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- 10. Describe the perfect protein bar: Deliciously Satisfying. Muscle Nourishing. Crushes Cravings. Convenient. No Synthetic Sweeteners. Dymatize Elite Protein bars are a delicious way to get at least 25 grams of protein, in the gym or on-the-go. Formulated with a combination of fast-absorbing and slower-digesting proteins, these bars can feed and nourish muscle to help you achieve your biggest fitness goals. Available in 5 amazing flavors, look for the Elite Protein Bar at GNC today! Itisthe perfectbartofuelyourworkouts,supportrecovery orsimplyenjoyanytime.† WE COULDN’T AGREE MORE. NO SYNTHETIC SWEETENERS HYDROGENATED OILS HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP †THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. Gram amounts will vary by flavor. © 2016 Dymatize Enterprises LLC. All Rights Reserved. AMOUNTS PER SERVING: GLUTEN FREE PROTEIN 28g BCAAS 5g FIBER 4g TRANS FAT 0g
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- 20. Buildstrength Choose a compound barbell exercise that works the chest, such as a bench press, incline press, or decline press. Choose a load that allows you five reps but perform only two. Rest 10 seconds and repeat for three more mini sets. Now rest two minutes. That’s one cluster. Repeat the whole process for five total clusters. You will have done 40 total reps. Compare that with a typical prescription of three sets of five reps (for 15 total reps), and you can see how much more powerful cluster training can be without pushing you to your limit. Cluster Fix The answer to your prayers may be cluster train- ing, a method in which you use short, interset rest periods to perform more reps than you normally could with a heavy weight. For example, instead of performing a set of six reps for an exercise, resting a few minutes, and repeating, you could do three “mini sets” of three reps with the same load, rest- ing up to 20 seconds between each. That way, you would do nine reps with a load that would normally allow you only six. Plus, since you got to rest so frequently and do fewer reps at a clip than you were capable of, the work would feel relatively easier. Because the total amount of work you perform is greater, you’ll apply a greater stimulus for muscle gains. Cluster training has been popular among competitive lifters for decades for boosting gains, but new research has found that its propensity to improve the enjoy- ment of a workout is worthwhile, too. Last year, a study in the JournalofSports Sciences compared cluster training with traditional lifting with the single-leg extension. Subjects performed four sets of eight reps with three minutes’ rest between sets on one leg and did clusters of one rep on the other leg with 17.4 seconds rest between each until 32 total reps were done. Read: The work for both legs was the same, but the way it was performed was dif- ferent. Both legs gained strength. However, the subjects rated the cluster sets as less physically draining. Jim Smith, C.P.P.S., a strength coach and owner of dieselsc.com,loves cluster training but warns that while the rest periods for clusters may seem cushy, they’re still training, with respect to building endurance and pro- viding the muscles with enough time under mechanical tension to promote growth. So, yeah, you still have to bust your ass in the gym sometimes. Sorry. sively. “Because of the heavy weight and the stress they put on your body, you should cycle clusters in three- to four-week blocks only.” Furthermore, there’s great value in doing longer- lasting sets—i.e., traditional strength short. “Take deep breaths, shake out your muscles, and mentally prepare for the next effort.” While clusters may seem like a gift to those who would prefer to avoid a hard, grinding work- out, Smith says you can’t do them exclu- E VERYBODY LOVES theresultsof liftingweights. Fewpeople enjoythework ofactuallylift- ing.Whetherit’s thestraining,theburn,orthe demanditputsonyourbreath- ing,thediscomfortofhard trainingisoneofthereasons peoplebegintodreadgoingto thegymandultimatelyquit doingit.Butwhatiftherewas awaytotrainthatgotyou thesameorbetterresultsas agut-bustingworkoutwith halftheeffort?Signusup. CLUSTER TRAINING LETS YOU PERFORM MORE REPS WITH HEAVIER WEIGHT—AND NOT FEEL IT. (Notso)deadtired. Performing exercises like the deadlift as cluster sets encourages good form by conserving energy, A S K M E N ’ S F I T N E S S green, white, and black tea extracts to boost your workouts. Add in a dose of glutamine for extra muscle growth and fat burning, plus electrolytes to help keep you hydrated and you’ve got a great formula for gains. Scivation Xtend Perform is another good option. It’s filled with 7 grams of BCAAs plus 2 grams of PeakO2, a pat- ent-pending blend of six com- pounds (all of which are clini- cally proven to boost athletic performance) that help the body adapt to stress. It also packs electrolytes and ami- nos to boost power output and muscle growth and recovery. “I’VEREALLYBEENHITTINGITHARD INTHEGYMTHISSPRING,BUTI’MNOT REALLYSEEINGMASSIVERESULTS. WHATARESOMEGOODSUPPSTOHELP MERECOVERQUICKERANDBUILD MUSCLEFASTER?” BOBBY M., FARGO, ND Recovery and the attendant muscle growth come faster when you fine-tune your exer- cise and diet. We suggest try- ing BPI Sports Best Aminos w/Energy. This smooth blend gives you the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) you need to prompt muscle pro- tein synthesis and recovery, along with clean energy from
- 24. It’sthescientific discoveryofyour dreams:Newresearch hasdeterminedthat, asidefromloweringyourcho- lesterol,yourriskofstroke, andtheprobabilityyou’lldieof heartdisease,eatingchocolate frequently—gofor7ozaweek, or1ozaday—actuallyimproves yourbrain’scognitivefunction- ing. ¶ Thestudy,reportedinthe journalAppetite,useddatafrom anexistingstudytocompare howoftensubjectsatespecific foodswithhowhightheyscored onarangeofcognitivetests.And thefrequentchocolateeaters knockeditoutofthepark,doing significantlybetteronmemory, organization,andabstractrea- soningteststhansubjectswho treatedthemselveslessoften. ¶ It’schocolate’santioxidant- heavyflavonolsthatarethereal brainfood,researchersbelieve. Thoughthat’snoexcusetofill yourfistswithMilkyWayand Snickersbars.Darkchocolate hasthemostflavonols,solook forbarslabeled60%orhigher. Prettysweetnews: Chocolate helpsyou thinkbetter Eat Protein for Sweet Dreams QSure, protein’s a supermacro that, along with its other duties, repairs and builds muscle after intense exercise. But it may have a more surprising job: helping you get a good night’s sleep. Researchers at Columbia U. fed two groups of subjects different meals to find out which combination pro- moted the best z’s: One group got high-fiber, extra- high-protein, low- saturated-fat fare, while the other ate a diet that was high in saturated fat and sugar and low in fiber and protein. Outcome: The high-protein, characterizes sleep disorders. To sleep well, get about 1 gram of pro- tein daily for each pound you weigh. low-fat group fell asleep in less than 20 minutes and spent much lon- ger periods in deep sleep (for which their immune systems said, “Thanks, bro!”). But the poor saps in the fat- and-sugar group took almost a half hour to nod off and got the kind of crappy sleep that Darkvictory. Antioxidants in chocolate help your brain reason, orga- nize, and remember. I Eatgreat T R Y T H I S Even the most disciplined guys sometimes blow off a nutritious meal for something quick and bad. If this sounds like you, you need a good multivitamin for those days when your diet isn’t stellar. One good option: the GNC Pro Performance AMP Men’s Strength Vitapak Program. This is not your father’s ho-hum multi—the Vitapak is filled with high- quality formulas to support intense training and improve athletic performance. Con- tents of each daily package include Mega Men Sport, a clinically studied multi; Amplified Creatine 190, a clinically studied formula that was shown to increase strength over ordi- nary and always- effective cre- atine; plus an antioxidant blend to keep inflammation down while boosting BCAAs for enhanced recovery.
- 26. Eatgreat Eating organic meat and milk: It’s not just hype Q There really is more to eating organic meat and dairy than just the whole-earth buzz, green-market bragging rights, and Mercedes prices. A massive meta-analysis out of England’s Newcastle U. has determined that organic meat and milk have about 50% more omega-3 fatty acids—which can fight heart disease, boost brain function, and fortify the immune system— than nonorganic products. Cows get omega- 3s by grazing outside on their natural diet of grass and clover— a USDA mandate farmers must meet to have products labeled “organic.” Other organic pluses: Organic milk also has less insulin-like growth factor (ILGF), which has been linked to cancer; and organic meat is less likely to carry antibiotic- resistant bacteria. As for fruits and vegetables, which can be exposed to pesticides and tox- ins, a good rule of thumb is: If it has an edible skin, like a tomato or apple, opt for organic; if not, nonorganic is fine. * J THEYOLKS AREALRIGHT What a pear! Q Pity the poor pear: The Forrest Gump of the fruit world, it’s always the underdog— eking out just 10th place on the most- eaten list, left behind if there’s an apple or banana in the bowl, shut com- pletely out of the smoothie scene. But pears actu- ally kick ass, new research shows. A Unive Minn review medi pea g es you not just ample vitamin C but also afull24%ofyour g o o t e juice, before (not after!) partying can reduce next-day ( measly 12%). And Horticul- tureInnovation etabo e boo e faster and cut the head-banging toxins.) A S K M E N ’ S F I T N E S S Try NutraBio’s Whey Protein Isolate. it’s guar- anteed to be the absolute clean- est protein avail- able. Each serving contains 25 grams of complete pro- tein derived solely from 100% whey protein isolate. There’s no whey concentrate, added carbs, creamers, or any other filler, just ultra- filtered whey.
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- 28. Getfit At some point in the last decade, the badass prison-cell workout of a German circus performer and boxer interned in England during World War I got co- opted by soccer moms and college coeds. But more recently, some of the toughest athletes in pro sports have discovered the benefits of Pilates and added it to their training. ¶ “It’s hard,” says Detroit Lions defensive back Johnson Bademosi. “I’ve been training for football for 10 years, and the first time I tried Pilates, I felt like a child—I was really struggling.” ¶ Named for its inventor Joseph Pilates, who eventually brought it to the U.S., the system involves body-weight-only exercises, typically on a piece of equipment called a reformer, which uses pulleys that let you focus on range of motion instead of resistance. That’s one reason athletes like Bademosi find it so tough—it activates lesser-used muscles and fully recruits the core. “It’s hard to prepare for what’s needed on the field by just lifting weights,” says Bademosi. “Pilates challenges you with really unfamiliar movements.” ¶ Says Stanford University’s Nanci Conniff, who works with pros like Bademosi, Andrew Luck, and Jeremy Lin, “With Pilates, you’re strengthening the muscles that are closer to the bone. You’re always working in extension, to lengthen instead of shorten muscles,” which can counteract the tightening and stress of sport-specific, high-impact training. ¶ Here, some reformer moves Conniff has modified to suit any workout space. StylingbyChristinaSimonetti;GroomingbyMeganLanoux/ExclusiveArtistsManagementusingDr.Hauschka It’s not just glorified stretching. Pilates hits muscles you didn’t even know you had—which is why so many pro athletes are incorporating it into their training. By Leander Schaerlaeckens A PowerPilates forathletes
- 30. Getfit T R Y T H I S CURCUMIN 46X AND PRIMUNA A fit body requires a fit immune system. Two supps, both from F1RST, can help to get you there. Primuna includes a patented and clinically studied beta glucans extract from baker’s yeast called Wellmune. This special, fibrous extract has been shown to help activate neutrophils, the most abundant immune cells in the body. The other, Curcumin 46X, contains the potent anti-inflamma- tory ingredient found in turmeric and in ginger. On its own, curcumin is notoriously hard for the body to absorb. F1RST’s version packs 46 times the dose found in most other brands. Pilates for CrossFit QConniff recom- mends that Cross- Fitters add exercises like the Saw (right) and Swimmers to their warmup, as a way of prepping for big, explosive moves. “These build strong muscular connec- tions in the intrinsic core, and greater flexibility in the hips, which helps protect the lower back,” she says. S W I M M E R : Lie facedown, arms stretched overhead, keep legs together and straight. Reach through the top of your head for the most extension you can manage, chin tucked slightly, eyes looking down. Raise your right arm and left leg about six inches off the ground, floating your head and chest up off the mat. Hold this position for 10 breaths. Alternate arms and legs. Pilates for Lifters Q“These Pilates moves create pelvic stability for heavy lifts, and for increased flexibility and range of motion in the hamstrings, hip, and low back,” says Conniff. D O U B L E L E G K I C K : Lying facedown, bend knees to reach heels toward your butt. Arms reach behind your back, fingers laced, elbows bent, head turned to the right (if you can’t lace fingers, use a resistance band to connect the hands). On inhale, kick both heels to your butt two or three times quickly, then exhale as you stretch legs and arms out long, lifting your head and chest with eyes look- ing forward. Lower to starting position with head turned to the left and repeat for six to 10 complete breath cycles. T E A S E R : Start with your spine, head, and shoulders anchored to the floor, legs lifted up to a 90-degree angle at your hips and 90 degrees again at the knees, arms raised slightly, about chest high. Sweep arms overhead then back downward toward sides, simultane- ously extend legs up and out straight, lift- ing your body up into a V-sit position; hold for a few breaths. Finish by rolling back one vertebra at a time, to starting position. Repeat three to five times. (Make it more chal- lenging by carrying a medicine ball). 1 Sit upright, legs extended out in a V, a bit wider than your hips (if your ham- strings are too tight to straighten your legs, sit on a rolled mat). Reach both arms out to the side, shoulder height. 2 Draw the abdominal muscles in and up, lengthen- ing both sides of your waist. Inhale, twist at the waist, to the right. Exhale as you dive for- ward, stretch- ing your left hand across your right foot. 3 Let your head hang down as your other arm reaches up and back. Inhale back to a seated position and perform on the other side. The Saw Pilates for Endurance Sports QConniff says runners and cyclists and anyone else who puts their body through repetitive movements can use Pilates moves to add core strength and stability, as well as increased mobility in their spine, hips, and shoulders. S I N G L E L E G K I C K : Lie facedown, propped up on elbows, legs stretched long and pressed together. Lift the torso from the floor, creating as much space between your flesh and the floor as possible, keeping the pelvis and thighs down. On exhale, bend your right knee to kick your heel toward your butt two times quickly then inhale as you stretch the leg to starting posi- tion. Repeat 10 times each leg. K N E E L I N G B I C Y C L E : Kneeling on your left knee, with right leg extended straight out to the side, lean left, placing your left hand on the floor. Raise your right leg until your foot is just below hip height. Exhale while swing- ing right leg forward; inhale as you bend right knee, sweeping the leg back as far as possible. Repeat five times, switch legs.
- 32. T R Y T H I S FAT SPIKERS If caffeine isn’t making the cut anymore, it might be time to step up to a potent pre- workout powder that can better power your next muscle-shred- ding pump session CELLUCOR C4 RIPPED This slick supp is loaded with flab-shredding ingredients like carnitine, green tea extract, cayenne extract, and Coleus forskohlii that will help you preserve that precious muscle. Plus it ups the ante with an explosive energy blend to help you rule your roughest workouts. FINAFLEX STIMUL8 Powered by a patent-pending blend of plant extracts, this mix features green tea extract and theobroma cacao seed extract. It also tosses in citrus aurantium extract and Rauwolfia vomitoria to give you tons of energy to crush workouts and cut through fat. FORCE FACTOR VOLCANO FURY This new supp promises to help you boost muscle size while getting endurance and power levels to the point where ball-busting workouts are easier to manage. Ingredients include caffeine and yohim- bine for energy, plus L-citrulline and taurine, for tighter pumps. GAT PMP STIM-FREE A rare stim-free supp, GAT’s PMP Stim-Free promises energy, focus, and pumps without the harsh ride that some stimu- lant-based supps can take you on. And you still get favorites like nitric oxide enhancers, and mental focusers like N-acetyl L-tyrosine for ideal support along the way. Themind-musclecon- nectionisoneofthemost importantpartsofthe trainingexperience,yet manypeopledon’tputmucheffortinto developingit.Justasyou’dreligiously takeaproteinsuppafteratough workouttobuildmoremuscle,you shouldconsidergivingyourbraina boostbeforeyoutraintohelpimprove focusonyourworkout.Healthy NaturalSystems’FocusAllisoneideal option.Thisscientificallydesigned suppcontainsfiveclinicallytested, brain-enhancingingredients—allin asingle,easy-to-swallowcapsule. T Focuson muscle Inadditiontoenhancingmental focusandclarity,FocusAllheightens energyandawareness,andencour- agesapositivemoodwhilealsokeep- ingstressatbay.Italsocontainskey neurotransmittersVinpocetineand DMAE,bothofwhichhelpenhance mentalfunctioningsoyoubreaktrain- ingplateausandseemoregains. Andunlikesomebrain-boosting suppsthatcanbeplaguedbyside effectslikeirritabilityorapost-pill crash,FocusAllcontainsTeacrine, aningredientthatratchetsupinten- sityandvitalityforclean,crash- freeenergythatlastsforhours. The secret to a lean, muscular body may be a clean, clear brain that eliminates distractions and helps you zone in on your training By Joy Ronson Hotproducts
- 34. THEALL-TIMEBEST DIETISCHOCK-FULL OFWHOLEFOODS. Theexact SCIENCEOF STAYINGSLIMDietingsucks.Sohere’showtodoitright. tohealth topics,hasthereeverbeen ahorsemorethoroughly beatentodeaththandieting? AnAmazonbooksearchfor “weightloss”yields129,702 titlesonthesubject—andyou canbettheyallpromisethey’ll getyouaneternalsix-pack, whetherit’sviajuicefasting, theSouthBeachDiet,vegan- ism,Paleo,oreatingforyour bloodtype. ¶ Unfortunately, thevastmajorityofthese claims—eventheoldchestnut thatyouifyoueatfivesmall mealsadayit’ll“revyour metabolism”—aren’tactually basedonashredofscience. ¶ Thankfully,therearesome tried-and-truemethodsfor losingyourgut—andkeeping itoff—thatcan’tbediscred- itedbyanynewtrend.Bearing inmindeverythingweknow rightnowaboutthescience ofstayingslim,here’severy- thingyoushouldbedoing, fromtrainingtonutrition, togetabodythatlooksgreat andcanbemaintainedforthe longrun—byrealpeoplein therealworld. 3 2 M E N ’ S F I T N E S S Droppounds
- 36. TA C T I C 1 Eatwholefoodsasoftenaspossible Q EverybodyhitsupChipotleonceina while.Butifyouknowwhattoorderwhen yougoout,youcanminimizethedamage andstillenjoysomebodyelsemakingyour foodforachange. Look at what’s on the menu and choose the foods that are as close to what’s avail- able in nature as possible. Meat, veg- etables, and whole fruits are all A-OK; tortilla shells, burger buns, pasta, and cheese are not. Swap out soda for seltzer water with a lemon wedge. Instead of having an energy bar to reverse your afternoon crash, have an apple or some almonds. Getinthehabitofavoidingfoods thatcomewithbarcodesandyou’ll savecalorieseverytime. TA C T I C 2 Controlyourportions Q Evenwhenyoueathealthy,there’sstill thedangerofgainingweightifyou’re pronetoovereating.Afterall,chicken breastsandfruitsstillhavecalories,and thosecaloriesaddup. Avoidbuffetsandsimilar“all-you-can- eat”affairsandrememberthesecompo- nentsofahealthymeal:Everyplateyou serveyourselfshouldincludeaportion ofprotein(leanmeatorfish)that’sabout thesizeandthicknessofyourpalmanda fist-sizeservingofcleancarbs(potatoes orricearethebest).Thenfilluptherestof theplatewithvegetables. Anyotherfoodsyoureallycrave(such asfat-heavyfoodsandsomeofthemore high-sugarfruits)shouldbeeatenmore sporadically. TA C T I C 3 Don’tfearfat Q The“low-fat”eraisover—wenowknow thatprocessedcarbslikewhitebread, pasta,andsugarycerealscontributemore toobesitythanthefatthatcomesfrom wholefoods.Themainreason:Fatisfill- ing.Processedfoodsareeasytoovereat. “Thekeyistoeatfoodthatmakesitreally difficulttoovereat,”saysvisitingMIT scientistandInsideTrackerfounderGil Blander,Ph.D.Don’tbeafraidtousea tablespoonofcoconutoilwhencookingor toaddavocadotoasalad. Nutsandseedsmakegreatsnacks,too. RememberTactic2,though:Fatisstill higherincaloriesthananyothernutrient, sokeepyourservingssmall(thatis,don’t eatabagofalmondsinasittingorpoura cupofoliveoilonyoursalad).Fatmaybe filling,butdon’tthinkyou’resomehow immunetoovereatingit. TA C T I C 4 Practicethe80/20rule Q Noonecaneatperfectly100%ofthe time,andthat’swherecheatmealsfit intothepicture.Somecallitthe80/20 rule:Eathealthy80%ofthetime,and theoccasionalsliceofpizzaorbowlofice cream(orbothinonenight)won’tdoyou in.Orplanonhavingonecheatmeala week.It’sgoodtorewardyourself—itstiff- ensyourresolvetocontinuewiththediet. TA C T I C 5 Trackthenumbersthatmatter Q Getascalethatmeasuresnotjust weight—studiesshowthatifyouweigh yourselfdaily,you’llkeepthepoundsoff— butalsobodycomposition.Becausework- ingoutaddsmuscle,whichisdenserthan fat,yourweightmaygoup(orplateau) forabit.Butifyourbodyfatpercentageis dropping,youknowyou’reprogressing. TA C T I C 6 ExperimentonYourself Q Somepeoplecan’teatmanycarbs withoutputtingonweight,andothers can’thandlemuchfat.“Understanding aperson’sindividualbiochemistryand makingpersonalizedrecommendationsis thefutureofmedicine,”saysBlander.The pointis:Don’tsettleforone-size-fits-all solutions.Ifoneeatingplandoesn’tsuit you,tryanother,avoidingextremes.And ifallelsefails,gobacktoTactic1:Eating onlywhole,natural,unprocessedfoods hasnevermadeanyonefatter. TA C T I C 7 MasterHIITtraining Q Togetandstaylean,weighttraining (whichyoualreadydo)andhigh-intensity intervaltraining(HIIT)mustbeapartof yourlife. Intervalworkoutsaresupereffectiveat revvingupyourmetabolism.Theprem- ise:Youworkatthehighestintensityyou canfor10–30seconds,thenrestorgoat aneasypaceforthesameamountoftime. Repeatfor15–20minutes. Examplesincludesprintingupahill, thenwalkingdown;sprintingonan exercisebike,thendoinglightpedaling; ordoingapresetcircuitofbody-weight exerciseslikejumpingjacks,mountain climbers,andburpees. “HIITboostsyourmetabolisminaway walkingjustcan’t,”saysBlander.Doit twiceaweekonnonconsecutivedays. TA C T I C 8 Don’tskimponsleep Q Sleep deprivation—missing out on even 30 minutes a night—can raise your risk of obesity as well as diabetes, the Endocrine Society says. Why? Because it decreases the satiation hormone leptin, increases the hunger hormone ghrelin, and lessens your body’s sensitivity to insulin, which makes it harder to process the carbs you eat. Poor sleep literally rewires your appetite and reduces your willpower. “The science is clear,” adds Blander. “When you don’t sleep well you eat more.” Q Stepup.Weigh yourself daily to keep the pounds off (the Withings Smart Body Analyzer sends results to an app). Droppounds
- 39. 7g BCAAs 0g CARBS 0g SUGAR FIRST, BUT NEVER FINISHED BE FIRST, BUT NEVER FINISH. SCIVATION XTEND IS FIRST IN: PRODUCT PERFORMANCE – Backed by 2 University Studies* QUALITY – Certified by NSF for Sport and Informed Choice MIXABILITY – Highly Soluble with No Powdery Residue HYDRATION –Electrolytes for Improved Performance FLAVOR – 12 Delicious Choices to Choose from
- 40. Build a “Baywatch” bodyUse the workout that got Zac Efron pumped for Baywatch to create your own sun-and-sand-worthy physique By Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S. QIt’s a pretty safe bet that Baywatch will be next summer’s movie blockbuster. But what isn’t so clear is who the audience will be ogling most—the buxom, bikini-clad beach bunnies or the pumped-up, hard-bodied musclemen in the cast. Dwayne Johnson’s “Rock” physique already has legions of fans, but the transformation of co-star Zac Efron (who shot to fame in the teen-film hit High School Musical) has shocked the world. Accord- ing to Efron’s trainer, Patrick Murphy, the actor reached 5% body fat after just 12 weeks of training. How’d you like to do something similar? Read on to find out how you can.
- 41. How It Works QEfron’s training was constantly evolving, but for us, Murphy condensed the best of it into a three-day split, working back and biceps one day, legs another, and shoulders, chest, and arms the third day (abs are in there, too, a little bit every day). The main feature of the workouts is supersetting—doing two exercises back-to-back with no rest in between. Not only does this approach save time, it also doubles as cardio, burning more calories and enhancing the “pump” that drives more nutrition-filled blood into the muscles for fast growth. Since it was important that Efron not just look like a lifeguard but be able to perform like one too, some exercises are explosive to build speed and agility along with muscle mass. See you on the beach. Perform each workout (Day I, II, and III) once per week, resting a day between each session. The exercises are paired (marked A and B) and done as supersets— complete one set of A and then B before resting 60 seconds. Repeat for all the prescribed sets before moving on to the next pair. Directions D AY I : B A C K B I C E P S 1A STRAIGHT-ARM PULLDOWN Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Attach a straight bar to the top pulley of a cable station and grasp it with hands shoulder-width apart. Bend at the hips a bit to feel a stretch on your lats, then pull the bar to your hips with your arms straight. 1B AB WHEEL ROLLOUT Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Kneel on the floor holding an ab wheel under your shoulders. Brace your abs and roll forward until you feel your lower back is about to collapse. Roll yourself back up. 2A SEATED CABLE ROW Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Attach a straight bar to the low pulley of a cable station and sit on a bench or the floor. Row the cable to your sternum, squeezing your shoulder blades together in the fin- ished position. 3A NEUTRAL- GRIP PULLUP Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Hang from a pullup bar that offers handles so your palms can face each other. Pull your body up until your chin is over the bar. 3B LAT PULLDOWN FROM KNEES Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Set up at a lat-pulldown station, but kneel on the floor and allow the bar to stretch your lats. Pull the bar to your collarbone. 4A CHINUP Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Hang from a bar with hands at shoulder width and palms facing you. Pull your body up until your chin is over the bar. 4B DUMBBELL BICEPS CURL Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms at your sides and palms facing forward. Without mov- ing your upper arms, curl the weights up. 2B SUSPENDED ROW Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Attach a suspension trainer to a sturdy overhead object and extend the handles so that when you suspend your body from them, you’ll be at an angle to the floor that allows you to complete 8–12 reps. Hang from the handles with abs braced and your body in a straight line. Pull yourself to the handles, retracting your shoulder blades as you come up. ZacEfron
- 42. D AY I I : L E G S 1A LEG PRESS Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Set up in a leg-press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out 45 degrees. Lower the plat- form toward your chest until your knees are bent 90 degrees, and then press the platform up. 1B SUSPENSION SQUAT JUMP Sets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec. Grasp the handles of a suspension trainer at chest level and stand with feet shoulder- width apart. Squat down halfway, jump as high as you can, then land softly. Repeat. 3B MOUNTAIN CLIMBER ON SLIDERS Sets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec. Place furniture sliders on the floor (or paper plates if you have a waxed floor) and set your feet on them. Get into a pushup position and draw one knee up to your chest. Slide that leg back while you draw the other one up to your chest. That’s one rep. Continue alternating legs at a brisk pace. 3A REVERSE WALKING LUNGE Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 0 sec. With a dumbbell in each hand, step back. Lower your body till your rear knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is parallel to it. Repeat for each rep. 2A SWISS BALL HIP EXTENSION Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Lie on your back on the floor and rest your heels on a Swiss ball. Brace your abs and drive your heels into the ball to raise your hips into the air. 2B SWISS BALL LEG CURL Sets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec. From the top position of the Swiss-ball hip extension, bend your knees and curl your heels toward your butt, rolling the ball back toward you. SUPER- SETTINGAND FOLLOWING ANORGANIC DIETGOT ZACEFRON DOWNTO5% BODYFAT. ZacEfron
- 43. 4A DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Hold dumbbells in front of your thighs. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, push your hips back and lower your torso until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Allow your knees to bend as needed. Extend your hips to return to the starting position. FOCUSONYOURFORMAS YOUBEGINTHISDEADLIFT, ANDPUSHYOURBUTTBACK ASFARASYOU CAN. 5A UNSTABLE SINGLE-LEG CALF RAISE Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 0 sec. Stand on a foam or air-filled pad on one leg. Hold a weight in the hand on the same side. Place the other hand on a wall or grasp a sturdy upright object to steady yourself. Lower your heel toward the floor until you feel a stretch in your calf. Then drive the ball of your foot into the pad to raise your heel up. Complete all your reps on one side and then repeat on the opposite side. 5B SUSPENSION TRAINER SINGLE-LEG SQUAT HOP Sets: 3 Reps: 20 (each side) Rest: 60 sec. Hold the handles of a suspension trainer as you did for the suspen- sion trainer jump squat, but stand on one leg. Squat down halfway on one leg and then jump as high as you can. Land softly and repeat immediately. Complete all your reps on one side and then repeat on the opposite side. 4B KICK BUTTS Sets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec. From a standing position, jump and quickly kick your butt with both heels. Land softly.
- 44. ZacEfron D AY I I I : S H O U L D E R S , C H E S T A R M S 1A DUMBBELL FRONT RAISE Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs. Brace your core and, keeping your arms straight, raise the weights up to shoul- der level. 2A DUMBBELL FLOOR PRESS Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Lie on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand and hold the weights over your chest. Press them over your chest and then lower your arms until your triceps touch the floor (not your elbows). Continue pressing from this shortened range of motion. 1B CROSS- BODY CABLE RAISE Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Attach a handle to the bottoms of two facing cable stations. Cross your arms in front of your chest and grasp the opposite side’s han- dle in each hand. Raise them to 90 degrees. THEFLOOR PRESS STRENGTHENS ACOMMON WEAKPOINT INTHEBENCH PRESS. 2B PUSHUP Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Place your hands on the floor at shoulder width and lower your body until your chest is an inch above the floor. 3A INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Set a bench to a 30-degree angle and lie back against it with a dumbbell in each hand. Press the weights over your chest. 3B DUMBBELL OVERHEAD PRESS Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press the weights straight overhead.
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- 46. ZacEfron 5A SINGLE-ARM PUSHDOWN Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 0 sec. Attach a rope handle to a cable station and hold an end in one hand. Pull the rope through the handle so that its full length hangs from the attachment. (Or grab both strands as shown here.) Extend your elbow, pushing the handle down and away from your body. Com- plete all your reps on one side and then repeat on the opposite side. 5B SINGLE-ARM CURL Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 60 sec. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and stand on that same side’s leg. Keeping your upper arm station- ary, curl the dumbbell. Complete all your reps on one side and then switch arms and legs. Zac Efron dieted for his Baywatch role with pizza and cheese- burgers…just kidding. (You wish!) In reality, he ate ultrahealthy for a transformation that took only 12 weeks. “I implemented an all- organic whole-food diet,” says his trainer, Patrick Murphy. Below are all the food categories Efron was permitted to choose from to put together his meals: Efron also supplemented with whey protein—“unflavored,” adds Murphy, who also stipulated it could contain no other ingredients (NOW Whey Protein Isolate is a good example). “He also hit a minimum of 100 ounces of water daily.” Murphy won’t disclose specifics but says he had Efron change his caloric intake about every two weeks, along with his breakdown of protein, carbs, and fat. “My tweaks worked like a charm,” he says. No kidding. Eat Like Efron • Chicken breast • Turkey breast • Pork loin • Egg whites • Fish • Steak (lean cuts like sirloin) • Quinoa • Brown rice • Oats • Seeds • Nuts • Avocados • Apples • Pears • All kinds of berries • All kinds Z TRICEPS PUSHDOWNS AREEASYON THEELBOWS ANDTARGET THEOUTER HEADOFTHE MUSCLE. 4A CABLE CHEST PRESS Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec. Attach single-grip handles to the top pul- leys of two facing cable stations. Stagger your feet for balance and press the handles from shoulder level. 4B BOSU PLYO PUSHUP Sets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec. Place a Bosu ball on the floor, dome-side down, and grasp each side of it. Get into a pushup position and stabilize yourself. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the back of the Bosu and then explosively press your body up so that the Bosu leaves the floor with you. Land softly.
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- 50. I V E N R YA N F L A H E R T Y ’ S R E P U TAT I O N as one of the most tech-savvy trainers at the highest level of professional sports—a soft-spoken metrics whiz who once pocketed $2,000 off Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel for correctly predicting the quarter- back’s40-yarddashtimedowntoatenthofasecond—Iexpectedtoseeamuchcoolergym setup from him. ¶ After all, when the owner of Prolific Athletes, based in Carlsbad, CA, isn’t training the NCAA’s top football prospects for the NFL combine—the league’s yearly predraft data fest measuring all things strength, speed, jumping, and agility—Flaherty is drawing up quant-based workout programs for tennis superstar Serena Williams, Bayern Munich midfielder Mario Götze (who scored the deciding goal for Germany in the 2014 WorldCupfinal),USARugbyspeedsterCarlinIsles,andcountlessMajorLeagueBaseball players and USA Track Field Olympic athletes. This is the guy who once told a reporter that, when he watches athletes play, he “sees in numbers” only, as if he looks past their flesh and directly into their biological machinery. SowhenIarriveatFlaherty’slatestultra-exclusivesix-weekNFL combinecamponechillyJanuarymorninginSanJuanCapistrano, CA, I’m surprised to discover no million-dollar bio-monitors with electrodes sprouting off athletes in gleaming, full-body supersuits, no glowing screens flashing columns of numbers that pour down ad infinitum. Nor is there any space-age machinery scattered about, processing heart rates, speed, acceleration, intensity, or power figures. Frankly, I’m not certain I even see a Fitbit. It’s just your standard gym where guys are lifting free weights and running sprints while listening to music. And had those guys not been top NCAA prospects, like quarterbacks Jared Goff of the University of California and North Dakota State’s standout Carson Wentz (the Los Angeles Rams used their top draft slot to take Goff first and he is expected to start in the fall; Wentz went next at No. 2 with the Philadelphia Eagles—he picked up a four-year deal worth a cool $26 million), I would’ve thought I’d taken a wrong turn and ended up at some high school’s early-ball conditioning session. But no, I’m in the right place. And as I learn, Flaherty is even more obsessed with quantitative analysis than I’d previously thought. He just doesn’t need sci-fi equipment to gather his data, and his workout philosophy and training process are so disarm- ingly simple and effective, it’s hard to believe. Over several years of refining his approach to helping star
- 51. “[FIRST] I MOPED AROUND FOR DAYS. THEN I DECIDED IF I WANTED TO PLAY AGAIN, I HAD TO GET TO WORK.” athletes build power, explosiveness, and speed, he has developed a proprietary formula that yields a single crucial metric that informs everything he does. He calls it the “Force Number.” With that one piece of data, he says, he can predict with 99% accuracy “any athlete’s 40-yard dash, vertical leap, even a 10K run time.” What’s more, improving an athlete’s number is not only possible, it’s also largely accomplished with the help of a single hardcore power lift. (More on that later.) So if you’re an aspiring professional athlete looking to take your body to the next level—and, say, sprint like DeSean Jackson, jump like Julio Jones, or explode off the line like J.J. Watt—you pay Flahertyupwardof$20,000foroneof12spotsathiscamptolearn your figure and improve it. Yes,itsoundsprettycool,likesomecrazystuffstraightoutofStar Wars. But unlike that metaphysical force, Flaherty’s number actu- ally exists. Believe me, I know. I’m here because he’s going to tell me mine. Secret to Running Like Wind I meet Flaherty and his clients on a high school football field with a backdrop of low, dusty hills. As his colleagues lay out a set of neon cones in a grid, a handful of agents—all middle-aged white guys in polo shirts—stalk the sidelines and take hushed phone calls. Flaherty, 33, is tall, with an athlete’s sure- footed presence. He’s also talkative, with colorful opinions on fitness springing rapid-fire from his mouth. Andifyouspendtimewithhim,you’lldiscoverhehasaknackfor explaining just about anything, no matter how complicated, using a single number. For example, when Utah State linebacker—and eventual 3rd-round pick for the Bengals—Nick Vigil, at 6'2, 230 pounds,sprintsby,Flahertyfirstpokesfunathim—“Nick,youhave thestepsofacircusmidget,dude”—beforesinglingoutthenumber 11.Flahertyamblesovertothestartinglineandturnsandpacesout 11 yards, repositioning a bright orange cone. “When I’m watching [the 40-yard dash at] the combine, the only thing I’m watching is this11-yardline,”Flahertysays.“Basedonwhereyourstepisatthat line, I know your time.” If a football player wants to run a blazing 40—clocking in at 4.5 seconds or less—Flaherty says, his seventh step needs to land at or past that 11-yard line. Period. Step counts, Flaherty has learned through thousands of hours of research, are an incredibly reliable indicator of race results. When youadjustforheight,hesays,theathletewhotakesthefeweststeps during any race will win because longer strides indicate an athlete is generating more force per step than his competitors. Over the course of a race, that extra distance per stride compounds. In a 100-meter sprint it could mean the difference of a step or two at the finish line; in a marathon, with about 20,000 strides taken, that extra three inches per step puts a runner a full mile ahead of his previous pace—exactly what Flaherty observed in 2014 after training pro distance runner Meb Keflezighi, who won the Boston Marathon just two weeks shy of his 39th birthday. No matter what, he tells the group, the goal should be hitting that seventh step at the 11-yard cone. Vigil steps up for another go. “Theseguysarefocusingsomuchonthestart,they’retensingup, I Clockwise from far left: Trainer Ryan Flaherty watches future Redskin linebacker Reggie Northrup; Flaherty and Nick Vigil, eventual Bengal linebacker; Jared Goff, quarterback and No. 1 pick by the Rams; Nick Vannett (running), now a tight end for the Seahawks.
- 52. whichshortensthesteps,”Flahertytellsme.“Iftheyrelaxandfocus on long, powerful strides, they’ll start running faster.” Sureenough,thetimesstartfallingimmediately,eventhoughthe athletes aren’t trying as hard. Many clock their fastest times of the day. “Form has almost zero to do with speed,” Flaherty says. “Speed has everything to do with how much force you create. The two main factors in speed are stride frequency and stride length, and both are products of how much force your body creates with the ground. So if I can improve the amount of force an athlete creates on every step, in turn I’m going to greatly affect his or her speed.” And the surefire way to create more ground force, he says, is to attack one power lift really, really hard. Most Badass Lift in Gym Flaherty’s long journey to becoming an elite trainer began when he was a young athlete growing up in Los Angeles, which is where he discovered that speed is something that can be taught. As a boy he was strong, coordinated, athletic. There was only one problem: He was glacially slow. But when, at age 10, he started working with a track and field coach who improved his form and stride, he quickly found himself the fastest kid on every team he played for. “Even at that age it was obvious that speed is a skill,” he says. “Most people think it’s just something you’re born with, but it’s actually something you can learn, something you can train. I was the product of that.” Flaherty attended Utah State University on a football schol- arship, playing wide receiver. His athletic career ended there, derailed by chronic ACL injuries. He moved to San Diego, where he earned an undergraduate kinesiology degree with a master’s in biomechanicsfromSanDiegoStateUniversity.Hestartedtraining and observing local track athletes and became obsessed with the question of what makes one athlete faster than another. “I noticed that very few of the trainers I’d worked with collected From left: Ejiro Ederaine, Fresno State linebacker and Redskin signee; UCLA offensive lineman Jake Brendel (now a Cowboy); and FSU linebacker and future Redskin Reggie Northrup. much data,” he says. “A lot of them were just applying philosophy. ButwhenIasked,‘Whataretheresultsyou’regetting;whatarethe average improvements?’ they didn’t know. It was, ‘We’re getting a fewtenthsoffthe40-yarddash,someimprovementonthevertical, and the bench press is going up.’ I realized that if I wanted to sepa- rate myself, to have accountability for the programming I was doing, I was going to keep data on every athlete.” In those years Flaherty spent untold hours accumulating data on elite sprinters, using high-tech video-analysis software and a sophisticated and obscenely expensive piece of equipment called a “force-plate treadmill” (essentially a treadmill that also measures ground forces). “At first I thought that running was all biomechan- ical,” he says, “but it wasn’t until I started looking into all this data from every race that I realized it always came back to peak ground force—I can take someone and make him the most perfect biome- chanical sprinter in the world, but if he doesn’t have a very good strength-to-weight ratio he’s not going to go anywhere.” That ratio is the basis for his Force Number. Flaherty originally discovered this during a 2005 study of sprinters running on a force-plate treadmill. To explain, he shows me a series of slides on his computer illustrating the study data: The athletes, marked A through H, are ranked first by peak ground force generated, then by body weight, then again by the relationship between the two. (Mathematically speaking, that’s the Force Number: your peak ground force divided by your weight.) It should be noted that the highest Force Number doesn’t come fromtheathletewiththehighestpeakgroundforce,buttheathlete with the highest peak ground force relative to his body weight. It’s an important distinction, and one he notes when showing me the next slide, which compares each athlete’s Force Number with his 100-meter sprint time. The correlation is, to be sure, perfect. The sprinter with the highest force number has the fastest time, the next-highest force number aligns with the next-fastest time, and soon,allthewaydowntheline.Hehassincetestedhisforcetheory on more than 6,500 athletes and consistently found, with 99% accuracy,thatthelargertheForceNumber,thestrongertheathlete F
- 53. According to top NFL combine trainer Ryan Flaherty, founder and CEO of Prolific Athletes, the hex-bar deadlift (aka the “trap-bar deadlift”), is the best, most efficient lift you can do since it utilizes 90% of skeletal muscle at max effort. Here, Men’s Fitness Training Director Sean Hyson offers a crash course in doing it right. If you’re just getting started, bear in mind: The first week, you should perform several warmup sets of 8 reps, gradually adding weight until you reach a load that lets you do about 9 reps—still, perform only 8. The next week, follow the same procedure but work up to 6 reps, with a 7th “in the tank.” Week 3, go for 4 reps. For the next three weeks, work up to 7-, 5-, and 3-rep maxes. You’ll notice your strength and speed increase dramatically. 1Q Stand with feet hip-width apart. Bend your hips back to lower your hands to grip the bar, bending your knees. Your lower back should be flat. Grasp the bar’s handles in the middle. The big knuckle of your middle finger should line up with the center of the bar. Push your knees apart. 2Q Take a deep breath and brace your abs. Your chest should point forward and your eyes should focus on a spot on the floor several feet in front of you. Retract your neck so you feel like you’re making a double chin. Now drive your heels into the floor as you begin lifting the bar upward. 3Q Stand up, squeezing your glutes as you lock out your hips. Be careful not to lean backward and push your hips too far forward, which will hyperextend your lower back. Keep your back flat as you bend your hips back and lower the bar. It’s OK to drop it, but control its path. A is, the faster he can run, and the higher he can jump. But once Flaherty had discovered his metric, he found that it was difficult to calculate on a larger scale, given the methods he was using at the time. A force-plate treadmill is large, unwieldy, and wildly expensive. You can’t exactly check it on a plane or buy it in bulk. So he went looking for a universally available lift as a substitute for determining peak ground force. “I took the data I had from the force-plate treadmill and started correlating it with various exercises,” he says. “It wasn’t correlating to the squat it wasn’t correlating to the front squat, it wasn’t correla power clean or the leg press either.” The answer, ultimately, was the hex-bar deadlift. Also known as the “trap-bar” deadlift, it gets its nam hexagonal-shapedbarthelifterstepsinto,effectivelyall to center himself over the weights (see right). Unlike a straight-bardeadlift,aliftusingtheuniquelyshapedhex pressure off the lifter’s spine, lower back, and hamstr because of the more balanced range of motion, out of e the gym, it’s the one on which your body can lift the mo (Yes, even more than a squat.) Because the hex bar is s every rep utilizes 90% of skeletal muscle. What’smore,thesearethesamemusclesyourelyonto high, and explode upward, fighting gravity. Whenheranthenumbers,FlahertyfoundthattheForc calculated from a one-rep max for the hex-bar deadlift y exact same correlation as the ratio derived from force-p mill numbers. He also discovered that the bigger you deadlift, the bigger your Force Number. In other words: You’re a better athlete. (For the record, Jamaican sp reigning world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, holds the hig Number ever recorded: 3.9.) In2014,Flahertyusedthehex-bardeadlifttoskyrocke combine numbers. Manziel arrived at Flaherty’s cam maximum hex lift of 530 pounds, a vertical leap of 2 and a 5.09-second 40-yard dash. Weighing 201 pounds Numberwas2.39.AftertwomonthsofFlaherty’sdeadlif LiftLikeaFirst-Rounder Deadlift:JamesMichelfelder;StylingbyChristinaSimonetti; GroomingbyMeganLanoux/ExclusiveArtistsManagementusingDr.Hauschka
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- 60. Crunch- Free AbsSee your abs in six weeks with this full-body workout QBelieve it or not, if you want a ripped midsection for summer, training your abs directly should be last on your list of priorities. The first step is cleaning up your diet. The second should be this program, which focuses on training the biggest muscles in your body to burn the most calories (thereby shedding the fat that covers your abs). In six weeks, you’ll already be revealing some of the definition you’d buried beneath your winter belly. And you’ll be shocked at how few abs exercises it took to get there.
- 61. AbTraining How It Works QThis program comes in two parts. You’ll do one phase of workouts for three weeks and then another three- week phase with different workouts. The first part has no direct ab training at all, just circuits of tough, big-muscle exercises like squats and presses that rev up your metabolism. In the second phase, once your body-fat levels are down enough to reveal some ab defini- tion, we’ll target the six-pack with a hanging leg raise and weighted crunch variations, two of the most effective moves for adding dense ab muscle that pops through the skin. P H A S E I : 3 W E E K S : D AY I Alternate each workout (Day I and Day II) for three total sessions per week, resting a day between each. So you can do Day I on Monday, Day II on Wednes- day, and Day I again on Friday in the first week. (You’ll do Day II’s workout twice the second week and repeat the cycle.) The first three weeks make up Phase I. After the third week, switch to the work- outs in Phase II, which are done the same way. Exercises marked “A,” “B,” and “C” are done in sequence. Perform one set of each, and then rest after C. Repeat for the prescribed number of sets. Note that in Phase II, the ab exercises are A and B (not C), so rest after B. Directions 1A FRONT SQUAT Sets: 4 Reps: 6–8 Rest: 0 sec. Grasp the bar with hands at shoulder width and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Take the bar out of the rack and let it rest on your fingertips. Step back and set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned slightly out. Squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. 1B DUMBBELL OVERHEAD PRESS Sets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Brace your core and press the weights straight overhead. 1C SQUAT Sets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 60 sec. Nudge the bar out of the rack and step back, setting your feet shoulder-width apart with toes turned out. Bend your hips back and squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. CHOOSELOADSTHATALLOW YOUTWOTOFOURREPSMORE THANTHEPRESCRIBEDNUMBER.
- 62. 1A DEADLIFT Sets: 4 Reps: 6–8 Rest: 0 sec. Stand with feet hip- width apart and roll a barbell up to your shins. Bend down to grasp it outside your knees. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, push through your heels and extend your hips until you’re standing with the bar in front of your thighs. AbTraining P H A S E I : 3 W E E K S : D AY I I 1B WIDE-GRIP PULLUP Sets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec. Hang from a pullup bar with your hands twice shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. 1C SWISS BALL LEG CURL Sets: 4 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 60 sec. Lie on the floor and rest your heels on a Swiss ball. Brace your abs and drive your heels into the ball to extend your hips. From there, bend your knees and roll the ball toward your butt. 2A DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS Sets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie back against a flat bench. Position the dumbbells at shoulder level. Press them over your chest. 2C FEET- ELEVATED PUSHUP Sets: 4 as poss Get into pushup position and place your feet on a bench or box. Lower your body until your chest is just above the floor, and then push up. 3 FARMER’S WALK Sets: 3 60 sec. Hold a heavy dumbbell in each hand and walk as quickly as you can. Keep your shoulders back and chest out. 2B SINGLE-LEG SQUAT TO BENCH Sets: 4 Reps: 8–10 (each leg) Rest: 0 sec. Set a bench or box behind you that’s tall enough so that when you sit on it your thighs are parallel to the floor. Extend one leg in front of you and bend your hips back to sit on the bench, but don’t relax on it. Extend your hips to come back up. IFYOUNEEDHELP BALANCING,HOLD ALIGHTWEIGHT ATARM’SLENGTH INFRONTOFYOU.
- 63. P H A S E I I : 3 W E E K S : D AY I 2A WIDE-GRIP BENTOVER ROW Sets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec. Set a barbell on a rack and grasp it with hands twice shoulder-width apart. Take it out of the rack and step back. Bend your hips back and lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Pull the bar to your belly button. 2B BACK EXTENSION Sets: 4 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 0 sec. Secure your feet on a back-extension bench and set the pad just under the crease of your hips. Bend your hips and lower your torso as far as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. Squeeze your glutes and extend your hips to lockout so your body forms a straight line. 2C SEATED CABLE ROW Sets: 4 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 60 sec. Attach a V-grip handle to the pulley of a seated cable row machine. Set up on the bench with knees slightly bent and grasp the handle with palms facing each other. Row the handle to your sternum, drawing your shoulder blades back and pushing your chest out. As you lower the weight, allow your torso to bend forward so your lats get a stretch. 3 BATTLING ROPES OR BEAR CRAWL Sets: 3 Reps: Work for 30 sec. Rest: 30 sec. Secure a rope around a fixed object and grasp one end of it in each hand. Whip the rope into the floor as hard and as fast as you can for 30 seconds. If you don’t have a rope, get on all fours and crawl forward like a bear for 30 seconds. 1A BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand lunge length in front of a bench. Rest the top of one foot on the bench behind you. Bend both knees and lower your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor. Keep your torso upright. 1B DUMBBELL SQUAT 4 Reps: 8–10 0 sec. Hold two dumbbells or kettlebells under your chin and perform the front squat as described on Day I. 1C JEFFERSON SQUAT 4 Reps: 12–15 60 sec. Straddle a barbell with your feet at right angles to each other. Squat down and grasp the bar at arm’s length. Drive through your heels to stand up with it. Change the leg that points forward each set. EXERCISES THATWORK THEBIGGEST MUSCLESDO THEMOST TOREVEAL YOURABS.
- 64. 2A OVERHEAD PRESS Sets: 4 Reps: 6–8 Rest: 0 sec. Set the bar on a rack at shoulder level. Grasp it with hands shoulder- width apart. Nudge the bar off the rack and step back. Raise your elbows so your forearms are perpendicular to the floor and brace your abs. Press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward as the bar clears your face. 2B DIP Sets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec. Suspend your body over parallel bars. Lean for- ward as far as possible with your knees bent. Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. 2C INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS Sets: 4 Reps: 10–12 Rest: 0 sec. Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and press them over your chest. 3A HANGING LEG RAISE Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 0 sec. Hang from a pullup bar and extend your legs beneath you. Brace your abs and raise your legs until your toes touch the bar. 3B HANGING KNEE RAISE Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 60 sec. Bend your knees 90 degrees and raise them to hip level. P H A S E I I : 3 W E E K S : D AY I I 1A SUMO DEADLIFT Sets: 4 Rest: 0 Stand with feet outside shoulder width and toes turned out 45 degrees. Bend hips back to grasp the bar at arm’s length. Push your knees out and drive through your heels to extend your hips to lockout, lifting the bar until it’s in front of your thighs. IFYOUR TORSOBENDS BACKWARD ONTHEPRESS, LIGHTENTHE WEIGHT. AbTraining
- 65. From the Editors of Men’s Fitness com 101 Best Workouts of All Time, t definitive exercise book that turns the w most respected fitness experts into your personal trainers. With 101 Best Workouts, THERE ARE NO MORE EXCUSES You will always have time to get in great shape —even if you have no time at all. You will always have the equipment you need —even if you have no equipment at all. You will never grow bored or stop progressing —and your workout will never become routine. 101 Best Workouts of All Time gives you: Routines for barbells, dumbbells, bands, machines, a suspension trainer, and body weight alone. Muscle-building full-body workouts, plus body- part-specific, and upper/lower split routines. Fat-burning, heart-strengthening cardio workouts for all the most popular machines—treadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary bike, rower, and more. Complete, scientifically proven nutrition plans for muscle gain and fat loss. TheBest WorkoutYou’llEverHave isOneClickAway THIS INCREDIBLE PROGRAM IS NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES. Visit www.101BestWorkouts.com to purchase your copy today and we will rush you the exclusive publisher’s edition of the Men’s Fitness 101 Best Workouts of All Time. EXCLUSIVE OFFER! EXCLUSIVE DISCOVER HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD YOUR GYM! A Zinczenko-AMI Media Ventures, LLC publication
- 66. AbTraining 1B DUMBBELL SWING Sets: 4 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 0 sec. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a kettlebell (or dumbbell) with both hands. Bend your hips back so the weight swings between your legs and behind you. Explosively extend your hips and allow the momentum to raise the weight to eye level. 1C HIP THRUST Sets: 3 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 60 sec. Sit on the floor and roll a loaded barbell into your lap. (You may need to wrap it in a towel or use a bar pad for comfort.) Lie back against a bench, bend your knees, and plant your feet on the floor. Brace your abs and drive through your heels so you raise your hips off the floor to full extension. 2A RENEGADE ROW Sets: 4 Reps: 8– side) Rest: 0 sec Hold a dumbbell in each hand and get into pushup position with your feet spread wide. Brace your abs and shift your weight to the left side. Row the righthand dumbbell. Repeat on the other side. 2B CABLE ROW TO NECK Sets: 4 Reps: 10 Rest: 0 sec. Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station and grasp an end in each hand. Stand away from the machine to put tension on the cable and row the handle to your neck, flaring your elbows out. 2C NEUTRAL- GRIP LAT PULLDOWN Sets: 4 Reps: 12 Rest: 60 sec. Secure your knees under the pad of a lat-pulldown station and attach a V-grip handle to the pulley. Pull the handle to your collarbone. 3A WEIGHTED SWISS BALL CRUNCH Sets: 3 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec. Lie back on a Swiss ball holding a weight plate or dumbbell on your chest. Allow your body to mold around the ball so you feel a stretch in your abs. Raise your upper back off the ball while driving your lower back into the ball, contracting your abs. 3B SWISS BALL CRUNCH Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 60 sec. Perform the same crunch movement without the weight plate. THEBARBELLHIPTHRUST STRENGTHENSTHEGLUTES, HAMSTRINGS,ANDCOREWITHOUT RISKINGBACKSTRAIN.
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- 68. T H E F L A H E R T Y F O R M U L A (continuedfrompage51) Manzielhadpackedoneightpoundsofmuscle—andcouldlift680 pounds for a Force Number of 3.2. Official combine stats recorded Manziel with a 31.5-inch vertical leap and a 4.68-second 40-yard dash, an improvement of about 0.4 second. At the high school in California, hex bars are everywhere, scat- tered about like weapons in an armory. Later that afternoon I watch first as NFL hopeful Jake Brendel, a 6'4, 300-pound offensive lineman sporting a UCLA T-shirt and red Viking beard, steps into the center of one that’s stacked with so many weights, there’s no room for collars. He grips the handles, bends his knees, straightens his back, raises his chin. The bar elevates and then crashes down, over and over again, like a monstrous piston. I do the math in my mind: five 45-pounders on each side plus the bar itself over five reps means he’s lifted over a ton. Whenthe23-year-olddropsitforthelasttimeandmeandershis way to a box for a round of single-leg jumps, I ask him if he knew how much weight he was moving. “No idea,” Brendel says, without breaking stride. “I just do what the man says.” True to form, Flaherty’s formula later helped get the burly offensive lineman signed with the Dallas Cowboys. to Formula, My Force Awakens Finally it’s time for my own Flaherty-run training session.Ientertheweightroom,whereaportable speaker pumps Lil Wayne as compact halfbacks, wiry receivers, and massive nose tackles rotate between sets of heavy bench presses and pullups. At 5'10 and 185 pounds, I feel like a man shrunk in an industrial dryer. But I get to work, kneading myself on a foam roller in advance of my deadlift session. This is my first workout of the day—meanwhile, Flaherty’s clients,followingspeeddrillsandalongroundofvariousskillwork run by a corps of position experts, are on their third. Flaherty puts me through a few low-weight test runs of the hex-bar and settles on four sets of four reps at 365 pounds, around 90% of what he calculates is my training max of 405 pounds. The lift feels as balanced and natural as it feels hard and satis- fying; more than anything, I immediately feel the burn in my fore- arms and glutes. After a quick break, Flaherty cycles me through five reps per leg of single-leg seated box jumps. The rest between sets is way longer than I’d imagined it would be—four to five minutes—but Flaherty says it’s necessary for recovery when you’re working with weights this heavy. He tells me that a good target range for the average guy is a Force Numberofanywherefrom1.8to2.4,whichis“agreatplacetobein terms of bone density, muscle mass, and overall relative strength, toallowthemtodoanyactivityandbeattheirpeak.”SoI’mpleased when Flaherty calculates my Force Number at 2.2, which he says is pretty good. Now that I know my number and I’ve finished my hex-bar session, Flaherty leads me to the other main component of his workout: the fine-tuning. He puts me through a series of single- and double-leg jumps, then shows me some data on a laptop, pointing to a place where my figures plateau. Something’s out of whack, he says. So he stands me on the edge of a box and instructs metobalanceononeleg,loweringforthreesecondsandraisingfor two, 15 reps per side, as he watches my range of motion. “Yourkneesgovalgus,”hefinallysays,apparentlyreferringtothe inward rotation that gives me a brief knock-kneed stance on my descent. “That’s why your numbers level off. We’ll fix this.” Like most trainers, Flaherty is a stickler for form, and he calls these microscopic movement dysfunctions “power leaks.” I have more than a single power leak, including one that stems from an underdeveloped vastus medialis obliques, otherwise known as the teardrop-shaped part of the quadriceps that sits inside the knee. To ultimately improve my hex-bar deadlift, he says, I need to “plug those leaks” and restore balance and efficiency of move- ment with a series of smaller exercises. (According to Flaherty, the popular canon of complex bilateral movements, like squats and Olympic lifts, actually mask those little deficiencies, so it’s important to look for them.) So I do a series of stepping exercises using a theraband with many slow, controlled reps and hip exer- cises in which I lie on my side and rotate my legs forward and back, working the hip muscle at the joint. These controlled, unilat- eral exercises look to the naked eye like simple rehab work, but Flaherty assures me I’ll soon hate them as much as everyone else in the gym. He’s not wrong. During the slow stepping exercises, my whole body burns and trembles as I try to balance. Though I detest squatting in general, I find myself fantasizing about being under the weight of a bar instead of hovering all jelly-legged. In a back room afterward, I catch up with Flaherty again as the athletes around us inhale cubic yards of food and lounge on couches watching SportsCenter. I still can’t get over how elemen- tary the whole thing seems. Flaherty, with a scientist’s cool confi- dence, assures me it seems simple only because it’s so effective. “I can work 90% of skeletal muscle with just one exercise,” he says. “That negates a lot of other exercises you incorporate for diversity. I can add 15 pounds of muscle to your quads, your glutes, your hamstrings through single-leg body-weight exercises and make you stronger in all those other lifts. So if I can do that, do you even need to do snatches?” And I’m not the only one who appreciates the simplicity. “For athletes, it’s really easy because they have a number,” Flaherty says. “Like, ‘My strength-to-weight ratio needs to be 3.2 for me to run a 4.5-second 40 for the rest of my life.’ Marcus Mariota does the hex-bar deadlift programming one day a week to maintain his number. But he’s also doing the Tennessee Titans weight-room program, which is nothing like mine, but it all works perfectly. “There’s a unifying aspect to this,” he continues. “Whether you’re a football player looking to run a fast 40 or just an everyday athlete looking to be more efficient in distance runs or get through your workouts easier. When your Force Number improves, almost any athletic endeavor improves, and at the same rate.” Only once over the course of two days do I see Flaherty bristle. It happens early in the trip, when I casually drop the phrase “celebrity trainer.” He doesn’t like the term. His programming is based on research, he says, insisting that people should listen to him only because of what he’s saying, not because of whom he trains. But then my brain ping-pongs from Russell Wilson to Serena Williams, Cam Newton, and Jameis Winston. Therearealotofchampionshipsandplayoffappearancesamong that group. Like Flaherty says: The data never lies. Q F