Innholdsfortegnelse for January-February 2014 i Men's Health

7 FEB/FRI Tonight is the opening ceremony of the XXII Olympic Winter Games (see page 92) in Sochi, Russia, when the world’s finest athletes shuffle into a stadium wearing designer parkas and praying they don’t have to stand around too long. Our game: counting the number of gay rights symbols among them. In your face, Putin! JANUARY 1 WED We know the holidays are busy, and last night was rough. So it’s okay that you haven’t downloaded Get Back in Shape, our best ever workout app. Do it now (it’s free!) and let David Jack show you how to build your new body. Only on iTunes. 12 SUN Season three of Girls begins tonight on HBO, which means more nakedness from its Rubenesque creator, Lena Dunham, and more awkward sheetclutching…

BRAIN HEALTH P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D. David S. Liebeskind, M.D. CARDIOLOGY John Elefteriades, M.D. Prediman Krishan (P.K.) Shah, M.D. Eric J. Topol, M.D. DENTISTRY Mark S. Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D. DERMATOLOGY Adnan Nasir, M.D., Ph.D. EMERGENCY MEDICINE Travis Stork, M.D. EXERCISE SCIENCE Alexander Koch, Ph.D., C.S.C.S. Mark Peterson, Ph.D., C.S.C.S.*D FAMILY MEDICINE Ted Epperly, M.D. GASTROENTEROLOGY Mark Welton, M.D. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE James N. Dillard, M.D., D.C., L.Ac. MENTAL HEALTH Thomas Joiner, Ph.D. William Pollack, Ph.D. NUTRITION Alan Aragon, M.S. Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., F.A.C.N., F.A.S.N., C.N.S. Michael Roussell, Ph.D. OPHTHALMOLOGY Kimberly Cockerham, M.D., F.A.C.S. SEX & RELATIONSHIPS Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., M.P.H. SLEEP MEDICINE W. Christopher Winter, M.D. SPORTS MEDICINE Nicholas A. DiNubile, M.D. Jordan D. Metzl, M.D. TRAINING Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S.*D BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S. Bill Hartman, P.T., C.S.C.S. David Jack UROLOGY Larry…

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Take the Scenic Routes A city in motion stays in motion—especially when it’s full of parks and paths, says Brian Saelens, Ph.D., a professor of behavioral sciences at the University of Washington. “We have a great system of connected trails in the city, including the scenic Burke-Gilman Trail, which runs mostly along the water.” Take nature walks, runs, or rides this spring; plan your routes at americantrails.org/resources/statetrails. Want company? Join a running or cycling club (runningintheusa.com/club or usacycling.org/clubs). Bonus benefit: “Clubs like these can advocate for more infrastructure,” Saelens says. The 10 Best The 10 Worst 1 SEATTLE, WA 2 MADISON, WI 3 SAN JOSE, CA 4 RALEIGH, NC 5 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 6 PLANO, TX 7 AUSTIN, TX 8 BURLINGTON, VT 9 ST. PAUL, MN 10 SAN FRANCISCO,…

Wearing protection brings benefits beyond the obvious ones: Condoms can promote vaginal health, a study from China reveals. Women with condom-using partners had higher levels of Lactobacilli in their vaginas than those who used IUDs. Lactobacilli are healthy bacteria that defend against various infections, including STIs, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., of the Yale School of Medicine. By preventing semen from reaching the vagina, a condom helps maintain a healthier pH level, so the good bacteria can thrive. That can reduce her odds of contracting gonorrhea and chlamydia—and yours as a result. 35 Percentage of men who reported that they were satisfied when asked about the size of their penis Source: The Journal of Sexual Medicine Branding Your Relationship Relationship That new-leather smell may not be the only reason your…

Why They’re Healthy Just a third of a cup of these crunchy pickled peppers packs nearly half of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C. Like roasted red peppers, they deliver a good deal of flavor for surprisingly few calories (a mere 34 per serving) and can lend a sweet, subtle heat to a wide variety of foods. How to Eat Them You’ll find Peppadews alongside olives at many supermarket antipasti bars, but you can also buy them jarred. Snack on them straight, or slice them up to use in sandwiches or pasta or as a pizza topping. You can also stuff these bite-size peppers with fresh goat cheese to serve with drinks. The Sunshine Substitute Score one for the sun. Exposing button mush rooms to sunlight can fortify them…

Research reveals that only half of guys wash their hands with soap. The World Health Organization explains how to do it right. 1 / SUDS THEM UP Wet your hands under running water and then douse them with enough soap to completely cover their entire surface. Rub your hands together, palm to palm. 2 / WATCH YOUR BACK Move your right hand, palm down, over the back of your left hand and rub with laced fingers. Now switch and repeat with your left hand atop your right. 3 / FINGER IT OUT Lace your fingers and rub up and down. Place the tops of your fingers against the opposite palms and scrub to work the lather under your fingernails. 4 / GIVE A THUMBS-UP Grasp your left thumb with your…

Sculpt real-world strength and stability with three hard-core power moves. YOUR GOAL: 3 CIRCUITS SHREDDED ABS MIGHT BOOST YOUR ATTRACTIVENESS QUOTIENT, BUT THAT’S not their primary purpose. In everyday life, your core has one directive: to stabilize your spine. That makes the exercises on this page the ultimate gut check. By forcing your core to brace against three kinds of potentially spine-damaging motion—rotation, flexion, and extension—they’ll reveal just how strong it really is, says Kevin Carr, C.S.C.S., a trainer at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning in Massachusetts. And if you add them to your weekly routine, you’ll soon notice greater stability and power in everything you do—not to mention an increasingly chiseled profile. —MICHAEL EASTER DIRECTIONS Perform these exercises as a circuit, moving from one to the next without resting.…

On women, work, and other stuff that screws up men’s lives. My boss flouts the dress code and wears jeans every day. Can I follow his lead? PAUL, SAN JOSE, CA When you’re in charge, you can do anything you want. But for now, if you want to know how far you can push your wardrobe, look at the two or three most senior-level men around your boss. If they’re showing up at work with their shoes shined and shirts tucked in, you should do the same. Save your denim for casual Friday. The guys at work invited me to join their lunchtime basketball game, but they’re good. I’m not. Should I play anyway? RAY, PHILADELPHIA, PA You’d be a fool to sit this out. The guys you work with…

3Waysto Makean Entrance Special this month: Learn how to bust down a locked door, muscle through the pain, and then replace the wreckage with a brand-new entryway. “WHEN I FEEL PAIN, I TELL MYSELF, ‘IT’S A GOOD THING I’M SUCH A BADASS.’” —STEVE-O OF JACKASS, P. 74 1 KICK IN A DOOR Save the day (and your shoulder) with break-through tips from police officer Bob Charpinsky, training director for the New York Tactical Officers Association. A. Assess the Obstacles Kicking down a door may be your only option if someone needs help immediately. If the person is on the other side of the door, alert him or her to stand back before you go into action-hero mode. You can probably kick down a door that swings away from you. If…

As the host of TV’s Man v. Food, Adam Richman ate massive portions of greasy grub for a living. But then he ditched the show, overcame his bad habits, and took control of his body. I KNEW WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO: 72-ounce steaks, shakes by the quart, atomic wings. When I landed Man v. Food in 2008, I accepted the fact that my weight would fluctuate. But instead of stressing about the scale, I made my long-term health a primary concern. I met with a hematologist, a lipidologist, a cardiologist, and my doctor. Off the set, I exercised and ate healthy. I figured that as long as my blood work and heart were good, I was good. But those efforts were no match for the thousands of calories I’d…

Some gambles are always worth staking a few bucks on. Follow this low-risk guide to strengthening your financial hand, and you’ll emerge wealthy and healthy. K KEEN INVESTORS ARE DRAWN TO savvier bets than the ones served up in smoke-filled poker games and money-sucking craps tables. They go after the smart money, not the fantasy payout—and you’d be wise to follow suit. You could roll the dice on a bold new startup. Or take a chance on an insurance policy that saves you millions. You can even gamble on making the world a better place—and yourself a better man. So go ahead: Steal a look at a winner’s hand. 1 Open Your Umbrella No matter how much cash you’ve saved, you could be just one fender bender away from bankruptcy.…

Alternate between workouts A and B three days a week for the next two weeks. For each workout, you’ll follow one of the two routines described below. Use the chart on the right to pair the workouts (A or B) with the routines (1 or 2). You can switch up the days you exercise (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday work just as well), but always allow at least a day of rest between sessions. Proper recovery is what will shift your gains into high gear. WORKOUT A 1 / Pushup Get down on all fours and position your hands so they’re slightly wider than your shoulders. Set your feet together, straighten your arms and legs, and squeeze your glutes [A]. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor [B].…

We at Men’s Health don’t dwell on the past. We want you to look ahead to 2014 as an open road of opportunity—for robust health, satisfying sex, bigger muscles, and a smaller belly. We’re optimists here, giving you the information you need to make smart decisions. Still, it helps to pause at year’s end to examine—briefly, without judgment—a few of the exciting developments and questionable choices of the past 12 months. Okay, maybe a little judgment. WORST ROLLOUT SINCE NEW COKE President Obama’s dream of near-universal health care kicks in like a crippled mule that wheezes, balks, and takes a smelly dump. Anyone can sign up via HealthCare.gov with a few clicks, a restart, hours of staring, days of waiting, a phone call or five. . . Didn’t anybody test…

• IT’S WINTER. YOUR FAMILY IS COZILY TUCKED AROUND THE FIREPLACE. AN EMBER ESCAPES ONTO your acrylic rug. Before you put it out, allow me to tell you a quick story. Last March, while running errands, I noticed smoke billowing in the distance. It wasn’t particularly thick or dark, but it stood out against the clear blue sky. I didn’t think much of it until the next morning, when the front-page headline in the local paper stopped me cold. A fire had broken out in a house a few blocks from Men’s Health’s offices. Four people died, including a 16-year-old boy and his mother. A few days later I walked by the charred wreckage and was struck by the sheer. . .ordinariness of the scene. It was a typical small…

TIM, RALEIGH, NC These oddball items just might be the missing pieces to your muscle puzzle. “A well-rounded workout requires more than just treadmills, dumbbells, machines, and barbells,” says Lee Boyce, a Toronto-based strength coach. Bring our picks to the gym and leave with fewer injuries and more strength. • Goat Tape “T aping your wrists for support can help you avoid problems when you’re lifting heavy,” says Boyce. Plus, wrapping tape around your hands can improve your grip—minus the mess of chalk. Boyce likes Goat Tape; the strong fabric and adhesive stays on and remains sticky during sweat sessions. $5, wodsuperstore.com • Expand-Your-Hand Bands These grip strengtheners can help prevent injuries, Boyce says. Squeeze and stretch them between sets of leg exercises. $14, ironmind-store.com • Lacrosse Ball We’re big…

Strength and speed may go hand in hand: Lifting heavier could be the secret to running and cycling faster and longer, according to a review from Norway. That’s because strength training may delay the activation of your less-efficient muscle fibers while also improving your muscles’ overall efficiency and resistance to fatigue. “Do 3 sets of 10 reps of split jumps once a week,” says Men’s Health training advisor Bill Hartman, P.T., C.S.C.S. “And in another workout, do a heavy lift. Runners should complete 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps of deadlifts, while cyclists should perform the same number of barbell squats.”…

Want to bag a personal best? For faster race times, keep your stride length consistent. Researchers at UC Davis who studied ultramarathoners found that the top finishers were able to maintain their long strides from start to finish. “Stride length typically shortens when you become tired, and there are two ways to maintain it,” says Budd Coates, M.S., author of Running on Air. “Lose fat so you won’t fatigue as quickly, or build endurance with weekly tempo runs [maintaining a fast pace for a specific distance] and longer intervals [think 800 yards].” THE JAPANESE TRAINING TOOL Fitness has a new formula: The four-minute Tabata drill—20 seconds of intense effort, 10 seconds of rest, repeat—can deliver big cardio benefits, according to a report from the American Council on Exercise. People who…

Good things come to those who wait to work out. Hitting the gym in the evening may produce bigger heart benefits than sweating in the a.m., according to new research from China. People who regularly worked out after 6 p.m. were 19 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who usually exercised before 8 in the morning. One theory is that the endo thelial tissue that helps blood vessels dilate and contract may not respond as well in the morning to exercise-related changes in bloodflow. Schedule four evening workouts a week, the frequency shown in the study to confer the greatest cardiovascular protection. 7 Increase (in mg/dl) in LDL (bad) cholesterol in winter vs. summer in a sample of primary-care patients Source: State University of Campinas, Brazil High-Altitude…

Four things you need to know about women, according to Evangeline Lilly A chilly winter day is the best time to get her hot and bothered. “Take her tobogganing. When you’re done, crank up the heat in the car and have a picnic. Car picnics can lead to car sex, and the number one thing you should do when it’s cold and you’re falling in love is have sex.” One unexpected gift means more than lots of holiday presents. “If my guy came home with a gift and there was no holiday or reason for it—he just got it because it made him think of me—that is romantic. It says he cares enough to make an effort when he’s not being told to.” Your iPhone ruins the mood. “A ll…

Find the Ab in Metabolism If you want a core worth showing off, stoke the fat fires in your workout. WHEN TOM HOPPER ARRIVED IN SOUTH AFRICA to train for Black Sails, he expected to make his abs a priority. After all, abs are almost a prerequisite for an actor in a cable series rated TV-MA. “So I was shocked when our trainer told us to forget about aesthetics,” says Hopper, 28, who plays boatswain Billy Bones in the new Starz pirate drama. “We went in expecting to get ripped, but that was a byproduct of our training, not the focus.” The focus was on performance—on building a lean, functional body that could scramble up rigging and savage enemies with a cutlass. “We did do a lot of heavy lifting,…

Clothes Are Your Calling Card More men work from home these days—but that’s no excuse for wearing sweats and T-shirts. Prime yourself for success by balancing professional confidence with at-home comfort. WHEN CHRIS REZNY SCORED A JOB working from home, he thought he’d won the sartorial lottery. Now he could wear his usual oversized T-shirts and tattered boot-cut jeans all day. “My jeans were so riddled with holes that I could almost pull out my wallet from the bottom of the back pocket,” says Rezny. But some new clients still expect to meet in the office. Suddenly he needed a more dynamic wardrobe—preferably one without holes. “I had to be ready for anything,” says Rezny. “I might be pumping out lines of code one day and meeting a CEO the…

Attend to the Telling Details A subtle change can have a strong effect, so choose accessories with care. For instance, try a cognac shade of leather instead of basic black for your briefcase, or a silver dagger tie bar with your navy suit. Or invest in a single classic watch with various removable straps that you can swap out to fit the occasion: brown leather for a client meeting, a shock of orange for Saturday night. “It’s a great conversation starter and looks unexpected,” says Matthew Singer, men’s fashion director at the Neiman Marcus Group, whose own watch rocks a crocodile band. WILL LEATHER GOODS BAG, $695 TUDOR WATCH, $4,425 PERRY ELLIS SWEATER, $90 UNIQLO SHIRT, $30 JACK SPADE TIE, $98 RAVI RATAN TIE BAR, $45 Reveal Your True Colors…

Being rejected by a woman is a bummer—but it’s also your chance to emerge a better man. “I’M NOT IN THE MOOD.” “I’VE MET SOMEBODY ELSE.” “I’m just not interested.” Romantic rejection comes in many forms, and the side effects are never welcome. “Your heart races, your palms sweat, even your sleep suffers,” says Nathan DeWall, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky. “Men often say it feels as bad as being punched in the stomach.” In fact, those guys are onto something: Researchers at the University of Michigan found that the consequences of social rejection can feel similar to being physically hurt. Why is that pain so tough to shake off? “Men associate their status with whether or not women like them,” says Brandy Engler, Psy.D.,…

Life is short—unless you commit to our cardiac protection plan. THERE AREN’T TOO MANY WAYS TO survive a bullet hurtling toward your heart. You could be wearing a Kevlar vest (unlikely), possess bona fide Matrix moves (even more unlikely), or watch in stunned silence as the hand of God reaches down and miraculously plucks the projectile out of the air (not gonna happen unless you’re in a Monty Python movie). But there’s an upside to this depressing scenario. Actually, make that two. First, the lethal round you need to worry about moves quite slowly: It’s called heart disease. Second, you can count on at least 30 ways to survive it. We’ve collected a whole slew of simple, effective strategies for safeguarding your heart health. You don’t have to adopt all…

Your 2014 Weight-Loss Checklist Eat 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your target weight Eat more of MH’s 10 powerfoods Make fiber a friend Learn to outsmart cravings Master your metabolism OWN YOUR METABOLISM Exercise harder and cut calories wisely. A Intense training can boost your burn rate for up to 36 hours. B Protein stokes your inner fire more than fat or carbs do. C Cutting calories dials down your furnace. Reduce that effect with a diet rich in protein and highfiber carbs.—Rachel Berman, R.D. THE 10 BEST POWERFOODS FOR MEN Eat these foods often to boost your health and stay lean all year. Bison Beef’s leaner cousin has less than half the total fat while still packing essential nutrients, like zinc, selenium, and B vitamins,…

Man dies in house fire. Ken Tremblay wrote those words. Two die of smoke inhalation in residential fire. Ken Tremblay writes about dead people. Homeowner dies trying to extinguish fire. You do not want Ken Tremblay to write about you. Perhaps more than anyone else in this country, Tremblay understands the ways men put themselves at risk of dying in a fire. For the past 20 years, he has been poring over thousands of fire incident reports from across the United States, distilling and rewriting them for his Firewatch column in the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA Journal. Tremblay’s hope is that the real-world cases he describes will educate his audience of firefighters and fire prevention officials. Our hope is that maybe, just maybe, these tragedies can teach us a…

Men who are trying to drop pounds often have a sticking point, one thing that stalls their weight loss. “I work with clients to find it,” says Michael Roussell, Ph.D., author of The Six Pillars of Nutrition and founder of the consultancy firm Naked Nutrition. “I ask them to keep a food and exercise diary for a week, and then I analyze the info.” Some guys underestimate the calories in alcohol; others don’t realize just how rapidly workday snacks or weekend indulgences add up. “What good is two extra hours of exercise if you turn around and eat junk all weekend?” Roussell asks. He’s found that whatever the bottleneck is, identifying and eliminating it will make the needle on your scale move again. 1/BUILD BRAIN STRENGTH “I meditate for 15…

I keep certain Facebook friends so I can compare my life to theirs. RYAN, NEWARK, NJ You don’t need to go on an unfriending spree. Men like to lurk on Facebook profiles for the same reason women like to gossip, says Sam Gosling, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. “We do it not only to convey information and make bonds with people we’re conversing with but also to try to establish social norms,” he says. By comparing yourself with others, you develop standards you can use to judge your own behavior. This is fine as long as it pushes you to work harder to achieve your goals, Gosling says. But if you come away feeling like a loser, maybe you aren’t clicking the “Like”…

Chain-sawing pedestrians may make you fat even if you don’t eat them. Playing violent video games like Grand Theft Auto can increase your appetite, according to research from the U.K. Men who played the gory classic felt significantly less full during the hour after a meal than those who played FIFA Soccer. Violent games may distract your mind from its perceptions of fullness, the researchers say. Keep food out of reach to reduce temptation, says Elizabeth Lyons, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the University of Texas Medical Branch, who studies gaming behavior. Excuses, Excuses Do you snack like a fat guy? In a study in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, over-weight and obese people selected unhealthy foods for 79 percent of their snacks and ate them because. . . 55%…

Here’s a plan you can stick to: According to scientists at the University of Alabama, using a grip enhancer could help you pump out more pullups. “When we had rock climbers chalk up their hands, they did 3 to 5 more reps compared with when they didn’t use chalk,” says Nick Bacon, Ph.D., lead author of the study. “Chalk soaks up sweat, and if you have sweaty hands, you have to ‘overgrip’ the bar to prevent slippage. That can cause your muscles to tire much more quickly.” If your gym doesn’t allow chalk, see Ask Men’s Health in this issue for an equally grippy solution. 70 Percentage decline in lifters’ form when they performed an exercise at an increased speed Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research How Katy Perry…

“If you nudge the system a little bit, you can provoke big changes.” WE’RE IN KODUKKUR, A DIRT-TRACK TOWN IN SOUTHEAST INDIA. The entire village of 468 families is celebrating because 15 of those families have recently installed pit toilets. Party! Even the cattle (plentiful) in the streets seem pumped. The emcee at a welcome ceremony is noting the visiting dignitaries lined up in plastic chairs in the town square. The guy ticks off the list and then pauses over a name that is evidently unfamiliar to him. Squeezing the paper in his hand and concentrating hard, he spits it out. “And welcome to. . .Matt da-MAN!” There’s a smattering of applause in response to a shy wave from this Matt guy. The citizens have as much idea of Damon’s…

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR Sex, dating, love, and lust. Madeline Haller will now take your questions. Can I ask my fiancée to not help me cook? She’s clueless and just gets in my way. THOMAS, SAN DIEGO, CA Here’s the deal: She knows she’s not great in the kitchen. But she wants to spend time with you and maybe even hone her skills. In any case, kicking her out is a bad idea. She’ll feel rejected, and you’ll look like a jerk. You want to cook every meal, every day, for your entire marriage? No? Then learn how to cook with her as a team. Hey—nobody ever said “for better or worse” would taste good. My girlfriend has been nagging me to take the password off my cell. I have…

Benched be the man who opens neon-orange “cheese product” and pours it over from-the-bag chips. Call this edible audible come game day. THIS MONTH’S EXPERT Alex Stupak is executive chef and co-owner of the restaurants Empellón Taqueria and Empellón Cocina, both located in New York City. HOLY GUACAMOLE! With Stupak’s recipe, you’ll never go back to the sludge in the tub. Halve and pit 3 ripe Hass avocados. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh into a bowl; mash gently. Add the juice of a lime, ¼ cup minced white onion (rinsed under cold water), 1 seeded and minced jalapeño, and a handful of chopped cilantro. Season with kosher salt and gently combine. A Bag the Bagged Chips By making your own tortilla chips, you infuse your nachos with authentic flavor…

The Price of Pessimism Negative thoughts are like parasites, silently eating away at your health. Can they be beaten? Positively. YOUR STATE OF MIND AFFECTS YOUR health—and when you think like a pessimist, always expecting the worst, your fight-or-flight response may remain stuck on standby. Think of it as revving an engine—it’s useful before a race, but if you keep gunning it, you’ll burn out your motor. And that can cause longterm damage. For example, pessimists tend to have higher blood pressure and triglyceride levels than optimists have, and their odds of heart attack and early death are higher too, according to University of Pittsburgh research. This illustration shows how a dour outlook can affect your organs, but it doesn’t show the ways optimism can boost your health. “Happy and…

From boiled rutabagas to mushy squash, winter vegetables can be dull enough to trigger hibernation. There’s a tastier, healthier option: Eat ’em raw. JUST-PICKED TOMATOES ARE LAUDED. FRESH CORN LIONIZED. BUT winter vegetables? They’re usually just loathed. That’s because winter is the traditional season of overcooking, when distinctive textures and complex flavors are crushed and simmered away. But celery root, butternut squash, parsnips, and brussels sprouts deserve a better fate: You should eat ’em raw. No, we’re not suggesting that you chomp into a beet or a rutabaga as you would a fresh apple. But with a little shaving, blending, and grating, you can easily enjoy the bounty of winter vegetables without resorting to the soup bowl or roasting pan. And when prepared simply, these coldweather gems pack enough vibrant…

Build endurance, strength, stability, and power with tips from four of America’s greatest winter athletes. ENDURANCE ON TEAM USA NORDIC COMBINED, getting “Billed” is when 2010 Olympic gold medalist Billy Demong takes you for a “quick” cardio session that lasts all morning. “If I told my teammates we’d be doing a four-or five-hour run, they’d never go,” says Demong, who admits that such workouts often push his own limits as well. “It puts you in a difficult physical and mental place, but breakthroughs happen on the verge of breakdowns.” That drive to suffer and then succeed is what allows Demong to dominate a grueling sport that combines ski jumping with a 10K cross-country race. “I’ve felt more pain from pushing past my physical limit in competition than from breaking bones,”…

GET FET 2014 You’re about to meet four athletes who have big goals: the Stanley Cup (the Minnesota Wild’s Zach Parise), the World Cup (U.S. national team’s Tim Howard), an NBA title (the Indiana Pacers’ George Hill), and a national champion’s jersey (cyclist Quinn Hatfield). Use their training tips to raise your game, whether you want to drop 15 pounds, bang out 10 pullups, or have more energy in bed. Then keep reading to learn how to crush excuses, fuel up smarter, and seize control of your body and mind. Are you ready to get into the greatest shape of your life? Go! ZACH PARISE ICE HOCKEY Left wing, Minnesota Wild and U.S. team HEIGHT 5’11” WEIGHT 197 lb AGE 29 The gym where Zach Parise works out has a…

EROTIC MASSAGE OUTDOOR SEX SEX IN A CAR ROLE PLAY PEGGING TANTRIC SEX DIRTY YOGA A THREESOME BACK-DOOR SEX “S ex isn’t just about gratification,” I found myself explaining to my wife, Erin, one night. “It’s about overcoming your inhibitions and conquering fear and shame on behalf of a shared pleasure.” Stay with me, guys: This preamble was meant to lead to a list—our sexual goals for the New Year—that I wanted us to write together. See, we had fallen into a routine, as couples sometimes do, and I consulted a sex therapist, who suggested this experiment as a way to break us out of it. But I couldn’t just assail my wife with such a list. We needed to have a discussion. So I did what any man would…

70 Percentage of men who think they’d make a great coach Pro coach the average guy wishes he had motivating him from the sidelines of life: BILL BELICHICK OR JIM HARBAUGH 41 Percentage of men who’ve snapped a motivational selfie before embarking on a new workout plan 2 in 5 Percentage who then earned—set by grueling set—an impressive “a fter” photo 31 Percentage of men who write a to-do list every morning 30 Percentage who like to sweat before the sun rises Flick the average guy finds most motivational: REMEMBER THE TITANS 1 in 4 Number of women who admit to using the promise of sex to motivate a man 43 Percentage of men who often recite a motivational mantra or quote 1 in 5 Number who won’t lift a…