Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2025 i Men's Health

YOGA. EVERYONE MOVING AND BREATHING TOGETHER HELPS GET ME “IN THE ZONE”—AND INSPIRES ME TO HOLD MY CROW POSE LONGER.—GREGORY BROWN, MD MH ADVISOR BOXING. ROTATIONAL POWER, ABS, AND STRESS RELIEF, ALL AT ONCE.—EBENEZER SAMUEL FITNESS DIRECTOR SOLO WALKS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE OTHER PEOPLE ARE WALKING, TOO. THAT COUNTS, RIGHT?—MATT RYAN SENIOR ART DIRECTOR I USE BARRY’S BOOTCAMP, MOSTLY FOR THE SOCIAL ELEMENT.—CHRISTIAN GOLLAYAN DEPUTY EDITOR SALSA. MEMORIZING A DANCE ROUTINE IS A BRAIN EXERCISE.—TARYN COLBERT DIGITAL DESIGNER A GOOD TEAM RUN. I WAS IN PHILLY AND TOOK A JOG WITH SOME BUDDIES TO THE ROCKY STEPS (CORNY, I KNOW). IT WAS A HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP.—SEAN ZUCKER GROOMING EDITOR…

ASK AN ADVISOR FEATURING DON SALADINO, MH FITNESS ADVISOR Q. How do I make treadmill runs more fun? A. Play with pace and intervals. If you’re aiming for low-impact cardio, walk on an incline for 30 to 60 minutes. And don’t think you have to do a set routine like TikTok’s 12-3-30. We’re all different, so challenge yourself appropriately, keeping your heart rate between 110 and 140 bpm. To increase intensity, start with running intervals that are 15 to 30 seconds long, with 30 to 60 seconds of walking between. Build up the speed and number of rounds, to make it yours. And find equipment you like—I prefer curve treadmills because they make you create your own force. MVP MEMBER OF THE MONTH MEN’S HEALTH MVP members gain access to the best…

YOU KNOW PROTEIN matters. Now, master leucine, a critical branched-chain amino acid (BCAA). WHAT IS LEUCINE? Meet your most important BCAA. Leucine drives muscle protein synthesis and helps keep muscle proteins from breaking down. AND LOAD IT! Much like you can carb-load before a big running event, you can leucineload, too. Aim for 2.5 grams of leucine in your critical leucine-loading meals. Good sources include beef (3 ounces delivers 2.5 g of leucine), firm tofu (1 cup has 3 g), and black beans (1 cup has 3.3 g). BUT WHEN? You’ll want at least 80 percent of your meals to be leucine-rich. These meals send signals to your muscles to rebuild. Focus especially on your post-lift meal, your pre-bedtime meal, and breakfast. AND IF YOU’RE VEGAN? You can still thrive.…

WHAT MAKES A FOOD THE BEST? OR “REAL”? Given the heated politics around ultraprocessed foods, we defined “real” as products having short ingredient lists with few to no unpronounceable words. We picked new(ish) items that are high in muscle-building protein, stomach-filling fiber, and heart-healthy fats, yet also low in added sugars. And we ran the list by Dezi Abeyta, RD, one of our nutrition advisors, for a gut check. MMMJerky, Cracked Black Pepper See the marbling in this jerky? That’s because it’s made from brisket (not top or bottom round), so it’s extra flavorful—and still high in protein. Two ounces has 16 grams. For Good Granola, Sweet Curry Buckwheat Almonds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, chia, and a robust spice blend make for a mix that tastes equally great in a salad, over ice…

PITT. CLOONEY. DENZEL in Gladiator II. There’s certainly nothing wrong with leaning into silver fox status. But who among us hasn’t wondered, as the hair collects on the barber cape, if there is a way to trade out some salt for more pepper? Dye is temporary. (And messy.) Supplements are shady. (And $$$.) Cue-balling is an option. (But cold.) Why hasn’t science fixed this yet? Actually, researchers are zeroing in on a solution. The result could mean slowing, and one day even reversing, gray hair. Here’s the idea behind all the geeky science—and what to do until it becomes reality. WHY HAIR GOES GRAY DON’T BLAME THE HAIR ITSELF. Within a hair follicle (the part of the hair attached to the skin) lives a type of cell called a melanocyte.…

6:00 A.M. PULL DOUBLE DUTY “There’s something great about starting your day with learning and completing a task,” says Reyes. For him, that means listening to the news or a history podcast, like BBC’s History Extra, while doing last night’s dishes. 8:00 A.M. BUILD A BATTLE PLAN Relief work and TV work have one big thing in common: unpredictability. “You have to strike when the opportunity is there, and you can’t do that without being prepared,” he says. So he logs on to his computer to nail down ideas for the show and to check in with the Force Blue team on what missions need to be organized. 10:00 A.M. GET IN PT “I honestly can’t fall asleep unless I’ve put in some sort of hard training during the day,”…

COLOR: Between crimson and Red Devil red, thanks to the beet, cherry, and pomegranate. TASTE: Refreshing and tart. Not medicinal (or grassy) at all. LIKES: The science team, including Cedars-Sinai microbiome expert Suzanne Devkota, PhD; Mayo Clinic integrative oncologist Dawn Mussallem, DO; and former NASA scientist James Green, PhD. The pre-, pro-, and postbiotics, plus digestive enzymes. The 100 g of the coenzyme Q10, which supports heart health. The 30 mcg of vitamin D3, 65 mg of magnesium, 900 mg of vitamin C—classic multivitamin stuff. It’s NSF Certified for Sport. DISLIKES: $99 per month—very posh! EXPERT TAKE: “It’s certainly convenient to have all of these products in one place, but you could buy a multivitamin, a probiotic, CoQ10, and magnesium and save money,” says Brian St. Pierre, RD, an MH nutrition…

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE EXPERTS, ADVISORS, AND READERS WHO BRING MEN’S HEALTH TO LIFE. Taking a GLP-1 medication despite some hesitation. Future me is proud for getting help. @rickyyurkon First step is to get help for my own mental health. @jbphilbrick Training 6x a week, limit alcohol consumption, limit sugar intake, high protein diet. Life is better. @lukemadden95 Working out consistently, getting my cardio, and keeping consistent with my diet. @yanishramkumar SUNSCREEN @daddiodad Limiting smartphone use and using it as a landline phone. @primatecuisine…

AS YOU MAY have noticed, the term metabolic health is all over social media, hyped by influencers, credentialed doctors, and crafty marketers who want to sell you the next book or tool that’s going to right-size your metabolic health and fix your whole life. Your metabolism involves so much more than your weight, science now knows. It’s the engine that drives every chemical process that happens in our cells: movement, core temperature, the body’s ability to fight off disease, how fast aging happens. Get your metabolism in order, the influencers say, and you’ll have more energy, increased focus, less stress, and a longer life overall. Plus, okay, you might even lose a pound or two (or 10, or more!). Surely all this can’t be true. Right? Let’s hope it is…

I ENTERED MY 50s eight years ago feeling pretty invincible. I was single and dating, playing competitive sports against guys half my age, and generally redlining my day-to-day. But as I was exiting this pivotal decade—married now, with a daughter—I felt more like Mike Tyson in the eighth round against Jake Paul. Some days were low enough that I worried there might be something seriously wrong. I scheduled a full medical workup, but the only red flag it raised was slightly elevated cholesterol. Whew. So how could I explain the fatigue, dwindling libido, loss of focus, and other symptoms? I wondered if I might be in the clutches of something else: male menopause. Also known as late-onset hypogonadism, andropause, or the more colloquial “manopause,” male menopause is defined, essentially,…

A DECADE AGO, using magic mushrooms—especially in a therapist’s office—seemed cringey, extreme, and not helpful for what patients were there for. Today… it’s complicated. Tech bros and CEOs are trumpeting their use of mushrooms (psilocybin) to optimize performance and improve emotional well-being, and new science is probing the mental health benefits of these and other psychedelics. The conversation is likely to get even louder, as MAHA champions them for being outside of Big Pharma’s hands (largely) and being “suppressed” by the FDA, according to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Meanwhile, plenty of people aren’t waiting for government approval before experimenting: About 8 million U.S. adults reported using psychedelics in 2023 (often for fun), according to a RAND Corporation survey. Now there are psychedelic happy hours, mushroom retreats abroad, and chocolate candies…

WHAT WOULD YOU do to get an edge—at work, in sports, in life? Would you spend X amount of dollars? Would you take X kind of supplements? Would you even subject your brain to emerging technologies that may or may not work? Professional athletes have been the early adopters in the brain-training space. NFL quarterbacks are entering flow states with help from Dune-like, Bene Gesserit–style instruction. NBA players fine-tune their hand-eye coordination with virtual reality concentration exercises. MLB batters boost their averages through disrupted-vision drills. The pro versions of these tools are pricey, but there’s good news for those not named Jalen, Steph, or Shohei: The tech is trickling down to us civilians. “The democratization of the science is driving consumer interest,” says cognitive neuroscientist Greg Appelbaum, PhD, a psychiatry…

LAST SUMMER, THERE was a good chance you noticed how horny people were for tennis. Partly thanks to Zendaya and the erotically charged, racquet-smashing boys in Challengers (which premiered last April), the Internet became feverish for the sport. Suddenly, we had influencers and celebrities picking up a racquet for the first time or showing off the forehand they learned as a kid. Then the tennis-core clothing trend exploded, making me seriously consider whether I should purchase a cable-knit sweater. At my neighborhood tennis courts in Brooklyn, the battle to get time on a court felt as intense as a Sinner-Alcaraz matchup. Come September, the craze manifested at the 2024 US Open, which smashed its attendance record by attracting more than 1 million people to the USTA Billie Jean King National…

Split-Stance Pallof Press WHY: You’ll build core stability and learn to keep your body balanced so you can reach for those tough shots, especially in the kitchen.* HOW TO DO IT: Stand with your right shoulder a few feet from a resistance band anchored to the left about three feet off the floor. Grasp it with both hands, holding it near your chest. Kneel on your left knee, then lift your left knee two inches from the floor. Keeping your shoulders square to the front, straighten your arms in front of you. Hold two seconds. Return to your chest. That’s 1 rep; do three sets of 8 per side. *We’re referring to the non-volley zone on both sides of the net, not an actual kitchen—though it’s cool if you want…

AT 50, Beckham says his goals are to remain lean, strong, and pain-free, according to his longtime trainer Bobby Rich. “It’s about fine-tuning his biomechanics on the major moves and staying consistent.” 1 CALISTHENICS To keep strong, carve his core, and stave off back pain, Beckham does pullups, hanging knee raises, and pushups most days. Rich says Beckham sometimes calls him “Boring Bob” because he emphasizes the same exercises, but he considers these foundational functional moves. And Rich does mix it up by varying the tempo, reps, and sets. 2 STRENGTH Two decades of playing soccer means Becks has done a lot of leg work and now focuses on full-body training sessions, including the Big 3: deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. But Boring Bob adds spice by mixing in variations,…

ESTIMATED SAVINGS 60% “I’VE HAD A WEIGHT PROBLEM my whole adult life and spent years yo-yoing up and down. I tried dieting and exercising more. I gained and lost 100 pounds a couple of times. At 40, it was time to consider weight-loss surgery to remove part of my stomach. I did all the pre-op evaluations and scheduled a sleeve gastrectomy, but about three weeks before my surgery date, my insurance company sent me a denial letter. After doing some research, it looked like it was going to cost me $30,000 or more. I was nervous that I could experience a complication and end up in the intensive care unit. That could be a life-changing financial hit. “I started looking into other options on Reddit, Google, social media, and I…

@GIOELEFERRETTI OOH, MAN. THAT Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest has really gotten into peoples’ heads, huh? I’m going to guess you’re not being literal here, since the average 90something has weightier things on his mind than fine-line reduction, but let’s seize on the essence of your question—how can an older person create or maintain the skin texture and tone of a younger person?—and go from there. For help, I turned to Garrett Munce, Men’s Health contributing editor and the all-knowing expert behind our annual Grooming Awards. Here’s his feedback, with product recommendations (and Grooming Award winners!) you can buy on MensHealth.com. (See sidebar for details.) • Pretty much every dermatologist agrees that the best thing you can do for your skin is to wear sunscreen. UV rays are responsible for a…

SORRY, FELLAS, you’re probably not going to be able to live to 150 after all, according to the big brains at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who determined that “radical human life extension is implausible this century.” Sure, you can eke out incremental lifespan gains by pounding lentils and guzzling EVOO, doing endless sessions of cardio in zone 2, and sleeping eight hours a night, but even with great exercise, diet, and lifestyle choices, less than 5 percent of men will make it to 100. But lifespan is only one measure of a good life. There’s healthspan and a bunch of other “spans” that can measure and reflect how well you’re futureproofing your body, mind, and life today. The following stories tap into those powers—and could help extend your…

Carlos Alcaraz FITNESS GAME CHANGER : SAND FOOTWORK DRILLS Any pro tennis player has to play with agility, but Alcaraz can move. To do so at a high level, the 21-year-old performs lateral movement drills in the sand, teaching his feet to drive up from an unstable surface. This can help prevent ankle injuries and build strength in his calves and shin muscles. Jannik Sinner FITNESS GAME CHANGER: LANDMINE ROTATIONS Sinner has historically lacked the physical prowess of his competitors, so the 23-year-old has gone all in on strength and mobility work. He does landmine rotational exercises such as the hollow body landmine press, which builds upper-body power. Novak Djokovic FITNESS GAME CHANGER: DEVOTION TO LONGEVITY He’s been around this long for a reason. Djokovic, 37, eliminated gluten and dairy…

OVER 21 years, soccer star David Beckham won 19 major trophies, although he never brought home a World Cup. He is both the goat and GOAT of English football, igniting both fan fury and fan adoration throughout his career. Beckham retired in 2013, but his body and mind still bear the scars of carrying a nation’s hopes, as well as the grind of playing more than 600 games for clubs and country. On the cusp of 50, and enjoying renewed global interest thanks to his hit Netflix documentary, Beckham still looks like he could kick it: quads sculpted, physique shredded, hair perfectly scruffy. He’s now busy off the field, co-owning Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami team, launching the supplement brand IM8 (available at IM8Health.com), and raising his four kids, ages…

TYPICAL SAVINGS 30%–60% “MY HUSBAND and I were trying to conceive and underwent testing at a clinic in Orange County, California, and were diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility.’ I tried supplements, herbs, diet changes, massage, acupuncture, and also intrauterine insemination. None of it worked, so we explored in vitro fertilization [IVF]. The problem: Our health insurance plan did not cover IVF, and the estimate we got was $25,000. It’s also hard to budget for IVF, because the meds, lab tests, egg retrievals, and embryo transfers are priced à la carte. Since IVF is not always successful, you don’t know how many services you will need. “We had moved to Miami, and my husband is from Colombia, and his mother told us about Juan Luis Giraldo, MD, and the Human Fertility Institute…

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS to go when you turn 70 has gotta be your ability to give a good noogie. Maybe it’s your diminished grip strength, or maybe you no longer have the bodily stability or the physical leverage to really dig in your knuckles and make your buddy squirm, but at a certain point in life, noogies are really no longer on the table. Except if you’re Brunello Cucinelli, the 71-year-old yet seemingly ageless Italian fashion magnate, who could give one hell of a noogie were he so inclined. It is a hot September morning in Solomeo, a medieval village less than a three-hour drive north of Rome, and I’m sitting at the end of a long white table across from Brunello (which he insists I call him,…