L O O K I N G A N D F E E L I N G Y O U R B E S T F O R T H E S U N S H I N E M O N T H S A H E A D

UMMER

FITNESS STARTS

HERE

30 JULY 2021

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER

Forget the bench press: for all-round strength and muscle, the pull-up should be your exercise of choice. Not only will it build your shoulders and back, but it will also aid your posture and fire up your forearms. Aim for two pull-up sessions a week, consisting of 2 x 6-10 reps followed by a third set to failure.

PULL-UP POINTERS

• Grip the bar with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart.

• Brace your abs and pull yourself up until your whole head is above the bar.

• Lower your body under control until your arms are straight.

• Keep your shoulders engaged and don’t sag at the bottom.

JULY 2021

31

IN FOCUS SUMMER FITNESS

GROW THOSE GUNS

We’ve officially entered t-shirt season, so it’s time to prepare for the gun show. But while biceps exercises might be you go-to sleeve-filler, if you really want head-turning arms, your triceps – which account for 70 per cent of overall arm mass – deserve at least equal attention. “Start with a cable triceps extension and really focus on the eccentric phase – when the cable is returning up high – for extra time under tension,” says fitness coach Ben Camara. “Aim for 3 x 15 reps, or try doing supersets with some tight diamond press-ups (with your hands held together in a diamond shape) for an extra hit. End with 3 x 15 reps of hammer curls and single-arm preacher curls.”

FORM CHECK Keep your elbows locked in to your sides during diamond press-ups, or you will recruit your chest and delt muscles and reduce triceps activation.

LIE LOW

Whether dozing on a sun lounger, or relaxing in the garden, you’ll spend a lot of time lying down this summer. But why not put those lazy, horizontal hours to good use with some posture-boosting exercises? Doing just a couple of yoga poses every day can reduce back pain by a remarkable 42 per cent (according to research in the journal Spine), keeping you injury-free all summer long. And aside from making you physically stronger, the process of focusing your breathing can also alleviate anxiety and contribute to a calmer state of mind.

DO THE

COBRA 32 JULY 2021

HOW: Keep your hands in line with your shoulders.

Lift your chin 45 degrees while keeping your neck lengthened.

Relax your shoulders down your back.

Engage your legs and glutes.

WHY: Strengthens shoulders and arms.

Strengthens the spine.

Improves flexibility and decreases stiffness in the lower back.

Opens up the chest.

Stretches the abdominal muscles.

LEG IT

Even if you’re swapping out one of your gym sessions for an outdoor workout as the weather picks up, keep leg day locked in – and don’t be shy with the weight you’re shifting. Research in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology found that heavy resistance training delivers ‘striking changes’ to your testosterone levels, which will help maintain muscle mass and protect your energy levels. Heavy squats (within the bounds of perfect form) are best, but box jumps should also be added to your workout armoury. While box jumps alone aren’t going to give you legs like Chris Hoy, performing them regularly – and even as a warm-up exercise before you get into your heavy lifting – will fire up your nervous system and stimulate the fast-twitch muscles neglected with low-intensity lifting.

The result? You’ll not only be able to lift more, but you will also stimulate more muscle growth during each workout. Before your next lowerbody workout, kick things off with 2-3 sets x 5 reps of box jumps – on a box that’s around knee height (or a height that’s going to fire up your legs without completely exhausting you).

RISE & SHINE

If fat loss is your goal, fasted training in the morning might be the ticket. “Morning cardio is a great way to burn fat,” says Camara. That’s because training before breakfast conditions your body to burn body fat for fuel. “Keep it steady and above 30 minutes, and you’ll soon notice the difference,” he adds.

There are also other benefits to making the most of your summer mornings. Scientists at Brigham Young University found that 45 minutes of moderate exercise in the morning reduces overeating later in the day. And research by Appalachian State University has shown that morning runs are ten per cent more effective at lowering blood pressure than lunchtime or after-work outings.

SADDLE UP

Summer is the best season to clock up more cycling miles and explore new terrain. But is your body primed for longer rides?

“Making sure you’re well prepared is essential to providing the best experience for long summer days in the saddle,” advises Tom Davis, a professional triathlete and coach for INCUS Performance (incusperformance.com). “I recommend hill sessions as a great way of improving your fitness in a short period of time.” Not only will they build leg strength and cardiovascular fitness, but a study in the Journal of Physiology found that this kind of interval training Find a local hill that takes you induces adaptations in skeletal three to four minutes to cycle up, muscle and exercise performance and knock out 4-5 hill reps. “Go that are comparable to the pretty hard,” says Davis, “but improvements made from longer with a nice easy recovery as you go back down. Try to increase endurance training. “They will the amount of reps you do each also help you get over hills and week, or move to a slightly improve your power on the longer hill.” flats,” adds Davis.

TRY THIS

FORM CHECK Stand just in front of a box with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Swing your arms and hinge your hips back with a tall chest, flat back and engaged core.

Swing your arms forward, using momentum to jump up and slightly forward, landing softly with both feet completely on the box.

Stand up, locking out your knees and extending your hips.

Carefully step back down to the ground.

JULY 2021

33

IN FOCUS SUMMER FITNESS

WORK THE BODY

Dedicated core training will benefit every aspect of your fitness, from strength, to stamina, to general injury prevention. But before you jump into another set of high-rep sit-ups, heed the advice of fitness coach Luke Goulden. “Your core muscles exist to resist excessive motion in the spine. As such, it pays to train them to get better at doing just that,” he says. “Pay attention to your hips – maintain a partial posterior pelvic tilt, or slight tuck of your tailbone, throughout – and focus on your breathing: inhale and exhale down into your abdominals. Maintain a neutral spine position at all times, too.”

3 BEST CORE MOVES 1. DEADBUG ISO HOLD (30-45 SECS) Lie down and fix your lower back to the floor – keep it in contact throughout.

Reach to the sky and pull your shoulder blades apart (protraction).

Lightly touch your toes on the floor with bent knees, and hold.

The deeper and longer the breath, the better.

Remember: toes just lightly on the floor and don’t let your shoulders drop.

2. HIGH SIDE PLANK WITH REACH (45-60 SECS) This exercise will bring balance and length to your body.

Keep the supporting arm below the shoulder, keep the hip elevated away from the floor, and again that slight tuck of the tailbone.

I prefer not to stack my feet on top of each other, but do what works for you.

Reach overhead with your arm and hold.

3. SINGLE-ARM HIGH PLANK (30-45 SECS) Start in your high plank position – the main difference here is to go wider with your feet to help with a more stable base.

Once you feel stable, lift the arm and extend it down the side of your body.

With the supporting arm, push away from the floor. Again, keep that tailbone slightly tucked, and remember to breathe.

34 JULY 2021

GET A GRIP

Your forearms will be on show all summer, so build them up by adding some Fat Gripz to your barbell workouts. These pads thicken the size of the grip to about the width of a drinks can, to help recruit more muscles in your wrists and forearms.

Finish with some wide press-ups, and spread your fingers out while you do them: the wider, unbalanced grip will work your arms as well as your pecs.

GET YOUR PAIR FOR £26 AT SHOP.FATGRIPZ.CO.UK

TAKE A STROLL

Whether you’re still working from home, or returning to the office, bag as many short walks throughout the day as you can. Research by the University of Missouri found that even short, ten-minute strolls can reverse the vascular dysfunction – such as reduced blood flow and increased stress on the artery walls – caused by sitting down for long periods of time during the working day. Use the summer months to nurture a new routine of short, daily walks to deliver long-term gains for your heart health.

PLAY IN THE PARK

After a year of gym closures, it’s good to be back in the weights room, but on hot days you will still want a go-to outdoor workout you can knock out in the park, without having to venture indoors. In that regard, bodyweight drills are surprisingly potent: a Japanese study found that bodyweight training can increase maximum force by 15 per cent and power by 13 per cent. Start with this simple three-move circuit. Once you’ve completed one exercise, move straight to the next, with minimal rest. And once one round is complete, rest as needed then repeat the whole thing, adjusting reps and sets according to your fitness level/ time at hand.

g g for your buck as they can be sped up or slowed down to challenge your legs and lungs in different ways,” says Ben Camara.

1b. BEAST PRESS-UP (3 X 15) “This is my go-to exercise when I want a solid bodyweight workout,” says Camara. “You’ll get your heart racing and your chest pumping.”

After you press-up, bend your knees and shift your weight back until your hips are almost over your heels, before driving forwards into the next press-up.

1c. SQUAT JUMP (3 X 15) “Always add something explosive,” says Camara.

“These will hit your lower body hard.” Drive up at the end of the squat so that your feet lift off the ground.

SNACK SMART

Summer is a time for enjoying the great outdoors, but it also forces you to run the gauntlet of ice cream vans and fish and chip shops. Arm yourself against cravings with some chewing gum, a clenched fist and some… plums.

A study in Physiology & Behaviour found that chewing gum slashes your cravings for sugary snacks by ten per cent, while research in the Journal of Consumer Research found that clenching your fist for 30 seconds can help you to control any impulses, such as fighting off the urge to buy a Magnum every time you walk past the corner shop. Elsewhere, research by the University of San Diego’s School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences showed that snacking on plums suppresses hunger and keeps you feeling full.

JULY 2021

35

IN FOCUS SUMMER FITNESS

STRIKE UP THE BAND

3 BEST BAND MOVES 1. BAND SQUAT Loop one end of the band around the base of your feet. Cross your hip crease with the middle of the band.

Loop the other end over your shoulders.

Squat down, keeping your core braced.

Driving through your heels, raise and tuck your hips.

2. BAND OVERHEAD PRESS Loop the band under your feet and take a shoulder-width grip.

Hold tight with the band in contact with the heels of your hands. Your elbows should be under your hands.

Press the band overhead. Lock your elbows.

Pull the band back down, keeping your elbows tucked in.

3. BAND CURL Loop the band under your feet.

Grip the other end of the band with your hands at shoulder-width.

Hold the band with arms extended.

Curl the band up to chest height, squeezing your biceps at the top.

Lower with control.

36 JULY 2021

CALF IT UP

Your lower legs are going to be on show a lot more over the coming months, so it’s time to pump up your calf muscles with some targeted exercises. “If you’re looking to increase the strength and size of your calf muscles, introduce some isometric work,” recommends Camara. “Start with some seated calf raises and go for 3 x 10 reps, but with holds of up to 20 seconds to help with muscle recruitment and hypertrophy. You can also work your calves on your summer bike rides, by pedalling more with your forefoot and doing heavy sprint intervals.”

DRINK IT ALL IN

A healthy body is nothing without a healthy mind, but there is an easy way to protect your mental health this summer: book in a weekly pub or café catch-up with friends. German research has shown that socialising with other men significantly reduces the amount of stress hormones in the body, while an Australian study found that people with close friends outlive those who feel isolated and lonely. So amidst the fitness drive, don’t neglect your social life.

Words: Mark Bailey | Photography: Getty Images

Resistance bands are effective warm-up and mobility tools, but they’re also much more than that. There are two principal ways in which the body builds muscle: mechanical tension and metabolic stress. The first, which sees muscles contract strongly when loaded with heavy weight, is less applicable for band training.

The focus with bands, therefore, is on metabolic stress: the burning you feel when a muscle is working hard for a long time. Resistance bands work particularly well for higher reps, and one study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that using a combination of bands and weights is more productive than using weights exclusively. “They are a fantastic tool for training at home and are incredibly versatile,” says strength coach Jack Hanrahan (jackhanrahanfitness.com), who recommends 15 to 30 reps, with between 60 and 90 seconds of rest between each set.

Geraint Thomas

LIFE IN NUMBERS

Watch here

Ever wondered how many Welsh cakes Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas could eat – if he was allowed – during a week of training? From the unexpected to the outrageous, take a look at some of the numbers in the Grand Tour winner’s life.

We provide maximum grip for cyclists and motorists with our Black Chili technology in our highperformance tyres. www.continental-tyres.co.uk/car/stories/cycling/blackchili-technology

IN FOCU

800 m ind oor cha mp ion , Jim my Wa tki ns, for me r We lsh an alte rna t ive to fou nde d Th e Ru nni ng Pun ks as tra dit ion al r unn ing clu bs

38 JULY 2021

When musicians and runners Jimmy and Rhodri realised ther e wasn’t a club that w o r ke d fo r t h e m o n the traditional running s cene, they decided to make their own, with a ha rd s t a n c e a g a i n s t fo r m s , fe e s a n d c o m p e t i t i ve egos

I was inflicting on myself through alcohol was my way of avoiding being the man I was born to be,” he says.

“I drank so I could hide away from taking those brave first few steps needed to fully express myself.”

When his wife, Gloria, gifted him with a framed photo of the Moscow finals on his 36th birthday, Watkins realised he needed to make a serious change and reconnect with his former self. At the turn of 2019, he set himself some new running goals, with a less intense approach.

“In my early 20s, I’d often run myself into the ground,” he says. “These days I stop as soon as I want to go home to read a book or eat five chocolate bars in the bath. The biggest change in attitude I’ve had is that I no longer think musicians are the coolest people on the planet. I realise the coolest people on the planet are runners who like music!”

n 2006, Jimmy Watkins was one of the fastest men in the UK. He broke the Welsh record for the indoor 800m with a time of 1:47.23, and was the THE ORIGINAL RUNNING PUNKS first Brit in 25 years A year in Watkins began taking music the World Indoor A cial media and Championship final imself bolting held that year in Moscow.

Llanelli, South Watkins crossed the finish lin passionately just 1.41 seconds behind the gold ng the tunes medal winner in the finals, but it rried him through enough of a difference to place hi ometres. “I know in last. The event was over, and g is my self-expression, Watkins felt his athletic career wa t my daps on and also coming to an end. out to be me,” he Tired of the rules and constra f I was to play a gig of competitive running, he hung y band and the venue up his trainers 18 months later to rappy PA, or the stage pursue his second passion: music nky, I wouldn’t worry Swapping the track for the road, t. I’d remind myself Watkins left athletics behind in t ssion and energy are dust of his tour bus as he becam e, no matter where the frontman of rock band Futu ay. I feel that way of the Left. The isotonic drinks w running.” swiftly replaced by free beer at g low musician Rhodri the stadium crowds swapped for n hadn’t seen his old mosh pits, and DOMS exchang and former bandmate for heavy hangovers. When Wat in a long time, but retired from the band in 2015 a ossed paths when performing around the world, h n was running his first Rh odr i Mo rga n, for me r ban dm ate of Wa was five stone heavier and drast arathon while Watkins tki ns, pro per ly got int o r unn ing wh en he rea lise d how sim ple it can be: out of shape. ned to be cruising stic k on a pai r of tra ine rs and you ’re goo d to go “I now see that the self-destr osite way during his

JULY 2021

39

own half-marathon event. They instinctively high-fived in a moment of mutual appreciation.

It took Morgan some time to make his start in running, as he admits to over-complicating the process. “I had a list of things in my head that I had to buy or do before I started running,” he says, “and as I ticked something off that list, I also added another thing. I was basically putting it off. Then one day, I just went for it and quickly realised you don’t need all the stuff that you read online, you just need your legs and a fairly comfy pair of trainers.”

He found that music helped him through his runs, deliberately shuffling through genres to keep him focused. “When your playlist switches from Slayer to Radiohead and then to Run the Jewels, it certainly keeps your mind active during a run,” he says – noting how punk music is particularly handy if you want to go fast, with a beats per minute (bpm) of 170-200. “I tried your traditional running clubs, but they weren’t for me. They were all way too serious and ‘peacocky’,” he adds. “I just wanted to run with a smile on my face, listen to some great music, in a setting where my Metallica t-shirt didn’t offend anyone.”

Morgan and Watkins realised there was an opening for a group that would cut away the complications of running – one that embraced a care-free punk attitude, without

“It’s about sticking the middle finger up to the stuffy running scene that can be unwelcoming and intimidating to new runners” 40 JULY 2021

Photography: Paul Grace

IN FOCUS

Acco rdin g to Cost as Kar ageo rghi s, Prof esso r of Spor t & Exe rcis e Psyc holo gy at Br unel Univ ersi ty, Lon don, rese arch show s liste ning to mus ic can prov ide seve ral sign if ican t bene f its for exer cise rs and athl etes alik e.

In the 202 0 rev iew, Ef fect s of Mus ic in Exe rcis e and Spor t , Kar ageo rghi s look ed over the f indi ngs of 139 stud ies that took plac e betw een 1911 and 2017, invo lvin g 3,59 9 par tici pan ts , and foun d liste ning to mus ic “inc reas ed phy sica l per for man ce, redu ced perc eive d exer tion , and imp rove d oxyg en cons ump tion ef f icien cy acro ss a broa d rang e of exer cise .”

Fast -tem po mus ic set betw een 120 -140 bpm seem s to yiel d a bett er per for man ce whe n exer cisin g, whic h is som ewh ere betw een ‘It’s My Life ’

by Bon Jovi (121 bpm ) and ‘You R eally Got Me’ by The Kink s (142 bpm ). For post wor kout liste ning , Kar ageo rghi s poin ts to the bene f its of clas sica l mus ic, whic h can he lp brin g your body back to its rest ing stat e.

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

Throughout the pandemic, product manager Gavin Jones worked six days a week as a key worker making Covid test kits. He says the workload had been an intense challenge, but he found support in his weekly Sunday runs with the Running Punks. “In terms of the mental side of it, it’s nice to have people who you can talk to about those things if you struggle,” he says. “Not everyone’s been through some kind of mental health issues but it’s quite an open discussion about that sort of stuff. During lockdown, as soon as we were able to run together, I found the Running Punks really, really helpful.”

During his previous seven years of running, Jones had tried joining various clubs, but couldn’t find one that worked for him. “They were all just a bit too stiff and not really what I wanted to do,” he

says. He also points to the physical support within the community, how the Running Punks embrace the pace of those at the back: “If some people are really fast they slow down for the people who are slower and move them along, in a very positive way. It’s about running as a group.”

Pre-pandemic, the Running Punks met outside Cardiff-based rehearsal space MusicBox Studios, owned by keen musician and fellow runner Andrew ‘Bernie’ Plain, who helps plan the Sunday routes. “I was really nervous about planning the route, especially the first couple that I did. It’s really difficult to know what people were going to be comfortable with,” Bernie says.

“We run at the pace of whoever is kind of taking it easiest. And if we have to stop for a few people to catch up, then that’s fine as well.”

The course included shortcuts for any runners who wanted to cut across and re-join the group, ensuring they could move as one unit, no matter their ability. Bernie says that while some other running clubs may separate themselves by skill level or event brackets, the Running Punks move as one. “Everyone just waits for each other,” he says. “The Photography: Paul Grace

Th e Pe r fec t Pla yli st

forms, fees and egos. “It was Rhodri’s idea and I said yes because everything he said made sense!” Watkins says. “I liked the idea of something bigger than me keeping me accountable on my journey towards becoming the best version of myself possible.”

They put out a call online to see if there was a demand for this kind of running environment. “We simply asked the question: are there more people like us?”

Morgan says. “And guess what? It turns out there are loads.”

JULY 2021

41

IN FOCUS

unifying thing is the love of running and the love of music.”

TAKING THINGS ONLINE

42 JULY 2021

The music icons w i t h a p e n c h a n t fo r p ave m e n t p o u n d i n g

Words: Andrew Lloyd | Photography: Getty Images

Since the pandemic shut the world down, the Running Punks have taken their Sunday meet-ups online with a virtual running club. Members are invited to take selfies during their run to post on social media, which was how assistant headteacher Nita discovered the community.

“I simply followed the Running Punks account on Instagram and Twitter, and started posting about my runs and tagging them,” Nita says. “My posts were shared very quickly. Other punks responded, following, liking and commenting on posts and so the conversations began.”

“It’s getting pretty big,” Morgan adds. “If you’re talking numbers, then over the three social media platforms that we use we’re up to just over 10,000 people, and it’s going up daily.

It seems to have really struck a chord.”

Nita found the guidance she gained from fellow punks was just as beneficial as the running itself. “Being able to speak to others about how good, bad, easy or hard your run was can be really cathartic, and the punks are incredibly supportive,” she says.

“The Running Punks have inspired me to revisit albums and bands that I loved as a teen, as well as discovering bands that I have never listened to before.”

When restrictions lift, Watkins says they’ll be looking to start running clubs all over the world, with an open invite to all who want to get involved.

While the music they blast on their runs is an important element of the group, Morgan stresses that it’s the punk attitude that really matters.

“It’s about not caring what others think, or the gear you’re wearing.

Not caring if you aren’t the fastest or the fittest. It’s about sticking the middle finger up to the stuffy running scene that can be unwelcoming and intimidating,” he says. “You don’t need to be the best, just do it with a smile on your face and don’t give a damn what anybody thinks.”

M ic h a e l ‘F le a ’ B a lz a r y

s ba ss ist Th e R ed Ho t Ch ili Pe pp er ge les co mp let ed hi s f irs t Lo s An in g in ma ra th on in 2011 . F in ish ve s a tim e of 3: 41 , he no w be lie t ma ra th on er s ar e th e m os r th . un de r ra te d at hl et es on ea

Joe Str ummer

In 19 8 2 , T h e C la sh fr on tm an ab sc on de d fr om th e ba n d an d ra n th e P ar is m ar at h on .

H ow di d h e pr ep ar e? B y dr in k in g te n pi n ts of be er th e n ig h t be fo re – at le as t th at w as th e an sw er h e ga ve to S te pp in ’ O u t m ag az in e in 19 9 9 .

D a v id L e e R o th

It to ok th e Va n Ha len fro nt ma n o ve r s ix ho ur s to co mp let e th e Ne w Yo rk Ma ra th on in 2010 , pr ov in g it’ s no t al wa ys sp ee d th at ma tte rs . Cr os sin g th e f in is h lin e mu s t ha ve fel t ‘J us t Li ke Pa ra di se ’.

Photography: Jesse Wild forTota es

T h e G u a rd ia h it w w ie rv te ng In a 2 014 in d h e ’d b e e n u si le a e v re st ri a it ig s in le g e n d a r y g u h y p e d u p fo r g lf se im h t e g to r u n n in g to -d is ta n c e r u n s g n lo is h g in m e. re c e n t y e a rs , ti e ’s d u e o n st a g h re fo e b s te u e n d 2 0 m in

l Guitar Magazine via Getty Imag

rr Johnny Ma n , th e

IN FOCUS GARDENING

44 JULY 2021

Deep

RATHER THAN GOING TO SEED OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE USED TIME AT HOME TO CULTIVATE A NEW HOBBY, AND THESE GARDENING CONVERTS HAVE FOUND AN EFFICIENT WAY TO IMPROVE EVERY FACET OF THEIR HEALTH AND FITNESS

JULY 2021

45

IN FOCUS GARDENING

fter over a year of loss, lockdowns and global restrictions, one positive outcome has been a massive uptake in grow-your-own gardening.

Confined inside, many people have been discovering the mind-clearing, body-strengthening power of getting some dirt under their fingernails.

One such person is extreme athlete and filmmaker Beau Miles. “Planting trees and growing greens are part my shtick,” says the Australian, who has made a name for himself on YouTube completing gruelling sporting challenges. “I grew up in a household that embraced the dirt,” he says. “My mum’s a horticulturalist, my dad is a veggie gardener and my sister has just written a book about permaculture. But despite being around my whole life, it’s only been recently that I’ve had more time to really focus my energy on it.”

One reason for that is because Miles recently moved to a small farm with five acres of land in the lush countryside

46 JULY 2021

outside Melbourne with his wife and one-year-old daughter. The other, of course, is Covid-19, which for him – like millions of other people around the world – meant enforced lockdown and long periods of time spent at home.

ENERGY INVESTMENT

For most of us, binge-watching Netflix and interminable Zoom calls quickly became the new normal, but Miles found fresh opportunities to remain busy. Instead of going into hibernation, the self-proclaimed ‘poly-jobbist’ spent his time further testing out an unusual (and, it must be said, unfounded) philosophy about the wastefulness of conventional exercise, and maximising his usage of personal energy.

“I was once told that most mammals share a similar number of heartbeats during a lifetime,” he explains. “Take a mouse and an elephant. The mouse doesn’t live very long, but its heart beats very fast, whereas the elephant lives for longer with a very slow heartbeat. That got me thinking about my own energy: how do I get the best bang for my buck with the limited amount of energy I’ve got in

“It gives time a different cadence, as well as some space to think”

my lifetime? Should I go about expending energy on a treadmill or in the gym, or should I be using that to do something more purposeful?”

That way of thinking led Miles to take on all manner of new activities as he sought to put his energy to good use. Amid the many wild and diverse projects he has since taken on, his awardwinning film A Mile an Hour is probably the best way to sum things up.

“The concept is simple: I wanted to look at a marathon in a different way,” he says. “Instead of beating the clock, I decided to try and do all manner of interesting things that I couldn’t seem to fit in elsewhere. It was the perfect way to show the potential of what you can achieve in a day if you maximise it. I planted trees, weeded the veg patch, read books, chopped wood, picked up rubbish on the roadside, played music, played scrabble, made a scrap-wood canoe paddle, cooked meals, did odd-jobs, ran 26 miles and gave my mental slate a clean wipe, too.”

While Miles admits his films are set up as stunts to capture people’s imagination, he still believes the lessons he learned are very real. He also thinks viewers can achieve great results through simple day-to-day applications.

“Gardening is a perfect example,” he continues. “It’s a way to create food for yourself and others, while working up a good sweat and doing some physical exercise. It’s also got the added benefit of a head-clearing change of pace and more precious time spent outside.”

Research points to other areas, too, such as how the low-impact nature of gardening can help with injury recovery, as well as the myriad other benefits that come from eating fresh, nutrient-rich produce. An international team of experts, led by Newcastle University, has shown that organic crops are up to 60 per cent higher in a number of key antioxidants than crops that are conventionally grown. Those higher antioxidant quantities are believed to help reduced the risk of chronic illness and certain cancers.

MENTAL RELEASE

The mental health benefits of gardening are equally powerful, and something that vegetable growing expert Huw Richards eagerly advocates. For the 22-year-old, tending to his plants represents a much-needed break from fast-paced modern life.

“Gardening is the perfect escape,” he says. “The world is busy and noisy, so making space for a hobby as your refuge is essential. It’s similar to why lots of people – myself included – play sport. It gives time a different cadence, as well as some space to think.

“Growing vegetables also tests your patience. We expect instant gratification these days, but with gardening you’re forced to be patient. It’s refreshing to have a long,

BECOME A DO-GOODER Compassion and altruism still exist, with groups like GoodGym shining lights in an often gloomy world. Back in 2009, the group’s founder Ivo Gormley wanted to find a way to keep fit and ‘do something useful’. He realised an elderly acquaintance, recently made housebound, lived close enough to run to. After the first visit, the old man asked Gormley if he could bring him a paper round next time, and so began a weekly run-delivery service which satisfied both Gormley’s wish to find a useful form of fitness, and his old friend’s need for news.

A few weeks later, Gormley got some mates nvolved in his charitable running idea, and GoodGym was born.

“It became a really nice way to convince myself to get out and do a run twice a week,” says Gormley. “It’s an exciting thing to do: to have that little adventure to go and do something useful for someone else.”

Now, thousands of GoodGym volunteers perform their good deeds across the UK, with 57 groups spread from Brighton to Newcastle. Activities range from sprucing up communal gardens, to painting community centres, or simply checking in with local pensioners – anything and everything to provide a lift for the area in question.

Find your local group at goodgym.org

JULY 2021

47

IN FOCUS GARDENING

extended project, where everything is slowly changing and evolving as the days pass by. It keeps you grounded, more in tune with the seasons and the food you want to eat.”

The medical world, too, is picking up on these positive side effects, and some doctors are even proscribing gardening for people who suffer with depression or other mental health issues. ‘Ecotherapy’, in particular, is an approach that rests on the principle that people have a deep connection to their environment and to the earth itself. In this same line of thinking, failing to nurture that connection can take a toll on your wellbeing. One recent study by the University of East Anglia even revealed that exposure to the outdoors reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, premature death, stress and high blood pressure.

FEED YOUR AMBITION

Despite the science, though, Richards puts his real passion down to something else. “My main focus is growing tasty food,” he explains. “When you grow your first tomato and eat it, I’m sorry to say but every other tomato you ever

YOU WILL NEED: SPADE AND TROWEL

To dig the holes for your plants.

FORKED TROWEL

For basic weed maintenance, allowing you to uproot invading plants with minimal effort.

PRUNING SHEARS

To cut back plants and bushes, as well as to maintain their health by cutting off dead flower heads and branches.

GARDEN FORK

For breaking up clumps of soil or removing old plants and weeds.

METAL RAKE

For levelling the soil and removing stones from plant beds.

WATERING CAN

The UK may be rainy, but you’ll still need to do a bit of watering – particularly in summer. Try to find one with a rose attachment.

48 JULY 2021

buy in a supermarket will be a little bit disappointing. I love cooking, and whether someone’s making raw smoothies or full-blown meals, the single biggest impact they can have in terms of taste is growing their own food. It adds a burst of freshness and unlocks flavour. It’s something you can never buy.”

To achieve the best results, Richards uses a mix of modern gardening techniques, some timesaving hacks, and a decent amount of common sense. “I’m interested in ideas such as no-dig gardening and regenerative agriculture,” he says.

“Both of these methods try to reduce negative impacts on the soil, as well as considering gardening as a full cycle. But that doesn’t mean I make things overly complicated – quite the opposite. I try to garden in ways that require the least amount of time, effort and money.”

His mantra has proved successful online, where Richards shares practical step-by-step video guides to nearly 500,000 subscribers. It has also led to the young Welshman publishing two books, with a third on its way. “It’s funny,” he says, “but very few people realise you don’t need any space or money to grow your own food. You can get great results in a single pot on your windowsill and, if you’re

more ambitious, there are plenty of ways to get a little patch of land if you don’t have any to garden.”

In addition to locally-run schemes, there are national websites dedicated to this type of thing. Lend and Tend (lendandtend.com) is an online garden-sharing platform that puts landowners in touch with wannabe gardeners for free. While AllotMe (allotme.co.uk) is a paying platform that offers a similar thing.

MAKE A START

“Whatever space you end up working with, the biggest lesson is to start simple,” adds Richards. “I would recommend a really simple crop you can grow in a container: peas, beans, potatoes, lettuce, beetroot are all very simple but also highly rewarding. And for those who worry about not having enough time, peas can be ready to eat in as little as three weeks.”

So if you’re bored of your weekly jog around the block, tired of the tasteless tomatoes, or simply need a bit more fresh air and sunshine, give gardening a go – it might just grow on you.

THE BACKYARD ADVENTURER BY BEAU MILES, AND GROW FOOD FOR FREE BY HUW RICHARDS ARE AVAILABLE NOW. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW THEM BOTH ON YOUTUBE.

GROWING GAINS

Combine basic gardening movements for a full-body workout

1. DIGGING TARGET AREAS: Quads, lats, shoulders, biceps, triceps, core

Bend from the knees, not the back.

Keep the shovel close to your centre of mass.

Hold near the head of the shovel to lift.

Keep your core tight throughout.

2. WEEDING TARGET AREAS: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs Stand with feet hip-width apart.

Put your weight on your heels.

Work your legs by squatting down each time you grab a weed.

5 VEG TO GROW FROM HOME SPINACH

Just 30g raw spinach provides 56 per cent of your daily vitamin A needs, plus your entire daily vitamin K requirement.

3. CAN CARRY TARGET AREAS: Traps, shoulders, lats, core Keep your shoulders square.

Stay upright – no leaning.

Fill the watering can to the brim and get a good grip to work your forearms.

Words: John Silcox | Photography: Getty Images | Illustrations: Peter Liddiard

CARROTS

Packed with vitamin A, carrots also contain beta-carotene, an antioxidant that gives them their orange colour and could help with cancer prevention.

BROCCOLI

100g raw broccoli provides 120 per cent of your daily vitamin K needs, 140 per cent of the daily vitamin C requirement and a good amount of folate, manganese and potassium.

4. COMPOST BAG LIFT TARGET AREAS: Quads, lats, glutes, traps, legs, biceps, triceps Centre the bag.

Get a good grip.

Keep a straight back and tight core.

Squat down and lift with your legs.

GARLIC

Several studies have shown garlic can regulate blood sugar and promote heart health.

KALE

70g raw kale contains plenty of B vitamins, potassium, calcium and copper. It also fulfils your entire daily requirement for vitamins A, C and K.

5. PLANTING LUNGE TARGET AREAS: Quads, glutes Start with feet hip-width apart.

Step forward into a lunge.

Incorporate a Russian twist to plant seeds on one side.

Step back and repeat on the other side.

Photography: Jeff Pachoud/Getty Images

IN FOCUS TOUR DE FRANCE

50 JULY 2021

WITH GERAINT THOMAS AND INEOS GRENADIERS HUNTING ANOTHER VICTORY AT THE 2021 TOUR DE FRANCE, WE REVEAL HOW THEY TRAIN, EAT AND RECOVER TO BUILD THEIR SUPERHUMAN STAMINA AND FITNESS

T UR SECRETS JULY 2021

51

IN FOCUS TOUR DE FRANCE

he Tour de France is one of the world’s toughest, and certainly most iconic, endurance events, with over 180 elite riders covering 3,383km and tackling 30,000m of vertical ascent.

During the three-week race, which is divided into 21 stages across June and July, each rider will burn more than 140,000 calories.

This summer, Britain’s 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas is hunting his second victory with INEOS Grenadiers (formerly Team Sky), the all-conquering British team that has won seven of the last nine Tours. But in order to get race-ready, the squad has endured months of hard training, backed up by smart nutritional plans and intelligent sports science. Here INEOS Grenadiers’ coach Conor Taylor and nutritionist Javier Gonzalez reveal how the riders arrive at the start line in peak condition.

GO LOW To build an elite endurance engine, pro riders prioritise low- to moderate-intensity training. “Around 75-85 per cent of our riders’ total training time is spent doing long, continuous, low- to moderate-intensity cycling,” explains Taylor. “Only 20 per cent of their training is of a highintensity nature. Those low-intensity rides are typically at 65-70 per cent of their maximal heart rate and can last four to seven hours.”

52 JULY 2021

This high-volume, low-intensity approach triggers adaptations within the riders’ cardiovascular, metabolic and neuromuscular systems, which help them better endure longer rides.

“One of the primary adaptations is that our riders become more efficient,” explains Taylor. “At that intensity and volume, you’re predominantly using fat, instead of carbohydrate, as a fuel source. We’ve all got ample fat stores in Team INEOS on a training ride before the Tour starts on 26 June

the body, so we are just trying to train the body to utilise that fat, because carbohydrate can only be stored in relatively small quantities. A cyclist with high efficiency will always use less oxygen than a cyclist with poor efficiency, when they both cycle at the same given power output or speed.”

STICK TO REAL FUEL To fuel up for this huge volume

of training, the riders take a ‘foodfirst’ approach, relying mainly on nutritious ‘real’ food, with supplements used sparingly. Breakfast is usually a protein-rich omelette with a portion of energy-dense rice.

“The amount of carbohydrate in something like porridge is relatively low compared to rice,” explains Gonzalez. During rides, the cyclists fuel up with homemade rice cakes flavoured with cream cheese or cinnamon. “They are not the kind of crispy rice cakes you buy in shops, they are more like a solidified risotto,” explains Gonzalez. “Rice is very easy

Photography: Jeff Pachoud/Getty Images

A breakaway group tackles the ascent of Bisanne during the 2018 Tour de France

to digest and easy on the stomach.”

A post-ride lunch is typically tuna steak with quinoa and tomato salad. And dinner might be salmon and rice with an Asian broccoli salad. “During training periods the riders eat more veg, too, as the nutrients support health and immunity,” adds Gonzalez.

MIX IT UP Riders begin their winter training in October and steadily accumulate volume as the weeks go by. “It is very individual, but as a guide if you increase your weekly volume by ten per cent that is a good starting point to safely progress your training programme and ensure overload,” explains Taylor. As the riders get closer to races, they start layering on higher-intensity work. “You don’t need many high-intensity sessions to get the desired training effect,” he adds. “It’s about doing high-quality work to develop the power and speed that could enable a race-winning move.

“A typical high-intensity session might be four lots of eight-minute efforts at 90 per cent HRM, with four minutes’ recovery. But we are constantly playing with the duration and the intensity and the recovery. One of the key training principles we work to is variation. We all adapt very quickly to a training stimulus, so you need a constantly novel stimulus to keep the body guessing.”

PLAY THE WEIGHT GAME Power to weight ratio is hugely important for endurance athletes, with Geraint Thomas stripping down from 74kg, when competing in the team pursuit on the track at the London 2012 Olympics, to 67kg when racing over mountains at the Tour de France. But what is the optimal way to lose weight without compromising your training?

“One of the key factors is slow and steady weight loss, and a general rule of thumb is 0.5 per cent of bodyweight per week as a maximum,” explains Gonzalez. “So six months out before the Tour, we will start the rider on a nutrition plan to gradually achieve their optimal body composition at the Tour, rather than suddenly trying to achieve it two months before.”

“One of the key training principles we work to is variation.

We all adapt very quickly to a training stimulus, so you need a constantly novel stimulus to keep the body guessing” The secret is to be good at food maths. “The great thing about cycling is we can quantify the energy our riders burn and consume,” explains Gonzalez. “Of course, to lose weight, we need a small energy deficit, but you can track that relatively easily.”

Some riders weigh their food. Others use the LIBRO app by Nutritics – a bit like MyFitnessPal – which helps them to track their daily calories, protein and sugar input to improve their body composition over time.

PUMP UP THE PROTEIN One of the challenges for endurance athletes is working out how to lose weight while maintaining lean muscle mass. The key is to drip-feed protein into your body.

“Our riders are aiming for an even distribution of protein throughout the day,” explains Gonzalez. “Typically, that is 30g of protein at each eating occasion, for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for an extra snack. That helps the riders to retain muscle

JULY 2021

53

IN FOCUS TOUR DE FRANCE

HIT THE GYM Endurance riders may be super lean, but they still lift weights. “The use of resistance training at INEOS has grown,” explains Taylor. “It improves efficiency on the bike, it may improve bone mineral density, which can be low in non-load-bearing sports like cycling, and it can help with your maximal power output.”

However, riders need to build raw strength without packing on unwanted bulk to carry around the mountains.

“Cycling can be seen as a weight-making sport, in a similar way to boxing,” says Taylor. The secret is to stick to low repetitions (3-6 reps), low volume (3-5 sets), and low frequency (2-3 sessions per week), but with maximal intent in each session. “This helps to increase the rate of force development and power, but limits muscle hypertrophy to keep the riders light but powerful,” adds Taylor. “The exercises mainly consist of single and double leg presses, split squats, glute bridges and lunge variations: so lateral, forward and reverse lunges.”

GET SPIKY “‘Spiked sessions’ – essentially undulations in power during training – create additional metabolic stress within the muscles that the body needs to deal with,” explains Taylor.

“As a result, they drive specific adaptations within the muscle and cardio-respiratory system that help to buffer and accelerate the clearance of this additional stress.”

These sessions can therefore help you to cope with any ‘spikes’ – or changes in pace and power – during races.

Spiked sessions can be completed in different ways. “You can include spikes or sprints within your longer rides, such as 15-20-second maximal sprints every 20-30 minutes,” suggests Taylor. “Or they can be included within a longer effort, such as short, out-ofthe-saddle accelerations within a sustained seated effort. For example, performing five to ten-second accelerations every two minutes within a longer ten to 20-minute sustained, hard effort.”

54 JULY 2021

SUPP SMART When elite riders need to perform 60-67kg 5-15% with high-intensity efforts, they the average body fat weight percentage often supplement with sodium bicarbonate. “High-intensity exercise 70-90 30-50 typically generates a lot of hydrogen typical V02 resting heart ions, which are acidic,” explains max score rate Gonzalez. “They’re produced in 4,500-9500 the muscle and they enter the calories burned per day bloodstream, so your blood and your muscles both go slightly acidic.”

That can affect your muscle performance and cause fatigue. But sodium bicarbonate – which is alkaline – can reverse the process. “We have bicarbonate in our blood normally,” explains Gonzalez, “which buffers some of that acidosis, but by taking sodium bicarbonate you can increase that store of bicarbonate in the blood, so you get less of an increase in the acid level when you’re exercising at a high intensity.”

RECOVER FASTER At the end of hard training days, riders recover quickly using a nutrition-first approach. “Recovery involves a post-ride shake and a pre-prepared mini meal, which is usually rice, potatoes or pasta in a pot with some salmon or chicken,” says Gonzalez. Although riders have massages and perform stretches, their main recovery protocol involves quality sleep.

“We provide them with as much good sleep hygiene advice as possible,” says Taylor. “Everything from going to bed and waking up at a set time, to trying to refrain from looking at bright lights and blue lights in the hour before bed.

Massage balls and yoga can aid recovery, but for endurance athletes nothing beats a quality night’s sleep.

Photography: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

mass, even as they’re losing weight. But protein also facilitates the reconditioning of the muscles after training.

Studies on endurance athletes show that protein helps the mitochondria – the parts of the muscle where the energy is generated – to better adapt to training.”

ANATOMY OF A TDF RIDER

NEW BETA FUEL RANGE A SCIENTIFICALLY SUPERIOR FUEL FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES

GET 10% OFF YOUR ORDER CODE: SIS10EXTRA SCIENCEINSPORT.COM/BETAFUEL

IN FOCUS JOE FRASER

RISING STAR

WITH HIS EYES FIRMLY ON THE UPCOMING OLYMPICS, WORLD CHAMPION GYMNAST JOE FRASER REVEALS WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED IN A SPORT WHERE SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH MEETS BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY AND NERVES OF STEEL

56 JULY 2021

D

espite injury setback in 2018 – damaging ligaments in his ankle after a fall from the high bar, meaning he was unable to compete in the 2018 Commonwealth Games – Fraser bounced back to make history at the World Championships just one year later: becoming the first ever British gymnast to triumph on the parallel bars.

The past year has thrown up setbacks of a different nature, with Olympics delays and lockdown-adapted training regimes, but Fraser is convinced the added time has made him a stronger athlete, better prepared for taking a serious shot at the most coveted prize of all. At just 22, he hopes his best years are still ahead of him, but away from the bright lights of competition it’s the long hours of training – six to seven every single day – that make all the difference.

Following the recent announcement that he’s been selected to team up with Max Whitlock et al at the postponed Tokyo Games, he took time out to talk MF through the physical and mental prep that makes him the gymnast he is.

Men’s Fitness: How did you first get into gymnastics?

Joe Fraser: My parents took me to my local club when I was five or six, because I was doing somersaults off the sofa and bed at home, and they thought I was either going to hurt myself or break something in the house. One thing led to another, and ever since then I’ve loved it.

At the beginning I wasn’t necessarily the best kid in the group, but if you ask my coach now he’ll say the one thing that stood out was my want to do more and my want to do better. I had the drive to push myself to try things others maybe wouldn’t.

MF: Can you remember when you thought you might be able to make a career out of it?

JF: I was on the way to the gym – my mum was dropping me off. I was only about 12 years old and she said, “Joe, I’ve got a surprise for you.” I thought I was getting a PlayStation 3, but I got to the gym and my coach told me I had made the national team. I didn’t even know there was a national team at that point, so it was a huge shock, but that was a turning point. It made me realise I was actually pretty good at this and made me more determined to give it my all to see what I could achieve.

MF: And did you get the PlayStation?

JF: Unfortunately not!

MF: Who were your sporting heroes growing up?

JF: For me it was Louis Smith, who was winning multiple World Championship and Olympic medals. He was someone you would see on the telly, then go to a national centre and actually see him training. Being able to watch these people train made me think, if I train equally hard, the potential is there for me to achieve similar things.

JULY 2021

57

IN FOCUS JOE FRASER

CORE PRINCIPLES

MF: How have you found the adjustments of the last year, particularly with regards to the rescheduled Olympics?

JF: At first I was struggling, because I always had that one date in my head of when the Olympics would be.

Then obviously it got postponed, then changed, and that was hard to deal with at first, but I took some time to refocus and see how I could use the extra time to my benefit. I focused on making my routines harder, cleaner, and getting everything to the best possible standard. Looking at it now it’s actually turned into a positive.

I had 13 weeks of training at home and in the garden. I set up a pommel horse in my mum and dad’s bedroom! After June, luckily, I was able to get back to the gym.

MF: What are the key attributes it takes to succeed as a gymnast?

JF: Discipline: getting to the gym on time, even when you’re tired and it’s

58 JULY 2021

the last thing you want to do. You need to make every day count. There’s the quote, ‘Don’t count the days, make the days count,’ and that’s very true. You also need consistency: you can’t give 110 per cent one week and the next give it 50, because that’s not going to get you anywhere.

If you really want to do it, you can definitely turn your hand to it. Like I say, I wasn’t necessarily the most naturally gifted gymnast as a child, but I definitely wanted it and was willing to put in the hard work to be the best I could be. If I said to myself then, “I’m not the best now, so I’ll never be the best,” I never would have achieved anything.

MF: Most men aspire to have the body of a gymnast, but few would be willing to put in the amount of training you have to go through – what does your weekly routine look like?

JF: I usually get to the gym around half nine. In my first session I’ll do conditioning and tend to touch on three apparatus: floor, pommel, and rings. Then I’ll have an hour

“I had 13 weeks of training at home and in the garden. I set up a pommel horse in my mum and dad’s bedroom!”

Gymnasts have cast-iron cores and a level of bodyweight strength most of us struggle to comprehend, but Fraser insists his core-specific training is no different to most people’s. “Dish rocks, dish-ups and v-sits are three of my favourite exercises,” he says, “along with arch-up holds (also known as supermans) and planks.”

However, rather than doing hundreds of bodyweight reps, Fraser ups the resistance wherever possible. “In gymnastics,” he says, “we’re always holding up our own bodyweight, so it’s important to condition in a way that makes the baseline bodyweight stuff feel easy – and that often means training with added weight.”

or so lunch, then two or three hours more training, probably on the other three apparatus: vault, parallel bars, and high bar. At that point I go home to recover, and it’s back again for the next session. Wednesday is my half day, so I only have one session, but that pattern is repeated most days.

MF: Do you ever have days where motivation wanes?

If so, how do you push through?

JF: I’m lucky enough to have some great training partners who are on the same mission as me. So whenever I’m struggling, one of them will pick me up and vice versa.

So even though one of us might not be feeling up to it one day, we’ve got such a tight team that we’ll drag each other up. We’ve also got countdowns to the Olympics up in the gym – seeing that each day we’re getting closer makes you want it even more.

MF: How do you fuel all this training?

JF: Protein is key for me, because I’m training so much I need to give my body everything it needs to stay strong and prevent injury. Being a GB ambassador for Whole Earth peanut butter is great – I have it on my porridge in the morning so I can get that quick source of protein and energy just before I train.

Photography: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

MF: Talk us through your history-making moment back in 2019.

JF: In sport you don’t get too many opportunities to show the world what you’re fully capable of. You work so hard to get to these pinnacle moments in you career that if you don’t enjoy them you’ll look back with regrets. I just went out there with my coach – who’s been with me since the Fraser is hoisted aloft by teammates after making history in 2019

An anxious wait for results at the 2019 World Championships

“In sport you don’t get too many opportunities to show the world what you’re capable of ” beginning – and tried to enjoy myself.

I performed a routine that’s one of the hardest in the world, and to walk away as world champion was a dream come true.

MF: What’s the secret to staying both focused and calm going into a competition like that?

JF: I’m a very positive person, so I’ll be cracking jokes and having some fun. Like I say, you don’t get the opportunity to compete on the world stage very often, so I try to relish the moment and make the most of it.

and the pinnacles of their career. But what you don’t see are the times in the gym when they’re failing, falling on their heads, and generally struggling to hit the standard. My coach and I try to show that we make just as many mistakes as anyone who is starting out.

JOE FRASER IS AN AMBASSADOR FOR WHOLE EARTH, THE OFFICIAL PEANUT BUTTER SUPPLIER TO TEAM GB

MF: Your coach has said gymnastics is 90 per cent about overcoming failure – does that ring true?

JF: Definitely. That’s the one thing people don’t really see, and I try to make an effort to get that side of the sport out there. Young athletes only ever see GB gymnasts on the TV, and at that point they’re at peak fitness

TRY THIS AT HOME: The five-move circuit from Max Whitlock’s book The Whitlock Workout • 30-45 secs per move • 10 secs rest between moves • 3-4 rounds • 1 min rest between rounds 1b.

Hip Bridge Single-Leg Lift

1c.

Decline Plank

1d.

Sofa Leg Lift

1e.

Handstand Dip

Photography: Dan Jones

1a.

Single-Leg Sofa Squat

JULY 2021

59

HOLD

IN FOCUS ANDEAN ADVENTURE

HO

YOUR

60 JULY 2021

LEADING A HORSE 1,000 MILES THROUGH T H E A N D E S TA U G H T ALEX KING MUCH ABOUT LIFE, ENDURANCE AND M E N TA L F O RT I T U D E

ORSES W

hen I left university, I flew to Argentina, spent my savings on a horse, and rode it into the high Andes. A friend rode alongside me, but we didn’t want a guide: we wanted a test. Two months later, we spilled back out through the foothills, dazed and bedraggled, about 1,000 miles north of where we’d set off.

Along the way, we both vacated the saddle and began to walk – fearful that, at over 4,000 metres above sea level, our horses were struggling for breath. So our horseback adventure was really a long string of high-altitude endurance walks, threading for miles between ancient volcanos and across blinding salt pans in search of water to keep the four of us alive.

I now accept that it was a feckless journey into a lifeless wilderness. But the experience revealed to me the limits of my own endurance, and offered a glimpse of what motivates people when they set themselves a challenge that will take pain and hardship to overcome.

INTO THE UNKNOWN

When we first planned the trip, I didn’t think I had much more to learn about endurance. In my school days, I’d been a good long-distance runner, captaining my cross-country team, representing my county and winning a handful of big races. And though at university my running trainers worked their way to the back of my cupboard, I still reckoned that endurance lingered in my makeup, imprinted there after years of hell-for-leather training runs.

JULY 2021

61

IN FOCUS ANDEAN ADVENTURE

But as a student, clocking marathon stints in the library was no substitute for the special thrill of finishing a race. I found the endless studying banal and meaningless, which fed an impulse to do something radically different as soon as I graduated. By the final term of our final year, my friend Marc and I had booked one-way tickets to Buenos Aires, inspired by a photo of galloping gauchos I’d seen in a travel brochure.

It took us a month to find suitable horses.

Argentina didn’t seem to be as abundant in equine resources as the travel brochure had led us to believe, but the weeks we spent criss-crossing the country on night buses, and chasing after rural contacts we’d been offered by incredulous city folk, gave us enough time to buy equipment, pick up a smattering of Spanish, and learn how to look after a large animal.

The last name on our list was Javi, a no-nonsense gaucho who owned a sprawling ranch in the lap of the Andes. Javi didn’t even pretend to have faith in our practical skills, but he must have had faith in our determination. After some deliberation he sold us Garry, a towering grey horse with a gentle soul, and Pancho, a squat brown colt without one. We were ready to enter the wilderness.

SADDLING UP

Our first week in the saddle, covering 15 or 20 miles a day, went off without a hitch. Weaving through the foothills, berets tilted against the sun, the gentle clip-clop of progress lulled us into a kind of trance.

Every time we reached a summit, a new, more spectacular panorama was there waiting for us. Then we’d plunge into the next valley, lush with grasses for the horses and scattered with firewood we could use to

62 JULY 2021

Pancho contemplates the vast nothingness

experience – it was psychological.

And anyway, in this vast sepia void, where the only sign of life was the occasional clump of tumbleweed spinning across our path, stopping wasn’t really an option.

DIGGING IN

We pulled our reins to the right and began heading north. We had maps, and they foretold villages and rivers – even a hot spring or two – somewhere beyond a horizon it cook up our nightly wok-full of rice. would take several days to reach.

But we were climbing towards In the meantime, we’d rely on tiny an altogether less hospitable place. springs, signalled by little clumps of Somewhere between three and four grass on the hillsides before us, to kilometres above sea level, the water our horses and fill our bottles. creases of the low Andes spat us With the howl of the wind out into a series of gigantic desert rendering attempts at conversation plateaus that know only the ferocity futile, Marc and I sank into quiet of the sun and the relentless shriek of contemplation – and neither of us the wind. Our brief spell of serenity gave voice to the nagging feeling was shattered by a constant face full that perhaps we ought to turn back. of dust, and for the first time I felt In spite of the conditions, Pancho myself dipping privately into my was still sprightly beneath me, and reservoir of resolve.

I actually came to enjoy the solitude.

It wasn’t long before I was I thought about university, about a regular at the reservoir. This felt friends and lovers, and about both familiar and unfamiliar. I’d been here before on painful runs, and I knew how to slap away the temptation to slow or stop. But this was not yet a physically painful

Faces full of dust: Alex, Marc, Garry and Pancho

whatever I was going to do after all this was over.

And there were highlights to the first month.

We did find a thermal bath, where we soaked in blissful joy for a full 24 hours. Each village we passed through meant corn for Garry and Pancho, and Malbec for Marc and I. It felt important to extract as much relaxation from these stops as possible: they were crucial short-term goals, and we desperately needed these pitstops to recharge us for the road ahead.

UPPING THE STAKES

The second month was different. Motivated by a perverse desire to push ourselves still further, we climbed another kilometre into the heavens and entered a region of the Andes known as the Puna. The villages here were abandoned, the rivers largely dry.

This was no longer a wilderness to romanticise; it was a vision of a world parched by a malevolent sun, deformed by the tumultuous forces of plate tectonics.

At this new altitude, and with water sources now spread 50 miles apart, we decided to stop riding our horses, leading them on foot instead. Pancho had started huffing harder, hoofing the ground with the air of an exhausted runner. And the few people we now met had never set eyes on such an animal. This was what their Inca ancestors had called the kingdom of the mountain gods – but it was clearly no kingdom for a horse.

“The creases of the low Andes spat us out into a series of gigantic desert plateaus that know only the ferocity of the sun and the relentless shriek of the wind”

JULY 2021

63

IN FOCUS ANDEAN ADVENTURE

We were now regularly walking two marathons a day at an altitude three times that of Ben Nevis, a feat that felt somehow unimpressive: we just didn’t have a choice. The last time my feet had carried me anywhere near that far, I was collapsing on the Mall at the end of the London Marathon.

Whether from the fatigue of walking, the fear of finding no water in prophesied rivers, or the sheer violence of the landscape, my thoughts quickly assumed a darker tint. I felt a dull and undirected fury that I couldn’t find a way to channel into anything useful. Nothing in my running experience could have readied

64 JULY 2021

me for the Puna, which made a mockery of the long-distance runner’s mental strength I thought I could always rely on.

Marc and I began to give each other a wide berth. We were no longer a team. This seems to be what full survival mode does to you: it shifts your entire psyche, making you selfish and suspicious. Even at sundown, once we’d set up our tent and cooked our rice, we were too exhausted to toss more than a few mumbled observations at each other before crawling into our tent to pass out.

ON THE EDGE

And yet we endured – though not without incident. We did end up going a day without water, which would have been a lot more terrifying if our wits hadn’t been blunted by mile upon mile of walking. On another day, we were halfway across a salt pan – a promisingly flat shortcut to

an oasis village – when with a crack our feet broke through the razor-sharp salt crystals and into the squelching mud that lay beneath. It took us hours to work back towards terra firma, and days for the gashes on our legs to heal.

The three weeks we spent in the Puna were unsafe and unwise, and for me will always represent what can happen when bloody-minded dedication mutates into unhealthy devotion. Endurance athletes may be fanatical, with a unique perspective on the merits of putting themselves through pain, but most know which side of the line to toe. I descended from the Andes guilty that my pursuit

of the extreme had overstepped that line, endangering four lives.

That’s not to say that the trek was a failure. In many ways, it fulfilled its function: I arrived back in the UK feeling ready to start the next phase of my life, rejuvenated after those long months in the library. I took up running again, having proven to myself that even the most humble reward can justify a painful trial.

And I know myself better, including those darker, more ruthless parts that are usually kept at bay by the comforts of civilisation.

I like to think that even Garry and Pancho, who are now back on

Javi’s ranch munching on regular truckloads of carrots, were in some way enriched by the trip – carrying themselves like decorated veterans when they’re drafted in to take tourists on two-mile loops of the countryside. But maybe that’s just because I flew back to London feeling I finally understood what it is that makes endurance such a powerful force in people’s lives.

WHY WE ENDURE

I don’t think endurance has a great deal to do with fitness, though you’ll need both in spades to compete at the top level. Being forced to endure, it seems to me, requires you to communicate with yourself, choosing to speak to yourself positively while ignoring the inner voice that only offers bad advice. In the process of that communion,

I think we can develop a certain self-sufficient confidence, borne of the knowledge that you can rely on yourself in a crisis.

I journeyed 1,000 miles through the Andes, I think, to rediscover myself after the dizzying tumult of university. I’m sure there are other ways – who knows, better ways – to have an honest and compassionate conversation with oneself. But the trip reminded me of something I had forgotten after leaving school: that mental strength is a skill built on the boundaries of what seems possible.

BY THE NUMBERS 1 day without water.

4 worn-out shoes

– two pairs for Alex, two sets for the horses.

“Endurance requires you to ignore the inner voice that only offers bad advice”

6 the furthest distance, in miles, that Pancho wandered from camp at night.

12 times questioned by police.

56 miles walked on the longest day.

64 days in and

out of the saddle.

1,090 miles

covered in total.

4,656

metres above sea level – the highest point.

8,000

Argentinian pesos (£60) paid for two gaucho’s berets.

JULY 2021

65

REWILDING [RIːˈWʌɪLD] VERB

Reawakening the wild in you.

ADVENTURE REDEFINED EXPLORE OUR ADVENTURE-READY RANGE AT WIGGLE.CO.UK

GET FIT IN THE KITCHEN

BUILDING BLOCKS

Prioritise these vitamins and minerals for optimum health and fitness Feeling your best, and fulfilling your performance potential, depends not just on how you train your body, but what you put into it. In fact, working out religiously is going to get you nowhere unless you’re also putting the right mix of macro (protein, carbs, fats) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and other essential molecules) into your system.

Chances are, you know all about the big three macronutrients, but on the micro level things can seem a little more complicated.

To put it simply, vitamins are organic substances that act in tandem to keep your body’s cells working normally.

Minerals, meanwhile, are inorganic, chemical elements – including calcium, zinc and sodium – that aid everything from bone health to metabolic function (turning the food you eat into energy).

While there are 13 essential vitamins, some should be sought out more than others. Minerals, on the other hand, number in their thousands. So, to cut through the confusion, make this list your priority.

Zinc is another micronutrient that’s essential for anyone who trains consistently. Zinc bolsters the immune system and can speed up recovery between workouts. However, as it’s a mineral lost through sweat, if you play highintensity sport you need to up your intake. Research by the University of Otago found that athletes have lower levels of zinc than non-athletes, so the scientists recommended a low-dose zinc supplement in addition to a balanced diet.

Natural food sources include meat, milk, fish and eggs, as well as spinach, oatmeal and wholemeal foods.

Magnesium is an important mineral involved in numerous processes that affect muscle function, including oxygen uptake, energy production and electrolyte balance. Strenuous exercise results in an increased loss of magnesium through sweat and urine, so it’s worth adding it to your supplement list – particularly

as it has been shown that magnesium supplementation, or increased intake of dietary magnesium, can improve exercise performance. Get your blood levels monitored for an accurate view of your magnesium status.

Iron helps transport oxygen around the body, making it fundamental for both recovery and muscle function. Anyone following a plant-based diet need to pay particular attention to their sources of iron, because while it’s readily available in animal products, the main non-animal sources are leafy green vegetables, soy, legumes, quinoa and pumpkin seeds.

Calcium, like vitamin D, plays a key role in maintaining strong muscles and bones.

Dairy products, dark-green vegetables and soft-boned fish like salmon and sardines are rich sources of calcium.

Vitamin B12 is a crucial vitamin for energy production.

It also aids the synthesis of fatty acids, making it particularly useful for anyone trying to shift some weight this summer. As it’s most commonly found in animal products, vegans and vegetarians should take a supplement to prevent weakness and fatigue.

Photography: Getty Images

Vitamin D is vital for strong bones and a healthy immune system, as well as increasing absorption of other crucial vitamins. Athletes deficient in vitamin D are more at risk of

bone fractures and breaks, so if you play a high-impact sport regularly it’s critical you keep on top of your intake. Although UVB radiation in sunlight triggers its production in the body, in the UK that radiation is not strong enough in winter, so the government recommends supplementing with 10ug/day.

JULY 2021

67

●FUEL NUTRITION NEWS

The way you metabolise food strongly affects your subsequent food choices.

A King’s College study gave over 1,000 participants a standardised breakfast, and found those who experienced big dips in blood sugar levels several hours after eating ended up feeling hungrier, eating sooner and consuming on average 312 more calories during the day than people with a more controlled blood sugar response.1 That could lead to several pounds of weight gain each year. As well as genetics, your sleep, physical activity and food choices all affect metabolism, so don’t underestimate the effect these lifestyle choices have on your weight.

FUN GUYS

CRESS IS MORE

As well as the refreshing, peppery flavour, watercress is a powerhouse of nutrition, with an extremely high antioxidant content. So much so, in fact, that eating watercress regularly has been shown to protect against exercise-induced oxidative stress, 3 which can minimise symptoms like muscle soreness, inflammation and reduced muscle function – helping you get back to training faster after a heavy workout.

SOUR TASTE

Countless websites and influencers tout the fat-burning power and other health-promoting properties of acetic acid, found in most vinegars.

However, a recent large review study showed that while vinegars have a small effect on lowering blood sugar and triglycerides, they have no effect on cholesterol levels or weight loss.5

68

JULY 2021

Next time you make a salad, stir-fry, or even a barbecue, you might want to consider adding some mushrooms to the party. That’s because higher mushroom consumption is linked with a significantly lower risk of cancer.2 According to the biggest review to date on their health effects, people who ate 18 grams of any type of mushrooms daily had a 45 per cent lower risk of cancer compared to those who didn’t eat any.

GO NU T S

Pis t ac h io s are p ar t ic ul ar l y h igh in p rot e in, v itami n B6 , f ibre and man y an tioxid an ts , an d p o u n d f o r p oun d c o nt ain aro un d t hre e t ime s more p o t as si um t h an b an an as . De s pit e b ein g re l ativel y e n er gy-d e nse , st udies sh ow n uts c an be on e o f t h e mos t we ight - l oss -fr ien dl y f ood s, tha nks to t he ir h igh fib re an d p ro te in c on te n t . But p ist ac h ios mi ght j u st be t h e b e s t c h o ice , be cau s e t he ac t of she l l in g th em h el p s yo u t o eat more m in d f ul l y, an d th e l e ft ove r s he l l s give you a visu al c u e o f how ma n y n u t s yo u’ve e ate n – re s ul tin g in 22 pe r c e nt fe wer c alo rie s c o nsu med. 4

Words: TJ Waterfall | Photography: Getty Images | 1. Nature Metabolism 2. Advances in Nutrition 3. British Journal of Nutrition 4. BioMed Research International 5. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 6. Journal of Applied Psychology 7. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 8. Nature Human Behaviour 9. Appetite

METABOLISM MATTERS

Recent research shows that copper concentrations are lower in men who regularly exercise than in inactive men, despite similar intakes.6 That’s likely because some copper is lost in sweat, and it’s used in the elevated activity of the antioxidant defence systems. Copper is an essential trace mineral required for growth, the immune system, energy metabolism and bone mineralisation – among many other roles – so it’s important to avoid deficiencies for peak health and performance.

COPPER SOURCES Shiitake mushrooms

Shellfish

Nuts

Leafy greens

Seeds

Dark chocolate

STAY PRESENT

COP OUT

Programmes that focus on diet and exercise might be effective for short-term weight loss, but mindfulness-based interventions help people to keep that weight off.7 It’s thought that increasing your sense of present-moment, non-judgemental awareness might help you recognise and alter your responses to emotions that might otherwise go unnoticed. This heightened awareness can help interrupt the common reaction to overeat when under emotional stress.

BEANS, BEANS, GOOD FOR YOUR HEART

The most underrated part of your full English could be the humble baked bean. As superfoods go, they’re one of the cheapest and best sources of nutrients. In fact, research shows they even help us live longer: a review showed those eating more legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas and soy) had on average seven per cent lower risk of dying from any cause.8

GET 3 MONTHS FREE PROTEIN! Secure your three-month membership to Smart Protein by heading to smartprotein.com and using the code MENSFITNESS Smart Protein delivers premium products, advanced formulas and the best ingredients – all accessible at up to 85 per cent less than the standard industry prices. From whey isolates to power-boosting pre-workouts, all your sports nutrition and wellness supplements are covered, without paying for middlemen, retail margins and brand mark-ups.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT It’s well known that sleep and exercise can affect how you feel and perform at work, but now research has also shown how you eat affects workplace performance. The study showed that unhealthy eating in the evening led to people feeling less helpful and more withdrawn the following day at work.9 So cook up a healthy dinner if you want to fire on all cylinders tomorrow.

JULY 2021

69

●FUEL CLEAR PROTEIN

IN THE CLEAR

The best clear protein powders offering an alternative to traditional shakes If you struggle to stomach traditional protein powders, clear protein is the new innovation shaking up the world of post-workout recovery. More fruit

squash than chocolate milkshake, these powders are easy to mix, light and refreshing. It’s still an emerging product, so you won’t find a huge range

on offer, but to help you make the right choice we’ve rounded up five of the most effective options on the market right now.

PHD SMART CLEAR WHEY £22.99, phd.com

Quite simply the best clear protein we tested, PhD’s refreshing Smart Clear Whey is high in protein (20g per serving) but low in both sugar (less than 1g) and calories (85kcals). Try the Orange Margarita flavour for a dose of greattasting hot-weather recovery.

Taste: HHHHH Protein: HHHH Texture: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H H

NATURECAN CLEAR WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE £39.99, uk.naturecan.com

From a company committed to highquality ingredients, Naturecan’s clear protein contains nothing but natural goodness in the form of 21g protein per serving, zero sugar, zero fat and just 85 calories. The juicy Tropical flavour gets MF’s seal of approval.

Taste: HHHHH Protein: HHHH Texture: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H

THE PROTEIN WORKS CLEAR DIET WHEY BULK CLEAR WHEY ISOLATE

£24.99, theproteinworks.com

MY PROTEIN CLEAR WHEY ISOLATE £22.99, myprotein.com

A competitive 20g protein per serving means Bulk’s offering stands up to most whey powders, and each of the fruity flavours (Cherry Bomb gets the nod from us) are perfectly suited to the heat of summer.

Three cocktail-inspired recipes make up TPW’s clear protein range, with each providing 16g protein per serving, along with BCAAs and energy-boosting green tea extract. For anyone trying to trim down for summer, there’s also an impressive return of less than 70 calories.

Made from highquality hydrolysed whey protein isolate, My Protein’s offering comes in 11 flavours and packs 20g protein per serving, as well as 4g performanceboosting branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and 3g immune-boosting glutamine.

Taste: HHHH Protein: HHHH Texture: H H HH OVERALL: H H H H

Taste: HHHH Protein: HHH H Texture: H H H H H OVERALL: H HH H

Taste: HHHHH Protein: HHHH Texture: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H H

£21.99, bulk.com

70 JULY 2021

SOFT DRINKS

FUEL●

HIT REFRESH

A selection of healthy soft drinks for cooling off when the heat is on As the mercury rises, effective hydration – though important at all times of year – becomes critical for keeping your body firing on all

cylinders. Now, nothing hydrates quite like good old H20 (if you need some convincing, head to page 72), but sometimes a little more flavour is called

for. That’s no excuse to reach for a can of sugary fizz, though, because these days there are just as many soft drinks geared towards healthy lifestyles.

THE NAKED COLLECTIVE MUDE £25 (pack of 12), thenakedcollective.com

THE GUTSY CAPTAIN KOMBUCHA

A so-called ‘SuperLiquid’, the Naked Collective’s range of subtly satisfying and near-instantly effective Mude drinks are created from grains of barley bursting with polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. Immuneboosting beta glucane is then added to the mix, along with organic moodenhancing botanicals. Each drink in the five-product range – including Mude Work and Mude Sleep – contains different additional ingredients based on the intended outcome. Mude Work, for instance, contains ashwagandha, an ancient medicinal herb thought to calm the brain, lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

Taste: H H HH

Health: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H H

Taste: H H H H H Health: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H

£17.99 (pack of 12), wowhydrate.com

Endorsed by a roster of highprofile athletes, WOW Hydrate has established itself as a big brand in sports hydration. Its Electrolyte Water comes in bottles equipped with Push Cap technology, which delivers fresh vitamins – including energising vitamin B6 and immune-boosting vitamin C – and powerful flavour as soon as the cap is pressed.

Taste: H H H H H Health: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H H

ACTIPH WATER £19.99 (12 x 1L), actiph.shop

Launched in 2016, Virtue’s all-natural energy drinks are zero sugar and zero calories, providing a noticeable boost straight away. Each can provides the equivalent natural caffeine to one cup of coffee (80mg), with two flavours on offer: Berries, or our favourite, Lemon & Lime.

Actiph is ionised water, brought to the UK by seven-time Guinness World Record holder Jamie Douglas-Hamilton. His crew drank diluted sea water when rowing across the Indian Ocean and discovered it gave them greater power and sustained energy. Produced by adding essential electrolytes, then supercharging it through ionisation to pH 9 or higher, studies suggest ionised water hydrates quicker and faster than the stuff out your tap.

Taste: H H H H H Health: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H H

Taste: HHH H Health: H H H H H OVERALL: H H H H

£19.99 (pack of 12), gutsycaptain.shop

You’re probably aware of the benefits of kombucha: the fermented green tea drink that’s a potent source of gut-friendly probiotics and cell-strengthening antioxidants. The trouble is, in its simplest form it’s not always to everyone’s taste. The GUTsy Captain has found a way to take kombucha to the masses, with eight tasty flavours – from Watermelon & Mint to Cayenne Pepper – made from 100 per cent natural ingredients.

WOW HYDRATE ELECTROLYTE WATER

VIRTUE CLEAN ENERGY

£11.97 (pack of 12), amazon.co.uk

JULY 2021

71

IN FOCUS HYDRATION

Photography: Getty Images

IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT FAT FASTER OR SIMPLY FUNCTION AT FULL CAPACITY, YOU NEED TO AVOID DEHYDRATION – HERE’S WHY AND HOW

72 JULY 2021

ater is an essential component of the human body, helping with everything from the transportation of nutrients, to the elimination of waste products, the maintenance of blood circulation and healthy digestion.

Insufficient water intake causes dehydration, and dehydration reduces the body’s ability to regulate those processes in varying degrees – all of which can have profound and detrimental effects. For example, dehydration may reduce absorption of nutrients in the gut, resulting in less effective bodily processes due to the lack of micronutrients (such as fat loss).

WHY DO YOU NEED WATER? There’s a reason humans can go weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Every single one of the trillions of cells in your body depends on good hydration to function effectively, and research out of the California University of Pennsylvania has shown that even a one per cent decline in fluids (per percentage of bodyweight) can negatively impair performance.

The male body is 69 per cent water, meaning you’re more H2O than anything else.

It plays a crucial role in – among other things – protecting and cushioning the brain, spinal column and other tissues; regulating body temperature; lubricating joints; and removing toxins through perspiration and excretion.

HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED? The general rule of thumb is eight medium glasses a day, but that’s a very loose guideline (how big’s a glass?) and exactly how much will depend on body size, activity level, temperature, humidity, diet and myriad other factors. Most of your daily fluid

intake doesn’t actually come from drinking plain water, but instead from the food you eat and other drinks. For example, a banana contains 90ml of water, as does 100g of tomatoes. The US National Research Council advises a total daily water intake, which includes water from food and all other sources, of 3.7 litres for men.

your body. If you’re dehydrated, your body will be going haywire trying to fix the problem, and as dehydration gets worse you’ll feel thirsty, dizzy and irritable – and have a banging headache.

Without water, at this point your condition will worsen into fatigue, exhaustion and poor motor function, so you’ll become clumsy and uncoordinated.

HOW DOES DEHYDRATION AFFECT PERFORMANCE? Even a one per cent decline in fluids as a percentage of total bodyweight can negatively impair performance, according to research from the California University of Pennsylvania, while a decline of three per cent or higher significantly increases the risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Dehydration of two per cent impairs mental performance in tasks that require attention, psychomotor and immediate memory skills, according to

and you’re working out at a high intensity then you will need more, and you may need electrolytes, too…

WHY MIGHT YOU NEED ELECTROLYTES? Sweating is your body’s defence system against overheating.

Unfortunately, though, when you sweat you lose some important minerals known as electrolytes, including sodium and potassium. Electrolytes support a number of bodily functions, including energy production and fluid balance.

If you’re training for less than an hour in average temperature and humidity,

“Every single one of the trillions of cells in your body depends on good hydration to function effectively” Research has also shown that consuming 500ml of water prior to food reduces caloric intake of meals and leads to greater weight loss. To avoid dehydration, consume approximately 0.04L water per kg body mass. So if you weigh 75kg, aim for 3L water a day.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE DEHYDRATED? The less water in your body, the thicker your blood. That forces your heart to pump harder to deliver oxygen to your brain, organs, muscles and every cell in

a study published in the American Journal of the College of Nutrition.

The more activity you do and the higher the temperature, the more your daily fluid intake must increase to avoid dehydration. Research in the journal Nutrition advises drinking 200ml to 285ml of water for every ten to 20 minutes of moderate exercise. If it’s hot

you’ll be fine to rehydrate with water, but when training is longer, more intense or in hotter conditions, taking on around 1.7g to 2.9g of electrolytes per litre of water helps your body absorb fluids more quickly, according to research in the journal Sports Medicine.

Another study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, found that pure coconut water and coconut drinks made from concentrate were as effective as sugar-based sports drinks at aiding rehydration.

JULY 2021

73

●FUEL ASK THE EXPERT

SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

H OT W E AT H E R C A N P L AY H AV O C W I T H YO U R T R A I N I N G , B U T W I T H T H E R I G H T H Y D R AT I O N S T R AT E G I E S YO U C A N S TAY C O O L A N D C O N F I D E N T F O R W O R K I N G O U T A L L S U M M E R LO N G

74

JULY 2021

MEET THE EXPERT Sports nutritionist Will Girling has worked with Commonwealth Games athletes and elite Tour de France riders. Visit willgirling.com or follow him on Instagram @WillGirling

ot weather means more runners, cyclists, and gym-goers battling to look good for tops-off season.

However, the heat also puts athletes at risk of dehydration, which increases cardiovascular strain, glycogen utilisation and muscle lactate to make exercise feel much harder than it should.

“Hydration matters,” says sports nutritionist Will Girling. “Research suggests dehydration of just two per cent of your bodyweight causes a significant drop in performance. So if a 100kg athlete loses 2kg of water, that will be very detrimental.”

The good news is that with smart hydration strategies you can manage your fluid loss to ensure you enjoy the benefits of the hot weather, without succumbing to the hazards. With that in mind, here are five strategies for staying hydrated this summer.

H

GET THE PRE-DRINKS IN

Words: Mark Bailey | Photography: Getty Images

Whether you’re doing a sweaty indoor gym session, or a run or bike ride outside, your hydration plan should kick in early. “Always hydrate before you do your workout,” explains Girling. “Drink 400-600ml of water two hours beforehand. The simple test to see if you’re hydrated or not is to go to the bathroom and examine your urine: if it is dark in colour, have another 400-600ml before your class or bike ride.”

That is especially important if you’re exercising in the morning. “It can be really hot in the summer, but people wake up and go straight out,” says Girling, “even though they’ve suffered water loss from sweat overnight, so they’re not in a hydrated state.”

KEEP SIPPING How much liquid you need to drink during your workout will depend on what exercise you’re doing. “Always take a bottle with you and hydrate as much as you can, but if you’re going to the gym your workout will probably be under an hour, so drinking ad libitum – drinking to thirst – is fine,” says Girling.

For longer endurance exercise, however, you need a stricter strategy. “The general recommendation is 500-600ml per hour of activity. Anything more than two hours and you really need to stick to that 500-600ml rate, which is roughly one bottle per hour.”

Use a watch or bike computer to set reminders to drink, and plan your route to allow you to refill your bottles or buy extra water en route.

DON’T FORGET ELECTROLYTES As mentioned in the previous pages, electrolytes play a vital role in key bodily functions, such as muscle contractions and fluid balance. Salt, for example, binds to the water in your body to help you retain fluids. “It’s very important to replace the electrolytes lost when you sweat,” explains Girling. “At best, you will see an unwelcome decline in your performance.

At worst, you can get hyponatremia (low

DID YOU KNOW? Every athlete sweats at a different rate, so it’s worth taking a bespoke approach to your hydration strategies. “If you are a heavy sweater,” says Girling, “which you can easily realise based on the salt lines on your clothing after exercise, it may be worth taking on a bit more sodium, or getting a personal sweat test ahead of, say, a marathon in hot weather.”

blood sodium) which can have a significant detrimental effect on your health and even cause death. So during extended exercise take on an electrolyte source once an hour. Around 400mg of sodium – or one electrolyte tablet – should cover most people.”

KNOW YOUR OWN BODY One of the best ways to navigate hydration issues is to get to know the symptoms. The quicker you spot them, the easier they are to correct. “The common signs of dehydration are dry mouth and thirst, but if you start to get into a two per cent bodyweight loss or greater, you will experience headaches, nausea and dizziness,” says Girling. “Being low on electrolytes can cause nausea, too.”

React quickly to any warning signs to make sure you don’t deteriorate further.

HYDRATE AT HOME Your hydration protocols shouldn’t stop when you get home. “Keep drinking when you’re finished to replace fluids lost during exercise,” insists Girling. Aim for around one bottle per hour until your urine has returned to its pale colour. Remember, you'll continue to lose fluids through sweating and urination at home, so keep sipping long after you finish.

DIY SWEAT TEST Many sports science companies and nutritionists offer affordable sweat tests, but for a simple home test, do the following…

1. Go for a wee.

2. Weigh yourself, then do a one-hour racepace or high-intensity workout, during which you drink one 500ml bottle of water.

3. Weigh yourself post-workout and work out the weight difference – minus the

weight of the bottle you drank.

4. The number you are left with will be your estimated sweat rate. “To refine your hydration strategy, aim to replace every one kilogram of sweat loss with one litre of fluid,” says Girling.

JULY 2021

75

●FUEL RECIPES

E

Y BETS E AT L I K E A N AT H L E T E W I T H

FOUR PLANT

P ORO

Developed by the coaches of Olympic athletes and world champions, Oro is the personalised health and fitness app featuring food-first nutrition plans and a ‘smart programming’ system based on simplicity and flexibility. The following recipes are meat-free but full of flavour, providing a small taste of the quality meals you can expect to find on the app

BBQ BLACK BEAN BURGER (FROM GAZ OAKLEY) INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2) - 1 tbsp olive oil - 1 red pepper - 2 spring onions - 4 shiitake mushrooms - 120g chickpeas - 120g black beans - 2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds - 2 handfuls fresh coriander - 2 tbsp barbecue sauce - Squeeze of lime juice - 30g buckwheat flour - 2 vegan brioche buns - 10g cress - 2 handfuls lettuce - 1 tomato - 50g crispy onions - Salt - Black pepper

METHOD Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Add spring onion, red pepper and mushroom to a blender, then blitz the mixture until everything is finely chopped.

Preheat a large non-stick frying pan over a low heat, add a little oil, then when the pan is hot add the chopped red pepper mix.

Sauté everything for two to three minutes or until softened.

Meanwhile, put the chickpeas and black beans into a mixing bowl and give them a pat dry with kitchen paper as best as you can.

Add the chickpeas and beans to the blender with the sautéed red pepper mixture, hemp seeds, coriander, barbecue sauce, lime and seasoning.

Pulse the blender no more than three times – if you over-blend the mix you will turn it into a purée, resulting in a mushy burger.

Once pulsed, put the mixture into a mixing bowl and add the flour. Using your hands lightly, work the mixture together. Again, if you over mix you’re going to have a mushy burger, so gently work it together.

Add a little more flour if your mix feels too wet. If not, go ahead and form the mixture into patties. Lightly flour your hands to form the burgers.

Once you’ve formed your burgers, place them onto the lined baking tray. You can bake them straight away, but I like to get them golden in a pan first. Add a touch of oil to a non-stick pan placed over a medium heat and fry the burgers on each side for two to three minutes.

Once coloured, place the burgers onto the tray, then place the tray into the oven for 15 minutes.

Prepare your garnishes while the burgers are in the oven. I serve my burgers in a toasted bun with lettuce, cress, tomatoes, extra barbecue sauce and crispy onions.

PER SERVING Kcals: 756, Protein: 24g, Fats: 29g, Carbs: 86g

76

JULY 2021

JULY 2021

77

●FUEL RECIPES ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND TEMPEH TACOS (FROM WHAT LUCE EATS) INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2) - 50g tempeh - ¼ tsp chilli powder - 2 tsp cumin - 1 tsp paprika - ¼ tsp garlic powder - ¼ tsp chilli flakes - ¼ tsp oregano - Salt - Black pepper - 4 tsp olive oil - 420g cauliflower - 6 taco shells - 1 avocado - ¼ red cabbage - 2 handfuls fresh coriander - 4 tsp lemon juice - 1 green chilli - 30g dairy-free cheese METHOD Start by marinating your tempeh by combining all of the spices and oil. Save half of the paprika for the cauliflower. Add tempeh pieces and coat evenly.

Place in the fridge, ideally overnight, but you can just cook straight away if time is limited.

Preheat oven to 180°C, and line two baking trays.

Season cauliflower florets with paprika and a drizzle of oil, before scattering on one of the baking trays.

Scatter tempeh cubes on the other, and place both trays in oven to bake for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the avocados, and add salt and juice from the lemon.

Load tacos by smothering with the smashed avocado, then cauliflower and tempeh pieces.

Add some sliced red cabbage, and crumble cheese on top.

Season with chilli flakes, sliced green chilli and fresh coriander.

PER SERVING Kcals: 616, Protein: 18g, Fats: 40g, Carbs: 43g

78

JULY 2021

BLACK BEAN STEW WITH PEARL BARLEY (FROM GAZ OAKLEY) INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2) - 240g black beans - 3 tsp vegetable oil - 1 red onion - 2 garlic cloves - 1 red chilli pepper - Salt - 1 tsp ground coriander - 2 tsp chipotle paste - 1 tsp ground cumin - ½ tsp cinnamon - 1 tsp oregano - 1 tsp thyme - 3 tbsp chickpeas - 240ml water - 2 tsp tomato purée - 2 tbsp soy sauce - 4 tbsp lime juice - 10g dark chocolate - 2 handfuls fresh coriander - 150g pearl barley - 2 tsp lime zest - 150g dairy-free yogurt - 10 cherry tomatoes

VEGGIE CURRY (FROM WHAT LUCE EATS) INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2) - 3 tsp olive oil - 1 white onion - 2 cloves garlic - ¾ tsp cumin - ¾ tsp garam masala - ¾ tsp paprika - ¾ tsp ground coriander - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper - ¼ tsp turmeric - Salt - Black pepper - 2 tsp tomato purée - ¾ can coconut milk - 200g chopped tomatoes - 300g new potatoes - 200g courgettes - 300g cauliflower - 40g spinach - 36g cashew nuts - 2 handfuls fresh coriander - 10g coconut yogurt - 130g wholegrain rice

VISIT WEAREORO.COM FOR MORE DETAILS

METHOD Cook the pearl barley to packet instructions.

Finely chop the chilli pepper and red onion, and mince the garlic cloves.

Preheat a saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil followed by the onion, garlic, chilli and salt. Sauté until softened.

Add the dried herbs and spices (coriander, thyme, cinnamon, cumin, oregano). Then cook for three to four minutes, stirring often.

Add the chipotle paste, black beans and chickpeas, followed by the water, tomato purée, soy sauce and half the lime juice.

Place a lid on the pan and allow the beans to simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened up.

Once the pearl barley is cooked, simply mix through the rest of the lime juice, lime zest, and season with salt and pepper.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and chop the fresh coriander.

Just before serving, stir the chocolate into the stew with half of the chopped coriander.

Serve up the stew with the pearl barley.

I like to garnish with a drizzle of vegan yogurt, fresh coriander and cherry tomatoes.

PER SERVING Kcals: 544, Protein: 21g, Fats: 17g, Carbs: 64g METHOD Preheat oven to 180°C, and line a baking tray with parchment paper or tin foil.

Scatter your cauliflower florets and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil. Place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.

In a large saucepan of boiling water on a medium heat, boil your diced potatoes for 15 minutes.

While your potatoes are boiling, begin to cook your rice, according to the packet instructions.

In another large saucepan on a medium heat, add 1 tbsp of oil, diced onion and crushed garlic cloves. Simmer until the onion starts to brown.

Next, add your cumin seeds, garam masala, paprika, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, turmeric and tomato purée. Combine and cook for one minute.

Pour in your coconut milk and tinned tomatoes, and leave to simmer for five minutes.

Next, drain your potatoes and add them to the sauce along with the roasted cauliflower florets and courgettes.

Combine and turn to a low heat. Let it simmer for ten minutes further, before adding your spinach and letting it wilt.

Serve over rice with a dollop of coconut yogurt, and sprinkle with cashew nuts and fresh coriander.

PER SERVING Kcals: 853, Protein: 23g, Fats: 38g, Carbs: 97

JULY 2021

79

SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO MEN’S FITNESS GUIDES PAY JUST £19.80 EVERY 5 ISSUES SAVING 20%* ON THE SHOP PRICE

INCLUDES FREE UK DELIVERY

SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS

• Save 20% on the cover price • Free UK delivery with every issue delivered directly to your door • Never miss an issue • Receive your copy before on-sale in shops

EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/MFG0421 OR CALL 01959 543 747 VISIT

**

QUOTING CODE MFG0421

UK offer only. *Discounts are calculated on the full cover price plus postage.

You will pay £19.80 every 5 issues when paying by Direct Debit. **Lines open Mon-Fri 8.30am – 5.30pm. Calls charged at your standard network rate.

YOUR BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

THE BIG REVEAL

Want six-pack abs for summer? Here’s your four-step plan

Photography: Getty Images

F

irst, a disclaimer: six-pack abs are not the secret to

endless happiness. Singledigit body fat will not make all your wildest dreams come true. And even if visible abs were the Holy Grail, some people’s genetic makeup makes them difficult to achieve. In short, don’t pin all your hopes on a washboard midriff.

However, ask 100 men what part of their body they would most like to improve, and most will likely point to their stomachs. The six-pack remains a highly coveted physical attribute – even though, it must be said, visible abs have no functional benefit. But if you’re still after those abdominals, the days of endless situps are long gone. Instead, cardio, calorie control and smart training are your tickets to toned…

1. BURN BODY FAT The truth is, it doesn’t really matter how smart you train in the gym, because you’ll never have visible abs if you’re not as

disciplined in the kitchen. And if trimming down is the goal, it all comes down to one simple equation: calories in vs. calories out.

Maintain a slight (emphasis on the slight) calorie deficit for a few weeks or more and you will reduce body fat.

While individual calorie needs vary greatly (work yours out using a calorie calculator), four to five meals per day is optimal. The regular intake of macro and micronutrients will ensure continual muscle protein synthesis and keep your metabolism burning through the food you eat. One study in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity also found that eating on small plates can trick your brain into feeling full.

2. KEEP UP THE CARDIO High-intensity interval training is the timeefficient method for fat loss, but lowerintensity cardio can be just as effective. It all comes back to calorie burn and what form of training you can stick to. If lung-busting burpee sessions are your thing, great; but if

you’re more of a steady-paced jogger, that also works – as long as you’re consistent.

3. WORK THE ANGLES Your abs, like all muscle groups, need to be worked through different angles to recruit as many muscle fibres as possible.

To work all the muscles that make up your abdominals, include exercises that require your torso or legs to move not just up and down or back and forth, but also side to side and resisting spinal movement (planks and hollow body holds). The more you ask your abs to do, the greater the benefit.

4. STAY TIGHT When you train your abs, you need to ensure there’s tension in your entire core – to recruit more muscle fibres and also to protect your spine – before starting the set. Fully contract your abs at the top of each rep, and lower slowly and under complete control. For static holds, keep your core tight throughout (as if bracing to be punched in the stomach).

JULY 2021

81

●TRAINER BRIAN O’DRISCOLL

“YOU WILL NEVER REGRET THAT WALK, RUN OR WORKOUT”

Rugby legend turned pundit Brian O’Driscoll is on a mission to get the UK moving 82

JULY 2021

In a long and decorated career, O’Driscoll played 133 times for Ireland, and eight for the British and Irish Lions. He is widely regarded as one of the best rugby players of all time

With a shocking 20 million Brits c l a s s e d a s ‘ p h y s i c a l l y i n a c t i v e ’, Brian O’Driscoll has teamed up with EXi: an award-winning app that provides personalised exercise prescription to those suffering from any number of 23 long-term conditions (including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, cancer and long-Covid).

Here, O’Driscoll talks MF through his partnership with EXi, and how he manages his own relationship with exercise post-retirement.

Photography: Getty Images

Men’s Fitness: Why have you partnered with EXi? Brian O’Driscoll: Since I retired, I’ve looked at getting involved in things that can add real value to people’s lives, and when I came across EXi I felt as though it was the perfect app for combatting the obesity epidemic and getting people moving.

So many people don’t know how to start. Sometimes you need something that’s very tailored to your own individual needs, especially if you’ve got some chronic issues that need to be taken into account. EXi offers specific, tailored advice based on those individual needs.

once they realise the benefits of staying active, they won’t stop.

I work out with a personal trainer friend of mine every now and then, and he said something to me the other day that made so much sense. He said, “What about, if after every one of your three meals, you went for a ten-minute walk?” Who doesn’t have ten minutes to spare after eating?

That’s three-and-a-half hours of exercise a week.

Sometimes people have themselves fooled that they don’t have time for exercise or they can’t fit it in, but if you take it in bite-sized chunks, you will eventually get there.

MF: What sets EXi apart from other exercise apps?

BOD: It’s NHS-approved, for a start.

But it’s also prescribing exercise as medicine for people with chronic conditions or sedentary lifestyles.

For a lot of people, there is too much information too soon and it’s almost all-consuming, but EXi builds things slowly and steadily.

So many other apps are designed for people who are familiar with exercise, or they’re straight into the main programme, whereas this is very much holding your hand through the early stages of reintroduction to exercise, which many people need.

MF: As a former elite athlete, how do you manage your relationship with exercise now it’s no longer your job?

BOD: It was a real challenge initially.

MF: This app should help, but how else do you think the some 20 million sedentary people in the UK can be won round to the benefits of regular exercise?

BOD: We’re not targeting the CrossFitters of this world – they’re already ‘captured’ – this is about helping people who don’t realise the benefits that exercise can bring to their lives.

I always say, the hardest bit about exercise is putting your trainers on.

You will never, ever regret going for that walk, run or workout. EXi can help people get to that start point, and

I trained quite hard for about six or seven months after I retired, because I’ve got a ‘big person’ in me, for sure!

So a few of the lads were saying, “I can’t wait to see you in a year’s time, you’re going to be as big as a bus.”

I thought, I’m not having that.

But after a while, I realised it was both boring and unsustainable. Then I found more of a balance with it and made it part of my daily routine, to the point that it’s now the non-negotiable in my day.

MF: And why do you work out these days?

BOD: It’s a complete mood-changer. Mental happiness is more important to me than anything else. I don’t live to work; I live to live. Every single day I walk my kids to school, and I walk the dog, so I get my steps up, and then I allocate another hour to working out. For me, the psychological benefits of that are significant.

You need to enjoy it: if you’re slogging it out every day and hating it, you’re eventually going to stop. For me, what works is a bit of weight lifting, followed by five minutes of HIIT on the assault bike at the end. That’s me sorted.

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL IS THE GLOBAL AMBASSADOR FOR EXI: THE NHS-APPROVED, SPORT-ENGLAND BACKED APP. FIND OUT MORE AT EXI.LIFE

●TRAINER BEACH WORKOUT

BAND AID

Build your best body for beach season with this full-body banded workout Resistance bands offer one of the most effective ways to get a workout in anywhere, anytime. Banded workouts like this one can give your body a much-needed break from weights, while targeting the muscles in a unique way. Unlike free weights (which

should still be an integral part of any workout plan) bands provide progressive resistance, meaning the weight increases during the concentric portion of the move, forcing the muscles to grow and adapt.

Incorporate this workout when you’re on

the go, or whenever you need to switch things up.

“I find bands to be great for maintenance when you either don’t have time to get to the gym or you’re on the road,” says cover star Parker Cote.

1. BAND SQUAT

2b. BAND REVERSE FLYE

REPS: 25 REST: 45 secs SETS: 4 Step on the band with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.

Loop the bands over your upper arms.

Proceed to squat normally, dropping your hips back then lowering, while keeping your chest up and looking straight ahead.

Squeeze the quads and glutes as you return to standing.

REPS: 15-18 REST: 45 secs, then repeat 2a SETS: 3-4 Bend at the waist and keep your back flat throughout.

Loop the band around both feet and cross the band over to form an ‘X’ shape.

Keeping a slight bend at your elbows, raise both ends of the band until your arms are parallel to the floor.

Return to the start.

2a. BAND LATERAL RAISE REPS: 15-18 REST: Straight into 2b Step both feet on the centre of the band.

Begin with the band in front of you, and with a slight bend at your elbows, raise the band away from your body until you form a ‘T’ with arms parallel to the floor.

Lower to the start.

84

JULY 2021

3. BAND OVERHEAD PRESS REPS: 12 REST: 45 secs SETS: 4 Stand in the middle of the band with both feet, then loop the band behind your body, with palms facing forward.

Keeping the abs engaged, press the band overhead.

Return to the start.

4a. BAND BENT-OVER ROW REPS: 12 REST: Straight into 4b Step over the band, but only allow a small part of the band to be outside of your feet due to the shorter range of motion on this move.

Bend at the waist, keeping your back flat and head down.

Squeeze your shoulder blades together to row the band up, with your elbows tucked in and hands stopping at chest height.

Return to the start under control.

BAND LOW TO HIGH 15 45 secs 3 With a staggered stance, step in the middle of the band with your back foot.

Grasp the handles (or just both ends of the band, depending on what you’re using) with a palms-up grip.

With a slight bend at the elbows, use your upper chest and shoulders to bring the band handles together – finishing at face height.

Photography: Jon Malinowski

5. BAND OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION REPS: 18 REST: 45 secs SETS: 3 With a close stance, step over the middle of the band to lock it in place, then grasp the handles overhead with your palms facing upward, and your hands at the base of your neck.

Allow the elbows to flare out naturally.

Extend your arms fully overhead, then return to the start.

JULY 2021

85

●TRAINER CHEST, ARMS & ABS WORKOUT

CHEST ARMS & ABS

This workout will help you build a broader, stronger chest, wider shoulders, impressive arms and a solid core You’re going to start off with a classic compound chest move: the dumbbell bench press. While you’re unlikely to be able to shift as much weight with the dumbbell variation, it allows for greater range of motion and potentially more muscle activation across your pecs.

Once you’ve completed four sets on the bench, you’ll hit your entire upper body – with a particular focus on the lats and biceps – with eight-rep sets of chin-ups (keep those shoulders pinned back and pull with your back), before moving onto the supersets...

Each a/b pairing is to be performed as one set: so taking the close-grip bench and triceps dips as an example, you’re going to do your 10-12 reps on the bench, then immediately move over to the parallel bars/dip station and pump out your 10-15 reps on there.

Then you’re going to rest for 60 seconds (stay strict with rest times to keep up the conditioning element) and repeat the process. That pattern is the same for both 4a/4b and 5a/5b.

86

JULY 2021

1. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS REPS: 10-12 REST: 60 secs SETS: 4 Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.

Keep your feet flat on the floor and your back against the bench.

Press the weights directly above your head, but don’t lock your elbows at the top.

Slowly lower the weights back to the start, flaring your elbows out to the sides as you do so.

2. CHIN-UP REPS: 8 REST: 60 secs SETS: 3-4 Grab the bar with an underhand grip, so your hands are shoulder-width apart.

Start from a dead hang with your arms fully extended.

Pull yourself up by squeezing your lats together.

Once your chin is higher than your hands, lower yourself back to the start.

3a. BARBELL CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS REPS: 10-12 REST: Straight into 3b Lie flat on a bench, holding a barbell with a close, overhand grip. Aim for about a fist-sized gap between your hands.

Keep your head, shoulders and back supported by the bench, your core braced and your feet flat on the floor.

Lower the bar slowly to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your sides to keep the emphasis on your triceps.

Push back up powerfully to return to the start, taking care not to lock your elbows at the top of the move.

3b. TRICEPS DIP REPS: 10-15 REST: 60 secs, then return to 3a SETS: 4 Grip parallel bars, keeping your body upright.

With your elbows pointing straight back, lower your body as far as you can comfortably go without stressing your shoulders.

Keep your core braced and don’t swing your legs for momentum.

Press back up powerfully to return to the start, but don’t lock your elbows at the top.

JULY 2021

87

●TRAINER CHEST, ARMS & ABS WORKOUT 4a. DB HAMMER CURL REPS: 12 REST: Straight into 4b Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand by your sides with your palms facing your body.

Keeping your elbows close to your sides, raise the weights to shoulder height, squeezing your biceps at the top of the move.

Slowly return the weights to the start, flexing your triceps at the bottom of the move.

4b. DIAMOND PRESS-UP REPS: To failure REST: 60 secs, then return to 4a SETS: 4 Start in a press-up position, but with your hands close together so your opposite thumbs and index fingers touch to form a diamond.

Keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels, lower your chest as far as you can.

Push up strongly to return to the start.

88

JULY 2021

PRESS-UP POINTERS: Stay ‘tight’ throughout: clench your glutes and tighten your abs, as if you’re about to take a punch to the stomach.

‘Screw’ the heels of your hands into the floor. Doing so will stabilise your shoulder joints and give you more strength for each rep.

5a. SWISS BALL DECLINE PRESS-UP REPS: 12-15 REST: Straight into 5b Get into a press-up position with your feet on a Swiss ball.

Keeping your core braced and body straight, lower your chest towards the floor.

Press back up to return to the start.

Photography: Tom Miles

5b. SWISS BALL ROLLOUT REPS: 12-15 REST: 60 secs, then return to 5a SETS: 3-4 Start on your knees with your forearms resting on a Swiss ball.

Keeping your core braced throughout, slowly roll the ball away from you.

Once your torso is parallel to the floor, contract your abs to roll back to the start.

JULY 2021

89

●TRAINER TRAIN WRIGHT WORKOUT

TAKE THE HIIT

Melt fat, fast, with this high-intensity bodyweight workout from Train Wright Fitness has always been a big part of Mark and Josh Wright’s lives.

Since the first lockdown, they have been sharing the short-but-sharp workouts that keep them in shape all year round. But what began as free training sessions on Instagram back in April 2020 has since grown into fully fledged fitness app Train Wright. Promising ‘real people, real results’ this fast-paced session provides a taste of what to expect from the new platform. Get your sweat towel on standby.

2. JUMPING LUNGE REPS: 45 secs REST: 15 secs SETS: 2 From standing, step into a forward lunge, with your front knee in line with your front foot and your back knee just off the floor.

Drive through both heels to jump up, switching legs in the air and landing in another lunge, this time with the opposite foot forward.

Jump up again, switching legs once more.

Continue to alternate legs.

1. QUICK FEET REPS: 30 secs REST: 15 secs SETS: 4 This is a simple but effective cardio move for raising your heart rate and torching fat.

Think sprinting on the spot: stay on the balls of your feet and drive using your arms, only lifting each foot a few inches from the floor.

Aim to keep your feet moving as fast as you can throughout.

90

JULY 2021

3. KNEE SLAM REPS: 40 secs REST: 20 secs SETS: 3 Imagine you’re holding a stick between your hands and want to break it over your knee.

Standing up straight, lift both arms above your head, before quickly bringing your hands down towards your right knee as you drive up.

Power through with the right knee before standing up straight again, lifting your arms above your head and then driving into your left knee.

4. SPEED SKATER REPS: 30 secs REST: 30 secs SETS: 3 While this exercise will work your entire body, the quads and glutes get special attention.

Starting with your knees bent and body leaning forward, push sideways off your left leg and hop onto your right foot.

Focus on balancing by using your core and glutes to stabilise your body, before pushing off your right foot and hopping onto your left.

Repeat the movement and allow your arms to move naturally across your body to help balance as you land each time.

5. BURPEE

7. JAB, JAB, UPPERCUT REPS: 60 secs REST: 30 secs SETS: 3 Shadow boxing is great cardio that will really get your shoulders and triceps burning.

Stand with your leading hand and foot forward, your body turned sideways and fists raised so they are level with your chin, as if you were protecting your head from an invisible opponent.

Jab forwards twice with your leading hand, before following through with an uppercut from your rear hand – using your legs to generate more power.

REPS: 30 secs REST: 15 secs SETS: 4 The daddy of full-body fat-burning moves, burpees will get your heart rate up quicker than just about every other exercise.

Stand tall.

Drop down into the start of a squat thrust, then jump your feet back to a press-up position.

From here, you can either drop your torso all the way to the floor, or go straight into jumping your feet back to your hands and returning to standing.

As you stand, jump up before landing with soft knees.

Gather your breath and repeat.

Photography: Train Wright

6. PRESS-UP REPS: 45 secs REST: 30 secs SETS: 3 The ultimate bodyweight exercise for upper-body strength, stability and core control.

When you lower, you should keep your elbows tucked into your body.

If you let them flare out it will place extra strain on your elbow joints, which could lead to injury.

Make sure your hips are level throughout the exercise; if you let them sag it will put strain on your lower back. It’s also a sign that you’ve lost core control, so keep them up to make sure that you’re staying stable.

THE TRAIN WRIGHT APP IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD VIA THE APPLE APP STORE AND GOOGLE PLAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THISISTRAINWRIGHT.COM

JULY 2021

91

●TRAINER UPPER-BODY WORKOUT

UPPER BODY

Work every muscle from the waist up with this 30-minute workout Complex training plans and plateau-busting protocols have their place in any man’s lifting programme, but there’s also much to be said for keeping things simple – especially if you’re not long returned to the gym.

This six-move session – from January cover model and bulk ambassador Alex Crockford – targets every major

muscle group in your upper body. It can also be completed in a mere half an hour, making it the perfect workout if you’re short on time and/or energy, or simply want to add some variety to your usual body-part split routine.

After a quick warm-up – to get your muscles and central nervous system primed for the work to come – you’re going

to hit three to four sets each of dumbbell chest press, dumbbell shoulder press, lat pull-down and seated row, before finishing your arms off with a biceps/ triceps superset.

While the workout is relatively quick, that doesn’t mean you can rush the reps.

Keep every movement focused and controlled, and leave your ego at the door. Pushing out

1. DB CHEST PRESS REPS: 10-12 REST: 60 secs SETS: 3-4 Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.

Keep your feet flat on the floor and your back against the bench.

Press the weights directly above your head, but don’t lock your elbows at the top.

Slowly lower the weights back to the start.

ten quality reps on the bench, with a lighter weight, is going to improve strength and size far better than half reps of a weight you haven’t got full control over.

THE WARM-UP Rowing Machine x 5 mins High Plank x 30 secs Press-Up x 15 Dead Bug x 15

2. DB SHOULDER PRESS REPS: 10-12 REST: 60 secs SETS: 3-4 Set the back of the bench to vertical and take a seat.

Grab a dumbbell in each hand and position the weights on your thighs.

Now ‘kick’ the dumbbells up so you’re holding them at chin height – with elbows out to the sides.

Brace your core and glutes, avoid arching your lower back too much, and press the weights overhead.

Once arms are extended, lower the weights back to chin height and repeat.

3. LAT PULL-DOWN REPS: 10-12 REST: 60 secs SETS: 3-4 Sit at the pull-down station and take a wide, overhand grip on the bar.

Look forward, retract your shoulders blades and keep your torso upright.

Use your lats to pull the bar down to chest height.

Avoid leaning back to aid the movement (drop the weight if you find yourself doing so).

Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the move, then return the bar with control.

92

JULY 2021

4. SEATED ROW

5b. CABLE TRICEPS PUSH-DOWN

REPS: 10-12 REST: 60 secs SETS: 3-4 Sit with a flat back and slight bend in your knees.

Grab the D-handle attachment with a neutral grip.

Sit back to get tension in the cable before you begin.

Pull the handle to your sternum, keeping upper-body movement to a minimum.

Squeeze your shoulder blades together, then return the cable with control.

REPS: 10-12 REST: 60 secs, then repeat 5a SETS: 3-4 Stand in front of the cable, with feet shoulder-width apart.

Grab the bar with both hands and pull it down until forearms are just above parallel to the floor.

Slightly lean forward from the hips and push the bar straight down, keeping elbows locked in and focusing on the contraction in your triceps.

Pause for a second at the bottom, then return your forearms to the starting position.

Photography: bulk

5a. CABLE BICEPS CURL REPS: 10-12 REST: Straight into 5b SETS: 3-4 Hold the cable bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and your palms facing forward.

Keeping your elbows close to your sides and, without leaning back, curl the bar up to your chest.

Squeeze your biceps hard, then lower the bar.

JULY 2021

93

Even more from Britain’s biggest and best saltwater magazine

SeaAnglerGuides SeaAngler Guides

Shore Fishing Everything you need to know to catch more fish

The ultimate manual for beginners to experts

Ultimate manuals with everything you need to know to catch more fish

Practical and useful information on tackle, rigs, technique, bait and popular fish species Everything you need to know to catch more fish Advice for beginners through to experts All in one collectable publication

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW! Tackle | Rigs | Tips | Technique | Bait | Species

PRICE: £7.99

WITH FREE UK DELIVERY

SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/SAG 01959 543 747 QUOTE SAG Lines open Monday-Friday 8.30am-5.30pm.

Calls are charged at your standard network rate T&C Full terms can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms

ORDER THE NEXT ISSUE NOW AND GET FREE DELIVERY STRENGTH TRAINING SPECIAL Terms and conditions apply. You will receive your copy around 20 July 2021. *Delivery is included in the cover price for UK customers only. An additional £1 will be added to any overseas address. **Lines open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm. Calls charged at your standard network rate. Cover for illustration purposes and subject to change.

AUGUST 2021

RAISE YOUR GAME! HIT NEW NUMBERS IN THE WEIGHTS ROOM

• ECCENTRIC TRAINING • OLD-SCHOOL BODYBUILDING • GYM TECH

BEST GYM SHOES

FULL-BODY FITNESS Inside the bruising world of Muay Thai

WHY IT PAYS TO TRAIN IN THE MORNING

INCORPORATING F I T N E S S

&

A D V E N T U R E

THE BRUTAL SPECIAL FORCES WORKOUT MENTAL HEALTH The man’s guide to postnatal depression

OLYMPIC LIFTING

101

DON’T MISS OUT!

E NORMAL SHOP PAY TH * PRICE AND GET THE NEXT ISSUE DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR

ORDER TODAY!

ORDER ONLINE AT: SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/MEFAUG21 ** CALL NOW ON:

01959 543 747 QUOTE REF: MEFAUG21

●TRAINER GIVE ME STRENGTH

DIY PROGRAMMING

Here is my step-by-step guide to creating an effective system for yourself, without risking overtraining or imbalances

MF’s new strength-training columnist James Griffiths explains why you need to avoid mix-and-match training methods his isn’t going to be an article talking about how I think Frankenstein got massive.

Instead, what we’re going to look at is people creating mixand-match exercise programmes by piecing together lots of different ideas. These different training and nutrition concepts come from different coaches, athletes and influencers, and unfortunately most of the time they simply don’t work well together.

T

96

JULY 2021

The ‘best’ training systems aren’t always the best way for you to achieve the results you want. Those two things aren’t necessarily the same, because a lot of the time people aren’t ready for the most advanced training protocols.

That’s based on a lot of things, like fitness levels and how long someone has been exercising consistently for. Ask yourself, are you skipping a few training phases that have definitely come before the advanced training concepts for the writer or athlete you are reading about?

I always programme around three main focuses: Power, Endurance and Control.

They can be further split up into stamina, hypertrophy, strength, power, speed, flexibility, skill, balance and coordination. Whatever your goal is, you need to focus your training on the relevant components, but my advice would be to have phases where you at least check in with all of the above to make sure you don’t let your strengths get too far in front of your weaknesses. Big imbalances are a fast route to injuries, and injuries stop you training.

• Start with endurance (stamina and hypertrophy), as you get to hit light to moderate weights for a lot of reps. High reps mean you get more practice on your technique and the risk of injury is lower.

DOS & DON'TS OF CREATING YOUR OWN TRAINING PROGRAMME M H EXPERT

Photography: Ben Machekanyanga / Getty Images

‘A life with no limit’ is James Griffiths’ creed. He has recorded the highest altitude workout ever, completed 1,000 24kg kettlebell snatches in under one hour, was Southern England's strongest man under 80kg in 2018, and (best of all) even graced the cover of this very magazine back in November 2020.

His obsession isn’t with his own fitness, though: everything he’s done is about learning how to help others push past their limits.

Wild Training, which he founded in 2015, is all about sharing the joy of health and fitness in unique ways that challenge traditional norms.

DO Look at training systems that are new for you, but aren’t necessarily the toughest or most advanced workouts.

Programme in phases of training that cover all components of fitness.

Work through the phases in order to give your body the best opportunity to progress safely.

Vary the amount of time you spend in each training phase.

Spend more time in the phases that relate to your primary goals.

• After building up some skill and resilience you can move on to strength, which involves higher intensities and bigger weights.

Just don’t get stuck on strength, even though it’s great for your ego.

• Hit some power by building more explosive training into your programmes. For most of my clients, the power-based training is where they actually feel and look their best.

Dipping your toe into a different style of training for a month will be good for your fitness, great for your motivation, and your body will thank you for the change of pace, which is good news for keeping your nervous and hormone systems happy.

For that reason, I tend to be pretty

specific with my programming. So if I’m working on endurance, most of my workouts in that phase will be built around supporting that adaptation.

I won’t do a strength workout on Monday, endurance on Tuesday, and a flexibility session on Wednesday – your body will just get confused.

What are you trying to achieve: fat loss, muscle growth, increased strength, or better stamina? Your body can’t do it all at the same time. So when I’m talking about changing up your training focus, it makes more sense to do it as phases of training, rather than trying to create a weekly workout routine that does everything. Give your body a clear stimulus to change the way you want it to change. Once you hit your targets, move on to the next phase.

If your focus is strength or muscle size, you might go from a phase of stamina training that might be as short as four to eight weeks, into a strength phase that could be 12-24 weeks. After that, have a few weeks working on control and then start over again with new targets. It’s about understanding your body, when to push and when you need to ease off.

Read everything, but don’t add it all into one programme. The less goals you prioritise, the faster you’ll achieve your targets and the less time you will waste.

Focus on one goal in a phase.

This is especially important as you get fitter, so your body isn’t getting mixed signals around how you want it to change. Be specific and you will achieve your targets faster.

DON’T Mix and match programming concepts without getting some good coaching advice that can check they are relevant to your goals and level of fitness.

Compare your training to others. They aren’t the same as you, might not have the same goals as you, and won’t have the same background experience as you.

Get stuck on strength training, even though it’s great for your ego. Exploring power, speed and even the lower-level stamina and hypertrophy programmes will keep your training interesting and help you see sustainable results.

Disregard training programmes you haven’t done before. Try them before you potentially miss out on some easy gains that will transfer to your primary training goals.

JULY 2021

97

●TRAINER FINAL THOUGHT

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES

ou’ve not done as many workouts this week as last week’ one of the apps on my phone bleats at me. ‘Last week you did 7 workouts’ it says, ‘and this week you’ve only done 1.’

Yes, I think, because it’s Tuesday and you, the app, start the week on a Monday. (I won’t mention that two of those workouts were strolls to the shop to buy crisps, but I insist that still counts). However, it feels a bit much for the app to assume that having spent a week doing, ahem, ‘seven workouts’, I would then be incised to start the next week cramming the same into just Monday.

“Sorry,” I’d have to explain to my wife, “I can't pick our daughter up from nursery as I’ve got to do ten more hours in the gym until I’ve worn my arms away to dust.” Where would it end? I had no idea the rise of the robots would mainly be them insisting on a gym schedule that renders us so knackered they can simply stroll in and take over.

Y

98

JULY 2021

DATA OVERLOAD

I can’t imagine what it was like exercising before health apps arrived. I must have done it, as the only app in the 90s was Snake, and that could only tell you how many apples you’d eaten. Now it seems an alien idea to do a workout not knowing exactly how many calories you’ve burned. I can’t remember what it was like to run and have no clue how fast I was going, or how far I’d travelled without carefully plotting the route on a map after.

No wonder the first marathon, supposedly completed by Pheidippides in 490 BC, had him running until he died. If only he’d had a watch that said how his heart rate was holding up, while notifying him that someone on LinkedIn was already aware of the battle victory and had recommended ten ways to win it better next time.

I use four different health apps. One connects to my fancy watch, records my exercises and rewards me with badges that give me a false sense of achievement – but can’t be used for anything

in the real world so are ultimately useless. I got one for ‘getting 8 hours sleep’, which to be fair, as the parent of a toddler is a genuine achievement. I hadn’t actually managed it, though: I’d just turned my watch off overnight. I’m a fraud.

The other two apps monitor how many calories I’ve eaten in a day and what weight I’d lose if I didn’t have the metabolism of a tectonic plate, and the last app connects to our weighing scales to show I’m doing all this hard work to maintain the terrible shape I’m in. Then all four connect together to give contradictory results. One says I have the health of a 21-yearold, which is flattering, while the other says I’m the weight of a 45-year-old. It’s lucky I don’t have one that stares into my eyes, or it would report back that I’m not far off my 150th birthday.

NO CONTEXT

The information they collect and advise on is very useful.

However, I do have to keep reminding myself that they are

just apps – they do not and will not know everything. As it pops up to complain I’ve not walked or worked out enough today, me yelling, “I’m in bed with a chest cold!” won’t help. As it says I simply must go for a run, I’m aware it has no idea our daughter was awake four times in the night and the weather outside is biblical, so I’m going to drink seven coffees and stare at the wall instead.

The hardest bit about exercise is always summoning the willpower to actually do it, and a nudge from your phone is a very good reminder to get off your bum. But also, as a non-app human, I’ve got to remember to prioritise working around my life and how I feel. I love health apps and how they make exercising so much easier than using guess work and ordinance surveys. That said, I just have to make sure that the real reason I’m doing it is for the human me; not because a robot tells me to.

Also, if you turn them all off and on every now and then, you can sometimes get a badge.

Photography: Getty Images

Comedian Tiernan Douieb enjoys his health apps as much as the next man, but argues their advice should be taken with a pinch of salt and sometimes outright ignored

FROM UK’S No.1 VITAMIN COMPANY * If you're enjoying a more active life, Jointace provides expert nutritional support, with unique combinations including Glucosamine, vitamin D and much more. Plus vitamin C which helps support normal collagen formation¹. However you keep active - choose Jointace.

2021-05-25_ADJONCONP_E

Also available: topical gels and patches

from , , supermarkets, chemists, health stores & www.jointace.com * Source: Nielsen GB ScanTrack Total Coverage Value and Unit Retail Sales 52 w/e 24 April 2021.

To verify contact Vitabiotics Ltd, 1 Apsley Way, London, NW2 7HF. 1. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bone and cartilage.

SCAN FOR INFO