22 MEN’S FITNESS JUNE 2017
Fitness
BreakthroughsThe best way to build
a bigger and stronger
chest is to do more
incline barbell bench
presses in your chest-
focused sessions.
Research published in
theEuropean Journal
Of Sport Sciencefound
that a 30% incline on
the bench recruited
more muscle fibres
any other degree
nch incline or
ne. The authors
mmend doing
y sets of flat
h presses first,
doing sets of
e presses.Researchers believe carbs can
bolster your health and promote
faster recovery from exercise
because they stabilise blood sugar
levels during particularly gruelling
workouts, which lowers your body’s
stress response. But there’s a catch:
Those carbs make a difference only in
longer training sessions. While you can
certainly work up a great sweat during
shorter sessions, researchers say
you need carbs only during high-
intensity or prolonged exercise of
90 minutes or more. Eat 30–60 grams
of carbohydrates every hour during
exercise to support healthy immune
function. (Journal of Applied Physiology)Carb up for
the long run
(literally)
How can I add lean
mass to my chest?BE A PRISE
WINNER
■ We k now i t ’s a
pain in the arse to
plan meals and
nutrient intake,
but researchers at
Skidmore College
in the US found
that timing protein
intake, prioritising
antioxidants and
balancing strength
training with cardio
work can up your
fitness level and
make your arse —
and your abs — look
significantly better.
It’s called PRISE
— short for Protein-
pacing, Resistance
exercise, Interval
sprints, Stretching
and Endurance
exercise — and in the
study, they showed
that it not only
boosted the fitness of
already physically fit
Ask Men’s Fitness
A 30% bench
ncline will max
your gains.folks but also cut
total body fat mass
and abdominal fat,
while improving
lean body mass
and metabolic and
heart health.
In the 12-week
study, experienced
gym goers consumed
modest amounts of
protein throughout
the day (protein
pacing) and then
exercised four times a
week. One group took
a bit more protein
(1g vs 2g/kg of body
weight per day) and
added in antioxidant-
rich supplements.
All subjects showed
improvement in
fitness, including
healthier blood
vessels, more upper-
body strength and
endurance, and better
core strength — but
the antioxidant group
exhibited the most
improvement.GO HARD,
BUT NOT
TOO HARDYou don’t need to
do the ballsiest
CrossFit WODs
to improve heart
health — just doing
“moderate” routines
can provide major
payoff s, a new
study says.
Researchers
looked at the
records of more
than 10,000 people
and found that
simply improving
from a low
fi tness level to an
intermediate or high
level made men 44%
less likely to die
from an early death
than layabouts who
glued themselves to
their couch.
(Mayo Clinic
Proceedings)Eat 30g-60g
carbs an hour
during exercise.