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GET BACK IN SHAPE 38 Ways to Lose Your Gut!
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MORE SEX, BETTER SEX!
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ETS OF THE WORLD’S FITTEST MAN
! R E N N I W R U YO
LIFE S I H D N A DY O B S I H MH MAN T L I REBU N O S L I 2016 W M I T N A R E T E HOW WAR V
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Contents 06.16 FEATURES / COVER STORIES
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Get FKT Meet the intrepid men driven to set the Fastest Known Time over the world’s wildest terrain. BY ADHARANAND FINN
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Rip Your Grip We deliver a clench-strength masterclass. Hold on tight! BY AARON SCOTT
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Win the War on Fat Load-up on gut-busting ammo for an all-out assault on flab. BY ED CHIPPERFIELD
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Anyone for Some Weed? Look to the ocean’s bounty for your next protein power-up. BY IAN COCKERILL
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25 WAYS TO SAVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP (AND YOUR SEX LIFE)
Life is Good Why it’s a great time to be alive. BY GARRISON KEILLOR
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The Bald Truth Losing your locks? Here’s some hair-raising hope. BY DAN FOSTER
Start using them today to lock down a rock-solid union.
MHM 4
BY LAURENCE ROY STAINS 90
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PHOTOGRAPHY: AARON RICHTER
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MHM 10 MH COVER GUY TIM WILSON WEARS CALIBRE SADDLE JEANS ($249) AND SEIKO WATCH PHOTOGRAPHED BY JASON IERACE BACK COVER PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIEL LINNET
JUNE 2016
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Contents 06.16 14
EDITOR’S LETTER
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GENIUS SOLUTIONS
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ASK MH
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PULSE
34
PERSONAL BEST
55
MH LIFE
109 ELITE
58 122 ONE-WORD ANSWER
Up your style game with tips from a globetrotting fashion insider.
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65 S N OW S P E C I A L
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Rio-bound Patty Mills reveals why mentors matter to your quest for personal success.
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JUNE 2016
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL KNIGHTON, GILES PARK; ILLUSTRATION: BREN LUKE/THE ILLUSTRATION ROOM
Strap on for the ultimate downhill destinations.
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# D CH TU W CH CO O
Ed’s Letter
Men's Health Magazine Australia
@MensHealthAU
@MensHealthAU
Secrets of Success
“Your bucket list for fulfilment is a personal business”
So what’s your definition of success? Home ownership or a private jet? Completing an Ironman or a PhD? A life of adventure? A happy marriage? Waking up on Monday morning without crying in the shower? Clearly, there’s no single answer. Your bucket list for fulfilment is a personal business and one where the terms evolve as your priorities shift. Back in your teenage years, “success” probably boiled down to a simple formula (loss of virginity + acquisition of driver’s licence). Ideally, at some stage, you look to raise your sights. In an attempt to reach some form of consensus on all this, American Express funded a survey. Two thousand people were quizzed on the prime contributors for a successful life. The results were both heartening and instructive. Somewhat surprisingly, “Having a lot of money” ranked only 20th on the hit list. “Good health” was deemed the No.1 priority; “Being physically fit” came in at No.8. We’ve also been chewing over this question during this year’s MH Man competition. The final six contestants were a diverse bunch, ranging from a miner to a paediatric nurse. Each had navigated a wealth of different challenges – career change, fatherhood, depression. But amid their quiet tales of lives well lived, we were most struck by the way they’d defined success on their own terms. These were men who inspired us. Hopefully, they’ll inspire you too.
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Luke Benedictus
Twitter: @LukeBenedictus Email: menshealth@pacificmags.com.au
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ULTS! REAL RES
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LTS! RESU
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TO LOSE 39 WAYSUT! YOUR
W UR YO
NT ERA MH MAN 2016 AR VE OW
SON M WIL
IN
H UILT REB
INNER!
UILT HIS BODY AND HIS LIFE
MH MAN 2016
Flip he Cover to Our Celeb Discover i y Wi ner
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JUNE 2016
K O LOSE YOUR GUT!
BACKE GETSH AP IN
! NER R WIN
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Y AND S BOD
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Expert advice from Dr Hugo Gemal, BM BS BMedSci (Hons)
QUELL THE BIG THREATS Men are more likely than women to be overweight, die from heart disease, smoke, misuse substances and engage in risky sexual behaviour. Combine these facts with our reluctance to set foot inside a doctor’s surgery and you’ve got a perfect storm for needlessly complicated health problems. Former Men’s Health Man winner and emergency doctor Hugo Gemal knows a thing or two about prioritising your wellbeing and taking action before it’s too late. Here’s how he tackles some of the main dangers circling Australian men.
GENERAL & EMERGENCY MEDICINE • Hugo Gemal,
BM BS BMedSci (Hons)
NEUROLOGY & SPORTS MEDICINE • Richard Parkinson, BMedSC (Hons), MBBS, FRACS
ORTHO PA EDICS • Nigel Hope, MBBS, FRACS, FAOrthA
• Nick Vertzyas, FRACS (Orth), MB, BS
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JUNE 2016
MENTAL HEALTH • Gordon Parker, MB BS, MD, DSc, FRANZCP, FASSA
DERMATOLOGY • Chris Baker, MBBS, FACD
DENTISTRY • Markijan Hupalo, BDSc, MDSc (Pros)
SEX & RELATIONSHIPS • Nikki Goldstein, BSocSc (Psych), PG Dip (Couns), DHS
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LOSE THE LARD
BEAT THE BIG C
“Almost two-thirds of Australian men are overweight or obese. A lot of men are in denial about their weight and lay the blame for their high BMI on that occasional gym session. I suggest measuring BMI, waistto-hip ratio and bodyfat percentage to get a good idea about whether that extra weight you’re carrying is as ‘lean’ as you think it is.”
“When it comes to the big C, early diagnosis is key. As well as wearing sunscreen and avoiding the sun during peak UV times, I regularly check my moles using the ABCDE method: look for Asymmetry, an irregular Border, an uneven Colour pattern, Diameter greater than six millimetres and see if the shape is Evolving. These are features that warrant a prompt review by a GP or dermatologist.”
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KEEP PUMPING
STAY CHILLED
“Coronary heart disease is still the leading cause of death in Australia, but the good news is there’s a lot you can do to lower your risk. I eat a diet that is kilojoulecontrolled, high in protein, moderate in carbs and has plenty of good fats. I keep my weight in a healthy range and train regularly. For anyone who’s still smoking, you really need to kick the habit.”
“Time with family and friends, exercise and scheduling downtime are all important ways of nurturing mental wellbeing. I find meditation helps me keep things in perspective. There are plenty of meditation apps for beginners. Your GP is a great starting point and may refer you to support groups, psychotherapy, counselling or complementary therapies.”
WEALTH • Yianni Tsimopoulos,
40+ FITNESS Craig Cooper,
CTA, FAIM, ATIA, AFA, AFP, MFAA, RTA
TRAINING • Chief Brabon Dip(MT), CFMT, CTAC, CAC
• Cameron Byrnes, Adv Dip (A&P), Adv Dip (F)
• Greg Joujon-Roche, NCCPT
• Ray Klerck, Cert PT (UK)
• Greg Stark, BSc (Ex&SpSc)
C.S.C.S
CAREER • Darryl Cross, FAPs, FAIM, PCC, GAICD
FOOD & NUTRITION • Luke Hines, IIN health coach • Daniel Churchill, MeS, Bsm • Jacqueline Alwill, Adv Dip Nut Med, B Bus, B Arts
• Robbie Clark, BExSc (Nutrition), M (Nutr+Diet)
ILLUSTRATION: CHANTEL DE SOUSA/ILLUSTRATION ROOM
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CHC70814 - 06/15
Ask MH LIFE QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Q My new girl’s a coffee fiend but I’m clueless. How can I easily make her a decent cup at home? BG Coffee’s a lot like feminine beauty – highly subject to personal taste – so you’ll need to find out how she likes hers. That said, to make winning coffee you’ll need the right machine – in your case one that does all the work for you – and a high-quality blend. “Take the guesswork out of making coffee by choosing a machine that consistently delivers the perfect cup,” says former barista Mitch Monaghan. “Nespresso Grands Crus blend beautifully with a dash of milk either to sweeten the profile or bring more balance to the cup,” says Monaghan, the brand’s Australia and New Zealand ambassador. “If your girl prefers a smooth and sweet coffee, opt for Livanto, Volluto Decaffeinato or Dulsão do Brasil.” If she’s a bit more adventurous and prefers a more roasted coffee, then Roma, Decaffeinato Intenso or Arpeggio are top options for something that balances perfectly with milk while maintaining the richness and strength of the stronger roast. Still doubtful? Serve it in delicate china – with chocolates on the side.
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You don’t need to be a barista to brew a cup she’ll love.
Q I sweat just walking from the station to my office in the morning. Could this be IL a health problem? You watch the NBA? The players seem like the sweatiest men on Earth. Actually, sweating may be linked to fitness: in a PLOS One study in which perspiration was induced, long-distance runners sweated more – and began sweating sooner – than sedentary guys under the same conditions. If you’ve turned into Swamp Thing overnight, see a doctor, says dermatologist David Pariser. Abrupt sweat – especially when accompanied by weight loss, chest pain or night shivers – could signal an infection, thyroid, lung or heart disease, or even cancer. But odds are you’re just genetically prone to fill buckets. Apply “clinical strength” antiperspirant before bed and again in the morning, suggests Pariser. Giving it extra time to absorb boosts its effectiveness.
Q Most of my mates say they’re arse men. I prefer breasts. Why do some guys like to watch women coming and others ogle ’em going? ST Your anatomical proclivities start with our ancestors, says Dr David Puts, a professor of anthropology and human sexuality at Pennsylvania State University. A woman’s curves signal the presence of fertility hormones and the ability to carry and nurse babies when food is scarce. So it makes sense that men would develop the uncanny ability to track curvaceous women’s movements. But your preference for breasts over buns may have more to do with your personal experiences, especially while you were young. Maybe you stayed up late fantasising about your sister’s busty friends, while your mates were fixated on the well-rounded backside of the babysitter. Those early moments of lust create an enduring impression that can last a lifetime.
Q I’m circumcised and wish I weren’t. Does foreskin reconstruction surgery BE work? Not worth it, BE. Look on that snipped tip of yours as an asset. For starters, being circumcised can be safer. The inner surface of the foreskin is rich in immune cells, which “attract” the HIV virus during intercourse, says Julie Samuelson, of the WHO’s Department of HIV. The foreskin is also prone to microtears that can let in pathogens; a 2015 study found that circumcised men were 74 per cent less likely to have the human papillomavirus, which causes genital warts in some cases. Maybe you’re not concerned about STIs and just hope to score more feeling during sex. Our advice stands. Your nerves are concentrated in the head of your penis, and according to a 2015 Sexual Medicine study, circumcised men feel just as much sensation as their uncut pals do. >
SEX, DATING AND BRA REMOVAL ALICE TRELOAR WILL NOW TAKE YOUR QUESTION
Q Am I expected to undo a bra effortlessly, onehanded, in the dark? DE No, but it helps if you can. Clumsy manhandling is one of the top-three mood zappers, right after bad breath and playlisting your love making with Avril Lavigne. If you struggle to come unstuck, a few options: go forth and get busy, bra intact. Undergarments are pricey, and she may appreciate the extended airtime. Ask for a helping hand. A man who isn’t afraid to admit his flaws = tick. Make a joke of it. Laughs make light of most awkward moments. Failing those, gift her a front-closing bra.
The Friends-WithBenefits Cheat Sheet Want to screw your gal pal without screwing her over? Then answer these questions
WILL IT RUIN THE FRIENDSHIP? It’s a risk, but if you’re upfront about your intentions you’ll probably be okay. A Journal of Sex Research study found that people in explicit FWB relationships often put their friendship before the sex.
HOW DO I GAUGE HER INTEREST? Be direct, says social psychologist Justin Lehmiller. Say, “I don’t want to complicate our friendship, but I bet we’d have great sex together”. Then ask for her take. If she laughs it off, no loss.
HOW DO I KEEP IT CASUAL? Again, talk to her. “Communicate your expectations from the start,” says Lehmiller. If you’re seeing other women, say so. Knowing it’s not exclusive will remind you both to keep the sex safe.
Q To what age can I get away BW with living at home? There’s no definitive figure, but eyebrows would be raised around the 30-year mark. These days it’s common for fellas to share DNA and a roof with their folks, even when big boy pants are purchased without parental supervision. But it’s usually for good reason – a competitive housing market, coupled with the high cost of living. Be upfront early. There’s nothing worse than an unexpected Ma and Pa meeting. That’s unless they send you packing with crust-less PB & jam sambos the morning after . . . in which case everyone wins.
Q My girlfriend’s ex will be at a party we’re going to. How should I treat the douche? EC Firstly, refrain from referring to him as Douchey McDouchebag. At least to his face. Avoid (purposely): crushing his phalanges mid handshake, spilling guac on his loafers and shoulder-charging on the dance floor (unless he gets in the way of your groove thang, which would warrant said douche title). Instead, be civil, offer up some semblance of small talk, then bail. Your girl will be clocking your behaviour just as much as she is his.
Q How often is it okay to say, “Sorry, Saturday night I’m AG out with mates”? Fewer times than you’d think. Everyone wants to feel prioritised, AG. But that doesn’t necessarily mean giving up Saturday with da boyz. Schedule after-work drinks on Friday, or kick off your shoes for Sunday lawn bowls. The week is long, my friend. But let’s shine the spotlight on you momentarily: if you’re choosing mates over dates, regardless of the day, you might want to press pause and reevaluate your feelings. No one has time to be stringed along, even if it’s on a Tuesday.
Q How much does a guy’s KS underwear matter? Quite a bit. You can tell a lot from daks choice. With white Beckhams comes self-awareness, knowing the importance of bypassing chilli-eating contests and bulk-buying Napisan. Fartmuffling briefs suggest consideration and modesty, in equal measures. Batman boxers hint at a youthful spirit with an appreciation for cross-current ventilation. Most girls hope for the basics (read: clean) and appreciate additions from there (read: undies designed to smell like bacon).
Got a question for Ask Men’s Health or The Girl Next Door? Email menshealth@pacificmags.com.au or head to yahoo7.com.au/menshealth
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NEWS THAT IMPROVES YOU
Binge watchin R send you to the real one. The crime scene: your couch victi Yes, TV can kill: in an American Journal of Prevent Medici study, people who watched 3-4 hours of TV a day were 15 per cent more likely to die over the 14-year study period than those who watched little or no TV. The verdict: no need to deliberate – inacti ty for long iods isn’t healthy. The evidence is below
OUR SE OF DEA
TV A D
e 2 diabetes
HEALT
Suicide kinson’s diseas Liver diseas COP Influenza/pneumo Heart disease Can
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NUTRITION SEX FITNESS JUNE 2016
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PULSE
Take the stairs to stall ageing. A study from Concordia University in Montreal has found that the more flights of stairs a person climbs, the “younger” their brain appears in scans. The researchers examined the grey matter of 331 adults between the ages of 19 and 79 and found that brain age decreases by 0.58 years for every flight of stairs climbed each day. Time to channel Rocky at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
health
STEP TO IT
standing during your workday if you’re at a sit-and-stand desk instead of a conventional desk. SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
WALK OFF YOUR WORRIES
Road to Ruin Your commute could be killing you, according to Australian research published in Preventive Medicine. The study of 2800 commuters correlated time spent sitting in a car with cardio-metabolic markers and found that people using a car for fewer than 15 minutes each day had lower BMIs, smaller waists and lower risk of cardiac events than those who spent more than an hour a day in traffic. While the average daily travel time was 49 minutes, those who spent more than an hour a day behind the wheel saw an average increase of 0.8 in BMI and a 1.5-centimetre larger waistline.
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41
PERCENTAGE INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING AN IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT IN THE 12 MONTHS AFTER LOSING A SPOUSE. SOURCE: OPEN HEART JOURNAL
The black dog got you in its grip? Take it outside. A Finnish study of depressed patients published in Ecopsychology found that incorporating nature walks into treatment reduced the severity of symptoms. Participants met weekly for eight weeks, with every second session taking place in an urban woodland or park. The outdoor sessions included “engagement tasks”, such as finding a favourite place, as well as strolling through nature for roughly two kilometres. After eight weeks, 46 per cent of the participants reported less depression and a greater sense of wellbeing, and viewed their green outings as restorative.
PULSE
It can help heal a broken heart; now it’s protecting your brain. Chocolate may reduce your risk of stroke, a study by the University of Aberdeen suggests. People who ate between 14 and 100 grams of chocolate a day had a 22 per cent lower risk of stroke than abstainers. The study authors speculate that the one-two punch of flavonoids (in the cacao) and fatty acids and calcium (in the milk) could help maintain healthy blood lipid levels and blood pressure, thereby warding off strokes. Reward yourself and your health by eating two small squares daily.
nutrition
CHOC TOP FOR YOUR HEART
JUMP FOR SOY
Milk this study for all it’s worth. One glass of soy milk a day reduces your risk of prostate cancer by 30 per cent, say epidemiologists at Loma Linda University in California, owing to its richness in isoflavones, a cancer-combatting compound in soy. Remarkably, the effect more than doubles to 70 per cent if you up your dose to two glasses. But there’s no need to chug endless amounts of the stuff: blend up our protein-packed smoothie to build muscle and help stop a killer in its tracks. At breakfast, as in life, we have you covered.
STACK UP THE YEARS
Chug down added longevity with this liquid breakfast of champions
MORE CRUNCH = LESS MUNCH New doctor’s orders: no loud music or TV while eating. A study by Brigham Young and Colorado State universities has found that the more noise your food makes while eating, the less you’ll put away. The “Crunch Effect”, as the researchers call it, suggests that watching TV or listening to music while dining drowns out eating sounds that help keep your appetite in check. “When you mask the sound of consumption, you take away one of your senses, which may cause you to eat more than normal,” says study author Ryan Elder.
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1 cup soy milk 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt 1 scoop vanilla protein powder ½ cup frozen banana ½ cup frozen blueberries
1903
AVERAGE NUMBER OF EXTRA KILOJOULES MEN CONSUME FROM FRIDAY TO SUNDAY VERSUS ANY THREE-DAY PERIOD DURING THE WORKING WEEK. SOURCE: ANNALS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
There’s no need to pull on your chef’s whites when you’re wiped out postworkout. Simply blend all five ingredients until liquid, then pour into a chilled glass or (better still) stainless-steel canister. The frozen banana is your secret ingredient for added creaminess. Down the hatch.
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PULSE
sex BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Your “kinky” sex fantasy may not be quite so kinky after all. A Canadian study published in the Journal of Sex Research analysed the attitudes of 1040 adults – chosen to broadly represent societal norms – to behaviours such as voyeurism, fetishes, masochism, sadism, exhibitionism and cross-dressing. Nearly half of the participants surveyed (45.6 per cent) showed interest in at least one of the behaviours, while a third (33.9 per cent) had engaged in one of the acts. Men were most interested in voyeurism and exhibitionism, while women favoured fetishes and masochism.
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MARRIED COUPLES AND SEXTING Who’s doing it, how often.
Percentage of married couples who devote part of their data plans to sexting Percentage of wives who send their husband an X-rated text at least once a week Percentage of spouses who have no hang-ups sending racy photos to their partner Percentage of wives who send dirty pics to their spouse at least once a month
29 16 12 3
SOURCE: CYBERPSYCHOLOGY, BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL NETWORKING
cm
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PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES MACARI/ART, COMMERCE/RAVEN & SNOW
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PULSE
Criticisms of running are myriad: it erodes hardearned muscle; steady-state cardio doesn’t burn fat; running is what newbies and sweat-panted old people do; and so on. Research published in the European Journal of Endocrinology, however, could just help change these perceptions. While you might think 30 minutes on the treadmill is not enough to warrant a hydration bottle, it turns out that drinking half a litre of water over 30 minutes’ running increases your production of growth hormone by 48 per cent compared with a non-hydrated run. Growth hormone is, of course, a key factor in building muscle, but it’s also a potent fat-burner, meaning a leisurely, albeit well-lubricated, stint on the treadmill is a useful weapon in your battle against the bulge.
In the Air In sports, the difference between first and last can be a matter of seconds. A fanbased cardio machine – like an Airdyne bike or Concept2 rower – can teach you to persevere because it uses air resistance. While you row or pedal, you move fan blades that battle lift and apply drag. So the faster you go, the harder it becomes to increase your speed, says astrophysicist and National Geographic Channel presenter Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson. “If you’re rowing 500 metres in 1:31, you’d need nearly three times the effort to take a second off your time than if you were rowing at a two-minute pace.” A great goal for a 500m time is 1:30. Pro tip: emphasise pushing with your legs, not pulling with your arms. A Covering 500m in two
minutes flat requires you to generate 203 watts. B Completing the 500m row
in 1:30 is a fitness feat that requires 480 watts. C This world-record pace
(1:10.5) requires you to sustain more than 1000 watts.
C
WATTS/EFFORT 1,000
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PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE FAR LESS ACTIVE THAN THEY THINK.
B 600
SOURCE: MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS & EXERCISE
A 200
2:30
2:00
1:30
1:10
(minutes)
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DRINKING ON THE JOG
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06/16
PERSONAL
BEST
Dumping doughnuts: ditching junk food has seen Mills lose his “Fatty Patty” nickname.
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AUSTRALIAN
The Numbers Game As Rio-bound basketball star Patty Mills shows, mentors count, whether your performance is measured in spreadsheets or box scores [ BY IAN COCK ERILL
PHOTOGR APHY BY
DANIEL K NIGHTON ]
THERE WAS A TIME when the numbers weren’t so kind to Patty Mills. Over his first four seasons in the statistics-mad NBA, the personable kid from Canberra averaged 11 minutes, five points and 1.5 assists a game. Journeyman numbers. In business terms, he was the likeable, reliable employee who punched the clock but didn’t add much value to the bottom line. Then there was his soft-drink-fuelled body fat percentage, sitting at around 13 per cent – not what you’d expect from your all-action back-court general. Certainly not what his straight-shooting coach at the San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich, expected. Fatty Patty was one of the kinder monikers “Pop” bestowed on his third- or fourth-string guard. Granted, Mills had speed, a consistent outside shot and sure ball-handling. The NBA had numbers that showed that too. But when Pop added everything up, he didn’t have enough reasons to look along his bench and regularly point to the guy wearing Number 8. And so, when the time came for Mills to justify his pay cheque in 2013, the Spurs having made it to the finals against LeBron James’ Miami Heat, well, he sat. And sat. By the end of Game 3, with Spurs leading the series 2-1, he had played just 14 junk-time minutes. And then, right in the middle of the finals, an abscess on his right foot developed into a frightening staph infection that meant urgent surgery and a month-long recovery. Mills was a downcast spectator as San Antonio ultimately lost 4-3.
Asked later to explain his reluctance to employ Mills, Popovich didn’t miss. “In the playoffs you have to trust a guy completely.” Ouch. In other words, when the stakes were high and the big deals were on the table, Mills wasn’t even invited into the room. If he didn’t hear that from his coach at the time, Mills could still hear the drumbeats. And read the reports where, commended for his demonstrative support from courtside, he was often described as an “expert towel-waver”. Expert towel-waver? It hardly shouted “long and successful career”. With his foot healed, Mills made a decision. He didn’t want to play anywhere other than San Antonio, with its tradition of success and rich Australian links dating back to Andrew Gaze and Shane Heal. And so he went to work. He made a bet with teammate Boris Diaw that he’d be the first of the two to cut his body fat to seven per cent. He overhauled his workouts, his diet. He ran hills from Texas to Thursday Island. And then he turned up for the new season, collected his bet, and showed off Patty Mills v2. Nine months later, in the series-clinching Game 5 of the NBA finals against the same opponents, Mills completed his turnaround when he scored 17 points off the bench – more than all but one of Spurs’ starters – to earn his first championship ring. The lesson for you? Let your career drift and you too can be flirting with irrelevance and, ultimately, the exit door. Conversely, identify your shortcomings, change up your game, and good things can come your way.
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Just ask the 27-year-old now averaging 20 minutes, nine points and three assists on a championship-contending team. The guy with the security of a threeyear, US$12million contract. The guy who’ll head to the Rio Olympics in August as the chief string-puller and offensive weapon in an exciting Australian team tipped for a medal. It’s a tribute to Mills’ fierce will to succeed. To his preparedness to suffer short-term pain – that body fat didn’t just drop off – for longterm gain. And to his good sense in listening to his mum.
Rewind Patty Mills’ story and they appear at critical junctures; wise heads who supply the spark for his next surge forward. Mills’ talent as a good listener – and it is a talent – goes back to his childhood in Canberra where, as the son of an Aboriginal mother, Yvonne, and Torres Strait Islander father, Benny, he was the target of slurs in playgrounds and sporting arenas. When, teary-eyed, he carried the burn home, his mother sat him down. The same mother who had been taken from her family as one of the Stolen Generation. “She’d ask me why I was crying, why I was sulking,” recalls Mills. “She’d say, ‘Sulking isn’t going to get you anywhere Pat’ – I was always Pat when I was in trouble.” Instead, Mills was taught “to take the high road” when every fibre in his body told him to lash out. He concedes it wasn’t easy. But you know what? Inciters eventually lose interest if there’s no sign their barbs have penetrated. That thick skin served Mills especially well on the basketball court, his second home after his parents formed an indigenous team called The Shadows. In time, he learnt to weather the taunts to concentrate on winning games. Just as importantly, if a bad game saw him benched, “my mum and dad taught me that you don’t sulk when you don’t get court time”. In years to come, that particular lesson grew in significance. Think of it in terms of your own career. The times you’ve been overlooked for promotions you think you deserve or projects you think you’d smash?
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How did you react? Did you intensify your effort, hone or add to your skills, offer to help out where possible, rally round those under pressure? Or did you . . . sulk? Well before his minutes started to grow in 2013/14, Mills, the “expert towel-waver”, left no one in any doubt as to how he responded to being used sparingly. At both his first NBA team, Portland, and the Spurs, he was the guy on the bench who smiled and high-fived and waved his towel. He oozed positive energy. Yeah, you’re thinking, but he was still getting splinters in his arse. True. But that doesn’t recognise that the people who held his future in their hands saw that what he lacked in raw numbers he helped make up for in team dynamics and culture. It’s a small tick, sure, but one that counts in your favour, especially when recruiting decisions are made. And there’s another thing. Most workplaces are a hornet’s nest of competing ambitions and agendas. When you find a colleague who genuinely celebrates your successes – You nailed that sale! – despite being peripheral to them, you can’t help but want that person to succeed as well. Hell, you might even give them a leg-up. As it happens, Mills’ turn as an “expert towel-waver” was a critical component in being picked up by San Antonio, a franchise that may well be responsible for the original “no dickheads” policy. That, and the influence of another mentor. But we’ll come to that.
When Mills accepted a basketball scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport aged 16, it closed the door on a potential AFL career but brought him under the influence of head coach Marty Clarke. A tough-nut Tasmanian who’d been in the back court of the 1989 NBL championship-winning North Melbourne Giants, Clarke quickly set about adding polish to Mills’ natural athleticism. “He saw the potential in me and I don’t know if I could have progressed otherwise,” says Mills, lighting up at the mention of his old coach’s name “There was a lot of detail with Marty. Week to week he helped me grow from a small, hustling player by developing my shooting and
MILLS . . . AND BOOM! – GET SINGLE-DIGIT BODY FAT Even at the elite level, it can take a near-death experience to jolt you into career-defining action. In Mills’ case, it was watching his NBA dream be put on life-support as he became a footnote in the 2013 finals. He sliced his body fat percentage via some “extreme” intervention in the kitchen.
EAT OFTEN “I was constantly eating, six meals a day, always snacking, a handful of almonds, no dairy, no coffee, no sugar, no soft drink – I even cut back on Gatorade.” FORGET CHEAT DAYS “It felt if I had a cheat day, I would have been broken. Just get used to it. It’s now my daily routine and I don’t need a cheat day.”
TACTICS
ANDREW BOGUT TOLD ME TO MAKE EVERY GAME, EVERY PRACTICE, EVERY WORKOUT COUNT
PICK PROTEIN “I was eating a lot of carbs and that changed to chicken breast, salmon, vegies, all in small portions.” DITCH THE FIZZ “I love everything from Coke to ginger beer. But it was only water. The one exception was San Pellegrino sparkling water, just so I could get that bubbly feeling.”
making my work ethic stronger. For him, it was about discipline and not being left behind.” Within a year, Mills was invited to train with the Australian senior team preparing for the 2006 World Championships. He didn’t go in passively. Up close to the best basketball players in the land, he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass. “I learnt a lot from the experienced guys like Jason Smith, Chris Anstey and Sam Mackinnon,” he says. “I saw them as my mentors and I strived to develop similar characteristics, to be a leader.” Seeing senior teammates as mentors, whether they’d apply the tag to themselves or not, has been a hallmark of Mills’ career. Years later, when he was grinding through tryout after tryout ahead of the 2009 NBA draft, his Boomers teammate Andrew Bogut – the 2005 draft’s No.1 pick – offered some timely advice. “He told me to make every game, every practice, every workout count,” recalled Mills afterwards. “Don’t take anything for granted and understand that there’s always someone watching, so don’t let up for one second.”
Fast-forward another few years and Mills had found more teammatementors in the shape of Spurs and NBA legends Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, whose locker by chance was next to the talkative Australian’s. As he told The Oregonian newspaper shortly after joining San Antonio, “I’ve kind of been annoying in picking their brains and trying to get better”. Let’s flip that around. Ever had a colleague ask you to share insights or tips from your hard-won experience? Annoying? No, more like flattering. So take a look around your workplace. See all that knowledge floating about? Don’t let it go untapped. Back in 2009, Mills found another ally in his constant quest for improvement when Brett Brown took over as head coach of the Boomers. A thoughtful American who’d made a new life for himself as one of Australia’s leading coaches, Brown took great pride in developing young players. After giving Mills the room to be
Australia’s best player at the 2010 World Championships, it was Brown who helped throw him a lifeline early in 2012 when he was at risk of being spun out of the NBA loop by the Portland Trailblazers, who’d taken him at No.66 in the 2009 draft but used him little since. As an assistant coach at San Antonio – job-sharing is not uncommon in international basketball – Brown recommended the club add Mills to its roster when injury opened up a spot. Once he’d unpacked his bags, Mills resumed his apprenticeship under Brown. “It was a great transition for me coming to San Antonio – here’s Brett Brown to help take me to the elite NBA level,” says Mills of the man who has since progressed to be head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. “He did a great job with me. He helped me believe in myself. He’d tell me, ‘Remember, you’re an
NBA point guard, Patty, you can do that’. He’d just say, ‘Do what you do, be who you are, don’t try to be Steve Nash or Mark Jackson, be Patty Mills, be yourself’.” There’s the rub. Because, ultimately, you can have all the mentors in the world, but unless Project Me involves building on what you perceive as your unique talents, you’re never going to have the confidence to take your own advice. That’s what Mills was able to do when he engineered his makeover in 2013. Don’t think that means Mills no longer needs or seeks mentors. Chances are he’ll gravitate towards them through every stage of his basketball career and beyond. Having profited so handsomely from the wisdom they dispense, he’s too smart to do otherwise. Besides, it takes a brave man to ignore his mother.
Taking Heat: it’s a Mills vs LeBron duel during Game Five of the 2014 NBA Finals.
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HEALTH
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN . . .
I Lose Sleep? If you don’t snooze, you’ll lose. Use these strategies to triumph in World War ZZZ and avoid a full-scale health nightmare
5 1
2 3
4
25 kg
25 kg
1/ BINGE ON SLEEP
2/ BEAT FAT IN BED
3/ RESIST DISEASE
4/ DOZE UP ON HGH
5/ FACE THE FACTS
Book-ending a long day with a workout, dinner and a post-midnight Netflix marathon can result in you going without sleep for up to 20 hours. For your brain, it’s like being over the drink-driving limit, warns Dr Guy Leschziner, of the UK’s Sleep Disorders Centre. Head to bed just two hours earlier to hit the recommended minimum for sleepinduced sobriety.
Logging five hours or less raises your risk of obesity by 15 per cent, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Fluctuations in ghrelin and leptin, the hormones that regulate metabolism and appetite, are to blame says Leschziner. Freeze them out by keeping your bedroom below 18°C: it triggers “non-shivering thermogenesis” for overnight weight loss.
People who get only five hours of sleep a night typically have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and can become insulin resistant, according to sleep specialist Professor Adrian Williams. Work to blame? Walk away. No, don’t quit: a study found walking for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, can prevent and reverse insulin resistance.
While there are proven ways to marginally increase your human growth hormone (heavy squats, for example) 60-70 per cent of your HGH – responsible for everything from metabolism to hair growth – is produced during sleep. Moreover, a Harvard study linked insufficient sleep to less-efficient production. No way around this one, gents.
Your body uses sleep to eliminate toxins from the skin, says Sleep School founder Dr Guy Meadows. The skin of people who skimp on sleep takes 30 per cent longer to recover after a hard day, reports the University Hospitals Case Medical Centre in Cleveland. Before bed, cleanse, then apply a good-quality moisturiser.
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MUSCLE + FITNESS
BUNS OF STEEL Friends, women, workmates – you’re going to shock and awe them with the view from behind once you’ve filled out your jeans with these glute sessions According to PT BJ Gaddour, more-muscular glutes make you stronger and leaner all over. In fact, a great rear can even reduce your risk of injury. Want to seem taller? Tighten your bum, stand up straight and amaze those left in your wake. Bonus: you just straightened out your posture too. Bulk up your rear end – fast – with these three moves courtesy of Gaddour.
KETTLEBELL SWING
HIP THRUST
STEP-UP
“This move teaches you to generate power from your hips instead of your lower back – the key to avoiding lifting injuries,” says Gaddour. “Knock off 10-20 reps as a warm-up before squats or deadlifts. Or do 3-5 sets of 10-20 reps with a heavy barbell. Be sure to tighten your glutes with every thrust.”
“A step-up is a natural movement that can help with balance and improve the strength and mobility in your legs while you build strong glutes. I often end my workouts with 10 minutes of continuous alternating step-ups. That helps bulletproof my knees and builds killer lower-body stamina.”
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PHOTOGRAPHY: EDWARD URRUTIA
“The swing is a total-body move that melts fat and trains you to activate your glutes. My favourite way to do it: pick a goal number of reps – say, 500 – and complete them over the course of a day. Do 50 swings every hour. Or try a 25-minute workout of 20 swings every minute, on the minute.”
Take to the pristine sands of famous Whitehaven Beach for an event the whole family can enjoy. The Great Whitehaven Beach Run has races for everyone, including kids. Serious runners can compete in a half marathon, or tackle a 10km or 5km run. Race day is Sunday 26 June, 2016. For more information visit OHTPS[VUPZSHUK JVT H\
1 May 2016
12 November 2016
GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN Sunday 26 June, 2016
13 November 2016
S EX U AL H EA LI N G
Tooled Up CAN SEX TOYS MAKE YOU BETTER IN BED? A LECHEROUS EDITOR I used to work for, as stuffy as he was slimy, EXPERT PROFILE once asked me if I could help him sort out his perfunctory sex life. “Myy wife never wants to do it any more,” he complained. “A friend told me she needed sex toys, but when I suggested it she burst into tears!” In his case, I suspect it wasn’t the thought of him brandishing a giant glass dildo that was the problem, but the thought of him at all. Make no mistake: sex toys cannot compensate for lacklustre sexual skills or poor communication. Instead, they are tools with which to enhance your prowess, or, as the Tao has it, to help you pleasure NAME: Nich your opponent into submission. i Hodgson JOB: Author What’s more, sex toys don’t look like plastic Christmas-cracker , activist and former domi novelties any more, but sophisticated sexual game-changers. natrix, Hodgson ch arges up yo Some are meant to mimic human acts and some are meant to ur sex life wi th her transform them. The really good ones manage both – and it’s definitive guide to a new generation those that I’ll guide you to here. Frankly, they’re the only ones I’m of pleasure giving play interested in. If you want a speedy sexual upgrade and to give her things. orgasm after orgasm, the same should go for you.
What’s the first sex toy you should buy?
What will give her the most intense orgasm?
Is there anything that makes sex better for men?
Simple – you need a dildo with a difference. Try the awardwinning brand Lelo: its Isla vibrator has six intensity settings to tease her with. Or for something with more horsepower, the stainless-steel dildos produced by Njoy have grooves, bumps and bulbs in all the right places, perfectly designed to accommodate the contours of her body. Always pick out models that have an antimicrobial silicon coating. These feel natural and she’ll respond best to them. For lube – always have lube – experiment with flavours. Coco de Mer (coco-de-mer.com) has some particularly good ones.
G-spot stimulators such as the Je Joue G-Kii are particularly good for teasing your partner to the point of squirt. These curve in a way you’d never want your penis to and the G-Kii is adjustable to the exact angle required to reach her G-spot. Get her to sit up but lean back on her hands while you go to work. Then, as she’s about to climax, finish up with your fingers or with her sitting on your face. Or tie her up (with her consent, of course) and use the We-vibe 4, a remote-controlled vibrator that gives you an extra degree of power if that’s what you’re into. Either way, you’ll be thankful you discovered these incredible orgasm generators.
Of course. Throbbing objects aren’t only for women, and to that end (or your end) I’d recommend the Tenga Flip Hole Masturbator. This moulded sleeve applies pressure to your penis, and once the silicon inner is laced with lube, it’s hard to tear yourself away from its embrace. It doesn’t have to be a solo trip either. Get your partner to hold it while you thrust. She’ll have access to the pressure buttons and effectively controls your pleasure. Alternatively, perhaps a prostate massager – not as dangerous as it sounds – is more your thing. Try the Aneros Vice, which certainly makes for a more comfortable exploration before you ask a longnailed female to get involved.
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SEX
Can you have “virtual-sex” with porn stars?
What gives the best bang for your buck?
I’d advise caution here. There is the (somewhat tacky) Fleshlight Girls range, which consists of the moulded orifices of porn stars like Teagan Presley. Or there’s an emerging cyber-movement called “teledildonics” (worth 17 Scrabble points, FYI), which is a bit like Skype with added touching. Teledildonics is still in the early stages of refinement and users complain about lack of sensitivity and the fact that it really isn’t enough like the real thing. Still, better than sitting on your hand for 10 minutes on a lonely night, I suppose.
Call it the holey Holy Grail. Believe it or not, this has been achieved by a cock ring called the Bionic Bullet, an affordably priced product that lives up to its super-heroic name. It has two rings – one that slips around your penis and one that goes around your testicles. The pulsing sensation not only feels amazing but also prolongs erections and delays ejaculation. And the bullet, which sits across the top of your penis during sex, is perfectly positioned to massage her clitoris, making it far more likely she’ll orgasm during penetrative sex. Sex toys can’t replace the pleasure of doing it with another human, but this one gets top marks for attending to mutual, in-the-flesh pleasure.
3.TENGA FLIP HOLE MALE MASTURBATOR PRICE $99.95; lovehoney.com.au BEST FOR Getting the sensation of penetrative sex with no pressure for post-coital cuddles.
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The
01
NATURALSELECTION
In the same way that green juice is the distillate of vaunted veg, bone broth claims to be the nutritional concentrate of animal products in a more digestible form. But just like any successful (or unsuccessful) pub brawler will attest, knowing which bones to pick is key. Scavenge accordingly.
BEEF Building muscle forces your joints to work harder to support the extra weight. Simmering cow bones as you beef up extracts glucosamine and chondroitin, which research in the International Journal of Rheumatology showed can help increase joint strength and mobility.
LOCKSTOCKINSMOKIN’BARRELS
The only thing you really need to mak bone broth is a pot with a lid on it. That said, a he eavy meat cleaver will come in handy when chopping g Flintstone-esque bones down to size, while e a stainless-steel strainer will benefit anyone lookin ng fo or a silkier stew. Fortunately, broth’s benefits needn’t be reserved for weekends and rainy days: with a pro ogrammable slow cooker, you can leave your kitch k hen without fear of your creation evaporati p ng away because you opted to visit the gym afterr work. Alternatively, suggest Jasmine and Melissa Meli ssa H Hemsley, authors of Good + Simple, a pres essure cooker can cut your prep time to just three hours – ccooking the stew at a higher pressure extracts nut ients aster. Leaving you very few bones to pick while st cking u on the vegetables.
PORK The closest you’ll get to cheating your cheat day. Amino acids in the gelatin from pork knuckles and feet protect your liver from pot toxins (like Friday night’s Jäegerbombs) andd help you absorb any healthy nutrients encountered while pigging out.
CHICKEN Yes, we get it: chickken broth is “nourishing”. It’s not that wee don’t give a cluck, but we’d rather cosyy up to words that actually mean somethinng. Like carnosine – the anti-inflammatoory compound that keeps your immunitity up to scratch.
FISH Loaaded with brain-boosting DHA andd EPPA, fish broth is arguably the most nuutrient-dense of the lot. It’ss also the cheapest and quickest to pprep; flat fissh like flounder require only 40 minutes, while Murray cod and hapuku are good after five hours.
E 2016
GET THE RECIPES USE THE FREE VIEWA APP TO ADD OUR BROTH RECIPES TO YOUR PHONE
W RDS: DEAN STATTMANN; PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUI WO
While its fabled powers to rev e the dead are greatly exaggerat d, animal stock is ha aving a revival of its own. MH separate ates the benefits from the bone-headed buz buzzwords
NUTRITION
MARROWVICCTORIES
Broth’s bare-b bones appeal makess it a winning for ula for gains on the go (and n a budget). But as these recipes the Hemsleys demo trate, you don’t hav to stop there; your broth can la ay a nutritionally solid foundation n for soups, stews and other dishes such as ramen. And the long ger you simmer your stock, the m more powerful – and, yes, the more e urishing – it will become. te: when a recipe calls for “b e broth”, use the Basic Bone roth recipe.
BASIC BONE BROTH INGREDIENTS • BONES • SPLASH LEMON JUICE OR APPLE-CIDER VINEGAR • WATER • BAY LEAVES (OPTIONAL)
PEP-UP BROTH
METHOD
Add the bones to a pot along with your lemon or vinegar and, if you choose, a few bay leaves. Cover with five centimetres of cold water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Close the lid and leave for 6-12 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Once it’s done, strain the broth and use immediately, or leave to cool before storing. Bone broth will keep for up to a week in the fridge or can be frozen.
GINGER MISO BROTH INGREDIENTS • 600ML BONE BROTH • 1 TSP GRATED FRESH GINGER • 2 TSP MISO PASTE • 2 EGGS (OPTIONAL) • SEA SALT TO TASTE • SQUEEZE LEMON JUICE • CHILLI FLAKES (OPTIONAL)
THROW YOURSELF A BONE Three ways bone broth can make you fitter and happier
INGREDIENTS METHOD • 300ML BONE For this recipe, we suggest going BROTH with chicken broth for all of its • 1 TSP GRATED FRESH GINGER OR aforementioned immune-boosting ½ TSP GROUND properties. Add it to a pan with the GINGER ginger and bring your stock to a • ½ TSP GROUND TURMERIC boil. Reduce to a simmer for a few • PINCH GROUND minutes to heat through. Transfer CAYENNE • SQUEEZE LEMON to a bowl and stir in the turmeric, JUICE cayenne pepper, lemon and sea • PINCH SEA SALT salt to further bump up your broth’s
cold-beating properties. Serves 1
BEAN BROTH
METHOD
Bring the broth to a boil in a pan and reduce to a simmer for a few minutes to heat through. Turn off the heat and grate the ginger into your pan, adding the miso paste. Crack in a couple of eggs if you want to benefit from an extra 12 grams of protein. Whisk until smooth, pour into a bowl and stir in the sea salt and lemon juice. Now top with chilli flakes and slurp down. Serves 2
INGREDIENTS • 550G MUNG BEANS • 1½ TBSP COCONUT OIL • 1 ONION, FINELY SLICED • 2 THUMB-SIZE PIECES GINGER, SLICED • 4 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED • 400ML COCONUT MILK • 750ML BONE BROTH • 400ML TAMARI • PEPPER TO TASTE • 6 HANDFULS GREENS
METHOD
Soak the beans overnight in double their volume of water. Heat the oil and sauté the onions, ginger and garlic for eight minutes, or until the onion softens. Add the drained mung beans, coconut milk and broth, then simmer until the beans are tender – up to 60 minutes. Add the tamari and pepper. Chop the greens; add and simmer until soft. Your superstew is served. Serves 6
FLASK AND YOU’LL RECEIVE
SOUP UP YOUR DEFENCES
GO WITH YOUR GUT
Broth, do you even lift? Why, yes, ctually. The gelatin in broth is a “prot otein-sparer”, which means it increasess the biovailability of any protein you con onsume with it. Pack some in your gym bag and sip it on the way home from ning after chugging your s ke.
When a cold hits hard, most men turn to tea, maybe with some immune-aiding ginger plopped in. Opt for a cup of broth instead: you can keep the ginger, while adding new flu-busters like garlic and thyme, which you’d never dare stir into your cuppa.
One of the reasons why people go on juice cleanses is to give their digestive system a break. But you don’t have to limit yourself to lemon water. Broth is low in fibre, making it equally gentle, and its gelatin helps to repair your system.
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MUSCLE + FITNESS
DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
Gym bros who camp out in the free weights area might scoff, but machines can help you hit your body goals, injury-free
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MACHINES ARE A GREAT WAY TO OVERLOAD YOUR MUSCLES WITH SHORT SETS OF MAXIMUM EFFORT you are using a machine or a free weight, and any resistance training will trigger a hormonal response, which enhances muscle growth. Muscles simply respond to force and tension. So the heavier you lift, the bigger they will grow. Machines are also much more versatile than you may realise. On a leg-press machine you can do double-leg presses, switch to single-leg presses, move your feet wider to work your glutes, move them narrower to hit your quads or even do straight-leg calf raises. And the solid, safe movement patterns of machines make them perfect for eccentric training (lowering the weight slowly for 10 seconds on each rep adds extra tension and is proven to slap more meat onto your muscles). Elite Olympic athletes even use machines for power training – like leg-press throws, where they allow the plate to release 5-10 centimetres off their feet – but these are advanced techniques, best done with a trainer, if you want to avoid ending up on YouTube. This doesn’t mean you should throw free weights out the window. (NB: never throw free weights out the window!) All the science shows they are superior for athletic performance. And without the balance and coordination they help you develop, you’d be useless in any sport. But embrace fixed weights and you can supercharge your workout. After all, machines are built to make life easier, so why not let them?
THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS
1
PRESS HERE
Bench machines up your threerep max by eight per cent against free weights, says the Journal of Strength and Conditioning.
2
IRON GIANT
The barbell squat may be the king of leg moves, but studies say machine leg presses raise testosterone just as much.
3
SLOW DOWN
Fixed is safest for eccentric training (3 x 8 reps at 60 per cent 1RM, lowering for 10 seconds) and is shown to speed growth.
PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON
IF YOU THINK THAT toying with weight machines is the gym equivalent of a SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER grown man driving a Duncan French is a car with L-plates, strength and you’re misinformed, conditioning coach champ. There is more than one reason why those bolteddown machines in your gym are a fixture in the workout regimens of professional bodybuilders and Olympic champions. Misguided gym snobbery could be denying you access to powerful tools that can help you build cyborg strength and a set of alloy abs to go with it. Even before you consider the unique muscle-building capacities of machines, think about another valuable commodity: time. While the metal-head hordes clang iron in the weights room, machines often stand by, unused. From now on, consider them your private workout facilities. Instead of wrestling with bars and plates, machines allow you to switch loads with the simple tweak of a lever, so you can power through workouts. You don’t need to find a willing spotter and you’ll never waste time searching for a missing dumbbell or weight plate. In physiological terms, machines are excellent for forging Man of Steel strength and size. You will always move more weight on a leg-press machine than you can squat with a barbell. That’s because free weights require your muscles to multitask. But on a machine, those extra challenges – coordination, proprioception – are removed. Working along a fixed plane, you can push your muscles harder and crank through fatigue without fear of your form derailing. For that reason, machines are a great way to overload your muscles with those short sets of maximum effort that will trigger the hypertrophy you crave. If your goals are more aesthetic, machines make it easy to assemble your ideal physique. Bodybuilders do machine biceps curls, calf raises and triceps extensions to target specific muscles they want to pump up. Remember that muscles don’t know if
Protein
Carbs
Fats
HACK YOUR HORMONES
Balance your chemistry to sleep better, boost energy levels and burn more fat [ BY K . ALEISHA FE T TERS
PHOTOGR APHY BY
SCOT T McDERMOT T ]
Hunger Regulators
Metabolism Boosters
Muscle Builders
Sleep Inducer
Ghrelin and Leptin
Thyroid Hormones
IGF-1 and HGH
Melatonin
These two characters are constantly fighting to tell you how much food you need to eat. Ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry, is secreted by the stomach walls. Leptin, released from fat cells, tells your body that your energy stores are full. Once in your bloodstream, both hormones flow towards your brain’s hypothalamus. In healthy men, the one that shows up in the greatest numbers wins. But when you stop taking care of yourself, your body becomes resistant to leptin. The result: ghrelin – the hunger-causing hormone – starts winning the battles.
The thyroid, a bat-shaped gland in your neck, churns out the hormones T3 and T4, which travel through your body, telling each cell how much energy to produce and expend. That determines your basal metabolic rate – how many kilojoules you burn before factoring in daily activities and exercise, says Dr Steven Lamm, of New York University’s Tisch Centre for Men’s Health. Even small dips in T3 and T4 can cause your metabolism to stall and the kilos to mount. If the dip is sudden, it could be due to a tumour or autoimmune condition, such as Hashimoto’s disease.
No doubt you’ve heard of pro athletes and bodybuilders using illegal injections of human growth hormone (HGH, also called somatotropin). HGH triggers the production of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Together, these two hormones break down fat and use the energy to strengthen muscles, ligaments and tendons, says Dr Jacob Wilson, associate editor of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Your body makes HGH naturally, but shortly after you reach the age of 20, your levels begin to drop by 15 per cent or so each decade, says Wilson.
Ideally, your production of sleepinducing melatonin would idle during the day and hit its peak between 2am and 4am, says sleep specialist Dr Christopher Winter. But that doesn’t always happen. Your pineal gland cycles melatonin based on your exposure to blue light, the stimulating shortwave beams that are emitted by the sun as well as your smartphone and television. If you spend time in front of a screen after sunset, you throw off your natural sleep cycle, and your 2am peak could be delayed until it’s time to wake up for work.
LIGHTS OUT According to researchers at Pennsylvania State University, people who sleep fewer than six hours a night see appetiteinducing ghrelin levels surge while leptin declines. And no, sleeping in at the weekend doesn’t compensate for the damage. If you want a flat belly, you need plenty of shut-eye every night.
DINE ON IODINE If your body weight spikes, see your doctor, says Lamm. A simple blood test can determine whether you have a thyroid disorder. Otherwise, keep the gland healthy by consuming about 150 micrograms of dietary iodine a day. The mineral is essential for your body’s T3 and T4 production. Saltwater seafood, dairy and eggs are all good sources.
CHASE THE BURN To naturally spike HGH, work to the point of fatigue, says Wilson. Use the heaviest weights you can manage for three or four sets of 8-12 reps. Between sets, limit your rest to no more than 60 seconds. “If you feel a burn in your muscles, you’re doing it right,” he says. That means your body chemistry is becoming slightly acidic, which ups HGH production.
UNPLUG EARLY Starting two hours before bedtime, switch off screens. Even a backlit e-reader can set your sleep cycle back by 90 minutes, according to Harvard research. If you must check your phone, use an app, like Unblue ($3, iOS) or EyeFilter (free, Android). If you can’t give up your fix of late-night TV, try wearing blue-filtering glasses.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: FUNNY BANK/GETTY
Think of your body as a multinational company. There are layers of management, countless systems that must work together seamlessly and myriad goals that occasionally conflict. In other words, your body is complicated. Thankfully, you don’t have to think about it, because your hormones do the heavy lifting, from helping you sleep at night to deciding whether a particular kilojoule should be converted into fat or muscle. The best part: you can learn to control them. And when you do, you’ll look and feel better every day.
HEALTH
ADRENALINE: IT’S NOT JUST FOR EMERGENCIES
If your hormones aren’t working for you, they’re working against you.
Libido Lifter
Fat Burner
Energy Importer
Testosterone
Irisin
Insulin
Testosterone channels protein towards your muscle cells, boosts your sex drive and increases your sperm count. A man’s T levels generally drop with age, but they don’t have to: “Testosterone decline is linked with ageing because we tend to become more sedentary, less fit and more overweight with time,” says urologist Dr Darius Paduch. In a recent Imperial College London study of more than 3000 men over the age of 40, three out of four of those with low testosterone were either overweight or obese.
If you haven’t heard of brown fat, here’s your primer: unlike the white fat that jiggles when you do burpees, the brown stuff is firm and metabolically active. Fifty grams of brown fat burns about 1250 kilojoules a day. And as it turns out, a hormone exists that can turn your white fat brown. It’s called irisin. Its existence in humans was confirmed only recently, says Dr Christiane Wrann, of the Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. If you can get your veins to course with irisin, you might be able to eliminate that burpee jiggle.
Insulin is responsible for moving fat and sugar from your bloodstream to your fat and muscle cells for storage. If your body stops responding to it properly, blood sugar levels can rise, putting you at risk of type 2 diabetes. So the goal is to keep your insulin-sugar levels balanced. But an insulin spike can help you immediately after a tough workout, when the hormone provides a muscle-building window. It delivers more sugars right to your muscles. That’s good: your body uses this sugar, called glycogen, to keep you energised and fuel your strength.
SET A TWO-DRINK LIMIT Alcohol can hinder the testosteroneproducing chemical reactions that occur in your testicles and liver. A blood alcohol concentration of just 0.05 – the legal driving limit for most drivers – can cause a nine per cent dip in testosterone in men between the ages of 21 and 25, according to research in the journal Alcoholism.
FREEZE YOUR ARSE OFF Shivering for 10-15 minutes increases your irisin production about as much as an hour of moderate exercise does, according to research from the US National Institutes of Health. If you’re not willing to freeze then keep your biggest muscles – the ones in your legs – contracting, says Wrann. Running and cycling will do the trick.
CARB LOAD A University of Oklahoma review found that the ideal post-workout carb intake was about one gram per kilo of body mass. For an 80kg man, that’s a large potato and a cup of corn. Throw some protein on that plate too. It’ll help with muscle protein synthesis, says Dr Javier Gonzalez, from the University of Bath.
When a kangaroo jumps in front of your car, adrenaline is great. It spikes your heart rate, opens your blood vessels and floods your body with sugar and fat to help you smash your brakes hard. Unfortunately, modern society has turned much of daily life into panicinducing moments, says Dr Redford Williams, director of the Behavioural Medicine Research Centre at Duke University in the US. Many of us experience adrenaline as a steady drip spurred by deadlines, bills and presentations. As a result, our veins course with a surplus of fats and sugars that spike blood pressure and create tiny tears in our arteries where plaque can form. Here’s how to slow the rush. BREATHE DEEPLY
When you feel low-level panic setting in, remind yourself that you’re doing everything you can to solve the problem, says Williams. Inhale through your nose for three seconds, then exhale through your mouth for 3-6 seconds. Repeat until you feel calm. MEDITATE
Researchers from Kent State University in the US found that people who did 2.5 hours of mindfulness meditation every week for two months lowered their systolic blood pressure by 4.8mmHg and their diastolic blood pressure by 1.9mmHg.
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MIND
I Swear, It’s Good For You Bad language can be a good tool. Make a robust ally of strong words to overcome all obstacles [ BY JE AN-PAUL NICHOL AS ]
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About to snap? A well-placed curse eases the strain.
When you’re pushing for one last rep or final kilometre, a full-throated roar of your favourite expletive will ease you over the line swearing) and express how fucking much we want to (emphatic). Alternatively, we could attempt to identify which fucker ate the last piece of cake (abusive) and say how fucked-up it is that he left the empty plate (idiomatic) in an attempt to relieve the resulting fucking anger (catharsis). We can all identify with these examples, but it is in the last instance that swearing’s real power lies: cursing can anaesthetise pain. When you’re pushing for one last rep or holding on for that final kilometre, a fullthroated roar of your favourite expletive will ease you over the line. Try it and see. “Swearing triggers a well-known stressinduced analgaesia,” says Professor Richard Stephens, senior lecturer in psychology at the UK’s Keele University. “It’s part of the fight or flight response. Adrenaline is released, the heart pumps faster and we become more enabled to overcome an aggressor or make a swift getaway. Swearing helps many people better tolerate pain.” So you can either use profanity to sledgehammer through the wall
during a marathon, or help you spend a few extra seconds in the ice bath after it. But please allow me one small plea for temperance (it’s the Catholic guilt, you see). Much as I love that my predilection for the language of the sewer now has a bona fide health benefit, I know it is nevertheless something to be cherished, not abused. Like other habits that tax reward centres, its use brings diminishing returns. “People who swear most in everyday life get less benefit,” says Stephens. “It seems that its emotional effect wears off through overuse.” Now, rather than directing a rainbow of colourful language at kamikaze cabs each morning from my bike saddle, I keep my quota in reserve for when I really need it. When I ran the New York Marathon last year, I kept my sacred mantra until the painful last 800 metres. Sure, I’m not particularly proud of my mid-“fuck” photo at the finish line, but I made it and got the medal. Swearing may not be big, but it really is quite clever.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE
ISN’T SWEARING WONDERFUL? To my mind it fucking is. The act of swearing, the summoning of words that are strangely imbued with a delicious potency, is both a force to be reckoned with and a joy to be had. In conversation it sharpens the point and intensifies the argument. In moments of ecstasy it punctuates the climax. Swearing has physiological properties too, having the power to both generate physical energy and alleviate anguish. Easy, egalitarian, effective – what’s not to like? In bygone years, salty language brought “forbidden” ideas to mind. Take a wank, for example, or a fuck. These are deliciously coarse words used to describe activities that, while entirely normal, we nevertheless still like to see happen behind closed doors. The history of swearing is, of course, deeply entwined with that of the Church, where to take the Lord’s sobriquet in vain is/was a punishable taboo. Speaking as one whose mother named him after the Pope, none of this is lost on me. The original John-Paul taught me all about blasphemy, that strange concept whereby certain words are permissible unless said in the wrong context. I grew up knowing that to utter the words “Jesus Christ” in a fit of pique was a very bad thing, not to mention throwing the odd “fucking” in there for good measure. Which, of course, made me love it all the more. And yet it took me almost 30 years to have affirmed what I’d known deep down all along: namely, that profanity equals power. In his book The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature, cognitive neurolinguist Steven Pinker details the five ways we curse, which any talented potty-mouth will instantly recognise. Let’s take the F-bomb. We might say that we want to fuck (descriptive
ESSENTIALS
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Our guide to what’s happening and what’s new
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STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control is a resolutely masculine timepiece. Featuring a COSCcertified self-winding Chopard movement and a power-reserve indicator at nine o’clock, this stainless-steel watch on a rubber strap combines a sophisticated design with technical excellence. Visit chopard.com for more information.
ON-THE-GO PROTEIN
SiS WHEY20 is a groundbreaking protein delivery system – a yoghurtlike whey mixture offering 20g of protein with minimal carbs and fat that tastes great without sitting heavily on your stomach. It comes in a foil sachet that’s easy to tear open and consume either before training or during the crucial 30-minute post-exercise window, and despite being dairy-based, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Each serving contains just 88 calories (368kJ) and provides 7g of BCAAs, offering maximum nutrient levels with minimal fuss.
GOAL HUNGRY
Use the nutritional nous of the AFL’s top dietitians to fuel your rise above the pack
To perform with the intensity of a professional footballer – whether you’re on the paddock, in the gym or just tackling everyday life – you need to eat like one. Your average AFL player clocks up between 12 and 20 kilometres a game, while copping a physical battering in the form of tackles, shirtfronts and bumps. To absorb that kind of punishment, the fuel players put in their tanks must be of the highest quality, every kilojoule serving a specific purpose. “It’s important we give the players great-tasting food, but more importantly food that gets them where they need to be physically,” says Jessica Spendlove, dietitian for the Greater Western Sydney Giants. Use these training and game-day meal plans to add energy to your workouts, recover quicker and kick a bagful of nutritional goals.
FEEDING GIANTS TRAINING-DAY INTAKE FOR THE GWS GIANTS
► 2 hours before training: Greek yoghurt with oats
► 10 minutes before training: banana or muesli bar ► Post-training: chicken, steak or lamb with vegies (see recipe) “We try to ensure the food we give players up until they train is low GI, so it’s slowly digested and more filling,” says Spendlove. The banana just before drills commence provides an instant energy hit. “Post-training meals aim to replenish depleted energy stores.” GWS TRAINING MEAL STAPLE: capsicum and feta lamb cutlets
METHOD Preheat grill on medium. Line two baking trays with foil. Place zucchini, mushrooms, capsicum and onion in a single layer on one tray. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 7-8 minutes or until vegetables start to brown. Add tomatoes and grill for a further 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Set aside. Meanwhile, combine one tablespoon of cold water and two tablespoons of dip in a bowl. Add lamb and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Place lamb in a sing layer on second tray and grill for 5-7 minutes or medium or until cooked to your liking. Com ne vegetables and rocket in a bowl. Top cutl with remaining dip and serve with veg. (If ea ng the night before a morning training sessio add a side of rice or pasta.) Serves 2-4 INGREDIENTS
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WORDS: BRAY STONEHAM
• 2 SMALL ZUCCHINI, SLICED • 150G BUTTON MUSHROOMS, HALVED • 1 YELLOW CAPSICUM, SLICED • 1 SPANISH ONION, CUT INTO THIN WEDGES • 1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL • 125G CHERRY TOMATOES • 8 SMALL LAMB CUTLETS, TRIMMED OF FAT • ⅓ CUP STORE-BOUGHT RED CAPSICUM, FETA AND CASHEW CHUNKY DIP • 40G BABY ROCKET
NUTRITION
EATING CROW GAME-DAY INTAKE FOR THE A ADELAIDE CROWS
► Breakfast: on ne cup untoasted muesli with h one banana an nd low-fat milk, fruit juice Snacks: ►S nacks: muesli bars, yoghurt, fruit, crackers, sandwiches ► Post-game: protein shake followed by a high-carb, highprotein meal of risotto, spaghetti bolognese, lasagne (see recipe), burritos or pizza. “These nutrients aid in muscle repair and help restore muscle and liver glycogen stores, which become depleted during exercise,” says Brett Burton, general manager of high performance at the Crows. “When players meet their nutritional needs, their body will recover better, be less likely to fatigue, less likely to get injured and be ready to go again the next day.” ADELAIDE CROWS POST-MATCH STAPLE: beef lasagne
METHOD Preheat the oven to 170°C. Spray a non-stick frying pan or wok with oil and heat. Add mince and brown completely. Add pasta sauce and simmer for a few minutes, then season with herbs to taste. Spray the base of a lasagne or casserole dish with oil. Make the lasagne, starting with a layer of meat and alternating with a thin layer of pasta. You should fit six layers of pasta in a typical lasagne dish. Finish with a layer of pasta. Pour soup over the assembled lasagne and sprinkle a thin layer of cheese on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve with a salad or steamed vegetables and crusty bread. Serves 4-6 INGREDIENTS
• SPRAY OF CANOLA OR OLIVE OIL • 800G LEAN BEEF MINCE • 575G JAR OF TOMATOBASED PASTA SAUCE • HERBS AND SPICES, TO TASTE • 375G FRESH LASAGNE SHEETS • 450G CAN OF TOMATO SOUP • ½ CUP GRATED REDUCEDFAT TASTY CHEESE
RS E B M U N Y B DAY E M GA 0.6-1.2L PER HOUR Fluids consumed during a game
1. - L Fluid
uri
me
12,00018,000 Average kilojoules consumed on game day
60009000 Average kilojoules burnt by players during a game
1-3kg Average weight lost during a game
JUNE 2016
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BUSINESS & PLEASURE Watches to rock around the clock
MAKE IT COUNT
THE IDEAL WATCH is dressy enough for work nights out – think uncluttered dials and shimmering metals – but not so delicate that you can’t wear it while propping up the barbecue. This inevitably means choosing an automatic timepiece rather than mechanical, but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is: a) a downgrade; or b) a maintenance-free option. “To keep an automatic ticking over, it needs TLC every couple of years from an accredited service centre,” says watch buyer Muhaddisa Fazal.
01
BEGINNER A leather strap will suit any occasion from pub crawl to boardroom. Just make sure you match it to your other hides: if the strap is black, your shoes and belt should be too; if it’s brown, try to match tones rather than replicate.
Clockwise from top: ▪ Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic $2000 ▪ TAG Heuer Calibre 6 Heritage Automatic $4300 ▪ Edox Les Bémonts Automatic Day Date $1700 ▪ Tudor Heritage Ranger $3400 ▪ Rado DiaMaster $3925
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PHOTOGRAPHY: EDWARD URRUTIA
INTERMEDIATE Luxury brands such as IWC and Omega have embraced the trend for waterproof, so feel free to dive in. A rubber or silicone band around your wrist will instantly moderate a formal dress code while creating a striking juxtaposition.
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EXPERT While purists might baulk, the ultimate casual man’s statement is to wear a luxury timepiece with a NATO strap. It says you know your onions but don’t take yourself too seriously. See Bond’s Rolex Submariner in Goldfinger.
JUNE 2016
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OVER THE TOP
YOUR COAT IS THE FIRST LAYER ANYONE NOTICES. JEFF LACK, A STYLIST AND AUTHOR OF INDULGENT: THE COMPLETE STYLE GUIDE FOR THE MODERN MAN, DELIVERS HIS PICK OF THE PIECES THAT’LL KEEP YOU COVERED WHEN WINTER BITES
TRENCH
OVERSIZED
“Trench coats are perfect for transitional seasons and can be worn over your favourite suit or just over a shirt and tie like this. Brilliant for travel as it can be rolled up and placed in overhead compartments on planes. Also makes for a handy pillow if you get kicked out of your girlfriend’s place . . . ”
“Funky, casual soft tailoring is all the rage for hip urban types this winter. Not to be confused with tailored overcoats, the casual soft tailored coat can be worn with tailored track pants, chinos or your favourite denim.”
Calibre coat $749, trousers $279, shirt $219, tie $149, shoes $399
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JUNE 2016
Jac & Jack shoes by Saucony $140, coat $1200, trousers $399, knit $369
PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON IERACE; GROOMING: KIMBERLEY FORBES; STYLING: JEFF LACK; MODEL: ETHAN/LONDON
OVERCOAT
ANORAK
“Tailored to perfection, this overcoat will live longer than your cat. It’ll also keep you warm and offers complete wind protection. Wear in a sophisticated smart-casual way like this, or over your suit for work. Choose a neutral colour so that it pairs with everything in your wardrobe.”
“The anorak is back and is the go-to weekend utility piece. Wear it over flannel shirts or knitwear. Lightweight and super casual, anoraks are the perfect travel buddy for relaxed getaways or just kicking around your local park.”
Hugo Boss coat $1999, trousers $379, knit $249, shoes $1199, pocket square $79, bag $1299
Neuw Denim shoes by 124 $699, coat $199.95, jeans $199.95, T-shirt $69.95, shirt $129.95
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Style ◄ INN & OUT
◄ TUCKING HELL
I started on the shop floor and I always had a “pub test” in my head. From my perspective it works like this: when you walk into a pub, you want to look different enough from your mates so girls will notice you, but not so different that your mates will take the piss out of you. I still buy with that “pub test” in mind. Clothes are made to be worn, not the other way around. Dress how you feel comfortable.
As the buying manager for digital style destination Mr Porter (mrporter.com), Sam Lobban travels the world to source the top brands and items for the online store. Follow his tips to sharpen your edge
When you get a proper tailored blazer or suit jacket, don’t un-pick the front pockets. Leave them sealed, don’t use them, pretend they’re not pockets and just think of them as a trim detail. If you use them, you’ll ruin the line of the jacket. It’s fine to use the internal pockets or the breast pocket for a pocket square, but the two front pockets should stay sealed forever. Do that and your jackets will last you 5-10 years longer.
REMIX CLASSICS I travel a lot for work – I’m away for maybe three-and-a-half months a year. When it comes to packing, I’ve developed a work “uniform” so that I don’t reallyy have to think abbout it. I wear a white Thom Browne oxford shirt every day. Everything in my m wardrobe is black, white or dark grey so that I can mix everything together and doon’t have to worry about it.
SCARF ACE Stuck for a gift for your girl? You can’t ever really go wrong with cashmere. Go for a scarf or a roll-neck. Navy-blue cashmere always looks nice on girls.
SHOE BUSINESS
I use shoe trees for all my shoes. As you sweat through the leather, your shoes will start to deform. Cedar-wood shoe trees suck in the moisture because the wood is porous. Not only will they stop your shoes from smelling, they’ll also help the leather kee nger. g
▲BUTTONED UP
Unless you’re wearing a one-button blazer, the bottom button on your jacket should never be done up. On twoor three-button jackets, you can do up the top two buttons but never the bottom one. The reason is the jackets aren’t cut for that button to be done up, so you’ll start to change the shape.
3 AUTUMN ESSENTIALS CHELSEA BOOTS
PARKA
CASHMERE SWEATER
I reckon they’re the most versatile style of boot. Don’t be afraid of going for suede in dark brown or dark green – when they get beaten up, they’ll just look more rugged and rock’n’roll. When it comes to brands, the classic R.M. Williams Chelsea boots are still one of the best on the market.
You need some kind of waterproof parka or single-breasted mac that’s relatively packable. I carry an Arc’teryx Veillance parka jacket rolled up in my bag constantly throughout autumn. It’s super lightweight, waterproof and breathable. I’m a big fan of technical outerwear.
I’ll wear one to work over a shirt, but also throw one over a T-shirt with jeans and trainers on Saturday morning. If you’re going to buy one, remember that cashmere yarn takes grey or navy-blue dye best. Black cashmere won’t be quite as soft.
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ILLUSTRATIONS: BREN LUKE/THE ILLUSTRATION ROOM
SEAL OF APPROVAL
▲
THE LOWDOWN
Don’t tuck your T-shirt into your jeans. But if you’re wearing a business shirt with a pair of trousers it should always be tucked in. Personally, I’d only ever wear a business shirt with trousers not jeans. With jeans, you’re better off going for a heavier fabric like a chambray or oxford.
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JIMMY NIGGLES IS FIGHTING THIS KILLER WITH HIS FACIAL FOLLICLES. HERE’S YOUR PLAN TO DODGE ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST HEALTH THREATS By BRAY STONEHAM
Photography by BROCK ELBANK
WITH HIS OUTSTANDING BEARD, Jimmy Niggles turns heads whenever he enters a room. The female bartender at the inner-city Sydney pub where we meet can’t take her eyes off it. Who could blame her? As magnificent as Niggles’ facial fleece is, it’s far more than your average hipster calling card. After losing close friend Wes Bonny to skin cancer in 2010, Niggles has grown his mighty beard to raise awareness of the disease in the hope of preventing anyone else going through the pain he endured. “When Wes passed away we couldn’t believe it,” he says. “He was 26 years old; he was hitting his straps and in the prime of his life.” As well as playing an annual game of Aussie rules to honour Wes’s memory, a group of his closest mates decided they would grow their beards every winter – an event they’ve dubbed Beard Season – to bring attention to the dangers of
60
melanoma. “A bunch of us were at his wake and we said to each other, ‘We need to do something, this is crazy’, and that’s how Beard Season started,” Niggles says. Over the past six years, Niggles has resisted the urge to trim his beard: “My girlfriend’s only ever known me with the beard, but it definitely took Mum a few years to accept it.” And as his beard has assumed truly momentous proportions, so too has Beard Season (beardseason. com.au). In six years, the event has amassed over 85,000 followers on social media and raised more than $4.5 million. Niggles has vowed to shave off his own beard for $1 million. Consider this a reminder: skin cancer doesn’t go into hibernation over winter. The Cancer Council recommends applying sunscreen any time the UV index reads three or above – a mark that’s easily passed on even the gloomiest of days. Here’s your plan to beat the burn.
MELANOMA
The Cold Hard Facts The third most common cancer in Australian men
Responsible for 75 per cent of skin cancer deaths The most common cancer in Australians aged 15-39
One person will die from melanoma every six hours in Australia
RAISE YOUR DEFENCES
BE HEAVY HANDED
CHECK THE EXPIRY
APPLY, APPLY AGAIN
When it comes to applying sunscreen, a cursory swipe across the nose does not cut it. According to dermatologist Dr Saxon Smith, proper application of sunscreen is crucial to reaping its protective benefits.
Smith recommends you use a minimum of a golf-ball-size dollop for your entire body. “People don’t put enough sunscreen on,” he says. “If you only put on half the amount you should, you’re only getting half the protection you think you’re getting.”
Always toss expired tubes of sunscreen, advises Smith. And consider where you stored it over the summer months. Extreme heat can accelerate the breakdown of the active ingredients, so if your sunscreen baked on the beach beside you over summer, bin it before the use-by date.
“You need to allow the sunscreen to dry and sink into the skin to get the maximum protection,” says Smith. So apply at least 20 minutes before you head outside. And if you’re swimming or sweating heavily, reapply more regularly than the recommended two hours.
JUNE 2016
MONITOR YOUR MOLES From little things big things grow: the first signs of melanoma can appear in a single atypical mole. So it’s crucial you know your skin back to front. Dermatologist Dr Chris Baker recommends adopting the ABCDE check. Find a mole that ticks one or more of these boxes? Make an appointment with your GP immediately.
ASYMMETRY Draw a line through the mole. Do the two halves match? If not, consider this a warning sign for melanoma.
m m
BORDER A benign mole has smooth, even borders. A melanoma tends to be uneven, with edges that are scalloped or notched.
COLOUR Consider different shades of brown, black, red or blue a flashing red warning sign.
DIAMETER
6mm (to scale)
Melanomas usually have a diameter larger than six millimetres – roughly the same size as the eraser on the end of a pencil.
EVOLVING Man of action: as Niggles’ beard ha 5 helped raise $4.5 million to fight skin cancer.
Any change in size, shape or colour, or the development of new symptoms such as bleeding, should warrant immediate attention.
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Motoring Class Act Minus the Cost Don’t be fooled by the everyman price tag – in styling and performance, the new Hyundai Elantra is more than a match for pricier European options HYUNDAI HAS JUST RELEASED the new generation of its small four-door sedan, the Elantra, which plays in the crowded space occupied by the Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla and Holden Cruze. While the previous Elantra was a handsome, competent car, the new model raises the bar substantially. The most obvious improvement is in ride and handling, which is now up with the best in its class. Hyundai painstakingly tunes its
cars to Australian road conditions and the Elantra is their best effort yet, combining a silky, bump-swallowing ride with a terrifically taut feel. It effortlessly handles the added power provided by its new 2.0L petrol engine, and will get even more grunt with the arrival of a high-performance SR model later in the year. In the meantime, there are two models to choose from: the Active, with six-speed manual, for $21,490
(MLP) and the model MH tested, the Elite, in six-speed auto, for $26,490. The Elantra’s five-door cousin, the i30, comfortably outsells it in Australia, but utility of the fifth door aside, it’s hard to understand why. To MH’s eyes the Elantra is a far more elegant vehicle and also packs 80 litres more boot space. It also gets handsfree boot opening. Simply stand behind the locked car, remote key in pocket, and after
TEST DRIVE // BMW i3 BMW’s new all-electric city car, the i3, isn’t the first of its kind, and at $63,900 plus on-roads it ain’t cheap, but if this is a glimpse of the future of motoring, then rest assured that the fun needn’t run out when fossil fuels finally do.
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Powered by a 125kW/250Nm “eDrive” electric motor, the i3 offers three settings that give decreasing amounts of performance and creature comforts. The less you use, the further you go. Put your foot down and a white light swings right into the “ePower”
section of the driver’s display console, using power and reducing your range. Come off the accelerator and the indicator swings left into the “charge” portion, generating power and increasing range. Interestingly, lifting off provides such strong braking
effect that you rarely need to touch the actual brake pedal. In standard form, the i3 has a range of around 120 kilometres. A full recharge through a standard socket is an overnight affair. For an extra $6K, you can add a range extender, a 650cc two-cylinder
TECH TALK
five beeps the boot springs open. Magic. Inside, the cabin is cleanly, sensibly laid out and of impressively high quality, with only the occasional hard plastic surface betraying the car’s modest price tag. For Apple fans, CarPlay is fitted, which mirrors your device’s screen on the car’s central monitor and allows satellite navigation, SMS reading, music streaming on Spotify and Apple Music and endless questions for Siri. Android users
will have to wait till later in the year for their comparable Android Auto to appear. With cars like the Elantra and their new Tucson SUV now challenging for class honours, any lingering doubts about buying Korean are all but gone. Armed with great styling, performance to match and a five-year warranty, they really should start making Euro-driving badge snobs think twice about their next car. – Bruce Ritchie
TYRE HIEROGLYPHICS EXPLAINED TIME FOR NEW WHEELS? If you’ve ever wondered what those numbers and letters mean on the tyre, here’s your decoder. Say the tyre sidewall says 235/55R19 99H:
99H is the maximum load capacity per tyre and maximum safe speed, assuming good tyre condition and correct inflation – here 99 means a weight of 775kg and H is a speed of 210km/h 55 is the aspect ratio; this tyre’s height is 55 per cent of its width R means the tyre has a radial ply construction 19 is the wheel diameter in inches
235 is the tyre width in millimetres
In the hot seat: the Elantra’s interior pushes the right buttons.
petrol engine linked to a small petrol tank, which acts as a generator to supply additional charge, should you empty the battery. This adds another 130km of driving. So, with trips limited to about 250km, overnight stops needed to recharge and a
pretty heady asking pri ice, practical, affordable electric motoring isn’t t quite here yet. But the headturningly styled i3, which also happens to be b a hoot to drive, is a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come. – BR
WANT MORE RUBBER ON THE ROAD? You can go wider, says Steve Boulden, owner of Bob Jane T-Marts at Sydney’s Haberfield. “Say your tyre is a 235/45R18. You can go to a 245/40R18, so long as it doesn’t change the rolling diameter by more than 15mm and the load capacity remains the same. Just know that if the rolling diameter is less, your speedo will under-report your speed by a couple of per cent.”
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Discover Snow Special Snow country for bold men: Hotham's black runs and off-piste powder stashes promise white-knuckle thrills.
WHERE WOLLONGONG ALBURY
STAY AT H O M E
MT. HOTHAM
MT. HOTHAM MELBOURNE
Rethink your preconceptions of local ski resorts on Australia’s most extreme runs BY
A A RON SCO T T GETTING THERE
I’M NOT ENTIRELY SURE what convinced me I was ready to tackle a black run. Perhaps it was the name of the run – “Big Slope” – suggestive of a gentle decline. Or perhaps it was the fog obscuring the exact dimensions of the run. Either way, as I nudged my skis over the top lip and began my descent, I was confident I had this thing in the bag. I was wrong. After four crashes and two collisions with separate snow gums, I finally unclipped my skis
and began the shameful walk down to the bottom of the run. It was a humbling experience that revealed two truths. First, I’m a decidedly poor skier. Second, the runs at Hotham are more consistently extreme than anything else in Australia – and with $4.4 million spent on snowmaking over the summer, you can be guaranteed these runs will be nicely blanketed with the good stuff come the first day of the season. Sure, there are green runs on the gently canted
snowfields of The Summit, but get down into Blue Ribbon or Gotcha and the runs are ferociously steep and walled in by stands of gums whose grey trunks look unnervingly like polished concrete. The apogee of Hotham’s extreme terrain is the doubleblack Mary’s Slide, a horrifying cliff of snow that plummets down-down-down before ending abruptly in a boulder-strewn creek. Poor Mary never lived to tell the tale of her titular slide.
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Rex, QantasLink and Virgin fly to Albury Airport from Melbourne and Sydney. From there, it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Hotham.
EAT Yama is a moodily lit joint that pumps out flavoursome share plates with a Japanese bent. Don’t neglect the extensive cocktail list, but be warned: the Coffee and Cigarettes does exactly what it says on the packet. Visit mthotham.com.au for more information.
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Discover Snow Special No doubt I would face the same fate if I tried to take the thing on. Yes, if you’re a serious skier in this flat, brown land then Hotham is your Graceland. If not, you’ll still have plenty of fun. Just be prepared to eat snow. Want to take your skiing or boarding to the next level? Sign on for one of Hotham’s Advanced Masterclasses. Guided by elite coaches and aimed at advanced skiers or boardriders, these classes home in on a specific discipline – carving, short turns, moguls, etc – then polish that skill to a high gloss. Sign on for the All Terrain class (skiing) or All Mountain Freestyle class (boarding) and you’ll head offpiste to the steepest and most extreme terrain Australia offers. If Hotham’s white-knuckle thrills leave you crying out for a gentler experience then explore the web of green, blue and black cross-country skiing trails branching out from Wire Plain and Whiskey Flats. The recently opened Brabralung Trail (try saying that after your third schnapps) cuts a delightful path from Hotham to the township of Dinner Plain, skirting the flanks of Little Mt Higginbotham in the process. You can hire crosscountry gear from Hoy’s Skis (hoysskis.com.au).
CLOSE TO HOME
QUEENSTOWN/MT. HUTT Jaw-dropping vistas and easily reached side resorts make this adventure playground a snow-lover’s nirvana BY
DAV ID A SHF ORD
P HO T OGR A P H Y BY
MUCH AS I LOVE TO SKI, chasing the snow is a rare treat. The sixhour drive to the Snowys from my home on Sydney’s northern beaches and the fickle nature of Australia’s warm-blooded weather gods are usually enough to make me think twice. A few years ago Tourism New Zealand erected a cheeky billboard on the long trek south declaring “By Now You Could be Skiing Here!”, with a sparkling shot of skiers having the time of their lives in Queenstown. Not surprisingly, 66
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GIL ES PA RK the billboard didn’t go down well on this side of the Tasman, but with its simple message in mind it came time to explore what kind of ski experience an NZ airfare could buy me. And it didn’t take long to discover the first of many – landing at Queenstown Airport. Is there a more stunning airport on Earth? Step off the plane and you’re surrounded by chocolatebox panoramas. I had to resist a powerful urge to post to Insta before I even hit the baggage claim. If the first impression is the
staggering beauty, the second is the convenience. I could pick up my car, check into my apartment on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and drive up to the Base at Coronet Peak within the hour. But today I take my time because on Friday and Saturday nights Coronet Peak becomes the only resort in New Zealand to offer night skiing. The concept led me to imagine a small floodlit run assailed by pumping tunes and besieged by drunken teenagers – fortunately it was nothing of the sort. Over 40 per
cent of the runs are floodlit, and coasting along with the moon overhead was an eerily tranquil pastime. While I couldn’t quell the nagging sensation I was doing something vaguely illegal, with all the runs above the tree line there were mercifully few things for me to collide with on the powdery sweeps of snow that seemed to merge into one under the lights. The Remarkables – again less than the 30 minutes from Queenstown – are aptly named.
View to a thrill: come for the skiing, be distracted by the majestic Queenstown scenery.
Sparkling views from the summit of the Remarkables; night skiing under the bright lights of Coronet Peak.
greasy burgers and soggy chicken nuggets, here the selection is so delicious I opted for the impressive salad buffet over the more winterappropriate hotpots and pastas.
While the drive up is a heartstopping experience (rock wall on one side, airy drop on the other), the new six-seater Shadow Basin Chair promptly whips you up to the world-class runs. Before strapping on your skis, however, you’d be well advised to make the bracing 15-minute hike to the summit. The views over Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu defy my powers of description. And make sure you block out a solid hour for lunch in the state-of-the-art base building. While most ski resorts specialise in
For a very different ski experience, head north to Mount Hutt. It’s a six-hour drive, but the sumptuous views of the Alps make the time fly by. Lift passes and accommodation are more affordable at Mt Hutt, while the runs and lifts are far less crowded. The 365 hectares of steep, treeless terrain were perfect to push my intermediate skills to challenging new speeds (locals call this place the “Capital of Speed”). Even more memorable, though, was the spectacular backdrop when the clouds cleared. The Alps drop off suddenly and the Canterbury Plains spread out to the distant Pacific Ocean. I could wax lyrical about patchwork quilts and topaz seas but, hell, you’re probably best off seeing it for yourself. Any trip to Mt Hutt is best bookended by a night’s stay in Methven. The accents are broader here, the skiwear a little less flashy and the atmosphere down to earth – a contrast from the more cosmopolitan streets of Queenstown. Come dinnertime, I was cheerfully told to choose between the blue pub or the brown pub. I smiled kindly, assuming this was a Kiwi anachronism I’d never previously encountered. When I hit the main drag, however, I realised that this is quite literally their names. I chose Blue and was rewarded with some fine ales.
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WHERE
WELLINGTON
SNOW SENSE
CHRISTCHURCH QUEENSTOWN
GETTING THERE Air New Zealand (airnewzealand.com.au) flies direct to Queenstown from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – other capitals will require a connecting flight.
ACCOMMODATION The luxury Pounamu Apartments (pounamuapartments.co.nz) in Queenstown offer stunning views over Lake Wakatipu. In Methven, the Brinkley Resort (brinkleyresort.co.nz) provides quiet, affordable self-contained apartments with an award-winning restaurant to boot.
EAT The menu at Queenstown’s uber-cool Blue Kanu (bluekanu.co.nz) is an edgy mingling of Polynesian and Asian flavours. Call it Polyn-asian and impress your foodie friends. Visit nzski.com for information on rates and prebooking lift passes.
Been a while since you hit the powder? Avoid a holiday-ending knee blowout with these three pre-season moves from PT Paul Bersagel BOSU SQUAT AND HOLD Plant your feet on a Bosu ball and do 20 squats followed by a 60- to 90-second squat hold. Up the difficulty by adding medicine ball tosses with a partner. BALANCE SQUATS WITH MEDICINE BALL TWIST With your back foot resting on a step or bench, drop into a lunge while rotating a medicine ball over your front knee. Do three sets of 25 reps on each leg. PLANK WITH LEG LIFTS Holding a plank on your forearms and toes, alternate lifting each leg. Squeeze your glutes and maintain a flat back. Hold for 60 seconds; repeat twice.
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Discover Snow Special Big Sky skiing: runs stretch across the horizon at Squaw Valley with Lake Tahoe glistening in the distance.
FA R F RO M H O M E
CALIFORNIA
CATCH THE ACTION
Serious about your snow? Head to the Golden State, where the runs stretch to the horizon WORDS A ND PHOTOGR A PH Y BY
JA SON LEE
WARNING, NO LIFT ACCESS, NOT PATROLLED, USE AT OWN RISK. This ominous black sign greets me at the summit of Mt Mammoth after what had been a pleasantly relaxed 10-minute ride up in the Panorama Gondola. Hmmm. It would seem shit’s about to get heavy . . . Co-owned by halfpipe legend Shaun White, and a training ground to the US Snowboarding and Freeskiing team as well the US Army, Mammoth truly lives up to its name. This behemoth of a mountain resort reaches a lung-busting altitude of 3369 metres (Hotham tops out at 1861m) and covers a sprawling 68
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USE THE VIEWA APP TO SEE JASON TACKLE MAMMOTH'S CLIMAX TRAIL
3500 hectares of skiable area (Coronet Peak encompasses around 280ha). What do all these numbers mean? An average of 10m of pristinely dry snow from November to June across some of the most gloriously vertiginous terrain imaginable. The air feels thin and my skin has an oddly parched sensation as I begin my descent after a quick sip from my Camelbak. And, boy, what a run this is. My peripheral vision struggles to process the horizon-to-horizon scale of the Climax Trail. This is black run nirvana, and you’re handsomely rewarded for showing cavalier disregard for the blind spots.
Even the fisheye lens of my GoPro isn’t wide enough to capture the biblical scope of this epic spectacle – which is suddenly interrupted by the putrid smell of rotten egg. Que? “Don’t worry, it’s safe,” my guide assures me as he points to a roped-off crater. This entire mountain, he explains, is an inactive volcano that last erupted some 60,000 years ago. We take a moment to wallow in the unpredictable and somewhat pungent beauty of Mother Nature before the heady sulphurous fumes get us moving again. This surely has to be the Holy Grail of California snowboarding.
The après options aren’t too shabby either. If a crisp craft beer is your poison, you’ll be well rewarded at Mammoth Brewing Company. With colourfully named brews ranging from Paranoid Pale Ale to Wild Sierra Session Saison, every taste (and poetic tendency) is catered for. Can’t decide? Try their tasting menu. But fair warning – altitude and alcohol can be a dangerous combination. Four hours’ drive from Mammoth, along a road that curls majestically past Mono Lakes and Yosemite National Park, lies Lake Tahoe, on the border between California and Nevada. Our first
Up, up and away: the Mammoth Gondola and Squaw Valley Aerial Tram deliver big on views.
SLOPE SHRED
Head straight to Gold Coast Park where you’ll find a 13-foot mini halfpipe. Plenty of fun minus most of the sphincter-tightening consequences.
WHERE
Injury-proofed your body with our pre-season moves? Combine those exercises with this plyometric routine from Bersagel to build black-run power through your lower half. Want to up the difficulty? Do the moves in a weighted vest.
RENO-TAHOE
SQUAT JUMPS
stop is Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Those Games left the resort with an embarrassment of riches – more than 170 trails, terrain parks and halfpipes dot the picturepostcard terrain. A local guide is a must, however, if you want to really discover the secret stashes and hidden groomers that constitute the resort’s most-coveted terrain. My guide Carl Rogne, a former competitor in slalom and cross, doesn’t disappoint. Best of all, we get to skip the teeming chairlift queues. Keen to channel your inner Shaun White without risking life and limb in the 22-foot superpipe?
Chasing a truly luxurious snow experience? Have your chauffeur drive you to the neighbouring Northstar resort, don your finest (fake) mink coat and kick back in the ski-in-ski-out comfort of Lake Tahoe’s Ritz-Carlton, the first and only AAA Five Diamond mountain resort in California. Here the ski valets at the mountain concierge will strap your boots for you (should you so require, good sir) and escort you to the slopes where your equipment will be waiting. The signature après-ski massage with therapeutic hot stones at the spa is a true delight and a welcome rejuvenation for those aching quads (yep, even the super-wealthy hurt). If all that massaging has worked up a hunger, check out Manzanita, with its ever-changing menu of the finest seasonal food. (My pick? The pan-seared Hawaiian mero.) And if all that fine dining puts you in mind of some gentle late-night exercise – of the vertical variety – wander down to the vast skating rink surrounded by fire pits in the heart of the village.
SAN FRANCISCO MAMMOTH LAKES LOS ANGELES
GETTING THERE United Airlines (united.com) flies direct from Sydney to San Francisco or Los Angeles. From there, it’s a short interconnecting flight to Reno-Tahoe or Mammoth Lakes.
ACCOMMODATION Mammoth Mountain Inn provides no-frills lodging with the convenience of a ski-in, ski-out location. (themammothmountaininn.com)
The key with this exercise is teaching your muscles to absorb the impact of the landing. Each one should be deep and quiet while maintaining good ankle, knee and hip alignment. Do 2-3 sets of 10 jumps, keeping your focus on perfect form.
BALANCE SQUATS With one foot resting on a step or bench, drop into a deep lunge, keeping your body stable and upright. Add a jump on every third rep. Do two sets of 30 reps (10 jumps) per leg.
SKATER JUMPS EAT Jake’s On The Lake (jakestahoe.com), a family owned joint since 1978, offers the ultimate waterfront dining experience overlooking the scenic spectacle of Lake Tahoe. Reward your day’s efforts with their grilled diver scallops with pear and jicama ’slaw.
Perform lateral jumps from foot to foot. Keep your focus on the landing, which should be deep and quiet, using your glutes and quads to absorb your weight before exploding back up. Go for 30 seconds; repeat twice.
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What can you do when you get bored of running the same old ultra-marathons? When even the planet’s longest trails become a little, well, samey? If you’re the world’s fittest, most intrepid athletes you run up mountains in the Fastest Known Time. MH meets the men redefining extreme pursuits > BY ADHARANAND FINN P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y D AV I D E L L I S
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FITNESS
Get fired up for your next great running challenge.
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S THE AERIAL SHOT pans across the snow-covered mountains, a man with skis on his back can be seen running across a perilous ridge, arms pumping, death-defying, on each side a precipitous drop. He is moving fast, bewilderingly fast, seemingly impervious to the present danger, hell-bent on beating the elements. It’s the kind of snapshot that bears all the hallmarks of a James Bond trailer, but it’s not Daniel Craig in the picture. It is Kilian Jornet: ultra-marathon runner, ski mountaineer and all-round endurance athlete. The footage is from Summits of My Life, a film that follows the 28-year-old Spaniard as he embarks on a series of groundbreaking, highly dangerous challenges. The project he has set himself is extreme because, well, he’s already done just about everything else. Having won almost every global major trail and mountain race going – including the Ultra-Trail du MontBlanc (three times), the Western States 100 and the Skyrunner World Series (six times) – Jornet has turned his attention to FKTs. FKT stands for Fastest Known Time. Its origins are hazy, as are the rules and the records. What is known is that Peter Bakwin started the Fastest Known Time website in 2005. A scene quickly grew up around it in the US with people setting records for completing iconic trails, such as the 359-kilometre John 72
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Muir Trail through California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range (three days, seven hours and 36 minutes) and the epic 3500km Appalachian Trail (46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes). Runners are expected to document their trips to prove they’ve broken a record, but the unofficial nature of the exercise is inferred by the name: Fastest Known Time. Someone may have done it faster without evidence. Until Jornet turned up, FKTs represented a little-known subculture within the endurance-running community. But with his status as an ultra icon, with a film crew recording his every move and social media hot on his heels, FKTs have become the hottest topic of conversation among those who like to go further and faster. Evidently, they are unlike regular races. You don’t have to turn up on a certain day, start when the gun goes off and run with hundreds of other people. You can set off when you are ready, alone, and in some of the most beautiful locations on Earth. “The subversive, DIY nature of FKTs is the primary attraction for me,” says top US ultrarunner Anton Krupicka. “It’s a very primal way of testing yourself.” At first those tests were epic. In 2013, for instance, British runner Jez Bragg became the fastest known person to run from one end of New Zealand to the other. (53 days and nine hours, should you fancy it.) Then they got bigger. Jornet’s aim for the past few years has been to break the FKTs up and down seven of the world’s most iconic mountains, from Mont Blanc to Mount Everest. The highest mountain in the world claims the lives of experienced climbers every year and is becoming no less dangerous, as last year’s Nepal earthquake made plain. Yet later this year, after seeing his 2015 attempt thwarted by the devastating ’quake and instead helping with the relief effort, Jornet is planning to race to the summit, and down again, with minimal kit.
PEAK TIMES
If that sounds almost beyond credulity, you’ll be interested to learn that he’s already five peaks into fulfilling his goal. Mont Blanc has been surmounted – he made the top and back in four hours, 57 minutes. The Matterhorn he completed in an incredible two hours, 52 minutes. Some of these records had stood for over 20 years, only to be ticked off, one by one, by a young Catalan with serious wanderlust and a phenomenal engine. (His VO2 max is thought to be around 90ml/kg/min – yours is probably closer to the 45 mark.) To many he is the greatest athlete on the planet. To others he’s a reckless attention-seeker. To a select few he’s little more than a fast-moving target.
WINNING ALTITUDE
When Jornet burst onto the scene, his FKTs looked unassailable. But in August 2014 an unknown Ecuadorian called Karl Egloff changed all that, when he beat Jornet’s fouryear record over Kilimanjaro by 32 minutes, ascending and descending in six hours, 42 minutes. This is a route most people take
seven days to complete. Then, early last year, he trounced Jornet’s time for Argentina’s Aconcagua, the Western Hemisphere’s highest peak, just two months after it had been set. This time he shaved off an hour. “People say I’m following Kilian,” Egloff tells me in a Skype call from his home in Quito, Ecuador. “But when I ran up Kilimanjaro, I’d never even heard of him. I wasn’t even a runner.” This much is true: Egloff was a mountain-bike rider and mountain guide who happened to be taking a few tour groups up Kilimanjaro as part of his job when he decided to see how fast he could make it up and down on his own. “Afterwards,” he says nonchalantly, “everyone was telling me I’d broken Kilian’s record. So I googled him and I was like, wow!” Egloff may be a novice runner but he has one key advantage over Jornet. Being a mountain guide from Ecuador means he has spent much of his life at extremely high altitudes. “I’ve been over 5000 metres over 5000 times,” he says. So when his boss, mindful of the publicity generated after the Kilimanjaro FKT, suggested Aconcagua next, Egloff jumped at the chance. While he was there he was also guiding, but this, he says, worked to his advantage. “When you climb a mountain slowly, your body adapts better,” he reasons. “If you go too fast, your body gets confused and the first reaction is to get dizzy, a headache, and you feel really awful.” Over the two weeks before his FKT, Egloff climbed the summit three times. His relationship with the terrain verges on the spiritual at times. “I wanted to really connect with the mountain,” he tells me. “It sounds crazy, but I’m that type of person who has to get the permission of the mountain. I wanted to sleep there, drink its water. You can also learn a lot from fast attempts,” he says. “Like, the first time we raced up Aconcagua we didn’t bring enough clothes and I was too cold.” The second time he got up there, just three days later, he found a dead body at the peak. “This makes you think twice. You think: what the hell am I doing? So one of the first things I promised my team when we saw that was, whatever happens, I will not go past my limit. I always tell people who want to try what I do: first go slowly, spend some time up there. Because if you think mountains are like parks, you are wrong. For me, if the mountain says no, I don’t challenge it. We are ants against the mountain.” Jornet is similarly pragmatic about the threats posed. “It’s dangerous, of course, really dangerous,” he says. “But it’s a choice. Everybody needs to know their capabilities.” Still, in spite of the respect these men clearly have for their environment, the risks involved in their speed attempts have provoked much criticism. During one of his early summits, Jornet’s close friend, the famous French mountaineer Stéphane Brosse, fell and died. A few months later Jornet needed to be rescued after racing up another peak with his girlfriend, mountain runner Emelie Forsberg.
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FITNESS
PREPARE FOR UPS AND DOWNS Nail the basics and the times will follow, says Adharanand Finn, author of Running with the Kenyans and The Way of the Runner
TAKE BABY STEPS Running up and down steep hills takes practice, no matter how fit you think you are. Take little steps on the way up, but try to keep your rhythm bouncy and loose. Don’t be afraid to walk if it’s too steep; even the top runners walk sometimes.
“It’sdangerous, ofcourse,really dangerous.But it’sachoice. Everybody needsto knowtheir capabilities”
PLAY FAST AND LOOSE Keep your upper body relaxed, especially on the way down. The footing will be uneven and falls are par for the course, but if you’re tense you’re more likely to hurt yourself if and when you trip over.
SEE KILIAN’S TRAVELS USE THE FREE VIEWA APP TO CHECK OUT PICTURES FROM HIS ADVENTURES
KNOW YOUR ENEMY When Egloff and co talk about respecting the mountain, they’re talking about preparation. Acclimatise well, and slowly if it’s high altitude. Walk the course before you run it – knowing the route will boost your time, and could save your life if the weather turns suddenly.
DON’T RUSH IT If you fancy trying for an FKT, do it on your own terms. It may never be the perfect moment, but if a storm’s a-brewing, you’ve got a cold or your mum can’t make it to see you finish, put it off until you’re ready. This isn’t a stroll in the park – you need to be fully prepared.
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at a drinks party. “In a marathon or a half, if you bonk, that’s it, race over,” says Robbie. “But in an ultra you can bonk five times and still do well. Getting some food down you does wonders.” And then they’re off again, tumbling down the hills, leaving me to nurse my pride.
Agegivesyou amental toughness: “You’vebeen throughstuff... youknowhow hard it can hurt”
The boss of the Alpine rescue team was less than impressed, telling French media: “I’m angry when I see the continued rise of sneakers despite our requests [to use proper climbing gear].”
PREPARED TO PERFORM
To Chris Kempster, editor of Trek & Mountain magazine, the problem is not with athletes boasting the experience and talent of Jornet and Egloff. It is with those they inspire. He says he was on Aconcagua recently when a female runner came through Base Camp on an attempt to run up the mountain, “but she fell ill at Camp Two and had to be evacuated out by helicopter. The difference between her and Jornet was that he had spent time acclimatising and familiarising himself with the route before attempting his record. This runner just attempted it without any sensible preparation.” Indeed, despite the obvious risks, more and more people around the world are ditching their hiking boots, lacing up their trainers and taking to the mountains. Once a three-hour marathon becomes a walk in the park, this can be the next, illogical step. To find out more about FKT chasers, I jogged out with a few ultra-runners for their usual Saturday run along the South Downs in the south-east of England. Fresh from a halfmarathon personal best of 77 minutes and in training for the London Marathon (goal time: 2:45), I was confident I’d be able to keep up and chat along the way. Leading the group was international ultrarunner Robbie Britton, at the time preparing to become the first person to run from one end of Iceland to the other in an attempt to bag his first FKT. (A feat he achieved in October last year.) “It’s the easy way to get an FKT, I suppose,” he jokes. “But here’s the thing. Over 74
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RECORD BREAKERS
in the US they have loads of trails so there are lots of FKTs to shoot for. Most of them are fairly new and fairly doable. However, we’ve been doing this for decades, just without the hashtag. We don’t necessarily call them FKTs, but they’re bloody hard to beat.” How hard? Well, the most formidable of all is probably Billy Bland’s record for the Bob Graham Round in the Lake District, the home of British mountain running. It was back in 1932 that hotelier Bob Graham first attempted to run up and down as many of the area’s peaks as possible in 24 hours, setting a challenge still seen as the holy grail of British fell (the local term for a hill or mountain) running. He managed to scale 42 of the highest Lake District peaks, covering a distance of 106km. In 1982, the running legend Billy Bland ran the same route – setting an FKT that still stands today – in 13 hours and 53 minutes. Thousands have since tried to break the record; few have come remotely close. “If you look at some of Billy Bland’s decent times,” says Robbie, “I couldn’t fall off a mountain that fast.” Meanwhile, I’m beginning to struggle up some of these hills that roll across the East Sussex Downs. As we hit our third big hill, around 22km in, I start drifting towards the back of the group. My legs feel wobbly and the stony ground is a pain, every rock jarring my feet and ankles. We still have another 17km to run. Each hill is a grind. ROBBIE KEEPS TELLING ME to eat, but as exhaustion sets in, the effort of chewing becomes almost as trying as the running. Someone offers me a handful of jelly babies, but I have to discard them half-eaten because I don’t have the jaw energy to finish them off. At the top of each hill the group stops to wait for me, standing around chatting as though
While Bland’s record has stood untouched for over 30 years, another of the great FKTs has just been broken. In 1987, another fellrunning legend, Joss Naylor, ran up and down all 214 Lake District peaks detailed in Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume Pictorial Guide To The Lakeland Fells. He completed it in seven days, one hour and 25 minutes. In 2014, Stephen Birkinshaw did it 12 hours quicker, finishing in six days and 13 hours. To give such a phenomenal feat some perspective, that means running up and down a fell every 37 minutes, for the best part of a week, on just four hours’ sleep a night. “Well, some of them are quite close together,” says the unassuming Birkinshaw as we sit in his farmhouse kitchen, the snow-capped peak of the 868m Blencathra looming outside the window. A glutton for punishment, I’ve come to the Lakes for another trip out, this time with one of the world’s toughest mountain runners. Luckily for me, six months later, he’s still only just recovering from his FKT. These extreme challenges can knock even the best runners off their stride. Birkinshaw’s challenge was so huge, he says, he had to go into it prepared to risk long-term injury. “I had terrible tendonitis, but I knew the only way I was going to break the record was to keep going whatever happened.” Egloff, too, says it takes about a month to feel strong again after an FKT attempt. But these men don’t recover by sitting around eating ice-cream. Egloff gets back to fitness with short runs and mountain biking, while Jornet’s team says he is usually out running again the next day. “But this is something that very few can do,” says his agent. “Kilian’s body is used to this kind of exercise because he trains eight hours a day.” Birkinshaw may not have quite the same powers of recovery, but he is almost 20 years older than Jornet. Age has some benefits, he says, and he doesn’t think he could have contemplated something like the Wainwright challenge in his twenties. Not only was he more concerned about injuries then, with his running career still ahead of him, but he believes age gives you a mental toughness, which is key to success, especially on the longer FKTs. “You’ve been through stuff before,” he says. “And you know how hard it can hurt. But crucially, you know you can carry on.” As we step out into the grey morning, he points up at Blencathra, the highest peak around these parts. “I thought we’d run up that one,” he says. I nod, nervously. “It’s just about runnable,” he says, and sets off. I dig in, following his footsteps, but each time I look up he’s further ahead. He seems light and loose
FITNESS
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING Whether you’re going for an FKT or a charity 10K, follow this pre-race training routine, says Finn
B
GO THE DISTANCE
A
A
If you want to follow in the footsteps of the FKT elite, you’ll need to know the times to beat B
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KETTLEBELL SQUAT 3 sets of 20 reps, 60sec rest
SPIDER-MAN CRAWL 3 sets of 60sec on, 30sec off
KENYAN HILL 3 sets of 10min on, 2min off
KENYAN FARTLEK 25 sets of 1min on, 1min off
With your feet flat on the ground and your back as upright as possible, squat down. Come up slowly and repeat. Holding a kettlebell in front of you makes your core work that extra bit harder, so you can maintain good running form all the way to the finish line. Frequency: every day
Staying low to the ground and keeping your back straight, extend your left hand while simultaneously bringing your right knee into your right elbow. Switch sides and repeat around the gym (or living room) floor at a decent pace. Your Spidey sense won’t be tingling, but your abs certainly will. Frequency: every day
This is a great way to build your strength for hill running, but also for the last few kays of any long race. Find a hill of medium gradient (or set one on a treadmill) and run up and down repeatedly at 80 per cent of your maximum speed. Don’t rest on the way down, but keep the pace hard for the full 10 minutes. Frequency: once a week
This is every Kenyan runner’s staple. Its beauty is its simplicity. Pick a route of about 13-17km (or hop on the treadmill) and set your watch to beep every minute. Run the first minute easy, the next one hard. Repeat 25 times. After 50 minutes, if you haven’t reached the end of your route, jog the rest of the way home as a warm-down. Frequency: once a week
Peak Performance Upgrade your trail-running arsenal to hit new highs
on his feet, like he’s dancing up the mountain. I try to copy his style and it seems to help, little bouncy steps, arms dangling loose. By the summit, my thighs are burning. Birkinshaw comes bounding back along the trail to find me. We run on through the clouds, crunching on the snow. It’s amazing how the environment has transformed in such a short time. Although I have my head down, every time I lift it up, the scenery catches me by surprise; the drama of the steep drops and craggy peaks. I’m reminded of my conversations with Egloff and I realise that I, too, feel somehow connected to the mountain, however fanciful that might sound. “When I go up a mountain light and quickly I feel free,” says Egloff. “I feel as though I’m flying like
a condor.” It’s this freedom, I realise, to be travelling light, racing through the mountains like a wild animal rather than a packhorse, that motivates FKT chasers. Whether it will be quite so serene when he and Jornet make their separate attempts on Everest later in the year is another question altogether. To break the FKT they’re going to have to burn some rubber, without ropes and without oxygen. The record from base camp to the summit is held by Nepalese guide Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who scaled the mountain in just eight hours, 10 minutes. Breaking this record will require intense preparation and immense physical effort. Most of all, it will involve great risk and require even more guts. Both believe they have what it takes. Do you?
GREAT DIVIDING TRACK, AUSTRALIA (209km) Andy Hewat, 2011 53 hours, 21 minutes
BOB GRAHAM ROUND, ENGLAND (42 peaks) Billy Bland, 1982 13 hours, 53 minutes
RAMSAY ROUND, SCOTLAND
(93km, 24 summits) Adrian Belton, 1989 18 hours, 23 minutes
MOUNT EVEREST, NEPAL
Pemba Dorje Sherpa, 2004 8 hours 10 minutes
MATTERHORN, SWITZERLAND-ITALY (Round-trip) Kilian Jornet, 2013 2 hours, 52 minutes
MOUNT McKINLEY, US
(Round-trip) 11 hours, 48 minutes, 2013
BLAZE A TRAIL Fitbit Blaze
RECOVER FASTER INC Protein Mousse
The Blaze represents a potent combo of style and functionality, boasting call, text and calendar alerts, GPS, multisport activity tracking, music control, heart rate and sleep activity – an avalanche of data at your disposal. ($329.95; fitbit.com.au)
This delicious protein blend is a great pre- or post-run treat, promoting lean tissue repair and growth. Only two grams of sugar and a whopping 35g of protein per 45g serving. Try freezing for a guilt-free dessert. ($24.99; chemistwarehouse. com.au)
CLIMB WITH CONFIDENCE Futuro Precision Fit Knee Support
SPARK YOUR TRAINING TomTom Spark Cardio + Music
This futuristic brace maintains a comfortable temperature in sweltering heat, while a nifty adjusting system creates customisable support, giving you the confidence to run hard on unpredictable surfaces. ($44.95; futurobrand.com.au)
Rock out on rocky terrain with this multi-sport GPS sports watch boasting 3GB of storage and Bluetooth music command. You can also track your bpm with a built-in HR monitor and 24/7 activity tracking that also measures sleep patterns. ($349; tomtom.com/en_au)
PIMP YOUR RUN Garmin Fenix3 The Fenix3 is stylish enough for boardroom showboating, while suitably pimped out for the “play-harder” portion of your day. Featuring GPS, VO2 max monitor, altimeter and activity tracking, you’re all set to climb – be it the corporate ladder or Kilimanjaro. ($779; garmin. com.au)
KILIMANJARO, TANZANIA
(Round-trip) Karl Egloff, 2014 6 hours, 42 minutes
ACONCAGUA, ARGENTINA
(round-trip) 11 hours, 52 minutes, 2015
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Sofa so good? Not if you’re blind to the state of your union.
RELATIONSHIPS
WAYS TO SAV E YOU R R E L AT I O N S H I P A N D YOU R ( S E X ) L I FE
Want to know the surprising thing? If you save your relationship, you’ll save your own arse as well. That’s because the shaky superstructure of your health and wellbeing rests on the emotional bedrock of a solid pairing. To build a more perfect union, start here > BY
LAURENCE ROY STAINS AARON RICHTER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
JUNE 2016
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N o. 0 4
Assume the best explanation for what she did, not the worst
N o. 01
Think of an annoying thing she does that you regularly misinterpret. Psychologists call this a “maladaptive attribution”. Then stop it. You can improve your marriage simply by thinking about it differently; choose the kindest possible interpretation for her actions, instead of the ugliest.
02 TAKE THE ZERO -NEGATIVITY CHALLENGE
N o. 03
A FOOT MASSAGE WORKS WONDERS; A HEAD MASSAGE WORKS MIRACLES.
05/W R I T E H E R A L E T T E R – O N PA P E R A UNIVERSITY OF DENVER STUDY OF SOLDIERS FOUND THAT EXCHANGING LETTERS WITH THEIR WIVES HAD A MORE POSITIVE AND LONG-LASTING EFFECT THAN TEXTING DID.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY
Even guys who are happily coupled up wonder what sorts of itches they’d be scratching if they were to ditch their partner. Their “newly single” fantasy might include long, naked weekends with a bikini model, but the reality is not nearly as provocative. A University of Colorado study found that as a divorced man, you are 39 per cent more likely to die by suicide. Even if you don’t end your own life, you will die younger. So we’ve collected 25 tips that can protect you from sickly single life. Save your relationship – before it’s too late!
How many days can you go without doing or saying a single negative, hurtful thing to your partner? Give it a try, suggest relationship experts Dr Harville Hendrix and Dr Helen LaKelly Hunt. You can strike sarcasm off the list too. In the words of Terry Real, the author of The New Rules of Marriage: “Sarcasm eats intimacy.” Your words matter. Measure them.
Don't make a complaint. Make a request instead. (politely!)
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Sweat with Her, Then Hop in the Shower Together Later. It’s Healthy! For 20 years, Dr Thomas Bradbury and Dr Benjamin Karney, of UCLA’s Marriage Lab, followed more than 1000 couples to evaluate the different ways partners support each other in their efforts to make important changes in their lives. Bradbury says he was amazed that the most common topic – coming up in about seven out of 10 couples – was that they wanted to change to a healthier lifestyle. Their book, Love Me Slender, shows couples how to work together to maintain healthy weights. A new large-scale study from University College London seconds that: “Men and women are more likely to make a positive health behaviour change if their partner does too,” the authors note.
09
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“Look above the things you find annoying or unpleasant,” says psychologist Dr Douglas LaBier. “Respond to the best qualities in her – which will always make her best side stronger.”
“A measly 15 minutes,” says Dr William Doherty, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota, will do. These kinds of “connection rituals” hotwire your whole life together. So do it. >
Look Past Her Flaws (Don’t Try to Eliminate Them)
N o. 06
WATCH THIS SEX VIDEO “Make-up sex” doesn’t solve a fight, and latent anger can be a lust killer. Sit down together and watch family therapist Michele Weiner-Davis’s TEDx talk “The Sex-Starved Marriage” on YouTube. Even if you’re not exactly starving, this video can help stoke hunger now and forever.
Tell the Kids to Shut Up While You Two “Connect”
07
Don’t Try to Fix Her Problems – Just Listen to Them “Men are conditioned to solve problems and to protect the women they love,” says couples therapist Dr Shiri Cohen, an instructor at Harvard Medical School. “This can backfire when all she really wants is to be heard,” she says. “The next time your mate needs to vent or complain, just give her your open ears.” If you think you do have a good solution, wait, then bring it up later during a separate conversation. JUNE 2016
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Toys in the bedroom? Great – if they’re the right kind!
AS GO MUM AND DAD, SO GO THEIR KIDS. THE SOONER THE LITTLE MONSTERS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY’RE PART OF YOUR LIFE, NOT VICE VERSA, THE BETTER. 80
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Always Look for Ways to Turn “Me” into “We”
Listen up as Monmouth University psychologist Dr Gary Lewandowski sets you (and her) straight with this not-so-obvious fact: “Research shows that people who see themselves as overlapping with their partner have better relationships. You begin to lose track of where one partner begins and the other ends.” Ain’t no “I” in team, right?
RELATIONSHIPS
REASONS TO FIX YOUR MARRIAGE – TODAY! T H I N K S H A R E S A R E VO L AT I L E ? H OW A B O U T YO U R R E L AT I O N S H I P ? H E R E ’S H OW T H O S E B U M P S M AY M A K E YO U A L E S S H E A LT H Y M A N Compiled by L auren Del Turco
P E O P L E I N S H A K Y M A R R I AG E S H AV E . . .
An Increased Risk of Heart Attack
A Slower Rate of Wound Healing
8.5%
40%
Higher Artery Calcification
Worse Self-Reported Health in Old Age
20%
13%
3.7x
More likely to develop a problem with alcohol
Decline in Immune Function High marital quality Low marital quality
CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSE
3.6
3.0 Newly Married
Two Years Later
Increase in Depression
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Your wife gets cool new responsibilities at work. How do you respond? Passively (“That’s nice. What’s for dinner?”), destructively (“Less time for me, right?”) or – jackpot! – actively and constructively (“Wow, that’s great, let’s celebrate!”)? According to University of California psychologist Dr Shelly Gable, positive responses reassure your wife that you’ll also support her when the news is bad.
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Low marital closeness High marital closeness
More
DEPRESSION SCALE
RESPOND TO GOOD NEWS AND BAD
Less More functional
Less functional JUNE 2016
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Dr Ronald Rogge, a professor at the University of Rochester in the US, followed 174 committed couples for three years. Some of the couples received traditional marriage GO TO THE MOVIES. counselling, others received no special THEN TALK attention, and still AFTERWARDS others were instructed to watch relationshipfocused movies each week and talk afterwards. Watching flicks and getting counselling both cut the break-up rate by half.
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N o. 1 5
Come Together only happens on Abbey Road. Relax. Take Turns.
N o. 16
AUTONOMY IN A RELATIONSHIP IS GOOD Neither of you should feel that you’re being guilted or coerced into choices about the way you live. Researchers at the University of Houston found that couples who feel self-determined instead of trapped are less defensive and more understanding during fights.
1 7/ E X PA N D Y O U R M AT E ’ S I D E A O F YO U T WO . . . I N Q U E E N S T OW N. O R T H E K I M B E R L E YS . O R S R I L A N K A . T R AV E L I S A R E L AT I O N S H I P R E D E F I N E R , W H I C H M AY B E W H Y YO U E NJ OY E X U B E R A N T S E X I N E XO T I C P L AC E S .
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KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN WHEN YOU FIGHT. IT MIGHT SHOCK BOTH OF YOU
IN TO BEING MORE REASONABLE.
N o. 19
Banish Boring, Part 1: Do Something Batshit as a Couple
Jet skiing? Hang gliding? Psychologist Dr Arthur Aron, and his colleagues at Stony Brook University and the University of California at Berkeley, have found that couples who engage in a novel activity together report much more marital satisfaction than couples who have merely “pleasant” date nights (that is, the same old routine). Okay, it doesn’t have to be skydiving, says Aron: “it can be an art class.” The point: bust your rut.
If you go on a double date and do something new that creates closeness among the four of you, says Aron, you’ve just quadrupled the excitement level in the room. That thrill is associated with your partner. “And that initial sense of exhilaration that comes from falling in love is reinvigorated,” he says. Aron’s theory: you’re happiest when your mate expands your sense of who you are. So perhaps some time travel is in order. Remember when you two were young and the possibilities seemed limitless? Re-engage with friends from that time, preferably ones who’ve been sweating together (see #8). Then push new boundaries as a group.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: MEREDITH JENKS/TRUNKARCHIVE.COM/SNAPPER MEDIA
Banish Boring, Part 2: Do Batshit Things with Another Couple
RELATIONSHIPS
A S K : H O W M U C H D O I H AT E M Y W I F E ?
21
Be brutally honest. Oh, you love her? Next question: why am I so mean to her sometimes? Dr David Schnarch coined the term “normal marital sadism” to describe the many ways we annoy our spouses on purpose. Stop the purposeful hurts, says Schnarch, and she’ll “like you, want to have sex with you, and wish you well”. Leave the snark and sadism behind and you’re onto something like the title of Schnarch’s landmark book: Passionate Marriage.
23
22/BUY A CHAIR TOGETHER (IT’S WORTH IT) BELOVED, JOINTLY ACQUIRED ITEMS ARE CALLED “COUPLE MARKERS”. THEY’RE A BAROMETER OF YOUR BOND. THEY HELP REPLACE “YOURS” AND “MINE” WITH “OURS”.
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Your Sacrifices Are Your Gift, Not Her Debt
You Know Her – Push the Buttons That Please Her
It’s called having a “communal relationship” with your wife. In such a marriage, sacrifices (yours and hers) are the gifts that keep on giving. Do something nice. Don’t keep score. You both benefit.
In her book Marriage Rules, Dr Harriet Lerner mentions urging a client to come up with three things to do that he knew his wife would appreciate. You can do the same. Get started, smart guy.
N o. 25
PRACTICAL STUFF CAN WAIT. ATTEND TO HER NOW. Don’t let the urgent (Bills! The office! The lawn!) get in the way of the important (steps one through 24 above). Remember: your emotional and physical health depends on a close collaboration with your wife. Make it a priority, or else. Now, care to revise your to-do list? JUNE 2016
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It’s one of the most important facets of strength training, a crucial component in any functional physique. But chances are you aren’t training it. Gentlemen, it’s time to . . .
The
20
Strongman
STRENGTH
Rock Climber The
BY AARON SCOTT
The
Arm Wrestler
JUNE 2016
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I’D NEVER REALISED IT WAS POSSIBLE TO GET DOMS IN YOUR HANDS. But a day after my first serious grip session, as I sat at my desk and tapped at my keyboard, I found my hands racked by a grinding ache that settled in the triangles of flesh beside my thumbs and radiated across my knuckles and down into the pad of muscle beneath my pinkies. It was an ache that felt familiar and yet foreign at the same time. Sure, I’d felt this in my glutes, my quads, my chest. But my hands? It all started a few months earlier on the tennis court. Every Friday lunch, a colleague and I will head down and hit for an hour or so. It’s a casual affair; we don’t keep score. Once we’ve both worked up a sweat, we’ll gather the scattered pills then meet at the net for a handshake. And every time he’ll get me. His purchase will be a little firmer, a little surer. My knuckles will buckle, my fingers will strain. And no matter how many forehand winners I’ve driven down the line, I’ll slink back to my desk with the bitter taste of defeat in my mouth. It’s a weekly indignity that got me thinking: why had I never – not once – made a concerted effort to strengthen my grip? Why had I ignored those ropes of muscle
that curl around the elbow joint and run down the forearm? Why had I neglected those flexors and extensors that pass through the wrists and fan into the fingers and thumbs? Vanity most likely. Hell, when has a woman ever admired the musculature of your thumbs? But from a utility perspective, these muscles are crucial. As PT and strength mechanics expert Paul Bersagel points out, the hands are invariably the first point of contact between you and an object – be it a barbell, a sparring partner or a stubborn twist top. “Your hands are like the tyres between the road and the car,” he says. “If you get good contact and initiation there, everything else will function at a higher level.” Indeed, the force you apply with your hands doesn’t just empty on to an external object – it also ripples back up your arms and into your shoulders. “There’s a lot of research that shows grip strength has a direct correlation with rotator cuff strength,” says Bersagel. “And strong rotator cuffs, of course, keep your shoulder in a stable position.” For this reason, Bersagel contends that if you’re doing any weighted movement –
from bench press to deadlifts – it’s vital that you actively engage your grip to stabilise your shoulders, providing a concrete platform for the big prime movers in the chest, back and legs to do their thing. But the significance of a firm grip extends well beyond the gym. An exhaustive 2015 study published in the Lancet measured grip strength in 140,000 adults in 17 countries. The researchers then followed the subjects’ health over a four-year period. The results: every five-kilogram decrease in grip strength was linked to a 16 per cent higher risk of dying from any cause, a 17 per cent higher risk of dying from heart disease, a nine per cent higher risk of stroke and a seven per cent higher risk of heart attack. The conclusion: grip strength is a peerless marker of your biological age. The stronger your grip, the biologically younger your body; the weaker your grip, the more decrepit your carcass. Armed with this knowledge, I made a booking at my local gym to test my grip strength on a dynamometer – a curious implement that measures the amount of force a closing hand can apply. My results – 56 kilograms on my right hand, 52 on my left – placed me at the upper end of average for a man aged 30-39. Not bad. But filling the bell curve isn’t optimal, especially with the fragility of my handshake being brutally exposed on the tennis court each week. It was time to call in the experts.
RUSH OF CRUSH Mention grip strength to most gym-goers and the image that springs to mind is cranking out innumerable reps on a rusty gripper that you happened to find in your old man’s garage. But according to Chad McMurren, former natural bodybuilding champion and owner of the Grip and Lift store in Adelaide, “getting a $2 gripper and squeezing it mindlessly for hours on end doesn’t do a whole lot for your grip. The fastest way to increase your grip strength is to chase a one-rep max using grippers which have specific poundages.” With increments ranging from 63.5kg for a Number 1 gripper, to an immovable 165.5kg for a Number 4, Captains of Crush grippers are the gold standard in grip trainin and competition. Follow this workout from McMurren to build a knuckle-crushing grip.
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EQUIPMENT This workou q ires three m-u ripper grippers: a (which all s you to reps orking gripper easily), (which lows you to 5-7 a goal gripper reps) you can’t (wh q te close).
DIRECTIONS ► Warm-up gripper 2 x 10 reps (your effort level should be b low) ► Working gripper 3 x 5-7 reps (if you can go higher than n this rep range, eed to move up a grripper) er lg 1 rep a you can, then ose th ripper as far as ld thi osition for 3-5 seconds) p gripper eps on maintaining perfect form)
STRENGTH
The
Strongman
SHAKING BEN SIMPSON’S hand is an unsettling experience. My knuckles are engulfed. My fingers don’t even reach around the sides. Fortunately, Simpson’s a genial bloke who doesn’t go in for dick-swinging shows of strength, but the latent power his right hand radiates is both stunning and slightly terrifying. For Simpson, Australia’s premier strongman, an unshakeable grip is the keystone to his physical dynamism. “You can be as strong as you want in your legs and your back,” he says, “but if
you can’t hold on to the weight when you’re doing a farmer’s walk or a frame carry or a Hercules hold, you’re stuffed.” It’s a truth that applies to those who don’t hoist 130kg Atlas stones for fun. “I say to my clients all the time: what’s the point of being really strong if you can’t apply that force with your hands?” says Simpson, who also works as a PT. “In real life, it’s your hands that are invariably in contact with the thing you’re trying to lift or move. Whether you’re playing a sport or picking up something heavy in the garage, you need strong hands.” For this reason, Simpson shakes his head in bafflement when he sees guys at the local gym using straps for everything from deadlifts to chin-ups. Tossing away straps,
he contends, is the simplest and most effective way to shuffle grip work into your session. When Simpson knuckles down for a deadlift session, for example, he’ll go with a strapless doubleoverhand grip for every set until he starts pushing close to his 360kg 1RM. At that point he might switch to a mixed grip. Only when pushing for a new PB will he strap up. If strapless deadlifts provide quality incidental grip training, the farmer’s walk is the exercise Simpson typically employs to narrow the focus to his hands and forearms. “Farmer’s walks are the absolute best thing that you can do for your grip,” he says. “Every time you take a step, the weight bounces up and down inside your hand, so if you can hold a heavy farmer’s walk, that’ll improve your grip massively.” And for Simpson, heavy means heavy. A standard farmer’s walk session will see him clutching 170kg in each hand and shuffling 15 metres at top speed, a set he’ll repeat 3-5 times. A “light” session, meanwhile, might involve 140kg in each hand carried for 30m (see “Hold Tight”, right). In this way, Simpson has built a pair of hands that wouldn’t look out of place on a mountain gorilla. He holds them up and stares at them appreciatively. “They’ve gotten a hell of a lot bigger,” he says. “Looks like I’ve got sausages for fingers now.”
>
HOLD TIGHT
Each Friday, Simpson will typically do a strongman-specific grip session. Follow his lead to build your own pair of insanely strong hands FARMER’S WALK Choose two dumbbells whose combined weight is at least 75 per cent of your body weight. Hold the dumbbells at your side and, keeping your stride short, walk 30m. Rest for two minutes; repeat 3-5 times.
STATIC HOLD Using the same dumbbells, hold them at your side for as long as possible without moving. Rest for two minutes; repeat 2-3 times. TIP Vary the numbers depending on your goals. Want to build strength? Do the above workout with dumbbells whose combined weight equals your body weight and walk 15m for the farmer’s walk. Want to hone endurance? Use dumbbells whose combined weight is 50 per cent of your body weight and walk 100m.
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HANG TOUGH
“Repeaters”, says Kassay, are a common climbingfocused workout that not only build finger strength but also finger endurance – key components to nailing a difficult climb. Get ready for the burn 5°
The
0
45°
Rock Climber
IF STRONGMAN training is all about gripping a weighted barbell, then rock climbing presents a more diverse challenge, with holds varying from capacious “jugs”, which can easily swallow an entire hand, to minute “crimps”, which struggle to accommodate a single trembling fingertip. For James Kassay, this variety is the seam of gold in the sport. “I love the challenge of climbing,” he says. “It’s obviously very physical, but it’s also very mental. Every time you pull on the wall you’re problem solving.” The 31-year-old Kassay has been scaling walls since his tenth birthday, when his parents signed him into the kids club at a local climbing gym. “They ran a few little competitions during that first session and I won everything,” he says. “I came home with a bottle of Coke, a chocolate bar and a chalk bag. I was hooked.” Since then, Kassay has notched more national titles than he can count, representing Australia over 30 times in World 88
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Cup events around the globe. He’s also opened his own climbing gym, Bayside Rock, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Kassay’s hands may not possess the stunning heft of Simpson’s, but they’re still arrestingly large, sporting a thumb-to-pinkie span of 23.5 centimetres – impressive given he stands only 174cm tall. Little wonder, given the innumerable hours he’s spent clinging to impossibly small holds on vertiginous walls. “Climbing’s all about power-to-weight ratio,” he says. “Once you’re on the wall you’ve got four points of contact: your feet and your hands. Now, your feet are obviously just resting on the holds, so your hands are doing everything else. Being able to grip the holds – what we call ‘contact strength’ – is the thing that separates a really good climber from an average climber.” For Kassay, the key to building this “contact strength” isn’t clinging to loaded dumbbells or closing weighted grippers – it’s
using his body weight to stress his fingers, whether that’s on a wall or a hang board (see “Hang Tough”, right). “Grip exercises tend to close the hand,” he says, “which builds strength in the forearms. But climbers want to build strength in the tips of our fingers because most climbing grips require an open hand position. So when you’re on a wall or a hang board, you want your main point of contact to be your fingertips. This stresses the fingers, building up your strength.” It’s a style of training that’s not without risk – climbers occasionally rupture the pulleys in their fingers, an injury that can consign them to horizontal surfaces for up to six months – but it builds fantastic strength through the fingers. “Everyone says I’ve got big hands,” says Kassay. “And I like a firm handshake. If someone wasn’t ready I could cause a bit of damage . . . ” He smiles: “But I’m a pretty nice guy.”
DIRECTIONS Choose a crimp that allows a solid hold. While climbers will typically use a hang board, you can use a solid doorframe or a chin-up bar. SET 1 Hang straight-armed for seven seconds, then rest for three seconds. Repeat six times; have a two-minute rest. SET 2 Repeat this sequence with your arms locked at 15°. Have a two-minute break. SET 3 Repeat this sequence with your arms locked at 45°. Have a two-minute break. SET 4 Repeat this sequence with your arms locked at 90°. Have a two-minute break.
PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES KASSAY BY CLAIRE KASSAY
90°°
STRENGTH
ARM-WRESTLING DEMANDS PROFOUND WRIST STRENGTH
Arm Wrestler The
IT IS, PERHAPS, not overly surprising that Andrew Lea got into the sport of arm wrestling via a bucks party. Each Wednesday night, he and two mates – both of them bouncers by trade – would meet in a garage and do MMA sparring. The weekly ritual was broken when one of the bouncers got engaged and decided he wanted arm-wrestling at his bucks night. “So we bought an arm wrestling table and started smashing one another,” says Lea. “Two of us caught the bug – and it is a bug; it’s like a disease. The other one couldn’t handle the pain. He dropped off and we haven’t seen him since.” These days, Lea is both the vice-captain of the Australian arm wrestling team and treasurer and vice-president of the Australian
Arm Wrestling Federation. Probe him on why he loves the sport and his words come in a torrent: “There’s technique and there’s strength, and it’s how those two interact that determines whether you’re a good arm wrestler . . . ” There are, he explains, two basic moves in arm wrestling – the inside and the outside move. If you think you’ve got a stronger arm than your opponent, you hook your hand in and pull him towards you. If you think your opponent has a stronger arm, you bend his wrist back with a move known as the “top roll” and push him away from you. “Throw the element of speed in there – who can get to their move fastest – and that’s basically arm wrestling,” he says. While urban myth dictates that arm wrestling’s all about soaring
testosterone and bulging biceps, it is, in fact, a technical pursuit that demands profound wrist strength. “When I started arm wrestling,” says Lea, “I’d been lifting weights for 20 years, so I was gym strong. But my hands and my wrists weren’t strong. So my technique was to try and put it on the biceps. But guys would take a look at me and flop my hand backwards. I was getting smashed the whole time.” It was only through a dedicated program of wrist strengthening that Lea was able to build the strength where it counted. His gym work now centres around three seminal arm wrestling movements – cupping, rotating and rising (see “Wrist Management”, below). These three movements form the basis for the inside and outside moves, so he trains each independently, hunched over weighted ropes while around him blokes punch out squats, biceps curls and bench presses. He laughs: “I look pretty weird and wonderful at the gym. I mean, on Saturdays I train my thumbs. People laugh when I tell ’em: what do you mean you train your thumbs? But the bigger your thumb is, the harder it is to get around your hand in armwrestling.” And how exactly does he train his thumbs? “I hold a 7.8kg shot put for time. You’ll
find your thumb does a lot of work because it’s counteracting the four other fingers. It’s a hell of a workout. You hold that for a minute and a half and when you let go you won’t be able to close your fingers because they’ll be locked out with this weird kind of cramping pain.”
The Results After a month of thrice-weekly grip sessions – ranging from farmer’s walks to fingertip holds – I become intimately acquainted with the “weird kind of cramping pain” Lea speaks of. It’s not pleasant. In fact, it’s downright torturous. A pyrotechnic pain that feels as if I’m doing untold damage to the pulleys in my fingers. Perhaps this is why grip work is such an ignored facet of strength training? Body-weight holds with my fingertips crimped on the edge of a wooden beam bring on a scalding burn in the back of my hand I find difficult to describe. But the results are startling. A second crack at the dynamometer a month later reveals my right hand can now exert 72kg of force, my left 65 – both marks significantly above average for a man in my age bracket. And on the tennis court? I lock on with a vicelike grip that leaves the bastard wide eyed and quivering like a hooked fish. Job done.
WRIST MANAGEMENT According to Lea, arm wrestling’s got little to do with oversized biceps and everything to do with a cast-iron wrist. Use these three moves to pulverise any opponent DIRECTIONS Do three sets of 10-12 reps for each movement, resting for two minutes between sets.
► RISING Hold your arm at your side, elbow bent at 90°, palm facing in. Make a fist and drape a weighted rope over your fingers between your knuckles. Raise the weight by slightly lifting your forearm and cocking your wrist.
◄ ROTATION Hold your arm at your side, your elbow bent at 90°, palm facing up. Drape a weighted rope over your hand or the knuckle of your thumb and make a fist. Rotate your wrist so your palm faces towards you at the top of the movement.
▲ CUPPING Put a fat grip on a pulley machine handle and set the pulley at chest level. Grab the pulley with your elbow bent at 90° (an arm wrestling position). Cup the pulley straight back towards your forearm.
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See off shelfshock and gain maximum impact from a sortie to the supermarket.
REGIME CHANGE Switch to a navystrength gym session that sorts the warriors from the weaklings.
NO MAN’S LAND Elite apps that bulk up your workout with military intelligence.
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WIN THE WAR ON FAT
FULL METAL BASKET
WEIGHT LOSS
FIELD MARSHAL We track the vitamin-rich natural foods outflank fat.
that
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THE BATTLE OF YOUR BULGE ISN’T A SKIRMISH BUT A LIFELONG CAMPAIGN. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE ENEMY PINNED DOWN – PERMANENTLY – YOU’LL NEED TO UPDATE YOUR TACTICS, YOUR ARSENAL AND YOUR INTEL. LOOK SHARP, CADET, IT’S TIME TO LAUNCH YOUR FLAB OFFENSIVE> BY ED CHIPPERFIELD
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RECON: THE THEATRE OF WAR The supermarket is a hostile environment – adopt the tactical know-how of food writer and nutrition activist Michael Pollan to get in and out like a Navy Seal, leaving weight gain behind
SKIRT THE PERIPHERY Intelligence shows that most wholefoods – vegetables, fish and meat – tend to be on the supermarket’s perimeter. It’s known as “the racetrack”. Try to keep yourself on it and not get ambushed by the offers tempting you into the aisles for more treacherous meal options.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Sandwiches, snacks, newspapers and flowers tend to be located at the entrance to make the megastore feel like a smaller, friendlier shop. Lower your guard and, before you know it, you’ll be filling your basket with a stack of 2-for-1 pizzas. Follow your head, not your gut, and grab heavy, boring goods first to reduce impulse buys.
KEEP ON THE MOVE Eye-tracking research shows that most of the time we’re pottering around the aisles, we’re just drifting. This makes you a sitting duck to be picked off by special-offer signs and gimmicks. Go with a game plan (aka a shopping list) and an exit strategy: time each mission for 10-15 minutes maximum.
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THE PERSONAL DIET BY NUTRINO
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TELL THE APP YOUR GOALS, AND YOUR FOODIE LIKES AND DISLIKES, AND IT COMES UP WITH A REALISTIC FOOD PLAN THAT GETS YOU THERE. LIKE HAVING YOUR OWN PERSONAL NUTRITIONIST – BUT ONE WHO DOESN’T CHARGE YOU $100 AN HOUR TO DISCUSS YOUR STOOL SAMPLES.
HEAVY ON FEATURES, LOSE IT! TRACKS YOUR WEIGHT, EXERCISE, NUTRIENT INTAKE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND SLEEP, AND PACKS AN INFORMATION-SHARING SYSTEM FOR PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT. THE KIND OF DIARY YOU WON’T BE ASHAMED OF YOUR MATES FINDING.
BURNING FAT IS EASIER WHEN YOU’RE SHARING THE KNOWLEDGE OF HALF A MILLION OTHER USERS. THAT’S THE THINKING BEHIND THIS APP, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO FOLLOW YOUR OWN PROGRESS, ASK ADVICE FROM OTHERS AND EVEN CHALLENGE THEM TO DUELS. CROWDSOURCED FAT FIGHTING.
WAITING AN ENTIRE MONTH FOR MH TO LAND ON YOUR DOORSTEP CAN SEEM LIKE FOREVER. SO WE CAREFULLY CRAFTED THIS APP, JAM-PACKED WITH MUSCLE AND FITNESS TIPS. TRUSTED TRAINING ADVICE THAT’LL FIT IN YOUR POCKET.
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ILLUSTRATION: INFOMEN AT DEBUT ART; PHOTOGRAPHY: HEARST STUDIOS
DON’T MILK THE GOODS Just nipping behind enemy lines for a litre of low-fat? Stores maximise the distance between door and dairy, forcing you to pass as many other items as possible. Counter this by always heading straight to the back of the shop, so you can make a beeline for your milky liaison.
DUCK AND COVER Brands pay a premium to appear at “grab level” – between waist and chest height – an area home to high-profit, low-quality products like processed cereals. Drop to your haunches and look on the bottom shelf, more often home to healthier rations.
WEIGHT LOSS
THE WILL TO WIN
Weight loss begins in the mind. Use these tricks from psychologist Walter Mischel to beat slumps and shackle cravings
TERMINATE WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE
PLAN YOUR DEFENCE
Willpower acts like a muscle: it can be strengthened, but it’s going to tire out if you ask it to do too much. Don’t go in all guns blazing; try to change your diet and quit smoking at the same time and you’ll only fail at both.
The “If, then” rule says that when you encounter a temptation, you have a preset choice that you must always commit to. So, “If I see chips on the menu . . . then I’ll order the side salad”. This will stop you from being caught off-guard.
KEEP YOUR DISTANCE
PICTURE THE THREAT
Describe what’s happening to you in the third person, as if you’re an onlooker: “The soldier is about to capitulate and gobble the doughnut.” Yes, you’ll sound slightly mad to any actual onlookers, but this sucks out the emotional cues that make you reach for that sugary snack.
Try putting an imaginary frame around your temptation and see it as a picture. Or imagine it in black and white newsreel footage, or in a music video from the Eighties. This metaphorical “distance” makes it less real and cuts your physical connections to the food.
DISGUISE THE DANGER
There are two parts of your brain working when you make decisions: a hasty, emotional, greedy part, and a cooler, more analytical part. You can learn to rely more on the cooler part by simply counting to 10 and visualising your end goal: long-term happiness, not a few frenzied moments wrestling a cream cake into submission.>
Don’t see a Danish pastry there on the counter. Think of it as a small pool of fat that’s been extracted from between your organs. See it for what it isn’t and it’s easier to defuse cravings.
CHILL OUT
SEE THAT DANISH PASTRY AS A SMALL POOL OF FAT THAT'S BEEN EXTRACTED FROM BETWEEN YOUR ORGANS
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CHEMICAL WEAPONS Adopting a good, clean diet is half the battle – equip yourself with the only fat-annihilating supplements you need, and finish the job
SESAMIN
TYROSINE
GARCINIA CAMBOGIA
FOUND IN THE FIBRES OF PLANTS LIKE WHEAT BRAN, SESAME AND FLAX, THIS COMPOUND MIGHT SOUND ABOUT AS APPETISING AS A PAIR OF SWEATY FATIGUES, BUT A STUDY IN THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY AND NUTRITION FOUND IT INCREASES THE LIVER’S ABILITY TO PROCESS FAT AND PRESERVES MUSCLE MASS.
SHOWN TO AID FAT LOSS IN A STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY, THIS AMINO ACID’S THERMOGENIC AND MOOD-LIFTING PROPERTIES MEAN IT’LL HELP YOU SHED FAT, AND PUT A SMILE ON YOUR DIAL IN THE PROCESS.
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THIS SUPPLEMENT CAN REDUCE BODY WEIGHT AND BMI BY OVER FIVE PER CENT IN JUST EIGHT WEEKS. IT RELEASES THE SAME COMPOUNDS THAT EATING DOES, HELPING YOU FEEL FULL, AND INCREASES THE AMOUNT OF FAT PROCESSED. WHAT SETS IT APART THOUGH IS ITS POWER TO BLOCK CITRATE LYASE – AN ENZYME USED BY YOUR BODY TO MAKE FAT.
To get some military-grade muscle and unleash fury on fat, perform the whole circuit four times, with 30 seconds’ rest between exercises, and 60 seconds between sets. War is hell.
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ULTIMATE BURPEE:
10-15 reps Start with a clap push-up, then kick both legs into your chest. From this low squat, explode up like a detonating landmine and do a tuck jump, bringing your knees to your chest. Squat down, kick both legs out, and go again.
THE THRUSTER:
FROM THE RAW BERRIES OF THE COFFEE TREE, THIS COMPOUND IMPACTS ON POST-MEAL BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS, KEEPING YOU FULL AND BANISHING ENERGY SLUMPS. A 2011 REVIEW CARRIED OUT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER LINKED IT TO WEIGHT LOSS, AND IT’LL GO DOWN EASIER THAN MOST OFFICE CANTEEN SWILL.
TTA THIS FATTY ACID ALTERS THE PROCESSING AND ELIMINATION OF FATS IN THE BODY, AND BOOSTS THE ENERGY USE OF YOUR CELL’S INTERNAL POWER STATIONS. SO, EVEN DURING WELL-EARNED R&R, YOUR BODY WILL STEAM ITS WAY THROUGH KILOJOULES.
Grow some real military muscle by following this elite workout from PT and ex Royal Marine Mark Maycroft
10-15 reps Start in the top of a military press, with the barbell held above your head. Squat, keeping the bar raised, only lowering it to chest height at the bottom of your squat. In an explosive motion, stand up to full soldierly height, pressing the bar above your head. This is going to burn – but there’s no calling for the medic.
PUSH-UP TO BENT-OVER ROW:
10-15 reps Hold kettlebells shoulderwidth apart and do a push-up. Jump your knees into your chest and stand. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight, and bring the kettlebells up in a rowing motion. Lower the weights, stand up tall and squat back down, placing the kettlebells back on the floor. Lock out your arms, kick your legs out and get back into that push-up. Repeat.
BICEPS CURL AND PRESS:
15 reps No soldier is battle-ready without some serious lead in his guns. Perform a curl from hip height to your chest with a power bag, dumbbells or even a barbell. Press the object above your head, keeping your elbows pointing forward to work your triceps and shoulders. Lower the weights and start the move again.
ILLUSTRATIONS: BEN MOUNSEY
GO COMMANDO AT THE GYM
GREEN COFFEE BEAN EXTRACT
WEIGHT LOSS
COLD WAR TACTICS Sometimes, comrade, the best way to burn is to freeze
UPDATE YOUR ARMOURY Your old arsenal of blubber-burning foods is still useful, but these heavy-duty ingredient upgrades will arm you with next-level fat-fighting firepower CHILLIES
1PM
Chill & conquer Freshly cooked starches in pasta, potatoes and rice cause a spike in blood-glucose, but chilling them results in “resistant starch”, feeding your gut’s good bacteria and helping you absorb fewer kilojoules. A study by the BBC TV show Trust Me, I’m a Doctor found eating chilled then reheated pasta cut bloodglucose spikes by 50 per cent. Choose lunch accordingly.
6PM
Cool runnings Sports scientist Dr Dominique Gagnon discovered that running when it’s 0°C uses up fat more readily than it does your natural stores of sugars, saving this energy for later in the jog. Your body targets flab rather than glycogen, burning fat first and helping you run longer. In Australia, that most probably means you’ll be running pre-dawn in the depths of winter. Good luck, soldier.
12AM
Shiver your timbers Hit the sack and chill. Harvard professor Dr C Ronald Kahn found that up to 800 extra kilojoules are burned when the thermostat is at 16-17°C, even while you sleep. It’s the human fat-burning equivalent of hibernation.
TACTICAL ANALYSIS:
RUNNER BEANS CHILLIES WERE AT THE VANGUARD OF YOUR ATTACK, BUT THEY’VE BEEN OUTGUNNED. AS WELL AS BEING PACKED WITH VITAMINS THAT HELP YOUR BODY BURN STORED ENERGY, RUNNER BEANS ARE HIGH IN MANGANESE, A TRACE METAL THAT HELPS ENERGY METABOLISM, MEANING YOU BURN MORE KILOJOULES WHEN EXERCISING OR AT REST. COMBINE THE TWO FOR AN ANTI-FAT WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION. GREEN TEA
JAVA TEA EVERY OLD SOLDIER HAS A GREEN TEA STORY, FULL OF HEART-PROTECTING ANTIOXIDANTS, OF COURSE. YAWN. UPGRADE NOW, BECAUSE THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN JAVA TEA INCREASE LEVELS OF LEPTIN – THE HORMONE THAT REGULATES FEELINGS OF SATIETY – MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN ITS GREEN COUSIN EVER COULD. OILY FISH
CHICKEN LIVER JUST 100 GRAMS OF CHICKEN LIVERS CONTAIN 62 PER CENT OF YOUR DAILY REQUIREMENT OF PANTOTHENIC ACID – THE NUTRIENT YOUR BODY USES WHEN BREAKING DOWN FATS FOR ENERGY. THE SAME AMOUNT OF SALMON HAS JUST 26 PER CENT. CINNAMON
PINEAPPLE CINNAMON STEADIES BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS, CURBING YOUR BINGEING TENDENCIES. PINEAPPLE GOES FURTHER, AS IT CONTAINS AN ENZYME THAT SLOWS THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAT CELLS, ACCORDING TO A STUDY IN THE PLOS ONE JOURNAL. CAYENNE PEPPER
WATERMELON CAYENNE PLAYS IT PART IN BURNING FAT – BUT YOU WOULDN’T WANT A TEASPOON DURING A WORKOUT. WATERMELON’S MORE RAPID RESULTS ARE DUE TO AN ENZYME THAT BOOSTS BLOODFLOW TO MUSCLES. EAT RIGHT DOWN TO THE RIND.
FRIEND OR FOE
Don’t let fad diets stab you in the back, says nutritionist Matthew Lambert
THE 5:2 DIET
THE ATKINS DIET
THE PALEO DIET
THE LOW-GI DIET
THE DETOX DIET
FOE If you’re active, you’ll seriously compromise yourself with this diet. Your brain and body need power to perform; restricting kilojoule intake two days a week can leave you distracted and anxious. Approach with caution.
FOE Eliminating processed carbs can cause rapid weight loss, but limiting fruit and vegetables leads to nutritional imbalance and fatigue. You’ll lose energy and water short-term, but not so much fat.
FRIEND Eating only preagricultural foods is a good approach, as it includes healthy fats and lean proteins. This diet is great for resistance trainers and dieters looking to chisel their body. Ever seen a fat caveman?
FRIEND Carbs are allowed if they have a lowglycaemic-index rating: carrots good, cornflakes bad. If you learn the low-GI foods that work best for you, this can be a sensible and positive approach to weight loss.
FOE Fasting or cutting out major food groups for even a day or two can lead to fatigue and headaches. Any longer and you risk losing bone density and muscle mass, with no evidence supporting the detox hypothesis in the first place.
ANYONE FOR SOME
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NUTRITION
LOOKING FOR A PROTEIN HIT THAT WON’T COST THE EARTH? IT MIGHT BE TIME YOU START ADDING “OCEAN VEGETABLES” TO YOUR KITCHEN ROTATION > BY
IAN COCKERILL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
EDWARD URRUTIA
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This is the future of food?
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Green gold? Pia Winberg (left), the driving force behind Venus Shell Systems, hopes to turn Australia on to the multiple benefits of seaweed.
for maintaining healthy blood pressure), iodine (for a healthy brain, muscles and skin), zinc (a healthy immune system) and omega 3s (a healthy heart). Then there’s the protein. The percentage varies between the 30-odd known edible seaweed varieties (from 10,000-plus in total), but after drying, the aforementioned “cow poo” comprises 40 per cent protein. That’s dusting most cuts of beef, right there. Then comes the punchline: a further milling process provides a salt-reduced extract boasting a whopping 60 per cent protein. Now you’re nudging towards the top of the protein hit-list, in tune with another algae, spirulina, and within cooee of whey protein isolate. And the reason for all this effort when you could just sun-bake the seaweed dry and try selling it that way? “I want to make food everyone will eat,” explains Dr Pia Winberg, the director, chief scientist and driving force behind Venus Shell Systems. “And I know nobody’s going to reach for a bag of dried brown seaweed.” Not nearly enough people in the shortterm, anyway, to achieve the Swedish-born marine ecologist’s objective of establishing this sustainable, zero-footprint food source as a flavour-enhancing staple of everyday Australian cooking. In the meantime, the powdered extract is her way of dispensing seaweed’s nutritional benefits – and tweaking our palates – without requiring us to tuck into a steaming bowl of gelatinous pom-pom and vegetable soup. So far, under the PhycoFood brand (phycology being the study of algae), Winberg – whose sturdy army fatigue-style pants and quasi-military vest suggest a scientist as happy clambering through rock pools as squinting over a microscope – has launched Phyco Salt, Phukka (seaweed extract and dukkah) and the Phycobar protein bar. A pasta isn’t far
off. “I tried seaweed ice-cream,” she says, “but that didn’t really work.” Back in her office on the University of Wollongong’s bush-ringed Nowra campus, Winberg slides across a Phycobar – ingredients seaweed powder, oats, linseed, sunflower seeds, pepitas, coconut oil and rice malt – for review. Through a window I can see into her lab, with its shelves of seaweed-filled flasks glowing like lava lamps. I look back at the green-flecked bar and my association-making brain sends a message: compose your face, because this may not be good. MY FIRST BITE OF THE BRITTLE, crunchy bar (protein: 20 per cent) produces an instant tang of saltwater that, while not spit-it-outunpleasant, hardly has me crying out for more. Being watched closely by the bar’s creator, I take another chomp, of course, and brace for a salty rush that will shrivel my tongue like a second swallow of ocean. Funny, though: it doesn’t come. Instead, the other, nutty flavours in the bar push through, and in no time I’ve polished off the lot. “That’s what I get from people all the time,” says Winberg. “They mightn’t love the first bite, but after that it becomes moreish.” And therein lies seaweed’s real gastronomic superpower. High in what are called free glutamates, when combined with other ingredients, seaweed produces what a Japanese scientist coined umami, or “delicious flavour”, after isolating the glutamate molecule in kombu (kelp). Now accepted in the West as the fifth taste alongside salt, bitter, sweet and sour, umami is that savoury meatiness that makes you keep coming back for more of something. It’s why you like adding parmesan cheese – also packed with free glutamates – to so many dishes. Seaweed’s advantage? Parmesan is 18 per cent saturated fat; seaweed is 0.2 per cent.
PHOTOGRAPHY: IAN COCKERILL
After hugging the coast for two hours heading south from Sydney, I’ve been led into a small tin shed beside the Shoalhaven River by ex-Navy technician Craig Bradley. Bradley has a new maritime job title these days: seaweed farm manager for Venus Shell Systems. Which is why he’s now taking great pride in showing me a glistening piece of machinery that recently made his life much easier. Rather than having to scoop up thick clusters of iridescent seaweed from the above-ground ponds that make up the farm – back-breaking work, especially during summer, when this stuff proliferates threefold every week – he now leaves this Norwegian extractor to vacuum up the pom-pom-shaped crop through a system of pipes. Arriving in the shed, the seaweed gloops on to a belt and then disappears briefly before being extruded in an unending sausage; “like a cow pooing,” observes a smiling Bradley. Green cow poo. Let’s just say I’m not salivating yet. I know I’m not alone. There’s a problem here. We may be comfortable with the thought of nori sheets encasing our sushi, less so the slimy-fettucine sensation of wakame in our miso soup, but ask most guys to play wordassociation with seaweed and they’ll describe pungent, rotting beachcast or snag requiring careful removal from their hooks. It’s like sea weed, right? So let’s begin with a few facts that help explain why this ocean vegetable (there, sounds better already) long popular in Asia has converts like Martin Benn of Sydney’s Sepia restaurant – voted Australia’s number one chef by his peers in 2015 – declaring simply that “seaweed makes food taste good”. And why, with global fish stocks and crops under pressure, you might be wise to acquire a taste for an abundant, sustainable and widespread alternative food source. Nutritionally, seaweed packs what our land vegetables can’t because of deficient soil quality in much of the country. By contrast, seaweed acts as a sponge in mineral-rich oceans, loading up with potassium (essential
NUTRITION
SALMON 21.62g
LAMB 24.32g
PORK 27.34g
CHICKEN BREAST 29.55g
STEAK (LEAN) 29.86g
DRIED KELP 31.84g
PROTEIN (PER 100G)
Boastingawho g ping60 g rcentprotein p ...you’renudgi y g gtowar sthetopofthe proteinhit-list If it’s an advantage Australians have been slow to pick up on, there are signs that it’s on its way to becoming the new kale as producers eye a global edible seaweed market valued at $8 billion. Farmers in Victoria and Western Australia are turning over saline land to seaweed, while an offshore farm is being trialled off Port Lincoln in South Australia. In the Tasmanian town of Richmond, Dermot Fitzpatrick, one of the small team behind Sea Shanti seaweed snacks, is counting on the rising activity leading to a similar awakening to his own journey. Originally from the UK, Fitzpatrick lived for a time in Cardiff, where he would see the locals enjoying a traditional “miner’s breakfast” of laverbread (made from laver, or nori, seaweed), bacon, eggs and cockles. “I turned my nose up at it,” he recalls, “thinking of seaweed as something to avoid on the beach.” In time, though, he developed a taste for sushi, and when his wife expressed interest in the seaweed snacks a Koreanborn local put in her children’s lunchboxes, a business idea was born. “I started looking into it a bit more and soon found a raft of health benefits. Meanwhile, in Asia they’re eating it by the bucketload and I’m thinking if there are so many people who like the taste, there’s got to be something in it.” Five years on from
starting Sea Shanti – hand-crafted, hand-baked seaweed crisps, in flavours from chilli to salt and vinegar – Fitzpatrick eats seaweed most days. “And my 11-year-old daughter thinks nothing of throwing together a quick seaweed salad with just sesame oil and lemon juice.” Chef Jock Zonfrillo is another with a taste for seaweed al dente. In his case, Zonfrillo confesses to occasionally “having a bit of a nibble” of the various seaweeds he encounters when diving off Kangaroo Island. Such flavour-seeking – Zonfrillo is an enthusiastic forager – ultimately finds expression in the complex, layered dishes he serves up at his Adelaide restaurant, Orana. “Whether in sauces, dressings, soups or broths, seaweed is one of the top-five most important ingredients in making those layered flavours,” says Zonfrillo. “It adds so much character; it’s umami, the way it fills your palate.” Looking for something to fill your palate? Something that will help build muscle, re-populate your gut flora and improve your heart health at the same time, while being as virtuous as a solar panel? It’s time to reach for some ’weed.
STEAMED SNAPPER OVER SEAWEED, WITH SAKE AND SMOKED MUSSELS •1kg whole snapper (scaled and scored both sides in a diamond pattern) •125g wakame •85ml macadamia nut oil •10ml sesame oil •50g ghee •50ml sake •Lime juice SMOKED MUSSEL PASTE •6 shallots •1 tbsp ginger •1 tsp garlic •1 birdseye chilli •4 coriander roots (chop off the very bottom of the stem; clean thoroughly) •1 tsp Ulva seaweed powder (coastalchef.com.au) •2 tbsp fish sauce •12 mussels (steamed and removed from shell) Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, then rub over fish. METHOD 1.Preheat oven to 180°C 2.Douse fish with macadamia/ sesame oil mix 3.Lightly oil baking dish, arrange bed of wakame and lay fish on top 4.Bake for six minutes, then douse with sake and ghee; bake until fish is cooked 5.Spray lightly with lime juice and serve complete with wakame Serves 2 Recipe from Coastal Chef, courtesy of Steven Snow, Fins Seafood Restaurant, Salt Village, Kingscliff, NSW
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What’s with all the worry, men? US author Garrison Keillor has been around a lot longer than you have, and he’s here to say: there’s never been a better time to be alive. Want proof? Keep reading ILLUSTRATIONS BY
I STROLL OUT OF MY HOUSE in St. Paul, head up the street, and am passed by runners – first one, then a string of them, loping, lumbering, stumbling; skinny ones, burly ones; all hoping to extend their lifetimes towards the century mark, something I could talk to them about, being 73 and all. But they’re breathing hard and they’re plugged into their clip-on gizmos, listening to music, which puts the kibosh on conversation, and anyway I can see pity in their eyes. Look at that shuffling old codger. Hope I don’t get to be like that. They are in their thirties, as nearly everyone is nowadays, and what I’d tell them is that longevity is an excellent thing, but only if you become kinder and more thoughtful with age and don’t disdain those who walk cautiously but look charitably on your fellow passengers. And why shouldn’t you? Life is good. Your overweening ambition burns off as your future diminishes. You learn to proceed slowly; why get there sooner when it’s not that far away? And scarcity makes your days more and more delicious. Instead of nostalgia, you feel the love of right now.
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Of course, you’re going to learn more about medicine than you want to know. You’ll learn that cardiology is miraculous and they can pop your heart out of your chest and sew it like an old shoe. Anaesthesiology can make you blissfully content. Radiology can find a needle in the haystack of your mind. Urology can do miracles. I had a prostate the size of a pomegranate – I could’ve entered it in the county fair – and a urologist did a laser procedure on it and injected brain tissue, and now my cerebellum can talk to down there and I can piss like a palomino. Ask me; I’ll show you. (Neurology, on the other hand, is more like astrology and water witching.) You learn that many medications promise vague benefits but make you feel lousy. You learn that pain is hard to ignore and talking about it makes it worse and that a cheerful heart is a good strategy. It sounds trite because it is, but nonetheless it’s true. When you feel down, meditate on the following ordinary little blessings of today and let them buck you up. To wit:
is ood 1
The cash card
You slip it into an ATM in Minnesota (or Malmo or Marrakesh) and punch in four numbers and money jumps out. Back in the day, you had to write out a cheque to “Cash” or carry traveller’s cheques and present an ID to a hatchetfaced clerk who looked you up and down and then disappeared into a back room to confer with someone, and the whole procedure made you feel like there was Something Wrong with you. Tell me you miss the personal contact? Ha! There is nothing sociopathic in a magnetic strip, and when the computer says you have money coming to you, it pays you the money, no hesitation.
2
Grief counsellors
Back then, the only way to deal with grief was to Get Over It. Now there are grief professionals who can help you get through it – not over it but through it, because you can never get “over” some wounds. I dropped an easy fly ball in fourth grade and I was scorned, derided, marginalised, diminished. They called me a wiener, and ever since then, any sort of sausage has been a trigger for me. Or such words as “cleaner”, “misdemeanour” and “Pasadena”. Because there was no grief counselling then. Now there is.
MIND
3
KidsnamedOliviaand Isabella,AidanandLiam I come from the era of Karen and Joanne and Larry and Gary. Gone. Now, you will find little Avas and Sophias, Lutheran kids with Mediterranean names, boys called Caleb and Elijah. Literary names: Nora, Harper, Scarlett, Zoe, Emma.
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Words like “synergy” and “transparency”
Back in the day, two and two was four, never more, and we lived in a world of shadows. Today we have “totally” and “awesome”. We didn’t dare think in terms of totality. We were sort of interested, slightly amused, the movie was okay. Now it is possible to be totally into it. Awe was what you would feel if the clouds parted and angels descended with Jesus in their midst, the radiant brilliance of his holy light: it would be awesome. Now you might apply the word to a song or a term paper.
5
Seat warmers
I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. My wife’s car has seat warmers; mine does not. On bitter winter mornings, she often drives me to the office. Half a mile from home, my butt is warm. It’s like falling in love all over again.
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Calculators
They’re everywhere. On your phone, your computer, not that you ever use them. The average person’s need for maths was overemphasised in school. They lied to us. I have never had to multiply fractions. No need for maths unless you were going into engineering, and even then there were calculators. And GPS: the pleasure of driving is enhanced enormously by this anonymous woman, a woman you are not married to, telling you to turn left. If you don’t, there are no recriminations: she simply recalculates.
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Soft butter It’s aerated, sometimes mixed with olive oil to make it soft, not like the hard bricks of yesteryear. You scraped off thin shavings of butter to put on your toast, and even so it tore the toast to shreds – it was not artisan bread but Wonder Bread, which was like Kleenex – and there you stood eating torn toast, and it gave you the feeling that life would be full of small disappointments.
MIND
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Performance art
Back then we had performance – Rubinstein playing Chopin, Brando playing Kowalski – and we had art: Matisse and his collages, Chagall and his fiddlers and angels. But we didn’t have performance art – a woman in a black dress walking in a circle in a train station, murmuring and making people uneasy as her colleague films her from behind a pillar. A naked woman sits on a chair in a doorway and visitors must squeeze past her, thereby gaining some sort of ironical postmodernist insight. My people were pre-postmodern. Irony we didn’t have much of. We thought beauty was truth; that’s how smart we were.
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E-commerce
Back then, you ordered something out of a catalogue; mailed the order form; and waited for a week, two weeks, three, with no idea where it was. Now you order your socks and underwear online and they arrive the next day or the day after, and you can track them hour by hour using your phone. This gives you a sense that Things Are Under Control. If workers are able to monitor the locations of millions of shipments, then surely the government has its eye on evildoers.
Craft beer
Beer has become a gourmet item. Beer. Back when, you were loyal to a local brew, the same one your father and his brothers drank. Or if you had a degree in the liberal arts, you swore by an import. But you didn’t talk about “oak flavours” and “breadiness” and “finish” as now some people do. Now then, if beer can be elevated from mere beverage to Work of Art, then why not soft drink? Floral notes and lemon peel sprinkled with vanilla play off earthy cinnamon to give this Coca-Cola a big, boisterous finish. Why not your oatmeal? Your toothpaste? The quality boom continues. Artisan toilet paper is not far away.
The frequent-flyer credit card that gives you air miles
I love this credit card the way Wordsworth loved daffodils. Poets don’t consider a credit card to be suitable subject matter; they’re still stuck on lost love and ageing, but if you have upgraded to business class on a flight to London using mileage you earned at petrol stations, you are contemplating a miracle.
Cordlessphones Once you were on a short leash when your lover called and the whole family could hear every word, so you couldn’t say what you really wanted to say, and now you can step outside and say whatever you want. It’s all about freedom of speech.
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Health care
It’s become fairly fabulous. Lasik eye surgery. We didn’t have that, and so we’d go around with pop-bottle glasses, blinking like lemurs, unable to read street signs. Every kind of surgery has advanced. Stuff they used to have to cut you in half for, now they run a tiny tube up a vein and snip-snip as you read the paper. Back in the day, people had surgery scars like Frankenstein’s monster, big zipper marks that meant you could never model bikinis again. Now? No problem.
IN HIGH-END FASHION SPREADS, you see handsome 20-year-olds slumped on a boulder, looking moody and anguished, as if their memoir had just been rejected. I guess that’s what being young is like – privileged and grief-stricken. But when you get a little older, your spirits will lift, and one day, crossing a plaza on a sunny afternoon, a hundred pigeons will fly up in a cloud of wings pounding, and you will experience intense joy. Or it might happen when you pee in a urinal and step back and it automatically goes whoosh. And your life changes. You pull from your pocket this smooth object the size of half a slice of toast and touch it and you hear a phone ring a thousand miles away as you walk under the trees. If she doesn’t answer, you can type her a little note. Yes, there’s loneliness and pain, despair, a sense of meaninglessness – welcome to the club – but on the other hand we have Chinese takeout. We used to have chow mein; now there’s Kung Pao chicken. If you rode the school bus as a kid, as I did, then having your own car and listening to whatever you’d like to hear – this is forever a luxury. Yes, politics is a mess, but our happiness never depended on politicians. Not ever. If the lights come on and the toilet flushes and the grocery store is open, then we’re basically okay. The rest is gravy. Complaining is fun, a whole art form, but don’t get carried away. Life is good.
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THE
BALD TRUTH
MORE THAN HALF OF MEN LOSE SOME HAIR BY AGE 50. TWO DECADES LATER, 80 PER CENT OF US ARE SPORTING A CHROME DOME. BUT DON’T DESPAIR. A HANDFUL OF HAIR-RAISING SOLUTIONS ARE SPROUTING BY
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DAN FOSTER
HEALTH
WHEN SOMEONE IS TRYING to point me out in a room, I’m “the bald guy over there”. But even then, I don’t stand out, since an estimated 70 per cent of Australian men will be affected by something called androgenetic alopecia, more commonly known as male-pattern baldness. Losing your hair in your twenties and thirties might seem like the end of the world at the time, but I’m here to tell you it isn’t. Forget the fear that beautiful women won’t date a man whose hairline has turned and fled. A few years ago, a study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that guys with shaved heads were perceived as being more dominant than those with full heads of hair. Check out John Malkovich or Vin Diesel for proof. And we shouldn’t have to tell you that many women find power sexy. Still, most bald blokes, given a choice, would prefer to have more hair to comb rather than more hair in the comb. We’ve been promised for more than a decade that a cure for thinning hair is just around the corner, and frankly our patience is now thinning too. Sometimes, despite the huge and lucrative potential market for an affordable and effective hair-loss remedy, it seems as if nobody worthwhile is even trying to find one. A troll through some hair-loss forums led me to a few interesting underground “remedies”, including scalp tattooing (camouflage that bald spot!), caffeinelaced shampoos (make those follicles so jittery they have to produce something!) and herbal concoctions containing capsaicin, the compound that makes chillies hot (flush out your scalp with fresh, oxygenating blood!). According to a National Enquirer story – and who am I to doubt such an august publication? – Leonardo DiCaprio regularly smears his noggin with all kinds of stuff, including lemon juice, horseradish and spices. Evidently, it’s so smelly that some of the models he chats up have complained. Before you make the titanic mistake of spending lots of your hard-earned money on any of these solutions, understand that none of them will restore your onceflowing mane or fill in your bald spot in a way that preserves your respectability. But legitimate treatments are coming – really, says Dr Angela Christiano, a Columbia University professor who specialises in researching hair loss and its potential remedies. In fact, sometime in the next decade I may be able to choose from several good options to regrow my mane and once again enjoy the distinction of being identified at parties as “the guy with the great head of hair over there”. Here’s what’s on the horizon.
JAK Inhibitors The Wait 3-5 years Healthy hair grows in cycles. A follicle produces a hair, the hair stays around for a while, then the hair falls out. When that happens, the follicle goes dormant before sprouting anew. The number of cycles should be unlimited, but in balding men, the new hair grows back finer each time, until it’s like peach fuzz. The hair isn’t gone; it’s just imperceptible. In October last year, Christiano successfully used a class of drugs called JAK inhibitors to stimulate follicles back into robust growth cycles in mice and human cells. Whether it’ll work on real men remains to be seen. Since the drugs already have US Food and Drug Administration approval for other uses, they’ve cleared major safety hurdles and could be in clinical trials in the US for hair loss soon.
Stem Cells The Wait Five years For some time, researchers have been betting big on the potential for stem cells to grow human hair. But when hair-follicle stem cells are grown in the lab, they lose their capacity to induce new follicles when placed back into the scalp. These hair-follicle stem cells don’t seem powerful enough to do the trick on their own. One solution, says Christiano, is to find ways to restore their inductive properties, by growing them in special conditions in the lab and coaxing them back into a potent state. Scientists at the US-based Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute recently discovered they could grow new follicles by using a type of human skin cell derived from pluripotent stem cells. So far, only mice have been enjoying the fruits of these findings. Human trials are due to begin in the near future.
Hair-Follicle Engineering The Wait 5-8 years Right now, the best way to restore a receding hairline is via hair transplant surgery (see “A Tale of Two Transplants”, p106). The days of rows of obvious hair plugs are long gone, sometimes replaced by robot-assisted microsurgery devices that can create a remarkably natural look. But these procedures aren’t cheap and, rather than creating new hair, transplants merely move existing follicles from the back and sides of the head to the front of the scalp. If you’ve been balding for a while, your remaining hair may be
too sparse to provide enough donor sites. But what if you could take just 100 follicles and clone them into 100,000 – the number most men are born with on the scalp? In 2012, a Japanese group reported preliminary success cloning follicles. According to Christiano, the field of regenerative medicine is rapidly advancing, so you might have the opportunity to become a successful farmer soon.
Fibroblast Growth Factor The Wait About eight years Conventional wisdom says we’re born with all the hair follicles we’ll ever have, and some of us are simply destined to have clogged shower drains in our future. But in a study published in Nature Medicine, Dr George Cotsarelis, a University of Pennsylvania dermatologist, reported on a possible way to grow new follicles by wounding the scalp and treating it with a substance called Fgf9. The process produced hairier mice by creating new follicular stem cells in an area of the epidermis called the bulge. The problem is that humans don’t have much Fgf9. The solution, says Cotsarelis, is a combo treatment that involves “microwounding” the scalp and then applying a drug with synthetic Fgf9. Cotsarelis is involved with a startup company, Follica, that’s exploring the feasibility of doing the same thing with men.
Quorum Sensing The Wait At least 10 years What if the cure for baldness involved yanking out your few remaining hairs? Counterintuitive, yes, but science backs this theory. Last year, researchers at the University of Southern California discovered that removing about 200 individual hairs induced the regrowth of about 1200 dormant hairs – again, only in mice. Still, there’s hope. The science behind this has to do with a process called “quorum sensing”, where a group of stem cells responds to an injury afflicting its colleagues. The resulting inflammation signals the surviving stem cells to wake the hell up, get busy, and grow more hair. For this procedure to sprout significant coverage in humans, researchers say they need to figure out how to deploy stem cells to foster controlled regrowth. So be patient. Someday soon we may finally have a legitimate reason to go pluck ourselves.
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TWO HAIR REPLACEMENT RIP-OFFS TO STEER CLEAR OF NIOXIN If wishful thinking is a commodity, consider Nioxin its primary purveyor. The company that makes this line of topical treatments claims it can rid your scalp of follicleclogging sebum and surface residue. While this may be true, it’s irrelevant for balding men. “Every shampoo does that,” says dermatologist Dr Papri Sarkar. “Sebum is simply an oil produced by your sebaceous glands. Getting rid of it does nothing to help reduce male-pattern hair loss.” So why do some men insist they’ve seen results? It’s probably because they’re initially washing their hair more often, which leads to fewer hairs clogging the drain. “If you wash your hair every three days, you might lose 300 hairs per wash,” says Sarkar. “But when you do it daily, you’ll lose only 100 hairs.” Plus, clean hair has more body than greasy hair, so it looks thicker. HAIR-LOSS SUPPLEMENTS The hair you see is dead tissue; feeding it won’t bring it back to life. Don’t bother googling “supplements for hair loss”. All you’ll get are bogus claims and “reviews” from shills working for companies that sell overpriced rubbish. The US FDA is clear: “Based on evidence currently available, all labelling claims for over-the-counter hair grower and hair-lossprevention drug products for external use are either false, misleading or unsupported by scientific data.”
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YIKE
S!
NICE
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ATALEOFTWOTRANSPLANTS US politician Joe Biden’s is
N OT YO U R O L D R
less than presidential, but Matthew McConaughey’s is pretty interstellar
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In the early days of hair transplantation, doctors harvested large multi-hair grafts, known as plugs, from the back and sides of the head and transferred them to sparser patches, where they were coddled until they hopefully took root and flourished. It was a painstaking and expensive process, done entirely by hand, not unlike trying to grow corn in the desert. By the time hundreds or even thousands of hairs had been transferred, the pincushion scalp often resembled a doll’s head. In the photo above, you can see this artificial-looking “weave” effect in the hairline of US Vice-President Joe Biden. Although he reportedly had his surgery back in the Eighties, you can still clearly recognise little tufts of clustered hair sprouting from the rows where the plugs were originally planted. Hair transplantation is still around today and still beyond the financial reach of most regular guys (up to $25,000 for quality jobs). But it can be much less timeconsuming now, and the results look far more realistic and attractive. The surgery today uses moreadvanced techniques, including robots that methodically punch microscopic holes in the scalp and quickly fill them with smaller naturalhair groupings, or “micrografts”, instead of clumsy plugs. Sceptical? Take a look at the photo of McConaughey. Pretty natural, right? In fact, if you haven’t been following his career, you might never guess he’d thinned out and allegedly resorted to this procedure to replace some of his hair. It looks that good. And it could for you too. Just start saving now.
HEALTH
DON’T LOSE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE
Use this step-by-step dermatologist-approved plan to slow the erosion of your hairline. Already thinning? You might even see some regrowth Effectiveness
Minoxidil
Meditation and Exercise
Ketoconazole Shampoo
Products containing minoxidil probably won’t restore what’s lost, but can help you hold on to what’s left and even help you regrow a bit. The topical medication increases bloodflow as well as oxygen and nutrient delivery to the follicle. The liquid version of the product can cause irritation and leave a greasy coating on your hair, so opt for the five per cent foam, says hair-loss expert Dr Melissa Piliang. Rub it into your scalp twice daily for the most benefit. Be warned: this is a serious financial commitment. You have to use it forever to retain any gains. Bonus: unlike the oral medication finasteride (sold as Propecia and available by prescription only), minoxidil isn’t linked with erectile dysfunction or decreased libido.
In balding men, periods of rapid shedding are often brought on by stress. The reason? Stress floods your body with the hormone cortisol, then other hormone levels fluctuate in response, Piliang says. If you’re predisposed to balding, this can speed the process. To better control your stress, you might want to try traditional meditation or, if the lotus position isn’t your thing, an active meditation regimen such as yoga or tai chi. And commit to getting in better shape. A 2015 study in PLOS One found that older men with a high level of cardiorespiratory fitness release 42 per cent less cortisol throughout the day than unfit men. The stress hormone has been linked to all sorts of diseases.
Swap your standard shampoo for a brand containing ketoconazole. “It’s marketed as an anti-dandruff ingredient, but there’s solid research ketoconazole is an anti-androgen,” says Piliang. Anti-androgens block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, the hormone that shrinks hair follicles. That’s how finasteride works too, but because ketoconazole is confined to the scalp, it doesn’t have the risk of negative sexual side effects, she says. Massage the shampoo into your scalp, step out of the shower stream, wait two minutes and rinse.
Laser Devices
Vitamin D
Besides minoxidil and finasteride, laser devices are the other major player in home hair-loss treatment. The devices are sold as wands or helmets. In the largest study, published in 2014 in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, men who zapped their scalp three times a week saw a significant increase in hair density after 26 weeks. One theory is that lasers have an antioxidant effect on hair follicles. But before you invest (and these things aren’t cheap), understand that “hair growth” doesn’t necessarily mean “hair people can see”. You will likely feel it, though, which may have a placebo effect on your confidence.
A British Journal of Dermatology study reported that people with alopecia areata, a disorder that causes hair loss, were three times as likely to be D deficient as those with healthy hair. “Vitamin D helps hair reset its growth phase,” explains Piliang. To jumpstart your follicles, she recommends taking 2000 IU a day of vitamin D3, especially in winter when you’re exposed to less sunlight. But don’t try baking your bald spot to ramp up your vitamin D production. That might result in an even bigger problem. “Men should be careful about sun exposure on a balding scalp, since it’s a common location for skin cancers,” Piliang warns.
IN BALDING MEN, PERIODS OF RAPID SHEDDING ARE OFTEN BROUGHT ON BY STRESS. THE FIX: EXERCISE
THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUMP’S HAIR TOWER What the hell is happening with the US presidential contender’s hair? And we don’t mean that in a mocking way. (The rest of the Internet certainly has that more than covered.) We’re asking out of sincere, unironic, fascinated curiosity. Is it a toupee? Probably not. Is it a comb-over? Absolutely. But what is it combing over? Trump appears to have a full head of hair. So why does he comb it like he’s walking backward on a windy day? The most probable reason is that at some point in the Eighties, Trump may have had a hair-loss scare and resorted to a rarely used procedure called scalp flap surgery. This involves taking a section of hair above the ears, cutting it loose on three sides, and flipping it up and over the front of the scalp, where it’s sewn down. Because that hair originally grew in a different direction and continues to do so, the new hairline looks unnatural. (The surgery likely produced a scar he’s covering up.) “I do not question Trump’s assertion that his hair is 100 per cent his own,” says hair transplant specialist Dr Paul McAndrews. “I believe it is his hair; I just do not believe that God was the architect of his hairline.” Unfortunately, Trump has repeatedly refused to provide even a hairbreadth of explanation.
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ELITE
117 HOW A SWIMMING LEGEND DUG DEEP INSIDE TO WIN 118 HILL-SMASHING LEG STRENGTH 120 TRAINING TRICKS TO POWER PAST 40
Because fit is the new rich
“THERE’S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK”
– Ben Smith 2015 CrossFit Games champion
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PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN LOOMIS
USE THE CHAMP’S SECRETS TO FORGE LEAN MUSCLE
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ELITE
TRAINING WITH THE FITTEST MAN ON EARTH BUST YOUR GUT IN THE COMPANY OF CROSSFIT GAMES ACE BEN SMITH BY
MICHAEL EASTER
IF YOU RAN INTO the Fittest Man on Earth at the supermarket, you could mistake him for the guy who plastered your bathroom, or a maths teacher who also teaches PE. Ben Smith, 25, just doesn’t look the part: he’s 182 centimetres and 88 kilograms, and has the kind of solid physique you might build doing manual labour. But he’s as legit as they come. Smith earned the title by winning last year’s
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Give yourself a performance goal and train for it daily and you’ll never plateau, says Smith.
CrossFit Games. Really? This guy is the fittest out there? Yep, and I’m about to witness why. I’m with Smith at the box he owns, CrossFit Krypton. A track by Cole Swindell, a star of the US bro-country scene, blares as Smith stands with a 170kg barbell resting on his back. In an entirely fluid motion, he shifts his hips, bends his knees and drops his butt to his ankles. His torso remains rigid and vertical. Then he shoots back to
standing, the reverse movement just as smooth, just as flawless. He does two more precise reps and returns the 170kg barbell to the rack. He repeats this every minute for 25 minutes. That means Smith just lifted 12.75 tonnes in the time it takes to watch a Modern Family episode. This is an impossible feat for most guys – the poor sucker lifting with him (who has nearly 20kg of muscle on Smith but uses a 140kg bar) is totally
wrecked. Smith is neither sweating nor breathing hard. Now you get it. The fittest indeed. THE 40 MEN who qualify for the CrossFit Games each year are freaks of fitness. They all squat and deadlift in the 180kg range. They all crush Fran, a workout composed of 45 pull-ups and 45 barbell thrusters, in roughly two and a half minutes – or less. In short, they all push the limits of
06/16 human potential. Each has a rare combination of mutant genes and savage drive. Otherwise they couldn’t sustain the motivation to train for the Games, which requires grinding through between three and five workouts a day for months or even years. Smith won on his seventh attempt. So how, after the CrossFit Games’ 13 brutal workouts, did Smith manage to edge out the other competitors? One word: efficiency. It all starts with those perfect reps. “The cleaner your mechanics, the less effort you have to expend with each rep,” says Kelly Starrett, creator of the fitness blog MobilityWOD. “Over the course of a competition like the CrossFit Games, consistently clean movement is how you win.” Think of it this way: doing cleaner reps is like using higheroctane petrol in your car. Each rep creates a bit more power and takes a little less out of your tank. Smith says that during the final workouts, he knew he was going to win because he wasn’t as burnt out as the other guys. “We were all exhausted mentally and physically by the last day of the competition,” he says. “I felt confident going into the final day because I am used to my tough training days.” Good form is like good cardio. You may be able to run marathons now, but if you stop running long distances, you’ll quickly lose that ability. Likewise, muscles weaken and tighten if you don’t use them. That’s why in every workout, Smith, who’s training to defend his title this July, puts his body in the positions CrossFit requires: squatting, hanging, lifting his arms overhead and carrying heavy objects. If he’s lacking range of motion anywhere, he does daily drills to mobilise the area. But there’s another key to Smith’s success, an X factor of sorts. He surrounds himself with people who make him better.
Smith exercises every morning with his two younger brothers, who are both competitive CrossFitters. Then he has lunch at a local organic burrito joint with buddies, after which he does two or three more workouts. Throughout the day his mum, dad and friends drop by to hang out, check on things and maybe join a workout. Though he’s intense while exercising, Smith also knows how to relax, and a laid-back lifestyle can help contribute to fitness. For athletes who train regularly, stressors such as study or work can lead to injury just as often as physical stress can, say researchers at the University of Missouri. Other studies have shown that stress can impair your body’s ability to recover from hard workouts and make gains. “If you surround yourself with positivity,” says Smith, “you position yourself for success.” His preferred chillout activities: playing sports and spending time with friends and family. Use the four tips that follow to upgrade your efficiency. Then try Smith’s workout on page 114. Soon you’ll notice improvement in your mobility and be able to lift more.
THERE’S ANX FACTORTO SMITH’S SUCCESS. HESURROUNDS HIMSELFWITH PEOPLEWHO MAKEHIM BETTER
1/ FIND A GYM YOU LOVE
3/ CORE CURRICULUM
The right gym can play a huge motivational role and also help you work out more consistently – true fitness game-changers. Seek out a place with a fun, empowering atmosphere. Do some homework: explore all your local facilities and don’t be afraid to travel a bit farther for the right one. Try a CrossFit box, a power-lifting gym or a boot camp. And think about training with a like-minded lifting partner. The bonds you create will push you to make even bigger gains.
If mobility is the yin, then stability is the yang. Indeed, your limbs need a solid base from which to generate power. Add five 10-second sets of isometric planks, side planks and bird dogs to each workout. These exercises strengthen your core, and a strong core is paramount: it can prevent back pain and improve everything from your running speed to your lifting power, say researchers at the University of Waterloo. Want to make the moves even more powerful? Breathe slowly and deeply during each set, Smith suggests.
2/ REACH FOR THE SKY Your high school PE teacher’s weightlifting pointers – “arch your back”, “extend your hips” – could actually be hindering your progress. When you focus internally on isolated body parts, you run the risk of overthinking the exercise. Instead, imagine the external environment changing with your movement: you’re pressing the floor away, squeezing the bar into dust and reaching for the sky. This trick often leads to increased performance, according to research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
4/ ROLL WITH IT Everyone is tight somewhere. But if you sit all day in an office, you’re probably tight everywhere. That can sabotage your athletic performance, whether you’re competing in the CrossFit Games or playing touch footy. To improve the efficiency of your movements, you need to free up that tension, Starrett says. The solution is simple: as you’re winding down for the evening in front of the TV, pick a muscle group that feels tight – your hips, glutes, shoulders – and then roll it out with a hard ball for 10 minutes.>
Brothers in big arms: Smith and his sibling Dane push each other to press on in the gym.
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WORK OUT LIKE A WOD GOD USE THIS ROUTINE FROM SMITH TO MELT YOUR GUT, PACK ON MUSCLE AND CRANK YOUR FITNESS INTO OVERDRIVE
DIRECTIONS Do each exercise group’s moves back-toback. Perform 21 deadlifts and 21 push-ups, then 15 deadlifts and 15 push-ups, and finally nine of both. Rest for five minutes and repeat the same pattern with the thrusters and burpees (Group B). Track your progress by timing yourself each workout.
WARM-UP Row on a rowing machine for one minute. No rower? Jog on a treadmill. Then kick up into a handstand, resting your feet against a wall for stability, and hold the position for one minute. Too long? Work up from 15 seconds. That’s one round; do five.
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06/16 GROUP A
COOLDOWN
DEADLIFT
Recover from any workout
Bend at the hips and kn nees and d grab bab barbell b ll with ith a mixed grip, your arms outside o your legs. Stand up, pulling the bar and thrusting your hips forward. Try 100 kilogra ams; if that’s too hard, start lighter and w work up to it. (Switch your mixed grip p each round.)
A
B
B
PUSH-UP
BOX STRETCH
Assume a high plank position, your body perfectly straight. Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body as you bend your arms and lower your chest to the floor. Push back up. If push-ups are too easy, scale up to handstand push-ups.
Assume a lunge position with your left knee forward and your right knee behind you on the floor close to a box or wall; your right shin should be roughly parallel to the box. You’ll feel your right hip stretch. Switch legs; repeat.
SHOULDER MOBILISER
GROUP B
THRUSTER Hold a barbell at shoulder height and rest it against the front of your shoulders and upper chest with your elbows bent. Squat until your knees are bent at least 90°. Explosively push back up, pre essing the bar overhead. Try 40kg, or use a weight you u can handle according to your strength and conditio oning level.
A
B
Grab a PVC pipe, wooden dowel or exercise band and hold it in front of you with your arms straight and hands twice shoulder-width apart. Slowly arc it up, overhead and behind .
A
DO THE WORKOUT USE THE FREE VIEWA APP TO PUT THESE MOVES ON YOUR PHONE
BURPEE Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat as deeply as you can and place your hands on the floor. Kick back into a push-up position. Do a push-up, then jump your feet forward to return to the squat. Stand up, jump and clap. That’s one rep.
B A
B
FINISHER Ride an exercise bike for one minute at a hard effort. Next, do as many sit-ups as you can in one minute. That’s one round; do five.
JUNE 2016 113
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06/16
OLYMPIC GOLDEN MOMENTS Victory roar: Perkins overcomes his pre-race nerves to secure gold.
TS FAST FAC NA ME
ki n s K ieren P er LI VE S
Brisban e OL YM PI CS
96 At la n ta , 19 SP OR T
S wim m in g EV EN T
esty le 15 0 0 m F re AG E TH EN
22
AG E NO W
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WATCH KIEREN WIN USE THE FREE VIEWA APP TO SEE PERKINS GRAB OLYMPIC GLORY
ELITE AUSTRALIAN
CRUNCH TIME Whatever my reaction, I didn’t think, “I’m screwed, I can’t win”. I always recognised that the attitude you take into a fight is the result you’ll get. But when I was lying on the massage table before the final I completely freaked out. Before I knew it my heart rate was flying. Nerves had never been a problem before and I knew I had to get them under control – I just needed to recall the steps I normally took before a race. As I did I calmed down and by the time we were moving towards the marshalling area I’d worked it out: the only thing I had to do was deliver my best and I could be satisfied with that. I went out fast as usual and at the 400metre mark I had a look on the turn. I could see Dan (Kowalski, his compatriot and main threat) and the rest of the field and realised I’d opened up a bit of a gap. I told myself at that point that it was mine to lose. I’ve had some races when it hurt horribly and others, like that final, when it didn’t hurt at all. In the end, it was a great victory, not because of individual rivalries but because I’d stood on the precipice of emotional destruction and beaten it.
THE PERKINS PERSPECTIVE MOVE WITH THE TIMES
PERKINS’ WORLD RECORD 1500M
14:41.66
CURRENT 1500M FREESTYLE WORLD RECORD
14:31.02
(Sun Yang, China)
DOWN, NEVER OUT
EVEN DEFENDING CHAMPIONS DON’T WIN OLYMPIC SWIMMING FINALS FROM LANE EIGHT, DO THEY? AN UNDERDONE KIEREN PERKINS WONDERED HIMSELF
“When you’re in your early twenties you’re full of growth hormone and you get fit fast, you get strong fast and you recover fast,” says Perkins. “After Atlanta I recognised I needed to cut down on swim-training volume and supplement with weight sessions.” Perkins ultimately bettered his Atlanta time in the 2000 Olympics 1500m final, but had to settle for silver behind Grant Hackett.
BRAKING BAD
AS TOLD TO IAN COCKERILL
THE BUILD-UP Coming into the trials for the Atlanta team I was complacent. After being on the up and up and up, after 1994 the intensity wasn’t there. When it came to the 1500 heat in Atlanta, I didn’t think I was ready and as the race went on I went through a ludicrous amount of pain. It was then I began to think that if I can’t win my heat then I can’t win the final, and that if I can’t win the final then do I want to be in it? The last thing I wanted was to
come last in the final with the whole world watching. So while I didn’t stop or slow down, I didn’t really push it. It was the last heat, so when I touched the wall I looked up at the board and it scrolled through all the results to show who’d made the final. When lane eight came up with my name alongside there was a moment of panic. I put on a brave face, though, and said all the right things.
Perkins’ key tip for extra speed in the water – aimed squarely at triathletes – is “to point your bloody toes when you kick!” “I see it all the time, kicking with their feet at 90° to the leg. It’s like using a braking system under the water.”
STIFF ARM “Swimming’s a technical sport and personally I have an issue with people being taught to recover with a straight arm,” says Perkins. “The science is dodgy. I think the bent-arm stroke is still better.”
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For more great cycling content, check out the latest issue of Bike magazine. ON SALE NOW
DEFY GRAVITY CONQUERING A CLIMB IS CYCLING’S
ULTIMATE TEST.HERE’S HOW TO PILE ON THE
WHEN THE ROAD RAMPS SKYWARD, you need extra horsepower to overcome Earth’s gravitational pull. One guaranteed way to get to the summit faster is to strengthen the big prime movers in your legs – the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Weight training not only builds muscle, it also strengthens the muscle fibres you use for endurance efforts (yep, climbing) so they become more resistant to fatigue. The following moves will help turn your four-cylinder engine into a high-powered V8. Do three sets of 10 reps, with a two-minute rest between sets. Choose a weight that is challenging enough that you can complete all the reps, but no more. For the best gains, aim to do the workout twice a week.
SINGLE-LEG PRESS
MIX AND MATCH
In a leg-press machine, position your right foot slightly to the right of centre on the platform. Bend your knee and lower the sled until your leg is bent 90°. Push back to the start. Complete the reps, then switch legs.
When you’re on a long climb, rotate through your muscle groups to give some a break while others are on duty. Push back on the saddle for 30 seconds to engage your glutes, then push forward to call your quads into play. Next, stand for a few seconds to stretch before repeating the sequence. When the going gets really hard, you can switch between your legs and lungs, spinning in an easy gear at a higher cadence to let your muscles recover, followed by a larger gear at a lower cadence to give your aerobic system a rest. Throughout, sync your breathing to your pedalling, inhaling for three revolutions and exhaling for two. It’s a simple trick to control your breath – and calm your mind.
ELEVATED SPLIT SQUAT Hold dumbbells at your shoulders, palms facing in. Stand facing away from a bench and extend your right leg back, placing your foot on the bench. With your back straight, bend your front leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Press back to the start. Finish the reps, then switch sides.
CALF RAISES Stand in a squat rack with the bar across your neck and the balls of your feet on two large weight plates. Let your heels hang off the edge, then lift them until they rise above the plates. Return to the start.
SQUAT Rest a barbell across your upper back (or use dumbbells at your shoulders) and stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart. Keeping your back straight, push your hips back and bend your knees. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then push yourself back to the starting position.
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WORDS: SELENE YEAGER
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Maintain Your Prime
YOU’RE NOT A PUP ANYMORE, BUT SIMPLE TWEAKS TO YOUR REGIMEN WILL KEEP YOU IN THE GAME FOR YEARS TO COME, SAYS GLENN PHIPPS, THE SPORTS SCIENTIST WITH ESPN’S SEARCH4HURT AND TRAINER TO WORLD CHAMPION MASTERS ATHLETES
MIND YOUR BACK LOOSEN UP At some point it dawns on the ageing warrior that he’s as supple as a rock. A lot of guys will start going to yoga, but I think flexibility training is best done solo so you can target specific issues. It’s pretty simple: stretch what’s tight. If you’ve been working at a desk for 20 years, start with your hip flexors.
AND LEAN IN MIDLIFE
SHORT AND SWEET I know a former world champion fighter who still starts his days with 10-kay runs. Wrong move. The repetitive pounding exacerbates joint pain, and steady-state cardio is no longer the most efficient use of your time. HIIT, on the other hand, will bolster your maximum heart rate and testosterone levels. On a rower, do five three-minute bursts separated by three minutes of rest, reducing these breathers as you improve.
JOINT ENTERPRISE Once you hit 40, your body holds a lot of stories, aka old knee injuries. These can be a prelude to arthritis, an impediment to athletic performance and hard training. You can’t erase damage, but you can take the pressure off by staying lean and light. Ageing knees hate lard – and excessive upper-body muscle.
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PREMIUM FUEL You need to tweak your approach to workout nutrition too. As you age, your body’s ability to recruit fat for energy is waning, so to help this process along, avoid eating any high-carb foods in the hour before training. But prioritise glucose replenishment post-workout to subdue the inflammatory response to exercise that can put pressure on your not-quite-what-it-was immune system.
Time to get serious about guarding against back degeneration. Ask yourself why you’re squatting and deadlifting, and whether there are safer exercises to achieve comparable results. If you must load up the spine via these big moves, do them no more than once a week.
ARREST ATROPHY Your biggest enemy is sarcopenia, the insidious process that can strip 3-8 per cent of your muscle mass per decade from the age of 30. Your best defence: weight training, specifically three sets of six moves at 80 per cent of your 1RM done once a week and teamed with 7-8 hours of nightly shut-eye to help maintain T levels.
PRESERVATION PLAN Here’s how I’d structure a 40-plus guy’s routine: Mon Weights – upper body, high reps (12-20) Tues Cardio – intervals on the rower Wed Weights – lower body, high reps (12-20) Thurs Injury-prevention – stretching and stability exercises, tailored to your needs Fri Weights – all body, low reps (6) Sat & Sun – Rest or active fun, for example, surfing, tennis
ONE WORD ANSWER
Blue diamonds are a growing man’s best friend. The Association for Clinical and Translational Science has found that Viagra increases the amount of protein your body produces, leading to bigger muscle growth. It reduces skeletal muscle fatigue too, so you’ll, er, go for longer. But the hard truth is that you’ll only be prescribed Viagra if you suffer from clinical erectile dysfunction. If you do, pencil in your weights session before date night (don’t worry: you need to be aroused for the drug’s effects to kick in, so unless all that grunting really does it for you, your Sergeant Major shouldn’t be standing to attention). If ED’s not a problem for you, take niacin supps instead. The B vitamin has a similar blood-vessel-dilating effect, upping your flow. Keep the dose under two grams a day as excess niacin can cause stomach issues. Which would keep you up all night for all the wrong reasons.
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ANSWER
Viagra PHOTOGRAPHY: SAM ARMSTRONG
QUESTION Popping what pill puts the brakes on ageing and increases muscle mass?
Facing stiff competition? You might be eligible for a muscle boost.
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THIS YEAR’S COVER CONTEST DREW A RECORD FIELD OF GUYS WHO EMBODY SELFLESSNESS GRIT AND TRIUMPH. THEIR STORIES CAN INSPIRE YOU TO GREATNESS By Daniel Williams and Ben Jhoty Photography by Jason Ierace and Giles Park
CONTENTS
The 2016 MH Man Competition MHM 10 / Your Winner MHM 14 / Eat Like A Men’s Health Man MHM 18 / The 2016 Celebrity MH Man Competition MHM 04 /
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
MHM 125
OUR2016FINALISTS Darcy Bowles
30, Mooloolaba, Queensland Endures extreme conditions as a railway maintenance technician for Rio Tinto in Karratha “IT CAN GET UP TO 50 degrees some days and we’re working 12-hour shifts,” says Bowles, who commutes from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. “Some days you’re drinking 15 litres of water.” It’s not ideal prep for a workout. But five days out of the seven-day block that Bowles is on the job he heads for the gym after knock-off. “Look, I’m a big believer in listening to your body. Which is why if I’ve had a massive day I might go in and just do a stretch and some light cardio.” And save fibre-ripping iron sessions for another day. NUTRITION TIP Plan, and relish, your weekly cheat meal. You’ll be able to say, “I don’t need those chips now” if you know you’ll be inside a burger joint in three days.
Jed Murphy 29, South Yarra, Victoria Paediatric nurse who works in the same ward in which his brother died ON FINISHING SCHOOL Murphy figured he’d spend a year plastering. One year turned into a hateful eight: “The work was horrible – boring and repetitious – and the lifestyle unhealthy.” In his mid-twenties he moved back in with his parents so he could study nursing. He works now in the cardiac and renal ward at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, where, before he was born, his 10-year-old brother Ben died after an operation to correct congenital heart defects. The symmetry’s poignant, the work rewarding. “I don’t take life for granted as much I used to. It’s made me a lot happier because I’m not drowning in the little things anymore.” TRAINING TIP Fall in love with the experience of training and don’t get hung up on reps and loads.
126 MHM
Ben Seymour 25, Bellevue Hill, NSW Plans on kicking goals in the fitness industry after a career in pro rugby turned sour SEYMOUR’S LIFE was footy. Born in Napier, New Zealand, he was four when he started playing rugby – and dreaming of being an All Black. A move to Australia accelerated his progress: in 2012 he played more than a dozen Super Rugby matches at No.10 for the Western Force. But a recent spell with an Italian club ended in rancour, with Seymour jetting home over a pay dispute. He’s now set his sights on a fitness enterprise – The Strength Department – in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. “I don’t do anything halfarsed,” he promises. PERFORMANCE TIP Don’t neglect speed work. “A lot of guys try to be the biggest on the team, but if you’re the fastest, you’re going to get around that strong guy who’s slow.”
#mhmrexo
Tim Wilson 29, Carseldine, Queensland Had part of his right hand blown off while on deployment in Afghanistan, diverting him towards another enemy: depression IN MARCH 2010, Wilson was on patrol in the Mirabad Valley in Uruzgan Province when a remotecontrolled improvised explosive device went off next to him. “I remember clear as day looking up, flat on my back, dirt raining down,” he says. As well as losing his right index finger there was localised nerve damage. Wilson told himself he was lucky, but cutting ties with the army ushered in depression. “Fitness was the one thing I kept up,” he says. “It kept me sane.” These days, he relishes leading tour groups of fellow veterans on the Kokoda Track.
Radek Jonak 36, Leichhardt, NSW Is killing it as a PT while doing all he can to make it as an actor
LIFE TIP “No matter how bad your situation, you always have time to stop, take a breath and think about your next move.”
Tony Hokins 33, Emerald, Queensland Combines working underground as a coalminer with being a devoted husband and father HOKINS CLEARLY loves his job – to the point where you’re thinking coalmining mightn’t be such a tough way to earn a buck after all. “Don’t get me wrong,” he clarifies. “It’s not a nice place to work. We’re 280 metres down. There’s a reason we get paid great money.” The hours should be murder on family life and fitness pursuits, but Hokins ensures it all works by making the most of every minute. Three years ago he stopped hitting the snooze button twice on work mornings and instead devoted those lost 16 minutes to jamming in gut-busting workouts. And he’s forever working on being a great dad to Donovan, nine, and Eddie, six. “I worry about them way too much, but just about everything I do is for them.” LIFE TIP This came from my dad: work hard, buy a house, have fun later.
OVERWEIGHT AS A KID, Jonak put up with teasing “until one day I cracked it – I’d had enough”, he says. He started doing push-ups and situps every night, and later took up basketball. “Since I got into fitness I’ve never looked back.” Like most trained actors, he’s worked many jobs (baker, chef, carpet layer), though he was on the small screen recently as the myopic lifeguard who “rescues” a seal in the SpecSavers ad. The producers had wanted David Hasselhoff, but he was too expensive. “In the end I got the job because I had chest hair.” TRAINING TIP So many guys over-focus on the chest when bench-pressing. Press your back into the bench – it should be working to the max – for a five- to 15-kilogram 1RM improvement.”
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MHM 127
DAY 1 Delivered to the photo shoot in style courtesy of Toyota, our candidates get primed for the camera.
128 MHM
CHANCES ARE, when you look at the guys on the previous page, you have mixed feelings. On one hand you’re a little impressed, inspired even. But on the other, perhaps a touch of hopelessness taints your reaction. You might conclude these blokes either come from another planet or spend more time shifting iron than you ever could. The truth is, these guys aren’t fundamentally different to you. If they were, if the gym were their second home, they wouldn’t be finalists in the 2016 Men’s Health Man competition. As always, to find a reader fit to grace our cover, we were less impressed by deadlift PBs than a backstory that testified to a life productively lived. Don’t get us wrong: a physique that looks as though it would be useful in a crisis is part of our criteria. But that’s just part of the equation. “Of course Men’s Health Man is about health and fitness,” says MH editor Luke Benedictus. “But it’s
so much more than that. We’re looking for a well-rounded man who’s determined to squeeze the most out of life.” So it is that our six finalists are guys juggling work and family, while in some cases conquering setbacks that would have floored lesser blokes. A crunch moment for the candidates arrives early, when they assemble for the photo shoot in the Sydney studio. Even as they chat and get to know one another, there’s tension in the air. Come across as wooden in front of the camera and your chances of becoming a cover guy nosedive. It does nothing to settle the nerves that the prize for this year’s winner is the biggest in the competition’s history. As well as the money-can’t-buy chance to adorn a Men’s Health cover, the winner’s haul includes $10,000 cash and a SEIKO watch. “Candidates need to look relaxed and comfortable in a
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SHAPE UP
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Looking sharp when you’re built isn’t easy, says Robert Agius, head of product & design for Calibre. Follow his tips to look stylish, no matter how bulky you get. #1 Pay particular attention to fit. Most guys buy clothes too big. Treat size labels as a guideline only. You have to try clothes on.
#2 Big arms or thighs mean suits will often be too big or too small. Find a good alterations specialist to make adjustments. #3 Buying from unfamiliar brands online always involves an element of risk. This is only heightened if you’re well-built. Now go shopping!
“We’re looking for a man who’s determined to squeeze the most out of life”
BLADE RUNNING
DAY 2 strong body,” explains MH creative director David Ashford. “The cover image shouldn’t make us think of massive carb deprivation. Our cover guy should look like he could build a shelter, change a tyre and take a punch.” Day one winds up with dinner at Firedoor in Surry Hills. Listening to the boys’ stories, two things are clear. The first is that, for these six guys, being part of this competition is a way of both measuring and celebrating how far they’ve come. Life hasn’t been a breeze – it never is – but in their own way they’ve all made their mark. The second point is that if there is a crucial difference between them and you, it probably boils down to attitude. For all successful guys, there comes a point where they stop making excuses and instead resolve to ring the changes that will see them realise their potential. The question is, what are you waiting for?
AT 7AM the entire crew jumps into our fleet of Toyota Corollas for the three-hour drive down to Canberra. Our destination: the Australian Institute of Sport. While MH Man doesn’t hinge on sheer physicality, fitness still plays a part. The contenders might shine in front of the camera, but we need to make sure their bodies aren’t all show and no go. The simple fact is, there’s nowhere in the country better equipped to assess physical performance than the AIS, a place that churns out elite sporting talent. The Institute’s formula for success is simple: take high-performance expertise, combine with world-class facilities and multiply with cutting-edge sports science. The result? A production line of Australian sporting champions. Taking advantage of Rexona’s long-standing partnership with the AIS, Men’s Health asked the Institute to come up with a battery
of tests to gauge the performance levels of the MH Man contenders. What they devised would provide a formidable test of their all-round functional fitness.
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Schick shape: quality grooming products and advice help our contenders put their best face forward.
Our MH Man finalists’ gruelling training would amount to little without good grooming skills. Use Schick expert Geoffrey Mahanay’s tips for a shave that showcases your face
1. Tool Up The right products produce better results, reckons Mahanay. “Schick has a range of shaving creams to prepare your skin and match different hair-growth types, as well as razors that’ll suit every man’s needs.” Always cleanse before you shave to lessen the risk of skin outbreaks, he adds.
2. Divide and Conquer Focus on each area of the face, section by section, for better control of your razor strokes, Mahanay recommends. “Touch is important. You need to apply suitable pressure, so be careful not to rush any section.”
3. Ground Hero “Finish off your shave with a crisp towel to exfoliate cells,” advises Mahanay. “Follow up with moisturiser to allow hair to grow through the exposed skin. This helps avoid in-growns. Finally, use hot water to clean razors and sterilise your hands.”
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DAY 2 Rexona Fitness Challenge TEST ONE 20M SPRINT On a 20-metre section of the AIS’s indoor running track, light gates featuring infrared sensors are placed at 5m intervals, ensuring each sprint is timed with pinpoint precision. “This test largely assesses speed, acceleration and maximal velocity,” explains AIS physiologist Alice Wallett. Improve it: want to build Bolt-like speed? Plyometric work is the cornerstone of sprinters’ workouts. Bounding and hopping around a park might not seem like the most productive way to spend your weekend, but the science is solid. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found a 10-week program of horizontal and drop jumps can improve your sprint speed by up to five per cent.
TEST TWO VERTICAL LEAP Being able to defy the laws of gravity isn’t just handy for LeBron James. “The vertical jump is a good field measure of lower-limb power and explosive strength,” explains Wallett. Improve it: your knees and ankles are the keys to boosting your air-time, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. To jump higher, the study suggests you need to concentrate on improving their rate of contraction. Grab a pair of light dumbbells and hold them by your sides, palms facing each other. Dip your knees, then explosively jump as high as you can. As you leave the floor, release the dumbbells from your hands. That’s one rep – perform five reps with maximum intensity.
TEST THREE BEEP TEST A stalwart of the army, the police and sadistic PE teachers, the multi-stage fitness (or beep) test is deceptively simple – run between two markers before the beep sounds. “It’s a widely used and recognised measure of overall aerobic capacity,” says Wallett. “The test involves multiple stages of short accelerations and lasts long enough to test participants’ aerobic endurance.” Improve it: sadly, there are no shortcuts to this one. But just repeating the beep test drill once a week can help boost your peak aerobic capacity. Download the Beep Test app for your phone, place two cones 20m apart, hit the start button on the app and run from one cone to the other. On two other days each week perform sprint intervals. Sprint at 85 per cent of your maximum effort for one minute, then rest for two minutes. Repeat 5-8 times.
TEST FOUR BENCH PRESS The AIS uses a bench press set-up with an evil twist. The difference? The bench itself is 60 centimetres wide. This wider base means that you’re forced to lie flat under the barbell with your legs straight out, thereby focusing complete effort on your upper body. “The bench press involves the biggest muscle groups of the upper body in a multi-joint movement – no other upper-body exercise does this,” says Julian Jones, head of strength and conditioning at the AIS. “That makes it a great indicator of upper-body strength.” Improve it: strong results on the bench press stem from the holy trinity of chest, back and arms. You need to work on all three if you’re looking to shift more iron. The key, Jones suggests, is varying your grip when you hit the bench and switching your focus between benching with a wide grip and a close grip. “The wider your grip, the more it targets the chest; the narrower the grip, the more it targets the arms,” he says.
WATCH THE VIDEO USE THE FREE VIEWA APP TO SEE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR MH MAN ROADTRIP
Top: the boys arrive at the AIS to be put through their paces for the Rexona Fitness Challenge; official timekeeper SEIKO tracks contestants’ progress. Right: doing the hard yards in the beep test. 130 MHM
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FLIPPIN’ SWEET Who says you can’t get stacked on pancakes? Use Swisse dietitian Simone Austin’s recipe for a fresh source of protein
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You’ll need: ¾ cup milk
1 egg 1 cup self-raising flour 2 tablespoons caster sugar 1 scoop of Swisse Pure Warrior Protein Powder
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Sweating it out with Rexona.
By the end of the tests, our competitors are physically spent. Perhaps not surprisingly, Ben Seymour, a former rugby pro turned personal trainer, emerges top of the pile, winning three of the four events and bench-pressing 150kg, despite backing up straight off the beep test. Having given everything they’ve got, it’s time for the contestants to refuel. “To build muscle and aid recovery you need protein within 30 minutes for maximum benefits,” explains Swisse dietitian Simone Austin, who also oversees the nutritional know-how of Hawthorn Football Club. Too often, Austin says, lack of variety can stop people from meeting their dietary needs. “If you always consume the same protein powder then you can get ‘flavour fatigue’,” she explains. With that in mind the contestants prepare to take on the Swisse Nutrition Challenge. Confronted with a table piled high with nutrient-dense foods, it feels like a wholesome take on the MasterChef kitchen. There’s a rainbow of fruit, from bananas to blueberries. Eggs and almonds jostle for space with Nutella and
“To build muscle and aid recovery you need protein within 30 minutes” honey. But the secret ingredient is Swisse Pure Warrior Protein Powder. “You have to make a pancake that is suitable for post-exercise recovery and will be judged on nutritional content, taste and looks,” Austin tells the boys. Thirty minutes later, after a burst of frantic kitchen activity, it’s time for the taste-test led by Austin and personal trainer Dan Adair. The smart money is on Radek Jonak, whose parents once ran a restaurant. But the eventual winner is Jed Murphy, whose inspired decision to inject his pancake mixture with cottage cheese and blueberries gives his recipe sweetness and heft. Will this victory prove crucial in the final reckoning? Maybe, maybe not. The challenges aren’t the deciding factor in MH Man, admits Benedictus. “But they enable us to get to know the contestants better and see how they interact.” Which all counts towards the final decision. What then, is the most important quality in a potential MH cover guy? “Likeability,” says Benedictus. “Ultimately, he’s got to be the sort of guy you’d actually want to have a beer with. Maybe even a protein pancake!”
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Ben Seymour, centre, acting as spotter, dominated the MH Man fitness challenges.
Whisk the milk and eggs together in a bowl. Sift flour and Swisse Pure Warrior Protein Powder into a separate larger bowl and stir in sugar. Make a well in the centre. Add milk and egg mixture. Whisk until just combined.
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Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush with cooking oil or butter. Using a quarter cup of mixture per pancake; cook for two minutes or until bubbles appear on surface. Flip and cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until cooked through.
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Add these ingredients to amplify your pancakes’ nutritional firepower: cinnamon, rolled oats, chia seeds, fresh berries, banana, green apples, natural yoghurt, creamed corn, peanut butter, cottage cheese, slivered almonds, lemon juice.
Get stacked: Jed Murphy piles on the nutritional ammunition to win the pancake challenge.
MHM 131
BRINNGING TO THE TABLE A DISTINGUISHED RECORD OF NATIONAL N SERVICE AS WELL AS AN EASY-GOING MANNNER, THIS FORMER SOLDIER PROVED TO BE AN IRRESISTIBLE FORCE
FRO OM THE AGE OF 12 I wanted to jo oin the army. I had tunnel vision for it. I had a grandfather who foug ght in World War II, but he never spoke about it much – and having bee en in the army myself I can und derstand why. As A soon as I finished year 12 I pu ut the paperwork in. My first dep ployment was peacekeeping in E East Timor. It was a good iceb breaker, mostly not too dan ngerous. Then in 2010 I went to Afghanistan with the 6th Battalion, Royyal Australian Regiment. We d our area of operations as a had presence against the Taliban. It wass in the Mirabad Valley, Uruzgan Provvince – think desert that rolls into a green belt. I was there for two months before I was hurt. I completely understand the military isn’t for everyone, but it was honour and a privilege to serve an h my country. Still to this day I doubt thatt I will do anything greater. The main thing for me is the sense of brottherhood. It’s not until you’re in the army and you’ve served with guyys overseas in a warzone that you can say, ‘That guy’s my brother. He’s got my back.’ On O March 27, 2010 we were ming to the end of a patrol and com were about 300 metres from base. We were walking through a crop d where the Taliban had planted field 132 MHM
WHAT TIM WON • $10,000 in prize money • Men’s Health cover • Six-month MH contributor’s column • SEIKO watch
#mhmrexo
PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON IERACE; ILLUSTRATIONS: SONNY RAMIREZ/THE ILLUSTRATION ROOM
an improvised explosive device underneath a stack of hay. You always knew the threat was there, but you chose your path and went with it. It so happened the path I chose that day took me about 2m from the IED, which a spotter detonated by remote control. I didn’t know what had happened. I remember clear as day looking up, flat on my back. Dirt was raining down and there was this fierce smell of explosive. Then, finally, I said out loud, ‘Oh fuck, it’s happened to me’. For the only time in my life I felt terrified as I patted down my body. Legs first. My arms seemed fine, but I couldn’t feel my whole right hand. Just having a heartbeat was great. I stayed on the ground while my team covered me. Still in Afghanistan I was put under and checked for more shrapnel. My inner hand was mangled, so I lost it. I lost the index finger of my right hand – my trigger finger – as well as the bottom knuckle and pad. Within a week I was back in Australia, where I had another operation and started rehab. The worst part of the injury wasn’t the finger loss but the nerve damage.
“Dirt was raining down and there was this fierce smell of explosive” I had to get my grip strength back and relearn dexterity. There’d be days I’d get frustrated, but you can’t whine about it. You give yourself a bit of a kick and get on with it. There are guys who’ve had it far worse than me. I’ve got friends who’ve lost limbs and friends who’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Flying th the flag: Australia’s armed forces have had no prouder member than Wilson. Right: on the Kokoda Track with a local fan.
GETBATTLEREADY WHATTODO Complete all required reps of an exercise before moving on to the next one. That could mean doing one set – or 10. Whatever it takes. And following this order: do the entire workout without speaking, groaning, grunting or squealing. “Our sergeant would make us work out in complete silence,” says Wilson. “He used to say discipline would always give us the unfair advantage.” Now get to it, you pathetic maggot.
The nerve damage resulted in me discharging from the army at the end of 2013. When you come out of the armed forces you can choose one of two roads. The dark road is drugs and alcohol. It’s there waiting. I found it really hard to cut ties with the army. I was depressed. I can say it so easily
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now, which tells me I’ve overcome it. You don’t want to be told you have depression. You’re in denial about it. It’s such a male thing to hold it in. You only get on the other road if people give you a helping hand. I walked the Kokoda Track with a friend and the bloke running the tour group said, ‘I like you . . . do you want a job?’ So now I take veterans groups on Kokoda. I love it. I’ve always prided myself on my fitness. When you’re about to go overseas on deployment, you would hate to think you’re going to be that guy who lets the team down because you’re not fit enough. When I was down, fitness was the one thing I kept going with. It kept me alive. It kept me sane. Because there were periods before that first Kokoda trip when I was waking up with no purpose in life. I told myself that if I couldn’t feel good right then about my future, I could at least feel good about my physical presence. The bottom line is, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m proud to say I’ve served my country, and made some friends and brothers along the way.
“This workout comes from my deployment in Afghanistan, where the aim was a total-body blitz in minimal time,” says Wilson. “I’ve been using it for the last six years.”
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2
BENCH PRESS
WEIGHT-VEST SQUATS
10s & 10s
One-hundred reps of one-third of your 1RM, as quick as you can.
One-hundred reps of a quarter of your 1RM. “We would squat with body armour and the bar,” says Wilson.
Alternate between any two abs exercises – say sit-ups and leg raises – doing 10 reps at a time until you hit 200 reps. “Twohundred reps on abs will hurt anyone,” says Wilson.
WIDE-GRIP CHINS Punch out a set to failure. Now aim to triple those reps, doing as many sets as it takes to reach your target. So if your first set yields 10 reps, pump out another 20.
MHM 133
THE
ONFIDENCE MOVING
TO KEEP
The 2016 Men’s Health Man finalists learned some new moves from the Australian Institute of Sport trainers, who showed them how minor improvements to their technique could make a big difference to their output
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EATLIKEA MEN’S HEALTH MAN THE KEY TO SHREDDING UP IS DIETARY DISCIPLINE. USE THIS EATING PLAN FROM PURE WARRIOR DIETITIAN SIMONE AUSTIN TO FUEL YOUR TRAINING AND MAXIMISE YOUR MUSCLE GAINS
Competing in the MH Man competition means getting into the best shape of your life. Naturally that involves shifting large amounts of iron. But even more crucial to achieving the eye-popping results that turn judges’ heads is the fuel you put into your body. “Exercise is important, but it burns up fewer kilojoules than most people think,” reveals Austin, who also works with Hawthorn Football Club. “What you put in your mouth is the most important part of changing body composition.” Use the options on this daily meal plan to fire up your metabolism and pile on lean muscle.
BREAKFAST OPTIONS
THE COVER MODELDIET
• BIRCHER MUESLI TOPPED UL OF WITH A HANDFUL FRESH FRUIT A ND A SPRINKLE OF N UTS
MORNING SNACK OPTIONS • WHOLEGRAIN CRACKER WITH 100G CANNED FISH AND SLICED CUCUMBER • 30G NUTS ON THE SIDE
LUNCH OPTIONS • 1 LARGE WRAP WITH AVOCADO OR COTTAGE CHEESE, 100G MEAT OR 100G FISH OR 2 EGGS, 3-4 SALAD INGREDIENTS • 1 PIECE OF FRUIT ON THE SIDE
OR . . . • 1 LARGE BOWL (2½ CUPS) OF HEARTY SOUP WITH MEAT, VEGETABLES AND BARLEY • 1 PIECE OF FRUIT ON THE SIDE
OR . . . • 2 PIECES OF WHOLEGRAIN TOAST WITH AVOCADO, OMATO 2 EGGS, SLICED TOMATO • 100G NATURAL YOGHURT ON THE SIDE WIT H ¼ CUP OF FRESH FRUIT
OR . . . • 2 RICE CAKES TOPPED WITH100G RICOTTA CHEESE • 2 FRESH DATES • 30G NUTS ON THE SIDE
Pure Warrior dietitian Simone Austin.
OR . . . • 1-2 EGGS • 90G OF TUNA OR SARDINEES • GREEN SALAD & CHERRY TOMATOES • 100G SWEET POTATO • BALSAMIC VINEGAR & OLIVE OIL DRESSING • 1 PIECE OF FRUIT ON THE SIDE
AM TRAINING SESSION • 2 SCOOPS OF PURE WARRIOR POWERED BY SWISSE TM 100% WPI OR PURE WARRIOR EXTREME WHEY, WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF TRAINING
NOTE: If exercising first thing in the morning, eat breakfast to recover 30 minutes post training.
136 MHM
OR . . .
NOTE: If workout is earlier in the day, swap morning and afternoon snacks around.
• 3-4 CHICKEN RICE-PAPER ROLLS • 1 PIECE OF FRUIT ON THE SIDE
GET LEAN AND MEAN
AFTERNOON SNACK OPTIONS • 200G NATURAL YOGHURT WITH 2 TEASPOONS MIXED SEEDS, 1 DICED DRIED APRICOT
DINNER OPTIONS ▲ STIR-FRY WITH CHICKEN, GARLIC, GINGER, BROCCOLI & OTHER VEGETABLES, BASMATI RICE OR . . .
EVENING SNACK OPTIONS • 150G NATURAL YOGHURT WITH CINNAMON, BERRIES AND 1 SQUARE OF DARK CHOCOLATE (SHAVED)
• 180G SALMON FILLET WITH 2 CUPS STEAMED VEGIES, JACKET OR SWEET POTATO
OR . . . • 1 SLICE WHOLEGRAIN FRUIT LOAF WITH 2 TABLESPOONS OF RICOTTA CHEESE, ½ SLICED BANANA AND CINNAMON
OR . . .
Achieving a chiselled physique relies on creating a kilojoule deficit to lose body fat, says Austin. “At the same time you also need adequate fuel to build muscle.” To achieve this elusive balance you should:
Limit highsugar, high-fat foods and drinks that promote body fat, not muscle growth.
Add vegetables and salads to meals and snacks to fill up without adding extra kilojoules.
• GARLIC PRAWNS WITH 2 CUPS STIR-FRIED VEGIES, 1 CUP BROWN RICE OR NOODLES
PM TRAINING SESSION • 2 SCOOPS OF PURE WARRIOR 100% WPI OR PURE WARRIOR EXTREME WHEY, WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF TRAINING
Ensure you have protein with each meal, every 3-4 hours, to keep you full for longer and supply muscles with amino acids for growth.
OR . . . • 150G BARBECUE STEAK WITH CORN-ON-THE-COB, SALAD
OPTIONAL ON NON-TRAINING DAYS:
For more meal plans visit purewarrior.com
• ½ SERVE PURE WARRIOR 100% WPI OR PURE WARRIOR EXTREME WHEY WITH WATER OR MILK & BERRY SMOOTHIE
Keep your carbohydrate intake to approximately ¼ to ⅓ of your plate at meal times.
MHM 137
OUR
FE VE R S N FOR
Photography: Giles Park
The Men’s Health Man 2016 finalists are put through their paces, but it’s not all sprints and push-ups. The guys also cked up some great tips from Schick’s own grooming guru and got the lowdown on the latest in men’s grooming
Listen up: Behind the scenes at the Men’s Health Man 2016 cover shoot day. Our finalists are sharp-looking blokes but they all picked up some helpful man-maintenance tips on shaving, grooming and skincare from the Schick grooming expert.
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If you’re not into taking it all off, the Schick Hydro 5 multipurpose groomer hits the spot.
Forget the old lube strip, this razor’s exclusive Hydrating Gel helps reduce friction during repeat strokes by releasing a water-activated gel that hydrates your skin throughout each shave. Plus, the five Easyglide blades contain patented built-in Skin Guards that help control skin flow to reduce irritation.
It’s the only 4-in-1 highperformance styling tool that shaves, trims, edges and hydrates throughout each shave. With a razor on one end and an adjustable power trimmer on the other, this convenient tool eliminates the need for multiple attachments – just flip it over and you’re good to go.
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AVOID REDNESS
PROTECT YOUR SKIN
AVOID IRRITATION
If you’re prone to redness, look for a shaving gel or foam designed for sensitive skin.
Even in winter, make sure you finish your grooming routine with an SPF every day.
To minimise shaving rash and skin irritation, use a razor designed to care for your skin.
Designed like no other razor to protect from irritation EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE
CELEBRITY MEN’S HEALTH MAN EIGHT WORTHY MEN, ONE COVETED PRIZE. THIS YEAR’S CROP OF CELEBRITIES HAVE PUSHED THEMSELVES TO THE LIMIT TO GET IN THE BEST SHAPE OF THEIR LIVES. USE THEIR WORKOUT SECRETS TO TAKE YOUR TRAINING – AND BODY – TO NEW HEIGHTS
NICKPHIPPS 27, NSW Waratahs and Wallabies Sydney, NSW HEIGHT: 180cm WEIGHT: 85kg
140 MHM
I LIKE TO PLAY at 85kg, but over the off-season I can blow out to 87. When I was younger down in Melbourne I liked to be at 90 because I had to play more defence. When I came to Sydney I was too bulky – I needed to strip down to get around the field a bit more. Everything we do in the gym at the ’Tahs is core related because that’s where all the speed and power come from. This year I wanted to get more
agility, be more dynamic around the ruck area and threaten some of the first, second and third defenders around the breakdown. I also wanted to get a kilo heavier up top just to be a bit more physical around those areas as well. Physically, preseason is the only time we can get our full gains; that’s where we want to be improving across the board – speed, strength, acceleration. In-season it’s hard to do the
work to make improvements. You can’t smash your body, because you have games on Friday or Saturday. It’s about maintenance. At the ’Tahs this preseason we were doing six-day weeks. Every day we had a unit session for forwards and backs, plus gym and then a field session with the whole team. It’s good to see the gains from the beginning of preseason until the end, because it’s such a hard slog. It’s
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL LINNET/RUSSELL BARTON
WINNER
2016
#mhmrexona
BRADHOGG
45, International Twenty20 cricketer Perth, WA HEIGHT: 178cm WEIGHT: 79kg
I WENT TO ENGLAND when I was 18, and when I got back to Australia I couldn’t get a pair of shorts over my knees. That’s how much I blew out. Ever since, I’ve thought that if I want to be an international cricketer, I’m going to have to keep an eye on how I look after myself. I retired in 2008 and had three years out of the game. I was doing some coaching and I said to myself, “If I’m going to be coaching a younger generation, I’m going to have to look like an athlete”. In that regard I’m lucky that things come quite naturally to me. I train pretty hard and I’ve got good endurance. I’m also pretty strong for my weight, although as a spin bowler I have to make sure I don’t go too heavy with my weights and get bulky. Last season my skin-folds went from 55 to 65. As someone
who wants to play cricket, you’ve got to be careful about that. I was going through a block of cheese a week, having an extra couple of glasses of wine a night and eating a lot of bread. I have a problem where if I have a piece of bread, I have to put tomato sauce on it. So I cut back and told myself, “Right, I can only have four slices of bread a day”. I switched from Tasty cheese to cottage cheese, normal yoghurt to Greek, and the weight’s come off. I’m planning to play Big Bash cricket next year. I want to keep going for as long as I can. When I retired in ’08 I still had my place in the Test team and that hurts because I retired for personal reasons that didn’t work out. One thing that’s been reinforced to me over the years is that life is not about making cash, it’s about getting experiences. >
PITCH PERFECT Hogg uses the singleleg deadlift for pins that won’t buckle. DO THE MOVE Hold a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs with arms straight. Begin lowering the dumbbells to the floor while raising your right leg back behind you. Keep your back straight and the knee of your supporting leg slightly bent. Return to the starting position by raising your torso as you lower your right leg. Do five reps on each leg.
RUCK ’N’ ROLL Phipps uses weighted chins to add bulk to his upper body. DO THE MOVE With 20kg attached to your waist, lower over eight seconds, then pop back up. Do five reps.
a time of survival. Off the pitch, I’m currently studying for a Master of International Business. You’ve just got to fit it in. It’s good to be able to knuckle down and think about things other than moves and tactics. You need that escape from the game. I’m the kind of guy where if I’m not doing something properly I get a bit dirty on myself. There’s only so much time in the day and opportunities to improve. I hate to waste it. MHM 141
MANUFEILDEL 43, Chef and MKR host Sydney, NSW 10-WEEK CHALLENGE
I DID THIS FOR MYSELF, to once and for all change my body shape. We all have different types of bodies and metabolisms. Some people can eat as much as I can and never put on weight. I’m the guy that puts on weight, and if I’m not careful it’s game over. When I did Dancing with the Stars in 2011 I found the training okay. But I was five years younger. To get back into training was tough. When you don’t exercise for a while, you need to train your body to accept the regimen again. When I started with my trainer, Cam Byrnes, we did a lot of cardio in the park, on stairs, heaving sandbags. Then we started hitting the gym. We did really heavy weights, low reps, but what I enjoyed is a little less weight and being able to push yourself a few more times. I was also on the bicycle for an hour a day – half an hour in the morning, half an hour at night. I’d do 15 kilometres in 30
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AFTER!
CUTTING-EDGE CUISINE • Breakfast (post gym) bacon and eggs: 4 eggs, 4 slices of bacon, half an avocado
• Lunch sardines on crackers, can of tuna
• Dinner fish, meat, vegies, salad
PHOTOGRAPHY: BEFORE SHOT GILES PARK, AFTER SHOT DANIEL LINNET
BEFORE
#mhmrexona
“The hardest part was changing the way I eat . . . To empty the kitchen and start again from scratch” minutes. That was just to get rid of the fat; there’s no other way. But the hardest part for me was changing the way I eat. Changing your diet is one thing. Being a chef and having to change it is another. You’ve got to empty your kitchen and start again from scratch, because if you have things in there that tempt you, you need to get rid of them or put a peg on your nose so you can’t smell them. As much as I tried to clean up my diet, I did cave in and cheat occasionally with a sneaky bowl of pasta. Overall I put on 4kg of muscle and lost 3kg of fat. My body-fat percentage went from 23 per cent to 18 per cent. I’ve had to punch two new holes in my belt. My strengths are mental. Pushing yourself to do this on a daily basis is tough. There were days when I had to go to the gym at 5am because I had a busy day. My wife was always asking me how I did it? To be honest, you kind of get addicted to it.
DUAL ACTION “Manu put on what he burnt off,” says his trainer and MH fitness adviser Cam Byrnes. “He exchanged fat for muscle.” Use his plan to build and shred. Do supersets of the following exercises, 25 reps per move x 5 sets 1/ Chest press/biceps curl 2/ Lat pulldown/leg extension 3/ Seated row/barbell shoulder press 4/ 200 crunches in sets of 25
DIDIERCOHEN I WAS A really insecure, overweight kid. I always tried to fit in with the cool kids and I did that by acting out. Rebelling starts off with cutting class, then it gets more serious. I got into drugs when I was super young. My dad was strict. He said if you’re going to live this life, get out of my house. So I left school early and had to find my own way, which wasn’t always under a roof. I eventually got a job in the music industry. I was the young kid who parties with the band. It kind of fed that rebellious lifestyle. I was 20 when I was scouted off the streets of LA. They said if you want this, you’ve got to clean up. So I did and they sent me to Australia in 2006. I just said to myself, “This is my shot, this is a chance to turn my life around”. I’ve lived healthily ever since. I look at training as a form of meditation. It clears my
30, TV presenter, international model and DJ Melbourne, Victoria HEIGHT: 190cm WEIGHT: 81kg
head in the morning, which makes me more productive. When I train, I feel like I can take over the world. I do bike intervals – 45 seconds solid then 15-second full-speed blasts, for 30 minutes. Not only am I pedalling hard, I’m also fully contracting my muscles against the handlebars. It’s a full-blown contraction workout. My training is all body weight – very small movements but full contraction in every movement. And everything I do is to failure. If you’re contracting as hard as you can, you’ll fail pretty quick. I believe if something is not hard, don’t do it. The whole point of exercise, the whole point of life, is to do things that are hard so that you overcome them and become a stronger person. That’s why you need goals. The way I see it, if you don’t have goals in life, you’re not living it.
PACKSOME PUDDING
After a workout, Cohen smashes this protein pudding. Toss three scoops of protein powder in a bowl. Blend cinnamon, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries and almond milk to make a smoothie, then pour this on top of the protein powder and mix together. Top with nuts, goji berries, berries chia seeds and cacao. >
MHM 143
CHARLIE CLAUSEN 38, Actor, Home and Away Sydney, NSW 8-WEEK CHALLENGE
I’M LUCKY THAT these days I have time to exercise. I play Austag once a week, I do weights once a week and I surf every morning. I started surfing around the age of nine. Everybody needs something in their life that balances them out. Mine’s always been surfing. When it comes to working out I try to stick to the routine Ronny Palmer, my old Origin fitness coach, gave me: two pushes, two pulls and a full-body exercise. I was always a skinny fella growing up and had to work hard in the gym to get a bit of muscle. The bench press ended up being one of my better lifts – it was initially my weakest, so I concentrated on it the most. Now the heaviest I go on the bench is 120kg. When I was playing it was 160kg. At my peak in 2003 I played at 103kg. I lost a lot of muscle when I retired. I probably couldn’t sustain the training to keep that muscle on now. Maybe I’m burned out because I’ve been at the gym four times a week since I was 15.
144 MHM
When I look back on some of the things that happened in my career, I just see them as life lessons. It was something you thought was so big at the time; now it’s irrelevant. It’s a bit like when you see young kids at school. All the kids might be laughing at them because they did something silly in the playground and they think their life’s going to end over it. The way I see it, mistakes happen once. If they happen over and over you probably want to look a bit deeper. SPREAD THE LOAD Since I was 17, I’ve always had a family You need to be careful block of chocolate not to get imbalances when you lift, says every night. Towards Gasnier. “I was topthe end of my career it heavy when I was was more of a playing; I wasn’t superstition than strong enough through anything. But about the hips, back and seven months ago I bum. Make sure you’re went cold turkey, no doing a mix of uppersugar. I’ve lost a lot of and lower-body and fat from not having that push-pull exercises.” chocolate every night.
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL LINNET
MARK GASNIER
34, Fox Sports commentator and former NRL player Sydney, NSW HEIGHT: 193cm WEIGHT: 97kg
#mhmrexona I did an eight-week program with a trainer to get in shape for Celebrity MH Man. I started at 81kg and ended up at 72kg. It’s funny, because we shot scenes for Home and Away that get reinserted into older episodes. There may be some shots where I’m looking like an 81kg guy and then in the next I’ve shrunk down to 72kg. My wardrobe is definitely hanging off me. I did weights six days a week and cardio every day. The first four weeks was bulking, building up strength and muscle mass. After
four weeks we stripped back the carbs and increased protein. Before I started, everyone told me, “You’re going to have to be so disciplined”, but because I knew what and when I had to eat and when I had to go to the gym, life became really simplified and I became really organised. I cooked for a couple of hours and made five little meals that I’d put in Tupperware containers. I was eating eggs and chicken at nearly every meal because I had to put on muscle. I felt like I was on a one-man vendetta against chicken.
This kind of training and eating is not sustainable much beyond eight weeks. If you were doing it for longer, you’d have rest days where you’d swap the weights for something you enjoy, like yoga. After five or six days of lifting it opens you up – you feel loose and ready to go again. When you first start on Home and Away, you look around the set and you see all these young guys with their shirts off. It’s like, “Shit, I hope I never have to take off my shirt”. Now I’m like, let me take my shirt off! >
BUILD A CHEST SHE’LL TREASURE Cable crossovers 4 x 12 reps Incline bench press 4 x 12 reps Bench flies 4 x 12 reps
“I felt like I was on a one-man vendetta against chicken”
MHM 145
INSTAGRAM IS AN amazing fitness tool. There are so many people out there doing incredible things, it’s not hard to find inspiration. I’ve currently got about 250K followers. I probably average around 5000 likes per post, up to 12,000 with a good video or photo. I think it’s taken off because I’m being myself. People see through it when you’re doing things purely for likes. And I’m doing things that aren’t the same as everyone else. I don’t do CrossFit, I don’t do calisthenics, I do a mix of everything. Growing up I did taekwondo, which really helped with balance 146 MHM
and co-ordination. Any move I don’t get the first time, I’ll get the second or third. Once I’ve got something, I’m like what’s next? I’ll do a handstand and then I’ll do a handstand on a Bosu ball. But I won’t post anything I can’t do more than once. I feel like it’s not being true to people. I post three times a day and it’s always something very different from the previous day. If I’ve done a big box jump one day I might do something on the bars the next. That way you’re not just appealing to one audience. My most-liked video ever was a high rope climb. That got 24,000 likes and I have no idea why,
because I think I’ve done more impressive stuff. Currently I’m training twice a day, six days a week – one conditioning session and one weights session. I’m working towards three goals. I want to be able to do a double-body-weight squat and double-body-weight bench – I’m at 139kg at the moment. And triple-body-weight deadlift – I’m at 200kg. Core training is fundamental to me. Whether it’s a basic plank, sit-ups or L-sit pull-ups. When you’re doing really big compound moves, you’re really drawing on your core. The fact is, you can’t do calisthenics without a strong core.
ENTER THE DRAGON The dragon flag is a core move that can remove mud from your midsection, reckons McCallum. “Lie on a bench and lift your whole body up from a pivot point on your back. Start first by lifting your legs, then tuck your g y knees, straighten your legs and lift your whole lower body.”
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL LINNET
NATHAN McCALLUM
27, Social media influencer Central Coast, NSW HEIGHT: 175cm WEIGHT: 73kg
#mhmrexona
CAMPBELLBROWN I TRAINED FROM January 2014 to July 2015 for my attempt to swim the English Channel. It never entered my head that I wouldn’t get across. I thought if I did the work, put on the weight and handled the cold, I’d get there. To not achieve my goal was disappointing because I was still swimming quite strong and feeling okay physically. But I got a bit over halfway in six hours, and then at the nine-and-a-half-hour mark when we aborted I was in the same spot. The wind picked up, the waves got bigger and it was just impossible to make it to France that day. I can look back and say I didn’t not get across due to a lack of preparation on my part, it was just Mother Nature. In the lead-up I was doing three days a week in the pool and two days in the open water in Port Phillip Bay to get used to the cold. The pool sessions ranged from 5km up
32, Former AFL player Melbourne, Victoria HEIGHT: 179cm WEIGHT: 90kg
to 17km. Those 17km sets are a five-hour gig. I played at 85kg and was always around five per cent body fat. I had to put on 10kg for the swim. You have to put on fat rather than muscle because it helps insulate your organs so you don’t get hypothermia and makes you more buoyant. That was as big a challenge as the training. I was having a longneck of Guinness each night, a lot of carbs and protein shakes. You name it, I was eating it, but because you’re expending a lot of energy it was hard to keep the weight on. I’ve lost a lot of it now, but I’ll probably never get back to 85. Right now I’m thinking about doing the Toughest Tough Mudder in Las Vegas in November, 24 hours around an 8km obstacle course. You need to be fit aerobically and be strong because there’s monkey bars and climbing walls. That’s my next challenge.
BUMP ’N’ GRIND Brown lost 28 weeks to suspension during his career for ironing out blokes. Use these moves to build the body to shirtfront your opposition. Chin-ups 3 x 12 reps Bench press 3 x 8 reps Box jumps 3 x 5 reps
CARB CONTROL
McCallum uses carbs to fuel his training and feed his muscles afterwards. “I have sugary carbs before I work out to spike my glucose levels,” he says. “If I have a big leg session, I like white rice straight after. On weekends I’ll have a whole pizza immediately after a workout to feed the muscles straight away.” MHM 147
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