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8 Get Fit The real benefits of your gym membership; blast fat with our intense sprint workout; swing past the competition in your summer baseball league; and a new secret for better muscle growth.

18 Low-carb Paleo eating pairs perfectly with abundant summer zucchini; plus, a Tex-Mex variation on your morning eggs.

22 The future of health is upon us; one man’s inspirational weightloss success story; plus, the best supps for summer.

20

A new way to power up eggs.

28 The No-Gym Beach Body Get shredded for summer with this 20-minute-a-day exclusive plan.

34 Grill Master Delicious ab-friendly high-protein meals, fresh from the grill.

Your summer of smart eating begins right here.

42 Learn how a 45-yearold guy can maintain the body of a man in his 20s. The answer is called your “fitness age” and knowing it could change the way you train forever.

Get Fit

Membership has its privileges

On the fence about joining a gym or going it alone?

Sign on the dotted line. In a new study from Iowa State U., 75% of subjects who were gym members met the U.S. guidelines for physical activity (at least 75 minutes of vigorous or 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week) compared with just 18% of nonmembers. Gym rats also had lower odds of being obese, a smaller waist (about 1.5 inches less for men), a lower resting heart rate, and better heart health.

Head for the hills

Get fit

Elevate fat loss by finding an elevation and sprinting up it

M

The sprint workout EXERCISE

DISTANCE (YARDS)

25

After your last hill sprint, walk, jog, and stretch out your lower limbs.

10

10

10

25

10 per leg

25

10

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Get fit T RY T H I S

When you’re ready to strip away the layers of fat obscuring your hard-gained muscles, a potent fat burner is often the key. These MF -approved flab torchers are worth a look when you’re hoping to show off a shredded physique.

Big bells Spur growth in your bi’s and tri’s by curling and pressing kettlebells instead of bars orphing arms as scrawny as pipe cleaners into straight-up pipes isn’t as easy as grasping a barbell and curling it until your arms go numb. Yes, barbell curls are a potent mass builder, but neglecting to train the triceps and relying solely on barbells won’t give your arms that extra pop. ¶ Your gym has plenty of lifting tools that’ll help you train the arms aside from barbells, including dumbbells, bands, and TRX. But one you might easily overlook is a multifaceted piece of iron that you normally use to swing, squat, and deadlift. ¶ Due to their unique design, kettlebells promote instability that recruits more muscle fibers as you curl or press. Their shifting weight distribution also increases the amount of time a muscle is kept under tension. And upping the time under tension (TUT) translates into greater muscle and strength gains.

M

HOW IT WORKS

DIRECTIONS

Along with increasing TUT, standing curls with KBs can prevent overcurling, which reduces stress from the biceps and shifts it to the delts.

Plus, subbing in kettlebells on moves like skull crushers and close-grip bench presses will allow your limbs more freedom to move. This, along with your wrists not being locked into place as they would be if using barbells or dumbbells, should help alleviate joint and wrist discomfort and provide for a more comfortable lift.

For every exercise, you should adhere to a 3-2-0-2 tempo: The first number is the lowering phase, the second number is how long you should pause at the bottom of the move, the third number is the lifting phase, and the fourth number is the pause at the apex of the move. If that proves too difficult for you, you can adjust the weight if necessary.

You should rest 30 seconds after each exercise and 90 to 120 seconds between supersets.

Killer KB Arms EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

1A) Standing KB Biceps Curl

2-4

5-8

1B) Decline KB Skull Crusher

2-4

6–8

2A) Incline DB Curl

3

8–10

3

6, 6, 8

3A) KB Hammer Curl

2

8–10

3B) Alternating KB Skull Crusher

2 (per arm)

5–6

2B) Close-grip Bench Press

The first product you’ll want to add to your training regimen is Force Factor Fuego, a preworkout powder that packs a serious punch with three separate energy sources to keep you amped through your whole workout. The holistic formula features PeakO2 to give you endurance, power, and clean energy, plus a dose of TeaCrine for energy and focus without the jitters that come from supps with stimulants.

The next Force Factor supp you’ll want on your shopping list is Pure BCAA. This potent BCAA formula has an efficacious 2:1:1 ratio of amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine for optimum muscle synthesis and reduced fatigue during your workout. In addition to the aminos, the supp contains CherryPure cherry extract to reduce sore muscles and keep recovery quick. It also packs rhodiola, an herb known to boost focus, concentration, and endurance while simultaneously building strength and muscle.

Finally, you’ll need a solid whey protein powder to pound after your intense workouts. This provides your blasted muscles the fuel they need to rebuild.

We like Force Factor Whey30. This brand-new protein powder features 30 grams of whey protein with only 1 gram of sugar and around 160 calories depending on the flavor.

It’s also bolstered with glutamine to combat soreness, and has no additional fillers to get in the way of maximum muscle development.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Get fit FOR A BAD WORKOUT, CALL… Q Want to put yourself

Rest your muscles! re you getting enough quality sleep to allow your body to repair and build new muscle? Answer these questions from the National Sleep Foundation to rate your z’s. If you can’t say yes to at least three, your health—and strength gains—may be suffering.

A

1 2 3 4

through a half-assed sweat session that’s less intense and could break your neck? No? Then stay off the damn phone.

In a study at Ohio’s Hiram College, two groups of students worked out phoneless or while texting, talking, or listening to music on a phone.

Result: Texting and phone chatting (though not rocking out to tunes) made focusing on a workout harder; for example, nonphoners spent seven more minutes on high-intensity moves than gasbags. Texters’ and talkers’ balance was also compromised a stunning 45% and 19%, greatly raising their fall risk. (FYI, a 2016 study also found that treadmill phoning cut both running speed and heart rate, so—well, you get the gist.)

Next time, switch to airplane mode—you’ll block all the “incoming” but not your music apps or Bluetooth headphones.

1

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Live well

THE FUTURE IS HERE

We’re in the midst of a technological golden age when it comes to health and wellness. Whether you’re working to stay fit, fight stress, or live healthier, the latest products fuse customization with cutting-edge design to allow individual improvement in a number of areas. These seven, überadvanced products demonstrate just where the future of health is heading.

1

TRAINING

BLUE GOJI’S GOJI PLAY

Turn your home cardio machine into a playable controller that you use with your own virtual reality (VR) unit, transforming a regular workout into exhilarating exercise. Essentially a small left and right controller that you strap to an elliptical, stationary bike, or stair-stepper and then pair with a VR headset from Samsung, Sony, HTC, or Oculus, the Goji Play allows for total immersion in a variety of motion-based games. Once set up, your workouts will fly by as you play, eliminating boredom and helping you to get in a better, more effective workout overall.

2 MOOD

PHILIPS HUE LIGHTING

Whether it’s easing into the day as you wake up, concentrating at your desk, or kicking back at the end of a long week to relax, the type of light waves your eyes are exposed to can have a huge impact on your stress levels, energy, and mental performance. Philips Hue LED lights allow you to customize your lights with a flick of your smartphone, instantly adjusting to support whatever activity you might be doing. Controlled over Wi-Fi via an app you can download, the system is supereasy to install: just screw in the bulb and connect it to the app and instantly alternate between different types of ambient white light or an unlimited number of colors.

3 WORK

LIFESPAN TR1200-DT5 TREADMILL DESK Create your own personal workout space at the office. LifeSpan’s newest treadmill desk features a slick internal cable management system so there are no more messy wires cascading down the back; an integrated screen to give you feedback on steps, walking time, distance, calories, and speed; and it adjusts from 33.5” to 52.5”, making it ideal for people of every height.

To keep from annoying your co-workers, the treadmill has a superquiet 2.25 horsepower motor and six internal shocks to dampen walking noise. It also comes with Bluetooth connectivity so you can save all of your results and keep tabs on your progress—just hold your smartphone over the console and it will upload your data.

4 CARDIO

VIRZOOM VZ CONTROLLER

With the VirZOOM, your new stationary bike is the controller—no add-ons required. Pedal your way through virtual scenarios like driving an F1 race car, flying a Pegasus, or, natch, cycling.

The ability to lean and move the unit like a real bike while riding only adds to the intensity. Like the Goji Play, the VirZOOM does require some of your own hardware, specifically a PC or PlayStation 4 and a VR headset. But this also means that you gain the ability to play online cooperative matches with up to eight players.

5 HEALTH

FITNESS GENES

You’ve likely heard the ads about testing your genes to find out more about your family history or ancestry. But here’s a better reason to consider it. Doing the right DNA test could help improve your health and training. Fitness Genes tests your DNA to eliminate guesswork in regard to achieving training or nutritional goals. The process is simple: order a kit, spit into a tube, and stick the postage-paid spit-kit back in the mail. Anticipate waiting up to three weeks for the results, which are delivered on its website in an easy-to-digest breakdown with a diet and workout plan tailored to your genetic profile and desired body composition.

6 SLEEP

ORB SLEEP COMPLEX VITAMINS No need to down handfuls of chalky pills or sugary gummy vitamins. The future of multivitamins includes innovative formulations like those from new vitamin brand ORB, which has a full line tailored specifically to your needs, be it energy, sleep, focus, heart health, or skin. For a better night’s rest, ORB Sleep Complex combines ingredients to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake feeling refreshed. ORB’s patented time-released beadlets give you sleep support with a blend of calming essential oils, valerian, ltheanine, GABA and 5-HTP, plus energy with B12 when it’s time to wake up—all in a beautiful little capsule. These are vitamins you can see and feel.

7 WEIGHT LOSS

NAKED LABS SCANNER

To keep accurate tabs on your training progress, the latest trend in many high-end gyms is 3-D body scanning. And now San Francisco startup Naked Labs is offering the chance to bring this scanning into your home. Naked is a full-length, Internet-connected mirror that pairs with a turntable-style scale that rotates for a full infrared 3-D scan in 20 seconds. The grayscale, 3-D image and data go straight to a smartphone app, giving you updates on your progress and calculating body-fat levels with a very impressive +/-2.5% accuracy.

Live well

Hitting the hard stuff At 26, Adam Thompson faced a serious drinking habit—then a deadly illness. It was the wake-up call he needed.

BY CASSIE SHORTSLEEVE

In January 2014, 220pound Adam Thompson I checked himself into the hospital. Years of living on fast food and boozing it up had finally caught up to him—he was severely dehydrated, with throughthe-roof blood pressure, and his pancreas was so damaged it no longer produced insulin. The prognosis wasn’t good. Doctors told him he was diabetic; in fact, he was on the edge of slipping into a diabetic coma.

Thompson was admitted for three days, but it was only the beginning of his journey.

How would you describe your diet before you learned you had diabetes?

Bad. I ate fast food four to five times a week—I could easily polish off a large pizza or a Chinese dinner for four— and no fruits or vegetables, unless you count the lettuce and tomato on a burger. Plus, I was a heavy drinker—12 to 24 beers a night, five nights a week.

So how did you start losing weight?

First I completely cut out alcohol.

Then I swapped unhealthy fats, carbs, and proteins—white potatoes, bread, and pasta; sausages; cereal; soda; fast foods—for chicken, fish, eggs, oatmeal, green tea, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

As a diabetic, I really had to watch portions: The more carbs I ate, the higher my blood sugar would go, and vice versa.

That really helped keep me motivated.

Any newfound favorite foods?

Lots—sweet potatoes, chickpeas, rye bread, coconut oil, avocados. And quinoa—my trainer got me into that.

At first I didn’t even know how to pronounce it.

WEIGHT LOSS:

“I DID DROP DOWN TO 150, BUT RECENTLY I PUT ON 10 POUNDS— ALL HEALTHY WEIGHT.”

Did you work out?

Absolutely. I trained each muscle group with weights once a week. At first, abs were tough; it’s hard with a belly in the way. I did cardio one or two times a week.

What was the high point of the journey?

Finding out I’m no longer diabetic!

60 lbs

That was the most exciting moment.

I’ve been off diabetes meds almost two years now.

Before: 220 Ibs

AGE: RESIDENCE:

Did all this take a toll on your personal life?

I lost a few friends when I stopped the party life—it’s been over six months since I last drank.

But other than that, life has only gotten better for me.

HEIG HT: S TA R T I N G W E I G H T : CURRENT WEIGHT: T O TA L P O U N D S LO S T : S TA R T I N G B O D Y FAT : C U R R E N T B O D Y FAT :

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GROWTH HORMONE DECLINE GROWTH HORMONE ACTIVITY

he secret could be as simple as boosting one of your body’s most important hormones. No, not testosterone. You know testosterone levels decline with age, and you know the toll it can take both on the way your body looks and on your ability to perform. But testosterone is just one part of the equation, and if that’s been your only focus in your attempt to get your game back and boost your performance to the levels you want, you could be missing one critical piece: human growth hormone.

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ENDURANCE SEX DRIVE REDUCED BODY FAT Some experts believe hGH is critical to keeping us youthful and performing at our peak. The problem is that — just like testosterone — our body’s natural production of hGH begins a free fall that can start as early as our mid-20s.

Take Growth Factor-9 “before bed on an empty stomach. Combined with regular workouts, it can help turn your body into a GH-making machine.†

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Or you could raise your hGH levels naturally with Growth Factor-9 (GF9).

Rather than introducing synthetic growth hormone, GF9 works by nourishing the pituitary gland — where hGH is manufactured in the body — encouraging it to produce growth hormone at more youthful levels.* You need to know, however, that the “established” medical community (and of course, they know everything) would say that the benefits of human growth hormone are largely anecdotal, with research that’s preliminary. But there’s no denying that something that may boost your performance, increase lean muscle mass, decrease body fat, and enhance your energy and libido is an investment worth making.

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Live well

THE BEST OF SUMMER

From potent pre-workouts to HGH boosters, these seven MF-approved supps will encourage greater gains and help to improve any workout

1

2

MUSCLETECH SHATTER SX-7 REVOLUTION

1

Break through fatigue and low motivation in the gym with MuscleTech’s Shatter preworkout powder. The innovative formula features a dual dose of L-citrulline for more nitric oxide, which means more blood flow and tighter pumps, along with betaine to promote lean muscle mass, increased strength, and better endurance. MT also packed in a two-phase caffeine blend that gives you instant energy—plus sustained release for intensity for your whole workout—and filled it up with taurine for more endurance plus betaalanine for stronger muscles.

2

3

4

There’s nothing better than the deep muscle pump you get with an intense workout, but to consistently fill those muscles up, try taking some pre-workout NitraFlex from GAT before your next session. To enhance “reactive hyperemia”—also known as the pump—the supp features a high citrulline-to-arginine ratio, which is known to facilitate nitric oxide formation in the body leading to dilated blood vessels and more blood flow to the muscles.

Add in some calcium fructopyranose borate to support high levels of free testosterone, and you’ll really optimize that pump.

3

5

6

7

GAT NITRAFLEX

MRI NO2 RED EXTREME

Providing a powerful nitric oxide rush throughout your blood vessels is what MRI’s NO2 Red Extreme is designed to do. This pump producer contains a proprietary blend of five different kinds of arginine—a proven NO stimulator—to provide five phases of niacin-fueled blood vessel dilation you can feel in your muscles, along with a mix of citrulline, glycine, glutamine, carnitine, beta-alanine, and histadine for increased power and intensity. MRI also added 10mg of dihydroquercetin, a novel bioflavnoid that enhances the effects of the 390mg of vitamin C in the supp to assist with recovery.

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NOVEX BIOTECH GROWTH FACTOR-9

Human growth hormone, or HGH, has been shown to improve lean muscle mass gains; reduce body fat levels; enhance endurance; and improve mood, sleep, and sex drive. At around age 30, HGH production in the body begins to taper off, which is why we slowly get weaker and fatter as we get older. But no need to succumb

to the ravages of middle age so soon. Check out Novex Biotech’s Growth Factor-9, a clinically studied formulation that has been shown to stimulate the body to secrete up to 682% more human growth hormone through its special blend of amino acids and schizonepeta powder.

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NOVEX BIOTECH TESTROVAX

Testosterone, the hormone that supports sex drive, muscle growth, and metabolism, is created when HGH prompts the testes to release more. So when your HGH levels drop as you age, so do your testosterone levels.

You can boost the amount of T in your body by exercising intensely or by taking a supplement like Novex Biotech’s TestroVax, which, in a clinical study of 43 men, showed a 42% increase in T after taking the supp for 12 days.

TestroVax is formulated with natural ingredients and known T-boosters like fenugreek, grape-seed extract, rhodiola rosea, and damiana leaf extract.

GNC PRO PERFORMANCE AMPLIFIED WHEYBOLIC 40 PERFORMANCE PROTEIN SHAKE

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Sometimes you just don’t have time to mix up a quality protein shake, or you’d rather just throw a blend that’s ready to drink in your gym bag for an immediate, after-work protein fix. If that’s you, GNC’s new Wheybolic 40 Performance Protein Shake has you covered. One 14-ounce bottle has a surprising 40 grams of high-quality whey protein isolate with only 2g of sugar to help you pack on lean muscle. Best of all, it comes in chocolate and vanilla flavors that taste great with no chalky aftertaste.

MUSCLEMEDS CARNIVOR MASS BIG STEER

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MuscleMeds’ Carnivor Mass has long been the go-to protein product if you want a bioengineered dose of beef protein isolate instead of those wimpy protein powders made from milk, eggs, soy, or rice—the unique formulation has 50g of protein per four scoops, and its aminos are 350% more concentrated than those in a steak.

It also features iSpike, an exclusive tech that quickly boosts insulin so you get an anabolic impact that promotes muscle growth and tissue repair. For guys who can’t get enough of Carnivor, they’ve introduced the Big Steer option, which is a full 15-pound tub of beef protein powder goodness for maximum gains.

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The no-gym beach body Take a vacation from the weights and sculpt your best beach body ever using only your body weight

By Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S. Photographs byPer Bernal

28

MEN’S FITNESS

Q

You don’t have to spend your summer days inside of a dark, musty gym to build a head-turning physique. Simple body-weight training can be done anywhere, so scrap the dingy gym and focus on sculpting a lean and muscular body.

The Original Workout Machine Every lift that uses your own body weight for resistance is “closed chain.”

That means that either your hands or feet are in contact with a surface you’re exerting force on, be it a pullup bar, tree limb, rock, or the ground beneath you.

Because the force is being applied to a fixed point (i.e., the ground isn’t moving), you’ll need more muscles to stabilize your body than you do on an open-chain exercise, in which your hands or feet move freely. This is one reason why a squat is more effective than a leg extension, and why a pushup not only is a good chest builder but also trains the shoulders, back, arms, and core, too. With more muscle-mass activation comes a greater metabolic boost, making body-weight exercises a great tool for fat loss.

A few more perks to body-weight training compared with weight training: It’s safer and easier to set up and allows you to move from exercise to exercise quicker. Granted, some moves—decline pushups and pullups, for example— aren’t beach-friendly for those of us who don’t consider sand a delicacy or possess a portable pullup bar. But executing these routines at home, in a park, or in your hotel room is easily doable and will afford you something even more important—the chance to get or stay fit while you enjoy your summer.

BOX JUMP

Directions Perform each workout (Day 1, 2, and 3) once per week, resting a day between each session. Each workout is done as a circuit— complete one set of each exercise in order, resting as directed between exercises. (Where “0 sec.” rest is called for, simply rest only long enough to set up for the next exercise.)

Repeat for the prescribed number of circuits.

In Day 1, you’ll see reps of “10–1.”

This means you’ll perform 10 reps the first circuit, nine the second, eight the third, and so on down to one rep.

Day 1 EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

REST

Stand behind a box, bench, or picnic table—it should be only mildly challenging to jump onto. Stand with feet hip-width apart and dip your hips and knees while you swing your arms back behind you. Explosively swing your arms forward and jump up onto the surface. Land softly and quietly.

No-gym beach body

Day 2 EXERCISE

DIP

Place your hands on a sturdy surface behind you at shoulder-width apart.

Extend your legs in front of you and suspend your body above the ground. Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Press back up.

SETS

REPS

REST

WIDE-STANCE BURPEE

Stand with feet outside shoulder width and squat down and place your hands on the ground. Shoot your legs behind you so you end up in a pushup position.

Jump your legs back up so they land to the outside of your thumbs, then jump up quickly.

T-PUSHUP

Day 3 EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

BURPEE TO BROAD JUMP

REST

Squat down and place your hands on the floor. Now shoot your legs behind you fast so you end up in the top of a pushup position. Perform a pushup and then jump your legs back to your hands. From there, jump forward as far as you can.

master Pork Chops with Coffee Dry Rub SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

¼ tsp turmeric

4

tsp salt

6

4

tsp ground coffee

4

tsp chili powder

2

tbsp dark brown sugar

½ tsp ground black pepper ½ tsp onion powder ½ tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ¼ tsp ground coriander

medium bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat grill. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except pork chops.

Generously rub both sides of pork chops with the rub.

Grill pork chops for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side over medium heat.

Cover pork chops with aluminum foil and let rest before serving. Discard any unused rub.

PER SERVING

245 calories, 24g protein, 4g carbs, 14g fat

36

MEN’S FITNESS

Grill master

Peppered Tuna with Cantaloupe & Pineapple Salsa SERVES 6

PEPPER PAS T E

½ cup diced red onion

¼ cup coarsely ground black pepper

½ cup diced pineapple

2

tbsp kosher salt

2½ tbsp lime juice

2

tbsp dark brown sugar

2

2

tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2

tbsp soy sauce

¾ tsp apple-cider vinegar ¼ tsp garlic salt 6

ahi tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick

SALSA

1

cup diced cantaloupe

¼ cup chopped cilantro tsp minced jalapeño pepper Salt, to taste INSTRUCTIONS

In a bowl, mix together pepper paste ingredients until a paste forms.

Use it to evenly coat tuna steaks. Wrap each steak individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Add salsa ingredients to a medium bowl and toss until combined. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Build a charcoal fire and open all dampers for max heat. Add a light coat of oil to the grates. Grill steaks for 3 minutes or less on each side; tuna should be firm, with pink in the middle.

Serve with the salsa.

PER SERVING

295 calories, 39g protein, 8g carbs, 12g fat

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42

MEN’S FITNESS

Can you be a 45-year-old but maintain the body of a guy in his 20s?

According to one world-renowned exercise scientist, the inventor of a proprietary formula that assigns you a “fitness age,” the answer is: Absolutely. And it’s going to change the way you train—forever.

By

Eric Benson

Photographs by

Dylan Coultier

body clock

Body Clock

SO DO YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER? To calculate your fitness age, visit worldfitnesslevel.org to fill out Wisløff ’s detailed online questionnaire (and be sure to read “How to Calculate Your Fitness Age,” on the next page, for our analysis of the questions). Once you’ve got your fitness age, you can supplement your training program with a scientifically proven fitness-age-reducing intervention.

Even if you don’t calculate your exact fitness age, you can still follow these six tips to boost your body’s cardiorespiratory fitness, bulletproofing your health while leaving plenty of time to do all the activities you love: pick-up hoops, distance running, or improving those max bench and squat numbers inside the power rack. Whatever your goals are, here are the six ways to keep your body young.

STAY YOUNG TIP NO. 1:

SUPERCHARGE YOUR HEART When Wisløff began to design a training program that could boost VO2 max and reduce fitness age, he asked himself one

fundamental question: What limits the body’s ability to uptake oxygen?

Wisløff knew skeletal muscles weren’t the principal problem—they can handle more blood than they can possibly get.

He also knew that the lungs, while crucial, couldn’t be dramatically altered with training. But the heart is highly trainable, and increasing the heart’s pumping capacity—the amount of blood it can pump in a given amount of time— directly increases the body’s ability to uptake and distribute oxygen. In other words, a more efficient, more powerful heart leads directly to a higher VO2 max.

But how exactly do you train your heart to be more efficient and powerful?

Two factors govern pumping capacity: maximal heart rate and stroke volume.

Your maximal heart rate is inborn.

(What’s the best formula? 211 minus your age multiplied by 0.64.) No matter how hard you train, that number will tick down throughout your life. But you can do a lot to increase the stroke volume of your heart. “The heart is like any other muscle,” Wisløff says.

“It must be loaded to get trained. And

the only healthy way to challenge the heart’s pumping capacity is to fill it with maximal amounts of blood for long periods of time.”

The heart achieves maximum stroke volume when it’s pumping at 85–95% of its maximum beats per minute. (For most people, the 85–90% range is sufficient.) So if you want to boost your VO2 max, Wisløff says, you’ll want to work out within that range of cardiorespiratory intensity for as long as you possibly can. If you do it right, you’ll end up with an “athlete’s heart,” one that’s bigger, contracts more forcefully, and relaxes quicker. As Wisløff puts it: “You’ll have a better motor.”

STAY YOUNG TIP NO. 2:

FOUR MINUTES IS YOUR INTERVAL SWEET SPOT So how exactly do you get your heart rate to the 85% threshold, and how long can you (and should you) keep it there?

It usually takes more than a minute of vigorous exercise before you reach maximum stroke volume. That’s easy enough to do—try running, cycling, or

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR FITNESS AGE You’ll need to fill out a questionnaire devised by exercise scientist Ulrik Wisløff at worldfitnesslevel.org.

Here Wisløff walks a casual lifter and an erstwhile CrossFitter through each question.

BY MICHAEL RODIO

STEP 1

Where are you from? Ethnicity?

Highest level of education?

W I S L Ø F F S A Y S : “We use that only for research purposes so we can compare Norway, USA, Japan, etc., and different ethnicities—nothing of this is used in the algorithm.”

R O D I O ’ S TA K E :

I type in “Brooklyn.”

STEP 2

Gender, age, height, weight.

W I S L Ø F F S A Y S : “Height/weight is just for calculating BMI, which goes into the algorithm. But gender matters a lot—women’s values tend to be about 20% lower.”

I’m 26, 5'9", 175 pounds. I enter twice, because I accidentally type in my weight in kilograms the first time.

R O D I O ’ S TA K E :

STEP 3

What’s your maximum heart rate?

W I S L Ø F F S A Y S : “It’s a common means of denoting intensity for endurance training.”

I had no idea, but the site computes it for me. (It’s 196 bpm, apparently.)

R O D I O ’ S TA K E :

STEP 4

Exercise: How often, how long, and how intense?

W I S L Ø F F S A Y S : “All these factors matter in a balanced way, but exercise intensity is the most indicative of fitness age.”

I pick “little hard breathing and sweating,” because there’s no option for “vigorous swearing or crying.”

R O D I O ’ S TA K E :

STEP 5

What’s your waistline?

What’s your resting pulse?

W I S L Ø F F S A Y S : “A low resting heartbeat is the sign of a fit heart—world-class endurance athletes use it to see if they’re ready for their next exercise session— but we do know that it’s not enough to predict fitness on its own. Hydration can sway it, for example, so make sure you’re hydrated when you take your measurement.”

My belt suggests a 31-inch waistline. My Fitbit says 55 bpm.

R O D I O ’ S TA K E :

T H E TA K E A W AY

Even though I’m 26, with an expected VO 2 max of 53, I have the fitness age of someone under 20 years old, with an actual VO 2 max of 60.

W I S L Ø F F S A Y S : “That’s not bad for a 26-year-old. It’s about the same as mine.”

rowing really hard for 60 seconds—but the trickier and more exhausting part is keeping your heart rate and stroke volume locked at that rate. The key to mentally and physically sustaining that kind of workload, Wisløff says, is to use interval training.

“It is obvious that one cannot exercise for very long periods of time at 85–95% of maximal heart rate,” he says. “But intervals get you up to that needed intensity” and give you enough rest in between “to get rid of lactic acid that builds up during the interval.”

But not all interval training is equal.

Sprint intervals of one minute or less can get your heart rate past the 85% threshold, but they just don’t give your heart enough sustained work at its maximum stroke volume. Tabata training with 20-second maximumintensity intervals followed by 10 seconds of rest can work, but be aware that your heart rate drops as soon as you stop moving. (And the more fit you are, the faster your heart rate plummets.) If your goal is to improve VO2 max, then it’s better to keep your heart pumping consistently at 85% of its maximum rate than for it to be yo-yoing from 75–100% of its max rate throughout your active workout time.

How long is the ideal stroke-volume maximizing interval? In theory, make it as long as possible. (If you can push out 30-minute intervals at 90% of your max heart rate, go ahead and do it. Also, congratulations, your VO2 max is almost certainly spectacular.) Wisløff and his colleagues found that four minutes is a length most can manage. It lets your heart pump at its maximum stroke capacity for an extended time, and it’s sustainable for untrained individuals and beneficial to elite athletes looking to boost their already excellent CRF. Wisløff ’s recommended program is simple: A 10-minute warmup, followed by four four-minute intervals of large muscle mass exercise (running, cycling, rowing, swimming, cross-country skiing) broken up by three minutes of active rest (a very low-intensity version of whatever you’re doing).

The results can be dramatic. After the seven-week program, Wisløff has seen spikes in VO2 max and benefits that go beyond CRF into weight-loss and leanmuscle gain. In Norway the response has been ecstatic.

“The biggest newspaper here [Verdens Gang] presented this program on their online version,” Wisløff says.

“That story is the most visited story in that newspaper’s history. Now there are even training groups and training centers around Norway that are using this. It’s used a lot.”

STAY YOUNG TIP NO. 3:

DON’T TRAIN FOR A MARATHON Ask a random sampling of men and women to name the kind of athlete with the best cardiorespiratory fitness, and you’ll almost certainly get answers like marathoners, triathletes, and Tour de France cyclists. While this may be true at the elite level, it’s often not the case for weekend-warrior endurance athletes, and the reason is simple: Running, cycling, and swimming for long distances won’t push your heart to its maximal stroke volume, so they won’t do a lot to improve VO2 max if you are already in good shape and go hard for four minutes.

“I know a lot of endurance athletes on a really high level,” Wisløff says.

“Even in those people we have been able to improve fitness a lot by exchanging two to three hours of running for periodization of 4x4 intervals or even 3x3 intervals.”

YOUR HEART IS MORE TRAINABLE AND ADAPTABLE THAN YOU IMAGINED.

Body Clock

beetroot juice or take a supplement with a lot of nitric oxide in it, it may help your cardiorespiratory fitness.”

But what about training at elevation or working out on the treadmill with one of those Predator–style hypoxic masks?

After all, don’t all the top endurance athletes run high up in the mountains?

Wouldn’t just living at altitude boost your VO2 max and reduce your fitness age?

Nope. The science on hypoxic masks is thin. “Even though there are some believers out there, I know that world-class endurance athletes in, for instance, some cross-country skiing do not use them,” Wisløff says. While some world-class endurance athletes travel to high altitudes to train, the effect on performance is tiny. If you’re the third-best half-miler in the world and you want to become the best half-miler in the world, then by all means move to La Paz, Bolivia (altitude: nearly 12,000 feet). But if you’re something other than an Olympian, you’re going to make the same gains if you do all your interval training in Miami.

STAY YOUNG TIP NO. 5:

SAVE TIME FOR CROSS-TRAINING

Wisløff himself is a runner. He likes to go on 45-minute runs through the forest near his home in Trondheim, Norway.

When he does, he makes sure that he is giving his heart extended periods of time above the 85% threshold by working in long, steep uphills. “I would like to say that low-intensity long distance is the best, because I like to do that,” he says.

“But it’s surely not the best.”

STAY YOUNG TIP NO. 4:

CONSIDER SUPPLEMENTS BUT FORGET HYPOXIC MASKS You’ve seen those heart-healthy labels at the supermarket, and you know that “eating clean” is a good thing for your health. So can you eat your way to a lower fitness age? Nope.

“Indirectly, it’s important to have a good diet, because if your diet is better, you adapt better to exercise,” Wisløff says. “Supplements can also help. There have been some reports that if you drink

You might expect that Wisløff would advise those looking to reduce their fitness age to do nothing but lungbusting sessions of 4x4 interval training.

But he knows personally that such a course would be counterproductive.

“I can’t just do 4x4,” he says. “I think it’s totally boring to do just that.”

In his fitness-age-reducing fitness program, Wisløff reserves days for fun runs and 60-minute activities like five-a-side soccer, and he practices what he preaches. He performs 4x4 interval training only a couple of times per week. (One session is always a lab-wide workout in which he leads his 60-person staff in exercises.) The rest of the time, he works out like an outdoorsy and not especially fitness-obsessed man. He plays a weekly game of soccer. He kayaks. In November, he ended one e-mail to me with “good cross-country skiing conditions here now!”

Wisløff views the 4x4 training as a key fitness intervention, something everyone should and can integrate into the fitness routine that they’re already doing.

“When I stopped playing soccer, and I got kids, I became more inactive.

But when I started to become active

again, I would do interval training two times one week, then three times the next, and that’s a really good way to improve fitness quickly,” Wisløff says.

“It’s an oxygen cure.”

Stay Young Tip No. 6: Choose Your Devices Wisely By now you’ve probably realized that many popular device-based approaches to improving fitness just don’t pass muster when you’re trying to reduce fitness age. Walk 10,000 steps per day?

Why? Your heart rate is never going to get anywhere close to a range where you can lower your fitness age. Exercise for 150 minutes per week? Sure, that sounds good. But what’s your real output going to be? Heart rate is a better measure, but Wisløff realized that on its own, it didn’t mean a whole lot overall.

“I’ve been struggling and trying to find how we can translate changes in heart rate into a meaningful index that actually tells me if I’m doing enough exercise per week to be protected against lifestyle-related diseases,” Wisløff says.

What he came up with was a new metric called Personalized Activity Intelligence (PAI), which is basically Wisløff ’s fitness-age calculator in weekly-exercise-plan app form. Your PAI goal is to maintain a weekly score of more than 100. That’s the point at which Wisløff ’s studies show that a man’s risk of cardiovascular disease gets reduced by 17%. (After that point, you’ll get fitter, but your risk of cardiovascular disease won’t significantly decrease.)

A couple of exercises per week that in total raise your heart rate so you breathe heavily for about 40 minutes will give you 100 PAI. You can get it also by exercising at moderate intensity for a few hours. The higher the intensity the more PAI you earn. It absolutely can be achieved by low to moderate intensity as well.

Daily workouts are not required. “The data is so clear. You don’t need to exercise every day; you just need to have 100 PAI per week,” Wisløff says. So superintense workouts like 4x4 interval training can easily be spaced out with rest days or days of low-intensity workouts, and you’ll still be bulletproofing your body and health.

By that point, you might even be able to compete with Wisløff. His fitness age, he told me, is below 20. Q