Mens_Fitness_South_Africa_JulyAugust_2017

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JULY / AUGUST 2017 

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THE NEW MEASURE OF SUCCESS ® 

THE MEN'S FITNESS GUY 

EBEN 

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Features 

July / Aug 

Game 

Changers 

2017 

60 The Game 

Changers 

Some got ridiculously 

ripped, some got rich 

doing right, some dared 

to scale the heights, and 

one even swims with the 

sharks — but all of them 

have taken on the world. 

Meet the dreamers and 

doers who own 2017. 

62 A Genuine 

Mountain Man 

Get the inside scoop on 

Eben Etzebeth, a South 

African rugby legend and 

Evox’s poster boy and 

brand ambassador. 

BY BEN KARPINSKI 

84 Join the 

Supermeal 

Revolution 

We corralled the most 

nutrient-dense superfoods 

in six categories to 

show you how to combine 

them into delicious, 

mega-healthy meals. 

BY NILS BERNSTEIN 

91 Ask 

Men’s Fitness 

Want to bench 100-plus? 

A quick way to scrub up 

your Converse? A chance 

for great sex if you’re not 

well-endowed? Get these 

answers and more. 

Look Great 

53 The New 

Old School with 

Boyd Allen 

Get an urban overhaul 

with some classic pieces 

that we think are ready 

for a serious comeback. 

59 The New Man 

About Town 

Pull off a R300k look — 

for about R270k less. 

Score! 

62 

Pull off a R300k look 

— for about R270k 

less. Score!

www.porschesouthafrica.com 

What outstanding champions have in common: 

A brilliant performance. With extraordinary style. 

The new Cayenne Platinum Edition models. 

Arrival: commanding. Entrance: glamorous. Porsche dynamics refined with black exterior 

package, 20-inch RS Spyder Design wheels in satin platinum, eight-way electrically 

adjustable sports seats with Alcantara, auto dimming mirrors, privacy glass, Porsche crest 

embossed on head rests, Bi-Xenon headlights with Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS), 

BOSE ® surround sound and Porsche Communication Management (PCM) with Connect Plus. 

Step onto the red carpet: www.porsche.com/CayennePlatinumEdition 

Porsche Centre Johannesburg 

Tel: 011 540 5000 

Porsche Centre Cape Town 

Tel: 021 555 6800 

Porsche Centre Umhlanga 

Tel: 031 514 3000 

Porsche Centre Pretoria 

Tel: 012 816 7600 

Cayenne Diesel Platinum Edition: Fuel consumption in l/100 km: combined 6.6 • CO 2 emissions: 173 g/km • Power: 180 kW (245 hp) • Torque: 550 Nm

July / Aug 

92 How many 

superfoods can 

you fit into a single 

“supermeal”? A lot. 

12 Get a jump 

on keeping your 

heart healthy. 

Game Changers 

21 Sharpen 

Your Skills 

Simple techniques to 

take your braai game 

to the next level. 

24 Muscle Up 

A more efficient way to 

pyramid train. 

26 Eat Lean 

Your new treat: 

Buffalo cauliflower. 

28 Sweat Smart 

How to use mobility 

balls for gains. 

30 Lose It 

Eat for rippedness — 

and cut rice calories 

in half! 

32 Suit Yourself 

Sartorial wisdom from 

the Obi-Wan Kenobi of 

men’s tailoring. 

34 Bring It 

How Mark Cuban came 

to rule the Mavs, the 

Shark Tank, and the 

world at large. 

36 Go Fast 

Up close and personal 

with the brand-new 

GTI, CX-5 and Clio RS. 

40 Play On 

Hot releases include 

an action RPG, suspenseful 

horror, and 

an epic DC fighting 

sequel. 

44 Talking Points 

USN Elite Athlete 

Marco Araujo on how 

he’s reached his peak. 

46 Hot Seat 

Alrieta De Wet shares 

her journey into fitness. 

42 The new GS is 

your ticket to the 

ultimate adventure. 

Breakthroughs 

12 Top News 

Aerobic exercise can 

literally heal a broken 

heart. 

14 Fitness 

Why lifting lighter may 

be your best plan. 

16 Nutrition 

What’s up with gluten? 

And why you should 

grease up and go drink 

in the sun (sort of). 

18 Brain 

She wants it as much 

as you do—seriously. 

Columns 

48 Earn It! 

What does ‘Junk 

Status’ actually mean 

to ordinary South 

Africans? 

50 Burn It! 

Every man needs an ice 

- crushing blender. We 

found the best. 

The Body Book 

95 Lift like a 

Springbok 

Enforcer 

Lift hard and get a 

body worthy of a rugby 

world champion. 

103 Better-body 

Burgers 

Five awesome and 

healthy meals to help 

keep you lean. 

109 Muscle Up 

How to turn a tight 

schedule into tight abs. 

On the Cover 

EBEN 

ETZEBETH 

PHOTOGRAPH: 

GARRETH 

BARCLAY 

8 

MEN’S FITNESS JULY / AUGUST 2017

’ 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE 

Advisory Board 

SOMETIMES, EVEN WE NEED ADVICE. HERE’S WHO WE ASK. 

In the thick of it 

STRENGTH TRAINING 

FOOD 

Danny Boome Celebrity 

chef, currently on Good Food 

America for Veria Living 

MOTIVATION 

Martin E. Ford, Ph.D. 

Professor of education, 

George Mason University 

Well, that just sort of came out of nowhere, one day it was warm and then it just 

wasn’t anymore. Suddenly, those of us who do the morning training session find 

ourselves heading to our chosen training destination while it’s still dark and for the 

most part there’s a fully stocked weight rack. It’s way too cliché to use the “summer 

bodies are built in winter” line, but it is so incredibly true. As much as it sucks to 

get up and out of bed in the dark, there is no better time to reflect and start your 

day than that initial training session, especially when you are free from the chatter 

encountered during the more mainstream months of training. Something else to 

consider over the next two months, try doing something you haven’t done before, 

maybe that dreaded CrossFit class you’ve been contemplating, or joining a Jiu-Jitsu 

gym. The camaraderie at these places as opposed to your normal commercial hull of 

metal is something that can certainly assist with your motivational needs, creating 

a sense of belonging among peers. Otherwise, work in 

that 5km run twice a week, but the key is to change it 

up, do something a bit different. We have tons of quality 

content for you in this issue as well as incredibly tasty 

and healthy recipes. We sit down with some world-class 

athletes as well your local heroes, take a look at what’s 

cooking in the world of fashion and get some investment 

advice from the experts. Stay warm out there, train 

hard, remain motivated and push just a little bit harder 

each day. 

PUBLISHER & CEO 

Dirk Steenekamp 

dirk@mensfitness.co.za 

I hope you enjoy this issue. 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jodie Graves - jodie@dhsmedia.co.za 

DIGITAL & CLIENT MANAGER Charelle Johnson - charelle@dhsmedia.co.za 

MANAGING EDITOR Jason Fleetwood - jason@dhsmedia.co.za 

GROOMING EDITOR Greg Forbes - greg@dhsmedia.co.za 

GAMING EDITOR Andre Coetzer - andre@dhsmedia.co.za 

TECH EDITOR Peter Wolff - peter@dhsmedia.co.za 

ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR Toon53 Prod. - toon53@dhsmedia.co.za 

MOTORING EDITOR John Page - john@dhsmedia.co.za 

MOTORCYCLE EDITOR Gavin Perry - gavin@dhsmedia.co.za 

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Charlemagne Olivier - charlemagne@dhsmedia.co.za 

SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR Luba V Nel - luba@dhsmedia.co.za 

ADVERTISING SALES 

pieter@dhsmedia.co.za 

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INTERNATIONAL 

International editions of Men’s Fitness 

are published in the following countries: 

Australia 

Kuwait 

Qatar 

Turkey 

Bahrain 

New Zealand 

Russia 

United Arab 

Emirates 

Germany 

Oman 

Saudi Arabia 

United 

Kingdom 

CJ Murphy, M.F.S. 

Owner, Total Performance 

Sports, Everett, MA 

Jim Smith, C.P.P.S. 

Owner, Diesel Strength & 

Conditioning 

Zach Even-Esh 

Owner, Underground 

Strength Gym, Edison, NJ 

WEIGHT LOSS 

Bob Harper Fitness expert; 

trainer, NBC’s The Biggest 

Loser 

Chris Powell, C.S.C.S. 

Trainer; author; transformation 

specialist, ABC’s 

Extreme Weight Loss 

Frank G. Bottone Jr., 

Ph.D., R.D. Author, The 

Diet Denominator: Fill Your 

Tank for Less 

FINANCE 

Roy Cohen Career counselor; 

author, The Wall Street 

Professional’s Survival 

Guide; careercoachny.com 

Chris Bart, Ph.D. Business 

consultant; author, A Tale of 

Two Employees 

DERMATOLOGY 

Tina West, M.D. Boardcertified 

dermatologist; 

founder of the West Institute, 

westskinlaser.com 

Annet King, Director 

of global education, the 

International Dermal Institute 

and Dermalogica 

PHYSICAL THERAPY 

Jay Dicharry, M.P.T., 

C.S.C.S. Director of 

biomechanics, Rebound 

Physical Therapy 

Candice Kumai Author, 

Clean Green Drinks, 

candicekumai.com 

Devin Alexander Celebrity 

chef; host, PBS’s America’s 

Chefs on Tour; New York 

Times best-selling author 

SPORTS PERFORMANCE 

Jason Ferruggia, 

Fitness expert; owner, 

jasonferruggia.com 

Dan Trink, C.S.C.S. 

Owner, Trink Fitness 

Jon Hinds Owner, Monkey 

Bar Gym, Madison, WI 

Kevin Lilly Former D1 

football player; trainer of 

actors and athletes 

ENDURANCE 

Pete Jacobs 2012 Ironman 

world champion, Sydney, 

Australia 

SPORTS NUTRITION 

Shelby Starnes IFBB 

bodybuilder; owner, 

shelbystarnes.com 

Nate Miyaki, C.S.S.N. 

Author, The Samurai Diet; 

owner natemiyaki.com 

NUTRITION 

Angela Lemond, R.D.N. 

Owner, Lemond Nutrition; 

spokesperson, American 

Academy of Nutrition and 

Dietetics 

Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., 

R.D.N. Award-winning 

writer, nutrition consultant, 

spokesperson 

RELATIONSHIPS 

Tammy Nelson, Ph.D. 

Certified sex therapist, 

New Haven, CT 

Michael Aaron, Ph.D. 

Certified sex therapist 

and couples counselor, 

drmichaelaaronnyc.com 

Moushumi Ghose, M.F.T. 

Licensed psychotherapist 

and sex therapist, 

New York City 

WILDERNESS SURVIVAL 

Thomas Coyne, E.M.T. 

President, Survival Training 

School of California, 

Tehachapi, CA 

MALE HEALTH 

Steven Lamm, M.D., 

Director, Men’s Health 

Center, New York University 

Medical Center 

FASHION 

Jorge Valls Men’s fashion 

director, Nordstrom 

Michael Gordon 

Store director, Tourneau 

TimeMachine, NYC 

GROOMING 

Anthony Sosnick Founder, 

Anthony grooming brand 

Israel Leon Master barber, 

The Art of Shaving, NYC 

PSYCHIATRY 

Michael A. Grandner, 

Ph.D., Instructor, Penn 

Center for Sleep and 

Circadian Neurobiology 

Men’s Fitness South Africa is published by DHS Media Group (Pty) Ltd in South Africa for South Africa. 

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edition of Men’s Fitness is published monthly by American Media Inc. 

“ALWAYS LOOK FOR AN 

INSTRUCTOR WHO NOT ONLY 

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TRY TO LOSE YOURSELF .” 

JESSICA KING 

Peloton Instructor, New York City 

10 


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MAY 2017 MEN’S FITNESS 11

Edited by Jason Fleetwood 

Hard-hitting news from the cutting edge of modern research 

Breakthroughs 

Cardio does what 

no medicine can: 

repair damaged 

heart cells to keep you 

alive and jumping. 

12 


Tank: MATIERE 

Shorts: 

LULULEMON 

Sneakers: 

NEW BALANCE 

Tech: POLAR 

Aerobic exercise 

can heal your heart 

■ 

Running, rowing, cycling, skipping: They may not just 

strengthen your heart, they may also actually repair it 

when it’s damaged. Proteins that help keep cells healthy usually 

mend themselves when they get degraded from normal wear and 

tear. Sometimes, though, as in heart failure, damaged proteins 

accumulate and cause heart disease — and there’s no drug that 

can restore these essential cells to their previous grandeur. But 

here’s where aerobic exercise — which we already know strengthens lungs, lowers cholesterol, reduces blood 

pressure, and improves the immune system — comes in. New research on rats found that when rodents with 

damaged hearts were put on a steady routine of intense cardiovascular exercise (no doubt wearing tiny little 

leg warmers and sweating to a Jane Fonda’s Workout tape), their cardiac proteins were restored, making their 

broken tickers healthy again, the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine reports. It’s an amazing discovery, 

because it shows just how powerful exercise — specifically, aerobic exercise — is at boosting heart health. And 

though the findings will be most immediately beneficial to people already dealing with heart failure, they also 

reinforce how important working out is to our cardiovascular system. So get in at least 25 minutes of vigorous 

aerobic activity three days a week (the American Heart Association’s recommendation) and add at least two 

days a week of resistance exercise to keep that pump primed. —ADAM BIBLE 

Styling by Christina Simonetti; Grooming by Sylvester Castellano/ 

Bernstein & Andriulli using Chanel skin care

Fitness 

Breakthroughs 

LIFTING LIGHTER 

GETS THE SAME 

RESULTS AS 

GRUNTING UNDER 

HEAVY PLATES. 

Smarter 

people 

walk more. 

Duh. 

■ If you live in a big, 

dense, pedestrianfriendly 

metropolis 

instead of a carbased 

city whose 

citizens drive half a 

block to the store, 

you’re probably smarter than average. A 

report by Smart Growth America found that 

the most walkable of the 30 biggest US cities, 

including NYC, DC, and Boston, have 33% 

more educated people than those that are 

less walkable (heads up, Orlando, Tampa, and 

Phoenix). Makes sense: The more you learn, 

the more you know about health and fitness, 

and the better you understand the need to get 

off your ass and — hey, buddy, stay in your 

own lane! 

Attention: 

Exercise 

improves 

your focus 

■ Often feeling like 

you’ve got ADHD — 

anxious, depressed, 

and unmotivated — after 

trying to multitask your 

ass off every workday? 

A study from the US 

University of Georgia’s 

Exercise Psychology 

Laboratory found that 

exercising (in this case, 

cycling at moderate 

intensity for 20 minutes) 

before tough mental 

tasks can part the clouds 

of confusion and fatigue, 

while also upping energy. 

Puff & get 

buff at the 

first-ever potsmoking 

gym 

■ If you like a little 

cannabis with your 

cardio, former 

American NFL running 

back Ricky Williams and 

snowboard exec Jim 

McAlpine are opening 

Power Plant Fitness in 

San Francisco this year. 

Members (you need 

a medical marijuana 

prescription to join) will 

be allowed to toke up, 

nosh on edibles, and 

apply topical gels to get 

high while working out. 

Blaze on, bro. 

Pumping light 

weights puts 

on real muscle 

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/MUSCLE. 

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■Busting out big weight 

at the gym can be 

addictive — it’s so satisfying 

to finally get to the point 

where you can start moving 

real weight and build massive muscles. But new research 

from McMaster University in Canada has shown that you 

don’t have to lift heavy to get the strength and size gains you 

want. Scientists challenged the traditional weightlifting 

notion of “go big or go home” by dividing up two groups 

of experienced lifters and having them either hit lighter 

weights (up to 50% of their one-rep max) for sets of 20–25 

reps, or go for weights up to 90% of their max for just 8–12 

reps. Each group was instructed to lift till failure. After 

12 weeks, the researchers found that gains in muscle 

mass and muscle fibre size were basically identical. The 

key to it all is making sure you lift to the point of fatigue, 

no matter the weight you’re throwing up. And, bonus: If 

you have a nagging injury like tendinitis, adjusting the 

weight down can alleviate or eliminate the discomfort. 

Sure, going light could be a bit of an ego deflator, but 

you’ll still end up with bulging muscles, so who cares? 

14 


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Nutrition 

Breakthroughs 

YOU MAY NOT 

BE IMAGINING 

YOUR PROBLEMS 

WITH GLUTEN. 

“Funny, 

insulin 

dependence 

wasn’t on the 

drive-thru 

menu…” 

■ Seems every 

month another bit 

of smart research 

craps on fast 

food’s head — 

and this month 

is no different. 

A new study in 

Experimental 

Physiology has tied 

fast food to the type 

of kidney damage 

seen in folks with 

type 2 diabetes. 

Supersize that 

insurance plan! 

Wheat takes 

another beating 

A 

And processed food 

gets kicked in the gut, too 

Ask why someone’s banned wheat from their 

diet, and nine times out of 10 they’ll proudly 

proclaim they’re “gluten intolerant.” But doctors 

have stayed sceptical, maintaining that the only 

people who really need to avoid gluten — the protein “glue” 

that holds wheat grains together — are those actually 

diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder 

that causes gluten to attack the small intestine. In fact, 

reports show that if a person doesn’t have celiac (and 

less than 1% of people do) yet follows a gluten-free diet, it 

could raise their risk of obesity and insulin resistance by 

steering them toward higher-fat, higher-sugar “glutenfree” 

packaged foods. But a new study out of Columbia 

University Medical Center in the US may be what the antigluten 

warriors have been waiting 

for: It found that a significant 

■ Yet another reason to back away from any 

food born or raised in a factory: It turns out 

that the emulsifiers — the ingredients added 

to processed foods like ice cream and peanut 

butter to improve texture and extend shelf 

life — dramatically increase gut inflammation, 

which then ups your risk of developing a 

chronic condition like inflammatory bowel 

disease or metabolic syndrome. Thanks for the 

tip, Georgia State University researchers! 

number of people complaining of 

celiac-like symptoms may really 

have a weakened intestinal barrier, 

which can lead to an immune 

response that can create the 

problems. So if you do suffer from 

the symptoms linked to gluten 

intolerance — upset stomach, 

gut pain, diarrhoea, bloating — 

avoid gluten and see your doctor. 

It may not be all in your head. 

To live longer, 

oil up and get 

drunk in the sun 

■ Okay, that’s not 

exactly what new 

research says, but 

it’s close. 

According to a 

study just out in 

Molecular Psychiatry, 

there are 

three things you 

need more of daily 

to keep the Grim 

Reaper cooling his 

heels: omega-3 

fatty acids, typically 

found in oily 

fish; resveratrol, 

found in wine and 

dark red fruits, 

like grapes; and 

vitamin D, from 

either supplements 

or the sun. 

Scientists believe 

these compounds 

— which are easily 

gotten by sticking 

Grease is the word. 

Oily fish like 

sardines and 

anchovies can help 

you live longer. 

to a healthy Mediterranean-type 

diet (or, of course, 

trolling the Mediterranean 

itself on 

your well-stocked 

yacht) — may positively 

affect genes 

that promote 

longevity. 

...and finish 

that glass of 

wine! 

■ To superstar 

antioxidant 

resveratrol’s long 

list of bennies 

(better blood flow, 

less oxidative 

stress, improved 

insulin resistance), 

Georgetown University, 

USA has just 

added another: “It 

limits the negative 

effects of a high-fat/ 

high-sugar diet on 

muscles.” ¡Salud! 

From top: Levi Brown/Trunk Archive; Jarren Vink 

16 


JOHAN BOSHOFF 

SSN Ambassador & 

SA Bodybuilding Champion 

1. What first sparked the idea of going to the gym and doing weight training? 

I’m the youngest of 3 brothers and was always the smallest so I initially started 

going to the gym and doing weight training to stop them from bullying me. 

2. What are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned through 

training? 

To stick to the basics and always expect more from yourself. 

3. What are the key character traits required by individuals to become 

successful bodybuilders? 

Discipline, determination and being able to diet and being goal oriented. 

4. The sport and the industry has changed so much since you began and not 

many people are chasing the bodybuilding look and size anymore. Tell us 

how you think peoples’ work ethic has changed, be it for the better or worse. 

It all depends on the individual, people don’t make enough time for themselves 

and dont care what they put into their bodies as long as they get results fast and 

dont have to work hard to look good. 

5. Tell us why you choose to use SSN sports supplements and how important 

is it to you to be aligned with the best brand on the market. 

To be the best you have to use the best. 

6. What is your favourite supplement stack? 

My favourite supplement stack is the SSN Muscle Vitamin Pack, SSN 100% 

Whey Protein, SSN BCAA Powder, SSN Thermobuild, SSN Ignite, SSN Anabolic 

Muscle Builder, SSN Test RX and SSN IsoPro Protein. 

7. Tell us how you use your supplements and the timing thereof to best 

benefit your physique. 

Morning - SSN Muscle Vitamin Pack, SSN CLA, SSN EFAs. 

Half an hour before training - SSN 100% Whey Protein. 

During training - SSN BCAA Powder. 

After training - SSN 100% Whey Protein. 

At night - SSN Anabolic Muscle Builder. 

With meal times - SSN CLA, SSN Test RX. 

8. What are some of the best and most useful supplement tips and nutritional 

tips you could offer up and coming bodybuilders? 

For size - SSN Mass Addiction, SSN Anabolic Muscle Builder, SSN Cytomaize. 

SSN Muscle Vitamin Pack for you body’s daily needs. 

For fast release protein to the muscle you can use SSN 100% Whey Protein or 

SSN IsoPro and at night you can use SSN Micellar Casein Protein. 

Pre-workout, for a good pump and energy, there is SSN NO Crea-pump 

Concentrate and SSN NO Rage. 

For muscle recovery and the prevention of muscle break down you can use 

SSN CytoGuard. 

For more info about the products mentioned above visit: 

SSN is a division of Ascendis Health

Brain 

Breakthroughs 

She wants it as 

much as you do 

(You’re just too much of an idiot to realise it) 

■ 

Women 

want to have sex. Like 

to have sex. May even crave 

sex more than we do, a new study 

says. So why does it seem like they 

couldn’t care less? Because we’re 

morons. The study, in the Journal of 

Personality and Social Psychology, 

asked 229 hetero couples (average 

time together: six years) how often 

they want to have sex, as opposed 

to actually having it. The startling 

conclusion: Women want sex just as 

much as men — but men consistently 

misinterpret their signals, taking 

any turn-down as disinterest in 

sex in general, when it’s really just 

disinterest right then. Remember 

that the next time. —JAMES ROSENTHAL 

Workaholics 

need their heads 

examined 

■ The term worka holic 

generally has a fairly 

positive connotation, 

describing someone 

who’s driven to achieve, 

always wants the work 

to be better... right? 

Wrong. A workaholic 

is a person with a 

psychological addiction, 

according to new 

Norwegian research 

published in PLOS One. 

Using standard 

Then one day 

the rats got 

really smart 

and strong… 

psychological protocols, 

the researchers 

surveyed more than 

16 000 online 

respondents over six 

months and found that 

those who met the 

criteria for “workaholic” 

also met the criteria for 

ADHD (attention deficit/ 

hyperactivity disorder), 

OCD (obsessivecompulsive 

disorder), 

anxiety disorders, 

and/or depression 

much more often than 

non-workaholics. 

In short: Go home! 

■ Aerobic exercise 

doesn’t just fix heart 

tissue, it grows brain 

cells, too. The Journal 

of Physiology reports 

that in an experiment in 

Finland, rats that ran on 

a wheel showed the most brain cell growth (their 

brains were dissected after), followed by those 

prodded to sprint (to simulate HIIT). Oddly, neither 

rats who climbed with their tails weighted 

(to mimic weightlifting) nor those who just sat on 

their little rat asses grew any new brain cells at 

all. [Your punch line here.] 

Remember. 

Eating more 

curcumin-filled 

dishes can fight 

memory loss. 

Don’t want 

your memory 

to get blurry? 

Eat curry. 

■ Curcumin — a 

bright orange-ish 

spice that’s found in 

turmeric and is integral 

to most curries 

and many other 

Asian foods (not 

to mention mustard!) 

has already 

been shown to be 

a powerful antiinflammatory. 

Now 

evidence is growing 

that it also stymies 

the destruction of 

brain neurones — 

meaning it may 

combat dementia 

and even Alzheimer’s 

disease. 

Researchers in 

a year-long study 

at Australia’s Edith 

Cowan University 

gave cognition tests 

to 96 middle-aged 

and elderly subjects, 

then sent half 

of them home with 

concentrated curcumin 

pills, and 

the other half with 

a placebo. 

When all were 

retested just six 

months later, those 

who’d been taking 

the placebo showed 

a decline in verbal 

and memory 

skills — but the ones 

taking curcumin 

showed no such 

decline. 

Though the study 

can’t be considered 

conclusive, it helps 

explain why many 

of India’s urban and 

rural populations 

have some of the 

lowest Alzheimer’s 

rates in the world. 

How to get 

more curcumin 

into your diet 

■ Pop it. Get 

400 to 600mg of 

turmeric extract in 

tablets/capsules 

three times a day. 

■ Cook with it. 

Curcumin is an 

unstable chemical, 

so store turmeric in 

darkness and add 

to an acid like lemon 

juice when cooking. 

■ Marinate in it. 

A turmeric-garlic 

mix can cut carcinogens 

in grilled 

steak, the Cancer 

Research Center of 

Hawaii says. 

From top: Folio ID - Jesus Alonso / Trunk Archive; Johnny Autry / Offset 

18 


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BRAAI 

Special! 

Everything you need to make life work for you 

Lord of 

THE COALS 

Whether you’re 

a cookout rookie 

or a braai maestro, 

these simple but 

sophisticated 

hacks will 

raise your 

grilling game 

BY MATT GILES 

PHOTOGRAPHS BY 

JARREN VINK 

■ Are you a barbeque 

virtuoso who lives to 

man the flames? Or 

a braai master who 

gets weak-kneed at 

the mere thought of 

holding the tongs? 

Either way, we’ve 

got all the ace techniques 

and easy tricks 

you need to take your 

braai skills to the next 

level. For example, the 

best way to transform 

a less-pricey slab of 

meat so it tastes like a 

prime cut? Age it. Finish 

a steak perfectly 

without overcooking 

it? Reverse-sear it. 

Keep a burger delectably 

juicy? Flip it, flip 

it, flip it! 

Yes, with these 16 

top tips, a few hours’ 

practise, and a little 

patience, you too can 

enter the Pantheon of 

braai gods (or, at least 

not fall flaming from 

the heavens). 

The searing truth. 

There’s a trick to getting 

a steak perfectly done — 

not overdone. 

JULY / AUGUST 2017 MEN’S FITNESS 21

● Game Changers 

Sharpen your skills 

Know thy 

wood chips. 

Kameeldoring, 

mopane or rooikrans 

form good 

embers after 

burning. 

1) Funkify 

Your Meat 

■ Dry-ageing a 

steak gives it such an 

incredible boost of 

flavour that restaurants 

typically sell 

aged steaks for twice 

or even three times 

the price of nonaged. 

So ageing your 

own is a sure way to 

show off your chops. 

It may seem 

extreme, but do you 

want to hit braai 

highs or not? 

It’s fairly simple. 

The goal is to dry out 

the meat’s exterior — 

so bacteria forms and 

imparts flavour — 

but avoid rot-causing 

moisture, says The 

Food Lab author 

J Kenji Lopez-Alt, of 

Serious Eats (serious 

eats.com). 

Start with a bonein 

prime rib (with the 

fat cap intact), which 

will make about six 

rib-eye steaks. While 

it’s a bit pricey, it has 

enough fat to protect 

the interior from 

bacteria — cheaper 

Salt is the essence 

of life — and of a 

memorable burger. 

cuts don’t. 

All you need is a 

mini fridge (“The 

meat will pick up 

too many aromas 

in a regular fridge”, 

says Lopez-Alt), a 

cooking rack, a small 

fan, and some time. 

The steps: 

1) Plug in the fridge 

and the fan. Set 

the fan inside (cut 

a tiny hole in the 

door’s seal for the 

cord, if necessary) 

to circulate air and 

speed up the drying 

of the fat. 

2) Place the meat on 

a wire shelf or cooking 

rack (not a plate 

or solid shelf). Close 

the door. 

3) Wait three weeks 

— or, for a more 

umami (savoury) 

flavour, four. 

4) Remove the meat 

and trim areas that 

have the texture of 

biltong (typically 

the fat cap) until the 

meat is purplishred. 

2) Master Your 

Reverse Sear 

■ To give steaks 

maximum flavour, 

learn the art of 

reverse-searing to 

minimise the risk of 

overcooking, says 

Lopez-Alt. 

First, blanket the 

steaks with kosher salt 

and pepper (½ teaspoon 

of each on both sides), 

which will help the meat 

stay moist as it cools. Let 

it rest for about an hour. 

Next, fill and light a 

chimney starter; once 

the coals turn grey 

(about 20 minutes), 

spread them under half 

the grill and place the 

steaks on the braai’s 

other (cool) side. Cover 

and cook them, flipping 

occasionally, for about 

20 minutes, till the meat’s 

internal temp is within 

at least 5° of the final 

desired temperature. 

For medium-rare, 

that would be 45°; for 

medium, 50°. 

Add fresh coals to the 

hot side of the braai, and 

when it begins to scream 

with heat, transfer the 

steaks and sear. Rest 

the meat for at least 

10 minutes. 

3–5) Pamper 

Your Burgers 

Even if you’ve got 

the perfect burger 

recipe (and who 

doesn’t think they 

do?), you could 

still screw it all up 

with a few silly 

mistakes. Here’s 

how not to. 

■ Don’t 

preseason the 

meat before you 

form the patties. 

Salt dissolves 

meat proteins, 

which makes 

the texture too 

springy. Mould 

the patty, then 

season. 

■ Flip burgers 

often — every 15 

to 30 seconds — 

while cooking and 

they’ll be done 

30% faster. 

■ Upgrade 

your cheese. 

A few slices of 

provolone — or 

our go-to, soft 

blue Gorgonzola 

Dolce — will pair 

harmoniously 

with the burger’s 

well-salted crust. 

6) Get Smokin’ 

on Your Ribs 

■ You don’t need to 

drop thousands of 

bucks on equipment 

to become an awardwinning 

smoker 

— take it from Billy 

Durney, who had 

only his backyard 

grill to train on 

before opening his 

Hometown Bar-B- 

Que in Brooklyn, 

USA in 2013. His 

simple tricks: 

Start with cherryand 

apple-wood 

chips. “Together, 

they’re the PB&J of 

smoking”, he says. 

To set up the 

smoker, arrange a 

50/50 mix of wood 

chips and coals 

under half of a braai’s 

rack (similar to the 

reverse sear, left) and 

place the ribs on the 

cooler side; cover and 

cook for three hours, 

or till the smoker’s 

internal temp is 120°. 

“If the temperature 

isn’t consistent”, 

Durney says, “the 

water in the meat 

won’t combust, so 

the collagen and fat 

won’t break down” 

— meaning the ribs 

won’t fall apart in 

your mouth. Next, 

spray the ribs with 

apple juice, wrap in 

foil, and cook over 

indirect heat for one 

more hour. 

A minute-long sear 

on a separate braai 

or chimney will add a 

satisfying char. 

WHO NEEDS 

TO SPEND 

ZILLIONS ON A 

RIB SMOKER? 

NOT YOU. 

Food styling by Michelle Gatton/ Stockland Martel; 

Prop styliing by Megumi Emoto/ Anderson Hopkins; Burger: Christopher Testani 

22 


You’ve eaten kale — 

but never after 

it’s gotten crispy 

and flavourful over 

an open flame. 

8–10) Hack 

Your Braai 

Save yourself a 

ton of grilling 

heartache with 

these handy tips. 

Don’t blow it: 

Actually, do — 

with a hairdryer, 

to heat the coals. 

■ Use a charcoal 

chimney to get a great 

(superhot) sear. Once 

the coals are extremely 

hot, top 

the chimney with a 

rack and sear off 

the steaks for just 

a minute. 

■ A hairdryer can be 

a braai master’s best 

friend, especially 

if you don’t have a 

chimney. Duct-tape 

3cm or so of zinc piping 

(available at hardware 

stores) to the 

dryer’s mouth. Use 

it to blow the coals 

(wear a oven mitt), so 

they burn hotter. 

■ Cooking a fatty 

fish like salmon? Line 

the braai with foil to 

reflect heat back into 

it. This overheats 

the grate and flashcauterises 

the fish’s 

skin so it doesn’t stick 

to the grill. 

11) Brewski Your Beef 

7) Update 

Your Veggies 

■ Mielies, potato, butternut 

and onions are 

the oldies but goodies 

on the braai scene. oldies 

but goodies of the 

grilling scene. But that’s 

the problem — they’re 

dated. So why not try 

something new? 

There are very few 

veggies that Amanda 

Cohen, Head Chef at 

American-based vegetarian 

restaurant Dirt 

Candy, hasn’t tried to 

grill at the eatery, from 

avocados (“not my 

favourite”, says Cohen) 

to baby artichokes 

(a seasonal treat) to 

lemons (a simple trick 

to boost lemonade’s 

flavour). 

Her recommendation: 

Create a uniquely 

delicious salad by 

grilling up some dark, 

leafy greens like kale, 

spinach, collards, or 

Swiss chard (the blend 

of smoke and crispness 

unlocks different 

flavour profiles, she 

says) and pair them 

with fresh fruits and a 

cheese like feta. 

And the grilling is a 

snap to do: Toss them 

with olive oil and salt, 

place over the flames, 

then briefly spritz the 

greens with water (to 

speed up the cooking 

time). 

“Once you see the 

first wilt, flip them 

and cook them till 

they have a bit of char”, 

Cohen says. It takes 

just a minute or so: 

“They’ll continue to 

cook once you take 

them off the grill”, 

she explains, so don’t 

overdo it. 

If you shy away 

from greens, cut 

sweet potatoes into 

wedges, parboil for 

a couple of minutes, 

add a bit of salt and 

olive oil, and grill for a 

savoury treat. 

FOR THE COMPLETE 

RECIPE, GO TO 


■ It’s not just a clever 

marketing campaign 

to sell more suds. 

According to a 2014 

study in the Journal 

of Agricultural and 

Food Chemistry, 

marinating raw meat 

in dark beer, like a 

stout, for at least four 

hours before braaing 

reduces by more than 

50% the presence 

of carcinogens that 

form when meat is 

cooked over an open 

flame. 

We recommend 

making a marinade 

using Castle Milk 

Stout that finishes 

with notes of caramel 

Get hopped up. 

A stout marinade 

makes a robust cancer 

fighter. 

and licorice. 

In a pan, combine 

the beer, apple-cider 

vinegar, soy sauce, 

honey, and spices 

(like chili). Set the 

steaks, burgers, or 

pork chops in it and 

marinate in a sealed 

bag in the fridge for 

a day. 



Muscle up 

The great pyramid 

Pyramid training is the most 

popular muscle-building method 

in history—but are you getting 

the most out of it? Probably not. 

BY SEAN HYSON, C.S.C.S. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK FERRARI 

■ 

Arnold did them. Physique models do them. You’ve done them, too, whether you 

realised it or not at the time. Yes, if there’s one skill likely to be found in most 

gym-goers’ repertoires — besides posing their biceps in the mirror afterward — it’s 

pyramiding. Undoubtedly the most intuitive way to train, pyramiding usually means 

starting with light weight and doing high reps (usually 12–15), then increasing the load 

and reducing the reps. Sets usually total four or five, and reps typically descend from 

12 to 10, 8, 6, then 4. As the weight goes up, the reps go down — which, if you visualise it, 

makes a pyramid shape. The advantage of the classic pyramid is that the warm-up is 

built in. The first, higher-rep sets prepare your body to handle the heavier sets safely. 

And as you tire, you do fewer reps, so it’s a very natural way to train. Pyramiding also 

exposes your muscles to a wide range of reps, which trains all types of muscle fibres for 

optimal growth. But surprisingly, as good as it sounds on paper, pyramiding this way 

isn’t the best strategy for most people. You’re about to learn how to make this ancient 

training idea more relevant — and effective — than ever. 

Pyramid scheme. 

Focus on weight, 

not reps, so you don’t 

burn out as fast. 

The Problem 

with Pyramids 

The main drawback 

to pyramiding is the 

fatigue it produces. “If 

you’re doing sets of 12 

down to 2”, says 

Don Saladino, an 

American trainer to 

celebrities and athletes 

(driveclubs.com), 

“by the time you get 

to the double, you’re 

smoked”. 

A very strong, experienced 

lifter might 

squat 60 kilograms for 

12, then jump to 100 

for 10, 140 for 8, and 

180 for 6, getting 

the full benefit of loads 

that suit each of those 

rep numbers. But 

most of us aren’t 

strong enough to make 

such big jumps in 

weight. For example, 

your squat day might 

Prop styling by Rachel Stickley/Bernstein & Andriulli 

24 


look more like 60 for 

12, 70 for 10, 75 for 8, 

and 85 for 6. 

In that case, says 

Saladino, “your loads are 

so close together, you’re 

not getting the effect you 

think you are”. You’re 

too tired to lift what 

you could normally do 

for 6 reps once you get 

there, thereby reducing 

the challenge to your 

muscles. 

The New Architecture 

of Muscle 

A better way to 

pyramid, for regular 

guys and beginners 

in particular, is to 

focus on the weight, 

not the reps. Saladino 

likes another classic 

routine, 5 sets of 5, for 

these purposes. Do 5 

sets total, gradually 

increasing the weight 

you use until you arrive 

at the heaviest load you 

can complete 5 reps 

with. This approach 

gives you the volume 

to make size gains but 

also practise handling 

heavier weights so you 

can build a base of 

strength. Because all 

the sets are low rep, you 

don’t burn out before 

you reach the most 

challenging load. 

Another option is to 

do what’s commonly 

called a reverse 

pyramid. Here, you 

warm-up and then 

do your heaviest set 

first, followed by a few 

lighter sets for higher 

reps. “You could do 

2 feeler sets,” says 

Saladino, which are 

light but low rep to 

prepare your body for 

heavy weights, “and 

then do work sets of 2 

reps and 4 reps. Then 

back off with sets of 6 

and 8.” 

Still a third type of 

pyramid is a combination 

of the classic 

ascending version and 

the reverse style. Start 

with light weights and 

higher reps and work 

up heavy, then back off 

to high reps again. A 

2012 study from the 

University of Guilan 

in Iran examined the 

effect of an ascending 

and descending 

pyramid model versus 

a reverse pyramid on 

wrestlers. One group 

who used the former 

approach made slightly 

greater gains in benchpress 

strength, while 

those who did the 

reverse pyramid experienced 

a bit more growth in 

leg muscle size. The 

researchers concluded 

that “both training 

models were suitable 

for increasing strength, 

endurance, muscle 

mass, and muscular 

power… However, if the 

aim is increasing 

strength along with 

increasing muscular 

endurance, the [reverse 

pyramid] model is 

more appropriate”. 

Saladino also cautions 

that going up and 

down a pyramid is more 

work than most people 

need. If you miss your 

target number of reps 

on any set, end the 

exercise. 

SAMPLE 

PYRAMIDS 

Choose the one that 

suits you best, or try 

them all. 

The Classic 

(ascending weight) 

EXAMPLE: Sets: 5 

Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 

Reverse Pyramid 

(descending weight) 


Reps: 2, 4, 6, 8 

Ascending and 

Descending 


Reps: 8, 6, 4, 10, 15 

FOR MORE TIPS ON 

BUILDING STRENGTH AND 

MUSCLE, GO TO 


Hard Facts 

Our Training Director, Sean Hyson, solves your workout conundrums 

Workout: James Michelfelder 

“How can I 

strengthen 

my grip?” 

MILT J, CAPE TOWN 

■ First, do as many 

exercises as you can 

that work your grip 

automatically while 

you’re training something 

else. Start doing 

deadlifts, one-arm 

dumbbell rows, farmer’s 

walks, and shrugs. 

Avoid using straps on 

these exercises so 

that your hands have 

to work their hardest. 

Focusing on making 

your training harder 

rather than easier is 

probably enough alone 

to remedy the problem. 

If after a few weeks 

you still can’t crunch 

your empty proteindrink 

can, add some 

moves that train your 

grip directly, like plate 

pinches: Squeeze 

two 5-kilogram plates 

together, smooth 

sides facing out, using 

just your fingertips 

and thumbs. Hold 

for as long as you 

can; repeat for three 

sets. Work your way 

up to more plates and 

longer times until 

your handshake can 

crush bone. 

Sean Hyson, CSCS, is the 

Men’s Fitness Training 

Director and author of 101 

Best Workouts of All Time, 

101bestworkouts.com. 

Heavy rowing 

builds strong 

hands and 

thick forearms. 



Eat lean 

Buffalo gets buff 

Cauliflower bumps off chicken to 

become fall’s top tailgate treat 

BY PAUL UNDERWOOD 

PHOTOGRAPH BY 

WILLIAM & SUSAN BRINSON 

■ 

Deep-fried buffalo wings are a social staple. 

But at about 100 calories each (not counting 

blue cheese dressing, which can run 600 calories for 

little more than a third of a cup!), just a few wings — and who eats just a few? — can 

wreck your pre-game-day workout. That’s why chefs and tailgaters alike are ditching 

the fowl and turning fresh, crunchy, nutrient-loaded cauliflower into a healthy, 

low-cal, vegetarian spin on the classic. Sure, cue the eye rolls — but hear us out. 

Baked buffalo “bites” like these, a slight variation of the dish served at an American 

restaurant Mohawk Bend, taste seriously incredible, so crisp and deliciously spicy 

you can’t just eat one — which is fine, since they rack up only 145 calories per serving. 

Oh, and Mohawk’s leaner buffalo dip is amazing, too (you know you can trust a 

veggie-centric spot that also serves bacon and has 70 craft beers on tap). 

No harm, no fowl. 

Buffalo cauliflower 

bites add heat — not 

weight — to your 

game-day feast. 

INGREDIENTS 

1 head cauliflower 

½ cup almond milk 

¼ cup almond flour 

2 tbsp cornmeal 

• 240ml Nando’s Peri- 

Peri sauce 

DIRECTIONS 

1) Cut cauliflower into 

florets and soak 

in almond milk for 

10 minutes. Drain; 

add to an almond 

flour–cornmeal mix 

and toss until well 

coated. 

2) Pre-heat oven to 

230°. Spread cauliflower 

on a baking 

sheet, and bake for 

20 to 25 minutes. 

3) Remove cauliflower 

from oven, place 

in a mixing bowl, and 

toss with Nando’s 

Peri-Peri sauce. 

Once the cauliflower 

is coated, bake 

for 10 more minutes. 

Serves four. 

4) For a healthier 

alternative to blue 

cheese dressing, 

combine 1 cup 

vegan mayonnaise,½ 

block firm 

tofu, 1 tbsp of lemon 

juice, a pinch of 

garlic powder and 

onion powder, and 

salt and pepper to 

taste. Mix until the 

dip has a creamy 

consistency, and 

chill for an hour. 

Food Styling by Suzanne Lenzer; Prop Styling by Emily Rickard/Tricia Joyce 

26 


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Meet the press. 

Putting pressure 

on tight muscles 

tells your 

nervous system 

to relax them. 

Sweat smart 

Tank: LASC 

Pants: Vimmia 

Sneakers: New 

Balance 

Ball busters 

Open up gains with The reason you can’t seem to get stronger 

mobility balls ■ or add more muscle is rarely that you’re not 

BY SEAN HYSON, CSCS training hard enough. More than likely it’s that 

PHOTOGRAPH BY your form is breaking down when the weight 

JAMES MICHELFELDER 

gets heavy. The solution? Use balls to improve 

your mobility. We like the specially designed 

mobility balls from Acumobility (acumobility.com), but 

lacrosse or tennis balls work, too, to help open up every 

muscle group. For example, here’s how to use them if 

your bench press is stuck, according to orthopedic acupuncturist 

and Acumobility CEO Brad Cox. 

FOR MORE 

BENCH-PRESS 

TIPS AND BACK 

OPENERS, GO TO 

MENSFITNESS 

.CO.ZA 

How to Do It 

1 Place the balls on 

the floor so they fit 

on each side of your 

spine. 

2 Grasp a light 

kettle bell with both 

hands and lie on 

your back, resting 

against the balls so 

they dig into your 

back, 8cm below 

your shoulder 

blades. Bend your 

knees 90 degrees. 

Hold the kettlebell 

above your chest. 

3 Take a deep breath, 

then slowly let it out 

as you do a crunch, 

driving your back 

into the balls as you 

curl your torso up a 

few centimetres. Lift 

the bell overhead as 

you rise. Your lower 

back must remain 

against the floor. 

4 Slowly lower 

your torso and the 

weight back down. 

That’s 1 rep. Do 5 

reps, and then move 

your body down a 

few centimetres 

or so to target the 

upper back. Repeat 

once more so you’re 

pressing right below 

the shoulder blades. 

■ The balls work 

like a massage, 

releasing chronically 

tight muscles in the 

back that prevent 

you from arching 

your thoracic spine 

and retracting your 

shoulder blades 

when you bench 

press and shoulder 

press. Improving 

your ability to 

achieve these 

positions makes for a 

stronger platform to 

bench press from. 

LIES WE LIVE BY 

MYTH: “You can change 

the shape of your muscles 

with certain exercises.” 

■ The shape of your 

muscles — their 

length, structure, 

and where they 

attach — are all 

determined by your 

genes and can’t 

be trained. When 

bodybuilders (or 

infomercial gurus 

who want your 

money) say they 

can help you get the 

“shape” you want, 

what they’re really 

saying is that you 

can build muscles 

in proportion to 

one another so they 

create a particular 

visual effect. 

For example, if 

HOLLYWOOD 

MUSCLE 

Build wings 

like Batman 

Widen your back 

with more pull-ups 

you want your waist 

to look smaller, 

you can build up 

your shoulders and 

lats so your body is 

wider on top. If you 

want thicker arms, 

you can focus on the 

brachialis muscle 

that lies between the 

biceps and triceps 

(reverse curls). 

But if you have 

genetically short 

bi’s with flat muscle 

bellies and you want 

mountainous peaks 

like Arnold in his 

prime… you’d better 

go back in time 

and find different 

parents. 

■ If you want a wide 

set of lats, why not 

ask the man who 

helped Batman 

spread his wings? 

Walter Norton Jr 

(ipfitness.com) 

trained Ben Affleck 

for Batman vs 

Super man: Dawn of 

Justice with special 

focus on the actor’s 

back. 

“We had three 

pull-up days a week, 

usually paired with 

other torso work or 

squats”, he says. 

Affleck rotated types 

of pull-ups, including 

parallel grip (palms 

facing each other); 

alternating grip (one 

palm away, one facing); 

and chin-ups 

(palms facing you). 

Intensity varied, 

too, as he sometimes 

worked up to heavy 

sets of just 3 reps and 

other times did higher 

reps with slow negatives 

(taking several 

seconds to lower his 

body to the bottom of 

a rep). It worked! 

Styling by Christina Simonetti; Grooming by Casey Geren/Bernstein and Andriulli 

using Chanel Skincare: Ben Affleck: John Russo/Contour by Getty 

28 


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Lose it 

spinach 

Trick yourself into eating more (weight-loss-inducing!) 

veggies by hiding greens in a fruit-and-nut-butter smoothie 

BY ADAM BIBLE 

Hide the 

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARREN VINK 

The more vegetables you eat, the 

■ less weight you gain over time, 

a recent US-based Harvard study found 

— so there’s no healthier diet hack 

than “eat a veggie at every meal”. Not a 

huge fan? There’s a painless way to do 

it: Hide frozen spinach in a smoothie. 

The operative word here is hide: Into 

a powerful blender, toss a package of 

frozen spinach (kale and Swiss chard 

also work well), a banana, 2 tbsp peanut 

or almond butter, ½ cup water or 

almond milk, and a scoop of protein 

powder, and pulverise. Believe it or not, 

you’ll barely even taste the spinach. We 

thought our group Training Director, 

Sean Hyson, was nuts when he gave us 

this tip, but damned if it doesn’t work. 

Cut Rice Calories in Half! 

THE FLAB 

BLASTER 

Fat-loss tips from 

the world’s most 

famous trainer 

BY GUNNAR 

PETERSON 

(@GUNNAR) 

“I train early; 

How should I eat 

to get ripped?” 

BRANDON G, BLOEMFONTEIN 

■ I asked my friend, 

nutrition genius 

and Performance 

Fitness Concepts 

founder Philip 

Goglia, PhD, to 

help me synopsise 

“eating for 

rippedness”, so here 

goes: 

PRE-WORKOUT: 

1 tbsp almond 

butter; 1 tbsp fruit 

jam 

Rice cooked this 

way can help keep 

the kilograms off. 

POST-WORKOUT: 

3 whole eggs (or 

150g chicken breast 

or a protein shake); 

1 piece fruit 

MIDMORNING: 

Another fruit 

LUNCH: 150g protein; 

vegetable; ½ potato 

or ½ cup rice 

To fight weight 

gain, you need 

to eat more 

veggies — but 

that doesn’t mean 

you need to taste 

more veggies. 

■ If you love rice — but not its 200 

starchy calories per cup — a new 

cooking method can cut that number 

in half. Just add 1 tsp coconut oil and ½ 

cup white rice (brown won’t work) to 

boiling water and simmer 40 minutes. 

Refrigerate for 12 hours, and... skinny 

rice! The starch in cooked white 

rice quickly raises blood sugar and 

leads to weight gain if not burned off 

immediately through exercise. The fat in 

the coconut oil provides a barrier that 

makes the starch less digestible. 

Portion of the Month 

Cooked rice: ½ cup = billiard ball 

MIDAFTERNOON: 

1 piece fruit; 1 

serving (about 12) 

raw almonds 

DINNER: 400g 

salmon, sea bass, 

or black cod; 1 cup 

spinach or asparagus 

AFTER DINNER: 

Another fruit or 

1 tbsp honey 

Here’s why: You need 

a light meal of fat/ 

carbs for energy for 

AM. training, then 

protein/carbs for 

recovery. At night, 

fatty fish promotes 

deep sleep, resulting 

in growth-hormone 

release. And a simple 

carb before bed 

makes blood sugar 

spike then crash, 

readying you for 

sleep (crucial for 

fat burning/muscle 

repair). 

Food styling by Michelle Gatton/Stockland Martel; Prop styling by Megumi Emoto/Anderson Hopkins; 

Clockwise from top: Maya Koyacheva/Alamy; Maria Toutoudaki/Getty; Gresei/Shutterstock 

30 


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Suit yourself 

Bespoke big shot 

Umberto Pitagora is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of suit making: One of the few 

bespoke tailors left in the world today, the 75-year-old has a clientele 

that’s among the 1% of the 1%. When the US Connecticut-based tailor 

was a teen, he wanted to be a mechanical engineer, but once he’d sewn 

his first pair of pants, he was hooked. Here, Pitagora dispenses 60-plus 

■ You never finish 

learning. Nobody 

wants to learn 

anymore because 

it takes a long time. 

I started when I 

was 10 years old in 

my hometown of 

Nicastro, Italy. I used 

to go to the tailor 

shop after school to 

stay away from the 

streets. When I finished 

eighth grade, I 

went to work in the 

tailor shop to learn. 

I’m still learning 

after 63 years. 

years worth of sartorial wisdom. 

BY MARTIN MULKEEN 

PHOTOGRAPHS BY WILLIAM AND SUSAN BRINSON 

■ You feel good 

when you create 

something yourself 

— like a sculptor or 

a painter. I made 

my first suit in 1959. 

I was 19. First, you 

learned how to make 

the suit, then you 

learned how to cut. It 

was a grey and black 

suit with pin dots for 

my sister-in-law’s 

brother. I’ll have to 

ask him if he still 

has it. 

■ If you came of 

age with the iPhone, 

there’s no way you 

could be a tailor. For 

the new generation 

to learn would be 

near to impossible. 

It’s a dying art. Very 

few of us are left 

— most are in the 

cemetery. When I 

was 28, there were 

49 tailor shops in my 

hometown. Today, 

there’s one left. 

■ With a good custom 

suit, you feel the 

difference. It feels 

free. The way I see 

it, 75% of the human 

body is not perfect. 

Everybody has some 

problem: big shoulders, 

big chest, small 

waist, whatever. It’s 

cutting for the contours 

of the person 

that matters. 

■ Suits used to 

be very boring; 

45 years ago, the 

uniform used to be a 

blue suit, white shirt, 

and blue tie. I called 

it the IBM uniform. 

But it’s changed — 

there are so many 

colours and patterns 

now, it’s much better. 

■ You need more 

than one suit. The 

finest material is 

not necessarily the 

strongest. In fact, 

something like 

Superfine 210 wool 

is good to wear only 

Pitagora, who has 

made thousands of 

suits during the past 

63 years, stocks his 

sartoria, or tailor shop, 

with more than 500 

swatches of shirt 

fabric, each in different 

styles and colours. 

“ You feel good when you create 

something yourself. I made my 

first suit in 1959. I was 19. First, 

you learned how to make the suit, 

then you learned how to cut it.” 

once in a while, on 

a special occasion. 

It’s like having a 

Lamborghini when 

you need to go to the 

mountains — you 

need a Jeep for that. 

■ A classic suit 

never dies. It will be 

good for the next 20 

years. If you always 

go for the newest 

style, in a few years, 

it will look terrible. 

■ The customer is 

always right — at 

my approval. I don’t 

want anyone coming 

here to tell me 

what to do. I become 

their adviser — let’s 

put it that way. 

■ The weirdest 

thing I ever had to 

make was a long-tail 

coat for a magician. 

I had to sew in all the 

pockets for a rabbit 

and a pigeon. He 

even brought two 

pigeons to the store 

to check the size for 

the pocket. 

■ The best advice 

I ever received was 

to be humble. My 

father told me that. 

Be nice to people. 

If you can help a 

person, do it. 

32 




Bring it 

The Cuban 

advantage 

In his debut monthly column for Men’s Fitness, everyone’s favourite 

billionaire investor, NBA owner, TV star, fitness fiend, and all-around guy’s 

guy reveals the very high-level secrets behind his winning ways. 

By MARK CUBAN 

“ Nice always 

works better.” 

What’s the best decision 

you ever made? 

SIPHO M, JOHANNESBURG 

Careerwise, it was 

learning how to sell, 

which meant I could 

always find a job. It 

also meant that any 

company I ever started 

would always have a 

chance of survival. 

What’s the smartest thing 

you ever spent money 

on? The dumbest? 

DAN S, PRETORIA 

Smartest? A plane. It 

is obviously brutally 

expensive, but time is 

the one asset we simply 

don’t own. It saves me 

hours and hours. And 

the dumbest? Let’s see… 

if I could remember 

them, I could list you 

a couple hundred bar 

tabs with my buddies. 

How much money is 

“enough”? 

ATLEGANG S, JOHANNESBURG 

“Enough” is what it 

takes to not worry 

about the bills. “A lot” is 

enough that you never 

have to worry about 

working again. “F*** 

you” money means 

you can rent a jet to go 

wherever you want, 

whenever you want, and 

no party is out of reach. 

“F*** everyone” money 

means you can have 

your favourite band in 

your backyard, not care 

how much it costs, and 

lend them your jet to 

get there. 

How can you tell the 

difference between a 

good idea and a bad idea? 

DAVID M, JOHANNESBURG 

By whether or not 

the person started a 

company around it. 

Ideas are worthless 

until you do something 

with them. 

What’s the real key to 

your success? 

JUSTIN W, CAPE TOWN 

I grind harder than 

anyone. 

If you could live your 20s 

or 30s again, what would 

you do more — and less 

— of? 

JOE M, JOHANNESBURG 

Are you kidding me? 

Wouldn’t change a 

damn thing. 

What things have you 

found are important 

in life, and what really 

aren’t? 

SVEN E G, CAPE TOWN 

Family, time, being 

nice, not being stressed 

are things that make 

a difference. Trying to 

have more than the next 

guy isn’t. 

What do you say to 

yourself when you fail at 

something? 

DEELAN S, DURBAN 

What can I learn? 

Whose ass am I going 

to kick in business to 

get back in the win 

column? 

What do you do when 

you get mad? 

NOAH T, PORT ELIZABETH 

Shoot baskets. 

How do you choose your 

friends — what’s most 

important? 

SHAUN B, JOHANNESBURG 

I don’t choose new 

friends. I’ve had mine 

forever. 

What are the best things 

a boss can do to run a 

healthy company and 

have happy employees? 

HARRY N, CAPE TOWN 

Have a vision for the 

company. Know what 

it takes to get there, 

and share that with 

your employees and 

customers. Realise 

you’re responsible for 

everything. Be involved 

in sales. Understand 

that your employees 

have goals that may 

not match yours. You 

have to give them a 

reason to adapt to the 

vision. Be nice and 

reduce the stress of 

those around you. Nice 

always works better. 

Andrew Eccles/August 

34 


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Go fast 

THE CAR 

COACH 

All things speed, from 

an auto engineer and 

lifelong racer 

BY JOHN DINKEL 

(AKA @CARMUDGEON) 

Automatic vs 

manual gearbox: 

Which is better? 

BRYAN S, PRETORIA 

Hot hatch education 

GTI progressing 

through technology 

BY JOHN PAGE 

re there any guarantees in 

motoring? The Golf GTi 

A 

could be the closest thing to 

it: flawlessly fast. Solidly competent. 

The very definition of a modern hot 

hatch at the zenith of its genre. With a 

mild enhancement swapping out the old 

with the new, the not-quite-Golf-VIII 

(or Golf 7.5 should you wish) delivers 

fiercely on reputation. 

There is a small difference in output; 

162kW becomes 169kW, which if you 

know your hatches scores it near the 

bottom but because of its DSG gearbox, 

no manual is available, GTI maintains 

blistering real-world sure-footed 

pace, dispatching 0-100km/h in 6.4 

seconds. Handling is remarkably 

compliant but if you believe somehow 

in the microscopic compromises in 

ride quality the GTI can be ordered 

with Active Dynamic Dampers at an 

additional expense. 

Connecting new LED lights is an 

extended chrome blade with meaty 

cooling apertures in the bumper 

eluding to a wider, lower stance. As 

with every iteration of GTI, the wheels 

take on a new design. That and the 

two exhaust pipes have become iconic 

visual hooks we subconsciously identify 

from a distance. 

The GTI is not spared from carrying 

a list of optional equipment but it does 

mean you can be rather choosy about 

what you need from your performance 

hatch. 

Active Info Display is a digitally 

customisable 12.3-inch display that 

replaces the conventional instrument 

cluster. It’s almost as good as 

heads-up display with crisp graphics 

for navigation merging with media, 

telephone and of course speedometer 

and rev counter. 

A first for the GTI is Gesture Control 

as part of the optional Discover Pro 

System. A swipe of the hand toggles 

through menus but greater effort is 

expended to reach out and touch the 

9.2-inch screen – with a new finish 

that mimics a tablet, gesture control 

almost seems to deny you the feedback 

from swift haptics. Then again, neither 

is necessary with voice control. A 

configurable home screen is another 

■ I do enjoy the feel 

of a walnut knob in 

my hand as my feet 

perform the threepedal 

ballet Henry 

Ford intended every 

driver to master. 

But in stop-andgo 

traffic during 

Friday rush hour, 

I won’t deny I’d 

give my kingdom 

for horsepower 

connected to an 

automatic tranny. 

For the average 

driver who wants 

only to get from 

Point A to Point 

B with the least 

amount of angst, 

an auto trans is the 

way to go. Today’s 

automatic features 

a lockup clutch, 

which eliminates 

transmission slippage 

and offers better 

fuel economy. 

Plus, it’s more 

environmentally 

friendly. 

But if you want 

the feel of a manual 

minus the complications, 

try a dualclutch 

gearbox, like 

those found in Fiats 

and VWs. With its 

second clutch, it’s 

ever ready to shift 

up or down without 

the slightest hesitation, 

so it’s faster 

and smoother 

than any conventional 

manual or 

automatic. 

36 


feature carried over from the smartphone 

world, dragging with it Apple CarPlay 

compatibility. 

Sensors and radars range from the 

simple reverse parking with cross traffic 

alert to blind spot monitoring, to the 

sophisticated active cruise control which 

maintains a steady safe distance to the 

car ahead. 

Nestled below the GTI, the entire range 

benefits from a number of tweaks as the 

Volkswagen Golf continues to assert 

dominance as the country’s favourite 

premium hatchback. 



Go fast 

Light the fuse 

A naughty 162kW of 

fireworks are always 

bubbling near the 

surface 

BY JOHN PAGE 

ittle turbo hatches are 

gaining muscle, fast. The 

L 

fourth-generation Clio 

RS is now firmly where the big boys 

once wrestled bragging rights. The 

turbocharged petrol engine is tuned to 

147kW in the LUX version or a beefier 

162kW in the stiffer, gripper Trophy 

version. We’ll get to that in a minute. 

Renault’s loaded the Clio RS to the 

gunwales with technology. Navigation is 

standard, hands-free key, cruise control 

tally to a car that will flatter the daily 

chores in anticipation of a small gap in 

traffic or a Sunday blast. 

The uncanny ability to do both 

is partially down to the dual clutch 

automatic gearbox – manual fans will 

soon be won over by the millisecond 

shift times plus launch control which 

sees the Clio rocket to 100km/h in 

6.6 seconds. And if you have a nous 

for detailed performance data the RS 

monitor is capable of recording realtime 

telemetry. 

But to the crux of the matter; Trophy 

versions come with the louder Akrapovic 

exhaust and 18-inch wheels compared 

to the LUX’s 17s, bolted over the same 

brakes albeit with red calipers. The LUX 

is no distant runner-up. Speed over the 

majority of distances is a near match 

not only for the Trophy but when pitted 

against other brands. 

38 


No copying here, 

CX-5 is unique 

High Five 

CX-5 stirs soul into 

the SUV 

BY JOHN PAGE 

ith a cutting-edge design, 

quality that belies the price 

W 

point and value as its major 

tenets, Mazda is undergoing a product 

resurgence vying for your attention. The 

CX-5 fits perfectly into the mould of 

family SUV, carrying on 

where the smaller CX-3 left off. 

Mazda’s philosophy towards the 

SUV is commendably simple. It wins 

your interest, effuses personality, then 

warms you into the cabin through soft 

leather padding and cushy seats with 

focal highlights here and there. It’s a 

remarkably easy concoction when you 

think about it, executed in a way that is 

fresh: Non-German sombreness but not 

Japanese cheaply sourced finishes either. 

In the thick end of the model range 

you get to enjoy daily convenience 

features like powered tailgate, blind 

spot monitoring, lane keeping assist, 

heads-up display and navigation. But 

even the base model sports a lengthy list 

of standard equipment from dual zone 

climate, Bluetooth, USB, cruise control 

and reverse camera. 

Men’s Fitness found that the petrol 

engines were outshone by the brawnier 

diesel versions – incidentally also the only 

path to specifying a CX-5 with all-wheel 

drive. The numbing petrol engines can 

be lethargic but the attitude changes 

quickly with the diesel with the rest of the 

package engaged with newfound vigour. 



Play on 

The Surge offers a 

grim vision of the 

future. 

THE FIT 

GAMER 

Optic Gaming’s Halo 

master and resident 

gym rat 

MICHAEL 

“FLAMESWORD” 

CHAVES 

How do you 

sleep after staring 

at the screen 

for so long? 

BEN S, JOHANNESBURG 

Games for Days 

We explore a creepy space station with 

shape-shifting enemies, fight as our 

favourite heroes (and villains) from the 

DC Universe, and don an exo-suit for 

some serious ass-kicking RPG action! 

BY ANDRE COETZER 

1) THE SURGE 

Set in a heavily dystopian 

future as Earth nears the 

end of its life and with the 

intelligence of technology 

incrementally increased 

over the years, many jobs 

for the human race have 

been made redundant, 

forcing Earth’s citizens to 

head out into the suburbs 

seeking labour, aided by 

exoskeletons to improve 

their efficiency. The world 

of The Surge offers a very 

grim vision of the future, 

where the evolution of our 

technology, our society, 

and our relation with 

the environment led to 

a decadent state of the 

Human civilisation. The 

Surge features innovative 

combat mechanics and 

an original character 

progression system based 

on modular upgrades 

gained through tight, 

visceral combat. Battle 

through a world gone mad 

as Warren, on his first day 

of work at CREO, a mega 

corporation that has 

been hit by a devastating 

catastrophe. Balancing risk 

and reward is at the heart 

of The Surge, as the unique 

loot system gives you 

greater control over what 

you claim from defeated 

enemies. In visceral combat, 

you can individually 

target specific body parts, 

damaging them with a 

combination of vertical and 

horizontal attacks before 

slicing the part off entirely 

- and what you dismember 

directly determines what 

piece of equipment you 

loot. The Surge will feel 

very familiar if you’ve 

played any of the Souls 

games, and the influence is 

obvious, yet the futuristic 

setting, as well as a few unique 

ideas, sets The Surge apart. 

Available on PS4 and Xbox 

One at awx.co.za (R765) 

Break Things. 

■ There are boxes everywhere. Jump 

and smash your way through them to 

find additional tech scrap. There are 

also a few places in the game where you 

can upgrade your rig to get more implant 

sockets, giving you even more perks to 

play with. 

2) INJUSTICE 2 

Injustice 2 continues the story set 

in motion in Injustice: Gods Among 

Us, beginning in a fractured 

universe where bonds are broken 

and every alliance is thrown into 

war. Batman and his allies work 

towards putting the pieces of 

society back together, but struggle 

against those who would restore 

Superman’s Regime. In the midst 

of this chaos, a new threat appears 

that will put Earth’s very existence 

at risk. Players will decide where 

their loyalties lie and have the 

ability to personalise iconic DC 

characters with unique and 

■ When I first 

started gaming, I 

had trouble falling 

asleep. I’d been given 

all sorts of advice — 

one guy told me that 

he sleeps six hours 

a night, then takes 

an hour-long nap 

during the day. 

But naps make 

me groggy, so I 

developed a ritual: I 

attack my body during 

the day, working 

out in the morning 

and pushing to tire 

myself out. Then 

I set a deadline to 

fall asleep exactly 

two hours later. So 

if my team finishes 

our practise session 

at 10pm, I’m in 

bed by 12. In those 

two hours I relax 

and try to slow my 

thoughts. By the 

time I get to the end 

of the day, my body’s 

exhausted and 

needs to sleep. 

Once in bed, I shut 

everything down — 

including screens. 

[Studies show LED 

screens’ blue light 

can interfere with 

sleep.] I set my 

bedroom temperature 

to 20°, which 

I’ve read is optimal 

for recharging one’s 

brain. I’ve been 

doing this for a year 

now, and it works. 

40 


powerful gear earned throughout the 

game. As with the original, Injustice 

2 delivers amazing gameplay along 

with an extremely compelling story 

that resonates with core and casual 

gamers. Each of the dozens of playable 

DC characters has their own unique 

play style and roster of special moves. 

Regardless of the outcome, each battle 

brings the opportunity to earn new 

gear and abilities. Injustice 2 also 

features an all-new Multiverse Mode, 

offering players a whole world beyond 

the game’s story campaign and the 

opportunity to take part in a variety 

of uniquely themed challenges to 

earn additional rewards. As with the 

Mortal Kombat series, Injustice 2 is 

incredibly fun to play, easy to learn 

and difficult to master. If you’re a fan 

of comic books and good fighting 

games then Injustice 2 is a must buy. 



3) PREY 

Set on a run-down space station 

infected with hostile Aliens, Morgan Yu 

sets out to unravel the clues you’ve left 

behind for yourself, and discover the 

truth about your past. The shadowy 

extraterrestrial presence that has 

infested Talos I is a living ecology bent 

on annihilating its prey. It’s up to you, 

one of the last remaining survivors 

aboard the station, to end the deadly 

attack of these haunting predators. 

Orbiting the Moon, the Talos I space 

station symbolises the height of private 

space enterprise. Explore a lavish craft 

designed to reflect corporate luxury of 

the 1960s, and navigate interconnected, 

non-linear pathways built to hide 

countless secrets. Gain alien abilities 

to develop a distinct combination of 

powers and upgrade your unique 

skills. Craft increasingly useful items 

with the blueprints, gadgets and tools 

on board the station to overcome 

dangerous obstacles in your way. 

Survive unprecedented threats with 

your wits and ability to improvise. 

Dubbed by many as Bioshock in space, 

it would be hard to argue. The look 

and feel of Prey is incredibly similar 

to the Bioshock series yet it brings so 

much more to the table. It’s a genuinely 

terrifying game filled with jump scares 

galore, yet the mystery of the Talos I 

space station keeps you going forward. 



Prey is a psychological 

thriller set 

on a space station 

orbiting the 

moon in the year 

2032. 

Injustice 2 features 

an all-new 

Multiverse Mode 

with themed 

challenges and 

rewards. 



Ride 

The ticket to freedom 

Take a sneak peek 

at the all-new 

BMW 1200 GS 

and Adventure 

models that’ll have 

you sailing through 

just about any 

obstacle like a pro. 

BY GAVIN PERRY 

henever I get invited to a 

BMW press launch event I 

W 

get excited. I get flashbacks 

of all the amazing times I’ve 

attended in the past and relive memories 

of some of the greatest bikes I’ve gotten 

to ride at those events. I also wonder to 

myself, how could they possibly improve 

on the near close to perfection that is 

their press events and the way they host, 

and allow, and plan, for the press to 

experience said new bike to the max. 

The GS launch set a new bar in my eyes. 

We arrived at the BMW rider training 

centre in Zwartkops and were given 

our press packs and a nice sit-down 

presentation on the 37 years of GS history 

and a further update and walk-through 

of the new bike and the features we could 

expect to enjoy on the ride over the next 

two days. 

What I really love about BMW launches 

is the setting, locations and routes they plan 

for you to ride. Because the GS is an on-off 

adventure themed bike I was expecting 

to be thrown into some off-road riding of 

which I have no experience at all, and I was 

a little concerned at how I would handle 

it. So, when we finally did arrive at some 

dirt roads and bush, I made the switch to 

off-road mode (Enduro Pro) and changed 

the suspension using the all new “next 

generation’’ electronic suspension Dynamic 

ESA, both of which you can do on the fly… 

I was really surprised and impressed with 

how effortless the GS made riding on dirt 

and bumps and over rocks or through 

water. Many times over the two days I 

found myself coming into a dirt road bend 

to hot, or over gravel and deep sand, and 

thought to myself “now I’ve really done 

it…” and lo and behold, the GS just sailed 

through all the obstacles and really made 

me look and feel like a pro. 

The GS is rather iconic and sells like hot 

cakes in South Africa. I don’t actually think 

there is a bike out there that even comes 

close to BMW GS sales. It’s popular and 

sought after and on the road I see loads of 

them. Until now, I didn’t get the appeal of 

this type of bike, but now I do, after two 

days on tar, sand, gravel and grass all over 

the Pilanesberg and surrounding areas. 

After travelling in convoy with press and 

BMW staff alike with little to nothing in 

common but the same bike between our 

legs and the open vastly 

differing road surfaces… I felt 

so connected in that moment 

and imagined how planned 

trips like this with family and 

friends could be so extremely 

fun and amazing. It all made 

sense, and having such a 

versatile bike as your weapon 

of choice for life as a whole 

also rang true. 

The New GS has many 

engine updates and 

improvements. Powered 

as before by the air/liquidcooled 

boxer with an output 

of 92kW at 7750rpm and 

a maximum torque of 

125Nm at 6500rpm, the 

new R1200GS now has an 

altered catalytic converter 

and a new data status for the 

engine management to meet 

the latest EU4 requirements. 

The 2017 model already 

saw the addition of a judder 

damper on the transmission 

output shaft and a revision 

of the selector drum actuator 

and transmission shafts… 

all make for smooth and 

responsive power delivery 

through all gears and 

in all situations. There 

is also additional tech 

and electronics for days. 

There are some sport and 

superbikes that still don’t 

even have quick shifters 

and only the real serious 

ones have an auto blip and 

downshift assist. The GS has 

both, and they’re good, real 

fast and smooth and made 

riding absolute bliss. 

Apart from the amazing 

food and the way BMW hosts 

one like royalty, treating you 

to locations and experiences 

you don’t often get to 

experience, you get to also 

do it on an exceptional new 

bike, which you get to ride… a 

42 


lot. They make sure that after the launch you 

have put that bike through all its paces. So, 

you truly know what it can do and are able to 

relate what it is about this new machine that 

you like or dislike. I must commend BMW 

SA on their GS launch and the roads and 

routes they planned for us. My eyes have been 

opened to a whole new world of motorbikes 

that I’ve been depriving myself of. When I 

do make the step into this world, the GS is at 

the top of my list of bikes to choose from. I’m 

sure even when I do compare it to the others, 

it’ll still be high up there if you take the GS 

sales into account as the most popular public 

opinion of this type of bike. 


44 


Talking points 

Game Changers ● 

Marco 

Araujo 

USN Elite Athlete and WBFF Pro Fitness 

Model Marco Araujo shares his journey 

into the fitness industry. We discuss 

who inspires him, why he loves training 

legs, and what are some of his favourite 

supplements. 

BY CHARELLE JOHNSON 

hen did your fitness journey 

begin and what got you into 

W 

competing? I started at the 

age of 20 with weight training after I 

had picked up a serious injury playing 

soccer. The injury ended my soccer 

career which led me to weight training. 

I needed to do something to keep my 

health and fitness going. In 2011 I did 

my first show, completely off the books 

and not planned. I walked into the 

gym the one day and one of the guys 

in the gym, Juan Botha, approached 

me and asked me if I’d be standing in 

three weeks. I had no idea what he was 

talking about, so he explained it all and 

asked me if I was keen on a challenge, 

and I accepted. I successfully won my 

first show - Mr and Miss Body Beautiful 

SA 2011. 

What would you say has been the most 

rewarding part of your career in fitness? 

I’d say it’s the number of people, brands 

and companies who believe in me. Being 

offered sponsorships, or asked to be the 

face of a brand is a really rewarding and 

satisfy feeling. We all work so hard, so 

to be rewarded with that is an amazing 

feeling. 

Which industry athlete has been the 

most inspirational for you throughout 

your career? That’s going to be Jaco de 

Bruyn. I met him at my first show and 

we both landed up winning our line-ups 

and look where he is today. 

What is your favourite muscle group 

to train and why? My favourite muscle 

group to train is definitely legs. There 

is no better feeling than completing 

a killer leg workout - the adrenaline 

and the endorphins. The amount of 

testosterone your body releases is way 

more than any other muscle group. And 

come on, we all want serious legs. 

There’s been rapid growth in the 

South African fitness industry; do you 

think this adds pressure on current 

athletes to continuously grow and better 

themselves? It most definitely does. The 

truth is, there will always be someone 

better than you. The trick is to always be 

one step ahead, think outside the box, 

try new things, use every opportunity 

given to you, and help others to help you. 

Market yourself in a way that suits you, 

build your own brand and allow people 

to know the real you. 

What has been the most difficult 

part of competing in the South African 

fitness industry? Fitness and competing 

isn’t nearly as big in SA as it is overseas, 

so it can be costly preparing for a show. 

Also, choosing which federation to get 

into and which one will benefit you 

best and help build your career is a 

challenging decision to make. 

What has been the most memorable 

moment for you throughout your 

career? The most memorable for me 

is definitely the night of WBFF South 

Africa 2015; when I received my PRO 

status. That feeling is indescribable. It 

feels surreal, like a dream. There are 

so many emotions, relief, satisfaction, 

gratitude and a whole lot more. 

As a certified trainer you see many 

people fall off the wagon. What would 

you say is the number one contributor 

to people not following through with 

their goal to be fit? People are often very 

impatient and want immediate results 

within their first few weeks. They forget 

what a shock it is to their body when you 

have a complete lifestyle change. I also think 

friends and family play a big role in this process 

as people are often shy or scared that people 

might judge them. 

What’s your personal take on nutrition and 

dieting? I take my nutrition and dieting very 

seriously. I am a firm believer in feeding the 

body key nutrients at the right time of day. This 

has helped me reach my best fitness levels. 

Many people sell themselves short because 

they don’t think diet is that important. I believe 

maximum results are based on 80% nutrition 

and 20% training. 

Athletes Choice 

1) USN L-Carnicut 

L-Carnitine taps into your fat supply and may 

provide support to burn it as fuel, resulting in 

increased energy. Without L-Carnitine, these 

fats cannot be burned for energy and are instead 

shunted to store body fat. 

2) USN BlueLab Whey Protein 

Supplement consumers have spoken, and USN 

have listened. That means that in addition to the 

basic flavours (chocolate, vanilla & strawberry), 

USN BLUELAB 100% Whey Protein is now also 

available in Caramel Popcorn Flavour, Chocolate 

Peanut Butter, Wheytella and Double Chocolate 

Rocky Road flavours. USN BlueLab Whey offers 

optimal muscle support and recovery, optimal 

nitrogen retention and amino acid conversion 

and is an easy to digest whey protein isolate, 

hydrolysate and concentrate blend. 

3) USN Pure Vitargo 

USN’s Pure Vitargo is a superior formulation 

that fuels performance and recovery. It has 

shown to increase muscle glycogen stores and 

heighten insulin response. Used as an intraworkout 

supplement, USN Pure Vitargo fuels both 

performance during exercise and recovery. 

4) USN Amino Stim 

USN Amino Stim has been developed as an intraworkout 

supplement to support performance 

levels throughout activity, as well as muscle 

development and recovery. Amino Stim is a 

scientific blend of mostly essential and semiessential 

amino acids, including the Branched 

Chain Amino Acids and Glutamine, potent energy 

stimulants and green tea actives. 



Hot seat 

46 


Road rocket. The 

Stingray reaches 60 mph 

in nearly four seconds, 

slicing through S-curves 

thanks to an eight-speed 

automatic transmission. 

Alrieta De Wet 

We secured a 

seat with Alrieta 

De Wet - USN 

Ambassador, 

WBFF Bikini Pro 

and Personal 

Trainer. 

BY CHARELLE 

JOHNSON 

Take us back to the beginning. 

Tell us where you grew up 

T 

and what sparked your love 

for fitness? I am, and have always been a 

Pretoria girl. Since my school days I have 

been active and grew up in a house where 

we always had home cooked meals. Since 

the age of 16 I was tearing exercise pages 

out of magazines and making my own 

workouts. The book even had a dancing 

Timone from The Lion King with flowers 

around its neck, coconut cups and a dress 

to motivate me for summer. 

How would you advise someone 

on maintaining a healthy lifestyle? 

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle 

throughout the year is a choice; it’s 

the best I have made so far. It is not 

just about choosing to live healthy 

but is also about educating yourself. 

As females, we tend to forget that our 

bodies need food in order to function 

properly and that yo-yo dieting and 

starving ourselves to fit in our dress by 

the weekend is not the healthy option. 

If you did not plan your meals or just 

want to start off slow, always remember 

to base them off having protein, good 

fats, light carbs and veggies. 

Tell us a bit about what motivates you 

to get up daily and continue living a 

healthy lifestyle. Motivation is definitely 

the key; I am privileged to have amazing 

clients in the early morning hours from 

5am that want me to help them change 

their lives. It motivates me to see the 

difference I can make in someone else’s 

life by educating them in something they 

can take with them forever. 

Which muscle group is the most 

difficult for you and how do you go 

about ensuring your progress in its 

development? Personally, the muscle 

group that takes the longest for me 

to grow is my gluteus. I have started 

training them twice a week by doing a 

heavy session in the beginning of the 

week (so I can secure my Sunday cheat 

meal), and my second session would 

normally be focused on the burn and 

doing isolated exercises like Single-leg 

Hip Thrusts. 

Give us a little insight into who has 

motivated you most during your journey 

in the fitness industry. My biggest 

inspiration throughout my journey I 

would say has been Jaco de 

Bruyn. He has not changed 

since the first day I met 

him (except in size). He 

has time for everyone and 

is a genuine and honest 

individual. 

2017 has kicked off and is 

in full swing at this point, 

we’d like to know what 

fitness related goals you 

have set up for yourself? My 

fitness related goals for the 

year are to work harder, eat 

healthier, fall in love with 

this lifestyle over and over 

again and to grow my glutes 

and shoulders. 

We all know nutrition 

is king and we’d love to 

know what supplements 

you cannot live without? 

My favourite USN 

supplements are Amino- 

Lean orange flavour, 

Phedra-Cut Slim Packs, 

Diet Whey Wheytella and 

the new Trust Protein bars. 


Earn It! The 

guy’s guide to spending money 

Worth-less 

or Worthless? 

Poor Credit Ratings, Unfavourable Investment Prospects, Junk Status - these are 

terms being attached to this part of the globe that we call home. But what does this 

mean to us? 

48 


y Kim White 

Firstly we need to define the meaning 

of Junk Status before we can fully 

understand its effect. Having 

consulted the internet, reference 

material and the good old fashioned 

dictionary, I discovered that it is 

barely a “real” term at all, but rather a 

concept. The meaning of Junk is quite 

simply, ‘anything that is regarded as 

worthless, meaningless, or 

contemptible; trash’ and sadly very 

applicable to the investment and 

credit rating of our beloved country. 

With this in mind, we need to 

understand what this means for the 

country as a whole. The recent 

downgrade from BBB- a couple of 

years ago, to our current rating of 

“Junk Status” this year essentially 

means that the Credit Rating of South 

Africa is really bleak. This translates 

into the world view that the 

government has increased the 

possibility that it will default on debt 

repayment, thus increasing risk, 

which in turn affects interest rates of 

said debt, and decreases the chances 

of more money becoming available 

from outside of South Africa’s 

borders. So if the country tries to 

borrow, less money will be available 

and that which will be on offer will 

have higher costs and more stringent 

terms attached to it. Essentially this 

means that more of the country’s 

budget is going to be used to repay 

interest and debt, making less money 

available for the internal needs of 

running and growing the country, for 

things such as state healthcare and 

pensions, education, research and 

development, housing, tending to the 

poor, maintenance of government 

institutions and building and 

repairing infrastructure such as 

roads, parks, water and electricity 

supply etc. Junk Status also reduces 

the chances of foreign investment, 

due to a growing lack of confidence in 

the return of such investments. This 

could also be coupled with a possible 

outflow of current investors. 

So, how does this affect us? 

Fortunately there will be little 

‘immediate effect’ on the average 

South African, but this window of 

reprieve will be short lived as the 

effects of what has happened begin to 

impact our everyday spending. The 

chances of interest rates going up are 

high and this will affect anyone with a 

bond, a vehicle loan, a personal loan 

or a credit card etc, thus decreasing 

one’s disposable income. With less 

money to spend, the average South 

African will essentially be spending 

only on the necessities such as food, 

vehicles and one’s bond in order to 

cover the higher cost of debt. 

Another knock-on effect could be a 

IN REAL TERMS, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME? 

2% interest 

rate hike has 

the following 

impact on 

your monthly 

expenses 

Interest 

rate 

Home loan 

R2m over 20 

years 

further drop in the Rand, thus 

increasing the price of all imported 

goods such as petrol, food, vehicles, 

electronics and a surprising amount of 

raw materials. A decrease in the Rand 

translates into direct increases in 

relation to the cost of living which 

further decreases our disposable 

income. 

With personal debt becoming an 

increasing factor in the day-to-day 

living of South Africans, with statistics 

of last year showing that more than half 

of South Africa’s Consumers owe 75% 

or more of their income to creditors, 

such increases are bound to cause 

everyday living to become a difficult 

state for the average person. ■ 

Kim White CA (SA), CFP and Master tax 

practitioner (SA) 

Personal loan 

R50k over 2 years 

Car finance 

R600k over 5 

years 

10.5% R 19,967 R 2,318 R 12,896 

12.5% R 22,722 R 2,365 R 13,498 

Increase 

in monthly 

expenses 

R 2,755 R 47 R 602 

SO WHERE TO FROM HERE? Measures need to be taken into consideration so that 

we can weather the storm: 

■ Make a concerted effort to reduce you debt (personal loans, credit cards, 

bonds, vehicle finance etc). 

■ Tackle high-interest debt first 

■ Live within your means. 

■ Support local enterprise over imported goods, as much as possible. 

■ Buy wisely. 

■ Save for rainy days. 


Burn It! The 

guy’s guide to spending money 

2 

Give these four a whirl. 

Pick up one of the top .001% of blenders 

on the market. 

1 

3 

4 

Buying preowned 

tech is 

like buying a 

car: Steer clear 

of shady deals 

on Craigslist. 

The best 

of the blades 

Our guide to buying IF YOU ASKED ME what my favorite moment in a 

man’s favourite kitchen Will Smith movie was (because, why wouldn’t 

appliance and healthyeating 

status symbol: the wouldn’t be when he played a certain pugilist 

you?), my answer wouldn’t be the time he flashed 

his inner bad guy in the hit Suicide Squad. It 

all-powerful blender named Ali, either. No, it would be a forgettable 

scene from the forgettable 1998 thriller Enemy of the State. 

When his house gets ransacked by government agents, Smith is 

incensed. “They took my blender!” he gasps, before explaining 

his attachment to the kitchen appliance: “Some people 

meditate. Some get massages. I blend.” It’s like he was speaking 

directly to me. I swear by my blender, regardless of whether 

I’m making margaritas, banana smoothies, or tomato soup. 

But the big problem with blenders? Choosing one. There are so 

many on the market right now, all of varying degrees of power 

and quality. So I gave the top-of-the-line best sellers a rigorous 

testing and decided on my favourites. 

FOR: THE FRUGAL FOODIE 

1) The Oster Heritage Blend Beehive 

R1 450, za.wellindal.com 

The minimum you should pay for a 

budget countertop blender is about 

R500. Why? Well, a countertop blender’s 

overall performance comes down to three 

components: the power of the motor, the 

construction of the blade, and the design 

of the jug — also known as a “carriage”. 

The only way to make a cheaper version is 

to downgrade all three, which is far from 

ideal. 

The old-school Oster Beehive, 

meanwhile, is a bargain buy. It has 

almost 1 horsepower of crushing 

strength, which will easily pulverise leafy 

greens into a smooth purée. The grooves 

on the carriage aren’t cosmetic details, 

either: They help keep the mixture 

Food styling by Michelle Gatton/Stockland Martel; Prop styling by Megumi Emoto/Anderson Hopkins 

50 


y Mark Ellwood 

moving while the blades spin, so the 

blending’s even. It’ll look great on a 

kitchen counter, too, thanks to its retro 

styling and stainless steel finish. 

The catch: It loses marks for the twospeed 

setting with a high-low toggle 

switch, making the Beehive slightly less 

easy to control. 

FOR: THE DAILY SMOOTHIE FANATIC 

2) Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ Compact 

System BL 682 

R5 000, ninjablenders.co.za 

When it comes to high-calibre, 

dependable blenders, smoothie 

elitists are divided into two warring 

camps: Vitamix guys and Nutri Ninja 

guys. “If you’re a member of either 

team, you’re going to brag about it”, 

says Lauren 

Slayton, nutritionist of Foodtrainers. 

At first glance, I can see the appeal of 

both. The Vitamix 7500, for instance, 

is a high-quality, American-made 

product with the power to pulverise 

just about anything — nuts, dates, 

fibrous greens. It comes equipped 

with a hefty 2-horsepower motor. The 

company also boasts an excellent 

customer service apparatus if 

anything goes wrong or you have a 

question about how to use it. The 

problem, however, is the cost: around 

R18 000. 

It’s for that reason alone I’m 

staunchly Team Ninja. Its 

comprehensive BL682 system, which 

is both a blender and an extractor 

(which keeps nutrients in the final 

smoothie), costs less than a third of 

the comparable Vitamix. Its 

1.6 horsepower motor is plenty 

powerful. And if you break the 

carriage, replacement parts are easily 

available online. Finally, it’s 

generously packaged with 

accessories, notably the double-wall 

stainless steel “go-cup”, which will 

keep your smoothie cold on the drive 

to work. 

The catch: It needs a thorough 

cleaning each time, because the 

stacked blade setup traps food easily. 

FOR: THE AT-HOME CULINARY GOD 

3) The NutriBullet Pro 900 

R2 700, yuppiechef.com 

Make no mistake: This Infomercial 

Hall of Fame-worthy blender really is a 

badass. But if you go for the 

NutriBullet, eschew the entry-level 

model and opt instead for the Pro 

version. 

At 900 watts, the Pro’s motor is 50% 

more powerful than the basic version, 

so you’ll have greater control and make 

less-lumpy concoctions. It has two 

carriages instead of one, which is useful 

if you’re planning on impressing 

overnight guests with your breakfast 

finesse. Bonus: That second carriage is 

also 945ml, or exactly double the 

standard quantity 

of most online smoothie recipes. 

The catch: Thanks to the inverted 

design, it’s almost impossible to avoid 

leakage, so stick to thicker recipes if 

you can. 

FOR: MULTI-TASKING GOURMET 

4) The Breville Control Grip 

Immersion Blender 

R2 900, @home 

Immersion — aka handheld — blenders 

are multifunctional tools you can use in 

myriad ways. (That “whisk” 

attachment? It’s a nifty way to make an 

extra-wet cappuccino at home, or churn 

up a frothy cocktail.) They’re also much 

smaller than countertop blenders, 

making them easier to stow away. 

Because of its ergonomic design 

and precise control, the Breville 

is the best of the bunch. It’s strong 

enough — 280 watts — to crush ice, 

and comes with a 1.2 litre cup, roomy 

enough to serve a crowd. Bonus: It 

has a built-in scratch guard so the 

blade doesn’t damage the container it’s 

blending in, either. 

The catch: The price is higher than 

some other brands. But for quality 

alone, this is the one to beat. ■ 

Mark Ellwood is the author of Bargain 

Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World. 

Clean your machine! 

Word to the 

wise: Your 

blender 

needs more 

attention than 

your toaster 

■ Prolonging the life 

of your blender means 

keeping it gunk-free — but 

that doesn’t mean putting 

it in the dishwasher, as 

prolonged exposure to 

water can rust the bottom 

couplings of the container. 

But don’t worry, scouring 

it is still nearly effortfree: 

According to Tess 

Masters, author of The 

Blender Girl cookbook, 

just squirt a little dish 

soap into the carriage, 

add water, and blend it 

till it froths. Then empty, 

rinse, and air-dry it. 


INTERACTIVE MOTORING 

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MEDIA PARTNERS: 

ORGANISED BY: 

KYALAMI GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT 

1-3 SEPT 2017

S T Y L E 

Look Great 

OLD SCHOOL 

COOL 

This season sees the serious urban 

overhaul of some of your favourite 

staple outerwear pieces. See our 

pick of classic pieces that we think 

are ready to make a comeback, and stay – a definite must 

for your closet this season. From detachable hoods, a 

classic trench and the streetwise bomber, this season’s 

protectors should see you through for many years 

to come. MMA and fighting champion Boyd 

Allen is our athlete to know this month. 

We’ve got some serious info on how he 

rose to become an EFC champion. 


PHOTOGRAPHS BY 

KIRSTEN HO 

THE TAILORED 

BLAZER 

Buy bespoke 

We love a suit jacket 

made to measure, but 

it’s time to leave your 

favourite designer black 

tailored blazer behind 

this season, and opt for 

its richer, warmer colour 

and old-school chic retail 

ready cousin. 

Jacket: TOPMAN R1 799; 

Jersey: H&M R399; Jeans: 

H&M R329; Shoes: ALDO R2 

299; Watch: BELL & ROSS 

R67 000 


THE HOODED 

COAT 

Add a little 

something 

Maintain street cred and 

maximise on your look 

with this hooded Zara 

coat. It may look like 

multiple layers of thick 

winter fabric, but its 

removable hood and inner 

zip, prove it to be the 

perfect rendition of hiphop 

inspired street wear. 

Coat: ZARA R1 799; Shirt: 

TOPMAN R549; Cardigan: 

H&M R429; Pants: TOPMAN 

R599; Tie: WOOLWORTHS 

- STUDIO W R130; Watch: 

BELL & ROSS R210 000 

54 

MEN’S FITNESS MAY 2017

THE CAMEL 

TRENCH 

Keep it classic 

When it comes to classic 

attire, staying on trend 

and making sure you’re 

always the best-dressed 

man in the room, a long 

camel trench should be 

every guy’s go-to coat of 

choice. 

Coat: H&M R1 499; Shirt: 

H&M R379; Jeans: H&M R329; 

Sweater: ZARA R529; Watch: 

ULYSSE NARDIN R460 000

THE NECESSARY 

RAINCOAT 

A rainy day 

With unpredictable 

weather that might turn 

on you at any moment, 

a trusty raincoat proves 

still to be an absolute 

necessity to save you 

from being drenched in 

unexpected rainfall or, as 

of late over the past few 

seasons, snow. 

Coat: ZARA R1 899; Shirt: 

ZARA R429; Jacket: TOPMAN 

R1 699; Tie: WOOLWORTHS - 

STUDIO W R130; Jeans; H&M 

R329; Shoes: ALDO R2 399; 

Watch: ORIS R30 000 

56 

MEN’S FITNESS MAY 2017

LOOK GREAT STYLE 

12 MONTHS 

ONLY R430! 

Boyd Allen 

■ The enthusiastic professional 

boxer turned MMA fighter from 

Johannesburg who’s determined to 

defeat any and all who challenge 

him on his ascent towards 

dominating the EFC. Ask any of his 

opponents and they’ll tell you how 

the self-proclaimed ‘student of the 

art’ utilises a combination of foot 

movements and boxing angles to 

strike with brutal efficiency. Here’s 

a glimpse into the routine of a 

champion. 

Competitive History 

Amateur boxer 28 - 4 

Former Gauteng Boxing Champion 

Former SA Boxing Champion 

Saturday 

10:00 Open mat jiu-jitsu 

Sunday 

Light technical rolling or sparring 

(sometimes), otherwise rest. 

Daily Diet 

Meal 1 

Morning (shake) Blueberries, baby 

spinach, almond butter, banana and 

Optimum Nutrition Hydro Whey. 

Meal 2 

Sweet potato and a grilled chicken 

breast. 

Meal 3 

(lunch) Chicken, rice and 

mixed vegetables and an orange 

Lucozade (only ever orange). 

ADVERTISEMENT 

SUBSCRIBE NOW! 

’ 

Optimum Nutrition Supplements: 

• Hydro Whey 

• Amino Energy 

• Glutamine 

• BCAA 

Weekly Workout Schedule 

Monday 

08:00 to 09:00 Stand-up striking class 

11:30 to 13:00 Jiu-jitsu class 

15:30 to 16:30 Wrestling 

Tuesday 

08:00 to 09:00 Stand-up technical class 


15:00 Padwork (boxing) 

Wednesday 

08:00 Sparring striking with 

takedowns 


15:30 to 16:30 Wrestling 

Thursday 

08:00 to 09:00 Stand-up 

11:30 to 13:00 Jiu-jitsu 

15:30 to 16:30 Judo 

Friday 

11:00 Sparring 

15:00 Conditioning 

Meal 4 

15:00 (smoothie) With 100% 

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 

Whey Protein, baby spinach, almond 

nuts, a banana and some honey. 

Meal 5 

Chicken or fish with 

green vegetables and brown rice, 

and then a Cadbury Bubbly chocolate 

after that - because who doesn’t enjoy 

Bubbly. 

Favourite Motivational Quote 

“Shut up and train.” - Richie Quan 

FOR MORE ON OUR INTERVIEW WITH BOYD ALLEN, 

GO TO MENSFITNESS.CO.ZA 

Subscribe to Men’s Fitness 

for 12 months and get 

25% off! 

Email: subscribe@mensfitness.co.za 

or call +27 11 463 35 46 

WIN! A 

YEAR'S 

SUPPLY OF 

WHEY 

PROTEIN 

First 5 000 Men’s Fitness subscribers 

will all receive a USN hamper worth R400 

& one lucky subscriber will win a year’s 

supply of USN premium whey.

THE UPGRADED 

BOMBER JACKET 

The bomber 

It’s safe to say that the 

bomber jacket has made 

the ultimate fashion 

comeback in the last 

few years, and we’re still 

welcoming it with open 

arms. 

Bomber jacket: ZARA R1 399; 

Shirt: TOPMAN R R649; 

Jersey: H&M R529; Pants: 

TOPMAN R599; Watch: ORIS 

R24 000 

58 


LOOK GREAT CONFIDENCE 

Hack the look 

The new man about town 

Re-invent this nearly R300 000 high-end Kiton look for less than a 

tenth of its original value with our recommended pieces and stay on top 

of your style game. PHOTOGRAPH BY KIRSTEN HO 

■ Seasonal changes are no excuse 

for you to forget your stylish self. So 

why not stay as trendy as this Kiton 

look by staying under budget with 

selected pieces from some of our 

favourite easy to find retailers. 

Here, a brilliant 

casual-to-formal 

getup from Italian 

suitmaker Kiton. 

Below, how we 

hacked it. 

The Coat 

A black overcoat is a definite season 

staple, and this hooded ZARA piece with 

removable zip and hood, is a great way to 

remain on trend and practical throughout 

the season (R1 799) 

YOU SAV E: R 102 100 

The Blazer 

When it comes to an old-school chic classic, 

like this plaid blazer jacket, we see no need 

to reinvent the wheel. This ZARA jacket 

stays true to its trendy roots and comes in at 

a steal (R1 799) 

YOU SAV E: R97 000 

The Cardigan 

H&M seals the deal with this well fitted 

extra layer of timeless and tasteful 

merchandise. With its knitted fabric and 

chunky black buttons this cardigan is a 

bargain replacement for any high-end 

cashmere sweater (R429) 


The Shirt and Tie 

Pull your look together with classic finishing 

touches. Add this staple navy blue tie from 

Woolworths and classic white stand collar 

shirt from Topman, and you’re good to go 

(Shirt: R649; Tie: R130) 


DON’T BE 

AFRAID TO MIX 

PATTERNS LIKE 

PLAID AND 

PAISLEY. JUST 

MAKE SURE 

ONE IS MORE 

SUBDUED THAN 

THE OTHER. 

The Jeans and Shoes 

These distressed ZARA jeans are as loud 

and rugged as can be, pair them with a less 

abrasive pair of Aldo boots, and you’re bound 

to have an outfit fit for only the manliest of 

men (Jeans; R899; Boots: R2 399) 


THIS LOOK: R8 100 

KITON LOOK: R279 00 

TOTA L SAVINGS: R270 800 


THE GAME CHANGERS 

Some transformed their bodies, 

some fulfilled their dreams, 

some challenged the impossible 

for good, some even built 

billion-rand empires. They’re 

the real-life superheroes whose 

individual feats, performances, 

and innovations have defined 

their industries. Meet the Game 

Changers of 2017. 

60 


GC 

A Mighty Etzebeth 

Rugby superstar Eben Etzebeth 

shows us his game 


GC 

When you hear the name Eben Etzebeth it is pretty clear 

what comes to mind. You think of a genuine man mountain 

and physical colossus, which is clearly part of the reason he’s 

become Evox’s poster boy and brand ambassador. 

b y BEN KARPINSKI 

p h o t o g r a p h s b y GARRETH BARCLAY 

EBEN ET

ZEBETH

S 

Comparisons 

SOME PRETTY WEIGHTY PROSE, I know. But when you meet the man 

you get a true understanding of what is meant when people say 

someone has ‘presence’. There is a lot more to Etzebeth than his 

2-metre frame and 118kg bulk though. He is someone that gives 

his all on the field of play which has seen him achieve a great deal 

in the world of rugby so far. It is also something that has built him 

into being one of the world’s most iconic rugby players right now, 

and the backbone of the Stormers and Springbok teams. 

He debuted for the Stormers and Springboks in the same 

year back in 2012 aged just 20, and as a result knew all about the 

highest level of the game before even playing Currie Cup rugby 

for Western Province. These initial accolades were testament to 

his work ethic and desire to assert himself in the most physical of 

sports. This was in no small way rooted in a dedication to training 

that the big lock perhaps doesn’t always get credit for. It’s one thing 

being gifted with a genetic edge, being someone who is literally 

head and shoulders above the rest, but it always comes down to 

what you do with it. 

As he neared the later stages of high school, he experienced a bit 

of a growth spurt which set his sporting destiny in motion. From 

there he knew he had to work really hard in building muscle to not 

only match his structural growth, but also to ensure he had a future 

in the game. Initially taking to gym work from the age of 16, it was 

only when he joined the Western Province Academy as an under 19 

player that he was able to really apply himself in his training. 

He soon went on to make an impression there though, 

outgrowing the dumbbells on offer for free weight exercises. The 

union literally had to order in custom made weights to cater for 

Etzebeth’s strength training needs. 

From excelling in the gym, to excelling on the field, a successful 

Varsity Cup stint with UCT and the South African under 20 team 

saw him make serious strides towards the big stage. From here it 

was clear that Western Province certainly had something special in 

the young player. 

Though it’s not completely unheard of for a 20-year-old to break 

onto the international rugby scene, to do so at that age, as a tight 

forward in one of the major tier one nations, is rather impressive. 

Having worked so hard physically as he rose through the ranks, 

he had the confidence to do so, and with that, made the transition 

really quickly. 

Fast forward to today, Eben Etzebeth is now 25 years old. 

Although still young, he is essentially a grizzly test veteran having 

won 54 caps* for the Springboks. In better shape than ever, he has 

not just taken over from Bakkies Botha as the chief enforcer for the 

national team, he has raised the bar in the physicality stakes, using 

his experience to assert himself with greater impact for his team. 

With so much happening so early in his career, a natural 

question to ask is what continues to drive him to be better and 

continue to grow as a player? Often being the best is understanding 

that such a thing is not a goal, or a definite thing, but more a 

process that you continually give your all to. 

His philosophy towards training mirrors this ideal, as for him 

it is something that constantly improves you as a player and an 

individual. So, whether it’s an hour long gym session, or something 

more demanding with his team, the old adage of giving nothing 

less than 100% is something he lives by. 

Training wise, his season is typically broken into two clear 

phases (see page 95 for Eben’s supplements and a full body workout 

routine). The pre-season phase is characterised by a great deal of 

weight training, a sort of bulking stage. This is where Etzebeth can 

focus on building his strength for the gruelling season ahead. During 

this phase, the big man is at his biggest going up to 122/123kgs. 

Over the years his weight training programs haven’t changed all that 

much. Working within the team structures, Etzebeth has managed 

to refine what works best for him, and of course for his team. 

With pre-season strength and conditioning work done, the 

majority of the year training wise is then characterised by simply 

working towards and being ready for 

game day. Here he may get to the gym a 

maximum of three times a week, as travel 

and a greater cardio focus comes into 

play with more time spent on technical 

team training. In this match phase, he 

will cut down to his ideal game weight 

which is 117/118kgs, where he feels he is 

at his optimal balance with regards to 

strength and mobility. 

Conditioned and ready to dominate 

each season, the challenges naturally 

don’t end there. We take for granted that 

sports people just continue to excel as 

‘it’s their job’. Complacency though often 

becomes the biggest threat to successful 

sports stars, and it has certainly been 

something that has derailed careers in 

with Bakkies 

are natural I 

guess, but I 

think that’s 

just because 

we like to 

play the same 

way.” 

64 



66 



68 


“As an individual, if you look after yourself and are constantly in 

good shape you will play your best and benefit the team. That is 

always really important.” 

the past. As a virtual Bok certainty nowadays on experience alone, 

and someone that knows he can go toe-to-toe against anyone in the 

game, Etzebeth is anything but complacent. 

“The thing about rugby is that you never know when the next 

big star is coming through. I mean he could be a lock so I know 

I have to be good enough to be picked ahead of anyone coming 

through. Whether for the Stormers or the Springboks, it’s a big 

challenge for me to make the team and keep that no.4 jersey, and 

that is always the main motivator for me”, says Etzebeth. 

With a great understanding of the competitive nature of his 

profession, Etzebeth also stays motivated by investing heavily in the 

importance of being a team player to stay at the top of his game. 

“As an individual, if you look after yourself and are constantly in 

good shape you will play your best and benefit the team. That is 

always really important.” 

With the physical demands being what they are for rugby 

players, they generally don’t have to be the strictest when it comes 

to nutrition. Etzebeth has though become more conscious of this 

element of conditioning over the last year, in ways that go beyond 

just making sure he keeps up to date on the protein shakes. 

“Up until recently I haven’t worried too much about what I eat, 

but lately I have made an effort to stay away from sugar. I have also 

realised that bread is not your friend even though I still love it, but 

there is always a time for a good cheat meal within a healthy eating 

plan, and of course, a nice braai.” 

Going back to the constant process of staying at the top of 

the game, like anyone else, the Springbok enforcer still has those 

moments when training is the last thing he feels like doing. “There 

are days, especially early in the week after a tough game, when you 

ask yourself how much longer you can do this for. Getting out of 

bed some mornings can be tough, but you push yourself during the 

week in training because you know it is always worth it on Saturday 

when you run out and see all 

The thing about 

rugby is that you 

never know when 

the next big star 

is coming. I have 

to be good enough 

to keep that no.4 

jersey, and that is 

always the main 

motivator for me.” 

these people cheering you on.” 

For Etzebeth it really is about 

giving it his all on match day, 

and his natural fire is certainly 

something that is showing 

no signs of diminishing. His 

intensity and appetite for 

the physical side of the game 

naturally saw him billed as the 

long-term replacement for the 

Bok legend Bakkies Botha. His 

views on this and the role of 

being an ‘enforcer’ so to speak 

are rather understated though. 

“I’ve always played my own 

game, ever since school days. 

Comparisons with Bakkies are 

natural I guess, but I think that’s 

just because we like to play the 

same way.” 

Being such a physical force 

on the field and someone 

that never backs down from a 

challenge, Etzebeth has become 

a bit of a target when it comes 

to the off-the-ball scuffles. His 

exemplary disciplinary record, 

however, tells a story that goes 

beyond basic perceptions. In his 

50-plus appearances for both the 

Stormers and the Springboks, 

he has received just one yellow 

card*. This came during his 50th 

Test versus Australia, and it was 

technical in nature as he was 

found offside after numerous team 

infringements. This is something 

that he will just have to live with 

though, and something that he 

accepts as part of the game. 

Etzebeth has had his injury 

woes during his career, the 2014 

season in particular being a tough 

time that saw him sidelined for 

an uncomfortably long period. 

When you consider a player of this 

nature, it appears that injury is 

the only thing that could possibly 

hold him back. 

Thankfully greater focus is 

being applied to Springbok stars 

like him by SA Rugby, with their 

workloads during the Super 

Rugby season being managed 

accordingly. When you add this to 

the acute physical awareness that 

young players like Etzebeth have 

around their games nowadays, we 

can expect great things from our 

young stars going forward. 

And when Etzebeth himself 

says he is always working on 

staying ahead of the pack selection 

wise, you just know that South 

Africa’s still producing amazing 

rugby talent that are not only 

incredibly physical specimens, but 

modern athletes looking to raise 

the bar in their sport. 


70 


GAME CHANGERS 2017 

JORDY SMITH 

Swimming 

with the 

Big Fish 


BORN STRAIGHT OUTTA 

Durban, South Africa 

Jordy Smith began surfing 

at the age of 3. Smith is a 

professional surfer, competing on 

the World Championship Tour 

(WCT). In 2007 he won surfing’s 

World Qualifying Series - the 

second-tier tour, which qualified 

him to compete in the WCT. In 

both 2010 and 2011 Jordy Smith 

won the Billabong J-Bay Pro in 

South Africa. He has also won 

the 2014 and 2016 Hurley Pro at 

Trestles California and in 2013 he 

won the Rio Pro in Brazil. 

After a year of hard work and 

sheer determination, Jordy Smith 

became the first South African 

to ring the bell at the Rip Curl 

Pro Bells Beach in Victoria, 

Australia. The win saw the surfer 

jump up in world rankings to 

the number two spot during the 

third leg of the World Championship 

Tour. In May 2017, 

Smith completed the 4th leg of 

the tour at the Oi Rio Pro in 5th 

place. With still several legs to go 

before the tour sees its end, we 

predict this local surfing professional 

will soar right to the top of 

the World Championship Tour. 

RICH MNISI 

THE LOCAL 

DESIGNER WHO 

PREVAILED 


MIKE COLTER 

THE SUPERHERO WHO 

BULKED UP NETFLIX 

BY KAREN VALBY 

THE SOUTH AFRICAN BASED FASHION BRAND 

founded in 2014 by LISOF graduate and African 

Fashion International Young Designer of the Year 

2014, Rich Mnisi. The brand is young at heart and 

highlights the cultural beauties of Africa and the world 

of modern and pop culture to tell a unique story of 

both present and past. With, designer Rich Mnisi’s 

keen interest in the modern world and in different cultures, 

each collection is designed with a global view. He has developed the 

brand to maintain a contemporary outlook with an aesthetic appeal that 

brings various visions and worlds of imagination together. RICH MNISI 

produces garments inspired by sources outside of conventional fashion, 

including film, music, and art. Only in its 3rd year, RICH MNISI has 

managed to create hype in both local and international media, appearing 

in the editorial pages of Marie Claire, ELLE, Business Class, GQ Online, 

Chasseur, Dazed & Confused, Mail & Guardian, House and Leisure, 

Fashion Glossary UK, True Africa, Dossier, i-D Vice, GQ Style, Hunger, 

VOGUE Italia, Highsnobiety, L’official Manila, Sicky, WGSN, BBC, WWD, 

Sunday Times and more. RICH MNISI items are currently sold locally on 

Spree and Woolworths. 

■ How do you gear up 

to play a Marvel superhero 

who’s a superhuman 

blue-collar joe able to 

lift 25 tons and punch 

through four-inch steel 

plates? 

If you’re Mike Colter — 

whose starring vehicle, 

Luke Cage debuted on 

Netflix late last year — 

you start by packing on 

15 kilograms of muscle. 

Colter, who first 

brought stoic Cage 

to vivid life in Netflix’s 

Jessica Jones, has long 

known very physical 

roles, having played a 

boxer in Million Dollar 

Baby. But the superhero 

character demanded 

even more of him. “Cage 

hearkens back to the time 

of Shaft”, he says. “He’s a 

badass dude.” 

At first Colter went 

hard on cross-training 

workouts. “I felt like I 

needed to shock my 

body”, he says. “I overlifted 

and, because of 

that, ended up hurting my 

shoulder.” 

So he rethought both 

his gym and diet regimen, 

adding swimming into the 

mix, downing two vegan 

plant protein shakes a 

day, and taking glutamine 

to stop muscle breakdown 

once the barbell 

is down. 

“When I take the 

supplements, they definitely 

help me recover”, 

says Colter, who admits 

the rigours of a proteinheavy 

training diet can 

get tiresome. 

While waiting for the 

premiere of Luke Cage, 

Colter — who’s also a 

new father — stayed 

limber by filming Girls 

Trip alongside Queen 

Latifah, Regina Hall, and 

Jada Pinkett Smith in New 

Orleans, USA. 

The comedy, directed 

by The Best Man Holiday’s 

Malcolm Lee, will be 

in theatres this July 2017. 

Hey, Mike: Hope you 

stayed away from the 

beignets, dude. 


GC 

“ OUR PRIMARY 

OBJECTIVE WAS TO END 

UP WITH MONSTER AS A 

FULLY GLOBAL BRAND.”


RODNEY SACKS & 

HILTON SCHLOSBERG 

Two Monster 

Billionaires 

BY JASON FLEETWOOD 

WE’RE ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH MONSTER ENERGY 

drinks, though not everyone knows the game-changing 

story behind the brand. It all began over two decades 

ago, when two South Africans used their passion and 

determination to create a multi-billion-rand empire. 

When South African-born Rodney Sacks and Hilton 

Schlosberg partnered and purchased debt-laden soda 

maker Hansen Natural in 1992 it was the beginning 

of their journey towards creating the Monster Energy 

mega-brand we all know today. 

After two decades of hard work, a well-planned name 

change (Monster Energy then Monster Beverage in 

2012) and repositioning their brand within the market; 

Sacks and Schlosberg soon caught the attention of global 

beverage company Coca-Cola. “Our primary objective 

was to end up with Monster as a fully global brand”, said 

Schlosberg. At the time, Monster’s growth rate in the 

multi-billion-rand energy drinks market soared beyond 

expectations, resulting in Coca-Cola offering to purchase 

a 16.7% stake of Monster for a whopping R23.7 billion 

in 2014. Since the transaction, Monster’s growth and 

brand awareness has significantly accelerated due to 

the increased production and distribution possibilities. 

“Our equity investment in Monster is a capital efficient 

way to bolster our participation in the fast-growing and 

attractive global energy drinks category”, Muhtar Kent, 

Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO said in a statement. 

Hansen Natural first introduced their own branded 

energy drinks in 1997 which wasn’t received well. 

Their fortunes improved in April 2002 when they 

introduced the Monster brand of energy drinks as a 

direct competitor to Red Bull. The selling point was 

simple, achieving price parity with Red Bull but offering 

cans twice the size – proving to be a hugely successful 

strategy. Till today the Monster brand has continued to 

be an entrepreneurial success in building and extending 

its market share across the world. 

The New Billionaires 

• Rodney Sacks studied at the University of the 

Witwatersrand and graduated with a law degree and a 

postgraduate higher diploma in tax law. He is Monster’s 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and has an 

estimated R20 billion net worth - according to Forbes 

(June 2017). 

• Hilton Schlosberg, who also studied at the University 

of Witwatersrand is Monster’s Vice-chairman, Chief 

Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer and 

has an estimated R21 billion net worth – according to 

Forbes (June 2017). 


PETER KIM 

THE HARLEY- 

RIDING BADASS 

WHO INVENTED 

YOUR FAVOU- 

RITE JEANS 

BY MICHAEL RODIO 

■ Peter Kim once tested a 

prototype pair of jeans by 

wearing them to the Long 

Beach Grand Prix, where 

he tried to vault over a 

barricade from the pit onto 

the track. 

Bad idea. 

“I lifted my leg up to jump, 

but the fabric was so stiff, 

my knees smashed into 

the concrete, I flipped over 

onto the track, and all I 

could think was, ‘Oh, crap’.” 

So, it’s no surprise that 

Kim — who founded the Los 

Angeles–based Hudson 

Jeans in 2002 — is weaving 

flexibility into his denim. 

“Stretch is the biggest 

thing for me right now”, 

he says. 

It’s not just the cloth 

that sets Hudson apart, he 

insists — it’s the brand’s 

passionately anti-BS 

culture. “For example, our 

moto-style jean needs to 

be an authentic piece, 

because a lot of us here 

ride motorcycles” — in his 

case, a rebuilt ’99 Harley- 

Davidson FXR. 

Which means he crafts 

jeans for guys who live like 

he does, “constantly in the 

gym, doing MMA, rockclimbing, 

surfing as much 

as possible”. 

His next denim test? 

“I’ve thought about running 

a marathon in them.” 

MICHAEL SOLOMONOV 

The chef who’s 

manned up 

in the kitchen 


GC 

“ NOTHING’S MORE 

INTENSE THAN A 

BOXING WORKOUT”, 

SAYS SOLOMONOV. 

“ AND YOU GET TO 

PUNCH SHIT.” 

“TO BE IN THE BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE AT 38 — IT FEELS 

amazing”, says star Philadelphia-via-Israel chef and restaurateur 

Michael Solomonov, who credits his un-chefly physique to boxing 

workouts, year-round surfing, and hotel stairwell laps, not 

just his vegetable-forward diet. And having a career peak after a 

decade-plus in the fickle restaurant world probably doesn’t feel 

so bad either. In May 2015, Solomonov’s first cookbook — titled 

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking, for the flagship restaurant 

he started with partner and co-author Steven Cook — won the 

prestigious James Beard Foundation Award, establishing him 

as the key player in bringing the eatery’s lesser-known cuisine, a 

Mediterranean diet heavy on fruits and vegetables, to mainstream 

mouths. In 2016 he also opened a restaurant outside Philly in the USA, the first 

offshoot of Dizengoff, his hummusiya (hummus stall) in New York’s Chelsea 

Market, with more to open across America in 2017. Giving back is also important 

for Solomonov, who almost lost everything in 2008 due to crack and heroin addictions. 

So he and Cook, along with partners from Federal Donuts, are opening 

Rooster Soup, a luncheonette that will use his restaurants’ leftover chicken backs 

and bones, and donate 100% of its net profits to Philadelphia’s Broad Street 

Hospitality Collaborative — so a smoked brisket-fat matzo ball soup won’t only 

taste good, it’ll do good, providing food and services for the poor. Solomonov says 

it’s his intensive regimen at Philly’s Joe Hand Boxing Gym that’s given him the 

physical and mental fortitude to beat down his demons and maintain seven years 

of sobriety. “Nothing’s more effective than a boxing workout”, he says. “It covers 

everything — co-ordination, speed, dexterity — which helps with the intensity of 

my job. And you get to punch shit.” 

74 



KEVIN PLANK 

THE CEO WHO’S 

AMPING UP YOUR GEAR 

BY TOM FOSTER 

■ 

When Under 

Armour founder 

Kevin Plank, 44, created 

his first formfitting 

performance 

undershirt back in 

1995, he couldn’t believe 

how obvious the 

opportunity was. 

“I was like, why has 

no one else done this? It 

makes so much sense!” 

he says. Recently, the 

former US University of 

Maryland football player 

had another one of 

those moments. As everyone 

was obsessing 

about fitness-tracking 

wearables and apps, 

he says, he realised no 

one was doing much to 

help users understand 

and act on all their data. 

“I thought, imagine if 

I could actually solve 

people’s health and fitness 

problems.” 

So the self-made 

billionaire went out 

and bought three of 

the leading fitness 

and diet-tracking 

apps — MapMyFitness, 

MyFitnessPal, and the 

Copenhagen-based 

Endomondo; integrated 

them into Under 

Armour; and this year 

started an aggressive 

push to release new 

“Connected Fitness” 

products — including 

a wrist-strap fitness 

tracker, an internetconnected 

scale, connected 

running shoes, 

and a new app called 

UA Record that’s like a 

central clearing house 

for all your fitness and 

wellness data — that 

deliver on his dream. 

And though Plank’s 

still just getting 

started transforming 

Under Armour, the US’s 

second-largest sportswear 

maker, into a tech 

company, he already 

has 170 million users 

across his apps — “the 

world’s largest fitness 

community”, he boasts 

— and mountains of 

data about their fitness 

habits. That means he 

knows when a customer 

needs a new pair 

of shoes, what kind 

of shoes might work 

best for him, and even 

whether he needs to 

drop a few kilograms. 

Plank, who in the 

company’s early days 

was its one-man focus 

group, still works out 

like an elite athlete. 

He runs three times a 

week, he lifts, he cycles 

— and, of course, 

he tracks everything 

with his apps. He built 

a mammoth gym on 

the ground floor of his 

waterfront Baltimore 

headquarters, and 

hired world-class trainers 

so his employees 

can keep up with him. 

“Winning is a part of 

our culture”, he says. 

“It’s who we are.” 

NATE EBNER 

THE NFL STAR 

WHO DREAMED OF 

OLYMPIC RUGBY 

BY JOSH DEAN 

MARCH 2015, JUST TWO MONTHS 

after his New England Patriots lost a 

nail-biter in the NFC Championship 

game, Nate Ebner made a surprising announcement: 

Instead of taking some time off before 

resuming his normal off-season training program, 

he was going to pick up a different kind 

of oblong leather ball, in the hopes of making the US Olympic rugby team for 

the 2016 games in Brazil. Rugby hasn’t been an Olympic sport since 1924, and 

the version played in Brazil will be seven-a-side — better known as “sevens” — 

a frenetic wide-open game that, because of the small teams, will have room for 

only 12 players. That means that Ebner, who hasn’t played competitive rugby 

since college, had to beat out dozens of full-time players, many of them pros. 

It’s not like he had to start from scratch, though. Ebner, who’s from Columbus 

in Ohio USA, learned the game from his father. He began to play at 6, and by 

the time he was 17 he was on the USA Sevens team, the youngest player ever to 

compete at that level. Then he gave up the sport in his sophomore year at Ohio 

State University to attempt to walk-on to the football team, a challenge no less 

daunting than this one, considering that OSU is one of America’s top college 

programs. He became a star of the special teams, blowing up kick returns so 

impressively that the New England Patriots took him in the sixth round of 

the 2012 draft. Four seasons later, he’s become such a valuable member of 

the Patriots’ special teams, they gave him a two-year, R32 million contract 

last March. In 2016, Ebner asked and received permission from the Patriots 

to chase his dream, and by June, he had played in three World Cup events 

and was one of 30 finalists vying for those 12 spots. He felt confident, but also 

knew what he was up against. “There are guys who have been on this team six 

or seven years waiting for the Olympics”, he says. And while Ebner’s strength 

and explosiveness were far superior to what they had been before football, the 

overall physical challenge of the training — “the volume of running”, he says 

— had been rough. “It’s as demanding as anything I’ve ever 

done”, Ebner explains. The players cover 10 to 15 kilometres 

a day — “all sprinting”, he says. “I knew coming into this that 

I didn’t have much time to get my skill set up — it was a big 

challenge. I’ll be able to sleep well at night knowing that I 

won’t have any regrets about trying to do this.” 

Nate Ebner, 

photographed by 

Mitchel Gray for 

his forthcoming 

book, Bodies in 

Action, 

available in 2017. 


“This is the year I’ve 

worked my entire career 

for. It’s amazing to 

finally feel comfortable 

in your skin.” 

GC 

“ EVERYBODY 

I WORK WITH, 

I LEARN FROM”, 

SAYS DIPLO, 

“ THEN TRY TO 

DO WHAT THEY 

DO, BETTER.” 

This page: Grooming by Sylvester Castellano/BA Reps; opposite 

page, from top: Peter Yang/August; Dave M. Bennet/Getty Images 

76 



DIPLO 

The beat master 

who runs in 

hyperdrive 

BY TOM FOSTER 

WHEN I TALK TO DIPLO (AKA 

Thomas Wesley Pentz) in LA, 

USA, the electronic-music trailblazer 

and one of today’s most influential 

producers, he’s just finished helping his 

6-year-old son build a Millennium Falcon. 

It’s a rare domestic moment for the 

music mogul, who’s had a monster year 

and shows no signs of slowing down. 

The previous week, he’d spent time 

in the studio, then was flown out to do 

shows in Las Vegas, Surrey, BC, and 

Alaska — where he played the state’s 

largest outdoor electronic-music show 

ever (dubbed “Diplaska”) — then back to 

Vegas again. He’s then headed to Europe 

to play 17 shows in 14 days, sometimes 

doing two a day: a concert with his band 

Major Lazer, then a solo Diplo set in a 

nightclub. He’s psyched to have a day 

and a half off in Ibiza — “That’s a big 

deal”, he tells me — but says he’ll spend 

it shooting a music video for his record 

label, Mad Decent. 

It’s a pretty standard schedule for the 

38-year-old, who’s also won two Grammys 

for his DJ collaboration Skrillex and 

Diplo Present Jack Ü (including one for 

the track “Where Are Ü Now”, which 

finally made Justin Bieber cool); released 

Spotify’s most streamed song ever with 

Major Lazer & DJ Snake with MØ 

(“Lean On”); played historic concerts in 

Pakistan and Cuba (the latter for 450 

000 people); invested in the pro Arizona 

United soccer team; run a travelling 

music festival, produced two tracks on 

Beyoncé’s Lemonade album… Well, you 

get the idea. 

Physically, he works out six days a 

week. “I’ve been doing Bikram yoga for 

10 or 15 years”, he says. “No matter where 

I go, there’s always a studio, and I don’t 

need to know the language because I 

know the moves.” He does yoga about 

twice a week and mixes in some strength 

training on the remaining days. 

“My favourite place to work out 

is Parque de Arpoador, in Rio — a 

little beach between Copacabana and 

Ipanema with an outdoor gym that has 

weights made of concrete and metal 

poles. You don’t need much.” 

TOM HIDDLESTON 

THE BABE MAGNET 

WHO MAY 

BECOME BOND 

BY MICHELLE RUIZ 

AH, TOM HIDDLESTON. NOT SINCE BENEDICT 

Cumberbatch has a British actor with a name that 

sounds like a Hogwarts House had such a massive 

year. Best known as Loki, Thor’s Norse nemesis (you 

know, with the greasy Van Helsing hair), Hiddleston, 

36, also turned heads through the years in bit parts 

as a kindly soldier in War Horse and the dandy F 

Scott Fitzgerald in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. But in 2016, he went 

from smarmy villain to bona fide badass. In the addictive AMC mini-series 

The Night Manager, he played the title soldier-turned-spy tapped to crack 

an evil arms dealer’s inner circle. The performance proved why Hiddleston 

is in the running to succeed Daniel Craig as the next 007 (earmuffs, Idris 

Elba) — and won him throngs of new “Hiddlestoners”, the name for his army 

of “stans”. Revealing his bare buttocks in a memorable sex scene helped, unleashing 

the #hiddlesbum. What was I saying? Sorry, I got distracted. Throw 

in an eerily good starring turn as country legend Hank Williams in the 

biopic I Saw the Light (he ran gruelling 12Ks through the Tennessee hills to 

get lean for the role) and a whirlwind romance with a certain pop star with 

the initials TS and we’re all getting a little Hiddlestoned. “In an industry 

that’s feast or famine”, he’s said, “I’ve got no complaints”. 

LORENZO FERTITTA 

The biz guy who bought the UFC 

for R17M — and sold it for R58B 

BY SEAN HYSON 

■ 

In 2001, Lorenzo 

Fertitta — co-owner 

of the Station Casinos 

in Las Vegas — bought 

the Ultimate Fighting 

Championship for R17 

million with his brother, 

Frank. The fledgeling 

mixed martial arts 

organisation was facing 

bankruptcy, a victim of 

its own aggressive marketing, 

which promised 

brutality and aroused 

American Senator John 

McCain to call for its dismemberment, 

branding it 

“human cockfighting”. 

The Fertitta brothers, 

along with high school 

pal Dana White, whom 

the brothers installed 

as President, rebuilt 

the business of ultimate 

fighting, changing its 

image as a bloody 

spectacle to that of a 

legitimate sport with 

top-notch athletes. With 

Fertitta as the UFC’s 

Chief Executive and 

main power, the trio 

expanded the promotion 

abroad, and negotiated 

to get its biggest stars 

from rival organisations. 

In July 2016, the 

Fertittas sold the majority 

of their stake in the 

UFC for a reported R58 

billion to sports/entertainment 

management 

group WME-IMG. Eclipsing 

even the R22 billion 

sale of the LA Clippers in 

2014, the deal was one 

of “the largest ever in 

the history of sports”, 

Fertitta crowed. 

To further put it into 

perspective, it rivals 

the price George Lucas 

got from Disney when 

he sold the entire Star 

Wars franchise in 2012. 

Fertitta isn’t wistful 

about parting with the 

organisation. “When you 

take something from 

nothing to [R58 billion], 

I don’t think you should 

have regrets.” 


JIMMY CHIN 

THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER 

WHO MADE IT TO SUNDANCE 

BY JOSH DEAN 

THIS SUMMER, WHEN THE NEW YORK TIMES M AGA ZINE 

needed someone to climb the spire atop the New Yorkbased 

Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center), the 

T tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, to capture 

an image of the men who have the preposterous job of 

actually fixing things up there, 546 metres over lower Manhattan, the 

editors knew there was only one man for the job: Jimmy Chin. 

Chin, 43, is one of the most 

esteemed and talented photographers 

in the outdoor-adventure 

realm. He’s also a world-class 

athlete who’s climbed every one 

of the planet’s 8000-metre peaks. 

(And skied down a few of them, 

including Mount Everest.) North 

Face signed Chin to its athlete 

team 14 years ago for his skill on 

big walls, but he was already well 

on his way to becoming the guy 

adventure magazines called when 

they needed a photographer to 

accompany the world’s top athletes 

into the field. 

Fast-forward to today, and he’s 

a full-blown movie mogul. 

He’s co-directed a film with his 

wife, E Chai Vasarhelyi, called 

Meru, which chronicled the story 

of Chin, cinematographer Renan 

Ozturk, and longtime climber 

Conrad Anker attempting — and 

succeeding at — ascending the 

460-metre “Shark’s Fin” granite 

wall on the 6400-metre Meru 

Peak, in India. The movie won 

the Audience Award for US 

Documentary at the Sundance 

Film Festival and was nominated 

for an Independent Spirit Award 

in 2016, proving that Chin’s just 

as adept with moving images as 

he is with still photos. 

Today he’s busy churning 

out new films and commercial 

projects for major brands like 

-Apple and Land Rover. But that 

doesn’t mean he’s sedentary. 

“I love being a climber and a 

skier and a surfer”, he says, from 

Sayulita, Mexico, where he’s 

decamped for the powerful south 

swell. “The most important 

thing for me is getting out. 

The mountains and the ocean 

provide so much inspiration 

and life force.” 

He splits time between 

Wyoming and New York, where 

his wife is based, but he can 

handle the latter for only a short 

time. “I function better in difficult 

situations than in normal life”, 

he says. “Going to the Licensing 

Department is far more painful 

than hanging on a wall in 

minus-20 weather at 20 000 feet. 

I’m way more chill up there.” 

78 



ADRIAN GORE 

The Optimistic CEO 

BY JASON FLEETWOOD 

■ 

The man who literally 

transformed the South 

African medical insurance 

industry. When he launched 

Discovery Health in 1992 his 

goal was simple, to help keep 

people healthy, and after 25 

years, Discovery has grown 

to become a household 

name, pioneering the healthy 

living rewards program: 

Vitality – which encompasses 

the ideals that living healthy 

is the key to overall wellness 

and longevity. Today, 

Discovery Limited offers 

a wide range of insurance 

and investment products 

including life, household and 

car insurance. 

After listing on the JSE in 

1997 Discovery has grown 

exponentially, expanding its 

reach internationally and 

serving satisfied customers 

across the United States, 

China and the United 

Kingdom. Discovery is home 

to over 8000 employees 

and serves over six million 

customers across the world. 

Gore is an actuary by 

profession and graduated 

from Wits University in 

1986. In 1998, Gore was 

recognised as South Africa’s 

best entrepreneur by 

Ernst & Young, and in 2004 

he was chosen as South 

Africa’s leading CEO in the 

annual MoneyWeb CEO of 

the Year Awards. In 2008, 

he received the Investec 

award for considerable 

contribution in a career or 

profession, and in 2010, he 

was named as the Sunday 

Times business leader 

of the year. In 2013 Gore 

received the Manex Award 

from the University of the 

Witwatersrand Business 

School. 

Adrian Gore is the current 

Chief Executive Officer of the 

Discovery Group. Towards 

the end of 2015 Business 

Tech listed him as number 

11 of the 16 richest South 

Africans with an estimated 

net worth of close to R6.8 

billion ($480m). Having 

achieved so much, in such 

little time, and doing it with 

an overwhelming amount 

of success and recognition 

is the definition of a game 

changer. 


GAME CHANGERS 2016 

B. BONIN BOUGH 

THE CREATIVE GENIUS 

WHO’S TEAMED 

WITH LEBRON TO RAISE 

CLEVELAND’S GAME 


That time a single 

■ Oreo tweet owned 

the Super Bowl XLVII 

blackout? That was 

B Bonin Bough’s idea. 

And when Gatorade 

launched its real-time 

“Mission Control?” Yup, 

Bough again. 

As Chief Media and 

E-commerce Officer of 

food giant Mondelez International, 

Bough is an 

advertising titan who’s 

overseen billions in marketing 

and ad spend for 

some of the world’s biggest 

brands. But in 2016, 

the tireless, whip-smart 

marketing whiz outdid 

even himself by creating 

a once-in-a-lifetime publicity 

stunt even most 

daredevils considered 

simply insane: He paid 

professional skydiver 

Luke Aikins, a grizzled 

dude with 16 000-plus 

jumps to his name (and a 

credit on Iron Man 3) to 

leap out of a plane at 25 

000 feet without a parachute, 

hoping (and, we’d 

guess, praying) he’d 

land on a net suspended 

60 metres above the 

California desert. 

And of course, the 

entire spectacle, to 

benefit Mondelez’s 

Stride gum brand, aired 

live in an hour-long TV 

special. 

“The concept for the 

brand was ‘Mad Intense’, 

and what could 

be more mad intense 

than a guy jumping out 

of a plane without a 

chute?” says Bough, 

who freely admits he 

was nervous as hell 

about the stunt till Aikins, 

barrelling towards 

Earth at 200km/h, 

turned over on his back 

at the last second and 

landed safely in the 

30-by-30-metre net. 

“At the end of the 

Skydiving into a net 

from almost 5 miles 

up, sans parachute, 

was just one of 

Bough’s wild ideas. 

day, we made history”, 

Bough says. 

But the unrivalled 

master of grabbing the 

public’s attention isn’t 

just an ad king — he’s 

forayed into publishing 

and made waves there, 

too. For example, on 

the cover of his book 

Txt Me — which came 

out in August 2016 and 

explores how texting 

has revolutionised 

everything from youth 

rebellion to political 

engagement to sexual 

behaviour — he printed 

his actual phone number 

so readers could 

give him one-on-one 

feedback. 

Bough’s also stepped 

into the TV spotlight as 

host of a CNBC series 

produced by LeBron 

James, Cleveland 

Hustles, a sort of Shark 

Tank-meets-Our Town 

in which he mentors 

local entrepreneurs 

hoping to achieve their 

dreams in Believeland — 

the nickname Cavaliers 

fans have bestowed on 

their city. 

“Small businesses 

need to think bigger”, 

Bough says. “Most 

people find millions of 

reasons why they can’t 

do something. Very 

few people say, ‘I can, 

and I’m gonna find out 

how’.” 

STEPH CURRY 

The baller who’s 

truly a Warrior 

BY JASON ADAMS 

WHEN THE JORDAN COMPARISONS STOP 

being a thing of fanboy fantasy and move 

into the realm of plausible argument, you 

know you’ve become one of a handful of basketball 

players touched by the hand of God. When 

you start to beat the greatest player ever at his 

own game — like, say, leading your team to the 

best single-season NBA record ever — you know 

God is now using that hand to shake yours, with 

an added pat on the back for a job well done. 

Steph Curry, the three-point sharpshooter who’s 

racked up back-to-back MVP nods, All-Star 

games, and All-NBA first-team honours these 

past two seasons, also became the regular-season 

scoring champ in 2016, all the while leading his 

Golden State Warriors to that unprecedented 

73 wins. And all this just a year after helping 

them clinch their fourth championship. Off the 

court, Curry trades hustle for humility, playing 

another pivotal role: that of doting father 

and in-this-together husband. He’s also been a 

staunch advocate, from ESPYs stage to public 

service announcements, in the fight to stop gun 

violence. No wonder fellow MVP and All-Star 

Kevin Durant decided to join him for another 

run for a ring in the Bay Area next season. God, 

we’re betting, will, too. 

80 

MEN’S FITNESS MAY JULY 2017 / AUGUST 2017

SCOOTER BRAUN 

THE MUSIC 

BOSS WHO BECAME 

THE BIEBER 

WHISPERER 

BY KAREN VALBY 

ON NEW YEAR’S EVE, SCOOTER 

Braun made the same promise to 

himself we all make: The 93-kilogram 

businessman behind Justin Bieber, 

Kanye West, and many other artists 

swore he’d hit the gym and get his 

body right. Except he actually did it. 

Now clocking in at 80 kilograms, the 

former college basketball player finally 

recognises himself when he looks in 

the mirror. “For 10 years, I let myself 

go because all I was focusing on was 

my career”, he says. And what a career: 

The party promoter–turned–record 

label owner was the steady tether 

during Bieber’s spiralling out, guiding 

him back to his comeback tour, he 

also joined forces with West in 2016 

to orchestrate the hip-hop megastar’s 

groundbreaking Adidas Yeezy deal. 

Scooter recently took part in the One 

Love Manchester benefit concert with 

stars like Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, 

Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber 

paying tribute to the victims and 

families of the May 22 terror attack at 

the Manchester Arena. The foundation 

of Braun’s recent successes is his fitness, 

he says. He circuit-trains five days 

a week, plays basketball once a week, 

and meditates. He credits his newfound 

motivation to a doctor’s warning 

that his LDL cholesterol levels were 

through the roof. “He told me, ‘With 

your stress levels and lack of sleep, 

I can guarantee you a heart attack 

within the next five to ten years’.” 

BRENT SAUNDERS 

THE PHARM 

BOSS WHO 

DECLARED 

WAR ON FAT 


Back in 2003, 

■ Brent Saunders 

took the biggest risk 

of his career. Then a 

young dad with a baby at 

home and a new house, 

Saunders walked away 

from a partnership 

at Pricewaterhouse- 

Coopers, accepted a 

66% salary cut, and 

started over again in the 

business world. 

Smart move: Now CEO 

of Allergan (most famous 

for Botox), Saunders 

is following up the 

pharmaceutical giant’s 

blockbuster cosmetic 

drugs by introducing 

Kybella, the first US FDAapproved 

injection to 

destroy double chins (OK, 

“submental fat”) without 

surgery. “It’s a stubborn 

area — even some guys 

who are quite fit have it”, 

says Saunders, who, at 

a fresh-faced 47, is one 

of the youngest Fortune 

500 Chief Executives in 

the USA. “I think it’s going 

to be a real door opener 

for men looking to enter 

the facial-aesthetics 

market.” 

You won’t find much 

cellulite on him, though. 

When Saunders isn’t 

with his family or working 

on the next wonder 

drug — mental health is 

his next big focus — he’s 

at the gym by 5am for 

functional strength and 

cardio. Everything else, 

he says, is secondary. 

“You can’t be great at 

everything”, he explains. 

“So you have to pick the 

most important things 

and do them exceedingly 

well with tremendous 

passion. Without sacrifice, 

you’ll never reach 

excellence.” 

RIZ AHMED 

The HBO star who 

got jacked in jail 

BY JULIAN SANCTON 

“IT’S BEEN A TOUGH YEAR, MAN,” SAYS 

Riz Ahmed. “Bowie, Prince, Brexit, the American 

presidential election, Iraq…” Frankly, 

I’d expected the 34-year-old actor and rapper to 

instead list the many blessings 2016 had conferred 

on him: roles in two major franchise films (Jason 

Bourne and last December’s Rogue One: A Star Wars 

Story) a critically admired album (“Englistan”, about 

the complexities of being a British Muslim), and a 

smash-hit HBO series, The Night Of. But not that he 

doesn’t appreciate how transformational last year — 

particularly The Night Of — has been, both for his career 

and for his body. To grow from a scrawny, naive 

Queens kid into a Rikers-hardened badass over the 

course of the eight-episode season, Ahmed worked 

with trainer Ben Glassman of The Lab in New York, 

USA. “I switched from metabolic conditioning 

workouts — with a ketogenic diet to burn fat and get 

really trim — into big compound lifts and almost no 

cardio”, says Ahmed. He also relied on yoga and Pilates 

to maintain good posture and avoid injury while 

training six days a week, often after a full day’s shoot. 

As for mental fitness? “The Headspace [meditation] 

app that Andy Puddicombe developed”, says Ahmed. 

“It’s a really effective tool not just for relaxation but 

also focus.” To tune out everything that’s going on in 

his life — and in the world. ■ 


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Join the supermeal 

84 


evolution 

Revolutionise your diet by making each meal you 

eat the most nutritious it can possibly be, with 

the fewest calories it can possibly have. It’s easy: 

Just pack your plate with simple, delicious combos 

of these high-powered superfoods. 


PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRISTOPHER TESTANI 

FOOD STYLING BY EUGENE JHO 

A perfect protein. 

Salmon is versatile and 

packed with omega-3 

fatty acids. 

Let’s face it: The term superfood 

is as manipulative as all natural, 

detoxifying, and the “fat-burning 

zone” setting on an elliptical 

machine. That said, certain foods’ 

concentrations of vitamins, 

minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, 

and other nutrients mean 

they pack more health benefits 

into each serving than other foods 

you might think are healthier. With 

the help of some of the world’s top 

nutritionists and the most recent 

research, we put together lists of 

the most nutrient-dense foods—that 

is, those that give you the most 

nutritional bang for your caloric 

buck — in six categories, and show 

you how to combine them into 

delicious, nutrient-packed meals 

every single day. 


SUPERMEAL #1 

SALMON (LEFT) 

WITH: 

Acorn squash, 

chard, pistachios, 

parsley, lemon 

■ The vitamins in 

chard (A, E, K) and 

squash (A, C) are 

better absorbed 

with fat, like that in 

salmon. A gremolata 

(chopped mix) 

of parsley, lemon, 

and pistachio adds 

flavour/nutrients 

with few calories. 

The Most 

Filling, 

Lowest- 

Calorie 

Superfoods 

Hoping to lose 

weight but don’t 

want to miss out 

on nutrients? 

Fibre, protein, 

and water are 

what make you 

feel satiated. 

That means: 

Soulful salmon. 

Grilled or baked, 

fatty fish should 

be your go-to 

for protein. 

■ Lentils and black 

beans will give 

heft to any meal 

without unnecessary 

calories. 

■ Lean chicken and 

broccoli should 

be your meat and 

veggie go-tos. 

Super proteins 

1) Oily fish (salmon, anchovies, sardines, mackerel) 

So-called oily fish has a higher fat content, which means more omega-3 fatty 

acids, as well as lots of protein and high vitamin D levels. Additionally, some 

studies have shown oily fish to have beneficial effects on heart disease, prostate 

cancer, vision loss, and dementia. It’s easy to use in meals: Salmon, for example, 

works with any cooking technique and seasoning; anchovies dissolve into sauces 

(making them taste balanced and robust rather than fishy); and high-quality 

canned sardines and mackerel, which are becoming increasingly available, are 

great snacks — just drain well and serve with a squeeze of lemon. 

2) Chicken 

High in protein but 

relatively low in fat 

and calories, chicken 

is a dietary staple 

that is easy to cook 

and takes to just about 

any seasoning. You can 

even grind it in a food 

processor and use in 

place of ground beef. 

3) Grass-Fed Beef 

Grass-fed beef has 

more vitamins (e.g., up 

to 10x more A), minerals, 

and omega-3s than 

grain-fed. Don’t buy 

pre-ground, which may 

come from hundreds of 

cows; have a butcher 

grind it, or pulse cubed 

meat in a processor. 

4) Eggs 

Egg whites are almost 

all protein, with minimal 

calories. But the yolk 

is where all the other 

nutrients are. For 

scrambled, use one 

whole egg for every 

four egg whites. (Add 

turmeric for flavour 

and extra nutrients.) 

5) Greek Yoghurt & Kefir 

Greek yoghurt (which 

has had the whey 

strained out) has fewer 

carbs and more protein 

than regular yoghurt. 

Use kefir, a fermented 

milk product similar to 

thin yoghurt, to replace 

milk in smoothies and 

on cereal. 

Grass-fed 

beef isn’t just 

ethically sound: 

It has more 

vitamins than 

grain-fed. 

■ Watermelon can’t 

be beat for a filling, 

low-cal fruit. 

Don’t discount 

psychology: 

Studies show that 

people perceive 

viscous foods as 

more filling, so 

think: 

■ Yoghurt (also 

a good protein 

source) 

■ Oatmeal (also 

good for fibre) 

■ Thick puréed 

vegetable soups 

And eating what 

looks like a large 

quantity makes 

people feel more 

satisfied with 

fewer calories, 

so opt for: 

■ Huge leafy salads 

■ Big bowls of soup 

■ Chicken pounded 

to plate size 

Food styling by Eugene Jho/Plum Reps; Prop styling by Kaitlyn Du Ross Walker/Honey Artists 

86 


SUPERMEAL #2 

SCRAMBLED 

EGGS (RIGHT) 

WITH: 

Tomato, oregano, 

lemon juice 

■ Deconstruct 

your omelette: 

Pairing scrambled 

eggs with a fresh 

tomato-oregano 

salad looks heartier 

— which means 

psychologically it’ll 

seem filling — than 

a watery tomato 

omelette. 

SUPERMEAL #3 

BERRY 

SALAD (RIGHT) 

WITH: 

Walnuts, kefir 

■ Kefir makes a 

rich dressing to 

add to berries 

and walnuts to 

create a satisfying 

breakfast, lunch, 

or dessert dish 

(honey optional). 

It even doubles as 

a nutritious pickme-up 

after a 

gruelling workout. 

Remix the scramble. 

Upgrade your eggs 

with a beautiful and 

filling tomato salad. 

Super vegetables 

1) Cruciferous greens 

(Chinese cabbage, broccoli, 

brussels sprouts, kale, collards) 

If anything deserves the term superfoods, 

it’s cruciferous vegetables. 

They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, 

antioxidants, fibre, and sulphuric 

compounds called glucosinolates, 

which have shown promise in reducing 

lung and colorectal cancer risk. 

They can be eaten raw or cooked; try 

using Chinese cabbage (aka napa cabbage 

and bok choy) or brussels sprouts 

in place of regular cabbage in coleslaw. 

2) Leafy greens (chard, 

spinach, watercress) 

Always choose darker 

greens like spinach, 

chard, and especially 

watercress, which 

is high in vitamin K, 

beta-carotene, and 

the cancer-fighting 

compound PEITC. 

3) Seaweed 

Seaweed is full of iron 

and vitamin C. Get premade 

seaweed salads, 

add spirulina powder 

to offset smoothies’ 

sweetness, and shred 

toasted nori sheets 

over eggs and salads. 

4) Winter squash 

(pumpkin, butternut, 

kabocha) 

A top source of carotenoids 

(lutein, zeaxanthin), 

roasted or boiled 

squash boosts salads 

and pastas. And don’t 

forget edible seeds, like 

pepitas (pumpkin). 

5) Onions 

Onions have more antioxidants 

than other veggies, 

mostly in the outer 

layers, so peel off only 

the papery coating and 

sauté or roast whole 

at 200° for 1 hour to eat 

in place of baked potato. 

FOR MORE GREAT 

NUTRITION TIPS, VISIT 


Super fruits 

1) Blueberries 

Blueberries have it all: mega antioxidants (organically 

grown berries have even higher levels), anthocyanins, 

resveratrol, quercetin. They’re also super low maintenance: 

You can eat them by the handful fresh from the farmers’ 

market, add them to oatmeal and smoothies, or freeze them 

for later use — they’ll retain virtually all their nutrients. 

2) Strawberries 

Strawberries have 

antioxidant and 

anti-inflammatory 

properties. Tart green 

strawberries have 

also become a trendy 

addition to salads and 

savoury dishes. 

3) Watermelon 

This high-fibre, low-cal 

staple has more lycopene 

than tomatoes. 

Swap 

watermelon cubes 

for tomato in green 

and grain salads, toss 

minced watermelon 

into any salsa, and 

serve grilled watermelon 

slices topped 

with watercress. 

4) Tomatoes 

Tomatoes (yes, they’re 

really a fruit) are high in 

dozens of phytonutrients 

and are perhaps 

the most heart-healthy 

vegetable. 

5) Lemons 

A prime source of the 

anticancer compound 

limonin, vitamin C– 

rich lemons can be 

squeezed over everything; 

or blend one 

— peel and all — with 

parsley, oregano, and 

garlic for a marinade. 


SUPERMEAL #4 

GRILLED 

CHICKEN (RIGHT) 

WITH: Quinoa, 

tomato, parsley, 

almonds, watercress, 

lemon juice, 

garlic, yoghurt 

■ Garlic-andlemon-spiked 

yoghurt makes a 

quick sauce for 

grilled chicken. 

Adding tomato, 

parsley, and 

almonds to quinoa 

evokes the Middle 

Eastern salad 

tabbouleh. Garlic 

slices fried quickly 

in olive oil add a 

surprising twist 

to peppery greens 

like watercress 

— and almost 

anything else. 

Bulk up the 

nutrients of a 

plain chicken 

breast with 

garlic, lemon, 

and almonds. 

The end of 

“boring” chicken. 

By adding just a few 

super ingredients, a 

drab breast can pop 

with flavour. 

Super herbs and spices 

1) Parsley 

Think of parsley as a herb and a salad green. Italian parsley dressed with olive 

oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon adds a refreshing contrast to rich grilled salmon 

or steak. Parsley and garlic form the basis for many easy no-cook all-superfood 

sauces: Blend with olive oil and oregano to make the Argentinian steak sauce 

chimichurri; chop with lemon zest for a Milanese gremolata; add anchovies 

and lemon juice and you’ve got a powerhouse salsa verde for fish; and blitz with 

walnuts for a twist on a tasty pesto. 

2) Turmeric 

Its earthy, peppery 

flavour comes from 

curcumin, a phenol 

with antibacterial properties. 

The spice pairs 

well with scrambled 

eggs, salad dressings, 

and even dessert. 

3) Cinnamon 

Cinnamon, with its 

essential oils full of 

anti-inflammatory and 

antimicrobial properties, 

boosts both 

savoury dishes (like 

steak or cooked grains/ 

lentils) and desserts. 

4) Oregano 

Oregano’s bacteriafighting 

oils kill some 

infections faster than 

drugs, one study found. 

Use it to season meats, 

or mince it with tomato, 

garlic, and anchovies 

for a quick Italian salsa. 

5) Garlic 

Slice the tops off heads 

of this virus/bacteriafighting, 

cholesterolcutting 

herb; roast at 

200° for 1 hour. They 

keep in the fridge for a 

week and add buttery 

flavour to dishes. 

More 

Protein 

for Fewer 

Calories 

If packing on 

muscle is your goal, 

stock up on: 

■ Egg whites and 

hard-boiled eggs 

■ Chicken breast 

■ Beef sirloin 

(a lean but 

tasty cut) 

■ Greek yoghurt 

■ Black beans 

Tip: Blend black 

beans with onion, 

garlic, and lemon 

juice as a dip for 

steamed broccoli. 

88 


Super grains 

and beans 

1) Barley 

You love it in beer — but make it one of 

your whole-grain staples, too. Barley 

has a nutty flavour and is packed with 

nutrients like manganese, selenium, 

vitamin B1, and a type of fibre that 

digests slowly to help stabilise glucose 

levels — and keep you feeling full longer. 

Eating it regularly can also lower 

blood cholesterol, the American Journal 

of Clinical Nutrition reported. 

2) Oats 

Oats are tops for 

manganese (crucial 

for bone health and 

glucose control) and 

fibre. Swap steel-cut 

oats for risotto. 

3) Quinoa 

The rare grain with all 

nine essential aminos, 

quinoa’s also packed 

with antioxidants. 

4) Navy and 

Black Beans 

Navy beans are high in 

omega-3s; black are 

a rich protein source. 

BTW, canned beans are 

as nutritious as fresh. 

5) Lentils 

High in omega-3s/fibre, 

lentils cook quickly and 

pair well with turmeric 

and cinnamon. 

SUPERMEAL #5 

CHIA PUDDING (RIGHT) 

WITH: Chia seeds, almond milk, dark chocolate, 

strawberries 

■ Scrap the tapioca mix: This raw pudding is 

just chia seeds soaked overnight in almond milk 

and garnished with fresh strawberries and 

the darkest chocolate you still like. No extra 

sweetener needed! 

Guilt-free dessert. 

This tapioca-like 

Aztec staple is 

loaded with antioxidants. 

Super nuts 

and seeds 

1) Cacao nibs and dark chocolate 

(the darker, the better) 

Yep, chocolate. Cacao nibs, the 

unsweetened, plant-based source 

of prepared chocolate, have a high 

flavonoid content — comparable to 

that of tea, grapes, and berries — as 

well as fibre, iron, and copper. They’re 

subtly bitter but contrast well in 

sweets and even on pasta (in place of 

bread crumbs) or in salads for a nice 

crunch. With prepared chocolate, the 

key is finding the darkest chocolate 

you can still enjoy, then eating it daily 

in moderation as a snack or dessert. 

2) Pistachios 

A very low-calorie nut 

(30 pistachios have 

only 100 calories), 

pistachios are one 

of the only nuts to 

contain the antioxidant 

carotenoids lutein and 

zeaxanthin (also found 

in winter squash). 

3) Chia Seeds 

An Aztec staple, chia 

seeds have lots of calcium, 

omega-3s, and 

antioxidants. They can 

absorb about 10 times 

their weight in liquid, so 

they make a great pudding. 

(Mix with coconut 

or almond milk and let 

sit overnight.) Tiny and 

almost tasteless, they 

can also be sprinkled 

on anything or coated 

on meat/fish as a crust. 

4) Almonds 

Along with tomatoes, 

eggs, and onions, 

almonds — the seed of 

the fruit of the almond 

tree — are a good 

source of biotin, a 

B-complex crucial for 

fat/sugar metabolism. 

Unsweetened almond 

milk (sub it in for dairy) 

is almost as nutritious 

as whole almonds. 

5) Walnuts 

High in omega-3s, 

copper, manganese, 

and vitamin E, walnuts 

also contain phytonutrients 

found in few 

other foods: Juglone 

(a possible cancer 

fighter) and morin 

(which may combat 

Alzheimer’s and 

diabetes). ■ 


Wise up 

Send your questions to ask@mensfitness.co.za 

Ask Men’s Fitness 

Prop styling by Rachel Stickley/Bernstein & Andriulli 

Big wheel. 

There are myriad types 

of cheese you can eat 

and still get ripped. 

Can I eat cheese 

and still be fit? 

Man, I do not want 

to give it up! 

LES F. CAPE TOWN 

Yes, you can 

■ have your 

cheese and stay 

fit, too. 

According 

to sports dietitian 

Christina 

Strudwick, CSSD, 

founder of The 

Fueled Athlete, 

“Cheese can be 

part of a healthy 

lifestyle when 

it’s unprocessed 

and eaten in 

moderation”. Just 

think natural (like 

everything from 

our favourite family 

of cheesemakers — 

Simonsberg). 

That’s not all. 

“Cheese has lots of 

nutrients, like filling 

protein and bonebuilding 

calcium”, 

says dietitian Amy 

Gorin, RDN. 

Its biggest plus 

is by far its protein 

content. Swiss, 

cheddar, and mozzarella 

have 7–8 

grams per 30g serving, 

which can help 

pack on muscle. 

Hard cheeses can 

also lower blood 

pressure — especially 

Grana Padano, 

a new study has 

found. And ricotta is 

packed with whey, 

the most satiating 

of all proteins, 

Finally, always go 

for quality cheeses. 

Just watch the 

quantity, and err on 

the side of “Damn, 

that tasted great”, 

not “Damn, I can’t 

buckle my belt”. 


Ask Men’s Fitness 

The Sex Files 

Our experts answer your most intimate questions — no holds barred 

I’d love to try a threesome with two women. 

But how can I bring up the idea so it won’t upset my 

girlfriend? And if she does agree, are there certain 

ground rules we should stick to? 

Sex with a third 

■ person is tricky 

because it brings a 

potentially destabilising 

element into 

the relationship. So 

when you discuss it 

with her, I’d focus on 

1) creating a new fantasy 

experience with 

her and 2) her needs 

and pleasure. 

That is, be sure it’s 

about bringing you 

closer, not providing 

a guilt-free way for 

you to have sex with 

another woman. 

DR AARON 

To avoid jealousy, 

tell her you think a 

threesome could be 

really hot for her, not 

just for you. 

But: It’s best to 

avoid doing it with 

someone she knows 

or you could set 

yourself up for a 

problem: Are you 

comparing her with 

her friends? Do you 

desire someone 

else? Instead, let her 

pick the girl so you 

both feel secure. 

Also, set the rules 

for kissing, oral, and 

intercourse before 

you get into bed. 

You could find that 

after all this talk, 

you’re so excited you 

don’t even need a 

threesome! 

DR NELSON 

I’ve never had a 

threesome, but 

if I had to guess, 

I’d say be sure it’s 

consensual and 

the other woman’s 

legal (agewise, not 

immigration-wise — 

illegal immigrants 

need threesomes, 

too!). Then I’d hope 

she’s pro-choice, 

so if a condom 

breaks and she gets 

pregnant… 

And rather than 

talk about it with 

your gf up front, 

maybe Netflix and 

chill to Love — a 

film with beautiful 

Hoping for a 

ménage à trois? 

It can be tricky, so 

tread carefully. 

JACOB M. JOHANNESBURG 

(but awful) actors 

about a threesome 

that goes badly 

awry — and float the 

idea then. 

Worst case, she 

laughs it off but you 

guys still get off to 

the porniest film 

on Netflix! 

JENA 

KEEP HER 

NEEDS IN 

MIND OR 

YOU CAN 

KISS THAT 

THREE-WAY 

GOODBYE. 

I think I might be a 

little on the small 

side. What can I do to 

make sex as satisfying 

as possible for her? 

LES T. DURBAN 

DR NELSON: Having 

a smaller penis 

doesn’t mean you 

can’t satisfy a lover. 

During sex, the walls 

of a woman’s vagina 

close just a third 

of the way into the 

vaginal canal; that 

means it’s the girth 

or movement — not 

the depth of penetration 

— that matters. 

But stimulating 

the clitoris and the 

G-spot (2 to 5cm, on 

the vagina’s front 

side) is what will give 

her a mind-blowing 

orgasm. Be aware: It 

can take 17 minutes 

or more (not four, as 

some men think!) of 

clitoral stimulation 

for a woman to come. 

Master that and 

you can be a great 

lover despite the size 

of your man parts. 

DR AARON: You may 

not be as small as 

you think. In a recent 

British study of 

more than 15 000 

men, average penis 

size was 13cm — and 

more than half of the 

men were within just 

an inch of each other. 

But assuming 

you are actually 

smaller, there are 

still many ways to 

satisfy a woman. In 

terms of positions, 

try doggy style for 

deeper penetration. 

This month’s panel 

PSYCHOTHERAPIST/ 

SEX THERAPIST 

TAMMY NELSON, PHD 

WRITER/STAND-UP COMIC 

JENA FRIEDMAN 

PSYCHOTHERAPIST/ 

SEX COUNSELLOR 

MICHAEL AARON, PHD 

And bone up (so to 

speak) on your oral 

skills for clitoral 

stimulation. 

When I meet a girl from 

Tinder and see she’s a 

little overweight, I get 

really turned off. But 

my mom’s chubby and 

my dad always loved 

her… So should I just 

close my eyes and try 

it anyway? 

DAVID L. BLOEMFONTEIN 

DR NELSON: You 

know how most 

women judge 

whether a man they 

meet is date-able? 

They wait till he 

opens his mouth. A 

gorgeous guy can 

be boring once he 

starts talking, and a 

not-as-good-looking 

guy can be a total 

turn-on because he’s 

incredibly interesting 

— and nothing’s 

sexier than that. 

So it sounds as if 

you’ve answered 

your own question: 

“Try it anyway?” Yes! 

You know you’re 

being superficial, so 

give her a chance 

and see if there’s 

chemistry. 

She might be truly 

fabulous — and think 

you are, too. 

DR AARON: We can’t 

control whom 

we’re attracted to, 

so there’s no use 

feeling guilty about 

it. Your dad might 

like your mom’s 

body type, but that 

doesn’t mean you 

will — or should. 

Physical appeal is 

an important part 

of attraction. Some 

people may find 

this view politically 

incorrect, but who’s 

going to be in your 

relationship — you 

or them? 

JENA: Sure, if you 

think she can handle 

a guy who sounds 

like kind of an 

asshole. 

Beth Studenberg/thelicensingproject.com 

92 


Got a helluva beard? 

Let your facial hair 

run free, but don’t 

neglect the upkeep. 

“I’d love to bench 100 

kilograms, for more 

than 5 reps. Any tips 

on how to get there?” 

Combine nation. 

Press your way to beating 

your all time record 

record. 

JOE S. JOHANNESBURG 

■ “You need to 

bump up your max 

so “it’s well beyond 

100”, says Arizona 

Cardinals strength 

and conditioning 

coach Buddy Morris. 

That doesn’t mean 

just lifting heavy 

— you also need to 

build power to fire 

the bar up off your 

chest. 

Morris recommends 

training the 

bench press twice a 

week. One day, work 

up to a weight you 

can lift only three 

to five times. Three 

days later, do eight 

sets of three reps 

using 50–60% of 

your one-rep max, 

resting one minute 

between sets. Do 

these reps as explosively 

as you can, 

lowering and pressing 

the bar fast. 

On both days, 

after benching, “do 

either dumbbell 

pressing or some 

push-up variation”, 

says Morris. “I’d also 

hammer triceps 

and upper back to 

death.” 

FOR MORE REC 

ORD BEATING 

WORKOUT 

CHALLENGES, GO 

TO MENSFITNESS 

.CO.ZA 

Clockwise from top left: James Michelfelder; John Balsom/Trunk Archive; 

Courtesy of Shorty Maniace; Richard Pierce 

How can I clean my 

Converse Chuck 

Taylor sneakers? 

They’re pretty 

gross, but I don’t 

want to throw 

them out… 

PAUL S. PORT ELIZABETH 

■ Got a washing 

machine and a Mr. 

Clean Magic Eraser 

(R240; takealot. 

Don’t Chuck ’em. 

In a few easy steps, 

you can get dirty 

sneaks looking 

like new. 

com)? Then it’s a 

cinch. 

“If your Chucks 

have seen better 

days, it’s easy to get 

them looking — and 

smelling — like 

new again”, says 

cleanandscentsible 

.com’s Jenn Lifford. 

First, remove the 

laces; use a dry 

brush to loosen dirt, 

debris, and mud in 

the grooves of the 

soles; treat major 

stains with a laundry 

stain remover; 

and take a wet Magic 

Eraser to the dirty, 

nasty-looking rubber 

parts. (And when 

you’re done with 

that, use it on your 

golf clubs, bike helmet, 

tyre rims, even 

a scummy bathtub — 

the thing’s amazing, 

and we’re not getting 

paid to say that.) 

Put the shoes 

and laces in the 

washer with detergent, 

plus a cup of 

vinegar if the shoes 

are extra smelly. 

For dark or coloured 

shoes, use cold water 

to avoid fading; 

otherwise, wash on 

warm. But never use 

hot — it’s likely to 

weaken the glue on 

the shoes. 

When the cycle’s 

done, do not put your 

Chucks in the dryer 

— just let them dry 

naturally. If you’re in 

a real hurry, stuff the 

insides with paper 

towels and they’ll 

dry faster. 

Shorty the barber 

Enlightened advice from grooming expert Shorty Maniace 

I have a long, full 

beard. But, really — 

how much beard 

is too much? 

HARRY H. CAPE TOWN 

Shorty Maniace is the 

owner of J.P. Kempt 

Barber & Social in San 

Francisco, USA. 

If you get out of the shower and can’t 

■ figure out where your beard ends 

and your pubes start, it’s too long. 

If people start asking you for your 

autograph, thinking you’re someone from 

Duck Dynasty, it’s too long. 

Longer beards — lumberjack beards 

— are out of fashion. Yeah, there are still 

guys who carry on with it, but supertrendy 

it’s not. But if that doesn’t bother you, and 

you don’t have really thin facial hair that 

makes you look like Che Guevara, grow 

it as long as you want. Join one of those 

beard competitions. Have fun with it. 

Just take good care of it. You can use 

normal shampoo on it — do that once 

every two weeks, or even every week, 

just the way you wash your hair: Use a 

moisturising shampoo, and definitely 

condition it, preferably with a conditioner 

that has spearmint or peppermint, which 

is really good at getting the natural oils to 

come out of your skin and into the beard. 

Then there are beard oils, balms, and 

waxes (not just mustache waxes) that 

are really good for shaping a beard — 

just don’t make it really thin and raspy 

at the ends. And Proraso has a great 

hot-oil treatment (R190; fruugo.co.za). 

And keep it shaped nicely. Bottom line, 

no matter how long it is, if your beard’s 

looking really scraggly and sparse and 

broken at the ends, trim that sucker. 


I.N.O.X. CARBON #241776 

LIFE IS YOUR ADVENTURE 

For further information contact Picot & Moss 011.669.0500. www.picotandmoss.co.za 

MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE | ESTABLISHED 1884

Edited by Jason Fleetwood 

Your better-body blueprint 

LIFT LIKE 

A SPRINGBOK 

ENFORCER 

The crux of Eben’s workout 

philosophy is to always give 

it nothing less than 100%. 

Proving the old adage of “No 

Pain No Gain”. 

While you can’t 

choose your own 

W 

genetics, you 

can determine 

how much “blood, sweat 

and tears” you’re prepared 

to put into your workout 

routine. Real gains aren’t 

about the first 10 reps, 

but rather about pushing 

through the last 2. Here, we 

lay out and follow the ideals 

of an iconic Stormers and 

Springbok player who knows 

how to push the body to 

new physical limits. In this 

edition, Men’s Fitness will 

show you how to train like 

a Test match Veteran and 

outgrow your dumbbells by 

training harder, longer, and 

more efficiently so you can 

ultimately become bigger, 

stronger, and faster, all while 

maintaining your current 

strength and mobility. The 

goal is to go hard (not home) 

and to keep yourself as 

motivated as a Super Rugby 

champion as you push to 

become your own physical 

force to reckon with. 


● Body Book 

Star workout 

HOW IT WORKS The biggest mistake most make when trying to lose fat fast is performing high-rep workouts and overdoing cardio. 

The best way to increase your metabolism is to increase your muscle mass, so you burn more calories both during exercise and at 

rest — and that means heavier weights and lower reps. It also means hard exercises. Moves like the Zercher squat, farmer’s walk, and 

deadlift promote the release of testosterone and growth hormone, which tell your muscle cells to grow and your fat cells to shrink. 

We’ve included cardio intervals at the end of two of the workout days. They take only four to eight minutes to do, but they’re still not 

required. We’re so confident that the weight training prescribed here — combined with a highprotein, lower-carb diet — will carve you 

up that we’ll leave the cardio to your discretion. Whether you do it or not, rest assured that you’ll be home, showered, and watching TV 

while the other guys are still slogging away on the treadmill. 

DIRECTIONS 

Perform each workout 

once per week. 

You can do I and II on 

back-to-back days, 

rest a day, and then 

do III and IV. 

Superset exercises 

marked A and B. So, 

you’ll do a set of 

A, then B, rest as 

prescribed, and 

repeat. The remaining 

exercises are done 

normally. Take three 

seconds to lower the 

weight on each rep of 

each exercise. 

In the first week, 

use light weights — 

about 60% of what 

you can handle. 

Increase your loads 

gradually each week 

until, in Week 6, 

you’re sure you’re 

going heavier than 

you could have in 

Week 1. At this point, 

add one set to each 

exercise (the number 

of reps is up to you, 

where applicable). Do 

no training the next 

week. Your body will 

compensate for the 

intensity by growing 

bigger and stronger. 

Day I 

1 

WEIGHTED 

PULL-UP 

Sets: 4 Reps: 4–6, 4–6, 4–6, as 

many as possible Rest: 120 sec 

Attach a weighted belt to your 

waist or hold a dumbbell between 

your feet. Hang from a pull-up bar 

with hands just outside shoulder 

width, palms facing away from 

you. Pull yourself up until your 

chin is over the bar. It’s OK to 

use body weight alone, or a latpulldown 

machine, if need be. 

2A 

BENCH PRESS 

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 

Rest: 0 sec 

Grasp the bar just outside shoulder 

width and arch your back so 

there’s space between your lower 

back and the bench. Pull the bar 

out of the rack and lower it to your 

sternum, tucking your elbows 

about 45 degrees to your sides. 

When the bar touches your body, 

drive your feet hard into the floor 

and press the bar back up. 

Styling by Seth Howard/Exclusive Artists; Grooming by Rachel Wood/ABTP.com 

Athletes Choice 

1) Evox Synergy Whey Protein MP-5 is a multi-phase protein supplement that yields sustained 

results, longer than that of Whey Protein Concentrate or Whey Protein Isolate. It represents a collective 

of 5 premium, highly bio-available and easy to digest protein sources, in a phased format that 

ensures the staged-release of essential muscle building amino acids for recovery and growth. 

2) 100% Ultra-Pure L-Glutamine on a daily basis, and particularly around training will assist with 

post-training muscle adaption and may support muscle glycogen replacement after exhaustive exercise. 

L-Glutamine supports a healthy gut and aids to strengthen the natural defences. 

3) Evox BCAA Stack is the key to success for any active person, from novice to professional, is the 

ability to recover post training. BCAA Stack contains Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine with added glutamine; 

this is a powerful balance of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) which are the building blocks 

of lean muscle. Their branched chemical structure is essential in that the body cannot make them from 

other compounds. These 4 amino acids have proven to be the biggest contributors to muscle gain, 

energy production and muscle recovery. 

96 


2B 

DUMBBELL 

PULL OVER 


Rest: 60–90 sec 

Grasp a dumbbell and 

lie back on a bench 

so your body is perpendicular 

to it. Hold 

the weight over your 

face and, keeping your 

elbows slightly bent, 

lower the dumbbell 

behind your head until 

you feel a stretch. Pull 

it back over your face. 

3A 

LOW- 

INCLINE 

DB BENCH 

PRESS 

Sets: 3 Reps: 8–10 

Rest: 0 sec 

Set a bench to a 

30-degree incline 

or less and lie back 

on it with a dumbbell 

in each hand at 

shoulder level. Press 

the weights up directly 

over your chest. 

3B 

ONE-ARM 

DB CHEST– 

SUPPORTED 

ROW 


(each side) 


Set an adjustable 

bench to a 30- to 

45-degree angle and 

lie on it chest down. 

Grasp a dumbbell in 

one hand and draw 

your shoulder blade 

back as you row the 

weight to your side. 

4A 

SPLIT- 

STANCE 

DB PUSH 

PRESS 


Rest 0 sec 

Hold a dumbbell in 

each hand at shoulder 

level and stand with 

feet staggered. Brace 

your core and dip both 

knees to gather momentum. 

Immediately 

explode the weights 

upward to press them 

overhead. Switch the 

front leg each set. 

OPTIMAL FORM 

EQUALS 

OPTIMAL MUSCLE 

DEVELOPMENT. 

4B 

FACE PULL 


Rest: 30 sec 

Attach a suspension 

trainer to a sturdy 

object and grasp an 

end in each hand with 

palms facing each 

other. Lean back and 

then pull the handles 

to bring your body up 

to vertical. Your hands 

should end up near 

your ears and your 

upper back should be 

fully contracted. 

5 

HIGH- 

INCLINE 

TREADMILL 

SPRINT (OPTIONAL) 

Sets: 4–6 Reps: Run 30 

sec. Rest: 60 sec 

Warm up for a minute 

on the treadmill and 

then set it to a steep 

angle. Sprint 30 

seconds, then lower 

the speed and incline. 

Walk for 60 seconds. 

That’s one set.

● Body Book 

Star workout 

Day II 

1A 

ZERCHER 

SQUAT 

Sets: 4 Reps: 6, 6, 8–10, 

12–15 Rest: 0 sec 

Set up a barbell in a 

power rack just below 

chest height. Wrap a 

towel around the bar 

and then hook your 

arms under it so the 

bar rests in the crooks 

of your elbows. Take 

the bar out of the rack 

and stand with feet 

shoulder-width apart 

and toes turned out. 

Squat as low as you 

can, keeping your torso 

as upright as possible. 

Shorts: SUNSPEL 

Shoes: BALLY 

1B PUSH-UP PLANK 

Sets: 3–4 Reps: Hold for 30–60 sec. Rest: 120 sec 

Get into push-up position with your abs braced and hands shoulder-width 

apart on the floor. Your entire body should form a straight line. 

IN THIS 

ROUTINE, 

CARDIO IS 

OPTIONAL. 

2A SNATCH-GRIP ROMANIAN DEADLIFT 

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 0 sec 

Hold the bar with a wide grip and stand with feet hip-width apart. Push 

your hips back and, keeping your lower back in its natural arch, bend your 

torso forward, lowering until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Bend 

slightly at the knees as needed. Squeeze your glutes as you come back up. 

2B 

PLATE PUSH 

Sets: 3 Reps: Push for 

45–60 sec. Rest: 90 sec 

Place a weight plate on 

a towel on a waxed floor 

or other slick surface 

so it slides easily. Bend 

down and push the 

weight along the floor 

with both hands. 

3 

SPLIT SQUAT 

Sets: 3 Reps: 6–8 (each 

side) Rest: 30–60 sec 

Hold a dumbbell in 

each hand and stand 

with feet staggered. 

Bend both knees and 

lower your body until 

your rear knee nearly 

touches the floor. 

4A 

HAMMER 

CURL 


Rest: 0 sec 

Hold a dumbbell in each 

hand at arm’s length. 

Keeping your upper 

arms stationary at your 

sides and your palms 

facing your sides, curl 

the weights. 

4B 

W PUSH-UP 



Get into push-up 

position and place 

your hands close with 

thumbs touching so 

they form a W shape. 

98 


Day III 

1 

BENCH 

PRESS 

Sets: 4 Reps: 4–6, 4–6, 

4–6, 6–8 Rest: 120 sec 

See page 96. 

2A 

TWISTING 

DUMBBELL 

BENCH 

PRESS 


Rest: 0 sec 

Lie back on a flat bench 

with a dumbbell in each 

hand. Hold the weights 

at shoulder level with 

palms facing forward. 

Press them over your 

chest and twist your 

wrists as you go so 

your palms end up 

facing your face in 

the top position. 

2B 

INVERTED 

ROW 

Sets: 3 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 

60–90 sec 

Set a barbell in a power 

rack (or use a Smith 

machine) at about hip 

height. Lie underneath 

it and grab it with hands 

about shoulder-width 

apart. Hang from the 

bar so your body forms 

a straight line. Squeeze 

your shoulder blades 

together and pull yourself 

up until your back is 

fully contracted. 

3A NEUTRAL-GRIP OVERHEAD PRESS 

Sets: 3 Reps: 6–10 Rest: 0 sec 

Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with palms facing each 

other. Brace your core and press overhead. 

3B 

LAT 

PULLDOWN 



Attach a lat bar to the 

pulley of a lat-pulldown 

machine. Grasp the 

bar outside shoulder 

width and set your 

thighs under the pad. 

Pull the handle to your 

collarbone, driving your 

elbows down and back. 

4A 

CABLE 

LATERAL 

RAISE 


(each side) Rest: 0 sec 

Attach a single-grip 

handle to the low pulley 

of a cable station and 

stand perpendicular 

to the machine. Grasp 

the handle with your far 

hand and raise your arm 

straight out to your side 

until it’s parallel with 

the floor. 

4B 

FARMER’S 

WALK 

Sets: 3 Reps: Walk as far 

as possible 


Pick up the heaviest 

pair of dumbbells you 

can handle and walk as 

far as you can. If you 

don’t have much room, 

walk in a figure-eight 

pattern. Keep your core 

braced and let your 

arms hang straight at 

your sides. 

5 

BURPEE 

W/PULL-UP 

(OPTIONAL) 

Sets: 8 Reps: Perform 

reps for 20 sec. 

Rest: 10 sec 

Stand under a pull-up 

bar and bend down to 

touch the floor. Shoot 

your legs behind you 

so you land in push-up 

position. Reverse the 

motion and then jump 

up to grasp the pull-up 

bar and perform a pullup. 

That’s one rep. 

A super 

solution 

■ Another feature 

of our plan 

is supersets. 

Performing two 

exercises backto-back 

without 

rest is a great 

way to get the fatburning 

effects 

of cardio without 

putting up with 

the boredom of 

it. A 2010 study 

from Syracuse 

University in the 

US found that 

subjects who used 

supersets burned 

more calories 

relative to the 

time they spent 

training than a 

group performing 

traditional straight 

sets did. The 

supersetters also 

burned calories at 

a faster rate after 

training. 


● Body Book 

Star workout 

Day IV 

1A 

DEADLIFT 

Sets: 3 Reps: 3–4, 3–4, 

6–8 Rest: 0 sec 

Stand with feet about 

hip-width apart. Bend 

your hips back to reach 

down and grasp the bar 

so your hands are just 

outside your knees. 

Keeping your lower 

back in its natural arch, 

drive your heels into 

the floor and pull the 

bar up along your shins 

until you’re standing 

with hips fully extended 

and the bar is in front of 

your thighs. 

1B 

DEADBUG 

Sets: 3 Reps: 6–8 breath 

cycles Rest: 120 sec 

Lie on your back on 

the floor and bend 

your hips and knees 

90 degrees. Reach 

one arm overhead 

behind you while you 

extend the opposite leg. 

Reverse the motion and 

repeat on the opposite 

side. Breathe in as you 

extend your limbs and 

out as they come back. 

Each in-and-out breath 

counts as one cycle. 

SUPERSETS BURN 

MORE CALORIES 

DURING AND 

AFTER TRAINING. 

2B 

JUMP SQUAT 



Stand with feet 

shoulder-width apart 

and squat down until 

your thighs are parallel 

to the floor. Hold for a 

second, then jump as 

high as you can. 

3 

HIP THRUST 

Sets: 3–4 Reps: 10–15, 

10–15, 10–15, 16–25 


Rest your upper back 

on a bench and sit 

on the floor with legs 

extended. Roll a loaded 

barbell up your thighs 

until the bar sits on your 

lap (you may want to 

place a towel on your 

hips or attach a pad to 

the bar). Brace your 

abs and drive your 

heels into the floor to 

extend your hips and 

raise them until your 

torso and thighs are 

parallel with the floor. 

4A 

BICEPS ROW 


Rest: 0 sec 

Perform the inverted 

row but grasp the bar 

with palms facing you. 

Squeeze your biceps at 

the top of each rep. 

4B 

DIP 

Sets: 3 Reps: 8–15 Rest: 

0–30 sec 

Set up on dip bars. 

Lower your body until 

your upper arms are 

parallel with the floor. 

2A GOBLET SQUAT 

Sets: 3 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec. 

Hold a dumbbell at one end with both hands in front of your chest. Stand 

with feet turned out, shoulder-width apart. Squat as low as possible. 

100 


● Body Book 

Eat lean 

burgers 

better-body 

Five new (and healthier) 

ways to assemble 

the ultimate man meal 

By Devin Alexander 

■ 

If you follow a lean, highprotein 

diet, or at least 

try to, the idea of a drippy, 

delicious burger that can also 

help you build muscle and burn 

fat probably sounds like a myth, 

or, at best, a bunch of marketing 

hype. So we decided to take 

matters — along with a diverse 

array of meats, seasonings, 

and other physique-friendly 

ingredients — into our own hands 

and do some experimenting to 

prove to you it’s possible. The 

results blew even us away. And 

the nutrition numbers? Well… 

take a look for yourself. 

PEPPERONI 

PIZZA 

BURGER 

INGREDIENTS 

• 170g 99% lean ground 

chicken 

2 tbsp plus ¼ cup 

low-fat marinara 

sauce, heated in 

microwave 

½ 

Olive oil spray 

cup green bell pepper 

strips 

• 30g low-fat 

mozzarella, shredded 

6 slices pepperoni 

1 whole-wheat 

hamburger bun (10cm 

in diameter) 

Double down. 

With lean meat, two 

wrongs — pizza and 

burgers — can make 

a right. 

DIRECTIONS 

1) In a medium bowl, mix 

chicken and 2 tbsp 

marinara until well 

combined. Shape 

mixture into patty with 

a diameter that’s 1cm 

larger than the bun. 

2) Place a non-stick skillet 

over medium-high 

heat. Mist pan with 

spray, then add patty 

to one side of the pan 

and peppers to the other. 

Cook burger about 

2–3 minutes per side 

while rotating peppers 

occasionally until peppers 

are tender and 

burger is cooked to desired 

doneness. About 

1 minute before burger 

and peppers are done, 

place cheese and pepperoni 

on top of patty. 

3) Place patty on bun bottom. 

Top with peppers. 

Spoon sauce onto 

burger. Add bun top 

and enjoy immediately. 

NUTRITION 

421 calories, 57g protein, 

29g carbs, 10g fat 

103 

MEN’S FITNESS JULY / AUGUST 2017 


● Body Book 

Eat lean 

Mexi-can. 

Substituting 

lettuce for a tortilla 

or bun will 

spare you up to 

300 calories . 

LETTUCE 

TACO 

BURGER 

INGREDIENTS 

• 230g extra-lean 

ground beef 

1 tsp lime seasoning 

1 large iceberg 

lettuce leaf 

¼ 

cup fresh red 

tomatoes, chopped 

• 30g extra light cheddar 

cheese 

1 tbsp sliced jalapeño 

chilli pepper, or to taste 

1½ tbsp red taco sauce, 

or to taste 

DIRECTIONS 

1) Pre-heat grill to high. 

2) In a medium bowl, mix 

the beef and lime seasoning 

until well combined. 

Shape into an 

oval patty about 10cm 

long and 8cm wide. 

Grill until desired doneness 

is reached, about 

2 minutes per side for 

medium rare. 

3) Place patty on lettuce 

at stem end of leaf (the 

firmer end). Top with 

tomatoes, cheese, and 

jalapeño. Spoon taco 

sauce over top. Fold 

lettuce over filling and 

enjoy immediately. 

NUTRITION 



FOR THE 

PERFECT 

MEDIUM 

RARE, THE 

INTERNAL 

TEMP 

SHOULD 

BE 70°. 

104 


CHICKEN CORDON 

BLEU BURGER 

BACON CHEDDAR 

OPEN-FACE TOMATO SLIDERS 

INGREDIENTS 

• 120g lean ground 

chicken breast 


• 30g fat-free 

deli ham 

1 slice light Swiss 

cheese 

1 whole-wheat 

hamburger bun 

1 lettuce leaf 

3 small tomato slices 

1 tsp fresh thyme, 

or to taste 

Dijon mustard 

(optional) 

DIRECTIONS 


2) Shape chicken into 

patty; mist on both 

sides. Grill until no longer 

pink inside, about 3 

minutes per side. 

3) During the last minute 

of cooking, top patty 

with ham and cheese. 

Toast bun by placing 

insides facing down, 

away from direct heat. 

4) Stack lettuce, tomato, 

patty, and thyme on 

bottom bun. Spread 

mustard inside top bun. 

Close and serve. 

NUTRITION 

325 calories, 

42g protein, 

23g carbs, 

7g fat 

INGREDIENTS 

2 medium plum or 

roma tomatoes 

• 180g lean ground beef 

1 tsp minced onion, dried 

• Salt to taste 

• 30g light cheddar 

cheese, cut into slices 

2 strips bacon or macon, 

cut in half 

¼ 

cup red onion slivers, 

chopped, or to taste 

DIRECTIONS 

1) Pre-heat oven to 230°. 

2) Cut tomatoes in half 

horizontally and scrape 

out the seeds and ribs. 

Place “shells” on nonstick 

baking sheet, 

open side up. 

3) In a medium bowl, 

mix beef, dried onion, 

and salt. Spoon beef 

equally among tomato 

halves, filling them, 

then flatten any 

overflowing meat to 

resemble patties atop 

the tomatoes. Top 

with cheese. 

4) Place ½ bacon or macon 

strip on top of each 

cheese slice. Top with 

onion. Bake until bacon 

is cooked, tomatoes 

are warm, and patties 

are cooked to 

desired doneness, 

about 5 minutes, or 

longer to preference. 

Serve immediately. 

NUTRITION 



Meat in the middle. 

For an even leaner 

burger, substitute 

ostrich for beef. 

TO REDUCE 

CALORIES 

AND FAT, ADD 

SALT FOR 

FLAVOUR — NOT 

CONDIMENTS.

● Body Book 

Eat lean 

Bun way or 

another. 

If you’re allergic 

to wheat or 

gluten, you can 

use a tapioca 

rice bun instead. 

THIS 

BURGER IS 

STRAIGHT 

FROM THE 

BAYOU. 

JAMBALAYA 

BURGER 

INGREDIENTS 

2 tbsp no-salt-added 

tomato sauce 

½ 

tsp salt-free Cajun or 

Creole seasoning, plus 

extra to taste, divided 

(if you can’t find salt 

free, go for low sodium) 

• 120g lean ground 

chicken breast 


4 large shrimp (about 

60g each), peeled 

and deveined 

1 1cm slice red 

onion (full round 

with rings) 

½ green bell pepper 

• 60g lean smoked 

chicken sausage, cut in 

half to open, keeping 

the halves connected 

1 whole-wheat 

hamburger bun (10cm 

in diameter) 

DIRECTIONS 


2) Mix tomato sauce and 

seasoning in a small 

bowl. Shape chicken 

into patty with a diameter 

that’s 1cm larger 

than the bun. 

3) Mist both sides of patty, 

shrimp, onion slice 

(keeping it intact) and 

bell pepper with spray 

and then sprinkle with 

extra seasoning to 

taste on both sides. 

4) Grill patty (until no 

longer pink), pepper 

and onion (until tender), 

and sausage (until 

hot through) about 3 

minutes per side, and 

shrimp (until no longer 

translucent) about 

1 minute per side. Toast 

bun away from direct 

flame for 1 minute, 

if desired. 

5) Place bun bottom 

on plate. Top with 

chicken, onion, 

pepper, sausage, 

then shrimp. Spoon 

sauce onto inside 

of bun top and place 

top on burger. Enjoy 

immediately. 

NUTRITION 

452 calories, 

57g protein, 


106 


JACK LOTTER 

Muscle Model Pro Athlete 

SSN Ambassador 

by Jack ‘The Sheriff’ Lotter

Winter is a time to commensurate with multiple layers of thick clothing, a general 

lack of vitamin D and an absence of skin. It should NOT however be an excuse merely 

to accumulate superfluous amounts of adipose tissue! 

Although I never shy away from an abundance of strategically placed calories in my 

athletes’ training protocols, the prospect of “dirty bulking” and having my clients 

and athletes resemble undisciplined and bloated chipmunks is certainly not good for 

business frankly, and it definitely adds no value to their aesthetic endeavors either. 

If our goal is to gain muscle mass this winter we need to understand basic arithmetic, 

but do so using the smart bodybuilders greatest and most powerful weapon in the 

arsenal- KNOWLEDGE. To gain muscle mass, we simply need to consume more 

calories than we burn. This is not an excuse to binge eat and indulge to our hearts 

content as the cons thereof far outweigh any potential benefits, so we will start off 

slow and assess weekly. 

Step 1: Ascertain your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Without boring the laymen, this 

is the term to describe all the calories a person will burn in a 24 hr period by merely 

existing- going through all the body’s metabolic processes like breathing, sleeping, 

digesting and living and not doing any additional activity. The quickest and easiest 

way to do this is to use an online calculator and plug in your gender, height, age and 

weight. Write this figure down. 

Step 2: Ascertain your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). This is the total 

calories you will burn by going through your daily activities, training and working 

added to your BMR figure. The energy expenditure on the days you train bigger muscle 

groups like legs and back will differ from smaller muscle groups like shoulders and 

arms, and so too from your rest days where overall energy expenditure will be greatly 

reduced. However, start off with working out an overall weekly average. To do this, 

take your BMR and multiply it by a figure of in between 1.1 and 1.5. If you are severely 

sedentary, with a very physically untaxing profession then your figure will be as close 

as can be to 1.1, and if you are a hyper active, spinning and aerobics instructor who 

trains twice per day, this figure will be closer to 1.5. However, if you are a hardcore 

and muscular enough bodybuilder to use SSN products, chances are I’d allocate 

you a figure of around 1.35. Take your BMR, and multiply it by 1.35. Write this figure 

down. 

Step 3: We have now ascertained how many calories your body requires each 

and every day to neither gain weight, nor lose weight. This figure that we have now 

generated is our ‘break-even’ point. For a broad brush-stroke approach from here, 

evaluate what body type you are. If you struggle to gain muscle mass and are of a 

‘leaner disposition’ then we will need to go in harder and more aggressively hence 

forth. However, if you tend to gain body fat too quickly you will need to apply a more 

tempered and conservative approach. So, the skinny dude will add 850-1250 calories 

on top of their TDEE, the tubbier guy will add a mere 350-500 calories to their TDEE. 

Write this figure down. 

Step 4: This number is the required amount of calories you will need to ingest daily, 

to gain a decent amount of muscle mass this season. We now need to put this into 

application. Before we do so, we need to manage our expectations and understand 

what our goals are in micro increments. Every week we should look to increase our 

overall weight by no more than 350g-600g for any decent “off season winter bulk”. 

Any less and you’re wasting your time, any more and you are becoming a fatty. In 

16 weeks this equates to a gain of around 5,6 to 9,6kg. Dunno about you, but that 

sounds pretty damn impressive to me. 

Step 5: Not so quick there champ! Before we rush out there and start cramming 

these calories down our throats, we now need to work out the ratio, and breakdowns 

of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in our diet. This can be really confusing and 

there are a thousand ways to skin a cat. Anecdotally, my clients and I have got very 

good results using a 30/55/15 ratio. 30% of these total calories will be protein, 55% 

carbohydrates and 15% fats. Let’s work out our protein totals at 30%- take your 

magic figure above and multiply it by 0.3 and then divide this figure by 4, as there 

are 4 calories per gram of protein. That’s the total amount of protein you need daily. 

Write it down. Once more, using the ratio above let’s work out carbohydrates at 55%- 

take your magic figure and multiply it by 0.55 and then divide this figure also by 4, 

as there are also 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates. That’s the total amount of 

carbohydrates you need daily. Write it down. Lastly, to calculate our total fat intake 

and using our ratio above, take your magic figure and multiply it by 0.15, to work out 

our fat intake at 15%, and then divide this figure by 9, as there are 9 calories per gram 

of fat. That’s your total fat intake daily. Write this down. 

Step 6: You now know how many calories you need, and of that how much of 

that is broken down into protein, fats and carbs. Divide these figures into the 4-6 

meals you consume daily and voila! This figure can be overly daunting so I suggest 

using supplements and mass gainers to get the calories in. Why? Whole foods greatly 

increase satiety, which can making bulking extremely arduous, onerous and difficult. 

Getting in shakes, such as SSN’s Mass Addiction in between meals and SSN’s 

Cytomaize during training sessions can greatly assist one reach their daily calorific 

intake without making one feel uncomfortable, bloated and nauseas as a result of 

cramming food in their face all day. 

In the event you are not gaining the required 350-600g weekly, up your carbs 

gradually, and conversely if you are gaining too much then lower your carbs. This 

approach is typically lower in fat as fat slows gastric emptying which also greatly 

increases satiety, so we don’t want to increase nor decrease our fat too much as we 

also need fat for adequate metabolic, endocrine and recovery etc functions so don’t 

want to drop it too low, but in the same vein we also don’t want to add too much and 

make us stuffed and incapable of meeting our daily calorific demands. Fiber is also 

kept to a minimum as studies suggest that more than 30g of fiber per today can cause 

malabsorption of nutrients and fiber also makes you feel very full and satiated as it 

also greatly slows gastric emptying. 

This is a very broad ‘shot gun’ type approach to gaining quality mass this winter. 

For more intricate information tune into SSN Feed Your Addiction’s Facebook page 

each and every week for yours truly’s live Q&A feed where I happily field all of your 

questions, queries and concerns myself personally, and go through topics such as 

this more intricately with a fine-tooth comb. 

To reach any goals, remember to make the sacrifice, be disciplined and always 

FEED YOUR ADDICTION!

● Body Book 

Muscle Up 

the 

exercise workout 

Turn a tight schedule into tight abs By Steve 

Pulcinella 

■ 

When you’re busy there isn’t always time for a workout. One or two exercises 

maybe, but not a whole routine. Most of the time you skip it altogether; after 

all, what good is just a half-hour session? But that’s a mistake. A short workout 

forces you to perform only the most essential exercises — the ones responsible 

for most of your gains — with an increased focus and intensity that revs your 

metabolism harder and keeps your heart rate elevated. Spend the season 

mastering those cornerstone movements with this routine. You’ll wonder who 

needs all that “extra” time anyway. 

How It Works 

You need only two lifts 

per session: a main 

exercise that works 

multiple muscles, and 

one that enhances 

your ability to perform 

that lift. For example, 

the front squat works 

the lower body 

thoroughly, and the 

good morning directly 

strengthens the lower 

back and hamstrings, 

allowing you to use 

more weight on the 

squat. 

The only catch 

when doing shorter 

workouts is that you 

need to compensate 

with volume — more 

sets — ensuring that 

you get the most work 

out of your muscles 

in the little time you 

have. 

DIRECTIONS 

Perform each 

workout (Days I, II, 

III, and IV) once a 

week, resting a day 

between sessions. 

Choose a load that 

allows you to perform 

two more reps 

than prescribed, 

and use that weight 

on each set. The 

workouts should 

take 35 minutes. 

Day I 

1 

FRONT 

SQUAT 


Set a barbell on a power 

rack at about shoulder 

height. Grasp the bar 

with hands shoulderwidth 

apart 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 shoulder-width 

apart with your toes 

turned out slightly. 

Squat as low as you can 

without losing the arch 

in your lower back. 

2 

GOOD 

MORNING 


Step under the bar and 

nudge it out of the rack 

so it’s resting on the 

back of your shoulders. 

Set your feet shoulderwidth 

apart. Take a 

deep breath and push 

your hips back. Lower 

your torso as far as you 

can, keeping your lower 

back in its natural arch. 

Allow your knees to 

bend slightly. 

110 


Day II 

1 DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS 


Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie on your back on a flat bench. Press the 

dumbbells up from shoulder level to straight over your chest. 

Day III 

1 

DEADLIFT 

Sets: 9 

Reps: 3 waves of 8, 5, 2 

Stand with your feet 

about hip-width apart 

and bend your hips 

back; reach down and 

grasp the bar so your 

hands are just outside 

your knees. Keeping 

your lower back in its 

natural arch, drive your 

heels into the floor and 

pull the bar up along 

your shins until you’re 

standing with your hips 

fully extended and the 

bar in front of your 

thighs. 

Perform 8 reps the 

first set, 5 the second, 

and 2 the third; repeat 

this pattern for Sets 

4–9. 

2 

CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS 


Grasp the bar with hands shoulder-width apart and arch your back so there’s 

space between your lower back and the bench. Pull the bar out of the rack and 

lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows so they’re about 45 degrees to 

your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor 

and press the bar back up. 

T-shirt: THEORY 

Pants: ISAORA 

Sneakers: NIKE 

THINK ABOUT 

FALLING 

BACKWARD 

AS YOU LIFT 

THE BAR. IT 

WILL BETTER 

ACTIVATE YOUR 

HAMSTRINGS. 


● Body Book 

Muscle Up 

Day IV 

1 

BEHIND- 

THE-NECK 

PRESS 


Stand holding 

the bar with your 

hands just outside 

shoulder width so 

your forearms are 

perpendicular to the 

floor. Press the bar 

straight overhead, 

then lower it behind 

your head, stopping 

halfway down your 

neck. Press it back 

up to begin the next 

rep. Try to keep your 

head upright and use 

a conservative load to 

ensure proper form. 

KEEP YOUR 

HEAD AS 

UPRIGHT AS 

POSSIBLE. 

2 

BARBELL 

CURL 


Hold the bar with 

hands shoulderwidth 

apart. Keeping 

your upper arms at 

your sides, flex your 

elbows to curl the bar 

all the way up. 

2 PULL-UP 

Sets: 9 Reps: As many as possible 

Hang from a pull-up bar with your hands outside 

shoulder width. Pull yourself up until your chin 

is over the bar. 

112 


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INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY. FOR OPTIMAL RESULTS, COMBINE WITH A LEAN MUSCLE-BUILDING EATING PLAN AND TRAINING PROGRAMME.

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Mens_Fitness_South_Africa_JulyAugust_2017

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