Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i Men's Fitness UK

MEET THE TESTER Nutritionist Rob Hobson has tested eight of the best electrolyte drinks, to help you find one to support your hydration and recovery needs. He tests them for taste, solubility and effectiveness – in terms of their hydration and nutritional benefits. Put simply, electrolyte drinks are specifically designed to help replenish the body’s electrolytes – naturally occurring salts and minerals that help to balance our bodies’ fluids. The best electrolyte drinks typically contain a blend of electrolytes, carbohydrates and other nutrients that work together to help support hydration and recovery. These drinks generally come as a powder or tablet that you dissolve in water. Electrolytes are minerals that have an electrical charge when dissolved in water, meaning they can conduct an electrical current. The role of electrolytes is…

MEET THE EXPERT Christian Thibaudeau is a world-renowned strength coach and author, who has competed as an Olympic lifter and bodybuilder First, let’s make one thing clear. It is definitely possible to build a muscular, lean body while making strength, speed and power gains. In fact, I would say that training like an athlete and turning yourself into a performance machine is actually the best way to get an aesthetically pleasing body – you simply need to pick the right exercises and tweak the loading parameters, in order to optimise your body composition. Lift off If you want to build muscle, forget bodybuilding-style isolation exercises, such as dumbbell curls, and instead focus on compound lifts, such as bench presses, squats and deadlifts. Sprinters and rugby players perform these moves in…

“Tennis involves intermittent bouts of intense activity for an indeterminate time, so it can be tricky to tailor your training,” says Peck. “But the key attributes are joint mobility and stability, and explosive strength, and that’s what this workout covers. Additionally, I’d recommend multi-directional speed work over five, ten and 15m, as well as tabata sprints [20 seconds’ work, ten seconds’ rest]. “Whether you’re training for tennis or just using this as a conditioning workout, do 6 reps of each move, or 6 each side where applicable,” says Peck. “It works for other racket sports, too, although you should tweak the duration of each move to mimic the time you spend working in that sport. “Do the number of sets required, resting for 90 seconds between sets, then rest for…

EDITORIAL Editor Isaac Williams Art Director Xavier Robleda Editorial postal address: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL ADVERTISING SALES KELSEY MEDIA Commercial Manager Ben Rayment 01959 543517 ben.rayment@kelsey.co.uk Ad Production Supervisor Gracie Standen 01732 445300 production@talk-media.uk MANAGEMENT Chief Operating Officer Phil Weeden Managing Director Kevin McCormick Operations Director Gill Lambert Retail Director Steve Brown Print Production Manager Georgina Harris Print Production Controller Hayley Brown Senior Subs Marketing Manager Nick McIntosh DISTRIBUTION (UK) Seymour Distribution Limited 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT, Tel: 020 7429 4000 seymour.co.uk DISTRIBUTION (N. IRELAND AND REP. OF IRELAND) Newspread, Tel: +353 23 886 3850 COVER Image courtesy of Shutterstock Information given is not a substitute for medical advice, so ensure you check with your GP,…

MEET THE EXPERT Ben Carpenter is, in his own words, a ‘personal trainer, research nerd, international speaker and your trusted source of no-bullshit fitness information’. Head to bdccarpenter.com >> It used to be believed that if your goal was to build muscle mass, you should limit your rest periods between sets. Doing so, it was said, would maximise production of hormones that could facilitate muscle growth. As a result, it was long recommended to rest for three to five minutes between sets if your goal was to increase maximal strength, but limit your rest to just 30 to 60 seconds between sets if you wanted to build muscle mass. While this sounds exciting on paper, it’s known as ‘acute research’. It examines changes in the short-term, such as measuring hormones…

>> Men, listen up. We know you can hit the gym with your old cotton not-so-tighty whiteys and survive. But life’s too short to be suffering uncomfortable pants when you’re putting your shoulder to the workout wheel. Whether you’re pushing for a squat PB, or you’ve got everything hanging from the chin-up bar, you deserve the ultimate comfort and unshakeable support you get from a proper pair of the best moisture-wicking underwear. Wicking benefits When it comes to exercise, your underwear may not be the first thing on your mind. But discomfort and a lack of support are not what you need when you’re working hard. Sporting the right undies during your sweat sesh not only offers superior comfort and support, but moisture-wicking materials like polyester, nylon, polyamide and merino…

GET THIS Weber Master-Touch £350, weber.com Weber’s Original Kettle charcoal barbecue is an icon, but we’re also big fans of the Master-Touch model, which keeps the essence of the Kettle, while serving up a multitude of improvements in the process. It’s a little taller, for starters, making for a more comfortable grilling experience. The lid is deeper, too, and can be handily stored in a built-in lid holder, which is an improvement over the original’s lid hook. The addition of Weber’s Gourmet Barbecue System grill is another big draw, letting you swap out different modules like pizza stones for more versatility. It’s easy to clean, too, thanks to a clever ash sweeping/ collection system. Overall, if you’re a charcoal fan, this will serve you well for years to come. Recipes…

Pre-workout powders are designed to deliver active ingredients and stimulants such as caffeine to prime your body for the workout ahead, increasing endurance capacity and alertness, delaying the onset of fatigue, and often providing carbs to help fuel your training. There are lots of different preworkouts on the market, and the number of active ingredients differs substantially between brands. Choosing the right one for you will therefore depend on the type of training you’re doing. Different active ingredients will support different elements of your workout – such as citrulline, which delays muscle fatigue, or taurine, which decreases lactate accumulation. A word of warning to the caffeine-sensitive: though there are some exceptions, caffeine is often the main active ingredient in pre-workouts, so they’re not recommended for anyone who gets jittery or…

Overhead barbell walk TIME 1 min SETS 5 REST 1 min Keep your arms locked out throughout, to build seriously strong delts and traps. Dumbbell farmer’s carry TIME 1 min SETS 5 REST 1 min This move will engage your core, develop impressive grip and build big forearms. Dumbbell walking lunge TIME 1 min SETS 5 REST 1 min Take long steps and lower your back knee close to the ground, to place a greater emphasis on your quads.…

Glute training isn’t only for women! This is a vitally important muscle group to train and strengthen for everyone – regardless of whether the goals are aesthetic, performance, or simply to be able to move and feel better. Glutes anatomy The glutes attach to the posterior aspect of the pelvis and wrap around the hip joint, attaching to the upper and outer aspect of the femur. This 3D anatomical arrangement means they have the ability to produce force in all three planes of motion: • Sagittal: forward and back (hip extension, moving the femur behind the body) • Frontal: side to side (hip abduction, moving the leg to the side away from the midline of the body) • Transverse: rotation (rotating the leg externally away from the midline of the…

HIFT has gained popularity as an effective workout protocol combining functional movements, weight lifting and aerobic exercise. HIFT workouts create a unique training stimulus that can promote both muscle growth and fat loss. Just like the more established high-intensity interval training (HIIT), HIFT requires an all-out approach, and results published in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation show that participants experience elevated heart rates and lactate levels. The former indicates that the cardiovascular system is working harder, leading to improved cardio fitness and heart health. The increased energy expenditure associated with higher heart rates also contributes to calorie burn and fat loss. Elevated lactate levels, meanwhile, stimulate the activation of fast-twitch muscle fibres, promoting muscle adaptation and growth. The study does, however, highlight the need for further research on biochemical responses and…

Design: ★★★★★ Ease of use: ★★★★☆ Home-gym friendly: ★★★★★ OVERALL: ★★★★☆ >> If you’re lucky enough to own a squat rack at home, but struggle with traditional back squats, this Lever Arm Rack Attachment could be a genuine game-changer. Combined with a weight belt (which unfortunately is not included), you can perform back-friendly belt squats by loading the arm with weight plates. Rows are also an option, but it was definitely made with squatting in mind. To see if it’s any good, Roger Lockridge spent several weeks testing out the Lever Arm in his converted home gym. Here’s his verdict… MEET THE TESTER Roger ‘Rock’ Lockridge has been involved in the fitness world for more than two decades: first, as a personal trainer, then as a freelance writer. You can…

People who eat chocolate several times a week are slimmer than those who only eat it very occasionally, even if the chocolate in question is high in calories from sugar and fat. That’s according to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which also took other factors, such as daily activity levels, into account. It’s thought that having a little of what you fancy isn’t just good for you mentally: it may also help you to continue to burn fat, by spiking levels of the hormone leptin. This tells your brain you’re getting enough energy, so it continues to release fat from cells to burn as fuel.…

Wrinkly skin and old age usually go hand in hand. But the truth is, there are ways to slow this process – and in some cases even reverse part of the damage – simply by taking into consideration the body’s nutritional needs. One factor that can considerably speed up the ageing process is an excessive production of free radicals and the onset of oxidative stress. Unbeknown to many, a high concentration of oxygen is actually toxic and can have a corrosive effect on our cells. Dangerous by-products – free radicals – are produced during bodily processes that use oxygen, such as the combination of oxygen with digested food. If these molecules are in abundance (oxidative stress), then the ageing process is accelerated and the onset of age-related diseases, such as…

How long have you been training? If you’re a beginner, good news: you’ll make progress fast. To maximise results, focus on a few key compound movements and keep isolation moves to a minimum until you’ve built up a decent base of strength and a tolerance to training volume. If you’re more experienced in the gym, it might be time to switch up your movements to undo imbalances (concentrating on unilateral movements for a few weeks, for instance) or to target neglected areas (say, by doing Romanian deadlifts if your hamstrings are a weak spot in your squatting). Don’t try to train like a Mr Olympia athlete if it’s your first day in the gym. What do you want to achieve? Be honest about it now and you’ll save time. Realistically,…

“We’re excited to launch the new Knee Health pathway, with the goal of lowering aggravation in the knees, and increasing the longevity of overall knee health,” says Cody Mooney, director of performance at pliability. “Using a series of routines to help build resilience, pliability has put together short, dynamic corrective exercises that target the structures around the knee, improving overall movement quality and health.” CrossFit professional Noah Ohlsen (pictured) adds, “Through my time in CrossFit, I really understand how important knee health is. Our knees enable us to walk, run, jump, sit and squat. “As an athlete, pliability’s new path is something that I incorporate into my everyday routine, to help reduce the chance of injury and allow me to perform at my best.” 1. COUCH STRETCH Hold: 1-2 mins…