Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Men's Fitness UK

When we featured the mankini-wearing, Marvel baddie Sacha Baron Cohen on our August front cover, we could never have expected the global coverage that issue would receive. It made every national newspaper in the UK and abroad; magazines around the world wanted the images; even Youtubers were talking about Sacha and his amazing transformation. But one canny editor at The Daily Mail had a different take: surely, she said, it’s not possible to go from dad bod to fitness cover model in a matter of a few weeks? It was a gauntlet that this month’s cover star - journalist Guy Adams - was only too happy to run with. Working with former cover stars and MF contributors, Jason Smith and Chris Baber, Guy set out to transform his physique with…

FRONT Deltoids 1. Medial deltoid (middle) 2. Anterior deltoid (front) Pectorals 3. Pectoralis major 4. Pectoralis minor (beneath the pectoralis major) Biceps 5. Biceps brachii 6. Brachialis Forearms 7. Brachioradialis 8. Flexor carpi radialis Abdominals 9. Serratus anterior 10. Rectus abdominis 11. External oblique 12. Internal oblique (beneath external oblique) 13. Transversus abdominis (beneath internal oblique) Quadriceps 14. Vastus lateralis 15. Rectus femoris 16. Vastus intermedius (beneath rectus femoris) 17. Vastus medialis BACK Traps 1. Trapezius Back 2. Teres major 3. Rhomboid (beneath trapezius) Deltoids 4. Rotator cuff (beneath deltoids) 5. Posterior deltoid (back) Lats 6. Latissimus dorsi Triceps 7. Triceps brachii long head 8. Triceps brachii lateral head 9. Triceps brachii medial head Lower back 10. Erector spinae Glutes 11. Gluteus maximus Hamstrings 12. Biceps femoris 13. Semitendinosus 14.…

Used for decades by Russian soldiers, kettlebells have become fashionable in the decadent West over the past few years and with good reason. Their top-mounted handle makes them ideal for ballistic, swinging movements, giving workout options that are tough to replicate with dumbbells or a bar. Because moves like the swing, snatch and clean use virtually every muscle, they can be done for low reps to build full-body explosiveness, or ultra-high reps (50 in a set isn’t uncommon) to burn cardio and fat. But there’s more. Since the 1700s, farmers and strongmen have been using lifts like the windmill and bent-over press to show off their strength and coordination, and incorporating them into your routine will help you build muscles you barely knew you had. Want to get strong, explosive…

1a Kettlebell goblet squat Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 3111 Rest 0sec Hold a kettlebell by the bell with both hands. Keeping your back straight and chest up, lower into a deep squat. Drive through your heels to stand. Coach says “Pairing slow, controlled exercises with explosive ones in a superset format is pretty brutal, but it’s a great way to reach energy system fatigue very quickly, helping you to maximise hypertrophy while also providing a bonus fatburning hit. If you can’t feel it in your legs by the end, you’re not working hard enough.” 1b Dumbbell jump squat Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1000 Rest 60sec Holding fairly light dumbbells, squat until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, then jump upwards explosively. Bend your knees to cushion…

“All calories are equal You’ve probably heard the old adage about your body being like a bath, where all you have to do is let out (or burn off) more calories than you put in. But the reality is a bit more complex. “Different food types travel through separate metabolic pathways in the body, and have varying effects on hunger levels, hormones and the brain, some of which have nothing to do with their calorific value,” says nutritionist Kris Gunnars (authoritynutrition.com). It’s the difference between drinking a can of fizzy pop and eating a pair of poached eggs. One is packed with sugar, so will spike your blood sugar levels – causing you to store fat rather than burn it – far more than the other, even though they contain…

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If you feel acute pain at any time during your workout, stop Don’t be tempted to work through the pain. If you do, you could end up making a small problem significantly worse. Maintain perfect form for every rep of every exercise Each exercise in this book comes with detailed notes on form so make sure you study them closely before you begin. The first time you do a lift, pick a weight you can manage easily Concentrate on perfecting the form first – you can increase the weight over time. Choosing a weight that’s too heavy is the fastest way to cut your training short through injury.…

There’s one thing you need to understand before you start your workout quest for a six-pack. Doing endless crunches is not going to give you six-pack abs. There are two reasons for this. First of all, they’ll do nothing to remove the layer of body fat that is currently covering your midsection (unless your body fat is as low as eight per cent). Second, they don’t adequately work all the muscles of your midsection. So, to get that cover model look, you need to do big moves that burn fat. Then you complement them with abs moves that really test the target muscles, such as the ones in this section. 1 Vertical twist Sets 4 Reps 10 Blast your abs from top to bottom and hit your internal obliques as…

1a Pull-up Sets3 Reps8 Tempo 2000 Rest 0sec Grasp a bar with an overhand grip so your palms are facing away from you and your hands are twice shoulder-width apart. Contract your upper back muscles to pull your sternum towards the bar, then lower under control. 1b Plank with dumbbell lateral raise Sets 3 Reps 8 each side Tempo 2110 Rest 4sec Start in the top press-up position, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your core braced to control rotation and your arm straight, lift one dumbbell out to the side until it’s level with your shoulder, then lower under control. Repeat on the other side. 2a Dumbbell press-up Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 3030 Rest 0sec Start in the top press-up position with a dumbbell in each hand.…

Upper - and lower-body workouts Increasing the amount of weight you’re lifting from week to week is crucial. Ideally you want to be reaching failure – the point at which you’re unable to complete another rep with good form – on the final rep of the final set of each exercise. If you’re failing before this, reduce the weight you’re lifting till you can complete the specified number of sets and reps without failing, then increase it incrementally from there. Conversely, if you’re hitting the specified sets and reps without failing, increase the weight you’re lifting. The amount you can lift will increase as you build more muscle and get stronger.  Month 2: Add a fourth set for each exercise. Month 3: Add a fifth set and slow the tempo…

Bread Buns, baguettes, bagels… however you slice it, most dough-based products will send your blood sugar levels soaring. Opt for products made exclusively from wholegrains instead, such as Schneider Brot Organic Rye & Sunflower Seed Bread (waitrose.com). Energy drinks Sports drinks such as Lucozade have their place – specifically, when you’re an hour into a run and your body’s crying out for glucose – but otherwise they’re just adding unnecessary carbs. For a natural boost, green tea contains caffeine and recovery-enhancing polyphenols. Cereal It’s a breakfast staple, but even supposedly “healthier” options containing fruit and / or fibre can be brimming with sugar – a typical bowl contains up to 20% of your RDA. Porridge oats, on the other hand, provide slow-release energy to power your morning. Margarine One of…

People who walk for a total of more than 100 minutes each day have a 23% lower risk of back problems than those who walk 78 minutes or less, say the findings of research at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. It’s well-proven that exercise is good for your back, but until now it wasn’t clear whether the low-intensity walking we do through the course of a day also helps. The study involved attaching sensors to the thigh and lower back of over 11,000 participants to measure the volume and intensity of daily walking. Back and neck problems affect 11% of the UK population and cost the NHS around £5bn each year so any measures we can take to protect ourselves are worth serious consideration. The causes are many…

When Daily Mail journalist Guy Adams’s editor saw the transformation Sacha Baron Cohen underwent in Men’s Fitness, she challenged him to go from ‘Dad Bod’ to cover model fitness. Here’s how he did it…(plus we witness the transformation at the shoot for this month’s cover!) Guy Adams, 47, from Monmouthshire, Wales, is no stranger to deadlines, tough investigative assignments, a lack of sleep and the occasional takeaway dinner. But in September 2025 the journalist was tasked with a different kind of challenge: transforming his body, fitness, and mindset. The goal wasn’t just aesthetics - it was energy, confidence, and reclaiming control over his health. All courtesy of a challenge thrown down by his newspaper editor. “We’d seen the amazing transformation Sacha Baron Cohen underwent to appear on the cover of…

Finding it tough to eat right or pick up the dumbbells? Don’t worry. Recent studies have shown willpower isn’t something you have – it’s something you build through practice. Here’s how to get it done, and make your new good habits automatic. Accept that habits rule your life Don’t try to resist habits: try to change them. A study published by Duke University in the US found that 40% of participants’ daily actions weren’t the result of conscious decisions, but ingrained behaviour. Not having to make decisions all the time will also help you to conserve your brain power to focus on other things. The takehome message: make your habits good ones and life will be better. Work willpower like a muscle Multiple studies have shown that, in the short…

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1a Dumbbell bent-over row Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1040 Rest 0sec Bend your knees slightly and hinge forwards from the hips, keeping your back slightly concave and your shoulder blades back throughout. Holding the dumbbells with an overhand grip just outside your legs, pull the weights up to your lower sternum, then lower slowly. 1b Kettlebell single-arm overhead press Sets 3 Reps 10 each side Tempo 1030 Rest 45sec Hold a kettlebell at shoulder height, with the bell resting on the back of your wrist and your core braced. Press it over your head, locking out your arm at the top, then lower to the start. Complete all reps on one side before repeating on the other. 2a Dumbbell gym ball chest press Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1030…

Let’s get one thing straight – despite what anyone might say, you don’t have to take supplements to build muscle or lose weight, provided you’re eating a wholefood-based diet that’s high in protein and contains plenty of vegetables. But what supplements will do is allow you to maximise the gains you make at the gym, helping you to get stronger, faster and – crucially – recover quicker. Here’s our guide to some of the key supplements. Arginine This non-essential amino acid is produced naturally in the body and improves performance by increasing nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide is a powerful vasodilator, which means it widens your blood vessels, increasing blood flow to the muscles and enabling better delivery of nutrients and oxygen to promote muscle recovery and growth during weights…