CONTENTS

01/02.23

COVER STORIES
& F E AT U R E S
40
Make Your
Money Sweat
Getting financially
fit doesn’t need to be
complicated. Stretch
your cash further with
our expert advice.

55
Are You Burnt Out?
Tips to have you back to
running on all cylinders.

64
Tech Awards
All the best gear, gadgets and
lifestyle upgrades to elevate
work hours, play time and
that hard-earned recovery.

70
The Truth About
Testosterone
This hormone isn’t just for
show; a real dose (with a real
doc) can ward off depression
and reignite your drive.

76
Hit the Gym
Every Damn Day
Zero motivation? These
tips will make sure you’re
over the bar when you
need to be—without fail.

82
Season’s Eatings
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BYRON KEULEMANS

Meals packed with everything

you need to feast like a king. F gth—

98
Arms & Abs in the Sun
Use this push and pull
workout to forge a summer
body in just a few weeks.
 CONTENTS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

MH UPGRADES
44 Boarding School:
Summer threads for
MH WORLD all-season style.
8 Ed’s Letter: Your 50 Rubber Soul: Forget
comeback starts now. leather or metal—
this material is one
12 MH Ask: “Can I pack
to watch.
on mass without
lifting heavy?” 52 High Notes: Find your
freshest scents.
14 How I Built This Body:
A window into our 53 Doctor’s Guide:
cover guy’s impressive How to keep your
habits and routine. skin healthy.
16 To The Polls: We 54 Call for Backup:
asked, you answered. Ward off acne where
it matters most.
18 One Word Answer:
“What decadent
indulgence can shuck
off depression?” MH HEALTH
60 No Script Required:
These supplements
MH LIFE can help boost
your mood.
19 Drive Time: The
best new rides for 62 Deliverance: Save your
the new year. most important organ
from its biggest threat.
22 On a Roll: The humble
hotdog, upgraded.
26 Green Thumb:
Stay fresh by bringing
MH TRAINER
104 Fitness Fundamentals:
the outside in.
Can you pass our
28 Pulp Friction: Start push-up test?
juicing to ramp up
106 Geek Tweaks: Get
your health.
more out of the burpee.
30 Order Up: The only
108 Fitness Fix: Use your
right way to make
bodyweight to forge
a Bloody Mary.
muscle that lasts.
32 Take It Easy: How
110 The Best Exercise
to unwind without
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACQUES WEYERS/WORLD SWIMSUIT

You’re Not Doing:

reaching for the bottle.
This feral flow will
34 Big Day: The MH get you fit fast.
guide to special
111 Gym of the Month:
occasion sex.
The best spots to
sweat in SA.
114 The Finisher: Pull
your weight and row
to get stronger.

JAN/FEB 2023 6 MH.CO.ZA

 E D’S L E T T E R
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Robert Cilliers
DEPUTY EDITOR Kieran Legg
MANAGING EDITOR Kelleigh Korevaar
DIGITAL EDITOR Arthur Mukhari
ART DIRECTOR Mark Arendse

ADVERTISING

Chief Ad Guy - Paul Goddard

paul@fivetwelve.co.za | 082 650 9231
Ad Sales Executive - Tanya Finch
tanya@fivetwelve.co.za | 082 961 9429
Published and Distributed by Salient Media by
Permission of Hearst Magazines, Inc., New York,
New York, United States

COME BACK STRONGER

of America.

PUBLISHED BY

he new year is a chance to reset, recalibrate and renew those DIRECTORS

Desiré du Plessis
ambitions. But fi nding direction, even if the goal is just to go up, desire@salientmedia.co.za
is easier said than done. How do you fi nd the right kind of fi re to Robert Cilliers
blaze new trails over the next 365? We’re going to level with you: rob@salientmedia.co.za
it won’t just be a singular, heroic moment. ADDRESS
119 Victoria Junction
To elevate every aspect of your life, you’ll need to grit your 76 Prestwich Street
teeth and forge ahead with steadfast determination. We’re talking about Green Point 8005

dragging yourself to the gym when you’ve got zero motivation (p.76),
getting real about your financial situation (p.40) and reckoning with
the serious health risks us men face every day (p.62). It’s a cliché: but there HEARST MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL
are no shortcuts. Growth doesn’t happen without some serious growing Jonathan Wright
President of Hearst Magazines International
pains; but—and this one’s important—it also won’t happen if you run Kim St. Clair Bodden
yourself ragged. While the modern “grindset” is all-consuming, those SVP/Global Editorial & Brand Director
Chloe O’Brien,
who make time for the calm before, after and during the storm, are the
Global Editorial & Brand Director,
most likely to rise above. Research has shown that regular mood boosts— Young Women’s Group, Wellness Group,
Enthusiast Group, Lifestyle Group
enjoying your favourite hobbies, spending time in nature, watching Netfl ix
or family time—can ramp up your resilience, armouring you up for when INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
the going gets tough. But don’t head for the bar, we’ve got 10 ways you can Australia, China, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Korea, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain
unwind without hitting the United Kingdom, United States
bottle (p.32) and the gear and
Copyright © 2021 Salient Media (Pty) Ltd.
tech that’ll maximise every All rights reserved. No part of this publication
minute in our annual may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or be transmitted in any form or by any
MH Tech Awards (p.64). means, electronic or mechanical, without prior
This is your opportunity to permission by Salient Media (Pty) Ltd.
Men’s Health does not endorse the use of
reset; and this issue, in your
chemical or related slimming products that
hands, is your manual to make promise instant or long-term results. Slimming
products should not be used as a substitute for
sure you’re always heading in a healthy diet and/or exercise.
the right direction. Go forth All prices recommended retail selling price.
and be stronger, fitter, wiser!
CHECK OU T OUR
NEW W EBSITE
mh.co.za

@menshealthza MensHealthSA @MensHealthZA Men’s Health South Africa

JAN/FEB 2023 8 MH.CO.ZA

Garmin has the perfect
gift for anyone’s list
 MAN OF ACTION
PHOTOGRAPH BY JACQUES WEYERS/WORLD SWIMSUIT

“ SOCCER HAS TAKEN ME TO PLACES I COULD ONLY DREAM OF AS A KID.

IT’S OPENED DOORS AND OPENED MY EYES TO WHAT’S REALLY OUT THERE.”
– BONGANI KHUMALO, SUPERSPORT BROADCASTER & FORMER SA SOCCER PLAYER
 MALDIVES

SOCCER STAR Bongani Khumalo wasn’t expecting

to be up front and centre when he travelled to the
Maldives for a photoshoot for World Swimsuit.
But moments later, he was straddling a jet ski and
cruising across almost-translucent surf. The footballer
was one of SA’s top talents, playing for top teams
like Tottenham Hotspur, SuperSport United and
leading the Bafana Bafana in the 2013 African Cup of
Nations. Now, he’s donned the hat of a broadcaster on
SuperSport: “It’s amazing to be able to stay involved,
to talk about my passion,” he says. “This sport can take
you places, destinations you would never think of, and
I’m always grateful for the life soccer has given me.”
MH WORLD ASK
THE BIG QUESTION
SETTLE A DEBATE:
CAN I PACK ON
SERIOUS MUSCLE
MASS WITHOUT
LIFTING HEAVY?
WE’RE NOT SURE which way you
were betting, but in a word: yes—
if you’re smart about it.
“In health and fitness, there’s
often an obsession with hard
rules,” says Laura Hoggins,
a personal trainer, brand and
marketing director at The Foundry
gyms and Fiit app coach. “But few
things are black and white. If any
PT tells you there is only one right
way of doing something, I suggest
you get a new one because there are
many routes to every goal.”
When it comes to building
muscle, she says, there are some
basic principles: you need to create
an adequate stimulus through
training to stress the muscles,
fuel your body properly to ensure
it rebuilds stronger and allow for
sufficient recovery.
As for the lifting part? Gym lore
has it that rep ranges of one to five
are best for developing strength,
six to 12 for muscle growth and 12+
for muscular endurance (working
to your max in each instance).
However, Hoggins points to
a meta-analysis by exercise
JAN/FEB 2023
LESS CAN BE MORE:
MIX UP YOUR METHODS
TO LIFT YOUR RESULTS
12 MH.CO.ZA
WORDS: LAURA HOGGINS; BRYONY GOOCH; BRUCE STURGELL; SCARLETT WRENCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE; LOUISA PARRY | ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES
scientist Brad Schoenfeld in
the Journal of Strength And
Conditioning Research, which
shows that, while lifting heavier
weights will boost your max
strength, muscle gain can be
achieved across all rep ranges.
That is to say, pushing through
more reps with lighter weights can
work just as well as doing fewer
reps with, say, 80% of your one-rep
max—so long as you’re challenging
yourself and making consistent
progress. Hoggins recommends
“undulating periodisation”, which
is a fancy way of saying “mixing
things up”. Some days you might do
three sets of 10 reps; on others, you
can bring out the big guns with five
sets of three. “But it really depends
on what suits you best,” she says.
After all, the only “correct”
training plan is the one you’re
going to stick to.
 DOES IT WORK? The latest weird wellness
trend? An increasing number
DOES TAPING YOUR of people are taping up
their mouths before bed.
MOUTH SHUT HAVE But it’s nothing to do with
embarrassing sleep-talk.
ANY BENEFITS? An estimated 30% to 50% of
us default to mouth-breathing
during sleep, especially in the
early hours, meaning the air we
breathe is of poorer quality; it’s
the nose’s job to warm, moisten
and filter air.
Nasal breathing improves
the quality of our rest, says
Leo Oppenheim, a breathwork
coach and head of yoga
at Blok gym. It also creates TEXT A PHYSIO
MY LOWER BACK IS
nitric oxide, which relaxes
blood vessels and boosts
oxygen circulation in your
body. For this reason, it might KILLING ME LATELY.
KEEP YOUR LIPS
improve overnight recovery
from exercise. Oppenheim SHOULD I TAKE A BREAK
SEALED WHILE
YOU SLEEP
suggests trying it for a week
to see if you benefit. Just don’t
FROM TRAINING?
rip the tape off too quickly…
Today 5:17pm

I worry I’m only going

to make it worse.

Don’t throw in the sweat towel.

PERSONAL SHOPPER Exercise is good for back pain.

ANY SPORTSWEAR IDEAS FOR THE

Backs like movement and variety.

LARGER MAN?
MAN ? I WANT TO LOOK GOOD That’s my excuse blown.
What’s best? Core work?

Feeling self-conscious shouldn’t detract from your hard efforts in the gym. Contrary to what you might have
Bruce Sturgell, editor of style and lifestyle site chubstr.com, shares his tips heard, there’s no convincing evidence
to support focusing on specific
muscle groups. But there is good
evidence that those who exercise
regularly have less back pain than
those who don’t. Do what you enjoy.

A bit of cardio, a bit of

dumbbell stuff normally.
Anything I should avoid?

Only “sudden overload”—that is,

going too hard too soon. Stick to
your usual weights and build up
gradually if you need to.

THE SHIRT THE JOGGERS THE SHORTS What if it gets worse?

“No one wants to feel like
a sweaty mess. Opt for
a moisture-wicking top
made with stretch fabric
and enough room to
cover your stomach. If you
don’t feel comfortable in
form-hugging activewear,
look for a more relaxed
fit.” The Nike Dri-Fit
training tee (R450, nike.
com) checks all these
boxes, and it’s roomy
enough to fit multiple
body types.”
“Sweatpants have come
a long way since those
shapeless bottoms you
used to wear in school.
Modern cuts mean the
best can be worn casually
as well. Look for those
made with moisture-
wicking materials that
can stretch to fit a bigger
gent’s thicker thighs.”
We like UA’s Rival Fleece
pair that look good on
most body types. (R999,
underarmour.co.za)
“When the weather’s
warm, keeping cool is If your pain continues over time
a priority. Big guys can —or intensifies—seek the advice of
wear shorter shorts, your local GP or a physiotherapist.
too—let those thighs see
some sunlight. A shorter
inseam allows for Tbh, I suspect it’s just too
freedom of movement, much time. Thanks, doc!
while a lightweight,
moisture-wicking (again)
fabric keeps you cool
and dry. These adidas Chris Pinches is a specialist
Woven Chelsea Shorts musculoskeletal physiotherapist CP
and clinical lead at Central
are my pick.” (R199, Health Physiotherapy
adidas.co.za)

JAN/FEB 2023 13 MH.CO.ZA

MH WORLD COVER MUSCLE
THE SCENIC
ROUTE
CHRISTIAAN BESTER DIDN’T JUST FORGE THIS
PHYSIQUE BETWEEN FOUR WALLS. THE BEST GAINS?
WELL, THOSE ARE FOUND IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS.
TAP INTO HIS MINDSET TO BUILD THE BODY YOU
WANT FOR THIS SEASON (AND THE NEXT).
AGE: 32 | WEIGHT: 92KG | HEIGHT: 182CM
A
S A PROPERTY
development manager,
Christiaan Bester spends
his day turning square
metres into covetable abodes. He
knows that transforming an empty
space into something worthy of
taking up space requires vision and
microscopic attention to detail. In
work—and life—the 32-year-old
has found his own kind of synthesis,
leveraging that developer’s mindset
to squeeze the most out of empty
plots and his powerful physique.
The secret: keeping fastidious
records of his exercises and
measuring progress (constantly).
“I find that doing these two
things prevents complacency from
creeping in,” he says.
And he’s anything but
complacent. Bester wakes up at 5am
without fail, sneaking in breakfast
before slamming out a session at the
gym. By 8am, he’s at work, and close
of business always means logging
a recovery walk on Sea Point’s
promenade. This commitment
to scheduling might seem overly
regimented, but research has shown
that those who stick to rock-solid
routines tend to be happier than
those freestyling their way through
life. You’ll benefit even more if your
sleep schedule is set in stone, too.
And there’s no harm in planning
out your rest days either—“I’ll
make sure I set aside time to relax,
whether that’s watching sport or
hanging out at the beach.”
MAKE A MOVE
“The fundamentals of training have
remained the same: stick to the basic
compound movements if you want
a solid foundation,” says Bester.
Bester follows a simple
programme at the gym, dividing
his sessions into two leg days, two
“push” days and two “pull” days.
Push days are dedicated to his
chest, shoulders and triceps, while
pulling means tagging in staples
like rows, pulls and pull-ups. The
aim is to alternate from one day to
the next so he’s not overburdening
a specific muscle group, giving him
the stamina to log workouts almost
every single day.
“I also aim to start every day
with cardio,” he says, bookending
each workout with rigorous core-
crushing movements.
But the gym isn’t the only place
that gets Bester moving. The
property developer also hangs
ten regularly, notching surfing
sessions for a full-body workout
that’s “actually enjoyable”. He’s
also an avid tennis player. A study
published in Health Psychology
Journal, found that people are far
more likely to stick to a particular
physical activity if it’s enjoyable.
While that might seem obvious,
many guys fall victim to the “no
JAN/FEB 2023
pain, no gain” mantra that adds
a little more muscle at the cost of
tanking motivation.
MIND THE GAP
“Working out puts me in a fantastic
state of mind,” says Bester.
“Hitting the gym early in the
morning makes me feel energised
and ready to face the day.”
That’s the kind of mental
resilience that’s earned, not bought.
While nothing can beat regular
therapy sessions with
a professional if you’ve hit
a mental slump, exercise is crucial
to your psychological well-being.
“Seriously, it’s the best form of
therapy for me,” adds Bester.
Bester was primed for sport at
a young age, and he’s discovered
a sense of enjoyment in pushing
his body to the limits. But this type
of pain-chasing isn’t necessary
if you’re embarking on your own
fitness journey. “Just make sure
what you do is sustainable,” says
Bester. That goes for your meal
plan, too. A stringent diet will only
make you miserable—and likely to
WORDS BY KIERAN LEGG | PHOTOGRAPH BY BYRON KEULEMANS | HURLEY PHANTON SHORTS, FENIX 7X POWER SAPPHIRE SOLAR GARMIN WATCH
binge—so try make small changes
that are easy to adopt. “As in all
things, moderation is key,” he adds.
RAPID FIRE
Go-to running
soundtrack?
Nickelback’s Burn
It To The Ground
The great outdoors
or hit the gym?
Both: an outdoor gym.
Workout you hate
but do anyway?
Running.
Exercise mistake
most guys make?
Training the ego,
not the muscle.
Favourite
cheat meal?
Moro gelato ice cream.
14 MH.CO.ZA
THE SECRET: KEEPING
FASTIDIOUS RECORDS
OF HIS EXERCISES
AND MEASURING
PROGRESS.
“I find that doing these
two things prevents
complacency from
creeping in.”
MH WORLD FUN WITH POLLING

THIS MONTH IN THINGS YOU’RE PSYCHED ABOUT...

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD
TO MOST ABOUT YOUR END-OF-YEAR BREAK?
BRAAING: LOUNGING SLEEPING IN: PARTYING:
28.6% ON THE BEACH: 38.1% 19%
14.3%

The festive season doesn’t have to equal beers, boeps and Christmas cheat

Counting calories
meals. Turn to page 32 for tips on how to relax without libation.

or measuring
HOW MANY TIMES A WEEK
ARE YOU HITTING THE GYM?
macros?
NEVER THREE OR LESS
32% 32%
46.2%
I HATE MATHS
30.8%
CALORIES
23.1%
MACROS

3-5 I NEVER SKIP A DAY

Unsure about whether you should mind your macros or count your
32% 4% kilojoules? On page 58 we reveal which number needs to be
crunched for real results.

Gym motivation on an all-expenses-paid trip to anywhere else? We’ve got the tips
and tricks on how to hit the gym when you reeeeally don’t want to on page 76.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU

REPLACE YOUR
HOW MANY HOURS ARE YOU SMARTPHONE?
WORKING EVERY WEEK? Once Every
a year: two years:

0% 50%
LESS THAN 40 40 ON THE DOT
12.5% 25%

When a new I’m keeping

one comes out: mine for life:
SERIOUS ON THE
OVERTIME
50%
WEEKENDS, TOO
12.5% 0% 50%
IMAGES BY GETTY IMAGES

So there are two camps: the lifetimers and the contract-renewers.

But that doesn’t mean you have to take a hard stance against getting
new tech. Page 64 gives you the best gear for your buck.
Overtime or just plain over it? Consider page 55 your guide to putting
out the raging fire that is burnout.

HAVE YOUR SAY: VOTE IN THE NEXT POLLS ON TWITTER @MENSHEALTHZA

JAN/FEB 2023 16 MH.CO.ZA

WHAT DECADENT INDULGENCE CAN
SHUCK OFF DEPRESSION?
KNOCKING BACK AN OYSTER IS
A PRACTICE that dates back further
than the porcelain platters of fancy 1950s
eateries. Archaeologists have unearthed
evidence that the Romans were already
cultivating and consuming this fast snack
as early as the first century BC. However,
the mollusc hasn’t become a relic; instead,
is a staple on the types of menu’s where
mentioning a price point is considered
a faux pas. But this sea creature wasn’t
always considered a fabled favourite of the
elite. In the not-so-distant past, the wealthy
would’ve categorised it amongst the endless
debris churning up from the ocean.
Simply put, these shells are fast-food
containers. Though today thought of as
ONE WORD ANSWER
QUESTION
a luxury, the oyster (or the “foul oyster”,
as Shakespeare put it) was long viewed
with suspicion. Which is, perhaps,
understandable: with its HR Giger folds and
snotty gloop, it resembles a facehugger’s
vagina. “He was a valiant man who first
adventured on eating of oysters,” King
James I supposedly said. Valiant, yes, and
probably broke, too, since the abundantly
available and easily transportable mollusc
was once largely the preserve of the poor.
Those shells dumped on the banks of urban
waterways are the centuries-old litter of
cheap meals scoffed in a hurry.
Perhaps there was—and is—no better food
for the stressed-out urban worker. Oysters
are a potent source of omega-3 fatty acids,
JAN/FEB 2023 18 MH.CO.ZA
ANSWER
Oysters
WORDS: YO ZUSHI I PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY I DIGITAL ARTWORK: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK
which a study by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China found were effective
in safely curbing depressive symptoms.
A plate of six oysters contains three times
your recommended daily intake of omega-3s,
as well as an abundance of zinc—a deficiency
of which has been linked to mood disorders.
These nutrients also support healthy ageing,
male fertility and even brain function, while
helping to temper the kinds of inflammation
that contribute to almost every chronic
illness, from cancer to heart disease.
So, why not queue up outside your local
fishmonger and treat yourself to a fresh
half-dozen? Given these benefits to both your
mind and your body, they’re well worth
shelling out for—even at 2023 prices.
 CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

THE
YOU’LL
THE NEW YEAR ALWAYS HERALDS
A FRESH FLEET OF ASPIRATIONAL RIDES;
BUT WHICH SET OF WHEELS IS TRULY
WORTH THE WAIT? FROM EXCITING
FACELIFTS TO BRAND NEW MODELS,

BY THE END OF 2023

TAKE YOUR PICK FROM 2023’S STABLE
OF MOTORING HEAVYWEIGHTS.
WORDS BY MARCO MADILENG

AMIDST THE CLASSIC NEW

YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS—lose
weight, change jobs, you don’t need
to upgrade your TV… again—many
of us start to scope out new whips
that’ll take us across the proverbial
finish line quickly, safely and in
style. While it’s tempting to snag
keys to one of last year’s proven
entities, this year is set to be
a bumper one for the motoring
industry AKA a treasure trove for
anyone looking to upgrade their
drive time. Bonus: you’ll have access
to a range of hybrid models that’ll
save you a small fortune on petrol,
a definite perk in a modern era
where oil prices can be more volatile
than family dinners during the
festive season.

JAN/FEB 2023 19 MH.CO.ZA

 THE FAMILY MAN
TOYOTA CROWN
CROSSOVER
WHAT IS IT? Luxury and
comfort converge effortlessly in
Toyota’s long-standing Crown
nameplate, which is finally making
its way to the South African
market. Following the launch of
the Prius, Corolla Cross, Corolla
Sedan and RAV4, the Crown
Crossover’s arrival is highly
anticipated, considering that this
will be Toyota’s very first partially-
electrified model on our shores.
WHY SHOULD I WAIT? The
Toyota Crown will be carried by
a 2.5-litre, parallel hybrid system
with a newly-developed bi-polar
nickel-hydrogen battery. A parallel
hybrid system basically means
that you’ll be saving thousands on
petrol. *insert air punch!*
HOW DOES IT DRIVE?
It glides on the road, according
to José Rodríguez Jr., a US
motoring journo who attended
its launch in Austin, Texas earlier
this year. His exact words:
“The interior looks and feels
luxe. I’m especially a fan of the
ergonomic gear selector. But the
rest of the Crown’s cabin was
clearly designed with comfort
and luxury in mind…”
WHEN CAN I HAVE ONE? First
quarter—that’s not too far off!
PRICE INDICATION: Around
R544 367, an estimation based
on pricing in Japan.
ALSO WORTH
THE WAIT
Mercedes-AMG C43
If you’re dying to
own one of the latest
Mercedes-AMG C-Class
models, why not wait
for the new C43 model,
billed to go on sale
from January 2023,
and assembled in the
East London plant—
making it an even more
lucrative buy. The C43
fuses daily comfort with
a mild-hybrid setup
engine acknowledged
as “the world’s most
powerful four-cylinder
production engine.” The
C43 AMG combines
everyday comfort with
a fruity engine note.
Performance wise, the
C43 can go from 0-100
km/h in 4,6 seconds,
with its electronic speed
capped at 265 km/h
if the car is fitted with
optional 19- or 20-inch
wheels.
Estimated Price: R1.3m
JAN/FEB 2023 20
THE ALL-ROUNDER
NISSAN
QASHQAI
E-POWER
WHAT IS IT? Though Nissan’s
third-gen crossover launched in
South Africa around September
this year, an e-Power hybrid
version is set to make its way
sooner than we’d anticipated.
WHY SHOULD I WAIT? With
perks such as the silence of
a fully electric vehicle, this stylish
crossover feels mostly eclectic
more than anything.
HOW DOES IT DRIVE? What
differentiates this hybrid model
from its competitors is that
it leans heavily on its electric
motor side for lighter driving.
However, pressing that foot on
the accelerator will automatically
activate the petrol engine. Plus, it
can hold its own on both smooth
and rough terrains.
WHEN CAN I HAVE ONE?
First quarter of 2023. While you
wait, may we suggest putting
together an itinerary of all the
local destinations you’ve always
wanted to visit in a car that can
conquer any terrain.
PRICE INDICATION: From
around R653 221.
MH.CO.ZA
ALSO WORTH
THE WAIT
Suzuki Grand Vitara
The new Grand Vitara
is only expected to
go on sale in the first
quarter of 2023. Unlike
its predecessor, which
was a typical 4x4, the
new model takes on
the identity of an urban
SUV, with the bulk of its
variants featuring front-
wheel drive. All local
variants will feature push-
button start, intelligent
climate control, cruise
control, six airbags and
LED projector headlights,
and consumers will get
to choose between two
1.5-litre powertrains—the
all-familiar K15B petrol
engine that powers most
models in the current
line-up, as well as the
modern K15C mild hybrid
dual-jet powertrain.
Estimated Price:
Car aficionados expect
the new Grand Vitara’s
pricing to compete with
that of larger compact
SUVs like the
Hyundai Creta.

THE SHOWSTOPPER
Z4 M40I
WHAT IS IT? The third-
generation BMW Z4 has just
undergone mild tweaks to both
the exterior and interior.
WHY SHOULD I WAIT? A news
report published earlier in the
year alluded to the Z4 production
coming to an end in 2025—
with no replacement model
announced. All the more reason
why you should spoil yourself
with what might soon become a
classic—rand allowing of course!
HOW DOES IT DRIVE? Most
reports coming out of Europe
place the engine’s peak power
output at 250 kW, along with
maximum torque of 500 Nm.
However, the current Z4 M40i
available on the South African
market which enjoyed a power
upgrade in 2020 features an
output of 285 kW. For now, we
can only hope that the SA version
of the facelift will keep its power
output. The final specifications
should be announced closer
ADDITIONAL WORDS BY KIERAN LEGG | IMAGES SUPPLIED
to the launch date.
WHEN CAN I HAVE ONE?
Second quarter of 2023. Lots of
patience required for this wait, but
as they say: good things favour
the patient.
PRICE INDICATION: US price
indications suggest $133 900,
so you should expect to fork out
around R2.5m.
ALSO WORTH
THE WAIT
Lexus RX
The sleekly redesigned,
5th-generation Lexus
RX with a clean and
uncluttered cabin—and
an exterior that features
cleaner lines, a distinctive
grille and intricate
headlights—is finally on
its way to our shores.
Lexus describes the next
gen XR as “a vehicle that
perfectly blends power
with sophistication”,
something that remains
to be experienced when
the model goes on sale in
early 2023. The RX, which
has been a bestseller
(3.5-million units
worldwide to be exact)
since its release back
in 1998 will now sport
multiple powertrains
which include a plug-in
hybrid model. This is part
of Lexus’ aim to have
a full line-up of battery-
electric vehicles. The
cockpit features new
innovations such as the
multimedia screen and
multi-information display
among others, all which
encourage minimal eye
and head movement.
Estimated Price:
Budget for over
a whopping R1.5m
JAN/FEB 2023 21
THE CITY SLICKER
VW GOLF 8 R
WHAT IS IT? Car enthusiasts
had probably lost all hope of the
Golf 8 R ever arriving in SA since
its reveal back in 2020. China’s
lockdown, the global pandemic
and the Russia-Ukraine war are
some of the factors that delayed
the Golf R’s arrival in SA.
WHY SHOULD I WAIT? It is
by far one of SA’s most loved
hatches—owning it instantly
shoots up your street cred from
0 to 100. VW’s recent Golf range
features some of the most
timeless, high-powered and
performance-orientated designs
in the hatchback segment,
making this a sensible investment.
HOW DOES IT DRIVE? As far
as performance goes, the Golf
8 R will take just 4.8 seconds to
reach 100 kph from standstill, and
can go up to a speed of 250 kph.
Paired with an updated, quick-
shifting 7-speed dual-clutch
transmission, a turbocharged
2-litre EA 888 petrol engine will
offer no less than 235 kW and 400
Nm of torque. The Golf 8 R is also
equipped with a new 4Motion
all-wheel-drive system and an
electronic centre among other
features to help it deliver precise
and dynamic handling ability.
WHEN CAN I HAVE ONE?
First quarter of 2023.
PRICE INDICATION: It’s
highly likely the Golf 8 R could
cost at least R850 000 or over
a mil for a fully-decked one.
MH.CO.ZA
MH LIFE DRIVE
ALSO WORTH
THE WAIT
BMW XM
The new BMW XM was
announced as part of the
brand’s 50th anniversary
celebrations and has
also made history as
the M division’s second
standalone model since
the M1 of the late 1970s.
The plug-in hybrid
performance SUV was
displayed at the BMW
M Fest held in Kyalami
in mid-October. The
new 5-seater high-
performance SUV with
an electrified drive
system made up of
a high-revving, twin-
turbo 4.4-litre V8
petrol engine and an
“exceptionally powerful”
electric motor goes
on sale in the second
quarter of 2023. The
XM’s performance
figures are recorded at
100 kph in 4.3 seconds.
The highest speed is 250
kph. At a chilled, easy
drive, the XM offers an
all-electric mode with
a claimed range of up to
88 km—with a cruising
speed limit of 140 kph.
Estimated Price:
Expect it to come in at
around the same price
range as the BMW X5. In
other words, above the
R1.5m floodline.
MH LIFE FOOD
THE HEALTH SNOB’S GUIDE TO
HOT DOGS
ADD THE RIGHT TOPPINGS AND THE
MATCH-DAY STAPLE CAN ASSIST
WITH ALL OF YOUR NUTRITIONAL GOALS.
SHOW SUB-PAR DOGS THE RED CARD.
01
TOP DOGS
You could fill Ellis Park
Stadium with all the
over-processed, flaccid and
sodium-clogged hot
dogs you’ll find at the
supermarket. Raise your
game by shopping for quality.
Pork hot dogs can be—
provided you’re handpicking
the best—a post-workout
A
BLT
BAC O N ST R I P S, 2,
COOKED AND CHOPPED
TO M ATO, 6 5 G, C H O P P E D
L E T T U C E , 2 5 G, S H R E D D E D
D I L L P I C K L E , 3 5 G, S L I C E D
boon. The meat is rich in
protein, vitamins and vital
minerals that your body
craves. Studies have shown
that carnosine, a beta-
alanine protein compound
found in pork, may also
improve muscle performance
by battling fatigue and
ramping up fitness.
Time to pig out.
JAN/FEB 2023
02
LOW’N’SLOW
Searing heat will burn and
split the skin of your hot dogs
before they can warm
03
through. Avoid this error
by waiting until your braai
simmers down to a medium PILE ON THE
heat. Turn them every BENEFITS
minute until they’re plump Transfer the rested hot dogs
and browned—this should to the toasted buns. Now,
take between five to seven it’s time to spoon on the
minutes. Remove and allow toppings. Be generous: if you
to rest for two minutes. Use
want to max out the health
this time to braai your buns benefits, load up your bun so
until they’re crisp. you see little more than the
ends of the sausage. Each
recipe serves two.
22 MH.CO.ZA
PREP TIME 20 MINUTES COOKING TIME 15 MINUTES
MH LIFE FOOD

B C D
THAI SLAW  BEET IT CORN DOG
S H R E D D E D S L AW, 7 0 G B E E T R O OT, 7 5 G, F R E S H M I E L I ES,
CREAMY PEANUT G R AT E D 5 0 G, ST E A M E D
B U T T E R, 1 T B S P CA R R OTS, 3 0 G, R E D P E P P E R S, 5 0 G,
S OYA SAU C E , 2 TS P G R AT E D R OA ST E D A N D C H O P P E D
R I C E V I N EGA R, 2 TS P HORSERADISH, 1TBSP C H E R RY TO M ATO ES,
C I D E R V I N EGA R, 1 T B S P 5 0 G, H A LV E D 
S R I R AC H A , 1 TS P
S U GA R, 1 TS P C O R I A N D E R, 4 G,
F I S H SAU C E , 1 TS P CHOPPED
JA L A P E Ñ O, ½ , C H O P P E D
A SPRING ONION,
S L I C E D 
F R E S H LY S Q U E E Z E D
L E M O N J U I C E , 2 TS P

NEW
STAMINA!

E F G
HAWAIIAN GUAC HOME RUN BURRITO
G UACA M O L E , 1 2 0 G D I J O N M U STA R D, STYLE
P I N E A P P L E , 112 G, D I C E D 1TBSP R E F R I E D B E A N S, 1 2 0 G
R E D O N I O N , 1 3 G, D I C E D WHITE WINE C H I P OT L E P E P P E R S,
V I N EGA R, 1 T B S P 2 TS P, M I N C E D I N
CAY E N N E P E P P E R, A D O B O SAU C E 
A PINCH M A P L E SY R U P, 2 TS P
S H A L LOTS, 2 T B S P, F R E S H LY S Q U E E Z E D
CHOPPED L I M E J U I C E , 2 TS P
SAG E , 2 T B S P, A GA R L I C C LOV E ,
CHOPPED MINCED

HEART
HEALTH!

LEAN

WORDS: MATTHEW KADEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER TESTANI

MUSCLE!

H I J
PESTO AIOLI GREEK GOD GREEN SALSA
M AYO N N A I S E , 7 5 G G R E E K YO G U RT, 9 5 G SA LSA V E R D E , 1 3 0 G
S U N - D R I E D TO M ATO C R U M B L E D F E TA , 4 0 G P U M P K I N S E E DS,
P E STO, 2 T B S P D I L L , 2 T B S P, C H O P P E D 2TBSP
L E M O N Z E ST, 1 TS P A GA R L I C C LOV E , C O R I A N D E R, 4 G,
MINCED CHOPPED
F R E S H LY S Q U E E Z E D C U M I N P OW D E R,
L E M O N J U I C E , 1 TS P A PINCH

STRONG
BONES!

JAN/FEB 2023 24 MH.CO.ZA

MH LIFE HOME

STAY FRESH

BY BRINGING
THE OUTSIDE IN
HOUSEPLANTS CAN EASE STRESS
AND BOOST MOOD, BUT KEEPING
THEM ALIVE CAN DO THE REVERSE.
FIND YOUR INNER BOTANIST.

THAT DOESN’T
LOOK GOOD...
Diagnose the
problem, then
treat it. Plant
stylist Hilton
Carter is here
to help you.

THE PROBLEM:

02
Bright yellow
leaves.
THE FIX: Stop watering your
plant so much. It’s better
WINDOWSILL WONDER to water it less and give it
more light. “If your leaf
PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS turns yellow, that leaf is
If you travel frequently or dead. It’s not coming
forget to water plants, go back,” Carter says. Trim it
with a low-maintenance off so energy goes to the
one. Pop your cactus next healthier parts of the plant. 
to a window; it needs at
least six hours of sun-
light daily. THE PROBLEM:
Dark-brown edges
LIGHT WATER around the leaves.
THE FIX: Now you aren’t
watering it enough. “If it
starts to curl up or droop,
you need to water it right
away,” Carter says.

03
BATHROOM COMPANION
04
TOUGH GUY
THE PROBLEM:
Erm, it’s dying.
THE FIX: Change
pots. For plants such as
POTHOS CHINESE EVERGREEN ferns, which dislike dry
Also known as devil’s ivy, Don’t let its delicate look soil, stick to metal and
this plant grows in low light. fool you: this flowering plant glazed pots—they retain
Put one near a windowsill in is durable. Place it in direct moisture. If your plant
your bathroom—the steam to low light and fertilise it prefers to be dry (like
will help it thrive, even if once or twice a year. succulents do), opt for
you fail to water it. pots made from clay or
stone—they pull moisture
LIGHT WATER LIGHT WATER away from soil faster.

JAN/FEB 2023 26 MH.CO.ZA

 is always
trending.

SHOES OF R ARE DISTINCTION

A QUALITY BOLTON FOOTWEAR BRAND. SHOP: W HEREE

BRANDS S
www.boltonshoes.co.za LIVE
THE NUTRITION SNOB’S GUIDE TO
02
SMARTER TRACTION
CONTROL

JUICING
When you’re ready
to pulp and grind,
remember: high-speed
machines create heat,
WRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH which vapes vitamins.
FAD DIETS AND DODGY DETOXES, Meanwhile, cold-
JUICING IS AN EASY WAY TO pressing is lengthy and
SQUEEZE MICRONUTRIENTS INTO
fussy. Choose a juicer
YOUR LIFE. ALL YOU NEED TO DO
IS EXTRACT FACT FROM FAD. with adjustable speed
settings—or better,
one that automatically
adjusts according to
your ingredients—to
balance attention to

01 detail with leaving

home on time.

FLUID
DYNAMICS
The old foodie platitude
about a dish being only as
good as its ingredients
has never been truer. For
the ideal blend, mix the
four categories below in
descending order of bulk.
Time is pressing...

i GREEN ARMY
Kale and spinach are at the
juicing vanguard with
good reason, but wresting
much liquid from them is
hard. Force through with
heavier ingredients for
a better yield.

ii ROOTS MANOEUVRE
A high veg:fruit ratio means
a big hit of antioxidants

03
without overdoing the
fructose. It can also mean
a glass resembling pond
water. Adding carrots will
lend a natural sweetness.
COLD
STORAGE
If you’re taking the
iii FRUIT MACHINES fruit and veg of your
Sweet tooth? You can get labours with you, keep
too much of a good thing.
in mind that sunlight
An average 150ml of fruit
juice per day is optimal. and oxygen can damage
If you’re bigger on apple certain vitamins.
and mango than cauli and A double-walled vacuum
kale, exercise caution.
flask will protect—and,
more importantly,
iv ADDED VALUES chill —your juice, while
Used sparingly, hard-hitting a reusable straw spares
flavours from chilli and your teeth the sugars.
ginger will transform a juice
The climate-conscious
from “worthy” to “worth
drinking”. Buy organic so crowd would approve.
you can leave the skin on
for bonus points.

JAN/FEB 2023 28 MH.CO.ZA

 MH LIFE FOOD

04
YOUR NEW SQUEEZE
The gaudy bottles increasingly
filling the shelves of supermarket
chillers are, for the most part, all
bumph and no pips. Most are
pasteurised to extend their shelf
life, instantly killing off the
enzymes your body thirsts for.
Get a high from your own
WORDS: MEN’S HEALTH | PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY | FOOD STYLIST: JACK SARGESON
nutritional supply with four
summer-ready recipes from
Pandora Symes, the founder PEPPER YOUR
of wellness coaching site STAPLE JUICE WITH
EXTRA BENEFITS
rootedlondon.com. Pick your
personal antidote from the
options below.

A B
ENERGY FRUIT
INFUSION
Rhubarb is a source
of vits C and K, and
a sharp alternative to
saccharine fruits. Juice
1 cucumber, 4 stalks of
rhubarb, ½ cup of
strawberries and
2 apples. Add ½ tsp
cinnamon for an extra
hit of flavour.
GREENS WITH
IMMUNITY
Juice 3 handfuls of
spinach, ½ a head of
romaine lettuce,
1 cucumber, 2 big
handfuls of kale, small
handfuls of parsley
and mint, and 1 lime.
Mix with ½ a can of
coconut water for
a touch of sweetness.
D
C ROOT OF GOOD
HANGOVER DIGESTION
Juice 1 or 2 small
CITRUS BOMB beetroots, 1 orange,
Juice 1 lemon, 1 lime, ½ cucumber, 2cm of
1 red chilli (or 2 if you’re ginger, 2 carrots and
daring) and mix with 1 lime in that order—
1 tbsp of agave and the rind of the last
400ml water. This ingredients helps to draw
works best first thing the rest through. If you
in the morning—and prefer it slightly sweeter,
beats OJ to a pulp. add more fresh orange.

CRUSH THE WHEATGRASS ALMOND MILK NUT/SEED

Packed with The true “plant BUTTERS
COMPETITION
If carrot and kale are
vitamins and milk” aficionado Free from
amino acids, but hard to makes his own. Soak additives, but a little bit
too vanilla for your juice. Grind in a pestle almonds overnight, then more hassle. Swap the
Instagram feed, try and mortar with water to drain. Add 750ml juice screen with a blank
pimping your juice
with these hard-won form a paste. Strain until of water, then spoon nuts plate and blend a handful
nutritional extras the leaves turn white. and water into the juicer. of nuts with 1 or 2 tbsp of oil.

JAN/FEB 2023 29 MH.CO.ZA

 1
STICK WITH SIMPLE
Hold the celery—and while
you’re at it, the bacon,
shrimp and cheeseburger
sliders, too. Under the
ruse of “brunch,” some
restaurants junk up the
drink to jack up the cost.
The original, recipe uses
just tomato juice, vodka,
lemon juice, Worcestershire
sauce and Tabasco.
Yes, that’s all.

2
BUT THEN UPGRADE
Instead of a vegetable
blend, go with 100 percent
tomato juice for a balanced
base. Squeeze fresh lemon
juice to avoid the chemical
tang of shop-bought
concentrates. And splurge
for quality vodka if you can.
(Some of our favourites,
like Smirnoff and Belvedere
work, but Absolut’s Elyx is 3
bright, clean and superb.)
MEASURE AND MIX
In a cocktail shaker, shake
or roll (i.e., swirl the shaker
around in small circles) the
following ingredients with
ice: 120ml tomato juice,
45ml vodka, 15ml lemon
juice and dashes of
Worcestershire sauce and
Tabasco to taste. Strain
everything into a highball
HOLY SH!T glass over ice.

COCKTAIL TRICK! 4
OOOOOKAY, GARNISH
If you’d like a bit more burn,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUN LEE

stir in prepared horseradish

or freshly ground pepper.
Maybe add a lemon wedge
or an olive. Just don’t go
overboard. As Dirty Harry
once said, “A man’s got to
know his limitations.”

JAN/FEB 2023 30 MH.CO.ZA

MH LIFE DE-STRESS

10 WAYS TO 2 PLAY
PICKUP

UNWIND WITHOUT
You may not miss the booze,
but you’ll probably miss the bar.
Round up some fit friends and/or
coworkers and schedule a weekly
run, 5-a-side or lifting session.
These activities don’t require a ton

HITTING
of people to be enjoyable (unlike
fielding a full touch rugby team) and

THE BOTTLE
allow time for what makes bars
so great: conversation.

3 DO THINGS
WHETHER YOU’RE CUTTING OUT DRINKS OR
JUST CUTTING BACK, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR SPIRITS UP

ON YOUR OWN
WITHOUT THE SPIRITS. BY SCARLETT WRENCH

You’ll do gardening and grocery

shopping alone—so why not the fun
stuff? Researchers have found that
people who go to the movies, see
a concert or visit an art gallery solo
experience mental-health benefits
similar to those of people who go
in groups. Sounds like an excuse
to treat yourself to a nice dinner.

4 ROCK
OUT
Chills from your
top workout song
signal that your
brain is pumping out
dopamine, a pleasure
chemical also
released by alcohol.
Get more workout
CUE UP A COMEDY tracks from Men’s
Health on Spotify.
Laughing produces gamma waves, the same
high-frequency brain waves generated during
a solid meditation session, according to research
from Loma Linda University in California. And
the anticipation of a laugh can reduce stress
hormones. Start with Seth MacFarlane’s Star
Trek spoof The Orville: New Horizons.

JAN/FEB 2023 32 MH.CO.ZA

 5HAVE
REMIX
YOUR
SCHEDULE
ACTUALLY
DELICIOUS
NON-ALCOHOLIC
A SOAK Most people have a predictable drinking
routine, so note the moments when you’re most
“ALCOHOL”
IF YOU LIKE...
Try a different kind of likely to reach for a glass, says Dru Jaeger,
liquid refreshment. a co-founder of the mindful-drinking group
IPAS, TRY:
Study participants with Club Soda, and then pre-book another event
on those days and at those times. If you tend to
Bavaria’s
0.0% IPA
depressive symptoms chase the Sunday Scaries with a cold one and Crisp and
sweet, with
who took a warm bath TV, try a FaceTime with family. It’ll spare you the a slight haze,
for 30 minutes felt added stress of practising self-control. and packing
the same background
better than those bitterness of your
favourite brewski.
who did about 45

9
LAGERS, TRY:
minutes of aerobic GET SOME Castle Free
Its alcoholic
exercise, German REAL SLEEP counterpart is
researchers found. a gameday
staple, and now
Even one drink can leave you with that
Yes, taking a bath is morning-after fog and slight headache. So
you can enjoy
the same
a whole ordeal, but instead of a nightcap, order up that good refreshment without the
rest you keep saying you need. Gradually follow-up head fog.
hey, it’s good for you. shift your sleep-wake times; aim for 10pm
STUDIO 33 (TEETH). BEN MOUNSEY-WOOD (ILLUSTRATION). PETER CROWTHER (FILM REEL). EVERFLIGHT (DROPLETS). COURTESY BRANDS (PRODUCTS).

to 6am. That way, you’ll have a use for your CIDERS, TRY:
Everson’s
newfound energy: hitting Original

6
the gym, going for a run Super sweet

WRITE or cooking a healthy

breakfast.
but delivering
enough

THINGS OFF tartness to keep

10
you sipping,
this teetotaller-

GO
Anxious times can make the mind approved beverage is the
run wild. Reach for a pen instead of perfect summer cooler.

BACK
a drink, says Freddie Bennett, a former
GIN, TRY:
drinker who’s now an ultrarunner and Seedlip
a host of the podcast Over the Spice 94
Influence. “Scribble nonstop for ten This twist on
minutes. You’ll get all that random shit Nostalgia is a powerful a classic
London Dry
out of your head and maybe discover
why you were anxious in the first place.”
intoxicant, a study in the leverages
journal Emotion found, and allspice berries
and cardamom

7
the feeling made participants to seriously
ramp up the
COOK SOME perceive air temperatures flavour. Mix with your
preferred tonic for a gin
as warmer and more
DIFFERENT MEALS comfortable. Re-watching
fix that’s actually dry.

WINE, TRY:
If you’ve ever felt satisfied by pulling favourite movies also provides Woolworths
DE-ALC
off a new recipe, researchers get
you. A study in The Journal of Positive “emotional regulation,” Chenin Blanc
You don’t have
Psychology found that people who according to research out of to nix the vino
frequently take on small, creative if you’re going
challenges—like cooking a meal they American University. When alcohol-free.
haven’t before—report feeling
content and relaxed.
was the last time you watched This one is crisp, fruity
and moreish.
the Rocky collection?

JAN/FEB 2023 33 MH.CO.ZA

MH LIFE RELATIONSHIPS

The Stress-Free
Guide to

SHOULD YOU MAKE TIME FOR SEX ON BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES AND HOLIDAYS?
YES. SHOULD IT BE STRESSFUL? ABSOLUTELY NOT. BY JULIE VADNAL

PLANNING A SEXATHON on an anniversary sex around special occasions spices things up,” a skywriter to make your partner swoon;
or a birthday may seem cliché—“Dick in a Box” says sex therapist Dr. Kristie Overstreet. “And oftentimes just expending a little more effort—
PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFFREY WESTBROOK

came out, what, more than a decade ago? But
that just means you have to be more creative,
because a memorable sex session makes for
one of the best gifts of all. (Hold the wrapping
paper, please.)
“Especially in long-time relationships,
things can get really monotonous, and having
there can be a really big payoff.” As in, stronger
orgasms (for you both!) and increased bonding.
But amping up your game for a special
occasion can also add pressure. How far do you
have to go—in terms of both adventurousness
and budget—to give them an unforgettable
experience? Relax. You don’t need to hire
like sending an anticipatory text—can have
a sizable effect. “What people will remember
most is the time and energy their partner put
in,” says clinical psychologist Dr. Seth Meyers,
eHarmony’s resident relationship expert. Use
these four strategies to make special-occasion
sex even more special.

JAN/FEB 2023 34 MH.CO.ZA

 CREATE AN
IG FILTER IRL
These buys make special-
We’re not saying you need to light more
occasion sex even more
candles than the Vatican or scatter rose petals fun for everyone involved.
everywhere. But there are a few clever ways to
create a mood without killing it—and yes, one
of them involves candlelight. Candlelight is a
real-life Instagram filter, and who doesn’t want
that when they’re naked? Instead of buying
a 50-pack of tea lights from the grocery store,
which can be a fire hazard, invest in one
statement candle. It’s a gift and a scene setter
all in one. Besides buying candles, Melissa, 26,
a publicist, makes sure she and her partner can
refuel and rehydrate after a special-occasion
romp. Once, when they hadn’t seen each other
for a while, she says she stocked the room “with
post-coitus snacks—chocolates and flavoured
seltzers are my go-to—so we wouldn’t have to
leave our island of sheets for hours.”
SLOW
PA R T Y PLAY WITH
SUPPLIES POSITIONING
Hopefully you know the surefire ways to
please your partner, especially if you’ve been
together since before butt motorboating
became a thing. But a birthday or an
BLOMUS ROSE
anniversary is a chance to try a new position
& WHITE MUSK
Yup, women are that skews from your usual moves.
into those musky That doesn’t mean you need to install
scents. R699;
a hanging sex swing. It can be as simple as
takealot.com
adding this twist to missionary, suggests
Allison: get in position for missionary, but
scoot her booty to the edge of the bed so that
you’re standing. Though it’s a slight change,
RC FRENCH
LAVENDER it makes a big difference in your stamina
Freshen up the room (thrusting while standing is easier than while
with something kneeling) and gives you both super-
fruity or floral. R390;
raincandleco.co.za deep stimulation.
Or change up your scenery. “For my
birthday, my boyfriend took us to a spa for
a couple’s massage, but they gave you an hour
in a giant tub prior to the massage,” says Jess,
EXOTIQ
MASSAGE OIL 33, a photo producer. “It was clearly for sex,

(WAY, WAY)
Touch her body so yes, we had sex. It was amazing, and the
for an hour—if
feeling that we might get caught made it
DOWN
she makes it that
long. R399; extra hot.”
passionfruit.co.za

We know you want to make your partner come— MAKE AN X-RATED

and that’s great!—but challenge yourself to
go slow during foreplay. “Make an extra effort DAME FIN
TOY STORY
to spend time kissing, touching, nuzzling, This finger vibe
fondling without the express goal of the ‘ASAP creates tingly Whether or not you’re already using toys
sensations. R1 345;
orgasm,’ or even penetration,” Meyers says. The matildas.co.za as part of your regularly scheduled sexing,
less they feel pressured to climax, the more your introducing a new one that stimulates you
partner will be able to enjoy themself, which both will up the ante.
ultimately makes a big O more likely. That’s what Melissa and her partner tried
On a partner’s birthday, Andrew, 28, to do on their first Christmas together, when
a writer, decided to give her an erotic massage. THE LELO TOR 2 he gifted her a “massive” butt plug. “It was
This vibrating ring
“It started with just a regular massage, and gives your power tool supposed to be a very romantic evening of
when she was relaxed, I slowly moved into a boost during sex. us exploring anal training—something we
sexually pleasuring her,” he says. “By the R2 520; luvland.co.za were both really turned on by—but because
time we actually had sex, it was incredible.” he got the wrong size, it was a really awkward
Relationship expert Sadie Allison suggests back-and-forth with lots of lube everywhere
buying a bottle of massage oil and taking your before we finally admitted defeat,” she says.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY LESLIE XIA

sweet time. “Do some gentle stroking while WE-VIBE UNITE Eventually, they switched to a normal-sized
It’s clitoral and
making it a point to touch every inch of skin vaginal stimulation plug—with the help of Christmas-cookie-
on her body, from behind her ears to under all in one toy. R1 899; flavoured lube. Either way, toys can up the
her arms, all the way down to the bottom of her desir.co.za ante on your special occasion romp.
feet,” Allison says.

JAN/FEB 2023 36 MH.CO.ZA

M H PA R T N E R S H I P
Don’t Suffer
in Silence
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AFFECTS AROUND 33% OF MEN IN THEIR FORTIES AND BEYOND. BUT YOUNGER
GUYS AREN’T IMMUNE EITHER. BOTTOM LINE: IT’S ALL TOO COMMON, AND WE NEED TO START TALKING
ABOUT IT. FIGURING OUT WHY YOU’RE SUFFERING COULD MAYBE EVEN SAVE YOUR LIFE.
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED), defined as
the inability to maintain an erection firm enough for
satisfying sexual activity, is a common problem which is,
according to the Journal of Endocrinology, Metabolism
and Diabetes, experienced by a third of men over the age of
40. While ED itself is not a life-threatening disorder, it can
be a sign of a more serious medical condition, including
heart disease. This is because coronary heart disease
occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries. This reduces
the blood flow to the heart and affects the functioning of blood
vessels, which tends to affect the blood vessels of the penis first.
“We encourage men to see their doctor if they experience
ED, so that they can be screened for underlying disease and
potentially prevent a serious cardiac event in the future,” says
Dr. Heather Blaylock, a medical doctor with a special interest in
sexual health. She adds that social habits such as smoking and
alcohol use also contribute to erectile dysfunction.
Because ED can be the first symptom of underlying heart
disease, it’s important to speak to your doctor about this
condition and to address what the underlying cause might be.
Occasionally struggling to get or maintain erection—well,
For more information speak to your healthcare professional or go to www.getturnedon.co.za
that’s normal. But ongoing untreated erectile
dysfunction can also have a profound psychological
effect on your self-esteem and relationships.
“ED has negative psychological outcomes for
men. They see it as humiliating or something that
lessens their status as a man, not to mention the
many myths about ED,” says Blaylock. “Their
partners may feel unattractive, unwanted or guilty.
Partner support during treatment is also very
important for better outcomes.” She adds that men
visiting her practice often feel embarrassed and
not worthy of attention and think that their ED was
just part of the normal aging process. According to
the Journal of Sexual Medicine, a quarter of new
diagnoses of ED are for men under the age of 40. So,
seeing your doc ASAP is vital. The good news is that
ED medications have evolved and improved and that
there are many options available.
“Treatment options include the group of drugs
known as PDE5-inhibitors and include tadalafi l,
sildenafi l and vardenafi l. Options for use now
include lower dose daily dosing as well as on
demand single doses, with some lasting up to 36
hours,” says Blaylock, adding that as with any medication,
there could be side effects, and these can include flushing,
headache, nasal congestion and indigestion. “It is also
important for men to know that normal sexual stimulation is
still required for arousal.”
Some meds might also interact with food and alcohol while
others do not, which might be an important consideration when
discussing treatment with a healthcare practitioner.
Blaylock says the use of a PDE5 medication not only improves
sexual function and satisfaction, but can also improve your
relationship with your partner. “Everyone wants a cure, but
there is no magic cure. Men should not suffer as there are many
safe options available,” says Blaylock.
With these current medications as well as more novel and
experimental treatments becoming available, men who suffer
from erectile dysfunction should really not suffer in silence.
There are also newer generic medications that have made the
treatment of ED more accessible and affordable to more South
African men. Speak to your doctor about the possible causes of
ED and what the most suitable medication for you might be. It
could be the most important doctor’s visit of your life.
LIFE ON THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE YOUR

YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
AREN’T JUST FOR THE WEIGHTS
AREA—YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN
NEEDS A REVAMP, TOO. WHILE
YOU CAN’T PREDICT DISASTER,
YOU CAN MAKE SURE THAT
YOU’RE MAKING EVERY RANDELA
SWEAT. HERE’S OUR NO-
NONSENSE GUIDE TO THRIVING
IN 2023. BY KIERAN LEGG
HILE SOOTHSAYERS MAY
have predicted the pandemic,
the average guy wasn’t so lucky.
Thankfully, there are lessons
in the aftermath of disaster,
namely that when it comes to
budgeting, you need to build a
serious buffer between you and going
bust. Before embarking on the steps in
the next couple pages, let’s address the
elephant in the room: there are no get-
rich-quick schemes, only solid money
habits that will keep you thriving. Now
that that’s out of the way, let’s get
down to business.
S TEP 1
CREATE
A BUDGET
“BUDGETING IS THE CORNERSTONE
of any financial plan,” says Simone
Sharman, the National Head of
Business Development at Truffle Asset
Management. “To save more, you either
need to spend less or earn more. The
latter isn’t usually an option.”
The first step is figuring out where you
are financially. And make sure you don’t
pull any punches. Open up all
your statements and tap them into
a single spreadsheet (stick with us!). It’s
laborious, but this overview will give you
a clear idea of where you’re sitting, and
those hours spent craning over a laptop
will pay dividends down the line.
“If you don’t know where your money
is going, it’s nearly impossible to see
where you can cut your expenses,” adds
Sharman. “It can feel like your money
just magically disappears unless you
keep a close eye on it.”
Now, Sharman recommends splitting
your expenses into two columns:
necessary and discretionary. In other
words, what are the non-negotiables—
rent, car repayments, groceries—and
what costs are non-essential—UberEats,
every DLC for Call of Duty or the
subscription service you haven’t used
since before lockdown. Column “B” is
where you can start cutting, and it’s
“amazing” how many costs you can
scrap from your monthly load when
you’ve got a bird’s eye view of your
financial situation, says Sharman.
If, however, looking at that
spreadsheet starts to feel like
staring into the abyss—i.e., you’ve
got a mountain of debts that seem
insurmountable—it might be worth
speaking to a Certified Financial
Planner, suggests Sharman: “Just make
sure you start taking stock now, because
JAN/FEB 2023 41 MH.CO.ZA
MH UPGRADES W E A LT H
the sooner you begin, the sooner you’ll
finish and the more you’ll save.”
You might think cutting down on
luxuries will tank your mood, but
research has shown the exact opposite.
A study published by Emerald Insight
looked into the personal finance habits of
968 young adults. Participants answered
a range of questions at various stages
in their lives and were asked to provide
updates on their mental health status.
The results? Those who saved more
reported a significant boost in their
overall well-being. Additionally, those
who were buying less were also less likely
to note down any depressive symptoms.
Time to load up Excel? We think so.
STEP 2
START
INVESTING
“INVESTMENTS CAN BE EXTREMELY
intimidating,” says Geo Botha, director
and wealth manager at Bovest. And that
daunting prospect becomes completely
overwhelming when you factor in poor
market performance and the constant
threat of another economic crash.
While many people are going the DIY
route—think EasyEquities—picking your
own stocks can feel more like guesswork
than planning for your future.
“No surprise then that this often leads
to bad performance because you really
don’t have the expertise in this field to
thrive,” adds Botha. “Then you get even
more intimidated and pessimistic about
investing.” There’s a reason the majority
of us leave our money to stagnate in low-
interest bank accounts.
But there is a solution: you need to have
a goal and a structured plan to get there.
MH UPGRADES W E A LT H
Sharman suggests keeping things
simple: “Aim to save at least 20% of your
gross salary every month from your very
first paycheck. If you can’t manage the full
20%, start with whatever is manageable
and build up from there,” she says.
After all, most investment platforms let
you start with as little as R150 per month.
When choosing investments,
a decent equity or balanced unit trust
should net you 10% per year in the
long run. Unit trust funds pool money
from multiple investors to give you the
leverage to get into bonds, shares, you
name it. This pool is then divided up
into equal portions known as units that
increase or decrease in value based on
the fund’s performance. Not only do
unit trust funds have high liquidity—
you won’t have to wait months to get
hold of your money in the event of an
emergency—but the initial investment
is also relatively low.
“So if you invest R250 per month for
the next ten years with a 10% return,
your investment should be worth more
than R50 000,” says Sharman. Or you
could buy a new overpriced gadget
every few months that will probably be
gathering dust on a forgotten shelf or,
worse, buried under thousands of tons
of rubbish at your nearest landfill.
STEP 3
BE
PREPARED
EVEN THE BEST-LAID PLANS ARE
little match for a serious emergency.
That’s why, if you want your budgeting
to reach bulletproof proportions,
you’ll have to account for the worst.
Ryan McCaughey, a director at Hewett
Wealth and the FPI 2021 Financial
Planner of the Year, suggests creating
an emergency savings account that’s
robust enough to weather any storm—
even Covid 2.0.
“Make sure your account can cater
for two to three months of your living
expenses,” he says. “Any excess funds can
be redeployed into your investments.”
The type of account you’re using also
matters; he recommends choosing one
offering a competitive interest rate
(minus the fees), and a short notice or
next-day withdrawal. Even a one-week
notice period could leave you stranded
as emergencies typically require cash on
the fly. “No emergency is going to wait
that long,” adds Botha.
JAN/FEB 2023 42 MH.CO.ZA
S TEP 4
LEARN BETTER
HABITS
A rock-solid financial plan is only part
one in your pursuit of wealth that lasts.
The right habits can keep you out of the
red, too. Here are a few you should add
to your repertoire in the new year:
Start Small
Big sweeping changes are unlikely
to stick. A 2007 survey by British
psychologist Richard Wiseman found
that 88% of people failed to stick to
their New Year’s resolutions. While it
might be an overwhelming task to cut
takeaways entirely from your weekly
menu, skipping them once a week in
favour of wallet-friendly home-cooked
fare could one day help you achieve the
UberEats-free lifestyle.
Automate Your Investments
Botha is a big advocate for putting your
investments on debit order. While this will
take some of the oomph out of payday, it’ll
also teach you how to get by with less.
Take a Deep Breath
“In times of uncertainty, we tend to
fixate on all the negatives and short-
term news,” says McCaughey. “In most
situations, this type of behaviour causes
you to make emotional decisions that
just aren’t the right call.” He suggests
taking a deep breath and getting
practical. That might mean sticking
to your financial plan, or roping in an
expert who can help you see clearly.
Pay Off Your Debts
McCaughey suggests setting your sights
on short-term loans such as your car
loan and credit card debts as these
tend to attract higher interest rates.
This approach takes notes from Dave
Ramsey’s “Snowball Method”, a plan that
focuses on tackling the smallest debts
first and working upwards. Research has
shown that this method can give you
a sense of progress, providing you with
a momentum boost even when you’re
under a mountain of debt.
GETTY IMAGES
 SUMMER TREND #1

LIGHTWEIGHT KNITS
During summer, you’re just as
likely to find yourself at the beach,
a windy rooftop bar or both.
Fortunately, you won’t have to
pack a change of clothes—
lightweight knits are breathable
layers that’ll still keep you warm
when the mercury dips.

Denham Banka
knit, R2 999
Denham Carlton
work shorts R2 299
Giorgio Armani
at Luxottica
sunglasses R7 290

Scotch & Soda linen blend

knit R2 399

Denham raglan cotton

crew R2 799

Zeitgeist at EGG cotton

pebble knit R1 200
STAY COOL,
LOOK
COOLER
WARMER WEATHER CAN SIMPLIFY
YOUR STYLE—AFTER ALL, YOU’LL
BE WEARING LESS. BUT THAT
PUTS MORE PRESSURE ON EVERY
PIECE TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION.
TAP INTO THESE FOUR TRENDS TO
STAND OUT ALL SEASON LONG.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
BYRON KEULEMANS

SUMMER TREND #2

MATCHING SETS
Twin sets, like this combo right
here, will help you coordinate a new
holiday uniform that doesn’t look
regimented. We like bold Hawaiian
prints that’ll make you feel like
you’re beachside even when you’re
off to the shops. Best part? These
items can be sliced and diced to
create multiple looks.
Scotch & Soda shirt R2 499
Scotch & Soda bermuda R1 999
 Hurley Phantom
16” natural sessions
shorts R1 199

SUMMER TREND #3

SOLID-COLOUR BOARDIES
Face it: your go-to shorts—way too baggy and sporting wrinkled pockets—aren’t
going to take you further than the lounge. Instead, go for a slimmer fit in a simple
(but bold) colour. Pro tip: you’ll want to think about proportions; in other words,
the shorter you are, the shorter your shorts should be.
MODEL: CHRISTIAAN BESTER/D&A MODEL MANAGEMENT

Old Khaki Seb shorts R399 Hurley 18” Phantom block party shorts R1 099 S.P.C.C Dekker pool shorts R599

JAN/FEB 2023 46 MH.CO.ZA

 SUMMER TREND #4

ORGANIC BUTTON-
FRONT SHIRTS
Shirts can turn your outfit into a walking
sauna, but these casual counterparts
are quick-drying, comfortable and
hard-wearing. Beach, braai and then
a nighttime rager on the agenda? These
summer-ready threads are usually spun
from cotton, linen or a blend of both.

Old Khaki 100% linen

Preston shirt R799
K-Way beach
towel R449
Garmin fēnix 7X
watch, R19 999

Koikoi at EGG Caprice

shirt R760

Chaos & Calm at EGG

hand-dyed shirt R650

Old Khaki linen & cotton

Presley shirt R799
Hurley Cannonball volley
17” shorts R899
Garmin epix Gen 2
watch R19 999
 65
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Pilots relied (and still do)
GEOMETRIC
The jagged and
on these shades to
angular nature of
combat glare up in the
these frames will add
sky, but modern versions
angles to your face,
have grounded these
giving your features
benefits in the form
more definition. While
of contemporary
Mau most are round or
silhouettes that will i Jim
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MORNINGS
have been steadily
rising in popularity,
Unde

but this year they’re

a clear favourite.
They’re simple, yet
different; plain, yet
SHADES ARE YOUR CHANCE TO INJECT incredibly striking
PERSONALITY, FLAIR AND THAT UNFLAPPABLE and a great way of
SENSE OF COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED INTO transporting classic
EVERY LOOK. BUT THEY’RE DOING MORE THAN
JUST EARNING YOU STYLE POINTS—A HIGH- silhouettes into
QUALITY PAIR IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR EYE HEALTH, the new age.
SHIELDING YOUR GAZE FROM DAMAGING UV RAYS.
 RUBBER SOUL
WHEN IT COMES TO FUNCTIONALITY, NOTHING BEATS
THE COMFORT OF A WELL-MADE RUBBER WATCH STRAP.
BY LUKE BENEDICTUS
BLAME IT ON FETISH CLUBS, swimming
caps or mud-splattered gumboots. But rubber
(and its ilk), it’s fair to say, hasn’t always
enjoyed the most debonair of reputations.
And, for many years, that bothered luxury
watch brands, whose livelihoods depend
on creating products that convey a sense of
tangible opulence. More specifically, this
mindset influenced their choice of watch straps,
encouraging them to stick with the gentlemanly
associations of leather, the utilitarian sheen of
the metal bracelet or the old-school military vibe
of the trusty old NATO strap.
The fearless disruptor in this space was the
Swiss watch brand Hublot that launched in 1980
with an attention-grabbing product. Founder
Carlo Crocco unveiled a watch that melded
two materials in an unlikely combination. The
case of the Hublot Classic Fusion ticked all the
upmarket boxes through being hewn from 18k
yellow-gold. But where this precious-metal
timepiece subverted the status quo was by
arriving on a black rubber strap.
At the time, this felt like a vaguely
sacrilegious move, but Crocco wasn’t doing
it for shock value. As a keen sailor, he wanted
to build his brand around water—the name
“Hublot” means porthole in French. Rubber
was a practical material for a watch that could
be worn on the deck of a sailing boat with zero
concerns about water damage.
After people got over the shock of this
TUDOR PELAGOS 39
R74 850, TUDORWATCH.COM
iconoclastic pairing, they started getting used
to the idea, perhaps helped by the fact that
luxury sports watches like the Patek Philippe
Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak had
helped to reposition steel in a similarly lofty
way. Presently, other luxury watch brands
began to embrace rubber straps, too. This was
less about jumping on a fashion bandwagon
and more the realisation that rubber straps
actually made hard-headed sense. Not only
could they be made in a range of colours to open
up a host of design options, but rubber was also
an extremely functional material. For starters,
these straps were waterproof, making them
the logical choice for any sport watches geared
towards diving or watersports. They were also
durable, lightweight, simple to adjust and—as
anyone who’s been to a fetish club can gratefully
attest—very easy to clean.
Today, the acceptance of rubber straps
JAN/FEB 2023 50 MH.CO.ZA
is almost universal, but they’ve become
particularly prized for their knack of making
a luxury watch fly under the radar. Not everyone
will be comfortable wearing a solid gold watch
that attracts eyeballs. But that’s not a problem
for, say, the Rolex Yacht-Master. Sure, it’s made
from 18k gold and is a high-end proposition
in every conceivable sense. Yet it wears this
baller status lightly thanks to a strap made from
Oysterflex, Rolex’s famously comfortable take
ADDITIONAL WORDS: KELLEIGH KOREVAAR | PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED
on rubber, which serves as a counterpoint to the
gold. The rubber strap effectively transforms
the entire image of the watch, making it far more
wearable, unobtrusive... and relatable.
This shouldn’t be surprising, either. After all,
your watch strap takes up significantly more real
estate on your wrist than the timepiece itself, so
will make a huge visual difference.
Shiny bracelets catch the light and demand
attention. Rubber straps retreat gracefully
into the background. All of which explains why
rubber’s ongoing popularity in the watch world is
ultimately no great stretch.
 MH UPGRADES WATCHES

Longines HydroConquest Tissot Seastar 1000 Quartz Chronograph OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M
R36 700, longines.com R11 200, tissotwatches.com R149 000, omegawatches.com

Rolex Yacht-Master Hublot Big Bang Unico Yellow Magic Breitling Superocean Automatic 44
R439 900, rolex.com R 488 085, hublot.com R93 700, breitling.com

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 G-Shock Carbon Core GA-2100-4ADR Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date
R54 000, tagheuer.com R3 144, thecasioshop.co.za R49 700, montblanc.com

JAN/FEB 2023 51 MH.CO.ZA

63
MH UPGRADES GROOMING

FRESHEN UP YOUR SCENT

THE FOUNDATIONAL NOTES OF MEN’S COLOGNE MAY NEVER CHANGE, BUT FRAGRANCE CHEMISTS
(REAL THING!) ARE UPDATING THE CLASSICS TO BUILD “YOUNGER” SCENTS (ALSO A THING!) THAT SMELL MORE
MODERN. HERE’S HOW THE FIVE PILLARS OF OLD-SCHOOL COLOGNES ARE BEING REINVENTED FOR A NEW
GENERATION. BY GARRETT MUNCE

THE PILLAR THE PILLAR THE PILLAR THE PILLAR THE PILLAR

WOODS like sandalwood, LEATHER jackets are a time- Citrusy, herbal, clean— SMOKE notes like birch tar OUD (pronounced “ood”)
cedar, and pine are MVPs less style staple. Same colognes with a FOUGÈRE and tobacco are robust is a Middle Eastern
of men’s fragrances due to goes for colognes that scent conjure up laid-back and mysterious without resin that gives off an
their versatility. carry a similar scent. beach vacations. being overbearing. intense, earthy aroma.

THE REFRESH THE REFRESH THE REFRESH THE REFRESH THE REFRESH

Burberry Hero Boss Bottled CREED Aventus Byredo de los Santos Acqua Di Parma
Eau de Parfum Parfum Eau de Parfum Eau de Parfum Oud Eau de Parfum
This bottle has classic This leather-forward Many fougère scents Palo santo, a resinous Acqua Di Parma rounds
pine notes but also cologne mixes in vibrant match well with warm incense, tilts the out the oud with citrusy
incense and benzoin, floral notes that balance weather but feel out of smoke in this jar from bergamot and herbal
a vanilla-tinged compound things out. If you’re place in cooler months. roaring campfire to coriander. It is intense,
that gives the scent an looking for a scent Not this one, which calming meditation so spritz when the stakes
edge. That means it’s with subtlety, maybe for blends in oakmoss and class. Wear it as are high: job interviews
perfect for date night any the office or happy vanilla, making it a good a weekend reminder or wedding ceremonies
time of the year. hour, this is it. go-to year round. to relax. (yours or others’).
(R1 585, mytfgworld.com) (R1 475, woolworths.co.za) (R4 895, skins.co.za) (R2 680, skins.co.za) (R4 200, skins.co.za)

SMELLS LIKE SMELLS LIKE SMELLS LIKE SMELLS LIKE SMELLS LIKE
COURTESY BRANDS (BOTTLES), GETTY IMAGES (REMAINING).

+ + + + +

YES, YOU CAN SAMPLE FIRST

Many sites offer sample vials that cost
BUY FRAGRANCES less. Or go with only tester bottles.
Browse to see which brands offer
ONLINE discovery sample collections. Bonus:
But only if you samples are also great for travel.
know how.
READ THE REVIEWS. (REALLY.)
Hardcore fragrance fans post
detailed reviews on sites like
the unbiased fragrantica.com.
It’s a good place to go for
a pre-purchase double check.
FIND THE RETURN POLICY
Some stores, will let you return
a fragrance, even if the package
is opened, within 60 days of
purchase. But it’s not too
common, so do your research.

JAN/FEB 2023 52 MH.CO.ZA

 MH UPGRADES SKIN

A DOCTOR’S GUIDE TO
HEALTHY SKIN
THE EXPERT Corey L Hartman is
the founder and medical director of
Skin Wellness Dermatology.

WANDER THROUGH THE AISLES OF YOUR LOCAL CLICKS AND

IT WOULD BE EASY TO CONCLUDE THAT KEEPING YOUR SKIN 04 RUN OVER THE BUMPS
HEALTHY IS A COMPLICATED BUSINESS. DERMATOLOGIST I have a history of razor bumps
COREY L HARTMAN KNOWS OTHERWISE
that I’ve got under control with
—AND HAS SOME SIMPLE TIPS.
laser hair removal. It was life-
changing. As with most people,
the majority of my issues were
on my neck. Neck hair is not
01 APPLY THIS necessary for a full-beard look,
BEFORE BED so I just got rid of it. I don’t
I use a product with retinol tend to get razor bumps
at night; no skincare any more, and the
ingredient has more science hyperpigmentation
behind it. It’s an exfoliant, so and red bumps, with
you don’t get acne or dull skin, their potential to
and it stimulates collagen, scar, got better
which helps keep fine lines as well.
away. I use an exfoliating
cleanser, then a prescription
retinol and a hydrating cream
to help the retinol penetrate
and reduce irritation.

02 SHIELD YOUR SKIN

As I’m black, the melanin in
my skin gives me a certain
amount of SPF. But the SPF
that’s effective against skin
cancer—which people with
any skin colour can get—is
higher than what I naturally
have, so I wear sunscreen DON’T MASK
every day. I use an emulsion SKIN PROBLEMS,
called Isdin Eryfotona ERADICATE THEM
Actinica, which absorbs
quickly and doesn’t leave
a chalky film.

03 CHANGE YOUR SPOTS 05 GIVE IT A SHOT

AS TOLD TO GARRETT MUNCE | PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY

Any patient with a darker I’m open about using anti-

skintone and anyone over 40 is wrinkle injections. I started
going to start seeing pigment around age 30 and now do
changes, such as sunspots or it every four months on my
dark spots from acne. That upper face. It stops wrinkles
bothers people more than from becoming etched in,
wrinkles do. I use Cyspera, helps with collagen production
a pigment corrector. Swipe it and I feel like it makes me look
on your unwashed face; leave it more approachable. My male
for 15 minutes. I put it on when patients are becoming more
I leave the gym, and when I get receptive to the idea, too.
home, it’s ready to come off.

JAN/FEB 2023 53 MH.CO.ZA

MH UPGRADES GROOMING

WATCH
NOTHING KILLS SUMMER VIBES LIKE BACNE. HERE’S Step 2: Add
a retinoid,
HOW TO TREAT AND PREVENT A FLARE-UP—PLUS
TREAT IT! REDUCE DAMAGE FROM OLD ONES.
BY GARRETT MUNCE & KIERAN LEGG
a vitamin A
derivative that
increases cell
Step 1: Don’t pick turnover and
or pop back acne. keeps pores
You’ll cause long- open and clear.
term scarring. Apply a gel, like
Biretix Tri-Active
Step 2: Using Anti-Blemish Gel
a washcloth or (R480), every day
long-handled to the areas that
body brush,
gently clean every
PREVENT IT! usually break out..

day with an Step 3: Skip

Step 1: Keep up
antibacterial workout clothes
your treatment.
wash, like Dettol’s made from
Even after you’re
range of body synthetic fabrics,
in the clear,
wash (R70), “to which, yes, “soak
following the
limit the amount up sweat pretty
preceding steps
of bacteria on the well, but they’re
will minimise your
skin,” says also irritating to
Step 4: When the risk of bacne
dermatologist Dr. the skin,”
active breakout is reemerging or at
Dendy Engelman. says Katz. He
gone, exfoliate least reduce the
Continue until the recommends 100
the area daily frequency. Go
breakout percent cotton
with a product down to every
subsides. Or, if instead, which
containing other day and
your back gets absorbs sweat
glycolic or lactic then to every
real sweaty during but won’t anger
acid, like three days if you
workouts, you your skin.
SKIN Functional stay zit-free, says
may need to treat
Exfoliating Serum dermatologist
bacne-causing Step 4: Avoid
(R200), to help Dr. Bruce Katz.
yeast, which foods that spike
thrives in moist keep pores open. your blood sugar,
environments. (Scrubs are like sugary
In that case, use a no-go, as they post-workout
a dandruff can spread drinks and dairy
shampoo, like bacteria and lead products, both of
Head & Shoulders to dark spots.) which, Engelman
Classic Clean For even more says, have been
Shampoo (R105), exfoliation, ask linked to acne.
as a bodywash, your dermatologist
says Engelman. about a chemical
peel.
Step 3: Follow
your wash with Step 5: Target
a lightweight gel lingering zits with
moisturising a benzoyl
lotion, like peroxide spot
Neutrogena Hydro treatment, like Tech update
Boost Body Gel Benzac (R110).

NEW WAYS TO ER A SE SCARS

Cream (R250), to For harder-to-
help avoid over- reach areas, try
drying your skin.. a salicylic acid
acne product, like Fractional C02 lasers are the most effective for treating acne scars, even on
Skin Republic’s your back, says Katz. A few sessions will smooth scar edges and stimulate
Salicyclic Acid collagen production. Lasers may not be recommended for darker skin tones,
GETTY IMAGES

2% Serum (R250 but a radio-frequency micro-needling treatment can fix scarring with tiny
for 30ml). (harmless) needles. Talk to your dermatologist.

JAN/FEB 2023 54 MH.CO.ZA

 W H E R E S T R E N G T H M AT T E R S M O S T

You’re fried.

Stuff’s not getting done.

You’re on the verge of saying, “Screw this.”

But before you hit eject,

turn to these tactics to fix your

serious case of

BY K. J. McCANDLESS

YOU’RE NOT GOING to be part of the Great

Resignation. You just aren’t. Yes, work has been
overwhelming lately, and you’ve lost touch with
why you’re doing what you’re doing. But you can’t
quit, right? You have a couple kids, or 17 years left
on the home loan. Or you just fundamentally like
what you do, but it’s a slog to actually get it done.

JAN/FEB 2023 55 MH.CO.ZA

M H H E A LT H MIND

FIND YOUR
And maybe the changes you’ve 2 PERCENT
made to your life since the
When career strategist Stacey
pandemic have been, as weird as
Staaterman is coaching someone
it feels to admit, pretty positive.
through feelings of burnout and
You might be working from home
disillusionment, she tells them that
more. Perhaps you stopped
they can put about 98 percent of
drinking (at least Monday
the blame on the workplace. True,
through Wednesday) or you took
employers have cut people and left
up trail running (300m of
you to pick up the slack, so there’s no
elevation this morning!). But
way you can shut your laptop at 6pm.
even thinking about work leaves
“The safety net’s full of holes, and
you exhausted. Unenthusiastic.
there’s pressure from up top, and
You’re crispy around the edges.
everything has just gotten faster and
What to do now: bringing
more expensive,” Kelley says.
yourself back from being fried is
Still, that’s only 98 percent. “You
about adjusting how you think
need to ask yourself, ‘What’s my 2
and what strategies you use to
percent?’ ” Staaterman says. “Maybe
prevent yourself from getting all
it’s that you can’t say no to anyone.
burned up again in the future.
Maybe it’s that you treat everything on
Consider the following...
your to-do list as equally important,
so you’re in a pressure cooker all the
time.” That’s the stuff that’s going to
travel with you from place to place
and burn you out again and again.
Drill down and find your patterns.

INTERROGATE
YOUR URGE
TO QUIT
The problem with
quitting is that quitting is
a lot of work. Suppose you
decide to do something new.
“To make it commensurate
with what you were doing
before, you usually end up
working more hours,” says
clinical psychologist Dr. Brien
Kelley. “Worse, you work
less-boundaried hours.”
So before you get the
heck out of your current
job, you’ve got to wonder,
“What’s on the other side of
quitting?” Note: hustling
is mostly unpaid work.
DETACH FROM “PASSION”
Meaningful work can burn you out
just as much as meaningless work.
People who think they have a passion
for something and aren’t finding it
in what they do report lower job and
life satisfaction, more conflict with
coworkers, and higher burnout,
says Dr. Kira Schabram, a burnout
researcher at the University
of Washington.
Schabram saw this clearly in
research she and a colleague did with
animal-shelter employees. They’d
assumed that those who were the
most passionate would also be the
most likely to do well. They found the
exact opposite: the ones who came
in wanting to make the world a better
place for animals were working long
hours, neglecting other parts of their
lives, and feeling overwhelmed by
stress. But the ones who said, “I’m just
here to work, to learn, and to be part of
a community” were leading the field
20 years later, she says.
What you really need from a job isn’t
“meaning”; it’s to feel that you have
autonomy and competence—the
sense that you can gain mastery over
what you’re doing and that you are
connected to others. Living without
these “satisfactions,” as researchers
call them, is tinder for burnout.
Meaning, it turns out, may not be
something you start with and work
down from. Instead, it’s the act of
meeting these needs—deciding how
you’re going to apply your skills to gain
mastery, for example—that creates
meaningful work. Sit down and figure
out which of them are missing and what
you can do about it, says Staaterman.

JAN/FEB 2023 56 MH.CO.ZA


SKIP
WORK-SPONSORED
WELLNESS
Employers love wellness initiatives. Mental health
experts get why you don’t. “You’re working at some
place and you’re grinding out 85, 90 hours a week,
and then they throw you a workshop... a mindfulness
workshop?” says Kelley. It feels like one more thing to
do. And it might not even be effective. A 2019 Harvard
Medical School study found that one large company’s
workplace wellness programme didn’t ultimately
improve crucial markers of wellness: absenteeism, job
performance and health-care spending. Instead,
a change to a more supportive corporate culture might
help. Burnout researcher Dr. Christina Maslach, at
the University of California, Berkeley, puts it this way:
“Imagine investigating the personality of cucumbers
to discover why they had turned into sour pickles
without analysing the vinegar barrels in which they
had been submerged.” But for many people, corporate
change is not going to happen.
If that’s the case, then “you have to look at all the
systems and processes you’re participating in and
ask, ‘What can I control? What can I influence? And
what can I absolutely not control?’” Staaterman says.
FREEPIK
Then take one small step at least toward controlling
what you can control.
JAN/FEB 2023 57
TAKE
TRANSGRESSIVE
BREAKS
Experts agree that working more
won’t pull you out of burnout. Pausing for
a moment and doing something else may.
But here’s the thing: you need a pause
that’s not just a walk-around-the-block/
call-a-friend pause. It has to feel like
something you’re not “supposed” to do.
It shouldn’t be something that gets you
ahead or that you have to ace, like going
on a long hike so you can post about it.
Kelley says, “For instance, if I have all sorts
of billing crap to do but I just had an early-
afternoon cancellation for an hour, you’d
better believe I’m taking a nap.”
This kind of break may not be easy at
first. Best-selling author Eve Rodsky’s
new book, Find Your Unicorn Space, is
about how to make time for yourself when
you don’t have time. In interviewing 750
people for this and a previous book, she
saw that no one felt guilty when they were
making money from a side hustle. They
didn’t feel guilty when they were parenting
or if they were taking care of someone,
but the second they didn’t assume any of
those roles, the idea of “Oh, I can’t do it.
I don’t have time” came out.
The things you “don’t have time” to do
are exactly what you need to do. “Going to
the gym is great, but that’s your baseline,”
Rodsky says. “I’m talking about thriving.
Thriving comes with the active pursuit of
what makes you you—and sharing that
with the world.” Give yourself permission
to be unavailable from your other roles and
do what doesn’t get you ahead. Ideally,
share it with others. Guide a hike on your
favourite trail with your friends. Teach
someone to play the drums.
Because, of course, those activities
actually do get you ahead. Make time for
them. Look at it this way: the extra time
you’ve given work adds up. A nap here,
a drum riff there is not an indulgence in
today’s work environment. Work pushes
into our lives, so we need to push what
rejuvenates us into “work time.”
When you commit to meaningful
breaks—even short ones—you’re not just
restoring your energy and optimism; you’re
also restoring work’s proper role in your life.
It isn’t a monolithic, oppressive everything
but rather something you can manipulate
when it demands too much of you. The
Great Resignation is leaving lots of workers
with more leverage. Don’t quit. Push back.
MH.CO.ZA
 vs
M H H E A LT H FOOD

C A LO R I E S MACROS

WIN THE NUMBERS GAME

WHETHER YOU’RE CHASING GAINS OR LOSSES, NUTRITION IS KEY. BUT
ARE CALORIES ALL THAT COUNT? OR SHOULD YOU MIND YOUR MACROS?

2.5K
The suggested
average daily
10% The minimum
amount of your
intake for adult calories that should
men. Muscular or come from protein
very active guys (10% to 35%), with
might need closer 40% to 60% coming
to 3 500, though. from carbs.

WHAT ARE THEY?

Calories are units of energy derived from Carbs, fats and proteins are the three
food, powering everything from workouts macronutrients that provide those calories.
to your body’s basic functions. Your intake Tweaking the ratios between these energy

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAN MATTHEWS; JOBE LAWRENSON | *SOURCES: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION; MONDAYMUSCLE.COM
vs output dictates weight loss and gain. sources helps you to focus on specific goals.

BURNING FAT

1kg
A kilogram of body fat contains roughly 7
700 calories. Cut 370 a day (two bags of
chips), and you could lose that kilo in three
weeks, without feeling the pinch.
0.7kg
In a year-long study* of 609 people, those
who cut back on carbohydrates lost 6kg
versus 5.3kg for those who dropped their
fat intake—not a significant difference.

Deficit Maintenance Surplus Carbs Proteins Fats

AT A GLANCE

Trimmer Waist Steady Energy Gym Gains Fuels Movement Repairs Tissue Balances Hormones

ADDING MASS
“Eating 150 to 250 more calories than you “If muscle gain is your goal, 2.2g of protein
burn can help to optimise growth, without
increasing body fat,” says nutrition coach
Lee Amico. You’ll still need to lift, bro.
+150 2.2g per kilo of your weight is a good target.
Anything above 2.7g won’t be fully utilised.
Spend those calories elsewhere,” he says.

BOOSTING HEALTH
Calorie restriction—intermittent fasting Macros might help you hit your targets, but
particularly—has been linked to longevity. don’t ignore micronutrients: vitamins and
If you have a high BMI, the resultant weight minerals. Apples and Wine Gums are both
loss might reduce your heart disease risk. carb-based foods, but they’re not equals.

THE MH CALORIES WIN! Tracking macros demands extra vigilance for (relatively) marginal gains, while calorie counting is
VERDICT easier and effective. Just remember: when it comes to eating well, quality trumps quantity.

JAN/FEB 2023 58 MH.CO.ZA

 THE EXPERT: DR. GREGORY SCOTT

DON’T NEED A
DON
BROWN is a psychiatrist, a Men’s Health
advisor and the founder and director of
the Cente for Green Psychiatry.

SO MAYBE YOU

A LOT OF GUYS ARE surprised when they ask
me if there are supplements they can take instead of
prescription mood meds and I say, “Yes.” Many docs
recommend prescription medications because they’re
so well studied. Supplements are trickier because they
don’t have that same amount of backing. Yet there is
evidence for some of them. Below are my favourites—with
caveats, of course. Ideally, talk to a doc before taking them
to be sure they won’t interact with other meds. In SA,
supplements fall under the category of complementary
medicines, so you won’t need a script to buy them, but
manufacturers are still required to comply with labelling
standards. If your mood symptoms are mild, here’s what
we know so far about what may help you feel better.

FISH OIL ASHWAGANDHA SAM-E RHODIOLA ROSEA

U S E F U L FO R:

W H AT TO TA K E :

W H AT E LS E TO K N OW:

JAN/FEB 2023 60 MH.CO.ZA

KEEP IN MIND
The effects of supplements
are milder than those of
prescription products. They
shouldn’t be used as a strategy
to treat severe mental illness
without working closely with
a psychiatrist. If you have
severe depression, bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia
or suicidal thoughts, some
supplements can exacerbate
these conditions.
6:30 A.M. and listen more. “I have
a three-column system
The American Story, by
David M. Rubenstein.
GET UP AND ABOUT
where I’ll write notes on
If Mandal isn’t woken “Hopefully writing down
the left, feedback in the
up by his alarm, he’s middle, and random notes embeds them
woken up by his kids, ideas I have on the more deeply,” he says.
aged one and four. right, and it turns into a
He brings them in for
some quality family
chronological timeline
of the day,” he says.
6:15 P.M.
time first thing in the CHEF IT UP
morning. “It’s a little Aside from CEO,
bit of chaos to start 12:00 P.M. husband, and dad,
every day,” he says. FIT IN SOME
FUTURE Mandal plays the role of
“A time I can really
lean into and enjoy.” On weekdays, he home chef, whipping
pencils in a weight- up a self-described
L-THEANINE 8:00 A.M. lifting session with his
Future coach to keep in
“elaborate” meal for his
family each evening.
WALK AND TALK shape. “I never miss
The rest of his morning, His baked fish
[a workout], because
he’s on autopilot, I relentlessly schedule with sherry and
starting with coffee everything,” he says. a pat of butter is a hit.
(an Ethiopian blend) “I don’t have to think “I always make a first
and a veggie breakfast about anything. I just course, fast, which is
burrito like clockwork. hit start.” After, he usually a vegetable like
His first phone meeting grabs a meal-prepped romanesco broccoli,”
of the day, often with
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KIERAN LEGG | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELIAS STEIN;; JASON RAISH (MANDAL)

lunch, which is usually

Future’s chief operating he says, to keep the kids
salmon, a complex
officer, is always carb like brown rice, from getting hangry.
a walking one, no video spinach and roasted “The fish comes out
required. “Getting carrots, to eliminate amazing, and you have
moving and thinking excess decision to do very little.”
kinda sets the tone for making and keep
my day,” he says. himself on track.
10:00 P.M.
9:00 A.M. 2:00 P.M. PUZZLE DOWN
Mandal’s a rough
TRACK RANDOM NEVER NOT
THOUGHTS LEARNING sleeper, and his solve
Mandal doesn’t Due to the pandemic, for getting a better
get many meeting Mandal adopted night’s sleep is a puzzle
gaps during the day, a habit of listening habit. “Doing these
leaving little room to to audiobooks after
puzzles helps me stay
decompress. To keep lunch, compiling his
track of his thoughts, thoughts into a running engaged and turn off
he keeps it old-school: note on his phone aptly my screens,” he says.
with a physical named “TIL” for “Today By the time he’s done,
notebook. He claims I Learned.” His most he’s more than ready to
it helps him step back recent auditory read? drift off to sleep.

JAN/FEB 2023 61 MH.CO.ZA

M H H E A LT H BODY

LIFE YOUR LIVER VS.

YOU DON’T NEED A “DETOX” TO FACE THE GROWING THREAT TO THIS MVP ORGAN.
JUST USE THESE SIMPLE STEPS TO FIGHT BACK. BY MIKE ZIMMERMAN

BEFORE WITH EVERYBODY you’ve ever followed on social media doing Dry January or some
kind of cleanse, how is it that up to 46 percent of the general adult population has some
degree of a dangerous liver disease? Sure, your liver appreciates the break. But alcohol is not
the only thing hurting it, says Dr. Michael D. Leise, a Mayo Clinic transplant hepatologist.
“I don’t drink much” needs to be retired from the “my liver’s fine” canon, because if you
carry extra weight, get minimal exercise or have bouts of overeating, your liver’s probably
not fine.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition that’s exactly what it sounds
like: unhealthy amounts of fat build up in your liver. Over time, this can cause that organ
to swell, scar and eventually fail or develop cancer.
Risks are higher if you’re overweight or have obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure
or high cholesterol. But NAFLD can hit people without these issues.
That’s because regardless of risk, your diet can help prevent or cause NAFLD. See,
your liver gets first dibs on the blood coming from your digestive system, so whatever was
in what you ate filters through it before going anywhere else. Over-eating backs up the
liver’s processing capabilities—especially if you eat a lot of foods high in carbs and fat.

AFTER Scared? Good. That’s incentive to reverse fat build-up in your liver. You can do that
fairly quickly—within a matter of weeks, says Dr. Elizabeth J. Parks who studies
NAFLD at the University of Missouri. Here’s what to do:

AVOID “DOUBLE POWER UP ON burned off during the

WHAMMIES”
As in foods that are high
in fat and processed
carbs, like doughnuts
or overloaded gatsbys,
says Parks. After you eat
fat and carbs, your liver
converts the sugar in the
carbs to fat, and both
are stored as energy.
The trouble is, many
people never get it out
AND AFTER-AFTER of storage. Fat build-up
in your liver can happen
fast. Parks co-authored
a study that mimicked
a serious bring and braai:
18 guys downed about
5 000 calories’ worth
of high-fat, high-sugar
food and drinks (keeping
blood alcohol at 0.10)
in an afternoon. Within
hours, nine had new fat
deposits in their liver.
Don’t go light on all fats,
though—unsaturated
fats, especially omega-
3’s (the kind in fish and
walnuts) may help keep
POLYPHENOLS
The usual good-for-you
diet is well proven to help
reduce liver fat. Good
thing, because there
aren’t any medications
that can do it. To satisfy
a sweet tooth, turn to
fruit; research suggests
that foods rich in
polyphenols may help
prevent fat storage in the
liver. Other foods high in
polyphenols to get more
of: green tea, coffee and
nuts (especially walnuts),
says Leise.
QUIT EARLY
Even if you’re eating
healthy food, your daily
calorie intake matters.
Weight gain is one of
the biggest risk factors
for NAFLD. One easy-ish
weight-management
strategy: set a carb
curfew. While your
morning croissant has
day, a sugary cereal
bedtime snack is more
likely to become liver fat
overnight, says Parks.
SWEAT
Being sedentary may
cause NAFLD—even if
you’re not overweight.
Movement of any type,
even three or four 20-
to 40-minute moderate-
intensity workouts
a week, can help nix
existing liver fat and
prevent new fat from
being produced and
stored. Both resistance
and cardio training help.
GET TESTED
Ask for a liver-function
test next time you
get a routine blood
panel. Doctors may not
automatically order this
for you unless you are
at risk for NAFLD, but it
doesn’t hurt to have the
FREEPIK

NAFLD at bay.
a good chance of being numbers.

JAN/FEB 2023 62 MH.CO.ZA

WORK
Crush your to-do list (office,
garden, garage) with these
gadgets that make any job fly.
Best Laptop
A powerful laptop? Practically mandatory.
However, this streamlined tech is anything but
standard-issue. Powered by a 12th generation
Intel i5 processor, super-fast solid-state drive
and packing enough memory to support even
the most zealous Chrome tab (mis)user, the
HP Envy 16 is a WFH investment that will pay
off for years to come. R37 999, hpshop.co.za
Best Standing Desk
If you’re hunkered over a desk all day, your
back is taking a beating. The TekDesk v2.0
lets you automatically adjust its height, letting
you transition from the saddle to upright with
the flick of a button. (You can save up to three
preset heights.) R12 999, deskstand.com
JAN/FEB 2023
Best Headphones
Wireless cans quickly lose their
appeal when they’re left dangling
from cords because the battery is
constantly drained. Thankfully, the
work-ready Bose Quiet Comfort
45 headphones won’t succumb to
sinking energy levels, promising
24 hours of striking sound off
a single charge. Coupled with
noise-cancelling tech, these
headphones will serve you well
whether you’re office-bound or
working from home. (Plus, they’ll
do double duty as a robust gaming
pair.) R8 990, takealot.com
Best Desktop Speaker
Quality sound doesn’t have to break the
bank. The proof? These Logitech Z207
speakers. Featuring Bluetooth connectivity
and capable of blasting out impressively
loud sound, this duo will power up your
playlists, gaming sessions and lunch break
Netflix escapes. R1 240, takealot.com
Workout
WHEN YOU CUT the distance between
you and a solid workout down from
kilometres to mere millimeters, you’ll
From Home have a hard time skipping your morning
or evening sweat sessions. This next-
level fitness gear carries a hefty price
FORGET THE COMMUTE,
YOU DON’T NEED TO GO tag, but it’s an investment that will
pay serious dividends for your health,
FAR TO GET FIT.
strength and psychological well-being.
64 MH.CO.ZA
 MAKE WORKING, PLAYING, and
chillaxing—whether you’re WFH or
going into an office—more fun and
exciting with these cutting-edge
tools, toys and gadgets.

Best Portable

AWARDS
2023
Gaming Unit
Bust stress (and bad guys)
anytime, anywhere—
including your commute
and midway through
a boring Zoom meeting
—with the portable
Nintendo Switch OLED
model. This new edition
of the device features a hi-
fidelity screen. Mario has
never looked better.
Best Coffee Machine
R8 499, nintendo.co.za On-demand coffee is the lifeblood
of any WFH warrior, so make sure
you’re not serving up slop. The
Nespresso Vertuo Next is a pod
system that skirts the watered-down
fare usually decanted by its ilk. The
secret? Centrifusion Extraction tech
that spins capsules at a rapid 4,000
rotations per minute to produce
the perfect crema.
R3 699, zabuynespresso.com
Best Drill
The DeWalt Hammer Drill
sure doesn’t feel cordless.
Credit the tank-like 20-volt,
6Ah battery, which will last
through long jobs (and
typically only takes an hour
to charge). Masonry, wood,
metal—bring it on.
R3 035, takealot.com

Best Keyboard
Mechanical tappers have a faster response time
and feel oh-so-satisfying to mash. The OMEN
Spacer Wireless TKL is an untethered keyboard
with support for your wrists to reduce fatigue and
has up to 75 hours of battery life off a full charge.
R3 199, evetech.co.za

Best Upper Body Workout Best Stationary Bike Best Weighted Vest
Concept2 SkiErg Technogym Ride Skelcore 5kg Weighted Vest
R21 495, rebelstore.co.za POR, technogym.com R370, skelcore.com

JAN/FEB 2023 65 MH.CO.ZA

PLAY
The gear and
toys to take your
sweaty, fun outdoor
adventures to the
next level.

Best Portable Speaker

Best Stroller
If you’re a new dad, you shouldn’t be
skimping on your stroller. A cheap set
of wheels will only limit your options,
confining you and your tyke to that
short stretch of tarmac outside of your
home. The Thule Urban Glide 2 pushes
bonding time into new areas, giving you
the wheel power to explore almost any
terrain. Plus, it’s comfy—to push and
to ride. R16 999, thulestore.co.za
Most portable speakers sound muffled at high
volumes, but not the JBL Flip 6. This travel-
sized device pushes sound at party-starting
levels without killing the vibe. Bonus: it’s
waterproof, so you can bring it along to your
oceanbound or lakeside adventures, too.
R2 499, incredible.co.za

Best Dog Harness

Your pup is a great motivator to
head for the great outdoors. But
a cheap collar isn’t repaying the
favour. The Rogz AirTech Sports
Harness is a quick fit that nixes
the song-and-dance usually Best Swim Goggles
associated with equipping your The original Form goggles showed your
mutt for a stroll. Plus it’s spun pace and distance right inside the lenses.
from engineered fabric that’s The new Form Smart Swim Goggles go
super soft, keeping your canine deeper with the data. You can download and
cozy even on longer jaunts. view a workout—endurance, power, sprint
Starting at R469 for medium or technique. R7 100, desertcart.co.za
breeds, coastalpets.co.za

Best Innovative Running Shoes

If you’re an avid runner, you don’t just want progress
on that final time—you want to inch forward on
every step. The adidas 4DFWD shoes have a
precisely coded midsole that’s designed to absorb
impact, provide support and take some of the
struggle out of your sprints. These are made from
50% recycled materials, so you’ll be going faster
(and greener). R4 999, adidas.co.za

JAN/FEB 2023 66 MH.CO.ZA

 Training
Partners
FITNESS TRACKERS GET
SWOLE WITH FEATURES.

Best Drone THE NEW fitness trackers do

way more than count steps. They
The DJI Mini2 Drone is have built-in trainers, access to
a small (around a quarter workouts and maps, and much
of a kilo) flying machine more, so you’re never sweating
that can shoot 4k video, completely solo. You can also get
the gold standard for HD health tools that can read your
television. It can stay in heart rate, track your sleep and
the air for 30 minutes, even measure your blood-oxygen
too, letting you nab level. Pick the right specialised
a bird’s-eye-view of your tracker and it can help you
kid’s rugby game or your better understand your body and
own 5km trail caper. R12 achieve your goals for fitness,
495, droneworld.co.za health and running.

Best Undercover Fitness Tracker

Best Cycling Helmet

Beneath the roomy vents in the
Giro Aether Spherical Helmet
is new noggin-protecting tech,
developed by Giro and Bell
in partnership with the safety
specialist MIPS. In a crash, the
outer liner is designed to rotate HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro
around the inner liner so your (from R10 999, consumer.
brain gets much less of the huawei.com)
impact. R7 000, bike-addict.co.za
 RECOVER
You’ve earned it! Use these devices to AWARDS
relax deeper, soothe tired muscles and 2023
feast yourself stronger.

Best Electric Toothbrush

Sleek and simple, the Philips One by
Sonicare has all the power you want
in an electric toothbrush but in a small
package. Micro vibrations gently clean
teeth better than your manual brush
does. One battery lasts three months
and the new rechargeable version
gives you 30 days of brushing on
a single charge. R299, Dis-Chem

Best Air Fryer

Do they live up to the hype? Yes.
Air fryers yield tasty fare with
little effort and use a fraction of
the electricity of your oven. The
Eiger ARIA Duet Series has two
independently controlled 4-litre
baskets letting you cook up your
main and sides at the same time.
R3 499, takealot.com

Best Shaver
If you want a zero-fuss, super effective
way to shred through fuzz, the Braun
Series 9 Pro is a rock-solid investment
that will take the stress out of shaving.
Even seven days of growth is no match
for the innovative shaving head that cuts
through hairs gently. Bonus: it also has
a handy trimmer for lining up your
foliage. R8 999, braunshavers.co.za
Best Massage Ball
Ease tension and ward off DOMS with the Hyperice
Hypersphere. This device elevates the concept of the
tennis ball massage, providing supercharged release
in the form of high-powered vibrations that will hit your
tightest muscles. R2 699, hyperice.co.za

JAN/FEB 2023 68 MH.CO.ZA

 Best Projector
Hauling your ass out to the Power
Out? No
cinema is counter intuitive
when you’re trying to relax. It’s
time to bring the movie theatre

to your lounge. LG’s ProBeam
Laser Projector shoots out
ultra-bright 4K video onto
any surface in your home
(although we’d suggest a
proper screen). Scrapping the
lamp, this projector requires
basically zero maintenance.
Now, doesn’t that sound better
than standing in popcorn and
sitting through sixteen trailers
for Marvel movies?
R46 000, progearsa.co.za
Problem
LOAD SHEDDING IS HERE
TO STAY. YOU STARING AT
THE CEILING IS NOT.
REGULAR BLACKOUTS have
become a tradition in SA, and—
unfortunately—they aren’t going
anywhere. Rather than throwing
a tantrum every time the lights
go out, it’s time to build your own
load shedding survival kit. With
the right items even two-and-half
hours sans electricity will fly by…
we promise.

Best Torch

Best Yoga Mat

Daily stretches can ramp up
your recovery and make you
more limber—never a bad Maglite Solitaire
thing. The Asoka Core Lite (R508, loot.co.za)
is a comfortable mat that can
be stashed away and unrolled
in a few seconds. Its material Best Board Game
prevents moisture—like
your sweat—and dirt from
absorbing and stinking up
your little slice of Zen. R899,
Sportsmans Warehouse

Pandemic
(R745, takealot.com)

Best Dad Time

Best All-Day Tee
Don’t ditch the athletic threads when it’s time
to simmer down. Under Armour’s Tech 2.0
textured short sleeve T-shirt will keep you cool
whether you’re stretching, lounging or out and
about. The loose, fuller cut provides complete
comfort and the natural-feeling fabric is quick- Lego Technic Bugatti
drying so it’s perfect for sweat and seaside Chiron Sports Car
sessions, too. R599, underarmour.co.za (R7 499, takealot.com)

Best Read

Best Surround Sound

Great surround sound has never before been available
in such a small package. The Sonos Beam (Gen2)
weighs just a couple kilos but has five amplifiers, four
midwoofers and one centre tweeter to deliver enough
sound to fill a large room. And it takes just five minutes Kindle Paperwhite Gen 10
to connect. R9 500, takealot.com (R2 999, incredible.co.za)

JAN/FEB 2023 69 MH.CO.ZA

 THE

REVOLUTION
In the rest of the world, T is
everywhere. But here in SA,
blackmarket channels are
one of the biggest connects
when it comes to this
magic hormone. Problem
is, without professional
oversight, “supping”
testosterone could leave
you in a world of trouble.
Instead of quelling anxiety,
nixing depression or helping
you rediscover your libido,
you could be T-minus a few
years from a serious crisis.

WORDS BY BILL GIFFORD & KIERAN LEGG

JAN/FEB 2023 70 MH.CO.ZA

 COULD EXTRA T
BUILD UP YOUR
SELF-CONFIDENCE?

JAN/FEB 2023 71 MH.CO.ZA

SAAD ALAM WAS WORRIED. HIS DOCTOR HAD CALLED HIM INTO THE
OFFICE TO TALK ABOUT HIS LATEST TEST RESULTS. AT 35, ALAM HAD
BEEN FEELING OFF HIS GAME FOR A WHILE. HIS ENERGY LEVEL HAD
TANKED, HIS BRAIN WAS LIKE A SIEVE AND HE HAD THE SEX DRIVE OF
A WEEK-OLD BANANA. WORSE, DESPITE WORKING OUT RELIGIOUSLY,
HE WAS GROWING A SET OF BABY LOVE HANDLES. HE’D GONE TO HIS
DOCTOR TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG, AND NOW HE
WAS ABOUT TO FIND OUT. WAS IT CANCER? SOMETHING WORSE?
Nope. The diagnosis: Alam was suffering from “existential
millennial angst.” Frustrated, he went on to see a dozen more
specialists before one finally deduced, via a blood test, that his
testosterone level was very low. Endocrinology experts say that
a healthy man’s testosterone should range from about 264 to 916
nanograms per deciliter. Alam scored a 187. “The doctor said, ‘You’ve
got the testosterone levels of an 80-year-old man,’ ” he recalls.
If the diagnosis was alarming, the fix was relatively simple. The
doc prescribed hormone therapy, and within three months, Alam
says, he felt like his old self again. But the story does not end there.
Four years after he walked out of that first doctor’s office, Alam is
the founder and CEO of a US telehealth startup called Hone that
offers “hormone optimisation” to men in the throes of middle age.
Launched in April 2020, the company has a sleek website that
promises “More energy. More confidence. More drive. Delivered to
your doorstep.” Hone resembles other players in the online men’s
health space, such as Roman and Hims, which provide meds for
erectile dysfunction and hair loss without the need for awkward
conversations with your doctor. But Hone also represents
a new phase in the way men view, and use, hormone-
replacement therapy. Once the favoured elixir of ageing
confirmed what we all know: testosterone helps men (and women)
grow and maintain muscle mass, it heightens competitiveness and,
most of all, it makes you want to go out and have sex—a seductive
allure. But the benefits aren’t just physical. “Testosterone
signifies masculinity, and masculinity is power in a lot of ways,”
says Dr. Carole Hooven, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard and
author of T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone That
Dominates and Divides Us. “It’s dominance, it’s powerful, it’s
sexy, and who doesn’t want more of that?”
The trouble is, many men see their T level begin to decline to
varying degrees after about age 35, slipping slowly as we ease into
midlife. It becomes harder to keep (or get) muscle and far easier to
accumulate fat, and perhaps as a result, we end up feeling a bit blah in
various areas of our lives—like Alam. Officially, he was diagnosed
with hypogonadism, which basically means “no balls.” It wasn’t that
he lacked testicles; it’s just that they were failing to produce a normal
amount of testosterone. His situation was not unique: with a little
digging, Alam discovered that an estimated 20 percent of his fellow
Optimise Your T

CHECK IF
boomers and cheating athletes, testosterone is now being
embraced by younger generations, who find its promised 8–60:
Normal T

YOUR T IS
benefits enticing, especially because new science reveals count
there’s also a lower risk of dangerous side effects than (adult woman) 157

NORMAL
previously believed. Companies like Hone are bringing 80–89
T out of the world of sketchy hormone clinics and
extreme-bodybuilding websites and making it available 70–79
to stressed-out millennials trying to kill their dad bods.
“Normal T” isn’t a single
“The way I look at it,” Alam says, “is I feel like I’m 25 60–69
number. At every age, the
with the experience of a 40-year-old.” But is
range of normal is huge—
testosterone really, as Hone’s website claims, and the drop with age isn’t 50–59
AGE

“One solution to many of life’s problems”? always as dramatic (or

Dr. Mark Opperman, founder of The T Clinic in present) as people pushing 40–49
Bryanston, definitely thinks so... but with a caveat: T might make out. The
“It can have a lot of beneficial effects, if it’s done range is a guideline. No
matter your nu=mber, no 19–39
correctly. What people forget is that testosterone is just
doctor would diagnose
one hormone in a whole cascade.”
you with low T if you didn’t
The male sex hormone testosterone was identified in also have symptoms such T COUNT <150 ng/dL:
the early 1930s, and decades’ worth of studies have as low libido or fatigue. Severe low T (adult man)

JAN/FEB 2023 72 MH.CO.ZA

under-40 men have a low testosterone level, defined as
below 264. More alarming, testosterone levels in
younger men appear to have fallen across the board.
A study published in 2020 found that the average
testosterone level in men 15 to 39 years old had
dropped from 605 in 1999–2000 to 451 in 2015–
16—a 25 percent decrease in just 15 years. Men’s
sperm counts, which are related to testosterone,
have been plummeting for several decades.
Odds are, your own body has been naturally
suppressing your T for the past two to three years. It’s
an evolutionary imperative in times of crisis: why
make babies if the world’s a dumpster fire? Dr. Joseph,
head of NewYork-Presbyterian’s new men’s health
programme, has been telling patients for years that if
the Bronx Zoo tested the T level of any social animal
that’s newly confined, underfed and agitated—even
an alpha male—it will have crashed, because the body
curbs the sex drive in times of stress.
Covid-related mind-body traumas and weight gain
may be accelerating the low-T spiral, particularly for
guys in their 40s struggling with other societal
stressors, too. “Men are thinking about their changes
with age and feeling like they’re losing a bit of their
edge, especially in the workplace,” says Dr. Peter,
a professor of anthropology at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas. “Someone in their 40s might
think: I still need to go prove my worth in society. I’m
too young to give up. But now I fall asleep early on
a Friday night—what’s going on? And is there
something that I can take that can help address
this?” Indeed there is: but in SA, it’s not readily
available. The South African Health Products
Regulatory Authority has been clamping down on T
coming into the country, so the hormone is in short
Boost Your T
THE
NATURAL
WAYS
Although study results
vary, men who are
sedentary or overweight
can get a 10 to 30
percent lift in total T by
making lifestyle changes,
says Dr. Bradley Anawalt,
an endocrinologist
and professor at the
University of Washington
Medical Centre in Seattle.
Some people may see
even greater gains. Stress
is especially detrimental
to T, so emphasise
activities that help you
relax. Think meditation
and yoga. (Both have
separately been shown to
boost T in the short term.)
If you exercise to reduce
stress, that’s a bonus.
Working out regularly—
combined with eating
better, good sleep
hygiene and losing
weight if you need to—
almost always raises your
T level significantly.
supply, pushing many men towards illegitimate
(and downright dangerous) channels. Dr.
Opperman cautions against “self-medicating”,
saying that without professional guidance, the
hormone is likely to do more harm than good in the
long run. “When you’re tinkering with hormones
and just switching around one ingredient in the
whole recipe, you don’t know what you could be
doing,” he adds. That’s why the doctor conducts
robust consultations, leaving no stone unturned to
rule out other health complications before
prescribing T. “Done right, it can work miracles,
but you have to do it right,” he adds.
But safety concerns about possible increased risk of
prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease, which
prompted dire warnings for decades, have faded in
the face of more substantial evidence linking low
testosterone levels to greater risk for all kinds of bad
stuff, up to and including early death. One large study
out of Canada found that men who had undergone
testosterone-replacement therapy for more than 16
months actually had less chance of prostate cancer,
cardiac events and death than men who’d had it for
shorter periods (or not at all).
Doctors are also discovering that the benefits of
testosterone—helping men build muscle and lose
fat—could help treat other problems. In a recent
clinical trial in overweight men with metabolic
syndrome (a cluster of symptoms related to
metabolic health, including obesity and poor
cholesterol), testosterone was found to help prevent
them from slipping into diabetes, says study
coauthor Dr. Gary Wittert, a professor of medicine
at the University of Adelaide in Australia who has
studied hormones for decades.

2.5 percentile 25 percentile 50 percentile 75 percentile 97.5 percentile

362 476 604 913

218 372 477 604 926

218 374 477 604 929

219 374 477 605 929

235 386 481 608 929

267 424 531 643 929

150–263 ng/dL: 264–916 ng/dL: 1,000 ng/dL

Low T (adult man) Normal T (adult man)

JAN/FEB 2023 73 MH.CO.ZA

 In a 2016 study, researchers conducted When I Took T . . . and believe your doctor isn’t paying
a series of clinical trials in a group of 790 “ IT TOOK A WHILE TO attention—get a second opinion.”
older men with very low T levels. FIND SOMEONE TO HELP With promising to unravel many of man’s
Testosterone supplementation was shown to age-related maladies (and mood swings), the
increase bone density and strength, and
SINCE I’M YOUNG” question then becomes: why not take it?
COREY MENZINGER, 29
subjects reported improved sexual function Answer: because you might not even need it.
in the first year. They also didn’t exhibit Besides the fact that they are about the same
increased cardiovascular risk, although the WHEN I WAS 23, I had pretty bad age, Ryan Hall, 39, has almost nothing in
number of subjects was too low and the study depression. After I’d done a couple common with Saad Alam. Whereas Alam is an
too short to draw any firm conclusions. All years of serious weightlifting, entrepreneur with a master’s in public health
in all: some pretty amazing findings. I checked my T. The doctor said and an MBA, Hall is a former world-class
my numbers—about 320—were
But that same 2016 study also revealed runner with multiple top-ten finishes at
normal. In my own research,
some of the ways that testosterone falls major marathons, including the 2008
I found that they were roughly the
short in the miracle-drug department: the levels of a 70-year-old. Finding Olympics in Beijing.
men on testosterone did not perform a doctor to help you when you’re But just like Alam, Hall was battling his own
significantly better on most tests of that young is challenging. extremely low testosterone level. This might
physical function; they also did not see A year ago, I came across seem strange for an elite athlete, but during
much improvement in their mood or Primebody in the US, where his career, he regularly tested in the 150
cognition—two of the oft-cited benefits of I now get everything—100mg of range, well below the lower end of normal for
testosterone therapy. This trial—like most testosterone cypionate, plus 1mg a man in his 30s. Even though he was
research into testosterone for antiaging of Arimidex [lowers estrogen] and finishing marathons with the lead pack, he
purposes—was done in a population of older 50mg of clomiphene [Clomid]— felt terrible. “I felt like a walking dead man, just
delivered to my door. My body
men (all over 65) with very low testosterone. tired all the time,” he says. “All I did was sleep,
composition and muscular mass
Those men benefit in specific ways that eat, and train.”
have gotten better, but most
might be different from a younger guy’s importantly, I don’t get anxious Anti-doping rules made testosterone
experience. So where are the studies in over things that would have really therapy off-limits while he was competing, but
younger and middle-aged guys? The hampered my day before. after he retired in 2016, Hall began looking
39-year-olds who are signing up for into it seriously. “I knew I didn’t want to keep
testosterone treatment online? “We’re doing living with such low hormone levels,” he says.
that experiment in the wild right now,” says Carole Hooven T replacement seemed like an obvious, easy solution. But it became
of Harvard, “whether we admit it or not.” less enticing when Hall discovered that taking extra testosterone has
Alam saw a way to turn his diagnosis into a business: offer the unfortunate side effect of suppressing a man’s natural testosterone
hormone therapy, but in a clean, safe, medically responsible way. But production—and, not incidentally, often shrinking the testicles—as the
SA has neither the resources (nor the startups) to provide guys with body senses that it has enough of the hormone already. After a couple of
the same test-to-doorstep service. Instead, Dr. Opperman suggests months, testosterone and sperm production shut down completely.
seeking out a specialist: “And if you suspect you have low T levels, Hall found that to be a deal breaker. “I got curious about what was
causing my low testosterone,” he says.
“Was it physiological, something inside
Optimize Your T of me? Or was it my lifestyle?”
Bingo: multiple studies have found

KNOW THE RISKS OF TAKING T that high-volume endurance training,

1 2
INFERTILITY
Within months, T
suppresses sperm
production. In
most men, it falls
very low. In about
half of men, it
goes to zero.
While most return
to their pre-T
baseline when
they stop taking
it, some men will
never produce
sperm again.
such as serious running and cycling,
can depress a man’s testosterone level,
3 4 sometimes drastically. Hall stopped
running almost entirely and began
IRREVERSIBILITY GYNECOMASTIA POLYCYTHEMIA
Coming off T can be Also known as The opposite of lifting weights daily. He also worked on
rough or impossible. man boobs. An being anemic: too improving his sleep. As a half-starved
“You should be enzyme in fatty many red blood endurance athlete, he’d kept himself
thinking of this as an tissue converts cells, making the very light, a skinny 70-ish kilos on his
irreversible choice,” testosterone to blood thicker
178cm frame. So he allowed himself to
says Dr. Alukal. estrogen, which and more prone
He sees guys who can trigger their to clot. If you’re eat more calories. Between that and
try to get off it growth. Even if not paying close the weightlifting, he bulked up to
and feel terrible your body fat attention to this a muscular 84kg; in Instagram photos
and test low; they is low, juice too risk with regular now, he’s almost unrecognisable
may have lost the much and you’ll blood tests, you
compared with his marathoning days.
ability to produce have so much T can increase your
T on their own. that some winds odds of a heart And slowly but surely, his testosterone
up as estrogen. attack or a stroke. climbed from below 200 up to 600—

JAN/FEB 2023 74 MH.CO.ZA

 CHECK YOUR STRESS LEVELS
AND SLEEP PATTERNS BEFORE
LEANING ON T THERAPY
solidly in the normal range for the first time in his life. “If you start
hormone replacement, you’re in it for the long haul,” he says. “So
why not first try to raise it naturally and get it into a good spot?”
On his own, Hall had discovered a crucial fact about testosterone,
which is that it fluctuates—continually—in response to things that
are happening in the body or the environment. These changes can
occur over months and years, as they did with him, or in mere
seconds. Did an attractive female walk by? Your testosterone
probably just went up. Are you competing with another guy for
a promotion, or even a parking spot? T boost. Did you win a tennis
match against your best frenemy? T boost. Are you fighting a cold or
the flu? Your T level is likely going to take a hit. Even the time of day
matters: T is typically highest in the early morning and then
declines steadily throughout the day, which is why “evening wood”
is not really a thing.
Even as guys look to testosterone to revive their flagging libido, it
turns out that sex itself can boost testosterone levels—thinking
about it, having it or even just watching it. In one of the more
intrepid hormone studies ever done, two female researchers
working with Peter Gray at UNLV ventured into a Las Vegas
swingers club armed with salivary testosterone test kits and,
hopefully, latex gloves. They found that men who participated in sex
acts over the course of the evening experienced an average
testosterone boost of 72 percent, while those who merely watched
had an average rise of 11 percent. Food for thought.
But on the other hand, if you happen to meet Ms. or Mr. Right and
get into a relationship—your testosterone will likely begin to
decline. Should you settle down together and have a child, it will fall
even further; studies have found that the more time men spend
caring for young children, the lower their testosterone level can
drop. It’s evolution’s way of telling you to be a good dad, says Gray. “If
you’ve got a six-month-old that you’re tending to, that might not be
the time to be seeking another mate or getting in other kinds of
competitive encounters.” Studies have also shown that taking
testosterone can increase muscle size and strength—but other
studies have found that strength training itself can boost
JAN/FEB 2023 75
testosterone levels, as Hall discovered. “It’s kind of a chicken-and-
egg thing,” says Wittert. The equation is reversed for fat. “If you gain
weight, it pushes testosterone down,” Wittert says. “If you lose
weight, it goes up. And if you stay perfectly healthy, testosterone
levels stay perfect.” Studies in very healthy older men reveal no
age-related decline in testosterone.
Bottom line: your testosterone level could say more about your
general health than it does about your age. Many things can drive
down T levels—like being forced to attend your sister’s baby shower.
Poor sleep and lots of chronic stress can also disrupt testosterone
production long-term, adds Dr. Peter Attia, a physician focused on
longevity. “Sleep and stress are the primary drivers” of low
testosterone, he says. Deep sleep in particular helps recharge the
body’s hormonal axis, renewing its supply of good things like T and
human growth hormone. “I need a reason before I’m going to treat
someone,” says Attia. “I don’t just treat to the [testosterone] number.
And some people with low testosterone levels might not have any
symptoms. They feel just fine.” Stress can knock testosterone down,
through the action of the stress hormone cortisol—which is also
elevated by poor sleep hygiene. The same goes for depression, which
many men are reluctant to address. Wittert argues that it’s
important to take inventory of what else might be going on before
resorting to the quick fix of a T prescription. “It’s not a substitute for
eating better; it’s not a substitute for fixing your mood disorder, or
finding you have sleep apnea and getting it treated, or addressing
your dyslipidemia or your lack of physical activity, or for getting
enough sleep,” he says. “It starts and ends with lifestyle.”
But there’s plenty of doctors that are embracing the big benefits of
doctor-led testosterone treatments. While Dr. Opperman cautions
guys to be careful, if you’re the right candidate for this treatment “it
can be life changing”. “Plenty of guys can benefit from what I call
optimisation,” he says. “But you have to understand the effects of
this hormone and how it operates in the broader context of all the
other hormones in your body. Managing the effects can be like
walking a tightrope. If you fall, you might not get up. But if you get
it right—that’s when it can do amazing things.”
MH.CO.ZA
JAN/FEB 2023 76 MH.CO.ZA
 WORDS BY JAMIE MILLAR

(When You Really Don’t Want To)

Being in possession of a training plan is one thing. The desire to
apply it? Quite another. Some days, the toughest thing to lift can
be your own glutes, off the couch. That’s why we’ve constructed
a series of fail-safe contingency plans for seven of the most
commonly copped-to cop-outs. All excuses end here.

JAN/FEB 2023 77 MH.CO.ZA

 Poor
Excuse 01
You’re Deathly Bored
Of Your Training Plan
Structured training plans may
not be as exciting as flitting
between the latest trends and
classes. But they still have
a place, even in this workout-
of-the-day era. If you have
a bona fide programme—and
not just a bunch of exercises
that you do out of habit—
you’re probably working
towards a goal, whether that’s
as simple as losing weight and
boosting fitness, or some-
thing more specific such as
improving your 10K time.
Mix things up too much and
you’ll violate two important
principles of effective exercise:
specificity (if you’re improving
your 10K, say, you should… er,
run) and progressive overload
(forcing your body to adapt by
applying a greater stimulus
than it’s used to).
ROPE IN STEADY
RESULTS BY LEVELLING
UP YOUR TRAINING
The trick is to tweak your
training plan just enough. “Each
week, you should be making
small increases—lifting slightly
heavier, adding a few more reps,
running a little faster,” says
Jonathan Dick, a Tier X coach
at Equinox Kensington. “Then,
after four to eight weeks, make
changes to your plan, so that you
move towards more advanced
versions of your favourite
exercises. This way, you can
make consistent progress.”
Training for weight loss
alone isn’t always that
motivating, given that it can
be slow to show results. But
seeing progress in other areas
—strength, stamina, skill
development—should keep
you on course. After all,
consistency might not be
sexy —but progress is.
Or maybe you do need
something totally new?
In which case, we’d recommend
our ultimate bodyweight
workout (p.108) right here in
this issue. Make a note of your
reps, weights and scores as you
move along—then see how
quickly you can better them.
THE QUICK FIX
Make your plan progressive:
don’t do the same bench and
biceps sesh every time.
Tweak that plan every four to
eight weeks, changing moves
to keep it challenging.
Track your weights and
scores, and test yourself
regularly to stay motivated.
Poor
Excuse 02
You’re Still
Sore From
Your Last
Workout
Perhaps you’re new to the gym,
or you haven’t been for a while.
Or maybe you just overdid it a bit.
We’re not judging—quite the
opposite. “Soreness is a good sign,”
says Jim Pate, physiologist at the
Centre for Health and Human
Performance. The inflammatory
response to the tiny tears you’ve
caused in your muscles is what drives
your body to adapt, so it’s better
prepared next time. “You should be
satisfied you achieved significant
PHOTOGRAPHY:: STUDIO 33; ALAMY; GETTY IMAGES; PHILIP HAYNES | DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK | MODEL: EMMANUEL ALLI AT W MODEL | ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY
enough overload.”
So, you’ve earned a few good
couch days, right? Not quite. “You
need rest, but don’t be static,” says
Pate. “A slightly lighter effort will
keep your body ticking over and
allow it to let go of that soreness.”
Not to mention keeping your
metabolism ticking over.
Hop on an Air Bike or rower
and warm up with five to 10 minutes
of cardio at 50% to 60% of your
maximum intensity, ramping it
up higher for a few bursts. Once
your muscles are more pliable,
dynamically stretch, paying
extra attention to sore areas.
If everything still aches, swap your
usual routine for a body-weight
circuit—push-ups, squat jumps,
lunges, planks. Don’t push too hard,
or you’ll risk injury. Cool down with
static stretches, holding them for at
least 30 seconds. See you tomorrow,
bright and early.
THE QUICK FIX
Warm up your sore muscles with five to
10 minutes of moderate cardio, then
follow it with some mobility work.
If only certain parts of your body
ache, train the rest as normal. If it all
hurts, do a light body-weight circuit.
Try to remember that the soreness
you feel is a good thing. Honest.
 Poor
Excuse 04
You Had
A Terrible
Night’s Sleep

The noted sports scientist William

03 Burpee To Overhead Press
10 reps
Goblet squat down and place your
Poor
03
knuckles on the (ideally, padded) floor.
Shoot your feet out, then back in again.
Excuse As you stand, lift the kettlebell and
Shakespeare defined sleep as “sore
labour’s bath”. He was right: it’s when
your body repairs the damage caused
by the previous day’s activities. “If
you didn’t get adequate sleep, you’re
starting a little bit in the hole,” says
Pate. In a study in Medicine & Science
in Sports & Exercise, cyclists tasked
with riding at an ever-increasing
intensity gave up sooner when they
were sleep-deprived compared with
their fresh counterparts. But guess

You’ve
press it overhead. That’s 1 rep.
what? They survived.
Not everything worth doing comes

Only easy. Training can often be a good way

to give your tired brain a lift. One

Got 20 study at the University of Georgia

found that exhausted volunteers who

Minutes took part in moderate-effort exercise

experienced a significant decline in

Anyway 01 Kettlebell Goblet Squat

15 reps 04 Lunge With Chop
fatigue, while separate research
revealed that a 10-minute stair climb
can boost alertness more effectively
Holding a kettlebell to your chest 10 reps each side
Pah! You can get a whole than 50mg of caffeine.
with your feet shoulder-width apart, Hold the kettlebell at one shoulder,
lot of calorie-burning Pate advises avoiding anything
squat down, with your chest up and with your fingers interlaced. Lunge
done in that time—and, intense and building your sessions
knees wide (imagine sitting back in with the opposite leg and
crucially, do it with around mobility, stability and fun
a chair). Then drive back up, simultaneously chop across your
minimal equipment. stuff such as skill development.
squeezing your glutes. body (grip the kettlebell, so it
Weighted HIIT, such as Bear in mind, though, that your
this one-kettlebell doesn’t smack you). Reverse.
coordination will be impaired: this is
workout from fitness not the time for hefting barbells.
coach Sylvester Savyell, Gently working through your pull-up
provides more bang for regressions, however? Perfect.
your buck than standard
cardio. “You’ll continue
to burn more calories
THE QUICK FIX
while your muscles 02 Pullover With Hip Thrust
recover,” he says. Spend 15 reps Understand that you’re going to find
five precious minutes Set up in a double-leg glute bridge, 05 Side Plank With Press things harder.
warming up, then with the kettlebell on the floor 10 Reps Each Side
perform these moves for behind your head, so you can reach Lie on your side, propped on your Prioritise form over weight or speed.
as many rounds as it. Pull it over until it’s above your elbow, with your feet stacked
possible. (As for chest, then lower. Don’t let your and your top arm (holding the Replace high-skill movements with
tomorrow, see poor bridge collapse. kettlebell) straight. Contract your simpler versions focused on stability.
excuse number two.) core to lift your hips, so your body
is straight, then lower. Whatever you do, don’t be a hero.

JAN/FEB 2023 79 MH.CO.ZA


Poor
05
Excuse
You’re Hungover
To Merry Hell
Here beginneth the sermon.
“When you drink alcohol,
you’re effectively poisoning
yourself,” says Pate. Booze also
disturbs sleep. (See: poor
excuse number four.) And,
in a cruel irony, after all that
drinking, you’re dehydrated.
Safety should be in the
forefront of your mind.  nutritionist and the host of the
“If you’re half-cut, wait
until you’re sober before you
do anything that could
endanger you,” says Pate.
An early-morning session is
out. Once your head is sore but
clear, however, you’ve got the
green light. The benefits are
bigger than burning off your
four pints: the rush of
endorphins you get from
exercise will help to rebalance
your brain chemicals to
combat alcohol’s depressive
effect, making it a better salve
than any bacon sandwich (you
can have that afterwards).
Pate recommends
something with “a little
aerobic intensity, to remind
your body that it still has to
work”. Steady-state cardio is
your order of the day. “Drink
enough water: your urine
should be clear,” says Matt
Gardner, a performance
Big Feed Up HQ podcast. This
will lubricate your joints and
delay fatigue.  and spiritually.
As for your pre-gym fuel,
alcohol irritates your stomach
lining, so resist the temptation
to pile on the grease (not good
for weight-loss goals, either)
and stick to your normal
breakfast. But factor in some,
ahem, “gastric emptying
time”. A protein- and
fibre-rich meal such as eggs on
toast is great if you have time,
but it takes a couple of hours to
absorb. If you’ve got an hour or
less before your workout, eat
JAN/FEB 2023
REBALANCE YOUR
BRAIN WITH STEADY-
STATE CARDIO
something quickly absorbed,
like a banana.
The good news is that
Boulder University has linked
even light aerobic training
to the reversal of alcohol-
induced brain damage.
Flagellating yourself isn’t
healthy. But escaping your
darkened living room is
guaranteed to make you feel
better: physically, mentally
THE QUICK FIX
Cancel your morning session
and wage a watery war on
dehydration instead.
Resume your normal diet if
and when you can stomach it.
Failing that, eat a banana.
Aerobic exercise will protect
your brain, as well as making
you feel human again.
80 MH.CO.ZA
Poor
Excuse 06
You Forgot
Your Bloody
Headphones
If you can’t put in an album request at
your gym’s reception desk, use today as
a chance to tune into what you’re
doing. “Choose exercises that
challenge your coordination,” says Ian
Robertson, personal training manager
at Equinox Bishopsgate, who suggests
learning a ViPR flow or hitting
a boxing class. “You’ll be far more
engaged,” he says.
Music may be a proven performance
enhancer, but aimlessly trawling
Spotify is not. Let’s face it: your phone
can be a distraction. In a study
published in Computers in Human
Behavior, runners who looked at their
devices during training spent half of
the time at low intensity, compared
with 15% for those who left their
cellphones in their lockers.
The fact is you don’t need your trusty
playlist to get amped. “Rhythmic
breathing can help you push an extra
rep,” says Robertson. “Very often, we
lose this benefit when we don’t hear it.”
Get used to functioning without your
musical crutch. That way, all won’t be
lost next time your battery dies at an
inopportune moment.
THE QUICK FIX
Focus on what you’re doing. Now’s the
time to practise more complex moves.
Listen to your breathing during your
workout, rather than today’s mix.
Once your hard-wired association
between exercise and earbuds is
broken, this won’t be an issue.
 Poor
Excuse 07
You Just
Really
Don’t
Want To
It happens to us all: once in
a while, our motivation will
fail us. But if you feel that your
drive is consistently stalling,
take a moment to reflect on
the underlying causes. “It’s
often the result of trying to
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY; PHILIP HAYNES | DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK

force an end game that goes

against your true aspirations,”
says Tom Foxley, a CrossFit
coach and the founder of
Mindset Rx’d. “Perhaps your
desires have changed.”
Eight-pack abs might have
been your goal back in 2019,
but maybe today you’re more
motivated by your long-term
health status. If you genuinely
want to reach your goal, you
should be pulled towards it,
rather than having to push.
If you’re certain about what
you want to achieve, then think
about how it will feel when you
do so. “Emotional drivers are
much more compelling than
logical ones,” explains Foxley.
Imagine how elated you’ll feel
when you finally hit your target
weight, or smash that
double-body-weight deadlift.
Bringing distant consequences
closer in your mind,
or “heating” them in
psychological terms through
visualisation, is the fire that
forges iron self-control.
Or you could cut yourself
a deal. “If the full session is an
hour long, tell yourself you’ll
do, say, the first two sets,” says
Foxley. The chances are that,
once you have completed
them, you’ll be inclined to
do more. Either way, you’re
taking the weight of
expectation off your
metaphysical shoulders.
“Frequently, we don’t want
to go to the gym, because we
feel the pressure to have a great
session,” says Foxley. But
athletic success isn’t built
solely on great sessions. Its
foundation is unwavering
commitment, whatever your
motivation level. In a study in
the British Journal of Health
Psychology, subjects visited the
gym twice as often when they
scheduled their sessions ahead
of time, compared with when
they were given ‘inspirational’
reading material.
“Turning up and doing 20%
is better than doing nothing at
all,” explains Foxley. You can’t
argue with that, so pick up your
bag and go. You won’t be
disappointed you did.
THE QUICK FIX
To borrow a phrase: just do it.

JAN/FEB 2023 81 MH.CO.ZA

JAN/FEB 2023 82 MH.CO.ZA
Guide to

’Tis the season for self-indulgence. And so it should be. But that
doesn’t have to mean pouring flaming brandy over your health
and fitness. With a few timely tweaks to the order of the day,
you can revel in all the food, booze and arguments of Christmas,
while mitigating some of the physical and mental fallout.
Consider this your reward for being a very good boy this year.
WORDS BY SCARLETT WRENCH AND JUSTIN GUTHRIE • PHOTOGRAPHY BY LOUISA PARRY

JAN/FEB 2023 83 MH.CO.ZA

 Start Strong
WANT TO SHOW GOODWILL TO ALL GUESTS? FORGO THE
FROZEN FINGER FOOD AND PRESENT THEM WITH THESE
BENEFIT-STUFFED CANAPÉS.

If there are two words that should

never be uttered in the same
12g
fewer carbs
02\ Goat’s
Cheese
sentence, they are “Christmas” than a serving
of whitebait
and Apple
and “diet”. In this guide, you
won’t find any kitchen hacks INGREDIENTS
involving low-fat oil, sugar-free SERVES 10
dessert, or preachy reasons why A SLICE OF SOURDOUGH
going dry will let you really BLACK FIGS, 2, SLICED
appreciate spending time with GOAT’S CHEESE, 150G
your nearest and dearest. APPLES, 3, PEELED
This is how to not only survive SUGAR, 1TBSP
the 25th but thrive with a paper ROSEMARY, A PINCH
crown up on your head. SALTED CARAMEL
SAUCE, A SMALL JAR
DILL, A PINCH
OLIVES, 6, SLICED

The
20-Minute
Oven EMOM
Dial up the heat on your internal
furnace in the time it takes for your
oven to warm up, and turn dead
time into a pre-emptive
metabolism boost.

How it works: “Your insulin

sensitivity spikes after a tough
workout,” says MH UK fitness 01\ Tuna METHOD
1/ Tuna is low in fat
editor Andrew Tracey. “That
means your body is primed to
Escabeche and swimming in B
vitamins, which
soak up carbs in order to replace
support energy
your muscles’ depleted glycogen INGREDIENTS regulation and help to
stores.” This effect, alongside SERVES 10 prevent the pre-
elevated protein synthesis, lasts YELLOWFIN TUNA LOIN, 1KG
dinner slump. Trim
for up to 16 hours after training, CORIANDER SEEDS, 12 away the skin and
so that’s the leftovers covered,
STAR ANISE, 2 dice into 2cm pieces.
too. Switch between exercise
protocols every minute, on the SAFFRON STRANDS, 4
2/ Add 300ml
minute (EMOM), for 20 minutes. WHITE WINE, 100ML
of water to a pan
WHITE WINE along with the spices
VINEGAR, 100ML and liquids and bring
OLIVE OIL, 100ML to a boil. Coriander
Even minutes CARROTS, 200G, PEELED seeds are a natural
10 jump squats into digestive aid. Slice the
SHALLOTS, 50G, PEELED
15 bodyweight carrots and shallots
squats. into thin discs, add to
the pan and simmer
for 20 minutes.

3/ Remove from the

heat. Once the liquid
Odd minutes
has cooled to the same
10 plyo push-ups
temperature as your
into 15 commando
hand, add the tuna and
planks.
refrigerate. You can
make this the night
before, too.

JAN/FEB 2023 84 MH.CO.ZA

 5
times the
METHOD
1/ The sourdough vitamin B12 in
and figs bump up your a cocktail
fibre intake, while the sausage
probiotics in the goat’s
cheese boost gut
health. Slice the
apples and sprinkle
with sugar. Warm in
a pan until soft, then
purée in a blender.

2/ Mix the bread with

the brain-sharpening
rosemary and a dash of
oil, then toast in a pan
with salt and pepper
until crunchy.

3/ Cut the cheese into

10 bite-sized pieces,
and heat under the grill
until golden. To
assemble, top the
cheese with the apple
purée, a fig slice,
a dollop of salted
caramel, a crouton,
some dill, then finish
with the olive slices.

3g
more protein
than a mini
cheese quiche

Japanese METHOD
Beef 1/ As well as curbing
hunger, beef is rich
Tartare in iron and vitamin
B12, helping you to
INGREDIENTS beat winter fatigue.
SERVES 10 Combine the dressing
DRESSING ingredients, sieve and
put aside.
Yuzu juice, 300ml
Soy sauce, 50ml 2/ Place the sirloin
Sesame oil, 1tsp on a hot pan without
Fresh ginger, 1tsp oil and sear for two
seconds per side.
lf a clove of garlic, crushed Drop into iced water Festive Spirit #1
TARTARE for 10 seconds, then The Detoxifier
Beef sirloin, 300g dry with a kitchen Good if you’re…
cloth. Remove any
Parsley, 2tsp, chopped cooked meat and
Recovering from Christmas
Capers, 1tsp dice the rest into tiny Eve and can’t yet handle
Shallots, 30g, cubes. Rare meat has hair of the dog.
finely chopped a higher “digestive
cost”, raising your The mix: Lyre’s American Malt
metabolism. non-alcholic, 50ml + orange
bitters, two dashes + ginger
3/ Add the parsley, beer, 150ml + an orange wedge
capers and shallots to and a cinnamon stick to garnish.
the meat, along with The method: Dump it all in
two tablespoons of a glass and get it down you.
the yuzu dressing and Ginger helps to ease nausea,
a pinch of salt and if you’re really suffering, while
pepper to taste. Mix cinnamon has antioxidant
well and plate up. properties.

JAN/FEB 2023 85 MH.CO.ZA

 Roast to Your Health
TURKEY IS A CENTREPIECE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD, SO HERE’S YOUR GUIDE TO GOBBLING
UP HEALTH AND PLENTY OF FLAVOUR WITH OUR TIPS.
1/ Place your bird breast down in 2/ Roast in the oven at 180°C, or a thermometer: 60°C 3/ Now, for the finishing touch,
a roasting tin. Don’t add foil, and 160°C if it’s fan-assisted. Turkeys is the golden number for peel off the skin and place on
don’t brine it: you’ll want to make with a bit more fat will cook faster; high-quality turkeys, or 74°C for a baking tray. Season and return
crackling out of the skin later. you’ll need about two and a half supermarket birds. Let it rest for to a hot oven for 10-15 minutes
Simply pour in 500ml of water hours for a 7kg bird. Halfway an hour before serving. until crisp and crunchy, and try
and rub the outside with salt and through, flip it over, season again not to eat all of the crackling
pepper, adding a pinch under the and add some more water if it has before serving.
skin, too. evaporated. Check regularly with

Picking Out Your Bird

Most South Africans opt for
lamb, beef or chicken for
their Xmas feasts. But the
fabled turkey is a great option
if you’re looking for something
lean that still packs a serious
flavour punch. Butchers like Holstein Meats
(holsteinmeats.co.za) will ship you a whole
frozen turkey for a little shy of R400. That might
sound steep, but you’re getting up to 4kg of
protein for your hard-earned Randelas. And
at these proportions you won’t have to worry
about anyone going hungry, even if you’re
playing host to your extended family.

52%
of the niacin you
need per day is in
a serving of turkey
skin, helping to lower
your cholesterol levels.
Plus, it tastes bloody
delicious

26%
of your RDA of zinc
is contained in a
turkey liver, topping
up your testosterone
levels. Put some in
your gravy to give it
a richer taste

JAN/FEB 2023 86 MH.CO.ZA

 Family
Values
It’s not just your Be a family guy Stay in tune Laughing Heated debate Trivial matters
dinner that dishes Eating dinner Here’s the perfect matters Venting your Taking part
up healthy fare. Your with your loved excuse to do Have you heard anger can help and winning in
big annual gathering ones helps to your best the one about you maintain a competition
brings a host of shield you from Elvis impression: post-dinner blood healthy blood delivers a boost
additional benefits work-related Dutch and sugar spikes? pressure, in testosterone.
to the table. anxieties, Swedish A Japanese reports Health Even if you were
according to researchers have study found that Psychology. Face googling the
researchers at linked singing to laughter releases it: someone will answers under
Brigham Young good heart hormones that mention load the table.
University. health. level them out. shedding.

95%
of the calories
in turkey breast
consist of protein,
making it an efficient
muscle fuel and aiding
weight loss

Festive Spirit #2
The Booster Shot
Good if you’re… Suffering
a mid-afternoon slump
and are in dire need of
a pick-me-up.

125%
of your selenium RDA
The mix: Kahlua, 30ml +
single malt whisky, 15ml +
porter, 30ml + espresso,
is in a single thigh, as 30ml + sugar syrup, 10ml.
well as a quarter of
your iron—minerals The method: Pour it all into
that will keep you an ice-filled shaker and give it
energised this a good mix. Double-strain into
winter
a chilled glass. Bonus: coffee
reduces harmful liver fats.

JAN/FEB 2023 87 MH.CO.ZA

Side Benefits
WOBBLY CARROTS AND SOGGY SPROUTS? NOT THIS YEAR.
UNWRAP THE HEALTHFUL QUALITIES OF YOUR YULETIDE VEG
WITH THESE RECIPES.

01\ METHOD
Roast the carrots for
Lovage 20-30 minutes at
Pesto 180°C with a little oil
and sea salt. Meanwhile,
Carrots blitz together the garlic,
herbs, nuts and 200ml
Quick to prepare but
of oil. The good plant
nutrient-dense, these
fats in nuts and canola
will pep up your plate.
make it easier to absorb
the carrots’ antioxidant
INGREDIENTS nutrients. Add the
SERVES 4 cheese and mix well.
BABY CARROTS, 600G
A single Brazil nut
A GARLIC CLOVE contains your RDA
CELERY LEAVES, A BUNCH of selenium, too, for
BRAZIL NUTS, 100G healthy metabolism.
CANOLA OIL, 200ML You’ll make faster work
of that turkey.
PECORINO, 100G,
FINELY GRATED

02\ Parsnip METHOD

Honey-roasted parsnips
Boulangère are often more dessert than
Add this deceptively vegetable side, so sub in
light dish to the mix and these. Fry the onions, garlic
smash your RDA of fibre. and thyme until softened.
Grease a 1.5L dish with
butter. Add a layer of
INGREDIENTS parsnips and celeriac,
SERVES 4 then throw on a few of
ONIONS, 2, THINLY SLICED
the onion slices.
A GARLIC CLOVE, SLICED Continue layering,
THYME, A FEW SPRIGS finishing with your root
PARSNIPS, 500G, PEELED AND veg. Parsnip is a rich
FINELY SLICED source of vitamin K, which
CELERIAC, 500G, PEELED supports fat loss. Pour over Sugary supermarket sauces
AND FINELY SLICED the stock and bake for overwhelm, rather than
50-60 minutes until golden. complement, the flavour
HIGH-QUALITY STOCK, 400ML
of your turkey. This easy-to-
prepare option from the Gate
restaurant in London is packed
with immunity boosters.
03\ INGREDIENTS
White METHOD
Brussels sprouts SERVES 8-10
Miso are packed full of
FRESH CRANBERRIES, 1KG

Sprouts glucosinolates, which ROSEMARY, 15G, LEAVES ONLY

speed up your body’s MAPLE SYRUP, 100-150ML
Give your sprouts detoxification process.
WORDS: BOBBY PALMER | PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY

a probiotic twist and Fry the onion in the

amp up the flavour.
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 4
BRUSSELS SPROUTS,
500G, TRIMMED
ONIONS, 2, PEELED
AND THINLY SLICED
CANOLA OIL, 2TBSP
WHITE MISO, 50G
BUTTER, 25G
canola oil, seasoning with METHOD
salt and pepper, until it Stick everything in a saucepan,
begins to caramelise. stir well and bring it to the boil.
Add the miso paste— Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fresh
a natural digestive aid, cranberries are packed with vitamin
with an umami kick—plus E, which strengthens your body’s
the butter, and mix well. immune system and combats the
Remove from the heat. damaging effects of sleep loss,
Boil the sprouts in a pan while maple syrup and rosemary
of salted water for five contain brain-protective anti-
minutes. Strain, then mix oxidants. Handy if you’ve been
boozing since 10am.
through the miso onions.

JAN/FEB 2023 88 MH.CO.ZA

 Stuff in
More Sweet
Goodness Justification
Christmas pudding is one food
A few well-chosen additions to which we won’t brook any
can turn your stuffing into modifications. Bat away
a tasty source of antioxidants. anyone who questions your
Try these from Sarah commitment to wellness with
these three solid excuses.
Wasserman, co-author of
Mildreds Vegan Cookbook.
1/ Citrus peel contains
salvestrol and limonene—
compounds that multiple
studies suggest can have
a powerful anti-cancer effect.
Candied or otherwise.

2/ A handful of raisins
Dice a butternut into cubes a day is an effective way
and roast at 180°C for to lower blood pressure,

+
15-20 minutes. according to the American
College of Cardiology.
Brandied or otherwise.

3/ Cherries are one of the

only natural food sources of
melatonin, which helps to
support healthy sleep. Glacé
or otherwise… Oh, just eat the
damn thing. And be happy.

Fry 200g of onions, lower

the heat and add 2tbsp of
maple syrup to caramelise.
Add the zest of half an
orange and six sage leaves.
Damage Limitation
+ You needn’t apply a fastidious debit-and-credit approach
(it’s Christmas, after all). But if you want to offset some of
your excesses in the days before New Year’s Eve, this is
what it’ll take. Deep breath, now…
Tip your onions and
squash into a bowl with 250g
of cooked chestnuts and A bottle of red

+
a punnet of redcurrants. 630kcal = Weighted
sled drags in five bursts
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: STUDIO 33, DAN MATTHEWS, GETTY, ELLIS PARRINDER, MICHAEL HEDGE,

of 10 minutes

Christmas roast dinner
1 450kcal = Two Barry’s
Bootcamp classes
JOHANNA PARKIN | ILLUSTRATIONS: NICK HARDCASTLE
Festive Spirit #3
The Night Cap
Good if you’re… Ready to
sleep it off before starting
again on Boxing Day
The mix: Strawberry jam, 1tsp
+ smooth peanut butter, 1tsp +
lime juice, 20ml + your favourite

rum, 50ml + strawberry syrup,

Finally, add a pinch each A handful of Chuckles 5ml + an egg white +
of nutmeg and cinnamon, 270kcal = 15 minutes Angostura bitters, a dash.
2tbsp of parsley and 100g of on the Airdyne
breadcrumbs. Hand-mix to The method: Mix the jam,
form a loose clump. Bake in peanut butter and lime to
an oiled dish for 20-30 form a paste. Add the rest,

=
minutes until golden. shake with ice. Strain, discard
ice, then shake again until it
Your Christmas Day total foams. Strain into a coupette.
5 905kcal* = A 10K run, every Peanuts and eggs contain
10 portions of heart- other day, for a fortnight sleep-supporting amino acid
protecting stuffing tryptophan. Sweet dreams.

JAN/FEB 2023 89 MH.CO.ZA

 ONE-PIECE
EQUIPMENT WORKOUT

PART 7 OF 12:
OLYMPIC RINGS
 Gymnastic rings can help you build an
Olympian torso, a powerful core, and a flexible,
injury-proof body. Here’s how to unlock
heavyweight results with this
lightweight training tool.
WO R D S BY M H S TA F F

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BYRON KEULEMANS

IF YOU’RE A CERTAIN AGE,
you’ll remember Top Trumps
cards. Before apps like Roblox
and the metaverse, kids used
to battle and trade old-school,
paper-based Top Trumps cards
in everything from cars and
sportspeople to dinosaurs and
skyscrapers. These cards have
all kinds of stats and figures,
and the cards with the best stats
win. Examples of these stats:
the fastest top speed, the highest
scores, the most dangerous
predators, the tallest buildings,
and so on.
So, what does this have to do
with gymnastic rings? Well, if
there were a Top Trumps for
training methods and fitness
ability, gymnastics would be one
of the greatest cards, with rings
being its crucial training tool.
Here’s why: gymnasts have the
best strength-to-weight ratios,
but they’re also supremely fast,
explosive, and flexible. You
just need to look at Olympic
gymnasts to understand. It’s
aesthetics and athletics in one
sinewy, muscle-bound package.
These nimble ninjas don’t lift
in single lines while standing or
sitting still (I’m looking at you,
weightlifters and strongmen).
They bend the laws of gravity
to create incredible physical
feats of skill, coordination and
explosive power—all while in
fast-flowing motion.
But don’t just take our word
for it; thousands of top athletes,
actors, and elite soldiers swear
by gymnastic training and its
close cousins in calisthenics and
bodyweight training.
Thanks to the growth of
these machine-free movements
and training methods such
as CrossFit, the popularity
of gymnastics training is
exploding. It helps anyone safely
master their bodyweight to add
lean muscle, develop full-body
and core strength, and ramp
up balance, coordination and
flexibility. Done correctly, it will
also torch body fat, build more
robust joints and injury-proof
your body.
Strong, role models like Jason
Statham and Zac Efron rely
on bodyweight training and
calisthenics to craft functional,
powerful physiques.
Here’s the thing: you
probably won’t be doing an iron
cross anytime soon, but you
don’t need to be an Olympian to
reap the benefits of gymnastic
rings. These affordable training
tools can be used on a rig at
home, outside or on holiday—
you can just throw them over
a tree branch. They are
a crucial partner in a
bodyweight training plan,
especially for upper body work,
and the more you use them, the
more training opportunities you
unlock. Once you’ve built up
your strength and mastered the
technique of foundation moves,
you can start experimenting
with more advanced ones such
as ring muscle ups, planches,
levers and more. Ready to turn
yourself into an athlete with an
Olympian body? Look no further.
SO, WHY SHOULD YOU
CHOOSE RINGS?
Gymnastics, including ring
work, is one of the best training
methods for overall health and
wellness. Its potency has been
proven in multiple studies that
show how good it is for muscle,
bone, joint and cognitive health.
It nails most major muscle
groups to burn body fat and
forge total-body strength, and
it jumpstarts your flexibility.
It combats various metabolic
conditions and immune
disorders such as obesity, type-2
diabetes and non-hereditary
heart disease by lowering blood
pressure and body fat and
improving circulation.
Gymnastic rings have one
crucial superpower: they
leverage instability. Unlike
pull-up bars, rings aren’t fixed
in place. They demand constant
muscle stabilisation to maintain
a stable position, especially
when suspended in the air.
However, it’s not just about
stabiliser muscles; most ring
exercises are compound moves
that recruit multiple muscle
groups and joints. This double-
threat combo allows you to
build lean muscle quickly and
effectively. This battle against
gravity and position helps you
ramp up your core and upper
body strength, stamina and
coordination. It also enables you
to finetune your coordination
and balance and ramps up your
agility. But that’s not all:
these simple rings can offer
even more.

WHERE CAN I FIND THEM? 1. THE CLASSIC: GORILLASTORE WOODEN GYMNASTIC RINGS
Home training tools like kettlebells, dumbbells and We’re fans of old-school, unvarnished wooden options. They
offer better grip, chalk retention and feel than their plastic
barbells easily cover most of the major muscle groups.
peers, and if you look after them, they can outlast them too.
However, there’s one tricky training target: pulling- They’re made of raw, unvarnished Beech timber and are 32mm
related moves. They’re essential for building up your in grip diameter size—the preferred option for CrossFitters and
back and arm muscles and grip strength, but they’re calisthenic practitioners. This set comes with two rings and two
a bit tougher to nail effectively at home. Yes, you can do heavy-duty nylon straps with buckles. The rings come with
rows and pulls with weights, but one of the best moves is a two-year warranty, and the straps have a one-year warranty.
To extend its life, keep this set out of the rain.
still undoubtedly pull-up variations. While you can buy
R650, gorillastore.co.za
door-based pull-up bars for your home, we’re sceptical of
99 percent of them. The main reason? Unless you weigh
the same as a Kenyan ultramarathon runner, most of the
2. THE INVESTMENT: TRX HOME 2 SUSPENSION TRAINER
This isn’t a cheap product, but it is a proven,
cheap, flimsy door frame options will make you the star
versatile one. It comes with a proper suspension
of a fail video. The good news, there are simple, trusted
and a failproof door anchor, and it offers hundreds
and affordable options for pulling exercises. Case in
of different exercises—not just pulling ones. It’s a
point: gymnastic rings. They are a potent, durable
portable, potent home training tool that’s especially
training tool that enables you to do rows, push-ups and
brilliant for beginners thanks to its scalability.
pull-ups and offer the potential to unlock advanced
R3 115, evolvefitness.co.za
exercises further down the line. You need a little space to
use them properly, but they can be thrown over a branch
outside in your local park or backyard. If you’re willing
3. THE STARTER SET: REBELSTORE PLASTIC GYMNASTIC RINGS
Simple, effective and super affordable—these durable,
to invest a little more cash, you can also buy a suspension
waterproof plastic options are the perfect starting point
trainer for added value, especially if you are a beginner.
for anyone getting into bodyweight work, calisthenics and
Here’s how to choose the right tool for your needs:
gymnastics. R450, rebelstore.co.za

JAN/FEB 2023 92 MH.CO.ZA

 WHAT DOES THE
SCIENCE SAY?
1. Gymnasts are some of
the fittest, strongest and
leanest athletes. The Science
of Gymnastics Journal studied
young athletes from various
sporting codes and revealed that
gymnasts have, on average, lower
percentage body fat, greater
strength-to-weight ratio, and
higher VO2 max scores.

2. Balance training can improve

memory and body awareness.
According to several studies in
Scientific Reports, gymnastic
training can improve your recall
skills and spatial cognition.

3. Gymnastic training can

upgrade motor skills and
learning ability.
Research in the Journal of Human
Kinetics reveals that learning
complex gymnastic exercises can
help improve performance motor
skills and help train your mind to
learn and communicate faster and
more effectively in challenging
situations. Thanks to this increase
in motor skills, gymnasts are
much less likely to fall and injure
themselves.

4. Aerobic gymnastics can

improve sleep quality and lower
stress levels.
Research in the International
Journal of Nursing Studies found
that the test subjects reduced
stress and fatigue levels and
improved sleep quality through
regular aerobic gymnastics.

5. Gymnastics builds stronger

bones and increases skeletal
muscle.
Studies in the Journal of Bone and
Mineral Research have found that
gymnasts have greater bone mass
and size, especially in the
upper body.

Puma Evostripe Trackpants 6. Gymnastic moves can

Apple Watch improve your posture (and lower
back pain).
Model: Brent Thompson A study in the Journal of
brentthompsonfitness.com Neuroscience found that gymnasts
Location: @rydafitnessct have higher postural control than
non-gymnasts. This enables them
to walk and sit for long hours
without experiencing back
or neck pain.
THE BENEFITS OF
TRAINING WITH RINGS
It’s a fast-track way to
develop explosive power.
Research in the Journal of
Sports Medicine and Physical
Fitness shows that long-term
gymnastic training improves
the flexion and extension of
muscles, which unlocks greater
strength and flexibility. How
much? The study states that
gymnasts have 30% higher
peak torque in upper body
movements.

Gymnastics upgrades your

complex motor skills. The more
complex the gymnastic moves
in your training, the better
your motor learning skills.
It helps you react faster and
learn quicker, and rewards you
with greater coordination and
agility. Simply put, your body’s
processing power
gets upgraded.

Gymnastic rings are

low-cost, lightweight tools
with heavyweight benefits.
Compared to other fitness
tools, gymnastic rings and
suspension trainers are
durable, take-anywhere tools
that are super affordable
and portable.

Flexibility is an underrated
quality we all need.
Gymnastics, and Olympic
rings, help athletes improve
their range of motion without
putting them at risk of injury.
If this becomes part of your
regular training plan, it can
also help you develop stronger
ligaments and tendons and
more stable joints—especially
in your shoulders.
 ONE PIECE OF KIT, 10 WAYS: OLYMPIC RINGS

GETTING THE HANG OF IT

By Rory Allen, Personal Trainer
A

Bodyweight training while suspended off the floor is perfect for CIRCUIT B
building a functional, aesthetically impressive body. “Most ring DESCRIPTION:
exercises are compound moves,” says personal trainer Rory Allen. Do this circuit two 1 / INVERTED ROW
“They employ multiple muscle groups and joints. Even a basic ring to three times,
spending one minute Grab the rings. Maintaining a line from
workout will increase the demands on your muscles, as they’ll have
to work constantly to stabilise you.” You’ll also be moving your
on each exercise. your neck to your heels, lean back until
If you’re tight for
joints through a complete range of movement, improving your time, then aim for your arms are straight (A). Bend at the
mobility and strengthening them against injury. Best part? 10-15 reps. Time to elbows to pull yourself up until the rings
They’re relatively cheap and dead easy to set up. Just throw them ring in the changes.
are at your chest (B). The more horizontal
over a tree branch or roof strut, and you’re set.
your body is, the harder it will be.

A A
A

2 / RING ROLL-OUT
Grab the rings with your arms straight,
holding your weight (A). Slowly move
your arms forward and lower your body,
maintaining a straight back (B). When
your arms are fully outstretched, slowly
return to the start position.
B B
4 / RING DIP
3 / RING CLIMBER A ring in each hand,
In a high plank position, place your feet in lock your arms out, keeping your
the rings, set low (A). Bring one knee all the elbows close to your body. Bend
way forward, keeping your other leg your knees so your feet are off the floor
straight (B). Return to the start position. (A). Lower your body, bending your
Alternate between legs for your allotted elbows until the tops of your arms are
time/reps. parallel to the floor (B). Return to the start.

A A

B
A

5 / RING-
SUPPORT L-SIT
Grip the rings
and straighten
your arms so they take your weight (A).
Engage your core and lift your legs,
keeping them straight and together until
they are parallel to the floor (B). Hold this
position for as long as you can.
WORDS: RORY ALLEN I ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA MANZATI | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES
6 / PISTOL SQUAT
Grab a ring with your left hand and
outstretch the right for balance. Lift your
right leg and straighten it (A). Bending
your left knee, lower yourself (B). Using the
rings only to steady yourself, push back up
to the start. Switch sides.
B
7 / RING PRESS-UP
Assume a high plank with your hands on
the rings (A). Lower your body, elbows
tucked by your sides. When the rings are
in line with your chest (B), press back up to
the start. Too tough? Move your feet
closer to the rings to make it easier.

A A
A

8 / RING CURL B 10 / RING T

Hold the rings with
an underhand grip
and lean back so
your feet are in
front of you (A). Pull your body towards
the rings, bending at your elbow until your
hands are by the sides of your forehead.
(B). Lower yourself under control.
9 / MUSCLE-UP Grab the rings B
With your legs extended in with your legs
front, do a pull-up (A). At straight and your
the top, bring your upper feet on the floor.
body over the rings with Push up until your arms are fully
your elbows tight to your ribs. Push extended (A). Keeping your arms as
yourself up (B) and perform a dip. Reverse straight as you can, drive them out to your
the move and then again (if you can). sides, holding your body in a T shape (B).

JAN/FEB 2023 95 MH.CO.ZA

 BECAUSE FIT IS THE NEW RICH

RYDA Fitness
founder &
trainer
Ryan Botha

TRAIN
ANYWHERE!
NO GYM? NO PROBLEM. YOUR
HOLIDAY WORKOUT PLAN SORTED!

MAKE EVERY
BURPEE REP
COUNT
p.106

THE ULTIMATE
BODYWEIGHT
BLASTER
p.108

CRAWL YOUR
WAY TO
A POWERFUL
CORE
p.110

+ MASTER THE PUSH-UP

JAN/FEB 2023 97 MH.CO.ZA
MH TRAINER THE BIG WORKOUT

PUMP UP
FOR BEACH
SEASONDON’T SQUANDER THE SUMMER
01A

WEATHER IN A STUFFY CORNER AT YOUR

LOCAL GYM. MAKE YOUR DAYS BRIGHTER
WITH THIS MUSCLE-BUILDING GARDEN
WORKOUT INSTEAD. 

01B

W
hatever your daily routine, chances
are you spend too much of your day
indoors. In fact, most estimates
suggest we spend roughly 90% of
our time within four walls. And this
dearth of fresh air, green space and sunlight
has an impact—on our mood, motivation and
overall wellbeing.
Okay, so you might not be able to drag your
desk out into the back garden. But swapping
the bright lights of your local leisure club for
an open-air workout? That’s easily done. 02A
Besides, summer only happens once a year.
Why waste it?
Contrary to what you might think,
gym-free training needn’t mean foregoing
muscle-building for a lighter effort. Using
nothing more than a garden bench or two (or
deckchairs, if you like) and a resistance band,

01 02
your alfresco efforts can serve up some meaty
muscle-building, with a side of stamina and
seared calories. It’s the perfect appetiser DIP FEET ELEVATED PUSH-UP
ahead of a weekend barbecue and offers 5 Reps 10 Reps
WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES.

a mind-clearing mood-boost on your WFH Jump up on your boxes, Kick both your feet up
benches or deckchairs on to your box, creating
lunch breaks. Our three-tiered approach with your arms locked out a strong plank position with
divides your body up to optimise the pump, straight, supporting your your hands on the ground,
but it also makes it easier for you to sub in body weight (A). Bend shoulder-width apart (A).
at the elbows, slowly Slowly lower your chest
these workouts for your usual gym go-tos. lowering yourself until to the ground (B) before
If you want to make this your regular routine your elbows are at right explosively pressing back
—at least until the temperature drops—work angles, ensuring they to lockout and repeating
don’t flare outwards (B). the move.
your way through all three sessions in a linear Drive yourself back up to
fashion. Let rest days fall where they may, the top and repeat.
then repeat, aiming to beat your performance
each time. Now, who’s hungry for progress?

JAN/FEB 2023 98 MH.CO.ZA

 WORKOUT
#01
PRESS ONWARDS
Your first session focuses on pressing
movements, targeting your chest, shoulders
and triceps—the mirror muscles, in other
words. It’s a primo grilling that will add slabs of
prime beef to your pecs. Start a countdown for
20 mins and do as many rounds of the below
as you can. Rest as needed to keep your
form tight—but avoid going too hot,
too early, and running the risk
of overcooking.

03A 04B

04A

03B

02B
HANDS-ELEVATED BANDED LATERAL
PUSH-UP RAISE 21S
15 Reps 7/7/7 reps
Place your hands on your Step both feet into a light
box and assume a strong resistance band, gripping
plank position, with your the top, with tension, at
arms straight and your waist height (A). Pull the
hands below your shoulders band up, laterally, until
(A). Slowly flex at the your hands reach shoulder
elbows, lowering your body height (B). Do 7 reps in this
towards the box until your fashion, followed by 7 reps
chest just touches it (B). only performing the top half
Power back up and repeat, of the movement, and finally
keeping a steady rhythm. 7 reps of the bottom half.

JAN/FEB 2023 99 MH.CO.ZA


01B
01
WIDE-GRIP
INVERTED ROW
5 Reps
Place a bar, broomstick
or dowel across some
boxes (set up at around
waist height) and hang
below with straight arms,
a wide grip and a tight
midline (A). Bend your
elbows and pull up to the
bar and pause here for a
second (B). With control,
lower yourself back to a full
hang and repeat.
WORKOUT
#02
THE PULL PARTY
Session two hits your pulling muscles.
We’re aiming to build a wide back that
01A will cast shade on the largest of braais,
alongside biceps ripe for a burger-
flipping flex. Set your timer for 20 mins
and blast through as many rounds
as possible, keeping your form in
check and maintaining a steady
temperature.
02A
02B
02
LEG-ASSISTED
PULL-UP
10 Reps
After your final row,
walk your feet backwards
until your torso is almost
upright (A). This is your start
position. Keep your knees
bent and pull your chin
above the bar, squeezing
your biceps hard at the top
(B) before lowering back
to the start position and
repeating the move.
JAN/FEB 2023 100 MH.CO.ZA

03A
03B
BAND PULL APART
15 Reps
Switch from bench to band
to bulletproof your shoulders
and pump up that mid-back.
Hold your band in front of
your body, roughly around
chest height (A). With your
arms straight, explosively pull
the band, squeezing your
shoulder blades together
when the band touches
your chest (B). Reverse the
movement and repeat.
MH TRAINER THE BIG WORKOUT
BUILDING BLOCKS
BEST SHOT
Want to really level up your
gym-free efforts? The pistol
requires power, balance
04B and mobility. This three-step
plan will help you nail it.
04A
01 REVERSE LUNGE
Do 20 reps on each leg
before progressing
Step one leg back until your
knee touches the ground,
keeping your torso upright
and core braced. Push your
weight through your front
foot to stand and repeat. Do
20 before switching legs.
02 NO-TOE REVERSE LUNGE
Do 10 reps on each leg
before progressing
Follow the same lunge
strategy as above, but as
your knee hits the ground, lift
your toes before you stand.
Mitigating any drive from
the rear foot will focus your
efforts on to your front leg.
BANDED BICEP 21S
7/7/7 Reps
Do we need to explain
this old-school classic? Step
inside your band, gripping
the top end at waist height
(A). Curl both hands up
towards your chin, turning 03 BAND-ASSISTED PISTOL
your thumbs out as you Use higher/lighter bands until
go (B). Perform 7 full reps, you’ve unlocked the full move
followed by 7 reps of the Secure a band on an anchor
top half of the movement, point. Hold the end and step
finishing with 7 reps from back until you feel tension.
the bottom half. Bend your knee and push your
hips back. Keep your other
leg off the ground. Pull on the
band to stand up. Repeat.
JAN/FEB 2023 101 MH.CO.ZA
JAN/FEB 2023 102 MH.CO.ZA
 MH TRAINER THE BIG WORKOUT

MASTERY MATRIX

A FOUR-STEP APPROACH
The key to moving forward is knowing
where you’re starting from. Use this matrix
to identify the best movements for you.

03A

04B

04A

JAN/FEB 2023 103 MH.CO.ZA

 FITNESS FUNDAMENTALS

OWN YOUR
PUSH-UPS
THE PUSH-UP IS MORE THAN THE GOLD
STANDARD OF ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING. IT’S A MOVE
WITH PLENTY OF LEVEL-UPS THAT CAN
BUILD SERIOUS PEC, SHOULDER, TRICEPS
AND CORE STRENGTH.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KAT WIRSING | ILLUSTRATIONS BY KYLE HILTON

Week 1 Week 2
THE CHALLENGE Pick 5 days. Each day, do 25 perfect Train 5 days again, doing 2 sets of 20
It’s not easy to do 40 consecutive push-ups, following the chart below push-ups each day. Follow the chart
for reps and rest periods. below for rest periods.
push-ups, especially if you’re
10 S 20 S
chasing good form. But you’ll DAY 1 15 REST 10 DAY 1 20 REST 20

accomplish that by month’s end if DAY 2 15 8S

REST 10 DAY 2 20 20 S
REST 20
you stick to this progression, which DAY 3 20 10 S
5 DAY 3 20 15 S
20
REST REST
will take only a few minutes each day. 8S 15 S
DAY 4 20 REST 5 DAY 4 20 REST 20
Get ready to enjoy the chest pump!
5S 10 S
DAY 5 20 REST 5 DAY 5 20 REST 20

JAN/FEB 2023 104 MH.CO.ZA

 MH TRAINER CHALLENGE

THE BASICS THE SPECTRUM

Master the push-up with
What’s the best way to build this progression—and then
up to a push-up? Not the way take it to the next level.
you think.
Plenty of trainers suggest that
novice gymgoers start with push-
ups on their knees. But that’s not
ideal, says Certified Strength &
Conditioning Specialist David
Otey. “Push-ups from the knee
limit the stress on the anterior
core and shoulders,” he says. That
means your core doesn’t learn to
stabilise you in standard reps. Box Push-up
Can’t do push-ups yet?
Here’s the best way to start.
Your better option: Complete 3 sets of 12 reps,
Start by placing your hands then move on.
on a chair or box. Doing so
will lighten the amount of
bodyweight you have to press
upward. But you’ll still get to
tighten your abs and glutes,
forming a straight line from
shoulders through feet,
just as you would during
a traditional push-up. As you
improve, use shorter boxes Hand-Release Push-up
and chairs until eventually Lower to the floor, lift your
you’re doing push-ups with hands, then press up. Do
your hands on the floor. 3 sets of 10 to 12.

Clapping Push-up
Power out of the bottom
with explosion, clapping your
hands at the top. Do 3 sets of
8 to 10 reps.

Archer Push-up
Set your hands up wider than
usual. Keep your right arm
MOVE MAESTRO:
KAI BRADEN. straight as you lower to the
left; do 3 sets of 8 to 10.

Week 3 Week 4
Train 5 days. On days 1, 3 and 5, do Train 5 days. Do 30 push-ups the first
paused reps. Days 2 and 4, do regular day. Each day, add 2 push-ups, until
reps. Follow the chart below. the final day, when you do 40.

DAY 1 15 5S
REST 10 DAY 1 30 Typewriter Push-up
5S
Lower into a left-arm archer.
DAY 2 20 10 DAY 2 32
REST Slide your chest across to the
DAY 3 20 5S
REST 5 DAY 3 34 right arm, straightening your
left. Press up. Do 3 sets of
5S
DAY 4 25 REST 5 DAY 4 36 8 to 10 reps.
DAY 5 25 DAY 5 40

JAN/FEB 2023 105 MH.CO.ZA

MH TRAINER GEEK TWEAK

GIVE YOUR BURPEE

JUMP-START
TECHNIQUE A
QUANTUM LEAP

YOUR FITNESS
YOU KNOW BURPEES ARE GOOD FOR YOU.
GET YOUR BODY
IN FULL FLIGHT
The burpee is perhaps
YOU ALSO KNOW THEY SUCK. THIS IS HOW as misunderstood as it is
TO ENSURE EVERY REP COUNTS. ubiquitous. Swerve these
common faux pas to
unleash its full potential.

THE QUESTION
GET UP TO SPEED MARK
Maintains straight
The burpee may be the single most functional movement of
legs, curling his way
all time: what could be more important than the ability to get down like a stale pretzel, before
back on your feet as quickly as possible? However, imperfect sending all of that explosive
reps are the surest path to dysfunction. Practise these three energy back up through
moves to refine your form. a bent back, risking injury.
Try to maintain a straight torso
throughout and use every inch
of squat mobility.
01
FOUR TO THE FLOOR
Stand tall and take a long step THE BASE
backward with your left leg, JUMPER
keeping your torso upright. Bend at Drops like a rock
your right knee and squat until both from the top of
hands hit the ground. Plant them every rep, directly onto his
and step back with your right leg, hands. Wrist pain is one of
the most commonly cited
assuming a strong plank. Reverse
drawbacks of burpees. Let the
to a standing position and repeat squat take you all of the way
with the opposite leg. Work to the deck before making
60 seconds on, 60 seconds off. contact to avoid strains.

02 THE TIGHTROPE
WALKER
FIRE UP YOUR THRUSTERS Performs each rep
Step back and down into like his shoelaces
a strong, straight-armed plank and are tied together. A wider
jump both feet forward, bringing stance on the ascent of the
your knees towards your chest. burpee creates more room
Explosively push the floor away with and minimises mobility
your hands, shifting your weight demands. Jump your feet to
the outside of your hands
onto your heels, and finish at the
to reduce the risk of your
bottom of a deep squat. Pause. posture collapsing.
Reverse back into the plank. Work
60 seconds on, 60 seconds off.
WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY I ILLUSTRATION: HARVEY SYMONS

03
ALL THE WAY UP
With your feet shoulder-width CATCH BIG AIR
apart, squat and place your hands TAKE A LUNGFUL WHILE STANDING.
on the floor. Jump your feet back AS YOU REACH THE GROUND YOU’LL
into the top of a press-up and lower RECEIVE A NATURAL “WINDING”
your chest to the ground. Push FROM HITTING THE DECK—
up and hop your feet forward to
TAKE ADVANTAGE AND
either side of your hands. Shift your
weight back, transitioning into EXHALE HERE.
a squat, and jump into the air.
Repeat until you love them.

JAN/FEB 2023 106 MH.CO.ZA

 MASTER

THE
YOUR BODY-
WEIGHT CIRCUIT 1

DIRECTIONS:

ULTIMATE
Do each move for 30
seconds, then do a
30-second high-knee
sprint. Rest 1 minute.

BODYWEIGHT
Do 3 rounds.

BLASTER
DITCH THE IRON AND MASTER YOUR BODYWEIGHT WITH
THIS SPEEDY 25-MINUTE BLITZ THAT REVS YOUR HEART
RATE, BUILDS THE MUSCLE YOUR BODY NEEDS AND
BLASTS YOUR ABS ON EVERY SINGLE MOVE.

DIRECTIONS: Do this
workout 3 to 5 times
a week. All other days, go
1A
for a 10-minute walk or run. YOGA PUSH-UP
Get in push-up position, abs and glutes tight. Keeping your legs straight, raise your butt as

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TYLER JOE | PICTURED HERE: JERRY ST. LOUIS IS A NEW YORK CITY–BASED TRAINER. FOLLOW HIM ON INSTAGRAM AT @JAYCOACHZ.
WARMUP high in the air as possible. This is the start. Lower your hips to return to push-up position as
you simultaneously bend at the elbows and shoulders, lowering your chest to within a few
centimetres of the floor. Press back up and raise your butt high again. That’s 1 rep.

1B
PAUSED BULGARIAN
SPLIT SQUAT
Stand on your left leg,
right instep on a box, right
knee bent. Bend your left
knee, lowering your torso
until your left thigh is
parallel to the floor. Hold
3 seconds. Press back
up. That’s 1 rep; do 30
seconds on each side.

SPIDERMAN TO CAT COW

Start in push-up position, then
1C
shift your right foot to alongside V CRUNCH
your right hand. Return to push-up Lie on your back, arms and legs
position, squeeze your abs and outstretched. Tighten your abs,
glutes and repeat on the other pressing your lower back into the floor,
side. Bend your knees, lowering shoulder blades and legs 4cm off the
your shins to the floor. Squeeze floor, hands beside your butt. This is the
your shoulder blades and arch start. Pull your knees toward your chest.
your back slowly. Then round your Return to the start, and as you do this,
back and spread your shoulder rotate your torso to the right. Repeat,
blades. Return to pushup position. this time shifting your torso toward the
That’s 1 rep; do 4. left. That’s 1 rep.

JAN/FEB 2023 108 MH.CO.ZA

 MH TRAINER FITNESS FIX

CIRCUIT 2

DIRECTIONS: Do each exercise for

30 seconds, then move on to the next
exercise. Rest 1 minute after completing
the full circuit. Do 3 rounds.

2A BACK WIDOW
Lie on your back, heels near your butt,
upper arms on the floor at a 45 degree angle
to your torso. Keeping your abs tight, drive
your elbows hard into the floor; this will raise
your torso off the floor slightly. Hold for 2
seconds, squeezing your shoulder blades.
Lower back to the floor. That’s 1 rep.

2C SINGLE-LEG HIP THRUST

Lie with your shoulder blades on a bench, chair or box, heels
near your butt. Raise your right foot off the floor; keep your hips
square to the ceiling as you do this. This is the start. Squeeze
your left glute, driving your hips toward the ceiling; pause, then
lower to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 30 seconds on each side.

2B FEET-ELEVATED
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
Get in push-up position, abs and glutes
tight, feet on a box or bench. Keeping your
hips and shoulders square to the floor and
tightening your abs, drive your right knee
toward your chest. Return to the start.
Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep.

2D
TWO-STEP SHUFFLE
Get in athletic stance, knees
bent, feet about shoulder-width
apart, weight on the balls of your
feet. Explosively push off with
your right foot and hop to the left,
landing in athletic stance. Repeat
the movement to hop back to the
right. That’s 1 rep.

JAN/FEB 2023 109 MH.CO.ZA

MH TRAINER BEST EXERCISE

PUT
START HERE

01
THE BEST

YOUR
EXERCISE
YOU’RE NOT
DOING
BEAR DOWN
Start in bear-plank

BODY
position, back flat,
knees off the floor.
Your hands should be
below your shoulders,
gripping kettlebells.

IN BEAST
Look at the floor.
Squeeze your abs and
shoulder blades.

MODE
FORGE A POWERFUL BACK AND SOLID 02
CORE, WHILE CURBING YOUR RISK ROW, ROW,ROW!
OF INJURY, WITH THE BEAR-GORILLA Drive your left hand
FLOW. GROWLING ENCOURAGED. into the kettlebell
hard, then row the
right bell towards
your ribcage. Pause

R
and squeeze your abs
Remote working might and shoulder blades,
have a positive impact working to keep your
on your commuting hips and shoulders
costs, but it’s decidedly square to the floor.
less beneficial Lower it, then repeat
for your spine. on the other side.
Spending hours hunched
over your laptop only to
throw yourself into ambitious
workouts at the end of the day

03
is a sure path to back pain.
Strengthening your back
and core can help to protect
your shoulders and spine—but
if you’re serious about easing GET GORILLA
aches and reducing your risk Jump forwards
of mishap, you also need that so that both feet
WHAT
muscle to be mobile. are planted just YOU’LL
“Your torso is always changing outside the GAIN
positions, twisting and turning kettlebells.
and shifting,” says trainer and

04
Squeeze your
MH US fitness director Ebenezer glutes and
Samuel. “You need to train your hamstrings, WORDS: BRETT WILLIAMS; SCARLETT WRENCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP FRIEDMAN
back and ab muscles to be ready pulling your bum
for all that movement.” Stable Spine
down. Make sure
That’s where the bear-gorilla your shoulders are
DOUBLE UP
flow can help. Most row exercises Squeeze your
higher than your
force your torso to maintain a shoulder blades
bum; you’re now in
static position as you do rep after and row both
a gorilla stance.
rep. This flow begins with a bear- bells towards your
plank position, but after you’ve ribcage. Return
done a row rep on each side, the bells to the
you’ll jump forwards to finish floor. Jump back to Sculpted Core
in a gorilla stance. That teaches a bear plank and
your spine to be ready for begin another rep.
anything, and it rockets up your Perform reps for
heart rate. It might even coax 40 secs, then
your abs out of hibernation, too. rest 40 secs.
Do 3 or 4 sets.

Bigger Back

JAN/FEB 2023 110 MH.CO.ZA


HALLOWED HALLS
CARVED INTO THE OLD-WORLD ARCHITECTURE
OF A CHURCH, 1ST FITNESS WILL HELP YOU
TRANSCEND MUNDANE WORKOUTS.
W
hen Ahmed Hansa was
searching for a new spot
for his gym 1st Fitness,
the Berea Presbyterian
church may have seemed
like an unlikely candidate. But this
massive monument had huge potential;
we’re talking vaulted ceilings, serious
workout real estate and large windows
that bathe every square metre in
blessed morning rays. Interior designer
Craig Bennett was tasked with
revamping the interior to accommodate
future gymgoers, and instead of
ditching the church’s architectural
origins, he leaned into the theme.
Stroll through these doors and you’ll be
greeted by a workout space like no other.
While it may have old-world roots, the
tools inside are cutting edge. From the
BEST
GYMS IN
SA
JAN ‘23
IMAGES SUPPLIED
MH TRAINER GYM OF THE MONTH
1st Fitness
1stfitness.co.za
459 King Dinuzulu Rd N,
Berea, Durban
Membership
Starts at R599pm for one
person, or R999 for
a partner plan (more
reason for you and the SO
latest gym equipment to quality of life to hit the gym together).
upgrades—a coffee shop, luxe members
lounge and a range of studios—no
expense has been spared to give visitors
a transcendent experience. Highlights
include the gym’s free weights area—
arguably the largest in all of Durban.
But you’ll also find MMA and boxing
on the gym’s “dungeon level” and even
a climbing wall for those inclined to
start scaling. Owner Ahmed Hansa
says security and convenience were
also high on the priority list; the gym is
flanked by two levels of secure parking
so a lack of bays will never get in the way
of your brawn-chasing ambitions.
Hansa says the goal was to create
a space that isn’t just a place to work
out, but also somewhere to relax,
field work calls or just enjoy a coffee
30m
30
before embarking on the 9-to-5. While
the minimalist, dungeon-bound
strongmen might argue that scenery
doesn’t matter, it’s hard to argue that
this architectural feat won’t inspire
your own feats of strength. Sprinting track
Free weights area
JAN/FEB 2023 111 MH.CO.ZA
MH TRAINER GYM OF THE MONTH
SQUAD UP
RYDA FITNESS IS A PLACE TO CONNECT,
SWEAT AND GET FIT TOGETHER—HERE’S WHY
YOU SHOULD SNAG A MEMBERSHIP.
S
tudies on the benefits of
exercising together have
discovered that those who
engage in regular group
“sweat” therapy have
significant gains over the lone
wolves. It’s this science that backs
Ryda’s approach to those mandatory
exertions. Gymgoers are encouraged
to tap into group classes (which
emphasise high intensity interval
training) so that they can feed off the
“gees”. And the owner, Ryan Botha,
says it’s a certified method to achieve
next-level results.
“We get all types of people walking
in here, and they all find a space
for themselves—they love it,” says
Botha. The trick? There is no trick:
it’s just making sure every visitor
gets personalised attention from the
qualified PTs leading the charge.
Enter the doors and you’ll be greeted
by a no-frills-but-inviting space that
seeks to put you to work ASAP. Among
those training in this bastion to fitness
you’ll find professional rugby players,
weekend warriors and dads just trying
to shed the dreaded boep. “The point
BEST
GYMS IN
SA
FEB ‘23
is that you’re going to feel welcome, no
matter where you’re at fitness-wise,”
says Botha. Featuring two studios and Personal trainers with
a personal training area outfitted with more than 40 years of
everything from weights to assault combined experience
bikes, there’s a glut of tools for you to
achieve your goals. Trainers are on
hand for classes, or just to share their
expertise: “All of them have sporting
backgrounds, so they know what it
takes to push your body hard without
breaking,” says Botha. “We’re not
driven by sixpacks here, we’re driven
by health—and that’s always the
priority,” he adds.
For those hoping to train
alone, there’s an added fee
Ryda Fitness
for access to the functional
rydafitness.com
spaces. But Botha has
limited the lone wolves to a 43 De Villiers Ave, District
pack of just 20. “That makes Six, Cape Town
sure the place is never too
350m
350
full, so you can feel like Membership Fees
2
you are able to train the vary based on the number
way you want to,” he says. of classes. R100pm nets
IMAGES SUPPLIED
Thankfully, there’s you access to train with
a waiting list if you’re a PT (hourly rates excl.)
hoping to add your name to
this list of chosen elite. Training Space
JAN/FEB 2023 112 MH.CO.ZA
MH CLASSIFIED

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JAN/FEB 2023 113 MH.CO.ZA

MH TRAINER THE FINISHER
PULL ROW
TO
YOUR
WEIGHT
GROW
THE ROWING MACHINE IS
GOOD FOR MORE THAN
A CARDIO BEASTING—
TRANSFORM IT INTO
A STRENGTH TOOL AND GET
BIGGER ARMS IN JUST 15
MINUTES. DON’T THINK IT’S
POSSIBLE? TAKE A SEAT.
THE FORMAT
Row as many metres as you
can in 30 seconds. Then,
with your hands on the
rower seat (maybe give
it a quick wipe-down before
you start), perform as
many push-ups as possible
to failure in the same
amount of time. Repeat this
formidable combination for
15 minutes. Your score is
the metres you have rowed
multiplied by your total
number of push-ups. Aim
for 225 000 (1.5K row times
150 push-ups). Strap in.
02
ARM YOURSELF
Resting your hands on
the rower seat places
them closer than in
normal push-ups, which
increases the tension in
your triceps. For T-shirt-
bursting muscle, lower
under control for three
seconds, pause for
a second as your
chest touches
the slide, then
explode up.
JAN/FEB 2023 114
START HERE
01
TIMING THE PULL
“Don’t pull too early with
your arms,” advises MH
UK Fitness Editor Andrew
Tracey. Think of them as
hooks for the first part
of the move: your legs
are far stronger, so let
them take most of the
load. When your legs are
almost straight, pull the
handle hard towards your
sternum. Push it back,
letting the momentum
glide you in.
03
STAY CONSISTENT
Don’t blow out too early,
as your subsequent
efforts will suffer. Try
to maintain roughly the
same number of metres
WORDS: MICHAEL JENNINGS | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES
for every row and stay
in the same ballpark for
your push-up reps. The
combination of a high
heart rate from the rowing
and high rep counts
with your push-ups will
guarantee an arm pump
unlike any other. As good
an excuse as any for
popping your top off.
FINISH
MH.CO.ZA
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