Men's Health UK - December 2021

12/21 FINISH THE YEAR STRONG MUSCLE MIND FITNESS

P19 A GOOD KICKING P59 MASTER YOUR DAY P24 SOLID AS THE ROCK

Master the weighted kick-through How fitness entrepreneur Mohammed Dwayne Johnson’s body double reveals
to build strength, balance and focus Iqbal stays zen throughout the 9 to 5 what it takes to keep up with the big man

P124 THE STRONGMAN PLAN P43 AN OUTSIDE CHANCE P27 GO ON, STAY IN BED

With our three weekly workouts, Motivation at rock bottom? Some fresh air If the dawn wake-up call is leaving you
you can pump up your progress could be the boost your willpower needs bleary-eyed, is it actually better for your
for bigger lifts within a month health to cancel your morning workout?
P53 A GIANT WEEP FOR MANKIND
P133 GO OUT WITH A BANG P70 EQUAL PLAY
Boys don’t cry? Well, real men are
This high-rep dumbbell finisher is the bawlers. We examine the health Six trans athletes reveal how sport
dynamic end your workout deserves benefits that letting go can bring has transformed their wellbeing

WEIGHT LOSS HEALTH

P32 A LOT ON YOUR PLATE P16 OUT FOR THE COUNT P20 CHOOSE COLD TURKEY

Shift some serious bulk in more ways If a lack of sleep has you running on Make your leftover roast stretch that
than one with a single-plate workout empty, give this breathing hack a go bit further. Here are 10 healthy sandwich
recipes – with a little extra oomph
P36 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? P130 CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD?
P35 CAN’T BEAT IT
We take a look at the jab scientists Is echinacea a health-shop fad or
are touting as a future cure for obesity a potent pill not to be sniffed at? You may think you know how to scramble
eggs, but you don’t – not yet, anyway...
P131 YOUR FAT-LOSS FIT KIT P138 THE EYES HAVE IT
P122 A ROAST WITH THE MOST
These six multitasking training When you stare into the Zoom-call
essentials that will trim down your abyss, the abyss stares back at you This bacon-wrapped bird with high-fibre
gym bag, as well as your waistline – so give your peepers a little TLC sides will smash your nutrition targets

10 MEN’S HEALTH

IN THIS ISSUE

IDEAS TO KICK YOUR MONTH UP A GEAR

Man in MotionCoverModelMuscleJeremyRenner p44 COVER CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHY TURE LILLEGRAVEN
ON THE COVER COVER MODEL JEREMY RENNER

P23 MIND GAMES P80 THE ANTI-BS TOOLKIT

Understand – then outwit – Your guide to sussing
post-party ‘hangxiety’ with out the quacks and hacks
our guide to beating The Fear spreading bad science

P62 OUTSIDE THE BOX P124 STRONG IN WEEKS

How forward-looking fitness This ‘modified strongman’
brands are thinking beyond plan will add power to your
the bricks-and-mortar gym lifts for results you can see

MEN’S HEALTH 11

THE EXPERT PANEL EDITOR IN CHIEF

SIX BRIGHT MINDS IN HEALTH & FITNESS, AT YOUR SERVICE TOBY WISEMAN

EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PRINT CREATIVE DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR, DIGITAL

DAVID MORTON DECLAN FAHY ROBERT HICKS

FITNESS EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR DEPUTY DIGITAL EDITOR

ANDREW TRACEY SCARLETT WRENCH ED COOPER

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR DIGITAL FEATURES EDITOR

ANNIE HAYES DANIEL DAVIES

ART DIRECTOR

WILL JACK

ART EDITOR ART EDITOR ART EDITOR ACTING ART EDITOR

NATHALIE JESSICA JESSICA PETRA
BATES LOCKETT WEBB MANLEY-LEACH

(MAT LEAVE) DESIGNER DESIGNER

KATIE WILDE FLORENCE OGRAM

PHOTOGRAPHIC DIRECTOR PHOTOGRAPHIC DIRECTOR

RACHAEL CLARK EMILY MURPHY

PICTURE EDITOR PICTURE EDITOR

SARAH ANDERSON JODIE MCEWAN

DR MATT LODDER GUI DASILVA- ABBY LANGER WORKFLOW DIRECTOR
GREENE
TATTOO SCHOLAR REGISTERED DIETITIAN CARLY LEVY
HOLLYWOOD STUNTMAN
Getting inked has blown A nutrition expert who GROUP CHIEF SUB/PRODUCTION EDITOR
up lately. Lodder, who One of three who double loves debunking fads,
lectures at the University Langer reviews the latest VICTORIA RUDLAND
of Essex, tells you how to Marvel’s Black Panther, lose-weight-fastoptions,
pick a tat you’ll never separating the scientific DEPUTY CHIEF SUB EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER DEPUTY CHIEF SUB EDITOR
want to cover up p94 DaSilva-Greene and his from the spurious p36
MATT BLACKWELL JEFF PETTITT JAMES BROWN
friends are pioneers.
SUB EDITOR SUB EDITOR
Learn their secrets p88
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CHIEF INTERNATIONAL BRAND OFFICER, GROUP BRAND DIRECTOR
HEARST EUROPE STEVEN MILES
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Put a cork in your post- Founder of Farm Fitness,
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who specialises in the workout plan to help you SEEMA KUMARI MARKETING & CIRCULATION
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101 on spotting harmful
PR & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER,
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EDITOR’S LETTER

THE IDENTITY-AFFIRMING POWER OF SPORT

Back in June this year, many news outlets reported From the rugby player to the martial artist to the
on the unprecedented decision to select a transgender boxer, each of the characters in our line-up attests to
athlete to compete at the 2020 Summer Games. Men’s this potency. ‘When I was younger, going to the gym
Health was one of them. Following changes to rules set massively helped me conquer my gender dysphoria,’
by the International Olympic Committee allowing trans says 30-year-old Jordan Jackson, a taekwondo fighter.
women to compete as long as they met certain criteria, ‘It was a fundamental part of my self-growth. I know how
including testosterone levels being below a stipulated the mental health of trans people can deteriorate when
threshold, the selection of New Zealand’s Laurel they don’t have a physical outlet. My fitness and training
Hubbard – a 43-year-old trans weightlifter – was a have been a huge factor in my confidence.’
landmark moment. The BBC, by definition impartial (at
least in theory), recorded it as ‘a controversial decision’. There will be some who find all this problematic; who
In a short online piece, Men’s Health offered its take on think that the very subject of transgender athletes in
the news story with assorted viewpoints, from fellow competitive sport is at best controversial, at worst a
athletes to Olympic triumph of woke fascism over sense, decency and logic.
committee representatives
to scientific studies. The There will doubtless be
issue was moot. It felt many who think that a
right to acknowledge magazine like Men’s Health
it, albeit with caution should give the cultural
and sensitivity. politics a rest and stick to
press-ups. At the time of
A few days later, I was writing, one of the top
nonplussed to receive an news stories concerns the
email from a member of resignation of Kathleen
our parent company’s Stock, a philosophy
LGBTQ+ affinity group. We professor at the University
had a problem, I was told of Sussex, after alleged
– an inclusivity problem. bullying and harassment
Naturally, I reviewed the following student protests
article, but again struggled against her views on
to see the offence. Hadn’t we reported fairly, I asked? gender identification
And after all, Laurel Hubbard had spent 34 years living and transgender rights. Commentary on both sides
as a man – didn’t that make it a male-interest story? has become decidedly exclusive. It’s a dispiriting
As for inclusivity, aren’t we a fairly progressive title in example of just how riven the issue has become.
the main? Haven’t we trailblazed the issue of male Stock believes that biological sex is a fact of nature
mental health, hadn’t we put an openly HIV-positive that cannot be annulled by claims of gender identity.
gay guy on the cover, hadn’t we responded proactively She believes that same-sex facilities must be reserved
and positively to the BLM movement? for biological females on the grounds of safety and
privacy. As an academic feminist, she believes that
To all these questions I received a succinct response women have, throughout history, experienced
that slowly made me realise quite how misguided and oppression on the grounds of their biological sex, and
naive these assumptions were. Firstly, well-intentioned that gender identity undermines this. Her opponents
pieces on some subjects in no way mitigate a failure to believe that they are standing up for a marginalised
lend the same kind of consideration to others. Secondly, and victimised group. Ironically, this is precisely what
Laurel Hubbard is a female athlete – if reporting on her Stock will feel she is doing, too.
was so unremarkable, where were all the other Men’s Some of the language used on both sides of the
Health pieces on female athletes? And lastly, since we argument has been strident to the point of aggression.
are so committed to the subject of mental health in Such polarisation is hardly helpful. My view – though
multiple sectors of society, wouldn’t it be appropriate I realise this may well invite its own criticism – is that
to acknowledge that the mental health of trans people if you believe in freedom of thought and speech, then
is notably worse than the general population? it is not inconsistent to believe that biological sex is
fundamental and that respect, compassion and equality
Equal Play, this month’s feature profiling trans men should be afforded to anyone who identifies with
involved in grass-roots sports and training, is the a different gender to the one given to them at birth.
beginning of our response to these oversights. We Certainly, the men who had the guts to allow
purposely chose to look at amateur sport because it themselves to be photographed for our feature deserve
takes the conversation further away from the thorny respect. Admiration, too, for the way in which they have
arguments about competitive fairness on the world navigated their lives with bravery and integrity. I hope
stage and retained differences in strength between that many will find inspiration in their stories.
trans and cisgender athletes. What we wanted to
focus on was the transformative power of sport for TOBY WISEMAN, EDITOR IN CHIEF
the health of trans men.

MEN’S HEALTH 13



12

SAY NUTS
TO AGEING

PAGE 30

14 PUSH UP TO
THE PLATE

PAGE 32 MEN’S HEALTH 15

A 01 02

GOLDEN BLOW BY
SLUMBER BLOW

SLEEP
NEWSFEED
12/21

IMPROVE YOUR
SLEEP QUALITY
BY A NOSE

THE KNOCK-OUT at Guru Nanak Dev University. COUNT WORDS: YO ZUSHI. PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON
BENEFITS OF It’s deployed by Navy Seals –  YOURSELF OUT
BREATHWORK and apparently worked for Hillary
Clinton when she learned she’d No time for a kundalini
Having trouble sleeping? Take lost the presidential race to Donald class? For a faster fix, try
inspiration from the latest Trump in 2016. Potent stuff. the following technique
research. It’s not just hot air…
Steadying your nerves in the 01 BREATHE IT IN
From holotropic face of an encroaching threat
hyperventilation to Wim is one thing – but can breathwork Place your right
Hof’s ‘power breathing’, calm you deeply enough to thumb over your
manipulating your banish sleepless nights? A new right nostril. With your eyes
respiration has lately been sold study suggests it can. Breathing closed, inhale slowly and fully
as a way to enhance your exercise regulation is a central component through your left nostril.
performance, quicken your of kundalini yoga, a Hindu
mind, or even enter altered states practice developed as a means 02 LET IT ALL OUT
of consciousness. But while of spiritual liberation. In an
‘breathwork’ may seem like yet eight-week trial, sufferers of Release your right
another passing trend, many of insomnia were split into two nostril and block
its principles are ancient and groups: the first applied an array your left nostril with your ring
supported by the latest science. of contemporary sleep hygiene finger. Exhale through your
To take one example, alternate techniques, from restricting right nostril, then inhale
nostril breathing – inhale through caffeine and alcohol and slowly. Block and exhale left.
one side, exhale through the other installing blinds to optimising
– is both a staple of traditional the room temperature; the second 03 WE GO AGAIN
Ayurvedic medicine and a received daily kundalini classes.
technique proven to lower Repeat the full
anxiety by Indian researchers At the end of the trial, yogic process for five
breathwork was found to have minutes, working up to a full
16 MEN’S HEALTH outperformed modern sleep 10 minutes, if you can.
hygiene in reducing the time it
takes to nod off, while improving
overall sleep quality. If you’re
tossing and turning till dawn,
learn to still your racing mind,
one lungful at a time – it is
actually something to sniff at.





THE BEST A03

CORE
VALUES

EXERCISE

KICK INTO A YOU’RE 01
NOT DOING
BRACE FOR
HIGHER GEAR TAKE-OFF
Switch up your home dumbbell
routine with theWEIGHTED Crouch with your
KICKTHROUGHto challenge hands on the ground,
your strength, balance and focus holding dumbbells.
Your heels should be
WORDS: MEN’S HEALTH. PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES. MODEL: CHRISTOPHER WHITLOW AT APM. STYLING: ABENA OFEI. GROOMING: SUSANA MOTA For efficiency, speed raised, directly below WHAT
and practicality, your glutes, and your YOU’LL
it’s hard to beat knees hovering GAIN
a well-crafted above the floor.
dumbbell circuit. No need BEAST
for fancy paraphernalia, 02 MODE ABS
precarious barbells or wide,
open spaces – just you, the EXPLODE HEIGHTENED
corner of your living room OUT BRAINPOWER
and a couple of 16kgs.
Raise your left foot
But circling through and tense your abs
the same old staples, day
after day, can often feel – you’re about to
like rewatching a favourite do a lot of things at
sitcom: easy, familiar,
but a little uninspiring. once. Jump your
So, we would like to right foot to where
propose adding a twist. your right hand is,

The kick through is a true lifting your right
multitasker. It demands hand as you do so.
all of your focus and
coordination, giving your 03 BREAKDANCER
grey matter a healthy boost MOVES
while strengthening KICK
everything from your core THROUGH 04
and hips to your shoulders,
arms and glutes. In a fluid movement, FOLD BACK
kick your left leg
Our version dials it through the gap Hold the extended
up a notch, introducing between your right position for a beat
weight for a serious stability foot and left hand, before reversing the
challenge. Make sure you extending your leg move in the same
start slowly, using lighter as far as you can.  order. Then repeat
bells while you get used to Still solid? This next on the other side.
the movement; you need bit is fairly tricky. Abs already aching?
to focus on stabilising your You can consider
planted arm while hefting
the weight in the other. Keen that proof
to give the kick through it’s working.
a spin? Then lace up and
get ready to work – it’s time
to give boredom the boot.

MEN’S HEALTH 19

NEW WAYS TO 02 THE SNOB’S
FLIP YOUR BIRD GUIDE TO
CHOOSE TURKEY
Stretch your festive feast further YOUR LOAF
with these nutrient-packed recipes. 03 SANDWICHES
They’ll make gobbling down your Lightly toasting bread boosts
leftover turkey far more palatable the sandwich’s flavour and LAYER IT UP
structural integrity. A toaster
is fine, but heartier breads Each of the following
like ciabatta or baguettes recipes makes two sarnies
benefit from a minute or two (And yes, you can eat them
under the grill to turn crisp both.) Double the flavour by
outside and chewy inside. distributing the spread on
Don’t worry about the white the top and bottom bread
stuff: foods don’t exist in slices. Add some meat to
isolation and even higher-GI the bottom slice, followed
carbs will be absorbed slowly by an equal-sized portion
when paired with proteins. of the filling and then the
top slice. A bonus: turkey is
01 a great source of immunity-
supporting selenium – it’s
HAVE YOUR
SECOND TAKE our gift to you.

One of the best things WORDS: MATTHEW KADEY; SCARLETT WRENCH. PHOTOGRAPHY: CHELSEA KYLE. FOOD STYLING: TYNA HOANG. PROP STYLING: SUMMER MOORE AT HONEY ARTISTS
about the Christmas
period is a well-stocked
fridge. And one of the
more tiresome things
is working out exactly
what to do with all that
extra food. But don’t
scoff yesterday’s
poultry just so it
doesn’t go to waste.
Feed your guests (or
yourself) with a well-
built sandwich that
can rival your dinner
for flavour and improve
its nutritional value.

A

BANH MI

Bread: 2 small baguettes
Spread: 4 tbsp mayo +
1½ tsp sriracha sauce
Topping: sliced
cucumber + grated
carrot + sliced
radish + 2 tbsp rice
vinegar + pinch of salt
(mix all of these and
allow to sit for 30 mins
or more) + torn
coriander

FIBRE
POWER

20 MEN’S HEALTH

04 05 A

A SLICE KILLER
OF MIGHT FILLERS

PACKS
PROBIOTICS

B Topping: 4 strips cooked C 1 tsp lemon zest D maple syrup + light
bacon + 2 thick slices Topping: sliced pickled sprinkle of cinnamon
TBLT tomato + torn bibb BEET MASTER beetroot + sauerkraut SPUD LOVE Topping: 2 tbsp walnuts +
lettuce 1 sliced apple + baby kale
Bread: 4 slices of Bread: 4 slices of Bread: 4 slices of rye
sourdough wholemeal Spread: 8 tbsp mashed
Spread: 4 tbsp hummus Spread: 4 tbsp sour cream sweet potato + 1 tbsp
+ 2 tbsp pesto + 2 tbsp horseradish + chopped sage + 2 tsp

LIGHT
BITE

E F G EXTRA
PROTEIN
JALAPEÑO POPPER GREEN GODDESS BIG FIG
+ 1 tbsp chopped shallot
Bread: 2 sandwich thins lettuce + grated low-fat Bread: 4 slices of 1 tbsp chopped chives + Bread: 4 slices of + 1 tsp fresh thyme
seeded multigrain Topping: sliced fennel +
or thin bagels cheddar + pickled sprouted grain 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice Spread:3 tbspfig preserves goat’s cheese + rocket
+ 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Spread: 3 tbsp BBQ sauce jalapeño slices Spread: 1 mashed avocado Topping: mozzarella +

Topping: shredded + 1 minced garlic clove + spinach + microgreens

SOURCE OF
CALCIUM

H I J

MANGO CURRY SHROOM SERVICE SWEET HEAT

Bread: 2 large wraps 1 tbsp fresh lime juice Bread: 4 slices of Topping: 2 slices Bread: 2 ciabatta rolls cranberry sauce + 2 tbsp
Spread: 6 tbsp plain + sprinkle of cayenne Spread: 3 tbsp cream chopped white onion +
Greek yoghurt + 1 tsp Topping: sliced mango + pumpernickel provolone cheese + cheese + 2 tsp lime zest 1 tbsp sliced jalapeño
yellow curry powder + red pepper + watercress Topping: 6 tbsp whole-berry + chopped coriander
Spread: 2 tbsp grainy sautéed mushrooms

Dijon mustard + parsley

MEN’S HEALTH 21



06 A

INSTANT
CALMER

WHAT 01 02
HAPPENS
WHEN… DOWN AND OUT FEED YOUR HEAD

…I GET It’s all fun and games until ‘When combined with sleep
HANGXIETY? the morning after the party deprivation, [stress] can
before. On waking, you’re cause impairments in
You’re likely familiar with the likely to experience ‘higher attention and memory,’ says
physical effects of a hangover, levels of noradrenaline, Dr Craig Gunn, a researcher
but The Fear – that creeping seen in the fright-fight-flight examining the cognitive
next-day dread – is a harder response,’ says Dr Tony Rao, effects of hangovers.
beast to tame. Bring it to heel a mental health specialist Meanwhile, low blood sugar
at King’s College London. can make simple tasks feel
01 Stress hormone cortisol also impossible. So don’t skip
tends to be higher during breakfast: protein-rich eggs
hangovers. Put on a zen or oily fish paired with slow-
playlist and practise some burning carbs will reboot you.
controlled breathing. One study linked the amino
acid L-cysteine in eggs to
reduced anxiety, says Dr Rao.

03

02

WORDS: TOM WARD. ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY. *SOURCE: THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOL 03 04 05 05 04

PANIC STATIONS IT’S ALL A BLUR PLAN AHEAD CONSIDER YOUR
POST-BOOZE
One recent theory as to why Barely remember catching Practise caution the night ANXIETY LICKED
drinking can send us into an the last train? Worried about before. Dr Rao points to
emotional spiral is to do with what you overshared with the ‘disconnect from reality
two key neurotransmitters: a new colleague? ‘Alcohol through suppression of our
GABA and glutamate. acts on the brain’s prefrontal frontal lobes’ that tricks us
‘Their functioning may cortex, which is responsible into believing we’re more
be unbalanced during a for decision-making,’ says sober than we are. Setting
hangover,’ posits Dr Gunn, Dr Rao. It makes us poorer hourly ‘check in’ alarms to
although he says research at assessing risk. But don’t remind yourself to drink
isn’t conclusive. Don’t trust bottle it up: ‘Sharing water is one strategy. Too
the voice in your head: low experiences from the night late? Walk it off: a 15-minute
GABA and raised glutamate before with friends might stroll in a wooded area can
can set off anxious thoughts. alleviate some of our reduce anxiety by 23% to
Meditation is proven to help. anxieties,’ says Dr Gunn. 31%*. Leave the hip flask.
Things are very rarely
as bad as you think.

MEN’S HEALTH 23

6AM WITH...
TANOAI REED

TONE UP AT THE
SCHOOL OF ROCK

As Dwayne Johnson’s long-time
stunt double, Tanoai Reed knows
a few things about toughing it out

Tanoai Reed is in his own REED’S WORK ETHIC
paradise. It’s a sunny IS ROCK SOLID
Friday morning in Laie,
a remote area of Hawaii recently landed on Netflix. And doesn’t necessarily mean
where the nearest public gym is
40 minutes away. Reed is standing since The Rock (who also happens performing backflips, and The
inside the garage that he converted
into an old-school home gym, to be Reed’s distant cousin) is Rock likes to do his own fight
his 6ft 3in, 18st frame hunched
under a barbell loaded with just never out of shape, Reed usually work. (Those WWE days come in
over 100kg. He glances around.
‘Dwayne has his Iron Paradise,’ needs to be in shape, too. handy.) But whenever Johnson’s WORDS: ANNA KATHERINE CLEMMONS. PHOTOGRAPHY: ARTO SAARI.
he says, referring to the gym that ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES; BETH BISCHOFF
Johnson famously travels with Sure, he’ll sneak in character slams into
whenever he’s filming. ‘I call this a couple of weeks off ‘I love the challenge. a wall or winds up in a
my Rusty Paradise.’
from hardcore gym I’ve got abs and car crash? ‘Yeah, that’ll
He exhales, stands tall to lift workouts, instead I’m getting paid be me,’ says Reed.
barbell from rack, then reps out spending time
12 squats. Reed enters his version He starts prepping
of paradise only when necessary
– and more often than not, it’s gardening or for them!’ for each film three
necessary. Life as a stunt double is relaxing with his months before he’s due
never easy. (For more on that, read
our story on the stunt doubles wife, Suzanne, who’s also a stunt on set. Right now, he’s just got off
behind Black Panther and other
Hollywood favourites on p88.) performer. Then the next role set, having wrapped up his part in
And when you make a living
doubling for Hollywood’s approaches and Reed heads back Black Adam, which hits cinemas
pre-eminent action hero, you
always have to be ready for, well, to the Rusty Paradise. Almost in 2022. Earlier this year, Johnson
action. ‘I want to keep my job and
make Dwayne look good!’ Reed always, his focus is on looking the promised he’d ‘deliver the antihero
says as he replaces the bar on the
rack. ‘He motivates me a lot.’ part. Stunt-doubling for Johnson you’ve been waiting for’ in the

It’s equal parts bodybuilder
work ethic and desire to retain his
gig that push Reed to pump iron
at least four days a week. The
47-year-old Samoan American
has spent the past 20 years as
Johnson’s stunt double, an
invisible starring role that he plays
for the 30th time in the comedic
action-thriller Red Notice, which

24 MEN’S HEALTH

07 08 A

DOUBLE PRESSING
DUTY MATTERS

titular role, and that meant been hired as Johnson’s stunt guy. BEAT YOUR CHEST
looking ripped, so Reed followed He hasn’t looked back. ‘I pinch
suit. He’s still in that mode: after myself at work when I jump into Hone your pecs and add
his four sets of squats, he blasts a character costume,’ he says. upper-body muscle with this
through a superset of dumbbell circuit. Do 3 rounds, resting
lunges and rear delt flies. He Still, the job can be punishing. for 90 secs between each.
originally drew up today’s workout Reed remembers his second film Don’t rest between moves
to prep for 2014’s Hercules, and with Johnson, 2003’s Welcome
back then he was already a veteran To The Jungle. He spent four days 01 TEMPO PRESS-UP
Johnson stand-in. shooting a one-minute scene
with a Jeep crashing off a cliff. Start in press-up position. Take 4 secs
How Reed scored his career- A few years later, while doubling to lower and 4 secs to press up. Do as
defining gig is Hollywood legend. as a Terminator on The Sarah many reps as you can.
It was 2001 and The Rock was Connor Chronicles, he flew into
headlining his first film, The a windshield, breaking a rib and 02 WIDE-GRIP PRESS-UP
Scorpion King, paired with a stunt cracking his kneecap. ‘They’re
double who didn’t quite look like like, “Do you have another one Shift your hands to wider than shoulder
him. Enter Reed, then a 27-year- in you?”’ he says. ‘Those are the width. Repeat the press-up pattern,
old ex-college American football words stuntmen hate to hear.’ again performing reps until failure.
player (sound familiar?) with few Reed did another take.
stunt credits to his name. He was 03 CLOSE-GRIP PRESS-UP
working as a truck driver on the Yes, the job’s taken a toll on his
Universal Studios lot when several body, and he admits that it gets Shift your hands to just narrower than
stunt guys recognised him and harder to prep for each role. But shoulder width. Repeat the press-up
mentioned how much he looked Johnson’s not quitting, so why pattern, doing as many reps as you can.
like The Rock. By day’s end, he’d should Tanoai Reed? ‘I love the
challenge of doubling Dwayne and

staying in shape,’ he says.
‘I’ve got abs, and I’m
getting paid for them!’

BETWEEN SETS The low-down on Reed’s likes and dislikes

GO-TO CHEAT FAVOURITE EXERCISE YOU IF YOU COULD
FOOD? GYM TUNES? CAN’T STAND?   DO ONE STUNT,

‘Doughnuts and ‘I like old-school IT WOULD BE…
pizza. I also like gangsta rap like
GUTTER CREDIT Samoan food. ‘Squats are ‘When guys fly
In our garden, Ice Cube and a love/hate through the air
I have a Samoan NWA. Although relationship. backwards, they
umu oven. We I don’t listen to I do hate doing have a harness on
cook pigs and it when I’m not them, but I love with a wire. I like
doing them – I doing that: wire
traditional working out.’ know they’re so work, high falls.’
Polynesian food.’ good for me.’

MEN’S HEALTH 25



MH VERSUS 09 10 A
SLEEP VS
EXERCISE PRESS MAKE YOUR
SNOOZE MOVE

A ROUSING DEBATE
Your 6am alarm alerts you that you’re wanted at the gym. But which
is better for long-term health: a lengthier doze or a dose of exercise?

WORDS: IAN TAYLOR. PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE; STUDIO 33; GETTY IMAGES. *SOURCES: THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD; TOKYO’S NATIONAL CENTRE OF NEUROLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY Increasing sleep from 6½ to 10 hours per MUTUAL BENEFITS Regular exercise improves sleep duration
night can enhance athletic performance, MAJOR GAINS and quality, says The Sleep Council. Finish
including quicker sprint times, says the your session at least two hours before
bedtime to avoid a spike in endorphins.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Better immunity Less stress Younger heart Laser focus Improved mood Fight dementia Greater sex drive More willpower

Starve your body of sleep and you’re more LIGHT SLEEPER It’s all in the timing. According to the
likely to indulge in late-night high-carb International Journal Of Obesity, people
who work out before noon lose more weight
snacks than eight-hour sleepers, says the than those who exercise after 3pm.
American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition.

The estimated cost of lack of sleep AT WHAT COST? The estimated cost of physical
to the UK economy, reports The Sleep inactivity to the NHS. After each
£1b meal, aim for a 10-minute walk – it
£40bCouncil. WFH? A lunchtime power nap helps to rebalance your blood sugar.
can improve cognitive function.

A study* shows that an hour of sleep EXTRA ENERGY The University of Western Ontario found
debt can take up to four nights to undo. that 20 minutes of moderate-intensity
activity, such as walking briskly, boosts
Flagging? Creatine has been shown to cognition in the same way as a cup of coffee.
reboot brain energy in the sleep-deprived.

THE MH VERDICT: SLEEP WINS!

The two are entwined – sleep bestows effective exercise and exercise bestows good sleep.
But heading to work exhausted after a sunrise kettlebell class will compromise mental energy
and immune health. Hit fewer than 6½ hours’ kip? Press snooze – and train tomorrow instead.

MEN’S HEALTH 27

There’s nothing like 01 02
a perfectly pitched SMASH HITS
soundtrack to take the 01 WORDS: KIERAN ALGER.
edge off your workout LONG HAULERS 89/100 DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK
toil. But streaming beast mode
playlists into your temporal lobe 92/100 Powerbeats Pro
doesn’t just ease the suffering £219.95, beatsbydre.com
and mute fellow gym goers’ Jaybird Vista 2 Snug fit
grunts. Studies show that the £189.99, jaybirdsport.com Sound quality
right tunes can also boost Battery life
performance and recovery. Snug fit TOTALLY HOOKED The only
Sound quality earphone outside AirPods with
Thankfully, bringing your best Battery life Apple’s H1 chip, the Pro pairs
bangers from the dance floor to reliable connectivity with
the gym floor is now much THE ALL-ROUNDER They pack sweat-resistance. Expect nine
easier. Tiny-but-mighty, true eight hours of training time, plus hours of quality sound, plus
wireless headphones have freed 16 hours in the back-up case, a 1½-hour boost from a fast
us from the tyranny of massive and a five-minute rapid charge charge. But you’ll have to jog on
cans and burpee-busting cables.  bags enough juice for a workout. if you want ANC or custom EQ.
Wingtips add a shake-proof EXPERT VERDICT If your ears
The best buds kick out sound fit, while ANC, hear-through struggle to lock regular buds in
quality to rival some over-ear mode and customisable place, the Powerbeats’ design
headphones, with extra audio sound make these some guarantees stay-put fit, whether
smarts like active noise serious sport-bossing buds. you’re banging out burpees
cancellation (ANC) and hear- EXPERT VERDICT The all- or box jumps. Despite the
through modes that drown out round package of military-grade lack of ANC, they’re good
– or keep you safely in contact durability, a fit that stays put at isolating flow-busting
with – the world around you.  and loud, rich, bassy sound really outside noise. The
hits the beat. Not to mention charging case is
Not to mention massive a comprehensive box of extra massive, though.
battery life, rapid charging, trickery, like custom EQ, case
gym-proof durability, built-in and bud locator and auto pause. 02
smart assistants, wireless
charging and a lock-tight fit for
staying plugged in no matter how
rigorous your gym routines get.  

This month, Men’s Health’s
expert testers fired up their
montage-worthy playlists
and went in search of the best
fitness-proof earbuds. Just
wait for the drop...

28 MEN’S HEALTH

A11

BEST OF
BUDS

04 05
CHEAP TWEETERS

84/100

Google Pixel Buds A-Series
£99.99, store.google.com

Snug fit
Sound quality
Battery life

03 SMALL & MIGHTY The most 05
compact on test, Google’s buds BASS COVERED
03 are surprisingly sport-friendly.
BIG BANGERS The sound quality isn’t world- 90/100
beating, but simple touch
89/100 controls and access to Google Jabra Elite 85t
Assistant make them a good
B&O Beoplay E8 Sport everyday option. There’s no £219.99, jabra.com
£300, bang-olufsen.com ANC or awareness mode.
Snug fit EXPERT VERDICT Despite
Sound quality packing an audio punch bigger
Battery life than their size – and price tag
– these aren’t the best for sound
or fit. The lack of proper wingtips
left them feeling a little loose for
the more active drills. But,
as a value office-to-gym
option, they do a job.

HOLD FIRM With 5.7mm drivers, Snug fit
the eyeball- and earhole-pleasing 04 Sound quality
B&Os bang out substantial
sound quality with slick styling. Battery life

Albeit for the big bucks. Despite

a smaller wingtip design, they ROCK SOLID Though they’re

don’t shake loose. And you get not built strictly for fitness,

30 hours of workout time. the 85t perform on a par with

EXPERT VERDICT The E8 Jabra’s Elite Active buds. The

Sport kicks out the best speakers kick out big bass for

EQ-customisable sound we’ve a tiny bud, you get adjustable

heard on a set of true wireless ANC and HearThrough mode

headphones. That’s backed by and seven hours’ training time

a reliable fit and great battery on the buds – boosted to 31

life. If you’re an audiophile with the compact case.

fitness enthusiast with deep EXPERT VERDICT Another

pockets, these are for you. excellent all-rounder, the 85t’s

customisable audio delivers

a big, bassy kick in the

FINE SOUND BATTERY FIT motivational pants. The fit
TUNING Despite We tested A fit that is solid and we loved the in-
their size, for staying is utterly app hearing test that tunes
How we assessed our picks all crank power and rapid- unshakeable is a top the audio to your ears.
out mighty sound, charging skills, then priority. We looked
these chart-topping with big bass, crisp rated the earbuds for a solid grip, even

Bluetooth buds

clarity and heavy- that were always as you’re moving up

hitting top volume.   ready to rock.  through the gears.

A 12 13

LONG LIFE HEY
FOODS PESTO

GO NUTS NUTRITION
TO PROLONG NEWSFEED
YOUR PRIME 12/21

The humble festive walnut GET CRACKING TO signal they’re rich in polyphenolic
has been shown to bear the FUTURE-PROOF compounds that counter cognitive
gift of age-defying muscle YOUR BODY decline, they resemble the
and virility. Get cracking surgically removed brain of
a Borrower. And 75g per day WORDS: YO ZUSHI. PHOTOGRAPHY: ROWAN FEE. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL HEDGE, LUCKY IF SHARP
Across western culture of these wrinkled nuts have been
and society, red meat is found to beneficially affect semen
the undisputed macho, quality and the health of your…
bicep-flexing man food well, you get the idea.
– or so a paper in the Journal of
Consumer Research claims. The Most promisingly, in a six-week
HuffPost’s rundown of ‘14 of the trial involving active elderly men,
Manliest Foods Ever Known to Tunisian scientists demonstrated
Man’ is a carnival of death, which that just 15g of walnuts per day,
involves barbecues, ribs and even while maintaining a moderate
edible shot glasses – Ed Gein-ishly training regimen, can help to
made out of beef. Yet, despite the lower harmful LDL cholesterol
association of animal flesh with and gains-inhibiting cortisol by
male potency, a recent study in up to a fifth. That handful will
the Biology Of Sport journal also increase your testosterone
suggests that the ultimate fuel for levels by as much as 10%, helping
your long-term virility is a food to maintain your bone density,
our caveman ancestors would muscle mass and sex drive. So,
have gathered, rather than hunted. the next time you’re craving some
real man food, grab it by the nuts.
Walnuts are a curious nut. First,
they’re imposters – though a staple
of your festive nut bowl, these
bitter husks are drupe seeds and
not botanical nuts at all. Second,
they are, perhaps, the least subtle
superfood in existence. As if to

A SIDE ORDER ENERGY BALLS CRUNCHY PESTO BRUSSELS SPROUTS
OF MUSCLE
Blend walnuts, oats, maple Swap pine nuts for walnuts Blanch the sprouts, then fry
Three ways to hit syrup, dates and a pinch of and blitz with garlic, basil, pancetta in a pan and brown
salt. Roll into balls and stash parmesan and oil. Basil has the walnuts. Add the sprouts;
your recommended 15g in the fridge; it’s a quick way anti-inflammatory properties they’re rich in glucosinolates,
to restock glycogen levels. for a faster gym bounceback. which pump up muscle gain.
a day, each with added

performance benefits

30 MEN’S HEALTH



1 PIECE OF
KIT, 10 WAYS
WEIGHT PLATE

A WEIGHT OFF
YOUR SHOULDERS

Who needs barbells anyway? For a
full-body session that trains every
muscle, try stepping up to the plate

Far more than just A A GUTTER CREDIT
a shiny accessory
for your barbell, B B
weight plates
are a versatile training 01 02
tool in their own right.
Plates with a three-grip SQUAT REACH THRUSTER
design are ideal for solo
use, or you can opt for Compound movements are a great The next round? More squats, of
one without a comfy way to warm up your entire body, course. As you stand, press the
handle. Your grip will be though this weighted reach is still weight above your head to really
forced to work harder, testing. Begin with the plate by your work your shoulders (A), then lower
strengthening the chest (A) and sink into a squat, back down to the ground, keeping
muscles of your lower pushing the plate out in front (B). your heels on the floor (B).
arms: a major limiting
factor in many other A B
exercises. What’s more,
as many of these moves B A
are front-loaded, they’ll
give your core a tougher 03 04
challenge, too.
REVERSE LUNGE HALO
Each of these moves
requires minimal space, From a standing position, lunge back Functional muscle requires dynamic
so they’re good for the with your right leg and twist to your motion and these halos are devilish
days when the gym’s left (A). The added screw will for your shoulders. Hold the plate
unexpectedly busy – or tighten up your core stability. Push with bent arms (A) and lift it around
if you just fancy a bit of up to stand and repeat on the other your head (B). After about 30 secs
social distancing from side, for 5 reps in each direction (B). of work, switch direction.
the sweaty hordes
gathered around the
squat racks. Better still,
invest in your own plate
for an alternative to
your usual kettlebells
and dumbbells.

Start with a 10kg
plate, then scale up or
down if you’re breezing/
wheezing through it.
Do three sets of 8-10 reps
of each move or 6-8 for
the Aleknas and bridge
pull-overs. Let’s serve
up some strength.

32 MEN’S HEALTH

AA
B

SERVE IT UP 07 B

Jordan Fitness ALEKNAS 08
has a range of
plates with This one’s named after a Lithuanian BRIDGE PULL-OVER
ergonomic grips, discus athlete (some trivia for you).
starting at £24 Lie down with your knees tucked and Afters come courtesy of your chest
for a 5kg weight. the plate on your shins (A). Extend and lats. Lying down on the floor,
your legs forward and your arms back put your shoulders into a bridge
jordanfitness.com to finish in a hollow hold (B). position (A), then tense your abs
to bring the weight plate towards
KEY your quads (B). Nicely done.
MUSCLE
PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES. MODEL: JAMES STARK AT W MODEL. STYLING: DAISY DEANE. GROUPS AB
GUGTTREOROCMIRNEGD:ITSABINE CHAMMAS. ILLUSTRATIONS: ANDREA MANZATI AT SYNERGY ART A

B 10

09 TRUCK DRIVER

PRESS-UP Looks silly, works brilliantly. Take
things home by holding the weight
Take the weight off your feet and drop directly out in front of you, core braced
into a weighted press-up with the plate and arms locked out. Rotate the plate
on your back (A) – you might need right, (A) then 180 degrees to the left
a buddy to assist. Bracing your core, (B) for 30 secs. Then take a load off.
lower your chest until you’re just off the
ground (B). Push back up.

MEN’S HEALTH 33



15 A

A PAN AND
A PLAN

THE EXPERT

Paul Kita is
a Men’s Health
food writer and
author of the
cookbook A Man,
A Pan, A Plan

CRACKING FORBREAKFAST,
LUNCH OR DINNER

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHELSEA KYLE. FOOD STYLING: SUE LI/HELLO ARTISTS. PROP STYLING: SUMMER MOORE/HONEY ARTISTS. *SOURCE: THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION THERE’S ONLY
ONE RIGHT
WAY TO…

…SCRAMBLE EGGS

Good news: you don’t need a whisk, a hi-tech pan
and grass-fed cream to whip up quick and fluffy
eggs. The real essentials are right in your kitchen

WHY THE 01 02 03 04 ADD SOME
YOLK IS FIBRE POWER
NO JOKE! USE GOOD TURN DOWN DON’T POWER DOWN
INGREDIENTS THE HEAT BEAT IT AND PLATE UP For optimal muscle-
Studies show that building, hunger-abating
eating three whole Good-quality eggs Place your pan When the whites After a few minutes goodness, your meals
eggs post-workout and butter are over a medium- begin to solidify, of cooking, your should contain 30g of
offers a bigger boost naturally rich and low heat, add stir frequently eggs should look protein and 10g of fibre.
to muscle repair and creamy, as well as 1 tbsp of butter with a spatula. like folded satin:
growth than eating containing extra and swirl the pan Don’t add cream semi-solid yet • 2 TBSP PEANUT BUTTER
the same amount of nutrients. If you can, to coat it as the or seasoning. The smooth. Turn off the • HANDFUL OF RAISINS
protein from fat-free buy farm-fresh (or butter melts. Then best eggs taste hob and stir until • 50G OATS, COOKED AND
egg whites*. at least farmer’s crack in three great on their own, the eggs are fluffy.
market fresh) eggs eggs – that’s about so sample them Plate up and enjoy STIRRED TOGETHER
and unsalted, 20g of protein, before adding any – perhaps alongside
cultured butter. plus 30% of your extra flavours. one of our serving • SWEET POTATO, DICED
vitamin B12. suggestions (right). • ¼ ONION, CHOPPED

AND SIZZLED

• 2 VEGAN SAUSAGES

MEN’S HEALTH 35

DOES IT
WORK?
WEIGHT LOSS

THE BEST NEW
WAYS TO BURN FAT!
(PLUS THE WORST)
Not all drop-it-fast schemes are made

equal. We’ve separated the auspicious
strategies from the inferior ideas to
discern what’s worth your attention

01

MOST PROMISING NEW TREATMENT

A JAB THAT CURBS

OVEREATING

Weight-loss aids – from fat-blockers

and thermogenic pills to ‘slimming’

teas – have a chequered history, with

many turning out to be ineffective

or even harmful. But experts are

calling semaglutide, a recently trialled

medication, ‘the start of a new era’ for

weight-loss drug development. The

drug, a weekly injectable, is already

approved in the US for those who are

medically categorised as obese or

overweight, and works by mimicking

hormones that trigger feelings of

fullness. It’s been submitted for approval

for obesity treatment in the UK.

In lower doses, semaglutide has

been used for many years to control

type 2 diabetes; in this higher dose,

it was found to act on the brain and more excited about this medication lessen the ‘blame the patient’ stigma
around obesity, argues Dr Yoni
reduce appetite. It’s the most is its potential for making your whole Freedhoff, medical director of the
Bariatric Medical Institute in Ontario,
effective prescription drug for body healthier – and maybe your mind, Canada. ‘People don’t choose to have
obesity any more than they choose
weight management so far too. ‘This degree of weight loss can to have high blood pressure. With the
latter, though, no one blinks about
– people lost about an Semaglutide have a major impact medications that help to lower it, and WORDS: ABBY LANGER. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
impressive 15% of their on type 2 diabetes, hopefully there will be a future where
the same might be said with obesity.’
body weight in 17 months, was found to act metabolic syndrome, BOTTOM LINE Semaglutide can
according to University of on the brain and high blood pressure, help people lose weight – improving
Pennsylvania research reduce appetite high cholesterol, arthritis weight-related health issues – and,
that was published in The and obstructive sleep ideally, gain more healthy years of life.
New England Journal Of apnoea, just to name

Medicine. People on a placebo lost a few,’ says MH adviser and obesity-

about 2.5% of their body weight. medicine expert Dr Fatima Cody

The efficacy numbers are welcome Stanford. The drug may also help

news in this field. But what has doctors

36 MEN’S HEALTH

16 17 A

WEIGHTY SLIM
BENEFITS CHANCE

MANY FAT-BURNING 02 It’s not that the advice is bad – Zoe’s
FADS ARE MERELY kit also gives you the option of wearing
SMOKE AND MIRRORS ONE DAY... BUT NOT YET a continuous glucose monitor, which
helps decode your responses to food.
EATING PLANS A set of Zoe recommendations MH
TAILORED TO YOUR reviewed included eating avocados,
GUT MICROBIOME apples and courgette and avoiding
white bread and ‘savoury pies’. But you
If you knew precisely which foods your don’t need a glucose and microbiome
body responded to best, you could investigation to know that. Zoe also
really take control of your health and has you track your food, a habit that has
weight. That’s the premise behind new positive effects on your health and can
kits that test your microbiome and make provide incentive to make changes.
personalised eating recommendations BOTTOM LINE You’re probably not
based on the results. going to be steered wrong, since
a healthy diet and the microbiome
There’s some scientific cred to the are inseparable. But the research
idea that our individual microbial make- doesn’t yet support forking over
ups may have something to do with why money for diet recommendations
we all respond differently to what we eat based on your microbiome.
– for instance, some people manage
carbs better than fats, others the reverse. 03
But there’s probably not quite enough
to base your eating plan on it. We don’t DON’T EVEN GO THERE
yet know exactly what the microbiome’s
influence on weight is, and even if we JAW-LOCKING
did, it’s not clear by how much we can DENTAL DEVICE
change our microbes, and which ones
we’d need to change, to better support Proving that not everything with research
our ideal body composition, says Dr behind it is a good idea, along comes the
Gabrielle Fundaro, author of The DentalSlim Diet Control device. Scientists
Science Of Gut Health. In a nutshell, just created a contraption that uses
‘the data isn’t there yet’, she says. magnets with locks to keep the wearer’s
jaw shut to prevent them from eating
But that hasn’t stopped multiple solids. They even published a study on it
companies from rolling out gut-testing in the British Dental Journal. What do you
and diet kits. One such company, Zoe, know, it helped the women in the study
says its programme can help followers lose 5% of their body weight in two weeks.
lose weight, gain energy and feel less After uproar about it being ‘stigmatising
hungry. Another, DayTwo, claims its and dehumanising’, as Brooke Bulloch of
test gives you a ‘fingerprint’ of your Food To Fit Nutrition puts it, the authors
gut, which can determine your optimal said it was intended for people with a
diet for blood-sugar control. But a short-term medical need to lose weight
snapshot is just that – your microbiome quickly. There are better ways.
is telling you what it’s been getting,
not what you need, Fundaro says.

THE FIVE LEARN TO LOVE UP YOUR PROTEIN GET ENOUGH FIBRE MAKE PLEASURE BE CONSISTENT
GREATEST WHOLE FOODS A PRIORITY
WEIGHT-LOSS Protein is trendy Fibre’s bulk helps It doesn’t matter
IDEAS OF Whole foods are for a good reason fill your stomach It’s easy to overlook as much what you
ALL TIME more nutritious – it causes you to and reduce how the emotional do day-to-day;
than processed release hormones quickly it empties. satisfaction food rather, it’s the
You can’t go varieties, and they that increase It also helps can provide, but week-to-week and
keep you fuller for feelings of satiety stabilise blood it’s more than just month-to-month
wrong with these longer. You don’t (fullness). Aim sugar. Aim for fuel. When you consistency of
have to give up all for 25g to 30g per 25g to 30g a day. enjoy your food, your health habits
time-proven ultra-processed meal at least. you’re better able that really makes
foods; just eat to maintain good a difference.
techniques them less often. habits long term.

MEN’S HEALTH 37



GROOM A18
SERVICE
MAKE-UP UNDER
COVER
CAMO FOR
YOUR FACE YOUR PROBLEM

Uncertain about make-up? UNDER-EYE
Use our know-how for results CIRCLES
that are subtle but effective
THE FIX: Start with a
YOUR PROBLEM depuffing mask under your
eyes to smooth and hydrate,
SPOTS says Komorowski. Then apply
a dot or two of concealer on
THE FIX: Call on concealer. the inner corner and another
Brands like Fenty are at the outer corner. Blend,
then add a swipe of matte
available in 50 different bronzer to blend it further.
colours, so match your THE TOOLS: Jaxon Lane
skintone. Place a dot on top Bro Mask Eye Gels (£25
of the spot, then tap with for six, mrporter.com);
Jones Road The Face Pencil
your finger to blend. (£23, jonesroadbeauty.com).
THE TOOLS: Laura Mercier PRO TIP: Choose a
concealer that matches
Secret Camouflage your skin tone. Don’t
(£30, boots.com); go lighter, because
then you’ll end up
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r with raccoon eyes.
Instant Retouch
Concealer (£19, MOUNT A
STEALTH ATTACK
harveynichols.com). ON YOUR SKIN
PRO TIP: ‘Use a thicker,
FIND YOUR MATCH
drier concealer,’ says
celebrity groomer Amy Many brands now cater for lots
of skintones. If you can’t find
Komorowski. your match, try mixing two
shades, says Komorowski.
YOUR PROBLEM
Warm undertones help
BLOTCHY even out redness,
REDNESS she adds.

WORDS: GARRETT MUNCE. PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY; GETTY IMAGES THE FIX: Tinted moisturiser. YOUR PROBLEM YOUR PROBLEM YOUR PROBLEM
Go with a shade that
matches the colour of A DULL SHINY SKIN UNRULY
COMPLEXION BROWS
your neck to balance out THE FIX: A mattifying
your skintone. Apply a THE FIX: A matte cream powder or gel. Focus on the THE FIX: Trim any outliers
bronzer. Dab a few dots on nose, brow and forehead. with scissors. Then smooth
dot on each cheek, your high-sun-exposure areas of THE TOOLS: Nars everything with a brow
forehead and your chin. your face: the bridge of your Light Reflecting Pressed pomade. ‘Just brushing
Smooth with your hands. nose, cheeks and forehead. Setting Powder (£29, them up opens the eye area
THE TOOLS: BareMinerals Then gently blend them into narscosmetics.co.uk); and makes you look more
Complexion Rescue Tinted your skin with your finger. Kiehl’s Micro-Blur Skin awake,’ says Komorowski.
Hydrating Gel Cream (£30, THE TOOLS: Bobbi Brown Perfector (£25, kiehls.co.uk). THE TOOLS: Lashify
Bronzing Powder (£33, PRO TIP: If you want to Control Wax (£17, lashify.
bareminerals.co.uk). bobbibrown.co.uk). de-shine on the go, use com); Benefit Gimme Brow+
PRO TIP: For a product PRO TIP: Choose matte: blotting papers, says Tinted Volumizing Eyebrow
shine-free creams Martin. They soak up Gel (£22.50, ulta.com).
without colour, use deliver a natural effect. oil but don’t PRO TIP: Using a tinted
Tatcha The Liquid Put a little under your dry out eyebrow gel will add colour
Silk Canvas (£59.95, eyes to brighten them. your skin.
londonlovesbeauty. to make your brows look
com), says make-up fuller, says Martin. Opt
artist Daniel Martin. for one that matches
your hair colour.

MEN’S HEALTH 39

WRIST
ASSESSMENT
CHRONOGRAPHS

ENDURING LOVE

Chronograph watches measure periods
of time. But then so do stopwatches,
and a good deal more accurately. So why
is it that these fundamentally pointless
models remain so endlessly appealing?

C hronographs them right and you
are unique in have a guaranteed
that they success, whether or
represent a not your audience has
style that every watch any intention of timing
lover covets but which a medium-rare steak.
almost no one will use Audemars Piguet knew
as was intended. It’s it when it made the
the kind of paradox for Royal Oak Offshore
which you suspect the a chrono by default: a
Germans (or, more aptly, trick followed by Hublot
Swiss?) have their own with the Big Bang.
compound noun with
no English equivalent. Of course, sometimes
it’s all about what you
Despite more than could do. The owner
a decade writing about of a Rolex Submariner
them, I still find it hard might never take it
to explain the popularity 300m underwater, but
of chronographs. Of it’s nice to have the
course, the most famous option. Then there’s
models have been to the the motion of their
moon, or they were once action. The most prized
worn by a notable racing chronos dart around
driver or fighter pilot. with zippy energy. It’s
But that doesn’t fully a patient man who waits
explain their appeal. for his moon phase
indicator to tip from
Most watch brands one position to the next;
make one, from Michael with a chronograph,
Kors to Montblanc, it’s possible to observe
regardless of their all of the mechanical
sporting credentials. mastery in real time.
Expensive and difficult
to service, they’re But maybe focusing on
a pain in the arse to what the chronograph
manufacture, too (and was intended to do is to
yes, that’s a technical miss the point. Maybe
term). Yet brands pour the most important
millions into developing thing is to appreciate it
ever-better movements as a creation in its own
– the more complicated, right. Either way, here
in fact, the better. are six fine examples
of the genre that have
To an extent, this is been released this year.
true of all watchmaking.
Chronographs, though, Chris Hall is senior
are special sauce – get watch editor at Mr Porter

40 MEN’S HEALTH

19 A

TIME AFTER
TIME

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAN MCALISTER. DIGITAL MANIPULATION: SCRATCHINPOST.CO.UK Space time 01 Zenith Chronomaster
In 1970, astronauts Original, £7,100
aboard the ill-fated
Apollo 13 flight were A faithful remake of one of the very
forced to rely on their first El Primeros, released in 1969,
chronos to time their this watch is a chronograph purist’s
idea of perfection: heritage looks,
return to Earth a modest case size (38mm) and
a modern movement that’s entirely
in-house and up to date. It can even
measure intervals down to a tenth
of a second, should you need.

02 Bell & Ross BR V2-94
Full Lum, £4,300

Taking the legibility of a practical
tool watch to new extremes, this
model has a fully luminous green
dial, with yellow chronograph
subdials. It’s a solidly specced
design: 100m water resistance,
screw-down pushers and a 42-hour
power reserve, too.

03 TAG Heuer Carrera
Porsche Chronograph
Special Edition, £5,000

A true blue-chip name in the world
of chronographs, TAG Heuer’s
Carrera has evolved more times
than its namesake. This model runs
on the 80-hour Calibre Heuer 02
and boasts a ceramic bezel.

04 Breitling Top Time
Ford Mustang, £4,360

Breitling’s Top Time Classic Cars
Squad may come over a bit twee
to us Brits, but they’re a textbook
example of retro chronograph
design done right, with bold
colours, simple ‘pump’ pushers,
slightly squashed subdials and
colourful tachymeter scale.

05 Longines Avigation
BigEye, £2,970

It may be a 41mm automatic watch
with scratchproof crystal over the
dial, but this Longines model does
an impeccable impression of a
1940s chronograph, with a striking
petrol-blue dial and exclusive
chronograph movement fitted
with a silicon balance-spring.

06 Tissot Seastar 1000
Quartz Chronograph, £470

Tissot’s Seastar 1000 combines
both dive watch and chronograph
features in its design, with 300m
water resistance. The chronograph
is quartz-powered, but that means
added functionality in the form of
split timing, something only found
on the priciest mechanical models.

MEN’S HEALTH 41



MIND 20 21 A
NEWSFEED
12/21 FORCES OF COLD
NATURE COMFORT

GIVE YOURSELF associated with ‘cognitive control’,
AN OUTSIDE or planning and self-regulation.
ADVANTAGE Researchers at the Max Planck
Institute for Human Development
If you’ve lost motivation to do discovered this after tracking
anything other than Netflix regular walkers for six months;
and chill, a new study suggests they also noted improvements to
willpower is best served cold memory and concentration. All
of which means a brisk morning
As the days grow ever
shorter, colder and walk could be the smartest way
apocalyptically to fire up your motivation both
wetter, we won’t blame in training and at work.
you if you’ve already started Poet Walt Whitman
easing into your own personal knew as far back as the
lockdown. Since summer mid-19th century that
collapsed into autumn, ‘the secret of the making
park workouts have become of the best persons’ is
less appealing by the day, ‘to grow in the open
and every prematurely air’. By ‘grow’, maybe
festive display at your he meant gains. So,
Sainsbury’s Local has had you hit the park – it’ll be
longing for the comfort, good refreshingly empty
food and warmth of your living this time of year.
room – sapping your motivation. Just tell yourself the
cold never bothered
So it’s perhaps ironic that, you anyway.
according to a longitudinal study
WORDS: YO ZUSHI. ARTWORK: PETER CROWTHER AT DEBUT ART. *SOURCES: NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY; UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO recently published in The World TIME OUTDOORS COULD
Journal Of Biological Psychiatry, HELP YOUR WILLPOWER
the cure to your stay-at-home REACH NEW PEAKS
malaise may simply be to bite the
bullet and brave the elements.

As well as enhancing your
aerobic function and metabolism,
outdoor exercise can positively
affect the grey matter in your
right dorsolateral prefrontal
cortex – a part of your brain

GO IN FOR SUPERIOR FASTER FAT LOSS LASTING STAMINA
THE CHILL FITNESS
Experienced Make chilly
Training outside Cold air makes frequently, even outdoor training
during the winter months mild cold exposure boosts a habit and you might see
your blood vessels constrict, your levels of brown fat metabolic changes. Research*
is good for more than tissue: the ‘active’ kind that shows the cold causes you to
just your mind. Here are forcing your heart to work burns through calories and switch from burning carbs to
improves sugar metabolism. fat, elevating your endurance.
three more benefits harder. This alone increases

your VO² max* – a key
marker of cardio ability.

MEN’S HEALTH 43

GUTTER CREDIT Man inCoverModelMuscle

MEN’S HEALTH 44



Cover Model Muscle
Jeremy Renner

for a different purpose: a birthday-

partymobile for kids, topped with

a bouncy castle. ‘A compressor inside

the fire truck, it blows up the thing,’

Renner says excitedly. ‘On the side

of the rig, [there are] Slurpee and

and as Jeremy Renner sits in the snow-cone machines – all that stuff!’
open-air lobby bar of Los Angeles’s
Sunset Tower Hotel, the breeze His truck-rehabilitation project
smells faintly of smoke. Wildfires
are raging in California and across the – which has grown to around 200
American west, and the Caldor Fire,
which crossed over the Sierra Nevada vehicles, each finding new life at
mountains near Renner’s sprawling
Nevada ranch above Lake Tahoe, is his Nevada homestead – speaks to
still not fully contained. Although
his retreat was spared, it’s at risk each pragmatism and creativity. ‘It isn’t
wildfire season. ‘There’s been a fire
not a half-mile from where my house a horse ranch,’ he says. ‘It’s more
is. Pretty threatening,’ says Renner,
who has trained as a volunteer of a horsepower ranch.’ Beyond fire
firefighter. ‘I’m using fire trucks for
defensible space and for protecting my engines, Renner is restoring and
neighbourhood, all the people up there.’
reimagining utility vans. There’s an
Unlike the rest of us, he didn’t spend
the pandemic bingeing on Netflix and ambulance, which he is converting
doom-scrolling Instagram. He spent
nights bidding on fire trucks in online into a veterinary clinic, and a slew of
auctions, and he has amassed quite
a few. ‘I had 30 fire trucks a hundred city buses, which he has earmarked
feet from a hydrant,’ he says. ‘Not
because they’re there to firefight, but to become tiny homes and glamping
they all potentially could.’ That Renner
collects fire trucks rather than muscle accommodations. If they are still
cars or McLarens should not come as
a surprise to anyone who has followed roadworthy, they might become
the 50-year-old actor’s career. They
are, like him, highly pragmatic, more roving barber shops or mobile RENNER HOPES
appreciated than loved and easily gyms. Nothing is disposable or TO SIDESTEP THE
overlooked until one is needed. superfluous; nothing is static. CONVENTIONS OF
‘I try to do things with a flow,’ he HOLLYWOOD FAME
Renner’s fire trucks also find
surprising ways to be useful. They says, ‘and never square peg/round
put out fires, of course, but he also
retrofitted one of his hook-and-ladders hole something. Why force it? Water when he makes a point or shares aspects of ON THE COVER: TANK BY SAVE KHAKI UNITED; TROUSERS BY BUCK MASON; BOOTS
BY THE FRYE COMPANY; WATCH BY TAG HEUER. OPENING SPREAD: VINTAGE TANK,
flows over a rock. It doesn’t just his life philosophy, which he likes to do. We’ll AVAILABLE AT THE SOCIETY ARCHIVE; BLACK BAY BRONZE WATCH BY TUDOR

stop when it hits an obstacle; it call them ‘Rennerisms’. They’re informed by

moves around it, right? That’s his lived experience, on- and off-screen, and

how it is with life. It’s guide him on the journey
we’re all on – to be the best
my religion, my belief ‘I try to do things
system. Whether it be with a flow. Water iteration of ourselves.
a bus, a movie, a home doesn’t stop when Seeming contradictions
or how I parent, that’s
– such as fire and flavoured ice

in everything I do.’ it hits an obstacle, – coexist easily within Renner’s
Constant motion it moves around it’ world. His cherubic cheeks and
button nose come together to form
is a cornerstone of

Renner’s world view, a pissed-off appearance – which

which could be published under he alternately calls ‘resting angry face’, ‘resting

the title Zen And The Art Of Fire dick face’ and ‘resting bitch face’ – that belies his

Truck Maintenance. Other volumes warmth. He laughs often and speaks with depth

could follow. As we talk, Renner and gruff gentleness. It may make him seem

sips iced coffee and leans forward

46 MEN’S HEALTH

SWEATSHIRT BY JOHN ELLIOTT; TROUSERS BY FRAME; SHOES BY JOHN VARVATOS intense, but in truth he is liberated. ‘Zero fucks So fuck you, Ryan Reynolds or George the bowling alley, rolling a 225 average
given,’ he says. ‘Less than zero, if that’s possible.’ Clooney or whoever,’ he adds with by the time he was 12. He was also
a laugh. ‘I’ll come put out the fire outdoorsy, spending time exploring
He has just finished shooting a pair of miniseries on your agave farm.’ the Sierra Nevada mountains and
back to back – Hawkeye (now streaming on Yosemite National Park, which he
Disney+) and the thriller Mayor Of Kingstown. Rennerism 101 calls ‘my backyard’. He fell in love with
He is the lead in both projects, but he shrugs that skiing at Squaw Valley, overlooking
point off. ‘I never wanted to be famous,’ he says. ‘Maybe my belief [system] Lake Tahoe, and became an instructor
‘I still don’t.’ He owns a secluded house in the is problem-solving.’ during high school.
Hollywood Hills, which he keeps so he can spend
time with his daughter, Ava, when he can’t bring Renner grew up in Modesto, a small His mother worked as a bookkeeper
her to his Nevada home, where he moved eight city in California’s Central Valley. His and his father studied theology, then
years ago. The two-time Oscar-nominated actor is parents divorced when he was eight became a professor at nearby California
resistant to being a cog in the celebrity-industrial and he shifted between their homes, State University in Stanislaus County.
complex, unless it’s on his own terms. ‘Everyone an active and adventurous latchkey kid. Renner was exposed to the liturgy,
is like, “You should buy a tequila brand,”’ he says, ‘I built a lot of shit, broke a lot of shit tenets and practices of every religion,
mocking the know-it-all tone of a stereotypical and burned a lot of shit, just out there major and minor, and he came away
Hollywood suit, even as a pack of them pass our in the orchards.’ He played football
table. ‘Fuck that. I bought a bunch of fire trucks. competitively and was a prodigy at

MEN’S HEALTH 47

Cover Model Muscle
Jeremy Renner

with a realisation as a teen, telling his be in a movie that was big enough a network exec thought he looked too young.
dad, ‘Everyone is running the same race.
They’re all wanting the same thing, that it would play in Modesto and have ‘That really fucked me up and created a lot of
the same end goal, but going about it
in different ways.’ He got into a number a part big enough where you could self-doubt – not for very long but long enough,’
of colleges, including the University of
California, Berkeley. But short on recognise me.’ He gave himself he says. The experience left him with a few
money and direction, he decided to
find his path at a local junior college 11 years to achieve these goals lasting lessons. ‘Once you’re fired, then you
first. Heeding his father’s advice to
‘just throw a dart – try anything and but surpassed them in become a real actor,’ Renner
go fucking fail, son’, Renner randomly under four, landing
took aim at an acting class. He later ‘Everyone is running says. Another: ‘Networks can
added psychology to his studies before the same race. They
dropping out to pursue acting full-time. a starring role in National all want the same kiss my whole ass.’ Perhaps
Lampoon’s Senior Trip as end goal but go about the most critical takeaway:
Arriving in Los Angeles, Renner a slacker teen opposite it in different ways’ ‘Never take a job for money.’
says, ‘I had three goals: to be in a movie, Tommy Chong. He was in Renner says he never has. 
the mix, up for the same
IN A QUICK-MOVING parts that Leonardo For five-and-a-half years,
INDUSTRY, RENNER he lived in a studio apartment
STRIVES TO
REMAIN GROUNDED DiCaprio and Mark in Hollywood with all the

Wahlberg were, always on the cusp, conveniences of a campsite. ‘I had no electricity,

lacking that breakout opportunity no gas, no hot water. So I learned to play guitar.

but not the confidence. Until he was I lit candles. I made a vibe out of it. I said, “Hey,

fired from a project, recast because look, this is romantic. It’s not depressing that I

can’t afford power.”’ The alternative was pointless.

‘If I sat and cried about it, which I probably did

once or twice, it doesn’t really move the needle.

Changing and shifting your perspective – that’s

the only thing we have control of in perpetuity.’

Even so, it wasn’t easy. At times, Renner says,

his entire monthly food budget was less than

£10. He’d live on a case of Top Ramen and

maybe treat himself when McDonald’s had

its two-burgers-for-25-cents special. 

‘I always thought, “At least I’m doing a job

that I love,”’ Renner says. ‘I’m glad I’m not doing

a job just for a pay cheque. That’d be fucking

miserable. And most people are.’

He made the rent by doing things he enjoyed.

At first, Renner worked as a make-up artist at

shopping malls, having acquired the skills in

theatre class. ‘I was terrible at selling, but I

learned that I was good at listening to people.’

Rather than pushing products, he helped his

customers give voice to their goals and self-

images. Ultimately, he changed their outlooks

more than their looks. ‘When you feel witnessed

and understood, those are the seeds of a lot of

good things to come in life.’

Then, two decades ago, Renner began flipping VINTAGE TANK, AVAILABLE AT THE SOCIETY ARCHIVE; VINTAGE RACE-CAR UNIFORM,
AVAILABLE AT EASTERN COSTUME, LA; BLACK BAY BRONZE WATCH BY TUDOR
houses. Closer to a second calling than a side

hustle, the work offered him far more than cash

in his pocket and a roof over his head. ‘It kept me

learning and growing and failing and succeeding,’

he says. ‘It shaped who I am in a lot of ways. It

taught me how attentive I am to detail.’ Most of

the two dozen or so homes Renner has renovated

and resold were built in the 1920s. ‘Anybody can

build something from the ground up. I like the

limitations of taking something that was once

amazing, reconfiguring it and making it work

for today. It’s a different art.’

The job lent Renner an improbable edge

every time he auditioned. ‘I walked in with

brass balls,’ he says. ‘It doesn’t mean I was

cocky or aggressive. It means I didn’t have that

desperation. I didn’t have so much… need for

it.’ Sure, he’d want some parts, but he could just RENNER CONSIDERS
perform without fear of failure. ‘I was making HIS JOB ‘PLAY’
money and being satiated as an artist by doing AS MUCH AS ‘WORK’
these homes. I didn’t have to care too much.’
SWEATSHIRT BY JOHN ELLIOTT; TROUSERS BY FRAME; SHOES BY JOHN VARVATOS a high skill set and nothing to lose. This not of it. ‘I want to be challenged. I want
Buoyed by his brass ones, Renner landed guy is probably the most dangerous to grow,’ he says. ‘But I’m not striving to
the lead in the independent film Dahmer, as well man in the room.’ do more in this town. There’s nothing
as sizeable roles in dramas such as North Country that needs to be satiated in me.’
and The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Rennerism 203
Coward Robert Ford and blockbuster movies Competence and satisfaction are
such as S.W.A.T. and 28 Weeks Later. The same ‘I’m not good at many things. symbiotic for Renner. ‘I focus on all the
conviction let him look past a big payday to turn I just don’t do shit I’m bad at.’ things I’m good at or the things that
down the title role in Hellboy. ‘I said no to more I enjoy. And those go hand in hand.
money than I’ll probably ever make,’ Renner In some ways, Hawkeye’s relationship It’s rare that I’m good at something
says. ‘I was focused on what I wanted to do with the Avengers mirrors Renner’s and don’t enjoy it.’ As sentimental
and how. I just felt if I wasn’t connected to the relationship with Hollywood. Renner as it sounds, acting is his dream job.
material – even though it was a great director rolls with aliens and actual gods in the ‘I do shit I love for a living. I get paid
and a great job – I don’t know how I’m going to film series while somehow making to make-believe. I get paid to be a
do anything exceptional.’ Hawkeye a deadly, heroic and very third-grader on a playground. I get
human archer who fits right in with paid to do that! Things are “work”
Renner knew he could do something special the superhuman crew. In real life, when they’re not that enjoyable.
in The Hurt Locker, and he did. His portrayal of Renner is a global action star, but he Usually press is… not that enjoyable.’
Staff Sergeant William James, the nervy, reckless just wants to fix stuff, hang with his
leader of a US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal daughter and do the things he likes Renner isn’t being confrontational
team in Iraq, earned him an Oscar nomination to do. Hawkeye’s arrows have earned or evasive and our interview goes well
for Best Actor and helped the 2008 film win him an outrageous fortune. Yet while beyond the allotted time. ‘You’re asking
Best Picture honours. It remains Renner’s most Renner may be in Hollywood, he is
resonant work, though not because of the awards
or even the invitation to the White House.

The film was like a Rosetta Stone for returning
military, translating their war-zone experiences
for civilians. ‘So many soldiers would come up
to me like, “This is something I cannot explain
to my wife. Now she can watch and have a fucking
understanding of what the fuck I’m talking about.”
And it helped their marriage. They were going
to get divorced. They’re done. This guy did like
eight tours – fucking eight tours. Insane.’ Renner’s
eyes well up with tears as he recalls the episode.
‘This is not cinema,’ he explains. ‘We’re not
talking about people sitting at this theatre and
eating popcorn and watching a movie. A different
thing was happening.’ The depth of the response
bowled him over. ‘It was amazing, man. I don’t
get that out of a Marvel movie.’ 

Then he earned another Academy Award
nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor,
for his work in The Town. He took the baton from
Matt Damon, starring in The Bourne Legacy. He
honed his action-movie craft with Tom Cruise in
the Mission: Impossible films Ghost Protocol and
Rogue Nation. And while Renner kept his hand in
dramas – notably in the Best Picture nominee
American Hustle and the gritty reservation
murder mystery Wind River – he has spent much
of the past decade as Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye,
whose superlative in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe yearbook might be ‘most relatable
Avenger’. Hawkeye is a superhero without a
superpower, taking circus training in archery
to the level of lethal assassin and action hero.
‘That’s why I liked him,’ Renner says. ‘I’m like,
“I can access this. I get this.” It’s this guy with

MEN’S HEALTH 49

Cover Model Muscle
Jeremy Renner

questions and I share with you as Rapid Fire my friends, and I don’t want to be around you so STYLING: TED STAFFORD. GROOMING: DIANA SCHMIDTKE/FORWARD ARTISTS. SET DESIGN: ANDY HENBEST/ART
I would with my father or one of my much, Daddy.”’ He brightens when he discusses DEPARTMENT. PRODUCTION: CRAWFORD & CO PRODUCTIONS. CAR: MR.VINTAGE MACHINE. STUNT DRIVING: SERA
best friends. Right? It doesn’t change.’ Workout anthem his morning with her. ‘I never knew that resting TREMBLE. LOCATION: IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY
Deep and contemplative, even with ‘AC/DC, Back In Black.’ face I have could be beautiful. It’s not on me. It is
eight-year-old Ava. ‘I’m just stuck on her, on Ava.’ He describes with delight how he
with being me,’ he says. ‘I can’t have Cheat meal made her lunch and packed some celery because
light, fluffy conversations. I can’t do ‘Mexican food. Taco Bell.’ she wanted to feed the rabbits at her school.
it. I can’t fucking do it, dude. I’d rather
run into traffic. I’m polite. I’m cordial. Frenemy exercise This daily routine is not something Renner
And I get the fuck out of there, fast.’  ‘Hate, hate, hate cardio. Boring as shit.’ takes for granted. He and Pacheco share joint
custody of Ava. The two divorced in late 2014
One thing Renner undeniably Recent meal you after 10 months of marriage, citing irreconcilable
enjoys is music. He has released two cooked for friends differences. In the years since, they have waged
albums of hard-driving rock, built ‘Grilled a bunch of Kansas City steaks, a battle over custody and child support. According
recording studios in both his houses some corn on the cob, some to the Los Angeles Times in 2019, Pacheco cited
and written, he estimates, about 1,000 asparagus and a salad.’ Renner’s ‘ongoing substance abuse’ in a court
songs. He’ll play guitar, piano and filing and alleged he talked about killing her
drums when recording at home, but Last book you and himself in 2015. TMZ reported that Renner
his best instrument is his voice. He has recommended denied the allegations in a subsequent court
placed songs on several soundtracks ‘Guion The Lion by Rebecca filing, claiming that Pacheco was unstable, made
and one in a Jeep ad in which he Wilson Macsovits. It’s so funny.’ up the allegations because she was upset that
appeared. Renner could, as has been their relationship had ended and was looking for
suggested, advance his music by Last time you cried a money grab. In the wake of those allegations,
engineering a film role as a singer. ‘Yesterday. My daughter brought home Disney reportedly considered replacing Renner,
‘I don’t want to do a musical story just but it didn’t, choosing instead to continue to
so I can do music in a movie,’ he says. her spelling tests. Aced. 100%.’ invest in its relationship with him. Neither side
‘That’d be for my fucking ego. No. has commented publicly on the accusations,
I don’t do that shit. I don’t do that.’ All-time heroes except for denying the claims. Renner denied
‘My father. My mother.’  them again in our interview, declining to address
Never forcing things has led Renner the allegations specifically. ‘I don’t respond
to a pragmatic form of pacifism. Favourite Avenger publicly or privately to nonsense,’ he says. ‘It only
Despite being trained in martial arts, ‘As a kid, I loved Spider-Man. empowers it. If you respond to it, you give it gas.
he says, ‘I’ve never been in a physical As an adult, how do you pick one? I don’t fuel shit fires. I just don’t do it. I refuse to.’
altercation in my life. Why combat I like Smart Hulk. I love Ant-Man. But
when you can find solutions to move Fat Thor – that’s a favourite.’ Renner spent the early months of the pandemic
around? It’s all ego-based when it sheltering with Ava at his Nevada ranch. He
comes to fighting.’ He has applied this Euphemism for sex is acutely aware of the pain and suffering the
perspective to pretty much everything ‘Get after it.’ pandemic has caused, losing several family
he does. ‘I’ve been fortunate enough members to Covid. But he saw hopeful signs, too.
to be good at problem-solving,’ he says. Ava, often for only a few hours, Renner ‘It’s like people were saying, “Let’s spend time
‘It doesn’t mean all the solutions are decided he had to create boundaries. with those that we care about – not focused on
perfect or that they’re even good. But He brought the same brass-balls the next rung in the ladder, chasing whatever
at least it’s a solution instead of doing attitude to bear when negotiating with we were chasing.”’ Familiar and resonant themes
nothing. Stagnancy is complacency. Marvel. ‘It taught me how to have the for Renner. ‘I live my life by that, right?’ he says.
It’s like a pond: if water does not move, nuts to say, “Everyone, fuck off. It’s ‘I’ve been doing this for so long. I was the king
it sits and collects scum. A river is my time with my daughter.”’ Although of the mountain, man. I was like, “Welcome.”’
moving; it’s alive and ever-changing.’ people close to Renner cautioned that
Marvel might fire him, he didn’t back Renner responded to the societal change
That represents Renner’s platonic down. ‘I said, “Fine, recast me. I’m with a shift in lifestyle. ‘I got, I wouldn’t say fat,
ideal of navigating the outside world going to be here with my daughter.” but a little lazy. I was like, “Fuck it.” It was sloth
and inner struggles. ‘That’s how I want It was pretty gnarly.’ life.’ But he has no regrets; it’s what he needed.
to feel. Fluid.’ However, going back to the gym to get in shape
His determination paid off. Now for Hawkeye was tough. ‘It took me two months
Rennerism 301 Renner insists on being able to visit of working out just so I could get enough energy
Ava or have her visit every weekend on to be in the stunt gym,’ he says.
‘I’m not afraid. Fear feeds negativity every project. If the producers baulk,
and prevents anything good in life.’ he passes. ‘Acting and everything else The Disney+ miniseries has holiday vibes
goes out the window,’ he says, ‘until my of the Die Hard and Home Alone variety. Set in
In 2013, when he had a child with daughter says, “I want to hang out with New York City, it follows Renner’s Barton as he
Canadian actress Sonni Pacheco, reluctantly takes an overeager Hawkeye superfan
Renner says, his priorities changed. named Kate Bishop (played by Hailee Steinfeld)
After a year and a half of flying from under his wing. Mentor and protégée battle
London to LA each weekend to see shadowy figures from Barton’s past as he tries to
get home in time for Christmas. After the shoot

50 MEN’S HEALTH