Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
MensFitness
magazine
WORKOUTS
NEW FOR
** """
**
S C I IT IX *
N U T R IT IO N
MorsFitness
magazine
WORKOUT
MANUAL
2015
Editor Nick Hutchings
iflw ci
Croup Publisher Russell Blackman
Croup Managing Director Ian Westwood
International Business Development Drector
Dharmesh Mistrv
Digital Production Manager Nicky Baker
Operations Director Robir Ryan
Managing Director of Advertising
Julian Uoyd-Evans
Newstrade Director David Barker
Managing Drector of Enterprise
Martin Belson
Chief Operating Officer/
Chief Financial Officer Brett Reynolds
Croup Finance Director Ian Leggett
Chief Executive Officer James Tye
Company Fcunder Felix Dennis
While every care was taken during the production of this MagBook. the pubishers cannct be held responsible for the
accuracy of the information or any consequence arisinq from it Dennis Publishing takes no responsibly for the ccmpanies
advertising in this MagBook The paper used w ithr this MagBcok is produced from sustainable fibre, manufactured by mills
with a valid chain of custody.
The health and fitness information presented in this book is an educational resource and is not intended as a substitute
for medical advKe. Consult your doctor or healthcare professional before performing any of the exercses
desenbed n tms book or any other e<ercise programme, particularly if you are pregnant, or if you
are elderly or have chronic or recurring medical conditions. Do not attempt any of the
exercises while under the Influence of alcohol or drugs Discontinue any exercise that
causes you pain or severe discomfort and consult a medical opert Neither the author
of the information nor the producer nor distributors of such information make any
warranty of any kind m regard to the content of the information presented in this book.
NEXGENSPORTS
MULTIVITAMIN
For those undertaking regular training or exercise,
Nexgen Sports M ultivitam in has been formulated
w ith the highest quality chelated minerals resulting
in superior absorption. The spectrum of ingredients
contributes to normal: muscle function, energyyielding m etabolism , protein synthesis, function of the
immune system, absorption o f calcium and phosphorus
and blood calcium levels . It also contributes to the
reduction o f tiredness and fatigue and the maintenance
o f normal bones.
Flavours
For such a superior form ula, youll be amazed when
you taste it. The flavours have been developed with the
w orlds very best flavour houses using their very latest
technologies and we believe th a t w e have achieved the
ultim ate balance of th e highest quality ingredients,
the broadest spectrum of synergistic and innovative
ingredients and now w hat we believe are the m arkets
best flavours and texture.
20g 97
PROTEIN
CALORIES
p e r 2 5 g serving
A to ta l o f 28 key ingredients
We know of no other m ultivitamin th a t includes all of
th e following ingredients: magnesium, natural vitamin
K2-M K7, vitam in D3 and a range of m icronutrients
including DeltaGold delta-tocotrienols, Lyc-O-Mato
(natural lycopene), BIOLUT lutein esters, grapeseed
extract, green ted extract, Selenium SeLECT and
natura. coenzyme Q10.
W hat significantly d ifferentiates this from other
products on the m arket is th e use of capsule rather
than tab le t form at, which provides greater digestibility.
Similarly, all ingredients are nf the highest quality, many
of which are brands of international repute.
IN S T A N T
Whey
CONTENTS
Must-do
m oves
Training
knowhow
17
Home
w orkouts
34
C o v e r m odel
w orkouts
48
Nutrition
knowhow
86
Sports drills
102
C ardio
124
Gym fe a ts
138
Workout Manual 20 15
^S-WOPKCUT
3CVASTATK*
.
1
Anabolic Devastation
W eig ht M an ag e m en t P ro d u ct F o r F e m a le s
MUST-DO MOVES
MUST-DO
MOVES
Everyone wants something that can give them the
edge - and these killer exercises will do just that.
While others are straining away at the same old
routines, you can give your muscle growth a boost with
a move they don't know about. Here Shaun Stafford,
WBFF PRO Fitness Model World Champion and
performance director of City Athletic (cityathletic.co.uk),
explains and demonstrates each of these innovative
exercises that will help you stay one step ahead.
mensfitness.co.uk
hat s t h e best
move fo r a big
chest? Judging
by th e m ajority
o f people in the weights room,
m ost would probably say the
tru sty bench press. B ut they'd
be sadly m istaken. M eres why
you're b e tte r o ff doing the flye .
T h e fib re s of the p ectoral
m uscles run from your sternum up
tow ards your arm pits,' says S tafford .
T h e flye lets you w ork the m uscles
in the d irection their fib res run,
unlike the bench press. This allows
fo r greater contraction, a g reater
stre tch and an increased range of
motion for full pec developm ent
with additional strength benefits
fo r all your pressing m oves.'
Mere Staffo rd dem onstrates this
top-notch chest-building e xe rcise .
S ave this m ove for the end o f your
strength session, slow it down and
start light so your form doesnt su ffer.
S e t th e h an d les J
of a d u al-cab le
c ro sso v e r m ach ne
at t h e ir h ig h e st
p o in t. Take a handle
in e a c h hand and
k n e e l b e tw e e n th e
sta n d s, p o sitio n in g
y o u rs e lf w ith your
hands ju s t ab ove
your e a rs and slig h tly
behind you so your
c h e s t is s tre tc h e d .
^ jk
P ELIC A N
FLYE
SETS 3
REPS 12
MUST-DO MOVES
HIT
FOR SIX
move
GYM BA LL
SMITH
CRU N CH
SETS 4
REPS 8
P la ce a gym ball
u n d e r t h e bar in a w > .
S m ith m a ch in e . HoW
t
th e b a r w ith h an d s*"
^
ju s t w id e r than
I i/
sh o u ld er-w id th
a p a rt. L ie back
on th e ball so yo u r
f e e t a re fla t on th e
flo o r, yo u r k n ees
a re b e n t a t 9 0 and
th e b a r is above
yo ur u p p e r ab s.
K e e p your h ip s s till
and c o n tra c t your
ab s to c ru n ch up
e x p lo siv e ly , pushing
th e bar o ve rh e a d
w ith stra ig h t arm s.
T h e n slo w ly low er
y o u rs e lf b a ck to th e
s ta rtin g p o sitio n to
co m p le te o n e rep .
m ensfitness.co.uk
11
ARMED
FORC
H A LF
ZOTTM AN
V
D U M BBELL C U R L
S it u p rig h t on a
b e n ch , h o ld ing
d u m b b ells by
y o u r sid es w ith
p alm s fa cin g
fo rw a rd . C u rl
th e d u m b bells
up to ch e st
h e ig h t,
k eep in g y o u r
e lb o w s tu ck e d
in c lo se to
y o u r sid e s.
12
S q u e e ze your
b ic c p s h ard fo r
one se co n d ,
th en ro ta te
t h e w e ig h ts
9 0 so th e y re
p a ra lle l to
each o th e r in a
ham m er g rip .
S lo w ly lo w e r
th e d u m b bells
to th e s t a r t
and ro ta te your
palm s fo rw a rd
read y fo r the
n e x t re p .
W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
SETS 4
REPS 8
)
i
MUST-DO MOVES
G e t in to th e
s t a r t p o sitio n
by sittin g on
th e m id d le o f a
f la t bench w ith
a b a rb e ll a c ro ss
y o u r lap. W alk
y o u r fe e t o u t
and slid e down
on th e b e n ch
u n til yo ur k n ees
a re b e n t a t 9 0 ,
y o u r sh o u ld e rs
and n eck are
su p p o rte d and
th e w e ig h t is
on yo u r h ip s.
THRUSTERS
ENGAGED
W EIG H T ED
HIP
TH RUST
SE T S4
REPS 8
I^ H
D riv e th ro u g h
y o u r fe e t and
th ru s t your
hip s v e rtic a lly
u n til yo ur body
is h o rizo n ta l.
Y o u r w eig h t
sh o u ld be on
yo u r sh o u ld e r
b la d e s and fe e t.
S q u e e z e yo u r
g lu te s h ard a t
th e top o f th e
m o ve. Slo w ly
re v e rse
th e m otion
to re tu rn to
th e s t a r t.
m ensfitness.co.uk
13
1#
ou may not have heard of him,
but A rth ur Saxon, aka T h e Iron
M aster, is a man w hose lifting
advice you should take. Th is 19thcen tu ry strongman sp ent his tim e touring the
world and challenging people to match his
w eightlifting feats. T h e m ove named a fte r
him helped build the rock-solid core that
contributed to his legendary strongman status.
T h is move does much m ore than ju st give you
good-looking abs, says Staffo rd . T h a ts because
it relies m ore on your obliques to stabilise your
spine, allowing you to increase the weight on
oth er lifts. Fo r you, th at means improved
posture and im pressive shoulders. Fo r Saxon, it
m eant he could press 168 kg overhead w ith one
arm . And he only e ve r lifted in his pants - they
dont m ake em like th at any m ore. W hat a guy.
,
\t
ii,
S ta n d w ith y o ur
fo o t sh o u ld erw id th a p a rt and
p re s s a se t o f
lig h t d u m b b ells
o v e rh e a d . L o c k
y o u r arm s,
k e e p your c o re
b ra c e d and
d o n t arch yo u r
lo w e r b ack.
14
W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
'
K e e p y o u r hips
fa c in g fo rw a rd
and slo w ly bend
to one s id e , but
d o n t g o b e y o n d
a rang e yo u re
c o m fo rta b le
w ith . P a u se
b rie fly , m ove
slo w ly b a ck to
th e m id dle and
re p e a t on th e
o p p o site sid e.
O VERH EA D
SAXON BEND
SETS 2
REPS 8
E A C H SID E
MUST-DO MOVES
BACK IN.
BUSINESS
Level-up your lats with
the braced single-arm row
Y
BRA CED
^
SINGLE-ARM RO W
SE T S4
REPS 8
\
E A C H S ID E
S e t up a low ca b le w itll'a
D-hapdle n e x t to a bench
s e t a t a ste e p in c lin e . R est
one knee on th e s e a t and th e
o p p o site fo o t on th e flo o r.
G ra b th e c a b le , b racing
y o u r u p p er body ag ain st th e
bench w ith yo u r o th e r h an d .
K e e p in g y o u r c o re tig h t
and sh o u ld e rs r e tr a c te d ,
pu ll the c a b le to w a rd s y o u r
a rm p it. S q u e e z e y o u r la ts,
th e n slo w ly re v e rs e the
m o ve m e n t. C o m p le te th e
s e t b e fo re m irro rin g th e
m o vem e n t on th e o th e r sid e.
m ensfitness.co.uk
15
"SK A LP
Hairline Pigm entation
M A N C H E S T E R
E D I N B U R G H
O TRAINING KNOWHOW
TRAINING
KNOWHOW
Is weight training or cardio training more effective for fat
loss? When should you rest and for how long? What are
the benefits of lifting weights with one arm as opposed
to both? And whats eccentric about lifting weights?
Knowing the answers to all these questions will make your
training more effective - and youll find them all in this
chapter, thanks to our team of experts.
DOWN A
TREBLE
Three easy steps to
mastering eccentric
movements
1//GA1N FOCUS
C o n c e n tra te on the
lowering p hase of e v e ry
m ove by using the tem po
4 0 X 0 . T a ke four seconds to
lo w er the w eight and lift it
e xp lo sively w ithout pausing.
3//ADD WEIGHT
Perfo rm in g eccentric-o nly se ts
o f e x e rc ise s such as weighted
chin-ups and dips w ill lead to
g re a te r size and strength gains.
O TRAINING KNOWHOW
LOWERING
STANDARDS
Is the concentric
phase im portant?
Yes. It builds explosive power, and
focusing on co rrect eccentric
lowering and concentric lifting
produces more hypertrophy than
eccentric Gaining alone.
W hats involved in
eccentric training?
Th ere are two basic approaches.
The first method is best for all
How do I p rogress?
For certain e xercises, such as dips,
pull-ups and chin-ups, you can start
by just performing the eccentric
phase. T o do this, jum p to the top
position of the exercise and lower
yourself slowly. For single-arm curls
and extensions, lower the weight
unde- control then use the other
arm to help y o j com plete the
concentric phase.
m ensfitness.co.uk
19
FAST MUSCLE
Want to get lean and strong? Speeding up your cardio is the
answer, says trainer Anthony Shaw
There's one training method that
will help you get leaner, stronger
and more m uscular, improve your
skin and cardiovascular function,
make you feel healthier and cause
your stubborn calves to grow.
W hats more, you can do it in cne
or two 20-minute sessions eacn
week - and it doesn't have to cost
anything. W hats this magical
training system ? Sprinting.
I'm convinced.
W here do I start?
Start with four or five lOOm sprints
with 9 0 seconds rest between
each. Then add one to two sprints a
week until youre at ten reps. O n ce
you can do ten lOCm sprints with
90 seconds rest, you should be
able to vary the workload and start
having some real fun.
PLAY FAST
AND LOOSE
G o t the hang of sprinting?
Vary things with these
workouts
1//ADD REPS
6 x 2 0 0 m sp rin t w ith 2m in re st
RUN BACK
GO FURTHER
6 x lO O m s p rin t w ith
6 0 s e c re st
O TRAINING KNOWHOW
REST HARDER
The time between your sets is just as crucial as what you do
in them, says trainer Alex Adams
Iju s t rest betw een sets until
/Ve reco vered enough to go
again. Isn't that right?
Not quite. Manipulating any of
the variables in a resistance
workout - the choice of exercise,
load, volume, the length of ycur
rest period or even the order
in which you do the exercises
- alters the unique structure
of the workout and changes
the cellular and molecular
response you get from it.
Basically, if you change your
weights, the number of reps or
sets or the amount of rest you have,
your workouts will produce vastly
different outcom es even if theyre
superficially similar. So w hen you're
planning an exercise programme,
your end goal should clearly dictate
how much you rest.
W hat if I want to g et
bigger? O r leaner?
Then keep your rests shorter 30-60 seconds if your aim is to
drop body fat, and one to two
m inutes if you want to gain lean
mass. These rest engths will help
increase the production of growth
hormone, which is important for
metabolising fat and repairing
tissue. Vour perform ance, which
means how many reps you can do
with the same weight, is likely to
diminish with each subsequent
set you perform. So you won't
be able to work as hard and your
gains will su ffer if you dont rest
for the right amount of time.
O K . So vshat a m 1
doing wrong?
W e've all seen people in the gym
cranking out reps, resting for 15
seconds, then cranking out a few
more and wondering why they
cant match their first set. If you osk
to share the bar or work in', the
response is alm ost always, 'Oh, Ive
just got on mor st, which they
start as they finish the sentence.
The problem is, working out I ke
this gives you density not intensity,
and you need both for muscle
growth and fat loss.
Is there a way to g et
the best o f both worlds?
A great way to maximise growth
hormone production while still
recovering between moves is to
use antagonist supersets - for
example, a chin-up followed by a
dumbbell bench press. This allows
the major m uscles fatigued in the
first e xercise to rest during the
second exercise, so you can get a
big growth hormone boost with a
sm aller reductior o f perform ance.
Y o u ll be getting both intensity and
density - p erfect for muscle,
strength and fat loss.
WELL RESTED
Dont start texting try these rest-period
tricks instead
1//STRETCH OUT
S tre tc h the m uscles you a re n t
using - sa y, your ham strings if
yo u're bench-pressing. It w ont
a ffe c t your set, but it w ill help
im prove your fle x ib ility .
2//STAY ACTIVE
T r y a c tiv e re st, such as
perform ing a fe w bodyweight
squats during a squat sessio n .
Do it in fro n t o f a m irro r to
check th a t your form is c o rre c t.
3//THINK AHEAD
Use th e tim e to th ink through
th e tech nique fo r your
next s e t. E ven som ething
as sim ple as h eels down,
chest up fo r th e d ead lift
can m ake a d iffe re n c e .
m ensfitness.co.uk 2 3
MIND
OVER MUSCLE
Get bigger and stronger muscles by thinking harder,
says trainer Adam Gethin
How can my brain m ake my
m uscles bigger?
You r muscles are controlled
by your brain through a vast
network of reu ral pathways,
which connect to eacn and every
one of them. Electrical impulses
from the brain tell your m uscles to
contract and relax, and its these
acto n s that allow you to do
everything from standing to
running to lifting a weight.
Most of these actions are
subconscious: you move without
thinking about the m uscles
involved. But if you do think about
the m ovements, especially when
training, you will improve your
mind-Lo-muscle connection - and
this can result in bigger gains.
MENTAL EDGE
G et bigger and stronger
by keeping these points
in mind
1//REPEAT
Going to th e gym regularly
w ill resu lt in the links b etw een
yo ur brain and m uscle
becom ing stronger.
2 //VISUALISE
Looking at and thinking about
yo ur m uscles also im proves
th ese connections.
3 //FLEX
Flexing yo ur m uscles at th e top
and bottom of each rep builds
stronger p athw ays so the
m uscles can c o n tra c t q u icker.
O TRAINING KNOWHOW
FASTER
FAT LOSS
Looking for the best way to blast away
your belly? Adam Gethin reveals all
Which is b etter fo r fa t loss
- weights o r cardio?
Many people think that prolonged
sessions of slow, steady-state
cardio are the best - or even the
only - w ay :o burn body fat. This is
fundamentally untrue. In fact, this
type of exercise is inefficient at
reducing fat stores because many
people who train this way overeat,
especially when it comes to carbs.
What's more, training for long
periods places enorm ous stress on
your body, and high stress levels
instruct your body to store more of
the food you eat as fat.
FASTED
CARDIO
Pasted cardio is a session o f
ve ry low in ten sity - a gentle
walk or e asy jog - done on an
em pty stom ach, which can
be b eneficial fo r fa t loss.
H o w ever, it should only be
used to e at away at small levels
o f body fa t. F a ste d cardio
can in c re a se stre ss levels, so
it should be avoided if youre
feeling tire d , fatigued or are
having troub le sleeping. To
m inim ise m uscle loss, try
taking B C A A supplem ents
during the session.
m ensfitness.co.uk 27
Performance
PUs! C/t>rwbirte/
Tkis Ofpovl
4-
Rick Nall
*'**fa4c
nuww
fh^noion
Shaun Stafford
Wft*dd
>*n*Joa2012
6 76j
PVk
S SWAP'S.
KrisGethi
(MrityTn
4 * DOgPorkt-oMSk*ki
v4v^.*vnsde^oo<JI.com/ 4rjjwsb<
-O TRAINING KNOWHOW
%. <
v *\/
*
Jb
m U gr
-------
VI.
ONE AT A TIME
Lifting with one arm or one /eg at a time is a great way to balance
growth, work your core and minimise injury, says Adam Gethin
What are unilateral moves?
W hy should I do them ?
a llo w f o r a b e t t e r o v e ra ll m u s c le
U nilateral exercises
such as the TUX pistol
squat can help you
iron out im balances
3 0 W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
An unbalanced
physique can lead
to injury and poor posture,
and m ake com pleting
those big lifts hard er.
Include unilateral
m oves in most
w orkouts to give your
w e a k e r side the
opp ortunity to develop to
red u ce th e se risks.
LA R0ED -U IC S BEST
fBURNER 2 0 1 4
J L E , S U IT A B L E
NS & V E G A N S
O TRAINING KNOWHOW
PERFECT
CARDIO
Burn fat effectively by doing the right
type of cardio, says Adam Gethin
I have been running fo r years
but I don't seem to lose any
weight. Why is this?
Low-intensity cardio training,
such as jogging, is one of the most
popular tactics for weight loss
but it's far from the best. Longduration, steady-state cardio isnt
an efficient way to burn body
fat - if fat loss is your primary
objective, you'd be better off
doing short sharp sessions.
What is H IIT ?
Short, intense bursts of sprinting,
cycling or any other type of
exercise. Typically, it involves short
periods of all-out effort followed
by slower periods of recovery
before repeatingthis pattern. HIIT
creates an oxygen debt that your
body must balance after your
training session, which has the
effect of burning far more calories
and releasing more growth
hormone.
FEELING
THE BURN
Why HIIT torches fat
1//CREATE
A DEBT
Intensive exe rcise creates an
oxygen debt as your muscles
use oxygen at a quicker rate
than you can take it in.
2//PAY IT OFF
This d e ficit must be replaced
once training has ceased,
to return your body to a
balanced state.
3//REAP THE
REWARD
As your body pays o ff the
oxygen debt, it increases the
rate at which calories are
burned,so fat stores are
chipped away during this
period o f m etabolic increase.
O HOME WORKOUTS
HOME
WORKOUTS
Short of time, cash or equipment? You dont have to
spend money on gym fees or even leave the house to get
yourself a strong, muscular physique. The six routines
here can he done in your living room and, as long as you
keep the intensity high , can be just as effective as any
gym workout. Five of them consist of purely bodyweight
moves so they don't require any kit at all - and the other
uses just a pull-up bar, the simplest hit of kit there is
and one that can be stuck in any doorway. No excuses
- you can start doing these workouts right now.
mensfitness.co.uk 35
SLIDES
Harness the power of the slider - not the burger kind and build gym-free muscles in just minutes a day
We wouldnt normally advise you to let your workouts slide but in
this case w e'll m ake a very important exception. By doing the
following five m oves with a pair of X R Slides (xrslide.com ) or a
pair of towels and a smooth floor, you can hit you r m uscles
from angles that just aren't possible with conventional
workout kit while keeping them under the constant
tension that will shock them into growth. G ive fat the
slip with th ese five moves.
Sliding flye
SETS 3 REPS 5
S t a r t in a press-up p o sitio n w ith yo u r h an d s on
th e slid e rs . W ith a slig h t bend in your e lb o w s,
b rin g yo u r h an d s out to th e s id e s , low erin g your
c h e s t until it s a f is t s w id th fro m th e flo o r. Pause
a t t h e b o tto m , th e n b rin g yo u r hands b ack in .
O HOME WORKOUTS
Sliding hamstring curl
Sliding roll-out
SE T S 3 REPS 8
S E T S 3 R E P S 5 ................ ............
GTS 3 RCPS12
S ta rt in a plank p osition w ith
your f e e t on th e slid e rs and
your fo re a rm s on th e flo o r
w ith yo u r hands clasp ed
in fro n t o f you. Pu sh on
your fo re a rm s to sa w
your b o d y b ackw ard s
and fo rw a rd s, keeping
te n sio n in your
*
abs th rou ghou t.
mensfitness.co.uk 37
PRESSED
OR TIME
No gym, no kit, no problem. This press-up
complex will test your chest to the limit
H eres the good news: you don't have to queue for your gym 's
sole bench to build an athletic upper body. In fact, ben ch
pressing isnt even the best w ay to do it. This zero-kit
workout, designed b y strength and conditioning expert
J C Santana, hits the muscle fibres in your chest and
arm s from every direction for the optim al num ber of
reps needed for growth. Better yet, you can do it at
hom e in just a few minutes a day.
Rotational press-up
RF.PS 20
T h is h its yo u r sh o u ld e r m u scles fro m an odd
an g le, building s tre n g th and s ta b ility . S ta r t
in a press-up p o sitio n and lo w e r y o u rs e lf to
o n e sid e , tw istin g as you do so m o st o f yo u r
w e ig h t is o n o n e s h o u ld e r . P r e s s u p , t h e n d o
th e sam e on th e o th e r sid e . T h a t s tw o re p s.
///// A
3 8 Workout Manual 20 15
D IR E C T IO N S
Do th is workout once or tw ice a w eek.
Do it 48 hours away from your regular
bench day or as your regular upper
body workout.
Do all the reps of each move back to
back (or with as little re st as possible),
re st fo r two minutes and repeat two
m ore tim es.
-O HOME WORKOUTS
Shuffle press-up
Diamond press-up
REPS 2 0
REPS 10_______________________
_________________
Gorilla press-up
One-leg press-up
}E P S 10
REPS 10
T h is is e a sie r th an th e one-arm
va ria tio n but still ta x e s you r
co re . P a is e one leg, keeping
your g lu te s tigh t, and do
a p ress-up. S w itch legs
and re p e a t. T h a ts two
re p s. Now do th e re s t.
mensfitness.co.uk 3 9
One-legged burpee
TIM E 30SEC..........
T h is v a ria tio n on the b u rp ee ta x e s your b alan ce
and one-legged e xp lo siv e n e ss. D ro p in to a
press-up p o sitio n b ut w ith one fo o t o ff th e flo o r.
Po p b ack up to stan ding (keep in g th a t fo o t o ff
th e flo o r th ro u g h o u t), th en ju m p and land on
th e sam e leg. S w itc h legs fo r t h e n e xt re p .
D IR E C T IO N S
Do this workout two or
throe tim es a w eek.
Go straight through all
the exe rcise s, doing as
many reps as possible
in the tim e allowed.
Then re st for one
minute and repeat.
Th ree rounds is the
minimum. Five means
youre championship
m aterial.
O HOME WORKOUTS
Knuckle
T h is press-up variatio n te sts yo u r tric e p s and
g e ts your k n u ckle s used to a b it o f c o n ta ct.
S t a r t in a press-up p o sitio n on cle n c h e d fis t s .
L o w e r y o u rse lf until yo u r ch est is
alm o st on th e flo o r, keeping
yo u r elbow s in , th en p re s s
_
b a c k u p p o w e r fu lly .
Mountain
climber
T IM E 30SEC
S ta rtin g in a p ress-up
p o sitio n , bring one
k nee to your c h e s t,
th en q u ick ly sw itc h legs.
P e rfo rm each rep q u ickly
as if yo ure sp rin ting .
TIM E 30SEC
L ie on th e flo o r w ith y o u r arm s stre tc h e d
ab ove your h e a d . B ra c e your c o re . Bring
yo u r arm s and legs up q u ickly so th at
yo u r hands and fe e t m eet at th e to p
o f th e m ove. Lo w er u n d er co n tro l.
c h e st to th e flo o r. W alk
fo rw a rd w ith yo u r hands,
bringing your o th e r
k nee fo rw a rd to your
o th e r e lb o w C o n tin u e
m oving fo rw a rd until
t h e t im e is up.
m ensfitness.co.uk 41
YOUR
S
Adding the right dynamic stretches to your
workout will pay off in muscle gains
D IR E C T IO N S
Do this mini-workout
four tim es a w eek,
either before your
regular sessions or
as a standalone plan.
Its a m obility workout,
so it wont tax your
muscles too much.
Go through all the
moves once, rest
fo r 30 seconds,
then repeat.
O HOME WORKOUTS
Wide
mountain
climber
REPS 10 E A C H S ID E
S ta rt in a press-up
position and bring one
leg fo rw a rd s as fa r as
p o tsib le , outside your
arm . Move your fo o t back
to the s ta rt position, then
rep e at on the o th e r leg.
Squat to
stretch
Pistol
RbPS 5 E A C H S ID E
Th is is th e toughest move of
the bunch b ut is e xce lle n t
fo r k n ee and an kle m obility.
Stand on one leg and slow ly
low er y o u rse lf into a one-leg
squat, going as low as possible
and keeping yo u r o th er fo o t
straig ht out in fro n t o f you.
If i t s too tough, hold on to a
b e n c h o r c h a ir w it h o n e h a n d .
Groiner
S ta r t in a press-up
p osition and jum p
you r fe e t forw ard s
to land ju st outside
you r hands. Pause
fo r a second,
pushing out on your
kn ees w ith your
elbo w s fo r a more
in te n se s tre tc h .
Ju m p your fe e t
back to th e s ta rt to
co m p lete one rep.
mensfitness.co.uk 43
Triangle
SETS 2 REPS 8
T h is is th e s h o u ld e r b u ild e r. S ta r t in g w ith a w ide
g rip , pull y o u r s e lf up an d to t h e rig h t so y o u r ch e s t
to u c h e s y o u r rig h t f is t . P u ll a c r o s s to m o ve yo u r
c h e s t h o riz o n ta lly t o to u c h th e o th e r f is t , th e n
lo w e r y o u r s e lf to th e hanging p o sitio n to c o m p le te
t h e tria n g le . O n yo u r n e x t re p , go th e o t h e r w ay.
D IR E C T IO N S
Do th is w orkout tw ice
a w ee k, e ith e r as a
standalone c irc u it or
in addition to your usual
g y m s e s s io n s .
44
O HOME WORKOUTS
Biceps builder
SETS 2 REPS 8
Th is is a tougher ta k e on th e
cla ssic close-g rip ch in up.
Hang fro m th e b a r w ith
your p alm s facing inw ard s
and hands touching. Pull up,
th en lo w e r und er co n tro l.
Invisible
stairs
SETS 2 REPS 8
It s a classic sh o w -off m ove
b u t also a pro ven ab s bu ild er.
P u ll y o u rse lf up and around
in a c irc le w h ile m oving your
legs as if clim bing s ta irs . Keep
y o u r le g m o v e m e n t s lo w an d
Tarzan
_________ S E T S 2 R E P S 8
A n o th e r b icep s-heavy
e x e rc ise . You can do th is on
a ju n g le v in e to o - b u t no
swinging. G ra b th e b a r w ith
one hand on e ith e r sid e and
pull up until you to uch th e bar
w ith yo ur sh o u ld er on one
sid e . L o w e r und er c o n tro l,
th e n pull up to the o th e r
sh o ulder. T h a ts two re p s.
SETS 2 REPS 6
Doing th is und er control
will ta x e v e ry m u scle.
S ta rtin g fro m a hang,
bring yo u r legs up until
th e y re parallel to th e
flo o r. P u ll up u n til your
chin is o ve r the bar, and
low er, keeping yo u r legs
a t th e sam e angle. If
th at's to o h ard , do it as
a k nee ra ise b y bending
your legs a t the k n e e .
mensfitness.co.uk 45
Sit-out
REPS
30SEC
D IR E C T IO N S
D o t h is w o r k o u t t w o o r t h r e e t im e s a w e e k .
4 6 Workout Manual 2 0 15
O HOME WORKOUTS
Uchi mata
ress-up
BC----------------T h is builds th e streng th and
sta b ility needed to
pull o ff a signature
ju d o hip th ro w but it also w orks fo r
non*judoka. Startin g
in a press-up position
w ith one leg slig htly
raised, low er yo u rse lf to
the flo o r then push up,
kicking back as you do.
Repeat on the
oth er sid e.
Divebomber press-up
T h is favo u rite among Russian Sam bo w re stle rs w ill
w ork your arm s and shoulders into fighting shape.
S ta r t o r all fo u rs w ith your arm s and legs straig h t,
th en dive tow ards th e flo o r. Push your should ers and
torso up, then re v e rse th e move and
retu rn to th e s ta rt p osition.
Kick bridge
REPS 30SEC
This M uay Thai m ove w orks all
the m u scles used in the teep
fro n t kick including your quads
and g lu te s, w hich are vital fo r
most sp o rts. R aise
one leg, keeping it
straig h t, with th e
oth er fo o t close
to your b uttocks.
Push your hips as
high as possible,
kicking at the end
o f the m ove. Do lS s e c on one
side and 15 sec on th e other.
Hip bump
sit-up
REPS 30SEC____________________
T h is m o ve, used fre q u e n tly in
B razilian jiu jit s u , builds th e core
streng th and e xp lo sive n e ss
you need to get an opponent
o ff you and on his back. L ie on
your b ack, then raise yo u rse lf
in a brid g e, staying on one
elbow, and turn to look o ver one
shoulder. Return to the flo o r,
then re p e at to th e o th er sid e.
mensfitness.co.uk 47
COVER MODEL
WORKOUTS
How do you get on the cover of Men's Fitness
magazine? Charm? Persistence? Handsomeness?
All of those help, but theres one thing all MF
cover models have in common - they train like
absolute demons. So if you want to look like you
belong on the cover, what better way than to
follow a cover models workoutplan? We asked
four of our best guys how they got in shape and
youll find the answers in this section. Follow
their advice and who knows - maybe one day
itll be you gracing the front of the mag.
mensfitness.co.uk 49
GET FU BY FEB 1
HUGH
MUSCLE
SEXAPPEAl.
H ftb w !,
usm\
PU 1-UP SAH
H B*isgiaria-oiPCnM W BK>ni
S T stbongq)
v e dislocated m y shoulder
a few tim es - m ostly playing
rugby,' says R ichard Pearce,
Men's Fitness cover model
and the man pictured on the
opposite page. 'Iv e had tw o operations
so 1 n e e d constant rehab to k eep it
stable. I do a lot of rotator cuff work.
O therwise, I try to k eep things sim ple.'
Sim ple, it should be noted, is not
the sam e as easy - esp ecially when
you've also got a full tim e jo b as a
surveyor. I hit the gym six times a week,
alternating betw een b o d y parts in a
pretty traditional split. I also cycle to
and from work - about 10 K each w ay and do cardio three times a w eek. Wait,
cardio on top of cycling? 'Yeah, I do a
circuit of H yde Park - about 6K - in my
5 0 Workout Manual
2015
MUSCLE
FAST
Wide-grip pull-up
Chin-up
SETS 3 REPS 8
52 Workout Manual 20 15
Dumbbell curl
SETS 3 REPS 8
S tan d tall w ith your sh o u ld ers b ack
and your f e e t clo se to g e th e r holding a
p a ir o f dum b bells w ith an underhand
g rip , hands ju s t o u tsid e your hips.
Keeping yo u r elbow s tu cked in to
y o u r sid es, c u rl th e du m b bells up
to w ards y o u r c h e st, stopping ju s t
b e fo re your fo re a rm s reach v e rtic a l.
L o w e r slow ly back to th e
One-arm row
SETS 3 REPS 10 EACH SIDE
Hold a dum bbell in one hand w ith your
o p p o site knee and hand on a b ench , and
your o th e r leg o u t to the sid e . W ith your
core b raced and a n atural arch in yo u r b a ck , lif t
th e w eig ht up to w ard s yo u r sid e, lead ing w ith
th e elbow . Pause a t th e to p b e fo re retu rn in g
to the s t a r t. R e p e a t w ith th e o th e r arm .
mensfitness.co.uk 53
54 W o r k o u t M a n u a l 2 0 1 5
Incline flye
SETS 3 REPS 10
L ie on an in clin e b on ck holding a dum bbell in
each hand d ire c tly above yo u r ch est w ith palm s
facing. M ake su re your head and b a ck are
su p p o rte d . Keeping a slig ht bend in y o u r elbow s,
lo w er th e w eig hts slow ly o u t to th e sid e as fa r as is
c o m fo rta b le , th e n raise th e w eig hts back to th e top.
L ie on a b e n ch holding a d um b bell in
each hand a t sh o u ld er heig ht. K ee p
yo u r fe e t f la t on the flo o r and your
back against th e b ench . P re s s th e
w eig h ts d ire c tly above your head but
do n 't lock out yo ur e lb o w s. S lo w ly
lo w e r the w eig hts back dow n, fla rin g
yo u r elbo w s o ut to th e sid es.
Skullcrusher
SETS 3 REPS 12
Lying on a b e n ch , hold a dum bbell o ve r your fa c e .
L o w e r th e w eight using yo u r tric e p s , keeping your
u p p er a rm s v e rtic a l. Push back up u n d e r co n tro l.
m e n s fit n e s s .c o .u k
55
Deadlift
_________ S E T S 3 R E P S 5___________________________ ~
G rip a b arb ell w ith hands shouldor*w idth apart
and fe e t u n d e r the b ar. Drop yo u r hips, th e n d rive
through yo u r h eels and push yo u r hips fo rw a rd to
pull th e b a r up your body. S tan d straig h t a t th e top
o f th e m ove, th en lo w e r the b a r und er co n tro l.
Walking lunge
S E T S 3 R E P S 10 EACH SIDE
H olding a k e ttle b e ll o r a dum bbell in
each hand, ta k e a big ste p fo rw ard
in to a lunge, th e n push o f f your
fro n t foo t to stan d . S te p fo rw ard
w ith th e o th e r fo o t and co n tin u e,
a lte rn a tin g , so you tra v e l fo rw a rd .
REPS
SET S
REPS
mensfitness.co.uk 57
Overhead press
SETS 3 REPS 5
W ith yo ur f e e t sh o ulder-w id th a p a rt,
position a b a r on your u p p er c h e s t, gripping
it w ith hands ju s t w id e r than shoulder*
w id th a p a rt. P re s s th e b a r d ire c tly upwards
u n til your a rm s are fu lly e xte n d e d . Lo w er
th e b a r back to your ch e st and re p e a t.
Military press
SETS 3 REPS 8
W ith your f e e t to g eth er, hold a p a ir of dum bbells
a t sh o u ld er height. P re s s the dum b bells d ire c tly
upw ards u n til yo ur a rm s are fu lly e xte n d e d . Lo w er
th e dum b bells back to your sh o u ld ers and re p e a t.
Upright row
SETS 3 REPS 8
S tan d tall holding a b a rb e ll w ith an
o verhan d g rip slig htly n arro w e r th an
sh o u ld er-w id th . L if t th e bar to w ard s
yo u r chin, leading w ith your e lb o w s,
w h ich should point to th e ceiling.
S lo w ly lo w e r t h e b a r b a c k to t h e s t a r t .
Barbell shrug
SETS 3 REPS 10
Hold a b arb ell w ith your h an d s shoulder-w id th
a p a rt. Shrug y o u r sh o u ld ers up tow ards your
e a rs, keeping yo u r arm s straig h t. H old fo r
a second a t th e to p p osition b e fo re slow ly
low ering the w eig h t back dow n.
mensfitness.co.uk 59
The Week
a p p e a r o n th e c o v esu
r of
re I target m y b o d y in a b a la n c e d
M e n s F itn e s s m agazin e
w a y a n d c h a n g e th e m u scle gro u p s
is a b ig a c h ie v e m e n t fo r
an y m an. T o d o it fiv e
Im e m p h a sisin g e a c h w e e k .
If y o u re fe e lin g b ra v e , yo u c a n
MONDAY
WORKOUT 1
T U ES D A Y
WORKOUT 2
h a s? U n p re c e d e n te d . It w o n t su rp rise
a n y o n e to h e a r th at stay in g ir. s h a p e
fo r th e n e x t M F sh o c t is so m eth in g
is d e ta ile d o v e r th e n e xt fo u r p a g e s.
A im to d o W o rk o u ts 1-4 du rin g th e
w o rk in g w e e k an d , if y o u v e got
W ED N ES D A Y
TH U R SD A Y
WORKOUT 3
the e n e rg y , r e p e a t W ork o u t 3 on
S u n d a y s. W ant a p h y s iq u e to rival
FRID AY
WORKOUT 4
R o w la n d s ? A lte rn a te b e tw e e n d o in g
SU N D A Y
REST/FOAM ROLL
WORKOUT 3
Dumbbell f lye
SETS 3 REPS 10
L ie on a b e n ch holding a dum bbell in each hand
d ire c tly ab o ve your c h e s t w ith palm s fa cin g .
M ake su re yo u r head and up p er back a re
su p p o rte d on th e be n ch and yo u r fe e t a re fla t on
th e flo o r. Keeping a slig h t bend in your elbow s,
slo w ly low er th e w eig hts out to th e sid es a s fa r
as is c o m fo rta b le . U se your c h e s t to re v e rse the
m o vem ent and raise th e w eig hts back to th e top.
Dumbbell incline
bench press
SETS 3 REPS 10
L ie on a bench set at a slight angle holding
a dum bbell in each hand at sh ou ld er height.
K ee p your fe e t fla t on th e flo o r and your
b ack against th e b ench. P re ss th e weights
d ire c tly above your head but dont lock
out your elbow s at th e to p . S lo w ly lower
th e w eights b ack down to your ch e st,
flarin g your elbows out to the sid es.
El
Explosive press-up
SETS 3 REPS 10_____________________
S t a r t w it h y o u r h a n d s s h o u ld c r - w id t h a p a r t
El
Pec dip
SETS 3 REPS M A X
Diamond press-up
SETS 5 REPS 10
Wide-grip pull-up
SETS 3 REPS 10
G ra sp th e b a r w ith an o verhand grip
w ith yo ur han d s as fa r a p art as p o ssib le.
S t a r t fro m a dead hang w ith yo u r arm s fu lly
e xte n d e d . P u ll y o u rse lf up by sq ueezing
yo u r lats to g eth er. O n c e your chin is
h ig h er than yo u r hands, pause b rie fly , th en
slo w ly lo w er y o u rse lf b a ck ko th e sta rt.
Inverted row
SETS 3 REPS 10_______________
Hang fro m a b a r or su sp e n sio n tra in e r w ith
yo u r body in a straig ht line and o n ly your
h ee ls on th e flo o r. P u ll on the b a r o r handles
so yo u r body rise s and your th u m b s touch
yo u r a rm p its. L o w e r u n d e r c o n tro l.
Underhand
bent-over row
Le a n fo rw a rd a t th e h ip s holding
a b a r w ith a sh o u ld e r-w id th g rip ,
palm s facin g aw ay fro m you. P u ll
th e b a r up u n til it to u c h e s your
ab s. L o w e r u n d e r c o n tro l.
Reverse curl
SETS 3 REPS 10
S tan d ta ll w ith y o u r sh o u ld e rs back and f e e t clo se
to g e th e r, holding a p air o f d u m b b e lls w ith y o u r
p alm s facin g b eh in d you and hands ju s t o u tsid e
your h ip s. K eep in g yo u r e lb o w s tu c k e d in to y o u r
sid e s, c u rl th e d u m b b e lls up to w ard s your c h e s t,
stopping ju s t b e fo re you r fo re a rm s re a ch v e r t ic a l.
mensfitness.co.uk 6 5
Deadlift
Standing w ith your fe e t shoulderwidth apart, grab the bar with your
hands just outside your legs. Pull the
bar up your body by driving your hips
forw ard, keeping your back fla t.
Kettlebell swing
S E T S 3 R E P S 10....
Mold a k e ttle b e ll in both han d s, w ith your
fe e t ju s t w id e r th an sh oulder-w id th ap art.
Bend fo rw a rd a t th e hips and kn ees and
swing th e k e ttle b e ll b etw een your legs,
t h e n p o p y o u r h ip s f o r w a r d s t o s w in g t h e
mensfitness.co.uk
3 REPS 10__________
L ie on th e f lo o r h o ld in g a m e d ic in e
b all ab o ve y o u r h e ad . U s e yo u r c o re
to p u ll yo u r a rm s and le g s to g e th e r
a b o ve you so th e b all to u c h e s y o u r
s h in s . L o w e r u n d e r c o n tro l.
6 8 W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
SETS 3 REPS 10
Hanging twisting
knee raise
Rower sprint
5 0 M REST 1M1N___________________________
SETS 5 DISTANCE 2250N
mensfitness.co.uk
69
2015
E a c h p a ir o f m o v e s is a s u p e r s e t , s o c o m p le t e a s e t o f t h e f i r s t a n d m o v e
s t r a ig h t on t o t h e s e c o n d w it h m in im a l r e s t , t h e n r e s t a s in d ic a t e d a n d
r e p e a t . W a r m u p w it h t w o t o t h r e e s u p e r s e t s o f s q u a t s a n d g y m b a ll le g
c u r ls , u s in g a lig h t w e ig h t w it h 6 0 -9 0 s e c o n d s ' r e s t .
R e s t th e b a r ag a in st t h e b ack o f yo u r sh o u ld e rs - n o t yo u r n e c k - hold in g it
w ith a n o v e r h a n d g rip . Y o u r f e e t sh o u ld b e ju st w id e r than sh o u ld e r-w id th ,
t o e s p o in tin g o u t slig h tly . S q u a t u n til y o u r thig h s a r e a t le a st p a ra lle l to
t h e flo o r - t h e d e e p e r , t h e b e tte r. D riv e b a c k up thro u g h y o u r h e e ls.
Gym ball
SETS 4 REPS 5 REST
L i e w ith y o u r u p p e r b a c k on t h e
flo o r and y o u r h e e ls o n a gym b all,
w ith yo u r h ip s o ff th e g ro u n d . Pu ll
y o u r h e e ls in , ra isin g y o u r hips.
Alternating
dumbbell lunge
4.-1:
20 EACH LEG
30-60SEC
M olding a d u m b b e ll in e a c h han d, t a k e a
big st e p fo rw a rd so th a t y o u r tra ilin g k n e e
a lm o st b r u s h e s t h e g ro u n d . D ont le t yo u r
fro n t k n e e go p a st yo u r t o e s . R e tu rn to the
s t a r t p o sitio n , a n d re p e a t on th e o t h e r leg.
Stiff-legged deadlift
SETS 4 REPS 15
Mold a b a rb e ll w ith h a n d s ju s t w id e r than
sh o u ld e r-w id th a p a rt, using a m ix e d g rip,
a n d sta n d w ith f e e t hip -w id th a p a rt . Pu sh
y o u r hips fo rw a rd . A llo w yo u r k n e e s to b e n d
slig h tly w h ile y ou lo w e r th e b a r dow n y o u r sh in s
u n til you f e e l a s t r e t c h in yo u r h a m strin g s.
K e e p yo u r lo w e r b ack a rc h e d th ro u g h o u t.
oeatea
med ball
Russian twist
SETS 4-5 REPS 8-12
REST 45-60SEC________________
WKMKUSHBBSSMBSBBSBBBHKSBtBBKk
Plank
SETS 4-5 TIME 6 0 SEC REST 30SEC
Mold your body in a straig h t line fro m sh o u ld ers
to h ee ls w ith your elb o w s b e n eath your
sh o u ld ers and your head looking down. M aintain
th e p o sitio n w ith o u t le ttin g y o u r hips sag.
Weighted crunch
SETS 4-5 REPS 6-12 REST 45-60SEC
L ie on th e flo o r w ith your knees b e n t, holding
a dum bbell or w eig h t p late against yo u r ch e st.
C ru n c h up, then low er u n d e r co n tro l. Do
th e f ir s t se t w ith bod yw eight and th en
in c re a se th e w eig ht w ith each se t.
bench
L ie on a bench holding a barb ell w ith an overhand g rip , hands
*
roughly tw o f is t s w id th s ap art. K ee p you r head, shou ld ers
^
and back supp orted by th e b en ch , ycu r co re braced and your fe e t fla t on
th e flo o r. Lo w e r the bar slow ly to your ch e st, keeping your elbows close
to your sid es. Push back up p ow erfully, but dont lock out you r elbows.
Skullcrusher
Lying on a b en ch , hold a dum bbell
o ve r your fa c e . Lo w er th e weight using
you r tric e p s, keeping your upper arms
v e rtica l. Push back up under co n trol.
15
60S E C
Seated twisting
dumbbell curl
SETS 5 REPS 20 REST 60 SEC
S it upright on a bench holding a dum bbell
in each hand w ith palms facin g . C u rl the
weights up to shoulder height,
rotating them 90 as you do.
Warm up with two to three supersets o f power clean and presses and reverse
dumbbell f lyes, using a light weight with 60 seconds rest. Perform moves 3 A
and 3 B as a superset.
REPS
15
Incline reverse
dumbbell flye
SETS 4 REFS 15 REST 6 0 SEC
L ie fa c e down on an in clin e b ench , holding a
dum bbell in each hand. W ith a alight bend in
your a rm s, raise th em to e ith e r sid e . Pause
a t th e to p , and lo w e r und er co n tro l.
mensfitness.co.uk 75
Deadlift
SETS 4 REPS 5
S ta n d in g w it h y o u r f e e t sh o u ld e r -w id th a p a r t , g ra b
m ensfitness.co.uk 77
GET FIT
FOR LIFE
Mens Fitness model Richard Scrivener
doesntjust look the part - he's a heavylifting, high-kicking fitness machine
How to do
the workout
This week of workouts is based
on a typical seven days of
Scrivener's training, where he
also incorporates a variety of
movement and martial arts
classes. Youre not him (or Batman)
though, so anything more than the
weights work is a bonus.
Monday
Tuesday
W ednesday
Thursday
Saturday
Warm up with some dynamic stretches and general mobility work, such as leg
and arm swings and foam rolling, then do this circuit with a very light or even
unweighted barbell.
Downward/upward dog
REPS 10
H H H H nBH H H H BH B
O verhead squat
Stiff-legged deadlift
REPS 10
Holding the bar in front of /our thighs with a
mixed grip, bend forward at the hips with a
slight bend in your knees. When you feel the
stretch in your hamstrings, pause for a second,
then straighten up. Avoid rounding your back.
Ju m p shrug
REPS 10
80 W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
Snatch
SETS 3 REPS 3
S t a r t w ith yo u r hands roughly double sh o uld er-w id th a p art and
a b a rb ell on th e flo o r. K ee p yo u r back f la t , and d rive upw ards.
A s th e b ar p a sse s yo u r k n e e s, d riv e your h ip s fo rw a rd s
to c a ta p u lt th e bar o verh ea d . C a tc h th e b ar in a sq u at
p o sitio n , and stand up to fin ish th e m ove.
I
Hang clean
SETS 3 REPS 3
S t a r t w ith yo u r hands sh oulder-w id th a p a rt, holding
th e b a r against your thighs w ith legs slig htly b e n t.
Sh ru g the b a r u p w ards. Your a rm s shouldnt be doing
m uch of th e w o rk. C a tc h th e b ar at your ch e st.
SETS 3 REPS 2 E A C H S I D E
S ta rt w ith th e b ar a t your c h e s t - e ith e r
clean it in to p o sitio n or ta k e it out o f
a ra c k. D ip into a q u a rte r sq u a t, th en
exp lo d e up w ards, using th e m om entum
to push th e bar o verh ea d . A s th e b a r
m oves u p w ard s, d ro p into a half-lunge as
you straig h ten yo u r arm s. O n ce yo u ve
locked th e bar o u t, bring yo u r fe e t back
to g e th e r and stand up to fin ish th e m ove.
mensfitness.co.uk 81
Bent-over row
CLUSTER SETS 3X 4 , 3 X 6 ,2 X 8
REST 5MIN BETW EEN CLU STER SETS
Lean in g fo rw a rd at th e hips and holding
a b a r w ith han d s ju s t o u tsid e yo u r legs,
pull th e b a r up until it to u ch es yo u r abs.
L o w e r back to the s ta rt und er co n tro l.
Standing dumbbell
overheaa press
C L U S T E R SETS 3X4. 3X 6,2X 8
REST 3MIN BETW EEN C LUSTER S E T S _______
W ith yo u r fe e t sh o uld er-w id th a p a rt, hold a
dum bbell in each hand a t sh o u ld er heig ht. K e e p
your c h e s t upright and yo u r co re m u scles b ra c e d .
P re ss th e w eig hts d ire c tly upw ards u n til your
arm s a re exte n d e d o verh ea d . Lo w er th e bar
b ack dow n to yo u r sh o u ld ers and re p e a t.
Chin-up
SE T S 3 REPS 8______________________
G ra b the b a r w ith an und erhand g rip w ith
yo u r hands sh oulder-w id th a p a rt. S ta rt fro m
a dead hang w ith your a rm s fu lly e xte n d e d .
Pu ll y o u rse lf up by sq ueezing y o u r lats
to g eth er. O n c e yo ur chin is h ig h er than your
han d s, low er y o u rse lf b a ck to th e sta rt.
mensfitness.co.uk 83
Scrivener again employs cluster sets to train his legs and glutes for a
huge growth hormone boost.
Overhead squat
CLUSTER SETS 3 X 4 ,3 X 6 ,2 X 8
REST 3MIN BETW EEN CLUSTER SETS
Mold a barb ell o verhead w ith a g rip ju st
u n d e r double sh o ulder-w id th a p a rt. S e ttle
in to th e p o sitio n b e fo re you s t a r t to sq uat.
S q u at down a s low as p o ssib le, keeping th e
b a rb e ll stead y. Stand up und er co n tro l.
Front squat
CLUSTER SETS 3 X 4 ,3 X 6 ,2 X 8
REST 3MIN BETW EEN CLU STER SETS
mmm
Kettlebell snatch
Dumbbell lunge
C L U ST E R SETS 3 X 4 ,3 X 6 ,2 X 8
R E S T 3M1N BETW EEN CLUSTER SETS_____________
m e n s fit n e s s .c o .u k
85
O NUTRITION KNOWHOW
NUTRITION
KNOWHOW
All the workouts in this book will help you build the
body you want - if, and it's a big if, theyre supported
by the correct diet. Muscles cant grow without fuel,
and youll never get lean if your post-workout snack
is a Crunchie and a large Coke. In this section our
nutrition experts give you advice on how to manage
your food intake for the best results, while
suggest some healthy, tasty meals that wil
the energy to train and ensure your musch
all the nutrients they need for serious grov
CARB
BACK-LOADING
Eating all your carbs in the evening could be the key to fat loss,
says nutrition expert Scott Baptie
What is carb back-loading?
In a nutshell, you avoid eating
carbs throughout the day, eating
only protein and fat. You save all
your carbohydrates for after your
workout, which should take place in
the late afternoon or early evening.
If I m back-loading, what
kind of carbs can I eat?
2015
O NUTRITION KNOWHOW
A f te r th a t y o u can
c o n tin u e t o e a t c a rb s
a fte r y o u r e v e n in g
tra in in g sessions,
a c c o rd in g t o y o u r
goals.
Scott Baptie
,s a p h y siq u e and
sports nutrition
specialist, natural
b o d y b u ild er and
director of
W ont a ll th o se
ca rb s in su ch
a s h o rt tim e
m ake me fa t?
FoodForFitness.co.uk
It m ig h t se e m as if y o u re e a tin g
a lo t o f c a rb o h y d ra te s , b u t
re m e m b e r th a t y o u re r o t ha ving
a n y at b re a k fa s t, lu n c h o r an y o th e r
p o in t in th e day. A s lo n g as y o u
d o n 't g o ca rb -cra zy , yo u s h o u ld still
b e in a fa t-b u rn in g c a lo rie d e fic it.
So w h a t ca n I e a t b e tw e e n
w a king u p a n d tra in in g ?
W e ll, y o u r d ie t is p r e tty lim ite d - to
ju s t ve g e ta b le s , p r o te in a n d fats.
So yo u ca n e a t lo ts o f m eat, fish,
gre e n ve g e ta b le s , h e a lth y oils, nu ts
a n d seeds. T h a t s h o u ld k e e p th e
h u n g e r m o n s te rs aw ay.
1//SWEET
POTATO
S w e e t p otato co n tain s p le n ty
o f ch o leste ro l-lo w e ring
b e ta ca ro te n e .
2//PORRIDGE
Po rrid g e oats a re a good
so u rce o f carb s as well as
m uscle-building p ro te in .
3//PIZZA
E a tin g your d a y s
carbs a fte r yo u r
w orkout can b e
b e n e fic ia l i f yo u
w an t to lose f a t
Pizza d e liv e rs a lo t o f ca rb s and a F lo re n tin e adds proteinp acked egg and an tio xid an tfille d spinach .
m e n s fitn e s s .c o .u k 89
A MATTER
OF FAT
Fats are crucial for a healthy diet, but theyre often
misunderstood. Get the fat facts from Scott Baptie
Should I avoid eating fats?
Fat may not be something you want
on your body, but it's something
you need in your body. Along with
protein and carbohydrates, fat is
one of the three main
macronutrients. As such, fats carry
out a host of functions, including
manufacturing hormones,
maintaining cells, providing energy
and transporting fat-soluble
vitamins. Despite the abundance of
supposedly healthy' low-fat or
fat-free foods, fats are essential to
the body and should certainly not
be removed from the diet.
90 Workout Manual 20 15
1//FREE-RANGE
EGGS
These contain higher levels of
omega 3 than eggs from cagebound hens.
2//FLAXSEEDS
T h is is most omega 3-dense
food you can eat, containing
three tim es more than the
n ext best source.
3//GRASS-FED
BEEF
A natural diet gives meat
from grass-fed cows higher
levels of omega 3s.
O NUTRITION KNOWHOW
m ensfitness.co.uk 91
INTERMITTENT
FASTING
ESiZm
Does it work?
R esearch has shown that
interm ittent fasting has a variety of
benefits. Studies conducted on
animals have demonstrated
increasec lifespan thanks to fasting
and calorie restriction. Studies
have also been conducted on
humans, but the findings arent as
concrete. H ow eve', they are
positive in that they dem onstrate
IF raises insulin sensitivity - which
means your body becom es more
Here are three of the most popular fasting methods. See which one best suits you
1//16/8
Dr Jo h n B c ra rd i recom m ends
startin g at lOpm , eating your last
m eal ju st b e fo re th en. Drink
w a te r and g reen tea throughout
the follow ing day, and take lOg o f
B C A A to p re ve n t m uscle tissue
breakdow n. A t lOpm eat a sm all
carb -fre e sn ack, then go back to
norm al eating th e n e x t day.
92 W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
-O NUTRITION KNOWHOW
Proponents
of IF say it can
improve body
composition,
reduce fat stores
and increase
muscle mass'
training also increases protein
synthesis, or the building of new
muscle tissue, which is also helped
by eating high-protein meals
consistently through the day.
Many IF protocols also preclude
breakfast. Although this may be
beneficial for fat loss, eating first
thing in the morning has been
shown to improve memory,
concentration and food-choice
discipline later in the day.
So should I do it?
' V
m ensfitness.co.uk 9 3
HEALTHY
OR HYPE?
What about
organicpesticides?
Most organic food is producec
without pesticides, but EU law
allows the use of some organic
pesticides. These are usually
derived from plant and herb
ingredients and contein no
synthetic components. That
doesn't mean theyre good for you,
though: a study published in the
journal E n viro n m e n ta l H e a lth
P erspectives found that consuming
these organic-approved chem icals
can still be bad for y o jr health
A nd the disadvantages?
The main disadvantage is the cost.
Organic milk costs around filp per
litre, w hereas non-organic milk
costs 58p per litre, for example.
Som e critics also argue that
organic food isnt actually better
for the environment. Researchers
from O xfo rd University found that
milk, cereals and pork produced
organically resulted in higher
greenhouse-gas emissions than
their non-organic counterparts.
O rganic farming also uses m ore
land, so if demand for organic food
increases, more pressure will be
put on farmland, which may be
worse for natural d iversity tnan the
use of pesticides. Th eres also an
increasec risk of organic food
carrying disease, com pared with
food that has been treated . This is
why the W orld Health Organisation
imposes strict controls on organic
food production.
CHECK
THE LABEL
Y o u m ay c h o o se to
ignore organic* p ro d u ce,
but w hat is w o rtn looking
o ut fo r?
1//LOCALLY
SOURCED
Lo cally sourced fru it and veg is
fre sh e r and m ore nutritious
because it has had less tra v e l
tim e in w hich to d e te rio ra te /
says B ap tie.
2//GRASS-FED
'G rass-fed b e e f is low er in
fa t and higher in protein than
o th er ty p e s / says Bap tie.
3//FREE-RANGE
Free-ran ge chicken is higher
in vitam ins A and E than m eat
fro m caged hens/ says B ap tie .
O NUTRITION KNOWHOW
m ensfitness.co.uk 95
Steak for
PR E P TIME
70 minutes
C O O K IN G
TIME
2 0 m in u te s
A d d s e r io u s m u s c le w ith
th is m e a t y m e a l p la n
Steak and chips is a classic m anly m eal
combo, but its one th ats o ften enjoyed
with copious am ounts o f sa lt, sugary
condim ents and lager at th e pub.
Swap your locals e ffo rt fo r this
healthy home-made version
and enjoy it as p art of the
m eat-filled musclebuilding meal plan below.
MUSTARD
helps to stim ulate circulation to
soothe your aching m uscles
SOURDOUGH BREAD
has a low glycaem ic load, which
helps you avoid fat-storing
insulin spikes
SW EET POTATO
contains high levels o f immunityboosting vitam ins A and C
D IN N E R
IN G R E D IE N T S
(serves 2)
1 sourdough
TO M AKE
H eat the oven to 200C /g as
mark 6 and p ace a shallow
baking tray inside.
W ash the sw eet potatoes and, leaving the skin on, cut
LU N CH
C hicken and avocado sa la d offers
heart-healthy fats and energy-
baguette /
2 150g lean
organic b eef
m in ute steaks / 3
m edium sw eet
potatoes /
2tbsp w holegrain
m ustard /
b o o s tin g B v ita m in s .
15 0 m l rap e se e d
BREAKFAST
Bacon and eg g s provides
inflammation-reducing omega 3 fatty
a c id s a n d b o n o -s tro n g th o n in g
phosphorous.
SN ACKS
B e e f je rk y a n d cash ew n uts are
good sources of brain-boosting iron
and energy-enhancing copper.
oil / S a lt and
pep p er to taste
KNOWHOW
PREP TIME
70 minutes
Thai curry
C O O K IN G
TIME
3 5 m inutes
E n jo y th is ta s ty g r e e n c u r r y
a s p a r t o f a p la n th a t w ill
g e t y o u rip p e d
If you w ant to look good w ith your T-shirt
o ff - and let's fa c e it, you do - your d ie t is
as im portant as your gym e ffo rts. T h is
fat-burning meal plan featu res proteinrich fo o ds with e v e ry meal to fill you up
and help you avoid the tem p tation to
snack on w aistline-expanding junk
food, w hile the sp icy c u rry recipe
below - provided by M ichelin-starred
chef and d uathlete Alan M urchison w ill help fire your m etabolism up so
you burn e xtra calo ries.
C H IL L IE S
DINNER
P R O T E IN
IN G RED IEN TS
(serves 4)
FAT
lOOg
BREAKFAST
2 p o a ch ed eg g s with
avocado
source of bone-strengthening
vitamin K.
per portion
TO M AKE
Heat a large non-stick saucepan, add the olive
o il, g in g e r, le m o n g ra s s a n d c h il i a n d c o o k fo r
2015
Pancakes are normally loaded with blood sugarspiking white flour that encourages fat storage,
says Gray. Wholemeal flour reduces these and
provides an extra hit of gut-protecting fibre.'
Bacon provides plenty of energy-boosting vitamin Bl2,
while eggs are rich in joint-soothing omega 3 fatty acids.
O NUTRITION KNOWHOW
TO MAKE
PR EPTIM E
IN G R E D IE N T S (serves 2)
2 0 minutes
CO O KIN G
TIME
b a c o n / 4 fr e e -r a n g e o ggs / 3 0 m l
2 0 minutes
s p r in g o n io n s, fin e ly c h o p p e d /
semi-skimmed milk / 3 2 0 g
Cumberland sausage meat / 4
lO O m l rapeseed oil / Maple syrup
to serve / Salt and pepper to taste
F o r w h o le m e a l p a n c a k e batter
230g wholemeal flour / itsp salt /
5 0 g caster sugar / itsp
bicarbonate of soda / ltbsp
baking powder / 5 3 0 m l semi
skimmed milk / 2 free-range eggs
Fired up
w f J a v
*>
*$ v.
f
.. ' n
. ,|
"rV i
P '
IN G R E D IE N T S (serves 2)
4 shallots,
chopped / 2 garlic
cloves, chopped / 1 red chilli,
deseeded and chopped / lOOml
rapeseed oil / SOOg lean beef
mince / 2 tsp smoked paprika / 3
plum tom atoes, chopped / 40Og can
of chopped tom atoes / 15 0 ml beef
stock / 3tbsp tomato puree / 1 bay
leaf / 40 0 g can of kidney beans,
drained / Salt and pepper to taste /
lthsp fresh hasil, chopped / Thyme
sprigs / 2tbsp chives, chopped /
200ml Greek yogurt
'A
-
ri
->
V '- V
PR E P TIM E
70 minutes
C O O K IN G
TIME
5 0 minutes
TO M AKE
Meat half the rapeseed oil in a large
saucepan. Add the shallots, garlic
and chilli and cook for a few minutes.
At the same time, cook the mince
in a separate pan over a m oderate
heat in the remaining oil. W hen
its browned, drain in a sieve
to remove excess fat.
Add the smoked paprika to the
shallot m ixture and cook for a
fu rth e r five minutes, then stir in
the browned mince.
Add the fresh a rd tinned
tom atoes and leave to reduce on
a medium heat for five minutes.
Pour in the beef stock and stir in
th e tomato puree. Add the bay
SPORTS DRILLS
SPORTS
DRILLS
Pro athletes h a ve a jo b m any o f us e n vy
- not ju s t b ec a u se th ey re c h e e r e d on b y
thousands, but b ec a u se the fo c u s o f their
life is training. A n d s p e n d in g so long g ettin g
su p re m e ly fit m ean s they know a thing or
two. Wev e d istille d the know how o f fiv e
elite sportsm en into p o ten t w orkouts that
will g iv e y ou the s p e e d , pow er, e n du ra n ce
a n d control you n e e d to e x c e l in spo rts from
ru g b y a n d m ountain b ik in g to m ix e d m artial
arts a n d bo xin g. You m ay not h a ve as much
tim e to train as they do, b ut this sectio n w ill
allow you to b en e fit from their e x p ertise.
C A R L F R O C H
185cm
COBRA
STRIKE
Super middleweight boxing champion
Carl1The Cobra Froch reveals how he
stays strong to the end of round 12
mensfitness.co.uk 10 5
L R E P S IO .__
L ie f la t on th e f lo o r , b en d
yo u r le g s a t th e k n e e s w ith
y o u r f e e t o n th e g ro u n d and
p u t / o u r h a n d s b e h in d / o u r
h e a d . R a is e y o u r u p p e r b o d y
u n til i t s v e r t ic a l, b re a th in g
o u t as yo u s it up. Mold Ih fl
p o s itio n f o r one s e c o n d ,
th e n lo w e r y o u r s e lf slo w ly
b a ck to t h e s t a rt p o sitio n .
D IR E C T IO N S
Perform the prescribed reps of
each exercise back to back. Rest
for 60 seconds then repeat
three times.
2
B B i
B icycles
REPS 5 E A C H S ID E
L ie on y o u r b a ck w ith y o u r
k n e e s b e n t and h a n d s by
yo u r te m p le s . C r u n c h up,
th e n t w is t yo u r to r s o to m o ve
o n e e lb o w to w a rd s yo u r
o p p o s ite k n e e u n til th e y to u c h .
K e e p in g y o u r a b s te n s e d ,
re p e a t t h e m o v e m e n t <o th e
o th e r s id e , and a lt e rn a t e
s id e s w ith e a ch re p .
Lying
leg hold
Lie on your back with
your arms by your sides
and your legs together.
Tense yourabs and engage
your core, then lift your
feet 20cm off the floor,
keeping your legs straight.
Mold for 30 seconds, then
lower gently to the start.
Plank
TIME 45SEC
Mold your body in a straight
line from shoulders to
heels with your elbows
beneath your shoulders and
your head looking down.
Mold the position without
letting your hips sag.
S A M W A R B U R T O N
Age 2 6
Height 1.88m
Weight 10 3 .5 k g
Achievements
Won the 2 0 10 European
Challenge Cup with Cardiff Blues
As captain he led Wales to the
20 11 Rugby World Cup semi-final
Won the Grand Slam in the 2012
Six Nations, and retained the title
in 2013
Captained the British and Irish Lions
to a historic 2-1 victory over Australia
SIZE
MATTERS
Wales captain Sam Warhurton explains how he bulked
up and knuckled down to become a Lions legend
n his relatively short rugby union
carcer, Sam Warburton has led
Wales to a World Cup semi-final
and a Six Nations Grand Slam, as well
as captaining the British and Irish
Lions to their first series win since
1997* Warburton has always found
sanctuary in the weights room, but
despite his love of training he initially
struggled to keep up with the giants in
the Wales academy system. Putting
on weight and size was one of my big
gest hurdles/ he says.
After experimenting with his nutri
tion, he eventually found success with
a plan that spread his quota of protein
SHOULDER
CHARGE
Big volume equals big muscles.
Use this 48-rep complex to build
battering-ram delts
C O A C H JO H N A S H B Y S A Y S T h e
key is to keep th e m uscle under
tension, so you d on't need to go to
full extension - ju st m ake sure th e
m uscles are constantly w orking.
Perform eight reps of each exercise
back to back w ithout resting. Do
two or th ree sets, resting for 90sec
tybt-z =1 <** 2
'W
WK
. *
MOUF
R ARMOUF
vTTfi.
UI My I N
1 . ^
ER
ARMOUI
ER ARMOU
\ V\V*\X\V
ll
\ \ % \ w \ \ \ y
$
I I
Shoulder
REPS 8
Press the dumbbells alternately
overhead from shoulder height.
i i
Lat raise
REPS 8
Lo w er your arm s so th e weights
a re in fron t o f your thighs. Then,
k eep in g them slightly ben t, bring th e
w eight out to your sid es and back.
Front raise
________ REPS 8________________ ____
Lo w er your arm s so th e w eights are
in fro n t of your thighs, and keep
them straight as you raise the w eights
to shoulder heigh t and back.
O SPORTS DRILLS
ON YOUR MARKS
Use th e W ales team s anaerobic te st to boost yo ur all-round fitn e ss
20
REPS 8
Round
the world
Reverse flye
O verhead
press
REPS 8
REPS 8
K e e p y o u r p a lm s fa c in g fo rw a rd a s you
M old b o th d u m b b e lls a t
s h o u ld e r h e ig h t and r a is e th em
o v e rh e a d s im u lta n e o u s ly .
ON THE
FAST TRACK
Downhill mountain bike champion Gee Atherton and his coach Alan Milway
explains how he builds the power and control to ride at death-defying speeds
ee Atherton is obsessed with
time, but not like an office
worker counting the minutes
until 5pm. The only clock-watching he
does is when hes working out the fast
est line to ride down a vertiginous
downhill mountain bike course. His
sport pits him against the clock down
3km chutes of the steepest, narrow
est, boulder-strewn terrain at speeds
of up to 5 0 km/h.
UPPER BODY
Sots press
SETS3R EPS5"
S ta n d w ith y o u r f e e t sh o u ld e r-w id th
a p a rt and th e b a r h e ld on yo u r t ra p s .
L o w e r in to a s q u a t p o s itio n and
h o ld . P r e s s t h e b a r o v e rh e a d , p a u se
and th e n lo w e r u n d e r c o n tro l.
M ilw a y s tip T h is m o ve b uild s
is o m e tric s tre n g th and a stro n g
b a c k , w h ich a r e e s s e n tia l
fo r rid in g roug h t e r r a in .'
112
W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
Weighted
wide-grip
pull-up
SETS 3 REPS 8
P u ll up u n til y o u r ch in c le a r s t h e b ar,
w ith o u t k ic k in g yo u r le g s. L o w e r u n d e r
c o n tr o l u n til y o u re in a d e a d hang .
M ilw a y 's tip To g e t a g ood stre n g th b u ild in g e f f e c t w e add w e ig h t. T h e g rip
is w id e to t a x t h e b a ck m u s c le s m o re .
P la c e tw o w e ig h t s ta c k s o f eq u al
h e ig h t ju s t w id e r th an sh o u ld e r-w id th
a p a r t . L o w e r y o u r c h e s t s lo w ly p a s t th e
s t a c k s . P r e s s u p e x p lo s iv e ly an d c a tc h
y o u r s e lf on t h e s t a c k s . D ro p y o u r
h a n d s b a ck to th o flo o r and r e p e a t.
M ilw a y s tip T h i s m o ve is a ll a b o u t
d e v e lo p in g e x p lo s iv e p o w e r.
SPORTS DRILLS
G E E A T H E R T O N
Age 2 9
H e ig h t 1.8 8 m
W eig h t 8 5 k g
A c h ie v e m e n t s
I B ritish n a tio n a l d o w n h ill
M T B c h am p io n 2 0 0 4 , 2 0 0 9 ,
G E T
Itai
Ball throw
SETS 3 REPS 6 -8
Using a two-handed chest press,
explosively throw a 5kg ball as high
as you can. Have your partner catch
it and then drop it back to you.
M T B F IT
LOWER BODY
Trap bar deadlift
Box jump
SET S 2 REPS 6
Clockwise pistol
SETS 2 EACH SIDE REPS 4
L i f t o n e fo o t o ff th e flo o r ah e ad o f you and bend
your k n e e to lower, holding y o u r arm s o u t fo r
b a la n ce. Stand up, th en lo w e r to th e b a ck , th en
to one sid e , th en th e o th er. T h a t's o n e rep.
M ilw ays tip Th is m ove is g re a t fo r ironing out
w e a kn e sse s in each side o f th e body.
CORE
SPORTS DRILLS
Plate drop
Norwegian wrestler
SETS 3 Tl ME 60SEC
mensfitness.co.uk
115
POWER
HUNGRY
Sonny Webster
explains why
everyone should
include Olympic lifts
in their training
SO N N Y W E B ST E R
20
180cm
94 kg
British junior records in 94kg
weight class for snatch (l45kg)
and clcan and jerk (l75kg)
Fourth place at the 2013
European championships
in the 94kg weight class with
a combined total of 320kg
Silver in the junior class at
the 2013 Commonwealth
championships in Malaysia
116 W o r k o u t M a n u a l 2015
M U L T IP O W E f*
SPORTS DRILLS
m ensfitness.co.uk 117
5 REPS 5
OLYMPIC
POWER
OLYMPIC STRENGTH
SETS
OLYMPIC ENDURANCE
SP O R T S DRILLS
Super pulls
SE T S 3 R E P S 9
Bo o st yo u r en d u ran ce w ith Son nys
su p er p u lls. A im to use a w eight th a ts
clo se to yo ur sn atch P B . W ith a sn atch
grip (a rm s tw ice sh oulder-w id th a p a rt),
your c h e s t up and your back straig h t,
lift th e b ar th re e tim es fro m the flo o r
to kn e e height and b ack. Im m e d iate ly
go in to th re e hang pulls, low ering th e
bar fro m w aist heig ht dow n to th e
knee and back up. Th en go into th re e
norm al sn atch pu lls fro m th e flo o r to
w aist height so yo uve co m p le ted n ine
re p s. N ow you can set th e b ar down.
W e b ste r says 'T h is th ree-p hase
co m p lex is b ru tal - last tim e I did it I
th re w up th re e tim e s. B u t it s the be st
e x e rc ise fo r m aintaining th e strength
you n ee d in th e f ir s t phase o f the
co m p etitio n lif t s . I do high-volum e
se ssio n s o f b a rb e ll co m p le xes at th e
beginning of a new phase o f train in g .
m e n s fitn e s s .c o .u k 1 1 9
PAUL DALEY
Age 31
Height 1.75m
Weight 77kg
Achievements
34 professional M M A wins,
25 by knockout
UFC Knockout Of The Night and
Newcomer Of The Year winner
UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Elite
XC and Cage Rage veteran
HITTING
THE ROAD
2015
SPORTS DRILLS
m ensfitness.co.uk 121
POWER
GENERATOR
o D IR E C T IO N S
Perform the prescribed number
o f reps for each exe rcise then
m ove imm ediately on to the
n e x t. Once you've com pleted all
the exe rcise s in a c irc u it, rest
fo r 40 seconds, then repeat fo r
another four rounds.
EB
Medicine
ball slam
1 RSPS20
One-arm
medicine ball cross
REP S 10 E A C H A R M
S ta n d in a boxing sta n c e w ith y o u r lead fo o t
fo rw a rd ( le f t if yo u r e o rth o d o x , right if y o u re
a so u th p aw lik e D a le y), holding a m e d icin e ball
in b oth h a n d s a t ch e st h e ig h t. R o ta te yo u r hips
slig h tly to t h e sam e sid e as y o u r tra ilin g fo o t,
d raw ing th e ball in clo s e to y o u r ch e st by w inding
up your a rm . R o ta te e x p lo s iv e ly through yo u r
h ip s and e x te n d your tra ilin g a rm , using a jab bing
m o tio n to th ro w th e ball fo rw a rd w h ile keeping
yo u r o th e r h and up to p ro te c t yo u r fa ce .
SPORTS DRILLS
Medicine ball
plyometric press-up
S t a r t in a p re ss-u p p o s itio n w ith a m e d ic in e
ball d ir e c tly b e n e a th y o u r c h e s t. L o w e r
y o u r s e lf u n til y o u r c h e s t to u c h e s t h e b all,
th e n p re s s up e x p lo s iv e ly , p ullin g y o u r hands
o ff th e flo o r. L a n d w ith y o u r h an d s on top
o f th e b a ll. C a r e fu lly lo w e r y o u r
h and s b a c k to t h e s t a rt .
m ensfitness.co.uk 12 3
C ARD IO
CARDIO
F a r too m a n y p e o p le th in k th a t to b e co m e
th e b e s t ru n n e r, c y c lis t o r sw im m e r y o u
c a n b e, y o u s h o u ld ju s t d o lo a d s o f ru n n in g ,
c y c lin g o r sw im m in g . It's n e v e r b e e n tr u e .
G y m m o v e s th a t b o o st p o w e r, stre n g th
a n d e n d u ra n c e w ill a lso im p ro v e y o u r ra c e
tim e s. W h a te v e r d is c ip lin e y o u fa v o u r , th e se
w o rk o u ts w ill le t y o u g o h a r d e r f o r lo n g e r
- a n d th e y c a n be d o n e w ith sim p le k it in
u n d e r h a lf a n hour. Y o u ll th a n k u s w h en
y o u 're m o v in g s t e a d ily u p th e le a d e rb o a rd .
mensfitness.co.uk 125
SWIM
GYM
The coach
Ian Thorpe is Australias most
successful com petitive swimmer, with
five O lym pic gold medals and ten
from th e Com m onwealth Gam es.
The goal
Now more than ever, th e guys and girls you see
excelling in the pool are those who put a lot of work
in at the gym, says Th o rp e. T h e exercises I've chosen
for this workout are moves I used to do in training,
and they genuinely m ade a m assive d ifference to my
perform ance in the pool. They strengthen key m uscles
used in swimming, as w ell as increasing your range
of motion for smoother, more efficient strokes.
The workout
For tangible results you should do this workout tw o or
three times a w eek, says Thorpe. Dont worry if you feel
sore after the first few tim es - thats a sign that you have
engaged m uscles that aren't used to working fw d . Do
:h e circuit th ree times with 9 0 seconds rest between
each move and two minutes rest between circuits.
You should find the workout challenging but be able to
complete all the recomm ended reps or durations.'
Two-point box
REPS 4 E A C H SID E
One-arm medicine
ball throw
R E P S 10 EA CH SIDE_______________________________________
L ie on your b a ck w ith yo u r kn ees bent and fe e t fla t on the
flo o r holding a m ed icin e ball in one hand w ith / o u r arm
s tre tc h e d b e h in d yo u. T h ro w th e ball o ve r your opp osite
k n e e . G e n e ra te the p o w er fro m your sh o u ld er and tr y
no t to lift yo u r head o r pull up w ith your c o re .
Mountain climber
R EPS 10 EACH SIDE
P la ce yo u r hands on the flo o r ju s t w id e r than
shoulder-w id th a p a rt. O n e leg should b e straight
out b e h in d you and the o th e r should b e tu cked
s o y o u r k n e e is d ir e c t ly b e n e a t h y o u r p e c s .
m e n s fit n e s s .c o .u k 1 2 7
BACK ON
TRACK
The coach
-o rm er Team G B head coach N ick
Anderson is a U KA level 4 endurance
coach and a running consultant to
Saucony, Highs Sports Nutrition,
Brighton Marathon and RunBristol.
The goal
T h e posterior chain is essential for good running
form and power, says Anderson. It's made up of your
calves, hamstrings, glutes and lower back m uscles. But
strengthening your posterior chain isn't just essential
for increasing running speed, it also reduces your risk of
injury. Even if you run regularly, doing exercises that ta'get
this key muscle group will have a tangible effect on your
perform ance while also combating the negative effects
that sitting at a desk all day can have on your posture.
The workout
'Do this workout by performing one exercise after
another in three circuits, resting for 30 seconds
between each exercise and two minutes between
each c ircuit, says A nderson. T o ensure you get the
maximum benefit from each exercise its important
that you concentrate on completing each rep
properly rather thon hurrying through th e moves.
Do the workout two to three tim es a w e e k.
15
CARDIO
El
Single-leg
Romanian deadlift
REPS 5 E A C H S I D E ..............
.......
..." ..............
Single-leg squat
mensfitness.co.uk
129
POWER
TRIP
Use this circuit to boost your
cycling power so you can ride
faster for longer
Clap press-up
REPS 6
G et in a press-up position, then lower yourself
until your elbows reach 90 . Explosively press up
so your hands leave the floor. Clap them together
and quickly return them to the floor to break
your fall. Bend your elbows imm ediately to soften
the impact and go straight into the next rep.
The coach
Paul Butler is a British Cycling
coach who specialises in strength
and endurance development.
The goal
Cycling power means the ability to sustain speed over
a short period of t me,' says Butler. When Chris Hoy
jumped to the front with a lap to go in the Olympic keirin
and no-one could catch him, it was power that kept him
ahead. To get technical, power is the amount of work
done per unit of time, and to produce more you need
to build more fast-twitch rruscle fibres. This workout is
based around explosive movements that do exactly that.
The workout
To get your muscles used to sustaining power while
you cycle, do these m oves in a circuit with no more
than a 9C-second rest betw een exercises/ says
Sutler. 'You need some rest to make sure you're
moving as explosively as possible during each rep
and are therefore optimising fast-twitch muscle
growth. When you con perform each set perfectly,
start doing the circuit twice, then three times over.
Always warm up first with ten minutes on a
stationary bike, slowly increasing the intensity. Do
:he workout twice a w eek to se e results that'll leave
other riders eating your dust during a sprint finish.
13 0 W orkout M anual 2 0 1 5
Box jump
REPS
CARDIO
Medicine ball slam
REPS
Jum p lunge
REPS 6 E A C H S ID E
Stand u p rig ht, th e n ta ke a long step fo rw a rd until
your b a ck k nee is alm ost touching th e flo o r. D ont
le t y o u r fro n t kn e e go ahead o f yo u r fro n t fo o t.
Ju m p up and q u ick ly swap leg p o sitio n s in m id-air.
Bend y o u r kn ees to ab sorb th e im p act o f landing.
Burpee
REPS 8
S t a r t in a press-up p o sitio n w ith your hands
ju s t w id e r th an sh oulder-w id th a p a r t Ju m p
yo u r fe e t fo rw a rd so you end up in a tuck
p o sitio n , th e n exp lo d e up into a v e rtic a l
ju m p . W hen you land, jum p straig h t
b a ck into th e press-up p o sitio n .
m e n s fitn e s s .c o .u k 1 3 1
One-arm swing
DRIVING
BELL
REPS 8 E A C H S ID E
The coach
C h ristian V ila is one of the
c o u n try s leading kettlebell
e xp e rts and se t up Brighton
K ettleb ells in 2 0 0 8 . He's a strength
The goal
K ettleb ell training is a total-body activity and will boost
your overall pow er, sa ys Vila. T h is m akes you strong,
fast and m obile - v/ithout adding unw anted m uscle
m ass that could slow you dow n - which is useful for
e very sp ort from rugby to swim m ing A s w ell as making
you lean and strong, this circu it will also im prove
your shoulder stability, helping to p reven t injury.
Halo
REPS 8
The workout
'Use a 12 kg kettleb ell to avoid getting injured until youve
p e rfecte d yo ur form , then you can progress to 16 kg, says
Vila. Dont w orry, you w ont put on unw anted m uscle
mass with m ore weight - youll ju s t build strength. To
1 y
CARDIO
One-arm thruster
R E P S 0 E A C H S ID E
S t a r t w ith th e k e ttle b e ll in th e ra c k p osition (on th e
back o f yo u r fo re a rm a t sh o u ld er heig h t). Lo w er
in to a d e e p s q u a t , t h e n d r iv e u p th ro u g h y o u r
/&
Lying pull-over
REPS 8
L ie on th e flo o r w ith your logs b on t, fo o t fla t on
th e flo o r and both arm s s tre tc h e d out behind
your head holding a k e ttle b e ll w ith both hands.
L if t th e k e ttle b e ll, engaging your c o re and back
m u scles until th e k e ttle b e ll is o ver yo u r fa c e .
Slow ly low er th e k e ttle b e ll back to th e flo o r.
Russian twist
R E P S 8 E A C H S ID E
S it dow n w ith yo u r legs b e n t and h ee ls
on th e flo o r. Mold th e k e ttle b e ll w ith both hands
a t ch est height and lean b a ck so yo u r body is a t
4 5 to th e flo o r. R o tate yo u r body to one sid e by
tw istin g a t th e w a is t, th en to the o th e r side.
m e n s fitn e s s .c o .u k 1 3 3
HANG
TOUGH
Build strength, mobility and
co-ordination with these
suspension trainer exercises
The coach
Alexis Antonopoulos is the ow ner of
N KD Ambition, a private personal
training club w here he oversees a
team of trainers, sports rehabilitation
specialists and dieticians. An ex
professional rugby player, Antonopoulos has 15 years
experience as a certified strength and conditioning coach.
The goal
Suspens on training com plem ents aerobic sports
such as running, cycling, swimming and rowing,
says Antonopoulos. T h a ts because it uses your
own bodyweight as resistance so the m uscle you
build is lean and functional, rather than bulky. Th ese
exercises have been sp ecifically chosen to increase
m o b ilit y a n d s t re n g th a ro u n d y o u r h ip jo in t s , le g s ,
The workout
I recomm end doing this workout two tim es a w eek on
days when you arent doing any other training, says
Antonopoulos. 'Warm up with five minutes of skipping
or any other light cardio exercise, followed by dynamic
stretches such os leg swings ond orrr rotations. Do
the moves in a circuit with 3 0 seconds' rest between
exercises and two m inutes rest between circuits. Start
with three circuits and build up to four. Por moves that
use one side of the body, switch sides halfway through
each se t.T o make any move harder, position yourself
further away from the suspension trainers anchor point.
/
*
mm
ICARDIOI
Single-arm
T-row and reach
TIM E 2 0 S E C O N D S
L e an back and hold both su sp e n sio n tra in e r
han d les in o n e hand. R o tate and touch
th e flo o r w ith your f r e e hand. Pu ll
y o u rse lf b a ck up and co ntin ue
ro tatin g so yo u r fre e hand
re a c h e s as high as po ssib le.
Press-up to
oblique jackknife
T IM E 2 0 S E C O N D S
P la ce both fe e t in th e loops and assu m e a
press-up p o sitio n . C o m p le te a press-up , then
pull yo u r k n ees up to one elbow . R e tu rn to
th e s ta rt and re p e a t on th e o th e r sid e .
2 0 SECO N D S
Back extension
T IM E 2 0 S E C O N D S
Hold both han dles in fro n t o f you and lo w er y o u rse lf
to a sittin g position w ith yo u r b acksid e around 3 0 cm
o ff th e flo o r. K ee p in g yo u r arm s e xte n d e d , pull the
handles back and over yo u r head, straig htening your
body. S lo w ly re tu rn to th e s t a r t p o sitio n and re p e a t.
m e n s fit n e s s .c o .u k 1 3 5
STAYING
POWER
K ettlebell swing
REPS 2 5
Stand with your fe e t a little wider than shoulder-width
apart and hold a 14kg kettlebell in one hand between your
legs, hingeing at the hips and with knees slightly bent. Snap
your hips forward to swing the weight up to eye level, then
swap hands. Swing the bell down between your legs again.
The coach
Darren Freeman has worked in the
fitness industry for 18 years and is
now chief coach at Train Manchester
where he teaches Crosshit classes.
Train M anchester also offers personal
training v/ith an emphasis on strength
and concitioning for footballers, runners and triathletes.
r
The goal
-
The workout
'In CrossFit lingo this type of workout is known as an
AM RAP (as many rounds as possible), says F'eem an.
'The idea is to get through as many circuits as you can
in 2 0 minutes. But don't go flat out the whole time.
G o at a pace you can m aintain (about 8 0 % intensity)
for th e first 16 m inutes, then romp it j p to 100% in the
final fo ur m inutes. T h is helps build cardio end urance
B u rp ee w ith press-up
REPS 10
Stand with your fe e t shoulder-width apart, then drop
into a press-up position with your hands directly under
your shoulders. Perform a press-up, then jump your
feet forw ard into a tuck. Jum p up and land softly.
CARDIO
Box jump
REPS 10
S tan d in fro n t o f a thigh-high box and lo w e r into
a jum ping p o sitio n by bending yo u r knees and
h ip s. E x p lo s iv e ly ju m p w h ile s w in g in g y o u r a rm s
Press-up
REFS 15
S ta rt w ith your hands shoulder-w id th ap art and
body straig h t fro m sh o u ld ers to h e e ls, w ith your
hands d ire c tly u n d e r your sh o u ld e rs. L o w e r y o u rse lf
until yo u r arm s a re bent a t 90 . P re ss back up.
Sit-up
REPS 2 0
L ie w ith y o u r knees b e n t, fe e t fla t on th e flo o r and
hands n ext to your hea d . T ig hten your abdom inal
m u scles and raise yo u r torso to a v e rtic a l p o sitio n . H old
fo r a se co n d , th en slo w ly low er back to th e sta rt.
Double-under
REPS 4 0
Add in te n sity to y o u r skipping by swinging th e
rope around tw ic e fo r e v e r y jum p you do. Engage
your ab s, pull yo u r sh o u ld ers back and push
your c h e s t out to a id e ffic ie n c y and co n tro l.
K eep y o u r hands close to y o u r body and use
your w ris ts to sp in the ro p e , not yo u r arm s.
m e n s fitn e s s .c o .u k 1 3 7
GYM FEA TS
GYM
FEATS
Wie a ll k n o w i t s im p o rta n t to fo c u s on a g o a l - it p r o v id e s
m o tiva tio n , p u r p o s e a n d c la rity . W h e n e v e r y o u tra in ,
y o u sh o u ld h a ve y o u r ta rg e t in m in d . B u t i f y o u h a p p e n e d
to im p re ss a fe w b y sta n d e rs, th a t w o u ld n t be so b a d ,
w o u ld it? T h a ts w h y w ev e p u t to g e th e r th is c o lle ctio n
o f - le t s b e h o n est - sh o w -o ff m o ves, the e x e r c is e s
th a tll a ttra c t a d m irin g o r eve n e n v io u s g la n c e s fro m
y o u r fe llo w g y m -g o ers. D e m o n stra te d b y tra in e r C ha ka
C la rk e , fo u n d e r o f fitn e s s c re w S p a rta n fa m , th e y re a ll
tou g h b u t a ch ie v a b le - a n d , a s w e ll a s lo o k in g g o o d ,
th e y ll a ll c o n trib u te to y o u r m u scle g a in s too.
mensfitness.co.uk 139
T H E O N E -A R M O N E -L E G P R E S S -U P
Think youre strong? Try this brutal move thatll impress anyone who sees it
T h e one-arm p ress-u p has b e e n a test of m an liness sin ce tim e im m em orial - or at least
sin ce R o cky cam e out. But if y o u re looking to u p the stak es, th e re s only o n e solution:
take aw ay an other lim b. H eres the form.
lt also h e lp s if you
k ic k " y o u r hip o v e r
to th e sid e youre
p re ssin g o n . H aving yo u r
hip u n d e r your w o rkin g
arm h e lp s you sta y
b alanced as you p re ss up.
GYM FEATS
m ensfitness.co.uk 141
T H E O N E -L E G G E D B O X J U M P
Test your balance and explosiveness
with this variation on a classic
A n y m an w ith an in te rest in skipping
e ffo rtlessly u p stairs, esca lato rs o r hills
sh o u ld h ave a resp ectab le b o x jum p - th ats
ju st scien ce. T o b etter mimic sprinting
or jum ping, ho w ever, yo u shou ld do th e
o n e-legged versio n in w hich yo u take off
an d land on the sam e foot. Its not fo r the
fa in t-h earted but, as a test of balan ce,
e xp lo siv e n e ss and strength, it's tough to beat.
S t a r t by balancing
on o n e le g , says
C la r k e . Y o u d o n t n e e d
to sq u at - ju s t bend
y o u r k n ee slig h tly ,
s w in g y o u r a r m s a n d
ju m p .'
B en d yo ur leg as you
land on th e b ox to a b so rb
th e im p a c t. And ste p back dow n ju m p in g m ig h t o v e rs trc s s yo u r
a c h ille s te n d o n /
C a n t m anag e th is ve rsio n ?
W o rk on yo ur tw o -leg g ed box
ju m p s and do som e e x p lo siv e jum p
lu n g e s. D o n t go n e a r f a ilu r e - ju s t
do a fe w q u a lity re p s , g e ttin g as
m uch h e ig h t as p o ssib le.
GYM FEATS
T H E P L A N C H E P R E S S -U P
Nailing the hardest press-up of all is within your reach. Honest
So yo u 've m astered th e d ivebom ber, the one-arm , the c la p and th e one-arm one-lego n ly one thing rem ains. The p lan ch e press-up , ty p ica lly th e dom ain of gym nasts an d
b re ak d an ce rs, is the ultim ate act of gym braggadocio. It takes strength, balan ce, an d a
w illingness to risk yo u r face-b on es in th e nam e o f gym c red . H e re s how it's done.
F ir s t , youll n e e d to
be ab le to do ab out
50 p ress-u p s in a row , and
a h an d fu l o f th e one-arm
v e rs io n , sa y s C la rk e .
T h e n w ork on press-up s
w ith yo ur han d s as fa r
b a ck as p o ssib le , id e a lly
by y o u r h ip s .
N e x t, w o rk on
y o u r tu c k . From
all fo u rs , w ith y o u r hands
f a r b a c k , bring y o u r f e e t
o f f th e g ro u n d . A s you
g et c o m fo rta b le in the
p o sitio n , w ork on
k e e p in g yo ur a rm s and
leg s stra ig h t. T h is is
th e p lan ch e.
m ensfitness.co.uk
143
T H E T R IP L E -C L A P P R E S S -U P
E x p lo s iv e a c tio n th a t w ill e a r n yo u a p p la u s e - fro m y o u r s e lf a t le a s t
Legitim ate exercise or just a flashy w ay to break your n o se? Realistically, the fearsom e
triple-clap press-up has the potential to b e both. W hile th eres no doubt it can go
humiliatingly wrong, it also prom otes hand speed , core tension and co-ordination. It
fo rces you to get as much airtim e as possible - unlike the traditional clap press-up, which
is norm ally done a whisker off the floor - so you develop exp lo sive strength and fasttw itch muscle. Your nose is a small price to p a y for gym glory.
'T h e f ir s t clap
happens as soon as
you leave th e ground,'
says C la rk e . Push o ff
exp lo sive ly and keep your
abs braced to make sure
you get enough lif t .
GYM FEATS
THE B A C K LEVER
To s ta r t, youll need
to be ab le to skin
the c a t ,' says C la rk e .
G rab the bar, get into a
tu ck , then bring your fe e t
over your head and down
until you're hanging w ith
your palm s facing fo rw ard .
Now re ve rse th e move.
As you get stro n g er at
th is, straig h ten your legs
a second halfw ay
through the c a t.
TRY 5 ISSUES
FOR JUST 5
*4
P .
\(|
CELEBRATING
25 YEARS
MULTIPOWER
S P O R T S FO O D
www.multipower.com
magazine
l he Men's Fitness
Workout Manual
collects the very
best workouts and
advice from Men's Fitness
magazine in one place to
create a comprehensive,
easy-to-use guide for
anyone who wants to get
a lean, muscular body.
It includes plans
designed by our cover
models so you can build
the kind of physique that
could girace the cover of
the magazine. Alongside
those are straightforward
routines that will help
you burn fat, injury-proof
your body and get better
at any sport, along with
expert nutrition advice to
support your training.
WORKOUTS
DEMONSTRATED IN DETAIL
>m
magazine