Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Men's Fitness UK

To say that this month’s MF cover star has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past few years is an understatement. And I don’t just mean physically, but professionally too. After more than 200 episodes of Hollyoaks, second place in Strictly Come Dancing and winning 2010’s Rear of the Year, Ricky Whittle packed his bags and swapped Oldham for Hollywood in an all-in, make-or-break attempt to hit the big time. He aimed for the stars, and he’s hit the moon – Shadow Moon, the lead role in American Gods, Amazon Video’s acclaimed, big-budget adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel. To look the part he had to pack on some serious size, and on p44 he reveals exactly how he built his A-list body so you can too. Whittle also reveals…

If you’ve suffered with tooth ache you’ll know it makes everything from exercising to eating and sleeping almost impossible. Yet new evidence suggests that dental problems could be an early warning sign of more severe and long-term health problems. A study by the University of Washington that reviewed the relationships between diet, dental disease and chronic disease found that eating too many foods high in simple sugars – such as sweets, fruit and refined carbs – can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, as well as spiking blood sugar levels. This means that tooth decay can be an early sign of bigger health concerns, such as obesity, Alzheimer’s and cancer. So cut back on sugary foods to keep both your smile and your long-term health looking good. 5% The…

Take a trip into nature People with regular access to nature have a lower risk of stress or depression, according to research from the University of Exeter. If you’re in the 14% of people in England that don’t have access to woodlands within 500m of home take a lunchtime walk or run in nature. If you don’t have time, look at inspiring images of the great outdoors on your screen: research from the University of Minnesota found this stimulates parts of the brain associated with happiness and positivity. Get into the groove Turning up the volume on your favourite tunes can help reduce stress and anxiety almost instantly, as well as lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, according to research from Monash University in Australia. What’s more, playing a…

When you’re trying to look and feel better than ever, nothing will derail your health mission faster than digestive problems. Between 10% and 20% of Brits are thought to have some type of digestion issue, but adding these three foods to your diet can help healthy gut bacteria thrive to get you back on track. 1 / Yogurt Cultured dairy products feed the healthy bacteria that bolster your gut’s microbiome, helping reduce inflammation. 2 / Sauerkraut Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi also allow healthy bacteria to thrive to keep your digestive system in tune. 3 / Banana Bananas are prebiotics, which means they act as a food supply for good bacteria to allow them to repopulate your gut.…

When you’re trying to sum up what “being a man” is all about in a particular era, it’s easy to arrive at an unhelpful, reductive cliché. Fortunately Etro’s new ManRose fragrance provides a helpful pointer for the masculine spirit of this current age – which is that it’s OK just to be you, as opposed to obeying a narrow set of social and style rules. In grooming, from moisturisers and shaving gels to fake tan, that means we’re seeing progressively diverse offerings and this scent is a fine example of that. It’s floral yet subtle, simultaneously nodding to history – the Ancient Greeks, we’re told, were fond of rose garlands – while sticking two fingers up at traditional notions of masculinity.…

HOT TO SQUATI Research says squatting below horizontal will have the greatest impact on glute muscle recruitment There is a certain type of Instagram account – or so we’re told – that features female fitness models and their “belfies” (butt selfies, of course) prominently. Sounds… inspiring? Is that the right word? As it turns out, these glutedevoted social media stars may be subscribers to the European Spine Journal, which recently published a report linking gluteus medius weakness to chronic lower back pain. MF joins the Instagrammers and recommends including glute training in your own regime if you want to avoid common back complaints. One of the best ways to exercise your glutes - and your entire lower body - is to squat. And if you really want to get the most…

For years we were told that eating too many eggs was bad for our hearts because they raised levels of HDL (or “bad”) cholesterol. The thinking behind those claims has been largely discredited, and a new study has found that the opposite is true – eating eggs can improve the health of your heart. This research found that proteins in eggs were converted by enzymes in the stomach and small intestine into peptides that act the same way as ACE inhibitors, which are used in medicine to lower high blood pressure, according to the journal Food Chemistry. Try the Turkish-inspired breakfast below to increase your intake of heart-healing eggs. EAT THIS TURKISH EGGS Bored with scrambled eggs? This spicy Turkish dish will add some variety to your morning meals. As…

Managing your time more efficiently doesn’t only mean organising your to-do list. It also means learning to think differently about the value of your time. Often, this mind shift means knowing what not to do and what to stop doing. Saying no, giving yourself boundaries, and understanding whether all the tasks on your to-do list are really necessary or important can make a huge difference in your productivity – and your happiness. Try testing yourself with this list of five questions to make sure you’re investing your time well. Are you “yes-ing” yourself to death? Many people have a deep need to be liked. As a result, they say yes to almost everything that’s asked of them. The problem is, this makes it impossible to do everything well, and zaps…

“My character’s a functional, powerful being – someone who can intimidate, not just look good” Ricky Whittle is a man who knows when to step it up. After a solid, 238-episode run on teen soap Hollyoaks and an impressively athletic turn on Strictly Come Dancing (he came second), he could have easily slipped into the kind of TV turns that open up when you’re the handsome housewives’ favourite with barely any homegrown competition. Instead, he decided to go all-in, moving to the US and slugging it out for parts on the likes of NCIS until he landed a regular role on cult post-apocalyptic drama The 100. Three seasons in that gave him a hefty US following, but now he’s shifting gears again with the lead role of Shadow Moon in…

FERNANDO ALONSO Nationality Spain Age 35 F1 races 276 Victories 32 Podiums 97 Career high Back-to-back world F1 titles in 2005 and 2006 Driving style Muscular and authoritative, with explosive accelerations and sharp cornering Nemesis It used to be Lewis Hamilton, but the British driver now has a much faster car STOFFEL VANDOORNE Nationality Belgium Age 25 F1 races 4 Victories 0 Podiums 0 Career high Seven race wins and 16 podiums in his 2015 GP2 title triumph Driving style Cool, calm and consistent and not easily fazed Nemesis Renault’s Jolyon Palmer pipped him to the title in 2014, his maiden GP2 campaign JENSON BUTTON Nationality GB Age 37 F1 races 305 Victories 15 Podiums 50 Career high 2009 F1 world title victory with Brawn GP Driving style Stylish with…

towards Göschenen, the road dives into the Schöllenen Gorge, a precipitous cleft where the Teufelsbrücke (Devil’s Bridge) leaps across the rushing Reuss. Legend has it that construction of the original bridge was so tough that the Devil offered to complete it in exchange for the soul of the first being to cross it. The locals agreed but chased a goat across the finished bridge, angering the Devil, who returned to destroy it, only to be thwarted by a woman brandishing a cross. At Göschenen, the motorway and railway emerge from the St Gotthard tunnel and run alongside the route as far as Wassen, where your turn northwest onto the first ramps of the Susten Pass. At almost 18km, this is the longest ascent on the route. It’s consistently demanding and,…

When you start working out, you learn that selecting certain set and rep ranges will help you to reach your goals faster. But that’s just the first stage in taking control of the key training variables. If you want to get bigger, stronger and leaner than ever, there are three vital workout concepts you need to understand – and know how to exploit. TEMPO WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The speed at which you do your reps. This is often unnaturally slowly, in order to maximise muscular growth. Tempo is often recorded in a four-digit format – for instance, 4021. The numbers refer, in order, to the time in seconds taken for the eccentric (lowering) part of the move, the pause in the bottom position, the concentric (lifting) part and the…

Do you want to add a serious amount of lean muscle mass in just 28 days? Then you’ve come to the right place because this four-week, 16-session training plan will do exactly that by pushing your body harder than it’s ever been pushed before. After all, getting out of your comfort zone and doing something you’ve not done before is the key to making rapid progress. The way this programme has been designed – with two sessions a week that work your chest and back directly, and two that work your arms both directly and indirectly – will mean you add significant muscle mass across your torso, while the high-intensity weights workouts will also strip away excess body fat. The result? A brand new body. HERE’S HOW THE PLAN WORKS…

Intoxicatingly Hip Hops Wish your Dad a “hoppy father’s day” with the new craft beer personalisation service from Intoxicatingly. There are also designs for birthdays, retirements and more, so just pick a theme, write a message and Intoxicatingly does the rest. The beers are presented in stylish box sets alongside Hip Hops, the beer card game. Gift pack £26.95. intoxicatingly.com Vitastiq What do dads, vitamins and minerals have in common? They are all irreplaceable! A valuable gadget, Vitastiq 2 tracks 26 vitamins and minerals in the body and helps the user lead a fitter lifestyle. Yours or dad’s for £112. vitastiq.com 2UNDR 2UNDR features the unique and patented Joey Pouch construction to support your equipment in comfort and style. The innovative design elevates and separates a man’s most valuable assets…

Most us have a preference for red or white wine – but when it comes to grapes before fermentation, you should choose the darker varieties if you want to improve your memory. This is because of their higher levels of an antioxidant compound called resveratrol, according to a rodent study by Texas A&M University. Researchers found that neurogenesis – the growth and development of neurons – doubled in subjects given resveratrol compared with a control group. The resveratrol group also had significantly improved blood flow to the brain, as well as lower levels of inflammation in the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in long-term memory and spatial awareness. Resveratrol is also found in peanuts and other dark berries. 25% If you commonly suffer from…

1 Chest up Once in position with your hands holding the rails or rings, squeeze your core and glutes then raise your chin and chest to keep your body tight. From there, start the move by bending your elbows. 2 Slow it down To expose your triceps to as much time under tension as possible - a key stimulus for adding new muscle tissue - lower your body as slowly as you can. Aim for two seconds at first, building up over time to four seconds. Get as low as you can without stressing your shoulders. 3 Press up power Pause at the bottom for a one or two count, then press back up powerfully, ensuring you keep your core and glutes tight to prevent your legs swinging. Don’t fully…

In the rush to sculpt a summer body it’s easy to neglect the other bits of your body. Sure, you’ll want to whip your top off when you hit the beach – but you’ll have your face on display all day. So give it the attention it deserves with these fine new skin care products. First up is Kiehl’s impressive new Age Defender exfoliating cleanser (£22 for 150ml) , which aims to do the admirable job of helping you hold on to your youthful looks. You can either use it as a face wash and let the Moroccan lava clay and phytic acid remove everyday dirt, or you can be more adventurous and use it as a masque for a deeper exfoliation. Just apply it and leave it on for…

Winning the war against time isn’t about trying hundreds of online tools claiming to help professionals be more productive. Yes, those tools can help, but fundamentally, it’s about rethinking how you use time. And this starts each and every day with how you organise your tasks. Employment network LinkedIn compiled a survey that revealed just how much our professional to-do lists are in need of a makeover. It turns out we’re great at listing the things we need to do, but not so good at actually doing them. In fact, almost 90% of professionals admit they’re unable to accomplish all the tasks on their to-do list by the end of an average workday. So if you’re sick of tackling the same stale to-do lists every day – and coming up…

PHASE 1 FOUNDATION “Here we emphasised movement quality over load,” says Bartholomew. “That meant higher-volume training – around three to four sets of eight to ten reps – at a relatively low intensity, in terms of the amount of weight lifted. It’s hard to train at peak levels if you can’t move adequately or are always in pain.” As Bartholomew says, “Engineers and construction workers on skyscrapers will tell you that the smart money always goes into the ground.” In practice, that meant starting with the fundamentals: push and pull. “Ricky adhered to what I call a mixed split format for this. Days one and three were upper-body pushing exercises paired with lower-body pulling moves, and days two and four were upper-body pulling movements paired with lower-body pushing exercises. Each…

1 Romanian deadlift Sets 3 Reps 10–15 Why “It helps the drivers maintain perfect posture, so no energy is wasted when braking,” says Reynolds. How Stand upright holding a barbell. Hinge at the hips to send the bar down the front of your thighs until you feel a strong stretch. Straighten up. 2 Goblet squat Sets 3 Reps 10–15 Why “The muscles involved help the driver develop their strength and endurance for repeated braking and steering manoeuvres,” says Reynolds. How Hold a dumbbell at chest height, then simultaneously bend at the hips and knees to lower towards the floor. Then stand up. 3 Dumbbell press-up Sets 3 Reps 10–30 Why “This challenges the deep core muscles, which are crucial to help stabilise the spine and counteract G-forces,” says Reynolds. How…

Paleo nutrition – as you’ll know unless you’ve been, er, living in a cave – means eating only foods available in the Paleolithic era (meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds and unprocessed oils). Although the plan is as popular as ever, the relative plainness of “prehistoric” fare can make eating like early Homo sapiens a challenge. But with a little creativity, you can turn all your favourite foods – from steak and burgers to kebabs – into flavour-packed Paleo treats. Here’s how to modernise the most old-school diet ever. PALEO FAJITAS INGREDIENTS Makes 3 servings For the meat 350g organic skirt steak For the rub 2 chipotles (dried chillies), soaked in water for 30 minutes, or 2 fresh chillies 4tbsp olive oil 4tbsp lime juice 1 bunch of coriander,…

If you’re a healthy guy, getting an erection – and maintaining it for as long as necessary – shouldn’t be a problem. But it is becoming a problem. In some cases, a big one. A recent study in the Journal Of Sexual Medicine found that the age at which men are diagnosed with erectile dysfunction (ED) has fallen and continues to fall. In fact, researchers reported that about 25% of new patients showing signs of erection problems are under age 40, and almost half of them have what is classified as “severe ED” – which means they basically can’t get it up at all. And though there are countless bogeymen to blame for this mass plummeting of sexual prowess – stress, obesity, depression, booze – there is one thing we…

48% The reduction in risk of developing prostate cancer, the most common form of the disease in men, from drinking green tea according to the American Journal Of Epidemiology Switching just one daily cup of coffee for green tea can work wonders for your cognitive performance, thanks to compounds in the drink that cause a short-term improvement in the way different parts of your brain communicate. That’s the conclusion of a study published in the journal Psychopharmacology, in which subjects given a green tea extract were better able to perform a series of mental challenges because of faster and smoother communication pathways between different areas of the brain. Time to go green.…

Running off-road doesn’t only build stronger muscles and more stable joints, it will also lower your risk of osteoporosis. Previous research has shown the mental benefits of exercising in the great outdoors, including reducing anxiety and stress, and now a study in the European Society Of Endocrinology journal reports that long-distance running strengthens your bones more effectively than other forms of endurance cardio, such as cycling and swimming. Researchers measured levels of two proteins, osteocalcin and P1NP, both of which play roles in the formation of new bone. Blood levels were far higher in runners than in other endurance athletes. What’s more, a study in the Experiential Biology journal found that activities on uneven terrain led to a 28% increase in positive knee health, and a 62% increase in better…

STEP 1  Put your hand through the loop, ensuring the end lies between your thumb and forefinger, and fasten it so the strap is snug around your wrist. STEP 2  Put your hand over the bar with your palms facing down, keeping the strap end on the side nearest you. STEP 3  Using your other hand, wrap the strap around the part of the bar you will be holding. To tighten it, twist the bar towards you as if you were revving a motorbike. STEP 4  Secure the strap in place by gripping the bar and strap together. Twist your hand to tighten it. Letting go of the bar will also release the straps.…

CLEAN SHAVEN STYLING TIP “One mistake guys make is to just slap the cream or gel on their face rather than really working it in to soften the hair.” KEY PRODUCT “Use a good shaving oil and a shaving brush. Most guys don’t use them but they always do in barber shops because they’re effective – they lift and soften the hair, and the brush reaches where the skin touches the hair and helps give you a closer shave.” DESIGNER STUBBLE STYLING TIP “Always shave your cheeks, without going too low, and also the lower neck. It makes it look like you look after yourself without trying too hard. I’m not a fan of the hard line on the jaw because it looks too manicured.” KEY PRODUCT “You still need…

IAMRUNBOX Pro This running-commute backpack keeps your clothes crease-free and your laptop snug. £134, iamrunbox.com Canyon Roadlite Built to be light, responsive and comfortable, this could be the perfect fitness bike. From £699, canyon.com Versace Dylan Blue Citrus and bergamot combine with hints of fig leaf for a fresh Mediterranean scent. £70 for 100ml, versace.com/gb Lazer Sport Z1 Stay safer in the saddle in this lightweight helmet with added temple protection. £219.99, lazersport.co.uk Aspinal of London Wash Bag With this leather bag you’ll look the part after a tough workout or a weekend away. £160, aspinaloflondon.com Jo Malone London Exfoliating Shower Gel Available in three scents, these gentle gels can be used daily to cleanse your skin. £30,…

Whatever your current lifting level, MFexpert Tom Wright has advice that will push you on to a new PB. Just find the bodyweight multiple you’re aiming for and use his gym wisdom to help you hit it 1xBW “As the first big benchmark in squatting, you want to get up to this as quickly as possible,” says Wright (wrightfit.co.uk). “Adding a small amount of weight each week will help you to progress. When you hit a plateau, leave your ego in your locker for just one session and simply drop the weight by 10% for that week. This small de-load will allow you to recover, adapt and push past your sticking point, enabling you to hit that bodyweight target.” 1.5xBW “As you approach this target, new factors come into play…

Go grass-fed if you can – it contains more healthy fats, including CLA and omega 3s, than standard beef A thick steak might seem like the sort of food that’s a monthly treat – but it’s time to rethink that. A single 250g, grass-fed, aged-28-days slab of sirloin costs about the same as a Quarter Pounder meal – and unlike Uncle Ronald’s fare, it packs in around 70g of protein, with a punch of healthy animal fat and zero carbs or preservatives. The only catch? You have to cook it yourself – but with a bit of help from Michelin-starred chef Adam Gray, that’s the easy part. Here’s your step-by-step guide. STEP 1 HEAT Before anything else, take your steaks out of the fridge – ideally at least half an…

01 SEPARATE FATS AND CARBS says Matt Sallis, personal trainer Avoid eating fats and simple carbs together, especially once your rate of fat loss begins to stall. When you consume carbs insulin levels spike (the extent depends on the type and amount of carbs), and insulin’s job is to shuttle any recently ingested energy to the areas of the body that need it most. If you’ve been training hard these nutrients will be delivered to muscle cells to repair and rebuild them. But any excess energy you consume, particularly from fats and simple carbs like sugar, will be stored in fat cells, which is the last thing you want. mattsallis.co.uk 02 INDULGE YOURSELF says David Godfrey, performance director at One Performance UK The number one priority in any fat loss…

For some guys, being able to respond to the clichéd gym question “What do you bench?” makes them feel like they’re part of the club. But if you really want to be considered a seasoned lifter, you need a comeback to “What do you deadlift?” Why is that a superior question? Because while the bench is the big test of upper-body strength, it’s the deadlift that poses the greatest whole-body challenge. It’s also proof that you don’t skip leg day - another sign that you’re a committed gym-goer. “The deadlift will allow you to move more weight than any other barbell exercise, so it develops your overall strength and power,” says personal trainer Tom Wright (wrightfit.co.uk). “It’s a posterior chain builder, working the muscles on the rear of your body…