EDITOR’S LETTER
THE BEST FITNESS PLAN? THE ONE THAT YOU CHOSE
The man on the front of this magazine holds a special honour among all our Men’s Health cover stars.
He happens to maintain the record for the longest gap between cover appearances.
The first time Thom Evans flexed under our masthead was back in November 2012. He was 27, and he had recently returned to professional sport as an aspiring GB sprinter, following a career-ending spinal injury he suffered when playing rugby for Scotland in 2010. He was in phenomenal shape, of course – but mostly he was just happy to be moving again.
Now aged 39, Evans still looks every inch your prototypical cover model (and, frankly, does not appear to have aged at all in the intervening years). But his approach to training and nutrition has evolved. As a rugby professional, he tells
Men’s Health, it was all about hitting those big numbers – max-out squats, heavy bench presses – which often left him feeling a bit sluggish and heavy.
Today, however, his training is more holistic. He plays golf and tennis. He runs twice a week. He likes to swim and tries to start each day with at least half an hour of stretching. And, yes, as you’ve probably guessed, he frequents the weights room, too. But he’s much more thoughtful, more functional, in the way he goes about it all.
‘Now that I’m a bit older, I realise that you just feel so much better if you can use your fitness,’ he says. ‘At the end of the day, it’s about feeling as good as you can.’
It’s this attitude that made him Men’s Health’s ideal review partner for the new Lingo biosensor, from healthcare company Abbott. (For more on that, turn to p36.) Lingo’s MO is turning personalised data insights into action, to help users build a health and fitness routine that works for them.
Evans is anything but dogmatic in his approach to fitness. He is curious and willing to adapt. He understands that data is a tool that we can choose to apply as we like and that no single programme or methodology will ever hold all the answers we need. Because we really are all different.
When asked for his advice to other men of his age who’d like to start taking their health and fitness a little more seriously, Evans had this to say, ‘Formulate a plan that suits you… It has to be suited to you because you need to build up to the level that you’re hoping to achieve. Have a goal in mind, but start slow and work up. There are no shortcuts to anything in life.’ Our thoughts exactly.
If a goal is something you’re currently lacking, you can find 21 fresh ideas on p82. Whether you want to boost your deadlifts, bolster your mobility, fortify your mental grit or finally master those doubleunders, our expertbacked hints and tips will get you there.
Or if your own fitness ambitions tend to lean more towards the aesthetic, you might want to start on p54. Our Body Bible is a comprehensive compendium of advice from world-class athletes and trainers, designed to help you achieve the look you want. Take what you need, leave what you don’t.
Because here’s the great secret of the whole thing: ultimately, it doesn’t really matter how you train. What matters is how training makes you feel. So, whatever you do this month, do it your way.