2019-08-01_Men_s_Health_South_Africa

MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019 109

THE NERVE

RACKER

WHEN YOUR BRAIN

IS ON HIGH ALERT

SEVEN DAYS A

WEEK, FAT LOSS CAN

SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.

STRENGTH AND

CONDITIONING

COACH ANDY REAY

HAS THE ANSWERS.

“You’ve heard of cortisol,

the stress hormone, right?

Well, when levels become

chronically high, it can trigger

enzymes that instruct your

fat cells to grow, obscuring

your abs. It also makes sleep

more elusive, which limits the

amount of testosterone you

produce – and the pay-off you

get from exercise.

“Fortunately, there are

numerous things you can do

to solve the problem. First,

deal with any irregular eating

patterns you might have.

Every time you eat, your body

releases the hormone insulin,

which counteracts cortisol,

so a “little and often” eating

routine is wiser than working

through your lunch and

overcompensating later.

“If you’ve been feeling

fatigued for a while, serious

graft will probably compound

your stress, making it harder

• not easier – to achieve
  your abs. On weekdays, try
  something low impact, such
  as swimming; or if you’re
  strength training, do a high-
  rep, low-weight routine. Save
  heavy sessions for Sundays, if
  you like.
  "One tool used by athletes
  is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
  monitoring. By tracking
  the time between your
  heartbeats, an app such as

Elite HRV is able to estimate

whether your body is fatigued

or under stress, allowing

you to tailor your training

accordingly.

“Finally, there are

supplements that can help

you. They won’t make up

for poor lifestyle habits,

but magnesium, vitamin

C and the lesser-known

phosphatidylserine – a

component of your cells’

membranes – can help to

bring down your stress levels.

Take a deep breath – your

six-pack goal is now one less

thing for you to worry about.”

HEAVYWEIGHT ABS WORKOUT

If it’s good for your psyche, do away with “cardio days”

altogether. With intelligent structuring, you can turn

your regular resistance routine into a fat-scorcher. This

session’s AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) structure

burns through fat and will keep your metabolism high

for 24 hours. Blast through the two moves within the

set time period, taking no rest (that’s kind of the point).

Break for a full five minutes at the end of each round to

ensure you’re training at optimum intensity.

B1 / Farmer’s Walk

40m

C1 / Dumbbell Bench

Press / 10-12 Reps

A2 / Lat Pulldown

10-12 Reps

B2 / Push-Up

6-8 Reps

C2 / Sandbag Press

6-8 Reps

15 MIN

10 MIN

A1 / Barbell Front

Squat / 10-12 Reps

15 MIN

THE

PUMP

OBSESSIVE

FOR SOME MEN, ARMS AND CHEST WILL ALWAYS

TAKE PRIORITY. IF A LACK OF CARDIO HAS

ALLOWED YOUR BODY FAT TO CREEP UP, PT ALI

MCKENZIE HAS YOUR BACK.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: LUCKY IF SHARP, DAN MATTHEWS, LOUISA PARRY