Men's Health Australia December 2022

menshealth.com.au Men’s Health Australia @MensHealthAU @menshealthaustralia MOST OF US have at least one body part we’re not happy with. For me, and as it turns out, LA Galaxy strength and conditioning coach Adam Waterson (p. 122), it’s our calves. Waterson admits to doing an excessive amount of calf raises to try to combat his perceived deficiency. You can hardly blame him. At the Galaxy, he’s surrounded by some of the most formidable pins on the planet. Me? I just avoid wearing ankle socks when I wear shorts, after a former female colleague once described my calves as “dainty”. If I’m being confessional, I also don’t particularly enjoy having as many chins as a chubby newborn when caught on camera at an unflattering angle. The COVID-induced Zoom Boom has required careful placement of my monitor on…

menshealth.com.au Men’s Health Australia @MensHealthAU @menshealthaustralia MOST OF US have at least one body part we’re not happy with. For me, and as it turns out, LA Galaxy strength and conditioning coach Adam Waterson (p. 122), it’s our calves. Waterson admits to doing an excessive amount of calf raises to try to combat his perceived deficiency. You can hardly blame him. At the Galaxy, he’s surrounded by some of the most formidable pins on the planet. Me? I just avoid wearing ankle socks when I wear shorts, after a former female colleague once described my calves as “dainty”. If I’m being confessional, I also don’t particularly enjoy having as many chins as a chubby newborn when caught on camera at an unflattering angle. The COVID-induced Zoom Boom has required careful…

Okay, so how much stretching am I actually supposed to do every day? -DD GOOD NEWS on that front: just a few minutes could make a world of difference. That’s because any movement is better than no movement. “Stretching increases your range of motion and improves circulation,” says personal trainer Dan Giordano. “If you aren’t stretching, you could lose range of motion as you age, making active things you love more difficult and painful.” Giordano recommends dynamic stretching before an activity, followed by a sport-specific warm-up (8-10 reps held only for a few seconds each), then static stretching (lower reps held for 30-60 seconds) after an activity. But what about for every day, even if you’re going to spend most of your time in a desk chair or on your couch - or…

Okay, so how much stretching am I actually supposed to do every day? -DD GOOD NEWS on that front: just a few minutes could make a world of difference. That’s because any movement is better than no movement. “Stretching increases your range of motion and improves circulation,” says personal trainer Dan Giordano. “If you aren’t stretching, you could lose range of motion as you age, making active things you love more difficult and painful.” Giordano recommends dynamic stretching before an activity, followed by a sport-specific warm-up (8-10 reps held only for a few seconds each), then static stretching (lower reps held for 30-60 seconds) after an activity. But what about for every day, even if you’re going to spend most of your time in a desk chair or on your…

Can I really get strong end muscular doing only body weight training? -TA Today 6:01am I find it hard to believe. Believe, TA. Have you tried it? Kind of. I’ve done some push-ups and air squats. Okay. That’s a solid start. But just as you would if you were using weights, you need to make your bodyweight program progressive. You mean keep adding more push-ups? Volume is one lever you can pull, absolutely. But only one. There are more push-up variations than I can list here, ranging from beginner to advanced. You can also reduce your rest periods between sets. Yeah, but what about back? And my guns? Look, I could give you equipment-free moves for those, too, but the best thing you can do is find a horizontal bar. You can build a thick, wide back and summer-ready…

“I know my girlfriend would like us to set married, but I’m not keen. I love her, but at 28 I know the magic will fade (for both of us) and everything will become routine. Any thoughts?” -SK Nik: I feel like she might not be the one for you, SK. Jess: Maybe there’s two parts to this question, right? There’s the issue of whether this is the girl for SK, and a separate one about whether in any long-term relationship, the passion/magic will fade. Becky: Well, my first question to you, SK, is: do you not want to get married now? If the answer’s no, my next question is: what about ever? Nik: Totally. Because it’s one thing to have not much hope for your current relationship. It’s another thing never to want…