ONLINE n MOBILE n TABLET
FR EE
TA KE ME HO ME
!
ISSUE 3 JUNE 2012
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
SHAPE UP
Teach your muscles how to grow
IN COD WE TRUST The holiest of health foods WALK THE TALK Business networking made easy
Shirts to SHOW OFF in Ditch hayfever for good
Bear Grylls interview inside
This month we’re after
THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE Active breaks you won’t forget A real shave that’s bliss A perfect night’s sleep
Read about the challenges Ben Mudge overcame to make our cover
Health n Fitness n Life n Gear n Nutrition n Grooming
17-05-12
What’s in store for this month 06 Cover star 07
How one man overcame his genes Warm ups Win fitness equipment, and stay clear of snacks
Set off the right way
p 12
20
START RIGHT
All you need for the perfect shave Fashion Shirts you can show off in Supplements Get the best sleep ever
Getting you through your day p 24
WORK RIGHT
26 Work issue 28 32 36 40
Get used to networking Lunchtime workout Burn off the fat in less than an hour each day Easy dinners Why cod is the perfect health food Big body blowout Focus on building mass Ask Brendan Your questions answered
Editor’s letter Front Cover Image: Ralph Ross Photography ©
p 42
LIV RIGHTE
48
36
44 Health Say goodbye to hayfever
46 Relationships
14 Grooming 18
Make the most of what’s left
Contents
Should you be single or not?
Diversions 48 Intro Little bits of brain food 50 Gear Gym bags you can travel with 52 Gadgets More James Bond-style devices 56 Train like… a super athlete Work your body up to be like one 60 Weekends Activity holidays to inspire you 62 Bear Grylls TV’s wild man inspires others 64 Fitness challenge Fast, furious, and makes you fit 65 Workout tables Keep track of progress 66 Closing Celebrity tweets
I
t may not seem like it, thanks to the appalling weather we are having, but round about now is usually the time when you start to think that, with summer on its way, life is not really so bad at all and there is plenty out there to enjoy and take part in. That is in any case what we are hoping to suggest with issue, which is themed around “The good things in life”. Inside here we’ve got ace holidays, a guide
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44
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to getting a perfect shave, and more useful stuff about how to get a good night’s sleep. All this doesn’t come without some hard work, however, so we’ve also included a useful set of workouts to get you a beach-ready body for the summer. I am also very proud to be featuring our first reader cover model this issue. You can find out more about Ben Mudge and read about his inspirational story if you
keep reading. In the meantime, do keep sending in your suggestions for what you would like to see. If you’re not confident enough yet to go on the cover, we would still like to hear about your playlists, routines – whatever. You can email us at editor@ alphafitmagazine.co.uk, or tweet us @AlphaFitTweet. Peter Baber, Editor peter@alphafitmagazine.co.uk
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 3
PAUL HALL Personal coach to Daniel Keatings, European Champion In competition, Daniel needs to be in ”perfect condition in terms of fitness, strength and weight. PROMAX DIET gives him the perfect combination of protein and nutrients to optimise his training and diet.
”
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CoverStar
INTERVIEW No barriers for me Think there are obstacles to you getting fit? Just read what our cover model has had to overcome, says Peter Baber
O
ur cover model, Ben Mudge, ticks many of the boxes you might expect. He’s a 22-year old personal trainer living in Jordanstown outside Belfast in Northern Ireland. He’s also something of an aspiring fitness model, having won last year’s Northern Ireland Fitness Model Association (NIFMA) competition in the Under 21s category. And he’s just been appointed one of the “faces” of the Vantage Sports nutrition brand. But there is one aspect in which Ben is unlike your average fitness star. He has cystic fibrosis: CF for short. CF is a genetic often life-shortening condition that causes your body to produce excessive mucus that ends up clogging many of your internal pathways including your lungs and your intestinal tract. Those who have the condition often have difficulty breathing. When he was born, Ben’s mother, who is a nurse, was led to believe that he would probably have oxygen
tanks with him wherever he went. You wouldn’t expect someone with CF to be in the fitness industry. But if anything, Ben says, exercise has helped him find a way to deal with his condition. He trains at least five times a week. “I tend to do body split workouts, so I do back and biceps, then chest and triceps,” he says. “I do High Interval Intensity Training (HIIT) on a rower, which is by far and away the best way of getting and keeping lean. I also do hypertrophy exercises, maybe 8 to 12 reps and 3 sets. But I focus on movement rather than specific muscles. So for the chest I might do bench press and then fly – that focuses on all the movements of the chest.” Even with this background, he was surprised at the NIFMA competition. “I had no idea about the preparation that some people did for it. There was a guy there who had even had tanning injections.” Ben has become more used to some of the preparation
that goes on in the build up to photo shoots like the one for Vantage on our front cover – such as getting your body used to drinking 10 litres of water a day, and then suddenly cutting back to 1.5 litres while your body, at least for a time, carries on shedding the 10 litres. Is that really something someone with CF should do? “Well, for someone in my condition it’s a lot more advisable than basic dehydration,” says Ben. “Luckily to be overweight with CF is extremely rare, because our intestines don’t release the enzymes you need for proper digestion. That’s why I have to keep taking enzyme tablets.”
the 1990s life expectancy for someone with CF was late 20s, early 30s,” he says, “but now it’s into the 40s and 50s. The medicine is getting better, and I really believe that within 15 to 20 years there will be a cure.” In the meantime, he has something of a mission. “I really want to be an ambassador for fitness for people with CF, and for average people too,” he says. “I want to prove to people that you don’t have to be that person with CF people think you have to be.”
After leaving school at 16, Ben went into the film industry and notched up an impressive record being assistant producer on Game of Thrones and Killing Bono. But he grew tired of life on set. “I admire the actors because it is actually very boring,” he says. “Also you are out in the cold a lot on set, and that wasn’t good for me. I really had to think about my health.” There have been setbacks. He nearly died aged eight, and three years ago a viral infection saw him lose a lot of lung capacity. He admits that one morning a few weeks ago he did wake up and start thinking about mortality – but only for a short time. “In
Would you like to be AlphaFit’s next cover model? Send your details, including a relevant photo, and explanation of why you are a particularly good choice, to editor@alphafitmagazine.co.uk, or post on facebook.com/alphafitmagazine. We'll contact those lucky enough to be chosen
6 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Opening
Warm ups
Better than London
WIN A MONSTER PRIZE
T
he London Marathon was, as usual, an inspirational event this year. But it is, of course, a trek through a city – and a pretty heavily polluted one at that. For a cleaner fresher, approach to longdistance running, the Austrian mountain resort of Lech is hard to beat. It now include a high altitude running park (Hӧhenlaufpark) where for 21km you can run beneath the mountain peaks of Karhorn, Ornehorn and Mohnenfluh. This August there are also two events: the Lech high altitude half marathon on 18 August and the Trans-Vorarlberg Triathlon on 26 August – which are rapidly gaining kudos around the world. What’s more, even if your partner doesn’t do the running, there are ample reasons to explain to her why a summer in the Alps might be better for her than a flop by the Med. Back in 2000 a two-year study found that a hiking holiday taken between the
altitudes of 1,500m and 2,500m (precisely where Lech lies) could improve your cardiovascular system, stimulate your metabolism, help reduce body fat without dieting, and reduce harmful free radicals. What’s more, allergens don’t operate at that altitude in summer, so you can be hayfever-free. Crystal Summer offers a half-board break with flights to Lech starting at £725 per person. For more information visit www. crystalsummer.co.uk.
Plymouth – dive in!
Y
ou would have thought the presence of great beaches and fantastic moorland on the city’s doorstep would already have been enough of a lure, as anyone unfortunate enough to have been stuck on a jam coming off the M5 on a summer
bank holiday will testify. But people living in and around Plymouth won’t even have the weather to use as an excuse now that the Life Centre has opened in the city. The £46.5m centre includes a 10-lane, 50 metre swimming pool, a family leisure centre with flumes, beach entry and bubble pool, a competition standard climbing wall, a bouldering area, and an aerial assault course. If we tell you that it also has a diving pool and a dry diving training area, it won’t surprise you to learn that Olympic hopeful Tom Daley, a native of the city, has already made the place his training base for London 2012. It’s being mooted as one of the Olympic’s key legacy builds, but why wait for it to be legacy? Catch it now.
The Monster Walk should be an essential piece of kit for anyone interested in speed training and strengthening your core and lower body muscles. And now, thanks to those kind people at Jordan Fitness, you have a chance to win one of your very own. You simply attach the soft cushions at each end of the 30 inch ring to either ankle, choose your level of resistance, and you will find that it restricts you from using momentum on those all important lunges when you are aiming to build up your own speed and agility. The Monster Walk, which comes with its own instructional DVD and brochure by fitness expert Jon Hinds, is also a great way to warm up your muscles to reduce the chance of injury. For your chance to win, simply visit www. alphafitmagazine.co.uk and leave your details on the competition page.
Break the pain down Pain relief sprays usually aim to work just by warming the affected muscle. Voltarol’s new Active 4% Cutaneous Spray aims to go a stage further by including anti-inflammatory ingredients too.
The company claims the spray is currently the only branded spray in the UK to include diclofenac sodium, a proven anti-inflammatory agency. The bottle, which can easily be slipped inside a wash bag, costs £8.99 from leading chemists and some supermarkets. www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 7
Opening
Warm ups The festival that gets you fit
Popping the cherry New market research suggests that the humble cherry may be fast becoming the new superfruit, following in the wake of harder to get hold of items such as the goji berry – and nutritionists say they are not surprised. According to research by Innova Market Insights, cherries featured in 7 per cent of juice drink launches in 2011 – a three per cent rise in just five years.
Everyone loves a summer festival, with its promise of three or four days of indulgence, letting your hair down, and generally having a good time to great music. But such excess is not always, it has to be said, so great for the temple that is your body. It is this year if you are going to the Latitude Festival in Suffolk, as the event has organised a sponsored cycle ride or Tour de Latitude you can do to get you there on the first day, 12 July. You have a choice of three waymarked routes to cycle there: either 113 miles all the way from Hackney in London, or 55 miles starting from Colchester, or 35 miles starting from Ipswich. There are stops every 20 minutes where you can stock up on Marks & Spencers food, and wi-fi so you can text
your mates to say how you are doing. On arrival at the festival site you will also be entitled to a free massage and optional ice bath before heading on down to enjoy the likes of Bon Iver, Elbow, Paul Weller, and many, many more acts. And if you don’t fancy the ride back again, Latitude will also provide you with a bus ticket and bike transfer all the way home. All you have to do to take part is raise £350 which covers the cost of staging the ride and a weekend festival ticket, plus a £60 donation to the Kenyan Orphan Project, which supports vulnerable children in Kenya, and £20 to Julie’s Bicycle, an organisation which aims to promote sustainability within the creative industries. For more information visit www.give2go.co.uk and follow the links.
The company says the drinks makers are cottoning on to the small red fruit’s high antioxidant content, and new research showing that the more tart versions of cherries, such as Montmorency, have qualities that can improve your sleep, reduce inflammation and speed muscle recovery, and possibly even help combat arthritis. US health expert Dr Wendy Bazilian, who helped launch some of the research, said: “The power of this super fruit is clear. The fruit has long been believed to have pain relief benefits, but today there is strong and significant evidence to back this up.”
Meet what you read about You’ve read his advice in articles in this magazine and benefited from them – and now you can get a chance to train with AlphaFit’s very own fitness editor Brendan Chaplin. This July Brendan will be running an intensive six-day ‘Lean Body and Fat Loss Retreat’ at the Natural Restreats lodges overlooking Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales. Those taking part can benefit from his ten yearsplus experience of training Olympic athletes and MMA
fighters with a programme that will include partner drills, kettlebell workouts, core training and circuits using only the great outdoors. They will also be issued with a meal plan and will have the chance to take part in cooking tutorials to learn more about healthy eating. The retreat costs £699 per person and runs from 2 to 7 July. For more information visit www.naturalretreats.com.
Fuel that could go further
nitine tartrate, to help convert body fat into energy and reduce soreness.
Sports nutrition company Kinetica claims the latest addition to its Endurance+ Recovery range aimed specifically at endurance racers goes a little further than many other similar products on the market by offering more than just a caffeine kick. Each 35ml Kinetica Fuel Gel bar includes 27g of rapidly digested carbohydrates, and 81mg of caffeine. But it also includes nutrients such as citrulline melate, to increase energy, tyrosine to increase mental alertness and car-
The bar, which comes in packs of 24, has been developed in consultation with elite sports and nutritionist Mark Lovell. He said: “While many gels in the market provide a caffeine boost, we felt very few provided anything else. Therefore adding some specific amino acids for muscle recovery alongside the carbs and the caffeine adds a new dimension to this product.”
8 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Opening
Warm ups
Thinkstock ©
Kill those snack urges
Snacking through the day could seriously damaged your good plans for nutrition. Here’s how to put a stop to it Do you find yourself snacking through the day when you know you shouldn’t, even sometimes when tonight’s dinner is already cooking nicely in the pan? Then you wouldn’t be alone. According to a survey carried out on behalf of diet plan company Diet Chef, snacking has become such a fundamental part of the way we choose to live that 12 per cent of us would rather snack than have sex. And for men the crunch time (for snacking that is, not necessarily for having sex), is just before dinner. What’s more, as many as one in ten of us would regard a burger or even a pizza as a snack – in other words, something that we would eat in addition to breakfast, lunch and tea. Diet Chef’s chief nutritionist Caron Leckie has some useful tips for how to stop yourself becoming obese this way. 10 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
1. Identify what snacks you want to cut down on by keeping a detailed food diary. 2. Work out where you do most of your snacking – whether it’s your desk at work or your fridge – and then clear that area of any snack material. 3. Work out when you are mostly likely to snack, and why, and get ready to resist temptation at that time. 4. Find healthier alternatives to what you usually snack on. Switch chocolate for a low calorie chocolate drink or crisps for popcorn. 5. Distract yourself at crucial times to take your mind off snacks. Go for a walk, phone a mate, whatever. 6. Avoid tricky situations. If you snack when you go to the sandwich bar at lunchtime, take a packed lunch to work instead. 7. Cut the portions of whatever you snack on. 8. Snack on fruit and vegetables instead and fill up on your five a day. 9. Make small changes – sometimes trying to tackle everything at once can be too hard and you end up bingeing anyway. So if you snack twice a day, cut it down to just once. 10. Don’t forget snacking includes drinks too. Swap fizzy drinks and caramel lattes for green tea and water. These will also keep you better hydrated. Thirst can often be mistaken for hunger. If all that sounds too complicated, you could always follow a Diet Chef diet plan. Visit www.dietchef. co.uk for more information.
Words from an Iron Man How does someone at the top of their game maintain their diet? We spoke to three times Ironman 70.3 UK winner, Fraser Cartmell. 1. I try to ensure that I have a reasonably well balanced diet, including a range of food sources, but due to the nature of long distance triathlon this will always have a top heavy focus on carbs. So foods like cereals, breads, pasta and pizza will feature more regularly in my day-to-day diet during higher volume training. 2. I don’t like to have a ‘ban’ as such on certain foods or treats. Indeed I prefer to take the view that everything is okay in moderation and I think this ensures I don’t get too caught up in watching my diet. If you like to have a glass of wine or beer (or both!), a bar of chocolate or a bit of cake, then include it. Just don’t let it become an everyday occurrence. 3. After a work out or session it’s important to try and refuel as best as possible. This means having a snack (and drink), whenever possible with a 2030 minute window after exercise. I always have a box of Kinetica Crisp Pro bars in my car or kit bag to make sure I at least get something nutritious onboard asap. 4. My general recovery, especially after intense work outs, is vastly improved when I include a recoverytype whey protein shake. 5. Always drink plenty of water throughout the day. We never drink enough I find! Fraser is an ambassador for Kinetica Sports Nutrition.
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Grooming Fashion Nutrtion
Set off the right way
You’re guaranteed with yoga You might think a session of yoga in the morning is way too girly and is the last thing you would want to sacrifice your sleep for. But if you are looking for a mate, you might want to think again. Because research by dating website eHarmony.co.uk shows that yoga is the most popular form of exercise in terms of sex
12 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
appeal – for both sexes. So get out there and find your chakra. The survey on compatibility, which eHarmony claims is the first of its kind in the UK, also suggested that men and women who stay within standard gender stereotypes have more sex appeal. Confidence restored for all you rugby players, then.
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Grooming
Shaving grace The traditional shave is making a comeback. But why should you shell out for one – and how can you recreate the barber shop experience at home? David Lee finds out
I
f you’ve ever had a traditional shave you’ll know there’s nothing quite like it. From the smell of the shaving cream and the feel of the hot towel hitting your face to the unbeatable smoothness of the final results, it’s an unforgettable rite of passage. Plus, there’s something liberating about having someone else do all the work. What is essentially a daily chore turns into a relaxing indulgence. But there’s another benefit to having a traditional wet shave. If you’re observant (and are inquisitive enough to ask a few questions) you can pick up some great tips about technique and then incorporate them into your routine at home. “Men aren’t taught how to shave and so they get it wrong from the start, leaving their first experience a bad one,” says Mark Sproston from Shave Doctor, who runs classes on how to shave with open razors as well as the fundamental basics of getting a close shave. But you don’t have to spend a fortune to experience this time-honoured luxury – with the right equipment and a few tips you can recreate a top-notch traditional shave in the comfort of your own home.
14 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Tools of the trade
For a traditional approach to shaving, kit yourself out with these essential shaving tools.
The hot towel
To prepare your skin for the shave, give yourself a DIY hot towel treatment by dipping a towel into a sink full of hot water, wringing it out and plopping it onto your face for a minute or so. It’s how professionals always kick off a traditional shave. Or you can cheat and prepare the skin with a product like Gillette Series’ 2-in-1 Thermal Face Scrub (£8.09 from www. boots.com), which warms skin on contact, lifts hairs in readiness for cutting and softens stubble in a similar way to a warm towel.
The razor
Razors are a bit like cars – some handle better than others, and driving an Audi Q7 is always going to be better than driving a clapped out old banger. So to groom like a lord invest in a Merkur Vision 2000 Brushed Steel Razor, (£89.99 from nivenandjoshua. com). Like many traditional-style razors it uses a
“butterfly” design head which allows the top to be opened to allow the insertion of double-edged blades. It also allows for the razor blades to be continuously adjusted, ensuing you have total control as you’re shaving. But what about open or ‘cut throat’ razors, you ask? Well, they might be a bit more “trad”, but are probably best left to Sweeney Todd.
The shaving brush
Start by investing in a quality shaving brush like Geo F Trumper’s Super Badger Shaving Brush, (£40 from www.trumpers. com). Not only are they the best way to create a creamy lather, they also help lift your stubble and exfoliate the skin, ridding it of the dead cells which can clog your razor. The best ones are made of badger hair – one of the few animal hairs that holds, rather than repels, moisture. To protect your investment always hang your brush upside down on a brush
START RIGHT Top tips from the Shave Doctor
stand after use. This prevents water seeping into the handle, causing the hairs to rot.
The shave prep
Face the facts: there’s nothing gentlemanly about a cheap own-brand shaving foam, so switch to a traditional shaving cream – they’re richer, creamier and often kinder to the skin. Or use a traditional shaving soap like Geo F Trumper’s Extract of West Indian Limes Shaving Soap (£18 from www.nivenandjoshua.com). Both work brilliantly with shaving brushes.
The balm
A soothing balm is essential for calming irritation, re-hydrating skin and kickstarting the skin’s natural repair process.
For a modern, affordable product with a vintage barber shop feel, go for something like The Real Shave Co’s Soothing Balm (£3.99 from www. waitrose.com).
Alum
Used for centuries as a cheap and effective post-shave healer, alum is a natural crystal with antiseptic and blood clotting (styptic) properties. It heals cuts, closes pores and is proof that sometimes the old ways are still the best ways – especially when it comes to shaving. You can get them in handy ‘matchstick’ form from thelegendsbarbershop. com (£5 for five books).
Want a professional-style shave at home? Then follow Shave Doctor’s Mark Sproston’s top tips: u Prepare! Preparation is key - try heating your face for approximately one minute with a hot flannel before you start your shave. u Massage and scrub: If you suffer from ingrown hairs, use your thumbs in a circular motion to lightly massage the affected area and use a scrub three times a week to help prevent them. u Know where to start – and finish: Always start your shave on the cheeks, shaving down with the grain and take short (approx 2cm) controlled strokes to the jaw line. For the neck, start under the jaw line and shave each side towards the corresponding shoulder (ie the right side of the neck towards the right shoulder), again using approx 2cm strokes. When it comes to the chin you can shave straight down below the jawline. Then move the razor now up to the top of the chin where you will shave across it rather down on it. Complete your shave with the top lip, where stubble is often toughest. Don’t be afraid to re-lather if you have to. u Toughen up: Avoid sensitised skin by increasing your weekly shaves. This will help toughen up the skin by having the blade or blades move over your face and neck on a more regular basis. This prevents a shock reaction as skin will be used to a shaving pattern or routine. u Make time for your shave: Most men who wet shave attack their face and neck at 100mph with the razor, and they usually don’t apply enough lather either, which can lead to problems like razor rash and burn. To get a close shave without discomfort, try and find a little more time by giving yourself an additional five minutes. For more information go to www. shavedoctor.co.uk.
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 15
Grooming
Letting it grow Perhaps you have had enough of the daily razor glide, and fancy a change. Why not? Beards, ‘taches and goatees have never been so popular. But make sure your fuzz looks fantastic with AlphaFit’s ultimate guide to facial hair What’s the best facial hair for you? Take a look at your face in the mirror, decide which shape is you, and follow these guidelines:
Long, thin face
Avoid: Goatees or hairy biker beards which will only add length to your chin. Go for: Moustaches or sideburns: the former will draw attention from the lower half of your face, while the latter will help round out any squareness. If you really want a beard, try leaving the sides slightly fuller than the front. This will fill out your jawline, giving the illusion of a wider face.
Top
trimming
tips
For fine face furniture follow these simple tricks and tips: • Sideburns tend to look best when they end just below the midpoint of your ear. • If you’re growing a beard or moustache start when you go on holiday. By the time you return you’ll be over the unsightly, itchy stage. Okay, perhaps, for the beach, not so good for the office. • Keep things symmetrical. Studies have shown that women find men with symmetrical faces more attractive! • Moisturise. The skin under facial hair can become especially dry, partly because hair tends to wick moisture away from the skin. So when moisturising pay particular attention
16 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Round face
Avoid: Thin moustaches and full beards or any hair around the jawline as these will only make your face look rounder. Go for: A precision-cut goatee or “jazz spot” under your bottom lip. These will optically narrow the face into a point at the chin. But don’t try this if you have several, very obvious chins. It will just draw attention to them.
Square jaw
Avoid: Thick, wide ‘Wolverine’ sideburns. They might look good on Hugh Jackman, but will just make your face look boxier. Go for: A full, rounded beard to soften the squareness of your face.
to the skin under your facial hair, massaging your regular moisturiser in thoroughly with your fingertips. • If you’re planning intricate or fiddly designs, invest in a magnifying shaving mirror which will help you get better accuracy. • Always trim just outside the line of your beard – that leaves you room to tidy it up properly with a razor. • Invest in the right tools. For the ultimate, affordable, multi-functional facial hair trimmer try the Wahl 9916-1117 Groomsman (£15.99 from amazon.co.uk). A rechargeable hair, beard, moustache trimmer set, it pretty much addresses all your facial hair topiary needs. • If you don’t like the colour, dye it! If you’re worried by having a ginger ‘tache or a few stray greys you can easily dye your facial fuzz to match the stuff on your head with Trevor Sorbie Mg beard, Moustache & Sideburn Colour (£7.50 from trevorsorbie. com).
Bald head
Avoid: Full beards and bushy sideburns that have no hairline to emerge from. Too much growth will unbalance the look of your head and you’ll end up looking like Uncle Albert. Go for: Subtle goatees and beards, trimmed short. They won’t look too obvious, but will look modern.
Small chin
Avoid: A moustache. It will act like a roof to your “small house” of a chin and make it look even more recessive. Go for: A sharp, neatly trimmed goatee or full beard - both will draw out the chin, A goatee, especially, will draw the eyes upwards away from a non-existent chin. But keep it neat and tidy.
Precision tooling You might find that the morning shave has become a misery because of inadequate products that seem designed for the bum fluff brigade. You end up feeling like your face is on fire, or you have to put up with a five o’clock shadow appearing before lunch. So step forward the Bluebeard’s Revenge razor. It’s a crisp, classic design brought up to date with the benefit of precision engineering and modern manufacturing. In other word’s it’s a solid, hefty, handful of shaving equipment fit for use by real men. And it’s £34.99 from www.shavingshack.com.
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Fashion
Shirts
you can
show off
You’ve got the muscle definition, now to find the shirt to show it all off. Ali Schofield picks out some of the season’s best
with
Y
ou’ve been training all winter, the sun has (albeit sporadically) put its hat on and you want a few good shirts to show off your hard work over summer. But how? Stripes are still big news on the high street and worth a look if you want to draw attention to your top half; these Etro and Polo Ralph Lauren ones are classy versions and we can’t talk stripes without including the Paul Smith classic. Denim is enjoying a moment, while the old faithful check shirt has enjoyed a few updates this season, too: choose a wide check for maximum muscle flattering.
Austin Reed Luxury navy linen large check
Etro Varied stripe shirt
£79.90
£140
www.austinreed.co.uk
18 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
As for how to wear them, a pushed up sleeve and a couple of buttons undone at the chest - no more than three, you’re not the Hoff – will highlight bulging biceps and perfect pecs. But don’t be tempted to buy a size smaller – you’ll just look silly. Instead search out ‘slim fit’ cuts and brands known for their figurehugging styles, like Vivienne Westwood MAN. A granddad collar shirt widens the neck and begs to be unbuttoned – our favourite is this one from Reiss, perfect with sand chinos and deck shoes. Now repeat after us: I will never, but never, take my shirt off in a busy street.
www.harveynichols.com
START RIGHT Diesel Sdanyx checked shirt
Vivienne Westwood Polo
£130
www.viviennewestwood. co.uk
£115
www.harveynichols .com
Reiss O Brian gingham granddad shirt
Polo Ralph Lauren Custom fit shirt £95
£69
www.harveynichols.com
www.reissonline.com
Paul Smith Signature Stripe slim fit
Givenchy Neon tip shirt
£150
www.harveynichols.com
£155
www.paulsmith.co.uk
McQ Alexander McQueen Gingham shirt
D&G Brad denim shirt
£185
www.harveynichols.com
£180
www.harveynichols.com
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 19
Supplements
Sleep that’s sound You work out, you play hard. So if you aren’t getting the kind of sleep you deserve, follow David Stache’s advice on which supplements – if any – might solve the problem
A
ny longstanding gym goer will often quote you the following: “Weight training is 30 per cent gym, 70 per cent diet. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” As someone who works in the field of nutrition you might expect me to be sat nodding my head at such a statement. But I don’t. Yes, the claim holds a lot of truth and nutrition is more important than gym time, but it doesn’t paint the whole picture. In fact, it misses the third key component of looking good, performing better and leading a healthier life: rest and in particular a good sleep.
When people think about improving their health, it is exercise and diet they focus on, in the same way that most young men see the gym and protein powder as being synonymous. Rarely do people think about how the quality and quantity of their sleep affects their health or results from the gym (and from the kitchen, for that matter).
Image: Thinkstock ©
But this is definitely an area you should address because poor quality sleep has been shown to affect your results. In fact, research published earlier this year has shown that sleep variability is an independent risk factor for weight gain. And there are many other reasons why you should be looking to improve your sleep, including: • Poor sleep lowers testosterone, DHEA and growth hormone levels • Lack of sleep can lower your sex drive • It can also affect your memory.
20 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
As a final parting, shot, here’s a take home message: if you are having trouble sleeping make sure you get in to a good routine and try to de-stress before going to bed. If you are having long term sleeping problems then consulting your doctor should be your first port of call. But if you can relate to some of the issues highlighted in this article then the supplements listed could help you with better quality sleep. That in turn will give your health a boost and help you perform better in the gym. Follow David on Twitter @ totalbd or on his website www. totalbodydevelopment.co.uk.
START RIGHT 5-HTP This compound is derived from the amino acid L-Tryptophan which is a supplement also used to enhance mood. It works by crossing the blood-brain barrier and increasing the neurotransmitter serotonin, which your brain needs to regulate sleep activity. An interesting point of note is that while melatonin (a hormone we produce naturally) was banned in supplement form in the UK in 1995, 5-HTP also promotes the release of melatonin from the pineal gland which assists in regulating the sleep cycle. Lamberts 5-HTP is one that I usually recommend as it is 100mg per tablet compared to most which are 50mg.
Little helpers Aside from the obvious advice of bed time rituals there are supplements on the market which you can use to improve your sleep. These, it must be said, are not solutions to serious sleep disorders and should not be used in that way. So if you have periods of very poor sleep you should consult your doctor. If however you are looking for better quality sleep then here are my top three recommended supplements currently on the market.
Valerian root
Magnesium
If you have trouble nodding off then this may be the one for you. Valerian Root is thought to increase gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA) which in turn calms your brain down as it is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter – its main function is to reduce brain activity. Nature’s Aids’ ‘SleepEezy’ is a product I highly recommend.
This primarily helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function. If they aren’t working properly, you can become stressed and nervy which is not ideal for a good night’s sleep. Magnesium has a calming affect on the nervous system. There have been many research studies which have looked at the benefits of supplementing with magnesium on a better night’s sleep. The more exercise you do – and you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t doing quite a bit – the more magnesium you need.
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 21
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work workouts dinner
WORK RIGHT Getting yo u through your day Why forget when you can remember? If, like many people, you have difficulty remembering what you need to do each working day, how do you make yourself remember? Cover your PC in Post-It notes that the cleaners throw away? Text in a to do list on your smartphone only for the thing to go dead? Well you could always try remembering things more effectively. It’s not as hard as it sounds. Just ask Gianni Golfera. He’s an Italian memory expert who over the years has learnt by heart the contents of some 261 books, including complex philosophical treatises dating back to the Italian Renaissance. The Sunday Times dubbed him “Signor Memory”. His method depends partly on you associating items on your list with images that are Exaggerated, involve Movement, have a Bizarre Association for you, and most importantly a Sentimental Involvement (just think of the acronym EMBASI), and then linking them together. So say, for example, one morning you have to check your email before telephoning a Mr Handelson, then finish a project, then reorganise a filing cabinet, then read an article before getting a round of croissants for everyone (quite a handful). You would imagine a computer with a giant envelope coming out of the screen (email), which suddenly grows hands (Mr Handelson). These hands would be holding a ruler and compass (project) which you would then put neatly back in a drawer (filing cabinet). When you shut one drawer, another one would open and a newspaper would float out (article), which would be holding the croissants. Simple, really, don’t you think? Golfera will be unveiling these and other pearls of wisdom at a series of seminars in London later this year. For more details visit www.thebestyoucanbe.org.
24 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Make
best friends with
strangers
WorkIssues
26 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
The approach of summer in the business world usually entails an increase in networking events. If such a prospect scares you, Peter Baber shows you how to overcome your inner critic and be the star of the show
I
t’s true: there are actually people out there who genuinely relish being in a room full of strangers making small talk for hours. But they are nowhere near as numerous as you would think, and I am guessing, if you are still reading this article, that you are not one of them. Yet such networking parties have undoubtedly become the crucial way of doing business in today’s economy. And if you have a boss, you can bet this year’s bonus that some time in this party season he or she is going to expect you to go to such a function and win some crucial business. You could be cynical and say how silly it is that business could ever be conducted according to who you happened to share a canapé
with, but if business should never have anything to do with human interaction why do millions of us come into the office every day? In any case, if you’re honest with yourself, isn’t such prevarication just another way of allowing the inner critic inside you to persuade you not to go because you’re not good enough? Thought so. Well, if that inner critic comes up with any of the following reasons for being afraid, here’s how to silence it.
1) I am new to the industry, and no one will know me. This applies to many people at different points in their career. But as Woody Allen once said: “80 per cent of success is just turning up.” And it’s easy to see why. Even if people don’t meet you, they will notice your name on the attendance list. If you really won’t know anyone there, one tactic is to turn up early. That way people coming in are obliged to talk to you. And if you are new, you are bound to be the subject of some interest.
2) I will look conspicuous standing on my own. Only if you constantly make a beeline for closed groups of people usually standing in a circle. Aim instead for a situation where two people are standing with a opening. That’s a cue for you to ask if you can introduce yourself. Only the rudest person will say no.
WORK RIGHT
3) I will embarrass myself by saying the wrong things. Veteran networkers say networking is more about listening than it is about you talking. You want to be remembered afterwards, and the easiest way to do that is to come across as a caring, sympathetic person. “Ask about them all the time,” says Di Burton, a PR agency head who is just one of those networkers, “But don’t necessarily shy away from talking about something that makes them uncomfortable.” Exploring such issues could be a way for you to find how your business could help theirs – at a later date. If the subject does come around to you, it’s always helpful to include a minimal amount of personal information which you could even rehearse beforehand. But not too much. Will Kintish, who runs an agency that trains people in how to network, says: “Never ask: ‘Are you married?’ or ‘Do you have children?’ If you are married or have children mention them, and you normally find the other person volunteering their situations.”
Kintish has a cunning ruse for how to save yourself in such a situation. You point to a group over in the corner and say: “Why don’t we go and mingle and meet some others? That
5) Someone will try the hard sell on me, or will expect me to do that No they won’t, and no you shouldn’t. Burton says this is where many newcomers to networking make a mistake. “Networking is never about selling,” she says. “You follow through with that the next day.”
6) The one person I have been told to make contact with will always be mobbed. It’s often the way, isn’t it? Your boss will have told you that you absolutely have to talk to so and so, only so and so is always talking to someone else. Well, there are at least two ways out of this situation. Burton says wait until the target person is on the point of leaving, and then collar them. “Just briefly explain who you are,” she says, “make eye contact - perhaps this is the one occasion when you can do a mini sales pitch and just say: ‘May I ring you?’”
There is a second way, however – provided you do your homework. Towler says that if he needs to speak to someone in the room he suspects will be mobbed, he first finds out if there is anyone else in the room who might know the person. “Then get them to introduce them for you,” he says. So you see? A roomful of strangers isn’t necessarily the friendless intimidating place you might have thought it was. In fact, Towler says your attitude can make all the difference. “If you remember that everyone is there to do business like you,” he says, “you will generally feel more relaxed yourself.” You never know, you may even start thinking that it was worth coming along for after all. Seriously worth it. Kintish says that’s where the party poopers lose out. “Often we get into situations where we take the easy way out and do nothing,” he says. “I say: ‘If you don’t ask the question, you don’t give the other person an opportunity to say yes.” For more tips on networking, visit Will Kintish’s website at www.kintish.co.uk. Image: Thinkstock ©
4) I will get stuck with someone totally boring who won’t leave my side.
group over there look nice.” Then once introductions are done, you can slip away. The important thing in such situations is that you should never leave anyone on their own. James Towler, a partner at a law firm who goes networking at least once a week, says that really isn’t the done thing. “Introduce them to someone else who may be on their own. Then you can leave.”
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 27
W
ant to have a workout session that is awesome for fat loss? Try metabolic resistance training (MRT). It’s a bit of a mouthful, we admit, but it is literally the top of the tree when it comes to stripping body fat fast. MRT is essentially the same thing as circuit training, or using weights in grouped sets of exercises with short rest periods in between. This generates a high metabolic effect during and after your exercise session. You can give your session a strength focus or a more conditioning focus depending on the reps and exercises you select, but both methods will increase your metabolic rate at rest – and that helps you swing the energy in/ energy out balance in your favour. In terms of what works best for burning calories during exercise, the hierarchy goes something like this: 1. Metabolic resistance training (circuits with weights) 2. High intensity interval training (sprint training, flat out bursts with short or equal rests) 3. Aerobic interval training (with longer periods of work compared to rest)
28 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
First circuit
Lunchtime workout
GET SLIM SWIFTER
1A. Heavy dumbbell bench press • Lie on a bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor. • Lower the dumbbells under control until parallel with your chest. • Press the dumbbells powerfully back to the start position. • Tense your core as you press and avoid arching your back.
Press ups
3 Sets of 8 reps
OR
• Assume a regular press-up position with your hands directly under your shoulders and feet hip distance apart. • Lower your chest to the floor, keeping your elbows tucked tight to your sides. • Press back up to the starting position powerfully and fully extend your arms. • Keep a tight core throughout the full set and don’t let your hips drop.
3 Sets of 10 reps
1B. Burpees • Squat down so your hands are outside your feet. • Jump your feet backwards so that you are in a press up position. • Jump your feet inwards to between your hands. • Jump vertically as high as you can and land in the starting position.
3 Sets of 15 reps
The best way to strip off fat is to follow a workout that is based on metabolic resistance training. Brendan Chaplin and James Dugdale explain. 1C. Front Plank • From a press up position, lower yourself so you are supported by your elbows and toes. • Tighten your core and hold yourself flat for 30 seconds. Don’t let your hips drop below parallel or pike up into the air.
SECOND circuit
3 Sets of 30 reps
2A. Heavy Goblet Squats
3 Sets of 12 reps
• Hold a dumbell a couple of inches from your chest with your palms facing up. Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and turn your toes slightly out. • Sit your hips back and squat down until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Place all your weight through your heels. • Keep your chest up and bring your elbows inside your knees. • Push powerfully through your heels to the start position and squeeze your glutes at the top of the lift. • If you prefer you can do this without the weight.
5. Incidental exercise (walking to work, up the stairs etc) This means that if you need to get the most out the three to four hours you dedicate each week to exercise, MRT will get you the best results in stripping fat and staying lean. Your metabolic rate will be ramped up during your workout, and then the lean muscle mass you build or maintain will keep your metabolism high long after. So here’s the session. You can do this two to three times per week for three to four weeks. It should take you no more than around 40 minutes. Warm-up and cool down for 5-10 minutes on a treadmill at steady state to get the blood flowing and then perform 5 minutes of dynamic stretching.
2B. Side planks • Lying on your side, place your weight on your forearm and the side of your foot. • Push your hips upwards so that you have a flat body line from shoulder to heel. Make sure your chest and hips are square and not rotated downwards.
4. Steady state cardio (your average treadmill jog or bike)
3 reps each side 30 seconds each time
As you’ll see, we’ve put some of the exercises together – as, for example, 1A, 1B, 1C. This is so you can complete these as a mini-circuit before moving on to the next set of exercises. Images: Brian Roberts ©
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 29
Lunchtime workout 2C. 1,2,3,4 Core • Assume a regular press up position with your arms directly under your shoulders. • In turn, raise each hand off the floor for 2 seconds. Then do the same with each foot. Keep your core tight and do not wobble or rotate. For better balance try spreading your weight over a larger base by widening your feet.
3 sets of 4 reps on all 4 limbs
THIRD circuit
3A. Bent over rows • Holding a barbell or 2 dumbbells, bend over and push your hips back. Your torso should be virtually horizontal to the floor. Slightly widen your stance for balance and look straight ahead • Keeping your elbows close to your body, row the barbell or dumbbell up and touch your lower chest. • Lower under control to the start position. Avoid bouncing or rotating.
3 Sets of 8 reps
Once you have done this, you should finish with the 100 rep challenge. This comprises:
3B. Dumbbell overhead press
30 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
3 Sets of 10 reps
Keep a check on your progress with our workout tables on p65 and follow the authors on Twitter @brendanchaplin, and @jamesdugdale.
Images: Brian Roberts ©
• Standing tall, hold two dumbbells on top of your shoulders with your palms facing towards each other. • Press the dumbbells directly overhead and extend your arms fully. • Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders under control and repeat. Avoid arching your back or leaning as you press overhead. • As an alternative, you can squat down to do this exercise. Remember to brace your elbows into your sides as you go down, and keep your chest up and weight through your heels.
• 20 Burpees • 20 Jump Squats • 20 Press ups • 20 Dumbbell rows on each arm • 20 Goblet squats Aim to finish this as fast as you can.
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Images: Thinkstock ©
EasyDinners
All Mighty Cod There’s a good reason why cod is a familiar ingredient in any bodybuilder’s diet: it’s packed with good stuff. And no, says David Stache, it doesn’t have to be bland.
32 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
WORK RIGHT
W
hen I was given the brief for this month’s Easy Dinners I rolled my eyes and recalled back to a semi-famous young bodybuilder from Barrow-in-Furness and his scintillating explanation of how he kept in tip-top form. His words are still ringing in my ears: “Erm, fish… and rice cake, fish, then later fish, and, erm, rice cakes.” If you have no idea what I’m talking about have a look on YouTube for (you guessed it) “fish and rice cake”. The young lad did a good job of summarising just how cod is perceived and used by trainers – and the rest of us. It is a great source of lean protein which is why it is used so often by people who are dieting, or training up for a photoshoot or bodybuilding show. Other than that you only really find it battered and served with chips and a side of mushy peas – although not here at AlphaFit obviously. Cod is certainly known as being mild flavoured or bland if we’re being blunt, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the way you choose to cook it has to be uninteresting, as I hope you’ll agree from the recipes we have chosen this month. They should certainly knock out the idea of battered cod. But firstly let’s have a look at why you should include cod in your diet. The key reasons are the macronutrient profile, along with a high protein content. It has little fat (and the fat it does contain is the healthy Omega-3 variety) and zero carbohydrates, along with a good amino acid profile. No wonder this is a food well suited for building lean muscle. Cod is also a rich source of vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, both of which are beneficial for keeping homocystene levels low in the body. This is good because homocystene is a molecule capable of damaging the walls of blood vessels in the body and high levels can be attributed to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Another B vitamin found in high amounts in cod is niacin, which plays a significant role in controlling cholesterol levels in the body by lowering the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). So there you have it: a lean protein source that will protect the heart. Good enough reasons for you to try the recipes here.
Keep it sustainable Just a quick word about sourcing your ingredients. Cod was once plentiful in the North Sea. But over-fishing has seriously damaged stocks, as we hear virtually daily in the news. You wouldn’t want your hard grind at building up muscle to lead to the disappearance of what was once one of Britain’s commonest fish.
Recipes Poached cod on asparagus • • • • • • • • • • • •
1 lemon, divided 300 ml dry white wine 2 tsp cornflour 1 tbsp thinly sliced shallot 1 bay leaf 5 whole black peppercorns 600g cod, cut into 4 equal portions 4 sprigs fresh tarragon 600g asparagus trimmed 150ml water 2 tbsp butter Salt and pepper
Juice half the lemon into a small saucepan – reserve the other half. Whisk in the wine and cornflour until combined. Add the shallot, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by about half. This should
Such a scenario is hardly likely to be the fault of just one person, obviously, but you can do your bit to preserve stocks by only buying fish from sustainable sources. Look for fish which comes from fisheries that have been accredited by the Marine Stewardship Council. For more information visit www. msc.org. take 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle cod with salt and pepper. Place a tarragon sprig on each portion. Thinly slice the remaining lemon half and lay the slices over the tarragon. Place the asparagus in an even layer in a large frying pan. Add the water. Place the cod on top of the asparagus. Bring to a boil over a medium heat. Cover and cook until the asparagus is tender and the fish is cooked through – which should be 4 to 5 minutes. Strain the reduced sauce through a sieve into a bowl. Return it to the pan. Over a low heat, swirl butter into the sauce 1 tbsp at a time until melted. Stir in a pinch of salt and remove from the heat. Serve the fish and asparagus topped with the sauce.
Nutrition information
Per serving: 228 calories; 7 g fat ( 4 g sat , 2 g mono ); 61 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 25 g protein; 2 g fiber; 395 mg sodium; 747 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Folate (34% dv), Vitamin C (22% dv), Potassium & Vitamin A (21% dv).
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 33
EasyDinners
Pan fried wasabi cod
Paleo Fish and Chips
This is an excellent dish for impressing a date.
Not fish and chips as you know it, but a healthy version and minus the starchy chips, replaced with a healthier and more filling steamed broccoli.
225g jasmine rice 125g frozen peas 150g bag herb salad Juice of 1 lemon 5 tbsp olive oil 1½ tbsp wasabi paste, to taste 2 sushi nori seaweed sheets (we used Yutaka) • 4 x 200g skinless cod loin fillets • Pickled ginger, to serve • • • • • • •
Put the rice in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the peas and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the rice and peas are tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Once drained thoroughly, put into a large bowl with the salad. Toss together. Meanwhile, make a quick dressing by whisking the lemon juice, olive oil and wasabi paste. Set aside. Roughly crush the seaweed sheets and use them to coat the cod fillets. Heat the remaining olive oil in a non-stick pan and cook the cod over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning, until opaque and cooked. Transfer to plates, along with the rice and pea salad. Drizzle with the wasabi dressing and serve with pickled ginger.
Nutrition information
Images: Thinkstock ©
Per portion: Protein 40gg, Carbohydrates 18g, fat 20.2g (of which saturates 2g) calories 364.6kcals
34 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
• • • • •
500g cod, sliced 1-2 tsp dried dill 1-2 tsp sea salt 1 egg, beaten Coconut oil
On a plate, blend the coconut oil, salt and dill with a fork. Add enough coconut oil to a frying pan on medium heat to cover the entire bottom with oil, and then add extra oil that will be absorbed by the fish sticks. Dip the cut fish into the egg. Redip the fish in the flour mixture and then place it in the heated pan. Serve with steamed broccoli sticks, not potato chips!
Nutrition information
Protein: 107g, Carbohydrates: 39.4g Fat: 126g (of which saturates 12g) Calories: 1719 (serves 4)
Cod With Pine Nut Brown Butter and Garlicky Spinach • • • •
1 tbsp butter 3 tbsp pine nuts 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 4 cod or sole fillets (weighing about 100g each)
• 3 tsp olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 2 200g packages fresh spinach, washed and trimmed • Lemon wedges • Salt and pepper Melt the butter in a large, heavy nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the nuts and 2 tbsp of the lemon juice, and stir. Cook for 1 minute or until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Add 2 tsp of the oil to a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fish and cook for 2 minutes each side until it flakes. Transfer to a plate and place the nuts on top of fish. Put a tent of foil over it to keep it warm. Wipe the frying pan clean with a paper towel. Warm the remaining 1 tsp oil over a medium heat. Add the garlic and spinach. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring until the spinach wilts. Add the remaining lemon juice and cook 1 minute to blend the flavours. Place the spinach on a fresh plate, top with the fish, and serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition information
Calories per serving: 239, Fat per serving: 12g, Saturated fat per serving: 3g, Monosaturated fat per serving: 5g, Polyunsaturated fat per serving: 3g, Protein per serving: 27g, Carbohydrates per serving: 8g, Fibre per serving: 3g, Cholestrol per serving: 61mg, Iron per serving: 5mg, Sodium per serving: 329mg, Calcium per serving: 160mg Follow David on Twitter @totalbd or on his website www. totalbodydevelopment.co.uk.
WORK RIGHT Served right, cod is far from bland
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 35
Full Body Blowout
The summer is coming and many people are getting ready to hit the beach. So it’s time to build some lean muscle mass and arm yourself with a body that will turn heads. But if you think that the way to do that quickly is to isolate your muscles with loads of high reps in hopes of getting jacked, you are set for disappointment. Sure, you will put on some muscle but this will be what’s referred to as non-functional hypertrophy or sarcoplasmic. What you will be growing is the non-contractile proteins and plasma that surrounds the muscle, not the muscle fibres themselves. To ensure you have the muscle and the hustle, your main focus should be on functional hypertrophy, or sarcomere, which is the enlargement of the contractile apparatus within the muscle fibres which contribute to force and power. To get bigger, faster and stronger functional,
36 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
»
Want to build muscle mass you can show off this summer? Then don’t get sidetracked – just follow the programme Brendan Chaplin and Danny Hague have devised
session a
»
Rack up real muscle
A1. Front squat
Hold an Olympic barbell in a clean grip position. Keep your chest up and elbows high, and brace the core. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with slight out-toeing. Simultaneously flex at the hips, knees and ankles and descend until the top of your thigh is at least parallel with the floor. Your weight should be toward the back of your feet here. Drive through your hips, keeping chest up, and stand back up squeezing the glutes to ensure full lock out. Avoid leaning back.
B2. Dumbbell row
Start bent over with a dumbbell in one hand, with the other hand on a bench and your feet shoulder width apart. Push your hips back so your back is flat and parallel to the floor. Brace your core and row the dumbbell to your hip. Make sure you keep it close to your side and ensure full retraction through the shoulder blade. Lower under control and repeat. Avoid any rotation through the lower back.
4 Sets of 5 reps
4 Sets of 5 reps
each arm
A2. Dumbbell walking lunges
Hold a dumbbell by your side. Brace your core. Take a large forward step and flex at the ankle, knee and hip. Keep your chest up, your core braced and a tall posture. Lower under control until your back knee nearly touches the floor. Repeat with other leg. 4 Sets of 8 reps
B3. Swiss ball rollouts
Kneel down in front of the Swiss ball and put your hands palms down on top of it. Contract your glutes and keep your hips extended. Brace your core and push forward, keeping your arms straight to the point where your body is nearly parallel to the floor. Stay braced throughout and avoid arching your lower back. You should be like an ironing board here. Pull with your core back to the start position.
each leg
B1. Chins
Grab a chin up bar using an underhand grip (palms facing you). Keep your chest out, shoulders retracted and brace your core. Using your back muscles, pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar. Lower under control and repeat 4 Sets of 5 reps
3 Sets of 10 reps
C1. Shoulder Shocker
Start kneeling with two dumbbells by your sides - you don’t need much weight here. FRONT RAISE The first 8 reps should be a front raise: raise the dumbbells in front of body to shoulder level, then return to the start position. SIDE RAISE For the second 8 reps do a side raise: with thumbs pointing up, raise the dumbbells out to the sides and slightly out in front. Lower under control. REVERSE RAISE: For the last 8 reps lean forwards with thumbs pointing up, bring your arms to the sides and pinch your shoulder blades together. Lower and repeat.
3 Sets of 24 reps 8 front raise, 8 side raise, 8 reverse raise
A2. Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
Stand with your feet slightly narrower than hip width apart, with a dumbbell in each hand, and your palms facing your thighs. Bend your knees slightly and push your shoulders back. Push your hips back and slide the dumbbells down the front of your legs as far as your hamstrings will let you for 3 seconds. Drive your hips powerfully forward to return to standing.
C2. TRX Row
Hold the handles of a suspension trainer in a neutral position with a nice inverted lean of your whole body. Keep your entire body straight. Contract your glutes and brace your core. Using your back muscles, pull yourself toward the anchor point of the suspension trainer. Finish with shoulder blades retracted. Lower yourself under control and repeat.
4 Sets of 10 reps
B1. Barbell Military Press 3 Sets of 12 reps
»
»
session B
A1. Trap Bar Deadlift
Using a trap or hex bar step inside the bar with your feet shoulder width apart. Grab the handles hard, lift your chest and retract and depress your shoulder blades. There should be a slight arch in your low back and your hips should be higher than your knees. Brace your core and take the tension of the bar. Drive through your mid foot, keeping your chest up and stand up with the bar. Make sure your knees drive outward to avoid any knee cave in. Reverse the motion and lower under control. If you don’t have access to a trap bar you could do rack pulls. Set up a straight bar in a rack so the bar sits an inch below the knees, then follow the cues above.
4 Sets of 5 reps
B2. Narrow Grip Pushups with a Pause
Start in a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders and feet shoulder width apart. Lower under control for 5 seconds until your chest touches the floor, then pause for 2 seconds and extend through your arms to return to the start position. Ensure you brace your core and keep the hips and shoulders in line throughout.
A muscle will increase in size relative to the load that is placed upon it pretty obvious really. But that means the body must be under mechanical loading to force tension on the muscles so that they grow and become stronger. Think of an equation that is roughly the time the muscle spends under tension multiplied by the external load on that muscle. That equation is the key to hypertrophy and either of its parts can be manipulated to create a hypertrophy response. That’s the science part over. Now for the practicalities. This programme will focus on heavy strength and hypertrophy supersets to stimulate the higher threshold motor units that increase force production or muscle size. It will end with some volume finishers that will increase the time under tension placed on the muscle to improve strength endurance and muscle mass. To ensure this programme gets the muscle building response you need, make sure you are getting adequate sleep (that means eight hours) and eating a clean diet that consists of four to five meals of lean proteins, fibrous carbohydrate (vegetables, fruits) and healthy fats (oily fish, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, omega 3 oils). A good ratio for putting on muscle, assuming you are already lean, is 3g per kg of your body weight in protein, 5g per kg of carbs and 1g per kg of fats. This is a three day a week programme with two sessions, workout A and workout B. Follow this for four weeks, In Week 1 you should do sessions in an ABA format and in Week 2 in a BAB and you should repeat this sequence for the final two weeks. Remember too that we have divided up the sessions into supersets that we have identified with different letters. So, for example, in Session A you should perform the first exercise, the Front Squat, and then move directly onto the next, the Dumbbell Walking Lunge, then rest after that and then repeat for the given number of sets before moving on to the exercises in Group B.
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 37
Images: Brian Roberts ©
4 Sets of 5 reps
Hold an Olympic barbell across your shoulders in the clean grip position. Perform a quarter squat, then dip, drive and forcefully press the barbell to the ceiling. Punch your head through so your biceps finish by your ears. Maintain a braced core and nice tall posture. Finish with your glutes tight and hips extended. Lower under control and repeat.
hypertrophy is the way to go.
C2. Dumbbell Curl to Press Start with your chest out, holding two dumbbells by your sides. Curl the weight to your shoulders and press the dumbbells overhead until your biceps are by your ears. Lower under control for a count of 4 and repeat.
4 Sets of 8 reps
B3: Aleknas
Lie face up with your arms and legs extended. Keeping your head and shoulders down, pull your knees into your chest while reaching over with your arms to grasp your shins. Slowly extend legs and arms back to the start position for a count of 2 seconds. Try not to drop your hands and feet to the floor once you have started.
4 Sets of 10 reps
3 Sets of 8 reps
C1. Dumbbell/Kettlebell Reverse Lunge
Start with your chest out, holding two dumbbells by your sides. Curl the weight to your shoulders and press the dumbbells overhead until your biceps are by your ears. Lower under control for a count of 4 and repeat. 3 Sets of 8 reps
Keep a check on your progress with our workout tables on page 65. Follow our authors on Twitter @brendanchaplin and @dannyhague.
38 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
D1. Dumbbell tricep extension to pullover combo
Lie supine on the floor. Holding two dumbbells with your arms extended above your chest, keep your elbows fixed and curl your lower arms until the dumbbells touch your shoulders. For the first 8 reps, extend your arms forcefully back to the start and repeat. Next, pin both dumbbells together, keeping your arms straight with a slight elbow bend. Reach over your head until the dumbbells touch the floor. Pull your arms back over to the start position and repeat 8 times. For the final 8 reps, lower the dumbbells slowly to your sides and press back up to the start position.
3 Sets of 24 reps 8 reps of each exercise for each arm
Images: Brian Roberts Š
Full Body Blowout
(continued) B2. Narrow Grip Pushups with a Pause
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ExpertAdvice
Ask Brendan
AlphaFit’s fitness editor answers more of your questions a narrow grip push-up challenge and try to get 60 quality reps as fast as you can. As for biceps, the best exercise for building big guns is actually weighted chins! Now go and get training.
Warm up for real
Is there an optimum time that I should spend warming up before I start my workout? James, Cambridge
More tri, less bi
I have spent a lot of time building up my biceps, but a mate has just told me I would be much better off trying to bulk up my triceps instead, as that is a much more bulky muscle. Is he right? What triceps exercises would you recommend? Luke, Warminster Brendan: That’s a great question. Most people do spend far too much time on bicep training and not nearly enough on their triceps. Think of it as roughly two third to one third triceps/biceps in terms of mass. That means that two thirds of your arm training time should go on triceps and one third on your biceps. That’s the first point to make. The second point is that most people think that it’s all about the burn, and so do crazy drop sets and high rep stuff in the hope that some fibres will be stressed and your arms get bigger. While the ‘pump’ feels and looks good at the time, it probably isn’t doing much in terms of actually building and growing your arms at all. In fact, the best way to get bigger arms is heavy weight, low rep movements. Try doing the following exercise routine to build your tris: Heavy close grip bench press – 5 sets of 4 reps Heavy weighted dips – 4 sets of 8 Dumbbell pullovers – 3 sets of 12 Tricep skullcrushers – 3 sets of 6. If you want to burn out at the end do
Brendan: The optimum time depends on your training goals, but let me tell you this: it’s not about a few arm circles and a set of push-ups. Your warm-up should actually make you move better, improve your power and strength output, and protect against injury. So a good 10 minutes is important if you’re looking to get the most from your session. Start with a general warm-up to raise the heart rate, something like a steady jog for 3-5 minutes, then do some dynamic flexibility work that is specific to your session to follow. So if you are doing squats in your main session, you need to be doing hip mobility work in your warm-up, then finish with some power work to help you stay sharp for the main session. So power push-ups, jump squats, short sprints and so on are all good choices to conclude your warm-up.
Hairs on the chest
I have heard that porridge is an ideal slow-release carbohydrate to eat in the morning before a workout. Is this true, and what does it mean? Simon, Ealing Brendan: Slow release carbs are basically carbs that take more effort by the body to breakdown and digest, therefore they release their energy progressively over time. Sugary carbs in comparison give your body a rush of
energy instantaneously, followed usually by a crash in energy straight after. Porridge is a good example of a slow release carb and would certainly be a good choice for breakfast. But don’t use instant porridge like Ready Brek, as this is packed with sugar and will give you an instant rush of energy. Use large porridge oats, throw in some pumpkin seeds, blueberries and a scoop of protein powder and you’ve got a good breakfast. Don’t add any sugar or syrup to it. Stay away from sugary foods such as Coco Pops and most other breakfast cereals. These won’t do you any good.
Can I do what you do?
I like the idea of being a fitness trainer or coach. I have a sports background and would love to work with sports people. Have you any tips on getting into this industry? Paul, Portsmouth Brendan: If you’re looking to work with athletes you would want to train as a strength and conditioning coach, not a fitness trainer. The best way to do this is go through UKSCA (www. uksca.org.uk) which runs courses and programmes to accredit coaches. You also need to get some experience in the field, so offer your services for free to sports clubs and athletes who may benefit from your help. Then I would go and learn from experienced and practising coaches to see how the job is actually done in the real world. This will give you the best idea of how to get where you want to be. There are also some great personal trainers out there too and I would spend time with local PTs to see if this appeals to you as well. If you want more info on this I wrote a 3 part blog series on getting into the industry that you can check out on my website at www.brendanchaplin.co.uk.
Have you any questions for our fitness editor about your workout or nutrition? Email them to Brendan@alphafitmagazine.co.uk, and we’ll try and feature them. 40 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
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HEALTH FRIENDS LOVE LIFE
LIVE RIGHT Make the m ost of wha t’s
BLISS WITH A BARBIE Even the nation’s dormice are probably aware by now that there is some kind of an important jubilee celebration happening at the start of June this year. But even if you are not an enthusiastic royalist, the approach of summer after one of the wettest Aprils on record should be more than enough reason to get out the barbecue and invite a few friends around. Not for nothing has the week from 28 May to 3 June been christened National Barbecue Week. Barbecues can be a healthy choice (as long as you steer clear of the dodgy burgers) and are – just – still a preserve of the male. Some 51 per cent of
42 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
men currently admit to leading a barbecue, compared with 49 per cent of women. You might think (as a round of celebrity chefs do) that only charcoal barbies make the man. But after you have tried lighting the **** thing for the third time, you might also find yourself among the 49 per cent of barbecue users who have gone for gas instead. And did you know this? Barbecuing is one thing we absolutely trash the Germans in. Despite the inclement UK weather, for the last three years more British households have held barbecues over the summer than our German rivals. That’s something to mull over with a Stella.
left
Health
Snuff out summer Early summer means outdoor joy for some, but sniffing misery for many, many others. Karen Laing looks at what you can do to minimise your hayfever
That’s never exactly a pleasant situation to be in. So if, like an estimated 20 per cent of the UK population, those little red meteorologist pollen counters spell misery to your nasal passages, just how can you survive summer without a case of grass flu?
What is hayfever?
Hayfever is a form of allergic rhinitis, where the allergen is pollen. According to Allergy UK, hayfever occurs when the body produces the allergic antibody immunoglobin E (IgE) in reaction to an allergen. This triggers the body to produce chemicals which create the tell-tale itchy eyes, stuffy nose, itchy throat and dripping mucus. Put simply, the body’s immune system over-reacts to pollen spores. According to Worcester University’s National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit (NPARU), 95 per cent of 44 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Thinkstock ©
W
hen it comes to summer, the population is roughly divided into those who love to throw the windows open and welcome the pollen and those who hermit themselves into the nearest uncontaminated, air-conditioned, haven with a packet of Kleenex and a nasal spray.
hayfever sufferers are allergic to grass pollen. With an estimated 12 million people in the UK suffering that makes for a lot of seasonal sniffing. Our climate changes, including unseasonal cold snaps, high temperatures and periods of drought, are causing changes in pollen counts and behaviours, with the 2012 season starting early. “We’re not quite sure what’s in store yet but it’s definitely going to be an interesting year,” says Beverley Adams-Groom, chief palynologist for the NPARU. Current NPARU research is finding that allergens are becoming separated from pollen in the atmosphere, so a low pollen count might not mean less hayfever.
Stop sniffing!
Professor Antony Kay, consultant allergist at the London Clinic, recommends tackling mild hay fever symptoms with a combination of
over the counter anti-histamine tablets and a nasal decongestant. If itchy eyes are bothering you, he recommends eye drops containing the anti-inflammatory agent sodium cromoglicrate. It’s always worth talking to your pharmacist too, says Adams-Groom. “Many people aren’t aware that you can take products in combination,” she says, suggesting that a combination of nasal spray, anti-histamine and eye drops may be necessary for some people, although she stresses that what works for one may not work for all. It is usually a case of trial and error. If your hayfever isn’t controlled by over the counter medication, then it’s time to visit your GP, says Kay. Doctors can prescribe a stronger nasal steroid or eye drops. In severe cases a specialist can offer desensitisation, either by vaccine or via a pill. But desensitisation needs to
sniffing start early, says Kay, “before the pollen season, in January or February”.
The food connection
Some research has found a strong connection between hayfever and food allergies. Dr Asher routinely tests hayfever sufferers for the blood-born allergic antibody immunoglobin G (iGg). “A strong iGg response to grass pollen predicts a response to grass in the blood,” says Asher. “We call it bread.” Asher says minimising grains can improve symptoms for many of hayfever sufferers. But he stresses that you shouldn’t cut out large food groups without the support of a nutritionist.
Complementary treatments
If a desk drawer full of medication isn’t your thing, it’s worth considering complementary treatments and lifestyle changes:
LIVE RIGHT Tiger Woods - A known hayfever sufferer
3) Eat more essential fatty acids Happy fats from nuts, fish and avocados can help reduce inflammation in your body, while the evil trans fats found in processed foods increase inflammation. In short, you can’t avoid pollen, but a few simple precautions can minimize your exposure. • Wear wraparound sunglasses. • Stay indoors in the late afternoon when pollen counts peak. • Use a HEPA filter. • Keep car windows closed. • Shower and change your clothes after prolonged exposure. You could even find that mastering hayfever takes onto greater things. After all, athlete Marlon Devonish and golfers Tiger Woods and Jasper Parnevik all reportedly suffer with hay fever. But hayfever, at least, didn’t stop their careers.
Not just a summer thing Experts agree that each season brings its own problems. SPRING: According to NPARU, an estimated four million people suffer with tree pollen allergy, especially birch.
1) Alkalise Asher recommends a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda taken in water twice a day to alkalise your body. This can help reduce your body’s inflammatory response.
SUMMER: Grass pollen is the big summer blockbuster, reaching its peak in May.
2) More zinc In a 2011 study, experts from the University of Edinburgh found that deficiencies of the nutrients selenium; zinc; vitamins A, C, D, and E; and a low fruit and vegetable intake could be associated with the development of asthma and allergic disorders. According to Asher, the body is very sensitive to zinc depletion. Active men are more likely to be low in zinc since it’s lost through sweating and other bodily fluids (including ejaculate).
WINTER: Dr Eric Asher, with medical director for the Third Space in London, says winter hay fever symptoms are often caused by dust and pets.
AUTUMN: According to AdamsGroom, approximately 66 per cent of asthmatics are affected by fungal or mould spores which start causing problems in July.
Useful links The London Clinic, www.thelondonclinic.co.uk NPARU, www.worcester.ac.uk/discover/national-pollen-and-aerobiologyresearch-unit.html Allergy UK, www.allergyuk.org The Third Space, www.thethirdspace.com Edinburgh Allergy Study, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21185068
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 45
Relationships
summer?
IS IT TIME FOR A SINGLE As temperatures rise, so do opportunities – if you happen to be single. If that’s the way you want to be, follow Tori Leckie’s guide to how to dump your current squeeze – in a gentle, but firm way
T
he onset of summer signals lazy afternoons in pub gardens, fun in the sun on holiday and a carefree attitude to day-to-day living. Or at least it does if you are completely content in your love life or singlehood. But what if you are not? Now might be the time to evaluate that love life because, let’s face it, the summer will drag if you’re not with a lady who really floats your boat. And as it drags, you will only be constantly reminded of how these definitely are the months to relish if you are out and about and game for play. Playing your cards right, however, is paramount if you decide now is the time for the two of you to part. Play an ace and you’ll retain the nice guy label, but play a losing hand, or even a moderately ineffective one, and you risk being forever slagged off to her mates, or worse, igniting the bunny boiler within. So it is time to lay down some golden rules:
Images: Thinkstock ©
Pick your place
Don’t ever resort to ending it with an email or text. Ever. Because let’s face it, how would you feel being on the receiving end? Arrange to meet up, ideally on neutral ground – somewhere you can have a good chat but which still lies in the vicinity of others to minimise the risk of a
46 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
public outcry. Pick somewhere that isn’t laced with happy memories either, or she might get carried away and assume you’re about to get down on one knee.
Be wise with time
Is she likely to have a minibreakdown, tears or tantrums, or will she quietly get on with life? If the former, doing the deed on a Friday will give her the weekend to deal with the panda eyes in the comfort of her own home. If the latter, you might piss her off for ruining her weekend. Work this one out for yourself.
“Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.”
Be crystal clear
Make sure you make it quite clear that you are breaking up, not just having a break. Both are profoundly different, but birds do have a knack of hearing what they want to hear and avoiding the bitter truth. You may have some housekeeping matters to take care of - emptying drawers, for example, or returning keys - so do this, but then establish some clear boundaries. When the wounds have healed, a friendship might be possible, but even then, don’t fall foul of ending up back in bed with her and finding yourself on a slippery route to nowhere. Before you get into such a situation, ask yourself: ‘If it broke the first-time round, what’s different now?’
Top benefits of being single for summer • No moods and nagging to contend with • You can be a slob when you please • There’s no one to answer to – or even ask • As the temperatures rise, so do chicks’ hems. You can wave goodbye to winter woolies and marvel at girls in skimpy bikinis • Being single in the summer is the epitome of freedom. Embrace it!
LIVE RIGHT Avoid the grapevine
Fact: everyone lives to play Chinese whispers, however much you think you can trust someone. So don’t ever tell your mates about your intentions, thinking there’s no chance of the girl in question finding out through the grapevine. No one deserves that, whatever the circumstances.
Hold the history
There is no need to go into great detail re: why you are breaking it off. Sharing the history of your decision and which mates you turned to for advice is irrelevant. Similarly, following the break up with an epic summary of what went wrong is akin to twisting the knife one final time. Be clear and succinct while expressing a significant dose of regret (whether felt or not) by muttering the words ‘mutual sorrow’ several times.
Neglecting her in mind will cement your place as a bast**d before you’ve even done the breaking up, so hold it. That week in Ibiza with the lads can be planned to perfection after you’ve dished out the news. Really, breaking up isn’t fun for either party, and sometimes it can seem easier to coast along, but don’t kid yourself: stagnant relationships are definitely worse. So if you are in such a predicament, start planning your exit strategy now. You will thank us for it when summer is here and the girls are out to play, dressed in the skimpiest of threads and showing off their leggy limbs and tanned torsos.
Lace it with logic
Who can argue with logic? Try to bring up past occasions where you’ve perhaps sat in opposite corners or been in total disagreement. Remind her of times when your relationship has seemed to roll downhill. You might then find her on a similar wavelength when you express your feelings of incompatibility.
Save the patronising patter
Don’t tell her you think she’s amazing. If she were, you wouldn’t be breaking up with her. Don’t say: “It’s not you, it’s me,” or: “I don’t deserve you,” either. Patter like this is patronising, condescending and, let’s face it, only designed to make you feel better.
Only act single when you are
Making holiday or weekend plans like you’re already single is just as thoughtless as becoming lazy about calling and spending time together.
“A holding pattern means that something has the appearance of movement but it really isn’t making any headway. Visualise an airplane that is taxiing on a runway, going around in circles, but never takes off. This is what men often do in a relationship.” www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 47
GEAR,TOYS & Great Ideas
Diversions
Images: Thinkstock ©
Kit, caboodle, inspiration and brain food for the active man Inside this section 50 Gear Gym bags you’ll want to be seen with 52 Gadgets Webbed fingers and James Bond-style devices 56 Train like… What it really takes to develop an Olympian body 60 Holidays Adventure holidays to remember 62 Interview TV’s Wild man Bear Grylls opens up 64 Fitness challenge A high intensity performance 65 Workout tables Keep tabs on your progress 66 Quote them on that! What sporty celebs think
In the footsteps of heroes
W
ith all that you might have seen in the run up to the Olympics these past few months, do you ever find yourself wondering if you too could ever build yourself up so you could at least look like one of Team GB’s heroes, if not actually be one of them? If you do, there’s plenty of food for thought later in this section where we aim to divert you from the everyday routine with ideas for the future. On page 56 our fitness editor Brendan Chaplin aims to explain just how such super athletes build up their physique. And contrary to what you might expect, it’s not all about huffing
and puffing with massive weights and infinite reps. We also discover why TV’s Bear Grylls gets a thrill out of adventure - and why he thinks such thrills are good for kids too! While the Olympics is shortly on us, so too, of course, is the holiday season. And after all that inspiration, are you really going to spend another year griddling yourself on a sunlounger by an overchlorinated villa pool? Why not try instead some of the adventure holidays Matt Risley has picked out for you on page 60? If you are heading off you’ll no doubt want to take some fitness gear with you, as you
can’t stop your routine just because it’s a holiday. But make sure you travel in style with our selection of gym bags on page 50. There are other bits of aspiration too. Like our selection of high-tech gadgets on page 52, or this month’s final Fitness Challenge on page 64. Are you up for 20 push-ups, aleknas, med ball twists and split squat jumps, and then running as fast as you can? Go on, you know you can do it really.
Lateral thinking spot
Working out through history: PART 3 Where we go back to see how our ancestors did it...
Could there be an ancient civilisation that better demonstrates 48 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
the ultimate in sporting prowess than the ancient Greeks, the creators of the Olympics? As The Odyssey shows, theyv really only needed the lamest of excuses – some old tourist passing through, say - to have a display of athletic prowess in celebration. Still, it’s only when you look a little deeper that you might realise just what life was really like for these athletes. Most of
the action took place in the buff (gymnos actually means “naked”), your coach might be expecting more than the usual favours in return for his mentoring (“that unspeakable vice of the Greeks”, the Victorians called it). And of course if you happened to be a slave, well what would you be doing there anyway? Sport for all? Not really a term Socrates would have understood.
A customs officer is forced to let a man he suspects is a smuggler cycle across the border, despite strip searching him. Later in a bar the man taunts him that he is indeed a smuggler. How can this be? Answer next issue. Last month’s answer: the final child takes the egg – in the basket.
LISTOLOGY A top ten list each issue to get you thinking
Top ten unusual beach holiday destinations
pebbles by three decades of pounding waves. Perhaps more of a curiosity.
7
Gulpiyuri, Llanes, Spain: A tidal beach miles from the sea – all the water comes in and out through a sea tunnel.
8
Hot Water Beach, Mercury Bay, New Zealand: Lie down on this and get warmed up both sides, thanks to a volcanic spring bubbling up just beneath the sand.
9
Refrigerated Beach, Dubai: Where else but in the soon-to-be-completed £400m Palazzo Versace would you find heat absorbing pipes built into the sand to cool you down and giant wind blowers?
10 The Seine in Paris
1
Hong Kong: You know it for crazy skyscrapers. Why not check out its amazing beaches, in particular Shek O and Cheung Sha?
2
Paris: The annual Paris Plage they put out on the banks of the Seine means you really can do culture and chill on the same day.
3
Barra, Outer Hebrides: Watch the planes touch down at the world’s only commercial airport whose runway is a beach.
Hong Kong
4
Gaddings Dam, Todmorden, Lancashire: An abandoned reservoir taken over by the community, who built a small beach at the end. Sunbathing in the Pennines – weird!
5
Omaha Beach, Normandy: Famous for the D-Day landings, bizarrely neglected yet beautiful today.
6
Glass Beach, Mendocino, California: A former waste glass dump thrashed into glass
Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California: Nothing to do with Michelle, but a beach coloured purpled by manganese particles tumbling down the hillside. Stunning at sunset.
Downloads of the month Crucial tracks for your workout A final selection by Dan Slipper, who works at Virgin Active, Nuffield Health and Boom! In London l Warm up with...Toys
(Rock It mix), Giuseppe Ottaviani & Betsie Larkin l Work out to... What
a Night, DEHASSE ft. Princess Nyah Can’t Say No, Conor Maynard The Power, DJ Fresh ft. Dizzee Rascal l Chill out with... Solaruppras, Chicane Solaruppras Send in your favourites to editor@ alphafitmagazine.co.uk or tweet us @AlphaFit Tweet
Quote of the month
“I am always doing things I can’t do, that’s how I get to do them.” Pablo Picasso
Why we like it
shows how they are unsuited for doing them. All rubbish. Of course they are hard to do at first. That’s why you need to persevere at doing them. In fact it works for much more than working out as well. Take food, for example. You say you don’t like healthy stuff like sardines and superfruits? How do you know until you’ve tried them? You can almost view new experiences in the way one much quoted old lady viewed strangers – just friends you haven’t met before.
Purple: Pfeiffer Beach
You wouldn’t expect someone from the world of art to provide something that is so fitting for the world of keeping fit, but you could do a lot worse than take Pablo Picasso’s quote to heart. At the start of his career he was no doubt hounded by claims that he couldn’t do anything. (Those claims haven’t entirely gone away now.) But he still persevered. It works with working out too. Take chin-ups. Many people baulk at doing them, or just try one and say that
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 49
GEAR
Stockist details www.tumi.com www.tusting.co.uk www.canterbury.com www.eaglecreek.com www.headoriginals.com www.radley.co.uk www.simoncarter.net
Diversions
Bags that won’t label you
M
ake sure your luggage is up to the mark when you go travelling this summer It may seem like icy winter out there, particularly this year, but the holiday season is now only a couple of months away. We’re assuming that you are going to be wanting to do at least some exercise while you are away somewhere in the sun. And that probably means bringing some kit along too. After all, even the most well equipped hotel gyms are unlikely to provide you with trainers 50 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
and running shorts at a moment’s notice. So why not save time and unnecessary struggle by doubling up your gym bag as holiday luggage too? Good idea – but you might want to check that your gym bag is worthy to show its face on the luggage carousel. After all, it’s been doing hard work for you all year, and in any case you don’t want to turn up at your sleek boutique hotel with luggage that makes you look like you’re a pound store regular. Here are our suggestions for gym bags you will want to bee seen with.
Simon Carter St Leonard’s bag, £175£275 A sporty holdall that comes either in bright coloured canvas and leather trim (£175) or in leather (£275) and includes a detachable shoulder strap.
Cooper Duffle by T Tech Tumi, £225 Complete with carry handles with a leather wrap and a removable shoulder strap, this bag includes interior pockets for smaller items and shoes and numerous exterior pockets.
Eagle Creek Crossroads Sport Duffle, £70 Made from durable helix material, this bag includes two-way lockable zippers, a removable shoulder strap and zip pocket on the front.
Radley Banbury, £249 Made with real leather with tonal woven details, this luxury bag closes magnetically and includes a zip pocket on the inside and two large slip pockets. If you don’t feel confident enough to sport the ginger tan colour, it’s also available in dark brown.
Head Vintage sports bag, £30 Another bag with a retro feel, this comes with the original Head branding, and includes front and internal zip pockets. It’s available in khaki (shown here), black or ox blood.
Radley Hampton, £149 A lightweight nylon bag which comes in black with matching leather trim or grey with a brown leather trim. It includes two invisible pockets on the front, as well as two pockets and two handy shoe bags inside. It closes magnetically.
Head Men’s Travel Monte Carlo bag, £55 From a range that takes its design inspiration from the first Head bags ever made, this bag is made in faux leather with contrast stitching. It includes a main compartment with locking zips, a zip-off end pocket, and a detachable shoulder strap.
Tusting Harold Chellington Holdall, £475 A retro-look bag made of calfskin leather in dark navy or deep green and trimmed with a mid-tan bridle for contrast. Designed to fit into overhead flight lockers, it comes with a detachable shoulder strap.
Head Originals Monte Carlo bag, £40 Who doesn’t remember Head bags from the 1980s and 1990s, when no Wimbledon champion seemed complete without one? This bag is a faithful reproduction from that era, made with leather look fabric. It includes a main compartment with locking zips, a zip-off end pocket, and a detachable shoulder strap.
Canterbury Small Barrel Bag, £59 A heavy canvas style barrel with painted stripes and embroidered kiwi detailing from the famous rugby brand.
Transport Duffle by T Tech Tumi, £225 Polyester with rubberized accent points. The main compartment is divided into two sections for easy packing. Interior and exterior pockets.
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GADGETS
Diversions
Fancy spicing up your routine run by attacking zombies as well? Or gliding through crystal waters under the power of James Bond-style device? Welcome to this month’s selection of new technology from Matt Risley
Mathmos Bike Wheel Lights
Whether you’re night cycling in the middle of the city or venturing off-road, there’s one thing cyclists can never do without light, and lots of it. And while fluorescent jackets and wheel reflectors help, Mathmos’ Bike Wheel Lights are an ingenious, safetyboosting way to make yourself known. They simply screw onto your bike wheel valve and instantly create vibrant, glowing circles of light thanks to some well-placed LEDs with light and motion sensors that ensure that as long as you’re moving, you’re glowing. £10 from www.mathmos.com.
The Burn Machine
While Rocky’s montages probably wouldn’t have delivered quite the same punch using The Burn Machine, there’s no better nifty, effective boxing supplement for those times when a gym or boxing bag isn’t around. This super-portable, ultra-light (12lb) gadget allows you to replicate the core-strengthening, bicep-bolstering effects of walloping a speed bag wherever and whenever you want. Simply hold onto the rotating grips, start a cyclical motion and before you know it you’ll be powering away like a pro for a full muscle-toning, cardio-aerobic workout. £109 from www.theburnmachine.co.uk.
Bladefish Seajet
Admittedly, unless you happen to live on a boat in the Seychelles, this may not get a whole lot of year-round use. But for swimmers, snorkelers and divers looking to add a little lunacy to their aquatic playtime, look no further than the Bladefish Seajet - a lightweight sea scooter that can propel you through the water at up to 4.3km/h. All the fun of the waves without actually having to fight against them. And hey, you may look ridiculous but at least you›ll feel like James Bond. £299.99 from www.firebox.com.
52 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Fitbit Ultra
If Apple built fitness gizmos, we’re fairly sure they’d look and work a lot like the Fitbit Ultra. Its sleek, simple design hides a technical powerhouse that tracks your activity throughout the day (recording steps taken, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed thanks to its 3D accelerometer and altimeter), your sleeping habits and patterns, and then syncs up wirelessly with a profile-based website to record your progress in a user-friendly, stat- and goal-focused layout. It’s a piece of kit both effortless and surprisingly addictive. £79.99 from www.fitbit.com.
Transformer Ice Shorts
It’s an undeniable but not entirely welcoming fact that an ice bath helps cure most post-exercise aches, pains and aids a speedy recovery. But if you don’t have the constitution or even time to take the plunge, 110% Play Harder’s Transformer Shorts offer the next best thing - with shorts boasting zoned strategic gradient compression pockets that can house reusable ice sheets, you’ve got your very own ice bath on the go. The compression zones help increase muscle stability and reduce the build up of lactic acid during exercise, while the ice packs help the after-effects for a perfect allround fitness booster. £79.50 from www. baselayer. co.uk
550 Paracord Survival Belt
Anybody who’s seen their fair share of wildernessset action-packed movie thrillers will know all too well that the adventurous should always be prepared. Whether you’re a climber, hiker, fisher or intrepid explorer, this is an ingenious Swiss armystyle belt for you. What looks like a simple belt comes apart in seconds and can unravel to over 80ft of 550 strength Paracord to help you in an emergency survival situation. In fact, the only thing it can’t help you with is cramming it back together when it comes to using it as a belt again. £18 from www.etsy.com.
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GADGETS
Diversions
Darkfin Gloves
TRX Rip Trainer
Gym bunnies know all too well the eye-rolling predictability of the latest piece of exercise kit being touted as the next big thing. Yet the TRX is far from the latest fad on the muscle-building block. Developed by a US Navy SEAL who was stuck in the jungle without any gym equipment, it’s a simple but ultra-flexible suspension tool that can improve balance, rotational power, builds full-body strength and supercharges your six-pack. Not only is it super light and collapsible for easy portability, it works - just ask my aching shoulders. £150 from www.escapefitness.com.
Now, we’re not saying these are the next big thing on the aquatic scene - after all, if Michael Phelps isn’t already using them then they can’t be truly essential. What they will do, however, is allow most swimmers, snorkelers, surfers or scuba divers to propel themselves through water far faster and more efficiently than they would normally. Their webbed design increases your surface area by 70 per cent. £21.99 from www.firebox.com
Zombies, Run!
If you’re looking for a truly unique, bonkers and undeniably enjoyable take on the now generic audio personal trainer/ GPS running tracker, say hello to your new favourite app - Zombies, Run! Along with tracking your run, it integrates a “the world has gone to hell” zombie apocalypse audio and visual narrative to motivate and encourage you along the way. Boot it up before you leave the house and each mission (replete with storyled dialogue) will encourage you to find fictional survival items during your run, before unleashing all manner of bloodcurdling gurglings and groans into your ear to keep you on your toes. £5.49 from iTunes. 54 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
RemembeR the
MoMenT Mount Kilimanjaro Trek 17 – 27 January 2013
Alzheimer’s Society operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Registered charity no. 296645
Alpha fit 174x117mm.indd 1
alzheimers.org.uk/trekking 0870 417 0192
Do something incredible. Conquer the highest free-standing mountain in the world, and transform the lives of people living with dementia.
19/01/2012 19:45
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 55
TRAINING
Diversions
Mass Movements I
Main Image: Thinkstock ©
Anyone wanting to build up a body like an athlete needs to focus on movement as much as mass, says Brendan Chaplin
1
t’s a well-known rule that anyone wanting to train as a serious athlete should not just build up their own individual skill, but build muscle mass too. There, is, however, a key word in all this: you need to build up muscle mass that is functional. Just simply adding mass for the sake of it is not intelligent training – especially when you also consider that athletes need to produce force relative to their body weight in order to move quickly and to endure the demands of their sport. Even if all you are after is the look of an athlete, functional training still makes sense, as it will really help you to bring the best out of your physique with a balanced well rounded approach to training. If you need a little help on what exactly I mean by functional training, here are my top ten tips on the subject. You really could go on all day about this so I have picked out top tips for hypertrophy training with a functional emphasis.
Train for strength and power as well as pure muscle mass Yes, the classic four sets of 8 to 12 reps may produce some gains in hypertrophy, or building muscle mass. But the key in hypertrophy training is activating those high threshold motor units – and they are best targeted through training with heavy loads and training explosively. So get some heavy squats and deadlifts into your programme as well as some sprints and Olympic lifting movements.
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2
Train unilaterally We don’t do anything with both feet planted simultaneously in sport – and, except for standing in queues, we don’t do much from this position in life in general either! So training each leg individually makes sense from a functional perspective. The minute you switch to a single leg or single arm exercise you include a whole variety of muscles that are not recruited during bilateral movements. So throwing in some single leg squats and single arm presses and pulls to compliment your major exercises will help you to achieve your hypertrophy goals no end.
3
Aim for multi-joint movements over isolation and single joint movements Yep, this is super obvious, but it’s amazing how many people still base their training programme around isolated, single joint movements such as leg extensions and bicep curls. Replace these two straight away with squats and chins and you’re onto a functional hypertrophy winner!
4
Try some hypertrophy supersets to improve strength and mass One of the tools I like to use with my athletes is to superset heavy strength exercises such as squats for 5 reps with an accessory movement such as lunges. The idea is to recruit the high threshold motor units through the strength exercise, and then fatigue them through the accessory movement. Bench press to push-ups works well, as does chins to dumbbell rows.
5
Your time under tension should be at least 40 seconds I think it was Canadian strength coach Charles Poliquin who brought this idea into general use – essentially you need to put the muscle being trained under tension for a minimum of 40 seconds to be in the hypertrophy zone. This principle works well for accessory exercises. So you might do, say 8 reps in one set taking 5 seconds to lower the weight back down each time, or 10 reps with a 3 second lowering period. With a 1 second push back up the total time under tension would be 40 seconds for both sets.
6
Think movements, not muscles From an athletic standpoint, this is probably the most important thing to take away. Training for performance means training our body’s natural movements to produce and resist forces. So squatting, lunging, single leg stances, pressing, pulling and rotating are all key areas that need
to be strengthened. Not quads, glutes, calves, shoulders, chest, arms and back!
7
Use joint-friendly movements such as neutral grip presses and trap bar deadlifts Train smart by using neutral grips that are easier on the shoulders, and fewer but heavier reps when you squat deep to help your hips. Include rotator cuff exercises and stretches and foam rolls to improve your tissue quality. Listen to your body, don’t train through pain and work around injuries, not through them.
8
Recover well Post workout shakes are certainly important, but you still need to stretch and foam roll every day. Yep, this is the boring stuff, but arguably it’s the most important. I always tell my athletes to train hard and recover hard, and this doesn’t mean on the dancefloor. Push yourself in the gym by all means, but make sure your post workout shake is ready and that you stretch off and foam roll daily. You will benefit in the gym, no question, and your body will thank you!
9
Eccentrics are the way forward Hypertrophy is all about putting stress on the muscle fibres which cause muscle to grow as they adapt. Eccentric contractions, which take place for example while you are lowering a weight back down, produce more damage than standar concentric contractions. With heavy eccentrics the fibres need to cling on to each other to try to hold the weight. Throwing in a phase of eccentric training every now and again can really help you make gains. I like to work in 5 seconds of time for eccentric movements for each of 6 to 8 reps on exercises like squats, bench presses and chins.
10
Core training means resisting movement as well as producing it Flexion, extension and rotation are all staple core movements in most health clubs and gyms. But in reality, functional core training is all about resisting movement, not producing it. Not only will you benefit from a performance perspective, but your hypertrophy gains will be better too as your body will be stiffer in the big exercises areas, allowing you to lift more weight. Make sure you can hold a 2 minute front plank and a 1 minute side plank, then work towards anti-rotation presses, single arm farmers walks, Swiss ball rollouts and many more higher level movements that stress the prevention of movement rather than the production of it.
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More on movement
Rotating
To finish, let’s go back to what we said in point 6 about training movements not muscles. From a functional perspective, it’s no good thinking about your back and biceps, chest and triceps. Thinking about movements instead will still help you build your physique, but it’s also going to help you to move and perform better in everyday activities as well as sport and performance. You can check out which muscles you’re going to be working if you split your exercises into the following groups:
These are exercises that train the trunk to rotate, which is sometimes required in sport and performance. Exercise examples include med ball twists, cable rotations.
Pushing Pushing is by far the most commonly trained muscle group, especially in the male population, with biceps being one of the few obvious exceptions. Although pushing is important for many tasks in sport and in life, try to balance it out by training pulling muscles at least as much. Exercise examples include pushups, shoulder presses, single arm dumbbell presses, bench press.
Pulling We’re not talking about your performance on a night out with the lads here! The pulling muscles are generally not trained efficiently and or nearly enough in most individuals. Most men tend to train the pushing muscles predominantly as these are the ones we can see in the mirror. But if you’re looking to develop serious muscle mass, get training your pulling muscles. Exercise examples include chinups, bent over rows, TRX rows, single arm dumbbell rows.
Bracing These are exercises that train your body to resist rotation rather than create it. It’s very important to have this ability as most things in life require it. Exercise examples include planks, barbell rollouts, anti-rotation presses.
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Hip-dominant: These are exercises for the lower body that place an emphasis on the posterior chain muscles. Exercise examples include deadlifts, stiff legged deadlifts, lunges with a large step.
Knee-dominant A lot of people tend to be kneedominant, in that they have good use of their quads and not good use of their glutes. Train your hip dominant muscles as much as your knee dominant, or maybe even more, and you can’t go far wrong. Exercise examples include front and back squats, single leg squats, close stance split squats. So there you go, a few tips to fine tune your hypertrophy training and help make it a little more athletic. Believe me, once you start paying attention to function you will feel better and make better gains from making these adjustments.
Brendan Chaplin is the head of strength and conditioning for Leeds Met Carnegie and AlphaFit’s fitness editor. Follow him on twitter @brendanchaplin.
BOOTCAMPS ALGARVE – PORTUGAL Marco Baioa BOOTCAMPS are an incredibly efficient way to give your fitness a serious boost. Reward yourself with a thoroughly enjoyable fitness break in the Algarve, Portugal. With 300+ days of brightness and blue skies per year, the Algarve provides a wonderful environment to take your fitness to the next level.
JUNE 6TH-13TH & SEPTEMBER 15TH-22ND, 2012
YOUR ULTIMATE QUANTUM COACH
Leading YOU Through YOUR Vision
MARCO BAIOA offers 2/3 day BOOTCAMP Mini-breaks and Week-long Fitness BOOTCAMPS which are designed to be very fulfilling health and fitness breaks. 14-day BOOTCAMPS are also arranged on request for the real fitness fanatic! Everyone is welcome to attend the BOOTCAMPS – each one serves all fitness levels. The Algarve is very easily accessible from many UK airports and with a flight time of 2hrs 40mins it is the ideal venue for a short fitness break. Having completed the BOOTCAMP you will leave feeling amazing, having had a very memorable break away. Marco is a renowned Trainer in the Algarve and has many endorsements in testimonials from grateful clients. Whatever you need to focus on can be improved during the BOOTCAMP. Marco’s BOOTCAMPS come with a difference.... no camouflage gear and no army boots! The focus is on your fitness and making further progress towards your fitness goals. Luxury Residential Fitness BOOTCAMPS Daily Fitness BOOTCAMPS Mornings / Evenings Youth Fitness BOOTCAMPS/ Holiday Sessions Personal One to One Fitness BOOTCAMPS Private Fitness BOOTCAMPS in Your Own Home or Environment Tailor Made Fitness BOOTCAMPS for you and your Friends/Team
Come and join us! JUNE 6TH-13TH & SEPTEMBER 15TH-22ND, 2012 Telephone: +351 289 395 796 Mobile: +351 916 101 114 Email: enquiry@algarveluxurybootcamp.com www.facebook.com/marcobaioabootcamp warriorfitnessbootcamp@groups.facebook.com www.algarveluxurybootcamp.com
Training You Can Easily Bring Home With You
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www.algarveluxurybootcamp.com
WEEKEND
Diversions Satisfaction with some action
Fed up of spending your holidays watching your waistline expand on a sunlounger? So are we. Which is why Matt Risley has picked out some top adventures for you to try this summer
W
hether you’re in the middle of a hardcore training programme or simply looking for a break off the beaten track, the reality is that your holidays don’t have to be spent sprawled out on a sun lounger, gorging yourself on cheap cocktails and MSG-infused buffet munch. And while detox and boot camp holidays are all well and good, the reality is that while they’re guaranteed to help your fitness, the idea of being screamed at, rationed and pushed to your physical limits isn’t really most peoples’ idea of a relaxing getaway. But an adventure holiday on the other hand? With stunning vistas, countless cultural connections and an array of multi-activity fitness experiences in each trip, they’re the best of both worlds - with none of the annoyances. Here’s our guide to some of the best.
Andes to the Amazon If the shamelessly attractive title didn’t lure you in, then the sheer array of outdoor pursuits on offer certainly will. In a mere 10 days you’ll traverse your way from the middle of South America’s mountainous Andes heartland down into the tropical rainforest of the Amazon basin – all by mountain biking, hiking, rafting, horseback riding and inner tubing. Throw in some valuable downtime soaking up the region’s natural hot springs and an opportunity to explore the continent’s largest active volcano, and you’ve got your own tailor-made introduction to Adventuring 101. Departures every month via www. bikehike.com. Approx £1,500 excluding flights. 60 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Lycian Activity Week
Cycle Vietnam
Canyoning, kayaking, cycling, scuba diving, and optional tubing and paragliding – this seven-day trip to Lycian Turkey’s gorgeous coastline allows to you embrace a new challenge every day. While you’ll be based in the seaside town of Kas (ancient village buildings and charming restaurants galore), you’ll head off each morning to try your hand at one of the above activities in the serene surroundings of the Sakikent Gorge, and – with its Roman ruins and achingly picturesque beach – the atmospheric ambience of Patara National Park.
While Thailand’s been swallowed up by boozy backpackers and an increasingly Western commercialism, Vietnam is still just off the beaten track enough to stand strong as one of the world’s most stunning natural beauties. And even if you’re not a burgeoning Lance Armstrong or Mark Beaumont (a man who literally cycled his way across the world), Cycle Vietnam is the next best thing. A 15day planned itinerary, tailgating support crew, backup vehicle and planned hotel breaks ensure that you’re in no danger of getting lost or kidnapped, while the route alone offers a difficulty level as varied as the scenery – with palm fringed beaches, mango and coconut groves, beautiful highlands and regular interaction with the village locals. Departures every month via www. worldexpeditions.com. From £1,390 excluding flights.
Departures every week via www. exodus.co.uk From £729 including flights
Brazil High Energy Extravaganza Sure, the title may look like hyped-up hyperbole at its most travel agent-ist, but they really aren’t kidding. Over nine days you’ll hike, sea kayak, raft, rappel, zipline and stand up paddle board your way through dense rainforest, tropical beaches and fjords, and local fishing towns just south of Rio de Janeiro. The high-wire double act of rappelling and zip-lining through the forest canopy adds an extra layer of once-in-a-lifetime-itis, while the chance to try stand up paddle boarding (the world’s fastest growing water sport) ensures it’s much more than your average watersport holiday. Departures throughout the year via www.bikehike.com. Approx £1,750 excluding flights
Croatian River Adventure Pixar’s Up was memorable for many reasons (not least the ability to make grown men cry in its first ten minutes alone), but the stand-out visual came from its mountainous, jaw-dropping waterfall. This eightday trip to Croatia has scenery more than a little reminiscent and much more. With canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting on a daily basis, it’s the ultimate watersport lover’s paradise. Based in and around Split, you’re perfectly positioned to head out into the photoshop-perfect azure waters of the Adriatic sea, or explore the lush rivers, canyons, forests and country roads of the surrounding area. Departures weekly throughout summer via www.adventurecompany.co.uk/. From £799 excluding flights, £1,039 including flights.
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INTERVIEW
Bearing up for the children 62 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
Main Image: Getty Images©
Diversions
Wild man of TV Bear Grylls says his outdoor antics are all about helping people – especially kids – boost their confidence. So are his own children soon to be involved? We find out
T
V presenter Bear Grylls is a man who goes out of his way to put himself in deadly and terrifying situations. The host of Man vs Wild, Born Survivor and most recently Bear’s Wild Weekends often finds himself face to face with big snakes, crocodiles and sharks, or tackling free climbs and huge rapids. So does he never feel fear? “No,” he says. “I do definitely feel nervous and I think you’re not human if you don’t feel scared sometimes. You know, we’re dealing with big snakes and big crocodiles and sharks and free climbs and big rapids all the time. But fear is okay – fear is an emotion that is there to sharpen you and that’s how I look at it and that’s helped me through those times a lot. But what about all the stuff he has eaten too – such as a bird that has been dead for a few days. Isn’t that gross? He admits it is. “Survival isn’t going to be pretty,” he says, “and the show is trying to show you what you can do to stay alive if you’re really up against it – and I love that. I love having to be resourceful and think of cool ways of using things to get stuff down this cliff face or across this river and I love that part of the challenge. I always have. But I do look back now through a lot of kind of narrow escapes and think: ‘Blimey, you’ve been lucky a few times.’” The former SAS man is also now a family man – with wife Shara, and sons Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry – and that has certainly made him think more carefully about what he does. He said recently that he had to scale his recklessness down from 120 per cent to “about 70”. “It’s a struggle in my life in the sense that I have a job that has an element of danger to it but at the same time I’m a dad,” he explains. “And I think it’s about trying to trust your instinct a lot. I say to the crew, ‘You only get it wrong once.’ You’ve got to get it right every time. And that’s really at the heart of what we do and why we’re still doing the shows. “When we’re out there there is no
ego. If there’s any doubt we’ll stop, if there’s no doubt, we’ll reassess. There’s always another way down stuff. We need to look after each other as a crew and I thrive off that dynamic. I love that kind of way we work together in difficult places.” Even so, he admits he isn’t always totally truthful about what he has got up to when he comes home. “I work on minimal information,” he laughs. “Shara doesn’t watch a lot of what I do. When I tend to get back she goes: ‘How was it?’ And I’m like: ‘It was hot or cold’ and then you’re back into life and we’ve got three young boys and it’s kind of busy. She doesn’t want to know about the details about being bitten by some horrible snake. She’s just interested in, you know, being a nice dad and being back as a family.” That crucial separation was put to the test recently when Channel 4 asked him to do a show with his children. The decision, he says, was a difficult one. “I don’t really want to put them out in that public space but at the same time they’d love it. But in the end we said no. The kids were mad because they all wanted to do it. But I thought: ‘Do you know what? You’re too young to know what you’re saying.’” With the celebrities he has taken out on Bear’s Wild Weekends, however, it is a different matter. Jonathan Ross and Miranda Hart have both memorably been put through their paces. Grylls says the show is currently lining up some more for the next series, but he can’t yet say who. What he likes is giving such people the opportunity to do something they otherwise would never do. “It’s great seeing their confidence grow,” he says. “I remember with Will Ferrell, it was so fish out of water for him, he’d never done anything like this before and he was so, so nervous. But his confidence grew as the journey went on and I love that. I love the way the wild does that to people and it’s an empowering thing. It’s the same deal as it is with kids – adventure gives people confidence.”
2009 – and why he has been involved in a new project with Persil, who recently did a survey showing that children do not get out and about as much as they used to. “It’s sad because we lose out on so much that’s brilliant in life,” he says. “For me, growing up as a kid, so much of what I loved was found in being imaginative outside. You know, coming up with cool ways of making camps and tree houses and swings. I used to love that and yet the survey said ten per cent of young kids never go outside. That’s just crazy. And I suppose what we’re trying to do is encourage and make access easier for families and young kids to be able to enjoy simple adventures outside. “You never have to travel far in this country to find great places to have adventures. And I think people don’t realise how much brilliant public wilderness actually is in the UK. But, you know, it’s simple things. You can make dens in a tiny little back garden. You don’t have go to the ends of the earth to do these things. “That gives kids a chance to use their imagination. That’s what’s so great about kids. You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. I see it with my kids. They set up camp sometimes and it’s literally on the doorstep and I hear them talking and they’re imagining that they’re high up on Mount Everest and that’s brilliant because their social skills improve, their imagination improves and they have way more fun that sitting on a PlayStation. “So it’s not kind of rocket science. It’s just about encouraging kids and families to not totally lose touch of something that is so powerful in young people’s lives when you give it to them, which is this love of the outdoors.” They might not be on TV yet, but his sons must know what’s in store in the future. Watch out for the new series of Bear’s Wild Weekends later this year on Channel 4
That’s one of the reasons Bear has been so closely involved with the Scouts – becoming Chief Scout in
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TRAINING
Diversions
We challenge you to get super
fit in this month’s Fitness Challenge – and all you need, says Brendan Chaplin, is a treadmill
It’s all about cardio – you’re going to have a go at a challenge that I’ve used for a couple of years as one of the main sessions with my elite athletes in their endurance training. It’s a real lung buster and will certainly help you get super fit and lean. It’s also doable in about 30 minutes or so. You need one piece of equipment only, and that’s a treadmill.
Lung buster anyone?
You’re going to do the following:
Warm Up •Dynamic stretches for 5 minutes •Light jog for 5 minutes
Then the session REALLY starts 1) First run for 5 minutes on the treadmill as fast and far as you can on a 1 degree incline. Record the distance you get in kilometres. Now rest for 60 seconds. 2) Then complete the following bodyweight movements: 20 med ball twists
Main Image: Thinkstock ©
20 push-ups
20 split squat jumps 20 aleknas
Now rest for 2 minutes. Repeat the above run and bodyweight movements for 4 sets. Make sure you record the distance in kilometres that you get on the run each time.
64 www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk
see where you’re at with your fitness levels. Average Run Distance 1.3km and above 1.2 - 1.3km 1.1 - 1.2km 1.0 - 1.1km Less than 1.0
Standard Awesome! Excellent Very Good Good but can improve Room for improvement
Workout Tables
AlphaFit workout checklists for
Rip out this page to keep a handy record of how you are progressing on this month’s workouts htsing) eig(if u W
htg) eiifgusin W(
ps re
sets
The lunchtime workout p.28
ps re
sets
Session B
FIRST CIRCUIT
Trap Bar Deadlift
4
5
Heavy D’bell Bench Press
3
8
D’bell Stiff Leg Deadlift
4
8
Press-ups
3
10
Barbell Military Press
4
5
Burpees
3
15
Narrow Grip Push Ups
4
8
Front Plank
3
30
Aleknas
3
8
D’bell/K’ Reverse Lunge
3
8
Dumbell Curl to Press
4
10
3
24
OR
Cut out and keep
June
SECIND CIRCUIT Heavy Goblet squats
3
12
Side Planks
3
each side
Dumbell Tricep Extension -
3
4
all 4 limbs
to Pullover Combo
Bent Over Rows
3
8
Dumbell Overhead Press
3
10
1, 2, 3, 4 Core THIRD CIRCUIT
Fitness challenge Lung Buster p.64
The Full Body Blowout p.36 Session A Front squats
4
5
Dumbell Walking Lunges
4
8
Chins
4
5
Dumbell Row
4
5
Swiss Ball Rollouts
3
10
Shoulder Shocker
3
24
TRX Row
3
12
each leg
5 min run
4
Push-Ups
4
20
Aleknas
4
20
Med Ball Twists
4
20
Split Squat Jumps
4
20
each arm
Remember the three golden rules: Warm up before, and cool down afterwards l Follow the exercise instructi ons exactly l Drink lots of fluid as you work out l
www.alphafitmagazine.co.uk 65
Closing
QUOTE THEM ON THAT! Sporting stars and fitness–loving famous types share their pearls of wisdom with the world
Day. It’s a pound a pint in my local from noon.” England spinner Graeme Swann is a model professional.
“Cheer up everyone, it’s only an April shower. At least we are not in recession. Oh wait. #neverrainsitpours.” Cricket all-rounder Tim Bresnan’s glass is half-empty “This jet lag’s a killer! Had a dream last night that Chelsea went through with 10 men against Barca! And that Torres scored! Mad!” World No 3 Lee Westwood can’t keep his eyes open! “Six weeks ago I was 18 stone and couldn’t run down my road. Just completed London Marathon!” TOWIE’s James Argent should be proud of himself. “I think it’s disgusting that our medical team have organised a fitness screening on St George’s
Editor: Peter Baber (peter@alphafitmagazine.co.uk) Sub editor: Chris Titley (chris@alphafitmagazine.co.uk) Fitness editor: Brendan Chaplin (brendan@ alphafitmagazine.co.uk) Contributors: David Stache, David Lee, Tori Leckie, Ali
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“Just found it quite hard to walk up the steps at work after a particularly intense Pilates session yesterday! Mind you, I was told I am ‘freakishly strong and flexible!’” No need to show off, Phillip Schofield!
Inspiration Corner
Some extra helpful sayings for when you just can’t face another session at the gym. “The resistance that you fight in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.” Arnold Schwarzenegger
“What happened was more than a miracle. It would be great to play football again and I hope that will happen. But it’s even greater just to live life and love my family. I’m a lucky man.” Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba puts things into perspective. “Great 17-mile run along the Charles this morning. Perfect sttpring day.” Lance Armstrong pops out for another light training session. Schofield, Matt Risley, Karen Laing Design: Adrian Mirfakhrai (adrian@alphafitmagazine.co. uk) Sales director: Susan Hedges (sue@alphafitmagazine.co.uk) 0113 245 1168 Advertising executive: Rob Watterson (rob@ alphafitmagazine.co.uk) 0113 245 1168 Publisher: Target Eye Publishing Ltd Director: Daniel Bond Director: Faris Fisher
Next month in
“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” Michael Jordan “Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.” Julie Andrews
Don’t forget to keep up with AlphaFit yourself on Twitter @AlphaFitTweet Contact address: AlphaFit, 9 East Parade, LEEDS, LS1 2AJ Tel: 0113 245 1168 Send all editorial enquiries to editor@alphafitmagazine.co.uk. AlphaFit is published in the UK by Target Eye Publishing Ltd. Copyright ©2012. All rights reserved. AlphaFit is printed and bound by Webmart UK. While every endeavour has been made to maintain accuracy in the magazine, AlphaFit can take no responsibility for errors. All opinions expressed are the opinions of the writer expressing them, where stated.
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AlphaFit July 2012, out at all good gyms on 21st June
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