Men's Fitness Guide

At Men’s Fitness magazine, we often find that our readers tell us the same thing: “I just can’t find the time to train properly!” And that’s understandable – people are busy. You have to juggle work, home, family and social commitments, and you don’t

Editor: Joe Warner Chief Sub Editor: Jo Williams Art Editor: Mark Hyde Art: Fanni Williams; Donovan Walker Sudden Impact, Getty Images Print Production: Georgina Harris. Kelly Orriss, Hayley Brown Chief Executive Officer: Steve Wright Managing Direct

A series of exercises performed with a specific goal in mind. A type of workout where exercises are performed back-to-back with no rest in-between. Short for repetition: a single execution of a particular exercise. A specific number of reps. Two sets

FIT NOTE: a standard Olympic barbell weighs 20kg before you add any weight plates TARGET WHOLE BODY The barbell is the close cousin of the dumbbell. The main difference is that a barbell is more stable to handle than a dumbbell, allowing you to perfo

FIT NOTE: a spotter is someone who can help take the weight of the barbell during an exercise if you hit exhaustion and can’t control the bar TARGET WHOLE BODY There are seven fundamental movement patterns: pull, push, squat, lunge, hinge, rotation a

FIT NOTE: if maintaining grip proves tricky, try finding a ball with handles TARGET WHOLE BODY The beauty of the medicine ball is that you can slam it on the floor or throw it against the wall without taking chunks out of your décor. You can’t do tha

FIT NOTE: swapping a bench for a gym ball turns any exercise into a core stability exercise TARGET LEGS / GLUTES / OBLIQUES / DELTS When the queues for the equipment build up in the gym, grab a spare gym ball, find a quiet corner and knock out this f

FIT NOTE: maintain a strong, braced core for each of the gym ball exercises in order to protect your spine TARGET WHOLE BODY The gym ball is a handy piece of kit to have at home. It’s a cheap alternative to a workout bench and you can hide it under t

FIT NOTE: for squats and lunges, aim to keep your knees in line with your feet to prevent unnecessary strain on your knees TARGET UPPER AND LOWER BODY Performed with a light set of dumbbells, this session is a great heart-pumper for newcomers to circ

FIT NOTE: targeting large muscle groups creates a hormone surge that helps to build muscle in all areas of your body TARGET WHOLE BODY It’s time to go heavy. This workout is designed to maximise muscle growth while minimising time. The exercises targ

FIT NOTE: ‘splits’ is a term to describe how you break up your training regime. Many men will split their weekly regime by body part TARGET BACK / BICEPS If you prefer to organise your training regime by body-part splits rather than workout kit, ther

FIT NOTE: the strongest abs in the world still won’t show if they’re covered with fat. Aim to reduce your body fat with a good diet TARGET ABS / LOWER BACK Washboard stomach, abs, six-pack… call it what you like, but the holy grail of all serious wei

FIT NOTE: no gym membership? Most of these exercises can be performed using a single item of kit, such as a stretch band or dumbbells TARGET SHOULDERS / UPPER BACK Delts and traps are muscle-speak for your shoulders and upper back. To give them their

FIT NOTE: the glutes, or gluteus maximus, are the largest muscles in your body TARGET LEGS Poor old legs. They carry you around all day but when it comes to training they often get ignored in favour of the ‘glory’ upper-body muscles. This is a mistak

FIT NOTE: this workout uses pre-exhaustion to fatigue your shoulders before the pull-up, increasing your back’s involvement TARGET SHOULDERS / UPPER BACK A six-pack is all very well, but unless you live somewhere warm and beach-heavy you might find y

FIT NOTE: upgrade this workout by adding a plyo box and a heavy bag to force you to jump higher and hit harder TARGET GLUTES / CHEST / TRICEPS Should you train for speed or strength? The answer, of course, is ‘both’ – by combining strength moves with

FIT NOTE: do this workout every few weeks with the same weight – keep a note of your time and try to beat it next time TARGET WHOLE BODY Modern gimmickry is fine, but for strength and conditioning that works in minutes, all you really need is a brace

FIT NOTE: this workout targets every major muscle group, including those that will keep you injury-proof in old age TARGET WHOLE BODY Who hasn’t got a spare 12 minutes in their day? If this workout was all you did, you’d still be in better shape than

FIT NOTE: if you train in a gym, this circuit can be performed using a cable machine set to ankle-height TARGET WHOLE BODY Step away from the bench, bro. If all you do is press, you’ll pay the price with ruined posture and (eventually) rotator cuff p

FIT NOTE: a superset is two exercises done back to back with no rest in-between TARGET CORE / ABS / LOWER BACK This workout is a great way to develop the muscles of your core – the ones around your abdomen and lower back. These muscles not only provi

TARGET SHOULDERS / CHEST / TRICEPS It’s difficult to build serious muscle in less than 12 minutes, so focusing on the moneymaker moves is key. This workout twins two classics in an upper-body superset that will leave you strutting out the gym like pr