6/06

Personal Trainer Because fit is the new rich

Edited by Ray Klerck

214 212 Ready to rumble? The right fighting moves to win

220 Chest in show

Fair means or fowl?

Follow our plan for a torso that’d make Superman jealous

A devilish twist on post-workout food

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218 Ball breaker

Pack a punch

Use Bosu balls to strengthen your abs

Prep yourself for the beach with this full-body move

Key

Bulk up

Dine on time

Slim down

Punch

Save time

The plan JUNE 2006 MEN’S HEALTH 211

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Your workout starts here Bring left arm high behind your head then lower it, fast. Perform 100 reps

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Lower body circuit Get a solid core for powerful punches

Duck walk Works glutes, calves and thighs

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, a single dumb-bell or kettle bell in front of your right shoulder, with your wrist facing away from you. Take a step forward with your right leg, letting its knee drop down to the ground. Stay in the crouched position and slide the other leg forward. Drop your left leg’s knee and repeat. Look

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It’s a knockout

forward and once you get in motion stay in motion. Execute the move quickly and forcefully. Perform 3 sets of 10 steps on each leg, resting for 90 seconds between each set.

Upper body circuit Speed and power will keep you in the ring

Wrestles Works glutes, hamstrings, core and shoulders

1 Place a weight plate on the end of an Olympic bar, wedging the other end in a corner. Grip the weighted portion in your left hand, holding the bar at

arm’s length. 2 Lower the bar towards your left leg while pivoting your feet left. When the weight is an inch from the floor pull up to the start position with your chest and arm, pivoting your feet back. Repeat on right side. Do 6 sets of 5 reps each side.

Punch above your weight, not below the belt

50MIN

WORKOUT

R

andy Couture’s a man who knows about rucking – he’s the first person to have held world titles in two weight divisions at the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), a professional mixed martial arts organisation. “We need to teach our muscles to move quickly and accurately,” he says. “A great fighter has a unique combination of strength, speed and flexibility.” Using Couture’s six-week plan will get you the explosive power you need to prove your credentials to even the biggest bouncer. Kick arse 2-3 times a week with one day’s rest between sessions. The UFC 60, Royce Gracie vs Matt Hughes, will be on Bravo at 10pm, 28 May. The Ultimate Fighter will be on Bravo throughout June

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6/06 Fighting fit

WORDS RAY KLERCK. ILLUSTRATION [email protected]

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Bounding Works legs and upper body

Run for 5 minutes to warm up. Mark out a distance of about 100 metres. Run normally but drive the knee that’s being lifted upward until that thigh becomes parallel to the ground. Jump with each step. It should look like a bouncy run with long strides. Run for 90 seconds after each 100 metres. Repeat this 12 times. If you’re on a treadmill,

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set it for 30 seconds of bounding and 2 minutes of running at a lower speed. Repeat 8 times, resting 45 seconds between sets.

Medicine-ball press-up shuffles Works chest, triceps and abs

across so your left hand lands on the ball. Keep feet hipwidth apart and core tight during the move. Perform 3 sets of 5 repetitions on each arm, resting for 60 seconds between sets.

Pop-ups Works legs, core, arms and chest

1 Start by getting on your hands and knees on the floor. Keep your toes on the ground with your feet perpendicular to the floor. Bend your arms slightly and push yourself up with your hands and the balls of your feet. This will get you airborne.

2 Bring your knees forward and your upper body up, landing on your feet in a crouch position. Do 4 then sprint 50 metres – that’s 1 set. Perform 4 sets, resting 45 seconds between them.

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Medicine-ball throws Works chest, shoulders, triceps and abs

Stand 2 metres from a wall, holding a medicine ball to your chest in both hands. Straighten elbows to throw it against the wall. Catch it when

it returns. Tense your abs a second before you catch. Try with 1 arm to make it harder. Do 4 sets of 12 repetitions, resting 30 seconds between sets.

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Lie in a press-up position, your right hand on a medicine ball, left hand on the floor. Keep your arms extended and with back straight, bend your elbows until your chest touches the ball. Explosively push up and off with both hands, moving

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4

Lateral skaters Works inner thighs and ankles

Start with both feet together and push off laterally with one leg. Upon landing, immediately push off in the opposite direction and continue the drill for a specified amount of time; to develop quickness, perform as many reps as you can for

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20 seconds and record that number. Rest for 1 minute by running slowly then repeat and attempt to better the previous number of reps. Repeat this 10 times.

Super fly press-ups Works chest, triceps and abs

Get into the pressup position with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Hold a slight bend in your knees. Keep your back flat and lower your body until your upper arms are lower than your elbows. Quickly straighten your arms and knees to lift both your upper and

lower body off the ground. Clap your hands together mid-air and land with your body weight on your arms then let your legs touch the ground. Perform 6 sets of 6 repetitions, resting 60 seconds between MH each set. ■

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213

Pump it up The average guy can bench-press 93% of his body weight, so get pumping

Go figure The average man’s chest size is 41 inches. Top that with our workout programme

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6/06 Muscle

R, A BIGGE BETTERIN CHEST S 8 WEEK

40 MIN WORKOUT

Simply the chest Eight weeks into this schedule to get a chest to beat the rest, head for the beach, peel off your T-shirt and reveal an upper body that’ll have ladies falling off their lilos

Your goal The perfect chest The routine on the next two pages attacks the primary cause of puniness: “The mistake most men make when looking for more chest size and strength is always sticking to the traditional eight-to-12-repetition principle,” says strength coach Jason Ferruggia. His first rule: Change your repetition schemes and emphasise lower-repetition, heavierweight sets. This allows you to target your body’s fast-twitch muscle fibres, the ones with the greatest potential for growth. At times, this workout also calls for you to lift only your body weight. Think gymnasts, who build rock-hard bodies without ever picking up a dumb-bell. “Moving your body through space is more taxing to your central nervous system than normal weight-training,” says Ferruggia. This will train your body to recruit more muscle in every exercise.

The pay-off Fewer crunches

Push it good

The press-ups and single-arm bench press challenge your core stability while building your chest, so your midsection works just as hard as in any ab exercise.

The total amount of press-ups the average guy is capable of doing in one go is a mere 27 – easy!

A stronger upper body The heavy weights you’ll use in this workout develop muscle fibres that produce strength and power. This added strength improves performance in many upper-body lifts.

Extra muscle This routine uses several body-weight moves that train stabilising muscles in addition to your largest muscles, so you end up working more muscle overall. Perform the Phase 1 workouts (overleaf) for 4 weeks, working your chest twice a week with two separate routines (Day 1 and Day 2). Do the exercises here as the chest portion of your upper- or total-body routine. Rest at least 2 days between workouts. Complete the Phase 2 workouts in the next 4 weeks.

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215

Your workout starts here Phase 1 Day 1 1

Dumb-Bell Single-Arm Bench Press

1 Lie on your back on a bench with a heavy dumb-bell in your left hand alongside your chest, palm facing in. Hold the other arm out to the side for balance.

2 Push the weight up so your arm is above your chest. Pause, then slowly lower the weight to the starting position and repeat using the opposite arm.

Day 2 2

Two-Hand Incline Bench Press

1 Lie face-up on an incline bench and hold a pair of heavy dumbbells along the outsides of your chest with a neutral grip (palms turned in).

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2 Slowly press the dumb-bells straight above your chest, without locking your elbows. Pause, then lower them to the starting position.

Body-Weight Suspended Press-up

1 If your gym has Blast Straps or chains, try this press-up variation. Or do the weighted press-ups below. Set a bar about 1 metre from the floor in a squat rack. Loop the straps round the bar. Get into a press-up position.

2 With your hands grasping the handles, so only your feet are touching the floor, bend at the elbows to lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then push yourself up to the starting position.

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THE PLAN

THE PLAN

THE PLAN

Do 5-7 repetitions with each hand. Complete 4 sets, resting 2 minutes after each set.

Perform 6-8 repetitions. Do 3 sets and rest 2 minutes after each set.

Do as many press-ups as you can, then rest for 90 seconds. Do a total of 3 sets.

Benchmark of success

How do you measure up? The best barometer of chest strength is your maximum bench press – the most weight you can lift for a single repetition. To determine your max, you’ll need a spotter. Grab an empty bar and perform 10 repetitions of the bench press. Rest for 30 to 90 seconds, then add 5-15kg and repeat. Continue this process until the weight feels difficult. Then do only one repetition per set until you work up to the heaviest weight you can lift once – your one-repetition maximum, or one-rep max (1RM). Measure your 1RM at the beginning of the schedule and then again in the last week and adjust your routine for the Bar-bell Bench Press (right) accordingly.

Phase 2 Day 1

Day 2

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Bar-Bell Bench Press

1 Lie on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grab the bar with your hands slightly more than shoulderwidth apart and hold the weight over your chest.

2 Pull shoulder blades back, then lower the bar to your chest. (Tuck your elbows in at 45 degrees; don’t let them flare out to the sides.) Pause, then push the weight back up.

Weighted Press-up

1 (Instead of the suspended press-up.) Assume the standard press-up position, with your hands beneath your shoulders. Ask a workout partner to place a weight plate on your back, between your shoulder blades.

2 Keeping your body straight and your feet in the same position, lower yourself with a controlled movement by bending your elbows until your chest touches the floor. Pause, then push yourself back up to the start position.

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Track Your Progress

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Record your one-rep max in the chart below. Then follow the exercises overleaf and retest yourself every 4 weeks. Start Week 4 Finish

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2 2 THE PLAN Do 5 sets of 4 reps at 80% of your 1RM. Increase weight but decrease reps, so by week 8 do 4 sets of 1 rep at 90% of your 1RM.

MEN’S HEALTH JUNE 2006

THE PLAN

Do 8-12 reps, then immediately move on to the Cable Lying Fly to create a superset.

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6/06 Muscle 2

3

Dumb-Bell Incline Fly

1 Lie back on an incline bench, keeping your feet steady on the supports. Hold a pair of dumb-bells over your chest with your arms straight (but elbows not locked), with your palms facing out in front of you.

2 Keeping your palms forwards, slowly sweep your arms down and out to your sides in an arc, until the weights are level with your chest. Pause, then reverse the motion until the weights are once again above you.

4

Parallel-Bar Dip

1 Grab the parallel dip bars and lift yourself on to them, so your arms are straight. Keep your back straight and cross your ankles.

2 Slowly lower yourself by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Pause, then push up to the starting position.

Side-Lying Single-Arm External Rotation

1 Lie on your left side with your left arm bent and your head resting on it. Holding a light dumb-bell in your right hand, bend your right arm 90 degrees and tuck your upper arm by your right side, the weight in front of you.

2 Keeping your right upper arm stationary, slowly rotate your right forearm until it points toward the ceiling. Then rotate your forearm back to the starting position and do the same while lying on your right side.

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THE PLAN

THE PLAN

THE PLAN

Do 8-12 repetitions of the dumb-bell incline fly, then immediately superset it with the parallel-bar dip.

Do as many reps as you can, then rest for 3 minutes and repeat the superset with the previous move.

Perform 12-15 repetitions, then rest for 1 minute. Repeat the exercise on the opposite side. Do 2 sets.

3

Cable Lying Fly

1 Place an exercise bench between the stacks of a cable crossover station and attach handles to the low-pulley cables. Grab the handles and lie face-up on the bench. Hold your arms straight above your chest.

PHOTOGRAPHY ADRIAN WEINBRECHT, BETH BISCHOFF

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2 Keeing your feet flat on the floor, your palms turned inwards and your elbows slightly bent, slowly lower your hands out to your sides in an arc motion, then reverse the movement to return to the start position.

Sitting External Rotation

1 Sit on the floor with your left knee bent and your right leg flat. Hold a light dumb-bell in your left hand and rest the elbow at 90 degrees on your knee with the weight hanging down.

2 Keeping your elbow in place, slowly rotate your left arm up. Pause when your forearm points to the ceiling, then reverse the motion until the weight is back to its start position.

GYM#1T8 ETIQUETandEcrashing

mming g Loud sla ame thin ean the s y do m noises e m as th in the gy ou’ve re else: y e h w ry e ev rong. w g in eth done som ur weights Lower yo ly. slow

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Gym assassin But if you’ve only got 4 weeks… 1

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2

THE PLAN

THE PLAN

Do 8-10 repetitions, rest 150 seconds, then repeat the superset for a total of 3 sets.

Do 10-12 reps with each hand, then rest 60 seconds.

You can blitz your way to a better chest if your holiday is only a month away, just spend two weeks on phase one and two more on phase two. You might not end up quite as ripped, but you’ll still see some MH results worth writing home about. ■

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217

ABS IN MINUTES!

Half time

Bosu balls push balance to your core, creating abs you could bounce a marble on Warm-up Use the cross-trainer for 3 minutes on level 8, then row for 4 minutes at a slow to moderate pace. Then do the following circuti twice, 2-3 times a week.

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Jump and tuck

Position the Bosu rounded side up. Stand on it with feet hip-width apart. Bend your hips and knees until they’re perpendicular to the floor. Push up and straighten your legs so your feet leave the Bosu while lifting your arms. Bring both knees up, grabbing them briefly. Land with bent knees. Perform 15 repetitions.

2

Press-up to plank

Place the Bosu rounded side down. Hold edges, in a press-up position. Bend elbows to lower. Just before your chest hits the platform straighten up again. Next, lower, and rest elbows on the platform for 10 seconds. This is 1 repetition; perform 8.

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2

4

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Bosu back lunge

Place the Bosu rounded side up and stand on the ball with feet hip-width apart. Step back with your left foot and land with its heel flat on the floor while keeping your right knee over its toes and in the middle of the ball. Push down on the ball of your foot to bring your left foot to the start position. Repeat with your right. Perform alternating repetitions, 9 on each leg.

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4

Roll-ups

Place the Bosu rounded side up. Stand in front of it, feet hip-width apart, back straight. Roll onto the ball until your shoulders touch the floor behind it, then roll back into the squat. Next, get into the press-up position, with feet on the ball. Perform a press-up then return to the squat. This is 1 repetition; perform 12.

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6/06 Fat-burning

7

Place the Bosu ball rounded side down. Get into a press-up position, holding the edges of the Bosu. Walk your feet forward until they’re a metre behind your hands, hips in the air. Keep legs straight and bend elbows to lower yourself as far as you can go in the pressup. Straighten your arms to return to the start position. Perform 12 repetitions.

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Bosu pike press-up

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Bosu curls

Place the Bosu with the rounded side down and stand on it with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumb-bell in each hand at arm’s length in front of your thighs with your palms facing you. Keep your back straight and bend your elbows to curl the weights towards your shoulders. Pause, then slowly lower it to the start position. Preform 15 repetitions.

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WORDS RAY KLERCK. ILLUSTRATION DAVID PIERCE

5

V cycles

Place the Bosu rounded side up. Sit on the ball, knees bent, feet off the floor. Your thighs should be perpendicular to the floor. Keep your arms at your sides, palms facing your body. Extend your legs so they’re at a 45-degree angle from the floor and raise your upper body. Straighten arms. Hold this position and bring your left knee in, then extend it out. Repeat with your right leg. Perform 14 repetitions.

5

Bosu burpees

Place the Bosu rounded side up and stand in front of it, feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees so you’re sitting on your heels. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the ball. Rest your weight on your hands and thrust your legs straight out behind you. Bring legs between your arms. Jump up while keeping your arms at your sides. When you land, return to the squat and start again. Perform 18 repetitions.

Gym assassin If you’ve only got 20 mins... Complete the circuit once doing 14 repetitions at each MH station. Rest only 30 seconds between each exercise. ■ JUNE 2006 MEN’S HEALTH

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219

Six for one 6/06

One-punch wonder

Abs On the cable crossover weight stack attach a single handle to a setting just below chest height. Stand with your back to the stack. Hold the handle overhand in your right hand. Your right foot should be forward and the other a metre behind you. Tense abs to keep your torso upright.

2

Front thighs Start to slowly straighten your right knee but make sure it’s in line with your toes. Keep the movement slow and smooth so that your knee doesn’t wobble from side to side. Keep the heel of your left foot raised and then begin to straighten your left knee.

3

Glutes Keep rising upwards but don’t lock your right knee at the top of the movement. Keeping a slightly bent knee will keep the tension in your legs and glutes. Tense your abs as well – this will ensure you don’t lean forward. Don’t start to press the handle forward yet.

PUNCH WITH POWER

Adjust your workout plan and use the split squat to chest press to get…

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…thinner

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Chest Start to straighten your elbow to push the handle out in front of your chest. Keep your right wrist tight and locked to stop it from bending backwards. Wrap your thumb around the handle to give extra support to your wrist. Do the movement with the form of a straight punch.

Obliques Keep your lower half completely straight and solid. Only your upper body should be moving at this stage. Continue to straighten your arm but at the same time start to turn at your waist towards your left foot. This should put the power of your entire upper body behind your right arm.

Triceps Keep your chin up and straighten your right elbow, flexing your triceps. Aim for your right hand to finish in line with the middle of your chest. Keep your upper body upright. Pause for a second then slowly release back to the start position. Switch sides MH and repeat. ■

Reps

Sets

Rest

Times per week

Lifting tempo

15-20

4

45 secs

3

2 secs up, 2 secs down

…stronger

3-5

6

120 secs

2

1 sec up, 3 secs down

…bigger

8-10

5

60 secs

2

1 sec up, 4 secs down

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PHOTOGRAPHY GLEN BURROWS. SHORTS BY ELLESSE; SOCKS BY ADIDAS; TRAINERS BY NIKE. FOR STOCKISTS SEE PAGE 204

Get a six-pack, a barrel chest, solid legs and big biceps for the beach with this split squat to chest press

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SET 1

SET 2

S1

S2

S3

Super fly press-up

Medicine-ball throws

Medicine-ball press-up shuffles

Wrestles

UPPER BODY CIRCUIT

Lateral skaters

Pop-ups

Bounding

Duck walk

LOWER BODY CIRCUIT

STATIONS (RECORD REPS)

S1 S2

S3

S4

WORKOUT 1 S5

S1

S6

S3

S4

S6

S5

SET 3

S5

S4

WORKOUT 2

S3

WORKOUT 2

SET 2

WORKOUT 2

S2

S1 S2

WEEK 1

S5

WEEK 1

SET 1

WEEK 1 SET 3

S4

FIGHTING FIT It’s a knockout (p204)

Sitting external rotation

Cable lying fly

Weighted press-up

Bar-bell bench press

PHASE 2

Side lying single arm external rotation

Parallel-bar dip

Dumb-bell incline fly

Body-weight suspended press-up

Two-hand incline bench press

Dumb-bell single-arm bench press

PHASE 1

STATIONS (RECORD REPS)

WORKOUT 1

MUSCLE Simply the chest (p206)

V cycles

Bosu pike press-up

Bosu curls

Bosu burpees

Roll-ups

Bosu back lunge

Press-up to plank

Jump and tuck

STATIONS (RECORD REPS)

WORKOUT 1

FAT-BURNING Half time (p210) SET 2

S3

S4

S5

S1

S6

S3

S4

S6

S5

SET 3

S5

S4

WORKOUT 2

S3

WORKOUT 2

SET 2

WORKOUT 2

S2

S1 S2

WEEK 2

S5

WEEK 2

SET 1

WEEK 2 SET 3

S4

WORKOUT 1

S3

WORKOUT 1 S2

S1 S2

S1

SET 1

WORKOUT 1

S3

S4

S5

S1

S6

S3

S4

S5

S6

S5

SET 3

S4

WORKOUT 2

S3

WORKOUT 2

SET 2

SET 2

S3

S4

S1

S6

S3

S4

S6

S5

SET 3

S5

S4

WORKOUT 2

S3

WORKOUT 2

SET 2

WORKOUT 2

S2

S1 S2

WEEK 4

S5

WEEK 4

SET 1

WEEK 4 SET 3

S5

S4

WORKOUT 1

S3

WORKOUT 1 S2

S1 S2

S1

SET 1

WORKOUT 1

6/06 The grid WORKOUT 2

S2

S1 S2

WEEK 3

S5

WEEK 3

SET 1

WEEK 3 SET 3

S4

WORKOUT 1

S3

WORKOUT 1

SET 2

WORKOUT 1

S2

S1 S2

S1

SET 1

Use this chart to track your progress through this month’s workouts – keeping a record is a great self-motivator. Next month’s issue is on sale Monday 12 June