Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Men's Fitness UK

HEAD FIRST We can all strive to be fitter. But whether you exercise to look good, feel good or perform better, any progress made – in the gym, in competition or otherwise – will ultimately leave you unfulfilled if you don’t also commit time to your mental health. The trouble is, working on your wellbeing isn’t nearly as simple as working out. That’s not to say getting stronger, fitter, leaner or bigger is easy, but at least there are tried-and-tested formulas to follow. To reach a sound state of mind, there are no such blueprints – which is precisely why so much importance is placed on opening up and talking about how we feel. With honesty and awareness comes the realisation that everyone – no matter how #blessed they are…

PRESCRIPTION WHEELS  A cycling-on-prescription scheme trialled in Yorkshire could soon be rolled out across the UK. More than 1,000 people have been referred to the scheme since it launched four years ago and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with figures from 2018/2019 showing people using the scheme reporting a marked increase in feeling more confident and relaxed. Speaking to the BBC, Jenny Box, Cycling UK's head of development, said: “Cycling UK has always known cycling can help people with both their physical and mental wellbeing – and in West Yorkshire we've now got the evidence.” THE COST OF CLUTTER There’s plenty of research to show how physical mess can affect your mental health. One study by›Professor Joseph Ferraria found that the more clutter people have in their homes, the…

LETTING OFF STEAM Street trials rider and YouTube star Danny MacAskill hops in front of a train in Edinburgh while filming his 2016 short Wee Day Out. Some of the Scotsman's other jaw-dropping videos include Imaginate, Epecuén and the edit that first catapulted him into the spotlight, Way Back Home.Ten years on from that original film, Men's Fitness sat down with MacAskill to discuss his life of tricks, flicks and internet stardom. READ THE INTERVIEW ON PAGE 58…

Do you like the sound of broken bones, torn tendons and buff men in small pants squealing like stuck pigs?” The master of ceremonies at London wrestling show Lucha Britannia leaves his audience members in little doubt what to expect from their evening’s entertainment. Already, four wrestlers – El Piranha, Ophidian, Dark Britannico and Illusionisto – have occupied the ring, and are hell bent on knocking seven bells out of each other, to the delight of the 120-strong crowd, all baying for blood. There seems to be some kind of storyline behind the action, although it’s not always clear who is on whose team. No matter though: as a spectacle of combat, athleticism and acrobatics, this Mexican-style wrestling match is brilliant entertainment. The pugilists, in colourful masks and various items…

While there are various reasons to remove, or at least cut down on, meat and other animal products, an increasing number of athletes are doing so for performance purposes alone. However, individual needs vary from sport to sport. A cyclist, for example, needs an average of 6,071 calories per day on a ride, while a footballer burns around a third of that during a 90-minute match. Regardless of diet, getting the requisite energy and nutrients can be a tricky business, so cutting off numerous foods limits options, meaning careful planning and research is key. Foregoing meat and dairy can be a tough decision for anyone, but for an athlete with performances on the line, it's a potentially career-changing move. Professional cyclist Adam Hansen, who has taken part in 29 Grand…

HERO OF THE MONTH  Dorset-born endurance runner Nick Butter has become the first person to run a marathon in every country on Earth: all 196 of them. Twenty-two months after starting his challenge in Canada, the 30-year-old former banker crossed the final finish line in Athens – the historic home of the marathon – to complete an epic journey. On the way, Butter took 455 flights, visited just over two countries a week, ran through 15 war zones and was mugged twice. He has raised over £65,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. MYTH BUSTER SORE MUSCLES = GOOD WORK Don’t measure the effectiveness of a workout on how sore your muscles are the next day. Soreness is a direct result of inflammation, not training intensity. You can have the best session…

It all started with a slight shimmer in the corner of my left eye: a sensation so strange that it was difficult to even describe it to the optometrist. They thought I was making it up. After all, everything looked fine. Even the local hospital disregarded it. “There’s nothing wrong with you, it’s a visual migraine,” I was told repeatedly. But it wasn’t. A year and a half later, following the complete loss of my peripheral vision, a misdiagnosis, an MRI scan and ocular electrophysiological testing, I was eventually diagnosed with AZOOR (Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy) in my left eye: a rare retinal inflammation that causes the sufferer to see constant flashing lights. It gradually robs the retina of its ability to send messages back to the brain, but…

Simon Brown was a key member of the World Championship winning Great Britain wheelchair basketball team in 2018. He followed that up with the European title last summer, after beating Spain in a hard-fought final. Success, for Brown and the GB team, came thanks in no small part to their dedication to playing and training all year round. REGIME “We play in professional leagues and much of the physical training comes through games,” Brown tells MF. “We have a lot during the club season and then we're back in the summer to do Team GB for internationals. With our clubs we usually do about five or six hours’ training a day.” “Mornings can be individual stuff like shooting, with more teamwork or tactical stuff in the evening. There’s a lot…

SET REALISTIC GOALS If it's improved fitness you're after, training for a summer race, competition or target number can be a powerful motivator, keeping you accountable and focused when negative thoughts creep in. But while aspiration is to be encouraged, the sky isn't the only limit you should take into account. Just as a twice-a-week cyclist would be advised to target a flat 30-mile race over getting their hands on the yellow jersey, your fitness resolutions should be grounded in a certain amount of realism. FOCUS ON THE CONTROLLABLES That said, even goals that seem a long shot – running an ultra-marathon, or dropping a couple of jeans sizes – are worth setting, as long as the only thing between you and success is your own commitment. If other factors…

“This is two circuits of three exercises, each one taking 15-25 minutes depending on how many rounds are done,” says Rees. “Each circuit starts with a lower rep compound exercise, followed by a moderate rep hypertrophy exercise, then a higher rep conditioning/power endurance movement. “Alternate week to week by increasing either load or number of rounds performed. It's a full-body programme aimed at developing strength endurance and work capacity.” CIRCUIT 1 4-6 rounds, 30-60 secs rest between exercises Romanian deadlift x 6-8 reps Incline dumbbell bench press x 10-12 reps Kneeling medicine ball slam x 12-15 reps CIRCUIT 2 3-6 rounds, 30-60 secs rest between exercises Barbell bench press x 6-8 reps Rear foot elevated split squat x 10-12 reps Kettlebell swing x 12-15 reps…

76% of men don't carry out any regular recommended cancer checks. 52% of men have not visited a doctor in up to five years. 16% of men have ignored serious symptoms due to a lack of time to visit the doctor. 22% of men know they have a family history of cancer but haven’t taken any steps to avoid it. 15% of men feel professional strain prevents them from addressing serious concerns over their health. 18% of men don’t have time to see a doctor regarding their mental health. 28% of men are worried about the stigma surrounding opening up about their mental health. Nearly 2.5 million men in the UK are either currently concerned about symptoms of a serious illness or have a family history of cancer, yet don't…

GET PUMPED You’re never going to lift big if you’re yawning your way to the bench and daydreaming about dinner. Hitting your target weight requires focus and, if needed, a ritual to get yourself psyched up. A study conducted with elite rugby players by researchers at AUT University, found that when they pumped themselves up for a set of bench press, force production increased by eight per cent. Head in the game! BEND THE BAR As you lower the weight, pull your shoulder blades together and try to bend the bar in half. This is more than just a macho power move; the pulling motion maintains the retracted shoulder position and tension throughout the movement, which increases upper-body stability and, in turn, power output. BREATHE! One of the most common…

TRAINING ERRORS Finding progress hard to come by? There's a chance you're making one of these mis takes. Marvin Burton, head of fitness at Anytime Fitness, is here to help 1. OVERTRAINING Overtraining can be more destructive than constructive, because your body can only develop at a certain rate. If you’re training seven days a week, you’re not allowing for adequate adaptation and muscle repair. Training smart, rather than hard, is a philosophy we should all adopt. Solution: train a maximum of five days a week and incorporate two or three rest days into your schedule. 2. POOR PLANNING It’s quite common to see other people in a gym not following any type of structure, plan or goals. But having a structured plan in which you update and…

GORE® X ROMANCE GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY™ £270, gorewear.com They say: ‘Designed for road cyclists wanting to ride in a bright, stylish jacket that offers the highest levels of rain protection and breathability.’ We say: A great-looking jacket that combines cycling-specific details with a standout design. It’s highly breathable, completely windproof and waterproof enough to withstand the worst of the British winter. And if you do get caught in a storm, that SHAKEDRY technology means water simply beads up and trickles off the jacket’s surface. Expensive, yes, but it might just make those dark January rides a little more appealing. ZONE 3 SOFT-TOUCH LONG SLEEVE £40, zone3.com They say: ‘High-quality performance fabrics combined with features such as reflective taping and laser bonded collar result in a garment which feels as good as…

At the beginning of 2019, I decided it would be the best year of my life. With a list of New Year’s resolutions nearly as long as the half marathon I'd be signing up for, I set about making ‘Operation Self-Improvement’ a reality. Meditation apps were downloaded and motivational podcasts were neatly arranged into playlists, ready to spur me on during 6am runs in the wintry drizzle. Bestselling self-help books were bunged haphazardly into my Amazon basket – a bulging library I was certain would change my perspective on my career, health and life in general. I’d be learning a language, naturally (Japanese couldn’t be that hard, could it?), and while I was at it, why not turn the average two-bedroom house I’d recently bought with my girlfriend into the…

KEHINDE SALAMI Light weight training with high reps. “I’m back at the gym training, but I had to build up my confidence. I can still enjoy workouts with lighter weights but with more reps, and I will still get the benefits.” LUKE PEMBROKE Running and tournament paintball. “Nothing quite beats running outside. I limit myself to 5k runs: any more than that and I start to feel my ankles flare up due to the arthritis.” JAMIE BROADWAY Les Mills group classes. “As the group classes tend to be fast-paced and held in darker rooms with low-level lighting, at present they can help distract me from the flashing lights on my retina.”…

Modest and quietly spoken, in the unlikely event you hadn’t seen his videos you would have no idea Danny MacAskill is an internet sensation. Yet since his breakthrough short film in 2009 – making him one of the very first viral stars – the street trials rider and Red Bull athlete has amassed over 450 million views on YouTube alone. “It’s like being in The Truman Show sometimes –I wonder if it’s all one big joke, but I’ll go with it for now” Little wonder, then, that he gave up his job as a mechanic to pursue a life on the road, travelling the world and performing increasingly daring tricks to impress his ever-growing online audience. Men’s Fitness: You’ve come a long way since you gave up your job as…

HOW TO Exercises 1A and 1B are to be done consecutively. Once you've nailed all your reps, sets and rests for those two exercises, move on to 2A and 2B and repeat the process. 1A. PIKE MUSCLES WORKED: erector spinae, quadratus lumborum, obliques, recuts abdominis, triceps, pecs REPS: 6-10 REST: 30-60 secs With your hands under your shoulders, rest your shins on the Swiss ball. Keep your arms fixed and use your core to pull your hips up in the air, without sagging at the waist and losing your back. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly roll back out while keeping your midsection strong. 1B. CRUNCHES MUSCLES WORKED: erector spinae, quadratus lumborum, recuts abdominis REPS: 6-10 REST: 30-60 secs SETS: 2-3 With your feet flat and your…