Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Men's Fitness UK

The conversation around mental health has come a long way in a relatively short time. Stiff upper lips are gradually being replaced by open minds and welcome arms, as the stigma around mental ill-health – and admitting when times are tough – begins to seem like more of a relic than reality. No one embodies this shift in attitudes more than Jason Fox, the ex-military operative now of SAS: Who Dares Wins fame. Because despite being every bit the conventional ‘man’s man’, Fox knows true courage is found in expressing vulnerability as well as confronting danger head on. On page 28 he reveals what reaching rock bottom taught him about strength and resilience. While the honesty of macho men like Fox represents steps in the right direction, this is just…

MICRO GYM An innovative new London gym has opened its doors – to one member at a time. Solo60, a few minutes from Shoreditch’s BoxPark, is the on-demand start-up that lets users book 60 minutes of gym time all to themselves. Equipped with state-of-the-art tech and fitness kit, the site has a surround-sound speaker system and a TV that gives members the option to stream exercise classes or even Netflix. Find out more at solo60.com STRIKE A POSE Beyond strength, flexibility and a calm state of mind, yoga can raise your metabolism and fine-tune your physique • Research has shown those who practise yoga regularly tend to have better appetite control. • Even more gentle forms, such as Hatha yoga, can have indirect weight-loss benefits. Gentle and restorative yoga switches…

Goals are good. They motivate and inspire us. But they can also do the exact reverse. A case in point: pursuing ‘the perfect body’. Because depending on what that is to you – and what your genetic makeup looks like – it can be hugely demoralising. “It’s common for people to ask for results that mimic their idols or friends,” says Andy Pilides, director of More Than Muscle. “Everybody is unique and it’s far better to try to improve what you have than look like someone else.” To use an analogy, it’s like taking a photo of Novak Djokovic to the barber, when you have hair like Rafael Nadal. The language bandied around in fitness circles doesn’t help, either. Body transformations are the prime example. “They’re cool if used in…

There’s a reason soldiers, warriors and weightlifters around the world have been living on stew since the invention of the cauldron – and it’s not just that they’re easy to make. It’s all about nutritional density: rather than losing precious nutrients during roasting or boiling, you cook them right back into the broth – and you can pack a day’s worth of veg into the mix. Flick through and dig in. RECOVERY PAELLA PREP TIME: 5 MINS COOKING TIME: 40 MINS / SERVES: 3 This traditional Spanish dish packs in protein, selenium from the prawns to aid muscle growth, and lots of carbs – perfect for refuelling after a hard session. - 12 prawns - 12 mussels - 2 chicken breasts, chopped - 4-6 chicken wings - 200g chorizo, chopped…

Southampton isn’t the first place that springs to mind when discussing launchpad locations for a world champion winter sports star, but the south-coast city’s dry slope arena proved to be the takeoff point for Billy Morgan: Olympic medal winner and the world’s first snowboarder to land the gravity-defying 1800 quadruple cork. Already a promising gymnast, Morgan was just 14 when he took up snowboarding on the dry slope and began adapting his acrobatic skills to a sport that would transform his life. Ten years later, he represented Great Britain at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, having also secured second spot in the worldwide snowboarding rankings. The following year, he became the first person to land the quad cork – a trick that involves performing four off-axis flips and five…

1A. BOX SQUAT • Select a box or bench at a height that means your knees will hit 90° when you sit down. • Stand half a stride in front of the box, feet approximately shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed out slightly. • Slowly sit back onto the box, pushing your hips and bum backward, then bending at your knees to lower yourself down. • When your bum touches down, pause but keep your muscles contracted. Push through your heels to raise yourself up to the starting position. • Hold a weight in the goblet squat position if bodyweight is too easy. 1B. WALKING LUNGE • Stand with your feet together and head up. • Lift your left knee up towards your chest as high as you can without…

99% agreed that sport and fitness aids their mental wellbeing. 75% of men keep fit to feel more comfortable in their bodies. 1 in 5 over-55s say that golf helps their mental health. 1 in 4 under-24s play football to relieve stress. TOP 3 THESE WERE THE TOP-RATED SPORTS FOR BOOSTING WELLBEING 1. Weight training (78%) 2. Running and gym cardio (47%) 3. Swimming (20%) UNSEEN BENEFITS Most of us use physical activity to get fitter, leaner, bigger or better at a particular discipline. But regular exercise has been scientifically proven to provide so much more than these easy-to-measure benefits. “Physical activity has been used as a therapeutic tool in alleviating poor mental health,” says sport and exercise scientist Jamie Wright, “and comprehensive meta-analyses have found a significant improvement in…

WELL OILED Greek scientists have found that a regular dose of extra virgin olive oil helps patients suffering with cognitive difficulties. Researchers gave participants 50ml of the oil every day for a year and found that long-term consumption was associated with significant improvement in cognitive function. Other researchers have also found links between diet and dementia, with one recent study showing that maintaining a healthy diet during middle age – particularly cutting out added sugars and saturated fats – is linked with a reduced risk of suffering from dementia later in life. MENTAL HEALTH WARDS The British government has committed to spend £400 million over the next four years to phase out dormitory accommodation on mental health wards. The move to providing private rooms for those suffering with acute mental…

BERGHAUS ARKOS REFLECT DOWN JACKET £250, berghaus.com Combining high-end performance with high-street cool, the heat-storing Arko Reflect is lightweight, highly breathable, and filled with RDS Hydrodown® for long-lasting warmth. Come wind, rain or snow, this is a jacket that wraps you up and tells you everything’s going to be OK – while ensuring you look like the coolest bloke on the mountain/your stroll round the park. MONTANE FEATHERLITE DOWN JACKET £190, montane.com Living up to its name, Montane’s Featherlite provides the best warmth-to-weight we tested. Packing down to next to nothing, it’s equipped with Pertex Quantum fabric, which sounds fit for the space age but essentially translates to ‘really warm’. The jacket is windproof and water-resistant, and filled with responsibly-sourced down. COLUMBIA GRAND TREK DOWN JACKET £210, columbiasportswear.co.uk A standout…

It took a pizza for Mathew Lewis-Carter to realise that his goal to become leaner had become an unhealthy obsession. In the throes of his introduction to the competitive bodybuilding world, he was “dieting hard”, “purging pretty much anything” he ate, and “dying” to become that bit musclier. But when his brother arrived home one evening with a margherita in hand, Lewis-Carter admits he “lost it” – screaming at his brother, because he was being so restrictive with the foods he was eating. Still, he pushed on. He took part in the competition, received good scores and was considered to be in the best physical shape of his life. “It felt good,” he says. Until he came off stage and realised the physical and psychological torment he was in. “I’d…

Careering downhill at 90mph, on a metal tray, your chin centimetres from ice, might sound like a snow day gone wrong, but British Bobsleigh and Skeleton (BBSA) have found a way to become the most unlikely of world beaters. Ranging from European Taekwondo champions to a former American football wide receiver, the athletes – based in the heart of Bath – encapsulate the underdog mentality. A diverse group seeking Olympic glory. Its humble set-up, which boasts nothing more than a push track – the only one in Britain – sees them attempt to compete on the world stage against nations who are far better equipped for the winter sport. DIVING IN HEAD FIRST “WE’VE ALL TAKEN UNIQUE PATHS INTO THE SKELETON, BUT TO COMPETE IN THIS SPORT REQUIRES A FEW…

Some stark stats coming at you: every year, 1/3 of all food grown in the world is wasted; in the UK, 3 MILLION TONNES of fruit and veg is wasted before it has even left the farm; and if food waste was a country, it would be the THIRD BIGGEST emitter of greenhouse gas emissions. Major causes of all that waste are food industry guidelines that dictate the size, shape, colour and number of produce deemed fit to line supermarket shelves. As a result, any fruit or vegetable that is wonky or discoloured – as things that grow in the ground or hang from trees tend to be – is consigned to the trash heap. Which is where Oddbox comes in… Subscribers can order a box of misshapen fruit and…

JOT IT DOWN When the skies are grey, it gets tough to remember the sunny days. Keeping a gratitude journal is a tried-and-tested means of ‘counting your blessings’: helping you remember things you’re grateful for by regularly writing them down. Research by psychologist Sonya Lyubomirsky shows that this works best when you just do it once a week, as doing it more can make the experience feel like a chore – ruining the point of the exercise. BEFRIEND THE COLD Teach yourself to ‘befriend the cold’ by taking regular cold showers or ice baths, advises ‘The Iceman’ Wim Hof in his new book, The Wim Hof Method. ‘Taking an ice bath is an amazing way to show yourself what you are capable of,’ he writes. For those new to cold…

Perfect Pairs Ladders are a form of training featuring just two exercises, designed to improve muscular endurance. Perform 1 rep of the first exercise, followed immediately by 1 rep of the second exercise, then rest for 45 secs. Perform 2 reps of each exercise, then 3, all the way up to 10 – resting for 45 secs between each pair. Once you’ve completed 10 of each, work your way back down the ladder. LADDER MOVES 1a. Pull-Up 1b. Press-Up 2a. Chin-Up 2b. Diamond Press-Up 3a. Kettlebell Swing 3b. Box Jump FRESH LEGS The secret to effective training every time you work out is in the planning. If you’re taking a full-body approach, train legs first: doing so increases levels of both testosterone and growth hormone, according to research published in…

It’s easy to think that your workouts are the most important part of fitness, but if you’re not putting as much effort into your all-round health, chances are you’re undermining at least some of that sweat and toil. Nutrition, sleep, recovery, stress – even how you breath – can impact your fitness goals, so it’s time to upgrade your all-round game with cutting-edge tech to help you boss your health. MUSE S HEADBAND £329.99, choosemuse.com Meditation helps you focus and stress less. It can also help you sleep better, and improved sleep means quicker recovery. But let’s be honest, unless you’ve relocated to a Tibetan yoga retreat, 2020 hasn’t made it easy to drop into a zen state before bed. That’s where the Muse S comes in. A sleep-focussed spin…

• Sign up to your local league at manvfatfootball.org. • Players need to have a BMI of 27.5 or over and membership costs £25-30 per month. Around 80 per cent of players join on their own, but you can email the local coach and arrange a time to come and observe the games beforehand. • Once you sign up, you’ll receive a welcome pack and gain access to advice from a health coach, food diaries, webinars, exercise plans, recipes, advice forums, and Facebook and WhatsApp support groups. • The weekly six-a-side games are 30 minutes long and are usually played on 3G pitches. • There are ten players in each squad, with roll-on and roll-off subs. You and your teammates will earn points for winning games – and for losing weight.…

1. DENIAL The initial shock of grief can leave you feeling numb and as though things are meaningless. You may find yourself in denial about the reality of the situation. 2. ANGER Denial then turns to anger as your mind begins to process the truth about what has happened and seeks to lash out – learn to accept this anger as a healing process. 3. BARGAINING As the anger subsides your mind may go through a series of ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ questions, as it tries to make sense of the situation. 4. DEPRESSION Beginning to return to the here and now, you’re likely to find yourself feeling sad and empty. “What is the point?” You might ask yourself. You will get through this stage. 5. ACCEPTANCE Death and…

• The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, the UK’s governing body for the sport, received £7.2 million in funding in the lead up to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. • GB has more Olympic Skeleton medals than any other nation: nine in total. • Team GB has won medals at every Games since the sport re-joined the Olympic family in 2002. • Skeleton originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland. • British sliders won three of Team GB’s five-medal haul in Pyeongchang 2018, despite sending just four athletes. • There is no ice track in the UK. • The British team spend less than two hours on the ice every year. • Athletes experience up to 5Gs of force – that’s the same as a fighter jet pilot.…

When we first went into lockdown, a home fitness revolution was born. But without the guidance of a PT or the ability to copy the bloke on the bench over, Brits had to take exercise instruction into their own hands – by doing an awful lot of Googling. According to SEMrush data, these were the most searched fitness terms in 2020 – and PT and My Vital Metrics founder Owen Hutchins is on hand to explain them. TERM: MACRO Monthly Search Volume: 32,050 Macro is simply an abbreviation of macronutrient. “The three main macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins and fats,” says Hutchins, “and they’re called macros because unlike vitamins and minerals which occur in tiny amounts (micronutrients), they are found in larger quantities. If someone asks you about your macros,…

If the 2020 CrossFit Open is anything to go by, Zack George – the top-ranked UK finisher and 26th overall – is the fittest guy in Britain. And his go-to workout is testament to the full-body strength and stamina required of an elite CrossFit athlete. “One of my all-time favourite sessions is the Hero WOD called DT,” George tells MF. Hero WODs are ‘workouts of the day’, each of them in tribute to a fallen first responder or member of the military who died in the line of duty – DT is in honour of US Air Force Staff Sergeant Timothy P. Davis. George continues: “It’s a fun (you can be the judge of that) barbell cycling workout that tests your strength, conditioning and efficiency. There’s a lot going on,…