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Playing To Lose How Tackling Obesity Became A Team Sport p72 JUNE 2022 SHIFTING GEAR: 36 TOYS THAT MAKE LIGHT WORK OF SHAPING UP P109

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Smart New Ways To Torch 500 Calories For Fun

Never Skip Another Workout!

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JUNE 2022 £4.99

The Weight-Loss Issue

A Man’s Guide To Feeling More Comfortable In His Skin

06/22 THE WEIGHT-LOSS ISSUE

FITNESS

MIND

HEALTH

P17 LIGHT THE FUSE

P94 TALKING HEADS: HUW EDWARDS

P21 A FRESH START

On the hunt for a big calorie burn? Add the kettlebell squat, curl and press to your weekly routine immediately

The BBC newsreader opens up about his decades-long struggle with depression

Thinking about kicking off a new training plan? Read this first

P102 FIND YOUR ‘WHY’

P38 ASK MH

Tired? Bored? Hungover?

Turbocharge your motivation with these quick fixes for gym apathy

Is single-digit body fat really what you should be aiming for?

P25 LIFT OR SHIFT Exercise and diet duke it out for the title of most effective transformation tool

P40 CHANGING FOR GOOD P30 OAR-INSPIRING CARDIO

P118 A WEIGHT OFF YOUR MIND

Our pick of the rowing machines that are making waves in the world of fitness

Small mental tweaks bag results in the quest to shed pounds

WEIGHT LOSS

MUSCLE

Lessons learned by three MH body transformation case studies

NUTRITION

P37 STING OPERATION

P26 ELITE PERFORMER

P18 COOL BEANS

How nutrient-rich nettles could prove an ally in your quest to shed pounds

Zack George’s journey from overweight teen to CrossFit star

Everything you need to know about making perfect cold-brew coffee at home

P88 PULL A FAST ONE

P34 DROP IT LIKE A SQUAT

P50 LEAN INTO IT

Time-restricted eating patterns are everywhere – here’s how to strike a balance between feast and famine

Ten variations on a calorie-torching classic. Make them deep and meaningful

Ditch the dogma. These four food lessons will get you cooking – and looking – a whole lot better in no time at all

P122 PRESSING MATTERS P131 SLIM PICKINGS Add these supps to your fitness arsenal and bolster your fight against fat 6 MEN’S HEALTH

Unlock total-body results with this guide to everyone’s favourite gym-free muscle builder: the humble press-up

P121 GET YOUR FREEKEH ON A one-pot wonder that puts this Levantine grain front and centre

IN THIS ISSUE MAKE LIGHT WORK OF SHAPING UP

COVER CREDITS ARTWORK SEAN FREEMAN

ON THE COVER P49 FUEL FOR THE FIRE All the nutritional science, expert advice and recipes you need to make smart choices when it comes to food

P72 A LOSING GAME In Man v Fat Football, you score big the more you lose. Meet the men who are slimming down through sport

P102 THERE’S NO EXCUSE We all have days we don’t feel like hitting the gym. Discover the tips and tricks to help you vault the mental hurdles

THE EXPERT PANEL MEET SIX OF OUR JUNE ISSUE’S LEADING MINDS

JOHN CHAPMAN

ZACK GEORGE

ARTUR ZOLKIEWICZ

FITNESS COACH

CROSSFIT ATHLETE

PERSONAL TRAINER

Get a bigger burn for your buck. Chapman – half of the Lean Machines duo – has a full-body dumbbell blast for fast results p80

Before George was a British champion, he was a self-conscious kid who struggled with his weight. Find out the lessons he’s learned p26

Forget faddy fatburners: Zolkiewicz – a fitness model and Level 3 PT – shares the supps that offer true weightloss support p131

EDITOR IN CHIEF

TOBY WISEMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR DECLAN FAHY EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PRINT DAVID MORTON SENIOR EDITOR SCARLETT WRENCH EXECUTIVE EDITOR, DIGITAL ROBERT HICKS DEPUTY DIGITAL EDITOR ED COOPER FITNESS EDITOR ANDREW TRACEY DIGITAL FEATURES EDITOR DANIEL DAVIES ART DIRECTOR WILL JACK ART EDITORS NATHALIE BATES (MAT LEAVE) REBECCA BRIDLE JADE COOPER-COLLINS PETRA MANLEY-LEACH (MAT COVER) JESSICA WEBB DESIGNERS SOPHIE BROWN FLORENCE OGRAM PHOTOGRAPHIC DIRECTORS RACHAEL CLARK EMILY MURPHY PICTURE EDITORS SARAH ANDERSON SHANA LYNCH PICTURE RESEARCHER SALLY PRICE

LISA DORFMAN

JIM PATE

RICK MILLER

PSYCHOTHERAPIST

PHYSIOLOGIST

DIETITIAN

Behavioural expert and sports nutritionist Dorfman shares some of her top tips for how to rebalance an offkilter appetite p54

Don’t let tired excuses derail your fitness ambitions. Whatever your mental block may be, Pate will help you clear the hurdle p102

A nutrition expert based at King Edward VII’s Hospital, Miller offers his verdict on whether fasting diets offer empty promises p88

THIS ISSUE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY… 13 ELITE COACHES

2 RUNNING COACHES

8 CLINICAL NUTRITIONISTS

2 GENERAL PRACTITIONERS

5 EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGISTS

2 BEHAVIOURAL PSYCHOLOGISTS

4 SPORTS DIETITIANS

1 CROSSFIT CHAMPION

4 HEALTH-MINDED CHEFS

1 MASTER BARISTA

4 GOAL-FOCUSED FOOTBALLERS

1 SLEEP SCIENTIST

3 MH STAFF TRANSFORMERS

AND 1 BBC NEWSREADER

TOTAL

51 EXPERTS

GROUP CHIEF SUB/PRODUCTION EDITOR VICTORIA RUDLAND DEPUTY CHIEF SUB EDITORS MATT BLACKWELL JAMES BROWN SUB EDITORS RHIANNON JENKINS KIRTEY VERMA CHIEF INTERNATIONAL BRAND OFFICER MATT HAYES GROUP BRAND DIRECTOR STEVEN MILES WORKFLOW DIRECTOR CARLY LEVY PRODUCTION MANAGER JEFF PETTITT

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CONSUMER SALES AND MARKETING CHIEF CONSUMER REVENUE OFFICER REID HOLLAND CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS DIRECTOR JAMES HILL DIGITAL MARKETING & CRM DIRECTOR SEEMA KUMARI HEAD OF SUBSCRIPTIONS, MARKETING & CIRCULATION JUSTINE BOUCHER

COMMUNICATIONS HEAD OF PR & COMMUNICATIONS BEN BOLTON PR & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, HEALTH & WELLNESS CALUM FORBES

SHOWS AND EVENTS HEAD OF EVENTS, OPS & DELIVERY MADOLYN GROVE EVENTS PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR MICHELLE PAGLIARULO EVENTS PARTNERSHIP MANAGER ALICE MATTHEWS EVENTS PARTNERSHIP MANAGER CONNIE FFITCH EVENT ENQUIRIES: 07749 387715

HEARST MAGAZINES UK INTERIM CEO, HEARST UK | PRESIDENT, HEARST EUROPE SIMON HORNE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS SOPHIE WILKINSON EDITORIAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR CONNIE OSBORNE CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER SURINDER SIMMONS BUSINESS STRATEGY DIRECTOR ROMAIN METRAS FINANCE DIRECTOR JULIEN LITZELMANN EDITORIAL BUSINESS MANAGER STACEY TOMLIN INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PR & COMMUNICATIONS ALISON FORTH DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR MATT HILL GENERAL ENQUIRIES: 020 7439 5000

HEARST MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, HEARST MAGAZINES DEBI CHIRICHELLA PRESIDENT, HEARST MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL JONATHAN WRIGHT SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT/GLOBAL EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR KIM ST CLAIR BODDEN GLOBAL EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR CHLOE O’BRIEN INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS AUSTRALIA, CHINA, GERMANY, ITALY, JAPAN, KOREA, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, US

MEN’S HEALTH UK IS PUBLISHED IN THE UK BY HEARST UK LIMITED. HOUSE OF HEARST, 30 PANTON STREET, LONDON SW1Y 4AJ. COPYRIGHT ©, HEARST UK LIMITED, 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ISSN 1356-7438. MEN’S HEALTH IS A TRADEMARK OF HEARST MAGAZINES INC., 300 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK NY 10019, USA. MEN’S HEALTH UK IS PRINTED AND BOUND BY WALSTEAD ROCHE, VICTORIA BUSINESS PARK, ROCHE, ST AUSTELL, CORNWALL PL26 8LX, AND DISTRIBUTED BY FRONTLINE LTD, PETERBOROUGH. TEL: 01733 555 161. PUBLISHED 1O TIMES A YEAR. CONDITIONS APPLY. MEN’S HEALTH UK IS A MEMBER OF THE INDEPENDENT PRESS STANDARDS ORGANISATION (WHICH REGULATES THE UK’S MAGAZINE AND NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY). WE ABIDE BY THE EDITORS’ CODE OF PRACTICE AND ARE COMMITTED TO UPHOLDING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF JOURNALISM. IF YOU THINK THAT WE HAVE NOT MET THOSE STANDARDS AND WANT TO MAKE A COMPLAINT, PLEASE EMAIL COMPLAINTS@HEARST.CO.UK OR VISIT HEARST.CO.UK/HEARST-MAGAZINES-UK-COMPLAINTS-PROCEDURE. IF WE ARE UNABLE TO RESOLVE YOUR COMPLAINT, OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IPSO OR THE EDITORS’ CODE, CONTACT IPSO ON 0300 123 2220 OR VISIT IPSO.CO.UK CONTACT OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM AT HEARSTMAGAZINES.CO.UK/CONTACT-US OR CALL US ON 01858 438851. LINES OPEN WEEKDAYS, 8AM-9.30PM; SATURDAYS, 8AM-4PM. OR YOU CAN POST YOUR QUERIES TO: MEN’S HEALTH, HEARST MAGAZINES UK, TOWER HOUSE, SOVEREIGN PARK, LATHKILL STREET, MARKET HARBOROUGH, LEICS LE16 9EF.

EDITOR’S LETTER WEIGHT IS MUCH MORE THAN A NUMBER When the MH team was deliberating over the cover lines for this month’s issue, our esteemed senior editor, Scarlett Wrench, without whom this magazine simply wouldn’t get made, cautioned against using the word ‘obesity’. Her feeling, reasonably enough, was that it’s not a word with which people want to identify. In much the same way that we might accept and admit that we perhaps drink more than we should, yet would recoil at the word ‘alcoholic’. Most of the times you read the word ‘obesity’, she argued, it’s part of a report about a ‘crisis’ or an ‘epidemic’; and it’s often framed in a way that makes you imagine a rail-thin reporter tut-tutting with piety.

I decided to go with it anyway, not because I like to assert my authority with petty acts of defiance, but because I knew that when I punched in my stats on the NHS website earlier this morning, the handy BMI calculator deemed that I myself was overweight.

In fact, I was somewhat alarmed to learn that I’m closer to the ‘obese’ threshold than the ‘healthy’ weight range. The truth is, it’s not some Jacob Rees-Mogg lookalike wagging his finger, it’s the primary healthcare system of England telling you straight.

And not just me, but the 68.2% of men in this country who fall into the same bracket. We might not like the word obesity, we may argue that BMI is a crude tool with which to measure these things, and we may think that such practices are unhelpful. But they’re there and they’re happening, which is why I think it’s important we address it.

Some other stats that may or may not be helpful: since 1993, the proportion of adults in England considered to be obese has risen from 14.9% to 28%; people aged 45 to 74 are most likely to be overweight or obese; and of these, men are more likely to be overweight or obese than women.

Depending on the way you interpret these numbers, you could argue that we’re in the midst of a health crisis or that being overweight is fairly normal.

It’s often reported that hospital admissions for obesity have risen significantly in the past two decades, with more than a million in the year leading into the Covid pandemic. But this is possibly misleading.

Obesity isn’t in and of itself necessarily ‘bad’ – it’s the likes of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease and mobility issues that are of concern, all of which present a higher risk to those who are obese. However, it’s entirely conceivable that one can be overweight while eating healthily, exercising often and feeling good.

After all, the body mass index doesn’t differentiate

between fat, muscle or bone. Ironically, having classified me as overweight, the NHS website then advised I take up running as a positive next step. I ran two marathons last year and didn’t lose a pound.

Weight is a complicated topic – of that there can be no argument. It’s at once a health issue, a psychological issue, a cultural issue and a political issue. The very fact that we have deigned to name this edition ‘The Weight-Loss Issue’ will itself invite criticism. But for me, the most important words on this cover are the ones that come directly after: ‘A Man’s Guide To Feeling More Comfortable In His Skin.’ Just as most men have a more complex and repressive relationship with their health than most women – not to mention a more bewildering attitude to seeking help – there are less obvious and conducive routes available to men wanting support when trying to shift excess timber. While the likes of Weight Watchers and Slimming World are both incredibly lucrative businesses, the vast majority of whose customers are women, there are very few outfits speaking directly and effectively to men with similar goals.

There is one game-changing outfit, however, that deserves special mention precisely because it targets these very conundrums. In Playing To Lose (p72), Jamie Millar talks to the organisers and participants of Man v Fat Football, a nationwide league for overweight men in which players score for their respective teams based on both goals scored and kilos lost. It’s an ingenious idea that acknowledges the way football culture brings men together, while competitive support networks help them achieve their ambitions.

Crucially, for many of the players, these ambitions aren’t necessarily about dropping a jeans size or satisfying an online BMI calculator. As one tells Jamie, ‘You just feel better about yourself if you lose some weight. And if I run around at the end of the day, it’s an outlet. I don’t think about other things. You need some way to switch off. And then there’s the camaraderie, the endorphins, the adrenaline… It’s done me a world of good.’

Am I worried about the fact that the NHS thinks I’m overweight? In terms of my long-term health, no, not really. I know that I exercise regularly, that I eat mostly good food, and I’m well aware of my shortcomings. But would I like to lose some weight? Yes, unequivocally.

Why? Simply because I’d like to feel more comfortable in my skin. And who is to deny a man that?

TOBY WISEMAN, EDITOR IN CHIEF MEN’S HEALTH 11

18 FIT FOR A STING PAGE 37

07 TIME TO RAISE YOUR FIT GAME PAGE 22

SNOOZE, 12 YOU YOU LOSE (KGS) PAGE 29

14 BLITZ FAT SITTING DOWN PAGE 30

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DRESS FOR SUCCESS

THE GREEN TEAM

FITNESS NEWSFEED 06/22

INNER DRIVE NOW RUNS ON GREEN ENERGY Trade the trusty treadmill for laps of your local park to chase down weight loss that you can sustain in the long term. Lace up

TAKE IT UP A GEAR The theory of ‘enclothed cognition’ posits that when you look the part, you perform better. Here’s your outdoor kit list

GARMIN INSTINCT 2 SOLAR WATCH With an unlimited battery life, rugged durability and built-in tracking for activities such as bouldering, hiking and mountain biking, this is your ultimate partner for outdoor adventures. £390, garmin.com

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14 MEN’S HEALTH

BOSE SPORT EARBUDS They’re sweat resistant, secure and sound huge. Plus, if a bud falls out, you can track it using the Find My Buds function – and won’t need to spend your second lap staring at the grass. £180, bose.co.uk

FREETRAIN V1 VEST the green team remained raring to go throughout. The researchers found that they were also more active for the rest of the day than their gym-shackled counterparts and reported greater levels of tranquility, presumably because they didn’t have to wipe someone else’s sweat off the equipment before starting their run.

So, if your desire to get moving desperately needs a reboot, take full advantage of the warmer weather and shift your workout outdoors, where grassroots gains are ripe for the picking.

TURF OUT FAT AND TIP THE SCALES IN YOUR FAVOUR

Run down your risk of injury by front-loading your personal items using the Freetrain Vest.

It’ll minimise disruption from bouncing phones and jingling keys, too. £30, freetrain.co.uk

WORDS: ANNIE HAYES. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK

he hardest part of any workout is getting started, as the aphorism goes. But as anyone who has embarked on a new fitness regimen only to find themselves burned out and bored by the second week knows, some days the ‘getting started’ part can feel pretty damn difficult.

It’s easy to lose motivation when hitting the gym is not exactly your number-one priority (and it’s not ours either, despite the subject occupying many of the magazine’s pages), but don’t lose faith. The remedy for your waning workout commitment could be right on your doorstep – or a few steps away from it, to be precise.

Researchers at the Université de Sherbrooke in Canada asked a group of participants to complete an hour-long cardio and weighttraining workout, three times per week. Half of the group sweated out their sessions in a conventional gym setting, while the rest of them tackled the programme in the great outdoors. At the end of the 12-week experiment, the open-air group had missed notably fewer workouts than those confined within four walls, attending an impressive 97% of their training sessions.

Unlike members of the indoor group, who experienced a dip in motivation as the weeks rolled by,

03

THE BEST EXERCISE YOU’RE NOT DOING

LOAD UP FOR A BIG CALORIE BURN

BOTH BARRELS

A

01 THE

LOW-DOWN Start in a deep squat position, with your arms extended downwards, holding a kettlebell on the floor. Point your toes out if you’re struggling to sink low enough.

Fuse the fat burn of goblet squats with the satisfaction of arms day with the KETTLEBELL SQUAT, CURL AND PRESS

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN...

PEACHY GLUTES

WORDS: MATT EVANS. PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES. MODEL: LEE MCLAUGHLIN. STYLING: ABENA OFEI. GROOMING: LAURA DEXTER USING MURAD

T

raining with weight loss as your only goal can be dreary, not to mention slow to offer up signs of progress. But a focus on calorieburning doesn’t have to mean cardio, cardio and – oh, look – more cardio. You can indulge in classic bodybuilding moves without missing your chance to score a metabolic boost.

This three-part flow raises your heart rate and offers the instant gratification of pumped arms via the curl and press to keep you motivated beyond the first set.

‘This movement activates your quads, glutes, shoulders, biceps and triceps,’ says PT and transformation specialist Scott Laidler. ‘That’s a lot of muscle being stimulated at the same time, really ramping up your metabolic rate.’ There’s more benefit to targeting your biceps, too. ‘The curl forces you to spend more time at the bottom of the squat, which is where you’re likely to be weakest,’ says Laidler.

‘Although you’re not lifting heavy, building strength prepares you to add weight in future.’ That means a bigger burn to come.

Deploy three sets of 15 reps at the end of a session to switch the focus to filling your sleeves, not just shrinking your waist – but it does that, too. More fun, right?

It’s the shot in the arm your workouts are hungry for.

02 CURL UP From the squat, brace your core and focus on curling the weight up to your chest. Engage your glutes, push your heels into the ground and drive your body upwards until your legs are locked.

FASTER FAT BURN

BIG ARM PUMP

SIX-PACK ABS

03 GO OVER

YOUR HEAD In one fluid movement as you come to the top of your squat, press the kettlebell straight over your head. Try to keep your ribs down and core tensed to prevent your back from arching.

04 PRESS TO IMPRESS

Finally, hinge at your elbows to lower the kettlebell behind your head, then press it back up. Drop the weight to your chest and lower back into your deep squat. You have 14 left to go.

MEN’S HEALTH 17

THE HEALTH SNOB’S GUIDE TO

COLD-BREW COFFEE Canned coffee may be everywhere, but caffeine aficionados make their own.

Follow these tips to prep a healthy brew for a hot-weather perk-me-up

01 COOLER BEANS The clue is in the name. Still, cold-brew coffee is often confused with the milky, sugar-laden confection that is iced coffee. ‘It’s actually coffee brewed using cold water,’ clarifies Hugh Duffie, co-founder of UK brand Sandows, inspired by Victorian bodybuilder Eugen Sandow. It’s a natural option for your pre-workout, as well as an ideal lunchtime pick-me-up in warmer weather. Brewing your own begins with the beans.

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LIGHT

MEDIUM

DARK

The preference of those who take their Americanos black, letting you taste the coffee’s delicate notes. Light roasts also tend to be naturally sweet, disinclining you to add sugar.

While coffee fans are blinded by the light, health snobs may prefer turning to the darker side: life-extending antioxidants release as coffee beans roast. A happy medium provides the best of both.

Big roast taste replaces subtlety, though some antioxidants are lost. The upside: darker roasts are less acidic – as are cold-brews – and so are kinder to your gut.

18 MEN’S HEALTH

In cold-brewing, heat is replaced with an extended brewing time (12 to 24 hours), so start the night before. Turn your grinder – Hario makes a quality range (from £39, hario.co.uk) – to the coarsest setting, so the brew isn’t cloudy when you filter it. If you’re making the effort, you might as well prep in bulk, necessitating a 750ml filter-in-a-bottle (£35, hario.co.uk). And it’s worth using decent water, given it constitutes the vast majority of your drink. ‘Many

aficionados favour Tesco Ashbeck,’ says Duffie. ‘It has a good mineral content for brewing and it’s super cheap [50p for 2L].’ Duffie suggests a punchy ratio of 100g coffee to a litre of water, leaving it for 16 hours on the counter (not in the fridge) before plunging.

Strain through a filter paper and repeat until your cold-brew runs crystal clear, then pour yourself a glass. Store the rest in a sealed container in the fridge and… chill.

WORDS: JAMIE MILLAR. PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY. FOOD STYLING: VAL MCARTHUR

02 GET ON YOUR GRIND

04

05

BUZZ WORTHY

SHAKE IT UP

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03 THE REMIX

EXTRA COOL POINTS

Of course, if you’re intent on sucking up maximum health benefits (including better athletic performance, a healthier liver and potentially a lower risk of diabetes, to name a few), you’re best off drinking it straight. But if you’re looking to impress guests, mix up a sophisticated alcohol alternative or give your morning shake some jump leads, try these recipes.

Frigid coffee still leaving you cold? Here are some more USPs

SWEET RELIEF The slow, heat-free process makes cold-brews smoother and less bitter, obviating the need for milk and sugar.

WELL PRESERVED Your coffee is brewed properly, rather than simply by pouring hot espresso over ice: a watery grave for quality roasts.

INSTANT FIX Okay, so it takes time to make. But once prepped, your batch will keep for weeks. Decent Joe, on demand.

COST-SAVING Cold coffee is easier to carry around, so you don’t have to resort to pricey high-street chains.

A SYRUP SHRUB

B ESPRESSO MARTINI

C BANANA SHAKE

D COCONUT ICE COFFEE

INGREDIENTS • 50ml cold-brew • 25ml balsamic vinegar • 2 tsp maple syrup • Top to the brim with soda water

INGREDIENTS • 25ml cold-brew • 50ml tequila • 2 tsp coffee liqueur • 2 tsp maple syrup • A dash of angostura bitters

INGREDIENTS • 200ml cold-brew • Scoop of protein powder • A banana • Scoop of oats • 100ml coconut milk

INGREDIENTS • 100ml cold-brew • 200-300ml pure coconut water • Large ice cubes (for slower dilution)

METHOD Sprouting again in throwback hipster bars after withering away in the 18th century, shrubs are vinegar-based (really) cocktails, often enjoyed as an aperitif and for their medicinal properties.

Balsamic blunts blood sugar spikes after meals, improves digestion and promotes satiety.

It’s even healthier if, as with the recipe above, you lose the booze.

METHOD Cold-brew is a boon to bartenders for many reasons: it’s real coffee, not flavoured syrup, and doesn’t require dilution, unlike adding ice to hot java. Plus, they don’t have to waste time making espressos – well, you wouldn’t ask a barista for a martini. Simply combine the ingredients, shake well and enjoy like a hopped-up James Bond.

METHOD Providing an energy boost without the sugar rush, cold-brew brands are increasingly being stocked at gyms and CrossFit boxes. This blended breakfast shake is certain to keep you well fuelled for a while. Blend all the ingredients together – adding an optional spoonful of nut butter – and neck it at least an hour before your workout, or immediately after.

METHOD Cold-brew is considerably more refreshing than gulping down a piping Americano on hot days.

Replace even more lost sweat by adding electrolyte-rich coconut water in a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio, depending on your taste. Use concentrated coffee, because taste dilutes as the ice melts. This is a godsend after a big gym (or pub) session.

MEN’S HEALTH 19

06 FIRST STEPS

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN…

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GROW IN THE DARK

…I START A NEW FITNESS PLAN? Remember, it’s

HARNESS YOUR BODY SCIENCE FOR A STRONGER START

about the gains as much as the losses. Start as you mean to go on

04

Sleep is crucial for recovery.

But if you find yourself wired come lights-out, it’s unlikely to be post-gym adrenaline that’s to blame. According to the National Sleep Foundation, only 3% of people find that their night’s rest is hampered by exercise, while 83% find it helps.

Still restless? Try adding extra carbs to your dinner, which boost sleep hormone levels. Or double-check the caffeine content of your pre-workout supp…

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02 03

01 WORDS: DEVON HEDLEY; ISABELLE KERN. ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY

THE REAL INSIDE JOB Change does happen overnight. You just can’t see it. Sure, the visible stuff will come in time, but your heart and brain will feel the first flush of benefits.

A single workout boosts blood flow and oxygen to your grey matter, so hit the gym before taxing afternoon meetings.

Meanwhile, a Nasa study found blood volume – a measure of cardio fitness – increases after eight days of a new fitness regimen.

02

NO PAIN, MORE GAIN Pushing your body beyond its limits in these early days causes inflammation and microtears in your muscles.

It’s the process of fixing said tears that makes you stronger, but it also hurts like hell. To stop you from wincing out of bed every morning, spend five minutes foam-rolling at the end of your training session. And skip the pre-workout static stretches: a University of Sydney study concluded they’re a waste of your time.

05

03

APPETITE FOR CHANGE This sudden increase in your daily energy burn will boost production of the hunger hormone ghrelin.

But trading tough graft for gentler effort won’t temper your appetite – push harder to channel blood away from your stomach and into your muscles, scientists at Loyola University Chicago advise.

Underestimating your hydration needs is another culprit: aim for 300ml to 500ml before, during and after your training to drown out cravings.

05

POWER-UP PROGRESS Initial days conquered, a goal of 2kg to 3kg fat loss a month is realistic for a new starter. But even seasoned gym-goers can benefit from switching up their routine.

A study from The College of New Jersey found that adding plyometric moves – explosive moves such as box jumps and burpees – to your workouts for two months accelerates fat loss and strength gains faster than resistance exercise alone. Jump to it.

MEN’S HEALTH 21

MH GAME CHANGERS TAG HEUER CONNECTED CALIBRE E4

A SMARTWATCH OF HIGHER CALIBRE While many luxe watch brands have all but given up on tech, Tag Heuer has stood firm. But can its latest offering, the Connected Calibre E4, finally take a bite out of Apple?

T

he problem with smartwatches is they’re not built to last. When you buy an Apple Watch Series 7, you’re complicit in the idea that it’s slightly better than a Series 6 but not as good as a Series 8, which will arrive with clockwork precision 12 months later.

If you love Apple products, this is the pact you make.

The justification becomes much harder to rationalise when you’re looking at a smartwatch being sold by a storied Swiss watchmaker.

Luxury watches are not meant to be disposable, but treasured. So what has battery-powered tech with planned obsolescence got to do with enduring quality?

Well, for most watch brands, despite waves of initial enthusiasm, the answer is very little – with the notable exception of Tag Heuer. It was one of the first of its contemporaries to supplement its core mechanical business with a digital offering, steadily releasing smartwatches since 2015. And not with simple churn in mind, either, but with the goal of conceptual synchronicity.

Tag’s new Connected Calibre E4 is undoubtedly

22 MEN’S HEALTH

the brand’s most successful iteration. In fact, it makes significant improvements on previous models in almost every area. While the E4 is unlikely to become a family heirloom, Tag has taken steps to extend its lifespan. Most significantly, Apple may have its first serious rival from the traditional watch business.

The Connected Calibre E4 is being released in two case sizes: 45mm and, for the first time, 42mm – a drop that makes it more comfortable, less gender-specific and puts it in line with Apple’s offering. Fully charged, both watches last a full day’s use, while the battery life of the 45mm model has been boosted by 30%.

Tag is also introducing a battery replacement service, something that will extend the life of this watch considerably.

Of key interest to MH readers, though, is the news that fitness tracking – a prominent sell on previous models with running, cycling, swimming and golf, all measurable via a Sports app – has been joined by a new workout feature. High-quality 3-D animations, derived from

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i_

50m

Smart technology isn’t often compatible with water, as anyone who has lost his iPhone on a trip to the gents will attest. The E4, however, is water-resistant to 50m, so you can track lengths swum as well as laps run.

This is the most easily readable Connected yet – a quality that won’t be lost on those who track their performance in real time. An OLED display is protected by scratchresistant sapphire crystal, with a 454x454 resolution on the 45mm model.

07 MOVE WITH THE TIMES

A

GET YOURSELF CONNECTED iii_

+30%

One of the biggest complaints about previous versions of the Connected was battery life. But the new 45mm lasts up to 30% longer, and both models will work a full day without charge.

With Tag’s updated Sports app, your new watch will help you smash your targets

THE MAGIC 7

UP THE ANTE

ABOVE PAR

The Calibre E4 has five body-weight HIIT workouts, each lasting an optimal seven minutes. These high-res motion capture animations guide you through a combination of timed exercises targeting your upper body, lower body and core.

If the standard HIIT protocol is a bit too vanilla, the new Connected has more advanced workouts, programmed by the trainers of elite sportspeople, including basketball player Jimmy Butler and Olympic athlete Sydney McLaughlin.

Tag’s Golf app, compatible with the Connected and featuring accurate 3-D maps of more than 40,000 courses around the world, is a best-in-class piece of tech. It’s certainly a more rewarding way to get those steps in.

FROM £1,500, TAGHEUER.COM

iv_

42mm45mm

The new Connected comes in two sizes: the original 45mm case with a black ceramic bezel and a new, streamlined 42mm model. The 42mm is the thinnest Connected yet.

motion capture of personal trainers, take you through various seven-minute workouts programmed by professional sports stars – a use of a smartwatch screen that is genuinely new. The current offering is slim, but Tag says that more will be forthcoming.

The watch face options have come on leaps and bounds, too. The Wellness face puts exercise data – such as heart rate and steps taken – on the home screen. Meanwhile, Heuer 02 takes a classic chronograph face and inserts the same metrics in the smaller dials – a perfect combination of heritage style and modern utility.

The revamped design, new Sports functionality and battery improvement will give the E4 more longevity. The updated tech, combined with Tag’s continued commitment to traditional watch design codes, makes it a serious option for those who want a top-end smartwatch that stands out from the Apple Watch crowd. All 100-million-and-counting of them. Which is one reason to buy a luxury watch in the first place.

MEN’S HEALTH 23

MH VERSUS EXERCISE VS NUTRITION

08

09

LACING UP

TRIMMING DOWN

A

WEIGHTS OR MEASURES? The virtues of a nutrition and exercise overhaul are obvious.

But when your time and need for results are of the essence, which transformative tactic is the surest route to a new you?

EXERCISE

NUTRITION

VS

62%

3.7

The percentage of us who find time for 30 minutes of exercise in a typical week

Portions of fruit and veg Brits eat daily, with just a quarter of men hitting five a day

The average calorie burn from an hour of weightlifting is a hard-won reward. But all that graft can easily be nullified by just one McDonald’s double cheeseburger.

According to the American Heart Association, regular exercise can cut risk of heart disease (responsible for 150,000 UK deaths each year) by almost half.

445

LIGHT IDEAS

CALS

500 CALS

LONG GAMES

40%

33%

Cut this from your daily intake and you can drop almost half a kilogram per week. Just swap your Pret cheddar baguette and crisps for Itsu California rolls and you’re all set.

An International Journal Of Epidemiology study found that eating 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day can reduce your odds of suffering a fatal stroke by a third.

EXTRA CREDITS

WORDS: BEN WELCH. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES. *SOURCE: NEUROLOGY

Boosts metabolism

Relieves stress

Slows ageing

Strengthens bones

A study* found just 30 minutes of vigorous daily exercise can stave off 10 years of brain ageing, with those who train less suffering faster cognitive decline.

Exercise is key for muscle, but go slow for progress. The body can only handle 20% more weight than what you lifted last month – Jonathan Codling, sports physiotherapist

BRAIN GAINS

10

11

YEARS

YEARS MUSCLE-UPS

0.2x

Improves mood

Reduces inflammation

2.2g

Sharpens focus

Controls appetite

One serving of leafy greens per day has a bigger impact on your cognitive powers – just. Extra spinach keeps your brain one year younger than a cardio commute*.

This much protein per kilo of lean body mass will support growth. Multiply LBM by 2.2: the result is your daily protein target in grams – Christian Finn, personal trainer

THE MH VERDICT: IT’S A DRAW! It’s too close to call. For physical transformation, it’s true that food offers the greater potential for short-term results, but fad diets fail and research proves that if you want to improve health in the long run, exercise is your ally. Forget half-measures – for meaningful success, double down.

MEN’S HEALTH 25

THE WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION

One of the UK’s finest CrossFit athletes, MH Squad coach Zack George has not always been a model of fitness. This is how an overweight teenager became an elite competitor

100kg

B

WEIGHT

efore terms like ‘viral load’ and ‘booster shot’ became common parlance, Zack George achieved a goal he’d been working towards for six years. By winning the 2020 CrossFit Open in the UK, he qualified for the CrossFit Games.

Then the onset of the Covid pandemic saw his invitation as a national champion rescinded.

Last year, an injury meant he had to withdraw at the quarter-final stage. Now, two years on, and with not so much as a word of complaint, Zack is back.

Navigating change is something he does pretty well. Born in Evington on the outskirts of Leicester, Zack was not the effortlessly athletic

201kg BEFORE

AFTER

As a child, Zack would get tired and out of breath easily

Now he’s one of the UK’s best-ever CrossFit athletes

26 MEN’S HEALTH

GUTTER CREDIT

BACK SQUAT

HOW I BUILT MY BODY

10

11

CHANGING MAN

MINUTE MADE

A

HOW TO GET STACKED LIKE ZACK George’s half-hour ‘every minute on the minute’ conditioning session is guaranteed to push your limits.

(Scale down the reps as needed)

6ft HEIGHT

A

B

WORDS: DAVID MORTON. PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID VENNI. STYLING: HAYLEY LAWRENCE. GROOMING: SUSANNA MOTA @ WIZZO & CO. ILLUSTRATION: HARVEY SYMONS

01/ 20-CALORIE ROW Start each drive with all the power going through your legs (A), with only a final pull with the arms (B).

The balance of effort should be 70% legs and 30% arms. When you hit your 20-cal goal, rest for the remainder of the minute.

A B

youth you might expect.

‘I was overweight and ate sweets constantly.

I had fast food six times a week,’ he says. ‘I was quite sporty and had good coordination, but I’d get tired and out of breath easily. If my mum parked too far away in the supermarket car park, I’d complain, because I didn’t want to walk.’

The catalyst for his weight loss came in the unlikely form of a PlayStation 2. When he was 13, he asked his dad to buy him the console, and they struck a deal: eat a little more healthily for a month and he’d get one. ‘I stopped eating

McDonald’s six times a week and went there twice instead. And I’d have a bag of Haribo every other day, rather than every day. Just that decrease in calories meant I lost weight.’

These small changes had substantial benefits.

Between the ages of 15 and 18, he represented Leicestershire at rugby and became a sport captain at school. His visits to McDonald’s dropped to once a month, then he cut out junk food altogether.

The child who had once complained about walking too far across

a car park became known locally as the ‘fitness kid’.

That fitness kid went on to become one of the best CrossFit athletes ever to emerge from the UK. Having progressed to the live semi-final stage during the 2022 season, Zack will be competing to earn a qualifying spot at CrossFit Strength In Depth in London in June. You’d certainly not bet against him.

For Zack’s full fourweek training plan and exclusive reports on his season, Follow @menshealthsquad on Instagram.

02/16 BURPEES Squat and place your hands on the floor between your feet. Jump your feet back into the top of a press-up; lower your chest (A). Straighten your arms and hop your feet forwards before jumping with your hands above your head (B).

A

B

03/70 DOUBLE-UNDERS Keep your arms close to your body (A). Now use a fast ‘flick-flick’ of your wrists to spin the rope twice (B). Time it with the first upward motion of your jump to allow plenty of time for both rotations.

Too tricky? Skip normally for 45 secs instead. Back to the rower...

MEN’S HEALTH 27

LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED Dreaming of throwing off unwanted layers? Science shows that a good night’s sleep has you covered

WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON. PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE. *SOURCES: METABOLISM; NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY; UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER

S

queezing in an extra workout, batch-cooking meals, the early-morning cycle to work... sticking to weight-loss advice would be easier if there were more hours in the day. But before you set that 5am alarm, or push back your bedtime to blanch an extra batch of broccoli, it’s worth considering what you’ll lose.

Namely: the power of a solid night’s rest.

Though research in the Annals Of Internal Medicine found that low-calorie dieters achieved the same amount of weight loss whether they slept for an average of 5.5 or 8.5 hours per

12

13

PUT FAT TO BED

DON’T SWEAT IT

A

SLEEP NEWSFEED 06/22

night, the devil is in the detail. If you lose sleep, more of the weight you cut will come from lean mass, not fat. In other words, if you burn the candle at both ends, you’ll end up torching through your hard-earned muscle. Just a quarter of the weight lost by people getting fewer than six hours’ sleep came from fat, while those who caught the suggested nightly amount of Zs lost twice as much.

It gets worse for sleep dodgers. In the experiment, both groups were assigned the same amount of food. But without a lab assistant on hand to rein in their impulses, those who underslept ate more than 300 extra calories the next day. This was attributed in part to the fact that a lack of sleep causes a spike in the hormone ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry, and a fall in leptin, which signals to your brain that you feel full.

Take our advice and sleep on it.

HARD AT WORK, HARDLY WORKING Sleep isn’t the only way to curb calories without breaking a sweat 7AM Cinnamon keeps blood sugar steadier for longer*. Add it to porridge and shakes to swerve mid-morning food cravings.

10AM Walk to work, or at least to the station.

Enjoying 20 to 30 minutes of bright light before midday supports fat loss*.

1PM Go big at lunch.

Studies suggest that eating the bulk of your food earlier in the day is better for metabolic health*.

7PM

SCALE UP YOUR FAT BURN AS YOU SLEEP

Northwestern University linked blue light from screens to an impaired ability to process carbs. Power down sooner.

MEN’S HEALTH 29

STROKES OF BRILLIANCE For a serious cardio workout

01

with a big splash of strength benefits, rowing is king. But a machine is an investment.

Our lab team tested the best 02

30 MEN’S HEALTH

01 ROW TO GROW 91/100

Technogym Skillrow £3,900, technogym.com Functionality Design Ease of use

90/100

The Echelon Row £1,199, echelonfit.uk

STRONG PERFORMER You can crank up the resistance with its Multidrive Technology to specifically target power gains. (A cardio sesh that builds a brawny back and bulging biceps? Don’t mind if we do.)

EXPERT VERDICT The rower felt stable and secure and the resistance dial is easy to reach if you want to amp up the difficulty mid-row. The screen shows helpful stats catered to your workout, whether it’s speed- or power-focused.

FRONT OF THE ROW Our MH Lab experts covered the kilometres, tested each and every feature, then rated the results

02 GOING LIVE

Functionality Design Ease of use GET COMPETITIVE The Echelon Fit app gives you access to a plethora of live and on-demand classes. The rower itself looks tidy, too.

EXPERT VERDICT The live classes and leader boards will be lapped up by competitive types. The range of resistance levels makes it suitable for all abilities, and placing the resistance controls on the handle is a masterstroke.

EASE OF USE You want a rower that lets you hop on and get going with minimal fuss.

Ergs earned extra points for simple set-ups, easyto-access workouts and well-presented stats.

DESIGN Sleek, compact or foldable designs – ideal for smaller homes – were applauded, as well as clever design features that improved their functionality.

PERFORMANCE The best rowers should be stable, secure and comfortable to use, whatever pace you happen to be pulling.

Smooth-moving handles are also a must for a machine to score high.

WORDS: HARRY BULLMORE. TESTING: YANAR ALKAYAT. PHOTOGRAPHY: AGATA PEC

K

itting out your home gym means making some trade-offs.

Presuming you don’t live in a Peloton advert, few of us have vast amounts of floor space – and disposable income – to dedicate to equipment. You need to ensure every piece is pulling its weight.

Treadmills are timeless and bikes are great for sweaty spin sessions – but you can run and ride outdoors. So we’d like to make a case for the oft-overlooked rower.

While running and cycling are very leg-centric, each stroke on a rower engages both lower and upper body, firing up your back muscles to balance out your laptop hunch. A study from the English Institute of Sport found a session in the hot seat works an impressive 86% of your body’s muscles, helping to build strength in your back, biceps, legs and core.

Of course, rowers are also capable of providing a soul-sucking cardio workout (try speaking in full sentences after a 2K row for time). If you want to develop your pulling power at home, here’s our edit of the best buys.

Push the boat out.

03 OLYMPIAN EFFORT 93/100

ProForm Carbon R10 £1,199, proformfitness.co.uk Functionality Design Ease of use TIPS FROM THE PROS When your coaches include Team GB champ Alex Gregory, you know you’re in for a serious workout.

Via the iFit app, you can also row scenic virtual river routes or join a studio class.

EXPERT VERDICT The wealth of rowing resources on offer can unlock performance gains. It’s compact, too – great for smaller spaces.

15

EXERCIO ERGO SUM

PULLING POWER

04 A BIGGER SPLASH 95/100

Concept2 RowErg £859.99, argos.co.uk Functionality Design Ease of use PULL A BLINDER This is the gold standard for rowing machines, trusted by gyms the world over to deliver lung-busting, muscle-burning workouts. The compact design makes it neat and tidy, too.

EXPERT VERDICT Seasoned rowers and CrossFit stalwarts will love it. Setting customised workouts for time or distance was a cinch, and the on-screen feedback is invaluable for tracking performance.

03

MH WINNER

14

A

05 VIRTUALLY PERFECT 94/100

Hydrow Connected Rower £1,995, shop.hydrow.co.uk Functionality Design Ease of use FULL IMMERSION The high-tech Hydrow delivers a comprehensive rowing 101, providing immersive workouts and video tutorials to help you perfect your technique.

EXPERT VERDICT The motivational coaches and immersive classes make it ideal for beginners. It’s on the larger side and the lack of an easy ‘just row’ option is an oversight, but the electromagnetic drag mechanism felt velvety smooth.

04

05

MEN’S HEALTH 31

A

16 OUT OF THE RED

THE EVERYMAN CHECK-UP

A DRUG-FREE PATH TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL MH reader Nik Mercer was 29 when he learned his numbers were out of control. Worrying, yes. Fixable? That, too. Here’s his doctor-approved routine

WORDS: AMY MARTURANA WINDERL. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY NIK MERCER

F

ive years ago, Nik Mercer was living in Brooklyn, New York, working in the music industry, and his ‘night-time-oriented lifestyle’ wasn’t helping his health. Like many men his age, regular medical check-ups weren’t high on his todo list. When Nik finally went to a doctor before turning 30, he learned that his total cholesterol was only a few points away from the red zone (>6mmol/L) – statins territory, in other words.

Looking for an alternative to starting meds so young, he and his doctor decided he should make some changes in other areas. Here’s how Nik used expert-approved strategies to push his total cholesterol down to 3.6 in the space of a year, losing more than 3st in the process.

A STROKE OF GENIUS FOR YOUR ARTERIAL HEALTH

01

02

03

EAT BETTER

LIMIT ALCOHOL

Load up on whole foods rather than processed ones and you’ll naturally consume more fibre. And for reducing your cholesterol, fibre has superpowers (try to aim for around 38g a day). If all this healthy eating helps you lose weight, great. Shedding 5% to 10% of your body weight can significantly improve your cholesterol.

Light drinking isn’t necessarily bad for your cholesterol levels – it has been associated with a potential increase in the ‘good’ (HDL) kind. But taking it easy is key – if you down more than two drinks a day, week in and week out, those calories can start to add up, leading to weight gain, which can contribute to higher ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol.

MERCER’S MOVE:

MERCER’S MOVE:

MERCER’S MOVE:

ROW, ROW, ROW

KITCHEN CREATIVITY

REDEFINE PARTYING

While watching Frank Underwood rowing away the stress of the day on House Of Cards, Mercer thought, ‘I could be a rowing guy.’ Its private, meditative appeal led him to invest in a Concept2 rower. Now, he uses it almost daily for 30 to 45 minutes.

Mercer cut back on eating out and made more stir-fries at home. ‘Lots of veggies, mise en place prep work, then high heat in the wok for a bit – and you’re done!’ All that veg adds fibre, and Mercer sneaks in even more, ‘I’ll eat the stem or core of almost anything.’

After a few months of other changes, Mercer stopped drinking. ‘I got a different experience, socially and emotionally, out of the party and music space,’ he says. He also started sleeping better, giving him more energy to commit to his healthy habits.

DOCTOR’S ORDERS:

BE MORE ACTIVE Cholesterol is a blood fat, and exercise can help muscles use these fats for energy (so they don’t settle in the arteries). Aim for 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise, says cardiologist Robert Nierzwicki of Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage and Delnor Hospitals. Better yet, raise the intensity or duration of your sessions.

DOCTOR’S ORDERS:

DOCTOR’S ORDERS:

MEN’S HEALTH 33

HUNKER DOWN FOR SERIOUS RESULTS

You likely already know that squats are a superlative calorie-torcher. But there’s more than one way to do the deep work

34 MEN’S HEALTH

A

A

B

B

01

02

BARBELL FRONT SQUAT

BARBELL BACK SQUAT

Let’s kick off with the classics. Position a barbell across your shoulders and lift your elbows high (A). Push your hips back, bending your knees until your thighs pass parallel (B). Drive through your feet to stand.

Difficulty

Holding a barbell across the back of your shoulders, stand tall and breathe deeply (A). Maintaining an upright posture, push your hips back, bending to just past parallel again (B). Stand explosively.

Difficulty

A

A

B B

03

04

OVERHEAD SQUAT

GOBLET SQUAT

A true test of mobility. Press a bar over your head, locking your arms out, your feet just wider than your shoulders (A).

Push your hips back and drop down (B).

Keep your torso upright. Push back up.

Difficulty

Hold a dumbbell close to your chest, with a strong upright posture (A). Sink your hips back and descend into a squat (B), your elbows in between your knees.

Drive back up explosively and repeat.

Difficulty

WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY; SCARLETT WRENCH. PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES. MODEL: JORDAN DUVIGNEAU AT W MODEL. STYLING: ABENA OFEI.

T

he barbell back squat has long been lauded as the king of lower-body lifts, commandeering the muscles in your quads, glutes and hamstrings, as well as your back and core, as you brace to prevent your body folding like origami under the heft of a loaded bar. By recruiting multiple muscles – particularly larger ones such as your glutes (and we mean no offence) – squats can quickly contribute towards a bigger calorie burn, too.

In other words, if you’re really serious about getting functionally fit while giving your metabolic rate a bump, you’d be unwise to skip out on leg day.

But, of course, barbell back squats are merely one flavour in the spectrum – squats may be important, but there are several ways that you can weave them into your workouts.

Whether you’re looking to boost strength and athleticism, or improve mobility for daily life or post-injury rehab, there’s a variation to suit your purposes – and skill level.

Let’s get deep into it…

17 TOP OF THE DROPS

A

A

ONE MOVE 10 WAYS THE SQUAT

A B

B

05

SPANISH SQUAT

06

COSSACK SQUAT

Loop a resistance band around a rack and step into it, so it rests around the back of your knees. Walk back to build tension (A).

With your feet in a narrow stance, drop into a squat, pause, then push up explosively.

Difficulty

Easy to do poorly, hard to do well. Stand tall in a wide stance (A), shift your weight to your right foot, squatting while keeping your left leg straight (B). Push off the right leg to stand. Alternate sides each rep.

Difficulty

A

A

B

B

07

08

Things are getting sticky. Stand tall, lifting one leg (A), bend the other knee and squat, keeping your lifted leg raised. Once the crease of your hip is below your knee, pause (B) and drive up. Use a band if you need.

Difficulty

Split squats build your core and take stress off your lower back. Stand tall with your right foot on a bench (A). Bend your left knee, slowly lowering (B). Drive up through your left foot. Do reps on one side, then swap.

Difficulty

REAR FOOT ELEVATED

PISTOL SQUAT

A

GROOMING: NAT SCHMITT USING CLARINS SKINCARE. CLOTHING: SHORTS, LULULEMON, MRPORTER.COM; TRAINERS, VEJA-STORE.COM

A B B

09

10

Brace your core and step one foot back, sinking into a lunge, with your rear knee just touching the floor. Drive up, switching legs mid-air (A) to land in a lunge with the other leg forward (B). Alternate legs each rep.

Difficulty

Wedge a barbell into a corner. Load weights on one side, lift the bar on to your shoulder and face away from it. Step forward and brace your core (A). Push your hips back and drop into a squat (B). Explode up and repeat.

Difficulty

SPLIT SQUAT JUMP

LANDMINE HACK SQUAT

MEN’S HEALTH 35

18

19

FEEL THE BURN

SUMMER FARE

A

NUTRITION NEWSFEED 06/22

GRASP THE NETTLE: IT’S FAT-LOSS FUEL Your garden-variety stingers are an unsung superfood that can spike your weight-loss efforts – and they’re ripe for the picking.

Here’s how to handle them with care

WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON. PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL HEDGE; DAN MATTHEWS; LUCKY IF SHARP; GETTY IMAGES

WEED OUT EXCESS WEIGHT IN THE KITCHEN

T

he stinging nettle was the scourge of everyone’s childhood adventures, but the bad boy of garden weeds has long been misunderstood. This nutrient-rich mainstay of the UK countryside has been linked to reductions in blood pressure and inflammation, healthier hormone balance and, in one study, even fat loss.

Researchers at the University of Maryland found that mice fed on a high-fat diet for 12 weeks gained less weight if they consumed nettle extract, too. Nettles activate a hormone in cells known as FIAF (fasting-induced adipocyte factor, in case you were wondering), which not only supports the

conversion of fatty acids into energy, but seems to protect your vital organs from absorbing excess fat.

Okay, it might not be an everyday dietary staple, but it might be a worthwhile addition to your usual roster of leafy greens.

About 100g is a good dose – which, coincidentally, is roughly as much as you’d use in a bowl of nettle soup.

Gather some nettles growing in a spot away from the road or other polluted areas. Wear gardening gloves and a long-sleeved top and aim to collect 400g of the leaves

(about as many as you can fit in a large supermarket salad bag). Wash them before adding them to your soup stock, boiling away the plant’s stinging hairs.

The leaves will wilt just like spinach; they taste similar, too.

Alternatively, you can put the plant through a juicer and add an antioxidant-packed shot to your morning smoothie. Either way, nettles could move the needle on your progress towards better health.

SEASON’S EATINGS A few timely additions to your menu this month will help you harvest new health benefits

BEETROOT

SAMPHIRE

CHICORY

WATERCRESS

COURGETTE

Its nitrates will easily amp up your cardio workouts.

This forageable plant is a good source of vit C.

A source of inulin, for better blood sugar balance.

The summer green speeds up postgym recovery.

A top source of heart-helping potassium.

MEN’S HEALTH 37

THE BIG QUESTION

IS SINGLE-DIGIT BODY FAT ACTUALLY HEALTHY? Reece, Great Yarmouth

O

nce upon a time, it was generally accepted that the easiest way to assess what kind of shape you were in was to hop on the bathroom scales. But weight – as understood via the body-mass index (BMI) – is a crude metric. Very tall or muscular people are significantly more likely to be labelled overweight. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson? Clinically obese.

Which explains why body-fat percentage has become the metric of choice for those looking to track their progress. Your fat-to-lean mass ratio is a far more reliable marker of health.

It’s not perfect, but if more than a quarter of your body weight is fat, you’re liable to be at an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Past 28%, things get stickier.

But back to your question, Reece.

How lean can you get before turning translucent?

The answer lies in your genes. ‘A healthy body-fat percentage differs for all individuals,’

ASK MEN’S HEALTH 06/22 says PT and transformation coach Mark Ross. ‘Some men can be healthy at a very low percentage; others won’t be.’

While the ballpark for a conspicuously toned physique is somewhere between 5% and 15%, single-digit body fat is considered ‘stage lean’, says Ross – not easily sustainable. Going below your natural level requires a punishing mentality. ‘It’s not achievable without 24/7 effort and full focus,’ he says.

Which will squeeze out Deliveroo and work-night pints.

Fat is an organ, and your body needs a certain amount to function. Without fat reserves, your immune system takes a battering, testosterone levels tank and your metabolism stutters. Dip below 5% and you risk nervous system damage and brittle bones. At best.

If you’re intent on achieving visible abs, maintaining 10% to 14% body fat is the best way to balance good health with the aesthetic you’re after. Just remember to enjoy life, too.

CRUNCH THE NUMBERS IF YOU’RE KEEN TO GET LEAN

A

20 A NUMBERS GAME

THE FITNESS FIX

I’VE INVESTED IN A THERAGUN. SHOULD I BE USING IT BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER MY WORKOUTS? Liam, Cornwall

TEXT A NUTRITIONIST

All of the above – but to different effect, says Nick Duncan, gym operations manager at London’s The Ned. By addressing aches and fatigue, massage guns can be a useful tool when embarking on a brand new fitness plan. Here’s your cheat sheet.

WORDS: ANNIE HAYES. PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL HEDGE. FOOD STYLING: SEIKO HATFIELD AT SALT & SPOON. DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SUN LEE; STEVE GALLAGER. ARTWORK: PETER CROWTHER

I’M SICK OF MEAL PREP. I JUST WANT A SARNIE. HOW CAN I MAKE IT AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE? David, Hassocks Today 11.56am First up: what

is best?

As a rule, grainier = greater. You can rely on whole grains to stop any mid-afternoon hunger pangs.

Look out for a carb-to-fibre ratio of 10:1 on the label.

Leave the Lurpak and mash in an avo – its healthy fats ramp up vitamin absorption.

What about the filling? I guess fish fingers are out?

MIDWAY THROUGH

WHEN IT’S OVER

Physically on the mats but mentally still in bed?

Percussive therapy increases blood flow and therefore core body temperature – ‘which is the whole point of a warm-up’, says Duncan. ‘Most of our club members use them before training – and it gets results. Target all of your major muscle groups, hitting each area for 30 seconds.’

If you’re 20 minutes in and already aching, ‘try using your massage gun between sets’, says Duncan.

Percussive therapy soothes the burn, ‘reactivates’ muscles and fires up the nervous system. He recommends pummelling the muscles you’re working for 10 to 15 seconds. Now throw yourself into the next set renewed.

When you’re done sweating and ready for a cooldown, percussive therapy can help you pre-empt pain, as well as improving your range of motion and flexibility the next day, so you’re not stuck on the sofa. This is when you can take a little longer over it, says Duncan, ‘up to two minutes per muscle group’.

WHAT SUPP?

ARE PROTEIN SUPPS GOOD FOR WEIGHT LOSS, OR ARE THEY JUST FOR GETTING SWOLE?

There are much better ways to pack in the protein . Try roast beef or turkey breast.

Any veggie options? I’m on meat-free Monday.

Easy. First, spread a plant-based pâté or dairy-free cheese, then add mashed black beans. Or alternate slices of tofu with tapenade, salad and tomatoes.

GRENADE Carb Killa

While many bars can be surprisingly high in sugar, Grenade’s have less than 2g per 20g of protein – but still taste like confectionery.

Norman, Tunbridge Wells

Finally, here’s a top tip: avoid a soggy sarnie by adding your tomatoes at the last minute!

Today 12.08pm This is the best thing since, well, sliced bread.

Alex Parker, dietitian at the Biting Truth

BEFORE YOU START

AP

Research shows that bumping up your protein while on a lowcalorie diet can help you shed more fat and burn through less muscle. Whether that comes from chicken, tofu or a shake doesn’t really matter. When convenience is the name of the game, make sure you grab a bag or bar that isn’t bulked out with carbs and fats.

Here’s our fat-loss pick:

HEALTHSPAN ELITE

All Blacks Clear Whey Protein Isolate Negligible sugar or fat and a good amino acid profile – made with guidance from the All Blacks’ nutritionist.

THE PROTEIN WORKS Vegan Wondershake

Made with pea, soya, hemp and brown rice protein, this lowcarb blend has an impressively similar macro balance to whey isolate.

MISFITS

Protein Bar

Vegan bars can be disappointingly low in the good stuff, but these offer a punchy 15g in each modestly sized 185-cal snack.

MEN’S HEALTH 39

DAVID MORTON EXECUTIVE EDITOR

TED LANE FORMER DEPUTY DIGITAL EDITOR

THE TRANSFORMATION DEMANDS ONE THING: TOTAL COMMITMENT

Building A A Body For Life

KRIS PACE FORMER WORKFLOW DIRECTOR

The MH staff transformation is an institution and a chance for us to practise what we print. It’s also very hard work, gruelling and all-consuming. So, what happens after the photo shoot wraps?

Can gains forged under pressure last in the long term?

Three former challengers share their memories – and the lessons that have stayed with them

s a brand that promises results, MH transformations are where we deliver. The tradition dates back to 2005, when one dissenting writer said he didn’t think the magazine’s cover lines were realistic – and was tasked with disproving his point. The before-and-after has remained popular with readers while becoming a rite of passage for male staff in the years since.

While ‘realistic’ in the sense that these challenges did, indeed, take place, our MH transformations were arguably less so in other areas. Yes, we did get free supplements, gym memberships and personal training that might otherwise have been prohibitively expensive. No, we didn’t get time off work to train (we wish).

Yes, we did use well-known physique trade secrets that, in all honesty, shouldn’t be so widely accepted: flattering lighting, fake tan and mild dehydration pre-shoot. No, we didn’t use Photoshop, steroids or diuretics.

The most ‘unrealistic’ aspect of our transformations? They are not designed for the long haul. No one can live like that forever – and no one who has ever done one would suggest trying. They are temporary challenges to show how much you can achieve with limited time and total dedication. The cycle of train, eat, sleep and repeat can be punishing, even a little dismal. But, at the same time, it can be enormously satisfying and enjoyable – and not just when it’s over, either.

Ultimately, a body is for life, not just a photo shoot, and the changes you make in the long term are what matter. So MH canvassed three of our most dramatic transformers to find out what recollections – and results – have stayed with them.

Words by Jamie Millar – Photography by David Venni

MEN’S HEALTH 41

AGENTS OF CHANGE

01\Ted Lane

The Bachelor Turned Master

Then a recent journalism grad still living like a student, MH’s former deputy digital editor Ted Lane – now content manager for Lululemon – got an education when he signed up for a complete fitness overhaul back in 2015.

Today, he’s a father of two with less spare time than ever.

Do the lessons he learned then still help him today?

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hen I left university, the owner of the chip shop shook my hand because we were on such good terms. I was in terrible shape. When I did my starting measurements, I had a metabolic age of 40. I was 25. It was eye-opening because I’d been living the same lifestyle as all my friends: drinking 10 pints in the pub on Saturday, then spending Sunday eating pizza. I suppose that made me feel like, ‘What the hell am I doing working at Men’s Health?’

I’d joined MH to be a journalist, but I was yet to get a deep knowledge of the subject matter. I knew I’d be given 12 weeks to look as good as possible but that I’d also get to spend five hours a week with a personal trainer and ask all the questions I wished. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

Soho Fitness Lab, where I trained, was really close to the office. Because I was going five days a week before work, that made it a hell of a lot easier.

I remember doing my first superset: bench press into press-ups. My upper body went to jelly. It took me until lunch to stop sweating.

My trainers Brett Durney and Sandra Calva wanted me to build muscle but keep the calorie burn high, because the main thing that was going to make me look better was losing fat. I did three four-week phases. I went from

42 MEN’S HEALTH

TED’S ORIGINAL TRANSFORMATION AUGUST-NOVEMBER 2015 BEFORE

AFTER

HEIGHT 5FT 11IN WEIGHT 13ST 5LB BODY FAT 23%

WEIGHT 12ST 6LB BODY FAT 15%

supersets to trisets then, by the end, giant sets, going round and round; I’d also finish every session with a Tabata.

It was minging. I’d never done lifting before, and so they gave me all of the grounding: how to do a good bench press, deadlift, back squat and pull-up.

The diet was tough, mainly because of the lack of variety. I’d have salmon, eggs, rye bread and salad for breakfast every day. And then an iteration of chicken breast or steak with brown rice or sweet potato and broccoli or green beans for lunch. ‘Second lunch’ was the same, minus the carbs; dinner was the same again, with carbs.

Today, when I train, I do two half-hour sessions. All being well, I’ll try to wake up before the kids and do some rope flow outside. I put on a podcast and work up the lightest sweat. Then, at lunch, it’ll be short and sharp, aimed at burning calories but also weaving in a bit of mobility. We chopped our garage in half and put some rubber flooring down. I’ll do some mobility, then sign myself over to some digital trainer. Or I’ll do sprints on the Air Bike and dumbbell exercises, but they’ll be more total-body moves: snatches and swings rather than benches and rows.

For me, the biggest shift has been exercising not because I need to control the way I look, but because I understand the benefits and want to add to my life, rather than take something away. Having kids has played into that, but it’s not the sole motivator. I want to feel healthy.

I don’t get drunk as much. I eat more vegetables and less meat. I’m not interested in boom-and-bust. And altogether that means I’m happier.

I’d do another transformation – although I don’t know how I’d make it fit. It was a great experience. And I got so much out of it beyond the 12 weeks. I have a really healthy relationship with health and fitness now that I didn’t have before.

‘I don’t exercise to control the way I look. I want to add to my life’

TED TODAY WEIGHT 13ST 10LB BODY FAT 18%

TED FOCUSES ON HOW FITNESS MAKES HIM FEEL TO FORGE A FAR HEALTHIER MINDSET

LESSONS FOR LIFE 01 Understand The Logic ‘I was always asking my PT, “Why am I doing this?”

I understand what makes a good workout now – the main lifts, the accessories, how to build my week – and so I feel confident when I walk into the gym.’

02 Work Out From Home ‘Don’t rely too heavily on the gym. Working with a coach was great when I did my transformation, but with a busy job and two children, I need to be able to fit in sessions as and when I can.’

03 Nail The Basics ‘Learn how to do the basic moves well. In the long run, being able to deadlift a moderate weight without crippling yourself will be more useful to you than lifting much heavier with questionable form.’

04 Mobility Matters ‘I start most of my home workouts with some shoulder-openers using a broomstick and the “world’s greatest stretch”. It makes far more of a difference than you might think.’

05 Ditch The Guilt ‘Guilt isn’t a good motivator.

It might work in the short term, but focusing on how training makes you feel day-to-day will sustain you when motivation is low.’

MEN’S HEALTH 43

02\ Kris Pace

The Hard Hitter

After fighting fat and winning with an early KO, one-time Men’s Health workflow director Kris Pace was so struck by his boxing-based transformation that he applied for a job with the studio where he did his training. Five years on, he’s the chief brand officer at United Fitness Brands – and has found a fitness rhythm that works for him

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n my late teens and twenties, I lifted quite a bit. I was more into the bodybuilding side of things: Monday is chest, Tuesday is back… Then, in my mid-twenties, I did my first triathlon.

After that, I was just going through the motions – lifting weights, doing cardio.

Like most guys in their twenties, I was drinking a lot on Friday and Saturday and feeling a bit jaded by Monday. The transformation came at a good time, following December with all the Christmas parties. I was told, ‘Right, you’ve got three weeks to eat and drink whatever you want, but on 3 January you’re starting this…’ A disciplinespecific transformation – learning a skill such as boxing – appealed to me.

I was nervous because I’d never boxed before. But, for someone who looks quite scary and is incredible at fighting, my trainer Ian Streetz was one of the nicest guys I’d met. We’re friends to this day.

We trained in his own time at 6am weekday mornings, then I did one day of cardio at the weekend. The first part of our sessions was pad work, foot drills, head movement; the second part was conditioning. If he felt I was getting too comfortable, he’d swap it round.

The worst thing we did was [a drill called] ‘in the corner’. Ian would stand in the middle of the ring and walk me into each corner, and I’d have to sidestep

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KRIS’S ORIGINAL TRANSFORMATION JANUARY-MARCH 2017 BEFORE

AFTER

HEIGHT 6FT 2IN WEIGHT 15ST 2LB BODY FAT 17%

WEIGHT 13ST 3LB BODY FAT 10.5%

out. After three minutes, your lungs are burning. We’d spar, but he wouldn’t hit me, just move. I was like, ‘But what if I hit you in the face?’ Turns out I could get nowhere near him anyway.

I did a little bit of lifting, but light weight and high reps. I’d punch 3kg or 4kg dumbbells overhead as many times as I could for two or three minutes.

Everything we did was as if I was actually fighting – even though I never did.

I ate five or six small portions of chicken or fish and veg a day, little and often, to maintain energy. Sweet potato was one of the few carbs I had. Rice was almost like a cheat meal. The week before the shoot, I was having steak and spinach for breakfast. It sounds nice, but first thing in the morning, it’s really not.

For six months after I finished the transformation, I’d pop down to Kobox every couple of weeks and do some pad work or a morning class. I wanted to maintain that clarity I felt throughout my day after intense endurance training.

Sometimes, the founder of Kobox, Shane Collins, would jump into the sessions. One time, he said, ‘We’ve just opened a second studio, and I need to hire a number two with media experience…’ It was a lightbulb moment.

I’d been thinking about a career change.

My training is more sustainable now.

I like to mix it up. If I have a few heavy weeks coming up, I’ll do more cardio for mental stimulation. If work isn’t too hectic, I lift weights, get a bit of a pump on. I drink less than I used to, for sure.

I’m getting a little bit older now.

As much as I loved the transformation challenge, you can’t do that year-round.

But it set me up well to understand my limitations and not let training burn me out for work – or vice versa. I’ll also pull elements from it to keep myself going, or to dig a little deeper when I feel like I can’t be bothered.

I’d 100% do the same thing again, as long as it has a start and a finish!

I’d approach it differently as well: be less hard on myself and enjoy it more.

‘The transformation set me up well to understand my limitations’

STYLING: ABENA OFEI. GROOMING: NIKI MARK. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES; DAVID CLERIHEW; STUDIO 33. TED WEARS: T-SHIRT AND SHORTS, LULULEMON; TRAINERS, UNDER ARMOUR.

AGENTS OF CHANGE

KRIS TODAY WEIGHT 14ST 7LB BODY FAT 19%

KRIS WEARS: T-SHIRT, PURESPORT; JOGGERS, LULULEMON; TRAINERS, NIKE. DAVID WEARS: T-SHIRT AND SHORTS, WIT FITNESS; TRAINERS, REEBOK

BALANCING SOLID EFFORT WITH PROPER REST HAS HELPED KRIS FIND BALANCE

LESSONS FOR LIFE 01 Early Does It ‘I still like to train at 6am – then I’m done and the day’s mine. I’m not in that position where it’s 5pm and I’m thinking, “Will I make it to the gym?” You’ll more often than not find an excuse not to go.’

02 Switch Your Focus ‘Learning a skill can be more motivating than fixating on your weight or body fat percentage.

These will always fluctuate, but mastering a new lift or technique can be hugely satisfying.’

03 Drink Smartly ‘If you’re out, go for clear spirits with tonic or soda water to ensure you stay hydrated. And try having two or three, instead of six. It will hugely improve your appetite to train the next day.’

04 Eat More Often ‘An oldie but a goodie: “little and often”. It really helped my energy levels.

I never felt that post-meal bloat or afternoon lethargy.

Some overnight oats in Tupperware is simple but can be a godsend.’

05 Prioritise Rest ‘If you’re feeling sore, don’t power through. A rest day isn’t a “cheat day”. Stretch, take a walk, have a bath.

You’ll get a lot more out of the next session if you do!’

MEN’S HEALTH 45

AGENTS OF CHANGE

03\ David Morton

The CrossFit Convert

With almost 15 years at MH and three transformations (at least that he can remember) under his ever-tightening belt, executive editor David Morton’s change has been constant. But it was 2014’s weight-loss challenge that had the biggest impact on his long-term outlook – and it still fuels his motivation today

M

y second transformation, in 2014, came at a good time. I was getting married that summer – I’d turned 30, so I couldn’t get away with not training or eating correctly. I’d also stopped playing rugby due to concussions and I had no real drive. I’ve always needed a structure to my training. I need a goal.

I’d see my trainer Bobby Rich, David Haye’s strength and conditioning coach, once or twice a week, often on a Saturday for a mega sesh. He’d WhatsApp me my sessions for the other days. He put the onus on me to look after my own training.

I spent a lot of time training on the Versaclimber. After the first month, I started doing half an hour of fasted cardio five days a week before work.

The movements weren’t particularly advanced. The key was consistency and lifting progressively heavier. The first three or four sessions with Bobby in Haye’s gym (which is now closed), under the arches in Vauxhall, south London, were hard. At the end, I had to lie on my back with my feet up on a box because I felt so sick.

We didn’t set too many dietary rules.

Bobby just said, ‘Don’t eat too late, don’t eat too much red meat, don’t eat too much dairy.’ My then soon-to-be wife is an extremely good cook and at that

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DAVID’S ORIGINAL TRANSFORMATION JANUARY-APRIL 2014 BEFORE

AFTER

HEIGHT 5FT 11IN WEIGHT 14ST 11LB BODY FAT 21%

WEIGHT 12ST 11LB BODY FAT 9%

point was a pescatarian, so we ate a lot of fish. Once I started doing the fasted cardio, I wasn’t eating until 9am, so I was having a proper 12-hour fast – before it was cool.

I was pleased with the result. I got accused of being a different person in the Daily Mail comments. A little while after that, I spent a few months at 3 Aces CrossFit in Kennington, south London, for a story and I loved it. It combined my love of training with the community element of rugby. That helped shape how I trained on my own.

For my third transformation, in 2018, I didn’t have a coach. I used the movements from Men’s Health’s Primal 9 training programme. I’d had two kids, moved out of London to West Sussex and lost all my hair, so I looked more like Jason Statham and I wanted the body to match. That transformation was the easiest. I got the train to and from the office, and went to the gym at lunch.

I feel better when I exercise. I’m better at work, I’m better at home – to the extent that if I don’t train for a few days, my wife will send me out to do it. During lockdown, I followed one of our fitness editor Andrew Tracey’s free plans, OB-30: 30 workouts to be done with one bell. I had a 16kg kettlebell and I trained in the sun as a break from work.

I now have a pair of 22.5kg dumbbells, a bench, a sandbag, a pull-up bar on the side of the house with rings and a rope that my kids use. I’ve also been vegan for two years, although I recently started eating eggs again. So I’m ‘veggan’.

I’d take on another challenge, but not a body transformation. I’ve been fitter, but I’m fitter now than I was at 29. I’ve got some abs. And I can do a lot more movements: clean and jerks, snatches, pull-ups, double-unders, handstand press-ups, very bad handstand walks, pistols. I’m more into skill acquisition than lifting for the sake of it. I’m 40 next year and I have a quiet ambition to compete in local-ish competitions as a ‘master’. That could be fun.

‘I feel better when I exercise.

I’m better at work, I’m better at home’

DAVID TODAY WEIGHT 12ST 9LB BODY FAT 13%

CONSISTENCY AND PROGRESSION HAVE FUELLED DAVID’S CONTINUED SUCCESS

LESSONS FOR LIFE 01 Starting Is The Hard Bit ‘Don’t overpromise: just pick up a pair of dumbbells and get moving. Before starting, I often think, “I won’t do much today,” then somehow get sucked into a 40-minute EMOM. And I feel better for it.’

02 Keep It Simple ‘The basics work. None of the moves I used during my transformation were particularly advanced. It’s about lifting progressively heavier weights, not mastering progressively more difficult movements.’

03 Enjoy The Journey ‘The results are rewarding, but it can take a while to get there. If you enjoy the process of training, it won’t feel like a chore.

Make it fun. If you find fitness fun, you’ll naturally do it more often.’

04 Meat Doesn’t = Muscle ‘Many people have asked me how I’ve stayed in shape on a vegan diet.

Well, there’s protein in more foods than just chicken. Eating vegetables and including variety in your diet plays a big role.’

05 Make Friends ‘Surround yourself with dedicated people – and people who are better at training than you, too. It might not be good for your ego, but you can’t help but want to knuckle down and push yourself.’

MEN’S HEALTH 47

06 22

Fit Food For A King

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LOW-EFFORT PROTEIN FIXES

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IN DEFENCE OF CARBS

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NAVIGATING THE DRIVETHROUGH

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OUTSMART YOUR FOOD CRAVINGS

Feast To Get Lean Forget dieting: implementing these smart yet low-lift changes at mealtimes could make a major dent in that stubborn paunch. You’ll soon start cooking – and looking – a whole lot better WORDS BY MARK BITTMAN

little more than 10 years ago, I found myself in a bit of a personal crisis.

After spending nearly three decades as a food writer who eagerly devoured anything and everything, I had developed a burgeoning belly and a case of high cholesterol. Plus, I was prediabetic.

So, with this gloomy prognosis hanging over my head, I did what any sane person would do: I started eating better. Just a few months later, I’d lost 2st 7lb, seen my cholesterol levels shrink by 60 points and reduced my sugar levels to normal. I felt better, slept better and lived better.

What was the secret? I started eating more plants and whole grains, and I scaled back my intake of refined carbohydrates and other junk. I still ate meat, but I consumed it less frequently and made sure that what I did enjoy was of the highest quality. The best part was that it tasted better than the way I ate before, which is a pretty great way to cut your carbon footprint.

Since then, I’ve written a number of books about what I discovered. On these pages, I’ve shared four simple rules that can help you become a better eater in every sense of the word. The changes may not feel drastic – and that’s sort of the point – but the results you’ll see will be dramatic. And that’s a change you really can believe in.

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Lesson 1:

Eat Plants With Abandon

For breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, make plants the centre of your diet. Only 20% of men get their five a day of fruit and veg. So if your regular meat-to-produce ratio is 70:30, flip it. Salads, slow-braised or flash-sautéed vegetables, raw vegetables dipped in olive oil, whole fruits – diversity is the key to upping your intake, and you really can’t go overboard.

Here’s a perfect way to knock out a few servings, inspired by the classic mozzarella-andtomato caprese salad.

Layered Savoury Fruit Salad SERVES 4 • 3 LARGE RIPE TOMATOES, SEEDED • 1 CUCUMBER, PEELED, SEEDED AND SLICED • 1 SMALL RED ONION, HALVED AND THINLY SLICED • 1 MEDIUM AVOCADO, PEELED, PITTED AND SLICED • 100G RADISHES OR GRANNY SMITH APPLE, GRATED OR FINELY CHOPPED • 2 TBSP OLIVE OIL • 1 TBSP LEMON JUICE • 1 HANDFUL BASIL OR CORIANDER, CHOPPED

HOW TO MAKE IT Slice each tomato horizontally into four thick tranches. Place each on a plate and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Top the tomato with the cucumber, then place the avocado slices above, fanning them out to cover. Top with the radishes or apple, then season again with salt and lots of pepper.

In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the olive oil and lemon juice, then drizzle this dressing over the salad. Garnish the salad with the chopped herbs before serving.

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Lesson 2:

No one is suggesting that you need to become a vegetarian to shift the dial, but meat doesn’t need to be the star of your plate, either. Some of the finest culinary traditions – from south-east Asia to the Levant to Mexico – use a vibrant, colourful multitude of vegetables, with meat as a prized addition or indulgence rather than a staple.

It accents the dishes rather than defining them. So try adding a little chicken or steak to salads, pastas or stir-fried vegetable dishes for a virtuous but no less delectable meal.

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Treat Meat Like A Garnish

Thai Beef Salad SERVES 4 • 250G RUMP OR FLANK STEAK • 1 BAG MIXED SALAD LEAVES • 1 HANDFUL MINT AND CORIANDER, CHOPPED • ½ RED ONION, DICED • 1 CUCUMBER, PEELED, SEEDED AND DICED • 1 RED CHILLI, FINELY CHOPPED • 2 LIMES, JUICED • 1 TBSP SESAME OIL • 1 TBSP FISH SAUCE • ½ TSP SUGAR

HOW TO MAKE IT Put a cast iron griddle pan on a high heat. For medium-rare, grill the steak for 3 or 4 mins on each side, turning once or twice depending on the thickness, then leave to rest.

Mix the leaves with the herbs, onion and cucumber. Combine the remaining ingredients with 1 tbsp water (the dressing will be thin) and toss the greens mixture with half of the dressing. Remove to a platter, reserving the remaining dressing.

Slice the beef thinly, reserving its juices; combine the juices with the reserved dressing. Lay the slices of beef over the salad, drizzle the dressing over the top, then serve.

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FULL OF BEANS

Lesson 3:

Show More Love For Legumes

Start thinking of beans as the ultimate meat substitute. They’re packed with protein, fibre and antioxidants and cheaper than most supermarket staples. Try spiking a salad with chickpeas, making a curry with lentils or tossing pasta with white beans and fresh herbs. Beans take on big flavours especially well, as you’ll see with this heavily spiced, Indian-inspired stew. It’s great with some juicy chicken, or even on its own with a side salad.

Chickpea Stew With Roasted Chicken SERVES 4 • 1 TIN CHICKPEAS, DRAINED • 500ML CHICKEN OR VEGETABLE STOCK • 4 TBSP OLIVE OIL • 4 CHICKEN LEGS • 2 SMALL AUBERGINES, CHOPPED • 450G CHESTNUT MUSHROOMS • 1 LARGE ONION, CHOPPED • 1 CARROT, CHOPPED • 2 GARLIC CLOVES, CRUSHED • 1 TSP MINCED FRESH GINGER • 1 TSP GROUND CORIANDER • 1 TSP GROUND CUMIN • 1 TIN CHOPPED TOMATOES • 1 HANDFUL PARSELY, CHOPPED

HOW TO MAKE IT Heat the oven to 200°C. On the hob, gently simmer the chickpeas in a large pan with the chicken or vegetable stock and a little salt and pepper.

Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-based pan on a medium heat. Season the chicken legs and brown well on all sides for about 10 mins, then transfer to a small roasting tray and set aside.

Pour off all but 3 tbsp of the fat. Return the pan to a medium heat and add the abergines and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, 15 to 20 mins. Remove the veg from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Put the chicken in the oven.

Add 1 tbsp oil to the veg pan, on a medium heat, then add

the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 mins until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 mins, before adding the mixture to the simmering chickpeas, along with the reserved aubergine and mushrooms.

When the chicken has been cooking for about 15 mins, check for doneness (the juices will run clear if you make a small cut in the meat near the bone), then rest it. Plate up the tender vegetables on a large, deep platter, then top with the chicken legs and drizzle with the roasting juices. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROMULO YANES. ADDITIONAL IMAGES: LOUISA PARRY; ROB WHITE. *SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN

Not only will eating more legumes help you to hit your 30g of fibre a day, it can quell your appetitite, too. A Danish study* found that meals based around beans are more satiating than meat, reducing subsequent calorie intake.

Enlightened eating means treating yourself to things you really love. It doesn’t mean snacking on crisps or capping off every meal with a Magnum.

But fear not. Consider it fortunate that many of the best-tasting treats are the ones that are also better for us.

Here’s a prime example: a 10-minute fruit sorbet.

SERVES 4 • 450G FROZEN STRAWBERRIES (OR PRETTY MUCH ANY OTHER FRUIT) • 125ML PLAIN YOGHURT • 50G SUGAR, MORE OR LESS • WATER, AS NEEDED

HOW TO MAKE IT Put all the ingredients except the water into a food processor and whizz up until pureed and creamy. Stop every now and then to scrape down the sides

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of the bowl so you capture everything. If the frozen fruit doesn’t break down completely, gradually add water through the feed tube, a little drop at a time, being careful not to overprocess the sorbet into liquid.

Serve immediately or freeze. If serving later, allow 10 to 15 mins for the sorbet to soften at room temperature.

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Indulge Smartly

Super Simple Sorbet

53 MH | FUEL |

Lesson 4:

10 Ways To Tame Your Appetite Eat less, lose weight – sounds simple enough. But what do you do when your stomach is grumbling and your hanger levels are peaking? You enlist these smart satiety strategies to ensure that you’re refuelling the right way, every time esearchers at Cornell University in New York recently asked a group of people an elementary question. ‘How do you know when you’ve eaten enough?’ The answer might seem obvious. Doesn’t everyone push the plate away when they feel full?

Well, no. The leanest people do, scientists say, but those who struggle with their weight often rely more on external cues, such as a clean plate or whenever everyone else is finished.

Unfortunately, these cues have nothing to do with how we feel physically. ‘People’s brains are often out of touch with their bodies,’ says Peter C Herman, a University of Toronto expert on appetite control. ‘And when eating

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becomes mindless, overeating becomes routine,’ he adds.

The key player in all of this appears to be a region of your brain called the left posterior amygdala (LPA).

This area monitors the volume of food in your stomach during a meal. Fill your gut to a comfortable level and the LPA tells your brain to drop the fork. But the trouble is, ‘many men consume calories faster than their bodies can tell them to stop’, explains Professor Herman. ‘So they look to external cues to guide their consumption.’

Fortunately, we’ve scoured the science and recruited the top experts in the industry to create these 10 simple strategies to help you fill up without filling out.

Let’s get started.

01

Install Food Regulators Unverified research has revealed that if your house contains crisps and Haribo, men will find them after 11pm and dispose of them swiftly, especially after drinking alcohol. Instead, stock your kitchen with healthy snacks, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins – not Snickers. By ensuring that your snacks match your diet, you’re far less likely to find yourself reaching for junky ones, says Christopher Mohr, a dietitian and wellbeing consultant at Mohr Results.

CLAMP DOWN ON YOUR FAST-FOOD CRAVINGS

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04

03

Take A Bite, Take A Breath A study from the University of Rhode Island found that slowing down between bites decreases a person’s calorie intake by 10%. ‘Breathing helps you gauge how hungry you are because it directs your mind towards your body,’ says Jeffrey Greeson, a health psychologist at Rowan University. ‘It’s also practical because you can do it throughout a meal without drawing attention to yourself.’

Inhale oxygen, not your dinner.

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Sharing plates may still be de rigueur in contemporary restaurants, but a study from the State University of New York at Buffalo has shown that men who ate with a group of mates downed 6% more calories than when they ate with a partner. According to the research, that’s because people often match their intake of food to that of their dining companions. Of course, it may also be related to the fact that chicken wings and buffalo sauce are pretty calorific. Try eating before you go out for drinks.

The trappings of a formal meal make you think you’re eating more than you actually are – and that may boost satiety levels. A Canadian study found that when people ate lunch while sitting at a set table, they consumed a third less at a later snack than those who ate their midday meals on the hop. Think of it as the zen of eating. ‘If you treat every dining experience with greater respect, you’ll be less likely to use your fork as a shovel,’ says sports nutritionist and behavioural psychotherapist Lisa Dorfman.

‘And that includes snacks as well as your three square meals,’ she adds.

While you’re at it, give Netflix a rest. A study from the University of Massachusetts found that people who watched television during a meal consumed 288 more calories on average than those who did not. That’s more than a grab bag of Monster Munch. And the reason is that Cobra Kai is distracting your brain from recognising that you’re full.

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Don’t Sit Down Share To Snack Your Food

A MORE MINDFUL APPROACH BEATS AUTOMATIC EATING

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Recognise Hunger When you experience a craving, imagine eating a sizzling steak (or the vegan equivalent). ‘If you’re truly hungry, the steak will sound good, and you should eat,’ says Richard Feinman, professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, New York. ‘If it doesn’t appeal, your brain is playing tricks on you.’ Interestingly, hunger is often confused with thirst. Sometimes, you just need to drink more water.

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Don’t Trust The ‘Healthy’ Menu

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SIMPLE STRATEGIES CAN TAKE A BITE OUT OF TEMPTATION

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Not only is a restaurateur’s idea of what constitutes healthy eating not to be taken at face value, you’re likely to underestimate your meal’s calorie count by about 35%, according to a study published in the Journal Of Consumer Research. Keep this discrepancy in mind when you’re deliberating over drinks and starters – or visit the restaurant website’s nutrition page, if it has one.

(It really depends on your taste: most chains do, but Le Gavroche does not.)

A University of Mississippi study found that people consumed 54% fewer calories when they used this simple strategy.

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WORDS: ADAM CAMPBELL; DAVID SCHIPPER. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; CLAIRE BENOIST; JOBE LAWRENSON; ALAMY

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Slow Down And Savour ‘Pay close attention to those first three bites,’ says Dr Greeson. ‘People usually wolf them down due to excitement. Instead, mimic a food critic. Examine the food’s texture, savour the flavours in your mouth, and then pay attention and feel the swallow.

Psychologically, this form of meditative eating boosts satiety and promotes a sense of satisfaction for the entire meal.’ While you’re at it, try spicing up relatively bland fare, such as scrambled eggs, with hot sauce or smoked paprika. ‘Hot, flavourful foods help to trigger your brain to realise that you’re eating,’ says Dorfman.

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Don’t Dwell On Mistakes

Beware Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing

Find More Motivation

Beware fad diets – especially the wacky ones. The wilder the ‘rules’ of the diet, the more people talk about them, and the stickier the diet becomes.

It’s the nutritional equivalent of clickbait. Such diets make it difficult for easy, commonsense eating strategies to surface and sustain. One meal doesn’t define your diet, so don’t assume you’ve failed or fallen off the wagon if you indulge every so often.

We understand the logic, ‘It’s okay, this doughnut has no sugar in it – it’s flavoured with honey/dates/coconut sugar/agave/molasses.’

But it’s not really sugar-free.

All-natural sweeteners such as these raise your blood sugar just like the common white stuff, leading to cravings and dips in energy – which is less than ideal.

It’s not just about the numbers on the scales.

‘Discovering that your new diet improves the quality of your life and health can be powerful motivation,’ says Jeff Volek, a professor at The Ohio State University.

He suggests monitoring migraines, heartburn, acne, mouth ulcers, sleep quality and cardiovascular health. If this approach has knock-on benefits, lap them up.

Get More From Your Chicken You know chicken’s good for muscle growth and satisfying your appetite.

But there are other ways to get your fill of protein than a grilled fillet perched atop your greens. Add these dishes to your recipe rotation itting your macro targets can feel like a box-ticking exercise.

But there are good reasons to ensure you get your fix. Skimp on protein and your body borrows from muscle to meet its needs – undermining the strength and fitness you’ve worked so hard to achieve. ‘Getting enough protein protects your lean mass,’ says Roberta Anding, a sports dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine. It also helps slow your digestion and lowers a food’s rating on the glycaemic index, preventing high-energy carbs from sending your blood sugar soaring, then crashing.

And there’s more to the macro than that. Protein’s amino acids get to work the moment you put down your dumbbells, rebuilding tissues and preparing them for the next hard effort.

It also bolsters the immune system; our bodies need protein to make infection-fighting white blood cells.

Chicken is packed with protein, but it takes a little creativity to transform it from something you ‘should’ eat into a meal you truly look forward to. These recipes will help you avoid that tedium – along with a whole lot of time-sapping prep work – by embracing the versatility of a roasted bird. Cook it yourself or buy a whole rotisserie chicken (because we know you’re busy). Each recipe serves four people – or you for four meals – and meets your target of 30g per meal: the optimal amount for healthy, sustainable weight loss.

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Skimp on protein and your body borrows from your hard-won muscle to meet its needs

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NUTRITION NUGGET The word on the bird: per pound, roast chicken packs 50g of protein and 28g of fat.

Sound like a lot of fat? Fear not: studies show that dietary fat and cholesterol aren’t the heart saboteurs we once thought they were.

Recipe 02

Quick Chicken Caesar Salad HOW TO MAKE IT Tear a romaine heart into bite-size pieces. Toss in some wholewheat breadcrumbs and 140g chopped chicken. In a blender, whizz up a handful of grated parmesan, 180ml olive oil and about 6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Pour some over the salad; toss.

Add more to taste if you want and toss again. Top with more grated cheese and dig in.

PER SERVING 547 CALORIES, 30G PROTEIN, 6G CARBS (1G FIBRE), 46G FAT

Recipe 01

BBQ Chicken & Slaw Sandwich HOW TO MAKE IT Remove one of the breast halves and shred the meat with a fork. In a saucepan on a medium heat, mix the chicken with a glug of your favourite low-sugar barbecue sauce and stir until it’s heated through, 1 or 2 mins. Pile everything on a wholewheat bun and top with thinly sliced red onion and coleslaw. Like it spicy? Add a palmful of sliced pickled jalapeños for a hit of heat and tang.

PER SERVING 364 CALORIES, 31G PROTEIN, 35G CARBS (3G FIBRE), 11G FAT

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taste and remove from heat.

Serve with sliced serrano peppers, torn mint leaves and a squiggle of sriracha.

PER SERVING 341 CALORIES, 42G PROTEIN, 9G CARBS (0G FIBRE), 15G FAT

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Thai Curry Soup

HOW TO MAKE IT In a large saucepan, combine a big spoonful of Thai red curry paste with 480ml lowsodium chicken stock, a few squirts of fish sauce, a glug of coconut milk and the juice of a lime. Bring it all to a boil; then lower to a simmer. Add a big handful of chicken, season to

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WORDS: MEN’S HEALTH. PHOTOGRAPHY: SAM KAPLAN

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Recipe 04

Green Quesadilla

HOW TO MAKE IT Sauté a handful of shredded chicken with a chopped plum tomato in enough salsa verde to coat. When the mixture is warmed through, scoop it on to a large wholewheat tortilla; cover with shredded Monterey Jack, add another tortilla and heat your

quesadilla in a dry frying pan until the cheese is gooey.

Slice and top with sour cream, diced avocado, chopped coriander and hot sauce.

PER SERVING 380 CALORIES, 33G PROTEIN, 39G CARBS (7G FIBRE), 12G FAT

In Defence Of Carbohydrates arbohydrates get a bad rap when it comes to weight loss.

Conventional wisdom has us believe that to lose weight, we must limit – or eliminate – carbs in our diet. But it’s not that simple. In reality, carbs – sugars and starches found in grains, fruits and vegetables – provide crucial, fastacting energy to feed your brain, muscles and metabolism. And when they’re not processed into pastry form, they also contain a lot of the minerals, vitamins and fibre needed to maintain good health. In fact, carbohydrates are generally your body’s main (and preferred) source of fuel.

The problem is, many eating plans from the past two decades cast carbohydrates as the enemy of weight loss.

These diets demonise all carbs, from oats and lentils to fruit, and urge you to exorcise them from your life. It’s true that by limiting highly processed carbs you can make weight loss a whole lot easier. But shunning the good stuff can hinder your health and fitness goals. Read on to learn how to slice it.

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a nutrition consultant at the University of Illinois. Without glucose, your blood oxygen levels suffer, your energy levels tank and your brain gets foggy.

You should aim to get 45% to 65% of your daily calories from carbs. If you’re a moderately active man consuming 2,600 calories a day, that means 1,170 to 1,690 calories should come from carbs. And since carbs – whether from sugar, starch or fibre – contain four calories per gram, you should shoot for 295g to 425g a day. This will help your brain, blood and nervous system function at their best, says Dr Layman.

If you keep your intake under 80g a day, as some diet plans suggest, your body will begin to break down fat stores to produce ketones to use as fuel, which can lead to that low-carb cloudy feeling. Excess dietary carbs, like all calories, are stored as body fat. You want to strike a balance.

If you shun carbs you can actually hinder your health and fitness goals

WHAT ARE CARBOHYDRATES? Carbs, like proteins and fats, are macronutrients – energy sources that keep you alert, active and, well... alive. Think of carbs as your body’s primary source of crude oil. Through digestion, carbs are transformed into glucose, kind of like high-octane unleaded gas. ‘Carbohydrates are the only nutrients that exist solely to fuel the body,’ says Donald Layman,

COMPLEXITY IS KEY There’s more to it than grams and portion sizes, however, says Frank Sacks, a nutrition professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. The type of carb matters, as well as how much you eat. Complex carbohydrates, found in starchy veg and whole grains, are linked to healthier weight and lower risks of both type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

‘Complex carbohydrates are difficult for the body to break down, and that’s a good thing,’ says Gail Cresci, a researcher in gastroenterology and nutrition at Cleveland Clinic. These carbs digest slowly, meaning the

WORDS: K ALEISHA FETTERS. PHOTOGRAPHY: LISA SHIN; DARRELL EAGER/SHUTTERSTOCK; SAM KAPLAN; LOUISA PARRY; MICHAEL HEDGE; GETTY IMAGES; STUDIO 33; LUCKY IF SHARP. ILLUSTRATION: R KIKUO JOHNSON

Most low-carb diets are founded on junk science. Fibre-rich whole grains and root veg can play a crucial role in providing you with energy and micronutrients – not to mention making your meals more toothsome. Our 101 will separate fact from fad

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CARBS DESERVE A PLACE AT THE TOP OF THE NUTRITIONAL PILE

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absorption of sugars into your bloodstream is slower, too. The increases in your blood sugar and insulin levels are moderate enough that they don’t reach levels associated with body-fat storage, Dr Cresci says.

Plus, your gut likes them – in more ways than one. ‘The gut microbiota prefer complex carbs over any other food source,’ says Dr Cresci. After your gut bacteria feast on carbs, they send compounds called short-chain fatty acids into your bloodstream, which may help lower inflammation and strengthen your immune system.

Most foods that contain complex carbs are also high in fibre, which helps you feel full. In one study, people who were asked to eat 30g of fibre a day on top of their usual diet lost about as much weight as those who were following a strict (and probably far less enjoyable) meal plan.

THE STUFF YOU DON’T WANT Refined carbs – those in white bread, biscuits and crisps – have the opposite effect of the complex kind.

After you eat, say, a jam doughnut, your blood sugar rises, your insulin levels jump up and your gut bacteria spit out inflammatory compounds, says Dr Cresci. The odd indulgence won’t do any damage, of course. But too much too often will set you up for potential metabolic malfunction.

It’s true that if you eliminate almost all carbs from your diet you’ll drop a lot of weight – but not for the reason you might think. On a low-carb diet, your body churns through its muscle glycogen stores. And for every bit of muscle glycogen you burn, your body releases twice as much water, Dr Cresci says. So those initial kilos you drop will be from water, not just body fat.

Eating more oats, quinoa, beans and sweet potatoes and fewer pastries sounds incredibly simple, but there are some traps to look out for. Beware of products that market themselves as low fat. When food producers remove fat from foods such as yoghurt or salad dressings, they often replace the lost flavour with processed sugar (a carb), which is more easily converted into body fat than unprocessed carbs, Dr Cresci says. You’re better off sticking with the real deal.

USE YOUR LOAF AND KEEP REFINED-CARB INTAKE TO A MINIMUM

FUELLING YOUR FITNESS Carbs are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver, serving as fuel for high-intensity and endurance exercise.

If your fitness regimen is intense – say, you’re training for a marathon – you need an extra 40g to 60g of carbs per hour of training to perform at your peak, says Stuart Galloway, who studies exercise metabolism at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Another way to think about this is one additional gram of carbs per minute you work out.

As for ‘carb cycling’, there’s no robust evidence to suggest that switching between high- and lowcarb days helps performance. Some experts say it may even harm your health by contributing to low-grade inflammation, says Dr Cresci.

After your workout, you need to restock those carbs as well as taking in protein. Raising levels of insulin can help with protein synthesis and muscle building, a study in the Journal Of The International Society Of Sports Nutrition suggests. Aim for a 1:1 or 2:1 carb-toprotein ratio post-gym. Some good choices are chocolate milk (really), sliced apple with almond butter, or pitta and hummus.

The bottom line? Eat a consistent amount of complex carbs every day (unless you’re running a marathon or doing something similarly hardcore) from a variety of whole-food sources.

For an appetising prescription, try our recipes over the page.

Complex Carbs, Simplified Here’s the minimum number of grams you need each day – and easy ways to hit that amount

MODERATELY ACTIVE

VERY ACTIVE

WHAT THAT MEANS

You walk frequently, do light weight training, or go on short jogs.

You run long distances and do intense weight or interval training.

EAT THIS MUCH

295g (minimum)

+40g per hour of exercise (minimum)

HOW TO EAT IT

80g oats (28g carbs, 4g fibre)

The left column, plus:

190g brown rice (46g carbs, 4g fibre) 1 large apple (31g carbs, 5g fibre)

225g cooked spinach (7g carbs, 4g fibre)

140g cherries (25g carbs, 3g fibre) 2 slices wheat bread (28g carbs, 2g fibre) 1 large banana (31g carbs, 4g fibre)

200g butternut squash (10g carbs, 2g fibre)

200g lentils (40g carbs, 16g fibre) 170g spring greens (11g carbs, 8g fibre)

90g quinoa (20g carbs, 3g fibre)

1 large baked sweet potato (37g carbs, 6g fibre)

TOTAL

1 large orange (22g carbs, 4g fibre)

1 clementine (9g carbs, 1g fibre)

299g carbs 56g fibre

345g carbs 66g fibre

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Free-from foods can contain more sugar and calories than the original

Workout

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Don’t let the gluten-free trend hook you in, either: many free-from foods contain more sugar and calories than conventional counterparts. Unless you’re among the relatively small minority of people who have coeliac disease or a known sensitivity, there’s probably no need for you to swerve grains such as wheat, barley and rye.

And, finally, to settle the debate on fruit. While berries, bananas and the like contain simple carbs, they come with plenty of fibre, which slows their absorption. In fact, a recent BMJ study found that fibre from fruit may reduce your risk of heart disease. ‘Anyone who cuts down on fruit to reduce their sugar intake is making a mistake,’ says Dr Sacks.

Better, Stronger, Pasta hink a bowl of spaghetti or fusilli isn’t conducive to fat loss?

Think again. Pair it with the right ingredients and pasta can be a smart source of slow-burning fuel.

If you’re bored of the same old workday sandwich, set aside 15 minutes on a midweek evening to prep one of these recipes, which will taste just as good in tomorrow’s Tupperware as they do fresh out of the pan.

And if you’re chowing down after a lunch-break workout, know that each recipe delivers more than enough protein for muscle recovery and growth. These dishes work hot or cold, too – handy for when you can’t bring yourself to face the queue for the office microwave.

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Recipe 01

Courgetti With Pesto, Prawns & Chickpeas WHAT YOU’LL NEED • 40G BASIL LEAVES • 20G COARSELY GRATED PARMESAN • 2 TBSP ALMONDS • 1 GARLIC CLOVE • 1 TSP FRESH LEMON JUICE • 3 TBSP OLIVE OIL • 2 MEDIUM COURGETTES, SPIRALISED (OR

400G PRE-CUT COURGETTI) • 225G COOKED PRAWNS • 400G TIN OF CHICKPEAS, RINSED

PER SERVING: 678 CALORIES, 44G PROTEIN, 36G CARBS (9G FIBRE), 40G FAT

GUTTER CREDIT

HOW TO MAKE IT In a food processor or blender, combine the basil, cheese, almonds, garlic and lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse to finely chop. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until a thick paste forms. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl; add salt and pepper to taste, and more lemon juice if needed. Add the courgetti, prawns and chickpeas.

Gently toss to coat. Makes 2 servings.

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COOK PASTA FAST Big pots of water take an age to boil. Speed up the process: grab a cast iron pan, add two inches of water and a hit of salt, and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta; cook till al dente.

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Recipe 02

Creamy Peanut Noodles With Shredded Chicken SPAGHETTI, COOKED (RESERVE 250ML COOKING WATER) • 280G SHREDDED ROTISSERIE CHICKEN • 4 SPRING ONIONS, THINLY SLICED • RED-PEPPER FLAKES (OPTIONAL)

HOW TO MAKE IT In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soya sauce, lime juice, sriracha, sugar, sesame oil and at least 2 tbsp of the pasta’s cooking water. Add the spaghetti and toss until well coated.

Toss in the chicken and half of the spring onions. Divide between 2 bowls and top with the remaining spring onions and some red-pepper flakes if you want.

Makes 2 servings.

PER SERVING: 634 CALORIES, 59G PROTEIN, 54G CARBS (9G FIBRE), 20G FAT

Recipe 03.

Sun-Dried Tomato Cavatappi With Griddled Flank Steak

GIVE COURGETTI A TWIRL Some shops sell pre-made courgetti. Or make your own with a tabletop spiraliser or vegetable peeler. You can also make super-thin courgette slices with a sharp knife.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED • 25G SUN-DRIED TOMATOES IN OLIVE OIL • 1 GARLIC CLOVE • 1 TBSP CHOPPED FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY • 2 TBSP CHOPPED BASIL LEAVES • 2 TSP RED WINE VINEGAR • 115G CAVATAPPI

PASTA, COOKED (RESERVE 125ML COOKING WATER) • 225G FLANK STEAK • PARMESAN, TO GARNISH

HOW TO MAKE IT In a food processor or blender, pulse the tomatoes and garlic. Add the herbs and vinegar. Pulse till combined.

Toss the warm pasta with ¾ of the sauce, adding cooking water to thin if needed. Heat a griddle pan on medium. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Cook to medium, about 4 mins per side. Transfer to a chopping board and top with the remaining sauce; rest for 5 mins. Slice the steak and serve on the pasta with parmesan.

Makes 2 servings.

PER SERVING: 516 CALORIES, 33G PROTEIN, 49G CARBS (4G FIBRE), 21G FAT

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• 3 TBSP SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER • 2 TBSP SOYA SAUCE • 1 TBSP LIME JUICE • 1 TSP SRIRACHA • 1 TSP DARK BROWN SUGAR • 1 TSP TOASTED SESAME OIL • 115G WHOLEWHEAT

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Outsmart The Drive-Through As well as giving the likes of Deliveroo a popularity boost, the pandemic has led to a drive-through boom, with new sites opening across the UK. Here’s how to navigate them the smart way here’s nothing inherently terrible about grab-and-go food – but fast-food chains often rush customers through the queue to fatten their bottom line – and your waistline. ‘When people are rushed, they tend to focus on taste first and health considerations later,’ says Ian Krajbich, a professor of psychology and economics at Ohio State University.

Don’t fall victim to these devious speed traps.

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Ignore The Photos Restaurants deploy images to tout their most lucrative items.

‘Highly processed foods spoil more slowly, so the profit margin is higher,’ says Allen.

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Bypass The Pre-Sell You may see ads displayed before the order box to promote special offers, says Aaron Allen, a restaurant consultant.

Few customers buy these items, but the ads kick off the stress of ordering.

The intercom usually appears before the menu to put you on the spot, says Allen. When you’re asked for your order, don’t be afraid to reply, ‘Just a minute.’ Then read the menu properly.

Corner The Market People tend to read menus from left to right and top to bottom, so look for healthy (ie, less profitable) options on the bottom of the left-hand column of the display board, says Allen.

WORDS: PAUL KITA; MICHELLE MALIA. ILLUSTRATION: MATIUS GRIECK

Take A Time Out

Sidestep The Side The right-hand column offers easy upsells and cheap side orders, such as small fries. Ask yourself this: in five minutes when you’re full, will another fistful of chips be worth that extra few quid?

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Park It First Dining and driving may be as risky as texting and driving, reports a study in Traffic Injury Prevention. Don’t open the to-go bag until you’ve pulled up the handbrake.

The Best (And Worst) Of Fast Casual Food

A medium wrap with rice, beans, chicken and salsa clocks up a gutsatisfying 600 to 700 cals. Want a little extra? Pick from cheese, sour cream or guac – not all three.

ITSU For a better blend of macronutrients, opt for a chicken noodle or rice bowl. Carb-dense gyoza, bao and dragon rolls can be low in protein, leaving you hungrier sooner.

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Tune Out The Noise

Consult The Count When food chains publish calorie counts, they also tend to introduce lower-calorie items. Have a scan over the numbers if you’re trying to limit your intake.

Some joints have drive-over sensors that trigger automated messages. The audio can make you feel rushed, says Allen. Keep your window rolled up until you reach the intercom.

Avoiding meat?

The Brazilian black bean box or ‘greens and grains’ salad with creamy burrata offer a filling fibre-rich fix. Order both, if you’ve worked up an appetite.

PRET While seemingly virtuous, bircher bowls can contain around 30g of sugar, compared with 2g in the more-satiating salmon and egg breakfast baguette.

GREGGS With a 1:3 protein-tocarbs ratio and only 375 cals, the tuna crunch pasta is a sensible post-gym pick-me-up.

If you manage to resist the allure of a sausage roll...

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TORTILLA

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They might have a better rep than McDonald’s and Burger King, but your go-to workday spots can still lead you astray. Here are our experts’ top picks

Playing

In Man v Fat Football, a uniquely male-friendly, nationwide weight-loss much, much bigger. Is community spirit and a commitment to improving

To Lose

programme, the goal is getting smaller – but the pay-off is something players’ mental wellbeing the key to unlocking lasting change?

Words by Jamie Millar – Photography by Juan Trujillo Andrades

Real Madras and Un-Athletico are rival teams on the same side.

That’s because this is east London’s Leyton, not Spain’s La Liga. And this is Man v Fat Football, where the real opponent is, well, fat.

From 7.30pm every Tuesday night at the Feel Good Too Sports Centre, the players from the eight teams in the Man v Fat Leyton mini-league enter a room adjacent to the astro pitches for the pre-match weigh-ins. Coach Bob asks how their week has been.

Replies are positive, negative or noncommittal, we’ll find out. Most players have lost weight; a few have gained and are gutted. Never mind, says Coach Bob in an American accent that adds to his positivity: you’ll get back on it this week. There’s no great ceremony; players come and go relaxedly, change kit and footwear, consume drinks and snacks, swap small talk and banter.

Weigh-in aside, it could be any group of men playing small-sided football at any sports centre on any night of the week.

Man v Fat Football, however, is only open to men with a body mass index (BMI) – your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres – of over 27.5. It turns out there are quite a few who meet the criteria.

According to the most recent data, from 2019 (because Covid), the average BMI for men in England is 27.6: over 25 is classed as overweight; over 30 obese; over 40 morbidly obese. Every increase of five is associated with a 30% increase in overall mortality. In England, 68% of men are overweight or obese, compared with 60% of women.

The other point of difference in Man v Fat Football is that losing weight will

score a team bonus goals. The more players on a team who lose weight in a given week, the more goals they ‘score’, up to a maximum of five. Players who lose weight in three consecutive weeks score a ‘hat trick’ that, confusingly, is only worth one goal. But they can score three goals for hitting 5% of their registration body weight lost, and again at 10%. They can also score ‘own goals’ if they exceed their joining weight. Bonus goals are calculated from a player’s lowest weight, so if they gain weight they can’t score again until they go back under. All of which means teams can score fewer goals on the pitch and, provided they’ve done the business on the scales, still triumph. As Coach Bob puts it, ‘losers are the real winners’.

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Success At Scale Robert ‘Bob’ Stemagna, a PT and integrative nutrition health coach specialising in weight management, was appointed at Man v Fat Leyton in November last year. Also involved with the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, he doesn’t know another initiative like this that’s specific to men’s weight loss and overall health. ‘The football is what brings these guys together,’ he says. ‘It’s the weight loss and learning that keeps them in the league.’

By the time you read this, more than 8,000 men will be playing Man v Fat Football each week across nigh on 200 locations around the UK; 90% of them will lose weight. Since the concept kicked off in 2016, players have cumulatively lost over 400,000lb – equivalent to roughly the same number of footballs. Games are five-, six- or seven-a-side, depending on pitch size

The players are of mixed ability, but the vibes from them and others watching are only good

74 MEN’S HEALTH

and player availability, and half an hour long, including two minutes for half-time, with rolling subs so everyone can get a rest. Squads are capped at 11 to ensure game time, with up to one non-playing member who can score bonus goals until they lose enough weight – or gain enough confidence – to join in. The players at Leyton are of extremely mixed ability, but the vibes from them and the other sides watching from the touchline are only good.

Players’ bad habits are, says Coach Bob, often set off by triggers, many of those related to stress,

01-04 THE LEYTON TEAMS UNDERGO A WEIGH-IN BEFORE THE MATCHES KICK OFF EACH WEEK 05 MEDALS ARE AWARDED TO THOSE WHO MAKE THE MOST PROGRESS 06 THE PRE-MATCH ATMOSPHERE IS RELAXED, AS PLAYERS KIT UP AND CHAT

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A Losing Game

Name: Lee Mara Age: 32 Weight lost: 7kg Team name: Blackjacks Position: Attacking midfield

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hen I started, I worried that you had to be 25st. I’m overweight but not massive. I was concerned the standard would be poor, but it’s really competitive. And those who aren’t as good are never made to feel unwelcome.

I put a lot of weight on in the first lockdown. I realised my friendship group was smaller than I thought, and spread out. I’ve made a lot of friends at Man v Fat and the good thing is a lot are local.

And obviously we like football. So when I go to Arsenal games, I’m seeing some of these lads before or after. It’s just nice.

A lot of us played football when we were younger and that fizzles out: work commitments, family commitments, injuries, getting older. When I stopped, my weight went up. If I didn’t do this, I feel it would’ve slid further. But every week, good or bad, I have to get on the scales. Numbers don’t lie. I’ve lost about half a stone. I now play football with other friends because I’m more confident.

When I started, I didn’t tell my mates for a few months because I thought, ‘Man v Fat, it’s a bit out there…’ Now I’m trying to get them to join.

There’s people here that do similar jobs, have similar backgrounds, look like me, talk like me. It makes it easier. And even if I have a bad weigh-in, I know I’m going to enjoy my football afterwards.

I own an estate agents and my work is mainly on a computer, then walking around a flat. You pick up bad snacking habits on the go. It changes your whole mindset. On weeks I don’t want to do it for myself, I don’t want to let down my teammates. I used to walk my dog for 10 minutes; now I walk him for an hour.

He’s the real winner, I’m telling you.

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01

much of that caused by work. He tells players who are stress-eating to pause for a moment and reflect on the trigger, how they could’ve reacted differently, what they could do to avoid the same situation happening again. The biggest challenge, he says, is getting guys who go off-track back on it. Establishing the kind of consistent routine that leads to behaviour change takes time and patience, so he encourages them to set small, achievable targets. Some of the challenges are common across the group: family celebrations are often cited when weeks haven’t gone well. But every player has their own story; taking that bit of time with each of them seems to work.

programmes. Men may perceive them as being incompatible with their needs. Dieting can be construed as feminine and at odds with a construct of masculinity that venerates size, strength and, as enshrined by TV show Man V Food (at its zenith in the years before Man v Fat’s launch), meat sweats.

About a decade ago, men’s low engagement in weight-loss programmes was acknowledged and ‘gender tailoring’ became more common.

McDonald is adapting an Aussie Rules version of the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) programme, originally developed at the University of Glasgow.

It has been used in Scotland for several years and exported to New Zealand and Canada for rugby and ice hockey respectively.

In order to catch men, he says, it’s important to have the right ‘hook’ – in the case of FFIT, a behind-the-scenes experience at their favourite sports club.

Programmes with the best chance of helping men to make long-term lifestyle changes are those that draw on behavioural science, using strategies such as goal-setting, problem-solving and ongoing social support. McDonald’s work is informed by self-determination theory, which considers the three basic psychological needs of autonomy (feeling in control), competence (feeling confident you know what to do) and relatedness (feeling you have meaningful connections) to be critical for success.

It turns out that the weight-loss programme features that appeal to men include physical activity, peer social support, being able to make their own dietary choices and, crucially, humour.

Dieting can be construed as feminine and at odds with our construct of masculinity

A Sporting Chance Men are ‘underserved’ weight-losswise, says Matthew McDonald, a PhD candidate at Curtin University in Western Australia, who researches how programmes can be tailored to their needs. Medical practitioners are less likely to refer men to common groups such as WW and Slimming World, perhaps because they think they’re unsuitable or that men won’t take them up. Women are twice as likely to accept an offer to join mixed-sex

76 MEN’S HEALTH

02

Friends With Benefits Initially, Man v Fat began without the football as a free digital magazine, website and forum, founded in 2014 by journalist Andrew Shanahan. His weight had always been up and down, but after he became a food critic it was up and up: aged 32, he was 17st with a BMI of 34. He joined WW but found himself the only man in the class as the leader explained how weight can fluctuate when on your period.

Shocked at the lack of weight-loss support for ‘normal blokes’ like himself, Shanahan launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2014 to create a ‘funny, no-bullshit’ platform. By 2015, the Man v Fat forum was 350,000 strong and Shanahan was being lobbied by various health bodies to translate that engagement to offline. One early in-real-life Man v Fat session in Weston-super-Mare library simply

A Losing Game

03

04

01-02 WEIGHT IS BY NO MEANS A BARRIER TO SKILL ON THE PITCH AT LEYTON 03 PLAYERS ARE BOUND

BY A COMMON PURPOSE THAT RUNS DEEPER THAN TEAM LOYALTIES 04 30-MINUTE GAMES PROVIDE PLENTY OF TIME TO WORK UP A GOOD SWEAT 05 COACH BOB TALKS TACTICS WITH MVF REGULAR DOUG CURTIS BETWEEN MATCHES

reproduced the WW format of sitting in a room talking about diets, albeit with men. It was laboured.

There was ‘no secret sauce’ to keep men coming back lighter, says Richard Crick, who sat in on the class in his then capacity for Thrive Tribe, an independent provider of healthy lifestyle services. ‘As men, we’re terrible at looking after ourselves,’ says Crick, now head of Man v Fat Football. ‘But for some reason, when 05 we think that what we do is going to influence other people, we’re much better at it.’

The first Man v Fat Football club was launched in Solihull with council funding.

Over the 14-week pilot scheme, which had 1,000 applications for 80 places, players lost an average of 10kg (the most was 30kg). More clubs followed, often requested by Man v Fat forum members. In 2017, the Football Association and Sport England invested £190,000 of National Lottery money to launch 20 clubs

in deprived and inactive areas with the usual monthly fees (£28 to £31 at the time of writing) free or subsidised. In 2019, Thrive Tribe took over operations of Man v Fat Football, which grew from the 70 or 80 clubs where it had hovered for a few years to today’s vast network.

Man v Fat also has an active Facebook community, where strategies are shared and achievements celebrated. The only arguments that take place are over the best team name. (For the record, this is Stoke’s Borussia Moobs And Back Fat, a pun on the German Bundesliga club, Borussia Mönchengladbach.)

‘I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface in terms of what we could do,’ says Crick. He envisages more sports, more countries, cookbooks, a YouTube series. Launched in December 2021, Man v Fat Challenge is an online-only programme for men who don’t want to play football, or who work shifts, but want to lose weight with the help of a coach. Like the footballers, members can access The Other Room virtual gym and the Silvercloud mental health platform.

Crick and co have also implemented a maintenance programme for the thousands of players who get down to a healthy BMI and don’t want to lose their support, accountability and their football. ‘Actually, we want to use those guys to inspire other men as well,’ says Crick. ‘Can they be captains? So many of our players have gone on to be coaches or work for the HQ team.’

The Mental Game James ‘Stan’ Stanford is the coach at Man v Fat Newport. At 138kg and about to become a dad, the teacher had twice been taken out of school: once by a colleague for a suspected heart (actually panic) attack; another by an ambulance, in front of the children, for a stomach ulcer caused by his poor diet. But while those shocks made the then 32-year-old fearful of leaving behind his wife and unborn child, he was motivated more by family photos in which his arm was wider than his baby nephew. And the jokes. ‘I was everyone’s chubby, funny friend,’ says Stanford. ‘And the more I think about it, that was a massive mask.’

Stanford had always loved football but never been any good; he was now also fat. But his fears of being shown up were immediately allayed by the inclusive environment. Over nearly four years, he’s lost 35kg, mainly

Name: Mathew Caplan Age: 52 Weight lost: 18kg Team name: E10 Less Position: Defender

I

got married and put on a bit of weight, as you do. I heard about Man v Fat on the radio and thought, ‘I’ll give it a go.’ I’ve made some good friends.

This is my seventh or eighth season.

We stopped in lockdown, then when we came out, it was good to have something to focus on. I didn’t feel comfortable in a gym, so coming here helped me shed a load of weight. I was 105kg three seasons back; now I’m down to about 85kg.

It doesn’t matter if you’re good at football. There was a season I played with great players, and although I wasn’t as good, I lost weight each week so I earned more points than the top scorer. You’ve always got something you can do. I’m back as captain this year with my team E10 Less – a pun on ‘eating less’ – which is a good challenge. And we’ve got a new bunch of lads, a really nice gang.

I work at a desk and started stacking on weight. I used to walk a mile or two to the Tube, then I started working at home, a bit too near the kitchen… This gets me out. I can’t really go for a run on my own, but if you put a football in front of me, I’ll run around, like, forever.

My wife did Slimming World. She said, ‘What you do is great because you get to actually do something.’ I could stop Man v Fat and just play football, but I wouldn’t have that focus each week to make me lose weight.

You feel better about yourself if you lose some weight. Running around at the end of the day is an outlet. I don’t think about other things. You need a way to switch off. And the camaraderie, the endorphins, the adrenaline – it’s done me a world of good.

MEN’S HEALTH 77

Name: Jonathan Etiene Age: 35 Weight lost: 13.8kg Team name: Blackjacks Position: Central midfielder

01 TEAM E10 LESS (BLUE SHIRTS) SQUARE UP AGAINST UNATHLETICO (RED) 02 RIVAL PLAYERS OFFER WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT 03 REWARDS OFFER THE MOTIVATION TO SHED POUNDS 04 THE MEN PUT A SOLID SHIFT IN FOR EVERY MATCH

01

02

03

I

saw Man v Fat on the news while on furlough from work. I thought, ‘I like football – why not get involved?’

I started off on the green team. I’m now captain of the Blackjacks. That comes with a bit of responsibility: checking in on everyone and keeping them motivated on the weekends, making sure we’ve got the correct numbers for Tuesday. I played Sunday league up until I broke my leg in 2008.

I’ve got a metal plate in there now.

I’ve always been a big guy. When I started here, I was 137kg. I’m now 114kg, which is the lowest I’ve ever been in my adult life. I had to get a new wardrobe.

I’m a diabetic as well. I was taking insulin four times a day – now I’m off it.

Man v Fat is here to talk to you about what you do outside football. It helps me with diet, trying to be more active. People always post in the WhatsApp groups, it’s really motivational. [Coach] Bob helps me a lot. I can talk to him about anything.

Before this, I had friends but outside of work they weren’t really friends. Now I link up with some of these guys outside of football, go to the gym or for the odd drink. We also play 11-a-side on Sundays.

My team are like a family unit. I’ve got a son who’s turning 16 this year. At the back end of Covid, he was suffering with mental health issues and attempted suicide. I told these guys and everyone was supportive, sent me messages.

They really had my back. Some of the other guys in the team suffer with mental health issues: they spoke to my son and got him to open up to me.

We’ve got an even better relationship now: he feels that he can talk to me. If it wasn’t for the guys, I wouldn’t have that.

78 MEN’S HEALTH

by tracking his calorie intake and not rewarding himself with food when things went well, or when they went badly (something he talks to his guys about a lot). After Stanford played an away game against Man v Fat Bath recently, his dad asked how the now 36-year-old had got so much better at football since he was a teen.

Partly because he’s lost weight, but also because he’s gained confidence.

Man v Fat Newport is leading the way, in Wales and beyond. All Newport’s coaches and several players are trained mental health first aiders, and its ‘Espresso Yourself’ sessions – a weekend coffee, walk and talk – are being rolled out across the network. The idea came from player Gavin Edwards, who, when asked how he was, would not only answer honestly but also ask for an ear: ‘Not great, actually. Do you mind if I talk to you?’ Edwards found other players also wanted to talk, so he asked Stan if the club could facilitate.

Espresso Yourself took off and now takes place in a park, because of the outdoors’ proven benefits for mood. Money can be a barrier, if not a worry, so the coffee is free.

Prioritising mental health has been instrumental to Newport winning the 2021

national tournament and Club of the Year at the Man v Fat 2022 awards for combined weight loss of 850kg over 12 months. After all, says Stanford, the brand is man first, fat second and football – ‘the cherry on top, the icing on the cake’ – third.

Football is only 30 minutes of the week: the other six days, 23-and-a-half hours is the real battle. In the mantra repeated by many of those involved, Man v Fat is more than football: ‘It’s about having 80 friends who you can lean on.’

It Takes A Team The view down the hill to Newcastle United’s stadium from the rooftop pitch of the gleaming Nucastle community hub is inspiring. Man v Fat Newcastle has been going for five years, but this Monday night is the club’s first session at the venue, so new – or ‘nu’ – that it’s not yet officially open to all.

This evening, OB City are playing Man Titty, Red Leicester City against Piemouth Argyle, Borussia Donuts against, um, Newcastle Blue Team. Tribal loyalties to Titty don’t prevent Ray Carty also performing goalkeeping heroics for Piemouth as players take advantage of the new, shorter pitch to shoot from everywhere. Aged 39, Carty has been playing for four years. He’d tried WW and Slimming World but ‘it just wasn’t the scene for me’. Since joining Man V Fat, he has lost 21kg, and now keeps it ‘steady’.

Before that, Carty, a maintenance manager for

Man v Fat is more than football: it’s about having 80 friends who you can lean on

A Losing Game

care homes, hadn’t played football for about 10 years after snapping his kneecap. Then he had two kids, who took up his time. When he split up with his wife, his physical and mental health went downhill.

Man v Fat helped Carty ‘massively’.

He now runs the 11-a-side that plays on the weekends, and he can play football pretty much every weeknight through Man v Fat friends. One of them, Malcolm Curry, was there for Carty when his marriage broke down and talked him out of killing himself. Curry got down to a healthy BMI but had long smoked and drank, and passed away from a heart attack aged 52 a few years ago. The trophy at Newcastle is called the Mal Curry Cup and the club plays an annual charity match in his honour, this year raising over £1,000 for premature babies at the city’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. ‘Just a bunch of fat lads playing football, enjoying ourselves,’ says Carty.

Another member, Lee Tate, joined last year; he’s lost 13kg. He moved up here for work, in sales for a distributor of building materials, and a girl. He goes to the gym but this is ‘a bit extra’, a way to meet new people; he’s been for beers in town with a few of the guys.

Aged 31, he hadn’t played football since school but fell back into it. Now he plays two or three times a week, including Man v Fat 11-a-side.

‘Everyone said, “It’s not about the football,”’ says Tate. ‘But it is about the football.’

04

Name: Doug Curtis Age: 42 Weight lost: 20kg Team name: Real Madras Position: Striker

I

started [at Man v Fat] in 2016. I hadn’t played football league-wise for about 15 years. I couldn’t afford to get injured and be off work. Here, there are no slide tackles and no one’s allowed in the area apart from the keeper. So you’re a bit protected if you’re a big fella.

I’ve won the overall league twice, a cup, a national tournament, top scorer on points, top scorer on percentage lost, club award for kilos lost... At the moment, I’m coaching at Kensington

and I play at Enfield on Thursday nights as well. A couple of weeks back, I drove to Guildford on a Friday night to cover a coaching session. Whether it’s once, twice or three times a week, this is my escape from work and everything else.

I’m a night-shift manager for Waitrose.

That’s where a lot of my weight gain came from: craving sugar, living off vending machines. I used it as an excuse, really. Because when I did change up my diet and start losing weight, I started bringing stuff to work instead. It can be done. It’s just hard work.

I’ve had spells out injured – nothing to do with football: hernias, a fractured ankle, Lyme disease, all sorts of stuff.

But I keep coming back. My weight’s been up and down. But in the past 11

months, I’ve lost nearly 20kg. Still got lots to lose, but I’m slowing it down, stabilising. At my heaviest I was 26½st, and I’m around 23st now.

I like helping others, sharing hints and tips of what I’ve done in the past and what works for me, pictures of my food and walks I’ve been on. A lot of guys I’ve helped live on their own, live off takeaways, work in an office, don’t really go out. This brings people out.

People open up. There’s guys here that have been struggling with all sorts.

This is their release. In our groups they chat about how they’re feeling. Some have shared quite honestly about what they’re going through and what they need. It’s really good for that.

MEN’S HEALTH 79

Building the body you want begins in the kitchen, but effective and sustainable fat-shredding strategies blend clever nutritional cutbacks with a bigger daily burn.

Whatever your training style, our manual will help you keep things interesting.

Get ready to bring the heat WORDS BY SCARLETT WRENCH PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID VENNI

80 MEN’S HEALTH

ACCELERATE YOUR PROGRESS WITH OUR QUICK TRAINING TIPS

MEN’S HEALTH 81

YOUR FAST 500

82 MEN’S HEALTH

35 MINUTES

Whether you’re sweating it out in the garden, hotel gym or a vacant car park, all you need is two dumbbells and a kettlebell to incinerate calories. This session comes courtesy of John Chapman, one half of The Lean Machines. ‘The first part is strength-based,’ he says, ticking off push moves, pulls and lower-body work.

‘The second is done at a much higher intensity, for a serious burn.’

PART 1

B B A A

01/ KB SUMO DEADLIFT HIGH PULL 5 ROUNDS OF 15 REPS

02/ DB PRESS-UP RENEGADE ROW 5 ROUNDS OF 10 REPS

This one’s a pulse-raiser. With your feet wider than shoulder width, hinge at your hips to deadlift the bell (A), squeezing your glutes as you pull the bell up towards your shoulders, elbows out (B).

Drop the KB and move into your rows.

Perform a press-up with your hands gripping two DBs (A), then pull each weight up towards your hip in turn (B) before dropping down for the next rep.

03/ DB FRONT RACK REVERSE LUNGE 5 ROUNDS OF 20 REPS

A

REST 2 MINS

Now to fire up those legs.

Still holding the dumbbells, bring them into a front-rack position (A) and step back into a lunge with each in turn (B), 10 reps each side.

All done? Back to the kettlebell for round two.

Take a quick breather and shake yourself out. Make sure you have a 100m distance mapped out so that you can leg it there and back as soon as the clock hits the 2-min mark.

B

PART 2 TO START: 200M RUN B

B

A A

01/ DB DEADLIFT 5 ROUNDS OF 15 REPS

02/ BURPEES 5 ROUNDS OF 10 REPS

By now, your heart rate should be around 65-70% of your max. Hold a bell in each hand and tap one head from each on the floor as you lower, maintaining good posture (A). Drive back up (B).

Blast through 10 reps, touching your chest to the floor (A), clapping overhead at the top (B). You might need to step your feet out towards the later rounds.

Return to the deadlifts for round two.

CLOTHING (OPENER): SHORTS, MR MARVIS; TRAINERS, VEJA. (THIS SPREAD): SHORTS, MR MARVIS; TRAINERS, REEBOK

he quip ‘sweat is just fat crying’ might raise a wry smile when it’s screen-printed on a tank top, but it’s not scientifically sound.

In reality, when your daily activities demand more energy than you’re putting in, your body will break down the molecules in your fat cells to use as fuel; ultimately, they’re converted into carbon dioxide and water, and most of the fat you ‘lose’ is exhaled. Admittedly, a bit wordy for a T-shirt slogan.

But, of course, the gist of it rings true: breaking a sweat will support your efforts to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

As a rule, a deficit of 500 calories a day will see you lose a pound of body fat a week. Theoretically, you could do little-to-no exercise and subsist on meagre portions.

But where’s the joy in that?

Experts agree that the best approach combines smarter food choices with more – and varied – movement.

Nevertheless, it can be easy to overestimate the energy we expend during exercise. Even for an active guy, roughly two thirds of your daily calorie output goes towards maintaining your body’s basic functions – and that’s before you factor in your step count and daily tasks. So exercise is just one piece of the puzzle, albeit an important one.

To eliminate some of the guess work, we’ve run the numbers on a few of our favourite trainers’ go-to calorie-torching workouts; our calculations are a ballpark figure for an average 80kg man.

Whether you’re a keen gym-goer, a living room sweat-breaker or more of an outdoorsman, there’s an option for you – plus some smart tweaks to the workouts you’re already doing.

A Double-Bell Blast For All Seasons

Burn After Reading

The 100-Calorie Finisher #01 Already got a workout in mind? Tag on one of these quick cardio finishers Start a running clock: perform a kick-through on each side (page 84) before hopping on the bike and putting your foot on the gas.

When the next minute begins, hop off and do 2 reps each side; get back on the bike.

On the third minute, do 3.

Continue, increasing the reps until you hit 75 cals, or can no longer perform the kick-throughs in a minute.

KICK YOUR METABOLISM INTO A HIGHER GEAR

5 Alternative Fat-Burners The gym floor doesn’t have a monopoly on calorie-culling, of course. There are other ways to stoke your burn – with benefits that extend far beyond that.

DRUMMING Time taken to burn 500: 90 minutes. Unless you’re really good.

Bonus gains: A 38% reduction in symptoms of depression, studies show.

PADDLEBOARDING Time taken to burn 500: 75 minutes of steady cruising.

Bonus gains: Shoulders like boulders and oar-some (sorry) core stability.

WILD SWIMMING Time taken to burn 500: an hour’s work, but less if it’s nippy.

Bonus gains: Linked to better immune system function by Czech scientists.

BOULDERING Time taken to burn 500: 45 minutes (without snack breaks).

Bonus gains: Proven to reduce anxiety and get your mood off the rocks.

JIU-JITSU Time taken to burn 500: 40 minutes of some serious sparring.

Bonus gains: A chiselled upper body and an outlet for workday frustrations.

MEN’S HEALTH 83

YOUR FAST 500

Turn Up The Heat At Home B

Heavy weights and cardio machines might 35 help to ramp up the MINUTES intensity when training – but they’re accessories, not essentials. This high-energy, fast-paced home workout was crafted by HIIT master Faisal Abdalla.

‘I use EMOM-style workouts [a new move every minute, on the minute] when I’m abroad or travelling for work and have no equipment,’ he says. ‘The bang for your buck is big.’ Do 6 rounds.

A

A B

MINUTE 1: AIR SQUAT 45 SECS WORK, 15 SECS REST

MINUTE 2: LUNGE JUMP 45 SECS WORK, 15 SECS REST

Bend your hips back and let your knees track forwards in front of your feet until your thighs are parallel to the floor (A), then push back up (B). Fewer reps with tight form beats a sloppy up and down.

From a lunge stance (A), dip down then jump up, switching legs in mid-air to land with the other foot forwards (B). Keep your chest up and maintain a steady pace. Drop to the floor when you hit 45 secs.

A

B B

A

MINUTE 3: HAND RELEASE PRESS-UP 45 SECS WORK, 15 SECS REST

MINUTE 4: SIDE KICK-THROUGH 45 SECS WORK, 15 SECS REST

Perform press-ups, keeping a straight line from your head to your ankles (A).

When your chest touches the floor, lift your hands, pulling your shoulder blades back (B). Then push back up and repeat.

Start on all fours, your knees lifted (A).

Transfer your weight on to your left foot and raise your left hand. Extend your right leg until it’s straight, pulling your left elbow back (B). Reverse, then switch sides.

A

B

MINUTE 5: BURPEE 45 SECS WORK, 15 SECS REST You know this one, right? Squat to touch the floor and hop your legs back into a plank position (A). Lower your chest to the floor, jump your legs in towards your hands and leap up, clapping overhead (B).

84 MEN’S HEALTH

MINUTE 6: REST Take 60 secs rest, then go back to the air squats for the second round of your six. Not quite feeling the burn? Invest in a 10kg weight vest and strap it on for your next workout – while maintaining the same pace. We warned you.

The 100-Calorie Finisher #02 Do 25 cals on the SkiErg at a sprint pace, then grab a barbell or dumbbell and do 25 thrusters (no weights?

Try squat jumps). After your thrusters, get back to grips with the ski, but this time sprinting 20 cals before matching that with thrusters.

Continue in this fashion, reducing your target each round to 15 cals/reps, then 10, followed by a final soul-searing 5 of each.

CLOTHING: SHORTS, BOTH GYMSHARK; TRAINERS, REEBOK

Burn After Reading

3 Pieces Of Kit To Dial Up Your Burn Working out from home?

These small investments make a weighty difference.

i.

BULLDOG GEAR 20KG ADJUSTABLE WEIGHT VEST Body-weight workouts too easy? Strap on one of these for everything from squats to skipping drills. Wearing a vest that’s 15% of your weight is estimated to help you burn up to 12% more calories. £79.95, bulldoggear.com

ii.

GOWOD SUPER BAND Resistance bands can make weighted or body-weight moves that little bit more challenging (and calorietorching). One study found that banded press-ups matched the bench press for effectiveness. £22.99, wit-fitness.com

SET A HIGHER BAR IN YOUR BIG GYM SESSIONS

iii.

HYPERVOLT GO 2 The newest model from the self-care OGs will keep the muscle soreness of high-rep training at arm’s length.

Recovery is an underrated aspect of new training plans – prioritising it can help you buy back an extra calorietorching session a week. £199, hyperice.com

MEN’S HEALTH 85

YOUR FAST 500

Make Your Weekend Blow Out Fun(ctional) PART 1

45

If you have enough time for MINUTES a meatier session, this full-kit workout takes no prisoners.

Blast through it when at the gym off-peak, or on days when you have a bit of headspace. ‘If you challenge yourself with the right intensity, you should hit your calorie target,’ says its creator, WIT head trainer Gustavo Vaz Tostes. We imagine that challenging yourself won’t be an issue…

PART 2 TO START: 200M RUN

A B

A

B

01/ ROWER 5 ROUNDS OF 40 SECS ON, 20 SECS OFF

01/ BARBELL CLEAN 5 ROUNDS OF 9 REPS

Hop on and go hard for 40 secs. Keep your form tight before pulling the handles to your lower chest (A), squeezing your shoulders at the end of the pull (B).

Blast through 9 cleans as soon as you’re back from your run. Pull the bar off the floor (A), shrugging your shoulders before dropping under it to catch the bar in a rack position (B) and standing. DBs work, too.

The 100-Calorie Finisher #03 Hop on the rower, start a running clock and perform a 30-sec all-out row, aiming for max calories. Then, at the 30-sec mark, jump off and do 12 alternating lunges (weighted or body-weight ones), before strapping back in. Begin rowing at the 1-min mark with another 30-sec sprint, followed by 12 lunges.

Repeat, rowing at the top of each minute until you reach 100 cals.

A

B

02/ BURPEES OVER ERG 5 ROUNDS OF 40 SECS ON, 20 SECS OFF Drop into your burpees (A), tapping your chest to the floor and leaping laterally over the rower (B) when you stand up. Push the seat out of your way first, though.

A

02/ BARBELL THRUSTER 5 ROUNDS OF 12 REPS As soon as you’re done with your cleans, move seamlessly into thrusters. With the weight in a front-rack position, drop into a squat (A), then push the bar (or DBs) overhead as you stand up (B).

B

A

03/ DB SNATCH 5 ROUNDS OF 40 SECS ON, 20 SECS OFF Finish your first 3-min round with max reps of the snatch. Pull the DB up (A), then drop under it as you lift your arm overhead (B). Switch arms with each rep.

REST 5 MINS After completing 5 rounds, take a water break and set up for part 2. Now for the real work…

03/ DOUBLE UNDERS 5 ROUNDS OF 50 REPS Don’t be a hero: scale to 100 single-unders if you struggle with doubles. The goal is to get your heart pumping, so tripping every 5 secs is no good. When your reps are done, go back to the cleans for round two.

TO CLOSE: 200M RUN

STYLING: ABENA OFEI. GROOMING: NIKI MARK. MODEL: OSVALDO MICELI AT W MODEL. CLOTHING: SHORTS, WIT FITNESS; TRAINERS, UNDER ARMOUR. *FOR MORE, VISIT M20HEALTH.COM

B

Burn After Reading 3 Ways To Remix Your Running One option: you could bash out a neatly paced four-miler and be done. But if you’re bored of that, there are other ways to run up the numbers on your Apple Watch. Here are three more ideas from Dr Adam Naylor and Ryan Gordon, the directors of M20 Health*. i. INTERVALS What it is: Alternating sprints with jogging, walking or resting. Switching up the pace increases metabolic demand, so your calorie burn remains higher – even after you’ve stopped.

Burn 500 cals: Run 400m at a fast pace, followed by an easier 400m effort for 3 rounds; then do 200m hard, 200m easy for 6 rounds; then a 100m sprint, 100m easy for 3 rounds. Do this on an athletics track, if you can.

LOWER-BODY GRAFT WILL GIVE YOUR EFFORTS A LEG-UP

ii. FARTLEK What it is: This is Swedish for ‘speed play’. It’s a form of interval training and offers the same benefits, but is less rigid.

Burn 500 cals: While on a 40-min run, pick a tree or lamp post roughly 50m away. Sprint to it, then slow down to recover.

Now select a longer distance and hit a pace just less than a sprint. Do this every 2-4 mins.

Most of your run should be done at a lower intensity (65-75% of your max heart rate) with short bursts at 90-95%. iii. HILLS What it is: Not only will running uphill increase your calorie burn, it’ll also build and strengthen the muscles of your lower body, which will keep your metabolic rate ticking over in the long term.

Burn 500 cals: First, you need to find a hill. Run up it, then jog down to recover. For a distance of 40-60m, start with 5 runs at 50% of your max, then 3 at 80% and go all out for 2. Raise your rep count as needed.

MEN’S HEALTH 87

Life In The Fast Lane

Advocates of intermittent fasting claim it can accelerate fat loss while putting the brakes on ageing. But there’s a lot more to it than skipping your morning toast. Peruse our bite-size guide to the science and separate the proven methods from the empty promises WORDS BY BOBBY PALMER – PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROWAN FEE

F

asting appears in many guises. There are cleanses, purges and digestive resets. There are various restricted ‘eating windows’. But ultimately, they all amount to the same thing: a drastic reduction in your calorie allowance for a designated period of time.

The concept is nothing new.

Fasting is arguably the original ‘diet’ (the practice gets a fair few nods in the Old Testament, after all), but its popularity has swelled in recent years and now every man and his spotter is seemingly singing its praises, whether for health and performance or more aesthetic benefits. But there are myriad

iterations and, with so many handbooks, cookbooks, detox shots and supplements purporting to help you turn hunger pains into fitness gains, it can be hard to cut through the noise. Can a liquefied lunch really reverse cell ageing? Will stuffing in a day’s worth of fuel at dinner help you crush it in the gym tomorrow? Is alternating between feast and famine any better than a steady diet?

We consulted the experts to help you separate the absurd from the abs-defining.

Hunger Gains

COULD SURVIVING ON A NIGHT-TIME FEAST BE THE BEST WAY TO SKEWER FAT?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

01\

The Warrior Diet

WHAT IS IT?

Supposedly based on the habits of ancient Greek and Roman soldiers, this intermittent-fasting regimen involves consuming next to nothing during the working day, then gorging in the evening

Author Ori Hofmekler’s approach to intermittent fasting might be referred to as the 20:4 diet. Like the betterknown 16:8 plan, it consists of a daily fasting window and an eating window. However, the latter is much shorter and commonly limited to one big feast. It’s allegedly inspired by the lifestyles of ancient warriors, who would eat little during their active days, then reward themselves with a night-time blowout.

The problem is that for all his experience in the Israeli Special Forces and romantic ideas about ancient soldiers, Hofmekler’s approach lacks concrete science. There’s scant evidence that his plan

is any more effective than the simpler 16:8 diet, while chronobiologists point out that we are most insulinsensitive during daylight hours – making a large meal in the afternoon, rather than the evening, theoretically more conducive to weight loss.

While the diet allows a small amount of snacking on nuts and fruits throughout the day, the prolonged fasting could cause your blood-sugar levels to drop. Yale University School of Medicine research found that this can increase the urge to indulge in lownutrient, high-calorie foods during your end-of-day feast.

‘The average office worker isn’t a warrior,’ says Daniel O’Shaughnessy, a functional medicine practitioner and director of The Naked Nutritionist. ‘An ancient warrior wouldn’t have the chance to gorge on processed food like we do. This diet seems likely to promote an unhealthy relationship with food.’ If your resolve is forged of iron and you fear no hunger, this might not be an issue. But there are more straightforward ways to fight weight gain.

THE DIGESTED TAKE

Not worth the battle – 2/5

MEN’S HEALTH 89

AN EXTREME PLAN WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY DILUTE THE BENEFITS

02\

The Water Fast WHAT IS IT?

No food, no juice – just water.

Some people might water fast for 24 hours once or twice each month, while others advocate doing it for as long as three consecutive days. That’ll slim down your food bills…

HOW DOES IT WORK?

This is the least complicated of all the fasting diets. It’s also one of the most difficult.

A popular iteration of water fasting is ‘Eat, stop, eat’, which follows the same framework as on-off diets such as the 5:2 but dials it up a notch. Instead of restricting your calories on fasting days, you take in no calories at all for 24 hours.

For example, you could eat a late breakfast at 10am, then subsist on water until 10am the next day. On the non-fasting days, you simply eat as normal (if your growling stomach permits it). Others advocate fasting for lengthier periods of 48 or even 72 hours, which should really only be attempted under medical supervision.

As with all fasts, the goal is autophagy, the process by which your cells recycle themselves. Fasting will accelerate this activity; theoretically, the bigger your calorie deficit, the more impressive the results.

Naturally, you’ll lose weight.

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However, you stand to lose other things, too. ‘I don’t know anyone who has completed a prolonged water fast and not seen their training suffer,’ says Rick Miller, principal dietitian at King Edward VII’s Hospital.

‘It’s inevitable that you’ll lose some muscle mass, even if you do see rapid weight loss.’

As for hitting the gym on a diet of H2O, Miller cautions against it. ‘When you’re in a starved state, you’re going to have very low blood glucose,

and you’ll potentially be disorientated,’ he says.

Add to this a heightened risk of hyponatraemia (water poisoning) due to a lack of salts and electrolytes and you’re better off having breakfast as usual, then crushing a calorie-torching session.

THE DIGESTED TAKE

An empty promise – 1/5

Hunger Gains LOOK BEYOND THE BUZZ TO SEE IF THE CLAIMS MEASURE UP

04\

The 16:8 Diet WHAT IS IT?

The name refers to the ratio of daily hours spent fasting to eating. You fast overnight (and usually all morning), then consume your calories in an eight-hour window HOW DOES IT WORK?

03\

The Bulletproof Diet

FOOD STYLING: GEORGIE BESTERMAN AT SALT & SPOON. IMAGE MANIPULATION: COLIN BEAGLEY

WHAT IS IT?

This divisive diet from bio-hacker Dave Asprey is based on 16:8, but adds buttery coffee to an otherwise empty morning menu HOW DOES IT WORK?

Of all the fasting options out there, this is probably the most… out there. It’s timerestricted eating, but with a unique addition: bulletproof coffee, your regular cup of joe blended with grass-fed butter and brain-sharpening MCT oil. When you’re not slurping this down, you consume the bulk of your calories during a set time window but with a keto focus: high-fat, low-carb foods, including lots of red meat, fatty fish, avocado and eggs. Portion sizes aren’t restricted, but how much rib-eye can one man eat?

This might seem a bit nonsensical, but it’s based on an established dietary principle. Ketosis is the process by which a body starved of glucose begins to burn its own fat stores instead. A high-fat diet promotes ketosis alongside the preservation of muscle mass – which is why it’s big among bodybuilders.

But it’s hard to sustain when a serving of rice can throw you out of your ketogenic state.

Plus, Asprey’s coffee meets 75% of your daily allowance of saturated fat. At best, it’s a contentious recommendation.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why some feel bulletproof coffee is no better than snake oil. To Miller, it’s more trend than treatment. ‘It’s funny, really, because a tablespoon of butter is around 90 calories.

So, if you’re having a couple of cups, you might as well have scrambled a couple of eggs.’

A less revolutionary idea, perhaps, but a habit that’s more likely to stick.

THE DIGESTED TAKE

Fat lot of good – 1.5/5

The diet of choice for A-list beasts such as Hugh Jackman and Terry Crews, the 16:8 approach has gained popularity thanks to the relative ease with which it fits into modern lifestyles. After all, research suggests that almost half of Britons don’t eat a proper breakfast anyway. Like other forms of fasting, it works by limiting your eating time to a strictly defined period. Not only does this cap your calorie intake by default, reducing your ability to graze, it also improves your body’s ability to burn fat by lowering your insulin levels.

The 16:8 has more scientific clout than most of the fasting diets. A University of Illinois at Chicago study found that it

lowered blood pressure, and it’s also well suited to those who want to get Wolverineripped: a review in the journal Behavioural Sciences notes that rates of fat loss when fasting were just as high (sometimes higher) than regular low-calorie diets, while a study in the Journal Of Translational Medicine shows that the time-restricted feeding approach can help you lose fat while maintaining your hard-earned muscle.

Skipping your morning oats may look like the easiest way to implement the 16:8, but make sure you’re tailoring your fasting window to your workout time. ‘If you’re training in the morning, try to have breakfast shortly after your workout to fuel your muscles, then have an early dinner,’ says O’Shaughnessy. ‘If you’re training late in the day, I would skip breakfast and eat a bigger lunch instead.’ And on rest days? Just do whatever works.

Unlike other fasts, the 16:8 doesn’t demand unwavering adherence and sticking to a rigid routine to deliver.

THE DIGESTED TAKE

Flexible benefits – 4/5

CUT INTO BELLY FAT WITH A PLAN THAT’S COMPATIBLE WITH YOUR DAILY ROUTINE

Hunger Gains

DO THE MATHS: CAN A LEAN 48 HOURS EQUAL SUSTAINABLE FAT LOSS?

05\

The 5:2 Diet WHAT IS IT?

The 5:2 approach functions across a week. For five days, you eat normally. For two, you limit yourself to a gruelling 600 to 800 calories per day HOW DOES IT WORK?

If you’ve tried fasting before, there’s a good chance you’ve tried the 5:2. It was first popularised by journalist Dr Michael Mosley, who studied cyclical dieting protocols – the kind already popular with bodybuilders – and adapted them for the masses. His book on the subject quickly became an international bestseller and the diet has since been endorsed by everyone from Benedict Cumberbatch to Beyoncé.

It owes its popularity in part to its relatively unrestrictive nature: while the two low-calorie days can be brutal, followers can revel in the freedom to eat however they want on the other days (though you are meant to eat sensibly, rather than indulging in quintuple cheat days).

From a scientific perspective,

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there’s some evidence that these low-calorie days can benefit health. Studies suggest that a temporary low calorie intake can boost production of white blood cells, which play an important role in your immune system, as well as curbing the risk of type 2 diabetes. As for weight loss?

A study by the University of Bath suggests an on-off eating pattern might favour weight lost from fat, rather than muscle, compared with a daily calorie reduction.

The main sticking point is what to eat on the fasting days. Miller says you should take most of the popular 5:2 ‘recipes’ with a pinch of salt – and a dash of egg white.

He suggests beefing up the ‘soup and crackers’ approach with higher-protein meals so

you don’t start to lose your muscle mass. It’s worth noting that, since his plan’s original publication, Dr Mosley’s suggested daily calorie intake for men has been generously upped from 600 to 800.

When it comes to training on low-calorie days, Miller recommends ‘active rest’, which can include anything from a brisk walk or an easy bike ride to a quick runaround with the kids.

‘It sounds like a paradox, but it just means don’t sit around doing nothing,’ he says. ‘Don’t waste the opportunity to be active but still recognise that you are under-fuelled.’ As an extra perk, tomorrow’s breakfast will taste all the better.

THE DIGESTED TAKE

A reliable fast fix – 3/5

06\

The Juice Fast

RELYING ONLY ON LIQUIDS CAN PUT THE SQUEEZE ON MUSCLE, AS WELL AS YOUR BELLY

WHAT IS IT?

This is exactly what it says on the carton. Ingest nothing but liquefied fruits, roots and vegetables for a set period – anything from 24 hours for beginners to an entire week for the hardcore HOW DOES IT WORK?

The concept has been buoyed by numerous high-profile Hollywood endorsements, as well as the widespread assumption that anything green is good for you. The juice fast purports to reverse digestive damage and flush toxins from the body. There are a few drops of truth to those claims: a UCLA study observed an increase in participants’ general wellbeing after a three-day cleanse, along with a rise in healthy gut bacteria. Kale juice has been associated with a rise in HDL cholesterol (the ‘good’ kind), while citrus and carrot have both been linked to a lower risk of heart disease.

However, don’t click ‘like’ just yet. An article published by the Harvard Medical School is critical of the general lack of scientific evidence for most of juicing’s benefits, especially the vague claims that it can ‘detoxify’ the body and counteract chronic diseases.

Sure, kale and other healthy foods will support your body’s

natural healing processes, but the science suggests that they work just as well when sautéed as drunk.

A juice-only diet might help you shed some unwanted pounds, too (you’ll probably struggle to knock back the 2,500 calories that the average man requires every day), but this comes at a cost. By stripping the fibre out of fresh produce, you concentrate the sugar. ‘Even if

you’ve got plenty of vitamins and minerals, all of that sugar means you’re raising your insulin levels very high,’ says Miller. ‘Most juices don’t include any protein, either, so you’re not getting the nutrients needed to support muscle recovery.’

Juice fasting might be viable for the sometime yogi on a meditation retreat in Bali, but a zero-protein, high-sugar diet is likely to leave you

suffering burnout on an average rainy Monday. If you’re still tempted, though, fast for just one or two days, ideally when you don’t have much on, and supplement your juice with a blended bean broth for some satiating fibre and a touch of protein. Oh, and there’s no need to pay £35 per day for a delivery box. That’s a squeeze you can do without.

THE DIGESTED TAKE

An unfruitful life – 2/5

Alastair Campbell Journalist, mental health campaigner and Men’s Health contributing editor

Talking Heads Alastair Campbell meets Huw Edwards

Breaking News GUTTER CREDIT

For such an indelible fixture on our screens, Huw Edwards is a character of many layers – stoic, opinionated, measured, passionate. Late last year, the BBC’s chief newsreader admitted to a 20-year struggle with debilitating depression.

Here with MH, he discusses mental health, grief, Welshness and the future of Auntie

MEN’S HEALTH 94

‘Unless you’re feeling good about yourself, it doesn’t matter how nice your suit is and how well it fits you’

Talking Heads Alastair Campbell meets Huw Edwards

AC: Can we start with the depression? How often? How bad? How recent?

HE: I read your Men’s Health interview with Seb Coe and it was interesting because he said the ups and downs of life can’t really be classed as depression. I’m pretty clear that I have suffered – and do suffer – from depression. It’s not anxiety, although it includes anxiety, but it tends to hit me in a strong wave and then go away.

AC: And does it last for hours? Days? Weeks?

HE: Oh, weeks. I think at least I now know when I’m going to enter a phase like that. Your mind goes into a place where you don’t want to do anything.

You can’t make any decisions. Things that you usually enjoy, you dread. You come into work and obviously you do a professional job, but you’re kind of pushing your way through it. And, of course, if it’s very bad – as it has been a few times over the course of 20 years – you can’t work. During the worst one I had, I couldn’t get out of bed.

AC: How long did that go on for?

HE: It’s not that I was in bed for days on end.

The whole process of struggling to get out of bed is probably a better way of putting it. For weeks, I’d struggle. And basically, I needed Vicky [Edwards’ wife] telling me, ‘You need to get up, go and get a coffee, don’t talk to anyone if you don’t want to, but just go for a walk.’ We have a dog now. Pets are a boon. For anyone who suffers with anxiety or depression, if you want to communicate in a way that’s actually quite rewarding and not stressful, a pet is ideal.

AC: I find my dog knows when I’m depressed.

HE: If I go into our front room and read by myself, that’s quite a bad sign. That’s me shutting off.

And Mot will come and sit at my feet.

AC: Do you see someone and take medication?

HE: I have seen someone in the past. And I have taken antidepressants in the past. Not now. I’d happily take them again if I needed to – I don’t have a problem saying that.

AC: When was the last time you were on them?

HE: 2019. That was my last big downer.

AC: Did you share it with anyone?

HE: Vicky. She would know anyway. And my mum. I think my dad… This is the irony. I look back and I can see now that he suffered from depression, but he never recognised it. And he, in fact, was very impatient with people who said they were depressed. Almost angry, you know? ‘Self-indulgent crap,’ he once called it.

His general theme was that there are people with real problems in this world...

AC: I sort of get the sentiment. I’ve been depressed recently, but then I look at the suffering in Ukraine and I feel guilty about feeling the way I do.

96 MEN’S HEALTH

01

HE: I completely get the sentiment.

I say it to myself sometimes: ‘What the bloody hell are you obsessing with yourself for?’ The episode in 2019 came after a big D-Day anniversary event in Portsmouth. I got home and I think I slept for something like 18 hours. When I woke up, I knew something had happened. Vicky thought it was perhaps overwork, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. And then I thought: ‘Oh. Maybe you do need a bit of help here.’

AC: So 2019 was the last really bad episode?

HE: Yeah. I’ve had a few ‘I wonder what’s going on’ times, but it’s not gone there. I came off antidepressants at the end of 2019.

AC: Which ones were you on?

HE: Venlafaxine. I found them very good.

AC: I always had a sense about you that there was something going on.

HE: I think there’s a radar for people with depression. You realise that someone’s maybe a bit fragile, a bit vulnerable.

AC: Do you have suicidal thoughts?

HE: I’ve never had suicidal thoughts.

Never. The worst I’ve thought is, ‘What’s the bloody point of being on this bloody treadmill if I feel like this?’

AC: But you don’t feel your life is worthless?

HE: I’ve never felt my life is worthless.

Other people who get depression will feel differently about this, but I think once we had kids, for me, it acted as a block. I think I can never go there because, bloody hell, think about the damage you’d cause.

AC: How important is your boxing?

HE: It’s one of the things I can do when I feel myself on the slide. I can pull my way out of it. I go to see Clinton [McKenzie, former boxer] in the gym.

He’s brilliant and he understands – he’s got a son who’s had depression, so he understands this stuff.

AC: Were you not really into fitness until then?

HE: No. AC: Would you say you’re obsessed with it now?

HE: Not at all. I’d say that in 2018, when I lost a lot of weight, I became slightly obsessed – and the whole kind of image

thing. But it’s tiresome. The main thing is not whether you look good, but whether you feel good.

AC: Were you thinking in those terms though?

HE: Oh God, yeah! I thought I looked much better.

I looked much slimmer. And, actually, that felt quite good at the time. People were remarking on it, which, you know, is a nice thing. But ultimately you realise that unless you’re feeling good about yourself, it doesn’t matter how nice your suit is and how well it fits you.

AC: Do you have an open conversation with your kids about your mental health?

HE: Relatively open, yes. You know, my packet

03

01. Edwards on his first day as the youngest ever BBC News chief political correspondent 02. Edwards was raised in Llangennech with his parents, Aerona Protheroe and Hywel Teifi Edwards, and sister Meinir 03. Having joined as a news trainee in 1984, Edwards has spent almost four decades with the BBC

02

HE: Well, actually, at the end of his life [Hywel Teifi Edwards died in 2010] we got on very well and I’d say we were quite close. And that certainly hadn’t been the case when I was growing up.

It’s difficult to explain in England, but my dad was a very public figure in Wales. I’ve often wondered what would have happened if he’d won a seat in Carmarthen for Plaid Cymru – he came very close twice. As a performer in the Commons he would have been great.

But he was absent most of the time when I was growing up. He was either doing his night classes or he was lecturing all over Wales. So if he was home, he was in his study writing books.

When we did see him, he tended to be unbelievably tired and ratty. So it wasn’t a great combination.

He could lose it sometimes.

AC: Did you feel the need, before he died, to get that closeness? Who worked at that?

HE: I made all the approaches and he responded very well. I felt he was glad I made the approaches.

AC: Were you clear with him that it had been a troubled relationship?

HE: I didn’t need to be because he said it himself. The most difficult time was when I had to tell him he was dying.

That there was no return.

AC: Because the doctor had told you?

HE: The doctor told me and I told him.

And then it’s strange, isn’t it, because

literally within an hour he was saying things like, ‘I’m very proud of you and your sister… I wish I’d spent more time with you growing up… I don’t think I was the best dad.’ And I told him, ‘Forget it.

It’s all done. The important thing is we get on now – we love each other and we get on.’ I felt that was a very important thing to say. And I could tell he was moved by it and actually very relieved by it.

He told my sister that he was incredibly grateful that I’d been there when this news came in.

AC: But you’d had depression before that?

So it’s not just been about grief?

HE: You know, traditionally the Welsh have made a bit of a fetish out of funerals and grief. I had to organise the funeral. And, of course, half of Wales turned up. Which is exactly what he wanted.

So the reason I’m saying that is because lots of things are suppressed when you’re doing that stuff. You park a lot of your feelings. You get back into work, you’ve got five kids, and the whole thing takes over again. And then, of course, it just takes a bit of a trigger. Suddenly your mind goes back to it and you realise that actually you haven’t spent any time properly processing what happened. And I still don’t think I have, to be honest. So when you say depression started before him – of course it did. But I’ve no doubt that the failure to properly process all of the stuff that was churned up – most of your childhood – fed into an element of volatility.

AC: Do you find your mental state affected by your work?

HE: Broadcasting news, actually preparing The Ten, writing the headlines, arguing about the running order… I love doing that. That’s never changed.

AC: And the big live events?

HE: Fantastic. It’s where the shackles come off, in a way. Because you’re in a studio, nothing’s scripted, you go with it, and you ask the questions you want to ask. You follow the lines that you want to follow. In many ways, it’s a much more rewarding thing than presenting The Ten. Because The Ten is a straitjacket. Most of the work happens before I’m even on screen. People don’t get that.

The BBC News Channel is much more of a journalistic activity.

AC: Say you suddenly get a message that the Queen’s died. Are you reacting as a human being? Or is your reaction more about realising that it’s one of the biggest things you’re ever going to have to do?

HE: It’s going to be a reaction that says: ‘The BBC’s really got to get this right.’ And that will involve

‘Boxing is one of the things I can do when I feel myself on the slide’

of antidepressants is there on the kitchen unit. I don’t hide it. They accept it’s just part of who I am.

And that’s been great. It’s been very rewarding.

Vicky’s incredibly easy-going, very sympathetic.

She’s supportive when she needs to be, she steps back when she needs to. The kids have different views on it. One of my girls will come to me and ask how I’m feeling. She’s got a code – she’ll say: ‘How are you upstairs today?’ And I think, for a 20-year-old, that’s a nice thing to be asked.

AC: What about your relationship with your dad? Do you think that’s where a lot of it stems from?

MEN’S HEALTH 97

Talking Heads Alastair Campbell meets Huw Edwards reflecting that people will be, in many cases, extremely sad and that they will feel an appropriate tribute has to be paid and done in the right way. And the word that everyone’s obsessed with then is tone. You have to get the tone right – and in many cases it’s not an obvious thing to get right. It’s easy to slip in a word or a phrase that’s not meant in an offensive way but kicks off.

AC: With Prince Philip’s death, did you think you got the tone right?

HE: I was probably happier with that than most things I’ve done in my career. And the response to it was quite telling. It was ‘the BBC at its best’.

The truth is I’ve prepped for these things. I put a lot of work into the Philip scenario years before he died, thinking about whether I’m going to do the breaking news. I came into work that day and it happened within 40 minutes. What do I want to say? What questions do I want to ask? What about all that stuff about him being a controversial figure and saying very unfortunate things – am I going to ignore that? Am I going to offend people if I bring that up? So you have to do it in a way that’s respectful.

AC: How much thinking and preparation have you done about the Queen’s death?

HE: A huge amount.

AC: Active? Practising?

HE: Yes, at home.

AC: Just on your own? You know it used to be a treasonable offence to imagine the death of a monarch?

HE: Well, in which case I’m guilty of multiple acts of treason! I’m not like one colleague – who shall remain nameless – who actually started to well up on set when we were rehearsing the Queen Mum’s death. Back then I did want to say, ‘Get a life!’ But the Queen’s death will be the biggest thing the BBC’s ever done. Because of what she represents as an individual. And what she represents as continuity for other people. Of course, the coronation’s important – of course it is. But we’ll be closing the book on the longest reign in British history. And I think it will be the biggest ever test of what the BBC’s about. That includes things like elections and the 2012 Olympic Games, which I thought the BBC did absolutely brilliantly. I also think people will be slightly taken by surprise by the reaction to it. When you remember Diana’s death and how that played out… it will be bigger than that.

AC: Do you still get adrenaline through news?

HE: I get a little bit of adrenaline every time the

red light comes on. And I think it’s quite dangerous if that doesn’t happen. But on an event like that your burst of adrenaline will be significantly bigger. I will be so obsessed with trying not to put a foot wrong that I’ll be in very cautious mode. Your job – because everyone on set can hear you from the presenter’s mic – is to stay very calm. Because if you start to get a bit agitated or get a bit angry about stuff that’s not happening – and I’ve seen this happen – you can spread anxiety around the team like wildfire.

On that day, whenever it is, it’s going to be a story on a dimension we’ve not seen before.

AC: How do you feel about the political situation the BBC’s in and the attacks that are made upon it?

HE: You have to accept in this day and age that you’re not going to get a fair crack in the press.

Even if you do a great job, you’re still going to get some carping nonsense from someone who’s never done anything like it themselves.

It took me a long time to get used to that.

AC: But there’s now a political dimension to it, in that you’ve got a government that’s actually got you in its sights.

HE: Totally. I’ll come back to that. But when I think back 20 years to me getting The Ten job, it took a long time to stop having a thin skin about people having a pop. ‘Why is this Welsh guy doing the news? Why doesn’t he sod off back to Cardiff and do the news there? All he does is read an autocue! Get rid of him!’ You can laugh it off but if it’s every bloody week. I wasn’t used to it. I was used to being told I was brilliant. My mistake was thinking you can please all of the people. And you can’t. You have to be grown up enough to just accept that.

AC: And what about the capital-P Politics?

HE: I see a broader arc. I tend not to get dragged into what’s happening at any particular time. We’ve had lots of different contentions with different secretaries of state, we had troubles with Labour when Labour were in power, and I see it as part of the cut and thrust of where we are in public service. And – especially with politicians who actively oppose the licence fee – you’re going to be in the firing line.

AC: That’s a new thing though, isn’t it?

We never opposed the licence fee.

HE: I can see the arguments against the licence fee.

But I’m yet to see an argument for a system that would – and this is crucial – sustain the BBC in its full public-service remit. Because subscription doesn’t do that. And even Conservative MPs who don’t like the licence fee admit that.

‘I believe it’s up to us to make a case about the BBC’s place in public life’

98 MEN’S HEALTH

Over a decades-long career, Edwards has developed a thick skin and learned to manage his critics

AC: But do you think people round the place feel more vulnerable than they did before?

HE: Well, look, you and I have known each other for a long time, and I like to think of us as friends. We felt very vulnerable when the whole David Kelly thing happened. We felt massively vulnerable and under threat. So my answer to you is that this is not new, okay? It’s not new to have friction with governments.

AC: I do think…

HE: I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say that was triggered by one thing and this is more philosophical. There may be something in that.

AC: We still believed in the BBC and its core.

HE: It’s true – although that was

difficult to square at the time with some of the aggression around it. It was a very unhappy patch. But you’re right, that was to do with one thing. This is about the perception of what public service broadcasting should be. I believe – and [BBC director general] Tim Davie believes – it’s up to us to make a case about the BBC’s place in public life. I have no doubt that the majority of the British public support the BBC in its current form. My mum tells me the licence fee is expensive for some people – and she’s right. Although I point out to her that she’s still paying £40 a month for Sky! But I do think we’re sometimes not robust enough in our arguments – and I hope Tim won’t be upset by me saying this. If there are complaints about the way we go about things, of course we’ll listen. But the

principle of what we’re about – and the way that current funding enables that – is something I’m always pretty assertive in defending. I’ll say this just as an aside: on the day that [culture secretary] Nadine Dorries made remarks about abolishing the licence fee, I was receiving texts from senior Tories saying, ‘Don’t listen to that, it’s nonsense.’

AC: Do you feel confident about a future with the BBC? HE: For as long as a strong majority of the public values the BBC. And by value I mean accesses our services. The fact that The Ten is reaching millions and millions of eyeballs a week in the UK – that’s access. No other broadcaster can say that in terms of news. So if we can show that people are accessing services at a massive scale every week, I feel we have a very solid case to make

about the BBC’s future and we can feel hopeful about it. The problem is entertainment and competition from other channels. Like Netflix, which obviously isn’t investing in a news service.

You know, what’s Netflix got to say about what’s happening in Ukraine this week? And yet the price of Netflix isn’t much different to the licence fee. We need to be saying these things more robustly. Not aggressively – you know me! [laughs] – I wouldn’t go on the attack. But I do think it’s right to say, before we go any further, can we just consider what we are supplying?

And if you want to come to us and say that 45p a day, or whatever it is, is too much for everything the BBC provides – well, you can say that, but I might disagree with that view.

AC: Do you ever find it frustrating that you’ve had to deny yourself and your politics because you work for the BBC? HE: Have I felt at times immensely frustrated?

MEN’S HEALTH 99

Talking Heads Alastair Campbell meets Huw Edwards Yes. Do I feel very strongly about certain things?

Yes. Have I got strong views on certain areas of policy? Yes. Where have I been able to share those views? Well, much to the BBC’s displeasure, in one or two instances when I’ve said things about protecting Welsh culture. They hinted that there was maybe a problem with impartiality. But my response was that this is an organisation that prides itself on protecting and promoting diversity and minority cultures – and Wales is one of them and it’s on your doorstep.

So I’m only doing what you say is important!

AC: But that goes back to not being robust about defending yourselves.

HE: Exactly. So Tim will come in with a big impartiality drive. And when we first spoke about that I said you can’t be in a position where you have presenters using the platform to promote their own views in any way. But equally it can’t be some sort of gagging clause. Because there are some things you can talk about which aren’t to do with impartiality. They might be areas of personal interest or your background – in my case, Wales. Without sounding like a pompous fool, people actually expect me to comment – I’m seen as a major figure in Wales, rightly or wrongly – and they expect me to have something to say about it. It’s not a party-political thing in any way.

It’s to do with my view on where Welsh society is going. Or even where Welsh governance is going.

For me, that’s not to do with impartiality.

AC: If you had to list all the aspects of your national identity, how would you order them?

HE: I would say I’m Welsh first and I’m British and European in joint second. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable answer.

AC: So you’re a Plaid anti-Brexiteer?

HE: I’m a Welshman who’s treading a very high tightrope, okay? [Laughter] AC: So how long are you going to do this for then? This coming in and reading the news?

HE: The obvious answer is that it’s entirely down to the BBC. I mean I could decide to leave – but I’m still here, aren’t I? I’m still enjoying The Ten. But after 20 years of it I don’t think it’s a shock to say that I might want a change. Or that the BBC, in fairness, might want a change. Or that the viewers, in fairness, might want a change! The crucial thing is I want to be broadcasting. I want to be doing the big events and the BBC seems keen for me to keep doing that. So the question is: if you’re not doing The Ten, what else do you do?

AC: As a journalist your great love was always the political stuff. You’ve got a big profile,

01

particularly in Wales. You are very, very Welsh, and very interested in Welsh life and Welsh culture. So that suggests to me that your dad would be very proud of you if you said: ‘D’you know what? I’ve done this journalism lark, I’ll go and do politics in Wales.’

HE: I think it’s too late for me.

AC: Seriously?

HE: Yeah, I do. If you go back over 38 years, I’ve been asked

by Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dem and Plaid if I’d like to stand for them in some capacity.

That proves I’m pretty damn balanced. And the truth is, of course, lots of my colleagues in journalism in Westminster think about it. Lots of them even did it – some of them better than others. But having seen the life of an ordinary backbencher – if there is such a thing as an ordinary backbencher – I was slightly worried that it wouldn’t be satisfying. Then the other thing for me is that I felt, as a prominent journalist in politics and elsewhere, I could possibly have a bigger contribution to make in some way –

‘There’s a real professional satisfaction in being trusted by people’

100 MEN’S HEALTH

02

03

01. During his early days at BBC Cymru Wales headquarters in Llandaff 02. Edwards’ boxing trainer, Clinton McKenzie, is vital for his physical and mental health

PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBERT WILSON/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES. ILLUSTRATION: NICK HARDCASTLE

03. Edwards has covered many of Britain’s most-watched news events, but he still gets ‘a little bit of adrenaline’ every time he goes live

without sounding stupidly inflated about it.

If you’re broadcasting to a large platform every day, that’s a big contribution you’re making to the day’s news agenda.

AC: But the day’s news agenda is being shaped by others…

HE: Partly, yes, but your job in any day is to decide what you’re going to cover, so it’s not straightforward. And certainly with election programmes, for example, you do feel that you’re part of an event. You’re not just covering an event – people are watching you to give them the result of the event. Giving the exit poll at 10 o’clock is a huge buzz. As is realising that they’re waiting for you to declare the result and say what’s going to happen next. So there’s a real sense of professional satisfaction in being trusted by people – because

it is about that – to give them a fair account of what’s going on. I can’t tell you how much that means.

AC: You’re not too old.

HE: I’m 60. Look, can I put it this way?

Would I like to do something of service to Wales in future? Yes. What is that?

I honestly don’t know. So am I likely to be standing in an election somewhere? It’s highly unlikely.

AC: But not impossible?

HE: I can’t see it happening. I just don’t think the circumstances are right. But do I have enough petrol in the tank to do something quite big or something with impact? Yes. Education for example – I’d be very keen to do something there. Not exclusively that,

necessarily. But would I like to do something that is of more specific service? Yes, I would.

AC: So how come you’ve survived so long at the BBC? HE: It’s not an easy place to navigate. And it’s not an easy place to survive in because there are constant changes in management and leadership. You will come across some who are very supportive and some who are overtly hostile.

In the cases of people who have come from outside, that’s been a more difficult relationship.

The fact is that no one coming from the outside quite gets how the BBC works at first.

AC: It is a very political organisation.

HE: Oh, totally.

AC: Are you quite cutthroat yourself?

HE: I’ve always been – I wouldn’t be here otherwise. You have to fight for survival sometimes. It’s a bit of a balance and I take very seriously the idea that I should be sharing experiences and skills with younger people.

Very few people did it with me and I feel I should.

The problem arises, of course, when the wind’s blowing in a different direction and you think, ‘Okay, can I get into a position where I’m with the wind? Or do I have to build a wall so the wind doesn’t come towards me?’

AC: This is why you have to go into politics!

HE: Well, it’s true! I mean, you’d love it here.

AC: I’m not sure they’d have me…

HE: Maybe they wouldn’t – who knows? But the fact is this place works as a semi-bureaucracy and it’s got all kinds of interest groups. I’m not saying that we don’t all share a view of what the BBC should be and that it should be good and a beacon of excellence. We all agree that. But there will be a limitless number of permutations that can settle at a certain moment and leave you thinking: ‘How did that happen?’ When you’re a presenter on BBC One every night, quite a few people have a stake.

So the director general has a stake in who’s doing news. The Controller of BBC One will have a stake in who’s on the channel. The director of news will have a view on who’s up and who’s down. You’re trying to fit in with several stakeholders and they will often not quite see eye to eye. So my advice to young people coming in is that you always need an axis of support. For example, in my case, if the direction of wind changes in News, the director of news has to learn that you may have some allies elsewhere. And that’s the only way to do it – otherwise you’ll find yourself in a difficult place. I’ve always been quite political in that way.

And I think a lot of colleagues of mine, like Jeremy Bowen or Laura Kuenssberg, they all get this. It’s not to say that they’re not doing a brilliant job – they are. But they’re aware of the fact that the BBC is a place that has to be constantly navigated.

MEN’S HEALTH 101

How To Hit The Gym!

102 MEN’S HEALTH

Words by Jamie Millar

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON

(When You Really Don’t Want To) Being in possession of a training plan is one thing. The desire to apply it? Quite another. Some days, the toughest thing to lift can be your own glutes, off the sofa. That’s why we’ve constructed a series of fail-safe contingency plans for seven of the most commonly copped-to cop-outs. All excuses end here MEN’S HEALTH 103

Poor Excuse

01

You’re Deathly Bored Of Your Training Plan Structured training plans may not be as exciting as flitting between the latest trends and classes. But they still have a place, even in this workout-of-the-day era.

If you have a bona fide programme – and not just a bunch of exercises that you do out of habit – you’re probably working towards a goal, whether that’s as simple as losing weight and boosting fitness, or something more specific such as improving your 10K time. Mix things up too much and you’ll violate two important principles of effective exercise: specificity (if you’re improving your 10K, say, you should… er, run) and progressive overload (forcing your body to adapt by applying a greater stimulus than it’s used to).

The trick is to tweak your training plan just enough.

‘Each week, you should be making small increases – lifting slightly heavier, adding a few more reps, running a little faster,’ says Jonathan Dick, a Tier X coach at Equinox Kensington. ‘Then, after four to eight weeks, make changes to your plan, so that you move towards more advanced versions of your favourite exercises.

This way, you can make consistent progress.’

Training for weight loss alone isn’t always that motivating, given that it can be slow to show results. But seeing progress in other areas – strength, stamina, skill development – should keep you on course. After all,

consistency might not be sexy – but progress is.

Or maybe you do need something totally new? In which case, we’d recommend The Lean for Life Plan, available to Men’s Health Squad members. Make a note of your reps, weights and scores as you move along – then see how quickly you can better them.

THE QUICK FIX Make your plan progressive: don’t do the same bench and biceps sesh every time.

Tweak that plan every four to eight weeks, changing moves to keep it challenging.

Track your weights and scores, and test yourself regularly to stay motivated.

Poor Excuse

02

You’re Still Sore From Your Last Workout Perhaps you’re new to the gym, or you haven’t been for a while. Or maybe you just overdid it a bit. We’re not judging – quite the opposite. ‘Soreness is a good sign,’ says Jim Pate, physiologist at the Centre for Health and Human Performance. The inflammatory response to the tiny tears you’ve caused in your muscles is what drives your body to adapt, so it’s better prepared next time. ‘You should be satisfied you achieved significant enough overload.’

So, you’ve earned a few good sofa days, right? Not quite. ‘You need rest, but don’t be static,’ says Pate. ‘A slightly lighter effort will keep your body ticking over and allow it to let go of that soreness.’ Not to mention keeping your metabolism ticking over.

Hop on an Air Bike or rower and warm up with five to 10 minutes of cardio at 50% to 60% of your maximum intensity, ramping it up higher for a few bursts. Once your muscles are more pliable, dynamically stretch, paying extra attention to sore areas. If everything still aches, swap your usual routine for a body-weight circuit – press-ups, squat jumps, lunges, planks.

Don’t push too hard, or you’ll risk injury.

Cool down with static stretches, holding them for at least 30 seconds. See you tomorrow, bright and early.

THE QUICK FIX Warm up your sore muscles with five to 10 minutes of moderate cardio, then follow it with some mobility work.

If only certain parts of your body ache, train the rest as normal. If it all hurts, do a light body-weight circuit.

Try to remember that the soreness you feel is a good thing. Honest.

ROPE IN STEADY RESULTS BY LEVELLING UP YOUR TRAINING

104 MEN’S HEALTH

Slay Your Excuses Poor Excuse

04

PHOTOGRAPHY: STUDIO 33; ALAMY; GETTY IMAGES; PHILIP HAYNES. DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK. MODEL: EMMANUEL ALLI AT W MODEL. ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY

You Had A Terrible Night’s Sleep

Poor Excuse

03 Burpee To Overhead Press 10 reps

03

You’ve Only Got 20 Minutes Anyway Pah! You can get a whole lot of calorie-burning done in that time – and, crucially, do it with minimal equipment.

Weighted HIIT, such as this one-kettlebell workout from fitness coach Sylvester Savyell, provides more bang for your buck than standard cardio. ‘You’ll continue to burn more calories while your muscles recover,’ he says. Spend five precious minutes warming up, then perform these moves for as many rounds as possible.

(As for tomorrow, see poor excuse number two.)

Goblet squat down and place your knuckles on the (ideally, padded) floor. Shoot your feet out, then back in again. As you stand, lift the kettlebell and press it overhead. That’s 1 rep.

01 Kettlebell Goblet Squat 15 reps Holding a kettlebell to your chest with your feet shoulderwidth apart, squat down, with your chest up and knees wide (imagine sitting back in a chair). Then drive back up, squeezing your glutes.

04 Lunge With Chop 10 reps each side Hold the kettlebell at one shoulder, with your fingers interlaced.

Lunge with the opposite leg and simultaneously chop across your body (grip the kettlebell, so it doesn’t smack you). Reverse.

THE QUICK FIX

02 Pullover With Hip Thrust 15 reps Set up in a double-leg glute bridge, with the kettlebell on the floor behind your head, so you can reach it. Pull it over until it’s above your chest, then lower.

The noted sports scientist William Shakespeare defined sleep as ‘sore labour’s bath’. He was right: it’s when your body repairs the damage caused by the previous day’s activities. ‘If you didn’t get adequate sleep, you’re starting a little bit in the hole,’ says Pate. In a study in Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise, cyclists tasked with riding at an ever-increasing intensity gave up sooner when they were sleep-deprived compared with their fresh counterparts.

But guess what? They survived.

Not everything worth doing comes easy. Training can often be a good way to give your tired brain a lift. One study at the University of Georgia found that exhausted volunteers who took part in moderate-effort exercise experienced a significant decline in fatigue, while separate research revealed that a 10minute stair climb can boost alertness more effectively than 50mg of caffeine.

Pate advises avoiding anything intense and building your sessions around mobility, stability and fun stuff such as skill development. Bear in mind, though, that your coordination will be impaired: this is not the time for hefting barbells. Gently working through your pull-up regressions, however? Perfect.

Understand that you’re going to find things harder.

Prioritise form over weight or speed.

05 Side Plank With Press 10 reps each side Lie on your side, propped on your elbow, with your feet stacked and your top arm (holding the kettlebell) straight. Contract your core to lift your hips, so your body is straight, then lower.

Replace high-skill movements with simpler versions focused on stability.

Whatever you do, don’t be a hero.

MEN’S HEALTH 105

Poor Excuse

06

You Forgot Your Bloody Headphones

REBALANCE YOUR BRAIN WITH STEADY-STATE CARDIO

Poor Excuse

05

You’re Hungover To Merry Hell Here beginneth the sermon. ‘When you drink alcohol, you’re effectively poisoning yourself,’ says Pate.

Booze also disturbs sleep.

(See: poor excuse number four.) And, in a cruel irony, after all that drinking, you’re dehydrated. Safety should be in the forefront of your mind.

‘If you’re half-cut, wait until you’re sober before you do anything that could endanger you,’ says Pate. An early-morning session is out.

Once your head is sore but clear, however, you’ve got the green light. The benefits are bigger than burning off your four pints: the rush of endorphins you get from exercise will help to rebalance your brain chemicals to combat alcohol’s depressive effect, making it a better salve than any bacon sandwich (you can have that afterwards).

106 MEN’S HEALTH

Pate recommends something with ‘a little aerobic intensity, to remind your body that it still has to work’. Steady-state cardio is your order of the day. ‘Drink enough water: your urine should be clear,’ says Matt Gardner, a performance nutritionist and the host of the Big Feed Up HQ podcast.

This will lubricate your joints and delay fatigue.

As for your pre-gym fuel, alcohol irritates your stomach lining, so resist the temptation to pile on the grease (not good for weight-loss goals, either) and stick to your normal breakfast. But factor in some, ahem, ‘gastric emptying time’.

A protein- and fibre-rich meal such as eggs on toast is great if you have time, but it takes a couple of hours to absorb. If you’ve got an hour or less before your workout,

eat something quickly absorbed, like a banana.

The good news is that Boulder University has linked even light aerobic training to the reversal of alcoholinduced brain damage.

Flagellating yourself isn’t healthy. But escaping your darkened living room is guaranteed to make you feel better: physically, mentally and spiritually.

THE QUICK FIX Cancel your morning session and wage a watery war on dehydration instead.

Resume your normal diet if and when you can stomach it. Failing that, eat a banana.

Aerobic exercise will protect your brain, as well as making you feel human again.

If you can’t put in an album request at your gym’s reception desk, use today as a chance to tune into what you’re doing. ‘Choose exercises that challenge your coordination,’ says Ian Robertson, personal training manager at Equinox Bishopsgate, who suggests learning a ViPR flow or hitting a boxing class.

‘You’ll be far more engaged,’ he says.

Music may be a proven performance enhancer, but aimlessly trawling Spotify is not. Let’s face it: your phone can be a distraction. In a study published in Computers In Human Behavior, runners who looked at their devices during training spent half of the time at low intensity, compared with 15% for those who left their handsets in their lockers.

The fact is you don’t need your trusty playlist to get amped. ‘Rhythmic breathing can help you push an extra rep,’ says Robertson. ‘Very often, we lose this benefit when we don’t hear it.’

Get used to functioning without your musical crutch. That way, all won’t be lost next time your battery dies at an inopportune moment.

THE QUICK FIX Focus on what you’re doing. Now’s the time to practise more complex moves.

Listen to your breathing during your workout, rather than today’s mix.

Once your hard-wired association between exercise and earbuds is broken, this won’t be an issue.

Slay Your Excuses

Poor Excuse

07

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY; PHILIP HAYNES. DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK. TALENT: FAISAL ABDALLA

You Just Really Don’t Want To It happens to us all: once in a while, our motivation will fail us. But if you feel that your drive is consistently stalling, take a moment to reflect on the underlying causes. ‘It’s often the result of trying to force an end game that goes against your true aspirations,’ says Tom Foxley, a CrossFit coach and the founder of Mindset Rx’d. ‘Perhaps your desires have changed.’

Eight-pack abs might have been your goal back in 2019, but maybe today you’re more motivated by your long-term health status. If you genuinely want to reach your goal, you should be pulled towards it, rather than having to push.

If you’re certain about what you want to achieve, then think about how it will feel when you do so.

‘Emotional drivers are much more compelling than logical ones,’ explains Foxley.

Imagine how elated you’ll feel when you finally hit your target weight, or smash that double-body-weight

deadlift. Bringing distant consequences closer in your mind, or ‘heating’ them in psychological terms through visualisation, is the fire that forges iron self-control.

Or you could cut yourself a deal. ‘If the full session is an hour long, tell yourself you’ll do, say, the first two sets,’ says Foxley. The chances are that, once you have completed them, you’ll be inclined to do more. Either way, you’re taking the weight

of expectation off your metaphysical shoulders.

‘Frequently, we don’t want to go to the gym, because we feel the pressure to have a great session,’ says Foxley.

But athletic success isn’t built solely on great sessions.

Its foundation is unwavering commitment, whatever your motivation level. In a study in the British Journal Of Health Psychology, subjects visited the gym twice as often when they scheduled their

sessions ahead of time, compared with when they were given ‘inspirational’ reading material.

‘Turning up and doing 20% is better than doing nothing at all,’ explains Foxley. You can’t argue with that, so pick up your bag and go. You won’t be disappointed you did.

THE QUICK FIX To borrow a phrase, just do it.

MEN’S HEALTH 107

Style / Grooming / Tech / Miscellanea

01 David Gandy Wellwear Sweat Gilet, £70

02

Training Shoes

02.

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01. Inov-8 F-Lite G 300, £140 02. Nobull Trainer+, £130 03. Under Armour Tribase Reign 4, £115 04. Reebok Nano X1 Adventure, £110 05. Puma x First Mile Fuse, £90 06. Nike Metcon 7, £115

03

Sports Earbuds

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01. ESC Sounds Series 3, £100 02. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, £279 03. Jabra Elite 7, £150 04. Beats By Dre Powerbeats Pro, £220 05. Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX, £349 06. Bose Sport Earbuds, £180

04

Fitness Trackers

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01.

03.

04.

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01. Fitbit Charge 5, £170 02. Polar Vantage V2, from £429 03. Garmin Forerunner 55, £150 04. Huawei Watch GT Runner, £260 05. Apple Watch 7, from £649 06. Whoop 4.0, £30/month

05

Skipping Ropes

02.

01.

04.

03.

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01. Bulldog Gear JR2, £50 02. EliteSRS Bullet Comp, £50 03. RX Smart Gear Original Rx, £37 04. Velites Fire 2.0, £35 05. RPM Session4, £48 06. Dope Ropes Outrun Speed Rope 2.0, £45

06

Smart Scales 01.

03.

05.

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01. Myzone MZ-20 Home Scale, £60 02. Fitbit Aria Air, £50 03. Garmin Index S2 Smart Scale, £130 04. Withings Body+ Smart Scale, £90 05. Tanita RD-953 Body Composition Monitor, £165 06. Huawei Mirror Smart Scale 3, £60

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Plant Proteins

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PHOTOGRAPHY: SUN LEE

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01. Healthspan Elite Plant Protein Vegan Blend 750g, £35 02. Foodspring Vegan Protein 750g, £30 03. Myvegan Vegan Protein Blend 1kg, £30 04. Form Superblend Protein 520g, £26 05. Nuzest Clean Lean Protein 500g, £35 06. Innermost The Health Protein 600g, £30

EDITED BY ANDREW TRACEY

PERSONALTRAINER Because Yesterday You Said Tomorrow

SUPPLEMENT CHECK P131

PERFECT THE PRESS-UP P122

YOUR FAT-BURNING CAPSULE COLLECTION

MAKE THE MOVE WORK HARDER

ONE-POT WONDERS P121 WHY GRAINS MEANS GAINS

TRADE SECRETS P118

HOW TO MASTER YOUR MINDSET

THE FINISHER P133 EMPTY BAR, FULL SLEEVES

WHAT I’VE LEARNED P129

FIRST UP: PLAY THE LONG GAME

PT – 06/22

TRADE SECRETS

MINDSET IS WHAT REALLY MATTERS Losing weight – even a lot of it – needn’t be as daunting as it seems. A few mental adjustments can make a big difference when it comes to creating change that lasts for the long-term

W

eight loss is not just about tweaking your eating and exercise habits. ‘It’s about changing your mindset, behaviours and environment, too,’ says registered dietitian Devon Golem. ‘They all go together.’

You’ve probably heard it said that the majority of men who reverse obesity eventually find themselves heavy again.

Going in with a solid, long-term game plan will swing the odds in your favour. These sciencebacked tactics are designed with that in mind.

01

HAVE SMART EXPECTATIONS Before you vow never to let another pork scratching touch your lips, think seriously about the commitments you’re making and the results that you anticipate. Weight loss takes time, and you’ll find that it rarely happens at a predictable rate. ‘There will be times when you see

118 MEN’S HEALTH

dramatic change, and then it’s going to plateau for a while,’ explains Dr Golem.

Your motivation, too, will have its peaks and troughs.

Knowing this ahead of time will help to minimise your risk of calling it quits after dietary slip-ups or progress-free weeks.

UNRAVEL THE HABITS THAT MAKE FAT LOSS FEEL EFFORTLESS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

02

TAKE TIME TO CHEW OVER THE FACTS

THINK BIGGER THAN FOOD You can’t just adopt a new diet and change nothing else in your routine. ‘Things like sleep, exercise and stress are all interconnected,’ says Dr Golem. ‘When you ignore one, it can sabotage the others.’ One example: evidence shows that suboptimal sleep (less than seven hours) spurs us to overeat. You’ll get the best results when you actively look for ways to take better care of your body in all areas of life.

03

FORGET QUICK FIXES

WORDS: CAROLINE PRADERIO. PHOTOGRAPHY: PIOTR GREGORCZYK; GETTY IMAGES

When you want to lose a significant amount of weight, you need to transform your healthy changes into instinctive habits. ‘You want to get to the point where eating in this new way becomes second nature,’ Dr Golem says. This takes practice, but you can set yourself up for success by thinking of every new dietary switch-up as a permanent change. This mental shift will help you spot resolutions (eg, ‘I’ll have green juice for breakfast every day’) that are likely to be sustainable.

04

MASTER JUST ONE HABIT Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to create 20 new habits at once. Start with just one, Dr Golem says – whether that’s drinking two litres of water every day or cutting out the 3pm vending machine dash.

Taking on too much too fast can lead to frustration and overwhelm you. Instead, gradually build up your habits like blocks of Lego.

05

06

07

Hitting an objective weight-loss target (‘I lost the first stone!’, ‘I went down a waist size!’) is great – but don’t get too caught up in the numbers. Dr Golem suggests making a few subjective goals, too. Do you want to have more energy? Move more freely? Focusing on these unquantifiable measures of weight loss can give you extra motivation when you’re stuck in a plateau.

So maybe you weigh the same as you did last week – but getting up for that 6am run felt easier than ever before. It pays to recognise these new feelings as rewards, Dr Golem explains.

Before you blacklist biscuits and crisps, focus on adding more vegetables to your diet – Dr Golem advises eating seven to eight servings per day. The more you add, the less room there is to indulge between meals. As a bonus, ramping up your intake will boost your mood, digestion and immunity. (New research links fibre-heavy diets with better mental health.)

Swapping white loaves for brown isn’t quite the power move you think it is. Some supposedly wholegrain breads have only a negligible increase in fibre versus their refined counterparts. Check the label to ensure you’re getting 100% wholegrain.

Better yet, sub out the bread for quinoa, oats or freekeh.

DON’T OBSESS OVER NUMBERS

CROWD OUT THE JUNK

GO WHOLE OR GO HOME

08

DUST YOURSELF OFF No one navigates a significant weight loss without a few slices of pizza. Life is for living, after all. Just don’t let these deviations derail your progress. If you do eat more than you planned to, says Dr Golem, ‘step back, calm down and recognise this is part of the learning process’.

Don’t punish yourself – forgive and move forwards.

MEN’S HEALTH 119

PT – 06/22

SLIMMER PICKINGS

ONE-POT WONDERS

IT PAYS TO GO WITH THE GRAIN It’s a myth that losing weight means giving up the foods you love. In fact, when you’re training hard, a creamy plate of carbs is your body’s best ally

NO GRAIN, NO GAIN A staple of Levantine and North African cuisines, freekeh packs more satiating fibre than rice and delivers a payload of metabolismsupporting B vits.

CONSTRUCTION PLAN 01 Not only will a healthy carb intake bolster your gym performance, it’ll balance your HOT STUFF hormones for better sleep, too.

Red peppers are This dish hits the sweet spot a super-high for fitness and fat loss. Sauté source of vitamin the onion and garlic for 2 mins, C, which studies then throw in the freekeh and have linked to the quinoa. Both pack a protein maintenance and mineral payload, which of lean mass your muscles will thank you for.

– as well as 02 Add the stock, gradually swerving colds. bringing it to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins, stirring. Add the lemon juice, zest and veg, and bubble for another 5 mins.

03 Chuck in the fish and poach for 10 mins. Mix in the cheese and THROW IN A HANDFUL give it all a good stir. Now plate up OF KING PRAWNS 5 TO 10 and enjoy post-gym, pre-gym or MINS BEFORE SERVING, any time you fancy getting freekeh.

SO THEY COOK THROUGH

WORDS: MEN’S HEALTH. PHOTOGRAPHY: PIOTR GREGORCZYK. FOOD STYLING: JACK SARGESON

+10G PROTEIN

MAKES FOUR

• 1 ONION, DICED • 2 CLOVES OF GARLIC • 200G FREEKEH • 50G QUINOA • 1L FISH STOCK • 1 LEMON, ZEST AND JUICE • 1 RED PEPPER • A BUNCH OF ASPARAGUS • 1 TIN OF SWEETCORN • 200G WHITE FISH • 50G CREAM CHEESE

THE STATS

• TIME TO MAKE: 35 MINS • PROTEIN: 35G • CARBS: 29G • CALORIES: 487

GREEN IS GOOD Aside from bone-bolstering vitamin K, asparagus packs essential minerals that speed up muscle recovery. You’ll be back at it, faster.

-80 CALORIES SWAP THE CREAM CHEESE FOR A SMALL SPOON OF LOW-FAT CREME FRAICHE TO THICKEN THE MIXTURE

MEN’S HEALTH 121

PT – 06/22

BODY-WEIGHT 101: THE PRES HAN THE PRESS-UP

PUSH FORWARD WITH YOUR BODY TRANSFORMATION Your go-to gym-free muscle builder can do far more than just sculpt your chest and arms. Use this expert guide to turn it into a tool for total-body results Physical fitness isn’t just about lifting heavy metal; it’s about how strong you are in relation to your body weight, says Martin Rooney, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and the author of Ultimate Warrior Workouts.

That’s why he has the athletes he trains perform body-weight tests. And if they struggle, he knows that they need to either gain more strength – or lose some weight.

So what’s the best body-weight test to help you determine your overall strength and fitness level?

It’s the classic press-up. Researchers at the University of Athens found that the standard press-up forces you to lift 66% of your body weight, which is by no means an easy feat.

Now, if you’re like most people, you might think that the press-up is just a chest exercise. But that’s only part

of its benefit because in reality, the press-up is a super-efficient exercise for time-strapped men who want to shape up (that’s most of us, then). You can do this move from anywhere and it works both your arms and shoulders, strengthens your back and chest, and also tones your glutes and legs.

Recent research by Canadian scientists shows that adding some press-ups to your regular fitness regimen is a highly effective way to train your abs, too, forcing your core to work overtime to help you maintain proper posture.

Of course, you’ll only reap the full benefits if you’re doing the exercise correctly. That’s why we enlisted our experts to help you get the most out of this move. Use their cues to test your press-up potential, master faultless form and carve the body you want – with no gym or equipment required.

MEASURE YOUR BODY STRENGTH WITH THE QUICK PRESS-UP TEST

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Nail your form: smart hand positioning aids stability

CHEST EFFORTS It’s not all about the pecs: press-ups strengthen the entire upper body

THE GUT CHECK Want to know what’s a solid figure for your age range?

Barring issues with injury or mobility, this is where you want your efforts to sit. (Unless, of course, you can do even better.)

Complete the test unbroken with tight form – only stopping when you reach the point of failure.

IN YOUR 20S

22-28 IN YOUR 30S

17-21 IN YOUR 40S

13-16 IN YOUR 50S

10-12 IN YOUR 60S & 70S

8-10 Ready to level up?

Turn the page…

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THE PRESS-UP IS THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE TO TEST YOUR STRENGTH LEVEL

Doing 50 press-ups in a minute is a classic fitness benchmark.

‘But you rarely see guys do even one rep with perfect form,’ says Rob Shaul, a strength and conditioning specialist and founder of the training facility Mountain Tactical Institute. ‘So whenever a guy tells me he can do 50 in a minute, I tell him to do it with the dead-stop press-up,

where you lower yourself to the ground and lift your hands.’

That pause eliminates a muscle’s tendency to spring back to a shortened state when stretched – and forces you to move through a full range of motion.

And the result? No cheating. ‘It’s a true test of strength,’ says Shaul. Test yours and then follow his plan to increase it.

SQUEEZE

PRESS Holding your feet together adds muscle tension in your legs, enhancing your body’s energy transfer and power production.

124 MEN’S HEALTH

Clenching your glutes locks your hips in place, keeping your body straight from head to heels. It also takes any stress off your lower back.

CHEST EFFORTS

DEAD-STOP PRESS-UP TEST

BOOST YOUR STRENGTH

Assume a press-up position with your feet together, your body straight and your hands below but slightly wider than your shoulders. Lower your body to the floor. Lift your hands off the floor, pause, then place them back down and press up explosively.

Do as many as you can in 60 seconds – 20 is average, 30 is exceptional.

To improve your fitness and carve muscle, add the dead-stop press-up to three of your weekly workouts.

Aim to complete five sets, using the chart on the right to guide your reps.

Retest yourself after four weeks.

Repeat the four-week cycle until you reach your goal of 30 perfect reps. No pressure, then.

WEEK 1

40%

OF YOUR TEST NUMBER WEEK 2

40%

OF YOUR TEST NUMBER WEEK 3

50%

OF YOUR TEST NUMBER WEEK 4

60%

OF YOUR TEST NUMBER

BRACE Increasing core tension boosts stability all over.

Imagine someone is about to punch you in the gut.

STRAIGHTEN Keeping your arms straight so that your hands align with your shoulders reduces stress on those critical joints.

If your hips begin to sag, consider that rep your last and end the set

TWIST Driving your palms down and screwing them outwards into the floor can increase the stability through your shoulders, neck and upper back. Stability equals power.

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If you look at the press-up as only an upper-body exercise, then you’re not realising its full potential. ‘By combining different variations, you create a workout that you can do anywhere,’ says Rooney.

See for yourself with his press-up pyramid.

DIRECTIONS Start at the base of the pyramid.

As you work your way up one side and down the other, perform the number of reps indicated in the black circle for each exercise.

(See the descriptions on the right.)

Take rest as needed according to your own fitness level. Suggested rest periods are described in the chart below:

01

SINGLE-LEG Perform a press-up but elevate one leg instead of keeping both feet on the floor.

02

03

Start with your hips up; then pull your body forward, lower your hips and straighten your arms.

As you press up, bring a knee towards your chest. Alternate knees with each rep.

04

05

Do a press-up but with enough force so that you can launch off the floor and clap.

Do a press-up but touch your knee to your elbow at the bottom.

Alternate sides with each rep.

DIVE-BOMB BEGINNER

BETWEEN EACH EXERCISE

INTERMEDIATE

AT THE TOP (BETWEEN SETS OF KNEE-TO-ELBOW PRESS-UPS)

ADVANCED

AT THE END. REPEAT

KNEE-TO-CHEST

PRESS-UP PYRAMID 6 7 8 9 10

KNEEELBOW

KNEEELBOW

6 7

CLAPPING

CLAPPING

KNEE-TOCHEST

KNEE-TOCHEST

DIVE-BOMB

DIVE-BOMB

SINGLE-LEG

SINGLE-LEG

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8 9 10

CLAPPING

KNEE-TO-ELBOW

WORDS: BEN COURT. ILLUSTRATIONS: HARVEY SYMONS (P120-121); DUSTIN WALLACE (P125). PHOTOGRAPHY: BETH BISCHOFF. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY (P125): DAVID CLERIHEW. STYLING: HAYLEY LAWRENCE. GROOMING: LAURA DEXTER USING MAC AND BUMBLE AND BUMBLE

TRANSFORM A PRESS-UP INTO A NEW TOTAL-BODY WORKOUT

PRESS-UP PYRAMID

CHEST EFFORTS The humble press-up is more versatile than you think

YOUR SINGLE-ARM PROGRESSION PLAN

01

ELEVATED SINGLE-ARM Spread your feet apart. Put one hand on a bar or tall box. Do 1 to 5 reps, then switch arms and repeat.

02

SKYDIVE Lift your left leg. Put your left palm, right fingers and right knee on the floor.

Do 5 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

03

ARCHER Move one hand farther out to the side than the other. Do 10 reps, then switch arms and repeat.

SINGLE-ARM PRESS-UP CHALLENGE

You can blame Rocky Balboa for making the single-arm press-up the benchmark that separates the chumps from the champs in the gym. ‘It’s a high-skill, high-strength pinnacle exercise,’ says Mike Fitch, a strength and conditioning specialist and creator of Animal Flow. ‘The move ensures that both of your arms are equally strong, and it activates your core more than a standard press-up does, forcing it to work harder to stabilise your body.’

CONQUER IT Twice a week, do the exercises in the single-arm press-up progression as a circuit, moving from one to the next with 60 secs’ rest after each move. Do 3 circuits in total. Each week, do the elevated single-arm press-up slightly lower until you can do 5 reps on the floor with perfect form.

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THE INSIDE TRACK

NEW! WHAT I’VE LEARNED

PLAY THE LONG GAME

Exercise alone is ineffective for fat loss, but it doesn’t mean it can’t optimise your efforts. Comparing efforts in the gym to adventures at the buffet is not a smart move; it’s much easier to optimise your diet than it is to attempt to create a calorie deficit through training.

That said, increasing your general activity or adding some conditioning work may allow you to increase your calories while maintaining the same deficit. These extra few calories may be the difference between a sustainable diet and one that’s completely unbearable.

Incremental change beats instant overhaul when weight loss is your goal, argues MH’s fitness editor Andrew Tracey. Here are some of the fundamental insights he’s gathered over the past few years

PHOTOGRAPHY: JULIAN BENJAMIN; ROWAN FEE; GETTY IMAGES

You probably have more to lose than you think. People tend to vastly underestimate how much weight they have to lose (or gain) if it’s a result in the mirror that they’re chasing. This shouldn’t dishearten you, though – rather it should just uncouple you from aiming to hit an entirely arbitrary number on the scales. Instead, try to focus your attention on the small changes that make a difference to you.

There are many methods for losing body fat, but only one principle that matters. Whatever nutrition plan you settle on, in order to lose body fat it must adhere to the basic principles of energy balance. Hormones, genetics and your environment all play a role in the equation, but that equation must finish with you burning more calories than you consume.

Going all in, too early, is a recipe for relapse. Start off with small, manageable changes and tweak what you’re already doing before you attempt shiny new things. An all-or-nothing attitude that has you either loading up the Tupperware or tucking into loaded fries with reckless abandon isn’t smart. So start with small improvements to the habits you already have: reduce your portion sizes; include more protein and vegetables in your meals; make lower-calorie swaps where possible. Ease yourself in or risk blowing yourself out.

That said, there may be a ‘named’ method that’s a good fit for you.

Just because calories are king, it doesn’t mean you have to track them.

It also doesn’t mean that any of the popular ‘named’ diets (yes, even the fad ones) won’t work for you. What’s important is finding a sustainable, enjoyable way of reliably creating an energy deficit – and one that sits well with your lifestyle.

‘BE HONEST ABOUT WHERE YOU WANT TO GET TO – OR ELSE YOU’LL SIMPLY BE CHASING YOUR OWN TAIL’

START WITH SMALL CHANGES TO CRUSH YOUR GOALS

‘Getting healthier’ may be a noble goal, but it’s a fickle one. If you’re exercising regularly and eating a varied and whole food-rich diet, you’re already ‘healthy’. Be honest about where you want to get to and have a clear image, or else you’ll be chasing your own tail.

Broad, undefined goals are difficult to plan for and can leave you feeling frustrated; when you’re more specific you can create milestones along the way to keep you motivated.

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CAPSULE COLLECTION

SUPPLEMENT CHECK

THE CHEMISTRY OF WEIGHT LOSS

DO YOUR RESEARCH AND FIND THE RIGHT SUPP FOR YOU

WORDS: ARTUR ZOLKIEWICZ. ARTWORK: PETER CROWTHER AT DEBUT ART. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: STUDIO 33; PIXELEYES

The bad news: there is no magic bullet.

The good bit? There are plenty of goal-supporting supps that can help you realise the body you want ‘When I was young and inexperienced, I would have taken anything legal to get into shape,’ says Artur Zolkiewicz, a model, wellness consultant and Level 3 PT. That included speedlike gym supps, which would later be banned.

‘It took me a while to learn that the magic fat-loss pill doesn’t exist.

There are, however, nutrients that can help you sleep better, perform better and recover faster – all of which plays a big role in weight loss.’

Here are Artur’s picks.

04

01

05

FOR KILLER WORKOUTS

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE Proven to enhance strength and power output, creatine can be useful when adding lean mass – which makes your body more efficient at burning fat. One study suggests there are bigger drops in body fat when creatine is taken after training, but see what works for you.

The Dose: Take 0.3g/kg of your body weight daily for five to seven days, then drop to 0.03g/kg for three weeks (if cycling) or indefinitely.

FOR MUSCLE MAINTENANCE

WHEY POWDER For those who can handle dairy, the OG is still the best – highly digestible and well researched.

Supplementing your diet with whey can limit muscle loss during periods of calorific deficit and, interestingly, might modestly limit fat gain if your calorie intake slides upwards…

The Dose: Your daily protein needs will depend on your weight and activity levels (have a scroll through on our website for more on that), but most people take 25g to 50g after training.

02

03

VITAMIN D

YERBA MATE

The ‘sunshine vitamin’ (summer won’t last, you know) has now been linked to everything from immunity and mental acuity to testosterone production. It might even aid fat loss in people at a higher body weight.

The Dose: Studies suggest that vitamin D3 is used more effectively than D2. Take daily with meals from October to early March – or if you spend too much time indoors.

This popular South American tea – also found in supp form – has been linked to fat loss and better athletic performance.

In one study, participants given a 1g capsule burned 24% more fat during training.

The Dose: You can drink yerba mate, although it’s not, ahem, everyone’s cup of tea. You can also try taking it in powder or capsule form in place of your usual pre-workout supp.

FOR ALL-ROUND GAINS

FOR THE EXTRA 10%

FOR SMOOTHER RECOVERY

ASHWAGANDHA The king of Ayurvedic herbs has been linked to a notable reduction in anxiety. It’s also been linked to improving glucose metabolism, hindering the stress-hormone cortisol and curbing fatigue and sleep loss – but more research is needed.

Still, it’s well worth a pop.

The Dose: The current recommended dose is 300mg to 500mg of root extract with meals, ideally taken at breakfast if you plan to consume the lot in one hit.

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RAISE THE BAR START

THE FINISHER

01

EMPTY BAR & FULL SLEEVES

CURLS ARE NOT A CRIME Kick off with 10 reps of the swoley grail of mirror-muscle moves: the biceps curl. Hold the bar at your waist, palms facing forwards and hands slightly closer than shoulder width. Hinge at the hips and lean forwards slightly, letting the bar hang freely in front of your body to eliminate any cheating. Curl the bar up to just below your chin and squeeze your biceps hard at the top before lowering slowly.

Sure, lung-searing cardio finishers are all well and good – but if you’ve already ticked that box in your main session, try this on for serious size THE FORMAT

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES. MODEL: JORDAN DUVIGNEAU AT W MODEL. STYLING: ABENA OFEI. GROOMING: NAT SCHMITT USING CLARINS SKINCARE. CLOTHING: SHORTS, LULULEMON, MRPORTER.COM; TRAINERS, UNDER ARMOUR, UNDERARMOUR.CO.UK

Grab an Olympic bar and set a 10-min timer. Aim for as many rounds as possible, pumping your biceps, back, triceps and shoulders while burning calories, too.

Complete each circuit with good form; only let go when your grip falters and get back to it as soon as you can.

The easier movements have higher rep counts, keeping you at the edge of your comfort zone.

02

ROW TO GROW

Switch your grip, hinge at the hips and let the bar hang. Elbows close to your body, draw the bar to your stomach; squeeze your shoulder blades, pause and return to the start. This is your strongest movement, so hit 20 reps. Your forearms will burn by the end, but move into those triceps extensions without dropping the bar.

03

FOR BIG ARMS, TRI HARDER Triceps make up the bulk of your arms’ muscle mass, so this is where you’ll really see a difference. Do 10 reps here. Press the bar directly overhead, then, keeping your upper arms locked in place, bend at the elbows and slowly lower the bar towards the back of your neck. Explosively extend your arms back to lock them out above your head.

Lower it behind you again.

You should feel the strain with this one fairly quickly.

ANDREW TRACEY MH fitness editor and head of training

04

HIGH REPS, BROAD SHOULDERS With your triceps fried, your delts will have to pull a double shift to nail this shoulderbuilder. Lower your bar to the top of your chest, rearrange your grip to just outside shoulder width, then explosively press the bar overhead. Lower with control.

Keep pushing for 20 reps. All done? Move straight into curls for another round without dropping the bar. Rep out for the full 10 mins, resting only when you can’t grip the bar any longer.

FINISH

MEN’S HEALTH 133

MH CLASSIFIED

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ONE WORD ANSWER #74 QUESTION

P

asta has been on the British menu since at least the 14th century, when King Richard II’s chefs included the recipe for a macaroni-lasagne hybrid in the royal cookbook. But when, in the late 1950s, the BBC aired an April Fool’s Day report showing a family harvesting spaghetti from trees, viewers inundated the broadcaster with letters asking where they could buy their own pasta plant.

Six decades later, a less innocuous myth surrounds spaghetti. It has widely been blamed – lumped alongside other refined foods such as white bread and white sugar – for today’s diabetes, obesity and heart disease epidemics. Is pasta a fatpiling ‘poison’, as tennis player Pat Cash once

claimed? And if so, how did it become the world’s most popular dish*?

Science is on your spag bol’s side. In a study published in the journal BMJ Open, Canadian researchers analysed how pasta affects body weight and BMI. They found that test subjects who ate spaghetti instead of other carbs actually lost a small amount of weight.

This was attributed to its negligible fat and cholesterol content, and the fact that it’s an excellent source of low-glycaemic carbohydrates: it releases

its glucose slowly into the bloodstream, making you feel full for longer. These findings support an earlier report published in Nutrition And Diabetes, in which Italian scientists (perhaps predictably) argued that eating pasta decreases your chances of becoming obese.

The problem with spaghetti, then, isn’t that it’s inherently bad for us – it’s that it’s so good, so satisfying, that we’re tempted to fork it down in unhealthy quantities.

‘We serve

immense portions,’ sighed Fred Plotkin, author of The Authentic Pasta Book, back in 1997. Yet even after two decades of wellness culture and carbophobia, we continue to overload our plates. A bolognese in Bologna typically contains 100g of pasta. It’s likely to contain double that here*.

Italians have traditionally lived by what they call ‘l’arte di arrangiarsi’, or the art of getting by on what you have.

This credo manifests on the plate as the celebrated, no-nonsense Mediterranean diet, with a sensible portion of pasta as its centrepiece.

So, whether you’re in Rome or Romford, do as the Romans do – and resist the urge to have too much of a good thing.

ANSWER

Spaghetti

138 MEN’S HEALTH

WORDS: YO ZUSHI. PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON. *SOURCES: OXFAM; EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION

Which unfairly maligned carb could actually help you lose extra inches?