Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i Men's Fitness UK

to 48 hours. This chips away at body fat and, combined with having more muscle mass, radically transforms your body. Discover the best ways to lift for fat loss on p48. And resistance training – whether it’s bodyweight press-ups or heavy benching – provides even more benefits: new research (p11) shows lifting weights can reduce your risk of dying before your time by 20%. So get stronger and live longer. As a reader of Men’s Fitness you’ll know that the only way to add muscle mass quickly is to follow a well-structured and progressive resistance training plan in the gym, alongside a healthy and balanced eating strategy that provides all the essential nutrients your body needs without the excess calories that can result in fat gain. What you might not…

1 GO FOR THE TREBLE This new report will be welcomed by those with a caffeine habit: in a research review published in 2017, drinking three to five cups a day was associated with a 15% drop in the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also won’t increase hypertension, as previously thought – another study found that up to eight cups a day could actually reduce the risk by 2% per cup – though it’s still not advisable for people with existing blood pressure issues. 2 KEEP IT LIGHT Coffee provides two sorts of beneficial antioxidant-based effects. First, it contains polyphenols that have their own antioxidant effects, and secondly it contains caffeine, which boosts your own cells’ function. Roasting can destroy the first type, though – confirmed by a 2017 study…

Given up on trying to control who sees your photos online? You’re suffering from what Korean researchers have now dubbed “privacy fatigue” – the frustrating, seemingly hopeless feeling of trying to stay one step ahead of our always-on, data-obsessed society. The researchers have created a six-point checklist to diagnose the condition, but the basics are simple: if you’re sick of worrying about online privacy (or cynical about the chances of mastering it), take stock, review your Facebook settings and, crucially, rethink how much you share.…

We all know that one guy who likes to turn up to the gym in a ratty, soup-stained T-shirt, but most of us prefer to be a bit more stylish when working out. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to look good on the gym floor, thanks to the launch of online retailer BoohooMAN’s first activewear collection. Whether you’re in the weights room, training for a marathon or working up a sweat in a HIIT class, the range has something for you, with hoodies, lightweight jackets, track pants, T-shirts, shorts and sleeveless tops made from durable, breathable and sustainable fabrics. The collection is in shades of grey, black and white with a hint of acid yellow for a contemporary look – and while we’re sure this isn’t your…

MyProtein seamless long-sleeve tee A close-fit tee with thumb holes to keep your hands warm on longer runs. £30, myprotein.com Garmin Forerunner 645 Music tracker Get speed and distance tracking plus music and performance feedback on the go. £399.99, garmin.co.uk Kymira ¾ length leggings Made with thick but lightweight fabric to keep your legs both warm and mobile. £70, kymirasport.com FitBit Flyer earphones Secure and sweatproof earphones that keep the tunes coming for up to six hours. £109.99, fitbit.com/uk FlipBelt running belt This smart belt keeps your keys, cash and phone safe while you pound the pavements. From £25, flipbelt.co.uk Under Armour Perpetual fitted training tee Light and tight without being constrictive, this top wicks sweat as soon as it’s…

In 1998 the UK was a place of optimism, political stability and economic growth. It was also when a bold, warm, elegant and intense fragrance – Declaration from Cartier – launched. Fast forward 20 years and while the sociopolitical circumstances may have changed, the quality of this iconic fragrance goes from strength to strength. The latest incarnation is a joyful combination of a bergamot top note, cardamom and orange heart notes and a solid, reliable woody base. £73 for 100ml 3 Other options in the Declaration range, which are all available at cartier.co.uk…

Think of fat loss, and your mind jumps – probably unwillingly – to teeth-gritting spin bike sprints, retch-making burpee intervals or, if you’re really behind on the science, endless cardio. Good news: none of the above is necessary. “Your body is smart about how it regulates the energy it uses,” says trainer Adam Wakefield. “If you go out and run, cycle or swim for an hour each day for a year, then you won’t be burning the same number of calories twelve months down the line as when you first started. Your body’s used to the stimulus – and now you’ll need to do more than before to get better results.” With weights, this isn’t a problem, because it’s far easier to make little tweaks to your sessions - whether…

Walk into any gym at any time and you can guarantee that at least a couple of guys will be on the bench press. What’s just as likely is that they won’t be doing it properly. “For maximum strength and size gains, forget about the weight on the bar and focus on being as stable as possible on the bench to create tension from head to toe and get the most out of every rep,” says strength coach Andy McKenzie (ironmacfitness.com). Use his form advice to lift heavier than ever next time you train. 1 GET A GRIP Your hands should grip the bar about shoulder-width apart to maintain the best position to press the weight up. If your grip is too wide you risk placing too much pressure on…

Question: what’s the best way to build a big chest? Pile a load of weight plates on the bar and bench press until you’re blue in the face, right? Wrong. To add chest size and strength you need to get smart and start hitting your pecs from multiple angles to spur as many muscle fibres as possible into action. The more fibres you fatigue when training, the greater the stimulus your body gets to rebuild these damaged fibres bigger and stronger. Try this six-move multi-angle workout to get serious pecs appeal. How to do the workout This is a six-move session made up of three supersets. Do move 1A, sticking to the sets, reps and rest shown, then do move 1B. Then do moves 2A and 2B as a superset,…

This session is quite dense – which, in training terms, is a good thing. That’s because, in the gym, density refers to doing a lot of work in a short space of time. And in this instance your aim is to do as many rounds of the following workout as you can in 20 minutes. “Density blocks are a good way to keep the heart rate high while working at a pace that will ensure the maintenance of good technique,” says Olli Foxley of W10 Performance (w10performancegym.com) - the man you can curse in the minutes following the workout because you’re so tired… and the man you can praise after a few weeks of incorporating it into your training because you’ve shrunk your waistline. “This will test you aerobically as…

Olympvs Athletic Fit Jeans Engineered to be the ultimate jeans for athletes, Olympvs jeans feature an athletic fit for muscular thighs and a HYPERstretch denim for supreme comfort. They’re crafted in Italy to an uncompromising standard to ensure optimum fit, comfort and quality. Use code MF20 for 20% off. RRP £79. olympvsjeans.co.uk StayFit With thousands of clients searching for personal trainers on StayFit, why not join us and be part of a growing network of fitness professionals? For just £4.99 per month, you can effectively automate the process of winning new business so you can focus on your passion – training, and helping your clients to achieve their goals. Join today for your free trial! Download the StayFit #ForgetRoutinesWorkout App. Powerball Perfect for all sports people or anyone looking to…

It turns out that while doing high-intensity interval training to burn body fat and improve cardiovascular health – two things it’s great for – you’ve been improving your health in other ways too. A pair of new studies has found the regular HIIT sessions, such as boxing drills, also improves brain function and slows your body’s ageing processes. The first, from McMaster University in Canada, tracked the brain health of young adults over six weeks of HIIT training. It found they had a significant improvement in memory and recall, as well as an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports brain cell growth and function. Another study, published in the Cell Metabolism journal, found that HIIT caused an increase in the production of proteins that support mitochondria…

1 Refuel your body with one-pot wonders Eating for a leaner and healthier body is easy – so long as you’re a fantastic chef. If you’re more of a close-friendswith-the-Deliveroodriver type, help is at hand: all you need is a single pot to cook up a delicious and nutritious meal. Find out more p44 2 Get upwardly mobile to revitalise cardio Treadmills are fine but if you want to really fire up your legs and lungs, take to the stairs. It’s a high-intensity, quad-burning workout you can’t get anywhere else – and it’s just one of our half-dozen tips for making cardio fun again. Find out more p17 3 Banning “bad” foods is a bad move What’s the easiest way to make yourself crave a high-calorie food? Resolve never to…

It’s not just about self-defence: in a long-term study that ended this year, martial arts exponents scored highly on tests of mental acuity, including attention span and alertness. But which style best fits your weaknesses? Here’s the breakdown. Karate Sparring-heavy styles promote higher “alert scores”, allowing people to switch tasks quickly and with better cognitive control. Taekwondo Long-term practitioners did better on tests of concentration – possibly due to all those elaborate katas. Judo It improves “grit” - a measure of willingness to push through hardship that correlates with success across the board.…

1 Asics Gel-Nimbus 20 Platinum KEY FEATURE The Gel-Nimbus has been the go-to trainer for neutral gait runners for the past two decades, and Asics has pulled out all the stops for its 20th anniversary. The 20 Platinum Edition introduces Adaptive Gel to offer greater cushioning as you fatigue. HOW IT FEELS At 305g this is the lightest ever Gel-Nimbus trainer and feels very light on the feet – yet there’s no apparent trade-off in flexibility or support. The FlyteFoam midsole provides solid cushioning and absorption, while the new Adaptive Gel works in your favour to increase support as your legs get heavier. £165, asics.com/gb 2 Gola X-Pand Force KEY FEATURE This hybrid road and trail shoe features Gola’s new X-Pand responsive foam midsole to provide greater rebound…

Not every pair of trainers you own has to be high-performance running aids bursting with the latest tech. Get some classic style on your feet with the best of the current crop of street-smart low-tops.…

“A common mistake is to focus on distance and forget that higher-intensity, training can be just as beneficial” HOW TO TRAIN FOR A 5K John Brewer, author of Run Smart , gives his tips on how to build the endurance and speed required for the shortest race distance How much training do you need to do? It depends on your starting point, but two to three sessions a week should work for most people, and will enable you to build up first the time spent running, then the distance. If this is your first time attempting the distance, you need to build up gradually, running a similar distance or only slightly longer in each session, and including faster interval sessions to improve leg speed and recovery. For…

To lose belly fat you need to consume fewer calories than you burn, so it’s tempting to cut out high-calorie foods like chips, pizzas and burgers when trying to get lean. But instead of being the fastest way to get shredded, this all-or-nothing approach is counter-productive. “You don’t need to eat ‘perfectly’ 100% of the time to lose weight,” says Brian St Pierre, director of performance nutrition at Precision Nutrition. “In fact, most people do best when eating for performance and physique 80-90% of the time and eating for pleasure 10-20% of the time. Ultimately an all-or-nothing approach rarely gets you all – it usually gets you nothing.” St Pierre suggests instead of viewing foods as either “good” or “bad”, place them on a spectrum of “eat more often”, such…

CLOSEGRIP BENCH PRESS HOW Grip the bar with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart, then bring it down to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in to your sides. Pause, then press it back to the starting position. WHY Benching with a narrow grip shifts the emphasis to your triceps while safeguarding your shoulders. It’s a good way to work on weaknesses in your regular bench press, or just get a bit more work in on arms day. INCLINE BENCH PRESS HOW Lie on a bench set at a 45˚ incline, holding a bar over your chest with your grip just wider than shoulder width. Lower the bar until it’s touching your chest, then press it back up. WHY Setting the bench on an incline will mean you need to reduce…

1 THE PROBLEM BORING ROUTINES “It’s hard enough to get yourself through the gym doors at the best of times, let alone spending 30-40 minutes on one cardio machine at a time,” says Finch. “Don’t get caught up in the same gym routines week in, week out. Your body adapts quickly to a workout so remember to keep shocking it by mixing up your gym routines and regularly changing your classes.” THE FIX GET HELP “You cannot beat getting a full assessment with nutritional support and programmes written by a personal trainer. They will keep your programmes creative and fun. Also, you can always ask an instructor in your gym for ideas and little workouts. After all, you’re paying for a service.” 2 THE PROBLEM WEEKEND BINGES “You work so…

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1 Double up No time to do sprints and a long session? “I often build sprint intervals into four-hour rides to sharpen up for a race,” says Opie, who rides for the Canyon Eisberg team. “You can use a turbo for short, hard sessions which will pay off on the road.” 2 Go aero “Minimise your surface area on windy roads. Aerodynamic or ‘aero’ positions can feel uncomfortable at first but you get used to it. Simply tucking your head down and getting low over the bars will let you get the benefit.” 3 Kit carefully “If you often average more than 15mph [24km/h] on your rides, it is likely you will benefit from aerodynamic equipment, such as deep-section wheels. If your rides are hillier, it makes more sense to…

The lightweight collared shirt was originally worn by sportsmen to protect their necks from the sun – but by tennis players, so we’re not sure how polo got its name on them. Still, we are sure every man needs a polo shirt in his summer wardrobe.…

HEAVYMADE BY HANZ DE FUKO Go for a bold style with this new paste, which offers exceptional precision styling and the signature natural look of Hanz de Fuko products. £16 FISH ORIGINAL DAPPERFISH POMADE Designed to give you a classic 1920s look, this new pomade has a firm hold so you can style quiffs – but with a soft matte finish. £6.99 JOHN FRIEDA SCULPTING PASTE The iconic brand has launched a new eight-strong men’s range, including this low-shine paste that has been created to give you a post-cut look. £9.50…

THE CHEF Adam Gray is a Michelin-starred chef and a champion of ethically and sustainably sourced food. He has been the head chef at several award-winning London restaurants including Bourne and Hollingsworth, Rhodes Twenty Four and Skylon. Speedy salmon salad Makes 4 servings INGREDIENTS 200g good-quality smoked salmon 200g cherry vine tomatoes 100ml rapeseed oil 4 free-range medium-sized eggs 2 English muffins, cut into rough 1cm cubes 100g mixed salad leaves ½tsp white wine vinegar TO MAKE 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 2 Place the tomatoes and the muffin cubes on a shallow baking tray. Drizzle 60ml of rapeseed oil over them and add a pinch of black pepper. 3 Place the tray into the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are just tender and…

To make the fastest growth gains possible, you need to make your muscles work harder than they’ve had to work previously. And when you’re trying to build bigger biceps and triceps, nothing will shock them into growth faster than ramping up the number of reps you do. One of the most challenging – and effective – ways to increase the volume of work your biceps and triceps do in a single session is a tri-set, which is three exercises done back to back with very little rest in between. This workout is made up of two tri-sets, with the number of reps rapidly increasing, starting with six reps for the first move, 12 for the second and a whopping 25 for the final one. You’ll need lighter dumbbells as you…

There aren’t many things that old school body builders and modern sports scientists agree on but one of them is that volume is a key variable in the quest for muscle growth. In training terms, volume refers to the total weight lifted during a session. If you want to increase your volume, the most sensible way to do it is to increase the number of sets you perform. If you tried to do it by increasing the weight you lift you’d hardly be able to do any reps, and if you did it by doing high-rep sets then you’d take yourself out of hypertrophy rep ranges. Renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin was well aware of this when he created his German Volume Training (GVT) protocol, which essentially involves doing ten…

Want to make a big change to the way you look with your shirt off? Then you need to make a big effort in the gym – but there’s no point throwing weights around if you’re not training smart. That’s where this four-week training block, designed by the experts at MF, comes in. It’ll transform your torso in double-quick time by hitting your major upper muscle groups multiple times each week to shock your body into rebuilding the damaged muscle fibres bigger and stronger. The result? In just 28 days, you will have packed on serious size across your upper body – and will be stronger and leaner to boot. HOW THE PLAN WORKS In each of the four weeks of this 28-day plan, you will train your major upper-body…