Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2017 i Men's Fitness South Africa

Full steam ahead… Brace yourself. It’s time for all those “new year, new me” social media posts. You should also prepare yourself for the brace yourself meme with Robert Downy Jnr rolling his eyes while saying that. Yes, it is a new year and why should it not be a year full of new possibilities and exciting opportunities? Why not finally get into the best possible shape, the way that you said you would at the start of 2016, when you were in that coma from all the overeating around the Christmas period? I know I am guilty of that, and I have made the personal commitment to actually follow through. The easiest way, really, is to have some small realistic benchmarks and goals. If you start to map that…

Science has proven that eating a sensible amount of “good” (mono and polyunsaturated) fats, like those in avocados, nuts, and fish, can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, while saturated fats — the kind doughnuts and chips are dripping with — can raise cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. But, a warning: Just five days of fat-bingeing — eating 55% of your daily calories in fat — can muck up your metabolism and open the door to disease, according to an American new Virginia Tech study. In it, healthy college-age guys ate a typical diet of 55% carbs, 15% protein, and 30% fat (11% of which was saturated fat) for a week, to normalise their diet and set a baseline; they then loaded up on super-high-fat…

When it comes to internet security questions like “What was the name of your first pet?” it’s easier to stick with the truth than to type in something random — like the name of your favourite Bolshevik dictator — then, months down the road, try to remember what you did. So, usually, “Spot” it is. Unfortunately, as Stalin himself might say: “You make very big mistake.” A new Google/Stanford analysis of hundreds of thousands of security questions found that most users’ answers are anything but secure: Many (“What’s your favourite colour?”) are too simple or have too few possible choices. Others (“Where were you born?”) may be known to acquaintances, or can be easily learned by rifling through e-mail you’ve left open, or doing simple research. And some may be…

Tank: AMERICAN APPAREL Pants: PUMA Shoes: ADIDAS Watch: NOOKA Want it? You love your rest periods. Sometimes they’re the best part of a workout— those brief respites between sets of a hard lift that allow you to catch your breath, get a drink, and ogle women in stretchy pants. But while resting is an essential part of anaerobic exercise (like weight training), that doesn’t mean you should sit like a lump the entire time. There are several strategies you can use between sets that will help you get bigger, stronger, and leaner. Start using them now, and make your rest periods work for you! Get antagonistic ■ Whatever muscles you’re training, try stretching their antagonists—the muscles that oppose them—between sets. For example, if you’re working your back, which is all…

Tell us a bit about yourself, Shelbe. Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in KwaZulu Natal, but moved to Johannesburg at a young age so I consider Johannesburg my home. I am a pastor’s daughter, so I grew up serving in my Fathers ministry and I still do till this day- it is certainly embedded in who I am as a woman today ■ You started your own business at quite a young age. How did that come about? I have truly been blessed. After high school I was given the opportunity to model and work in India. After a few months of saving, I came home and started my own promotional model agency called “Flair Promotional Models”, which has now expanded to an international recruitment…

“How the hell do I book a hotel room these days?” It seemed like such a simple question my buddy was asking me, yet he couldn’t believe he didn’t know the answer. He’d been trying to book a room for a wedding at the last minute. The wedding party’s discount rates at a four-star hotel were long gone, and now he was scrolling through the pricier less-than-four-star places and getting angrier by the minute. Should he book through Rooms for Africa, Sleeping-Out, Where to Stay, or even Trivago (yeah, the one with that guy)? That’s when I realised: Man, has the “simplest” part of Travel 101 — booking your lodging — gotten complicated lately. For good or bad, the ever-increasing onslaught of auction sites, online discounts, travel apps, and, the…

On Wall Street, on the sixth floor of the Gild Hall hotel, I’m standing in perhaps the smallest gym in New York City, a “fitness centre” hardly bigger than a walk-in closet. It’s standard-issue hotel fare — spare white walls and a concrete floor, outfitted with only a single treadmill and a StairMaster. But for the guy I’m with, we may as well be in a fully stocked Crunch. His name is Chris Jordan, and he’s the director of exercise physiology at Johnson & Johnson’s Human Performance Institute, based in Orlando, FL, USA. He’s visiting New York to give a series of talks about the science of exercise, and he’s brought me here to show me that rooms like this have everything I need to achieve a fat-shredding, full-body workout.…

Bone! “Cooking with the bone in has at least one advantage — besides the meat, you’ll also be eating the marrow in the bone cavity”, says The Paleo Diet author Loren Cordain, PhD, of Colorado State University USA. And this is a good thing because...? “About 70% of bone marrow’s calories are healthy monounsaturated fatty acids that can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk for heart disease”, says Cordain. And, she adds, while meat alone contains no vitamin A, which is needed for healthy vision, a strong immune system, and cell health, marrow’s packed with it. As for how the marrow actually gets into the dish, it depends on what you’re making. Cordain says “If the marrow’s exposed” — e.g. if you break the bone before you cook the meat…

My girlfriend says she can’t orgasm from oral—with anyone. She swears she doesn’t care, but the problem is, I do! Should I take this as a challenge or just give up? STEVE M., CALAFORNIA, USA There are many reasons a woman might not be able to orgasm from oral. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy it or that you should stop doing it. Getting oral may help her orgasm faster from regular sex afterwards, or she may enjoy the experience of it even if it doesn’t get her off. Orgasms are great, and hopefully she’s having them regularly, but it’s better for you both if you’re not so goal-oriented with sex. Your “challenge” should go beyond just giving her orgasms, as that’s only one part of a sexual experience.…

STRENGTH TRAINING CJ Murphy, M.F.S. Owner, Total Performance Sports, Everett, MA Jim Smith, C.S.C.S. Owner, Diesel Strength & Conditioning Zach Even-Esh Owner, Underground Strength Gym, Edison, NJ Ben Bruno Personal trainer, Los Angeles, benbruno.com PHYSICAL THERAPY Jay Dicharry, M.P.T., C.S.C.S. Director of biomechanics, Rebound Physical Therapy; coach, USA Track & Field; coach, USA Cycling, Bend, OR WEIGHT LOSS Bob Harper Fitness expert; best-selling author of Jumpstart to Skinny; trainer, NBC’s The Biggest Loser Chris Powell, C.S.C.S. Trainer; author; transformation specialist, ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss Frank G. Bottone Jr., Ph.D., R.D. Author, The Diet Denominator: Fill Your Tank for Less NUTRITION Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D. Award-winning writer, nutrition consultant, spokesperson Angela Lemond, R.D.N. Owner, Lemond Nutrition; spokesperson, American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics FOOD Danny Boome Celebrity chef, currently on…

Talk about getting lucky: Have an orgasm daily (or nearly that) and you’ll lower your risk of prostate cancer by 33%. That’s right: Men who ejaculate more than 21 times a month are one-third as likely to get prostate cancer as those who get off only four to seven times a month (and yes, doing it alone counts, too), according to prepublication reports of the 10-year follow-up of a US Harvard study from 2004. The study’s authors hypothesise that getting rid of all that baby batter releases beneficial hormones or that flushing out the old sperm regularly may purge precancerous cells. And though they can’t comment on the record about their research until the results are officially published, we’re going to take their word for it and get started ASAP.…

THE GUY ■ Whether he is dressed in his riding gear, or just lounging around at home, Gavin Perry is always styled up. A motorbike aficionado, Perry is constantly going from A to B on the latest and greatest two-wheeled machines. He has a passion for the finer things in life. In his spare time, Gavin is a regular gym-goer and started pursuing this sport quite seriously in 2007 when he placed 3rd for Exercise Fitness, and then later went on to compete in Paul Dillet’s WBFF in 2014 and got his pro-card as well as placing first. Gavin’s life wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows though. In 2009, Gavin’s wife, Charlene, was involved and a serious car accident that almost cost her her life. After much intensive physiotherapy, Charlene is…

“How much do I need to bench in order to have a big chest?” BILL M., NEW YORK, USA. ■ The bench press is probably the most popular lift in strength training, but it’s actually a mediocre exercise for the pecs. You’ve made a common mistake thinking that it automatically correlates to chest mass. The bench is a cornerstone lift because it does build the upper body, but if you’re really trying to zero in on your pecs, focus on dumbbell pressing and push-up variations instead. These exercises work the pecs more directly and harder because they take them through a greater range of motion. They’re also less risky for the shoulders. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t bench-press if you want to, but chasing a specific number of…

THE SECRET AGENT ■ The formal man, attending the most elegant events opts for the Secret Agent look. Enter Sean Connery as James Bond - the classy style that is the epitome of men’s fashion. The Secret Agent can be found at classic evening events such as weddings and gala dinners. The Secret Agent personifies high-end dress and makes it available to the everyday man. The Secret Agent is the type of man who frequents the world of Black Tie events and your typical groom on his big day. TIPS ON WEARING THIS LOOK: • It is advisable to use a one button jacket, because it gives a longer, more elegant line making it a lot simpler. • Make sure that the pockets don’t have flaps, but that it rather…

Drunken party pics on your Facebook page. Idiotic tweets. A sloppy LinkedIn profile you asked your nephew to put together between bar gigs. A night in the slammer for letting a goat loose in the gym during “Matric 40 Days”. None of these look good to prospective bosses — and, trust me; they will look you up online. Believe it or not, 75% of recruiters are required (required!) to research a prospect on the web; what’s more, 70% of employers have nixed recruits based on what they’ve found there, a survey by cyber-reputation management company Reppler found. To stand out from the crowd — in only the best ways — and get the job you want, here’s how to dress up and clean up the online you. Firsts first: Look…

A basket and ice chest are lugged in by Vin Diesel’s anime-eyed assistant, Tiffany, who artfully arranges several square metres of breakfast on the table outside the studio where Diesel was booked to do vocal overdubs for Furious 7, the latest instalment in one of his four massive film franchises that was released last year. But Diesel, still on the road at the time, in the passenger seat of a black Cadillac Escalade, inching through San Fernando Valley traffic on the way to the Warner Bros lot, kilometres of freeway between him and the oatmeal, breakfast burritos, French toast, pancakes, smoothies, and juices — more breakfast than one man could possibly eat — that are fanned out across the table like some Department of Agriculture food group chart. Tiffany, a…

If “bag work” is in the class’s description, you’ll be training like a real fighter. Any guy who’s ever watched pro boxing has, at some point, wanted to earn a boxer’s chiselled, powerful physique and test himself in the ring. But the only practical way to get that combination of full-body training—meaning bottom-up strength, speed, agility, and cardiovascular endurance—was to join a gym and commit yourself, Rocky-style, to a one-on-one trainer. Today, though, with the rising popularity of UFC and mixed martial arts, many black-belt-level gyms—boxing, MMA, jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai (a badass ancestor of kickboxing) places— have expanded their offerings to include programs for the average Joe looking to develop a fighter’s raw fitness. And most of your standard gyms also offer classes in the basics. Here’s how to…

DIRECTIONS Warm up with high knees, a deceptively difficult cardio blast made even more challenging by the fact that the rest periods regress with each set. Then it’s on to two circuits that alternate training for the upper and lower body, allowing one area to recover while the other works. Finally, you’ll finish with burpees—possibly the most exhausting body-weight exercise—then jumping jacks, which is your cooldown. Perform the exercises for time rather than reps—this ensures that you can adjust the pace to your own fitness level. (For example, if you can’t do many pushups, we won’t ask you to do, say, 10. Just do as many as you can in 20 seconds.) Try to keep track of how many reps you get on each move so you can track your…

I really dug Leo in The Wolf of Wall Street, but is the pomade slick-back still cool? GREG J., TEXAS, USA. Who wouldn’t want to look like Leo DiCaprio? Yeah, the pomade slick-back is still cool, but it depends on the length of your hair. With longer sides slicked back like he had, you may look a little sleazy. What’s more in style: Shorter tapered sides you can slick back and still look like you mean business. It also depends on your hair, head shape, and style. If you have really thick hair, you want to put pomade in once you’ve towel-dried your hair. If you have hair that lays flat on your head, apply pomade when it’s dry, and it’ll get some lift. And if you have fine or…

Who says you have to use gigantic, joint-buckling weights to get the body you want? Dumbbells, cables, and light weights allow for safer training while still keeping the intensity high. This month’s arm workout, designed to give you a set of Vin Diesel–esque guns, aims for more gain and less pain. By the same token, there will be times when you have only the most basic equipment, and heavy weights aren’t an option anyway. in that case, turn to our spring break workout for a bare-bones guide to great abs in six weeks — only dumbbells, a bench, and bands are required. FOR MORE WORKOUTS AND EXERCISES, GO TO MENSFITNESS.CO.ZA…

Want the arms of a bouncer? You can’t train them the same way you do chest and legs. Because arms are smaller muscles acting on smaller, more delicate joints, they respond better to isolated movements and different mechanical angles than to heavy weights. This workout is designed to deliver the kind of full, thick biceps that made Vin Diesel a movie star and fitness icon. With ravenous eating, you could see up to 1.27 centimetres of growth in one month. How It Works The workout begins with two cable exercises designed to pump up your arms as quickly as possible. This isn’t to soothe your ego but to protect your elbows: Driving blood into your muscles and heat into your joints helps prevent strain. You’ll continue super setting biceps and…

The fit guy faces a unique shopping conundrum when he’s tired and short on time: If he buys convenience foods, he’s going to sacrifice his health (and his abs). But if he buys healthy fare, he’ll have to give up half his evening to prepare it. If only healthy foods were sold that could be easily made into delicious meals… Well, they are, of course—you just have to recognise their potential. A store-bought rotisserie chicken is waiting to be transformed into a Tex-Mex salad; frozen waffles are ready to morph into a dessert-like breakfast delight. On your next shopping trip, pick up some grab-and-go items, go home and combine them with ingredients you already have, and transform mundane meals into scrumptious muscle-building feasts. Brought to you by 1 Salmon Curry…

HARD-HITTING NEWS FROM THE CUTTING EDGE OF MODERN RESEARCH Get just a bit more dressed up than the people you work with, and you’ll also generate bigger ideas and think on a higher, more abstract level. How so? According to new research, when you outdress your co-workers to even a subtle degree, it makes you feel more powerful; that, in turn, allows you to feel and think more like a leader, reports the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. “Wearing more formal clothing leads to more big-picture thinking,” says study co-author Michael L. Slepian, PhD And it doesn’t even matter how dressed up you get, he says: “What’s key is that you’re wearing clothing that’s more formal than your peers.” So if your office is full of chinos and button-downs…

Whether you’re a full-time desk jockey, a 911 operator, or a Supreme Court Judge (dude, it could happen), science has discovered an important trick you can use to stay healthier and live longer. According to an American University of Utah School of Medicine study, getting up and walking for at least two minutes every hour can lower your risk of early death by 33%. And no, just standing up doesn’t cut it. “When getting up, try light-intensity activities like casual walking or going up stairs”, says study lead Srinivasan Beddhu, PhD. “Activities of very low intensity, such as standing, aren’t as beneficial.” To remember your healthy hourly stroll (you may want to give your boss a heads-up first, lest he/she read some intrigue into your wanderings), set an app or…

THERE ARE A FEW THINGS EVERY MAN NEEDS. A suit that fits perfectly. A celebratory toast you can adapt to any occasion. A good pair of sunglasses. And a brokerage account. If that last one sounds jarring, read on. For starters, a brokerage account is simply a portal for buying stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investments. But with interest rates near all-time lows and stocks near all-time highs, there has never been a better time to get your own slice of the capitalist pie. (And let’s face it: Your new interface with Wall Street will boost your wealth and make far better use of your screen time than Call of Duty ever will.) But there is one caveat: A brokerage account is of little use if you’re broke. So…

Indoor cycling hardly needs an introduction. While recent news suggests that high-energy boutique studios have reinvented the wheel, so to speak, every class still comes down to one very simple action: -riding a bike, hard. And what could be easier than that? Well, riding one that stays upright on its own and doesn’t go anywhere, for starters. If you’re new to group fitness, this is your safe place. There are no special moves here; it’s just you and the bike in your own personal pain cave—and, if you’re lucky, an instructor who can lead you out. “It’s simple,” says Josh Taylor, a veteran Spinning master instructor and former pro cyclist, “and it will give you an enormous calorie burn.” Ready to ride? Here’s your roadmap. How to Choose Your Peloton…

The humble egg spends most of its time playing a small supporting role in our lives — an ingredient in the mayo we swipe on a sandwich, the loyal sidekick to our chef salad. Sometimes it’s given the lead, but in mundane projects like plain old scrambled eggs. But ask the world’s most talented chefs, like the four we feature on these pages, and they’ll tell you that the egg is one of the true stars of the kitchen universe: So versatile and tasty that adding one atop pretty much any dish takes the meal from forgettable fare to memorable feast; and so healthy (it has a near-perfect protein/ fat/calorie ratio and, we now know, doesn’t wreak havoc with cholesterol) that the Mayo Clinic USA advises eating up to seven…

We know you love your body-part-focused regimen the way you loved your old teddy bear. But much like him, that program is worn out—and hanging on to it is kind of silly. Dividing your workouts into chest days, shoulder days, and so on presents a host of problems and could actually be holding back muscle growth rather than promoting it. Our answer: Switch to a classic push-pull split to simplify your training and see faster gains in a month. HOW IT WORKS Dividing your body into different parts doesn’t take into account how it actually moves and which muscles are involved in each movement. You may intend to work only chest one day, but any pressing or flyes you do will inevitably work your shoulders as well. If you follow…