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Men's Health Australia March 2021 (Digital)

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90 Articles

COME WHAT MAY, BELIEVE

Back in 2014, carefree and in the early stages of my journalistic life, I found myself anticipating another dispiriting season as a NSW Waratahs supporter. Following years of woeful results, the ’Tahs launched an aggressive marketing campaign that summer to reengage waning fans. The campaign amounted to a desperate plea for supporters to “believe” in the team, with the word plastered across TV, print and playing fields alike. So unlikely did a successful season seem that the campaign verged on the comedic, and my mates and I made a pact that if the ’Tahs happened to win the Super Rugby comp that year, we would get a permanent reminder of their triumph inked on our torsos. In pre-pandemic times, nothing seemed more improbable than a ’Tahs’ victory celebration. Six months later,…

COME WHAT MAY, BELIEVE

COME WHAT MAY, BELIEVE

Back in 2014, carefree and in the early stages of my journalistic life, I found myself anticipating another dispiriting season as a NSW Waratahs supporter. Following years of woeful results, the ’Tahs launched an aggressive marketing campaign that summer to reengage waning fans. The campaign amounted to a desperate plea for supporters to “believe” in the team, with the word plastered across TV, print and playing fields alike. So unlikely did a successful season seem that the campaign verged on the comedic, and my mates and I made a pact that if the ’Tahs happened to win the Super Rugby comp that year, we would get a permanent reminder of their triumph inked on our torsos. In pre-pandemic times, nothing seemed more improbable than a ’Tahs’ victory celebration. Six months…

COME WHAT MAY, BELIEVE

THE BIG QUESTION

Autumn is around the corner. Can I skip legs day? – CT Though it’s always tempting to swap deadlifts for biceps curls, drop the bro science in favour of, well, actual science and you’ll realise that it’s a bad idea. A true stacksman knows that, even when their ironclad quads are confined to long trousers, total fitness hinges on hard work below the belt. “Fat loss, cardio fitness, lean mass – whatever your aim, you won’t achieve it without lower-body strength,” says personal trainer Mun Dhariwal. “For starters, legs days not only provide a chance to exercise while your upper body recovers, but they also strengthen the injury – preventing stabilising muscles in your midriff and below.” Research confirms this: the University of Central Florida found that your risk of serious injury…

THE BIG QUESTION

ANCIENT SOLUTION TO A MODERN PROBLEM

Q Why do I stress out before a Zoom call with my boss? A If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.–Lao Tzu; b. circa 400-600BC TEXT A THERAPIST Today 05.01pm The Sunday fear is kicking in. Got a chill pill, doc? Your starter for Zen: send calming signals to the brain by taking five big breaths that expand your belly. Hmm. It’s a good start, but deep breaths won’t help me sleep before tomorrow’s... presentation… OK, write a list of your worries in two columns: one for things you can’t control and one for things you can. Spend 30 minutes thinking through them all. “Free-roam worrying” helps you identify what is worth your mental…

ANCIENT SOLUTION TO A MODERN PROBLEM

THE BIG QUESTION

Autumn is around the corner. Can I skip legs day? – CT Though it’s always tempting to swap deadlifts for biceps curls, drop the bro science in favour of, well, actual science and you’ll realise that it’s a bad idea. A true stacksman knows that, even when their ironclad quads are confined to long trousers, total fitness hinges on hard work below the belt. “Fat loss, cardio fitness, lean mass – whatever your aim, you won’t achieve it without lower-body strength,” says personal trainer Mun Dhariwal. “For starters, legs days not only provide a chance to exercise while your upper body recovers, but they also strengthen the injury – preventing stabilising muscles in your midriff and below.” Research confirms this: the University of Central Florida found that your risk of…

THE BIG QUESTION

ASK THE GIRLS IN THE OFFICE

I’m all for the COVID vaccine, but the girl I’m seeing is an anti- vaxxer. Can this work? – BV Lucy I don’t think it’s necessarily a deal-breaker. Personally, I’m not anti-vax but I do think there are arguments on both sides. Harriet I’m thinking it is a total deal-breaker. It’s like getting together with someone and you want to have kids one day and they don’t. It’s a core issue that comes back to core values. A lot of other beliefs go along with being anti-vax, so sorry to say it but I think you’re always going to be clashing. Lizza And there’s no compromising on this one. No meeting halfway. Lucy True, you can’t have half a vaccine. Maybe you’re right, on reflection. Harriet I’d definitely say have the conversation first – hear…

ASK THE GIRLS IN THE OFFICE

ANCIENT SOLUTION TO A MODERN PROBLEM

Q Why do I stress out before a Zoom call with my boss? A If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.–Lao Tzu; b. circa 400-600BC TEXT A THERAPIST Today 05.01pm The Sunday fear is kicking in. Got a chill pill, doc? Your starter for Zen: send calming signals to the brain by taking five big breaths that expand your belly. Hmm. It’s a good start, but deep breaths won’t help me sleep before tomorrow’s... presentation… OK, write a list of your worries in two columns: one for things you can’t control and one for things you can. Spend 30 minutes thinking through them all. “Free-roam worrying”…

ANCIENT SOLUTION TO A MODERN PROBLEM

LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED

SQUEEZING IN an extra workout class, batchcooking healthy meals, the early-morning cycle to work... following weight-loss advice would be easier if you had a few more hours in the day. But resist the temptation to rise an hour earlier or to push back your bedtime. Allowing your new regimen to eat into your sleep is only sabotaging your body goals. Though research in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that low-kilojoule dieters achieved the same amount of weight loss whether they slept for an average of 5.5 or 8.5 hours per night, the devil is in the detail. If you lose sleep, most of the weight you cut will come from lean mass, not fat. In other words, if you start burning the candle at both ends, you’ll inadvertently torch through…

LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED

ASK THE GIRLS IN THE OFFICE

I’m all for the COVID vaccine, but the girl I’m seeing is an anti- vaxxer. Can this work? – BV Lucy I don’t think it’s necessarily a deal-breaker. Personally, I’m not anti-vax but I do think there are arguments on both sides. Harriet I’m thinking it is a total deal-breaker. It’s like getting together with someone and you want to have kids one day and they don’t. It’s a core issue that comes back to core values. A lot of other beliefs go along with being anti-vax, so sorry to say it but I think you’re always going to be clashing. Lizza And there’s no compromising on this one. No meeting halfway. Lucy True, you can’t have half a vaccine. Maybe you’re right, on reflection. Harriet I’d definitely say have…

ASK THE GIRLS IN THE OFFICE

LIVE LONGER WITH A GLASS HALF FULL

WHERE OUR AMERICAN friends are notorious for their exhausting optimism, Australians tend merely to hope for the best and deal with any disasters as they arise. But it turns out our pragmatic mentality is not a longevity booster. According to the latest science, Instagram-worthy positivity is good for your health. We have long known optimists live longer than pessimists, but scientists assumed that a positive outlook was just an outcome of good health, not its cause. Now, researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine have discovered that it works both ways. Their long-term study of 70,000 older people found that, on average, the most optimistic participants lived 15 per cent longer. Though it’s true that the upbeat individuals were more likely to take active steps to overcome life’s challenges –…

LIVE LONGER WITH A GLASS HALF FULL

FOR MARINE MUSCLE, YOU NEED TO GO DEEP

THE JAPANESE have grown and eaten wakame seaweed for centuries, but it has yet to drift into the Western mainstream. Our loss: studies show that the marine algae is swimming with nutrients that could help you gain strength and shed fat, fast. Wakame, which you’ve already tried if you’ve ever slurped down a hot bowl of miso soup, deserves to be a staple outside the sushi bar. According to a study in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, it contains fucoxanthin, a carotenoid that promotes fat oxidation. It’s also a source of hesperetin, a flavonoid that stimulates the formation of muscle tissue and provides a boost to bone health as you age. It’s little surprise, then, that when scientists at the Korea Food Research Institute studied the effect of wakame on mice over…

FOR MARINE MUSCLE, YOU NEED TO GO DEEP

LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED

SQUEEZING IN an extra workout class, batchcooking healthy meals, the early-morning cycle to work... following weight-loss advice would be easier if you had a few more hours in the day. But resist the temptation to rise an hour earlier or to push back your bedtime. Allowing your new regimen to eat into your sleep is only sabotaging your body goals. Though research in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that low-kilojoule dieters achieved the same amount of weight loss whether they slept for an average of 5.5 or 8.5 hours per night, the devil is in the detail. If you lose sleep, most of the weight you cut will come from lean mass, not fat. In other words, if you start burning the candle at both ends, you’ll inadvertently torch…

LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED

HOST WITH THE MOST

ADVANTAGE STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME OSHER GÜNSBERG is speaking to me from his ‘Pod Cave’ in the downstairs section of his new house. It used to be a nursery, he says, but after moving in back in December 2019, he promptly liquid-nailed soundproofing to the walls. Seated at his desk with his computer in front of him, Günsberg’s headphones are plugged into his RØDECaster studio console, as he speaks through his ‘good mic’. Around him lie the remnants of a virtual gameshow he hosted the previous evening with the guys from his regular Wednesday evening poker night. “I’ve been playing with the same guys for the last 15 years,” he says. “We’ve all been to each others’ bachelor parties and weddings and we’ve slept on each others’ couches after divorces. We’ve been…

HOST WITH THE MOST

LIVE LONGER WITH A GLASS HALF FULL

WHERE OUR AMERICAN friends are notorious for their exhausting optimism, Australians tend merely to hope for the best and deal with any disasters as they arise. But it turns out our pragmatic mentality is not a longevity booster. According to the latest science, Instagram-worthy positivity is good for your health. We have long known optimists live longer than pessimists, but scientists assumed that a positive outlook was just an outcome of good health, not its cause. Now, researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine have discovered that it works both ways. Their long-term study of 70,000 older people found that, on average, the most optimistic participants lived 15 per cent longer. Though it’s true that the upbeat individuals were more likely to take active steps to overcome life’s challenges…

LIVE LONGER WITH A GLASS HALF FULL

PICK OF THE PODS

TOFOP “I check in with Wil Anderson and Charlie Clausen on TOFOP every week. They are the two guys chatting at the pub and I’m just the bloke in the corner listening to them and that makes me feel like I’m connected.” 50 THINGS THAT MADE THE MODERN ECONOMY “It’s a very nerdy podcast from the BBC. It takes about 10 minutes and it’s very, very good.” 13 MINUTES TO THE MOON “Extraordinary storytelling.” THE BLINDBOY PODCAST “He’s a polymath out of Ireland, who wears a plastic bag on his head to maintain anonymity. He talks a lot about training, mental health and politics. Super nerdy, but he’s fucking good.”…

PICK OF THE PODS

MORE NORSEPOWER FOR YOUR ENGINE

GOING ALL OUT under a barbell with big compound squats is all very well, but it pays to be specific, too. And if you want to run further or pedal faster, you sometimes need to pump the brakes. This combination of two little-known exercises will slow you down for speedy gains. “The Sissy squat – named after Greek mythology’s Sisyphus – is one of the best quad-isolating moves you can do,” says veteran PT Scott Laidler. “And the Nordic curl works on your hamstrings to balance out your progress and injury-proof your lower body.” Together, the exercises target the two major muscles of your upper leg, building levels of power and speed worthy of an epic hero. Laidler stresses the importance of maintaining good form throughout. Your swift progress in the saddle…

MORE NORSEPOWER FOR YOUR ENGINE

FOR MARINE MUSCLE, YOU NEED TO GO DEEP

THE JAPANESE have grown and eaten wakame seaweed for centuries, but it has yet to drift into the Western mainstream. Our loss: studies show that the marine algae is swimming with nutrients that could help you gain strength and shed fat, fast. Wakame, which you’ve already tried if you’ve ever slurped down a hot bowl of miso soup, deserves to be a staple outside the sushi bar. According to a study in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, it contains fucoxanthin, a carotenoid that promotes fat oxidation. It’s also a source of hesperetin, a flavonoid that stimulates the formation of muscle tissue and provides a boost to bone health as you age. It’s little surprise, then, that when scientists at the Korea Food Research Institute studied the effect of wakame on mice…

FOR MARINE MUSCLE, YOU NEED TO GO DEEP

A WHOLE FISH – ON THE GRILL!

30G The Protein White fish cooks fast and turns flaky and luscious on the grill. Go with red snapper (or striped bass or sea bass). They all have at least 26 grams of protein for fewer than 2552 kJ per 110g serving BUY IT Ask the person behind the counter to “scale, gut and clean” the fish, but leave the head on for presentation value. Fresh fish should have a clear eye, a clean (not fishy) smell, and no slick of slime on the skin. COOK IT Fish with Orange Sauce Skin-on fish is notorious for sticking to grill grates and generally making a mess. Prevent all that with a technique called reverse searing, in which you cook the fish with indirect heat first, then crisp the skin over direct heat WHAT YOU’LL NEED 1 WHOLE WHITE-FLESHED FISH…

A WHOLE FISH – ON THE GRILL!

CROCODILES OFTEN SWALLOW rocks, which can then tumble around harmlessly in their stomachs for years. A bellyful of rocks may even help crocodiles control their buoyancy and digest prey. (There’s a point to this, I promise.) There live among us people who take romantic rejection very well: I call them super-rejects. Like the rocks in the belly of the crocodile, rejections can pile up inside these super-rejects without causing any damage, until they are passed into the riverbed, unnoticed. When you turn down one of these super-rejects, they do not send you a multi-text dirge. They do not spiral or reach for whatever bottle of dark liquor is lurking in the back of the cupboard. They experience a healthy moment of woe, and they move on. The chillness of the super-reject often…

HOST WITH THE MOST

ADVANTAGE STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME OSHER GÜNSBERG is speaking to me from his ‘Pod Cave’ in the downstairs section of his new house. It used to be a nursery, he says, but after moving in back in December 2019, he promptly liquid-nailed soundproofing to the walls. Seated at his desk with his computer in front of him, Günsberg’s headphones are plugged into his RØDECaster studio console, as he speaks through his ‘good mic’. Around him lie the remnants of a virtual gameshow he hosted the previous evening with the guys from his regular Wednesday evening poker night. “I’ve been playing with the same guys for the last 15 years,” he says. “We’ve all been to each others’ bachelor parties and weddings and we’ve slept on each others’ couches after…

HOST WITH THE MOST

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ...I HIT THE WALL?

1 RUNNING ON EMPTY In sporting parlance, ‘hitting the wall’ refers to the moment during physical exercise when you feel like you can’t go on. We often associate it with long distance running: typically, it happens around the 32-km mark of a marathon, when you’ve torched through the 8000kJ or so of glycogen that you usually carry in your liver and muscles, forcing you to downshift to your fat supplies for fuel. 2 STOPPING DISTANCE It comes down to basic maths. The average person burns 400kJ per 1.6km. So, 32km in, you’ve used up your 8000kJ glycogen supply. The solution is carb-loading: a few days before the race, tweak your diet so that 85 per cent of your kilojoules come from carbs, and maintain this to build up your reserves gradually. Bingeing will…

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ...I HIT THE WALL?

The World According to Abbey Holmes “I WANT PEOPLE TO LOOK AT ME AND SEE A WOMAN WHO NEVER GIVES UP” YOU CAN DRAW several parallels between playing professional footy and surviving on a remote island. Both require a fair degree of physical strength – and a clever game plan. And if you can make it through the long days and nights away from family and friends without resorting to calling your football ‘Wilson’, then you might just make it out alive. Abbey Holmes can tell you plenty about both experiences. After playing for the Adelaide Crows in the 2017-18 AFLW seasons, she dug deep during two stints on Australian Survivor, the second as a contestant on last year’s All Stars version on the Fijian island of Vanua Levu. While most of us…

PICK OF THE PODS

TOFOP “I check in with Wil Anderson and Charlie Clausen on TOFOP every week. They are the two guys chatting at the pub and I’m just the bloke in the corner listening to them and that makes me feel like I’m connected.” 50 THINGS THAT MADE THE MODERN ECONOMY “It’s a very nerdy podcast from the BBC. It takes about 10 minutes and it’s very, very good.” 13 MINUTES TO THE MOON “Extraordinary storytelling.” THE BLINDBOY PODCAST “He’s a polymath out of Ireland, who wears a plastic bag on his head to maintain anonymity. He talks a lot about training, mental health and politics. Super nerdy, but he’s fucking good.”…

PICK OF THE PODS

MORE NORSEPOWER FOR YOUR ENGINE

GOING ALL OUT under a barbell with big compound squats is all very well, but it pays to be specific, too. And if you want to run further or pedal faster, you sometimes need to pump the brakes. This combination of two little-known exercises will slow you down for speedy gains. “The Sissy squat – named after Greek mythology’s Sisyphus – is one of the best quad-isolating moves you can do,” says veteran PT Scott Laidler. “And the Nordic curl works on your hamstrings to balance out your progress and injury-proof your lower body.” Together, the exercises target the two major muscles of your upper leg, building levels of power and speed worthy of an epic hero. Laidler stresses the importance of maintaining good form throughout. Your swift progress in…

MORE NORSEPOWER FOR YOUR ENGINE

SUPERCHARGE YOUR DOWNTIME

MY FINAL REP was a failure. As I crumpled on the bench of my home gym, I raised the Garmin Fenix 5 (1) that was strapped to my wrist and flipped through the data. My VO2 max had gone into the purple “superior” section and, on the next screen, my recommended recovery time until my next workout had risen from one day to two. I’d achieved my goal: to push myself hard enough to have technology bestow upon me another rest day. The idea of recovery has evolved rapidly. It used to be that, after a workout, you’d simply ice, rest and hydrate. In essence, you’d let your body take care of itself. But these days, trainers are pushing for a far more active approach. “Early in my career, I focused all…

SUPERCHARGE YOUR DOWNTIME

A WHOLE FISH – ON THE GRILL!

30G The Protein White fish cooks fast and turns flaky and luscious on the grill. Go with red snapper (or striped bass or sea bass). They all have at least 26 grams of protein for fewer than 2552 kJ per 110g serving BUY IT Ask the person behind the counter to “scale, gut and clean” the fish, but leave the head on for presentation value. Fresh fish should have a clear eye, a clean (not fishy) smell, and no slick of slime on the skin. COOK IT Fish with Orange Sauce Skin-on fish is notorious for sticking to grill grates and generally making a mess. Prevent all that with a technique called reverse searing, in which you cook the fish with indirect heat first, then crisp the skin over direct…

A WHOLE FISH – ON THE GRILL!

1 GARMIN FENIX 5 Ease of Use Effectiveness 2 OUR A RING Ease of Use Effectiveness 3 OOLER SLEEP SYSTEM MATTRESS PAD Ease of Use Effectiveness 4 UA RECOVERY SLEEPWEAR Ease of Use Effectiveness 5 UA TUNED RECOVERY GLIMPSE GLASSES Ease of Use Effectiveness 6 HELIX DAWN LUXE MATTRESS Ease of Use Effectiveness 7 MOLECULE SHEETS Ease of Use Effectiveness 8 GRAVITY BLANKET Ease of Use Effectiveness 9 HYPERVOLT PLUS Ease of Use Effectiveness 10 THERAGUN G3PRO Ease of Use Effectiveness 11 RECOUP CRYOSPHERE Ease of Use Effectiveness 12 CTM BAND Ease of Use Effectiveness…

18 PROVEN WAYS TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS

01/ BREAK IT DOWN Three 10-minute sweats can boost your mood as effectively as one 30-minute workout. There’s always time to benefit from training. 02/ HOLD STEADY Steady-state runs work, too. Aerobic exercise reduces your levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, so lace up. 03/ WATER RELIEF Ensuring that you drink 2.5L of water per day is the simplest way to float your spirits. Bottoms up. 04/ DO PORRIDGE High-GI foods are a risk factor for depression. So, swap your croissant or sugary cereal for slow-cooked oats. 05/ GET CREATIVE More than two-thirds of people with creative hobbies, such as playing guitar, say it builds self-esteem. Get strumming. 06/ HAND SOLO Your brain produces oxytocin during orgasm, countering emotional pain. No partner? Go it alone. 07 POWER UP In a study involving nearly 1900 people, regular weightlifting significantly reduced symptoms…

18 PROVEN WAYS TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS

CROCODILES OFTEN SWALLOW rocks, which can then tumble around harmlessly in their stomachs for years. A bellyful of rocks may even help crocodiles control their buoyancy and digest prey. (There’s a point to this, I promise.) There live among us people who take romantic rejection very well: I call them super-rejects. Like the rocks in the belly of the crocodile, rejections can pile up inside these super-rejects without causing any damage, until they are passed into the riverbed, unnoticed. When you turn down one of these super-rejects, they do not send you a multi-text dirge. They do not spiral or reach for whatever bottle of dark liquor is lurking in the back of the cupboard. They experience a healthy moment of woe, and they move on. The chillness of the…

ARE WE TALKING ABOUT PAIN ALL WRONG?

AS A 20-YEAR-OLD university student, Kevin Boehnke just wanted to play ultimate frisbee to unwind. But over the course of several months, he developed a stabbing pain in his hands and wrists that made it hard — and unpleasant — to play. Soon he couldn’t even play beer pong without the intrusive hurt. So Boehnke did what you’d probably do, too. He went to a doctor and got it diagnosed. Tendinitis, they said. Yet after several weeks of ibuprofen and physical therapy, he was still in agony. When pain started radiating into his elbows, shoulders, back and neck, Boehnke visited other doctors for more opinions. Each one had the same numerical approach toward gauging discomfort: “Where do you fall on a scale of zero to 10? Zero being no pain and 10…

ARE WE TALKING ABOUT PAIN ALL WRONG?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ...I HIT THE WALL?

1 RUNNING ON EMPTY In sporting parlance, ‘hitting the wall’ refers to the moment during physical exercise when you feel like you can’t go on. We often associate it with long distance running: typically, it happens around the 32-km mark of a marathon, when you’ve torched through the 8000kJ or so of glycogen that you usually carry in your liver and muscles, forcing you to downshift to your fat supplies for fuel. 2 STOPPING DISTANCE It comes down to basic maths. The average person burns 400kJ per 1.6km. So, 32km in, you’ve used up your 8000kJ glycogen supply. The solution is carb-loading: a few days before the race, tweak your diet so that 85 per cent of your kilojoules come from carbs, and maintain this to build up your reserves…

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ...I HIT THE WALL?

WHAT ELSE TO MENTION

What do you believe caused your pain? In the typical doctor-patient scenario, the patient isn’t usually encouraged to hazard a lot of guesses about this. But here’s why it’s important to mention: If you have back pain that you think is caused by a disc protrusion and you’re concerned that if you move, you’ll become paralysed, you need to bring it up and the doctor needs to pay attention, Mackey says. This mindset could affect your willingness to try movement-based treatments like physical therapy, even when those therapies may be recommended and safe. A doctor has to know your perspective so you can work through it together. And that’s key when it comes to pain. Feeling like you’re collaborating can go a long way. There’s some evidence that if you believe in your…

WHAT ELSE TO MENTION

THE MH VERDICT: ROWER WINS! First, know that you can buy them together for less than the price of a gym-standard treadmill. But, should you have room for just one in your life, the rower’s greater versatility – from brutal intervals to grit-your-teeth slogs – makes it the smarter buy if you want to pull towards a fitter, leaner body.…

A DOCTOR’S GUIDE TO THE HEART

USED TO BE that doctors could plausibly claim ignorance and indulge in bad habits with a clean conscience. My grandfather would smoke a pipe while seeing patients — and he was a pediatrician. Now, however, my colleagues and I can’t ignore the evidence that good habits help keep us from ending up in the same worrisome place as our patients. So we do the usual — eat whole foods, emphasise vegetables, exercise daily and try to get enough sleep. But as millennials, we go a little further. Here’s what else I do. 1 COUNT BEATS, NOT STEPS Though most of the world fixates on step counts, my cardiologist friends and I know that heart fitness really benefits from getting our pulses pounding. You should exercise hard at least 75 minutes a week.…

A DOCTOR’S GUIDE TO THE HEART

POST-WORKOUT SHAKES

1 WHIZZ IN THE KITCHEN Though few self-respecting Aussies would identify with the gym-culture trope of the shaker-toting bro, many of us regularly reach for the protein scoop. About half of us take supplements every day, and we’d wager that it’s not a pleasant experience for all of them. However, done right, shakes can deliver not only prime muscle fuel, but also be a delicious antidote to your bland eating plan. Follow our nutritionist-certified guide and give ‘em a whirl. A Whole Egg Throw it in, shell and all: it contains calcium carbonate for strong bones and collagen for healthy joints. Unlike in the past, the risk of salmonella from high-quality eggs is very low, so chug with confidence. B Kiwi This furry, green multivit has nearly double the vitamin C of an orange. The…

POST-WORKOUT SHAKES

SUPERCHARGE YOUR DOWNTIME

MY FINAL REP was a failure. As I crumpled on the bench of my home gym, I raised the Garmin Fenix 5 (1) that was strapped to my wrist and flipped through the data. My VO2 max had gone into the purple “superior” section and, on the next screen, my recommended recovery time until my next workout had risen from one day to two. I’d achieved my goal: to push myself hard enough to have technology bestow upon me another rest day. The idea of recovery has evolved rapidly. It used to be that, after a workout, you’d simply ice, rest and hydrate. In essence, you’d let your body take care of itself. But these days, trainers are pushing for a far more active approach. “Early in my career, I…

SUPERCHARGE YOUR DOWNTIME

1 GARMIN FENIX 5 Ease of Use Effectiveness 2 OUR A RING Ease of Use Effectiveness 3 OOLER SLEEP SYSTEM MATTRESS PAD Ease of Use Effectiveness 4 UA RECOVERY SLEEPWEAR Ease of Use Effectiveness 5 UA TUNED RECOVERY GLIMPSE GLASSES Ease of Use Effectiveness 6 HELIX DAWN LUXE MATTRESS Ease of Use Effectiveness 7 MOLECULE SHEETS Ease of Use Effectiveness 8 GRAVITY BLANKET Ease of Use Effectiveness 9 HYPERVOLT PLUS Ease of Use Effectiveness 10 THERAGUN G3PRO Ease of Use Effectiveness 11 RECOUP CRYOSPHERE Ease of Use Effectiveness 12 CTM BAND Ease of Use Effectiveness…

THE HOME ADVANTAGE

FEBRUARY CAN BE the cruellest month. You’re itching to get in the saddle and build on your hard-won cardio gains, but soaring temps and humidity and late-summer super-storms are draining a lot of the joy out of those marathon rides. Thankfully, your workouts no longer need to be pure torture: with Zwift, you’re home and (relatively) dry. First, let’s be clear: this is not spinning. Connect your road bike to a smart turbo trainer and watch on a screen as you outpace your fellow heat dodgers in real time. The trainer adjusts the resistance to reflect the course, so your legs will experience every digitally rendered hill IRL. There’s even a structured e-coaching plan that will take your performance up a gear. Here’s how Zwift reinvented the wheel. ZWIFT MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP $15…

THE HOME ADVANTAGE

18 PROVEN WAYS TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS

01/ BREAK IT DOWN Three 10-minute sweats can boost your mood as effectively as one 30-minute workout. There’s always time to benefit from training. 02/ HOLD STEADY Steady-state runs work, too. Aerobic exercise reduces your levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, so lace up. 03/ WATER RELIEF Ensuring that you drink 2.5L of water per day is the simplest way to float your spirits. Bottoms up. 04/ DO PORRIDGE High-GI foods are a risk factor for depression. So, swap your croissant or sugary cereal for slow-cooked oats. 05/ GET CREATIVE More than two-thirds of people with creative hobbies, such as playing guitar, say it builds self-esteem. Get strumming. 06/ HAND SOLO Your brain produces oxytocin during orgasm, countering emotional pain. No partner? Go it alone. 07 POWER…

18 PROVEN WAYS TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS

THE GREAT INDOORS

Hydrow This rower’s 22-inch HD screen transports you to the water and mirrors every stroke, so you can race ahead without a river. Mirror A full-length mirror that turns into an interactive studio, using your biometric data to optimise every workout. Jaxjox Kettlebell Why use six weights when you can use one? Press a button to add or drop weight in seconds and swing towards your goals. Echelon If spin is your jam but a Peloton is too costly, get in lane with Echelon, which uses your phone screen for its display. WORDS BY ANNIE HAYES; PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOBE LAWRENSON…

THE GREAT INDOORS

AN UPHILL BATTLE

ONE IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE. TWO WEEKS TO TRAIN. GO LONGER AGO than I care to remember, I bragged to a girl that I preferred running up hills rather than down them. At the time, I was training for my first marathon while living in the country, where I had an endless supply of both gradients and rubbish chat-up lines. It’s a small mercy that youthful remarks of this kind rarely come back to haunt you. However, in my case, the girl to whom I was bragging is now my wife. When Men’s Health calls to hand me my first assignment as the Adventurist – a 400m sprint up a disused ski jump in Slovakia – she is thrilled and only too happy to remind me of my preference for running upward. I am…

AN UPHILL BATTLE

1 Hublot Big Bang E ($7200) Though it marks Hublot’s entry into the arena of premium smartwatches, there’s nothing that is tentative about the Big Bang E. The luxury house takes all it learned from creating a bespoke watch for World Cup referees in 2018 (and borrows plenty from LVMH stablemate TAG Heuer) to create a piece that boasts all the smartwatch functions you’d expect, only with an extra dose of character. To this end, Hublot collaborated with French artist Marc Ferrero on a conceptual eight-dial design that swaps and changes throughout the day. Expect plenty of similar partnerships to come. Cased in black ceramic or titanium, at 42mm, it is no bigger than a standard Big Bang. 2 Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar ($1475) More watch than device, this Tissot model retains physical…

ARE WE TALKING ABOUT PAIN ALL WRONG?

AS A 20-YEAR-OLD university student, Kevin Boehnke just wanted to play ultimate frisbee to unwind. But over the course of several months, he developed a stabbing pain in his hands and wrists that made it hard — and unpleasant — to play. Soon he couldn’t even play beer pong without the intrusive hurt. So Boehnke did what you’d probably do, too. He went to a doctor and got it diagnosed. Tendinitis, they said. Yet after several weeks of ibuprofen and physical therapy, he was still in agony. When pain started radiating into his elbows, shoulders, back and neck, Boehnke visited other doctors for more opinions. Each one had the same numerical approach toward gauging discomfort: “Where do you fall on a scale of zero to 10? Zero being no pain…

ARE WE TALKING ABOUT PAIN ALL WRONG?

Boost Your Face Value

1 FIRST OFF, WHY SHOULD MEN MOISTURISE? Male skin is 25 per cent thicker than women’s and contains more collagen and elastin. Though the signs of ageing may appear more slowly than on women, male skin tends to be rougher and more oily. A good moisturiser will prevent skin from getting dry and dull and keep it looking healthy. Your razor can also cause irritatation, so it’s especially important to condition your skin after shaving. It’s why many moisturisers for men contain soothing ingredients, such as aloe vera, to reduce itching and redness. 2 ARE WOMEN’S PRODUCTS DIFFERENT? Beyond the obvious differences in design and the range of fragrances on offer, men’s products often contain a higher concentration of active ingredients. That’s because they are specially designed for thicker skin with more oil-producing…

Boost Your Face Value

Rolling Thunder

CHRIS HEMSWORTH is sitting on the deck of his sprawling hilltop property in the Byron Bay hinterland, looking out to sea. After a week of torrential rain and flooding, the lushness of the countryside is that little bit denser, the hills a more verdant green. “I love the post-rain humidity and this freshness and energy it gives the landscape,” says Hemsworth, as birds chirp in the background. “It’s beautiful.” With the kids out for the morning at nearby nature reserve, Macadamia Castle, he’s excited by the hint of swell. When we’re done chatting, he says, he’ll probably jump in the ocean for a surf. To be honest you’d be kind of disappointed if he didn’t. This is Chris Hemsworth, the man who so effortlessly embodies the Australian male aesthetic ideal – golden locks,…

Rolling Thunder

WHAT ELSE TO MENTION

What do you believe caused your pain? In the typical doctor-patient scenario, the patient isn’t usually encouraged to hazard a lot of guesses about this. But here’s why it’s important to mention: If you have back pain that you think is caused by a disc protrusion and you’re concerned that if you move, you’ll become paralysed, you need to bring it up and the doctor needs to pay attention, Mackey says. This mindset could affect your willingness to try movement-based treatments like physical therapy, even when those therapies may be recommended and safe. A doctor has to know your perspective so you can work through it together. And that’s key when it comes to pain. Feeling like you’re collaborating can go a long way. There’s some evidence that if you…

WHAT ELSE TO MENTION

A DOCTOR’S GUIDE TO THE HEART

USED TO BE that doctors could plausibly claim ignorance and indulge in bad habits with a clean conscience. My grandfather would smoke a pipe while seeing patients — and he was a pediatrician. Now, however, my colleagues and I can’t ignore the evidence that good habits help keep us from ending up in the same worrisome place as our patients. So we do the usual — eat whole foods, emphasise vegetables, exercise daily and try to get enough sleep. But as millennials, we go a little further. Here’s what else I do. 1 COUNT BEATS, NOT STEPS Though most of the world fixates on step counts, my cardiologist friends and I know that heart fitness really benefits from getting our pulses pounding. You should exercise hard at least 75 minutes…

A DOCTOR’S GUIDE TO THE HEART

HEMSWORTH’S HOME-GYM ESSENTIALS

CHIN-UP BAR “Although it’s predominantly a back workout, you’ve got shoulders and biceps that are all coming into play. It’s also great for lengthening of the spine. Plus, you can do leg raises and core exercises on it.” KETTLEBELLS “You can use them as dumbbells for a shoulder press or you can do all sorts of ground work with them. I like a pair of 15kg kettlebells. You can hold the two of them and then you’ve got 30 in your hands or you can go singles. It’s all about the time under tension, so if the weight isn’t that heavy, do a few more reps until you get that burn.” BATTLE ROPE “Good shoulder and arm workout. And you can do seated core workouts side to side. You can also tie your kettlebells to…

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

THE VOICE OF CALM Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has learned he can handle extreme stress and 100-hour workweeks – so long as he maintains a vigorous exercise regime “I was at my son’s cricket on the 1st of February last year when Brendan Murphy, then Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, sent me a message saying there was now sustained human-to-human transmission in China beyond Wuhan. I jog or walk laps while I’m at the cricket. On this morning I just kept walking while making calls to various people including the PM. At the end of it, one of the dads said, ‘Oh, you had a fairly serious look on your face’. I said, ‘Yeah, it wasn’t just my ordinary walk’. We closed the borders to China that night and from then on nothing…

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

POST-WORKOUT SHAKES

1 WHIZZ IN THE KITCHEN Though few self-respecting Aussies would identify with the gym-culture trope of the shaker-toting bro, many of us regularly reach for the protein scoop. About half of us take supplements every day, and we’d wager that it’s not a pleasant experience for all of them. However, done right, shakes can deliver not only prime muscle fuel, but also be a delicious antidote to your bland eating plan. Follow our nutritionist-certified guide and give ‘em a whirl. A Whole Egg Throw it in, shell and all: it contains calcium carbonate for strong bones and collagen for healthy joints. Unlike in the past, the risk of salmonella from high-quality eggs is very low, so chug with confidence. B Kiwi This furry, green multivit has nearly double the vitamin…

POST-WORKOUT SHAKES

30 DAYS OF 6-PACK RECIPES

Breakfast You could down a mug of buttery coffee, hoping it’ll make you “bulletproof” – or begin the day feeling satisfied and ready to smash through your cardio commute and morning meeting 01 Breakfast Stack Halve a wholegrain English muffin and fill it with a grilled chicken burger patty, a grilled slice of tomato, a small handful of sautéed spinach and two fried eggs. 2021 kJ 02 Green Eggs Make a three-egg omelette with 30g of grated cheddar and a large handful of sautéed baby spinach. Serve with half a smashed avocado on a thick slice of brown toast. 2389kJ Step away from the “lite”. Studies have surprisingly linked full-fat dairy to a lower risk of obesity, reports the Harvard Medical School. Plus, cheddar contains 7.5g of protein per 30g. 03 Berry Bowl Top a 350ml serving of…

30 DAYS OF 6-PACK RECIPES

Almond Milk Its vitamin E is a key ingredient in many anti-ageing products, so if you’re training to look good, this milk could even help to reduce wrinkles. Semi-Skimmed Milk Dairy milk actually has a lot more carbs than the alternatives. These sugars will ensure that your muscles are well stocked. Oat Milk Fortified with energising B-vitamins, this dairy alternative can provide the extra boost you need when training hard. Try it and power on.…

THE HOME ADVANTAGE

FEBRUARY CAN BE the cruellest month. You’re itching to get in the saddle and build on your hard-won cardio gains, but soaring temps and humidity and late-summer super-storms are draining a lot of the joy out of those marathon rides. Thankfully, your workouts no longer need to be pure torture: with Zwift, you’re home and (relatively) dry. First, let’s be clear: this is not spinning. Connect your road bike to a smart turbo trainer and watch on a screen as you outpace your fellow heat dodgers in real time. The trainer adjusts the resistance to reflect the course, so your legs will experience every digitally rendered hill IRL. There’s even a structured e-coaching plan that will take your performance up a gear. Here’s how Zwift reinvented the wheel. ZWIFT MONTHLY…

THE HOME ADVANTAGE

What We Talk About When We Talk About Running

1 Obstacle Course What is it? Obstacle course races (OCR) can be run anywhere between five and 50km, mainly off road, often in mud and with, um, obstacles. It’s a test of guts as much as it is of stamina Who’s it for? If you pride yourself on the functionality of your fitness, OCR will be a natural addition to your training. Good mobility, solid grip strength and the ability to heave objects will prove valuable weapons in your arsenal. You need brains, brawn and often bravery to complete challenges such as the Tyrolean traverse, barbed wire crawls and monkey bars over icy water. You can run solo, but OCR suits people who like to suffer in teams. Many events are suitable for all, but if you can run a 5K and lift…

What We Talk About When We Talk About Running

Everything you Need Know About Burning Fat (Plus the Stuff That’s Worth Forgetting)

What Happens When I Lose Weight? Think about it in terms of gains, not losses. Ditching fat can give your health a lift 1 Losing game When your body requires more energy than you’re putting in, it breaks down the molecules in fat cells to burn them for fuel. Most of what you “lose” is exhaled as carbon dioxide, while the rest is lost as water. 2 The slow burn Quick weight loss causes your metabolism to drop, as your body fights to conserve energy. But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a life of lentils. Try intermittent fasting: a study in Plos One noted an increase in kilojoule burn among men who ate larger meals, less frequently. 3 Seek small victories Even men of a regular BMI with excess fat around their middles are at a…

Everything you Need Know About Burning Fat (Plus the Stuff That’s Worth Forgetting)

THE GREAT INDOORS

Hydrow This rower’s 22-inch HD screen transports you to the water and mirrors every stroke, so you can race ahead without a river. Mirror A full-length mirror that turns into an interactive studio, using your biometric data to optimise every workout. Jaxjox Kettlebell Why use six weights when you can use one? Press a button to add or drop weight in seconds and swing towards your goals. Echelon If spin is your jam but a Peloton is too costly, get in lane with Echelon, which uses your phone screen for its display.…

THE GREAT INDOORS

REINVENTING THE BOX

On June 27, 2020, Eric Roza masked up and flew from Boulder, Colorado, to San Jose, California, where he rented a car and began driving south. A tech entrepreneur who made his name and fortune with a data company he sold to Oracle for $1.5 billion in 2014, Roza, 53, had just spent, according to one source, $250 million buying CrossFit Inc., the largest fitness chain in the world, somewhat bigger than Dunkin’ and somewhat smaller than Domino’s. At its peak, you could have found one of the more than 15,000 CrossFit affiliates at most latitudes and longitudes around the world – in Nuuk, Greenland; in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; in Païta, New Caledonia; in Gillette, Wyoming. Roza had big ideas that he believed could radically change the brand. And despite the…

REINVENTING THE BOX

JACKED TO THE RAFTERS

ROLE OF A LIFETIME “I’m probably not the person you think I am. I play someone that’s the quintessential Aussie bloke, great at footy, great at surfing, all that sort of thing. I can play Ben Rafter, because I know him. And a huge amount of that character probably is me, but there’s a great deal about him that’s not me at all. Growing up, I did play a bit of AFL. I wasn’t very good. I don’t want to say I was a wuss, but I just wasn’t really into getting hit. I was much more of a drama kid. Before I was five, I wanted to be a singer like my dad. And then when I turned five my parents put me into acting class. From then on I was…

JACKED TO THE RAFTERS

AN UPHILL BATTLE

ONE IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE. TWO WEEKS TO TRAIN. GO LONGER AGO than I care to remember, I bragged to a girl that I preferred running up hills rather than down them. At the time, I was training for my first marathon while living in the country, where I had an endless supply of both gradients and rubbish chat-up lines. It’s a small mercy that youthful remarks of this kind rarely come back to haunt you. However, in my case, the girl to whom I was bragging is now my wife. When Men’s Health calls to hand me my first assignment as the Adventurist – a 400m sprint up a disused ski jump in Slovakia – she is thrilled and only too happy to remind me of my preference for running upward.…

AN UPHILL BATTLE

1 Hublot Big Bang E ($7200) Though it marks Hublot’s entry into the arena of premium smartwatches, there’s nothing that is tentative about the Big Bang E. The luxury house takes all it learned from creating a bespoke watch for World Cup referees in 2018 (and borrows plenty from LVMH stablemate TAG Heuer) to create a piece that boasts all the smartwatch functions you’d expect, only with an extra dose of character. To this end, Hublot collaborated with French artist Marc Ferrero on a conceptual eight-dial design that swaps and changes throughout the day. Expect plenty of similar partnerships to come. Cased in black ceramic or titanium, at 42mm, it is no bigger than a standard Big Bang. 2 Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar ($1475) More watch than device, this Tissot…

“The first session with Hugh really kind of shook him. Most people think of intense training as around 70 per cent of your max. But when you have a trainer there’s no mucking around. It’s 100 per cent and there’s no skipping reps, you’ve got to be accountable. I know he got sick. It was just new to him and it really affected him. There’s always going to be obstacles and that shows the character of who you are. He had a lot of travel, then I had to go to LA as well. So, there was a lot of online communication between us, even before COVID. At the end of the day, you can’t rely on being with a trainer every single day. It just shows that if you learn…

SOLITARY REFINEMENT

PUSH-UPS 100 reps for time Assume a push-up position, then lower your body until your chest touches the ground. Push back to the starting posititon. Track progress each week. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS 20, 15, 12, 10, 5 reps Lie on your back with a set of dumbbells raised above your chest. Lower slowly until your arms touch the ground, then push back up. HOLLOW HOLD 30 secs on, 15 off x 5 Lie on the ground with your arms by your side. Lift your legs together while raising your neck and hold. Lower back to the starting position. BASKETBALL SIDE CRUNCH 15 reps each side x 5 Lie on your side with your feet together. Hold a basketball above your head and lift your torso as high as you can. Lower to the starting position. TRICEPS DIP 20, 15, 12, 10, 5 reps Grip…

SOLITARY REFINEMENT

Boost Your Face Value

1 FIRST OFF, WHY SHOULD MEN MOISTURISE? Male skin is 25 per cent thicker than women’s and contains more collagen and elastin. Though the signs of ageing may appear more slowly than on women, male skin tends to be rougher and more oily. A good moisturiser will prevent skin from getting dry and dull and keep it looking healthy. Your razor can also cause irritatation, so it’s especially important to condition your skin after shaving. It’s why many moisturisers for men contain soothing ingredients, such as aloe vera, to reduce itching and redness. 2 ARE WOMEN’S PRODUCTS DIFFERENT? Beyond the obvious differences in design and the range of fragrances on offer, men’s products often contain a higher concentration of active ingredients. That’s because they are specially designed for thicker skin…

Boost Your Face Value

EVERYTHING TO GAIN

It was just a mirror. Hung on a wall in his family’s apartment. It had been there so long it was just another piece of furniture, as uninteresting as a table lamp. Except for him. For him, it almost glowed. It radiated a kind of menace. It taunted him. Look at me. That’s what I thought. You won’t. You afraid. Shit. In his west Chicago neighbourhood of Pilsen, fear was a luxury that could get you killed. Even if you felt it, you didn’t show it, didn’t admit it, even to yourself. Afraid? Look at him. He was big. Huge. More than 300 kilos. Afraid? Say something. Call him a name. Call him fat. Then get ready. They didn’t. Not anymore. They had learned that if they did, he would shut…

EVERYTHING TO GAIN

Rolling Thunder

CHRIS HEMSWORTH is sitting on the deck of his sprawling hilltop property in the Byron Bay hinterland, looking out to sea. After a week of torrential rain and flooding, the lushness of the countryside is that little bit denser, the hills a more verdant green. “I love the post-rain humidity and this freshness and energy it gives the landscape,” says Hemsworth, as birds chirp in the background. “It’s beautiful.” With the kids out for the morning at nearby nature reserve, Macadamia Castle, he’s excited by the hint of swell. When we’re done chatting, he says, he’ll probably jump in the ocean for a surf. To be honest you’d be kind of disappointed if he didn’t. This is Chris Hemsworth, the man who so effortlessly embodies the Australian male aesthetic ideal…

Rolling Thunder

FLIP YOUR TRAINING STYLE

ADI GILLESPIE is out of his comfort zone. When you consider that we’re talking about a man who joined the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) at 17 and served in Afghanistan, who was employed as a personal trainer to a member of the Saudi royal family and has travelled the world playing rugby, that’s quite a statement. But Gillespie’s latest project has him rattled. At least, a little. “It’s probably been the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” he says. “All of the things I did before this involved a physical aspect – and that kind of stuff I find quite easy. But this has been just completely different.” At 30, he is now the creative director of his own luxury fashion label, Indigo Burg. For the first time, his physical…

FLIP YOUR TRAINING STYLE

RELEASE YOUR INNER GYMNAST

THERE IS an odd dichotomy in fitness. Sure, we all gaze in admiration at feats of bodyweight mastery, such as the muscle-up, the human flag or an effortlessly executed back lever. However, at the same time, we tend to write off bodyweight training as the endeavour of beginners – something we should progress beyond as quickly as possible, or maybe even bypass altogether. The best way forward, as ever, doesn’t lie at either end of the spectrum. Bodyweight mastery is a long-term goal: it’s all about making seemingly implausible movements possible through a lifetime of practice. Much like progressively putting more weight on a barbell to elicit strength gains, the budding gymnast has level upon level of progressions that must be overcome. But unlike strength training, these progressions are rarely incremental. But…

RELEASE YOUR INNER GYMNAST

HEMSWORTH’S HOME-GYM ESSENTIALS

CHIN-UP BAR “Although it’s predominantly a back workout, you’ve got shoulders and biceps that are all coming into play. It’s also great for lengthening of the spine. Plus, you can do leg raises and core exercises on it.” KETTLEBELLS “You can use them as dumbbells for a shoulder press or you can do all sorts of ground work with them. I like a pair of 15kg kettlebells. You can hold the two of them and then you’ve got 30 in your hands or you can go singles. It’s all about the time under tension, so if the weight isn’t that heavy, do a few more reps until you get that burn.” BATTLE ROPE “Good shoulder and arm workout. And you can do seated core workouts side to side. You can…

HEMSWORTH’S HOME-GYM ESSENTIALS

CLIFF SMITH grunts as he wraps his hands around the barbell, bends his knees and lowers his 190cm frame towards the floor. He tenses his entire body, exhales twice, and starts pulling 205kg upwards. His legs shake as he stands fully upright, and then he lowers the weight, breathes deeply and does it all over again. He does five reps, then drops the bar and smiles. “Ain’t even winded,” he says. “Holla at me.” The five reps are a personal best for Smith (better known as Method Man), who loves starting his day by chasing PBs. On this morning, he’s in a Staten Island gym pondering his next milestone birthday (he turns 50 in March) and crushing sets of deadlifts, pull-ups and barbell rows. “I gotta get my roses now,” he…

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

THE VOICE OF CALM Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has learned he can handle extreme stress and 100-hour workweeks – so long as he maintains a vigorous exercise regime “I was at my son’s cricket on the 1st of February last year when Brendan Murphy, then Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, sent me a message saying there was now sustained human-to-human transmission in China beyond Wuhan. I jog or walk laps while I’m at the cricket. On this morning I just kept walking while making calls to various people including the PM. At the end of it, one of the dads said, ‘Oh, you had a fairly serious look on your face’. I said, ‘Yeah, it wasn’t just my ordinary walk’. We closed the borders to China that night and from…

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

30 DAYS OF 6-PACK RECIPES

Breakfast You could down a mug of buttery coffee, hoping it’ll make you “bulletproof” – or begin the day feeling satisfied and ready to smash through your cardio commute and morning meeting 01 Breakfast Stack Halve a wholegrain English muffin and fill it with a grilled chicken burger patty, a grilled slice of tomato, a small handful of sautéed spinach and two fried eggs. 2021 kJ 02 Green Eggs Make a three-egg omelette with 30g of grated cheddar and a large handful of sautéed baby spinach. Serve with half a smashed avocado on a thick slice of brown toast. 2389kJ Step away from the “lite”. Studies have surprisingly linked full-fat dairy to a lower risk of obesity, reports the Harvard Medical School. Plus, cheddar contains 7.5g of protein per 30g.…

30 DAYS OF 6-PACK RECIPES

What We Talk About When We Talk About Running

1 Obstacle Course What is it? Obstacle course races (OCR) can be run anywhere between five and 50km, mainly off road, often in mud and with, um, obstacles. It’s a test of guts as much as it is of stamina Who’s it for? If you pride yourself on the functionality of your fitness, OCR will be a natural addition to your training. Good mobility, solid grip strength and the ability to heave objects will prove valuable weapons in your arsenal. You need brains, brawn and often bravery to complete challenges such as the Tyrolean traverse, barbed wire crawls and monkey bars over icy water. You can run solo, but OCR suits people who like to suffer in teams. Many events are suitable for all, but if you can run a…

What We Talk About When We Talk About Running

All-time fitness idol? Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, because he shouted me out on Instagram. Favourite celebon a fitness journey? I respect any of them that do it. Right now the person that I’m really saluting for getting his ass in the gym is Snoop Dogg. I’m rooting for him. Favourite exercise? Deadlift. Once I started doing those, everything else went up, from squats to bench. Definitely prefer dumbbells. Least favourite exercise? Lunges. I’m too fucking tall, for one, and I still have a problem with form, because I’m so focused on just getting those shits over with. Favourite cheat meal? I never get a cheat meal, but if I did, it would be pizza - New York pizza. Current workout playlist? Griselda Records. Griselda reminds me of ’90s hip-hop but with a modern feel.…

NATURALLY PRESSED The ability to push up from a horizontal position is written into your DNA - if you’re struggling, it just needs unlocking. Hone your push-up with these progressions A MAKE A STRONG START BOX PUSH-UP 6 SETS OF 30SEC WORK, 60SEC REST Rest your hands on a box to take some weight off and perform 30 seconds of continuous reps. Rest for a full minute, then repeat five times. B PUSH PAST THE STICKING POINTS PUSH-UP OFF BLOCK 5 SETS OF 10 REPS, 30SEC REST Place a yoga block on the floor directly below your chest, resting your weight on it. Now, push yourself up. Lower, rest, then go again. And again. C MAKE IT PERFECT PUSH-UP 5 SETS OF 20 REPS, 60SEC REST Start with an unshakeable plank, with your hands and elbows stacked below squeezed shoulders and your glutes…

Everything you Need Know About Burning Fat (Plus the Stuff That’s Worth Forgetting)

What Happens When I Lose Weight? Think about it in terms of gains, not losses. Ditching fat can give your health a lift 1 Losing game When your body requires more energy than you’re putting in, it breaks down the molecules in fat cells to burn them for fuel. Most of what you “lose” is exhaled as carbon dioxide, while the rest is lost as water. 2 The slow burn Quick weight loss causes your metabolism to drop, as your body fights to conserve energy. But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a life of lentils. Try intermittent fasting: a study in Plos One noted an increase in kilojoule burn among men who ate larger meals, less frequently. 3 Seek small victories Even men of a regular BMI with excess…

Everything you Need Know About Burning Fat (Plus the Stuff That’s Worth Forgetting)

THE BEST MOBILE GYM: YOUR BODY

GOT YOUR BACK Push-ups engage your serratus interior – small but important muscles that help to move your shoulder blades and regulate your posture. By exaggerating the range of motion and pushing your back towards the ceiling at the top of each rep, you can improve your posture, back health and your bench-press numbers to boot. KEEP IT MOVING Planks and other holds are excellent for building static core strength, but maintaining that same level of tension against the explosive motions of high-rep sets teaches your body to stabilise itself against movement. This ability can then be successfully transferred to real-world tasks. A LOAD OFF YOUR JOINTS Performing high reps of the bodyweight staple can help to strengthen your joints without the risk of wear and tear associated with adding resistance, reducing your likelihood of…

REINVENTING THE BOX

On June 27, 2020, Eric Roza masked up and flew from Boulder, Colorado, to San Jose, California, where he rented a car and began driving south. A tech entrepreneur who made his name and fortune with a data company he sold to Oracle for $1.5 billion in 2014, Roza, 53, had just spent, according to one source, $250 million buying CrossFit Inc., the largest fitness chain in the world, somewhat bigger than Dunkin’ and somewhat smaller than Domino’s. At its peak, you could have found one of the more than 15,000 CrossFit affiliates at most latitudes and longitudes around the world – in Nuuk, Greenland; in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; in Païta, New Caledonia; in Gillette, Wyoming. Roza had big ideas that he believed could radically change the brand. And despite the…

REINVENTING THE BOX

60 SECONDS That Changed My Life...

DATE:One night in 1988 NAME:JOCK ZONFRILLO FEAT:MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo seizes his chance to become a chef for the very first time. WHEN I WAS 12, I became obsessed with buying this Specialized pushbike. It was a top-of-the-range bike with carbon-fibre wheels, but it cost a huge amount of money. I already had a couple of paper rounds and worked Saturdays in my dad’s barbershop in Glasgow. But I quickly realised it’d take me 10 years to afford this bike unless I got another job. I ended up knocking on the door of this very posh, country house-type restaurant. They gave me a part-time job washing up that was cash-in-hand, because I was too young to go on the books. I started working there after school four nights a week. Inside, the kitchen throbbed with…

60 SECONDS That Changed My Life...

JACKED TO THE RAFTERS

ROLE OF A LIFETIME “I’m probably not the person you think I am. I play someone that’s the quintessential Aussie bloke, great at footy, great at surfing, all that sort of thing. I can play Ben Rafter, because I know him. And a huge amount of that character probably is me, but there’s a great deal about him that’s not me at all. Growing up, I did play a bit of AFL. I wasn’t very good. I don’t want to say I was a wuss, but I just wasn’t really into getting hit. I was much more of a drama kid. Before I was five, I wanted to be a singer like my dad. And then when I turned five my parents put me into acting class. From then on…

JACKED TO THE RAFTERS

“The first session with Hugh really kind of shook him. Most people think of intense training as around 70 per cent of your max. But when you have a trainer there’s no mucking around. It’s 100 per cent and there’s no skipping reps, you’ve got to be accountable. I know he got sick. It was just new to him and it really affected him. There’s always going to be obstacles and that shows the character of who you are. He had a lot of travel, then I had to go to LA as well. So, there was a lot of online communication between us, even before COVID. At the end of the day, you can’t rely on being with a trainer every single day. It just shows that if you…

SOLITARY REFINEMENT

PUSH-UPS 100 reps for time Assume a push-up position, then lower your body until your chest touches the ground. Push back to the starting posititon. Track progress each week. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS 20, 15, 12, 10, 5 reps Lie on your back with a set of dumbbells raised above your chest. Lower slowly until your arms touch the ground, then push back up. HOLLOW HOLD 30 secs on, 15 off x 5 Lie on the ground with your arms by your side. Lift your legs together while raising your neck and hold. Lower back to the starting position. BASKETBALL SIDE CRUNCH 15 reps each side x 5 Lie on your side with your feet together. Hold a basketball above your head and lift your torso as high as you can.…

SOLITARY REFINEMENT

EVERYTHING TO GAIN

It was just a mirror. Hung on a wall in his family’s apartment. It had been there so long it was just another piece of furniture, as uninteresting as a table lamp. Except for him. For him, it almost glowed. It radiated a kind of menace. It taunted him. Look at me. That’s what I thought. You won’t. You afraid. Shit. In his west Chicago neighbourhood of Pilsen, fear was a luxury that could get you killed. Even if you felt it, you didn’t show it, didn’t admit it, even to yourself. Afraid? Look at him. He was big. Huge. More than 300 kilos. Afraid? Say something. Call him a name. Call him fat. Then get ready. They didn’t. Not anymore. They had learned that if they did, he would…

EVERYTHING TO GAIN

FLIP YOUR TRAINING STYLE

ADI GILLESPIE is out of his comfort zone. When you consider that we’re talking about a man who joined the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) at 17 and served in Afghanistan, who was employed as a personal trainer to a member of the Saudi royal family and has travelled the world playing rugby, that’s quite a statement. But Gillespie’s latest project has him rattled. At least, a little. “It’s probably been the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” he says. “All of the things I did before this involved a physical aspect – and that kind of stuff I find quite easy. But this has been just completely different.” At 30, he is now the creative director of his own luxury fashion label, Indigo Burg. For the first time, his…

FLIP YOUR TRAINING STYLE

RELEASE YOUR INNER GYMNAST

THERE IS an odd dichotomy in fitness. Sure, we all gaze in admiration at feats of bodyweight mastery, such as the muscle-up, the human flag or an effortlessly executed back lever. However, at the same time, we tend to write off bodyweight training as the endeavour of beginners – something we should progress beyond as quickly as possible, or maybe even bypass altogether. The best way forward, as ever, doesn’t lie at either end of the spectrum. Bodyweight mastery is a long-term goal: it’s all about making seemingly implausible movements possible through a lifetime of practice. Much like progressively putting more weight on a barbell to elicit strength gains, the budding gymnast has level upon level of progressions that must be overcome. But unlike strength training, these progressions are rarely…

RELEASE YOUR INNER GYMNAST

CLIFF SMITH grunts as he wraps his hands around the barbell, bends his knees and lowers his 190cm frame towards the floor. He tenses his entire body, exhales twice, and starts pulling 205kg upwards. His legs shake as he stands fully upright, and then he lowers the weight, breathes deeply and does it all over again. He does five reps, then drops the bar and smiles. “Ain’t even winded,” he says. “Holla at me.” The five reps are a personal best for Smith (better known as Method Man), who loves starting his day by chasing PBs. On this morning, he’s in a Staten Island gym pondering his next milestone birthday (he turns 50 in March) and crushing sets of deadlifts, pull-ups and barbell rows. “I gotta get my roses now,”…

Push-ups Do 25 -30 reps. Aim for 5 sets. Banded Curl Stand on a resistance band, its ends held at your sides, your core tight. Curl up, squeezing your biceps; then lower. That’s 1 rep; do 15- 20. Do 5 sets. Banded Shoulder Press Stand on a resistance band, its ends held at your shoulders, your core tight. Tighten your shoulder blades and press the band overhead. Pause, then return to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 1520. Do 5 sets.…

All-time fitness idol? Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, because he shouted me out on Instagram. Favourite celebon a fitness journey? I respect any of them that do it. Right now the person that I’m really saluting for getting his ass in the gym is Snoop Dogg. I’m rooting for him. Favourite exercise? Deadlift. Once I started doing those, everything else went up, from squats to bench. Definitely prefer dumbbells. Least favourite exercise? Lunges. I’m too fucking tall, for one, and I still have a problem with form, because I’m so focused on just getting those shits over with. Favourite cheat meal? I never get a cheat meal, but if I did, it would be pizza - New York pizza. Current workout playlist? Griselda Records. Griselda reminds me of ’90s hip-hop but…

NATURALLY PRESSED The ability to push up from a horizontal position is written into your DNA - if you’re struggling, it just needs unlocking. Hone your push-up with these progressions A MAKE A STRONG START BOX PUSH-UP 6 SETS OF 30SEC WORK, 60SEC REST Rest your hands on a box to take some weight off and perform 30 seconds of continuous reps. Rest for a full minute, then repeat five times. B PUSH PAST THE STICKING POINTS PUSH-UP OFF BLOCK 5 SETS OF 10 REPS, 30SEC REST Place a yoga block on the floor directly below your chest, resting your weight on it. Now, push yourself up. Lower, rest, then go again. And again. C MAKE IT PERFECT PUSH-UP 5 SETS OF 20 REPS, 60SEC REST Start with an unshakeable…

THE BEST MOBILE GYM: YOUR BODY

GOT YOUR BACK Push-ups engage your serratus interior – small but important muscles that help to move your shoulder blades and regulate your posture. By exaggerating the range of motion and pushing your back towards the ceiling at the top of each rep, you can improve your posture, back health and your bench-press numbers to boot. KEEP IT MOVING Planks and other holds are excellent for building static core strength, but maintaining that same level of tension against the explosive motions of high-rep sets teaches your body to stabilise itself against movement. This ability can then be successfully transferred to real-world tasks. A LOAD OFF YOUR JOINTS Performing high reps of the bodyweight staple can help to strengthen your joints without the risk of wear and tear associated with adding…

THE BEST MOBILE GYM: YOUR BODY

60 SECONDS That Changed My Life...

DATE:One night in 1988 NAME:JOCK ZONFRILLO FEAT:MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo seizes his chance to become a chef for the very first time. WHEN I WAS 12, I became obsessed with buying this Specialized pushbike. It was a top-of-the-range bike with carbon-fibre wheels, but it cost a huge amount of money. I already had a couple of paper rounds and worked Saturdays in my dad’s barbershop in Glasgow. But I quickly realised it’d take me 10 years to afford this bike unless I got another job. I ended up knocking on the door of this very posh, country house-type restaurant. They gave me a part-time job washing up that was cash-in-hand, because I was too young to go on the books. I started working there after school four nights a week.…

60 SECONDS That Changed My Life...

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