Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Men's Fitness UK

This morning, I tried something new: I tried slowing down on my morning run. And it wasn't just because the temperature was already scorching hot (it was, but that wasn't my motivation). No, what I was trying to do was run longer, not faster. This is anathema to me. I like running fast. But the problem is that, while my head tells me one thing, my body is definitely telling me another. I go out too hard and can't keep going. It’s always been the same. I ran on the track as a kid and while I have run half and full marathons all over the world, I've never particularly enjoyed them. So this morning was something of an experiment. Did it work? Well, yes, it did - kind of.…

There are an abundance of myths and misconceptions around flexibility training, so let’s try to sort the wheat from the chaff for you. But, be warned, some of these might be at odds with what you may have read or heard previously. Starting with the absolute fundamentals: flexibility is not related to your shape, height, weight, arm span or leg length. It’s easy to assume that weight training leads to stiffness as we’ve all witnessed mass monsters in the gym scratch their backs by rubbing themselves against the cable machine. However, there is no link between muscle size and immobility. In fact, because strength training stimulates improvements in muscle elasticity, it can increase your range of motion even without stretching exercises. Following on from the above point, the good news is…

Men’s Fitness is about more than rippling muscles, or chicken and broccoli dinners. These days, we’ve expanded our remit slightly. Our extensive collection of workouts, strength training tips and nutrition advice will help you look the part, sure, but it’s an unfortunate fact that big muscles don’t equate to happiness. Which is why in the pages of our monthly issues and online at mensfitness.co.uk, you will also find the tools you need to improve all the unseen aspects of your health, too. If you’re looking for celebrity training plans or quick-fix diets, you’ll be better served elsewhere. However, if you want to learn how to make a healthy way of living second nature – no matter how busy you are – we’ve got you covered. And now, for a limited…

A groundbreaking study carried out by experts from the University of Vienna recently found that simply watching nature scenes can dampen brain activity linked to physical discomfort. In the study, participants who viewed nature videos reported feeling less intense and less unpleasant pain, while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans showed a decrease in early pain signal processing in the brain. In other words, the brain’s response to pain can be dialled down by the presence of the natural world, even in digital form. This prompts a compelling question: if simply seeing nature on a screen can take the edge off pain, what happens when we place ourselves in the real thing? Could moving our bodies in and among greenery offer even greater relief, or even resilience? Could exercising outdoors…

Talk to any group of runners and chances are, at least one (if not more of them) will have taken on an ultra-marathon. After all, as athletes we tend to like a challenge and something a bit different and nothing says ‘a bit different’ than going beyond the humble 26.2. Coming into the winter months, it’s good to have a new goal to keep you excited and out training as well. So if the lure of long has been a thing for you for a while, then now could be the time to start planning by picking an event and lacing up your comfiest run shoes. To get you started, over the next four pages expert Claire Maxted shares an extract from her book The Ultimate Trail Running Handbook with…

Coffee might be doing more than fuelling your morning routine - it could be extending your life. A large-scale study by Tufts University suggests that drinking one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily is associated with lower overall mortality, particularly from cardiovascular causes. But there’s a catch: the benefits drop when sugar and saturated fats like cream are added in excess. The study, published online in The Journal of Nutrition, found that consumption of 1-2 cups of caffeinated coffee per day was linked to a lower risk of death from all causes and death from cardiovascular disease. Black coffee and coffee with low levels of added sugar and saturated fat were associated with a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality as compared to no coffee consumption. The same results…

Brand new research led by the Department of Health and Social Sciences at Molde University College in Norway, has stimulated a major rethink in the best way to optimise time in the muscle mill to help retain our functional ability as we age. The long-held belief is that older adults should pursue low to moderate intensity and slow velocity lifting protocols for safe and effective results. This would typically suggest using loads of 50% to 70% and a rep count of 3secs to 5 secs. However, training heavy, at 80% of 1 rep max or very heavy at above 85% 1 rep max, stimulate neural adaptations that lead to significant improvements in 1 rep max and the rate of force development (ie power) with low risk. Guidelines are 3-5 sets…

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…

Sometimes when life gets hectic, fitting in all your sessions isn't possible. So rather than trying to work out whether to fit in your strength training or cardio, this session does both. It also helps to strengthen key areas you use during your running so that you can improve performance as you work through the session. This session can be done in the gym or outside if needed so you have the flexibility to do either. As an extra bonus, the workout is split into blocks, so that you can adjust it based on how much time you have available. Running block To be done on a treadmill or outside. The aim of this 5-minute block is to see how far you can get in the time frame. Record the…

Were you into any sports when you were younger? I met my drummer who I started Papa Roach with on the football field. We went to ‘hell week’ (an intense pre-season training period) and both had diarrhoea; we came back from that week and told the coach we were quitting to focus on the band. Everyone laughed at us – and rightly so – because the band sounded terrible at the time. But sport taught us that if you put the work in, you see the results. We used that with Papa Roach to build the right work ethic. Has physical fitness always been part of your life? For 10 years, physical fitness was nowhere on the spectrum. I just got on stage and ripped it, drank and smoked weed…

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Balance is essential in nearly every daily activity, although mostly we take it for granted. Rising from your chair, picking up your bag, taking your first step as you set off walking are all impossible without stabilising your core first. We’re all familiar with balance in terms of standing on one leg in a yoga class but it’s also what subconsciously corrects you if you stumble on uneven ground, so clearly then, it’s both static and dynamic. It can also be a conscious intent, as in bracing yourself before being tackled in rugby. Balance is dependent upon three key feedback systems within the body - visual, vestibular and somatosensory: • The visual system provides information to your brain regarding where the body is in space and how fast it’s moving,…

Welcome to Mind Matters, our new column in which we will focus on all aspects of our emotional wellbeing, mental health and how this is intrinsically linked to our physical fitness. I’m Dom (dommcmurraycounselling.com), a counsellor providing therapy for men who are struggling to cope with the stresses of life, helping them make sense of the pressures they're under to understand how they’re really doing - so they can live a meaningful life. I’ve been a runner throughout my life from the school cross-country team to ultramarathons in my 50’s. As we emerged from the Covid lockdown, I set up a local running group to provide peer-to-peer mental health support and help process the emotional damage that living through the pandemic had inflicted on us all. I witnessed the profound…

I’ve had pretty much every new Garmin watch strapped to my wrist over the past decade, so I’m well-aware of what the Forerunner 900 series is all about. This is a watch you wear if you want the best Garmin has to offer in tracking your runs, dishing out detailed performance metrics and also guide you to make better decisions about your training. Runner might be in the name and mainly who the Forerunner 970 is built for, but if you’re dipping your toes into multisports events like triathlons or want something to take for a swim, it’s got you covered there too. After going colour with its predecessor the 965, the 970 is taking that display and turning the brightness up to 11. A new speaker and microphone equals…

Does your brain age match the age on your birth certificate? We don’t think twice about tracking our blood pressure, VO2 max, or even body fat—but when was the last time you thought about your brain? It’s arguably the most important organ in the body. Not only does it control and coordinate our actions, but it’s also at the very centre of our human experience - allowing us to think, feel, form memories and even shape our personalities. Yet despite its importance, most of us know very little about how well our brain is actually functioning - let alone how to keep it in peak condition. With cognitive decline now a major long-term health concern—and dementia affecting nearly one million people in the UK, I wanted to find out exactly…

The landmine could be the most overlooked piece of training equipment in the weights room, if you approach it with some fresh moves and a new understanding of what makes the humble landmine so explosively effective, according to the according to the authors of the new book, the ‘Complete Guide To Landmine Training’. Sometimes less is more, and the landmine is called the ‘corner gym’ precisely because it offers a huge menu of exercise variations performed on a functional plane of motion, allowing you to push harder for faster gains. But what are the ten essential landmine moves that you could use to build a total-body workout and 4-week program, and what are the hidden benefits of mastering the landmine? From protecting your joints to hitting your muscles from different…

DIRECTIONS Each workout consists of 6 exercises, performed in 5 continuous rounds. Perform 12 reps of each exercise in the first round, 10 in the second, 8 in the third, 6 in the fourth and 4 in the final circuit. Rest as little as possible between exercises and rounds. WORKOUT 1 1. PUSH PRESS • With your feet shoulder-width apart, position the bar on your upper chest, keeping your chest upright and your core braced. • Bend at the knees to go into a quarter squat, then stand up and press the bar directly overhead. • During the lifting phase, keep your core braced and don’t tilt your hips forward. • Lower the bar back to your chest. 2. FRONT SQUAT • Rest the bar across your upper chest, with…

Jack Draper’s impressive physique leads to the obvious conclusion that today’s tennis players need strength and power in abundance to succeed at the highest level. Speed off the mark, agility and flexibility are all more important than endurance when you bear in mind that a typical rally doesn't usually last longer than 10 seconds and there’s often 25 seconds rest in between. However, time in play is always at a high intensity so a base of cardio fitness is still required to be able to sustain a high work-rate for the duration of a match. On average, a tennis player will only move three metres per shot, but since this can be to either side, forward or backward then a suitable training plan should work on the skill of changing…

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1. ONE-LEG KNEE DRIVE Adding a dynamic movement to a static hold will force you to keep your core fully engaged (so you don’t fall over) and help fire up more muscle fibres across the entire core region. What’s more, you’ll also work the glutes and hamstrings, and improve lower-body mobility and flexibility. • Start in a three-point press-up position with the knee and foot of one leg off the floor. • Brace your core and keep it engaged. • Raise your foot as high as you can, then bring it back down in a smooth arc, bringing your knee towards your arm. • Do 12-15 reps, then switch legs and repeat. 2. THREE-POINT REACH This variation not only works the entire core, it also contracts and stretches the upper…