Fitness Archives - Men's Health Magazine Australia

Can a home push-up workout outshine the bench?

Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. — Fri, 10 May 2024 01:37:38 +0000

THE BENCH PRESS is great. The cable crossover machine is awesome. Using dumbbells for moves like these is a guaranteed chest pump. But even if you can’t access any of that gear when you’re at home, you can still blast your chest aggressively, building strength and stimulating muscle growth.

Why? Because you can still do push-ups. The classic pushup remains one of the best ways to hit your chest at home—or anywhere, period. You’re attacking your chest from an angle that’s very similar to the one you’d hit on a standard bench press, and while you’re working with a lighter load than you might use on a bench (your body weight), you still get to produce a ton of total-body tension. You also get to focus on getting a good chest contraction (more on that later).

The pushup can actually create even more challenge than some of your loaded movements once you start introducing a handful of variations, and those variations can easily become the backbone of a vicious chest workout. By varying the angle of your torso relative to your upper arms, or shifting the focus of the pushup to focus on negative contractions, pauses, or holds, you shift the way the move stimulates your chest.

By blending several of these approaches into a single workout, you wind up challenging your pecs in multiple ways a home. You also explore and perfect your overall pushup mechanics, leading to better workouts later. And perhaps most of all, you wind up having a little bit of fun, too.

3 Keys for a perfect push-up

The key to getting the most out of pushup training is maximising the pushup. That means working through a full range of motion, and not cheating yourself on any rep. There are several things you want to keep in mind. Focus on these three.

Perfect plank

Do this: The pushup starts with a flawless plank position and you must own this for the life of every set. Squeeze your abs tight and never let your core sag.

Elbow pits face forward

Do This: Turn the pits of your elbows forward, promoting shoulder external rotation and also turning on your lats.

All the way up, all the way down

Do This: Lower your chest to within an inch of the ground, squeezing your shoulder blades as you approach the ground. Then press all the way up. Don’t get in a habit of doing half-reps and skipping the final bit of chest contraction.

How to level up your at-home chest workout

The greatest challenge of pushup training is finding ways to increase the load, especially when you’re at home without access to external weights. The downside of the classic pushup is that while it starts out as challenging, once you’ve done enough reps, it ceases to push you. You’re always lifting only a portion of your bodyweight.

That’s one place where the bench press can push you more than a pushup: You can eventually load more than your bodyweight onto the bar. You can’t do that with a pushup. But you can find other ways to challenge your chest.

Unilateral loading

You can, however, force just one of your pecs to shoulder almost all of the portion of bodyweight that you’re moving by using a handful of pushup variations. Archer pushups and single-arm pushups do this, as does the post pushup. These pushups become valuable weapons in your at-home chest training, placing greater load on a single pec and also challenging your core and glutes.

Can you keep your hips and shoulders square on a post pushup, which is just a half-step away from a single-arm pushup? Doing so places great load on your chest, and your entire body.

Time under tension and pauses

You can also level up moves by adding time-under-tension and pauses. Pauses cancel out the momentum and “elastic energy” that allows you to “bounce” out of reps. On the bench press, you sometimes need that assist. By eliminating it on pushups, you add challenge to the move.

More reps

And of course you can load up on reps. But first, you can aim to challenge yourself with pushup variations, which is what you’ll do in this workout.

The at-home chest all pushups workout

You’ll do three moves in this all-pushups home chest workout, and each move will challenge your chest in a slightly different way. Do this workout up to three times a week, resting at least one day between sessions (yes, you may actually be that sore). On days you don’t do this workout, aim to train your back with pull ups and rows, critical moves to help maintain shoulder health when you’re challenging your chest.

Post pushup dropset

Do 4 sets per side of this pushup drop set, which combines a standard post pushup with classic pushups for a serious chest pump.

Half-typewriter pushup

Next up, hit the half-typewriter pushup, which once again has you unilaterally loading your chest, then adds time-under-tension as you typewriter your torso halfway across before pressing back up. Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side.

3-step pushup series

Finish your chest off with 3 sets of this 3-step pushup series, which features a little bit more unilateral loading and starts to incorporate your triceps too.

Bonus move: position-switch pushup count-up game

Want to rock your triceps a bit in the process too? Yes, they got work in the first three moves, but they’ll take on added responsibility if you throw in one to two sets of this extra move, a “game” that pushes you to be explosive and pile up a few extra reps.

This story originally appeared on Men’s Health U.S.

The 20 best chest exercises to build stronger pecs

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David Corenswet’s complete ‘Superman’ workout routine and diet plan

Cayle Reid — Thu, 09 May 2024 07:44:26 +0000

BUILDING THE NECESSARY muscle to fill out the iconic blue and red suit for James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy was always going to take more than some brisk calisthenics and the occasional strength session. David Corenswet has been determined to become the most jacked Superman ever, and the results are plain to see.

Our first official look at Corenswet in his Superman garms has arrived, and the American actor is looking noticeably more buff. Much of Corenswet’s transformation can be accredited to his trainer, Paolo Mascitti, who recently shared a picture of his beefed up client on Instagram. Captioning the post “@davidcorenswet worked his ass off, I can’t wait to share more of the training we did to prepare to play this iconic character, stay tuned for more,” it appears that more thirst traps are on the way.

INSTAGRAM | @davidcorenswet

Mascitti also recently explained the training regime Corenswet used to achieve his newly chiselled rig. “David had been working out intensively before I met him, but he’s naturally a very lean guy,” Mascitti said. “He’s 6’4” but we wanted to put more bulk on him. He probably went from 200lbs (90kg) to 240lbs (108kg).”

Adding that much bulk is no easy feat. Thankfully, Mascitti revealed some details on the workout routine and diet plan that made it possible. You’ll have to wait until July 11^th 2025 to see the results in action – as the official release date of Superman: Legacy dictates – but you can see the framework below.

What is David Corenswet’s workout routine?

Corenswet’s training began five months before production on Superman: Legacy did. According to Mascitti, Corenswet’s transformation didn’t require daily training, but longer workouts were necessary. “He’s very busy right now so we’re only fitting in three or four sessions a week, but he’s still working out for two hours a day,” Mascitti said.

The standard three-day cycle of push, pull and legs was utilised by Mascitti and Corenswet, with a focus on compound movements. “We focus on moments like presses, pull ups, pull downs, rows” Mascitti said. “We switched a little bit after a while, but kept the focus on progressive overload to encourage muscle growth, keeping track of reps and weight and trying to advance each week.”

Everyone has their kryptonite in the gym – even Superman. Corenswet is as ardent a workout warrior as any, but his one weakness is walking lunges. “He isn’t the biggest fan of them, but he does it,” Mascitti said. “He’s great at squats, but he just doesn’t enjoy lunges.”

David Corenswet’s mass-building push day

Besides revealing his push, pull and legs rotation, Mascitti was tight-lipped about the specifics of Corenswet’s workouts. Although, he did explain a sample push day the actor used to build mass – and quickly.

Incline dumbbell press – 4 sets, 10 reps
Bench press and cable fly superset – 4 sets of each, 10 reps of each
Seated overhead shoulder press and lat raises superset – 4 sets of each, 10 reps of each
Reverse tricep extensions and bicep curl superset – 4 sets of each, 10 reps of each

INSTAGRAM | @davidcorenswet

What is David Corenswet’s diet plan?

Like his workload in the weight room, Corenswet’s Superman diet plan was similarly monstrous. Mascitti didn’t go into too much detail, but he did stress the importance of being in a caloric surplus, with Corenswet forcing down 6,000 calories a day. “He was on around 6,000 calories a day and his diet was strict, but not as strict as I would have liked,” Mascitti said. “I’d ask him about his diet and he’d be eating cereal! He’d ask ‘What’s wrong with cereal!?’ But that’s why he’s the perfect Superman, he has a realistic expectation of himself and the role.”

Audiences can see if Corenswet truly is the “perfect Superman” when Superman: Legacy releases in cinemas on July 11^th, 2025.

How Superman Henry Cavill Became The Man Of Steel

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How Travis Jeffery got ripped for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Ben Jhoty — Wed, 08 May 2024 21:15:32 +0000

LOOKING AT ACTOR Travis Jeffery today, it’s difficult to imagine that he was once an overweight teenager. The 35-year-old is slight of build, but his forearms ripple with muscle and sinew, courtesy of the training he’s been putting in to prepare for his role as a head-of-the-food-chain primate in new film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (in cinemas May 9). But Jeffery’s journey to a healthy physique has been long and arduous, one that began after he swapped sports for the theatre as a teenager.

“At the end of high school, I stopped playing sport and I really let myself go bit,” says Jeffery, who’s joining Men’s Health today on our new Turning Point podcast. “About a year after high school I was about 112 kilos. I was almost double what I am now. But a couple of key moments hit home. And they weren’t very nice turning points. They were kind of bullying turning points where I went, Oh, okay, I’m not very comfortable in my body anymore. And because of the things people have said I thought, I mustn’t be okay, which isn’t true, but as a kid, how do you take that in? Somebody says something inappropriate about your weight, you’re like, Oh, well that’s my fault. That’s on me. Which isn’t true.”

Stung into action, after high school Jeffery began working out and overhauling his diet, ditching sugary drinks and fatty snacks. “I stopped drinking two litres of soft drink a day, which is never a good idea,” he laughs. “A lot of fried food and all that kind of stuff. And then slowly over a year lost about 10 or 15 kilos.”

At the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), the physical nature of round-the-clock classes and constant performing would see Jeffery’s weight tumble even further.

The actor continued to slim down as his Hollywood career took off. His role in Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, Unbroken, back in 2014, required him to lose 20 kg. From there, he would land parts in a series of war epics like Gallipoli and Before Dawn, that required further stretching, moulding and fashioning of his physique to inhabit characters in ways that were creatively honest.

Now, in perhaps his biggest role to date, Jeffery is swapping combat fatigues for the furry fun of motion-capture tech in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. And while transformations and fluctuations in weight are part and parcel of being a Hollywood actor, in preparing for the unique role of Anaya in the iconic blockbuster franchise, Jeffery faced his biggest challenge yet.

Having worked out with transformation specialists Chief Brabon and Emilie Brabon-Hames for the past three years, Jeffery sought their counsel back in October to prepare for Apes reshoots and an upcoming film called Birthright. “When we really upped it in October, that’s when I really got a taste of Chief and Em’s magic and what they can do,” says Jeffery.

Here, in his own words Jeffery takes us through his journey from humble country kid to Hollywood star and details the training he put in to get in the best shape of his life.

***

SPORT WAS A big deal in the Jeffery household. My dad was a VFL footy player. He played for Prahran and then went on to captain-coach the Healesville footy side for many years. But it wasn’t just my dad. My mum was a professional diver before going to the Air Force and then working for ASIO. She’s a very, very smart woman.

I was adequate at a few sports. I tried probably every sport under the sun, played heaps of footy. I was never going to be a professional sportsman but a lot of the skills I learnt from my mum and dad growing up playing sport – tenacity, you only get out what you put in and commitment – all that is directly applicable to what I do today. They were very valuable lessons growing up.

Around year 9 or 10, I got to the point of where I was like, I’ve got to stop smacking my head against this brick wall of trying to be a professional sportsman. I was talked into doing a school play, a parody of Dracula called the Bride of Spatula. I had one line, it was sung. I can’t sing. I was going through puberty, my voice was breaking. But every night I got up there and I did it and I pushed through the fear and I fell in love with making people laugh and helping people escape for a couple of hours. I joined the Youth Theatre Group and I just fell in love with the community and with storytelling.

***

I WAS A bit of a class clown. It’s funny because the older I’ve got, the more introverted I’ve become, then the more acting I do, the more introverted I get. And that’s probably not the best combo. But a lot of actors are introverted and stick to themselves. When you’re at home or when you’re with mates, you just want to enjoy yourself and not draw too much attention. But I was definitely was a big class clown. It was a defensive mechanism for not doing so well at school. My attention span wasn’t great. Anything that wasn’t media or doing a play, I just couldn’t really sink my teeth into, so I made other people laugh instead.

So, I just distracted myself and had fun, always writing movies in my head and writing scripts when I should have been doing other work. From mid-high school, I knew making films and writing was what I wanted to do and then that shifted into acting. But it never really felt professionally accessible. Growing up on a cattle farm, you’re like, Well, what’s the avenue into this world? I had no clue.

People were like, ‘Hey, you’ve got some talent. What you do is great’. And I was like, ‘Oh, cool, this might just be where it ends though’. It’s like, I’m the kid that’s good at acting in their hometown, and then sooner or later I’m going to have to find something else to do to support the rest of my life.

And it’s a bit of a scary thing when you’re going like, Oh, should I chase acting? Growing up in a working-class town, it’s like, ‘Well, what’s your real job?’ Even when you’re working in the industry, you still got to do other things for money. It’s a very unstable industry.

I started looking into drama schools and I auditioned for NIDA one year and didn’t get in, and the next year I was like, Oh, let’s have a crack at WAAPA, as well as NIDA. I remember one day I was just wandering down the aisles of Coles and I got a call from a bloke called Chris Edmund who ran WAAPA. He’s like, ‘Hey bud, just want to let you know that somebody’s just dropped out. There’s a place for you. Do you want to come over in three days?’ And I was like, ‘Yep, absolutely’. And he’s like, ‘Take a bit of time to think about it’. I was like, ‘No, I’ll be there in three days’. So, I packed up my life and got on a plane and went to Perth.

Going to drama school, I was like, Oh, this is a bit scary. Are my parents going to be okay with this? And it wasn’t until I graduated and was a couple of years into the industry and my dad and I were having a chat and he’s like, ‘Look, when I was speaking to my guidance counsellor about jobs at school, acting was my number one pick but I didn’t go through with it. I didn’t bring it up because it’s a non-existent job. It’s not a job that people like us, growing up on a farm, can do’. And he was like, ‘I’m really proud of you for chasing it. I’m really proud of you for taking the leap and chasing what you want to do’.

***

UNBROKEN WAS AMAZING. It was such an incredible experience and one I never expected. I came out of drama school, got a job working reception at a gym, was setting myself up for a slow burn, which is what you got to do. You have to appreciate everything, expect nothing. Then these auditions started for Unbroken. At the time, they kept saying, ‘We want you to do some auditions with Angelina Jolie’. I was terrified but I got the job.

The major takeaway from that experience was just the scale. Just how many jobs there are on films and how many people are working their butts off to make something beautiful. And you don’t know going into these things, especially American productions, you’re like, Oh, is it going to be like what everybody says? Is it going to be big Hollywood glamour and will there be divas? But that set was just the most humble, down-to-earth set, and it all came from Angie. She’s so, so kind. She leads with kindness. She was so passionate about making this story. And because she’s been an actor for so long, her dialogue with actors was amazing. She was a really fantastic director.

It was also a great experience for pushing myself physically. That was my first big physical transformation. I lost 20 kilos in two or three months. Because we’re playing POWs we wanted to honour these soldiers as best we could. So, we pushed it as hard as we could and it was really a really special experience and a great way to open my eyes to the scale of the industry.

(L-R): Noa (played by Owen Teague), Soona (played by Lydia Peckham), and Anaya (played by Travis Jeffery) I Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

***

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is a dream job for me. Growing up, I was always climbing up hay bales, climbing trees, always getting told to stop climbing stuff. It [Apes] was another one that when you get the audition, you go, Ah, okay, that’s not going to happen. That’s out of my reach. When I talk about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, there’s no playing it cool for me.

And the main reason for that is because I’ve always loved movement. I’ve got to thank my teacher at drama school, Lisa Scott Murphy, for a lot. She really kicked off my interest and hunger and my exploration of physicality, whether it be playing Stewie [in Gallipoli] or playing an ape.

We had this incredible movement coach, Alain Gauthier. He’s so precise and he’s so detailed in his work. And we spent six weeks with him, turning into chimps at this thing called Ape School. You go, ‘Okay, what’s Ape School?’ And you rock up on day one and everybody’s a bit nervous and we’re all trying to do our best warm-ups. And he’s like, ‘Everybody relax, there’s no winning here’. So, we got into it and the thing that drove us was how much everybody was putting in, because you feel like an idiot to begin with. Just making chimp noises, doing all the movement. It’s like being back in drama school.

The great Andy Serkis mentored us in the week leading up, pre-shoot. Weta, the digital effects company, set us up in the studios. It’s a big play space. We were on a big grey carpet with all these motion sensor infrared cameras around us picking up our suits and they get our physicality and stuff. So, they’re live transmitting us with an ape on top, so we could see how the last five weeks of training was translating in our body.

And then we’d run through scenes with Andy. And he’s such an intelligent man so we were just so grateful to have him with us. It was too much fun. It was more fun than you should be allowed to have as an actor.

Jeffery at the global premiere of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in LA.

***

BEFORE TRAINING WITH Chief and Em, I’d call my workout style just floundering around a gym, trying heaps of different things, mixing stuff up, not eating well. Looking back on the previous transformations I did for some of my roles, I don’t think I was doing it in the right way. I had no idea.

For Unbroken, for example, I was just drinking slim shakes because you go, That’s how I’m going to lose weight. And you do, you lose weight, you’ve got nothing going into your body, it’s so unhealthy. And then I’d finish shooting and just blow out because I’d be like, Great, let’s eat everything. And my body’s like, I don’t know what to do with this stuff anymore. Let’s just stick it to the walls and keep it for later because you’ve been in survival mode for the last couple of months.

I’ve been training with Chief and Em, on and off, for the last three years and what’s great about them is it’s so clear, it’s so easy. I met them through a mate of mine, Tim Franklin, before we went over to Perth to shoot a film called Before Dawn. He was like, ‘You’ve got to come down to the beach with Chief and Em. They’re incredible. They’ll absolutely kick your ass on the beach’. I was like, ‘How hard can it be?’ So, I started doing their Original Boot camps on Coogee Beach at 5:30 am, three times a week. And it was brutal, but an amazing way to start the day. And the boot camps were a great way to get in shape for a lot of the cardiovascular stuff for Before Dawn.

But Chief and Em really ramped up the training from October onwards, when we began working on a transformation for the Apes re-shoots. That’s when we really got stuck into Chief’s DARC training method: dynamic, aerobic, resisted conditioning. It’s hybrid training and it’s absolutely amazing because movement, first and foremost, has always been what’s important to me. Just making sure that I can move well. And it was so important for Apes and that’s what they’re all about, that hybrid training of movement and strength.

I do the boot camps three times a week. That’s a lot of cardio, a lot of weighted bars on the beach, a lot of bodyweight stuff. And then the sun comes up, you go for a dip, then you get in a studio and they [Chief and Em] just up the ante again. I’d jump into their studio five days a week and then I do a ‘SKWOD’ with them on Saturdays. I was going hard but it was a good challenge.

I learned during this transformation that the assault bike is the most aptly named piece of equipment in the fitness industry. It’s terrifying but it really worked well for me. Yes, it was challenging. The last six months has probably been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I loved it because it was something that was making me feel better every day and there were no excuses, you use whatever you have around you. Over the last three months I’ve used trees as pull-up bars, rocks to incline or decline. My dad was a mechanic for a long time, so I used his hoist for dips and for pull-ups and car parts for weights. There’s no getting out of it, which is really important because when you get tired, when you get fatigued, it’s easy to slip.

Nutrition-wise, Em is all over your diet. She really makes it really accessible, really easy to understand. When you start a transformation with Chief and Em, you reset your body. You don’t realise how much crap you’re addicted to. I’ve got such a sweet tooth but Em said to me, ‘You don’t have a sweet tooth, you’ve got a sweet brain. You’re just addicted to these things’. When you start the eating program with her, it feels like a diet to begin with because you’re cutting out all this stuff that we’re so used to eating – processed food and chocolate and all this stuff. But by week three and four you’re like, Oh, this isn’t a diet. This is just eating really well. I was getting up to eating a kilo of veggies a day and having more energy than I’d ever had.

These last couple of months I’ve started to realise the importance of celebrating the little turning points that you have, every day, like getting up, going to the gym. That’s a massive win, especially coming from the kid that was quite overweight and bullied. And I would beat myself up so much for eating junk food or not going to the gym just because I felt so ashamed. Because that’s what people make you feel like when you’re overweight.

But working with Chief and Em helped me change that mindset and really prioritise training and healthy eating and to celebrate those little steps. I’m so proud of where I am right now.

Get in primate shape

PART ONE:

Repeat this mini-circuit 4 times, with no more than 1 min between exercises.

PRONATED GRIP PULL-UPS (AKA Overhand Grip): max reps

Do as many as possible, then revert to negative only pull-ups, using a jump-box or similar to help get you to the top position. Now take your weight, pause for a moment, then slowly lower yourself down until your arms are straight, then use the box to get back to the top again and repeat.
Aim to complete at least 10 reps in total each set.

BENT-OVER BICEP ROW: 8 – 14 reps

Set yourself up as you would for a standard bent-over barbell row, but with your hands supinated (palms up).
Before you start the row, roll your knuckles back towards you.
Now, as you row the bar towards you, aim for it to touch your solar plexus. This will utilise your biceps far more than a standard row.

TREADMILL SURGES: 4 sets

Walk for 10 sec, then Jog for 10 sec.
At the 20 sec mark gradually increase your speed over the next 30 secs until you are sprinting for the last 10.
Slow back down to a walk and repeat the process three more times.

PART TWO:

Again, repeat the mini-circuit below 4 times, with no more than 1 min between exercises.

NEUTRAL GRIP PULL-UPS (AKA Hammer Grip): max reps

Just like the Pronated Grip Pull-ups, do as many as possible, then revert to negative only pull-ups again.
Aim to complete at least 10 reps in total each set.

BICEPS DRAG: 8 – 14 reps

Set yourself up as if you are about to do a standard barbell curl.
When you start to lift the weight intentionally allow your elbows to travel backwards in a rowing fashion. At the same time drag the bar up the front of your body until it touches your solar plexus, before lowering it back down to the start position.

STATIONARY BIKE SURGES: 4 sets

Cycle with minimal resistance in a seated position for 10sec, then add resistance for 10 sec.
At the 20 sec mark increase the resistance again and stand up. Gradually increase the resistance over the next 30 secs until you feel like you are climbing a mountain for the last 10.
Reduce the resistance, sit down, slow back down to an easy pace, before repeating the process three more times.

FINISHER

ALTERNATING GORILLA ROW: max reps in 90 sec

Start with two kettlebells of the same weight between your feet.
Bending your knees, and hinging slightly forward, reach down and take hold of the handles. Your upper body should be almost parallel to the ground.
Pressing down into the handle of the left kettlebell, row the right kettlebell up, trying to twist the body as little as possible.
Once the right kettlebell is back on the ground, press down into its handle as you row the left one up.

Listen to Travis’ episode on The Turning Point podcast:

Take a Peek At Zac Efron’s Crazy Transformation For His Upcoming Movie

The post How Travis Jeffery got ripped for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

Tom Stoltman wins the World’s Strongest Man 2024 crown

Brett Williams — Mon, 06 May 2024 23:48:53 +0000

TOM STOLTMAN IS once again the World’s Strongest Man.

The 29-year-old Scot took back his SBD World’s Strongest Man title from Canadian Mitchell Hooper, who just edged out Stoltman for the top spot in 2023. The pair switched places for the 2024 contest, which was staged from May 1 to 5 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Stoltman, representing Great Britain, won the hallowed strength sport championship for the third time with 53 points. Hooper was the runner up with 47.5 points, and the USA’s Evan Singleton rounded out the podium with 36 points. Stoltman won his first pair of titles in back-to-back victories in 2021 and 2022.

“I wasn’t going home without [the win] this year. Winning the title is special every time you win it, but to come back from losing it and to win it is extra special,” Stoltman said following the event. “I shocked myself getting the lead after the first day. I wasn’t favored to win three events so to come out on top for all three was a surprise. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day, but I think it came down to who wanted it most, and this year, I wanted it most.”

COURTESY OF WORLD’S STRONGEST MAN

Stoltman took the lead after the qualifying rounds of the competition and came out on top at end, with his strong performances across all six of the Final events cementing the win. He only took first in a single event—his specialty and the final event of the competition, the Atlas Stones – but finished in the top three for all the others. Notably, Stoltman, Hooper, and Canadian Wesley Derwinsky finished tied with a new world record of 7.76 meters in the Keg Toss, the final event of the penultimate day of competition. That broke a standard held by four-time champ Brian Shaw, who officially retired from competitive Strongman last year.

Stoltman positions himself as one of the all-time great World’s Strongest Man competitors with his third title in four years; he’s the first athlete from Great Britain to win three times. He and Hooper have emerged in the last few years as the top athletes in the sport, also sharing the podium at the Arnold Strongman Classic event (which Hooper won in 2023 and 2024). Both athletes are under 30 (Hooper is 28), which should position them – and fans of strength sports – for more tight battles for years to come.

via Men’s Health US

Here’s How The World’s Strongest Men Eat Over 10,000 Calories In A Single Day

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10 strength exercises that will make you a better runner

Cayle Reid — Sun, 05 May 2024 23:00:10 +0000

WITH THE CURRENT run club craze starting to look more like an enduring trend than a passing fad, it’s time to start taking your running more seriously. As a runner, there’s a natural tendency to place more importance on actual runs than other forms of training. Kilometres logged and splits shortened may be the most common measurements of progress, but progress in the gym can be as good an indicator as any. If you want to become a better runner (and reduce your risk of injury) neglecting strength training isn’t the way to do it.

From the obvious (stronger legs do make for a stronger runner, duh) to the more obscure (upper body strength can massively boost your running power), there are myriad benefits for runners to be found in strength training. Not every exercise will have direct benefits though, and some are best left in the realm of powerlifters and bodybuilders. To help you decipher what works and what won’t, here’s ten essential strength exercises tailored specifically for runners, that will improve your endurance, power, stride and efficiency.

1. Squats

Benefit: Strengthening just about every muscle in the body will improve your running. But as you might suspect, the lower body does take priority, and most of this list reflects that, starting with squats. Squats are an all-around lower-body burner, targeting the quads, hamstrings, glutes and lower back. By strengthening these muscles, you’ll improve your lower body stability, which is crucial for maintaining proper running form and preventing injuries.

How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back as if sitting into a chair. Keep your chest upright and your knees aligned with your toes. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.

2. Lunges

Benefit: Like squats, lunges strengthen the lower body. Specifically targeting quads, hamstrings and glutes, but with a stronger emphasis on calves. Sure, running will naturally give you some pretty toned calves – you can stop reading here if aesthetics is all you’re looking for – but strengthening them in the gym can add another weapon to your repertoire, improving balance and coordination and providing a more efficient running gait.

How to do it: Start standing with your feet together. Take a step forward with one foot and lower your body until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Ensure your front knee is aligned with your ankle and your back knee hovers just above the ground. Push through your front heel to return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. For an added challenge, take a dumbbell in each hand and really feel the burn on your way back up.

3. Deadlifts

Benefit: Deadlifts primarily target the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, promoting strength and stability in the posterior chain, which is essential for generating power and propulsion while running.

How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells in front of your thighs with an overhand grip. Keeping your back straight and chest up, hinge at the hips, lowering the weight towards the ground while maintaining a slight bend in your knees. Once you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, reverse the movement by driving through your heels and squeezing your glutes to return to the starting position.

4. Planks

Benefit: Like we said, running draws on more muscles than just your legs. Core muscles are engaged just as often as their lower body counterparts while running, and planks are a surefire way to add core strength. A few minutes of planking per day will tone up your abs, obliques and lower back, improving overall stability and preventing excessive rotation or sway while running.

How to do it: Start in a push-up position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from head to heels. Engage your core muscles and hold this position, ensuring your hips don’t sag or rise too high. Aim to maintain the plank for 30 seconds to one minute, gradually increasing the duration as you build strength.

5. Push-ups

Benefits: Upper body strength might not be the primary focus for runners, but the upper body does contribute to running efficiency. Arm swing assists with balance, momentum, and forward propulsion, while strong chest and shoulder muscles help maintain stability and prevent excess movement that wastes energy and slows you down. And as we’ve already mentioned, a strong core also has its benefits. How better to improve those areas than by frequently engaging in an exercise that targets all of them?

How to do it: You probably know how to do a push-up, but in case you’re not sure of how to perfect your form, here’s the basics. Start in a plank position with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, lower your body by bending your elbows, then push through your palms to return to the starting position.

6. Calf raises

Benefit: Again, calf strength is essential for optimal running. But calf raises don’t only target the calf muscles, they also strengthen the ankles and can improve explosiveness (known to runners as push-off power).

How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, lifting your heels off the ground as high as possible while balancing on the balls of your feet. Hold for a moment at the top, then lower your heels back down below the level of your toes. For an added challenge, perform calf raises on a step or platform, allowing your heels to drop below the level of your toes for a deeper stretch.

7. Dumbbell rows

Benefit: To balance out all that strength you’re doubtlessly building on the front half of your upper body, back strength is also necessary. Dumbbell rows strengthen the upper back, but they also work the shoulders and arms, enhancing running posture during running through a balanced upper body.

How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand. Keeping your back straight, hinge at the hips, and pull the dumbbell towards your hip, squeezing your shoulder blades together, then lower the weight back down with control.

8. Russian twists

Benefit: Another core strengthener, Russian twists target the obliques and abs, improving rotational stability and enhancing overall running efficiency.

How to do it: Sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet elevated, leaning back slightly to engage your core. Hold a weight or medicine ball with both hands, and twist your torso to the right, bringing the weight towards the ground beside your hip. Reverse the movement to the left, twisting through your core muscles. Continue alternating sides in a controlled motion.

9. Supermans/back extensions

Benefit: Supermans, or whatever naming variation you know them by, strengthen the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings, helping to prevent lower back pain and injury, while improving running posture.

How to do it: Lie face down on the ground with your arms extended overhead and legs straight. Engage your core muscles, glutes, and lower back to lift your chest, arms, and legs off the ground simultaneously, forming a slight arch in your back. Hold for a moment at the top, then lower back down with control.

10. Single-leg deadlifts

Benefit: Single-leg deadlifts improve balance, stability, and proprioception – your body’s ability to sense its own movement, in layman’s terms – while targeting the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, making them an excellent functional exercise for runners.

How to do it: Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand. Hinge at the hips, extending your free leg behind you and lowering the weight towards the ground while keeping your back straight and chest up. Once you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, reverse the movement to return to the starting position, maintaining balance throughout the exercise. Repeat on the other leg.

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5 exercises that will hammer your inner chest

Jeff Tomko — Fri, 03 May 2024 06:32:45 +0000

THERE’S MORE TO acquiring an aesthetically complete physique than just lifting heavy weights and bombarding your chest with bench press reps. This is especially true when it comes to developing muscle definition and hypertrophy, along with strength.

You may think that the key to chest training is having a big bench, but you’re spending too much time and energy in the wrong place if you neglect accessory moves that target how the pectoralis muscles work. Your aesthetic goals will be better served by spending time on bettering your mind-muscle connection, according to Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., and celebrity trainer and MH Advisory Board member Don Saladino. In this case, convergence – moving weight to or past the centreline of your body (adduction) – is key to getting that well-defined chest.

“The bench press is important for strength development,” Saladino says, “but I also believe that after a period of time, you don’t really gain that mind-muscle connection from just staying with that same movement over and over and over, you don’t really get to experience what it feels like to do a movement with convergence.”

You don’t have to ditch the bench presses. But if your goal is that ripped inner chest look, you’ll need to add a few more moves to your training. Here are five of the best complementary chest exercises for your routine that can help complete that aesthetic upper body look.

5 best inner chest exercises

Squeeze plate press

2 sets of 10 reps

The squeeze plate press is a solid simulation of a bodybuilder’s posing routine, tightly pressing a light plate as if you’re trying to crush it between your palms. Because a light load is all it takes to create heavy tension, the squeeze plate press is oftentimes an underrated and under-utilised exercise. And that is far from true. By extending your arms while squeezing the inner chest, you’ll be creating enough tension to fatigue in as little as two reps.

“It’s less about the load here, it’s more about the isometric tension that you’re creating with just your body,” Samuel says. “It works really well for beginners because it’s not about load… the moment you’re dragging your hands together, you’re learning how I’m dragging my hands together for this. I’m learning how to create that contraction.”

Single-arm cable fly

3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps per arm

Here’s a unique mind-muscle masterpiece move that creates tons of tension at the midline, a major difference from your traditional pressing movements. However, by making this a unilateral movement as opposed to the standard fly, you can actually extend beyond the midline, thereby extending the range of motion.

One common mistake, however, with the cable fly is a tendency to bend too much at the elbow. Instead, focus on keeping the arm long throughout the movement, which will keep tension on your chest.

Hex close-grip press

3 to 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Pick up the intensity with a more advanced move (that might pose a challenge for anyone with limited shoulder mobility). This close-grip press is a great exercise for getting a good chest squeeze with each rep. It’s essentially a squeeze press but using a heavier load – but not too much weight that would force you to sacrifice your squeeze at the top.

The focus with the hex press is to now have the load pressed in front, but with the dumbbells held tight together in a neutral position (palms facing each other). You still want to focus on creating and maintaining tension. Slow and controlled is the way to go toward building a fuller chest, while at the same time working your shoulder and triceps as well.

Machine chest press

3 sets of 12 to 15 reps

The machine press is another exercise that gets a bum rap among the functional fitness crowd, but certain variations provide plenty of muscle-building and shaping bang for your buck. We mentioned earlier the importance of pressing with convergence, or focusing on moving the weight closer to the midline to add tension. Machines such as a Hammer Strength press or similar models allow you to press while creating more tension toward the midline. Another machine benefit is that, unlike dumbbells, you don’t have to focus on stability toward the end of a taxing training session, but still be able to work on the much-needed muscle contraction.

Banded dumbbell press

3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps

By adding a resistance band, we add a twist—and even more tension—to this traditional chest-building staple. It’s best to go lighter with the band; a light to moderate tension band is more than plenty to add more stress to your squeeze after each rep. The goal is not to move heavy weight, per se, but moving in a slow, controlled manner to hit that inner chest.

“When it comes to training to training your inner chest and attacking your chest, [it’s okay to] back down on the weight a little bit,” Samuel says. “Let’s own the contraction and the five exercises we’ve given you, you have no choice but to back down the weight to dominate the contraction, and that’s gonna get you the inner chest that you want.”

This story originally appeared on Men’s Health U.S

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7 ways you wreck your body when you don’t get off your butt

Mens Health Staff — Thu, 02 May 2024 07:09:53 +0000

ONE OF THE WORST THINGS you can do to your body is do nothing at all. Being sedentary can do a number on your body – and it can be more dangerous than you might think.

Adding to previous research of its kind, authors of a study found that more than 300,000 people saw that being sedentary was a major health hazard. Yet they also estimated that exercising a little bit – the equivalent of a 20-minute brisk walk daily – could reduce the risk of premature death in inactive people by as much as 16 to 30 per cent.

Globally, 1 in 4 adults aren’t moving enough, according to the World Health Organisation. And even if you think you’re an active person, you might be spending just enough time in front of your TV when you’re not at the gym to be putting your health at risk.

What’s more, the effects of staying seated go far beyond what you may think. Sure, your sedentary behaviour can hurt your heart and raise your risk for inflammation-causing extra unwanted kilos. It might also be responsible for some more surprising effects too, including effects on your sex life, your mood, and your blood sugar.

Let these 7 sinister side effects of living a sedentary life inspire you to move a little bit every day. Read on to learn more—and to discover the easiest thing you can do right now to reverse the damage.

Sedentary behaviour effect #1: your mood takes a dive

Feeling down? Blame your chair: Research continues to show that long periods spent sitting can have a significant impact on your mental health, with a 2022 study showing that sitting time was strongly associated with adverse mental health effects during the COVID-19 lockdown.

What’s more, other types of sedentary behaviour—like watching TV or playing electronic games – can increase your risk for anxiety, according to a meta-analysis of nine studies published in BMC Public Health. The reviewers suggest that engaging in “screen-based entertainment,” as they call it, may get your central nervous system all riled up and invite anxiety. Screens may also disrupt sleep, bringing on anxiety that way.

If you’re spending your time on screens, you’re probably not fitting in enough physical activity, the researchers say.

And that’s important, since exercise has mood-boosting benefits. Some research indicates that cardio can boost your mood just as effectively as prescribed antidepressants.

Sedentary behaviour effect #2: Your cancer risk skyrockets

A 2021 review paper found that sedentary behaviour significantly increases your risk for several types of cancer. It suggested that an estimated 30 to 40 percent of cancers can be prevented through lifestyle changes including increased physical activity.

Being sedentary has been linked to having excess weight. And large studies have consistently shown that higher levels of body fat can spike your cancer risk. Chronic local inflammation from this fat can lead to cancer-causing DNA damage over time, according to the National Cancer Institute. Plus, a surplus of fat cells eventually produce hormones that lead to cell proliferation, a process that causes your cells to grow and divide rapidly.

Sedentary behaviour effect #3: You start to forget things

Your brain health suffers when you lounge for too long: Older adults who are sedentary may be just as likely to develop dementia as people who are genetically predisposed to the condition, recent research shows.

Exactly how much activity you might need to get these effects still need to be teased out and may be different for men and women. For now, aim for at least the recommended 150 minutes a week of activity that gets your heart rate up.

Sedentary behaviour effect #4: Your blood sugar spikes

Even if you’re at a healthy weight, your blood sugar levels can rise if you’re parked in a chair for too long, according to a 2020 study. The study results showed that decreasing sitting time and making a point to take breaks to move could be beneficial in improving blood-sugar regulation in type 2 diabetes.

If you’re in the pre diabetes range, losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight and making time for 150 minutes of exercise a week can delay the onset of full-fledged diabetes, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sedentary behaviour effect #5: your sex life slows down

Your inactive behaviour can lead to extra kilos, and those might be setting yourself up for penis problems down the road. Men with a bigger belly – or a waist of 42 inches or more – are more than twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction (ED) than those with waist sizes below 32 inches, one Harvard study found.

Your swimmers can take a hit, too. Men who binged on TV for more than 5 hours a day had 29 per cent lower sperm concentration than men who didn’t watch any TV, recent Danish research found.

Take note: The work you put in at the gym follows you to the bedroom. A 2018 study showed that having a healthy body-fat percentage is tied to having positive experiences with regard to sexual health and function

Sedentary behaviour effect #6: you’ll toss and turn

Ever feel like you sleep more soundly after logging a great workout? That’s because exercising at least 150 minutes a week can improve the quality of your shuteye, according to a 2018 study.

Those who exercise vigorously are nearly twice as likely to experience a good night’s sleep every night compared to people who avoid the gym, a National Sleep Foundation poll found.

In fact, more than two-thirds of vigorous exercisers reported almost never experiencing symptoms associated with insomnia. On the flip side, 50 percent of people who don’t exercise reported waking up in the middle of the night.

Sedentary behaviour effect #7: your backache gets worse

The effects of slouching in front of your computer can last beyond your workday. Sitting for as little as 4 hours straight can increase pressure on the disks in your lower back, another study found. This compression can lead to disk degeneration, a common culprit behind back pain.

So get up and move, the researchers suggest. When the participants in the study changed their position every 15 minutes, they didn’t see any adverse effects in their disks.

While you might assume rest is the answer, research shows that movement is great pain medicine. Just 25 minutes of aerobic exercise—like running or swimming—can reduce your back pain perception by 28 percent, according to a study in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development.

The best ways to get back on track

You don’t need to block out serious amounts of time to get your butt out of the chair. If you don’t have the type of schedule that allows you to fit in 2.5 hours of moderate exercise throughout the week—as federal guidelines recommend—working out on the weekends is still better than parking it on the couch.

When English researchers analysed lifestyle data from 64,000 adults, they found that people who crammed their workouts into just one or two days per week were still 40 percent less likely to die from heart disease, 18 percent less likely to die from cancer, and 30 percent less likely to die of any cause over 18 years than people who didn’t exercise at all.

Still, if you can manage to spread your workouts throughout the week—even if you’re just taking your dog for a brisk walk—the benefits will be even better. But fitting in a day or two of exercise is definitely better than doing nothing at all.

This story originally appeared on Men’s Health U.S

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6 signs you’re losing muscle while dieting

Cayle Reid — Wed, 01 May 2024 03:16:11 +0000

LOSING WEIGHT IS hard. From the diet changes to the ramped-up workouts, it can take a serious overhaul of your lifestyle. And usually, the goal is to decrease body fat and increase muscle. But sometimes in that quest, you can start to lose muscle instead of fat—and that’s not a great scenario.

“It is bad to lose muscle instead of fat, because muscles are the key players in body movement and function,” says Gerardo Miranda-Comas, M.D., Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “With loss of muscle mass, strength and endurance are affected negatively, leading to decreased functional performance.”

But your body shouldn’t naturally go for muscle first in weight loss—if you’re doing it right. “A person who is attempting to lose weight by not eating may lose weight in muscle first before fat,” he says.

How does that happen? Well, the body likes to go for carbs (glucose) for energy first. If that’s not available, it goes for glycogen, which is glucose that’s been stored in the liver and muscles, says Miranda-Comas.

So, how can you tell if you’re losing muscles and not fat? Here are 6 signs.

1. Your workout feels more strained

It may seem kind of obvious, but your workouts might feel harder–and you may feel like skipping it altogether.

“You’ll notice less strength in the gym. The weight you used to be able to do for reps may decrease or you may not be able to get as many reps as you once did for each set,” says Spencer Nadolsky, D.O., author of The Fat Loss Prescription.

2. You feel weak doing everyday activities

You won’t just feel muscle loss it in the gym. You’ll feel it going upstairs, carrying grocery bags, and carrying luggage.

“Inadequate nutrition can lead to a decrease in muscle, which may lead to impaired function,” says Dr. Miranda-Comas. “This is usually caused by an energy deficiency and possible overtraining.”

“In the very active individual who is losing weight along with a decrease in performance, we must consider overtraining,” says Dr. Miranda-Comas.

3. Your body fat percentage isn’t budging

If you’re losing weight but your body fat percentage is staying the same, it’s probably a sign you’re losing muscle.

“Your body won’t shape the way you want. You’ll notice shrinking circumferences, but the pinch-able fat is the same,” says Dr. Nadolsky.

4. You’re losing weight at a rapid pace

While you may be pumped at seeing those numbers, it’s probably not good news for your muscle mass—unless you have a lot of fat to lose to start.

“The more fat you have, the more likely you’ll lose more fat than muscle when losing weight,” says Dr. Nadolsky.

Losing weight rapidly is usually not sustainable, either.

“Weight loss requires a long period of time and being patient—it’s a marathon and not a sprint. People should (only) lose 1-2 pounds per week,” says Delbridge.

For tips from real guys who lost significant amounts of weight, check out our list of the year’s most jaw-dropping weight loss transformations.

5. Your workouts never progress

It goes without saying that it’s hard to push yourself when you’re tired. If you can never go up in weight when lifting that might be another sign you’ve lost muscle, according to Albert Matheny, C.S.C.S, R.D., founder of Soho Strength Lab. “A lot of factors affect performance, but not seeing progress in training is a good sign you’re not hitting your body’s needs,” he told Women’s Health.

6. You’re tired all the time

If you’re often tired, it might mean that you’re not eating enough. If you’re not eating enough, your body will lack the carbohydrates it needs for energy, so it will go for the muscle to get glycogen.

To sustainably lose weight without losing muscle, aim for weight loss of about pound a week—which is a deficit of around 200 to 500 calories a day, depending on your activity level. Talk to a registered dietitian or doctor to figure out what a healthy caloric deficit is for you.

This article originally appeared in Men’s Health US.

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