greg plitt - Oxygen Magazine Australia

2015
JAN/FEB
JUNE
2012
MMH
UNLEASH YOUR SUMMER SIX-PACK
P92
GREG
PLITT
&
THE ART OF
STAYING
IN SHAPE
MEN’S
MUSCLE
&
HEALTH
FOR MEN WHO WANT TO LOOK AND PERFORM AT THEIR PEAK
P58
GREG PLITT | SUMMER 2015 | BEACH WORKOUT
2015
GET SHREDDED
THIS SUMMER
ISSUE #7
FULL-BODY BEACH
WORKOUTP78
DISCOVER ECCENTRIC
TRAININGP30
OPTIMISE YOUR
HYDRATION P84
DO YOU
EVEN SQUAT?
FOODS
FOR BETTER
HEALTH
P110
JAN/FEB 2015
WHY YOU NEED THIS ONE POWERFUL MOVE P44
ISSN 2200-968X
EAT BIG ON A BUDGET
P98
9 772200 968008
01
JAN/FEB
2015
JUNE
2012
MMH
UNLEASH YOUR SUMMER SIX-PACK
P92
GREG
PLITT
&
THE ART OF
STAYING
MEN’S
MUSCLE & HEALTH
FOR MEN WHO WANT TO LOOK AND PERFORM AT THEIR PEAK
IN SHAPE
P58
GREG PLITT | SUMMER 2015 | BEACH WORKOUT
2015
GET SHREDDED
THIS SUMMER
ISSUE #7
FULL-BODY BEACH
WORKOUTP78
DISCOVER ECCENTRIC
TRAININGP30
OPTIMISE YOUR
HYDRATION P84
DO YOU
EVEN SQUAT?
ISSUE
7
FOODS
FOR BETTER
HEALTH
P110
JAN/FEB 2015
WHY YOU NEED THIS ONE POWERFUL MOVE P44
ISSN 2200-968X
EAT BIG ON A BUDGET
P98
58
01
ON THE
COVER
Model: Greg Plitt
Cover Photo: Dallas Olsen
Cover Design: Leo Costa Leite
9 772200 968008
COVER STORY:SUPPLY
& DEMAND: THE ART
OF STAYING IN SHAPE
Internationally renowned fitness super
star and Men’s Muscle & Health cover
model Greg Plitt explains how the key to
achieving your fitness goals is a simple
case of supply and demand.
CONTENTS
TRAINING
FEATURES
NUTRITION
30
LIFT V LOWER
44
84
WORK IT OUT
98
EAT BIG ON A BUDGET
LVR TRAINING
116 WEEKEND WARRIOR: THE
WIDE OPEN OCEAN
50
If you’ve never heard of
negative training before,
you might just be missing
out on the next best training
technique for increasing your
size, strength and power!
Add chains and bands to your
workout and experience the
benefits of Linear Variable
Resistance training (LVR).
Our resident physio Stent Card
explains the exercise anatomy
of the squat, and why this is
one powerful move you can’t
train without!
With the sun beating down
on you and the wind pushing
waves across your bow, sea
kayaking is an intersection of
brute physical activity and the
natural environment.
122 FROM THE GROUND UP
This leg day routine is
designed to go hard on the
front of the thighs, giving you
a solid foundation for the rest
of your body and provides
your legs with a challenge
and the chance to grow.
DO YOU EVEN SQUAT?
120 YOUR GUIDE: BUST OUT OF
YOUR PLATEAU
Plateau occurs when your
body adapts to whatever
training and diet you’re giving
it. Here are some areas to
consider in order to bust out of
your plateau today!
88
Are you struggling to recover
after your workouts? The issue
may lie in poor nutritional
status and hydration practices.
Is there a way to eat big when
you are on a budget? You know
it. Here are some tricks of the
trade that you’ll need to know.
MOTIVATION
36
PROGRAM RESTART
We share some suggestions
to give you “the edge” and
approach your exercise
program with a broader
perspective.
125 BECOMING IMMORTAL
In this lesson we learn how to
free ourselves from ourselves,
by becoming “immortal”!
132 STAYING IN SHAPE AROUND
THE WORLD
MMH Ambassador Sonny
Brown gives you the hot tips
to keeping fit on your next
overseas adventure!
22
139
EVERY ISSUE>>>
14 LATEST HEALTH NEWS
130
18 NUTRITION NEWS
20 FITNESS NEWS
22 HEALTH CHECK
26 BODY PART EXPLAINED
88 SEASONAL TRAINING
104 UNIQUE FITNESS APPROACH
107 CAREER STORY
112 AUSSIE PROFILE
125 MONEY
128STUFF
130 MMH BEAUTY
136 INTERNATIONAL PROFILE
122
107
140EXHALE
142SUBSCRIPTIONS
78
MOTIVATION
By Geoff Edwards
Have you ever been in
a situation where you
wanted the ultimate edge
for success and it eluded
you? This could have been
in your own personal life,
in business or in sport. If
you are in the business of
high performance - whether
individually, in teams, sport
or at the workplace - it is
important to take note
of messages you receive
daily. Are they giving you
the “edge” you need? Or
is there a shadow lurking
that comes up under
pressure? By suppressing
this “shadow” it could come
up at the wrong time and
affect your performance as
an individual. The following
article shares some
suggestions you may like to
consider about giving you
“the edge” and approaching
your exercise program with
a broader perspective.
36 JAN/FEB 2015 | Men’s Muscle & Health
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
PROGRAM
RESTART
“The way you see the world
is based on your mental
images, sounds and feelings.
By shrinking the ones you
don’t want and expanding the
ones you do want you can
create amazing changes.”
MOTIVATION
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
Personal Power
The first step to improving your
own performance is to look at your
own “Personal Power” and how
it might vary on a daily basis. The
foundation for Personal Power
comes from your identity, values
and needs. Based on earlier work of
the psychologist Abraham Maslow,
a hierarchy of needs was identified
- starting with basic needs such
as food, clothing and shelter; and
then moving through to selfactualisation. When we know
this, we have an understanding
of how to manage ourselves and
what we need in our lives. Also, if
you have unmet needs and they
are not satisfied, these needs
could become suppressed and
people sometimes then resort to
other things as a “cover-up” i.e.
alcohol, smoking etc. We can also
find opportunities to pass on this
“shadow effect” of unmet needs
to others, which can cause issues
in relationships, team performance
or in business situations. So, it is
important to allow all of your needs
to be satisfied as this “is your true
character”.
Another important aspect of
Personal Power is your state and
how you feel daily. By being in
tune with your emotions, your
physiology and what drives you,
you can empower yourself. It’s
important to take note of how you
feel daily and whether you are
totally driven or distracted and
to note what distracts you. Also,
what are your beliefs, attitudes and
behaviours when you are feeling
distracted? Knowing patterns of
behaviour and how you operate
daily leads to new awareness and
growth. Studying and practising
the habits of successful and
driven individuals creates the right
mindset for success. In addition,
by arranging a support network on
your journey to success, you can
increase your drive and motivation.
Keep it in Balance
We all live very busy lives and one
of the most important steps to take
when your life feels unbalanced is
to check where your life is headed
today. So, find a quiet place and
close your eyes for a few minutes
to reflect on your life. When you’re
ready, imagine climbing into the
basket of a hot air balloon and
taking a virtual ride. As you float
into the air over your life, what
do you see? What do your days
and nights look like? Where’s
the activity? Where’s the stress?
Where’s the joy? Who are you?
Does what you see align with
what you’d like your life to look
like? When you’re ready, gently
float back down for a safe landing.
Take note of this as it will assist
with developing your own Life
Wheel and where there may be
an imbalance. Putting too much
energy into one area may lead
to shortfalls and unhappiness
elsewhere.
“The key to high
performance
and sustained
success is to
have a support
network around
you of likeminded people.”
Laser Focus
Our daily habits either make us or
break us. If you had a look over
the past week and identified what
proportion of your time was spent
on high-focus activities that are
important for you versus just doing
urgent tasks, meetings, emails,
requests, phone calls etc., I am
sure you would be amazed. The
starting point to achieving laser
focus is to have a plan: this can be
simple or complex. For example,
having three inspiring goals for this
year and a 90-day action plan, and
ensuring that it is in front of you
always, is a great start i.e. loaded
on to your smartphone.
A planned approach will ensure
you feel in control of your life
and help set your attitude on a
weekly basis. Once you include
a balanced view in your weekly
plan, you can then make decisions
based on this. For example, rather
than responding to every request,
you can create a space between
the stimulus and the response
before you act; this gives you the
opportunity to design your life
based on your true values. You
also need to decide what is in your
circle of influence/circle of concern
i.e. is this your responsibility
or should someone else handle
it? Overall, it is important to be
aware of how you are relating to
situations that present themselves
in your life and then develop your
own Personal Development Plan
for ultimate success.
Men’s Muscle & Health | JAN/FEB 2015 37
COVER PROFILE
SUPPLY
& DEMAND
THE ART OF GETTING
IN SHAPE
BY GREG PLITT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DALLAS OLSEN
I
IN A WORLD WHERE TRAINING AND DIET INFORMATION IS EVERYWHERE, IT’S HARD TO KNOW
WHAT TO BELIEVE. BUT WHAT IF SOMEONE TOLD YOU THE KEY TO ACHIEVING YOUR FITNESS
GOALS WAS A SIMPLE CASE OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND? INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED FITNESS
SUPERSTAR AND MEN’S MUSCLE & HEALTH COVER MODEL GREG PLITT EXPLAINS...
n the world we live in there
is currently a $3 trillion
wellness boom and everyone regardless of gender, age, race
or career - is trying to maintain
their sense of youth and longevity.
Gym-goers of all types are trying
to get results from their efforts,
and we hear countless stories
about workout routines, training
splits, supplements and the ABCs
of nutrition. What we never hear
about is the basic principal of
supply and demand that I believe,
at the end of the day, is the make
or break of your efforts turning into
progress.
For most people, change doesn’t
occur in life until they are given
a reason for change. It isn’t until
they start to lose what they value
that a demand is created and they
make a 180-degree turn towards
58 JAN/FEB 2015 | Men’s Muscle & Health
progress. Like Albert Einstein once
said, insanity is when one does the
same thing over and over again
and expects different results…
one must change one’s actions
if the results are to change. That
demand is what drives change and,
in the art of getting in shape, it
goes a step further than the basic
business 101 philosophy.
The bottom line is that we do not
grow in the gym; we only give
our body a reason and demand to
grow. That demand is a must in the
process of growth, but a distant
second in the equation of physical
change when considering the
‘supply’ factor. We grow outside
the gym with the ‘supply’ of rest
and nutrition. Take for example
the metaphor of building a stone
wall; you have stone and mortar
mix. The stone cannot remain on a
vertical wall without the cohesive
element of the mortar. In order for
the mortar mix to become a strong
binding element, it must have a
chemical reaction with water… and
that is all we can hope for from our
efforts in the gym. We simply take
our mortar mix (aka, our muscles),
apply water (our workout routine
and sweat equity of intensity) and
stir. At the end of a good workout
our muscles are nothing more than
a weak, pasty form of mortar mix
which, in its current state, isn’t
strong enough to hold a stone
against gravity on a vertical wall.
But, given the proper amount of
time, support and air to dry the
mix, it will cure to a state strong
enough to hold stone against
gravity for a lifetime.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
COVER PROFILE
“
Being in shape and maintaining
your shape is not guesswork, it is a
mathematical system of intensity back
loaded with information.
”
Men’s Muscle & Health | JAN/FEB 2015 59
WORKOUT
Demonstrated by Joel Bushby
Images by Dallas Olsen
his
Get shredded tthis
summer with ach
total body be
workout!
78 JAN/FEB 2015 | Men’s Muscle & Health
WORKOUT
THERE IS NOTHING MORE EXHILARATING THAN GETTING
OUTSIDE IN THE SUN AND FRESH AIR AND GETTING THAT
BLOOD PUMPING. THIS WORKOUT WILL LEAVE YOU SWEATY,
SANDY AND SMILING FROM EAR TO EAR (AFTER YOU’VE
RECOVERED, OF COURSE)! MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER
SUNSCREEN AND BE SURE TO DRINK LOTS OF WATER DURING
THE DAY TO REPLENISH ANY FLUIDS LOST. EXERCISE IS A
NATURAL HIGH, SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO KICK OFF YOUR
SUMMER THAN WITH A FEW OUTDOOR WORKOUTS. AND THE
BEST PART? YOU CAN FINISH OFF YOUR BEACH SESSION WITH
A REFRESHING DIP IN THE OCEAN!
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Jumping Squat
420
Sprints - 40m
420
Push-ups
420
DB squat press
420
Men’s Muscle & Health | JAN/FEB 2015 79
NUTRITION
WHY POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION IS
ESSENTIAL TO YOUR RECOVERY
A
re you struggling to recover after
your workouts? The issue may
lie in poor nutritional status and
hydration practices.
When you are highly active and
training regularly, your hydration and
nutritional needs may be higher than that
of sedentary individuals. Research shows
that replenishment of lost nutrients and
water is essential to peak conditioning
and recovery.
To ensure efficient recovery after training,
you must consume a well-balanced,
84 JAN/FEB 2015 | Men’s Muscle & Health
nutrient-dense diet on a daily basis.
Post-workout, special attention should
be paid to the consumption of protein,
carbohydrates, water and electrolytes
(when required). In addition, further
nutrients taken in supplemental doses
can further promote recovery, energy
production processes and overall
wellbeing.
Here are a number of suggestions from
the experts on what to consume postworkout to help assist your recovery.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
By Steve Eddey, Principal of Health Schools Australia,
and Belinda Reynolds, Dietician and Nutritionist Isowhey® Sports
NUTRITION
PROTEIN
It is well known that
training causes damage
to your muscle fibres
and puts other forms
of stress on the body,
which forces it to adapt.
These processes are
all essential parts of
increasing strength
and fitness, however
in the absence of
good nutrition the
body’s inbuilt recovery
mechanisms may be
inadequate, and this
could impede the ability
to reach your true
potential.
Protein provides the
amino acids which are
the building blocks of
muscle, and special
attention should be paid
to consuming sufficient
amounts on a daily
basis as a part of every
meal and snack. Whey
is a popular supplement
for those looking to
supplement their diet
with additional
protein.
Its great amino acid
profile includes high
amounts of the branched
chain amino acids
(BCAAAs) known to
be the most important
for stimulating muscle
protein growth.
Protein supplements
are routinely consumed
post-workout, and
rightly so, but remember
that the muscle recovery
process continues
for at least 12 hours
following training and
therefore it is ideal to
take in an additional
20g of protein every
three hours during this
extended period. There
are also recent findings
that suggest consuming
a small amount of
easily digestible
protein (together with
carbohydrates) during
a session to further
enhance
recovery
and performance in
subsequent training
sessions.
In addition, good gut
health is essential
to achieving peak
condition. Consumption
of L-glutamine and
probiotics, both of
which promote intestinal
health, have been shown
to support better muscle
recovery and enhanced
immune health. Good
digestion also ensures
you get the most value
out of the nutrients you
consume, and reduces
gut upset during highintensity training
sessions.
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Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
GLYCOGEN STORES
Glycogen, the carbohydrate that is
stored in your liver and muscles, is
a polysaccharide that serves as an
energy storehouse in your body.
Your muscles convert glycogen
into usable energy and your body
utilises that glycogen throughout
the day. This is why it is important
to maintain optimal nutrition to
keep those stores replenished as
when you exercise those stores are
quickly depleted.
Eating high-GI carbohydrates postworkout is essential for initiating
muscle glycogen synthesis and
replenishing your glycogen
stores. If you don't replenish those
stores, your body will not be able
to recover effectively and your
performance may suffer during
your next workout. Note: postworkout is the ideal time to eat
high-GI carbs such as bananas.
The best timeframe to replenish
your glycogen stores with
carbohydrate-rich foods is within
the 30 minutes following your
workout. Post-workout your blood
flow is increased and your muscle
cells are more sensitive to insulin,
which is why you will get the best
results if you consume foods then.
Make sure that the carbohydrates
you consume are whole foods and
high-GI. Try to avoid anything that
contains additives such as sugar,
salt or artificial colourings.
Men’s Muscle & Health | JAN/FEB 2015 85