The New Year’s countdown isn’t just a steady march towards fireworks and your next round of drinks. It’s the moment all those resolutions you’ve put on hold can finally be put into action. But considering the majority of guys flake on their best-laid intentions after a few months have passed, you’ll need all the help you can get to turn your fitness aspirations into some life-changing achievements.
To ensure this is your best year yet, we’ve been hard at work. We’re excited to give you a manual for success. In other words, our January/February 2024 issue is packed with workouts, advice and simple tweaks to give you the edge.
Let’s take a look at just some of the reasons you should head out and grab a copy right now.
1. Overhaul Every Aspect of Your Life
Upgrading your life? It’s all about doing every little thing slightly better. We raided the MH archives and tapped our resident experts for advice on how to help you overhaul your approach. Whether it’s delivering a killer presentation, mastering a new language or running your fastest 5K ever—follow our lead to take your life to the next level.
2. Crush Any Challenge
Cover guy William Goodge is an ultra-endurance runner who has not only conquered marathons but is one of very few people to run across America. (Yes, as in the whole country.) The kicker? He’s done the same across the British Isles, and he’s already eyeing his next test. We met up with the influencer to find out what keeps him driven, committed and unafraid to take on the unknown.
3. Simplify Your Meal Plan
Gaining muscle is a careful formula that involves more than just shifting metal. How you eat will have a massive impact on your strides in the gym, but whipping up the sort of feasts necessary to keep progressing can feel like a serious chore. No stress—we’ve compiled four dead-simple recipes that take just minutes to make and will flood your system with all the macros you’ll need to max out growth.
4. Reboot Your Rig (Outside)
In the summer months, you have new opportunities to ramp up your fitness. By taking your indoor exertions to the great outdoors, you can tap into next-level strength with just a few moves. Our Big Workout will arm you with three routines to ensure that every session feels like a breath of fresh air. (And that’s not even mentioning the muscle these monster moves will add to your frame.)
5. Run Laps Around the Economy
Staying financially afloat when inflation always seems out to set a new PB can feel like an impossible task. However, with the right tweaks, you can do more than just tread water. We assembled a panel of some of SA’s top finance experts to provide you with all the tips you need to sprint ahead of the economy.
6. Find Your New Workout Spot
With this issue we launched our new franchise: Train Your Hood. Bottom line: this is a no-nonsense guide to the best sweat locales, healthy eateries and outdoor activities in SA’s busiest neighbourhoods. For our maiden voyage, we set sail for Green Point, Cape Town, to give you a map of all the moves you’ll be making in 2024.
7. Ramp Up Your Energy Levels
Our collective energy reserves are running at an all-time low. However, before you give in to the temptations of the couch, try our collection of 21 science-backed methods to recharge your battery. From mood-boosting WhatsApp strats to the magic power of the number 10 to, yes, even power naps, these tips will help take your stamina to Stage 8.
8. Buy a Next-Level Ride
A new year means a new stable of awe-inducing motor vehicles. To see if the “Class of 2024” has something new to offer, we sent our resident car expert to test drive the latest and greatest. His findings? Six incredible rides worth every Randela spent—and another six you can afford even if you’re on a budget.
9. Build More Muscle in Less Time
You don’t need to spend hours at the gym. You don’t even need to spend an hour at the gym. All you need is just 30 minutes. In our new issue, we take you through the perks of squeezing more reps into fewer seconds and give you a few foundational tips to get you started on the right foot. Hear that? Yep, that’s you conquering your fitness goals in record time.
10. Set a New PB
Carbon-plate racing shoes are all the rage, but do they live up to the hype? We dug deep to unearth the science behind their race-day chops and scanned the shelves, ran the miles and tallied the metrics to round up our pick of some of the best available.
