2019-08-01_Men_s_Health_South_Africa

MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019 107

THE DEVOUT

DATA GEEK

THOSE GRISLY CARDIO SESSIONS MAY LOOK

GOOD ON YOUR FITBIT AND YOUR VITALITY

ACTIVE REWARDS GRAPH, BUT IF YOU NEGLECT

CORE STRENGTH WORK... EVEN THE LEANEST

OF MEN WILL STRUGGLE TO SEE THEIR ABS.

CORE METRICS

Hitting your six-pack PB is hard without a way to track your progress. Use this chart to keep tabs.

2 / Butterfly Sit-up

20 Reps

Crunch up from the floor with

the soles of your feet together,

knees flared to the sides (A).

Return to the floor for the next

rep (B). This position will help

your abs contract more fully,

as well as open up your hips.

3/ Reverse Crunch

20 Reps

Lie flat with your hands

under your head (A).

Contract your abs to pull

your knees to your chest,

lifting your glutes off the

floor (B). Now, go straight

into those treadmill pushes.

Week 1

Bodyweight

(BW) plank

Week 5

15kg plank

+ BW plank

Week 2

5kg

weighted plank

Week 6

15kg plank

+ 5kg plank

Week 3

10kg

plank

Week 7

15kg plank

+ 10kg plank

Week 4

15kg

plank

Week 8

BW plank

re-test

TRACK

YOUR

TIME

15min

ADVANCED

17.5min

STRONG

20min

AVERAGE

Hold to failure in

every attempt,

and rest for 60

seconds between

sets in the weeks

when you perform

two. Note your

progress between

weeks 1 and 8.

// THE PLANK

CHALLENGE

B

A

A^ A

1/Medicine

Ball Twist

20 Reps

Hold the ball (or a

dumbbell) in front

of you with your

feet lifted, back

straight and belly

tucked (A), then

twist from side

to side (B). Try to

keep your feet up

until you’re done.

HARD-CORE

CARDIO

Dedicating a full

session to planks

and crunches is

joyless – especially

if you think a

workout isn’t worth

doing unless you

can share it on

social. That’s why

PT Ollie Marchon

created a heart-

hammering workout

with a stealthy six-

pack element. Blast

through 1km on a

watt bike, then five

rounds of these abs

moves. In between

rounds, “push” a

treadmill for 20

seconds (while it’s

turned off). Finish

with another 1km

bike sprint. Swear

a little.

B

B

Post your

score to

@MensHealthZA

using the hashtag

#HardCoreCardio