Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i Men's Fitness UK

01. Single-leg lifts “Unilateral lower-body exercises with free weights can challenge your proprioception,” explains running physio Dr Chris Bramah (extramilehealth.com). “Next leg day, incorporate single-leg Romanian deadlifts, split squats, or reverse lunges.” 02. Wobble work “Balancing on wobble cushions and BOSU balls during your warm-up can provide a quick stability hit,” says Dr Bramah. “Or throw a ball against the wall and catch it during your rest intervals.” 03. Balance drills “Practise your balance and proprioception during daily household activities, like standing on one leg while brushing your teeth,” suggests Dr Bramah. “Or try adding a short pause hold while standing on a single leg during gym lifts, or between each rep of walking lunges.”…

A world-renowned personal trainer with a roster of celebrity clients, Luke Worthington has over 20 years’ industry experience. As well as being a qualified sports scientist and trainer, he holds qualifications in neuroscience and biomechanics. In short, he knows his stuff. Since starting out in 1997 (initially as a leisure centre PT), he’s been fascinated by physical performance and how he can help himself – and his clients – reach new heights. “From a young age,” he tells MF, “I was obsessed with why some people were better than others in sport. Anything I could read about the body and how it works, I was into. As a kid I made a load of training programmes, to make someone better at a certain discipline – drawing stick figures doing specific…

Summer’s here. So are longer, hotter days that are ideal for escaping the gym and busting into the big outdoors to inject a little more adventure into your life. If you’re planning to scale peaks, fly down mountains, ride rivers or perhaps something even more extreme, you’ll need to tool up properly to tame the wilds. Luckily, we’ve got just the firepower. Here’s a selection of the best outdoor tech, designed to help you thrive and survive excursions way outside your comfort zone. Garmin Instinct Solar 2 £389.99 / garmin.com If you’re not a fan of bulky adventure watches, the Instinct Solar 2 is a great alternative. Waterproof to 100 metres, with a fibre-reinforced case and chemically strengthened, scratch-proof glass, it’s a durable, rugged beast of a watch. It packs…

Protein isn’t the only supplement worth keeping in the kitchen cupboard. Here’s where performance enhancement meets flavour improvement Ascorbic acid Also known as vitamin C – essential for healthy teeth and bones, and may aid the immune system. Stops fruits and vegetables from browning. Can also be used as seasoning to add acidity. Glutamine An amino acid used in protein synthesis and to help with hydrating muscle cells. Use it in marinades to help crisp chicken and steak or toast bread. Maltodextrin Helps sustain energy levels during endurance workouts. Can be used to thicken purées into a syrupy consistency without affecting their flavour. Sodium citrate Endurance athletes use it to replace electrolytes – it’s basically lime juice with the acid removed. Improves the consistency of fondue or other melted-cheese recipes…

Improving cardiovascular fitness is potentially the lowest hanging fruit when it comes to achieving your health and fitness goals. A strong cardiovascular system will allow for greater levels of training intensity, aid recovery and offer substantial benefits across your health, strength, performance and aesthetics. But cardio isn’t black or white. You don’t have to be in a gym or have access to a certain machine to do ‘cardio’. That’s the real beauty of it. A cardiovascular stimulus is one that requires the body to create and expend energy for a given period of time. That can be done through lifting weights, bodyweight movements, going cycling or out for a run – to give just a few examples. Developing your cardiovascular fitness really comes down to how often you expose your…

Being smarter in order to create progressive overload and strength gains, rather than simply adding more plates to a bar, helps mitigate risks while keeping the rewards. One such method is by simply slowing a movement down. Exercising more control over the weight, particularly during the lowering phase, will create more of a challenge and has been shown to elicit strength gains (more on p98). The principle of progression in each of these exercises, however, is mechanical rather than load-based, so in each instance you will be creating more mechanical work, without needing to add more weight. “Within the same category of movement, it’s possible to progress the mechanics of certain exercises,” explains Worthington. “Generally, we do this by removing points of contact, so for example a chest-supported row becomes…

The effects of long-term stress on your physical health could be severe, according to research from the American Heart Association. The researchers found that men who suffer from worries tend to develop risk factors for heart disease and diabetes at a much younger age than men who are better skilled at managing their stress. The study followed 1,500 men who underwent health tests every three to five years to check for cardiometabolic risk factors, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass and inflammation. Men who rated higher for neuroticism – a personality trait characterised by a tendency to interpret life as stressful – experienced a 13% higher risk of multiple cardiometabolic disease risk factors. It’s a revelation unlikely to quell any man’s anxieties. But it may provide the trigger…

AVERAGE DRIVER DISTANCES BY AGE TRX CHEST PRESS Reps: 10 Sets: 3-4 Coach’s comment: this move is great for movement preparation and creating a balanced posture. It opens up the chest, activates the core and promotes the shoulder mobility necessary to shallow the club on the downswing. Stand facing away from the anchor. Grip the handles and extend your arms out in front at shoulder height, while keeping the weight on the balls of your feet. Lower your chest towards the ground and bend your elbows to 90 degrees. Press back up, maintaining alignment. Make the move harder by moving your feet closer to the anchor, so you’re in a more horizontal position. TRX CRUNCH Reps: 15 Sets: 3-4 Coach’s comment: the TRX Crunch builds both core strength and endurance.…

You may have heard bro-scientists muttering that cooking protein powder ruins it by ‘denaturing’ or damaging the cells. While that’s not completely untrue, nutritionally it doesn’t matter: the amino acids you get from eating it are unaffected. So here’s the next question: how do you pack food with protein powder and still make it taste good? Fortunately, Anna Sward, author of Protein Pow, has literally written the book on this subject. Her advice? “Always remember to use some kind of moisturising ingredient in the mix. So, for example, when making protein pancakes or protein cakes, add apple sauce, bananas, cooked sweet potato or pumpkin purée. Any of these ingredients will reduce your chances of ending up with dry or rubbery food.” Pancakes and muffins are, of course, the entry-level stuff.…

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The eccentric, or lowering, phase of any lift is when the muscle lengthens under tension. There are two other types of muscle contraction: the concentric (lifting) phase, when the muscle shortens under tension, as in the upward part of a curl; and isometric, when the muscle stays the same length while under tension, as in a plank. If increases in strength or size are your goal, the eccentric phase of each exercise is crucial. Studies have shown that the eccentric phase triggers more hypertrophy – the process of building new muscle tissue – than the concentric. Your muscles are also far stronger in the eccentric portion of a lift. There are two basic approaches. The first method is best for all but the most experienced: simply concentrate on the eccentric…

WANT IT TODAY? GO DIGITAL Our Nutrition Special will feature expert input from leading nutritionists, who explain how to fuel your fitness for optimum performance, muscle gain and holistic health. We’ve also got some military motivation in the form of an elite Special Forces instructor, and introduce the concept of ‘functional overeaching’, which – used sparingly – could help you hit new PBs in and out of the weights room. Print £4.40 Digital £3.40 ORDER NOW shop.kelsey.co.uk/MF22 Or Call: 01959 543747 You may have missed… SAVE 10% when you spend £25 or more! VOUCHER CODE: MFSHOP22 Also from the publishers of Men’s Fitness NEW! MF Guide: Military Fitness This plan – devised by a former Royal Marines physical training instructor – is light on kit, so you can do it…

SunGod has launched its McLaren F1 Team collection, with all-new limited-edition models co-designed by drivers Lando Norris (pictured) and Daniel Ricciardo. Each pair features SunGod’s 8KO® lens technology, offering crystal clear vision, and durable Adventureproof® frame, which offers a degree of flexing without snapping. There’s also 100% UV protection and triple-layer scratch resistance, all of which makes for a high-performance pair of specs as suited to mountain hikes as high-street catwalks. SunGod is also a certified Carbon Neutral company, and it offers a lifetime guarantee on every product, so if your glasses break – or you break them – SunGod will repair them free of charge, no questions asked. Shop the collection at sungod.co…

01. STAY MOBILE McIntyre knows the importance of good mobility, pointing out that squatting down with a weight in your hands for 100 reps of wall balls is going to hit your quads, knees and hips – hard. “If you don’t take care of your mobility at all, it’s going to be like taking a train and going back and forth against a bunch of rusty tracks,” he says. “But if you’ve greased the grooves, it’s going to be nice and smooth.” 02. PUSH YOURSELF “You’re never going to become the best you can be without being able to apply forces against your body, which you didn’t previously think you could handle,” says McIntyre. That means hitting heavier weights – and running further or faster – week in, week out.…

GOBLET SQUAT Reps: 12 + 1-min iso hold Sets: 3-4 Why: to prepare his body for stability under high pressure. Hold a kettlebell handle-down, with both hands around the bell (you can also use a dumbbell) and squat down with your back straight and chest up. Descend until your elbows touch the insides of your knees, then put your weight on your heels as you stand back up. PALLOF PRESS Reps: 12 + 1-min iso hold Sets: 3 Why: another cornerstone of Cotton’s routine, strengthening his core to resist unwanted movement. Stand side on to a cable machine, with the cable positioned at around chest height. Grab the handle with both hands. Now press the cable straight out in front of you, using your core to resist rotation. Breathe out…

A new study out of the University of Bristol shows that humans have the instinctive ability to choose foods that balance the vitamins and minerals they require for health. The researchers point out, though, this ‘nutritional wisdom’ goes out the window when the food industry highly processes foods and adds artificial flavours, which may mask the real nutritional content. This research shows you can trust your instincts to get the micronutrients you need – but only if you aim to cook and eat mostly whole foods.…

Whey A by-product of cheese making, whey has the full range of essential amino acids and is high in BCAAs. The downside: it can dry out foods. Casein Another dairy derivative, casein is slower to digest and absorb than whey. It’s good for thickening and is less dry. Ideal for puddings. Pea This vegan option is less complete than the other two, but you can fix that by mixing with eggs or dairy. It works well in savoury dishes. Hemp A good source of fatty acids – including omega 3 and linoleic acid – and fibre. It tastes a bit grassy, but goes well with dark chocolate. Egg white Egg white is terrible in shakes because it clumps up too much, but it’s excellent in cookery. Use if you’re intolerant…