Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Men's Fitness UK

If an unwelcome bout of Omicron, a niggling injury or a hectic work schedule has disrupted your gym training, don’t panic. A new study led by the University of Arkansas found that our muscles have a surprisingly long memory. The research confirmed that muscles develop a long-lasting molecular ‘memory’ of previous resistance exercise, which enables them to grow more quickly when re-trained after an extended break. This latest study involved mice, but it builds on previous studies involving human subjects, which confirmed similar findings. When previously trained muscles are re-trained after a long break, they grow at a much faster rate. That means any resistance training you have done in the past is still in the ‘bank’ and ready to be awakened whenever you return to the gym. 19% of…

If you want to boost your memory at work, or just improve your useless fact retention for the next pub quiz, stop using your smartphone and order a bigger monitor. New research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has revealed that when it comes to memory, size matters. The researchers found our visual memory of images is affected by the size of the image on the retina, with larger images 1.5 times more likely to be remembered than smaller ones. That may be because large images require your visual system to use more resources in processing them, demanding more attention.…

FANCY PUTTING YOUR LEGS TO THE TEST? FIND OUT MORE ON PAGE 28…

A large review of 14 published studies has shown that there is a significant association between dairy consumption and acne development.4 Those consuming the highest amount of dairy products were 2.6 times more likely to develop acne than those eating the least. If you’re prone to zits, cutting out dairy could be a good place to start. 1. Pharmacognosy Reviews; 2. Plos One; 3. Journal of Dietary Supplements; 4. Clinical Nutrition; 5. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 6. Autophagy; 7. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research; 8. Journal of the American Heart Association…

First lesson: it’s spelled biceps, plural, not bicep. Second lesson: that means you need to target two different muscles for well-rounded, sleeve-filling arm development. Switching up your grip during a simple biceps curl will tick both boxes. “This move targets the biceps brachii during the concentric (lifting) part of the move, boosting the peak of your arm,” says fitness model and trainer Shaun Stafford (pictured), “while the rotation and eccentric control on the way down switches the focus to the brachialis muscle, adding thickness to your arm. It can be taxing on your nervous system, so get it in early in your workout before you start to fatigue.” 1. Sit upright on a bench, holding dumbbells by your sides with palms facing forward. Curl the dumbbells up to chest height,…

Alan Corcoran recently released his book, Marathon Man, sharing his journey of becoming the first person to run a lap of Ireland. As a 21-year-old student, he ran around the coastline by completing a marathon (26.2 miles) every day for 35 consecutive days. Here are four things he learned from pushing himself to the absolute limits… 01. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail I was a track sprinter growing up. I’d represented Ireland on several occasions, sprinted to under-19 National Championship gold and trained with the country’s best. As a third-year university student, though, I had enough of the demanding schedule and sacrifices, and quit athletics. For a few months, with the aid of 99p drinks, I integrated nicely into Dundee University’s nightclub scene, swapping 15 hours of training with…

GET 67% OFF GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE Save 67% on your first 3 issues Continue to save 33% after your trial Receive the Stuff e-newsletter each week Never miss an issue Free delivery to your door ONLINE AT shop.kelsey.co.uk/STUHA22 BY PHONE 01959 543 747 and quote STUHA22 Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm. Calls charged at your standard network rate. Terms and conditions: UK Direct Debit off er only. You will pay £5.00 for your first 3 issues. Your subscription will continue at a rate of £19.99 every 6 months. Savings are based on the standard cover price of £4.99. Off er ends 31 December 2022. Your subscription will start with the next available issue and you will receive 13 issues in a year. Prices correct at time of print and subject to change.…

Barbells are all well and good if you’re interested in hefting the biggest weight possible, but if you’re in it for real-world strength, there’s an equally effective option. Because of the way the centre of gravity shifts, sandbags test your stabiliser muscles from every angle, giving you a tougher full-body test than a nice, stable bar. Most modern gyms will offer one up to about 30kg, but for a heavier alternative you’ll need to make your own: use builder’s sand duct-taped inside smaller plastic bags, inside a bigger canvas sack or army surplus rucksack. The bonus? You can chuck it on the ground with little risk. KEY MOVES 1 Clean and Press Start with the bag on the ground, then drive up through your heels and lift the bag quickly,…

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Rev your heart rate at the end of a workout with this hard-hitting finisher Complete 15 reps of the ground to overhead, then immediately do 15 swings. Take a breath, then repeat for 3 sets in total. 1a. WEIGHT PLATE GROUND TO OVERHEAD Stand holding a weight plate in both hands. Squat down and touch the plate on the floor. Now stand and flip the plate onto your chest. Press it overhead, before repeating the process. 1b. KETTLEBELL SWING Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and push the kettlebell off your body to start the swing. As you lower, hinge at the hips by pushing your glutes back. When you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, drive your hips forward, swinging the kettlebell up. Don’t worry too much about how…

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The fruit of the unoriginally named ‘apple tree’, apples have been cultivated for thousands of years. And with over 7,500 known varieties, there’s plenty of choice, from the crisp Cox to the plucky Pink Lady. Over 63 million tonnes of apples are produced worldwide, with China accounting for 40% of that total. WHAT YOU DO WITH THEM: Bite, bake, blend, boil, stew, slice, dice, fry or ferment; the humble apple is versatility itself. Scientists at the Institute of Food Research, however, have suggested that apples are best eaten with another superfood: green tea. Natural antioxidants in both are thought to blend together and block the growth of a molecule called endothelial growth factor, which can contribute to a hardening of the arteries and therefore an increased risk of heart attack…

Many people avoid gluten because of the belief it can cause bloating or other stomach discomfort. But a large new study has found no relationship between high intake of gluten and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms.5 Over 100 participants with IBS were given 1.5 times the normal daily intake of gluten, hidden in a rice pudding, and reported no changes in symptoms compared to those given rice pudding without added gluten. Bread contains gluten alongside other compounds, such as certain types of carbohydrates called ‘fodmaps’, that can aggravate intestinal problems – which could explain why cutting it out helps for some people.…

Not so long ago, eggs suffered from some very bad PR, mainly because of poor understanding of cholesterol and exactly how much is contained within the yolk. However, it’s since been discovered that, of the two types of cholesterol – LDL and HDL – eggs increase the amount of the ‘good’ HDL, which removes fatty deposits and protects against heart disease. They’re also one of the best sources of meat-free protein and are loaded with nutrients, including 50% of your daily vitamin B12 intake – vital for keeping your body’s blood and nerve cells healthy – in just one egg. POACH PERFECT The healthiest way to cook eggs is simply to poach or boil them. For the perfect poached egg, crack into a cup, add a dash of vinegar to…

When it comes to enjoyable training that delivers results, pole strength should be top of the list. It has some obvious connotations some guys might not be able to get past, which is a shame, because for men who commit to develop their strength on a vertical pole, the impact it can have on their physique is powerful – think abs strength, shoulder power and mobility across your whole body. The fact that holding on to a pole requires so much strength, and recruits so much synergistic, core muscle, means if you spend enough time on it to progress, you’ll see your muscle tone and shape transform dramatically.? Across most calisthenics, martial arts and weight lifting, you need an understanding of how to connect your shoulder frame to your hip…

THE EXPERT Marcus Sladden is a running coach and ASICS Front Runner ambassador. Follow him on Instagram @mileswithmarcus If one of your new year resolutions was to run more, be careful you don’t jog on with the same old technical problems. Bad running form, a poor posture or a weak core will hamper your running performance and invariably lead to injuries and setbacks. “When it comes to training your body to run faster, form often gets overlooked,” says running coach Marcus Sladden. “Mastering your technique will not only set you on the path to PBs, but it will also allow you to do so with less effort, because your body will be moving in a more fluent motion.” Sladden, an applied sport science graduate, insists that small technical changes can…

F.I.T: Frequency, Intensity, Time. These are the three variables you need to take into account in order to get permanent results as a busy dad. Train with the right frequency, with increasing intensity and consistently, over a period of time. “Diego, I would love to have the time to eat healthy and train hard at the gym.” That’s what an old mate told me when I bumped into him last week on the street. “Life is just so busy, between family, work deadlines and life… I barely get time to exercise.” He had gained over 18kg since we last saw each other at uni, and none of that was muscle. New dad, new home, new car, and also new body – but not for the better. He kept asking me…

With more and more workers heading back to the office, now is the time to commit to that long-held ambition to jog, cycle or walk to work. Compelling new data extracted from fitness trackers has revealed that how you travel in each day has a major impact on your work-day productivity. By analysing data from fitness trackers, experts at Dartmouth College discovered that people who suffer stress before, during and after their commute – as a result of crowded trains, delays and traffic jams – have a significantly lower work performance than people who enjoy a more active or relaxing commute to work. This new research backs up several previous studies, which found that a stressful or unhealthy commute leads to poor organisational skills, inefficient practices and bad habits. By…

If the pressure to look good on Instagram has left you with body issues, a walk in nature could help you to get back on track. A new study by Anglia Ruskin University found that spending time innature can remove the triggers of body image anxiety and strengthen your coping mechanisms. The researchers concluded that spending time in nature helps to improve your ‘rational acceptance’: a coping mechanism that enables you to rationalise, and keep in perspective any negative feelings invading your mind.…

The SkiErg mainly targets the lats, triceps, shoulder and core muscles. Don’t think that means your legs are getting off scot-free, though: when performed properly, your lower body should also be engaged, making the SkiErg a brutally effective total-body exercise. TECHNIQUE ✔ Take a hip-width stance on the rear third of the platform. ✔ Grab both handles, with your arms extended, and initiate the movement. ✔ Pull the handles downward and use your upper body for support, while hinging with a neutral spine into a quarter squat. ✔ Finish the pull with both arms extended alongside the quads. ✔ Initiate a new pull by extending the arms back up and driving the handles down. COMMON ERRORS ✗ No full extension of the hips, shoulders and arms. ✗ Knees go inwards…

Tom Stoltman – the 6ft 6in, 174kg Scotsman – may officially be the World’s Strongest Man, but it took more than hauling insane weights to land him the coveted title. When the going got tough, 27-year-old Tom (who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as a child), one half of the world’s strongest pair of brothers, got the help he needed from a clinical psychologist. “I went from feeling that although my body was strong, my mind was weak, to feeling that my mind was the strongest part of me. I went from feeling fragile, to knowing I was invincible,” Tom tells MF, as he opens up about how he and fellow strongman brother Luke only found the success they deserved by embracing their vulnerabilities. It has become en vogue,…

Obesity causes a decline in the metabolism and endurance of skeletal muscle. New research shows that obesity reduces the amount of a growth factor called BDNF in the muscle cells, which in turn decreases energy expenditure and reduces insulin sensitivity. 6 In short, burning body fat can make your body better primed for building muscle. 20G of protein can be found in just one cup of edamame beans. Edamame are green, immature soybeans, and are often found pre-podded and ready to cook in the freezer section of the supermarkets. Since they’re a soy food, they can also significantly lower cholesterol levels.8…

This session is kicked off with box jumps, a criminally underused and highly effective exercise. While these alone aren’t going to give you legs like Chris Hoy, performing them regularly – and as a warm-up exercise before you get into your heavy lifting – will fire up your nervous system and stimulate the fast-twitch muscles neglected with low-intensity weightlifting. The result? You’ll not only be able to lift more, but you will also stimulate more muscle growth during each workout. Muscles primed and nervous system prepped, it’s into the main body of the workout. You’re going to hit 4 sets of barbell front squats, which are more lower-back friendly than the back variety – but don’t think that means they’re easy. By now your quads are going to be kicking…