Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i Men's Health South Africa

I’m driving along the highway. There’s a white Audi ahead of me; it speeds up, slows down, weaves, changes lanes, changes lanes again. I take a deep breath and count to ten. When I get a glimpse of the Audi’s number plate, the car’s erratic movements make sense: the plate says “GOD GP”. The Lord, you see, moves in mysterious ways. I’ve always been fascinated by personalised plates. Why do some people have the urge to broadcast something personal about themselves to strangers? So I started keeping an eye out for them, and soon became a number-plate spotter. Like a birder seeking the lesser-spotted blue-breasted canary, I went on a quest to find the holy grail of personalised number plates. What it would be, I didn’t know – but I…

1. Kettlebell Swings Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Without rounding your lower back, push your hips back and swing the kettlebell between your legs to create momentum. Once the kettlebell is behind you, drive your hips forward, sending the kettlebell to shoulder height. At the top of the movement, contract your core, glutes, and quads as hard as you can. Then allow the weight to swing back between your legs, and repeat. 2. Pull-ups Start by hanging from a bar, with your arms completely straight. This is called the “dead hang” position. Without swinging your torso to gain momentum, pull yourself up until your shoulders are parallel to the bar and your elbows are bent. Slowly lower yourself back to a dead hang. Repeat..…

It’s hardly news that sitting for too much of your life is bad for your longterm health; yet few people are aware that a largely sedentary existence can cause far more immediate problems. Take the painful, rounded back that’s been keeping you off work, or the weak glutes that have seen your deadlifts plateau. But this dynamic exercise, which centres on mobilising creaky joints, will help you fix the damage from the comfort of your living room. “The Scorpion is excellent for stretching out your whole body,” says Kemo Marriott, founder of the Brotherhood Training Club. “You’ll extend your shoulders, spine and hips, which is the perfect antidote to sitting down all day.” Plus, the control needed to execute the move will build total-body strength, while the focus on coordination…

Kelly Dillinger, 47 Known as “the veteran”. This military vet is the most experienced racer on the team – the one everyone seeks out for advice. He’s hoping this race will show his recent training was solid. Andrew Harley, 31 Goes out of his way to have matching gear, because hey, if you look faster, you are faster. “I want to finish faster than I did in 2017. The larger the improvement, the happier I’ll be.” April Hince, 38 Can “smoke us at any distance on any day,” teammates say. At PlayTri’s next race, “my goal is to win overall female – and beat everyone I know.” Chase Sparrow, 30 Newest to the sport, but already nabbing podium finishes at local races. For this tri, “I was in the top…

Few things make you look more put together than a well-fitted suit. While this wardrobe staple guarantees instant style and confidence, we’re looking for a little extra. Tailored suits are always in fashion; the fabric is more seasonal. Heavy wool in summer? You’re sweating in 30 seconds. But in winter, wearing pure wool is key. Now imagine a wool suit that will keep you dry on rainy days. We’ve found it: water repellent, crease resistant, and expertly crafted in Super 110 extra-fine Australian wool, woven by famed Italian mill Reda. It wears easily and packs nicely, and the navy option plays well with the rest of your wardrobe. On top of that, its regular cut fits even a muscular physique. Our point? A suit with all these properties will take…

Meet Abdul Allie, an attorney from Cape Town who’s looking to ditch the uptight structure of a suit without sabotaging his style. So we’ve found a more relaxed and modern way for him to dress up in his downtime. It’s simple to get right if you follow a few basic principles. The Classic Crop: Always On Trend Keep the sides short, with a longer top – this hairstyle works best on Abdul and on men with medium to thick hair, and it works on both straight and curly textures. We used a clipper on his sides and back, and a scissor cut on top. (You’ll need seven centimetres or more on top to pull it off.) We then used a paste with a medium hold to style the look and…

4 reasons to favour the fungi They pack potassium Think of potassium as the sodium equaliser. It can help remove excess salt from your body, which is important for keeping your blood pressure under control. Each cup of cooked white mushrooms contains nearly 10% of the recommended daily 4 700mg of potassium, a threshold that many men struggle to meet. They’re D-licious Mushrooms are the only vegetable source of vitamin D, a nutrient that’s linked to a lower risk of cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. Well... technically, they contain ergosterol. This is converted into vitamin D2 – a type of D that your body can readily absorb – when sunlight hits them. See the next page for a trick to enhance this process. They’re fighters They detonate a mushroom cloud of…

Not exactly. Mycelium, the weblike structure from which mushrooms will eventually develop, is grown on sterilised grain and then mixed with pasteurised compost (which, okay fine, does contain manure). The compost is topped with a layer of peat moss in which the mushrooms grow, says professor Robert Beelman, of the Centre for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health at Penn State University. And wild mushrooms grow in enchanted forests, obviously, not in piles of poop. Hope that makes you feel better.…

Lunge Stretch From standing, step one foot forward, then bend your front knee. Hold for 15 seconds. Do 3 reps per side. Scapular Retractions Place your hands on a wall. Squeeze your shoulder blades, then release them. Do 2 sets of 10. Rag-Doll Pose Stand with knees slightly bent, then lean over, letting your head hang. Hold for 30 seconds. Do 3 reps.…

MAY Are you with the programme? You’re more than a third of the way through the year. Here’s how to survive, thrive, and climb to the top. 1 REWIRE YOUR MORNINGS If you’re demotivated at work, chances are your morning routine is screaming for a revamp. While the world’s worst jobs have a way of sapping your energy, leaving you to lumber around the water cooler muttering “Mondays, am I right?” to every passing intern, making small changes to how you start your day can help renew your interest and dial up your enthusiasm. In a study published in the Journal of Management, the authors examined ways to help employees be more engaged at work. They discovered that those who practised conscious “re-attachment”, such as thinking about the day’s…

Zeroing in on the right therapist can itself feel like something you need therapy to work through. The alternative – waking up at 3am feeling insecure about your job performance, curling up in the foetal position when you see “CNN Breaking News” on the airport TV – isn’t that comfortable either. Make it easier: Step 1: Track down your best prospects. Unfortunately, there’s no magic app, list of questions, or matchmaker for finding the ideal therapist. Like choosing a doctor, date, or roommate, it starts with a little checking around. Going to your medical aid’s website and picking a few who are in-network and nearby is legit. But even better is asking your doctors (primary care and specialists), physical therapists and friends for recommendations. Step 2: Get them talking. You…

“Therapy” can mean a lot of different things. Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, tends to be short-term, collaborative, and solutions-based, helping to equip you with strategies for coping with difficult thoughts or emotions. “You may think you’ve been painted into a corner [by life], and all of a sudden, talking with a therapist reveals there’s a hidden door you can exit and go into another room and try something else out,” says Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California. CBT can help you recognise unproductive patterns of thinking and learn to reshape your thoughts. For instance, you might catch yourself falling into black-and-white thinking (maybe either that you’re great or you’re terrible), and your therapist can teach you to find a third possibility. Another approach,…

50 THE PERCENTAGE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WHO REPORT “ BLACKING OUT” AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFE. 91 IN ONE STUDY, THE PERCENTAGE OF MEN AT A NIGHTCLUB WHERE PEOPLE WERE DRINKING WHO SAID THEY WOULDN’T INTERVENE IF THEIR MALE FRIEND WANTED TO HAVE SEX WITH SOMEONE. BY COMPARISON, ONLY 33% OF WOMEN SAID THEY WOULDN’T INTERVENE WITH A FEMALE FRIEND. 2.6 THE INCREASED ODDS OF ALCOHOL-RELATED INJURIES REPORTED BY STUDENTS WHO SAID THEY’D HAD FIVE OR MORE BLACKOUTS IN THE PAST YEAR COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO’D HAD NONE. 27 THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE 18 OR OLDER WHO HAVE REPORTED “ BINGE ALCOHOL USE” WITHIN THE PAST MONTH. (FOR MEN, THAT’S USUALLY FIVE OR MORE DRINKS IN TWO HOURS.)…

I think she peed a little the last time we had sex. I’m not grossed out, but what does that mean? Jonathan, Ballito Nothing of concern here. It’s an anatomy thing. During sex, your penis may be putting pressure on her bladder. Plus, the clitoris is super-close to the urethra. Sometimes that causes a sensation that makes it feel like we need to pee. Usually we don’t, because if we relax into that sensation, it can turn from a need-to-pee feeling into a need-to-orgasm feeling. (Hooray!) But if she does need to go, that additional pressure won’t help. Women should pee before and after sex to prevent UTIs. But if she likes peeing during sex . . . well, that’s all up to you and her to figure out. My…

BEFORE 135KG CURRENT 103.9KG LOST 31.1KG THE WAKE UP CALL "One day I bent down to tie my shoes, and realised that I couldn’t reach the laces. At that exact moment I realised that I’d completely lost my way. I had to make a lifestyle change now, while I was still at the tender age of 24. Having people to push me in the right direction and constantly motivate me – along with a personalised eating plan – was the perfect formula that I needed to build a new me." THE BIG STEP "I joined a gym, and went on regular runs; but after two weeks, I lost all motivation. Then I came across Evolution Boxing & Fitness Gym, which offered me a free trial. With a mix of cardio,…

KABELO SEETE 27, STUDENT, POTCHEFSTROOM BEFORE 102.2 KG CURRENT 88KG LOST 14.2KG THE WAKE-UP CALL "I was always the chubby kid in the family, but when I reached high school my weight gain was totally out of control. It hit me during extramural activities, when I saw how unfit I was compared to my classmates. My self-esteem was at zero. This lasted a few years, but then I decided to join the gym and take part in the #DanVsJason challenge. THE BIG STEP "Showing up at the gym was the scariest part for me, because exercise and I were never friends. I knew that to lose weight I needed to eat right and exercise, but being a student made it tough to find time and money to dedicate to this…

FERRISS TIM Known as: Early investor, author, self-experimenter. The reach: 300 million downloads of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show; five New York Times bestsellers. The message: Adopt the strategies of the world’s most successful people and maximise your time, output, fitness, life. The solid advice: “What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” The suspect: Ferriss has touted metformin for glucose control. According to Dr. Katz, metformin is effective for treating diabetes, but it has no benefit in healthy people and can injure the kidneys. Aimed at: Those looking for an extra hour in the day. WOLF ROBB Known as: Former research biochemist, author. The reach: Two NYT bestsellers, including The Paleo Solution. The message: Take your cue from evolutionary biology and anthropology and…

01_ FRUIT JELLY Ever wonder why children look so young? It could be their, er, youth – or it could be their dietary habits. “Gelatin is a rich source of collagen, which is essential for skin elasticity and healthy joints,” says Goggins. What’s more, a study at Jikei University in Tokyo found that glycine, another component of the dessert, reduces the time it takes you to fall asleep when eaten a few hours before bed. Sounds like a solid strategy. 02 _ BLOOD SAUSAGE Those ancient Scotsmen were one step ahead of the zeitgeist. Blood sausage or black pudding (find it at the better delis) is “rich in minerals such as iron, zinc and selenium, all vital for your immunity”, says Hodges. “It’s a misconception that it’s high in saturated…

ICED TEA Bottled teas are no match for a fresh cup. “Ready-to-drink green teas degrade polyphenols to nonexistent levels,” says Goggins. Brew and cool your own. CHIA SEEDS Though purported to aid weight loss when soaked to form an appetite-supressing gel, the seeds were shown to have no such effect in a 12-week study in Nutrition Research. BROCCOLI “The cooking process depletes much of broccoli’s nutrient sulforaphane,” says Goggins. Instead, he advocates sprouting the seeds to enjoy the full disease-fighting effects. Sprinkle them over your next brunch. “NATURAL” PROTEIN BARS To be labelled “high in protein”, your snacks must contain only 10g of the stuff out of 100: less than in a bag of nuts. If your soy-coco-spirulina bar has more grams of sugar than it does of the protein,…

Personalised number plates can be a good investment. In New Zealand in 1989, the single digit “1” sold at the first auction of its kind for NZ$34 100. Two years later, it was resold for NZ$111 375; and in 1995 it was sold again, for NZ$630 000. Here are some of the world’s most expensive plates: “VIP 1” £285 000 (Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich, UK, 2006) “M 1” £330 000 (businessman Mike McCoomb, UK, 2006) “F1” £440 000 (Bradford entrepreneur Afzal Khan, UK, 2008) “5” £3.5 million (Talal Ali Mohammed Khoury, Abu Dhabi, 2007) “1” £7 million (Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri, Abu Dhabi, 2008)*…

I believe it was Ovid who once said that fatherhood is . . . Wait a minute! Who am I kidding? I’m not particularly skilled at writing about myself. So why not try what I know best, and interview my son, 9, and daughter, 11, about how I’m doing as a dad? The shocking results, after a short break. JAKE: I want to talk to you about what it’s like with me being your dad. SON: I’m kind of doing something. JAKE: What are you doing? SON: I’m writing my Lego police movie. [Later] JAKE: What could I be better at, as a dad? SON: Not yelling. JAKE: You really think I yell a lot? SON: Your voice is too loud. MOM: That’s just his voice. But he needs to…

1. COFFEE “A great cup of coffee makes everything better. Every morning, I take time to sit on the patio with my coffee to start planning my day. It’s a quiet moment to reflect on what I want to happen over the next 24 hours.” 2. GYM “Hitting the gym is my chance to put my phone down and concentrate on improving my body and health.” 3. FRIENDS “Every day, I set aside time to connect and re-connect with my circle of friends. Whether it’s just a quick chat or drinks and a long dinner, it’s our friends who remind us who we are.” 4. WORK “I get to read hundreds of stories every day from South Africans doing incredible things. It’s a constant reminder that…

01 Banded Cat Camel 2 sets of 12 reps, 60sec rest Relieve hunched shoulders by working the muscles around your thoracic spine. On all fours, wrap a band around your back and hold it under both hands. Drop your glutes to your heels. Push your ribs away from the floor as you exhale and flex your spine (A). Inhale and raise your eyeline as you extend your back (B). 02 Tall Kneeling Banded Rotation 2 sets of 10 reps each side, 60sec rest Enhance your balance and strength with rotation moves. Place a band around a pole, stand at arm’s length away and hold one end in both hands. On your knees with your torso upright, face the pole with your torso twisted, but keep your…

HOLD STAY ON TARGET Focus your fire: science shows that dumbbell concentration curls beat barbells for bicep activity. Isolate and then concentrate. American Council on Exercise DOWN SQUATS, BRO Legs day is not the only way to incinerate fat at speed. Using battle ropes burns through over 40kJ per minute – and it builds your arms, too. College of New Jersey UP PERFECT TIMING Fuelling up on protein immediately pre- and post-workout improves your one-rep max more than spacing out your intake across the day. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise UP HEADS TOGETHER Your biceps each have two “heads” – long and short. Incline curls stimulate maximal growth in both. Lie back, but don’t relax. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine UP CHIN TO WIN There’s no need…

THE PROTEIN Pork tenderloin comes from the loin area between the pig’s shoulders and hind legs. The muscles here are often the most tender part of the pig, hence the name. It’s also a surprisingly lean cut: 110 grams of cooked pork tenderloin contains just 699 kilojoules and four grams of fat. Not bad for 30 grams of protein. BUY IT Prepackaged pork tenderloins usually range from 450 to 700g, pretrimmed of excess fat. Some come in a marinade, which is fine, as long as you’re not picking up a package that contains added sugars. Double-check the label. COOK IT Pork Tenderloin with Butternut and Brussels Sprouts Mike Price, chef and owner of Market Table, does a two-step on this dish. First he sears the tenderloin in a hot pan…

Chanterelles With their orange-gold colour, these firm mushrooms look pretty and taste almost buttery. “They’re very nutty, which is distinct,” says chef Chizmar. Try them with bacon and scallops. Morels They’re prized by foragers for their honeycombed look and tender texture. Sauté them in lots of butter. Don’t tell anyone where you got ’em. Shiitakes The stems are tough (use them for stock), but the caps have a pleasingly woodsy taste. Their fibre content is more than double that of white mushrooms. “Dense and rich, they go well with Asian flavours,” Chizmar says. Creminis These are also known as baby bellas – portabellas picked while they’re still small. They’re earthy, meaty crowd pleas ers, says chef Lee Chizmar of Bolete Restaurant. “We serve them with steaks.” Oysters These mild-tasting ’shrooms…

TO PSYCH YOURSELF UP Finding Mastery When Felix Baumgartner thought twice about jumping out of a balloon in the stratosphere, psychologist Michael Gervais talked him off the atmospheric ledge. Whether speaking with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella or rope-averse rock climber Alex Honnold, Gervais poses the central question he’s been asking his whole career: “Is there a common thread connecting how the greatest performers in the world use their minds to pursue the boundaries of human potential?” Similarly: Mindset RX’d. Hosted by Tom Foxley, who became a personal trainer and Royal Marine reservist despite having a heart condition. THE EFFICIENCY GURUS The Tim Ferriss Show As the author of New York Times bestsellers such as The 4-Hour Workweek,  Tim Ferriss literally wrote the book on speedy self-improvement. His podcast “deconstructs world-class…

DX Smooth  was developed in South Africa to address grooming challenges facing African men. The key focus of their Bump Shield range is to treat razor bumps and ingrown hairs. Manscaping and hair removal amongst guys is on the rise. DX Smooth Zero Hair Regular and Sensitive Hair Removal Lotions are dermatologically tested and ideal for use on your head and body. Available at Clicks stores nationwide and online at dxsmooth.co.za. UCOOK wants to put the fun and ease back into your weeknight cooking. Their expert food team collaborates with top SA chefs and food talent to produce 12 inspired recipes each week. You choose which recipes you’d like to cook, and they’ll deliver the fresh, organic ingredients – in the perfect proportions – straight to your door every week.…

1. “There’s nothing wrong with me.” Of course there isn’t. While they can be distressing and debilitating, there’s nothing wrong with having bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, or anger issues, or just generally not having your shit together. It’s all okay. Whether you’re in the middle of a mental-health crisis or a member of the “worried well”, therapy is a step towards a bigger life. “It’s about embracing life instead of trying to get through it,” says psychologist Edward Adams., president of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities. 2. “I’m too busy.” “When you say you don’t have time, you’re really saying that other things are more important than your mental health,” says Columbia University psychiatry professor and New York City-based therapist Dr. Alexander…

If you’re seeing a therapist, do you have to broadcast the fact? Your choice. But these guys – famous and not – did, which is helping the toxic stigma surrounding therapy weaken by the day. “You’re at such an advantage.” JAY-Z, 48, RAPPER, SONGWRITER, RECORD PRODUCER, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES “I grew so much from the experience. But I think the most important thing I got is that everything is connected. Every emotion is connected, and it comes from somewhere. And just being aware of it. Being aware of it in everyday life puts you at such a... you’re at such an advantage.” “Therapy helped literally every aspect of my life.” MATT MCGORRY, 32, ACTOR, ON TWITTER “Therapy has been a huge part of…

Strong drinks? Your liver drinks them too. Extra gravy? Your liver consumes it as well. That fourth biscuit? Your liver would have stopped at three, but you’re in this together, so... The important part is that nearly every bite you eat and every drink you down ends up getting managed by the same organ in your body: your liver. Although it’s one of your largest organs, the stuff you do to it in one month can overwhelm it, and leave you with long-term damage. Which means it has less bandwidth to regulate blood sugar, process cholesterol, and make certain hormones that you need to , you know, live. Here’s how the wreckage happens and how to avoid it. (Hint: easy on the booze and rich food.) 1 THE FIRST SIP…

ADEEB ABDURAHMAN 33, BUSINESS ANALYST, CAPE TOWN BEFORE 86KG CURRENT 72.7KG LOST 13.3KG THE WAKE UP CALL "My two-year-old son wanted to ride his bike and play in the park one day. It didn’t take long for me to lose my breath while running alongside him. My son would throw a tantrum when I told him that playtime was over because I was tired. That’s when I realised that I'm a role model to my little boy; but by being unfit, I wasn’t setting the best example. And it wasn’t fair to the rest of my family, because I was always tired and had no energy to spend time with them." THE BIG STEP "I changed my lifestyle, from snoozing my alarm multiple times in the morning to becoming an…

I remember when I found the bodybuilding website Testosterone Nation. I was a skinny 17-year-old kid with shitty schoolmarks and no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I devoured every article from every fitness expert on the site. They told me to train hard, eat big, and try to make something of myself. I got to work. That was 16 years ago. In that time, I gained 15kg of muscle, became a personal trainer, started a popular blog, and scored a book deal to write a workout guide called Built for Show. I began receiving thousands of emails from men around the world asking for my advice. One was from a guy who wanted to know if having sex with his girlfriend would reduce his testosterone levels…

“You can eat human meat – it doesn’t do anything. It’s human brains that is the real issue.” “Stilettos... I see women walking in them, and this is so crazy that this is a choice. I can’t imagine wearing something that would physically compromise me to the point where I literally can’t run away.” “There’s an equal number of things that people would say that are like the harmonica. Like you should be able to do slam poetry... I can feed myself; I can house myself. I can do slam poetry.” “I struggle on the toilet. I’m not judgmental. I eat a lot, man. I take some horrific shits.” “I’ve shaved my butt... I just had this conversation about this with someone the other day... It changes the sound of…

Aidan Goggins A pharmacist with a Master’s in nutritional medicine, Goggins will help you reboot your body from the inside out. aidangoggins.com Toral Shah Chef at the Urban Kitchen, Shah knows nutrients needn’t come at the expense of flavour. theurbankitchen.co.uk Laura Tilt Tilt is a dietician specialising in weight loss and sports nutrition. She has the ingredients for your fittest year yet. tiltnutrition.com Matt Hodges Performance nutritionist Hodges creates meal plans for athletes, and is here to give your diet an upgrade. buffboxmeals.co.uk…

INSTANT PORRIDGE Your microwaved breakfast is no smart short cut. “Sweetened fruits and syrup flavourings add 8-10g of sugar with no extra nutrients,” says Hodges. “You’re better off buying a box of plain oats and adding fruit or nut butter yourself.” ENERGY BALLS In the absence of added sugars, many are sweetened with dates or date syrup. “Dates are very high on the glycaemic index,” says Shah, “and eating too many can cause stomach pain due to their high fibre and fructose.” SPINACH Often touted as an excellent source of calcium and iron, spinach is high in oxalic acid, which reduces your ability to absorb these minerals, explains Goggins, particularly when eaten raw. That’s why Popeye took it tinned. BENTO BOXES  The odd serving of sushi may be swimming in…

SENTRY D Beat fatigue and pain the natural way Vitamin D deficiency is common, affecting more than a billion people worldwide. Signs and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency are depression, fatigue, tiredness, lower back pain, bone pain, low bone mineral density, poor wound healing, hair loss and muscle pain. One Sentry D orodispersible film contains 1000 I.U. Vitamin D3, with convenient on-the-go dosing that is rapidly absorbed and has a pleasant mint flavour – and it’s sugar free. R89.95 for 30 thin films. For more information, visit www.lamar.co.za HAWKINS & BRIMBLE Grooming for the modern man Hawkins & Brimble is a British grooming brand that skilfully blends form and function. Epitomising cool Britannia, our grooming products are cut from a different cloth, and tailored to complement the modern man’s lifestyle.…

QUESTION: I’ve lost 14kg – how do I maintain my weight? “During the journey, the weight loss is so exciting and motivating and you do so well at it. And all of a sudden weight maintenance comes in, which is just not as exciting. That’s where you’ve got to look at the changes that you’ve made and make them a lifestyle. One such change is ‘eating water’: you need to eat veg and salad which is made up of 90% water. This bulks up your plate, fills you up, and gives you the satiety value you need. “ – Dietician Jade Seeliger LEARN MORE: INSTAGRAM.COM/MENSHEALTHZA/CHANNEL 30 The age by which your brain reaches adulthood, according to scientists. Although anyone over 18 years old is considered an adult, scientists argue that…

THE MOVIE 17 MAY JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3 He has a $14 million bounty on his head, and every assassin in the phonebook is out to cash in. Now, John Wick must fight his way out of New York. The titular character has come a long way from the man we watched go on the warpath after a group of shady assassins iced his pup. Expect 90 minutes of gritty, precise action sequences that remind you why Keanu Reeves has made a career of kicking ass while wearing the stone-faced expression of a man trapped in a queue at Home Affairs. THE GAME DEVIL MAY CRY 5 Look, we’ve tried to make sense of this game’s plot. But between the demon-hunting agencies, fruit made from condensed human blood (yes, really)…

1. Fat Chance You may be at more risk than you realise. Around 39% of SA men are overweight, and in many cases, the excess kilos are deposited around their middles as visceral fat. Your beer belly surrounds your liver, stomach and intestines; and rather than sitting flabbily inert, it’s biologically active, imbalancing your hormones and raising your risk of metabolic and cardiovascular complications. So far, so bad. 2. Mind Gains It sneaks up on you because you’re hard-wired to store fat: in evolutionary terms, it’s part of your body’s system of stockpiling energy. Now that you’re no longer hunting or gathering, however, it’s a problem. Outsmart biology by starting your day with a high-fat breakfast of avocados and eggs (or sausages). This promotes metabolic plasticity, making you burn more…

START FROM THE BOTTOM Coming out on top of the bar muscle-up requires both pulling and pressing strength. Our fail-safe progressions will prepare your body for each element, so you’ll be ready to conquer the rig with a gymnast’s grace and power. 1 CHEST-TO-BAR PULL-UP 4 SETS OF 4-6 REPS Your first step is to develop the strength to perform controlled pull-ups. Hang below a bar with an overhand grip, just wider than shoulder width, and your arms fully extended (A). Keep your legs tightly together and bent at 90 degrees as you pull your chest up to touch the bar (B). Hold for a second at the top, before lowering back down under control. 2 STRAIGHT ARM PULL-DOWN 4 SETS OF 8-10 REPS Take tension away from your biceps…

Three sports in one day. Who has time to train for that? You do. Because one of the best distances in triathlon is the sprint – that’s a 750m swim, a 19- to 24km bike ride, and a 5K run – especially if you’re a weekend warrior with less than an hour a day to work out. Short, yes. Easy? No. “I think the sprint is the hardest distance to race well at. It’s redline from the first swim stroke,” says Paul Ruggiero, a triathlon coach with Carmichael Training Systems (CTS). But the smarter you train, the more fun it gets. Don’t just believe us. We turned to coaches for expert strategies, and members of tri club PlayTri for real-people hacks on those strategies. Discover your fast track to fitness.…

WANT TO REP OUT PULL-UPS LIKE LIONEL? These 3 exercises will get you there: 1. Eccentric Reps Carefully jump and grab the pull-up bar with a wide grip and your palms facing outwards, pulling yourself up until your chin clears the bar. Pause, and slowly lower yourself down over 3 to 4 seconds – or for as long as you can. 2. Hollow Hold Lie flat on your back, facing your arms and legs outwards. Slowly raise your arms and legs in unison off the ground, keeping your lower back on the floor. Engage your core and hold for as long as possible. 3. Bent Over Row Hold a dumbbell in each hand, bend your knees slightly and bend your torso forward. Keeping your back straight and…

Robin was my gateway. The jawline of Batman’s sidekick wasn’t the squarest, but at six years old in my bedroom, I knew something was different about him. That led me to Batman, Superman, Thor, the Human Torch. I could draw dozens of their faces from memory even before the Marvel Cinematic Universe began making gods out of guys named Chris. The one thing they all have in common? A jaw that looks like a block of granite. And I’ve wanted one ever since. I’m a 34-year-old man with the facial structure of a baby, something that was adorable when I was an actual baby. But now that I’m an adult? It’s still adorable. I’ve struggled with my weight and body image my whole life, but my face has always been…

Serve a palm-sized portion of pork alongside a serving of one (or both!) of these simple sides to round out your meal. Oh, and both of these salads work well as leftovers, too. 1 . WINTER THREE-BEAN SALAD In a large bowl, combine 1 tin each of chickpeas, kidney beans, and black beans – all of them drained and rinsed. Toss the beans with 1 medium-sized shallot, minced; 2 Tbsp olive oil; and 1 Tbsp red-wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and chopped fresh parsley. Makes 6 servings PER SERVING: 920 kilojoules, 11g protein, 33g carbs (10g fibre), 6g fat 2. SAUTÉED LEMON CHARD WITH WALNUTS Take a 900g bundle of well-washed and dried Swiss or rainbow chard and chop everything except the woody stems. In a…

Buckle Up, Strap In, Flourish: HOW TO OPTIMISE GETTING TO WORK. All told, we spend on average about nine days a year going to and from work. Other ways you could spend nine days a year? Restoring a motorcycle, writing several chapters of a novel, going on vacation, driving cross-country a couple of times. Armstrong went to the moon and back in eight days and a bit. But just because you’re sitting behind the wheel or packed into a bus, it doesn’t mean you can’t accomplish something. Even if it’s just maintaining your sanity or working up a sweat, there are ways to get the most out of getting to work. Here are a few of them. COURTESY 101 There’s an impulse, on public transportation, to plug the earbuds in,…

A BIKE TO RIDE TO WORK ON YOU WOULDN’T drive yourself to work every day in a Bugatti – unless you’re really trying to compensate for something – so you need not bike to work on a cycle built for the Tour de France. What you need is a two-wheeler that’s efficient, dependable and still looks good. Enter the Rook Race 1: a light, fast cycle that’s been tried and tested on South African roads and has come out on top. The standard Thick-slick® tyres offer a great balance of grip and mobility, giving the rider the ability to cruise through the city circuit in quick fashion. R8 650, www.rookcycles.com HELPFUL HAND SIGNALS…

Doctor of psychology, social worker, marriage and family therapist, some dude with a framed diploma (S.D.W.F.D.)... it can get nitpicky and complicated. Minimum educational requirements vary for different disciplines. In general, a doctoral degree indicates deeper schooling than a master’s or bachelor’s, though specific diplomas can indicate greater knowledge of a particular field. Here’s the thing: who you click with tends to matter more than their credentials.…

I loved beer, too. Beer and whisky and red wine and tequila neat and martinis that were so dirty with olive juice they were like slurping down the ocean. Sometimes, though, I forgot parts of an evening. It might be a sliver of a memory, a minute here or there, or it might be an hours-long swath of time. I tried to ignore these missing pieces. If I didn’t remember a thing, hey, maybe it didn’t happen. It took a long time to understand the damage of my blackouts. It took a long time to understand blackouts, period, because most of us don’t. I’ve found a surprising number of people think blackouts are the same as passing out, but those two activities are quite different. A passed-out person is unconscious,…

Dan Reynolds’s trainer, Brad Feinberg (@bradfeinberg88 on Instagram), recommends this total-body burner as a finisher or as a short workout (as long as you do 3 to 5 rounds). Choose weights that are heavy enough that fatigue sets in after around 1 minute, but not so heavy that you compromise form. Do each move for 60 seconds. Rest 3 minutes and repeat up to 5 times. KETTLEBELL (OR DUMBBELL) SWING Hike the kettlebell and swing to chest height. Do single-arm swings on rounds 2 and 3 if you get bored easily. DUMBBELL OVERHEAD PRESS Start with the dumbbells at shoulder height. Press straight up. DUMBBELL GOBLET SQUAT Aim to get your thighs just below parallel to the ground and push up rapidly. DUMBBELL ALTERNATE RENEGADE ROW Do a push-up with…

Just about anybody can do it. Here’s how: ❑ 1) Find a podcast studio. Or at least set up a microphone in your bathroom. ❑ 2) Spout platitudes and speak in Instagram quotes, like “We’re all human beings; we’re all just trying to figure it out”, and “Find something you love and chase it“, from the podcast Live Life Better with Scott Eastwood (son of Clint). ❑ 3) Get an Instagram following. Post photos of yourself, in your glory, working out, hawking products. ❑ 4) Take ideas from studied-only-in-animals science and posit their application to listeners. ❑ 5) Have other gurus, experts, “experts”, and authors on the show, whether highly qualified medical researchers or self-appointed sex-and-relationship authorities.…

TEN DAYS BEFORE I met him at his home in British Columbia, Dave Asprey went to a clinic in Park City, Utah, where a surgeon harvested half a litre of bone marrow from his hips, filtered out the stem cells, and injected them into every joint in his body. He then threaded a cannula along Asprey’s spinal column and injected stem cells inside his spinal cord and into his cerebral fluid. “And then they did all the cosmetic stuff,” Asprey told me. “Hey, I’m unconscious, you’ve got extra stem cells –put ’em everywhere!” Everywhere meaning his scalp, to make his hair more abundant and lustrous; his face, to smooth out wrinkles; and his “male organs”, for – well, I’ll leave that part up to your imagination. According to Asprey, what…

BEE POLLEN Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website might celebrate bee pollen as an “all-round nutritional powerhouse”, but you should ignore the buzz. “It’s cited as being a complete protein source that boasts anti-ageing and detoxifying effects, but there’s little evidence for any of this,” says Tilt. AÇAÍ BOWLS Blended breakfast bowls made with the South American superfruit – and topped with honey, bananas and granola – proliferate on social media. Though they are sure to attract double taps, the sugar content tends to fall around 40g. GREEN JUICE Juicers and smoothie-makers strip away insoluble fibre. “Without fibre, the beneficial bacteria in the colon aren’t able to metabolise your vegetables properly, which means they might not deliver the benefits you chose them for,” says Shah. COCONUT OIL The backlash began after a…

VEGAN “MEAT” Imitations made with gluten, sugar and artificial flavours are often tough to digest, and the antithesis of natural – despite what the names on the packaging suggest. SWEET POTATO CHIPS “Studies show that they have just as much acrylamide as white potatoes,” says Goggins, referring to a harmful chemical that forms in burned food. That means your fish 'n chip shop’s finest are a smarter bet. QUINOA CRISPS Gram for gram, these contain the same quantity of kilojoules and fat as some salt & vinegar crisps. There’s just less in the bag. What you’re paying extra for is air. Maybe you prefer the taste: we don’t believe you. BROWN RICE SYRUP “This is packed into ‘healthy’ snacks in place of white sugar, but it’s pure glucose,” says Tilt.…