Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Men's Fitness South Africa

Modern Day Gladiator I’ve been involved in some form of martial arts for the better part of the last decade and a half, be it as a human on the kickboxing mats in high school or an analyst and colour commentator for our own world class MMA promotion, the Extreme Fighting Championship. There is just something desperately honest about hand-to-hand combat in its purest form, a true separating the strong from the weak type scenario. The one place where you cannot hide behind laziness and get by only based on your natural talent and ability, in this arena it will cost you more than just a bruised ego. Legends of a previous era: Lidell, Silva, Couture, Penn have since passed and it’s the dawn of a new day, a super…

A Ancient peoples made the first “aspirin” using acetylsalicylic acid, an ingredient found in plants like willow trees. Over the centuries, salicylic concoctions became known as the most effective anti-inflammatories and pain relievers on earth. Now aspirin’s reputation as a wonder drug is getting another good polishing: The US Preventive Services Task Force has declared that a daily dose of the little white pill can cut the risk for heart attacks, strokes, and colon cancer for people over 50. Taking aspirin regularly also lessened the likelihood of tumours in 4000 brain cancer patients, according to a study presented at an annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. The drug is thought to block a body compound linked to inflammation and tumours. Study scientists also checked to see if…

Y Yet another nail in vegetable oils’ coffin: A recent study in the British Medical Journal confirmed that not only is vegetable oil not healthier to eat than butter, it may actually be worse. Researchers focused on the cholesterol levels of more than 9500 seniors and found that those who used oils high in linoleic acid — like corn, soybean, and sunflower oil — died at an earlier age than those who stuck with butter. They also found that switching from butter to veggie oil did nothing to reduce heart disease or overall mortality. To add even more, uh, fat to the fire, a newly released 15-year study on 3000-plus adults who ate higher levels of full-fat dairy products came to the happy conclusion that full-fat dairy is even healthier…

W Who knew that taking a half can of beer, stuffing it in a whole chicken where the sun don’t shine, then smoking it would be a super-healthy way to cook a bird? Not to mention a super-effective way to get rid of the worsttasting beer in your fridge. The suds turn to steam, which helps cook the chicken from the inside, keeping it moist. Also, standing the chicken up on the braai means the legs — which take the most time to cook — are exposed to the most intense heat, so your chicken cooks evenly without drying out the breast. The result? One of the tastiest chickens imaginable — one that requires precisely zero heavy sauces or distracting sides. So ditch your usual tjop en dop recipes, with…

SWI S S S T Y L E (AND S U BTLE T Y ) 1 Mondaine Helvetica No.1 Smartwatch • If your career or lifestyle calls for a tracker that doesn’t look like a tracker, this Mondaine number, which combines the classic Swiss styling of a leather-banded heirloom wristwatch with the brain of a top athletic wearable, is the one for you. Though it has you covered in all the basics — steps, calorie burn, movement alerts, sleep tracking — there’s nothing basic about its smooth interface. The watch itself maintains its clean look by displaying only the time, date, and your progress towards your overall fitness goals (0–100%) and feeds you all the other numbers on a phone app. You’ll need a separate tracker for more advanced metrics…

W The 24-year-old South African southpaw from Johannesburg, who has just been signed as an athlete for global sporting apparel and footwear brand Under Armour, loves his boxing and has the resume to prove it. Having been a pro boxer for over five years he’s got the experience, tenacity, and raw knockout power required to take him all the way to the top. Aside from being quoted as “SA’s most popular boxer” by Golden Gloves, and winning the SA and World Boxing Association (WBA) Pan African cruiserweight titles, Kevin is also seriously into fitness. He has his own 24/7 approach to training and is a proud ambassador for the innovative sports apparel brand Under Armour. The KO Kid is currently ranked as the number one cruiserweight fighter in South Africa…

Tips and tactics for living smarter I If I were a betting man, I’d bet you don’t keep fresh kale in your apartment at all times. You probably don’t have any fresh artichokes, celery root, or locally grown herbs on hand either. I’m not saying you’re not healthy — after all, you read this magazine, so you do your best to eat clean. I’m just saying, well, you’re a guy, and that usually means stuffing your freezer with frozen veggies and meats, and your cupboard with dried pastas. We know this because a) we’re guys too, and b) we conducted a casual, totally non-scientific poll of several working-age adult males and then compiled the world’s most definitive list of the ingredients, from beer to frozen veggies, that are pretty much…

THE WEATHERPROOF • A weatherproof jacket once meant wearing anything that would save you from the cold and wet regardless of its appearance, but this waxed cotton canvas Idris Alba for Superdry leading motorcycle jacket with its multi-layer zips could easily be worn to even the most lush hangout spots in town. Jacket: SUPERDRY R6 649; T-shirt: TOPMAN R269; Pants: ZARA R629; Watch: BELL & ROSS R47 000 THE TRENDIESTGILET The transition from the summer sun to the less favoured colder season is a confusing one when it comes to choosing the perfect outfit. This Superdry gilet with its Sherpa collar is the perfect item to keep in the front of your wardrobe and stay trendy all season long. Jacket: SUPERDRYN R2 899; T-shirt: Topman R229; Jeans: ZARA R629; Watch:…

It’s a little disorienting at first, flying 1500 feet in the air with nothing between me and the ground but a mythical winged horse. As we crest over a small rise I glance down past Shadow’s flapping wing — for the record, I’ve named my Pegasus “Shadow” — when suddenly the rocky hillside below gives way to a sheer, grass-covered canyon. A jolt of pure adrenaline flushes through me as I feel like I’m going to die. But then I feel free. It’s just Shadow and me now, soaring off into the bright blue sky. Peace out, Earth. Nice knowing you. “Cool, right?” says a disembodied voice behind me. For the past 10 minutes I’ve been huffing away on a bike in a drab office at VirZoom, an American-based tech…

T The ketogenic diet can be dizzyingly complicated. You want to load up on fats and protein and keep your carb intake low— but all fats and proteins aren’t alike, and there are some veggies higher in carbohydrates than others. Oh, and fruit (fruit!) is pretty much banned. But don’t worry: We’ve put together the best and worst of each category so you can go Keto with confidence. CATEGORY FATS EAT THIS! Saturated fats including coconut oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, duck fat, tallow, and lard, all essential for a healthy immune system, dense bones, and proper testosterone levels; monounsaturated fats like olive, avocado, macadamia, and almond oils, which boost heart health and provide vitamin E, important for vision and a strong immune system; polyunsaturated omega-3s, such as wildcaught salmon, sardines,…

Send your questions to ask@mensfitness.co.za Y You can’t beat a big, hot hunk of Klein Karoo ostrich meat. Ostrich has as much as 21% protein per 100g, with less than 2% fat - making it the leaner, healthier option Ostrich is also readily available in many grocery stores nowadays, not to mention how tasty it is. And it’s so damn easy to cook. To keep it juicy, don’t cook it past medium. Sportsmen, athletes, and health-conscious people with an active lifestyle benefit greatly from the high iron content, which also attributes to the rich red colour. Ostrich meat is definitely a delicious and healthy alternative to beef – and yes, they also taste good flame-grilled.…

Bodybuilding makes you big and strong. CrossFit builds power, agility, and endurance. Now, imagine what you would get if you combined the two, taking the multitude of CrossFit techniques used to maximise athleticism and added to them the old, reliable exercises bodybuilders employ to maximise aesthetics? The answer: This hybrid program, which promises to get you into the best condition of your life — big, lean, and unbelievably powerful — in just four weeks flat. How It Works •?Four times a week you’ll train with mainly CrossFit moves, which make you faster, more explosive, and more athletic overall. You’ll also time your workouts just like they’re CrossFit WODs. When you repeat the sessions, try to beat those times; that way, you’ll be ur physique. Directions There are four workout days…

STRENGT HTRAINING CJ Murphy, M.F.S. Owner, Total Performance Sports, Everett, MA Jim Smith, C.P.P.S. Owner, Diesel Strength & Conditioning Zach Even-Esh Owner, Underground Strength Gym, Edison, NJ WEIGHT LOSS Bob Harper Fitness expert; trainer, NBC’s The Biggest Loser Frank G. Bottone Jr., Ph.D., R.D. Author, The Diet Denominator: Fill Your Tank for Less FINANCE Roy Cohen Career counselor; author, The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide; careercoachny.com Chris Bart, Ph.D. Business consultant; author, A Tale of Two Employees DERMATO LOGY Tina West, M.D. Board-certified dermatologist; founder of the West Institute, westskinlaser.com Annet King, Director of global education, the International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica PHYSICALTHERAPY Jay Dicharry, M.P.T., C.S.C.S. Director of biomechanics, Rebound Physical Therapy FOOD Danny Boome Celebrity chef, currently on Good Food America for Veria Living Candice Kumai Author, Clean…

W What do America’s top surfer Kelly Slater and NBA Orlando Magic’s player Aaron Gordon have in common? Their love for underwater workouts. Water is 800 times denser than air, so resisting it as you raise weights or do squats gives you a super-intense workout without stressing your joints. Slater runs on the ocean floor carrying rocks to boost lung power and muscle strength; Gordon became a high-leaping dunk king by carrying a huge kettlebell across the bottom of a deep pool. To start, go to mensfitness.com/underwater for some great H2O workouts and links to underwater-exercise videos from Speedo USA, then find yourself a beach or pool and some kettlebells or dumbbells and hop in. Speedo gear • To make underwater training more comfortable and effective for land-dwellers, Speedo has…

Fructose, the sugar found in high-fructose corn syrup (the bane of soft drinks and processed foods) as well as natural foods like fruit and honey, can alter brain genes and up the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s, the University of California, USA reports. But relax: The study also found that DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid in foods like fatty fish and eggs, can completely repair the damage.…

• The fitness world has always been split down the middle between those who love to lift and those who love doing cardio. Most people who seek to get in shape choose to either build muscle by lifting weights and training with short, intense workouts, or burn eaking compromise for lifters, and fuel for grizzled gym veterans who like to warn skinny newbies that doing any cardio will keep them small forever. But, good news: Recent studies indicate that the so-called “interference effect” that aerobics has on muscle isn’t what we thought. And that means a lifter can have his weights and his treadmill too. Here’s how to do it. FOR MORE ABOUT CARDIO WORKOUTS, GO TO MENSFITNESS.CO.ZA Why Cardio Got a Bad Rep • When you do steady-state cardio…

• You haven’t been busting your ass in the gym for months just to see your abs and pecs go up in flames on a buddy’s backyard potjie. But you don’t want to be rude… To navigate the obstacle course that is the typical South African potjie without blowing your diet or looking like a douche, use this chart, which ranks the most common offerings by nutritional value. —ADAM BIBLE The Potjie Battle Plan: Portions Mains and Sides: Feel free to fill up a plate — and a second, if you’re famished — but make sure that no more than ¼ of the plate is awful/not as bad items; no more than ¼ is okay items, and at least ½ is pretty good and great items. Desserts: Whatever you have,…

In the decade that Baggsy has been competitively drifting he’s made appearances at the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Gymkhana GRiD Series, and Monza Rally Show where he shared a pit garage with greats like Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi. The Monstersponsored driver has also made selected appearances in the Japanese-based King of Asia and D1 Grand Prix championship in 2015. Baggsy has proved his mettle and judging from the talented and charismatic drifter’s success and skill, he has all the necessary traits to make him a drifting legend. How do you prepare for a race? Every big event is stressful because there is a lot of planning involved. Also, teamwork plays a big role in the preparation process. Fortunately, my team is a very passionate closeknit clique. We’re able to…

Even if you aren’t among the thousands of men and women trekking to Auckland this April for the World Masters Games 2017, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a taste of the New Zealand experience. One easy way to do it? Enjoy a drink of one of the region’s most popular local beverages. New Zealand has a very unique and dynamic culture and there are so many great drinks from the region that people here have never experienced. It’s really fun to try them out, learn about them, and see what you like. Here’s our primer to get you started: Your new favourite drink… the Greenpeace Sorbet NGREDI E N TS • 30ml Cointreau • 60ml White Wine 1 Kiwi • Crushed Ice TO MAKE Peel off kiwi and add…

Sharp strategies for building wealth EREMY BENNETT COULDN’T believe the pie chart on his iPhone. He’d recently started using a personal-finance app to track his spending habits and was now faced with a painful reality in yellow, orange, and blue. “I had an ‘Oh, shit’ moment”, he says over a beer in lower Manhattan, USA. “I spend how much on food?” He ended up saving a whole lot of money every month just by cutting back on dining out. “I was blown away by how much I could save by changing one little thing.” And he’s not the only one opening his eyes to the power of your phone over your finances. Thanks to an explosion of innovation — and R260 billion in venture capital in just 18 months —…

P Putting your body into ketosis — causing it to switch from burning carbs to burning fat for fuel — is a major metabolic change. Some people don’t react well, while others thrive on it and feel more energy. “Low-carb and ketogenic diets aren’t for everyone, so it’s important to listen to your body”, says Alissa Rumsey, RD, CSCS, of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, USA. “If after a few weeks you still feel worse than you did before you started, you should stop and reconsider if it’s the right diet for you.” Here’s what she says you should expect when going keto: FIRST FEW DAYS You may feel low on energy, lethargic, and dizzy. Some people suffer from headaches or flu-like symptoms during the first few days or…

To start a hot romance in a hot yoga class, don’t put the heat on right away. I’m incredibly hairy, especially on my back, so I hate taking my shirt off in public. Should I get waxed, or even have the hair removed permanently? EVA N T, P O R T E L I Z ABETH •?Are we talking George “The Animal” Steele? Wolfman? There’s nothing wrong with being hairy, you’re a man. But if it bothers you, you can wax it. There’s momentary pain, but your hair grows back slowly. It’ll last a week and a half or so. There are also places that can do it for you. There’s nothing embarrassing about it — you’re just taking care of yourself. Or if you have a cool partner, get…

W With the highly anticipated UFC 211 happening in May, it’s the perfect opportunity to get yourself looking like the number one contender. And who better to look up to for inspiration than the iconic Irish-born professional mixed martial artist Conor McGregor. The Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robot lookalike knows his way around the ring, and the gym. We’ve got the ultimate routine to get you ready for the ring in no time. It utilises Clubbells, bowling pin–shaped weights that are lifted with various swing and rotary motions. We’d encourage you to try them (for more, visit mensfitness. co.za). But since just about zero gyms carry Clubbells, we’ve modified the workout to incorporate the common dumbbell. Now, go get ripped for the octagon. How It Works •?Clubbell motions strengthen muscles…

F Few discoveries in fitness will likely ever match this for sheer excitement: The recent finding that three 20-second intervals of all-out exertion the same health benefits as 45 minutes of moderate exercise. In a 12-week study at Canada’s McMaster University, 27 sedentary men performed three weekly training sessions, one group doing three intense 20-second cycle sprints, the other, 45 minutes of moderate cycling. Yet both groups showed a 19% rise in cardio ability and better insulin sensitivity. Sounds like a brilliant way to get fit in no time flat, right? Not so fast. Though the untrained subjects did benefit from the short HIIT bursts, untrained people will always benefit from increased activity; chances are fit folks won’t see the same gains. And studies show that 20–30 minutes of HIIT…

• We call them dumbbells, treadmills, and spin bikes. What do billions of bacteria call them? We’re guessing “carnival rides”. Fitness reviewer FitRated recently swabbed 27 pieces of equipment at three gyms and found they were crawling with millions of potentially harmful bacteria. Worst offender: free weights, with 362 times more germs than a toilet seat. To stay safe, avoid touching your eyes/mouth during a workout, and be sure to wash your hands afterwards.…

H How many blondes does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one — and she’s smart enough to know she doesn’t have to spin the ladder or the house to do it. American Ohio State University researcher Jay Zagorsky, PhD, compared data on more than 10 000 14 to 21-year-olds who’d been included in a US Longitudinal Survey and had also taken the Armed Forces Qualification Test, which measures IQ and lists race and hair colour. What he found: Among Caucasian women (Hispanics and African-Americans were excluded from the study), blondes average IQ was the highest, at 103.2; brunettes followed at 102.7, with redheads next at 101.2, and raven-haired women at 100.5. This doesn’t mean that blonde women, with their 0.5-point lead, are actually smarter than nonblondes, says Zagorsky,…

P Packing meals for a day out isn’t as easy as it sounds: Pre-packaged meals are often heavy on empty calories, fat, and preservatives; and that hotchpotch of foods you grab from the fridge often ends up a mess by the time you open your pack to eat. Solve both problems by pre-making meals that are filled with superfoods and easily stowed. “Once you know how to cook and stow your own meals, you’ll stop grabbing nutritionally empty snacks when you’re on the go”, says elitelevel duathlete Jennifer Lentzke, RD, a sports dietitian with Toro Performance. “It’s all about packing a meal that’s satisfying, but also getting the right balance of protein, fibre, and healthy fats.” BOMBPROOF GR AI N BOWL 1) Quinoa with Shrimp • “This is basically like…

Y You can’t just stand there and expect to build muscle — not even when you’re lifting. Before you begin a set of any standing exercise, place your feet flat on the floor and imagine you’re using your soles to tighten screws — your toes seemingly pushing outwards and your heels straining to come inward. Here’s the trick though: You don’t want to actually move your feet. Just actively drive them downwards and externally so they root into the floor and nothing can move them. If you do it right, the arches of your feet will become more pronounced and your glutes will tighten up immediately, which prepares your body for the lift. It also ensures that your knees will line up with your toes when you squat or deadlift.…

I It’s high season for happily ever after — but other people’s weddings can be relationship Thunderdomes. Should you bring your significant other? You could go alone and be the party’s bachelor du jour, sitting beside the cutest bridesmaids and dancing with the most eligible hotties, while simultaneously letting your sweetie know you consider yourself still on the market. That’s a lot of drama. Or you could take a cover date — your sister, your cousin, your lesbian ex-lover. But if you bring a girlfriend along, be prepared: As the happy couple are pledging their love, you’ll be fighting your way through an ultra Ninja Warrior zone loaded with razor blades and tiger sharks. The Invitation YOU THINK: Do I want steak or fish for dinner? SHE THINKS: Was the…

The guy’s guide to spending money NOTHING SAYS “I’M ON VACATION” LIKE chilling in your best borrowed terrycloth robe, waiting for someone to deliver a tray of fresh-cooked, delicious food right to your room. But I know what you’re thinking: Room service? It’s the hotel bogeyman! The food sucks, and it’s way overpriced. And the minibar? Don’t even think about it, unless you want to spend R60 on a domestic beer. Well, you can listen to the haters about in-room dining (IRD), or you can start getting smart about it. With that in mind, I called some hotshot hospitality insiders to get their secrets for hacking the system and scoring a killer meal every single time. And I compiled their advice into the definitive Seven Rules of Room Service. 1)…

T Timothy Noakes, MD, is an emeritus professor in the Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town. He’s one of the most accomplished exercise physiologists on the planet. You can’t walk by a restaurant in Cape Town that doesn’t offer a “Noakes option” — say, an avocado stuffed with breakfast sausage and eggs, or a double cheeseburger with lettuce sans bun — and evidence of his teachings seems to be everywhere, mostly in the form of our nation’s best-known athletes, including ageless golfing legend Gary Player and eight-time Ironman World Champion Paula Newby-Fraser. In fact, Noakes is a celebrity these days, he’s even been pulled into South African presidential politics: To echo the country’s papers of record, “Is President Jacob Zuma’s and his wife’s…

Everybody knows you can cook with wine and beer. But there’s another libation that will add a little fist-pumping, cat- calling action to your meals: Hard cider. (Um, by the way, please drink responsibly.) Craft ciders are experiencing a major boom, and not just as beverages: They add an earthy sweetness to a brine or broth, to create flavourful-yetlean pork, fish, and chilli dishes. There’s no buzz (sorry), since the alcohol burns off — but then, so will the fat from your abs. Brined Pork with Potato Mash MAKES: 4 SERVINGS I NGREDIENTS 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp salt 2½ cups hard cider • 450g pork tenderloin Black pepper 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tbsp unsalted butter 2 tsp fresh thyme ¼ tsp…