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“Magazines are reflectors of society,” says Simon Das, a lecturer in journalism at London College of Communication. The emergence of this physical ideal is linked to the death of lad culture. Its most prominent brand ambassadors are, of course, the preening and tensing men of Love Island, who are effectively one giant regional gym made flesh. Whereas the vest-wearing action stars of the 80s needed physical strength to hoik themselves into lift shafts and avert terrorism, today’s uber-tonk males wear their six-packs like beautiful, pointless feathers: this is a cosmetic muscularity, rather than a functional one. What distinguishes this ideal from that of the 80s is a preoccupation with maintaining a single-digit body-fat percentage to better display one’s muscularity. “The idealised body image is highly muscular right now,” says Dr Stuart Murray, a psychologist who specialises in muscle dysmorphia in men. The 80s masculine ideal was typified by action heros such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, while scrawny, beer-drinking lads dominated the 90s. Our physical ideals change according to the times in which we live. A good swolder never forgets leg day.īodybuilder Aziz Shavershian, AKA Zyzz, died aged 22 he had been taking clenbuterol. It is an aspirational narrative, accompanied by a specific vernacular. In this new paradigm of masculine excellence, anyone can achieve physical perfection if they put in the hours. The Men’s Health team did more than shift magazines: they ushered in a protein-blasted physical aesthetic. “Something to tell the grandkids, maybe frame in the downstairs loo someday.” “It was just a bit of fun,” Rookwood says. He is conflicted about his role in creating the genre of cover transformation stories. “For me, the diet was not sustainable long term, whereas the training has been,” says Rookwood. While the Men’s Health cover body may be attainable, most people are not able to maintain the necessary lifestyle once the challenge is over. “We’re normal guys.” But how normal? All were given personal trainers and Ward’s editor allowed him time off work to train.Ġ7:51 Steroids, syringes and stigma: the quest for the perfect male six-pack - videoĬover model transformations are not snake oil – they do work, provided you are a staff journalist at a magazine with access to high-end trainers, a sympathetic boss and the time to spend hours meal-prepping protein-based meals. “I wanted to prove to the readers that the cover lines we preach at Men’s Health are possible,” Sansom says. “You realise how much British life is arranged around booze,” says Jon Lipsey, the Men’s Fitness cover star for May 2018. It wasn’t enjoyable.” Avoiding alcohol – the nemesis of defined torsos everywhere – was difficult, too. Eating four portions of microwaved fish a day took its toll. “It’s 80% about nutrition,” agrees his former colleague Mark Sansom, who ended the challenge with 48cm (19in) biceps. “I’ve got a real sweet tooth and I eat ice-cream all the time, so towards the end I was Googling videos of people making cakes and dreaming of what I’d eat.” The hardest part was giving up his favourite sugary foods. “It’s quite a drastic lifestyle change,” says former Men’s Health journalist (and January 2017 cover star) Tom Ward.
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The message is clear: ditch the carbs, start deadlifting and you too can upgrade your dad bod to the crisply defined torso of a Hollywood hunk.īut getting shredded takes serious graft. You can join the Men’s Health Transform Club or purchase a copy of the Men’s Fitness 12 Week Body Plan.
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Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The GuardianĪ cottage industry whirred into action. Aziz Sikdar, who became fixated on bulking up after gaining weight at university. ‘I’d binge a lot, completely overeat, then starve myself out of guilt’.