03/2019 THE WEIGHT-LOSS ISSUE

FITNESS WEIGHT LOSS MIND

P21 A FRESH ANGLE ON ABS P13 BEER WITHOUT THE BELLY P33 YOGA VS MEDITATION
This brand new move aims sports science at With Dry January over, our expert weighs in Both are touted as panaceas, but which has
your core for HD results. No crunches required on how to avoid a booze-belly bounceback the more solid scientific grounding?

P37 CARVE OUT NEW STAMINA P19 SPREAD YOURSELF THINNER P52 WORDS OF WISDOM
An innovative piece of cardio kit is bringing For fast fat loss, peanut butter and jam are Why “self-talk” is the secret to elite cardio
the slopes to your gym. Pack a bobble hat the best things between sliced bread endurance. It’s a trick worth shouting about

P94 KING OF THE SWINGERS P27 DIETS ARE OVERRATED P66 THE WILL TO SUCCEED
Master the American kettlebell swing to Clean eating isn’t enough if you’re hungry for Grit and determination are not character
blast your fat-burning workouts skyward a slimmer physique. There’s a better way… traits but skills you can hone. This is how

STYLE MUSCLE NUTRITION

P109 TWIST YOUR MELON P51 ELEVATE YOUR GAINS P22 FILL YOUR PIE HOLE
Menswear designers are tipping their brims Altitude training has benefits far beyond Far from a plate of stodge, a proper British
to the bucket hat. Want to give the beanies marathon stamina. Use the principles of pie has upper-crust nutritional credentials.
a break? Here’s how to pull it off (or on) hypoxia to inflate your biceps to peak scale Allow our chef to rewrite your recipe book

P110 REVIVAL OF THE FITTEST P28 MAXIMUM WATTAGE P60 PLEASURES OF THE FLESH
The decade that fashion forgot is being NFL powerhouse JJ Watt on how pushing Can eating nothing but meat revitalise your
reimagined. Which is your 1970s style tribe? his body to the limit saw him through injury health? MH meets the human carnivores

P118 IT TAKES TWO P41 RED-HOT POWER P103 STICK IT TO FAT

This season’s collections are doubling down Ask more of your gym attire than a lack If your New Year eating plan already feels
on double-breasted jackets. Peruse our edit of of chafing. Here’s how the colour of your stale, these lean, piquant chicken skewers
a relaxed take on a classic that’s no less sharp kit can really raise your lifting game will pep up your meal prep in minutes

6 MEN’S HEALTH
ON THE COVER
P91 MUSCLE-BUILDING HACKS
Don’t let an unforgiving schedule
stifle your ambitions. Use our PT
special to sculpt muscle – fast

P42 CHRIS HEMSWORTH

MH travels Down Under to train
and talk with the Hollywood icon
PHOTOGRAPHY
STEVEN CHEE
P72 HOTWIRE YOUR METABOLISM GROOMING SARAH TAMMER
Turn cutting weight and leaning STYLING CHARLOTTE STOKES
COVER STAR CHRIS HEMSWORTH
out into a 24/7 affair, with our list T-SHIRT JACANDJACK.COM
of tips to cull calories all day long JEANS NUDIE JEANS AT
DAVIDJONES.COM
P98 BURN FAT, BUILD BRAWN JEWELLERY HEMSWORTH’S OWN
WATCH TAG HEUER
Swap flab for abs in four weeks with
nothing but a pair of dumbbells

P104 GUT-BUSTING KIT

Affordable home-gym equipment
that puts paid to any last excuses

P54 BEST FITNESS CLASSES

Your annual prospectus of the
finest group workouts in the UK

TheGentleAr
e tOf Choking p76
 EDITOR IN CHIEF

TOBY WISEMAN
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8 MEN’S HEALTH
 EDITOR’S LETTER
82

PAGE
LASTING SUCCESS BEGINS WITH SELF-BELIEF
In the Utah desert, freeriders
hurtle down cliffs in search of

60
glory. MH chases the bikers
who conquered their fears

PAGE
Rejecting the warnings
of science, followers of
the latest diet trend
are abandoning all but
meat. Could it work?
We flesh out the facts

54 76

PAGE
PAGE

Once a niche martial art,

Join the right crowd and Brazilian jiu-jitsu has
sign up for year-round the fitness world in its
momentum with our guide stranglehold. Why are
to this year’s top group pro athletes and A-list
workout classes actors hitting the mats?
MH goes for a roll

72 66
PAGE

PAGE
Maximise your weight If self-control is the key
loss with our metabolism- to progress, can it be
spiking tricks, from new trained? Three men
workout hacks to easy reveal how they became
nutritional upgrades masters of their will

PAGE

91
Short on time but
long on fat-burning
the New Year, New You trap. Despite being
an arbitrary invention, we are inexorably
seduced by the calendar and the idea
that we’re in annual need of resurrection,

I t might seem odd – antiquated even – aspiration? Beat the along with all the guilt and anxiety and
demands of your
that at a time when everyone in self-flagellation that goes with it.
schedule with our
possession of a smartphone has the quick-fire strategies Over the past month or so, my favourite
ability to publish content at the push of mental salve has been the Twitter feed of
a button, we monthly magazine types are Men’s Health contributor and all-round
still beholden to lead times, future gazing sage Matt Haig: “You are not an iPhone.
and holding tight while the ink dries. And plagues the spirit in the post-festive, You don’t need replacing every year.” Or:
yet, I tell myself, that’s the price you pay midwinter months. That’s why I’m writing “Just be kind to yourself. Get to know the
for proper editorial craft and the tactile this in as close to real time as I can, with old you. Don’t throw yourself away like
luxury of holding something that has been the hand of 2019 firmly upon me and a another piece of plastic.” And: “My New
painstakingly cultivated with your readers production editor’s gun to my head: so Year’s resolution is to resolve not to
in mind. Unfortunately, it’s also why I ended I can empathise more sincerely with the resolve. To stop seeing myself as a Russian
up writing the last March issue’s Ed’s Letter mindset that accompanies February, doll with endless better versions inside.”
on Christmas Eve, with Slade playing in the the ancient month of purification. Right now, this feels like a far more
background and a mulled wine on the go. This is the Weight-Loss Issue, and apposite recipe for Lent happiness.
This time around, I determined to be at least that much I appear to have got It speaks of durability, vitality and
different. No matter how many Yuletides right – after a Christmas spent pickling equanimity. Perhaps most importantly,
one has experienced or Get Back in Shape my organs in Suffolk cask ale and a it smacks of belief. I’ll drink to that.
specials worked on, nothing can quite subsequent few weeks feebly battling
prepare you for that peculiar strain of persistent flu, my torso doesn’t need TOBY WISEMAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
melancholy and existential angst that tightening so much as recasting. But from
a mental point of view, I can’t help but feel
resentful for having fallen so readily into

MEN’S HEALTH 11
 ASK MH
QUENCHING YOUR THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE

THE BIG POUR OVER OUR ADVICE

TO TIP THE SCALES
QUESTION IN YOUR FAVOUR

Q
DRY JANUARY IS OVER.
IS YOUR BELLY
A HEART THREAT?
To determine your risk,
here’s how to calculate
your waist-hip ratio

DOES THAT MEAN I’M To safeguard your long-term health

DESTINED TO REGAIN while still enjoying the odd pint, hit
MY BEER BELLY? the weights room. “Muscle is ‘active’
in ways that counteract visceral fat,”
i/ ROUND THE WAIST
DANIEL, SOUTHAMPTON
explains PT Emma Storey-Gordon: Measure your waist
Alcohol contains calories and carbs, it raises your metabolic rate. midway between your
so increasing your intake may well And, although your body is hard- lowest rib and the
top of your hips.
cause weight gain. But then, so could wired to preserve its fat stores by
upping your intake of anything else. increasing your appetite, you can
Studies generally suggest that those prevent weight gain by confining
who drink within their limits – a couple calorie consumption to a window of
of beers a day, say – don’t carry time (try 16 hours of fasting, eight
around any more weight than hours of eating – not continuously, of
ii/ ON THE HIPS
abstainers. Indeed, a review in Current course). “You’ll be able to enjoy bigger Then measure your hips
Obesity Reports found that drinkers meals, which are more satiating,” says around the widest part
WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS | PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL HEDGE

tend to weigh less than teetotallers. Storey-Gordon, without exceeding of your glutes.
Still, weight isn’t everything. your calorie allowance.
According to researchers at the Mayo Finally, fill up on fibre, aiming for
Clinic, extra fat around your middle, 30g per day. This creates a healthy
synonymous with beer drinkers, microbiome in your gut, reducing
makes you up to four times more inflammation and your likelihood of
likely to develop metabolic disorders obesity. We’ll raise a jar to that. iii/ SUM TOTAL
than leaner types. That’s the real risk Divide waist by hips.
If it’s 0.9 or higher, it’s
you run by returning to booze. time to take action.

MEN’S HEALTH 13
 TEXT
A PT
AVOIDING THE USUAL
Hi. I’ve cramped up on my run, SUSPECTS CAN DO MORE
and I’m still a few miles from HARM THAN GOOD
home. What are my options?

The first thing to do is stop.

Then, stretch for 30 seconds
per leg – it’ll help ease the pain.

OK. I’m determined to finish

my run, though. What can I
do when I set off again?

Try starting slower to see

how you feel, then switch to
minute-long, on-off intervals.

Will do. Incidentally, this

isn’t the first time this has
happened. What’s causing it? Q
DAIRY, GLUTEN, SUGAR, RED RIGHT FOOD,
MEAT… SHOULD I REALLY
The most common reason is
dehydration, but it could also WRONG TIME
BE CUTTING IT ALL OUT?
be muscular fatigue. Nutritionist Lowe on
the best times to eat
MATT, BRISTOL or avoid certain foods
So, try to be sensible with your
training load before a big run. We understand your scepticism, Matt – every RED MEAT
Avoid eating too
few weeks, a new food group is vilified. But this much meat before
I’ll try. Anything
else I can do? paranoia can do more harm than the foods training. It has a slower rate
of digestion, leaving you with
themselves. “By unnecessarily eliminating foods an unsettled stomach. Save
it for your post-gym refuel.
It’s a tall order, but avoid salty from your diet, you risk becoming deficient in
food and caffeine. Good luck! nutrients,” warns nutritionist Chris Lowe*: the SUGAR
Carbs drive your
fibre in wholegrains, say, or vitamin B12 in meat. performance, so

*FIND CHRIS LOWE ONLINE: @CHRISLOWENUTRITION, CHRISLOWENUTRITION.COM

Andre Bates, It can be a psychological problem, too. You’ve get your sweet fix before
AB or after your sessions – or
@i.am.fitness.ldn
heard of the placebo effect; well, there’s also a during, if you are exercising
continuously over 90 minutes.
“nocebo” effect, in which you experience side-
effects from something benign. In one study, DAIRY
ANCIENT SOLUTION Milk is excellent
TO A MODERN PROBLEM people who complained of gluten-related after training for
the three Rs: repair (protein),
symptoms were asked to consume a muffin.
Q IIitknow it’s good for me, but
can’t get on with yoga. Is
really worth the stretch?
Some ate one containing 11g of gluten; others
replenish (carbs) and rehydrate
(fluid). Go full fat for more
muscle protein synthesis.
unknowingly ate a free-from treat. Yet both
Simon, Saltaire
groups reported feeling worse afterwards. GLUTEN
Test, don’t guess.

A The roots of education So, “suspect” foods needn’t always be avoided. Some fibrous, wheat-
are bitter, but the based foods cause bloating,
Instead, try consuming them at smarter times (see which isn’t ideal before the
fruit is sweet.
right). Then you can have your cake and eat it. gym. But if you feel fine eating
Aristotle, ancient Greece bread, enjoy a post-gym sarnie.

14 MEN’S HEALTH
 01
DOUBLE
FAT LOSS
02
IN RARE
FORM A
WEIGHT LOSS
NEWSFEED
SPREAD 03/19
YOURSELF
THINNER
For upper-crust fat
loss, peanut butter
and jam are the best
things between sliced
bread. Bring napkins
LEANER LOAF
That’s breakfast sorted.
Now fuel all-day fat loss

T
he worthy with our recipe for the
fat-burning ultimate steak sarnie
breakfast
options that RYE
are championed by A Swedish
fitness influencers study found
are almost uniformly that rye is more satiating
joyless and time- and less fattening than
consuming. Another cold an average wheat loaf.
Tupperware of overnight This dense bread packs
oats does little to excite four times the fibre and
the taste buds, and 20% fewer calories.
knocking up a superfood
WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT LUCKY IF SHARP | FOOD STYLIST: NICO GHIRLANDO

frittata makes catching STEAK

the 7.36am train tricky. A punch of
Amazingly, researchers at protein causes
the University of Georgia the largest rise in the
happened upon some thermic effect of food
lip-smacking science that (TEF). It increases your
suggests the peanut butter and continued growth. And it wasn’t metabolic rate by up to
jam sandwich is at the cutting just the growth phase that was 30%, compared to 10%
edge of morning weight-loss fuel. disrupted, either – the mixture for carbs and 3% for fats.
A test tube study found that the proved just as ruthless at taking MAKE EXCESS FAT
dynamic duo of fillings contain out mature fat cells, too.
TOAST WITH AN OLD-
SCHOOL BREAKFAST
CHIMICHURRI
a cocktail of compounds that, In addition, these spreads have Packed with
together, stop fat cells in their myriad benefits in isolation. The parsley, this
tracks. The combination in quercetin in jam has also been steak companion
question – that of resveratrol linked with inhibiting the growth contains apigenin,
(found more readily in peanuts of cancer cells and reducing blood which the University of
than in red wine, surprisingly) pressure, while the resveratrol in Texas found spikes fat-
and the flavonol quercetin peanuts prompts your muscle cells burning and muscle-
(crammed into strawberry jam) to build more energy-producing building testosterone.
– caused body fat to waste away. mitochondria, which fire up your
Specifically, the combination metabolism, even at rest. But to
blocked a sensor that nascent fight flab most effectively at
fat cells need in order to connect breakfast, researchers suggest
with fatty acids in the blood for it’s the combination of both that
creates a unique one-two gut punch
to your paunch. Spread the news.

MEN’S HEALTH 19
 03
GIVE IT
THE V A
THE BEST 01
EXERCISE
WHY 2019 IS YOU’RE
SITTING
COMFORTABLY

CRUNCH TIME NOT DOING Sit on the floor, your

knees bent, holding

FOR YOUR ABS

a kettlebell to your
shoulder with your
right hand. Bring
your left arm out to
If your winter weight-loss the side to steady
yourself when the
plans are on schedule, step up hard part kicks in.
the pace with the V-UP AND
PRESS. As an upgrade on the
sit-up, it’s truly hard core

I
t’s all too easy to fall back
on the classic moves when
desperately trying to rework
your abs. But relying on sit-ups
earns you only half the benefits.
For a truly ripped middle – which,
02
FLYING V
let’s be honest, is your ultimate Balancing on your
aim after weeks of clean eating to glutes, lean your
shed your winter coat – you need to torso back and raise
target your entire core, not just the your feet off the
abdominals that sit at the front. ground, extending
“The hollow body position your legs up and out
forces you to engage your in front of you under
obliques,” says Los Angeles- control. Find your
based celebrity trainer balance – this is the
Ben Bruno. “The key is to starting position.
keep a steady torso and try
to avoid twisting or falling.” It’s the
instability that targets your deeper
core for a functional strength 03 04
MODEL: CHRISTOPHER WHITLOW AT ANDI PETERS MODELS | TRACKPANTS EU.PUMA.COM, TRAINERS ASICS.COM

IN’N’OUT PRESS TO
WORDS: TED LANE | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES | STYLIST: ABENA OFEI | GROOMING: NATACHA SCHMITT

pay-off, while the feet-elevated

tuck will work the superficial Keep the weight to IMPRESS
rectus abdominis muscles, which your shoulder and Finish the rep by
will, at last, make your abs hold your core tight slowly pressing the
truly pop. Finally, pressing the to avoid wobbling, kettlebell overhead.
kettlebell up slowly will not only then contract your Pause, then lower it
widen your silhouette, but also abs and breathe in, under control. Finish
force your obliques to work crunching your knees your set, rebalance,
overtime to keep you upright. to your chest. Exhale and then repeat on
To achieve six of the best, do and reverse the move. the opposite side.
three sets of 10 per arm, twice
per week. Consider them your
next reps to the abs you want.

WHAT
YOU’LL
GAIN POPPING
ABS
CORE
CONTROL
BOULDER
SHOULDERS
GYMNAST
BALANCE

MEN’S HEALTH 21
 THE HEALTH SNOB’S GUIDE TO
PROPER PIES
For too long, this definitive British comfort
food has been unjustly neglected by
gourmands and gym-goers alike. Here, we
celebrate its upper-crust nutritional cred

02
MAKE YOUR CASE

01 PUT A LID ON IT
Puff pastry and potato toppings require
little explanation, while hot water crusts
are rare. So we’ll focus on shortcrust
Once a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, the humble pie has slipped
– an essential part of any man’s culinary
into the doldrums of Wetherspoon’s pub grub and reheated
armoury. “This delicate pastry is perfect
football-stadium tuck. But Tristan Welch, head chef at Cambridge
for pies, because it soaks up the sauce and
brasserie Parker’s Tavern, wants to reverse this own goal. Done
takes on its flavour,” says Welch. Start by
right, pies are a nutritious, macro-laden payload presented
sifting 225g of flour into a bowl that has a
inside a deliciously buttery parcel. They’re a crust above, in
silicone base (£20 lakeland.co.uk) – this
other words. This is how to get a slice of the action.
will keep it steady when you’re mixing later.
Slice 100g of butter into small pieces over
the flour; use two knives rather than your
A CHICKEN TIKKA fingers to keep the butter cool. Mix together
The combination of muscle-building and, once a fine crumb forms, add two egg
protein – an impressive 23g per 100g yolks and a splash of cool water, gradually
– and the metabolism-enhancing
stirring until the mixture has evenly
spice of tikka marinade makes this
upgrade of football’s iconic balti pie combined. Use the flat of the knife to
a true game changer when you’re fold it into a dough, then shape it into
aiming for a lean, strong physique. a disc with your hands. Roll out your pastry,
occasionally rotating the dough 90 degrees.
B SARDINES A smart rolling pin (£20 johnlewis.com)
The ultimate oily fish, sardines with attachments on both ends will help you
are full to the gills with omega-3 to achieve an even thickness. Wrap in cling
fatty acids. Their anti-inflammatory film and chill for 20 minutes. Then, trim to
properties help to prevent heart
fit, brush with an egg and start preparing
disease, reducing your risk of
life-threatening blood clots and your application for next
lowering your blood pressure. year’s Bake Off.

C LAMB NECK CHOPS

The L-carnitine content in lamb
will chew away at unwelcome signs
of ageing by firing up your stamina
and giving your muscles an energy
lift, as it increases your levels of new,
mitochondria – your cells’ in-built
“power generators”.

D SAUSAGE MEAT
That sausages make you happy is
obvious. But allow us to present
some scientific evidence. As a
source of choline, the porcine filling
plays a role in the formation of
SAM-e, a feel-good hormone that
helps to relieve depression.

22 MEN’S HEALTH
 04
READY
TO ROLL
05
HOME
ADVANTAGE A
03
FILL YOUR
PIE HOLE
From a bite-sized
Melton Mowbray to a
massive masala, pies
can sate all appetites.
Falcon’s pie set (£55
falconenamelware.
com) covers all bases:
its enamel finish
transfers heat evenly
for a perfectly cooked
filling, and no chance
of a disappointingly A B
soggy bottom. Once MUSCLE-UP TIKKA MASALA PIE TAKE HEART STARGAZY PIE
you’ve updated SERVES 8 METHOD SERVES 4 METHOD
your kitchenware, A chicken, whole Marinate the chicken overnight in the Sardines, 4 Reduce the stock by half and whisk in
A jar of tikka marinade fridge, then roast at 190°C for an hour. Fish stock, 250ml the crème fraîche, mustard and vinegar.
follow Welch’s expert
An onion, finely chopped Rest, then debone. For the sauce, fry Crème fraîche, 125g Trim the pastry into a rectangle and
recipes to make Garlic, 3 cloves, crushed the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in English mustard, 25g cut out six golf-ball-sized holes around
your cooking time Ginger, 6cm, chopped butter. Blend the tomatoes and cashew White wine vinegar, 1tbsp the edge. Brush with the yolk, then
as easy as, well, pie. Chilli powder, 1tsp nuts, then add to the pan. Cook for 20 All-butter puff pastry, bake for 20 minutes. Fillet the sardines
Tinned tomatoes, 400g minutes, pour in the cream, bring to a 250g and grill alongside the heads and tails.
Cashew nuts, 4tbsp boil, add the chicken, then fill a pie dish. An egg yolk Chop and fry the bacon and onions and
Double cream, 300ml Mix the flour and butter until crumbs Streaky bacon, poach the eggs. Arrange the sardine
Plain flour, 150g form. Stir in two yolks and cold water to 150g, unsliced fillets, bacon, onions and eggs in the
Butter, 100g, cubed bind the dough. Roll it, wrap in film and Baby onions, 16, halved dish and pour in the sauce. Cover with
Eggs, 3 chill for 20 minutes. Brush with egg and Quail’s eggs, 16 the pastry, poking the fish heads and
Cold water, 3tbsp bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. Dig in. tails through the holes, and serve.

PATRIOT
GAINS
Science suggests
the best of British
is often the best
for your health, too

FISH AND
WORDS: TED LANE | PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY I FOOD STYLIST: TAMARA VOS | TEA TOWELS COURTESY OF DEXAM

CHIPS
Go heavy on
the vinegar. Research
WITH THANKS TO PARKER’S TAVERN, CAMBRIDGE, PARKERSTAVERN.COM | *NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY

shows that its acetic

acid reduces levels of
cholesterol in your blood
to safeguard your heart.

SUNDAY
ROAST C D
The rosemary
with your lamb and AGE-DEFYING SHEPHERD’S PIE ALL SMILES FIDGET PIE
roasted veg can give SERVES 4 SERVES 8
METHOD METHOD
you a cognitive boost Lamb neck chops, 8, Pork sausage meat, 700g Combine the butter, flour and lard in
Roast the potatoes at 140°C. Flour the
and 15% improvement in on the bone Butter, 55g, cubed a paddle mixer, adding the water to form
lamb and brown in a casserole dish.
short-term memory*. Maris Piper potatoes, Plain flour, 265g, plus the dough of your hot water crust. Set
Remove the chops and add the onion,
600g carrots and celery. Add the butter and extra for dusting aside to cool. Roll and layer inside a pie
An onion, sliced Strong white bread
FULL into rings
flour, mix and add the stock. Simmer, put
the chops back in and cook. Scoop the flour, 55g
tin, then freeze. Remove and crimp the
rim. Mix the mustard seeds, meat and
ENGLISH Carrots, 8, peeled potatoes into a bowl and combine with Lard, 65g half of the bacon, diced, and form into
Be generous Celery, 2 sticks milk and butter to create the mash. After Water, 135ml, boiling a patty. Wrap in a lattice of the remaining
when you’re ladling on Butter, 150g, diced two hours, remove the lamb and add the Mustard seeds, 4tsp bacon and drop into the pastry. Bake at
your side of baked beans. Plain flour, ½tbsp peas. Divide the mix into four dishes, add Streaky bacon, 600g 180°C until the centre is 74°C. Reduce
The high fibre content Lamb stock, 350ml two chops each, crossing the bones at Pork stock for gelatin the stock and pour in. Caramelise the
and the antioxidant Milk, 100ml the top. Pipe the mash over and bake for Red apples, 6, sliced apples and layer on top before glazing
lycopene will take a bite Frozen peas, 4tbsp another hour at 160°C. It’s worth the wait. Apricot jam, 2tbsp with heated apricot jam. Now, pig out.
out of your cancer risk.

MEN’S HEALTH 23
 WHAT
HAPPENS
06
GOING
PRO A
WHEN…
…I TAKE PROBIOTICS?
With the “good bacteria” industry predicted to be worth
£36bn by 2022, we put probiotics under the microscope
to see if the purported health panacea really has the guts

01
REBALANCE YOUR
HEALTH FROM
INSIDE OUT
02 01
INSIDE TRACTS
The idea that your overall
wellbeing begins in your gut is
increasingly gaining credence.
Safeguard your “good bacteria”,
the thinking goes, and you’ll
set up both body and mind for
a healthier outlook. But don’t
reach for those yogurt shots
just yet. Your best bet is to take
your probiotics in an acid-
resistant capsule that protects
them from stomach acid until
they reach your intestines. For
maximum payload, pop a supp
02 30 minutes before breakfast.

BUGS OF WAR
The effects of your first dose
WORDS: TOM WARD | ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY | *BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION | **EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION

can range from effortless bowel

03 04
movements to diarrhoea. If you
suffer from the latter, don’t worry.
Fatigue-causing yeast overgrowth –
the result of eating too much sugar or
refined carbs – begins a turf war with
the incoming good bacteria. This
can be explosive, but the result is

05
a biome repopulated by the victors
and a rise in your energy levels. 05

LOSS ADJUSTER
03 As a welcome kicker, probiotics
can also help you lose weight
GREEN GOBBLIN’ – for example, by limiting the
Unfortunately, the positive absorption of dietary fat in
effects of these supps are your intestines. One study*
temporary, lasting only as long

04
found that people who take
as you’re taking them. For lactobacillus rhamnosus for
long-term results, raise your three months lose almost
intake of prebiotics, which feed BRAIN FOOD 50% more weight than others;
good bacteria and allow them Whether via pills or prebiotics, the hypotheses linking a separate study suggested
to grow naturally, so you don’t improving your gut biome can your brain and your gut, even low doses of lactobacillus
have to parachute them into have happy consequences. studies have shown that gasseri taken for 12 weeks can
your gut with pills. The best A review of 15 human studies probiotics can fire up the result in an 8.5% reduction of
sources are high-fibre foods, found that supplementing function of your central belly fat. It may be time you
including asparagus, cabbage your diet with “friendly” nervous system to help called in the reinforcements.
and spring onion. Add to basket. lactobacillus and bifidobacteria alleviate symptoms of anxiety
for a month can fuel a mental and depression, while also
health reboot. Supporting improving your memory.
MH PROMOTION

COMBAT
MOISTURE
AND HEAT

YOU SET
YOUR GOALS
LEADING SPORTS CLOTHING BRAND JOMA IS HELPING YOU RECLAIM YOUR LOVE OF SPORT WITH A RANGE THAT
PRIORITISES YOUR EXERCISE EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU’RE IN SEARCH OF GOAL-SMASHING SUCCESS

W
hen you’re deciding what kit to
wear for your sporting pursuits, THE TECH LOW-DOWN
don’t leave it to guesswork. As one Joma believes that now is the time to
of the world’s leading sportswear play sports simply for the sake of it – for
STAY COOL From base layers to
running jackets, Joma’s breathable
brands, endorsed by professional sports teams pure enjoyment. This is the message the kit is crafted with sweaty-sessions in mind.
across the world and distributed in over 100 brand was originally founded on, and it
countries, Joma – founded more than 50 years remains at the heart of all of its product STYLING A sleek and modern
ago – can be relied on to assist you with not design today. Joma recognises that you’re design ensures you’ll look the
just reaching, but surpassing your goals. always on the lookout for new sports and part while performing your best.
“Exercise your freedom” is at the core of new challenges, and searching for the latest
every product Joma offers. In a world where innovations and technologies that will
PURPOSE Joma’s products
are designed to adapt to your
we’re constantly being told the best way to enable you to obtain the results you sporting necessities for better results,
keep fit, Joma is letting you call the shots. It desire with comfort and confidence. regardless of your training discipline.
wants you to decide what sport you practise. The updated design on its technical gear For more information and to see the full
It understands how often you do it, where and boasts exceptional quality and performance- range of products, visit joma-sport.com
when – and your sportswear should reflect that. boosting materials, so you can be sure when
you’ve committed to your sporting goals that
Joma will be with you every step of the way.
 THE DEVIL’S
07
CRASHING
DOWNS
08
DIETARY
VICES A
ADVOCATE
> DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
TRAINING MATTERS RELYING ON CLEAN 1 WORTH THE WEIGHT

MORE THAN DIET

EATING CAN CRAMP
Researchers at UCLA found
YOUR WEIGHT LOSS
half of all “overweight” people
are actually fit, while a third
with “healthy” BMIs are not.
When it comes to putting the squeeze
on your waistline, heavy metal beats
2 CRASH AND BURN
Yo-yo dieting doubles your
diet food fads. Go crush your goals chances of a premature death
and significantly increases your
risk of heart attack or stroke.**

3 HUMBLE PIE

W
e’ve all been guilty of it:
Dieters who rate their self-
smugly swallowing a control highly often fail first,
mouthful of greens before because they make less of
regurgitating platitudes an effort to avoid temptation.
such as, “Abs are made in the kitchen,” or,
equally misguidedly, “It’s 90% diet.” We’ve
been fed the same message for
years – changing what you eat
is the surest route to getting
in shape for the long term.
However, no matter how
you serve it, it’s nonsense.
Without rebooting both your
training and your diet
together, you’ll never tip
the scales in your favour.
Researchers at the
Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center
WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON | PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE | *INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY | **CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF KOREA

in Seattle confirmed this

when they conducted
randomised trials on
overweight participants:
a clean diet alone will have regained more weight than
was nowhere near as they lost. One study even found that
effective for fat loss subjecting yourself to a so-called weight-
as combining good loss diet just once doubles your odds of
nutrition with exercise. What’s more, becoming overweight in the future.
our obsession with food consumption When you change your eating habits
could be distracting us from more urgent too quickly, your metabolism slows and
statistics. A 2009 study suggested that clings onto every calorie, making weight increases in self-control, probably because
poor cardiorespiratory fitness was loss even harder. That’s why, whether it increases blood flow to the frontal region
responsible for nearly 17% of male deaths, it’s keto or juicing, I’m cynical about any of the brain. That means hitting the gym
while obesity accounted for just 3%, plan that’s short term or tough to stick not only improves cardiovascular fitness,
once activity levels were to. Commit to anything muscle mass, blood pressure and mood,
factored out 1 . In short, “After five years, for less than a year and but also steels you against the lure of
THIS MONTH’S
you’d better get moving. over 41% of you’re not giving your
ADVOCATE
the Golden Arches. The same can’t be
People may counter body time to adapt 2 . said of any kale smoothie.
that, while a regular fitness dieters will have It’s exercise that makes a
Faisal Abdalla is
a leading PT and If you’re training hard, don’t be afraid
habit is laudable, you can put on more plan stick. As well as being the author of The to break from nutritional austerity with
still achieve rapid changes beneficial in isolation, PMA Method. a cheat meal. Or have a cheat day. Rely on
in body composition
than they lost” training has been proven
Follow him on
food alone for transformation and there’s
Instagram: @faisal
through your diet. If eliminating carbs to play a key role in diet adherence. Most pmafitness no room for slip-ups: you can’t burn off
helps you shed your spare tyre in two of us underestimate the mental toughness extra calories without exercise. Workouts
weeks, you’ll be motivated to commit required to resist cravings 3 , but research are what turns any reboot into a sustainable
to a healthier lifestyle, right? Wrong. shows that even small amounts of physical lifestyle, rather than a short-lived dietary
After five years, as many as 95% of dieters activity help to strengthen willpower. One denial. To make 2019 your most rewarding
will be back where they started, and 41% Dutch review concluded that forming year yet, lace up your trainers.
an exercise routine leads to significant

MEN’S HEALTH 27
HIT THE
GROUND
RUNNING
Follow NFL All-Pro
JJ Watt’s path back
to the top and regain
your peak, no matter
your starting point

T
hanks to a herniated
disc, the Houston
Texans defensive end
JJ Watt played in only
three games in 2016. Then he
fractured his shinbone in just
the fifth week of the following
season. However, after a gruelling
off-season regimen, Watt, a three-
time defensive player of the year, Watt also tracked everything
entered the next campaign in he ate for a year, which he credits
the best shape of his career. with allowing him to tune into
The strategies he used to come his body. Now, he says he
back stronger than ever weren’t doesn’t need to count
complicated. Even before Watt’s calories: instead, he eats
major back injury, he had long when he’s hungry and
prioritised his core training, focuses only on portion
and now he emphasises it even sizes. He also weighs
more. His 20-minute programme himself daily to ensure
changes daily but involves plenty he stays on track.
of planks (single leg, single arm, Watt finds it helpful
with a 20kg plate strapped to to evaluate his
his back and his feet elevated achievements on
six inches) and the surprisingly a day-to-day basis.
gruelling dead bugs. Recovery is a marathon,
During rehab, Watt utilised a not a sprint. Breaking his
range of single-leg exercises and leg was devastating, he
drills, too. “They build balanced says: “I’d worked so hard
strength and agility,” he says. to return from my back
He still performs plenty of lunge surgery the year before.”
variations, as well as single-leg Although the physical pain
Romanian deadlifts and Bulgarian was challenging, Watt found
split squats. And he is smart in the mental aspect of rehab
the way he divides his week of was even harder. “Some days,
training. He does one heavy legs you progress rapidly; on others,
day to provide the strength and you stumble and may even go
power required to make an backwards. But you keep trying to
impact in every play, and one move forward,” he says. Now, as
volume leg day for the match-long you can see, Watt is moving at full
endurance his muscles need. tilt to reclaim his place at the top
of his sport. We suggest you follow
his lead – or get out of his way.

28 MEN’S HEALTH
 131kg WEIGHT

CAREER SACKS
88
LOWER-BODY
WORDS: BEN COURT | PHOTOGRAPHY: TURE LILLEGRAVEN
GROOMING: VICTORIA CALLAWAY | CLOTHING BY REEBOK

A A
BLITZ B A
B
Get to the gains B
line by fusing
Watt’s goals of
unilateral strength
and core stability 01/ SINGLE-LEG RDL 02/ DUMBBELL LUNGE 03/ WEIGHTED PLANK
in this three- 5 sets of 3 reps each side 3 sets of 12 reps each side 3 sets of 45 seconds
move workout Hold the barbell to your thighs (A) Stand tall with two dumbbells by your With a weight on your back, assume
and hinge your hips forward, back sides (A). Lunge forward with your a press-up position, legs extended
flat, to lower the weight. With one leg left leg until your right knee brushes (A). Lower into a plank, elbows
straight, extend the other behind you the floor (B). Push back up on your supporting your weight (B). Contract
(B). Return to the start under control. left heel. Repeat with the other leg. your glutes, grit your teeth and hold.

MEN’S HEALTH 29
 MIND
NEWSFEED
03/19

DOWN YOUR RISK OF

DEMENTIA WITH A
BRAIN-AIDING PINT

BEER-REVIEWED
RESEARCH
vessels that helps to flush away Not yet embraced craft
toxins. New experiments on mice beer? Drink up. You can get
found that, contrary to popular a head in the health stakes
logic, small amounts of alcohol ABITA PURPLE HAZE
make this in-built waste-disposal Resveratrol in the
system more efficient. Pop into the raspberries used
pub for a swift one on the way home to brew this beer can protect
from work and your glymphatic your brain from age-related
system will be better able to sift

I
decline, US researchers found.
f someone told you that alcohol out the sticky protein plaque
WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON | PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES | RETOUCHING: COLIN BEAGLEY

could preserve your memory, associated with Alzheimer’s, SAM ADAMS LIGHT
you’d be forgiven for believing known as beta-amyloid. A low calorie count
they’d had one too many. But, Unsurprisingly, scientists are keen isn’t usually enough
according to research published to trot out the well-worn trope that to gain our backing, but this
in Scientific Reports, a pint a day you should enjoy “everything in beer manages to retain its
keeps dementia away. Scientists moderation”, as too much alcohol robust flavour at only 119kcal.
have observed that teetotallers disrupts the glymphatic system and
have a higher risk of developing has a seriously detrimental effect on BREWDOG PUNK IPA
the degenerative disease than your body’s restorative powers. Sage The silicon content
moderate drinkers; in one BMJ advice, given our propensity for of IPAs is good for
study, abstinence in middle-aged turning one pint into six. But at a time strengthening your bones,
people was associated with a 45% when millennials are turning their according to the American
higher risk of Alzheimer’s, compared backs on the local and, as of 2015, Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
with those who consumed up to 29% of those aged between 16 and 24
14 units of alcohol per week – the class themselves as non-drinkers, LEFT HAND GOOD JUJU
standard guideline amount. it’s worth remembering that raising The University of
This happy news comes courtesy a toast to your good health is no Georgia found that
of your glymphatic system, the bad thing. Cheers to that. ginger – of which there’s plenty
network of super-thin tubes in this ale – can reduce muscle
surrounding your brain’s blood soreness after your workout.

MEN’S HEALTH 31
 MH VERSUS
13
POSE AND
CONS
14
FIGHTING
CHANTS A
YOGA VS
MEDITATION

THE MIND OR THE BODY?

Yoga and meditation have transitioned from go-to mental
salves to cure-all health remedies. But which practice has
the scientific backbone? MH oms and ahhs over the stats

MEDITATION
VS
£195
WORDS: BEN WELCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT LUCKY IF SHARP | *FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE | †JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION | ** MAHARISHI UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT

million
The new age of anxiety has
seen self-help start-ups, such
as meditation app Headspace,
grow to become tech giants
valued in the millions
STRESS KILLERS
Stick at yoga and your levels of brain-derived
neurotrophic factor – a biomarker that’s
lower in those with depression – will triple,
bolstering your mood in the long term*
3
MONTHS
1
HOUR
An Experimental Biology study found a clear
reduction in anxiety after just one hour of
guided meditation. This positive impact on
stress levels lasted for as long as one week

FAT CHANCES
A course of restorative yoga is proven to help Mindfulness is the perfect addition to your
you lose more than 2.5 times the amount of
subcutaneous fat than standard stretching,
according to the National Institutes of Health
2.5x 7x weight-loss plan. The University of North
Carolina found that those who meditated lost
seven times as much as those who didn’t

ALL-ROUNDERS

Slows Soothes Eases Cures Enhances Improves Reduces Lowers

ageing inflammation insomnia back pain energy memory cancer risk cholesterol

Finish your morning run with downward dogs HEART CENTRE Proven to release nitric oxide, which opens up
and US researchers found you’ll enjoy twice
the drop in blood pressure, which slashes
vascular stress to cut your heart disease risk
2x 30% your blood vessels and lowers blood pressure,
mindfulness can cut your risk of dying from
heart attack or stroke by almost a third†

MUSCLE STRETCH
Daily sun salutations may feel purely spiritual, Short, daily meditation has been linked to
but Indian scientists revealed they increase
your bench press strength by 23%. It’s the
most wholesome route to mirror muscles
23% 5MIN spikes in testosterone and human growth
hormone, which increase protein synthesis
and support the growth of new muscle cells**

MH VERDICT: MEDITATION WINS!

While you may expect the mental and physical nature of yoga to give its benefits a more
measurable edge, the research disagrees. Despite focusing solely on the mind, meditation’s
physiological benefits are miraculously wholesale. Incense at the ready

MEN’S HEALTH 33
SCALE UP FOR
GUARANTEED
WEIGHT LOSS
Track your body mass and
composition with pinpoint
accuracy using our expert-
approved scales. Step on it

B
attling the scales is the most
tired of weight-loss tropes.
They are erroneously seen
as something to fear, but
just as every bleep and vibration
from the tech strapped to our wrists
provide helpful feedback, the new,
connected smart scales can be allies
in the fight for lifelong fitness.
Researchers at the University
of Pennsylvania found that those
who weighed in every day over
two years achieved a far superior
drop in both BMI and body fat
compared to data shunners, even
when not on a specific weight-loss
kick. According to the experts,
regularly weighing yourself will
motivate you to engage in healthy
eating and exercise behaviours, PRECISION MADE 90/100 DOCTOR’S OWN 75/100
because it provides daily confirmation Withings Body+ Tanita RD545
that your newly acquired taste for £90 withings.com £407 tanita.eu
cauliflower steaks and CrossFit is
indeed paying dividends.
Performance •••••••••• Performance ••••••••••
This month’s MH Lab experts,
Design •••••••••• Design ••••••••••
the exercise physiologists at Harley
Ease of use •••••••••• Ease of use ••••••••••
Street’s Centre for Health and Human THE WHOLE PICTURE The trend THE SUM OF ITS PARTS The hand
Performance, reviewed five different screen shows you your previous eight sensor allows segmental analysis,
smart scales, putting each to the weigh-ins, so your willpower won’t which provides results for your torso
test against their clinically graded wobble after one bad day. Meanwhile, and each of your arms and legs. This
InBody machine to see which the nutrition-tracking app helps you is the only scale that offered an all-
produced the most accurate results to set goals and achieve them. important visceral fat reading, too.
for body mass and body composition. EXPERT VERDICT After an easy EXPERT VERDICT The segmental
Digest their results, then invest set-up, this scale worked immediately, analysis, which works in a similar
in your future wellness. giving one of the most accurate way to a clinically graded InBody
readings for body mass (but the least device, is a persuasive selling point,
accurate for body fat percentage). but the feature was let down in our
Still, across most metrics, this was the tests. Inaccurate measurements
most precise, giving consistent results and inconsistency make the price
at an impressive price point. point seem unduly high.

34 MEN’S HEALTH
 15
MADE TO
MEASURE
16
CRITICAL
MASS A
MH
WINNER

NUMBER
GAMES
The CHHP experts
used the following
criteria to find the
best tech for your
WORDS: TED LANE | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT LUCKY IF SHARP | ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY, STUDIO 33, MICHAEL HEDGE, DAN MATTHEWS, LOUISA PARRY

weight-loss goals

SET-UP
The ability to
connect to the
app and progress
quickly is key.
The kit should
be easy to use.

ACCURACY
SIGNAL FAILURE 69/100 FAMILY MAN 88/100 The MH Lab tested LIGHT IDEAS 93/100
Garmin Index Fitbit Aria 2 the scales to see QardioBase 2
£150 garmin.com how closely their £130 getqardio.com
£120 argos.co.uk results compared
Performance •••••••••• Performance •••••••••• to the InBody Performance ••••••••••
Design •••••••••• Design •••••••••• results used with Design ••••••••••
Ease of use •••••••••• Ease of use •••••••••• elite athletes.
Ease of use ••••••••••
GROUP ON The Garmin Index goes JOINED-UP THINKING Already on the BASIC INSTINCT This US device offers
further than most scales, measuring tracking bandwagon? This scale the same data as the Fitbit but also,
weight, BMI, body fat, bone mass, works well with Fitbit watches and helpfully, readings for bone mineral
water percentage and skeletal muscle wristbands to show how your activity CONSISTENCY density and body water. Qardio claims
The scales were
mass. As many as 16 people can be impacts your weight and map your checked multiple it’s the most accurate smart scale,
“recognised” by the smart scale. progress in easy-to-read charts. times, to make but we’ll be the judge of that.
EXPERT VERDICT The scale couldn’t EXPERT VERDICT Though fairly sure the data is WEIGHT IN GOLD Simple instructions
consistent and can
fully connect with our network, simple to set up through the app, be implemented
made the set-up easy, but this device
making it difficult to take advantage this scale only gave us basic results practically. gives results to the nearest whole
of the full suite of Garmin’s benefits – body mass, BMI, lean mass and number, so they weren’t as precise.
– comments on forums suggest body fat. It was deemed the most However, in our experiment, it lived
that this problem is not uncommon. accurate overall, but keep an eye up to its hype, measuring body fat
With this incomplete set-up, we could out for outlier results, as it was percentage as closely as possible to
only obtain data on body mass. prone to occasional inconsistency. our clinical-grade InBody readings.

MEN’S HEALTH 35
 MH GAME
CHANGERS
WOODWAY
CARVER
PEAK
17
EFFORT
18
ALTITUDE
FITNESS A
TAKE YOUR CARDIO TO NEW HEIGHTS
The Woodway Carver brings an avalanche of stamina-boosting and fat-burning
benefits from the slopes to your gym. MH slaloms through the numbers

E
ven the most ardent iii_
cardiophile will, at
times, experience 7,000
treadmill tedium, In order to perfect
WORDS: BEN WELCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES | STYLIST: ABENA OFEI | GROOMING: NATACHA SCHMITT | MODEL: CHRISTOPHER WHITLOW AT ANDI PETERS MODELS | TOP CASTORE.COM, SHORTS, TIGHTS AND TRAINERS ALL ADIDAS.CO.UK

stationary bike boredom and the design, thousands

rower restiveness. For all the of practice workouts
variety of modern gyms, those in were completed on
search of new stamina have few the many prototypes.
options. As such, innovations
are hotly anticipated, especially
if they promise to outperform
old equipment across every
fitness parameter – and be iv_
bloody good fun to boot.
Conceived 20 years ago in
the garage of Olympic skier Tim
2.5KM
Third Space City’s
Dudgeon, the Woodway Carver is hypoxic chamber mimics
a ski and snowboard trainer that the high-altitude air of
IRL slopes, taxing your
replicates the alpine sports using lungs and lifting your
rollers on a treadmill. Set in a metabolism – while
hypoxic chamber that mimics making your Carver run
a high-altitude atmosphere (as feel authentically alpine.
it is housed in London’s Third
Space City gym), the Carver WOODWAY CARVER
£POA
will push you to peak fitness WOODWAY.COM
with a fat-burning lower-body
workout. Grab your goggles and
take a deep breath – we’ll see
you for an après-ski shake.

v_

i_
12
8
In his suburban garage,
ii_

800KCAL
By challenging your large,
Challenge yourself to
workouts across 12
different runs from three
Dudgeon created this lower-body muscles, a
60-minute Carver workout
well-known ski resorts:
many prototypes of his can burn around 50kcal Zermatt in Switzerland,
invention before taking more than a mind-numbing Whistler in Canada and
it into hi-tech production hour on the rower.
with Woodway.
Mount Fuji in Japan.

INTO THIN AIR IMPROVED MOOD FASTER FITNESS ACCELERATED FAT BURN INJURY REHAB
Intermittent hypoxic
Your levels of the feel- Studies suggest that you Hypoxic exercise has also Taxing your cardiovascular
training inside an altitude
good chemicals dopamine can improve anaerobic been shown to supercharge system at a low intensity
chamber has high-
and serotonin quickly performance by 40%, and lipid and glucose metabolism, rebuilds injured muscles
flying health benefits
increase in your brain. aerobic increases by 20%. as well as control appetite. without sacrificing stamina.
 THE BEST
GYMS IN
THE WORLD
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up your training, look to the Onnit Academy START
for a brand new twist on building strength AT MACE RIGHT
Wolf often begins an
VALUE hour-long session with
If your gym doesn’t have 20 minutes of joint
maces, improvise by

I
mobility exercises: effective
n one corner of a gym in Austin, placing a 5kg weight but not always practical. If
Texas, coach Cristian Plascencia on one side of a barbell. you only have five minutes,
has a client crawling on the turf. Bodyweight moves can he advises rolling around
In another, a broad-shouldered also challenge your body on the floor. Yes, really.
man in his thirties wobbles on a rotationally. In a plank Crawling, crouching and
balance board. Near a SkiErg machine, position, lift your arms off rolling are all important to
an NFL free agent pushes through the ground alternately, our natural functioning.
a series of light kettlebell lunges. keeping your hips still.
Down the hallway, a CrossFit athlete
executes flawless handstands.
The gospel according to Onnit
preaches that you shouldn’t always
lift heavy, and that training with more
than just barbells and dumbbells
will deliver tangible results. Here,
you’ll use maces, clubs and battle
ropes – treated as gimmicks elsewhere
– as training staples, and you’ll feel
and function all the better for it.
Since opening four years ago, Onnit
has established itself as a haven for
innovative training ideas, many of
which are worth integrating into your
own workouts. The key here is rotation:
forget the ups and downs of reps, or the
back-and-forward movements of
sprints. To truly progress, you need
to twist. Unlike the dumbbells and
barbells you typically use, maces and
clubs are heavier on one side, creating
an “offset load”. Fighting to keep them
steady adds rotation to every exercise.
Analysing how you manage this
imbalance reveals your weaknesses.
“We’re looking at these asymmetrical
patterns, asymmetrical loads, and
using them to identify what may
be deficient,” says Onnit’s chief fitness
officer, John Wolf. “If we address
your weakest link, your whole system
will benefit.” Deploy this rotation
philosophy on home soil to become
a complete athlete in weeks.

38 MEN’S HEALTH
 19
ROTATION
POLICY
20
STRONG
POINTS A

TRAINING
PARTNERS
BETTER AT It may be in an industrial REST AND
A STROKE park 10 minutes from RESET
A common misconception downtown Austin, but Build in recovery time
is that rowing is an upper- this gym counts NHL after a tough conditioning
body workout. Press away stars Jonathan Toews session to dial down
from the footboard and and Duncan Keith, work stress. It stimulates
contract your quads, Philadelphia Phillies ace your parasympathetic
hamstrings and glutes. Jake Arrieta, and Seattle nervous system to relax
Focus on the push-off in Seahawks safety Earl muscles and lower your
the closing rounds of the Thomas as clients. You’ll heart rate, which can be
class and you’ll cruise learn from the best. chronically high in today’s
across the finish line. always-on office culture.
WORDS: EBENEZER SAMUEL | PHOTOGRAPHY: RIVER JORDAN | DAVID GRENADA/ONNIT GYM

GYM
ONNIT ACADEMY

LOCATION
AUSTIN, TEXAS

WEBSITE
ONNIT.COM

MEN’S HEALTH 39
 21
BET ON
RED
22
GO T
TOTAL A
emotional states. When pictured
wearing red, the men were
TIME FOR T
MAKE RED-HOT
consistently perceived as more
dominant than those in blue or grey. Make gains around the clock
They were also rated as appearing with our testosterone spikers

MUSCLE GAINS
“angry” more often than the others.
As a result, scientists believe that 08.00
seeing yourself in red can trigger Swap pre-workout
Maximise your New Year gains similar mental connections, causing coffee with a green
a natural spike in your testosterone. tea. High levels of
with an overhaul of your gym Pull on a rouge top and you’ll enjoy caffeine can spike cortisol,
wardrobe. CrossFitters, take an injection of man’s ultimate which inhibits T release*.
anabolic hormone before leaving
note: red is the new black the gym changing room. 13.45
Even a short-term testosterone Brave a cryotherapy
boost is associated with improved chamber after an

Y
ou only have to do a lap of physical performance, muscle explosive lunchtime
the gym floor to see that power, aerobic endurance and faster workout to boost T synthesis†.
all-black everything is the recovery times, which explains A cold shower will work, too.
training apparel trend of why research shows that sports 18.00
the moment. But here at Men’s teams wearing red are more likely Reapply your
Health, we prefer to set the agenda, to win. (Except for Jose’s United, aftershave before
rather than to follow it. Besides, obviously.) Inject some colour dinner. A Japanese
those black sheep are missing into your sporting wardrobe and study found floral scents up T
out on a sartorial performance score the results you want, faster. levels, aiding muscle recovery.
enhancer. Be bold and opt for red
gymwear, and research suggests 22.00
it’s your arms and abs that will Most T is produced
truly stand out from the crowd. during sleep, so make
it an early night. A
WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON | PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE | PLATE FROM BULLDOGGEAR.EU, ZIP FROM UNDERARMOUR | *PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE

In a study in Biology Letters,

participants were asked to magnesium supp will help you
rate images of men for to drift off, US scientists found.
traits such as aggression
and dominance, while
interpreting their

BUILD HEAVYWEIGHT
MUSCLE WITH A RED-
HOT HORMONE BOOST
†JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH

MUSCLE
NEWSFEED
03/19
 Cover Model Muscle
Chris Hemsworth

FOR HEMSWORTH, FEELING

GOOD IS PARAMOUNT –
LOOKING GOOD IS A BONUS

He’s one of the most highly paid, generously muscled and

envied actors in the world. But Chris Hemsworth is a man
who wears his prodigiousness lightly. Men’s Health kicked
back with the Avengers star at his home in Australia to
discover the secret of his success. The answer? Humility
Interview by Ben Jhoty – Photography by Steven Chee
 s ice-cool,
superhero Norse deities go, you’re
renowned for not taking life too
seriously. Has your upbringing helped
you to stay grounded?
CH: I had an amazing childhood and
lovely, brilliant parents. They shaped who
I am. Dad worked in child protection –
a selfless line of work that says so much
about someone’s character. He always
had a strong sense of right and HEMSWORTH TRAINS
wrong, standing up for the most HARD, BUT WORKS JUST
vulnerable among us. AS HARD AT RECOVERY
As kids, my two brothers and
I were hugely athletic, so we were always
outdoors, kicking a football, riding
motorbikes, surfing together, or playing
water polo. We didn’t live in a suburban
setting; our nearest neighbour was a
couple of miles away in the Dandenongs,
east of Melbourne. We fought like all
siblings do, but mostly we had the same
enthusiasms, interests and hobbies. And
we were there for each other in times of
need. Something I’m very aware of is that
I wanted to have kids young, so I’d be
athletic enough to keep up with them.
At a guess, that isn’t yet a problem
you’ve experienced too often.
Well, maybe sometimes [laughs]. You
should meet my son…
Both you and your younger brother,
Liam, were up for the lead part in the
original Thor film. Does healthy sibling
rivalry extend to the roles you pursue?
For a while, that was the go-to story. I had
a conversation with Liam about it recently,
because it makes us sound like we’re these We had a healthy dose of that. But so I helped him out. Somehow, there
macho bastards who are battling all the when it came to something like acting, emerged this story of intense rivalry,
time. People always gravitate towards there was so much fragility, so much but none of that was true.
the more shocking stories, so they ask vulnerability and anxiety, that you After Star Trek (2009), your breakout STYLING: CHARLOTTE STOKES I GROOMING: SARAH TAMMER | TOP ADIDAS,
me, “Hang on, you guys used to have wouldn’t dare Hollywood movie, the phone didn’t ring
fights with ninja stars, chasing each other
around with saws?” And, um, yeah – but
“I thought I’d pull one another
down because,
for eight months. How did you deal with
the pressure and uncertainty?
who didn’t? It was becoming a cliché. My have to go to trust me, you do I was about to quit. I always wanted to
dad said that we were making it sound like enough of that act, and one of the first things I wanted
we grew up in the Dark Ages. Australia and yourself, you to do when I got any money was to pay
So, yes, we’re competitive people, but
ask Home and know? Self- my parents’ house off. I’d once asked Dad
SHORTS BILLABONG, TRAINERS NIKE

no more so with each other than with bashing. I do, when he thought he’d pay it off and he
anyone else. I watch my kids now down Away for a gig” anyway. And I said, “Honestly? Probably never.” Most
at their primary school, and it’s a case know that Liam people are in that boat and, for whatever
of “Who can jump higher?” or “Who can and [eldest brother] Luke do, as well. A reason, I’d set my mind on changing that.
run faster?” It’s in our nature. In some lot of artists suffer from that. So, they’ve So, I was super-active with auditions.
ways more than in others, absolutely. only ever been supportive. This was the Then, during that eight-month period,
process with Thor: I auditioned but I
didn’t get it at first; Liam was auditioning,

44 MEN’S HEALTH
 Cover Model Muscle

THE CHRIS satisfying about

deadlifts. When I
Chris Hemsworth

HEMSWORTH Favourite
exercise?
do them, I use very
light weights. And Last book you
PLAYBOOK Bear crawls on
a Tabata protocol.
distance running:
I find steady-state
recommended?
Some poetry by
You get movement cardio work mind- Charles Bukowski: Most men would relate to that.
in all your joints, numbingly boring. it’s heavy and dark, But we all still need to be reminded of
which you don’t but it can make me it. I still need reminding. My wife will
get from running laugh because it’s probably read this and say, “Hang on!
or lifting weights. so in your face. That wasn’t you yesterday!” [Laughs.]
The advantage is That was kind of the genesis of this app…
Workout
the mobility. It’s a The Centr wellness app that you’ve
anthem?
core exercise, and created with your wife, Elsa Pataky?
It really depends
your heart rate is Yeah, absolutely. The whole thing was
on my mood. Cheat meal?
elevated. You’re about not becoming stagnant. That’s
I often have Pizza: ham and
working your legs, when your emotional and physical
mellow music on pineapple or
shoulders, arms problems occur, I think. Initially, when
when I’m training. pepperoni.
– they’re all the app idea came up, I didn’t want to
It’s almost like
incorporated. And do anything that had been done before.
meditation. The
there’s no impact. I wanted to create something that
Teskey Brothers
Anyone between embodied the three main elements of
– they’re my All-time hero?
five and 80 can healthy living – movement, nutrition and
favourite band Growing up, I would
do it: there’s no mindfulness. That’s a first, I think. For
of all time. They constantly watch
pressure at all. If me to do a great job on screen and not to
are locals from Kelly Slater’s surf
I pick up injuries, implode from the anxiety or the pressure,
Melbourne. Their movies. But he’s
I’ll do this a lot. I’ve got to find that centre. So I thought
mother was the a mate now, so he
about it, talked to my wife, and I was, like,
midwife at my can’t be my hero:
“We could put together a team of people
brother Liam’s that’d be creepy.
in about five minutes!” It actually ended
birth. I can’t get
Least favourite up being a two-year journey, but very
sick of their music.
exercise? quickly I could point to people within
Deadlifts. They’re my reach who’d taught me so much. I’m
hard on my back. Life motto? always getting asked: what’s the secret
I wish I could do “Do stuff, be nice, formula? The truth is that there’s no
them more easily, have fun.” My mum single answer. It’s about staying open to
because there’s and some mates advice, learning and constantly growing.
something very have it tattooed. Do you think the app will help men
Good, isn’t it? become more active?
I hope so. I remember this quote by Mark
Manson [author of The Subtle Art of
Not Giving a F*ck]: “Movement creates
motivation.” Rather than sitting around,
waiting for motivation to occur, take the
first step, take that initiative. Get involved
in something, and there’s a snowball
effect. You’ll find motivation. Once I’m
in the midst of training and staying
healthy in mind and body, it becomes an
I became more and more anxious, to the released in 2012]. I got the job, and from addiction. But that first step is the hardest.
point where I couldn’t harness or use that there I got Red Dawn. Then I got Thor. Get up, move, then it will follow.
energy. It was all to my detriment. I was So, shifting the focus away from yourself Many men struggle to find the time to
trying to convince myself I wasn’t nervous was the key to moving forward? work out as much as they’d like. Does
before auditions, rather than just grabbing Yeah. It was about looking a little deeper Centr help with that?
hold of the part. I was at the stage where and asking, “What is this fear based We’re all terrible at time management.
I was thinking, “I’m going to go back to on? What is it trying to tell me?” And People always ask me, “How do you find
Australia. I’m going to knock on Home and analysing that. Getting away from the the time?” Well, calculate how many
Away’s door and ask them for a gig.” “Poor me!” scenario, which is massively minutes of the day you spend scrolling
Then, my mentality changed. It was unhealthy. Beating yourself up after the on your phone. Hours, right? So, are you
right before Christmas. I had one more event because you screwed up [doesn’t telling me you can’t find 20-30 minutes a
audition, and I just thought: “Do this for work]. You can’t control that. When day to work out? You’re lying to yourself.
Dad’s house. Think about reasons other the fear comes, it’s easy to think that You just chose to watch TV instead.
than yourself.” When you’re constantly everything depends on a single moment. You clearly don’t struggle much when it
self-analysing, it’s ultimately a selfish But nothing does. No single moment comes to packing on muscle for certain
endeavour. That audition was for The ever defines your journey. I’ve found
Cabin in the Woods [filmed in 2009 but it comforting to let go a bit and think,
“I’ll do my portion of it, but maybe life
or nature has a plan.”

MEN’S HEALTH 45
 Cover Model Muscle
Chris Hemsworth

FORM AND
roles. If you know you have to bulk FUNCTION
up, what do you focus on, in terms
“In the past year, Chris has
of training and eating?
focused on functional moves
I did struggle the first time around.
with bodyweight and weighted
Before Thor, I was always much
exercises,” says Luke Zocchi,
leaner. A lot of my training was
Hemsworth’s trainer and
cardio-based – surfing, flexibility
friend. “And he has reduced
work. So, the first eight months or so
his gym time by cutting out
were brutal. Now, I feel like I could
rest periods. It’s surprising
do it in eight weeks. It’s just down
how challenging functional
to muscle memory and smarter
exercises can be, even without
training. The knowledge
heavy weights. He now moves
you acquire is so important. TRUE WELLBEING, SAYS
HEMSWORTH, STARTS better in everyday life and has
I was doing it completely
WITH SELF-MOTIVATION improved his core strength.”
wrong at first. Back then, I
Employ Hemsworth’s workout
just ate huge steaks, chicken breasts
for a mobility overhaul worthy
and broccoli – and I didn’t feel great.
of an Asgardian thunder god.
These days, I eat a lot more plant-
based foods, and I feel much better.
I’m also more aware of listening
to my body and resting. Stress is
a huge issue. If I’m travelling too
much or my head is busy, my body 01\ BEAR CRAWL
doesn’t change shape or respond to 20SEC ON, 10SEC OFF FOR 2MIN
what I’m trying to get it to do.
You’re 35 now, but with the likes
of Jason Statham, Hugh Jackman
and the Rock still punching hard,
the window for male action heroes 02\ SIT-THROUGH
seems to be staying open for much 10 REPS EACH SIDE
longer. Are their careers something
you hope to emulate?
On certain days, when I’ve had a few
injuries – and I had quite a few during
Thor – it can start to become a drag, 03\ L-SIT PULL-UP
10 REPS
you know? But over the past year or so,
I changed up a lot of my training and
nutrition programme, and I feel the
best I’ve ever felt. So, if you’d asked
me that 12 months ago, I would have
said that I’m already over it, but I feel
04\ BODYWEIGHT SQUAT
20 REPS
great at the moment. With films, it’s
about whether the story interests me,
to be totally honest. You work hard
on a movie; there are so many people
involved, so many hours, so many
05\ DUMBBELL REVERSE
years of work. And so, when it comes
LUNGE AND CURL
and goes and doesn’t work, I’d be lying 10 REPS EACH SIDE
if I said it wasn’t disappointing.
Do you miss your twenties, in terms
of your physical ability?
I used to be able to get up and sprint.
But I’ve found that, after lifting 06\ DUMBBELL PUSH-UP
weights for so long and not getting in AND ROW
touch with my fast-twitch fibres, the 10 REPS EACH SIDE
snappiness that my body had [has
gone]. In the dads’ race at my kid’s
school last year, I hadn’t sprinted in

07\ DUMBBELL BURPEE

CURL AND PRESS
10 REPS
 Cover Model Muscle
Chris Hemsworth

NOW 35, HEMSWORTH

MAINTAINS HIS PHYSIQUE
BY TRAINING SMARTER

about five years – then, boom, you go and To what extent do you feel pressure
do a 100m sprint at full pelt. My back was to maintain the body that made you
cranked for weeks. [Incidentally, he won.] famous? And how does that influence myself. [When I figured that out] that’s
There are ways around it: training your relationship with exercise? when things started to change. I felt
differently, reminding your body to do It’s not so much about being famous. happier, and my work got better. It’s an
those things, basic maintenance. But when It’s more that the roles I’ve taken on interesting one: if you try to emulate
you’re in your twenties, you’re constantly have shaped my physique. It just goes the people who inspire you, you’re not
moving. At school, you’re hand in hand with the parts being true to yourself. You can allow for
kicking the footy at
lunchtime; after school, “I’ve learned to I play. But occasionally, I’ll see
paparazzi poking out of the
inspiration on step one, I guess. But the
real work comes with asking, “Who am I?”
you’re playing sport. I have
two state medals for hurdles,
stop thinking bushes and I’m, like, “How’s
my rig look? Am I on point,
As toxic as it can be to think about yourself
constantly and analyse all this stuff, it
silver and bronze. I made about who I or have I slacked off lately?” forced me to wonder, “Maybe there’s not
state a couple of times in the
200m and I loved it. But I
have to be, and [Laughs.] Also, I maintain
my fitness simply because it
enough truth here. Am I denying part
of myself here?” I really think there’s a
tried to sprint recently and to be myself” makes me feel better. lightness to the way I approach things
my mate was like, “You kind Finally, in the decade or now. I certainly have less angst. I’m more
of look awkward. What are you doing?” I so since you landed in Hollywood, comfortable and more confident in saying
need to do some more sprint work, I guess. how would you say you’ve grown, as no. It used to be a case of, “This could
It just hurts. Running is painful. I don’t do an actor and as a man? be my last chance!” Now, I kind of go,
a lot of running for that reason. I’d rather I’ve become more comfortable in my “I think it’s going to be alright.”
have mobility in my body from surfing skin. And I’ve stopped trying to think Hemsworth’s app Centr is accessible via iOS
and get that fluidity that I enjoy. about who I have to be, or what kind of app, Apple watch and online at centr.com
personality I need to have to succeed
in this business. I’ve learned to truly be

MEN’S HEALTH 49
 A NEW, FRAGRANT WAY
TO REFOREST YOUR
THINNING HAIRLINE

03
SECONDS TO SNIFF
OUT THE CURE FOR A
RECEDING HAIRLINE

A
s many as 45% of men physiological responses, including
experience male pattern the promotion of follicle growth.
baldness before the age of Scientists at the University When the researchers submerged
35. Sure, some men – such as of Manchester found that hair hair follicle cells in a synthetic
a certain Mr Statham – can pull off growth is promoted by the smell sandalwood odorant, they found
a grade one but, for others, it results of sandalwood, which imbues a 25-30% increase in the secretion
in a severe confidence knock that a lingering, rich base to Oriental of growth hormone, enough to
can even lead to body dysmorphia. fragrances. Because of its high stimulate a hirsute response. To
Yet there’s an alternative to the concentration of olfactory beat your top-line recession, keep
£10,000 “full-Rooney” transplant. receptors, the nose is, of course, a new bottle of Aesop’s Marrakech
While you now rely on unguents the region of the body that is Intense (£60 aesop.com) in your
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

and creative styling, new research most closely associated with desk drawer and take a few seconds
suggests that a simple tweak to scent, but similar receptors are to freshen up before work drinks.
your grooming routine could found in the skin around your hair Two sprays will do it. But remember,
breathe new life into your hairline. follicles. Here, cells produce an for everyone’s sake, less is more.
olfactory receptor called OR2AT4,
which plays a vital role in many

50 MEN’S HEALTH
 BREATHE SOME
NEW LIFE INTO YOUR
WEIGHT TRAINING

15
MINUTES TO RAISE
HGH AND ACHIEVE
atmosphere with 21%
oxygen, then again in a
far thinner atmosphere with just
13% oxygen concentration –
equivalent to
an altitude of 3.7km. Subjects
PEAK MUSCLE GAIN completed five sets of 14 reps of
bench presses and leg presses

E
at 50% of their one-rep max,
xpect to see hypoxic resting 60 seconds between sets.
chambers in your gym soon, While the subjects reported no
as they cross over from difference in fatigue – which,
the professional to the crucially, means they can train at
recreational athlete. They work by the same intensity and complete
simulating the lower oxygen levels the same volume of work – levels
of high altitudes, promising to of HGH in their blood sky-rocketed
elevate your endurance and shift when they trained in hypoxia.
your calorie burn up a gear. Now, Once released, HGH stimulates
new research suggests that they your liver to make IGF-1, which
can give your strength gains a lift, triggers the growth and repair of
too: reducing your supply of O2 muscle tissue. So, take a barbell
could be the fastest way to spike into the chamber and spend 15
your levels of growth hormone, minutes working through big
which means it’s well worth out- compound lifts such as deadlifts
muscling the lean long-distance and squats for the maximum
athletes hogging the valuable real benefit. You’ll return to sea level
estate inside the chamber. with new heights of strength.
Sports scientists asked test
subjects to complete the same
workout twice – once in a “normal”

MEN’S HEALTH 51
 I
n the 1990s, researchers

45
confirmed what many already
believed: an athlete’s strength phrases its members could use to
and endurance rise with encourage themselves, alongside
encouragement. It’s why training the protocols for using them. The
with a partner increases your other group was taught nothing.
likelihood of lifting a PB. It’s also When they repeated the test,
why the camaraderie of a workout members of the self-talk group
class can keep you running on improved by an average of 15%
fumes. When you’re pounding on their previous times.
the pavement at dawn, however, There seems to be no right or
encouragement can be hard to wrong thing to say, but in much the
come by – and it’s precisely at this same way as former Mr Olympia
moment that science says you Ronnie Coleman shouts, “Light
MINUTES TO TALK need a good talking to.
Bangor University researchers
weight!” before pressing 100kg
overhead, the self-talk focused on
YOUR WAY TO A 15% sounded out a simple solution by
taking two groups of test subjects
perceived exertion and persuading
your brain that the exercise was
ENDURANCE BOOST and measuring the length of time
for which they were able to exercise
entirely manageable. So, remind
yourself that this morning’s run is
at 80% of their max power output. easier than last week’s, before
Over the following two weeks, one taunting the hill at kilometre six as
group was taught a number of “Easy work!” You’ll edge ever closer
to the hallowed 40-minute 10K,
no extra morning runs required.

TO CLOCK UP YOUR BEST

RESULTS, BE YOUR OWN
MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
 TIME

OUT-THINK WEIGHT
GAIN WITH OLD-
SCHOOL TRAINING

06
WEEKS TO DROP SOME
BELLY FAT AND RELIVE
YOUR 1ST XV PRIME

M
aintaining an overhaul of though the two groups had exerted
both your exercise and themselves to the same degree,
your eating plans is no better able to fend off any wobbles the exercise set consumed 124%
mean feat. Go all in on a in your willpower. Researchers at more calories than those who
new gym routine and your ensuing Cornell University discovered that thought they had walked for fun.
hunger will know no bounds – a exercising for fun – for sporting The exercise group had somehow
problem when you’re training for glory, say, rather than performing developed a larger perceived
weight loss. Science, however, monotonous dumbbell reps – can energy-expenditure debt, which
suggests a solution: it’s time to counter-intuitively make you far they quickly sought to balance.
dust off your old rugby boots. less prone to overeating. Even if your rugger renaissance
By embracing the spirit of the The scientists led volunteers on only lasts for the weeks of the
Six Nations and spending your a 1.4-mile walk, telling half of the tournament, that’s enough time to
Sundays on the pitch (and in subjects that the purpose was tackle your weight-loss goals and
the clubhouse bar afterwards, exercise, while selling it to the reboot your resolve to stick to any
watching the games), you’ll be rest as a scenic stroll. After the eating plan for months to come.
excursion, they were all offered a Think of it as the crash-ball diet.
selection of snacks. Intriguingly,

MEN’S HEALTH 53
 It’s an age-old problem:
a training plan that
seemed so exciting in
January already feels
boring four weeks
later. But don’t throw
in the sweat towel –
WORDS BY MEN’S HEALTH EDITORS
instead, keep both
your body and mind
signed up to year-
long fitness using our
prospectus of the UK’s
smartest, toughest
and most enjoyable
group workouts. Don’t
be late for class, now
01
DIVE STRAIGHT IN
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Outdoor swimming in Yorkshire isn’t for
the faint of heart, but it’ll certainly burn off
a layer or two of extra padding – or freeze off,
rather. Fortunately, wetsuits are provided.
The Scaling Dam club was recently accredited
by Sh2out – affiliates of British Triathlon –
but you don’t need Brownlee-level skills to
take part. Classes cater to everyone from
Channel swimmers to shivering beginners.
Scaling Dam Sailing Club, North Yorkshire, scalingdam.org
 08STRETCH
YOURSELF
05THE OG Power Flow, Thursdays
Full-Body, Saturdays at at 6pm with Fi
8.45am with Faisal Come for the dynamic,
Barry’s Bootcamp is the true fitness-focused yoga. Stay for
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Barry’s Bootcamp, London
West, barrysbootcamp.com

02STRONG AND 06FEEL THE BURN

Heat, Thursdays at 7am
SHREDDED with Luis
Shred, Wednesdays Before “metcon” became
at 6pm with Olly a Nike trainer, it was a method
Defying the purists, who of training your body to make
insist that conditioning and better use of its energy reserves
strength should be trained for optimum performance –
separately, DW’s standout a promise that this class
session makes you use your fulfils. You’ll blend Skillmill
recovery period between drills with quick, functional
compound lifts to complete movements. Expect to leave

09CLIMB HIGH
quick-fire HIIT moves. The the room 1,000kcal lighter.
result is an intense class with Virgin Active, Mansion House,
a high-megawatt calorie burn. London, virginactive.co.uk Adult Improvers, Saturdays
DW Fitness First, Bath, at 2pm with Neill
dwfitnessfirst.com
07GUT PUNCH Free weekend? Rock up to

03PLAY TIME HIIT 45, Mondays at 7.15am

with Jamie
the largest indoor climbing
facility in Europe to hone your
technique with two sessions 10
Adult Parkour, Wednesdays
at 7pm with Craig and Frazer
Parkour is now recognised as
Come out swinging with
a viciously effective combo
that will keep you burning
each lasting two hours. The
first part runs through the RUN FOR
a sport, though this is a workout
for your inner child as much as
your muscles. In this class, you’ll
calories and building muscle:
strength movements and
basics and corrects your
existing bad habits. Then, your
coach arms you with smart
THE HILLS
Parkrun, Saturdays at 9am,
punchbag work. Jamie is energy-saving tactics. You’ll
run, jump and crawl in an indoor a martial arts supremo, so leave fully equipped for both with various volunteers
playground made of scaffolding, you will get a powerful hit the walls and the wilds.
springboards and foam pits. of technique to boot, while Edinburgh International
11BIKE AND BUZZ
Fluidity Freerun pummelling away some of Climbing Arena,
Academy, Cardiff, that Monday morning angst. edinburghleisure.co.uk
fluidityfreerunacademy.co.uk Another Space Bank, London, Cycling Club, Sundays
anotherspace.london at 9.30am with various
04TRIPLE EFFECT Meet for a swift espresso at
Proper’s café-cum-bike shop
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES, GRAHAM MORRIS, SEBASTIAN

Formula 3, Fridays at in West Sussex, then set off

7.45am with Luke on a scenic tour of 30-70 miles.
For the City boy who wants Routes vary, but expect a good
to squeeze in the maximum mix of conversation-pace flats
benefit, we suggest a morning and lung-testing hills, as well
BARROS PHOTOGRAPHY, CHRIS PARKES

with Luke. His three-part class as a few photo-worthy coastal

fuses rower, dumbbell and paths. Plus, groups are split
bodyweight moves for stamina, into faster and slower riders,
strength and power – in 50 so you won’t risk being left
minutes of intensive exertion. behind – or held back.
Third Space City, London, Proper Cycling & Coffee,
thirdspace.london Hassocks, West Sussex,
propercycling.co.uk

56 MEN’S HEALTH
 33 BEST FITNESS CLASSES

14SAFETY IN 17BLAZE A TRAIL

NUMBERS Blaze, Thursdays at 6.30pm
Powerlifting Club, with Graeme
Wednesdays at 6pm This might be a chain-gym
with Jack class, but the experience is
Heavy lifts, squats and very much boutique. The
presses form the backbone purpose-built Blaze studios are
of any successful training dimly lit, with a well-curated
programme and have playlist and large screens to
crossover benefits to every display your heart rate via a
other exercise in the gym. They Myzone monitor. Workouts
can also be bloody intimidating. combine martial-arts tekkers
This club was designed to give with treadmill intervals and
beginners confidence under strength moves, pushing you
a barbell, but also provides the to 90%-plus of your max effort.
necessary tweaks to help you You’ll have nowhere to hide.
hit big numbers for those PBs. David Lloyd Clubs, Edinburgh,
UFit, Cardiff, ufit-fitness.com davidlloyd.co.uk

The world’s best and most democratic running

club now operates in hundreds of locations 15TAKE FLIGHT
nationwide. For better views than you’re likely to Power Ride, Tuesdays at
1.10pm with Richard
find in your local park, head to the Yorkshire coast: Your average spin class, this
on this 5K route, you’ll depart from the grounds of is not. With each bike linked
Sewerby Hall, run down to the cliff tops, then along to a large screen behind the
instructor, you will be coached
the seafront in a scenic loop. Bring a woolly hat. according to your level of effort
Sewerby Hall & Gardens, Bridlington, parkrun.org.uk and be awarded a final score,
which will push you to pedal
hard for the sake of your pride.

12KO BOREDOM 13PUT ON A SHOW H2 Soho, London,

stagesindoorcycling.co.uk
TC60, Mondays at 6.30pm Lucha Monday, Mondays at
with Luke
No two sessions are ever the
7.30pm with Greg and Garry
Do most workouts make
16WARM UP 18NO CHOKE
same at this sociable, no-frills you feel like you’ve been there, Hotpod Flow, Fridays at Beginners BJJ, Fridays at
gym, set up by boxer Tommy lifted that and bought the 5.30pm with Alex 6.30pm with Luiz
Coyle. Over the course of logo tee? Then this is the class If the popularity of mobility Get to grips with Brazilian
an hour, head trainer Luke for you. Combining acrobatic training has taught us anything, jiu-jitsu the way it’s meant to be
will take you through an Mexican techniques with some it’s that there’s a lot more to – humbling, in a gi and under
ever-shifting circuit of cardio, nifty American moves and yoga than deep breathing and the tutelage of a practised
strength training and bag work. Japanese methodology, connecting with your spirit expert, head coach Luiz.
The academy offers free this three-hour beginner’s animal. Classes are conducted UFC and BJJ superstars are
classes for young people, too, wrestling session promises to in 37°C pods, affording your regulars, but white-belted
earning it nice-guy kudos. boost not only your strength muscles greater flexibility to beginners are welcome, too.
Tommy Coyle Academy, Hull, and fitness, but your creativity. correct any performance- London Fight Factory, London,
tommycoylefoundation.org London School of Lucha hindering tightness. londonfightfactory.com
Libre, Bethnal Green, Hotpod Yoga, Newcastle upon
londonschoolofluchalibre.com Tyne, hotpodyoga.com

MEN’S HEALTH 57
33 BEST FITNESS CLASSES

19WILD WAYS
Wild Training HIIT, Sundays
at 10am with Simon
Enter the pain cave… or,
as they call it, the “Muscle
27FLY THE FLAG
Tunnel”: the gym’s outdoor Calisthenics, Mondays
training area, furnished at 6pm with Alex
with a calisthenics rig, lifting Dispensing with heavy
logs and kegs. By challenging weights doesn’t mean you’ll be
your body with unfamiliar easing up. During your time on
movements, it’ll deliver a the rig, you’ll learn to master
far bigger fat burn. your bodyweight while working
Wild Training, High Wycombe, towards moves such as
wildtraining.co.uk muscle-ups, levers and
planches, under the tutelage

20NINJA THIS
of “chief monkey” Alex Quinn.
A defined six-pack is one likely
Burn It, Fridays at 9am side effect – but the real
with Tyler reward is how smug you’ll
Big Friday planned? Launch feel with your results.
a pre-emptive strike on fat with Starks Fitness, Temple Quay,
a brief but ruthlessly effective Bristol, starksfitness.co.uk
session from Tyler “the One-
Legged Ninja” Saunders, a
former wheelchair basketball 23HEAVYWEIGHT
player. His half-hour HIIT class
works on full-body strength,
MUSCLE BUILDER
while torching ample calories. Lower Body, Wednesdays
PureGym, Borehamwood, at 5.45pm with Ollie
Hertfordshire, puregym.com That the setting is as far from
a spit’n’sawdust boxing gym

21GET ON TRACK
as you can get doesn’t come
at the expense of knockout
Track Life, Mondays at coaching at Kobox. Here,
6.30pm with Rory and Omar you’ll drill the fundamentals of
Spearheading a new trend boxing with the “1-6” punching

25RING WORK 28MIDDAY REBOOT

for high-tempo track running, system, before you switch to
the coaches fuse palpable your wall station to undergo
enthusiasm and expertise to a series of heart-pumping False Grip, Mondays at Lunch Break Yoga,
improve your technique with exercises. That’s round one. 6.15pm with Mark Wednesdays at
pro-grade drills, before pushing You’ll do three more… For the strong, ultra-cut 12.30pm with J
your engine into new gears Kobox Marylebone, physique of a GB gymnast, By cutting class time to 45
with runs ranging between koboxlondon.com develop your performance minutes and designing a flow
100m and a full mile. on the Olympic rings. Moves that recharges the mind and
Track Life LDN, Battersea,
London, tracklifeldn.com 24THE FULL 45 such as rows and press-ups
will ensure that you build
reinvigorates the body, this is
a perfect lunch-hour antidote
Hollywood, Fridays at an unshakeable core. to any stressful morning.
22TOP START 6.30am with Adam
The Australian group-
Gymbox, Cannon Street,
gymbox.com
Gym & Juice, Manchester,
gymandjuiceuk.com
Olympic Weightlifting Club, training powerhouse has
Saturdays at 1.30pm with Jon
The progression from
become a major player in
the UK. And now, it has an 26STRONG STUFF 29TRI HARDER
squatting excellence to snatch unlikely but mighty ally, with WIT Strength Club, Develop Front Crawl,
proficiency is one of training’s England rugby’s James Saturdays 1pm with Rob Thursdays at 8.30pm
quantum leaps. Thankfully, Haskell opening its latest WIT calls this class a blend with Cedric
FSI has created a lifting facility in Bath city centre. of “compound movements and Expert triathlon coaches
programme for beginners. Expect an exhausting but accessory work for improved take you through an eight-
Take your first steps and reps hugely effective blend of strength and stabilisation” – week programme that will help
here and progress in weeks. strength, agility and HIIT, for but we call it the elite way to you master the front crawl,
Functional Strength Institute, a session that will burn more get a supreme (yet functional) honing your technique for
North Shields, Tyne and Wear, calories than any average weekend pump. Let’s hope it’s improved speed and economy
fsigym.com spin class – and is much T-shirt weather soon. on race day. Swim it to win.
more enjoyable, too. WIT Training, London, Nuffield Health, Shoreditch,
F45, Bath, f45training.co.uk wit-training.com London, swimfortri.co.uk

58 MEN’S HEALTH
30 31OLYMPIC
SUCCESS
ESCAPE TO Olympic Lifting, Saturdays
at 9am with Chris and Adam
THE COUNTRY
Burn, Saturdays at 9.30am
If you want to iron out
chinks in your barbell game,
stop in at ISC. Classes focus
with Tom and Andrew solely on Olympic lifts: the
snatch and the clean and jerk.
Farm Fitness is no We’ll see you on the platform.
ordinary bootcamp. Ipswich Strength &
In the bucolic Essex Conditioning, Suffolk,
iscgym.co.uk
countryside, Tom Kemp
has transformed his
family farm into a lifter’s 32ROWING
paradise. Over an hour- STRONGER
Grow Signature, Wednesdays
long session, you’ll work at 7am with Ben
in small teams to push The WaterRowers at Grow
each other through a are both therapeutic (due
to the sound of real water)
fun, efficient full-body and devilish (well… it’s still a
workout – think pressing rower). Between sprints, you’ll
logs overhead, flipping score boatloads of muscle
definition with resistance
tyres and deadlifting moves. Unique and effective.
quad bikes. There are Grow, London,
free weights, too, but growfitness.co.uk
who needs those?
Farm Fitness, Essex, farmfitness.co.uk

33FLIP YOUR
TRAINING
Freestyle Gymnastics,
Thursdays at 8.30pm with
various coaches
It’s hard not to feel inspired
at the home of Team GB’s
most successful gymnast
ever, Max Whitlock. Here,
you’re given free rein to use the
elite-level facilities, whether
you’re attempting your first ring
muscle-up or somersaulting
your way to Tokyo 2020.
South Essex Gymnastics Club,
Basildon, southessexgym.co.uk

MEN’S HEALTH 59
Pleasures
Of
The
Flesh The 100% carnivorous,
veg-be-damned diet is the apex of new extreme-
eating trends. Its followers claim that weeding out
plant foods can rebalance our appetites, restore
vitality and even reverse chronic illnesses – while
its detractors say it’s deleterious.
But could it work for you?
WORDS BY RICHARD GODWIN – PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASMIN SCHULLER
 COULD MEAT REPLACE ALL
OF YOUR DAILY STAPLES? WE
GIVE THE FACTS A LICKING
T
500g
The weekly limit of red
meat advised by the NHS.
Carnivores eat closer
to 800g a day

One thing the internet has done is

allow people with niche interests to find
one another. The carnivore “community”
mostly came together on the Reddit
forums r/zerocarb and r/carnivore.
A computer scientist named Amber
O’Hearn has blogged extensively about
the subject at empiri.ca for the best part
his is a story about human carnivores – of a decade. Her strapline is: “Eat meat.
people who believe that the best diet is Not too little. Mostly fat.” (A nice spin
one comprised only of meat. No bread, no on Michael Pollan’s advice: “Eat food.
roast potatoes. No Caprese salads, no kale. Not too much. Mostly plants.”)
Not even cheeseburgers. Just animal flesh. That Baker was struck off the medical
Or, in the case of Canadian psychologist register in 2017 likely doesn’t help his
Jordan B Peterson, 56, and his daughter cause. Nevertheless, he is careful to stress
Mikhaila, 26, just beef, salt, water – and that the diet is not for everyone, and he
the occasional glass of bourbon. encourages anyone interested in trialling
“I know how ridiculous it sounds,” it to do their own research. “It challenges
Mikhaila conceded, when challenged what we’ve been taught about nutrition
about her eating habits by a reporter last over the past half-century or so,” he says.
summer. But she credits her diet with
easing the debilitating autoimmune Fa i t h a n d M e d i c i n e
conditions, depression and fatigue that When you mention the carnivore diet to
had made her life a misery since she was an omnivore or herbivore, their reactions
a teenager. Her father, too, claims he has tend to fall somewhere between scepticism
lost more than 20kg since following his and anger. And understandably so: our
daughter’s lead and says he now feels hogwash-o-meters are on high alert when
magnificent, even if it’s as “dull as hell”. it comes to celebrity-endorsed miracle
This is also a story about science cures, and “Jordan Peterson’s Cow Plan”
and ideology, carbs and fat, and the sounds like the bullshit bullseye.
line between healthy scepticism and That Peterson, a controversy-courting
conspiracy theory. But it begins author and public speaker, is often
with a few people portrayed as some
slowly coming to
the conclusion
“The diet challenges sort of alt-right
troll (not entirely
that the standard everything we’ve fairly, but it’s not
nutritional advice
– that you need
been taught over the ungrounded,
either) makes the
fibre, your five past half-century” diet sound as if
a day, your daily it has ideological
bread – isn’t working for them. roots, too. After all, if veganism is
“Those who were going carnivore 10 associated in the popular imagination as some kind of political movement, like
years ago did so because they’d been with environmentalism, progressive it’s an alt-right thing,” he says. “But that’s
chronically sick,” says 51-year-old Shawn causes, the left, femininity and not what I’m seeing at all.”
Baker. A former orthopaedic surgeon compassion, carnivory must surely stand Most of the British carnivores I speak to
based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Baker for the opposite, right? It sounds like a are shy about discussing their diets. Their
now sells books and diet plans to would-be parody diet for climate-change-denying, friends think they’re mad. Many of them
carnivores. He has recently noticed a coal-rolling, gun-toting, toxically have scientific backgrounds. Intriguingly,
surge of interest among men who aspire masculine gammons. Such is the age we many used to be vegans, having tried
to his apex-predator physique – he’s built live in: nothing can just stand for itself. various food-elimination regimens to
like a cartoon henchman – but he tells Certainly, we all know people who address illness or weight gain. Colin, 38,
me that carnivory initially developed as think it’s hilarious to taunt vegans. At is a single father of two who manages
a niche diet for people who found eating the Conservative party conference, Brexit property in Cornwall. He describes himself
“normally” made them feel awful. “They’d enthusiast Daniel Hannan complained as politically on the left. “You can find
usually tried everything. They had been that people who objected to US-style plenty of right-wing vegans,” he says. “It’s
vegetarian and vegan. They had been on chlorinated chicken entering Britain more about health than politics.” He was
all kinds of medication. This was the only were probably “anti-capitalists” who motivated to try the diet as a way to cure
thing that worked for them.” “don’t like meat”. But Baker seems his irritable bowel syndrome.
confused by all of this. “In a number of
interviews I’ve done, it’s been painted

62 MEN’S HEALTH
 Pleasures
Of
The
Flesh

he was already experiencing. “I’m way

more active than I used to be. I have more
mental energy. I don’t understand why…”

C h ew i n g t h e Fa t
Ryan, 29 (who asked that we change
his name), a researcher at Liverpool
University, had a similar experience.
“Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of
money, so we’d mostly eat plain pasta, or
tinned food,” he says. Many of his family
are obese. Food was “entertainment” in
his household: “If something
CONSULT THE EXPERTS
good happened, we’d celebrate
BEFORE YOU GRAB A SLICE
OF THE CARNIVORE ACTION with ice cream. If something
bad happened, we’d cheer
ourselves up with a nice meal.” He had
been plagued by poor digestion and
weight issues throughout his life but,
after turning carnivore in July, he finally
has a functional relationship with food.
Like many carnivores, he made the
transition in stages, gradually dropping
his carbohydrate intake and then trying
the ketogenic diet. “Keto” is a very low-
carb, high-fat diet that was originally
designed to help prevent fits in children
FLESHING OUT THE FACTS with epilepsy. More recently, it has
gained a cult following among factions
The Diet Omnivore Ketogenic Carnivore
of the fitness community. When deprived
Your Macro 30% protein, 20% protein, 40% protein, of carbohydrates, your body switches
Targets 20% fat, 50% carbs 75% fat, 5% carbs 60% fat, 0% carbs its energy supply from glucose to
ketones, which are derived from your
Example Grilled chicken Almond-crusted Rib-eye steak and
breast, sweet salmon with chicken livers, fat reserves. Many people lose weight
Meal
potato and baked sautéed kale and seasoned with salt on the keto diet, and its advocates claim
vine tomatoes mozzarella and pepper that it eases the symptoms of a suite
430kcal, 40g of 570kcal, 45g of 540kcal, 55g of of conditions including Alzheimer’s
protein, 8g of fat, 50g protein, 38g of fat, 12g protein, 35g of fat, 0g
of carbs, 7g of fibre of carbs, 4g of fibre of carbs, 0g of fibre and type 2 diabetes. But it also comes
with significant risks, particularly
Supposed Easy to follow and Basing your meals More muscle-building to kidney and liver function, and is
Benefits uncontroversial; also, around fats trains protein than keto;
notoriously hard to maintain.
the established your body to burn anecdotally said to
thinking is that carbs its own fat for fuel; stabilise energy and At first, Ryan says, the idea of eating
are delicious cheese is included cure chronic illness all of that butter, cream and meat made
him feel ill. However, he found his
tastes changed over time. “Not everyone
In a typical day, he eats a dozen eggs, a while, and it made me feel much worse. benefits to the same degree, but I
a packet of bacon, three packets of I don’t have normal, healthy digestion, experienced pretty much everything
beef mince, plus some liver or kidney. so I can’t say it’s bad for everyone, you could ask for: improved skin, energy,
“I like a bit of pork shoulder and lamb but I’m sceptical of the idea that it’s mood – to the point of feeling euphoric
shoulder, too. I have chicken occasionally, right for everyone, too.” sometimes,” he tells me. It wasn’t much
but it makes me lethargic.” He gets most He seems as surprised as anyone that of a leap to drop the leafy greens. “I did
of his meat from local smallholdings, carnivory is working. “I tried lots of a bit more research and came to the
where he knows the farmers personally. different diets and I realised that when conclusion that it wasn’t something
“I really care about animal welfare,” I ate fewer vegetables, I felt better,” he I needed. They were an extra hassle
he stresses. And he isn’t out to convert says. “One day, I was on Reddit and I came to cook, anyway.” He says he only eats
anyone. “Vegans become incredibly across the r/zerocarbs group. I thought when he’s hungry and often ends up
angry at carnivores, but many carnivores I’d try it. Within a couple of days, my “unintentionally” fasting for hours.
have tried vegan diets,” he says. “I did for IBS went away.” He experienced a little
discomfort transitioning – “really loose
stools” – but nothing worse than what

MEN’S HEALTH 63
Pleasures
Of
The An obvious objection concerns vitamin
Flesh C. The carnivores argue there’s enough
of it in fresh meat – particularly raw
or offal meats – and that, anyway, the
body adapts to reduce its base needs.
“The body knows how to regulate itself. Another is the lack of fibre. “There’s no
We’re just sending it confusing signals by absolute physiological requirement for
upping our blood sugar a few times a day.” fibre,” Baker argues. “Why do we think
Objections to carnivory generally fall it’s necessary? The traditional argument
into the broad categories of nutrition, is that it lowers cholesterol, which is
ethics and lifestyle. Carnivores claim true, but you don’t need low cholesterol
they don’t really miss the pleasures of to survive. People also say it mitigates
baking, or snacking, or even applying a blood-glucose spikes. If you drink a glass
little Béarnaise to their steaks. “The less I of apple juice, you’ll experience a much
had, the less I wanted,” says Ryan. “Now, larger spike in blood sugar than if you ate
if I’m preparing dinner just for myself, I’ll an apple. But if you’re not taking in any
start eating some of the steaks while I’m glucose, that’s a moot point.”
cooking the rest and start cleaning up in So, he reasons, fibre is necessary if
between. That may sound sad to some you’re eating plenty of toast and biscuits,
people, but it’s been very freeing for me. I but not if you’re eating lots of steak. His
don’t have to consider things as much.” stool, he is proud to report, is excellent.
As for the nutritional concerns, well, it “The vast majority of people on the
seems fairly clear from my conversation carnivore diet will tell you that, after a
with Ryan that he is alive, so it’s possible transition period – maybe a couple of
to survive on just meat. He also claims to weeks – bowel habits become normal.”
feel great. “Even if it were conclusively Spector remains deeply sceptical. “To
proven that this diet would shorten my support a healthy gut microbiome, you
life by 10 years, I would take it, as the
quality of my life is that much better,”
he says. But people who like to lunch at
McDonald’s and smoke 40 a day often HUNTING OR GATHERING?
claim to feel great, too. There are placebo
effects and confirmation biases. Anecdote Plants may offer more vitamins per
is not data. And it may take years for, say, calorie, but that doesn’t mean your
colon cancer, to make itself apparent. meat is devoid of goodness
Nevertheless, dietary science is VITAMIN C
notoriously complex and poorly
understood. That there are 3.8 million
people with diabetes in the UK is not
a ringing endorsement of the way
30% 110%
in 100g of lamb in one kiwi
we currently do things. British adult pancreas fruit
obesity has almost quadrupled in the MAGNESIUM
past 25 years. And there’s a growing
body of evidence that the standard
advice regarding fats (which we’re told
to limit) and carbs (which are seen
15% 20%
in one wild in 100g of spinach
as necessary) is back to front. salmon fillet (a small bag) need to eat fibre,” he says. He concedes
that some gut complaints (such as types
VITAMIN A
P l a n t vs B e a s t of IBS) can be exacerbated by certain
Still, there’s a chasm between low-carb
and nothing but meat. I consult Timothy
Spector, genetic epidemiologist at King’s
290% 205%
in 100g of in a medium-
plants in the short term. But when
it comes to the general population?
“Doubling our fibre intakes would help
College London, and author of The Diet chicken liver sized carrot the vast majority of people,” he says.
Myth. “Humans can exist on a wide The distilled advice of Spector’s book
variety of diets,” he says. “Some have FOLATE is that you should eat as wide a spectrum
adapted to eat high-meat diets, such as of foods as possible, because that’s what
the Inuit, Masai or Mongolian people,
but most don’t tolerate it. There may be
25% 25%
in 100g of per medium-
keeps your gut bacteria happy. He argues
that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate
rare people in the West who can, but it’s an enormous variety of foods: about 600
beef kidney sized beetroot
dangerous to recommend it as a long- types, far more than are found in our
term solution.” Spector cautions that the CALCIUM modern diets. Baker argues, however, that
excess protein is likely to lead to problems given the choice between killing a nutrient-
such as gout and heart disease. “Most
people will be constipated.” 40% 35%
in 100g of tinned in 100g
and calorie-rich mammoth that would
feed a family for weeks and scrabbling

sardines of tofu

64 MEN’S HEALTH
 2-5
The average
may as well just pick out the parts that
number of days
suit you and ignore the rest.
it takes for
around for nuts and berries that might But perhaps the most fundamental
your body to
easily have proved poisonous, an Ice Age objection to carnivory is the evolutionary
enter a state
hunter-gatherer would invariably have one. It challenges the whole idea of
of ketosis
chosen the mammoth. That may be, but what it is to be human. It suggests that,
(burning fat
not all hunter-gatherers had access to meat, perhaps, our species took a wrong turn
for fuel)
let alone mammoths, and mammoths are with the development of agriculture.
after cutting
extinct because early humans killed them If you’ve been listening to your Jordan
out carbs
all (which should be a lesson in itself). Peterson podcasts, you might hear an
And the best evidence we have is that early echo of this in the “Fall of Man” story in
humans thrived by adapting to different Genesis. When God casts Adam and Eve
food sources. Around two billion people eat out of the Garden of Eden, he condemns
no meat today. So, how Baker’s principle Adam to a miserable life of toiling in the
applies in the 21st century is debatable. field. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread...” At a time of great ecological
Gut Instincts and political uncertainty, the idea that we
Then there’s the environment. If cattle- should have stuck to a hunter-gatherer
rearing is destroying existence – or, as the
the planet, a lack
of vitamin C
“Anecdote isn’t data carnivores would
have it, just the
may well prove – and many medical hunting – has
to be the least of
our concerns.
conditions can take a certain appeal.
Ever since
A much-cited years to emerge” Peterson came out
report published as a carnivore, many
in the journal Nature claims that we complain that a certain “madness” has
greedy Westerners must cut our beef descended on what was once a quirky,
consumption by 90% in order to reverse little community. Many of the more bizarre
dangerous climate change. posts link to a YouTuber named Sv3rige,
But again, the carnivores contest who makes videos about his experiments
this. Robert (not his real name) is a with feasting on raw meat and drinking
British academic in his forties who has pig’s blood. Sv3rige’s channel also
been on a meat-only diet for the past abounds in flat-earth conspiracies.
four years. “For me, as a biologist, this Some of the carnivores I speak to even
[environmental argument] is the craziest suspect that the movement has been
part,” he says. “Is there anything more infiltrated by Russian disinformation
natural than a herd of ruminants grazing bots. The idea that many of the more
on marginal farmland? Should we turn extreme carnivory posts are “fake” isn’t
this land over to intensive agriculture – so far-fetched: Russian trolls were
pesticides, fertilisers and machines?” discovered to have been spreading anti-
Ryan is similarly sceptical. “With vaccination theories in the lead-up to the
modern agriculture, you’re destroying 2016 US presidential election. The wider
millions of lives to plough one field. aim seems to have been to undermine
You’re destroying the topsoil, and faith in experts and to foster division.
you’re losing carbon capture because One recent Reddit discussion centred
you’re not giving those long roots time on these doubts. Even if, anecdotally,
to bed in before the crops many carnivores feel better, shouldn’t
STEAKHOLDERS DISMISS get pulled up.” In an ideal the reality that their diet contradicts
THE NEED FOR A VARIED
world, we would “re-wild” all of the established advice not give
DIET – DESPITE THE SCIENCE
our landscapes and use you pause? “I think doubts are a sign of
them for pasture-raised animals. But, healthy scepticism,” came one reply. “This
of course, we don’t live in an ideal world. goes entirely against what is currently
We live instead in a world of battery considered healthy by the vast majority
farms and chlorinated chicken. of people... That said, my doubts are very
“I’m not out to change the world,” small. When I was eating what my doctor
continues Robert. “My wife is a vegetarian, told me to, I felt terrible: gut pain, bloating,
as are our daughters. Everyone should low energy, brain fog, heartburn and high
make their own decisions. My fervent blood pressure. Now I’m eating exactly the
wish, however, is for state nutritional opposite, and I feel incredible… I’ll never
policy to be scrutinised more deeply.” go back to eating how I used to.” In times
That doesn’t seem so extreme, even if of uncertainty, it seems that people are
the message that many seem to have ever more willing to trust their gut.
taken from the profusion of contradictory
advice is: if you can’t trust any of it, you

MEN’S HEALTH 65
SCIENCE REVEALS HOW TO GET
YOUR BRAIN IN GEAR AND
ENHANCE SELF-DISCIPLINE

66 MEN’S HEALTH
 TRUE
GRIT
Two competing forces
govern your willpower:
one is impulsive and hungry,
while the other is resilient and
goal-focused. To master the skill
of self-control, you need to keep
them in balance. MH spoke to
the men who know how
WORDS BY JAMIE MILLAR – PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROWAN FEE
GUTTER CREDIT

MEN’S HEALTH 67
 The children were left alone
in a room with a bell that 01
they could ring if temptation
proved irresistible.
I can resist everything Some kids rang with almost
except temptation,” goes indecent haste; others waited THE RESILIENT CHEF
the famous Wildean quip. Jesus, and took the treats home. Their
on the other hand, resisted
Satan’s promises of food and
ability to delay gratification
correlated with how they fared
FACING
power after fasting in the
wilderness for 40 days and
nights. Meanwhile, Eve buckled
in later life. As teens, those who
could wait were more likely
to achieve better scores on
TEMPTATION
At 6ft 3in and 114kg, chef Tom Kerridge
to the serpent’s suggestion university admission exams. As has always been “a big lad”. But he
that she should eat an apple adults, they tended to exhibit stretched that description when he left
from the tree of knowledge, a lower body mass index. school and gave up playing rugby to work
putting lack of self-restraint Brain-imaging scans later in a kitchen. In 2005, he opened the Hand
at the core of Christianity’s showed that “high delayers” had and Flowers in Marlow, which became the
creation myth. The lapse of more activity in their prefrontal UK’s only pub with two Michelin stars. He
resolve is man’s original sin. cortex, linked to problem found release from the pressure of running a
Yet willpower is “the greatest solving and impulse control. business in booze – he would start sessions
human strength”, according to “Low delayers” displayed more with a pint of negroni – and eating cheese
a book co-written by much- activity lower down in the ventral on toast at 2am before sleeping for four
cited social psychologist Roy striatum, a hotbed of desire hours. By the time the TV show Great British
F Baumeister. At least, if it stays and addiction. In particular, the Menu brought his gourmand’s pub
strong: that 80% of New Year’s amygdala, in the medial temporal grub to a wider audience, he was LAPSES ARE INEVITABLE,
SO LEARN TO BOUNCE
resolutions reportedly fail by lobe, compels us to act now and tipping the scales at 190kg. As
BACK, SAYS KERRIDGE
February suggests it often worry later. This would have he approached his 40th birthday
doesn’t. In the mid-1990s, – “halfway to death”, as a friend
been helpful when early man morbidly put it – he thought, “I might not
Professor Baumeister and his was competing for scarce make it to 50 if I keep going like this.”
colleagues at Case Western resources, but it’s less so in Banning butter wasn’t a menu option
Reserve University in 2019, when temptation is all for a chef known for his indulgent cuisine.
Ohio demonstrated around. By contrast, the Instead, Kerridge cut out carbohydrates,
that willpower, like a prefrontal cortex helps which he now describes as “dull flavour
muscle, can fatigue. us to pursue goals: to vehicles”. “Nobody goes out for a curry and
In a groundbreaking forgo one marshmallow says, ‘I had amazing pilau rice,’” he says.
experiment, subjects in favour of two later. Refreshingly for a purveyor of cookbooks
in a room containing The amygdala is fully – he recently published Fresh Start, a
freshly baked cookies functioning from birth, practical guide to home cooking – Kerridge
were given a puzzle to cueing babies to cry doesn’t claim that his regimen has any
solve – one designed to because of hunger, while magical qualities. After all, most diets work,
be impossible to complete. the prefrontal cortex and all involve some form of sacrifice. But
Those asked to resist the develops into our early by focusing on what he could eat, not what
treats made far fewer twenties. But while the he couldn’t, he made that sacrifice more
attempts than subjects diverging responses on the palatable. “So many people give stuff up,
who were allowed to snack; marshmallow test suggest then spend their lives thinking, ‘I wish I
already depleted, their that self-control is pre-wired could have a burger,’ rather than, ‘I’m
self-control crumbled. to an extent, it’s also hugely really enjoying this,’” he explains.
You don’t have to be shaped by our environment. When he gave up smoking on the cusp
religious to believe that of turning 30, Kerridge extinguished his
As research into “brain
PROP STYLIST: JAINA MINTON I PORTRAITS: JULIAN BENJAMIN

willpower is key to our cravings by sucking on “a pretend,

plasticity” has revealed, the nothing-in-my-hand cigarette”. A decade
WITH THANKS TO THE MACDONALD COMPLEAT ANGLER

fates. In the late 1960s, prefrontal cortex is malleable, later, if he hankered after carbs, he’d
Stanford psychologist even in adults. It’s not the visualise a potato with a face and refuse to
Walter Mischel – author case, then, that some of us be beaten. Instinctively, he was employing
of The Marshmallow naturally have the discipline simple but effective “if-then” strategies,
Test, which tells the story to run marathons, while whereby we train ourselves to respond
of his research – presented others are doomed to to cravings with a reflexive but non-
preschoolers with a choice. struggle to get off the sofa. sabotaging action: for example, if you feel
They could have one If willpower is a muscle a sugar craving, you eat an apple. “Such
sweet now, or two later. that can be weakened by if-then plans, when they become automatic,
overexertion, then it can also
be built. Here are the tools.

68 MEN’S HEALTH
 TRUE GRIT

RADIATE
SELF-CONTROL
Adjust your “temptation
thermostat” to make smart
decisions appealing and cool
off your lust for excess
HOT

Future-Proof Yourself
Visualise your future self
and your choices will be
motivated by ambition,
not just cool logic. In one
study, subjects who did this
found it easier to make
ethical decisions.

Drag Things Out

Focusing on a cigarette’s
long-term effects stubs out
desire, whereas short-term
thinking lights it up. By the
same token, think about how
a workout will make you feel
now, not look later.

Find Entry Points

Rather than the result of
consistent “traits”, your
behaviour is context-specific.
Keep a diary to identify the
“hot spots” that set you off,
then form a plan of action.
take the effort out of effortful control,” see it that way.” Instead, they reframe
writes Mischel. What’s more, ascribing setbacks as moments to learn from and Make It Official
detached, “cold” aspects to an object of detach the process from the outcome. Create pre-commitment
desire – imagining a marshmallow as a “You can never control winning,” continues plans or “habit contracts”, in
cloud, or inside a picture frame – tempers Ingham, who now runs Supporting which other people hold you
its “hot” attributes: taste, smell, touch. Champions, a high-performance accountable. For example,
Still, keeping the weight off consultancy for agree to pay a friend or family
is a daily endeavour. “It’s not sport and business.
something that just happens,
“So many people give “You just have to
member a fiver if you don’t
then that’s it – done,” says stuff up on diets, then understand what
stick to your resolutions.
Kerridge. At the time of spend the rest of their you can make better See Things Differently
writing, he’s just back on lives thinking, ‘I wish the next time.” “Cognitive reappraisal”
the low-carb wagon after a I could have a burger,’ Just as professional sounds like a head-scratcher
“full-on” two months ahead rather than enjoying athletes also offload but it’s simple and effective.
of the opening of his new what they can have” some of the mental Imagine the delicious cake in
London restaurant, Kerridge’s heavy lifting to their front of you is wriggling with
Bar & Grill. But because his is support teams, the pests, or contains poison.
a lifelong run, he argues that the occasional rest of us can do the same by recruiting
lapse matters less than what in football members of our social networks, Gain Perspective
parlance is called “bouncebackability”. If whether by working out with others Self-distancing – viewing
you miss a one-on-one with the keeper, or posting about our goals online. situations as if you were a fly
you don’t walk off the pitch; you focus (Kerridge’s efforts were reinforced by on the wall – reduces stress
on the next chance. “You just keep doing his friends.) Ultimately, it comes down and amygdala activation, while
that, every day,” he says. to what you want more, says Ingham: helping you to react rationally.
Kerridge’s is a mindset adopted by many “Do I want to achieve my goals, or
athletes. Elite athletes fail a lot, says Dr do I want that cookie?” COLD
Steve Ingham, a former director at the
English Institute of Sport: “They just don’t

MEN’S HEALTH 69
 02 SHEER DETERMINATION
TOOK MCAVOY FROM BEHIND
STEEL BARS TO IRONMAN

THE UNLIKELY IRONMAN

FINDING YOUR THE FORMATION
OF HABITS
REASON Grit is more about routine
than personality. Here’s why
we are what we repeatedly do
Willpower, determination
and steeliness: these are the
characteristics most often
deemed essential for success.
But the “just try harder”
STAY ON approach is flawed, warns
James Clear, author of New
TARGET York Times bestseller Atomic
Habits: “Research has found
Willpower isn’t simply that those who are most
psychological: raise likely to exhibit self-control
your resolve with our are people who live in an
physical hacks environment with fewer
temptations.” Simply by
Turn In Early keeping sweets out of the
Sleep loss inhibits house, or your phone off your
activity in the desk, you give your willpower
prefrontal cortex and “an immediate boost”.
limits your brain’s Clear observes that we slip
ability to absorb all too easily into behaviours
glucose, making you that are “obvious and easy”;
more impulsive. One those that are impractical
study compared its are harder to stick with. The
effects to that of guitar in the cupboard will
Before he became the only Nike- McAvoy asked if he could do the same. being mildly drunk. languish unplayed, and the
sponsored Ironman triathlete, John “It was very rhythmic, very relaxing,” he gym out of your commute’s
McAvoy was serving time for conspiracy says. He racked up the million metres Cool Down way will remain unvisited.
to commit robbery and possession of in a month, so he asked if he could do two In a Journal of Clear advises scaling down
firearms. As a chubby child, he hated PE. million, then three. While he was working Consumer Research any new aspirations to fit
His role models were notorious criminals his way to five million, a prison officer study, subjects into two minutes: reading
who got their kicks from cars, watches approached him with a list of indoor experiencing “heated” a page of a book, or repping
and partying. This attitude took its toll, rowing records. McAvoy broke the emotions – anger, 50 squats, for example. “You
leaving McAvoy “grossly British record for the embarrassment – felt want to master the art of
unfit and overweight”. marathon, then the calmer after grasping showing up,” he explains.
In prison, however, “One day, I won’t be world records for 24 a cold glass. Scientists An all-or-nothing approach
McAvoy spent his time able to train. There are hours and 100km. also posit the strategy typically defaults to nothing.
doing press-ups, squats people with no legs, no McAvoy puts some could put the brakes This focus on practicality
on rash decisions.
and burpees. He started arms, dying on hospital of his capacity for over personality also
knocking out 1,000 reps beds – so feel alive, endurance down to explains, in part, the curious
of each, not realising that prison warping his Feed Your Head phenomenon of highly
this might be considered
challenge yourself” sense of time. A second croissant accomplished men whose
excessive. “People limit But now, he is might not abet your well-known iron willpower
themselves,” shrugs McAvoy. A couple of fuelled by remembering the sacrifices weight-loss efforts, but apparently fails them: think
years after his release, he was back inside he has made: all the hard training and neither will allowing of Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods,
for plotting to rob a security van. But when missed social engagements. He sees your blood sugar to General Petraeus. Not only is
a friend was killed while committing a working out as a privilege: “One day, I won’t plummet. According self-control a learnable skill,
robbery, he had a moment of clarity. “I be able to do it. There are people with to Florida State then, it is context-specific.
thought, ‘What have I done with my life?’” no legs, no arms, dying on hospital beds. University, lapses in You have to want to use your
One day, McAvoy noted that a certain Feel alive, challenge yourself.” When not self-control are more willpower. If you cannot
inmate was allowed more than the racing or training, he tells his story to likely when your brain control your impulses, you
allowance of three sessions in the gym per children in schools and young offenders’ is low on glucose. can at least control your
week and learned that he was rowing a institutions. “I was an overweight kid environment. You might
million metres to raise money for charity. in prison, and now I’m the only Nike- not be able to stop at one
sponsored Ironman,” he says. “If I’ve slice of cake, but you can
done that, anyone can do anything.” bypass the bakery aisle.

70 MEN’S HEALTH
 TRUE GRIT

start exercising again. Around this time,

the 57kg sapling met a former Royal
Marine who’d started working for his
landscape gardener parents. A seed was
planted. Tentatively, he started working
out, not discouraged by how he couldn’t
run more than 400m without stopping
or manage a single pull-up.
“Everyone minds the gap between where
they are now and where they want to be,”
says Foxley. “They don’t look at it from the
other side: where they’ve come from and
where they are now.” He adopted what’s
known as a “growth” mindset: the conviction
that he could develop his qualities and
change the world around him. Conversely,
a “fixed” mindset – the belief that your
qualities are set – makes action
FOXLEY KNOWS THE VALUE
harder and less enticing.
OF PRIORITISING PERSONAL
GROWTH OVER TARGETS Foxley, who went on to serve
four years as a Royal Marines
reservist and founded Mindset RX’d – a
“scalable, learnable system to master the
inner athlete” – also had a clear vision of
himself wearing the unit’s green beret. Part
of the reason that we often struggle to
make smart, long-term decisions is that,
when considering our future selves, we
activate the same brain regions as if we
were imagining a stranger. The more
vividly you can picture the “future you”,
however, the more you’ll behave in
accordance with your goals. In one study,
subjects who were shown a digitally aged
picture of themselves were prepared to
save 30% more for retirement.
One of the biggest game changers
for Foxley’s clients – who include
CrossFitters and adventure sports
athletes, among others – is envisioning
what kind of person they want to be,
rather than fixating on goals, which are
still important but outcome-centric.
“Right now, I can
The first time his heart stopped display the character
beating, CrossFit coach Tom Foxley “The more vividly traits that’ll take me to
03 was 13 and cycling home from school. His where I want to be,” says
you can picture the
heart restarted with a “whoosh” and sped ‘future you’, the more Foxley. Instead of the
up to what felt like 1,000bpm. He thought delayed gratification of
you’ll behave in ways
THE MINDSET COACH he was dying. When he felt well enough,
he cycled home and told his mum. that will bring you
adding 10kg to your
deadlift in however many
closer to achieving
CHANGING Diagnosed with sudden death syndrome,
an umbrella term for unexplained cardiac
arrest among under-35s, the keen
your true goals”
weeks or months – and
feeling like a letdown if
you manage 9.9kg or less

YOUR OUTLOOK footballer and cricketer distanced himself

from anything that would raise his heart
rate, turning instead to his PlayStation. He
– you can enjoy the
instant gratification of being the kind of
person who’ll get up and try: “When you
became an introvert. He stopped trying at think of it like that, ironically, you achieve
school and was bullied. After 18 months the things that you want to quicker.”
or so, the doctors were no wiser about
his condition but figured he’d be fine to

MEN’S HEALTH 71
 21Ways To
Wake Up
Your
HACK YOUR BIOLOGY
TO CLOCK UP FAST,
TANGIBLE RESULTS

Metabolism
Your hour in the gym is merely
a piece of the weight-loss puzzle.
A crucial one, sure, but there are
still another 23 hours in the day.
That’s why we’ve compiled this
guide to amplifying your fat burn
from wake-up to wind-down, no
extra effort expended. You’ll torch
through kilos in record time
Words by Louee Dessent-Jackson / Photography by Rowan Fee
 01 08
Form in a Teacup Order from
Cold brews and colourful the Amazon
lattes may be trending right As well as boosting immunity,
now, but a classic cup of vitamin C is crucial to your
builder’s has benefits that metabolism, offsetting the
they can’t match. Tea is oxidative stress that slows
a rich source of prebiotics, our bodies down as we age,
which feed micro-organisms according to the University of
in your gut; meanwhile, black Colorado at Boulder. But you
tea, in particular, increases needn’t resort to Berocca. The
your levels of fat-burning rainforest fruit camu camu
pseudobutyrivibrio bacteria. 04 (Organic Camu Camu Powder
Seven minutes’ brewing Breakfast calories throughout the £10 greensorganic.co.uk)
time is optimal if you don’t Means Breakfast day. A separate study in the contains five times your RDA
want watered-down results. Forget fasted cardio. Your International Journal of Obesity per teaspoon of powder and,
morning meal activates genes found that eating a high-fat according to Gut journal, can
involved in fat metabolism, meal upon waking primes temper weight gain caused
02 reports the Journal of your system to burn body fat by overeating. It’s a smart
Branch Out Physiology. So, simply by instead of glucose. Upgrade addition to your next shake.
Far more than eating it, you can encourage your bowl of Shreddies to
just a bar snack your body to burn more shred even more.
or a Martini
garnish, olives offer
major benefits to your 05 07
metabolism, thanks to their Top of the Pops Spin It to Win
high copper and CLA fat Dosing up on pre-workout Stop what you’re curling. While
content. But you might be supps before training may have heavy lifting can improve your
missing out on the best bit of you buzzing for the gym, but metabolic rate, for the best
the plant: researchers at King there are other ways to enjoy results, superset it with
Saud University found that a similar boost without feeling a session on the bikes. A
oil made from olive leaves like a kid on a sugar binge. University of Copenhagen
increases the production of A study in Scientific Reports study comparing spinners
metabolism-boosting thyroid found that rats that had with lifters found that the
hormones; in lab rats, levels been fed grape polyphenols former group had higher levels
more than doubled. Add a (Swanson Grapeseed 380mg of metabolism-boosting
drizzle to your bruschetta. £7.40 swansonvitamins.com) hormone FGF21 after training.
before being let loose on This was attributed to either
treadmills displayed higher the high intensity or the
03 09

*BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE | IMAGE MANIPULATION: COLIN BEAGLEY | ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES,
levels of AMPK, an enzyme increased lower-body muscle
Divide and Conquer linked to fat burning. Add recruitment. Cap off your Burn More
To earn extra burn from your a bunch to your stack. session with an AirBike finisher. with Water
workouts, don’t train more – A diet of steak and protein
train differently. Instead of bars may have benefits for
grinding it out for an hour, split 06 your biceps, but it comes with
your exercise in two. One study* Learn to Batch Cook a metabolic downside. In a
found you could burn almost If your al desko lunch University of Connecticut
double the calories via a process consists of a rush-job study, athletes on a high-
called “excess post-exercise sandwich and you protein diet showed signs
oxygen consumption”. Try half hungrily devour your of metabolism-stalling
DAN MATTHEWS, MICHAEL HEDGE, LOUISA PARRY, PHILIP HAYNES, STUDIO 33
an hour of sprints in the park main meal once the dehydration, even though
before work and a bodyweight working day is done, they didn’t feel any thirstier
circuit at lunch. You’ll be culling you should consider than usual. Don’t wait to feel
calories for 48 hours. reversing that trend. parched – just 500ml of water
According to can elevate your metabolism
researchers at UT by 30% within the next hour,
Southwestern Medical reports the Journal of Clinical
Center, eating the bulk Endocrinology & Metabolism.
of your calories earlier in the
day keeps your circadian
GET ON YOUR BIKE
rhythm in sync, ensuring that AND FREEWHEEL
TO PROGRESS
your body burns off more of
what you put in. You’re going
to need bigger Tupperware.

74 MEN’S HEALTH
 Wake Up Your Metabolism
BIGGER IS BETTER:
SERVE YOURSELF TWO
SUPERSIZED MEALS
15
Mint Conditioning
Sugary sports drinks might be 18
indispensable mid-marathon, Throw Some Shade
but during a swift 10K, avoid We know that browsing emails
the extra carbs. Instead, add a after dark can disrupt your
few drops of peppermint oil to sleep – but it’s equally stressful
your water. According to the for your metabolism, too.
University of Mohaghegh Research by Northwestern
Ardabili, it improves oxygen use University linked exposure
instantly, increasing the amount to screen light to insulin
of fat your body can burn, while resistance, which harms your
the Beijing University of Chinese ability to process carbs. On
Medicine found the scent those evenings when powering
alone can relieve fatigue. down isn’t an option, take a
lutein supp to protect your
eyes from blue light. It’s less
daft than resorting to wearing
amber-tinted glasses.
10
It’s Hip to
Eat Squares 19
“Eat little and often” is a myth Sweet Option
so ubiquitous that it’s rarely 13 Not all body fat is
questioned. But a study in Salt Your Wounds created equal. While
the journal Plos One noted Iodine is essential for helping “white” fat stores calories,
a slight increase in calorie your thyroid to produce the active “brown” fat helps
burn among men who ate hormones that keep your you burn them off. Cold-
larger meals less frequently, metabolism in good working weather exercise boosts your
while research by the US order – yet the UK is among the levels of the brown kind – but if
National Institute on Aging world’s 10 most iodine-deficient pounding freezing pavements
showed that mice that nations. Sea vegetables such as doesn’t appeal, research‡ shows
consumed one supersized wakame are excellent sources, that eating melatonin-rich
daily meal were healthier than best served in miso for easier foods has a similar effect. Grab
constant grazers. It’ll also cut nutrient absorption. But if you’re a handful of goji berries.
back on the washing up. more of a seafood traditionalist,
add iodised salt to your chips.
16 20
11 Hone Your Bones Embrace the
Save It for Later A stronger skeleton will do more Daily Grind
Delaying your weights than reduce your odds of being You may be “over” pimped-up
session until after work will carried off your next OCR breakfast bowls, but at least
reignite your metabolism just attempt – it’ll also prop up your one of social media’s
as it’s easing off (while also fat-burning. A Canadian study favourite porridge toppings
helping you to escape the found the “bone hormone” has legitimate fat-burning
**UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI | †PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE | ‡UNIVERSITY OF GRANADA

allure of “a quick half”). In osteocalcin improves the way benefits. A study in the
a US study**, subjects who you metabolise sugar and fat. journal Metabolism found
trained after 6pm torched more Trade standing squats for that cinnamon flips the switch
fat than those who worked out 14 plyometrics, such as jumping that triggers fat cells to torch
in the morning. The extra lie-ins Top Up Your T lunges and V-tucks. Effect calories. Spoon it into your
won’t go amiss, either. Endless back squats aren’t the change from the inside. post-gym shake to wring even
only way to elevate your levels more rewards from your efforts.
of testosterone, a natural fat
12 burner. A University of Bath 17
Just Think About It study found that performing 10 It’s Your Round 21
Boosting your metabolism sprints of 30 seconds elevates Your weight-loss goals don’t live Set a Curfew
may require little more than an your T levels for the following or die in the gym. A study by the Forget what you know: those
attitude adjustment. According hour, while improving the Mayo Clinic found “non-exercise eight hours of sleep are of
to one study†, subjects who body’s ability to metabolise activity” such as pacing and limited benefit after midnight.
were encouraged to interpret sugar. To optimise your results, fidgeting significantly affects The body experiences a surge
their daily activities as exercise keep your work-rest ratio at 1:3 your body shape and size. in hormones that control fat and
burned more calories and lost – fail to recover and you won’t A brief stroll after eating carbohydrate metabolism at
extra body fat without any put in peak effort. Good gains has a more positive effect on 11pm – but only if you’re asleep.
change to their routines. It’s come to those who wait. metabolism than longer walks Weight flies off early birds.
strenuous work updating those at other moments, so time your
spreadsheets… right? coffee run accordingly.

MEN’S HEALTH 75
The Gentle
Art Of
 BELOVED OF A GROWING TRIBE OF A-LIST ACTORS, ATHLETES AND TOP TRAINERS,
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU HAS THE FITNESS COMMUNITY IN ITS STRANGLEHOLD.
GRAPPLING TO SEE THE APPEAL? OUR WRITER DONNED HIS WHITE BELT TO
DISCOVER WHETHER THIS INTIMATE MARTIAL ART IS A FIGHT CLUB WORTH JOINING

LET’SS ROLL
DESPITE ITS HIGH
INTENSITY, JIU-
JITSU REQUIRES
STRATEGY AS MUCH
AS STRENGTH
 wrestler. (Royce’s half-brother, Rickson
Gracie, also choked out Chuck Norris on
another occasion.) After meeting Canha at
Japan, before being exported to Brazil on a a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in Sweden,
wave of Japanese immigration around the Roach sold his house to fund Fightzone
turn of the 20th century. Jiu-jitsu roughly and now lives in the gym in a space he’s
translates as “the gentle art”, which, to the converted upstairs. His girlfriend often
uninitiated, might seem inappropriate. works on the front desk, while Canha’s
An alternative interpretation might be children attend the kids’ classes.
“yielding”, the idea being to redirect your Brazilian jiu-jitsu has many passionate,
opponent’s force, rather than to meet it often high-profile adherents, some of
head-on. It’s about taking your opponent whom I’ve interviewed for this magazine:
down to the ground, where you can oblige Jason Statham (who rolled with Guy
them to submit with limb locks or chokes. Ritchie while on the press tour for Lock,
ave, whom I’ve only known for a few “Jiu-jitsu is learning how to control Stock…), Henry Cavill and Kelly Slater.
minutes, is kneeling between my thighs as another person,” says Fightzone co-founder More recent converts include Justin
I lie with my back on the floor, his hands on James Roach. “It’s not aggressive. There’s Bieber, conscious, perhaps, of how many
my hips. This might seem compromising, no anger. It’s not like boxing, where you’re people want to strangle him, and Russell
but in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, this is “the guard”: trading punches, toe to toe. In a lot of ways, Brand, who interviewed Ryron and Rener
an ostensibly defensive position that, it’s worse than that. It’s like being attacked Gracie for his Under the Skin podcast. It’s
in reality, presents an array of offensive by a snake, and the snake is slowly moving a club in which the first two rules (“You do
options. It is also – as my first lesson at up your leg, going up your torso, working not talk about Fight Club”) are regularly
martial arts gym Fightzone in east London its way towards your neck...” flouted. But, while celebrity endorsements
is teaching me – a great icebreaker. may get members through the door,
From here, I can dislodge one of Dave’s Best of the Best something else is locking them in.
hands and tug on the lapel of his gi while Roach greeted me with a warm smile
bringing him forward with my hips, so when I finally girded myself and entered Origin Stories
that his weight traps his arm against my Fightzone. But that doesn’t make rolling While, in most martial arts, there’s a
chest. I can then reach around to grab his with the 6ft 2in, 88kg brown belt – one natural hierarchy – stronger, fitter men
back, while getting hold of his trouser leg below black – in my second lesson any tend to fare better – Brazilian jiu-jitsu
on the same side. From here, I can lift my less intimidating. I’m 5ft 10in, 80kg and is a great leveller. As Roach puts it:
own leg up as a lever and “sweep” him, currently beltless because Fightzone has “There’s no fat or thin, rich or poor.
so that I’m on top (“the mount”). Then run out of the white novice ones; my lack Everyone’s the same on the mat. Everyone
I can grip his other lapel and, bringing of a waistband feels emblematic of my wears the same £60 gi.” That many of
my hands together like a pair of scissors, ability. Roach manipulates me at will, the men I roll with are a good few kilos
cut off his air supply. That is, if I can like a child playing with an action figure. heavier than me would matter far less,
remember the sequence of moves that He sportingly lets me out of his guard, too, if I had even a modicum of technique,
was demonstrated to our class moments before pulling me back in with his hands because Brazilian jiu-jitsu was devised
before, never mind execute them. and dexterous feet. Though I know I’m to counteract just such imbalances.
“It’s like chess,” says Dave, a 26-year- doomed, there is something compelling, Carlos Gracie is often regarded as
old computer programmer who’s shorter even fun, about trying to delay the the father of the martial art, having
and slighter than I am, but sweeps me inevitable. It’s founded the first
with surprising ease. We’re not sparring
or “rolling”; we’re just practising moves.
like a Rubik’s
Cube of limbs.
“Unlike boxing, academy in Rio
de Janeiro in the
He encourages me to choke him harder by
pushing my wrist bone into his throat.
In 2012, Roach
opened Fightzone
jiu-jitsu is about 1920s, but his
younger brother
To paraphrase Tyler Durden, even if with Marco Canha, control: there’s Hélio should at
this is your first day at Fightzone, you
have to fight. As we slap hands to signal
a Rio de Janeiro-
born black belt no anger, no least be considered
its uncle. A frail
that we’re ready, I’m apprehensive, even
though Brazilian jiu-jitsu doesn’t involve
much punching or kicking. I needn’t have
and former British
Open champion,
running 34 classes
aggression” child who was
often excused
from school
worried. Dave and I spend most of our time a week. They’ve since expanded that to 120. on health grounds, Hélio adapted
locked in stalemate, barely moving but Boasting “the busiest martial arts schedule the techniques he had learned to
sweating buckets. The class tires me out in Europe”, Fightzone also teaches MMA, compensate for his weakness, leveraging,
in a way that even my twice-weekly five- Muay Thai, wrestling and boxing. But well, leverage instead of strength.
a-side can’t match. It’s clearly a crushing Brazilian jiu-jitsu has always dominated, The Gracie brothers earned renown
workout. But that doesn’t explain why and its classes are the best attended. in their native land with a series of “vale
people are so fixated on being asphyxiated. Ten years ago, Roach was working as a tudo” (“anything goes”) challenges.
So what else is getting them so gassed? surveyor on building sites and staying up One of Hélio’s sons, Rorion, opened the
Brazilian jiu-jitsu descends from a with his mates to watch UFC. The first-ever first American Gracie Academy in LA,
martial art originally developed in feudal event was won by Royce Gracie – a scion of where – as the legend goes – he offered
a legendary dynasty that developed, then $100,000 to anyone who could beat him
popularised, Brazilian jiu-jitsu – settling or his brothers. Recognising the first-ever
the debate about who’d win in a bracket- UFC as a major marketing opportunity,
style, single-elimination tournament out of
a boxer, a kick-boxer, a karateka and a sumo

78 MEN’S HEALTH
 GRAAB AND GO THE NEW
FIGHT CLUB
WITH MOVES STRUNG
TOGETHER IN NEAR-
LIMITLESS COMBOS,
IT’S A WORKOUT FOR
BOTH MIND AND BODY

JIU-JITSU’S
WHO’S WHO
Five high-rollers
with formidable
yet largely
unacknowledged
grappling skills
01
Ed O’Neilll
The Modern Family
paterfamilias
considers his black
belt awarded by
Rorion Grace in
2007 his greatest
achievement in
life – apart from his
kids, of course.
02
Ashton Kutcher
A purple belt under
Rigan Machado, who
teaches no-sparring
jiu-jitsu to risk-averse
celebs. But given that
the actor was also
a college wrestler,
we won’t mess.
03
Guy Rittchiee
Directed by Roger
and Renzo Gracie, the
black-belt film-maker
started out with the
Stath and reportedly
gets mats out on set,
so he can roll before
the cameras do.
04
Vince Vau
Vaughn
At 46, the funnyman
swapped Average
Joe’s Gym for the
Gracie Academy
(home to Ryron and
Rener) in Torrance,
California. Two years
on, he’s a blue belt.
05
Anthony
B o u rd a i n
The late gastronaut
won the blue-belt
masters middleweight
division at the 2016
IBJJF Open in New
York, where he
trained at the Renzo
Gracie Academy.

MEN’S HEALTH 79
 FLOOR TIM
ME
ONCE SEEN AS A
NICHE DISCIPLINE,
JIU-JITSU IS
NOW CONSIDERED
Rorion cannily put forward not himself or INDISPENSABLE BY
his brother Rickson, who resembled a bald MMA FIGHTERS
Marlon Brando on steroids, but his smaller
sibling Royce, dressed in white to look
innocent. Rorion knew that Royce’s victory
against bigger men would highlight
Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s supremacy.
Today, MMA fighters consider Brazilian
jiu-jitsu to be indispensable. “For me,
it’s everything,” says Mackenzie Dern, a
former world champion with a Phelpsian
haul of golds. Dern made the switch
to MMA when she was 21, after being
encouraged to do so by the people at her
academy with whom she regularly rolled.
She joined the UFC in 2016, and her record
stands at seven fights, seven wins. Striking
isn’t easy, she hastens to add, but you
only have so many punches and kicks
to master: after that, it’s simply about
refining your technique. “But jiu-jitsu is
chess,” continues Dern, echoing Dave.
“You make one move, and there are about
10 different options after that.” And
those options are always evolving with
the addition of new techniques.
Arizona-born Dern started training
when she was three. Her father is Brazilian
martial artist Wellington Dias, who was
taught by Hélio Gracie’s son Royler. Only
later did she realise that not all the other
kids did Brazilian jiu-jitsu after school,
as they did in her dad’s homeland. But
over the years, she’s witnessed the sport
explode in popularity in the US. “Now, it’s
crazy,” she says. “I see kids with sponsors.”
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is not something you
do purely for money, however. Even after
more than 20 years, Dern – whose parents
once grounded her from training when she
lied about going to a party while in high
school – still hates to skip a session. “It’s so
fun: getting choked out by friends, choking
them out,” she says cheerily. “It’s definitely
relaxing. It takes your mind off stress.”

Close Combat TRAIN FOR 01 02 03

Sam, the second person I roll with at

Fightzone, works in music. Having run a
THE MAT
few marathons, he was looking for a new “Shifting a resisting
challenge as 40 loomed and was inspired opponent takes the
to take up jiu-jitsu after listening to a kind of power no
*WORKSHOPGYMNASIUM.COM | WITH THANKS TO FIGHTZONE

podcast by Jocko Willink, a Navy Seal barbell can give you,

commander-turned-life coach who extols but weights can be Kettlebelll Press Kettlebelll Row Kettlebelll Swin
ng
a good supplement,” This press will help Any moves that help Bridging your hips
its benefits for wellbeing. “I’d never done
you develop the upper- you develop your grip is a crucial move to
any combat sports, so there was an allure says Artur Zolkiewicz, body strength required and “pull” strength help you escape your
to testing myself,” says Sam. After a year a purple belt and the to resist an opponent have application when opponent. To build the
and a half, he has gained self-confidence, manager of Workshop who has you pinned. you’re trying to tug explosive power you
Gymnasium*. These Hold the KBs by your your partner around need, go heavy and
strength and mobility: “I stretch now,
chest, upper arms flat by the gi. Get into a keep the rep count low
because I’ve got a reason to do it.” moves will put fighting and core tense. Exhale press-up position for (up to five per set).
He also points to another potential strength in your grasp. as you press straight greater instability, and Squeeze your glutes
motivator. With each new stripe on his up, keeping your back row the KBs up one at while keeping your
white belt (four denotes the stage just flat against the mat. a time by retracting arms relaxed.
your shoulder blade.

80 MEN’S HEALTH
 THE NEW
fide fight. “It’s a mortal struggle with no FIGHT CLUB
consequences,” says Sam.
Rich, who runs an art gallery, joined The master offers his head to his students
Fightzone at the same time as Sam, and so they can tighten up their choke games.
they’ve become friends. He heard about As he invites, then evades, their takedown
Brazilian jiu-jitsu through The Joe Rogan attempts, he grins like a 6ft 4in schoolboy.
Experience, the podcast of the comedian, “Jiu-jitsu is play-fighting,” he says. “You
UFC colour commentator and black have fun. At the same time, you learn to
belt. “I knew it would be a bit scary to fight.” Like Roach and Dern, he speaks
be in a fight, and I wanted to battle that of how wanting to do better in training
frightened part of me,” says Rich. The engenders positive lifestyle changes: eating
low-impact nature of Brazilian jiu-jitsu better, sleeping more, drinking less. I hear
makes it accessible even for older men. Edward Norton’s narrator in my head:
(Chuck Norris became a third-degree “Fight Club became the reason to cut your
black belt at 75.) When Rich was forced to hair short or trim your fingernails.”
take six months off because of a freak neck The explanation for Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s
injury, his “happiness rating” dropped growing popularity, in Gracie’s view,
significantly. “I’m uplifted when I’m doing beyond the fact that you can be any size,
this,” he says. “It gets all the aggression shape or age, is that it allows you to engage
out. It’s fun, too. Trying to strangle your in a full-blown fight – but without the blows
mates, giving them a hug afterwards.” and head trauma. “You still try to win, to
This is, perhaps, control your partner,” he
where Brazilian jiu-
jitsu has a real hold “It’s a friendly says. “But you don’t have
that aggression.” You can
over other, less tactile
active pursuits. As community: go all out, 100%, and if
it becomes too much to
uncomfortable as
the prospect of close
we beat each handle, you can tap out
before any lasting damage
physical contact with
a stranger might be
other up, but ensues. “‘The gentle
art’ – that’s the meaning
to many, research
suggests it’s something
in a nice way” of it,” says Gracie, who
also fought in the UFC.
we all need more of. Studies conducted (There’s a picture of him in the academy’s
by the Touch Research Institute at the entrance, smashing another guy’s nose
University of Miami have connected with his fist.) “It’s the only art where you
“touch therapy” to reductions in can be gentle with your opponent.”
depressive symptoms and pain. Touch “Opponent” isn’t quite the right word.
also lowers heart rate and blood pressure, In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you need a willing
while boosting immunity. Oxytocin, the partner, not just a human punchbag. “You
“cuddle hormone”, promotes bonding can’t be unfriendly with someone you’re
and social behaviour. Cuddling and having to learn with,” says Gracie. “That’s
choking are not quite the same thing – why the community is so friendly. Some
but maybe they’re not always so different. of the best friends I have in my life came
from jiu-jitsu. We try to beat each other
Rollling Thunder up, but in a nice way.” Gracie moved to
The competition-only class at the Roger London more than 16 years ago, and some
before blue), Sam gets the same satisfying Gracie Academy in west London is more of his students have been training with
sense of “levelling up” that he used to get serious than anything I’ve experienced him ever since. He’s watched them get
from computer games, minus the empty so far. Instead of a gi, the students promoted in belts and jobs, get married,
feeling with which the latter left him. wear compression gear in the gym’s have kids and open one or more of his 14
“Besides, if you’re feeling nervous about monochrome livery, or rash guards and affiliates around the country. “You have
something, having some fat guy sit on you board shorts. At the far end of the room greater intimacy with people,” he says.
really puts it in perspective,” he says. hangs a row of solemn-looking Gracie “It’s not like you walk into the gym, don’t
I can vouch for what he calls “stress family portraits. Over the course of the say hi to anyone, train and leave.”
inoculation”: in my third lesson at session, the floor becomes slick with Brazilian jiu-jitsu builds self-confidence
Fightzone, I’m trying to escape from the sweat and blood from an accidentally but, crucially, it’s also humbling – even
guard of a bald, trim guy called Rich, who contacted nose, which splatters over for the great Roger Gracie. “I’m used to
is 51 but could pass for much younger. I a pair of trainers discarded at the edge losing,” he says. “I wasn’t amazing from
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

make the mistake of leaning forward too of the mat. The humid air fills with the day one. I’ve tapped a thousand times in
much, allowing him to choke me. I’m not sound of slaps, grunts… and laughter. my life.” Whether sparring or training,
prepared for this but, to my surprise, I Some of the laughter is emanating from Brazilian jiu-jitsu forces even the most
don’t panic and somehow wriggle out. Roger Gracie himself, a 14-time Brazilian rampant ego to occasionally submit, and
When my wife messages me later to jiu-jitsu world champion, the chairman not hang self-esteem on the outcome.
ask how my day’s going, I reply, “A guy of the UK Jiu-Jitsu Federation and widely Some days, you’re on top; some days, a guy
tried to choke me. But I handled it.” For held to be the sport’s greatest of all time. called Khaled kicks your ass. You learn
modulating a chronically overactive fight- how to win, but more importantly, you
or-flight response, it’s hard to beat a bona learn how to lose – and keep rolling.

MEN’S HEALTH 81
 DROP
AND GO
01\ The Canadian
freerider Jordie Lunn
hurls himself down
a near-vertical cliff
side in the 2018 Red
Bull Rampage

01
Leaps
Of Faith
In the arid wilds of Utah, elite riders clear 20m
canyon gaps and fly down sheer cliff sides. But what
drives them to tread such a precarious line between
glory and disaster? MH dropped into the world’s most
dangerous mountain-biking competition to find out
WORDS BY SCARLETT WRENCH
Near the top of a
prehistoric mesa
in Zion National
Park, Utah, is a
sand-coloured
boulder the size
of a small truck.
It clings precariously to the side of the can showcase their skills. (The location,
mountain, poised to plummet to the desert incidentally, was first recommended
floor below. And it has a fitting name: to Barber by his friend Josh Bender, a
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. The Rock Virgin native and rider who had attracted
was christened by Brendan Fairclough, a attention in the sport after attempting a
30-year-old freerider from Surrey, who is 17m drop – and ending up in hospital.)
planning to ride his bike off the top of it. Accidents are not uncommon but, as
Once he’s done that, Fairclough explains Fairclough, who has ridden at Rampage six
to MH, pointing up at the vertiginous times, puts it, “Normality is distorted out
mountain in front of us, he’ll race down here. You’re scared, but everyone is scared.” 02
its ridges, sail over its canyons and roll He shrugs. “And it’s kind of normal.”
across the finish line, a 237m near-vertical
drop below the start gate. These are not DIGGING FOR VICTORY
the kinds of runs that bikes are designed to From top to bottom, the average run
handle – nor humans designed to survive. is over within the space of a couple of
The Red Bull Rampage is a mountain minutes. But that doesn’t tell the full
bike competition unlike any other. story. In reality, success is hard won over a
Competitors must be invited to take part period of around eight days, as riders and
by a committee of veteran riders, and their two-man dig teams toil in the desert
only the best merit a spot. It’s not a race to carve out and then practise their routes.
to the bottom, though points are awarded That’s another thing that makes Red Bull
for speed. Riders are judged on a number Rampage unique: no two riders will run
of criteria, including airtime and tricks, the same line. And finding – or, rather,
as well as more virtuoso factors such as building – a creative path within the site
fluidity and style. To put it bluntly, they boundaries is crucial to their final score.
are rewarded for taking risks: riders score If you want a sense of how complicated
points for their willingness to tread the this process is, watch an online video called
narrow line between victory and injury. Risk vs Reward at Red Bull Rampage. In it,
Rampage was founded in 2001 by Todd Californian rider Cam McCaul explains a
Barber, who took his inspiration from “blind take-off”: a drop in which the first
big-mountain skiing and snowboarding time the rider catches sight of the landing,
competitions. The first event attracted a it’s too late to adjust speed or trajectory.
motley crew of dirt jumpers, slopestylers “Two miles per hour too fast and the rider
and downhill racers. It was, in a sense, will land halfway down and explode upon
the UFC of mountain-biking: a mixed- impact,” says McCaul, matter of factly.
discipline event, at which competitors “[Going] two miles per hour too slow will
pitted their skills against riders from a put the rider before the landing – and 03
broad spectrum of backgrounds, with no cause them to get catapulted off the bike.”
guarantee as to who would come out on top. Tensions run high in the days leading
The 13th event is held on the outskirts of up to competition. The teams are typically
the small town of Virgin, where Mars-like up on the site before sunrise, enduring
canyons, mesas and monoliths provide an the bitterly cold desert winds in the hours
GUTTER CREDIT

awe-inspiring stage on which the riders before daylight hits the mountain. After
that, the temperature quickly rises to
40°C, and the rest of the day is hot, dry

84 MEN’S HEALTH
 Leaps Of Faith
and dehydrating. “It’s hard to keep
up morale, so it’s important to have
people you trust and can relate to,” says that’s going to impress the most… That’s
Fairclough, whose dig team comprises the thing that marks you out.”
his childhood friend and fellow pro-rider As a result, the stakes get higher every
Olly Wilkins, plus friend and former Royal year, as the riders battle to outdo their
Marine Ben Deakin. “At the end of these previous performances, as well as each
tough 10 days, you’ve got this intensely other. “It’s advancing quickly,” Atherton
physical and mentally demanding task. says. “Lines that guys built for final runs a
On that day, you can’t be at your lowest couple of years ago would be used to warm
point. You’ve got to be ready to go.” up on now. Every year, it gets bigger, and
Carving the perfect line is very much the drops and gaps get a little bit longer.
an art, not a science. “The judges have set And every year, you think: maybe this
criteria, but it’s also about the overall feel,” is the peak, maybe this is as big as it can
explains Gee Atherton, a downhill racer get. Then, inevitably, everyone pushes it
from Wiltshire, who placed second at a little bit further. It gets a little bit crazier.”
Rampage in 2004 and 2010. “You can’t be
too clinical about it. Your run has to have DANGEROUS GAMES
some life to it. It’s that soul, it’s that fire, In 2015, a rider named Paul Basagoitia
from Nevada crashed on a step-down and

“The stakes get shattered his vertebrae. He was evacuated

by helicopter and required nine hours of
higher every surgery. The same year, Boston slopestyler
Nicholi Rogatkin tumbled off a cliff in
year. In 2015, his qualifying run, enduring a 12m beating
on the way down. Miraculously, he was
a rider shattered unharmed: he dusted himself off and
cleared the canyon gap on his next attempt.
his vertebrae It’s undoubtedly a profession that calls
for a fair amount of mettle, but competitors
in a crash” are more than just thrill-chasers. (“Are

04

DESERT
STORM
02\ Brendan
Fairclough, the only
British rider in
competition, darts
along a narrow ridge
03\ A rider makes his
ascent to the start
gate – a 40-minute
climb that affords
plenty of time to
question yourself
04\ Poland’s Szymon
Godziek in mid-flight,
as he practises for
a run that will earn
him eighth place
Leaps Of Faith
FLYING
WHEELS
05\ Spain’s Andreu
Lacondeguy prepares
for a nerve-racking
descent. From start
to finish, there’s a
vertical drop of 237m
06\ The US rider DJ
Brandt was called up
on a wildcard for the
invitation-only event
07\ French rider Vincent
Tupin soars above the
red Utah desert
08\ American Ethan
Nell celebrates coming
third place for the
second year running

05

you calling me stupid?” says Fairclough,

laughing, when asked about his motives.)
In reality, the risks are carefully assessed.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN PONDELLA, PARIS GORE, GARTH MILAN, BARTEK WOLINSKI, PETER MORNING
“It’s all calculated,” says Fairclough. “You
don’t go jumping off something without
knowing exactly what you’re jumping off.”
Evaluative skills are just one tool in a
rider’s arsenal. Physical training includes
weights-based strength and conditioning
work, as well as practising tricks and
developing endurance on the bike. Core
and upper-body stability is as important
as quads of steel when manoeuvring
down narrow, bumpy terrain.
Atherton isn’t a fan of the “adrenalin
junkie” label. “It’s not like I’ll do anything
just to give myself a buzz,” he says. “I’ve
been in this sport for a long time, and you
have to know when to push harder and
when to draw back.” Still, he concedes that
THANKS TO RED BULL

Red Bull Rampage “does attract people

who are willing to walk a very fine line”.
Most riders have suffered their fair share
of injuries. In a recent crash, Atherton
dislocated his hip and knocked himself
out. “The psychological side of recovery
was almost harder than the physical. It
took me a while to get back on the bike,” he
says. “But I worked through it. It’s a risk,
but I’m doing something I love.”
GUTTER CREDIT

One rider who has previously been

somewhat sceptical about the safety

07
86 MEN’S HEALTH
 “For one rider,
the psychological
side of recovery
after a crash
proved harder than
the physical”

06

precautions at events such as Rampage is Fortunately, they quickly die down as

Nevada-born Cameron Zink. In the year the day warms up. Spectators crowd the
of Basagoitia’s accident, Zink elected not surrounding hills, scrambling up to the
to do the second of his two runs down the best vantage points, already caked in dry,
08
mountain – though it could have helped red mud. The medical team is on standby,
him move up in the ranking – claiming it and helicopters circle overhead.
wasn’t worth the risk. But he has been back Then, one by one, the riders make their redemption.” Wasn’t he afraid? “We’re
each year since, has placed on the podium way up to the start gate. The new site is pretty dumb. We forget pain, you know…”
a total of four times and describes Rampage higher and longer than those of previous After much debate, it is announced
as “an event unlike any other”. “You have years, adding around 45m of vertical drop. that the top prize goes to Brett Rheeder,
the freedom to go as big as you want, to do It can take the riders 40 minutes to hike up a first-time winner from Canada who
anything you can dream up,” he says. to the top, their bikes over their shoulders – impressed the judges with a staggering
This time, however, things don’t go so it’s simply too steep for cars or buggies. backflip that drew gasps from the crowd
well for Zink. He is ruled out of competing The first rider, Szymon Godziek from below. Second up on the podium is Andreu
because of an existing shoulder injury, Poland, crashes hard after misjudging a Lacondeguy from Spain, followed by
for which he is scheduled for surgery. “I backflip. He shakes it off, picks up his bike wildcard Utah boy Ethan Nell. Fairclough
was just going to deal with it, compete, and finishes the run. Then, Fairclough – this year’s only British rider – takes tenth
then get it fixed,” he tells MH. “But I was drops in. From the base of the route, he place and receives the Kelly McGarry
coming down on a cash roll, which is resembles a distant dust cloud. He speeds Spirit Award, named after the relentlessly
basically a front-flip 360, and it popped down to the Rock for his signature piece – positive New Zealand rider who died
out on landing. The medics didn’t want to then drops off it with seeming ease, a fall of in 2016, and given out to commend a
put it back in because of liability, so I had almost 11m. He runs down the ridge line, participant’s good humour and resilience.
a friend, Mitch Ropelato, do it. There was a leading up to a 20m canyon. He clears it. MH catches up with Fairclough as he
grinding and an elaborate pop… Bummer.” Then he rides down a sheer cliff drop and steps off the podium. How does he feel
builds up to a soaring backflip, before – about the result? He looks down at himself.
A DOWNHILL BATTLE finally – passing the finish gate. “I’m in one piece. My legs and arms are in
On the morning of the competition, the The canyon gap holds particular the same position as when I arrived,” he
air is especially cold. High winds, which significance for Fairclough. “Two years says, and smiles. “So, it’s all good.”
unsettled a few of the practice runs, ago, I built a jump that was 18m, but I The next Red Bull Rampage will be held
now threaten to set the riders off course. only managed about 15m and ended on 25 October 2019. Visit redbull.com
up dislocating both of my thumbs,”
he explains. “So, we were looking for

MEN’S HEALTH 87
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 Our hectic modern lives mean maximising our training
time has never been so important. From a one-move
calorie-scorcher (page 94) and meals that burn fat for
you (pages 93 and 103) to gym-free lunchtime
circuits (page 98), our guide will help you to
PT build lean muscle on an unforgiving schedule
SPECIAL!
ILLUSTRATION: ALCONIC AT SYNERGY ART
 03 19 HARD-BODY HACKS FOR BUSY MEN FAST PROTEIN FIX

RECHARGE YOURSELF
POST-WORKOUT WITH
OUR THAI ENERGY BOWL

GREEN
GIANT 0

1
THE B VITAMINS IN YOUR

2
PEPPERS AND BEANS

3
5
4
HELP TO METABOLISE
YOU WILL TIME TO PROTEIN, CARBS 0-1MIN
NEED... MAKE AND FAT This lean chicken curry from
Chicken
breast pieces,
7MIN the Fitness Chef, Graeme
Tomlinson, couldn’t be simpler.
100g, cooked PROTEIN
In a bowl, mix the chicken,
Light coconut
milk, 100ml
31G coconut milk, garlic powder,
beans, pepper and curry paste.
Garlic powder, CALORIES
450
WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS | RECIPE: @THEFITNESSCHEF_ | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT LUCKY IF SHARP I FOOD STYLIST: NICO GHIRLANDO | IMAGE MANIPULATION: COLIN BEAGLEY

1tsp 0

1
Green beans,
CARBS

2
handful,
56G

3
5
4
chopped
Green pepper,
½, chopped FAT 1-5MIN
Green curry
paste, 1tbsp
10G Pop the bowl in the microwave
for four minutes and prep the
Microwave side salad. The medium-chain
basmati rice, fatty acids in your coconut milk
125g are a fast energy source and
less likely to be stored as fat.
0
7

1
6

2
3
5

5-7MIN
Now remove the bowl and
microwave the basmati rice
in its packet for two minutes.
Spoon the rice onto a plate and
pour over the Thai curry for
a reviving al desko dish.

SUPER SIDE #03

SWEETEN
THE DEAL
To complement the
Thai curry’s kick, call
on this mango salad. MOUTHWATERING
Bursting with fibre, it’ll Prep your fruit by chopping up Throw the fruit into a bowl with a handful MANGO SALAD
improve digestion and 100g of mango into small cubes and of spinach before drizzling over one An easy express salad
keep you full for hours halving three cherry tomatoes. teaspoon of olive oil. Toss and serve. containing under 150kcal.

MEN’S HEALTH 93
 03 19

A
FORM MASTERCLASS #08

GO ABOVE
A

AND BEYOND
IN THE GYM
Elevate your fat-burning
B
B

to new heights with the

American kettlebell swing,
a conditioning upgrade from
across the pond that will send 01
BARBELL GLUTE BRIDGE
02
SUPERMAN BACK EXTENSION
your excess baggage packing
in one swift, metabolism- 2 SETS OF 10 REPS 2 SETS OF 15 REPS
Build a stronger set of glutes to power By strengthening your back, you’ll be
surging movement the upward swing. Position your upper able to maintain proper form, even when
back on a bench with a barbell resting fatigue starts to set in. Lie chest down
on your hips and your knees bent, on the floor with your legs and arms
with the soles of your feet pressed outstretched (A). Initiate the movement
into the floor (A). Under control, drive by squeezing your lower back and glutes
your hips upward, squeezing your glutes and simultaneously raising your arms and
at the top when they’re parallel with legs off the floor (B). Hold for a couple of
the floor (B). Lower back down. seconds, then return to the start.

BRING YOUR FAT

TO THE BOIL A
The kettlebell swing may look A
simple, but you can fall into
the trap of squatting, instead

GROOMING: NATACHA SCHMITT | MODEL: LUIS YOUNG AT W MODELS | SHORTS CASTORE AT MRPORTER.COM, TRAINERS NIKE.COM
of generating the power by B
thrusting your hips. First,
practise the movement, then
strengthen the muscles you’ll
call on, and you’ll capitalise
on the calorie-burning B
benefits of the real thing

WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES | STYLIST: ABENA OFEI

03
KETTLEBELL Z PRESS
04
RUSSIAN KETTLEBELL SWING
2 SETS OF 10 REPS 2 SETS OF 12 REPS`
Now enhance your overhead strength Practise the Russian swing before going
and build the stability you need to control overhead with the American version.
the weight above you. Sit in an upright This will help you hone the movement
YOUR TRAINER Tom Bliss position with your legs outstretched, with pattern you’ll need later. Holding the
KNOWLEDGE: PT Bliss is strict a pair of kettlebells on your shoulders kettlebell between your legs, initiate the
on lifting technique. He’ll in the front rack position (A). Press movement by swinging the weight back
take you from apprentice to them overhead together (B). Once (A), before driving your hips forward to
athlete level in four steps. your elbows are locked out, return lift the kettlebell to shoulder height (B).
CONTACT @tomblissfit the kettlebells to your shoulders. Let the momentum bring you back.

94 MEN’S HEALTH
 HARD-BODY HACKS FOR BUSY MEN METABOLIC BOOSTER SWING

PHASE 2
IT’S ALL IN THE HIPS
WE HAVE To bring the weight forward,
LIFT-OFF you need to drive your
movement from your hips,
With new strength secured, not your arms. So, thrust
follow the form guide below your hips forward just as
and grip the kettlebell handle you did in the glute bridge,
with confidence. You’re now keeping your back straight
ready to tackle all the reps and squeezing your glutes
of our workout without as the kettlebell passes
pausing, for maximum calorie- through your legs and up
burning effect. Take a swing to shoulder height.

PHASE 1
HINGE, DON’T SQUAT
Hold the top of the kettlebell
with both hands between your
knees. Swing back to start the
movement by hingeing from
your hips. With a slight bend
in your knees, drive your hips
back, as if opening a door with PHASE 3
your glutes. Keep your OVER AND OUT
chest above the kettlebell This is where the US
and your back flat. version differs from the
Russian swing. Finish by
continuing the movement
overhead, until the bottom of
the weight is facing upward.
Breathe, then control it
back down between your
knees to go straight into
your next rep. Find a
smooth rhythm and you’ll
fly through your set.

THE WORKOUT
20
AMERICAN
KB SWINGS
10
BURPEES OVER
KETTLEBELL
5ROUNDS AS FAST
AS POSSIBLE
POST YOUR SCORE
AND TAG US
@MENSHEALTHUK

MEN’S HEALTH 95
 GEEK TWEAKS #05 A BODY OF

NO WEIGHTS? BENEFITS
Bodyweight training

NO PROBLEM
has more to offer than
mere practicality. We
unpack the science
to prove its worth

FIRM
Light, portable and simple to set FOUNDATIONS
up, the TRX is the best investment The instability
of suspension training
that a time-poor man can make. HANG TIGHT AND TAKE works the ligaments around
your major joints and
Grab yourself a smart bodyweight YOUR DEFINITION
TO A HIGHER LEVEL strengthens the surrounding
workout any time, anywhere tissues. It can also increase
neuromuscular activation.

MULTI-PLANE
MASTERY
As the TRX works
from a single anchor point,

CHANGE IT UP
Learn these variations to ensure there’s no sticking point
it forces your body to recruit
muscles across all three
planes – the sagittal, frontal
and transverse – for a
in your movement and deliver smooth reps every time well-balanced physique.

SIDE PLANK WITH PIKE ROTATION

01 CHANGE THE
3 SETS OF 10 REPS ON EACH SIDE CHALLENGE
Target your love handles by lying sideways To prevent your
on the anchor point, both feet in the cradles weight-loss progress from
stalling, the TRX allows
and your elbow under your shoulder. Lift you to alter the difficulty of
your hips and reach your arm under your an exercise by increasing
torso. Reverse the move to start rep two. the load through greater
angles, ranges or speed.
SINGLE-ARM INVERTED ROW
02 COMPOUND
3 SETS OF 10 REPS ON EACH ARM BENEFITS
Sculpt your abs by positioning yourself The TRX is ideal
under the anchor, holding a single handle. prep for weighted moves
Point your other hand up. With your feet flat, such as compound lifts.
legs bent, extend your hips so your back is Using the straps, you can
get into lower or more
straight and row your body up. Lower down. precise positions to mimic
the actions of a lift.
SWIMMER’S PULL
EXPERT: MATT GLEED, TRX SENIOR MASTER TRAINER, @MATTGLEED | ILLUSTRATION: FLYING CHILLI

03 SIX-PACK
3 SETS OF 15-20 REPS
Now raise your metabolism. With your feet STRENGTH
The TRX tests
offset, hold the handles with straight arms your abs and smaller
and lean back. Lift up towards the anchor stabilising muscles as your
by pulling down, your core tense. End body fights against the
with arms straight by your sides. suspended base. Muscles
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TRX TRAINING, VISIT TRXTRAINING.CO.UK

are under tension longer,

burning extra calories.
ONE-LEG HIP PRESS
04 3 SETS OF
10 REPS EACH
Burn through calories
by working your legs.
Sit facing the anchor
and place one heel in
both cradles. Lie back with
your knee over your hips
at 90 degrees. Extend the
other leg up to the anchor.

MEN’S HEALTH 97
03 19

THE BIG WORKOUT

QUICK-FIRE FAT LOSS

IS WITHIN YOUR GRASP
Two dumbbells are all you need. Our targeted workouts
– designed to fire up every major muscle group – will
turbocharge your metabolism wherever you find yourself

01A

02B

02A
01B

LEAN IN 01 02
18 MINUTES
To help you land the most
TALL KNEELING HAMMER
CURL TO FRONT RAISE
FLAT-BENCH CHEST
FLY TO PULLOVER
3 ROUNDS OF 60SEC
WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES

potent attack on your body’s fat 3 ROUNDS OF 60SEC

stores while armed with only a In the first two weeks of your plan, The perfect pairing to sculpt your
STYLIST: ABENA OFEI | GROOMING: NATACHA SCHMITT

pair of dumbbells, we’ve made perform this workout on Mondays chest and back. Lie on a bench
all of the moves in this workout and Fridays; in your second two with your arms fully extended
a combination of two exercises. weeks, on Wednesdays. Kneel above your chest, holding the
You’ll perform each super-move down holding two dumbbells at dumbbells. Keep your arms as
pairing for 60 seconds, taking your sides. Curl both up (A), straight as possible as you lower
a 30-second break in between. squeezing your biceps, before the weights down wide to stretch
Complete three rounds in lowering them back down to your your chest (A). Pull them back to
total, for 18 minutes of calorie- hips. Without letting go, bring both the start position. With a slight
torching intensity that leaves arms up in front of you (B), before bend in your elbows, lower both
no muscle unworked in your lowering again to work your abs, arms behind your head (B), then
quest for a leaner physique biceps and shoulders hard. bring them back over your chest.
 HARD-BODY HACKS FOR BUSY MEN QUICK-FIRE FAT-BURNING

THE SPEC
MUSCLES
TARGETED

WORKOUT
18
MIN
RESULTS IN
4
WEEKS
LEVEL
HARD
04B
03A

03B
04A

03
RENEGADE ROW
04
GOOD MORNING TO
TO BEAR CRAWL BENT-OVER ROW
MRPORTER.COM, TIGHTS NIKE.COM, TRAINERS EU.PUMA.COM

3 ROUNDS OF 60SEC 3 ROUNDS OF 60SEC

MODEL: LUIS YOUNG AT W MODELS | SHORTS LULULEMON AT

At the top of a press-up, while Finish the round with a calorie-

holding a dumbbell in each torching legs move. Hold the
hand, set your feet wide and weights in the top of a hammer
keep your core tight as you curl, as if there were a band
row one dumbbell up to your around your hips pulling them
chest (A), before returning back. Let your hips hinge to 90
down. Repeat on the other degrees (A), keeping your chest
arm. Then “walk” both hands up and back flat. Extend both
forward (B) and bring each arms below you (B), before
foot to the press-up position. pulling them into your side. Drive
Don’t stop for 60 seconds of your hips forward to standing.
love-handle-shifting effort. Now, another two rounds await.

MEN’S HEALTH 99
03 19

EXPERT Mark Ross

EXPERIENCE Ross balances
being a Barry’s Bootcamp
trainer, semi-pro footballer
and PT, so he knows how
to score weight-loss
01A results against the clock.
CONTACT @markross_fitness

02A

01B

02B

NON-STOP
INTENSITY SIDE BEND TO
LATERAL LUNGE
BULGARIAN HIP HINGE
TO REVERSE FLY
SHORTS NIKE AT MRPORTER.COM, TRAINERS NEWBALANCE.CO.UK

With its one-minute intervals

and use of lighter weights, this 3 ROUNDS OF 60SEC 3 ROUNDS OF 60SEC
workout keeps the intensity Commit to this workout on With one foot on top of the bench
high to help you expend extra Wednesdays in weeks one and dumbbells by your sides, take
calories. “When you push past and two, and on Mondays and a step away with your other leg.
the 30-second mark, lactic acid Fridays in weeks three and four. Imagine your hips are being pulled
builds up. It’s at this point that For the first combo, hold a back, so your chest lowers down
you’ll create the most metabolic dumbbell in your right hand. Flex towards the floor, keeping your
stress to drive weight loss,” your torso sideways to lower it to arms fully extended (A). From
explains trainer Mark Ross. So, your knee (A). Extend back up. here, lift the dumbbells out to your
think of this workout as cardio Perform a lateral lunge with your sides in line with your back (B).
and weights rolled into one – left leg, lowering the dumbbell to Lower the weights, then raise your
the most time-efficient way your foot (B), then rise to standing. upper body back to the start.
to carve out a defined body Switch sides after 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, switch legs.
 HARD-BODY HACKS FOR BUSY MEN QUICK-FIRE FAT-BURNING

THE SPEC
MUSCLES
TARGETED

WORKOUT
18
MIN
RESULTS IN
4
WEEKS
LEVEL
MED

Now, switch to your quads. Start

in the finish position of the last
move to perform a one-legged
squat, dropping your opposite
knee to the floor (A). Before you
come back up to the starting
position, lift both dumbbells out
to your sides (B), squeezing your
shoulders at the top. Control
the weights back down, then
press back up through your heel.
After 30 seconds, switch legs.

MEN’S HEALTH 101

 03 19 HARD-BODY HACKS FOR BUSY MEN SLAY YOUR CRAVINGS

MEAL PREP HERO #10 CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH HOUMOUS AND PITTA

STICK IT TO FAT
Prep five for a working week’s worth of easy fat-torching lunches

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: METHOD

1/ Canned chickpeas, 382 Step 1 To make your houmous,
250g, drained Kcal purée the chickpeas, olive oil,
2/ Olive oil, 1tsp cumin, harissa, tahini, lemon
Fire up the grill to fry through stubborn 3/ Cumin, pinch juice and garlic cloves . When you
flab with lean chicken skewers that also 4/ Harissa paste, 1tsp
5/ Tahini, 1tsp 8g have a smooth, thick consistency,
transfer it to a serving bowl
Fat
pack the hand-held hit of protein you 6/ Lemon, ½ , juiced
7/ Garlic cloves, 2
and season with salt.

need to put new muscle in its place 8/ Vegetable oil, 1tsp Step 2 Preheat a grill to a
9/ Cherry tomatoes, 200g 27g medium-high heat. In a bowl,
10/ Chicken breasts, Carbs mix the vegetable oil, tomatoes,
5, chunked chicken chunks, granulated
11/ Granulated garlic, ½tsp garlic, paprika and oregano,
12/ Paprika, pinch plus two large pinches each
STRESS BUSTER CALORIE KICK 13/ Oregano, pinch 35g of salt and pepper. On wooden
The tryptophan, vitamin Garlic is thermogenic, 14/ Pine nuts, handful Protein skewers, alternate between
B5 and magnesium in which means your 15/ Feta cheese, chicken and tomatoes.
your chicken breasts will body produces heat and 2 blocks, crumbled
help to lower your levels of energy when it’s eaten, 16/ Wholemeal pitta bread, 5 Step 3 Grill your skewers for
cortisol, a stress hormone burning through calories four to five minutes on each
that is closely linked with in the process. The cloves side, until the chicken is cooked
weight gain. Their protein and granules in this dish through. Assemble your dish
will protect your muscles will give your metabolism in the office with a spoonful
during a calorie deficit, too. a helpful boost. of houmous, pine nuts and
feta, then serve with either
a hot or cold pitta.

01 02

FIBRE IN THE HOLE

WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS | PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFFREY WESTBROOK | FOOD STYLING: JAMIE KIMM | PROP STYLING: ROBYN GLASSER/VARGAS REPRESENTS

Not only are chickpeas

crucial for creating your
03 04 houmous, they’re also a
great source of fibre, which
slows digestion to help
you feel satiated. This
will put the brakes on
your cravings for blood-
sugar-spiking snacks.
05 06

HUNGER CONTROL
When you’re overweight,
your body can become
07 08 resistant to leptin, the
hormone that signals your
brain to stop eating. The
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: STUDIO 33, LOUISA PARRY, DAN MATTHEWS, GETTY IMAGES

tomatoes on your skewers

contain anti-inflammatory
carotenoids, which can help
to reverse this process.

09 11 13 15 16

10 12 14

MEN’S HEALTH 103

03 19

HEX MARKS THE SPOT

Our Big Workout (page 98)
GEAR CHANGE #31 requires a pair of dumbbells

FAT-SHIFTING
that can withstand the sweat
and toil of weight-loss circuits.
Hexagonal ends with heavy-
duty, rubber-covered heads

POWER TOOLS
minimise noise and protect both
your weights and your flooring
THE TIME IS NOW at home from damage, so you
can focus on those final reps.
To burn through the largest
Bodymax Hex dumbbells
number of calories in your
20kg £70 for a set of two
dumbbell workouts and HIIT
Now that you’ve armed yourself sessions, it’s crucial that you
powerhouse-fitness.co.uk

with the training knowledge to stick to the one-minute-on,

30-seconds-off timing. An

WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT LUCKY IF SHARP

send calories packing, secure the LED clock that displays the
number of rounds you’ve
kit you need for the workouts in completed and how much time
our weight-loss special. Invest now you have left will hold you
accountable and keep you
and go hammer and tongs at home motivated. It looks cool, too.
Bulldog Gear interval timer
£225 bulldoggear.eu

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY

 RESERVE THE BENCH
Don’t waste your precious
training time waiting in line
for a bench at the gym. With
six adjustable positions
offering plenty of versatility
for lying or seated sets,
this flat bench is the perfect
partner for your home fat-
loss workouts and boasts
the MH stamp of approval.
Men’s Health incline and
PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE decline flat bench £70
The TRX (page 97) is a full range at argos.co.uk
versatile body-conditioning
tool for all levels of fitness.
It’s quick and easy to set up
at home, with three types of SWING SUPPORT
anchoring solutions. And with You’ll need a reliable kettlebell
a year’s free access to the TRX to execute the American swings
training app, fresh inspiration in our Form Masterclass (page
for weight-loss wowrkouts is 94). “Odd object” training
always close at hand. can often be tough on your
TRX Pro4 £200 wrists and forearms, but the
trxtraining.co.uk ergonomic design of this
handle ensures that there
is no slipping or excessive
movement when you’re
holding the weight overhead.
Coloured cast-iron
kettlebell 24kg £54.50
wolverson-fitness.co.uk
 _
GUIDE TO
_ STYLE

109
Rave On
Relive your 1990s heyday with
the Madchester-style bucket hat
130
Good Jeans
110 The Levi’s head of
Retro Revival design reveals the
Four 1970s fashion tribes are back hassle-free style
– this time with better taste essentials that

G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19
make him tick
115
Rain Man
Fend off the spring deluge with
SS19’s reworked trench coats

126
Under Your Skin
Why dropping acid might be
the smartest trend in grooming

128
Lighter Load
SS19’s man bags prove good 118
things come in small packages Doubling Up
Forget the pinstriped bankers: the double-
116 breasted jacket has a fresh new look
Military Time
For their rugged charm, army
watches are your strongest allies

MEN’S HEALTH 107

 Twist
INSTANT UPGRADE

can expect it to be a key piece

For men of a certain age, for the forthcoming season.” what came before,” advises
SS19’s fashion shows were Whether this strikes you Cook. “Wearing one with an
noisily resonant with echoes of as a good or a bad thing oversized shirt might be too
the 1990s – the refrain being depends on which side of the literal a reference to the

Your
that we should look back, headgear fence you sit on. 1990s. But a fitted knit and a
only this time in nostalgia, Pulling on a beanie when the long, smart coat will give it an
not anger. Aside from a surfeit mercury drops might be as entirely different direction.”
of neon and stonewash, this far as you’ll go, while others Think beyond the bucket
mood was largely down to are happy to experiment with hat’s stylistically dubious
the abundance of bucket baker boy caps or raffish heyday and it can be a
hats on the runways. fedoras. Certainly, the bucket surprisingly versatile addition

Melon
“As is so often the case, we hat falls into this more to your look. “Whether
have Miuccia Prada to thank flamboyant category and, dressed down with luxe jog
for this trend,” says Dean as such, is a style that must pants or up with tailoring,
Cook, menswear buying be approached with caution. it will always have a more
manager at Browns. “What “Liam Gallagher may have playful character than the
she kicked off with her AW18 made it iconic, but as with all ubiquitous watch cap,” says
Fashion designers have gone mad show, others have carried into comebacks, you don’t want Cook. In short, it’s a case of
the new year. And with Fendi, to look like a carbon copy of being less “as you were” and
for Madchester-style bucket hats Kent & Curwen and River more “as you want to be”.
that, until recently, were considered Island all in on the act, you
beyond the pale. So, why are they
tipping their brim to this retro hit?

G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19
02

01

The New
Old School
“Keep it current
with a form-fitting
zip-through knit”
– Dean Cook,
Browns

04
STOCKISTS: BURTON.CO.UK, K-WAY.CO.UK, PRINGLESCOTLAND.COM, RIVERISLAND.COM

01-K-WAY
£50
02-BURTON
MENSWEAR £14
03-PRINGLE OF
03 SCOTLAND £125
04-RIVER
ISLAND £15

Photography by Rowan Fee

Words by Jamie Millar
Styling by Eric Down
 Flares For The decade that style

Fashion
apparently forgot has
been remembered with
renewed fondness as
a riot of corduroys and
shearling, orange and
brown, hits the rails.
But from AM radio
rockers to Boogie Nights
lotharios, which style
tribe do you most dig?
GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19

BLAZER £520
AND TROUSERS £230
BOTH SANDRO AT
MRPORTER.COM
CARDIGAN £115
BROOKS BROTHERS
SHIRT £290
CERRUTI 1881
SHOES £150
GH BASS & CO
HAT £395
LOCK & CO HATTERS
GLASSES £285
CUTLER AND GROSS
TIE £240
BRUNELLO CUCINELLI
WATCH £1,100
BAMFORD GMT

The Cerebral Auteur

No, he’s not dressed like Wes Anderson – he’s channelling the films of Coppola and Fellini.
Hence the corduroy suit in upholstery brown that, crucially, isn’t vintage. Sandro and Brooks
Brothers perfectly capture that 1970s vibe but they’ve tweaked the fits for 2018, while
Cutler and Gross’s heavy-browed specs are a knowing take on the kind once favoured by
renegade auteurs-in-training at the local rep cinema. The same goes for the timepiece:
Bamford’s retro GMT watch is an authentic alternative to today’s dinner-plate-sized tickers.
 STYLE TRIBES: 1970S CHIC

Retro Revisit
“To keep things
current, team one
1970s piece with your
day-to-day wardrobe”
– Jake Turner,
Rokit Vintage

GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19
JACKET £895 OFF-WHITE
AT MRPORTER.COM
ROLL-NECK £155
JOHN SMEDLEY
SHIRT £185 FRAME
JEANS £85 LEVI’S
BOOTS £695 JIMMY CHOO
BASEBALL CAP £65
LUCKY SEVEN
SUNGLASSES £170
SHERIFF & CHERRY
WATCH £1,300 TAG HEUER

The Last Outlaw Photography by Jobe Lawrenson

Are you talking to him? Probably. But only to ask him where he got that field jacket. It’s this
Styling by Riccardo Chiudioni
season’s Off-White, but looks so authentically lived-in that he might have swiped it from Words by Tom Banham
De Niro’s wardrobe. No mohawk, though: for him, it’s all about the Burt Reynolds mane,
held in place with Native’s Styling Surf Spray. He had to get rid of the Harley when the kids
arrived, but he kept the weathered Chelsea boots, which peek out from his straight-leg
Levi’s. They give him that feel of the open road, even if he’s crammed onto the Central Line.
GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19

STOCKISTS: ADIDAS AT OFFICE.CO.UK, AKG.COM, AMPLIFIEDCLOTHING.COM, BALLY.CO.UK, BAMFORDWATCHDEPARTMENT.COM, BROOKSBROTHERS.COM, BRUNELLOCUCINELLI.COM,

CARL-F-BUCHERER.COM, CERRUTI.COM, CONVERSE.COM, CUTLERANDGROSS.COM, EMANUELE BICOCCHI AT SELFRIDGES.COM, FENDER.COM, FRAME-STORE.COM, GHBASS-EU.COM
SHIRT £148 THE KOOPLES
VEST £200 BALLY
TRACKPANTS £610 GUCCI
AT MATCHESFASHION.COM
SHOES £70 ADIDAS AT OFFICE
SUNGLASSES £435
CUTLER AND GROSS
NECKLACE £490 VERSACE
AT HARVEY NICHOLS
BRACELET £200 EMANUELE
BICOCCHI AT SELFRIDGES
BAG £880 PRADA
WATCH £3,600
CARL F BUCHERER

The Reformed Porn Star

What began as a Movember giggle has got slightly out of hand. His handlebar moustache
has now been joined by a chest rug, in which nestles a heavyweight Versace medallion.
Check his wrist for yet more gold. But this spin on 1970s bling isn’t mere costume. His
velvety Gucci trackpants hang with grace; he’s all about flair, not flares. And those shirts,
worn as wide open as post-Nixon China, aren’t vintage Hawaiians. They’re sharper takes on
the style by the Kooples, of course. Polyester’s the one thing this guy is happy not to revive.
 STYLE TRIBES: 1970S CHIC

Cleaning Up
“Use unscented
baby shampoo to
remove dirt from
vintage leather”
– Danielle Kendry,
Absolute Vintage

GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19
JACKET £409 SCHOTT
PERFECTO
GUCCI AT MATCHESFASHION.COM, JIMMYCHOO.COM, JOHNSMEDLEY.COM, LGRWORLD.COM, LEVI.COM, LOCKHATTERS.CO.UK, LUCKYSEVENCAPS.COM, OFF-WHITE AT MRPORTER.COM,
PRADA.COM, SANDRO AT MRPORTER.COM, SCHOTT PERFECTO AT SELFRIDGES.COM, SHERIFFANDCHERRY.COM, TAGHEUER.CO.UK, THEKOOPLES.CO.UK, VERSACE AT HARVEYNICHOLS.COM

T-SHIRT £20 AMPLIFIED

CLOTHING
JEANS £205 FRAME
SHOES £55 CONVERSE
SUNGLASSES £270 LGR
HEADPHONES £30 AKG
GUITAR £559 FENDER

The Born-Too-Late Rocker

Having raided Dad’s record collection, he knows that music just sounds warmer on wax.
But until they invent a pocket-sized turntable, he makes do with the Astell & Kern SR15
for that hi-fi sound on the move. On his head, a pair of AKGs – the go-to brand of rock
engineers when the Ramones were breaking the land speed record. And below, it’s all
neo-Dee Dee Ramone, too – ironic Iron Maiden tee, skinny Frame jeans and Converse
primed and ready to endure the pit at CBGB. Now, he just needs to learn to play the guitar.
 Trench WARDROBE CLASSIC

It may have earned its iconic status

on the battlefield a century ago,
but the inherent functionality of a

Revolution
The rise of swamping outerwear,
better suited to the icy summit
trench still makes it your strongest,
most stylish ally in the face of
a Great British deluge

of Kilimanjaro than Kilburn, has

resulted in an irritating profusion Clean Lines
of Puffa ensembles crowding the If your trench is
bar. Which is why the renaissance in dire need of a
of the trench coat – as seen at
wash, pop it in a mesh
Dior, Canali and Louis Vuitton –
is a welcome development. bag to protect your
The trench is an urbane solution buttons, straps
to cold-weather dressing: less and buckles
GROOMING: OSCAR ALEXANDER USING CLINIQUE AND FUDGE | MODEL: LOUIS GRIFFITHS AT SELECT MODEL MANAGEMENT | STOCKISTS: BRUNELLOCUCINELLI.COM,

counterfeit adventurer, more

sartorial faithful. It also has a rich
history. Both Aquascutum and
Burberry claim to have invented it
in the 19th century, originally as a

G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19
lighter, waterproof alternative to
CANALI.IT, CHRISTIANLOUBOUTIN.COM, GUCCI AT MRPORTER.COM, HANRO.CO.UK, REISS.COM | ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY

the military greatcoat, which later

saw service in two world wars.
“Form and function come
together perfectly in the trench
coat,” says William Gilchrist, stylist
to the Rolling Stones. “It’s a design
worth saluting.” Every element has
COAT £1,800 CANALI
purpose – the D-rings on the belt SHIRT £85 REISS
VEST £33 HANRO
might no longer be used to hold TROUSERS £670
grenades, but the storm flap on BRUNELLO CUCINELLI
SHOES £795
the shoulder, the throat latch and CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
BAG £1,420 GUCCI
sleeve straps bolster the garment’s AT MR PORTER
all-weather credentials.
Yet even bulletproof design
must evolve. Louis Vuitton offers
a leather trench that may feel too
Matrix for most, but it’s chic
nonetheless. Meanwhile, Hancock
and Norwegian Rain are making
use of engineered fabrics that
efficiently repel water. “Advances
in technology mean that the
trench coat has stopped being a
personal sauna. Fabrics can wick
and breathe,” adds Gilchrist.
So, should you feel the urge to
sing in the rain, you’ll finish in finer
fettle than a certain Gene Kelly. Photography by
Hamish Brown
Styling by
Art Humphrey Bogart Alain Delon Michael Caine Eric Down
Bogie’s Burberry, with The British trench Michael Caine’s black,
of the its soft structure met French Left double-breasted Words by
Trench elegantly fitting over a Bank cool courtesy of number in 1971’s Get Stephen Doig
Learn from suit, was Casablanca’s Alain Delon in 1967’s Carter brought to the
the timeless third star – though Le Samouraï. Teamed trench the hard-edged
icons who being complemented with a jaunty-angled toughness of a Geordie
wore it well by dusky one-liners trilby, it cemented gangster. Layer it over
and Ingrid Bergman the coat’s furtive a flannel three-piece
helped its case. noir aesthetic. – shotgun optional.

MEN’S HEALTH 115

 A Call War – what is it good
for? Well, watchmaking,
Remember that flashback to
Butch Coolidge’s childhood
in Pulp Fiction? Christopher
Walken’s mesmerising Captain
Koons coaxes a young Butch

To Arms
from his TV cartoons by
actually. The superb presenting him with a gold
legibility and durability watch that had belonged to
of an unashamedly generations of Coolidge
military men – a legacy Koons
rugged military-issue had promised Butch’s father
timepiece make it an he’d help to uphold. “The way
your daddy looked at it, that
essential component of watch was your birthright,”
your sartorial arsenal says Koons. “So he hid it in the
one place he knew he could
hide something: his ass.”
Other than hoping that the
captain had given it a thorough
clean and service, watch nerds
will have noted that Quentin
Tarantino’s prop master had
done well. The gifted item is
a genuine First World War
“trench” watch, complete with
G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19

02
Officer Class
01 Timex Allied
40mm £80
If you think that
the Timex Allied’s
24-hour dial markings
– picked out in a
canary yellow as
plucky as a feather
in an officer’s beret –
feel strangely familiar,
you’d be right. This

STOCKISTS: HAMILTONWATCH.COM, LUMINOX.COM, TIMEX.CO.UK, ULYSSE-NARDIN.COM, VERTEX-WATCHES.COM, VICTORINOX.COM

is the Dutch-owned
watchmaker’s
highly modern,
brass-cased
take on the US
military watch, a
02
no-nonsense style
it convincingly
embodies.

01
Absolute Power
Ulysse Nardin Marine 03
Torpilleur £6,800 Elite Squad
With its 60-hour power Luminox Navy SEAL
reserve and in-house 3502 Series £395
movement, Ulysse The US navy’s elite
Nardin’s Marine SEAL unit doesn’t just
Torpilleur is as 03 license out that dial
luxurious a “mil-spec” marking – it relies on
as the battlefield would Luminox’s tough-as-
permit. Though most old-flippers diving
top-end watchmakers watches. As well as
would showcase such tritium gas tubes that
mechanics using a glow for 25 years,
crystal caseback, this black-ops agent
Nardin celebrates its comes equipped
maritime heritage with a unique form of
with an engraving of armour: lightweight,
the watch’s torpedo chemical-resistant
boat namesake Carbonox composite.
Designed for all
environments – like
the SEALs themselves.
 WRIST ASSESSMENT

soldered, wire-loop strap Britain’s Vertex, making a

attachments. It was on the complete set of all 12 models,
Belgian front line that men’s known as “the Dirty Dozen”, Lost and Found
watches migrated from the a watch collector’s holy grail. Point your watch’s 05
pocket to the wrist. Young Today, almost every hour hand at the sun Stealth Attack
Butch was probably just essential military-watch trope Vertex M100B
grateful for a watch so robust
– true south is £2,624
can be traced back to the
halfway between When Don Cochrane
it had weathered every major WWW watches of 1944: revived his great-
20th-century conflict since. no-nonsense, white-on- the hour hand and grandfather’s London
War has incubated myriad black styling, precision 12 o’clock brand in 2016, Vertex’s
advances in the wristwatch, timekeeping and first phoenix from the
ashes was a new take 06
from hands-free convenience decent water on its Allied military
to dial luminescence and the resistance. Oh, and a American Hero
WWW piece of 1944. Hamilton Khaki Field
rotating bezel. But if this year’s rugged steel case. Bad With its numerals Mechanical £375
new recruits are anything to news if you want to in dazzling Super- Before it joined
LumiNova, this variant Switzerland’s vast
go by, the definitive combo keep yours “safe” in comes in stealth
of features that makes a prison camp... Swatch Group as an
mode, coated in black affordable cousin of
a “mil-spec” watch such diamond-like carbon. Omega, Longines et al,
a versatile addition to any Hamilton was one of
man’s footlocker was America’s biggest
achieved towards the end of watchmakers, making
it the natural choice for
the Second World War. This the US infantry during
was when the Ministry of the Second World War.
Defence commissioned With its manual-wind
12 brands to create the movement, this
millimetre-perfect
“Watches Wristlets reissue is as faithful
Waterproof” range. as it can get to its

G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19
Just 145,000 1940s forebear.
were issued to
Allied forces by the
likes of Omega,
Longines and

05

04
Field Weapon
Victorinox INOX
Professional Diver
04
Titanium £649
Jokes about the
need for corkscrews
aside, the ubiquity
of Victorinox’s
Swiss army knife
06
“out in the field”,
from footlockers
to the International
Space Station, more
than qualifies its
tool watches as
battle-worthy. This
one adds a sturdy,
200m-water-resistant
titanium case, camo
dial and a strap made
from parachute cord Photography
for good measure.
by Rowan Fee
Words by Alex Doak
 THE PORTFOLIO

Double
Take
This season’s collections have reclaimed
the double-breasted jacket from Messrs
Gekko and Rees-Mogg by recutting it in
a leisurely style that’s rakish and relaxed
in equal measure. Here’s how to double
down – and ease up while you’re at it
G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19

SUIT £695
SHIRT £219
BOTH BOSS
VEST £33 HANRO
SHOES £795
CHRISTIAN
LOUBOUTIN
Photography by Hamish Brown
Styling by Eric Down
 THE PORTFOLIO

BLAZER £940
ZIP-THROUGH
£555
BOTH STELLA
MCCARTNEY
TROUSERS £790
PRADA
GLASSES £235
GREY ANT
BAG £1,630
CORNELIANI
GROOMING: OSCAR ALEXANDER USING CLINIQUE AND FUDGE | MODEL: EDGE AT SELECT MODEL MANAGEMENT | STYLE ASSISTANTS: RICCARDO CHIUDIONI, LAUREN MITCHELL | DIGITAL OPERATOR: JAKUB GLOSER | PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: SCOTT ARCHIBALD

MANOLO
ARMANI

BLAHNIK
SHIRT £420

SHOES £650
SUIT £2,000

BOTH GIORGIO

The Sartorialist
– Scott Schuman,
Opening Gambit

the look feel current”

an open-neck shirt or
a sporty, high-neck zip-
jacket unbuttoned, with

through, instantly makes

“Wearing a double-breasted
G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19
 THE PORTFOLIO

Hang Loose
“The modern double-breasted
jacket is more comfortable than
its starchy predecessor, as it is
looser, has a fuller drape and
feels more natural when your
hands are in your pockets”
– Robert J Spangle,
Thousand Yard Style
G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19

SUIT £885
RICHARD JAMES
T-SHIRT £180
ETRO
SHIRT (ON COUCH)
£135 RICHARD
JAMES
 THE PORTFOLIO

COFFEE POT £95, TRAY £99, TEACUP AND SAUCER £46 ALL ALESSI.COM

BLAZER £900
TROUSERS £540
BOTH PAUL
SMITH
T-SHIRT £165
BAG £1,220
BOTH PRADA
SHOES £765
CHRISTIAN
LOUBOUTIN
HAT £250 LOCK
& CO HATTERS
STOCKISTS: ARMANI.COM, BOSS.COM, CHRISTIANLOUBOUTIN.COM, CORNELIANI.COM, DIOR.COM, ETRO.COM, GREYANT.COM, HANRO.CO.UK, LOCKHATTERS.CO.UK, MANOLOBLAHNIK.COM, MATCHESFASHION.COM, PAULSMITH.COM, PRADA.COM, RICHARD-JAMES.COM, STELLAMCCARTNEY.COM

G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19
Wide Boy
“Playing with your proportions
is a strong statement. A soft,
wide-leg trouser looks cool and
is comfortable for a bigger
physique. The fluidity also
gives ease to the formality”
– Jonathan Daniel Pryce,
GarconJon

JACKET £2,200
TROUSERS £690
BOTH DIOR
SHIRT £133
MASSIMO ALBA
AT MATCHES
FASHION
SHOES £515
PRADA
GLASSES £260
GREY ANT
 Peel Acid and faces tend not to
be good bedfellows. But the
glycolic kind – isolated from
sugary sources such as

Sessions grapes and pineapples – is

pretty sweet for your skin.
This low-pH wonder peel
sloughs off dead skin to leave
your face lighter, brighter
and bathed in moisture

Balancing Act
Avoid mixing acids
such as glycolic
and vitamin C – this
can alter pH levels,
making them
GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19

less effectivef

01
For sun damage
DCL Skin Renewal Complex SPF30
Because glycolic acid thins your skin by
removing dead cells, it’s doubly important
to cover up with an SPF. This moisturiser
includes SPF30 alongside glycolic
and hyaluronic acids, so your newly
smoothened skin is UV-protected.
£117 spacenk.com

Photography by Barry Makariou

Words by Tom Banham
 GROOMING MANUAL

02 For razor burn and redness 03 For oily skin 04 For dull skin
Anthony Glycolic Facial Cleanser Malin+Goetz AHA Treatment Solution REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask
Glycolic acid strips dead skin cells, but high Men have more sebaceous glands than women, If your skin is looking grey, it’s probably coated
concentrations can leave skin raw. At 4.9%, so our skin gets greasy quickly. M+G’s solution in a layer of dead cells. Smear this mask on, enjoy
Anthony’s is strong enough to exfoliate and pairs glycolic and lactic acids, which mop up oil the tingly feeling for 10 minutes (this indicates
soften the coarsest sailor’s beard, but gentle but hydrate the cells, to leave your face matte the acid is exfoliating them all off), then wash

GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19
enough to use daily. Perfect for swashbucklers. but moisturised. Derek Zoolander-worthy. away to reveal skin that glows like a newborn’s.
£26 thegroomingclinic.com £36 malinandgoetz.co.uk £36 spacenk.com

05 For saggy skin 06 For wrinkles 07 For breakouts

Perricone MD High Potency Face Firming Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads Bulldog Oil Control Blemish Targeter
Once only available to dermatologists, this serum’s Glycolic acid molecules are minuscule, so they When your normal cleanser’s not cutting it, this
one-two acid punch offers instant firmness. penetrate deep into your skin to stimulate targeted treatment deploys the grease-killing
Glycolic hydrates skin from within, while alpha collagen production. This burly cocktail of alpha, power of glycolic acid alongside spot-stoppers
lipoic fights free radicals, repairing damaged beta and gamma acids – including glycolic – witch hazel and lactic acid, to bust breakouts
skin cells. Worth a punt for any jowly cheeks. removes dead cells and plumps fine lines. before they flare up on your handsome mug.
£95 spacenk.com £46 selfridges.com £6 bulldogskincare.com

Strength
in Numbers Alkaline Acid
Pick the wrong potency
and you could get
burned. Here’s how to
find your ideal pH 5% 7% 10% 20%+
Sensitive Glycolic Oily or acid- Professional
skin acid virgins tolerant skin chemical peels
 Baggage Not long ago, man bags
were seen as epicene
affectations. But in

Reclaim these more enlightened

times, we’re beginning
to realise that small
isn’t just beautiful –
it’s a whole lot more
practical, too

OO £ 75 0
I M M Y CH
J
GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19

S £ 16 0
M AIN

£495
R RY
M UL B E

EY £350
C ART N
L A MC
S T EL

50
£1,3
DIO R
 THE EDIT: MAN BAGS

Neat Solution
“Unlike backpacks,
these light, stylish
bags won’t crease and
distort your jacket”
– Gene Ricketts,
opumo.com

7
PA K £2
E AST
STOCKISTS: UK.COACH.COM, DIOR.COM, EASTPAK.COM, JIMMYCHOO.COM, MAINSLONDON.COM, MULBERRY.COM, RIVERISLAND.COM, STELLAMCCARTNEY.COM, UK.TOMMY.COM, UMBRO.CO.UK

GUID E TO STY LE – 0 3 / 19
0
TIO N £11
LLEC
IG ER CO
HILF

H £ 25 0
C OAC

8
N D £1
E R I SL A
RI V

O £30
U M BR

Photography by Rowan Fee

Styling by Eric Down
Jonathan
HOW I GET DRESSED

As the head of design at Levi’s, Jonathan

Cheung knows that starting the day

Cheung
on the right foot is vital. A clean diet,
fastidious exercise routine and a
considered wardrobe provide the tools
he needs to be as resilient as his denim
06
6.25am LEVI’S 501
5.45am One of my most prized JEANS £65
After my alarm goes off, watches is my Sinn
I have a quick stretch. I EZM1 (8), a minimalist
don’t eat breakfast during chronograph without
the week: human beings subdials, made of titanium.
have evolved to be There’s something Dieter
mentally sharper when 02 Rams-ish about it.
VICTORINOX PIONEER
we’re hungry. Instead, ALOX KNIFE £47
I just have some coffee. 6.28am
Trucker and Sherpa
5.55am jackets are my outerwear
I don’t shower the first go-tos. I often wear
thing in the morning – vintage styles: they just
I leave it until after I’ve get better with age, as the
worked out in the evening. material becomes more
I was a small, skinny kid lived-in and seasoned.
G UI DE TO STYL E – 0 3 / 19

and bulking up helped me

psychologically. Tabata is
05

WORDS: SHANE C KURUP | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK | WAHL.CO.UK, VICTORINOX.COM, KIEHLS.CO.UK, GETQUIP.COM, LEVI.COM, ADIDAS.CO.UK, SINN AT JURAWATCHES.CO.UK
great for building stamina. 6.02am 6.45am
I use a Swiss army knife (2) I walk my schnauzer, Suzy,
5.56am to deal with my stray hairs every morning. Walking is
I’ve been buzz-cutting my and nails – a great example active meditation, when
hair for years, since a girl of how good design can your subconscious and
convinced me to get rid of address our needs. I have conscious minds join the
my Liam Gallagher/Bruce one in nearly every room: a dots. It’s a crucial part of
Lee mop. I have Wahl hair white one in my bathroom, Jonathan the creative process.
to match my tiles.
trimmers (1), which I also Cheung
use on my face: it’s more In a 25-year
robust than other shavers. 6.03am 7.15am
career spanning I have a beautiful commute
After washing my face, I six countries, across the Golden Gate
6.01am apply Kiehl’s Oil Eliminator Cheung has Bridge. I listen to a
Every now and then, moisturiser (3), which worked with podcast or a book
I check out my body doesn’t leave your face Giorgio Armani, summary on blinkist.com
composition on my greasy. I also use Mother Franco Moschino as I drive. It’s important
Fitbit scales. Because Dirt’s probiotic spray, and Marc Jacobs
LEVI’S T-SHIRT £25 to maximise your time.
of my intermittent which clears, controls
fasting and clean diet, and tightens my skin.
staying below 8% body 08
6.14am
fat is fairly effortless. 6.07am The classic 501 (6) is my
I clean my teeth with a everyday pair. The design
03 Quip electric toothbrush is still so popular as it
(4) – it has a clever, pen- evolved from a practical
like design, with a cap need (originally, the jeans
that makes it stick to were worn by gold miners
tiles or a mirror, so it over their trousers).
doesn’t leave a sticky
residue on your sink.
6.18am
6.12am Trainers are my main bag.
The perfect T-shirt is like I only wear classic designs,
a unicorn. It’s very hard such as Adidas Stan Smith
to define. I go for brands 01 (7) or Vans Pro Skate. I’m
WAHL AQUA BLADE a bit older now, so I’d feel
like J Crew and, of course, BEARD AND STUBBLE SINN
Levi’s (5). I prefer a closer TRIMMER £90 a bit too try-hard in the EZM1 WATCH ADIDAS ORIGINALS
fit, as it streamlines your latest Yeezy Boosts. £4,800 07 STAN SMITH £75

KIEHL’S OIL
frame and prevents you
ELIMINATOR £33 from looking shorter.
Jonathan’s Heavy-Duty Style Advice
04 01/ Jean Splicing 02/ Effortless Cool 03/ Dark Matters
Make sure you own two White trainers have the Having a base palette
decent pairs of jeans: a sort of easy charm that of “masculine” colours
black pair and a light-blue Hardy Amies often – dark indigo, black,
wash. They’re a solid bedrock cited. They’ll even make your grey and olive – is a risk-free
QUIP SLATE
METAL ELECTRIC on which to build your look. suit look more contemporary. way to wear bolder shades.
TOOTHBRUSH £40