MEATY MUSCLE7 PROTEIN-LOADED

SANDWICHES!P. 52

ZAC EFRON’S

WHOLE-FOODS

WEIGHT LOSS

SECRET

ADVANTAGEEXPLOSIVE POWER FROM A SINGLE LIFT!

DETOX FOR ATHLETES

P.36

8-PACK

ABSIN 18 DAYS YOUR FULL-BODY, NO-CRUNCH PLAN

BUILD ARMS

BODY FAT!A 7-POINT TACTICAL ASSAULT

Our Best-Selling Protein of All Time

• 60g whey isolates & hydrolysates

• Increase strength by up to 30%*

• 1DWXUDO�FRORUV��Ŵ�DYRUV�DQG�VZHHWHQHUV

AMPLIFIED WHEYBOLIC

EXTREME 60™ ORIGINAL

WHIP SUMMER

INTO SHAPE

JUST ASK. WE MAKE IT SIMPLE.

Darin V. / GNC Sales Director

Loves Obstacle Course Races

NATURAL

*An 8-week study of athletes performing an intense resistance exercise training regimen demonstrated that those using this proprietary module of whey protein and leucine had greater increases in muscle strength and size than those on placebo.

Andrew S. / GNC Analytics Specialist

Fitness Adventure Seeker

Flip to Center

of Magazine for

Your Exclusive

10COUPON

$

You want the best. It’s why you demand better nutrition and strive

for better results. Quality matters—you get it, we got it.

That’s why we’re giving you this special edition of Men’s Fitness with unique

FRQWHQW�FUHDWHG�MXVW�IRU�*1&��,WōV�QRW�RQ�WKH�VKHOI��,WōV�QRW�RQ�0HQVƓ�WQHVV�FRP��

It’s simple: it’s exclusive, and it’s just for special customers like you.

Whatever your goal is this Summer, we’re here to help.

We’re glad you’re here. See you again soon!

YOUR REWARD FOR BEING AWESOME

THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

CHOOSE YOUR C4.P E R F O R M A N C E E N E R G Y F O R E V E R Y G OA L*

13 Game ChangersTry this pair of mighty, protein-packed sandwiches.

16 Build StrengthCluster training is the easy path to signifi-cant muscle gains.

22 Eat GreatChocolate helps you think better; the truth about egg yolks; and much, much more.

26 Get FitMore and more athletes are turning to Pilates. Here’s why you should too.

30 Hot ProductsOne supp to help improve your focus, plus four fat-spiking pre-workout options.

32 Drop PoundsThe science of stay-ing slim…explained.

36 SpotlightA new supplement to help make your liver fitter.

38 Build a Baywatch Body The Zac Efron workout.

46 The Flaherty Formula Training advice from the world’s foremost fitness expert.

52 The Next Burger Boom The newest, most adventurous ab-friendly burgers ever.

58 Crunch- Free AbsOur exclusive plan for getting ripped in just six weeks.

16Use mini sets for

a bigger chest.

52 The California-

style chicken

burger.

38Zac Efron’s

training

secrets.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

®

Detox for Athletes

LIVITAL® SUPPORTS LIVER

FUNCTION in three ways:

1. Supports Phase 2 liver detoxification* 2. Facilitates the elimination of toxins*

3. Provides antioxidant protection for the liver*

Helping your liver run clean, every day, is critical for athletes operating at peak performance levels. A healthy liver plays a critical role in health and performance, burning fat, processing protein required to build and repair muscles and detoxifying metabolic wastes, hormones, and environmental toxins in a three-phase process. Livital® provides antioxidant support for liver tissues while ensuring that there are key co-factors to allow proper support for Phase 2 detoxification. This critical stage is where toxins are neutralized and advanced to the stage of removal from the body. Livital® includes key ingredients that support the body's conjugation

For more information and to find out about the Live with Purpose® programs, visit PurposeNutrition.com. Available at GNC.com or

Describe the perfect protein bar:

Deliciously Satisfying.

Muscle Nourishing.

Crushes Cravings.

Convenient.

No Synthetic Sweeteners.

Dymatize Elite Protein bars are a delicious way to get at least 25 grams of protein, in the gym or on-the-go. Formulated with a combination

of fast-absorbing and slower-digesting proteins,

these bars can feed and nourish muscle to help you

achieve your biggest fitness goals.

Available in 5 amazing flavors, look for the Elite Protein Bar at GNC today! It is the

perfect bar to fuel your workouts, support recovery

or simply enjoy anytime.†

WE COULDN’T AGREE

MORE.

NOSYNTHETIC SWEETENERS

HYDROGENATED OILS

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

†THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION.

THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

Gram amounts will vary by flavor.

© 2016 Dymatize Enterprises LLC. All Rights Reserved.

AMOUNTS PER SERVING:

GLUTENFREE

PROTEIN

28gBCAAS

5gFIBER

4gTRANS FAT

0g

Describe the perfect protein drink :

PROTEIN

40gBCAAS

10.2gSUGAR

0gCARBS

<1g

AMOUNTS PER SERVING:

The power of whey protein isolate is clear.

Introducing a great new way to feed muscle. Now you

can get clean protein on-the-go, without missing a beat.

ISO100® Clear is packed with 100% whey protein isolate,

10.2g of BCAAs and 5.3g of Leucine.†

CLEARLY,WE THOUGHT THE SAME THING.

No Fats or Sugar.40 Grams of Whey Isolate.Hormone Free.*

Clean, Smooth Taste.

†THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION.

THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

Gram amounts will vary by flavor.

Hormone free protein.

© 2016 Dymatize Enterprises LLC. All Rights Reserved.

GLUTEN-

F R E ENO ARTIFICIAL

SWEETENERSC O L O R S • F L A V O R S20G

P R O T E I N

GMO-

F R E E

Freedom to Enjoy.

Indulgent Flavor meets Spot On Nutrition.

@F I TJ OY N U T R I T I O N

Build strengthS

ty

ling

by

De

lvin

Lu

go

; G

ro

om

ing

by

Willia

m M

ur

ph

y/A

te

lier

Ma

na

ge

me

nt u

sin

g D

ior

Ho

mm

e

cluster training

The easy

path

to gains

Build strength

Choose a compound barbell exercise that works the chest, such as a bench press, incline press, or decline press. Choose a load that allows you five reps but perform only two.

Rest 10 seconds and repeat for three more mini sets. Now rest two minutes. That’s one cluster.

Repeat the whole process for five total clusters. You will have done 40 total reps. Compare that with a typical prescription of three sets of five reps (for 15 total reps), and you can see how much more powerful cluster training can be without pushing you to your limit.

Cluster Fix

The answer to

your prayers may

be cluster train-

ing, a method in

which you use

short, interset rest

periods to perform

more reps than you

normally could with

a heavy weight. For

example, instead

of performing a set

of six reps for an

exercise, resting a

few minutes, and

repeating, you could

do three “mini sets”

of three reps with

the same load, rest-

ing up to 20 seconds

between each. That

way, you would do

nine reps with a load

that would normally

allow you only six.

Plus, since you got

to rest so frequently

and do fewer reps at

a clip than you were

capable of, the work

would feel relatively

easier. Because the

total amount of

work you perform is

greater, you’ll apply

a greater stimulus

for muscle gains.

Cluster training

has been popular

among competitive

lifters for decades

for boosting gains,

but new research

has found that

its propensity to

improve the enjoy-

ment of a workout

is worthwhile, too.

Last year, a study in

the Journal of Sports

Sciences compared

cluster training with

traditional lifting

with the single-leg

extension. Subjects

performed four

sets of eight reps

with three minutes’

rest between sets

on one leg and did

clusters of one rep

on the other leg

with 17.4 seconds

rest between each

until 32 total reps

were done. Read:

The work for both

legs was the same,

but the way it was

performed was dif-

ferent.

Both legs gained

strength. However,

the subjects rated

the cluster sets

as less physically

draining.

Jim Smith, C.P.P.S.,

a strength coach

and owner of

dieselsc.com, loves

cluster training but

warns that while

the rest periods for

clusters may seem

cushy, they’re still

training, with

respect to building

endurance and pro-

viding the muscles

with enough time

under mechanical

tension to promote

growth. So, yeah,

you still have to

bust your ass in the

gym sometimes.

Sorry.

sively. “Because of

the heavy weight

and the stress they

put on your body,

you should cycle

clusters in three- to

four-week blocks

only.” Furthermore,

there’s great value

in doing longer-

lasting sets—i.e.,

traditional strength

short. “Take deep

breaths, shake out

your muscles, and

mentally prepare for

the next effort.”

While clusters

may seem like a gift

to those who would

prefer to avoid a

hard, grinding work-

out, Smith says you

can’t do them exclu-

EVERYB ODY LOVES

the results of

lifting weights.

Few people

enjoy the work

of actually lift-

ing. Whether it’s

the straining, the burn, or the

demand it puts on your breath-

ing, the discomfort of hard

training is one of the reasons

people begin to dread going to

the gym and ultimately quit

doing it. But what if there was

a way to train that got you

the same or better results as

a gut-busting workout with

half the effort? Sign us up.

CLUSTER TRAINING LETS YOU PERFORM MORE REPS WITH HEAVIER WEIGHT—AND NOT FEEL IT.

(Not so) dead tired. Performing exercises like

the deadlift as cluster sets

encourages good form by

conserving energy,

A S K M E N ’ S F I T N E S S

green, white, and black tea extracts to boost

your workouts. Add in a dose of glutamine

for extra muscle growth and fat burning, plus

electrolytes to help keep you hydrated and

you’ve got a great formula for gains.

Scivation Xtend Perform is another good

option. It’s filled with 7 grams of BCAAs plus

2 grams of PeakO2, a pat-

ent-pending blend of six com-

pounds (all of which are clini-

cally proven to boost athletic

performance) that help the

body adapt to stress. It also

packs electrolytes and ami-

nos to boost power output and

muscle growth and recovery.

“I’VE REALLY BEEN HITTING IT HARD IN THE GYM THIS SPRING, BUT I’M NOT REALLY SEEING MASSIVE RESULTS. WHAT ARE SOME GOOD SUPPS TO HELP ME RECOVER QUICKER AND BUILD MUSCLE FASTER?”

BOBBY M., FARGO, ND

Recovery and the attendant muscle growth

come faster when you fine-tune your exer-

cise and diet. We suggest try-

ing BPI Sports Best Aminos

w/Energy. This smooth blend

gives you the branched-chain

amino acids (BCAAs) you

need to prompt muscle pro-

tein synthesis and recovery,

along with clean energy from

It’s the scientific

discovery of your

dreams: New research

has determined that,

aside from lowering your cho-

lesterol, your risk of stroke,

and the probability you’ll die of

heart disease, eating chocolate

frequently—go for 7 oz a week,

or 1 oz a day—actually improves

your brain’s cognitive function-

ing. ¶ The study, reported in the

journal Appetite, used data from

an existing study to compare

how often subjects ate specific

foods with how high they scored

on a range of cognitive tests. And

the frequent chocolate eaters

knocked it out of the park, doing

significantly better on memory,

organization, and abstract rea-

soning tests than subjects who

treated themselves less often.

¶ It’s chocolate’s antioxidant-

heavy flavonols that are the real

brain food, researchers believe.

Though that’s no excuse to fill

your fists with Milky Way and

Snickers bars. Dark chocolate

has the most flavonols, so look

for bars labeled 60% or higher.

Pretty sweet news:

Chocolate helps you

think better

Eat Protein for Sweet Dreams

Q��Sure, protein’s a

supermacro that,

along with its other

duties, repairs and

builds muscle after

intense exercise.

But it may have a

more surprising job:

helping you get a

good night’s sleep.

Researchers at

Columbia U. fed two

groups of subjects

different meals

to find out which

combination pro-

moted the best

z’s: One group got

high-fiber, extra-

high-protein, low-

saturated-fat fare,

while the other ate

a diet that was high

in saturated fat and

sugar and low in

fiber and protein.

Outcome: The

high-protein,

characterizes sleep

disorders.

To sleep well, get

about 1 gram of pro-

tein daily for each

pound you weigh.

low-fat group fell

asleep in less than

20 minutes and

spent much lon-

ger periods in deep

sleep (for which

their immune

systems said,

“Thanks, bro!”).

But the poor

saps in the fat-

and-sugar group

took almost a half

hour to nod off

and got the kind of

crappy sleep that

Dark victory. Antioxidants in

chocolate help your

brain reason, orga-

nize, and remember.

I

Eat great

T R Y T H I S

Even the most disciplined guys sometimes blow off a nutritious meal for something quick and bad. If this sounds like you, you need a good multivitamin for those days when your diet isn’t stellar. One good option: the GNC Pro Performance AMP Men’s Strength Vitapak Program.

This is not your father’s ho-hum multi—the Vitapak is filled with high-quality formulas to support intense training and improve athletic performance. Con-tents of each daily package include Mega Men Sport, a clinically studied multi; Amplified Creatine 190, a clinically studied formula that was shown to increase strength over ordi-nary and always-effective cre-atine; plus an antioxidant blend to keep inflammation down while boosting BCAAs for enhanced recovery.

��

��

Eat great

Eating organic meat and milk: It’s not just hype

Q There really

is more to eating

organic meat and

dairy than just the

whole-earth buzz,

green-market

bragging rights,

and Mercedes

prices.

A massive

meta-analysis

out of England’s

Newcastle U. has

determined that

organic meat and

milk have about

50% more omega-3

fatty acids—which

can fight heart

disease, boost

brain function,

and fortify the

immune system—

than nonorganic

products.

Cows get omega-

3s by grazing

outside on their

natural diet of

grass and clover—

a USDA mandate

farmers must meet

to have products

labeled “organic.”

Other organic

pluses: Organic

milk also has less

insulin-like growth

factor (ILGF), which

has been linked to

cancer; and organic

meat is less likely

to carry antibiotic-

resistant bacteria.

As for fruits and

vegetables, which

can be exposed to

pesticides and tox-

ins, a good rule of

thumb is: If it has

an edible skin, like a

tomato or apple, opt

for organic; if not,

nonorganic is fine.

*J

THE YOLKS ARE ALRIGHT

What a pear!

Q Pity the poor

pear: The Forrest

Gump of the fruit

world, it’s always

the underdog—

eking out just 10th

place on the most-

eaten list, left

behind if there’s an

apple or banana in

the bowl, shut com-

pletely out of the

smoothie scene.

But pears actu-

ally kick ass, new

research shows. A

Unive

Minn

review

medi pea g es

you not just ample

vitamin C but also

a full 24% of your

g o o t e

juice, before (not

after!) partying can

reduce next-day

(

measly 12%).

And Horticul-

ture Innovation

etabo e boo e

faster and cut the

head-banging

toxins.)

A S K M E N ’ S

F I T N E S S

Try NutraBio’s

Whey Protein

Isolate. it’s guar-

anteed to be the

absolute clean-

est protein avail-

able. Each serving

contains 25 grams

of complete pro-

tein derived solely

from 100% whey

protein isolate.

There’s no whey

concentrate,

added carbs,

creamers,

or any other

filler, just ultra-

filtered whey.

Eve

ryo

ne

’s f

avo

rite

an

ytim

e b

oo

st

of

en

erg

y a

nd

am

ino

ac

id

su

pp

ort

is n

ow

ava

ilab

le in

co

ffe

eh

ou

se

fla

vors

. O

N’s

Ca

fé S

eri

es

ES

SE

NT

IAL

AM

IN.O

. E

NE

RG

Y™

pro

vid

es

th

e s

am

e 1

00

mg

bo

os

t o

f c

aff

ein

e f

rom

na

tura

l so

urc

es

th

at

you

ge

t fr

om

all

9 f

ruit

fla

vors

. A

ll yo

u n

ee

d t

o ic

e f

ati

gu

e is

a g

las

s,

sp

oo

n,

co

ld w

ate

r a

nd

th

e

ca

fe-i

ns

pir

ed

fla

vor

of

you

r c

ho

ice

. Ta

ke a

tu

b a

lon

g w

he

reve

r yo

ur

bu

sy

da

y ta

kes

yo

u.

TRUE

STRENGTH

OW

NS

TH

E D

AY

ENERGIZING

RECOVERY

*

ANYTIME

USA (800) 705-5226 INTL (630) 236-0097

*When taken at the maximum recommended dose over time

ŸNatural and Artificial Ice Caramel Macchiato Flavor

NEWEXCLUSIVE

FLAVOR

OTHER FLAVORS INCLUDE

ICED CAFÉ VANILLA

ICED CHAI TEA LATTE

ICED MOCHA CAPPUCCINO

Get fit

At some point in the

last decade, the badass

prison-cell workout

of a German circus

performer and boxer interned in

England during World War I got co-

opted by soccer moms and college

coeds. But more recently, some of the toughest athletes

in pro sports have discovered the benefits of Pilates and

added it to their training. ¶ “It’s hard,” says Detroit Lions

defensive back Johnson Bademosi. “I’ve been training

for football for 10 years, and the first time I tried Pilates, I

felt like a child—I was really struggling.” ¶ Named for its

inventor Joseph Pilates, who eventually brought it to the

U.S., the system involves body-weight-only exercises,

typically on a piece of equipment called a reformer,

which uses pulleys that let you focus on range of

motion instead of resistance. That’s one reason

athletes like Bademosi find it so tough—it activates

lesser-used muscles and fully recruits the core.

“It’s hard to prepare for what’s needed on the field by

just lifting weights,” says Bademosi. “Pilates challenges

you with really unfamiliar movements.” ¶ Says

Stanford University’s Nanci Conniff, who works with

pros like Bademosi, Andrew Luck, and Jeremy Lin,

“With Pilates, you’re strengthening the muscles that

are closer to the bone. You’re always working in

extension, to lengthen instead of shorten muscles,”

which can counteract the tightening and stress of

sport-specific, high-impact training. ¶ Here, some

reformer moves Conniff has modified to suit any

workout space.

Sty

ling

by

Ch

ris

tin

a S

imo

ne

tti;

Gr

oo

min

g b

y M

eg

an

La

no

ux

/E

xc

lus

ive

Ar

tis

ts

Ma

na

ge

me

nt u

sin

g D

r. H

au

sc

hk

a

It’s not just glorified stretching. Pilates hits muscles you didn’t even know you

had—which is why so many pro athletes are incorporating it into their training.

By Leander Schaerlaeckens

A

Power Pilates

for athletes

Get fit

T R Y T H I S

CURCUMIN 46X AND PRIMUNA

A fit body requires a fit immune system. Two supps, both from F1RST, can help to get you there. Primuna

includes a patented and clinically studied beta glucans extract from baker’s yeast called Wellmune. This special, fibrous extract has been shown to help activate neutrophils, the most abundant immune cells in the body. The other, Curcumin 46X, contains the potent anti-inflamma-tory ingredient found in turmeric and in ginger. On its own, curcumin is notoriously hard for the body to absorb. F1RST’s version packs 46 times the dose found in most other brands.

Pilates for CrossFit

Q�Conniff recom-

mends that Cross-

Fitters add exercises

like the Saw (right)

and Swimmers to

their warmup, as a

way of prepping for

big, explosive moves.

“These build strong

muscular connec-

tions in the intrinsic

core, and greater

flexibility in the

hips, which helps

protect the lower

back,” she says.

S W I M M E R : Lie

facedown, arms

stretched overhead,

keep legs together

and straight. Reach

through the top of

your head for the

most extension you

can manage, chin

tucked slightly,

eyes looking down.

Raise your right arm

and left leg about

six inches off the

ground, floating

your head and chest

up off the mat. Hold

this position for 10

breaths. Alternate

arms and legs.

Pilates for Lifters

Q�“These Pilates

moves create

pelvic stability for

heavy lifts, and for

increased flexibility

and range of motion

in the hamstrings,

hip, and low back,”

says Conniff.

D O U B L E L E G K I C K :

Lying facedown,

bend knees to reach

heels toward your

butt. Arms reach

behind your back,

fingers laced, elbows

bent, head turned to

the right (if you can’t

lace fingers, use a

resistance band to

connect the hands).

On inhale, kick both

heels to your butt

two or three times

quickly, then exhale

as you stretch legs

and arms out long,

lifting your head and

chest with eyes look-

ing forward. Lower

to starting position

with head turned to

the left and repeat

for six to 10 complete

breath cycles.

T E A S E R : Start with

your spine, head,

and shoulders

anchored to the floor,

legs lifted up to a

90-degree angle at

your hips and 90

degrees again at the

knees, arms raised

slightly, about chest

high. Sweep arms

overhead then back

downward toward

sides, simultane-

ously extend legs up

and out straight, lift-

ing your body up into

a V-sit position; hold

for a few breaths.

Finish by rolling

back one vertebra

at a time, to starting

position. Repeat

three to five times.

(Make it more chal-

lenging by carrying

a medicine ball).

1Sit upright, legs extended out in a V, a bit wider than your hips (if your ham-strings are too tight to straighten your legs, sit on a rolled mat). Reach both arms out to the side, shoulder height.

2Draw the abdominal muscles in and up, lengthen-ing both sides of your waist. Inhale, twist at the waist, to the right. Exhale as you dive for-ward, stretch-ing your left hand across your right foot.

3Let your head hang down as your other arm reaches up and back. Inhale back to a seated position and perform on the other side.

The Saw

Pilates for Endurance Sports

Q�Conniff says

runners and cyclists

and anyone else

who puts their body

through repetitive

movements can use

Pilates moves to add

core strength and

stability, as well as

increased mobility in

their spine, hips, and

shoulders.

S I N G L E L E G K I C K : Lie

facedown, propped

up on elbows, legs

stretched long and

pressed together.

Lift the torso from

the floor, creating as

much space between

your flesh and the

floor as possible,

keeping the pelvis

and thighs down. On

exhale, bend your

right knee to kick

your heel toward

your butt two times

quickly then inhale

as you stretch the

leg to starting posi-

tion. Repeat 10 times

each leg.

K N E E L I N G B I C Y C L E :

Kneeling on your left

knee, with right leg

extended straight

out to the side, lean

left, placing your left

hand on the floor.

Raise your right leg

until your foot is just

below hip height.

Exhale while swing-

ing right leg forward;

inhale as you bend

right knee, sweeping

the leg back as far as

possible. Repeat five

times, switch legs.

T R Y T H I S

FAT SPIKERS

If caffeine isn’t making the cut anymore, it might be time to step up to a potent pre-workout powder that can better power your next muscle-shred-ding pump session

CELLUCOR C4 RIPPEDThis slick supp is loaded with flab-shredding ingredients like carnitine, green tea extract, cayenne extract, and Coleus forskohlii that will help you preserve that precious muscle. Plus it ups the ante with an explosive energy blend to help you rule your roughest workouts.

FINAFLEX STIMUL8Powered by a patent-pending blend of plant extracts, this mix features green tea extract and theobroma cacao seed extract. It also tosses in citrus aurantium extract and Rauwolfia vomitoria to give you tons of energy to crush workouts and cut through fat.

FORCE FACTOR VOLCANO FURYThis new supp promises to help you boost muscle size while getting endurance and power levels to the point where ball-busting workouts are easier to manage. Ingredients include caffeine and yohim-bine for energy, plus L-citrulline and taurine, for tighter pumps.

GAT PMP STIM-FREEA rare stim-free supp, GAT’s PMP Stim-Free promises energy, focus, and pumps without the harsh ride that some stimu-lant-based supps can take you on. And you still get favorites like nitric oxide enhancers, and mental focusers like N-acetyl L-tyrosine for ideal support along the way.

The mind-muscle con-

nection is one of the most

important parts of the

training experience, yet

many people don’t put much effort into

developing it. Just as you’d religiously

take a protein supp after a tough

workout to build more muscle, you

should consider giving your brain a

boost before you train to help improve

focus on your workout. Healthy

Natural Systems’ FocusAll is one ideal

option. This scientifically designed

supp contains five clinically tested,

brain-enhancing ingredients—all in

a single, easy-to-swallow capsule.

T

Focus on muscle

In addition to enhancing mental

focus and clarity, FocusAll heightens

energy and awareness, and encour-

ages a positive mood while also keep-

ing stress at bay. It also contains key

neurotransmitters Vinpocetine and

DMAE, both of which help enhance

mental functioning so you break train-

ing plateaus and see more gains.

And unlike some brain-boosting

supps that can be plagued by side

effects like irritability or a post-pill

crash, FocusAll contains Teacrine,

an ingredient that ratchets up inten-

sity and vitality for clean, crash-

free energy that lasts for hours.

The secret to a lean, muscular body may be a clean, clear brain that eliminates distractions and helps you zone in on your training

By Joy Ronson

Hot products

THE ALL-TIME BEST DIET IS CHOCK-FULL OF WHOLE FOODS.

The exact SCIENCE OF STAYING SLIMDieting sucks. So here’s how to do it right.

to health

topics, has there ever been

a horse more thoroughly

beaten to death than dieting?

An Amazon book search for

“weight loss” yields 129,702

titles on the subject—and you

can bet they all promise they’ll

get you an eternal six-pack,

whether it’s via juice fasting,

the South Beach Diet, vegan-

ism, Paleo, or eating for your

blood type. ¶ Unfortunately,

the vast majority of these

claims—even the old chestnut

that you if you eat five small

meals a day it’ll “rev your

metabolism”—aren’t actually

based on a shred of science.

¶ Thankfully, there are some

tried-and-true methods for

losing your gut—and keeping

it off—that can’t be discred-

ited by any new trend. Bearing

in mind everything we know

right now about the science

of staying slim, here’s every-

thing you should be doing,

from training to nutrition,

to get a body that looks great

and can be maintained for the

long run—by real people in

the real world.

3 2 M E N ’ S F I T N E S S

Drop pounds

TA C T I C 1

Eat whole foods as often as possible

Q Everybody hits up Chipotle once in a

while. But if you know what to order when

you go out, you can minimize the damage

and still enjoy somebody else making your

food for a change.

Look at what’s on the menu and choose

the foods that are as close to what’s avail-

able in nature as possible. Meat, veg-

etables, and whole fruits are all A-OK;

tortilla shells, burger buns, pasta, and

cheese are not. Swap out soda for seltzer

water with a lemon wedge. Instead of

having an energy bar to reverse your

afternoon crash, have an apple or some

almonds.

Get in the habit of avoiding foods

that come with bar codes and you’ll

save calories every time.

TA C T I C 2

Control your portions

Q Even when you eat healthy, there’s still

the danger of gaining weight if you’re

prone to overeating. After all, chicken

breasts and fruits still have calories, and

those calories add up.

Avoid buffets and similar “all-you-can-

eat” affairs and remember these compo-

nents of a healthy meal: Every plate you

serve yourself should include a portion

of protein (lean meat or fish) that’s about

the size and thickness of your palm and a

fist-size serving of clean carbs (potatoes

or rice are the best). Then fill up the rest of

the plate with vegetables.

Any other foods you really crave (such

as fat-heavy foods and some of the more

high-sugar fruits) should be eaten more

sporadically.

TA C T I C 3

Don’t fear fat

Q The “low-fat” era is over—we now know

that processed carbs like white bread,

pasta, and sugary cereals contribute more

to obesity than the fat that comes from

whole foods. The main reason: Fat is fill-

ing. Processed foods are easy to overeat.

“The key is to eat food that makes it really

difficult to overeat,” says visiting MIT

scientist and InsideTracker founder Gil

Blander, Ph.D. Don’t be afraid to use a

tablespoon of coconut oil when cooking or

to add avocado to a salad.

Nuts and seeds make great snacks, too.

Remember Tactic 2, though: Fat is still

higher in calories than any other nutrient,

so keep your servings small (that is, don’t

eat a bag of almonds in a sitting or pour a

cup of olive oil on your salad). Fat may be

filling, but don’t think you’re somehow

immune to overeating it.

TA C T I C 4

Practice the 80/20 rule

Q No one can eat perfectly 100% of the

time, and that’s where cheat meals fit

into the picture. Some call it the 80/20

rule: Eat healthy 80% of the time, and

the occasional slice of pizza or bowl of ice

cream (or both in one night) won’t do you

in. Or plan on having one cheat meal a

week. It’s good to reward yourself—it stiff-

ens your resolve to continue with the diet.

TA C T I C 5

Track the numbers that matter

Q Get a scale that measures not just

weight—studies show that if you weigh

yourself daily, you’ll keep the pounds off—

but also body composition. Because work-

ing out adds muscle, which is denser than

fat, your weight may go up (or plateau)

for a bit. But if your body fat percentage is

dropping, you know you’re progressing.

TA C T I C 6

Experiment on Yourself

Q Some people can’t eat many carbs

without putting on weight, and others

can’t handle much fat. “Understanding

a person’s individual biochemistry and

making personalized recommendations is

the future of medicine,” says Blander. The

point is: Don’t settle for one-size-fits-all

solutions. If one eating plan doesn’t suit

you, try another, avoiding extremes. And

if all else fails, go back to Tactic 1: Eating

only whole, natural, unprocessed foods

has never made anyone fatter.

TA C T I C 7

Master HIIT training

Q To get and stay lean, weight training

(which you already do) and high-intensity

interval training (HIIT) must be a part of

your life.

Interval workouts are supereffective at

revving up your metabolism. The prem-

ise: You work at the highest intensity you

can for 10–30 seconds, then rest or go at

an easy pace for the same amount of time.

Repeat for 15–20 minutes.

Examples include sprinting up a hill,

then walking down; sprinting on an

exercise bike, then doing light pedaling;

or doing a preset circuit of body-weight

exercises like jumping jacks, mountain

climbers, and burpees.

“HIIT boosts your metabolism in a way

walking just can’t,” says Blander. Do it

twice a week on nonconsecutive days.

TA C T I C 8

Don’t skimp on sleep

Q Sleep deprivation—missing out on

even 30 minutes a night—can raise your

risk of obesity as well as diabetes, the

Endocrine Society says. Why? Because it

decreases the satiation hormone leptin,

increases the hunger hormone ghrelin,

and lessens your body’s sensitivity to

insulin, which makes it harder to process

the carbs you eat. Poor sleep literally

rewires your appetite and reduces your

willpower. “The science is clear,” adds

Blander. “When you don’t sleep well you

eat more.” Q

Step up. Weigh yourself

daily to keep the pounds

off (the Withings Smart

Body Analyzer sends

results to an app).

Drop pounds

7gBCAAs

0gCARBS

0gSUGAR

FIRST, BUT NEVER FINISHED

BE FIRST, BUT NEVER FINISH.

SCIVATION XTEND IS FIRST IN:

PRODUCT PERFORMANCE – Backed by 2 University Studies*

QUALITY – Certified by NSF for Sport and Informed Choice

MIXABILITY – Highly Soluble with No Powdery Residue

HYDRATION –Electrolytes for Improved Performance

FLAVOR – 12 Delicious Choices to Choose from

Build a “Baywatch” bodyUse the workout that got Zac Efron pumped for Baywatch to create your own sun-and-sand-worthy physique By Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S.

�QIt’s a pretty safe bet that

Baywatch will be next

summer’s movie blockbuster. But

what isn’t so clear is who the

audience will be ogling most—the

buxom, bikini-clad beach bunnies

or the pumped-up, hard-bodied

musclemen in the cast. Dwayne

Johnson’s “Rock” physique

already has legions of fans, but

the transformation of co-star Zac

Efron (who shot to fame in the

teen-film hit High School Musical)

has shocked the world. Accord-

ing to Efron’s trainer, Patrick

Murphy, the actor reached 5%

body fat after just 12 weeks of

training. How’d you like to do

something similar? Read on to

find out how you can.

How It Works

Q��Efron’s training was constantly evolving, but for us, Murphy condensed the best of it into a three-day

split, working back and biceps one day, legs another, and shoulders, chest, and arms the third day (abs

are in there, too, a little bit every day).

The main feature of the workouts is supersetting—doing two exercises back-to-back with no rest in

between. Not only does this approach save time, it also doubles as cardio, burning more calories and

enhancing the “pump” that drives more nutrition-filled blood into the muscles for fast growth.

Since it was important that Efron not just look like a lifeguard but be able to perform like one too,

some exercises are explosive to build speed and agility along with muscle mass. See you on the beach.

Perform each workout (Day I, II, and III) once per week, resting a day between each session. The exercises are

paired (marked A and B) and done as supersets—complete one set of A and then B before resting 60 seconds. Repeat for all the prescribed sets before moving on to the next pair.

Directions

D AY I :

B A C K &

B I C E P S

1ASTRAIGHT-ARM PULLDOWNSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Attach a straight bar to the top pulley of a cable station and grasp it with hands shoulder-width apart. Bend at the hips a bit to feel a stretch on your lats, then pull the bar to your hips with your arms straight.

1B AB WHEEL ROLLOUTSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Kneel on the floor holding an ab wheel under your shoulders. Brace your abs and roll forward until you feel your lower back is about to collapse. Roll yourself back up.

2ASEATED CABLE ROWSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Attach a straight bar to the low pulley of a cable station and sit on a bench or the floor. Row the cable to your sternum, squeezing your shoulder blades together in the fin-ished position.

3ANEUTRAL-GRIP PULLUPSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Hang from a pullup bar that offers handles so your palms can face each other. Pull your body up until your chin is over the bar.

3BLAT PULLDOWN FROM KNEESSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Set up at a lat-pulldown station, but kneel on the floor and allow the bar to stretch your lats. Pull the bar to your collarbone.

4ACHINUPSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Hang from a bar with hands at shoulder width and palms facing you. Pull your body up until your chin is over the bar.

4BDUMBBELL BICEPS CURLSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms at your sides and palms facing forward. Without mov-ing your upper arms, curl the weights up.

2BSUSPENDED ROWSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Attach a suspension trainer to a sturdy overhead object and extend the handles so that when you suspend your body from them, you’ll be at an angle to the floor that allows you to complete 8–12 reps. Hang from the handles with abs braced and your body in a straight line. Pull yourself to the handles, retracting your shoulder blades as you come up.

Zac Efron

D AY I I : L E G S

1ALEG PRESSSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Set up in a leg-press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out 45 degrees. Lower the plat-form toward your chest until your knees are bent 90 degrees, and then press the platform up.

1BSUSPENSION SQUAT JUMPSets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec.

Grasp the handles of a suspension trainer at chest level and stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down halfway, jump as high as you can, then land softly. Repeat.

3BMOUNTAIN CLIMBER ON SLIDERSSets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec.

Place furniture sliders on the floor (or paper plates if you have a waxed floor) and set your feet on them. Get into a pushup position and draw one knee up to your chest. Slide that leg back while you draw the other one up to your chest. That’s one rep. Continue alternating legs at a brisk pace.

3AREVERSE WALKING LUNGESets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 0 sec.

With a dumbbell in each hand, step back. Lower your body till your rear knee nearly touches the floor and your front thigh is parallel to it. Repeat for each rep.

2ASWISS BALL HIP EXTENSIONSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Lie on your back on the floor and rest your heels on a Swiss ball. Brace your abs and drive your heels into the ball to raise your hips into the air.

2BSWISS BALL LEG CURLSets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec.

From the top position of the Swiss-ball hip extension, bend your knees and curl your heels toward your butt, rolling the ball back toward you.

SUPER-SETTING AND FOLLOWING AN ORGANIC DIET GOT ZAC EFRON DOWN TO 5% BODY FAT.

Zac Efron

4A DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFTSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Hold dumbbells in front of your thighs. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, push your hips back and lower your torso until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Allow your knees to bend as needed. Extend your hips to return to the starting position.

FOCUS ON YOUR FORM AS YOU BEGIN THIS DEADLIFT,

AND PUSH YOUR BUTT BACK AS FAR AS YOU CAN.

5AUNSTABLE SINGLE-LEG CALF RAISESets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 0 sec.

Stand on a foam or air-filled pad on one leg. Hold a weight in the hand on the same side. Place the other hand on a wall or grasp a sturdy upright object to steady yourself. Lower your heel toward the floor until you feel a stretch in your calf. Then drive the ball of your foot into the pad to raise your heel up. Complete all your reps on one side and then repeat on the opposite side.

5BSUSPENSION TRAINER SINGLE-LEG SQUAT HOPSets: 3 Reps: 20 (eachside) Rest: 60 sec.

Hold the handles of a suspension trainer as you did for the suspen-sion trainer jump squat, but stand on one leg. Squat down halfway on one leg and then jump as high as you can. Land softly and repeat immediately. Complete all your reps on one side and then repeat on the opposite side.

4B KICK BUTTSSets: 3 Reps: 20 Rest: 60 sec.

From a standing position, jump and quickly kick your butt with both heels. Land softly.

Zac Efron

D AY I I I :

S H O U L D E R S , C H E S T & A R M S

1ADUMBBELL FRONT RAISESets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs. Brace your core and, keeping your arms straight, raise the weights up to shoul-der level.

2A DUMBBELL FLOOR PRESSSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Lie on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand and hold the weights over your chest. Press them over your chest and then lower your arms until your triceps touch the floor (not your elbows). Continue pressing from this shortened range of motion.

1BCROSS-BODY CABLE RAISESets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Attach a handle to the bottoms of two facing cable stations. Cross your arms in front of your chest and grasp the opposite side’s han-dle in each hand. Raise them to 90 degrees.

THE FLOOR PRESS STRENGTHENS A COMMON WEAK POINT IN THE BENCH PRESS.

2BPUSHUPSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Place your hands on the floor at shoulder width and lower your body until your chest is an inch above the floor.

3AINCLINE DUMBBELL PRESSSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Set a bench to a 30-degree angle and lie back against it with a dumbbell in each hand. Press the weights over your chest.

3B DUMBBELL OVERHEAD PRESSSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press the weights straight overhead.

EDG-PR1 ©2016 BSN® For best results supplements should be taken as directed over time, at maximum dosage in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise program. Results may vary.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Introducing EDGE – the new, high performance series from BSN®.

Your Pre-Workout EDGE has arrived. N.O.-XPLODE XE™

EDGE is the result of a global search for unique super leaf

extracts which, along with a foundation of 325mg caffeine

and 1.6g Beta Alanine, deliver intense energy, focus, and

pumps, plus peak endurance, in just 1 scoop.

The cutting EDGE in taste and nutrition, SYNTHA-6 EDGE®

packs more protein, less carbs, and less calories per serving*

to support muscle growth and recovery with an amazing

milkshake-like taste.

Serious athletes demand serious nutrition, and those who are

uncompromising in their search for a performance edge over

their competition need the new EDGE line from BSN®.

Find your EDGE at

goBSN.com

NEW

Zac Efron

5A SINGLE-ARM PUSHDOWNSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 0 sec.

Attach a rope handle to a cable station and hold an end in one hand. Pull the rope through the handle so that its full length hangs from the attachment. (Or grab both strands as shown here.) Extend your elbow, pushing the handle down and away from your body. Com-plete all your reps on one side and then repeat on the opposite side.

5BSINGLE-ARM CURLSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 (each side) Rest: 60 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in one hand and stand on that same side’s leg. Keeping your upper arm station-ary, curl the dumbbell. Complete all your reps on one side and then switch arms and legs.

Zac Efron dieted for his Baywatch role with pizza and cheese-

burgers…just kidding. (You wish!) In reality, he ate ultrahealthy for

a transformation that took only 12 weeks. “I implemented an all-

organic whole-food diet,” says his trainer, Patrick Murphy. Below

are all the food categories Efron was permitted to choose from to put together

his meals:

Efron also supplemented with whey protein—“unflavored,” adds Murphy, who

also stipulated it could contain no other ingredients (NOW Whey Protein Isolate

is a good example). “He also hit a minimum of 100 ounces of water daily.”

Murphy won’t disclose specifics but says he had Efron change his caloric

intake about every two weeks, along with his breakdown of protein, carbs, and

fat. “My tweaks worked like a charm,” he says. No kidding.

Eat Like Efron

• Chicken breast

• Turkey breast

• Pork loin

• Egg whites

• Fish

• Steak (lean cuts like sirloin)

• Quinoa

• Brown rice

• Oats

• Seeds

• Nuts

• Avocados

• Apples

• Pears

• All kinds of berries

• All kinds

Z

TRICEPS PUSHDOWNS ARE EASY ON THE ELBOWS AND TARGET

THE OUTER HEAD OF THE

MUSCLE.

4ACABLE CHEST PRESSSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Attach single-grip handles to the top pul-leys of two facing cable stations. Stagger your feet for balance and press the handles from shoulder level.

4BBOSU PLYO PUSHUPSets: 3 Reps: 8–12 Rest: 60 sec.

Place a Bosu ball on the floor, dome-side down, and grasp each side of it. Get into a pushup position and stabilize yourself. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the back of the Bosu and then explosively press your body up so that the Bosu leaves the floor with you. Land softly.

GRENADE®

SHAKER

• 20oz CAPACITY

• CAPSULE STORAGE

• POWDER STORAGE

• BPA / DEHP FREE

• PATENT PENDING DESIGN

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

NOW AVAILABLE AT

ARM YOURSELF™

WITH GRENADE®

THERMO DETONATOR®

• Extreme Thermogenic*

• Enhanced Focus and Energy*

DEFEND BCAA

• Advanced 2:1:1 ratio BCAA supplement

containing micronized, PepForm®, free

form amino acids, hydrating nutrients,

electrolytes and ZERO sugar*

.50 CALIBER® PRE-WORKOUT

• Powerful 4 Phase Energy Complex*

• Extreme Amplified Focus*

• Loaded with high dosaged

ingredients to maximize Energy,

Focus, Pump & Strength*

I V E N R YA N F L A H E R T Y ’ S R E P U T A T I O N as one of the most tech-savvy trainers at

the highest level of professional sports—a soft-spoken metrics whiz who once pocketed

$2,000 off Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel for correctly predicting the quarter-

back’s 40-yard dash time down to a tenth of a second—I expected to see a much cooler gym

setup from him. ¶ After all, when the owner of Prolific Athletes, based in Carlsbad, CA,

isn’t training the NCAA’s top football prospects for the NFL combine—the league’s yearly

predraft data fest measuring all things strength, speed, jumping, and agility—Flaherty is

drawing up quant-based workout programs for tennis superstar Serena Williams, Bayern

Munich midfielder Mario Götze (who scored the deciding goal for Germany in the 2014

World Cup final), USA Rugby speedster Carlin Isles, and countless Major League Baseball

players and USA Track & Field Olympic athletes. This is the guy who once told a reporter that, when he watches athletes play, he “sees

in numbers” only, as if he looks past their flesh and directly into their biological machinery.

So when I arrive at Flaherty’s latest ultra-exclusive six-week NFL

combine camp one chilly January morning in San Juan Capistrano,

CA, I’m surprised to discover no million-dollar bio-monitors with

electrodes sprouting off athletes in gleaming, full-body supersuits,

no glowing screens flashing columns of numbers that pour down

ad infinitum. Nor is there any space-age machinery scattered

about, processing heart rates, speed, acceleration, intensity, or

power figures.

Frankly, I’m not certain I even see a Fitbit.

It’s just your standard gym where guys are lifting free weights

and running sprints while listening to music. And had those guys

not been top NCAA prospects, like quarterbacks Jared Goff of the

University of California and North Dakota State’s standout Carson

Wentz (the Los Angeles Rams used their top draft slot to take Goff

first and he is expected to start in the fall; Wentz went next at No. 2

with the Philadelphia Eagles—he picked up a four-year deal worth

a cool $26 million), I would’ve thought I’d taken a wrong turn and

ended up at some high school’s early-ball conditioning session.

But no, I’m in the right place. And as I learn, Flaherty is even

more obsessed with quantitative analysis than I’d previously

thought. He just doesn’t need sci-fi equipment to gather his data,

and his workout philosophy and training process are so disarm-

ingly simple and effective, it’s hard to believe.

Over several years of refining his approach to helping star

“ [FIRST] I MOPED AROUND FOR DAYS. THEN I DECIDED IF I WANTED TO PLAY AGAIN, I HAD TO GET TO WORK.”

athletes build power, explosiveness, and speed, he has developed a

proprietary formula that yields a single crucial metric that informs

everything he does.

He calls it the “Force Number.”

With that one piece of data, he says, he can predict with 99%

accuracy “any athlete’s 40-yard dash, vertical leap, even a 10K run

time.” What’s more, improving an athlete’s number is not only

possible, it’s also largely accomplished with the help of a single

hardcore power lift. (More on that later.)

So if you’re an aspiring professional athlete looking to take your

body to the next level—and, say, sprint like DeSean Jackson, jump

like Julio Jones, or explode off the line like J.J. Watt—you pay

Flaherty upward of $20,000 for one of 12 spots at his camp to learn

your figure and improve it.

Yes, it sounds pretty cool, like some crazy stuff straight out of Star

Wars. But unlike that metaphysical force, Flaherty’s number actu-

ally exists. Believe me, I know.

I’m here because he’s going to tell me mine.

Secret to Running Like Wind

I meet Flaherty and his clients on a high school

football field with a backdrop of low, dusty hills.

As his colleagues lay out a set of neon cones in a

grid, a handful of agents—all middle-aged white

guys in polo shirts—stalk the sidelines and take

hushed phone calls. Flaherty, 33, is tall, with an athlete’s sure-

footed presence. He’s also talkative, with colorful opinions on

fitness springing rapid-fire from his mouth.

And if you spend time with him, you’ll discover he has a knack for

explaining just about anything, no matter how complicated, using

a single number. For example, when Utah State linebacker—and

eventual 3rd-round pick for the Bengals—Nick Vigil, at 6'2", 230

pounds, sprints by, Flaherty first pokes fun at him—“Nick, you have

the steps of a circus midget, dude”—before singling out the number

11. Flaherty ambles over to the starting line and turns and paces out

11 yards, repositioning a bright orange cone. “When I’m watching

[the 40-yard dash at] the combine, the only thing I’m watching is

this 11-yard line,” Flaherty says. “Based on where your step is at that

line, I know your time.”

If a football player wants to run a blazing 40—clocking in at 4.5

seconds or less—Flaherty says, his seventh step needs to land at or

past that 11-yard line. Period.

Step counts, Flaherty has learned through thousands of hours of

research, are an incredibly reliable indicator of race results. When

you adjust for height, he says, the athlete who takes the fewest steps

during any race will win because longer strides indicate an athlete

is generating more force per step than his competitors. Over the

course of a race, that extra distance per stride compounds. In a

100-meter sprint it could mean the difference of a step or two at

the finish line; in a marathon, with about 20,000 strides taken,

that extra three inches per step puts a runner a full mile ahead of

his previous pace—exactly what Flaherty observed in 2014 after

training pro distance runner Meb Keflezighi, who won the Boston

Marathon just two weeks shy of his 39th birthday.

No matter what, he tells the group, the goal should be hitting

that seventh step at the 11-yard cone. Vigil steps up for another go.

“These guys are focusing so much on the start, they’re tensing up,

I

Clockwise from far left: Trainer Ryan Flaherty watches future Redskin linebacker Reggie Northrup; Flaherty and Nick Vigil, eventual Bengal linebacker; Jared Goff, quarterback and No. 1 pick by the Rams; Nick Vannett (running), now a tight end for the Seahawks.

which shortens the steps,” Flaherty tells me. “If they relax and focus

on long, powerful strides, they’ll start running faster.”

Sure enough, the times start falling immediately, even though the

athletes aren’t trying as hard. Many clock their fastest times of the

day. “Form has almost zero to do with speed,” Flaherty says. “Speed

has everything to do with how much force you create. The two

main factors in speed are stride frequency and stride length, and

both are products of how much force your body creates with the

ground. So if I can improve the amount of force an athlete creates

on every step, in turn I’m going to greatly affect his or her speed.”

And the surefire way to create more ground force, he says, is to

attack one power lift really, really hard.

Most Badass Lift in Gym

Flaherty’s long journey to becoming an elite

trainer began when he was a young athlete

growing up in Los Angeles, which is where he

discovered that speed is something that can

be taught.

As a boy he was strong, coordinated, athletic. There was only

one problem: He was glacially slow. But when, at age 10, he started

working with a track and field coach who improved his form and

stride, he quickly found himself the fastest kid on every team he

played for. “Even at that age it was obvious that speed is a skill,” he

says. “Most people think it’s just something you’re born with, but

it’s actually something you can learn, something you can train. I

was the product of that.”

Flaherty attended Utah State University on a football schol-

arship, playing wide receiver. His athletic career ended there,

derailed by chronic ACL injuries. He moved to San Diego, where

he earned an undergraduate kinesiology degree with a master’s in

biomechanics from San Diego State University. He started training

and observing local track athletes and became obsessed with the

question of what makes one athlete faster than another.

“I noticed that very few of the trainers I’d worked with collected

From left: Ejiro Ederaine, Fresno State linebacker and Redskin signee; UCLA offensive lineman Jake Brendel (now a Cowboy); and FSU linebacker and future Redskin Reggie Northrup.

much data,” he says. “A lot of them were just applying philosophy.

But when I asked, ‘What are the results you’re getting; what are the

average improvements?’ they didn’t know. It was, ‘We’re getting a

few tenths off the 40-yard dash, some improvement on the vertical,

and the bench press is going up.’ I realized that if I wanted to sepa-

rate myself, to have accountability for the programming I was

doing, I was going to keep data on every athlete.”

In those years Flaherty spent untold hours accumulating data

on elite sprinters, using high-tech video-analysis software and a

sophisticated and obscenely expensive piece of equipment called a

“force-plate treadmill” (essentially a treadmill that also measures

ground forces). “At first I thought that running was all biomechan-

ical,” he says, “but it wasn’t until I started looking into all this data

from every race that I realized it always came back to peak ground

force—I can take someone and make him the most perfect biome-

chanical sprinter in the world, but if he doesn’t have a very good

strength-to-weight ratio he’s not going to go anywhere.”

That ratio is the basis for his Force Number. Flaherty originally

discovered this during a 2005 study of sprinters running on a

force-plate treadmill. To explain, he shows me a series of slides on

his computer illustrating the study data: The athletes, marked A

through H, are ranked first by peak ground force generated, then

by body weight, then again by the relationship between the two.

(Mathematically speaking, that’s the Force Number: your peak

ground force divided by your weight.)

It should be noted that the highest Force Number doesn’t come

from the athlete with the highest peak ground force, but the athlete

with the highest peak ground force relative to his body weight. It’s

an important distinction, and one he notes when showing me the

next slide, which compares each athlete’s Force Number with his

100-meter sprint time. The correlation is, to be sure, perfect. The

sprinter with the highest force number has the fastest time, the

next-highest force number aligns with the next-fastest time, and

so on, all the way down the line. He has since tested his force theory

on more than 6,500 athletes and consistently found, with 99%

accuracy, that the larger the Force Number, the stronger the athlete

F

According to top NFL combine trainer Ryan Flaherty,

founder and CEO of Prolific Athletes, the hex-bar deadlift

(aka the “trap-bar deadlift”), is the best, most efficient lif t

you can do since it utilizes 90% of skeletal muscle at max

effort. Here, Men’s Fitness Training Director Sean Hyson offers a

crash course in doing it right. If you’re just getting started, bear in

mind: The first week, you should perform several warmup sets of 8

reps, gradually adding weight until you reach a load that lets you do

about 9 reps—still, perform only 8. The next week, follow the same

procedure but work up to 6 reps, with a 7th “in the tank.” Week 3, go

for 4 reps. For the next three weeks, work up to 7-, 5-, and 3-rep

maxes. You’ll notice your strength and speed increase dramatically.

1Q Stand with feet

hip-width apart.

Bend your hips back to

lower your hands to grip

the bar, bending your

knees. Your lower back

should be flat. Grasp the

bar’s handles in the

middle. The big knuckle

of your middle finger

should line up with the

center of the bar. Push

your knees apart.

2Q Take a deep breath

and brace your abs.

Your chest should point

forward and your eyes

should focus on a spot

on the floor several feet

in front of you. Retract

your neck so you feel

like you’re making a

double chin. Now drive

your heels into the floor

as you begin lifting the

bar upward.

3Q Stand up, squeezing

your glutes as you lock

out your hips. Be

careful not to lean

backward and push

your hips too far

forward, which will

hyperextend your lower

back. Keep your back

flat as you bend your

hips back and lower the

bar. It’s OK to drop it, but

control its path.

A

is, the faster he can run, and the higher he can jump.

But once Flaherty had discovered his metric, he found that it

was difficult to calculate on a larger scale, given the methods he

was using at the time. A force-plate treadmill is large, unwieldy,

and wildly expensive. You can’t exactly check it on a plane or buy

it in bulk. So he went looking for a universally available lift as a

substitute for determining peak ground force. “I took the data I

had from the force-plate treadmill and started correlating it with

various exercises,” he says. “It wasn’t correlating to the squat it

wasn’t correlating to the front squat, it wasn’t correla

power clean or the leg press either.”

The answer, ultimately, was the hex-bar deadlift.

Also known as the “trap-bar” deadlift, it gets its nam

hexagonal-shaped bar the lifter steps into, effectively all

to center himself over the weights (see right). Unlike a

straight-bar deadlift, a lift using the uniquely shaped hex

pressure off the lifter’s spine, lower back, and hamstr

because of the more balanced range of motion, out of e

the gym, it’s the one on which your body can lift the mo

(Yes, even more than a squat.) Because the hex bar is s

every rep utilizes 90% of skeletal muscle.

What’s more, these are the same muscles you rely on to

high, and explode upward, fighting gravity.

When he ran the numbers, Flaherty found that the Forc

calculated from a one-rep max for the hex-bar deadlift y

exact same correlation as the ratio derived from force-p

mill numbers. He also discovered that the bigger you

deadlift, the bigger your Force Number. In other words:

You’re a better athlete. (For the record, Jamaican sp

reigning world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, holds the hig

Number ever recorded: 3.9.)

In 2014, Flaherty used the hex-bar deadlift to skyrocke

combine numbers. Manziel arrived at Flaherty’s cam

maximum hex lift of 530 pounds, a vertical leap of 2

and a 5.09-second 40-yard dash. Weighing 201 pounds

Number was 2.39. After two months of Flaherty’s deadlif

Lift Like a First-Rounder

De

ad

lif

t: J

am

es

Mic

he

lfe

lde

r; S

ty

lin

g b

y C

hr

istin

a S

imo

ne

tti;

Gr

oo

min

g b

y M

eg

an

La

no

ux

/E

xc

lus

ive

Ar

tis

ts

Ma

na

ge

me

nt u

sin

g D

r. H

au

sc

hk

a

THE MEATIEST VEGGIE BURGER YOU’VE EVER HAD

T O P P I N G S

I N S T R U C T I O N SI N G R E D I E N T S

W

5 4 M E N ’ S F I T N E S S

I N G R E D I E N T S

1/3

T O P P I N G S

I N S T R U C T I O N S

THE BREEZY, CALIFORNIA-STYLE CHICKEN BURGER

L

T O P P I N G S

I N S T R U C T I O N S

THE ULTIMATE SPICY TUNA BURGER

I N G R E D I E N T S

T

5 6 M E N ’ S F I T N E S S

Crunch- Free AbsSee your abs in six weeks with this full-body workout

�QBelieve it or not, if you

want a ripped midsection

for summer, training your abs

directly should be last on your

list of priorities. The first step is

cleaning up your diet. The

second should be this program,

which focuses on training the

biggest muscles in your body to

burn the most calories (thereby

shedding the fat that covers

your abs). In six weeks, you’ll

already be revealing some of the

definition you’d buried beneath

your winter belly. And you’ll be

shocked at how few abs

exercises it took to get there.

Ab Training

How It Works

Q��This program comes

in two parts. You’ll do

one phase of workouts

for three weeks and

then another three-

week phase with

different workouts.

The first part has no

direct ab training at

all, just circuits of

tough, big-muscle

exercises like squats

and presses that rev

up your metabolism. In

the second phase, once

your body-fat levels

are down enough to

reveal some ab defini-

tion, we’ll target the

six-pack with a hanging

leg raise and weighted

crunch variations, two

of the most effective

moves for adding dense

ab muscle that pops

through the skin.

P H A S E I :

3 W E E K S :

D AY I

Alternate each

workout (Day I and

Day II) for three

total sessions per

week, resting a

day between each.

So you can do

Day I on Monday,

Day II on Wednes-

day, and Day I again

on Friday in the

first week. (You’ll

do Day II’s workout

twice the second

week and repeat

the cycle.) The first

three weeks make

up Phase I. After

the third week,

switch to the work-

outs in Phase II,

which are done the

same way.

Exercises

marked “A,” “B,”

and “C” are done in

sequence. Perform

one set of each,

and then rest after

C. Repeat for the

prescribed number

of sets. Note that

in Phase II, the ab

exercises are A and

B (not C), so rest

after B.

Directions

1AFRONT SQUATSets: 4 Reps: 6–8 Rest: 0 sec.

Grasp the bar with hands at shoulder width and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Take the bar out of the rack and let it rest on your fingertips. Step back and set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned slightly out. Squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back.

1BDUMBBELL OVERHEAD PRESSSets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Brace your core and press the weights straight overhead.

1CSQUATSets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 60 sec.

Nudge the bar out of the rack and step back, setting your feet shoulder-width apart with toes turned out. Bend your hips back and squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back.

CHOOSE LOADS THAT ALLOW YOU TWO TO FOUR REPS MORE THAN THE PRESCRIBED NUMBER.

1ADEADLIFTSets: 4 Reps: 6–8 Rest: 0 sec.

Stand with feet hip-width apart and roll a barbell up to your shins. Bend down to grasp it outside your knees. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, push through your heels and extend your hips until you’re standing with the bar in front of your thighs.

Ab Training

P H A S E I : 3 W E E K S : D AY I I

1BWIDE-GRIP PULLUPSets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec.

Hang from a pullup bar with your hands twice shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.

1CSWISS BALL LEG CURLSets: 4 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 60 sec.

Lie on the floor and rest your heels on a Swiss ball. Brace your abs and drive your heels into the ball to extend your hips. From there, bend your knees and roll the ball toward your butt.

2ADUMBBELL BENCH PRESSSets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie back against a flat bench. Position the dumbbells at shoulder level. Press them over your chest.

2CFEET-ELEVATED PUSHUP Sets: 4as poss

Get into pushup position and place your feet on a bench or box. Lower your body until your chest is just above the floor, and then push up.

3FARMER’S WALKSets: 360 sec.

Hold a heavy dumbbell in each hand and walk as quickly as you can. Keep your shoulders back and chest out.

2BSINGLE-LEG SQUAT TO BENCHSets: 4 Reps: 8–10 (each leg) Rest: 0 sec.

Set a bench or box behind you that’s tall enough so that when you sit on it your thighs are parallel to the floor. Extend one leg in front of you and bend your hips back to sit on the bench, but don’t relax on it. Extend your hips to come back up.

IF YOU NEED HELP BALANCING, HOLD A LIGHT WEIGHT AT ARM’S LENGTH IN FRONT OF YOU.

P H A S E I I : 3 W E E K S : D AY I

2AWIDE-GRIP BENTOVER ROWSets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec.

Set a barbell on a rack and grasp it with hands twice shoulder-width apart. Take it out of the rack and step back. Bend your hips back and lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Pull the bar to your belly button.

2BBACK EXTENSIONSets: 4 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 0 sec.

Secure your feet on a back-extension bench and set the pad just under the crease of your hips. Bend your hips and lower your torso as far as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. Squeeze your glutes and extend your hips to lockout so your body forms a straight line.

2CSEATED CABLE ROWSets: 4 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 60 sec.

Attach a V-grip handle to the pulley of a seated cable row machine. Set up on the bench with knees slightly bent and grasp the handle with palms facing each other. Row the handle to your sternum, drawing your shoulder blades back and pushing your chest out. As you lower the weight, allow your torso to bend forward so your lats get a stretch.

3BATTLING ROPES OR BEAR CRAWLSets: 3 Reps: Work for 30 sec. Rest: 30 sec.

Secure a rope around a fixed object and grasp one end of it in each hand. Whip the rope into the floor as hard and as fast as you can for 30 seconds. If you don’t have a rope, get on all fours and crawl forward like a bear for 30 seconds.

1ABULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand lunge length in front of a bench. Rest the top of one foot on the bench behind you. Bend both knees and lower your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor. Keep your torso upright.

1BDUMBBELL

SQUAT4 Reps: 8–100 sec.

Hold two dumbbells or kettlebells under your chin and perform the front squat as described on Day I.

1CJEFFERSON SQUAT

4 Reps: 12–1560 sec.

Straddle a barbell with your feet at right angles to each other. Squat down and grasp the bar at arm’s length. Drive through your heels to stand up with it. Change the leg that points forward each set.

EXERCISES THAT WORK THE BIGGEST MUSCLES DO THE MOST TO REVEAL YOUR ABS.

2AOVERHEAD PRESSSets: 4 Reps: 6–8 Rest: 0 sec.

Set the bar on a rack at shoulder level. Grasp it with hands shoulder-width apart. Nudge the bar off the rack and step back. Raise your elbows so your forearms are perpendicular to the floor and brace your abs. Press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward as the bar clears your face.

2BDIPSets: 4 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec.

Suspend your body over parallel bars. Lean for-ward as far as possible with your knees bent. Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

2CINCLINE DUMBBELL PRESSSets: 4 Reps: 10–12 Rest: 0 sec.

Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and press them over your chest.

3AHANGING LEG RAISESets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 0 sec.

Hang from a pullup bar and extend your legs beneath you. Brace your abs and raise your legs until your toes touch the bar.

3BHANGING KNEE RAISESets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 60 sec.

Bend your knees 90 degrees and raise them to hip level.

P H A S E I I : 3 W E E K S : D AY I I

1ASUMO DEADLIFTSets: 4Rest: 0

Stand with feet outside shoulder width and toes turned out 45 degrees. Bend hips back to grasp the bar at arm’s length. Push your knees out and drive through your heels to extend your hips to lockout, lifting the bar until it’s in front of your thighs.

IF YOUR TORSO BENDS BACKWARD ON THE PRESS, LIGHTEN THE WEIGHT.

Ab Training

From the Editors of Men’s Fitness com101 Best Workouts of All Time, tdefinitive exercise book that turns the wmost respected fitness experts into your personal trainers. With 101 Best Workouts,

THERE ARE

NO MORE EXCUSESYou will always have time to get in great shape

—even if you have no time at all.

You will always have the equipment you need

—even if you have no equipment at all.

You will never grow bored or stop progressing

—and your workout will never become routine.

101 Best Workouts of All Time gives you:

Routines for barbells, dumbbells, bands, machines,

a suspension trainer, and body weight alone.

Muscle-building full-body workouts, plus body-

part-specific, and upper/lower split routines.

Fat-burning, heart-strengthening cardio workouts

for all the most popular machines—treadmill,

elliptical trainer, stationary bike, rower, and more.

Complete, scientifically proven nutrition

plans for muscle gain and fat loss.

The Best Workout You’ll Ever Have is One Click Away

THIS INCREDIBLE PROGRAM IS NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES.

Visit www.101BestWorkouts.com to purchase your copy today and we will rush you the exclusive publisher’s edition of the Men’s Fitness 101 Best Workouts of All Time.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER!

EXCLUSIVE

DISCOVER HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD YOUR GYM!

A Zinczenko-AMI Media Ventures, LLC publication

Ab Training

1BDUMBBELL SWINGSets: 4 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 0 sec.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a kettlebell (or dumbbell) with both hands. Bend your hips back so the weight swings between your legs and behind you. Explosively extend your hips and allow the momentum to raise the weight to eye level.

1CHIP THRUSTSets: 3 Reps: 12–15 Rest: 60 sec.

Sit on the floor and roll a loaded barbell into your lap. (You may need to wrap it in a towel or use a bar pad for comfort.) Lie back against a bench, bend your knees, and plant your feet on the floor. Brace your abs and drive through your heels so you raise your hips off the floor to full extension.

2ARENEGADE ROWSets: 4 Reps: 8–side) Rest: 0 sec

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and get into pushup position with your feet spread wide. Brace your abs and shift your weight to the left side. Row the righthand dumbbell. Repeat on the other side.

2BCABLE ROW TO NECKSets: 4 Reps: 10Rest: 0 sec.

Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station and grasp an end in each hand. Stand away from the machine to put tension on the cable and row the handle to your neck, flaring your elbows out.

2CNEUTRAL-GRIP LAT PULLDOWNSets: 4 Reps: 12Rest: 60 sec.

Secure your knees under the pad of a lat-pulldown station and attach a V-grip handle to the pulley. Pull the handle to your collarbone.

3AWEIGHTED SWISS BALL CRUNCHSets: 3 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 0 sec.

Lie back on a Swiss ball holding a weight plate or dumbbell on your chest. Allow your body to mold around the ball so you feel a stretch in your abs. Raise your upper back off the ball while driving your lower back into the ball, contracting your abs.

3BSWISS BALL CRUNCHSets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 60 sec.

Perform the same crunch movement without the weight plate.

THE BARBELL HIP THRUST STRENGTHENS THE GLUTES, HAMSTRINGS, AND CORE WITHOUT RISKING BACK STRAIN.

I GOT MINE.

E X C L U S I V E LY A T

You’re heading out for a tough workout and you need more hydration than one

bottle of GQ-6. What can you do? Schlep a 30oz canister along with you? Not likely.

We’ve got the perfect solution. Score one of our FREE reusable pouches to take with

you. Portable and sustainable—no waste like packets or stick packs—just fi ll it up with

your favorite GQ-6 fl avor and you’re off .

©2

016

Un

iqu

e N

utr

itio

na

l S

up

ple

me

nts

, L

LC

Ph

oto

co

urt

esy o

f T

he

Blu

ep

rin

t L

A F

itn

ess (

the

blu

ep

rin

tla

.co

m)

Batch tested to ensure

no banned substances.

Log on to gq-6.com and fi nd out how you can get FREE reusable pouches of “your own”.

T H E F L A H E R T Y F O R M U L A (continued from page 51)

Manziel had packed on eight pounds of muscle—and could lift 680

pounds for a Force Number of 3.2. Official combine stats recorded

Manziel with a 31.5-inch vertical leap and a 4.68-second 40-yard

dash, an improvement of about 0.4 second.

At the high school in California, hex bars are everywhere, scat-

tered about like weapons in an armory. Later that afternoon

I watch first as NFL hopeful Jake Brendel, a 6'4", 300-pound

offensive lineman sporting a UCLA T-shirt and red Viking beard,

steps into the center of one that’s stacked with so many weights,

there’s no room for collars. He grips the handles, bends his knees,

straightens his back, raises his chin. The bar elevates and then

crashes down, over and over again, like a monstrous piston. I do

the math in my mind: five 45-pounders on each side plus the bar

itself over five reps means he’s lifted over a ton.

When the 23-year-old drops it for the last time and meanders his

way to a box for a round of single-leg jumps, I ask him if he knew

how much weight he was moving.

“No idea,” Brendel says, without breaking stride. “I just do what

the man says.” True to form, Flaherty’s formula later helped get the

burly offensive lineman signed with the Dallas Cowboys.

to Formula, My Force Awakens

Finally it’s time for my own Flaherty-run training

session. I enter the weight room, where a portable

speaker pumps Lil Wayne as compact halfbacks,

wiry receivers, and massive nose tackles rotate

between sets of heavy bench presses and pullups. At 5'10" and 185

pounds, I feel like a man shrunk in an industrial dryer. But I get to

work, kneading myself on a foam roller in advance of my deadlift

session. This is my first workout of the day—meanwhile, Flaherty’s

clients, following speed drills and a long round of various skill work

run by a corps of position experts, are on their third.

Flaherty puts me through a few low-weight test runs of the

hex-bar and settles on four sets of four reps at 365 pounds, around

90% of what he calculates is my training max of 405 pounds.

The lift feels as balanced and natural as it feels hard and satis-

fying; more than anything, I immediately feel the burn in my fore-

arms and glutes. After a quick break, Flaherty cycles me through

five reps per leg of single-leg seated box jumps. The rest between

sets is way longer than I’d imagined it would be—four to five

minutes—but Flaherty says it’s necessary for recovery when you’re

working with weights this heavy.

He tells me that a good target range for the average guy is a Force

Number of anywhere from 1.8 to 2.4, which is “a great place to be in

terms of bone density, muscle mass, and overall relative strength,

to allow them to do any activity and be at their peak.” So I’m pleased

when Flaherty calculates my Force Number at 2.2, which he says

is pretty good.

Now that I know my number and I’ve finished my hex-bar

session, Flaherty leads me to the other main component of his

workout: the fine-tuning. He puts me through a series of single-

and double-leg jumps, then shows me some data on a laptop,

pointing to a place where my figures plateau. Something’s out of

whack, he says. So he stands me on the edge of a box and instructs

me to balance on one leg, lowering for three seconds and raising for

two, 15 reps per side, as he watches my range of motion.

“Your knees go valgus,” he finally says, apparently referring to the

inward rotation that gives me a brief knock-kneed stance on my

descent. “That’s why your numbers level off. We’ll fix this.”

Like most trainers, Flaherty is a stickler for form, and he calls

these microscopic movement dysfunctions “power leaks.” I have

more than a single power leak, including one that stems from an

underdeveloped vastus medialis obliques, otherwise known as the

teardrop-shaped part of the quadriceps that sits inside the knee.

To ultimately improve my hex-bar deadlift, he says, I need to

“plug those leaks” and restore balance and efficiency of move-

ment with a series of smaller exercises. (According to Flaherty,

the popular canon of complex bilateral movements, like squats

and Olympic lifts, actually mask those little deficiencies, so it’s

important to look for them.) So I do a series of stepping exercises

using a theraband with many slow, controlled reps and hip exer-

cises in which I lie on my side and rotate my legs forward and

back, working the hip muscle at the joint. These controlled, unilat-

eral exercises look to the naked eye like simple rehab work, but

Flaherty assures me I’ll soon hate them as much as everyone else

in the gym. He’s not wrong. During the slow stepping exercises,

my whole body burns and trembles as I try to balance. Though I

detest squatting in general, I find myself fantasizing about being

under the weight of a bar instead of hovering all jelly-legged.

In a back room afterward, I catch up with Flaherty again as

the athletes around us inhale cubic yards of food and lounge on

couches watching SportsCenter. I still can’t get over how elemen-

tary the whole thing seems. Flaherty, with a scientist’s cool confi-

dence, assures me it seems simple only because it’s so effective.

“I can work 90% of skeletal muscle with just one exercise,” he

says. “That negates a lot of other exercises you incorporate for

diversity. I can add 15 pounds of muscle to your quads, your glutes,

your hamstrings through single-leg body-weight exercises and

make you stronger in all those other lifts. So if I can do that, do you

even need to do snatches?”

And I’m not the only one who appreciates the simplicity. “For

athletes, it’s really easy because they have a number,” Flaherty says.

“Like, ‘My strength-to-weight ratio needs to be 3.2 for me to run

a 4.5-second 40 for the rest of my life.’ Marcus Mariota does the

hex-bar deadlift programming one day a week to maintain his

number. But he’s also doing the Tennessee Titans weight-room

program, which is nothing like mine, but it all works perfectly.

“There’s a unifying aspect to this,” he continues. “Whether you’re

a football player looking to run a fast 40 or just an everyday athlete

looking to be more efficient in distance runs or get through your

workouts easier. When your Force Number improves, almost any

athletic endeavor improves, and at the same rate.”

Only once over the course of two days do I see Flaherty bristle.

It happens early in the trip, when I casually drop the phrase

“celebrity trainer.” He doesn’t like the term. His programming

is based on research, he says, insisting that people should listen

to him only because of what he’s saying, not because of whom

he trains. But then my brain ping-pongs from Russell Wilson to

Serena Williams, Cam Newton, and Jameis Winston.

There are a lot of championships and playoff appearances among

that group. Like Flaherty says: The data never lies. Q

F