Ben Court

But several offered potent lessons in anytime, anywhere fitness that will elevate your training to the next level whether you prefer working out at home or are back at your local gym. We sorted the great from the rest to bring you Instagrams ten best home fitness trainers.

Paul Sklar <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paulsklarxfit/" id="76ca9632-04a5-3db2-adeb-d9cc5b209e2b"> (@paulsklarxfit) </a>

EMBRACE NEW exercises, says Sklar: Creativity can lead to better results by making your muscles fire in new ways. Sklars creative home workouts are among the best for building muscle. Try the split-squat hold hes doing here, or take things up a notch with his skull-crusher bird dog: Get in plank position. Squeeze your triceps, straightening your elbows and lifting them off the floor. Then lift your left leg and right arm off the floor, fighting to maintain balance. Return to plank position and repeat on the other side. Thats 1 rep; do 3 sets of 6 to 8.

Bobby Maximus <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobbymaximus/" id="a961a1da-fbe1-3478-afb0-bd61007dfd2a"> (@bobbymaximus) </a>

YOU MAY not have a leg press, but you do have Bobby Maximus, the author of theMens Health book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maximus-Body-Mens-Health-Book/dp/1623368472" id="73078add-dd68-3e60-adf3-f2a09794a938"> Maximus Body </a> and a former UFC fighter. He spent the spring posting regular no-gear workouts to show you that the basics will always be effective. Pushups, situps, squats, lunges, burpees, says Maximus. Those simple movements can get you through when you cant go to the gym. Try one of his favorite workouts: Do 10 lunges, 10 squats, and 10 burpees.

Jeanette Jenkins <a href="https://www.instagram.com/msjeanettejenkins/" id="273f299e-1394-36f1-a6cc-3bf40d13c678"> (@msjeanettejenkins) </a>

JENKINS, THE creator of the Hollywood Trainer Club, which has over 500 streaming workouts, teams up with celebs like the musician Pink to keep you motivated. No weights? Focus on mobility, she says, which readies the body to lift heavy later. Loosen your lower back with her Pilates rollover. Lie on your back, legs straight. Tighten your abs and lift your legs upward then over your head, touching your toes to the floor behind you, legs straight and back rounded. Flex your feet and slowly return your legs to the start. Thats 1 rep; do 4 or 5.

Anthony Chavez <a href="https://www.instagram.com/anthonychavezyoga/" id="e3f8f33c-a3c9-31e0-adaf-86c5e7dbde69"> (@anthonychavezyoga) </a>

CHAVEZ IS a ten-year yoga instructor who hosts workouts on CorePower Yoga Live. Few can match Chavezs workout-inspiration posts. His go-to pose: crescent moon. Step into a right-leg lunge, left knee on the floor. Place your hands on your right knee and press forward, lifting your chest. Do it twice a day.

Meghan Callaway <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meghancallaway/" id="97fd7f43-b569-393a-a3e1-111e9fccbc61"> (@meghancallaway) </a>

MASTER THE 1.5 rep: From the bottom position of an exercise, push halfway up, lower back to the bottom, then do a full rep.You instantly make exercises more challenging, says Callaway, C.S.C.S., who made a name for herself posting pullu pdrills that you can do anytime, anywhere. Playing around with tempo also adds significant challenge. The tactic works with most bodyweight moves.

Don Saladino <a href="https://www.instagram.com/donsaladino/" id="51b2ef8a-8f5c-3534-abe2-baaceaa54c3d"> (@donsaladino) </a> )

don saladino, nasm side plank knee to elbow

MANY GYM bros work different muscles on different days.Stuck at home? Ditch that strategy, says Saladino, whos known for whipping Ryan Reynolds into Deadpool shape. Hes posted one daily full-body workout to his Instagram for two straight months. You can do full-body workouts five days a week, he says, if you dont have as much weight. Try this: Do 3 sets each of 10 pushups, 10 squats, and 10 Superman holds.

Charlee Atkins <a href="https://www.instagram.com/charleeatkins/" id="967de27b-0eb5-3b6c-a66c-d9e4612f1a2d"> (@charleeatkins) </a>

CAN YOU do 30 straight reps of an exercise (say, reverse lunges) without tiring? Time to tweak the exercise, says Atkins, C.S.C.S., the creator of the Le Sweat home-workout app. She's one of Instagram's best at building workouts for small spaces. "Once you can do 30 reps, that's endurance training," she says. So add challenge to the move with a pause, plyos, or elevation.

Ebenezer Samuel <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/" id="4fe6ce75-728b-32df-abda-6036ac6781f4"> (@ebenezersamuel23) </a>

MH'S FITNESS director, a C.S.C.S. trainer, uses an all-angles approach to core training that works perfectly at home. His go-to move: the hollow hold. Its a move we can really level up, he says. Try this drill: Lie on your back, lower back pressed into the floor, straight legs off the floor. Extend your left arm behind your head, your right arm held out to the side. Maintain this hollow hold for 10 seconds, then do 10 hollow rocks, gently rocking your lower back off the floor. Repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets. As a bonus, you can do this and watch Netflix at the same time.

Jeff Cavaliere <a href="https://www.instagram.com/athleanx/" id="ca54cfd1-fbdb-388e-a8ef-7b33b0ba7f28"> (@athleanx) </a>

IF YOU have a backpack, then you have a cable machine, says Cavaliere, C.S.C.S., who posts science-based fitness tips to YouTube and Instagram. His perfect home workout series is dedicated to building muscle in any situation. Load your backpack with books, tie two dog leashes (or long towels) to its ends, and hang it over a pipe. Stand on the other side to do lat pulldowns.

Jess Movold <a href="https://www.instagram.com/runnersworldcoach/" id="71a7f56d-9578-3ad1-a3f4-0cd2b4b15f4b"> (@runnersworldcoach) </a>

RUNNER'S WORLD'S running coach is a top source for form tips. Her at-home drill works anywhere. Stand facing a wall. Fall toward it with straight arms, hands landing against it. Raise your left leg, driving your knee high, foot flexed. Drive it into the floor as you raise your right leg. Repeat for 30 seconds; do 3 sets.

Cant tell if a home exercise is worth your time? Follow these rules.

1. Protect This House!

Doorframe pullups are great for back muscles, but what about your, um, door? If a move leaves you with a 2021 home-improvement project, you might want to sit it out.

2. Resist Silly Resistance

If a dumbbell substitute (cough, a pan) doesnt challenge your muscles, it doesnt do it for you. If you cant feel the target muscle working after five reps, move on.

3. Train Softly

You cant jump your highest indoors, so focus on moving gently. A jump squat with a controlled land-ing actually has the added benefit of teaching your body proper form.

THERE WEREN'T many upsides to the early days of #coronalife. But with gyms and fitness studios closed, trainers flocked to Instagram and sharpened their #fitspiration skills, delivering feed posts, story challenges, and IG Live workouts aimed at fat-blasting, muscle-building #gains without gear. Some influencers did it #forthegram, with little actual fitness wisdom. (Save frying pans for frying, please!)

The Best Fitness Trainers on Instagram to Help You to Stay Fit at Home

The Georgia congressman has a new Magnolia Pictures documentary <a id="fa5a7fbb-f0d7-3761-ae3c-2a6e4a0bf156" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_oEkOdIXdo"> John Lewis: Good Trouble </a> , available July 3 . Prior to the nationwide protests taking place, Lewis talked about building inner strength, battling pancreatic cancer, and fighting for the soul of America.

WHEN I was growing up in Alabama in the 1950s, I heard my mother say over and over again, Dont get in trouble. But I was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi to get in what I call good trouble. When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, its my philosophy that you have a moral obligation to get in trouble, to make some noise, to point people in a different direction.

ON OCCASION in the whole struggle for the right to vote, we were arrested, we were jailed, we were beaten. In the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, we were attacked. I thought I was going to die. But when the heat of the conflict had passed, I had an executive session with myself. I decided to keep looking ahead, to keep believing that those of us in the movement would one day prevail. We did get a Voting Rights Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.

Forging Strength

STRENGTH is the will, the desire, and the ability to continue, to press on. Strength comes in different forms. Its more than physical. There is mental strength that enables us to say we can do it, we must do it, and we will do it. There is spiritual strength that leads us to say a little prayer. Sometimes you might ask for determination. That is spiritual strength.

Overcoming Fear

I DIDN'T want to get killed, but as a Freedom Rider fighting for lunch-counter integration in 1961, I came to the conclusion that this may be the price that I have to pay to a people and our movement, to move this nation closer to a society based on justice that values the dignity and the worth of every human being. We had to do what we could to redeem the soul of America.

Lewis, center, marching in protest of a scheduled speech by the pro-segregationist Alabama governor, George Wallace, in Cambridge, Maryland, May 1964.

Tapping Soul Force

YOUR ABILITY to match physical force with soul force, as Dr. King would say, demonstrates that you are willing to pay even the ultimate price to bring about the necessary change. When you engage in nonviolent action, you must do it out of love. Love is the reason you put yourself in harms way. We all love life, but a nonviolent activist also loves humanity. Without love, a person does not have the capacity or the ability to even begin a struggle or participate in one. You have to have love.

Working Together

TODAY, IT seems discouraging to many of us, and we may wonder whether we have lost our way in politics or even as a nation and as a people. We may not have lost our way as much as we have elected individuals who are only concerned about their own individual interests and not about the interests of people. Thats why we must not give up on politics. We cannot let the forces of division, violence, and hatred win. We must pull together, work together.

Making Democracy

WE HAVE overcome so much in America. But we have not arrived at the end of the journey. We are involved in an ongoing struggle, an ongoing fight. I like to say that democracy is not a state; it is an act, and each generation must act. They must stand up and contribute to our society to make things better for all humankind. We can do it, and we must do it. We will do it.

Fighting Cancer

I WAS not surprised because sometimes I could feel something on my left side. Through the tests, it was discovered that I had cancer. I said to myself that I would not let cancer keep me down. One medical attendant encouraged me. She said, Congressman Lewis, youre a fighteryou must fight. I assured her, I will. I will not give in. I dont feel like Im 80. I feel much younger, and I try to carry myself that way. I am optimistic that no matter what happens, everything will all work out.

Rep. John Lewis, civil-rights giant and the congressman for the Fifth District of Georgia.

REP. JOHN LEWIS has been arrested 45 times in his 80 remarkable years on the planet. Hes been beaten, spat on, doused in scalding water, and insulted, impugned, and harassed in every way imaginable. Yet through it allthe marches with Martin Luther King Jr., the lunch-counter sit-ins, and even 33 years in the House of Representatives serving the Georgia Fifthhes continued to believe that theres greater strength in fighting force with love. Even as the country erupted in <a i...

John Lewis Is Still Fighting for the Soul of America

Tom Brady first heard about Alex Guerrero from teammates Willie McGinest in 2006. Brady, who had already won three Super Bowls, was suffering such painful elbow tendonitis that he was unable to practice. Guerrero has a background in traditional Chinese medicine and massage and had a reputation for using physical therapy help athletes recover faster from injuries.

Brady says Guerrero worked on his forearm muscles and biceps, releasing tension on the tendon through targeted deep force massage. "Alex did it one time, and I was like, What? The last ten years of my life Ive been in pain, and now, after hes worked on my forearms, biceps, and triceps, theres no more pain in my elbow? It clicked for me right away, Brady told Men's Health for our September cover story.

From then on Brady went to Guerrero when ever he felt pain and the relationships was cemented when Guerrero helped Brady rehab after he injured his ACL in 2o08. "At that point, I said, Alex is going to do everything. Alex is going to care of me.'" Guerrero effectively became Brady's hybrid personal trainer and physical therapist. Over the years the two men formed a close friendship that evolved into a business partnership as well when in 2013 they opened a small gym, the TB12 Sports Therapy Center at Patriot Place next to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.

Guerrero says his job is actually pretty easy because Brady always wants to work hard. "I never have to amp Tommy up to train. If anything, I need to remind him that he has to dial it back." What's most different about Guerrero's approach to fitness is his emphasis on hands-on deep tissue treatment for the major muscle groups every workout. He believes that this optimizes the muscles to perform and recover better. He also prefer to use resistance bands rather than free-weights because they allow for more functional movement training.

Guerrero also mote that there's a misconception that band work is easy and not real strength training. "People might look at Tom and think that he's not that strong, but he's functionally very strong. It's not all about having the biggest muscles, especially if you're playing quarterback." Guerrero calls the collective benefits of his approach muscle pliability. "The goal is to tell your body how you want it to function," he says. "The deep tissue work and specific movement training hardwires your body for sustained excellence." It's working for Brady.

Pliability is a term Guerrero coined with Brady and that irks exercise researchers because it doesn't have extensive scientific evidence to support it. (Plus Guerrero has over-hyped some nutritional supplements in the past and so anything he does is scrutinized closely.) And, in truth, researchers are still studying the complex communication circuit of communication from your brain to your muscles (and vice versa) and learning more about how the sensory aspect of manual therapy may influence it. However, Guerrero and Brady firmly believe their unorthodox methods will eventually become more mainstream which is why they're opening a 10,000-foot TB12 gym in downtown Boston and hoping to expand nationally next year.

I absolutely know 100 percent that it works, and the reality is Im just a client who lives by the teachings, says Brady.

All the best recommendations come word of mouth.

What to Know About Alex Guerrero, Tom Brady's Trainer

Every summer for the past seven years, the quarterback of the New England Patriots has come to this remote island for a beach boot camp. Its an intense part of his regimen, which has him training two to three hours daily to strengthen his arm, pack on more upper-body muscle to absorb hits, and sharpen his footwork and acceleration so that he can elude pass rushers. As Bonner unzips an egg-carton-like duffel bag with six game balls nestled inside, Brady uses a golf laser rangefinder to check the yardage. Its slightly off. Guerrero walks down the sideline, putting down cones every ten yards as measured by Brady. The QB slips into his shoulder pads, dons a silver helmet, and warms up using a white hand towel instead of a ball. He unfurls that smooth throwing motion that has tortured opposition players and thrilled New England fans for 19 years, culminating with a flick of the wrist that snaps the towel.

Bonner and I put on receiver gloves and spread out ten yards downfield. Bonners advice: Just put your hands up and the ball will hit them. Brady starts off throwing short bullets, and Bonners tip is dead-on: The balls slice through the hot air and slam into my hands. Brady goes through the gears, throwing 20-yarders and then 30-yarders. Then we drop to 60 yards. This is a maximum-effort drill for distance. Brady is throwing down the sideline, launching six passes as far and as straight as possible. Our job is to catch the balls and put them down right where they would land. Guerrero and Brady tinker with his drop, bounce, step, torque, and release. When a pass wobbles off course, Brady shouts to the palm trees, Thats an interception. When I drop a perfect spiral, he screams at me, Thats the game winner!

After the morning throwing session, we take a golf buggy to the beach. Guerrero paces out 30 yards, placing a cone every ten. Naturally, Brady remeasures. Then, back in shoulder pads and helmet and holding a ball in the midday sun (Practice like you play, he says), he starts sprint drills in the sugary sand. Guerrero holds a band around Bradys waist to add resistance and make him drive his feet with greater force so that he can accelerate faster. Benjamin joins in. Guerrero gives him a ten-yard head start for a 20-yard race. Copy Bennyhe has good form, Guerrero quips. Hes faster than Daddy already! Other times, Brady drops back while Guerrero rushes at him with boxing pads and jabs his torso before shouting, Go! Then Brady sprints. Im familiar with starting at the bottom and fighting my way to start, he explains. Ive kept that mentality. Ive never felt like, Man, I sure cant get any better.

The drill conditions Brady to be less skittish in the pocket. He and his trainer work for about 30 brutal minutes, totaling around 400 yards. After one set of reps, Brady remarks, The funny thing is, Ive probably run more today than Ill run all year. (Hes right: He banged out only 35 yards on the ground last season.) Back at it. Off Brady sprints, the man with the golden arm and the platypus feet, grunting hard and kicking sand, still chasing perfection.

<h1> THIS STORY APPEARS IN THE SEPT'19 ISSUE OF MEN'S HEALTH </h1>

It's 8:35 on an impossibly clear and bright morning at a private resort in the Bahamas. A whisper of wind rustles the palm trees, and tucked down a golf-cart path, shielded by flowering bushes, theres a freshly marked-out football field with two yellow uprights on either end. Apart from a gallery of seagulls, theres no one around except Tom Brady; his trainer, best friend, and cofounder of TB12, Alex Guerrero; and Bradys assistant, Kevin Bonner. In person, the 42-year-old ...

Why Tom Brady Will Never Quit

The singer and Dancing with Stars host and baseball legend both posted a video of their recent sweat session at the Dallas Cowboys gym in Texas on Instagram.

J-Lo's commented, "Gettin it in w my fave workout partner!!!"

More cryptically, A-Rod wrote, "Macha 13 on "

We've covered the topic of working out with your partner extensively at Men's Health, and thankfully, the experts' consensus is that <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19536356/make-her-sweat/" id="517ff2fe-7397-3dfb-a1ab-0e6df4c3f4c8"> couples that sweat together tend to stay together </a> . This bodes well for J-Lo and A-Rod, who recently got engaged. By working out as a couple, you can face the challenge together through positive reinforcement, trainer Derek Peruo, C.S.C.S., of Peak Performance in Manhattan, told us in a 2015 story on the subject.

During the minute-long video, J-Lo and A-Rod perform a high-energy total body workout. The fit couple do a series of exercises including curls, bench press, and lat pulldowns for an upper body split, then battle ropes and the Jacobs Ladder for cardio. They also do sled pushes and then agility drills. J-Lo even busts out some dance moves-but Rodriguez doesn't join in with any twirls of his own.

The two take on the exercises with help from trainers, but they help each other push through the workout, too. J-Lo encourages A-Rod as he pushes a sled along the green turf. A-Rod reciprocates, coaching J-Lo through back extensions. There's even some playful PDA as A-Rod pats J-Lo's butt.

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJl1J6g2Xn/" id="4a3b429c-8bbf-3cbc-ad66-54e04809eef8"> View this post on Instagram </a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJl1J6g2Xn/" id="343259fc-9555-3284-a09c-fa3842abb6eb"> Big thank you to my good buddy Jerry Jones and the @dallascowboys for treating us to an amazing workout. We appreciate the hospitality and privilege of using your tremendous facility. If you want to see more of our workout regimen, sign up to @fitplan_app. </a> A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/arod/" id="3d070e72-60c7-3d47-abf6-0cd8c35d0510"> Alex Rodriguez </a> (@arod) on Jun 25, 2019 at 3:43pm PDT

For a simple, minimal equipment workout to do with your partner, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19538559/this-couples-workout-is-the-perfect-way-to-build-muscle/" id="ce19ab1e-3ac2-3906-acba-7e4f101ca833"> check out this routine. </a>

J-Lo and A-Rod Get Sweaty in a New Workout Video

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are redefining the concept of power couple.

Watch J-Lo and A-Rod Get Sweaty in a New Workout Video

Around the time Henry was leaning into the terrible threes, my wife started battling a recurrence of breast cancer, enduring multiple kinds of chemotherapy and other treatments that destroyed her immune system. The doctors orders called for a clean and germ-free house and for peaceful nights conducive to restorative sleep. Our lives at the time were in chaos, yet from this challenge came a surprisingly settling force: Henry. In taking care of him, I began taking better care of myself.

Henry on a trip to Maine in September 2014.

Step one for me was establishing a gold standard of hygiene as Henry was transitioning out of diapers. I became a fanatical hand washer. I even wrote a story for this magazine on how to wash your hands properly based on tips from his daycare: Create a mousse of suds in your palm and twist your fingernails in it; repeat with the other hand. I turned into a three-Purell guy (car, bag, mantel), which Im not sure is a sound approach to life-but it felt good to be doing something, and Henry seemed to have fewer colds, runny noses, and bugs.

Hygiene, while a squishy target, turned out to be easier to master than some of the other goals, namely learning to manage his mood. As a triathlete, I was familiar with bonking, the nasty crash when you run out of energy because you dont have enough fuel. At first I didnt realize that if his daycare team skimped on the Fig Newtons at afternoon snack, Harmless Henry would turn into Hangry Henry. Usually Id expend all my energy trying to calm him down, and, soon enough, Id bonk too. I started always packing an apple or a string-cheese stick for Henry. Then I started packing another for myself.

Sometimes even a snack-fed Henry would melt down, but at the Zen Den at his daycare (no, really), he had learned a technique called turtle. As the name implies, it involves remaining still and taking several deep breaths through your nose. Henry would huddle on the ground, his rib cage inflating and deflating. It usually worked. Earlier this year, at SXSW, I moderated a panel on self-care for men, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aubreymarcus/?hl=en" id="9e4bd062-036c-380b-a412-4f1a7a77ef12"> Aubrey Marcus, the founder of Onnit </a> , led everyone through his preferred stress buster-six deep and slow inhales and exhales: turtle.

Then theres the wild kind of energy-the bouncing-off-the-walls-during-a-rainy-day kind of energy that shouldnt be fed with fig bars or turtled into submission. A babysitter exposed Henry to WWE and he took a shine to Dolph Ziggler. Luckily, we had a couch that could withstand leaps and slams and Henry trying to suplex me. Those bouts went many rounds deep, and his endless energy helped power his sick mom. I couldnt stop him. I could only try to keep up and wait for the shenanigans to ebb. When they did, we were both left with a feeling of having worked out whatever we needed to simply by way of silliness.

Henry with his Mom in Maine in September 2014.

Even after snacks, turtle-ing, and three WWE title matches, Henry might still need help settling down for the night. So our family went all in on bath time. Henry was going through an Angry Birds/Octonauts/Lego Star Wars phase. Id gather all these toys and dump them into a lavender bubble bath and let him enter his own soothing aquaverse. Id often jump in too and do my own version of meditation. His mom would sit on the side of the tub. Wed talk about Henrys day as he played out all kinds of <a href="http://interspecies-snorgling.soup.io/" id="88bee0a9-faba-3da1-a1b4-b7cfec5ff734"> interspecies snorgeling </a> adventures until the bubbles went away. We were all more relaxed those nights.

Those habits helped us through many tough times, including when Henrys mom lost her fight with cancer a few years later December 7, 2014. Henry is now almost too big to wrestle, and we dont share a bath. But we still tussle on the couch once in a while, and though I dont get in anymore, the tub remains our decompression and talk-therapy tank.

N othing really prepares you for the snotty-nose, ear-infection, stomach-bug fest that is toddler daycare. My son, Henry, went to a most excellent hippie-dippy rural learning center where the kids were ushered outside to play and get dirty at every opportunity. Every day seemed like a bout in the germ Thunderdome.

My Toddler Taught Me Everything I Know About Wellness

But, Manganiello experienced his own slump.

There was a point where I really thought I was broken beyond the point of being able to be fixed, Manganiello said in an interview for the June cover of Men's Health. It was 2002 and Manganiello was a 25-year-old tasting his first career success-he scored a role in Spiderman-while struggling with a serious alcohol abuse problem.

Drinking was a way for me not to have to deal with me, he says. And I think that acting was a way for me to not have to be me either. So I could go onstage and not be me, come offstage and go to the bar and not be me. Rinse and repeat.

2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones - Arrivals

"Looking back on that phase, I dont like to think of myself that way," he says. "And if I had a son passing out cigarettes Id be like. 'Dont do that.' Im only telling this just to prove a point, but I donated my car to the American Cancer Society instead of selling it off just to alleviate any sort of guilt I would feel down the road. And also I didnt want to be a hypocrite, or if there is karma, whatever karma is, to try to break that. Im not telling you this to make myself look like a good person. It wasnt truly altruistic. I wanted to feel better about myself."

He says the work he did with his hands helped him find his inner compass. Hard physical labor is the best work you can do for your soul, even if its gardening, says Manganiello.

Manganiello is now 17 years sober. When he quit drinking for good, he evaluated every aspect of his life and set a fresh course. During his self-discovery phase, he also began practicing transcendental meditation, something he still does today.

I do it as soon as I wake up. Twenty minutes," he says. "Yeah, [Sofia's] asleep and I just sit up and do it. Theres a reason why meditation is 4,000 years old. The word mantra-mind-vehicle-I find that to be true. Ive had some profound things happen to me while meditating.

A more physical activity that helps Manganiello defuse stress is working out. "I usually train six days a week-a hybrid of bodybuilding and CrossFit," he says. "The thing with me is Im naturally skinny. Ill lose weight if I dont work out. I deflate. My wife jokes and says that Im full of air because if I dont work out for a while Ill thin out and then a week back in the gym and Ill blow back up. Shes like, 'There must be a bike pump in the basement.'"

Manganiello adds that he likes roles like Magic Mike and the upcoming Deathstroke that demand that he pack on muscle. "Its fun lifting that much, all your numbers go up when you start putting on weight. And I ate like an animal. I was training so much that I could eat whatever I wanted. One of everything on the breakfast menu. Porterhouses for two just for me. I just like being big, like really big."

Few guys seem to be winning like Joe Manganiello, the 42-year-old <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a27479089/joe-manganiello-bottom-of-the-9th-interview/" id="8c4fc22d-a1b5-3070-a1ac-257d230cff11"> Men's Health's cover star </a> and lead in Bottom of the Ninth (out July 19). You probably know Manganiello best as the shredded six-foot-five colossus who starred in True Blood and Magic Mike. Or as Mr. Sofia Vergara-he married the 46-year-old Colombian star of Modern Family in 2...

How Joe Manganiello Has Stayed Sober for 17 Years

The data shows that being strong is as big a mediator in terms of long-term health as anything

Muscle is protective against cancer, it enhances survivorship in people with cancer, and it reduces the risk of mortality in people with hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. A new JAMA study revealed that if you can do 40 or more pushups in a row, youre 96 percent less likely to deal with heart problems in the next decade than someone who cant do 10.

Phillips expects that in five years the government recommendation regarding strength training will be beefed up: Instead of suggesting two strength sessions per week, it will recommend three to five. Strength really is a buffer to mortality, he says. And more importantly, it extends your health span, so you can maintain a higher quality of life for longer. Starting around age 40, most people begin to lose muscle mass. Its imperceptible at first but accelerates to about a pound per year by the time youre 50. Its easier to mitigate the slope of that decline by training more when youre younger than it is to try to rebound when your muscle has wasted away.

I can still walk as well as I can because I train.

Nagy is living proof of that. Hes 5-foot-6 and a solid 154 pounds-around the same weight he has always been-and has trained regularly for the past 70 years. The standing cable press and pushup are his favorite exercises, and he does them in workouts that tend to last about 90 minutes but include lots of recovery time spent joshing with his squad. Nagy took a tumble two years ago, breaking his arm and knocking out a few teeth. Being strong helped me recover better, he says. I can still walk as well as I can because I train.

This is one in a series of 12 stories that explores the role of strength in modern life. This man lives for exercise. Ive always been active and involved in sports, says John Nagy, a chirpy 101-year-old. And I love the social part of training. Nagy is in a crew of about 30 mature swolesters, all over 70, who train daily at the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE) gym at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. They provide the oomph in an ongo...

Pushups Make Every Day Awesomer for This 101-Year-Old

It's been called <a href="https://www.accessonline.com/articles/chris-evans-heroic-butt-steals-spotlight-new-avengers-promo" id="36658e44-c6f3-311b-ad70-bd1930681f44"> "heroic </a> , " <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/85693888-157.html" id="5e44e575-0731-326d-a263-348bdfbc3fed"> powerful </a> ," and " <a href="https://comicbook.com/marvel/2019/05/01/avengers-endgame-spoilers-captain-america-ass-joke-ant-man-marvel/" id="c3240f98-4e01-3e83-a547-5c4715b58790"> the MVP of the Avengers </a> ."

The "it" we are talking about of course is Captain America's butt, a.k.a. The Most Valuable Posterior, which is lionized in Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel blockbuster still setting records at a theater near you.

The first butt reference in Endgame drops when during one of the many time-travel sequences, Tony Stark hides in Stark Tower, spying on the original Avengers team as it deals with Loki and his recovered scepter. Stark spots Cap and comments via headset, Mr. Rogers, that old suit design did nothing for your ass." Ant-Man, also on headset, disagrees, saying. You look great, Cap. As far as Im concerned, thats Americas ass.

The scriptwriters spank the joke again a few scenes later, when Cap is fighting his past self (yup, one of the weird aspects of time travel probably inspired by Back to The Future). The current Cap bests the old Cap and as he's standing over his own prone body he comments, That is Americas ass.

steve rogers: scott lang: thank you CAPTAIN america. cap. steve. captain AMERICA. THE national treasure. an icon. by the way we love your ass - josie (@evanswrth) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanswrth/status/1122569765224996864?ref_src=twsrc^tfw" id="ae087eb5-14ee-3d51-a8d3-2c2c8198dc26"> April 28, 2019 </a>

The quip is a light moment in a movie and in the larger Marvel universe, where pop culture references illuminate every conversation and gender stereotypes are (sometimes) flipped. But it also speaks to this moment in America, the Age of Ass. Thank you Kim Kardashian, whose curves even the almighty <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwjjz01gs70/" id="87f4726f-bb7f-3d8f-ab10-04c8a3659dd1"> Thanos </a> can't match. At Men's Health we've appreciated the importance of glutes long before Kim and Cap, even for guys who are not breaking the Internet or not saving the universe.

"Your glutes are your body's largest and most powerful muscle group," says Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., Men's Health fitness director. "But because so many guys spend all day sitting, their glutes are weak."

That sedentary lifestyle can cause a cascade of issues from back pain and weight gain to diminished athletic performance and poor posture-or even worse, cause <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a23828011/dead-butt-syndrome-gluteal-amnesia/" id="5b15d011-6e9e-357a-ac41-7611982a8f73"> dead butt syndrome (a.k.a. gluteal amnesia) </a> , which means your gluteus medius stops firing and can't initiate contractions. Strong glutes also help you move your hips, powering you up, down, forward, backward, and side-to-side, and since they're big muscles, working them can increase your metabolic rate, helping you burn calories and lose weight. When Men's Health broke out the <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/g19546820/best-glutes-exercises/" id="afabd77f-5b36-3886-a92e-dc5571b415a9"> 25 best workout moves to build your butt </a> , we spoke to Brett Conteraras, C.S.C.S., a sports biomechanist known in the fitness industry as <a href="http://bretcontreras.com/" id="95787f1d-a992-3b1b-ad7a-e469ecf5e5bc"> the Glute Guy </a> . Mix these 3 Contreras-approved exercises into your leg day to get the glute growth you're going for to make Cap proud.

<h1> Captain America's Glute-Maxing Moves </h1>

How You Can Build A Butt Like Captain America

3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, 90 seconds rest

The number one exercise he recommends for glue gains: the barbell hip thrust.

Get on all fours, with your spine aligned and back flat. Keep one leg firmly on the ground as you raise the other, turning your foot out slightly for an external hip rotation. Maintain your spine's alignment and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement. After a moment, return your knee to the ground.

To add an extra element of difficulty to quadruped hip extensions, add a miniband for more resistance, or longer pauses to accentuate the squeeze at the top of the movement.

Mild spoilers below for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen the movie yet, or don't want to be even slightly spoiled, stop reading right now!

You can take a look at Bjrnsson's journey on <a href="https://vimeo.com/329715845/4822a88696" id="d6bcc26d-059a-3588-ad60-8be9b9fd9219"> Strongman: Beyond the Mountain </a> , an E:60 short film running at 9 am EST on ESPN this Sunday. Shot in and around his home town of Rekyavik, Iceland-check out the behind the scenes photos throughout this story-the movie follows Bjrnsson's years-long quest to become The World's Strongest Man, which started after a brief stint as a pro basketball player.

Before he was The Mountain on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GameofThrones?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw" id="5f95cadf-8ed4-3725-a040-332e31e9340a"> #GameofThrones </a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/ThorBjornsson_?ref_src=twsrc^tfw" id="1da66eb3-df15-3a60-a229-8ff5890ca6da"> @ThorBjornsson_ </a> was an athlete with a mission: become the strongest man ever to walk the earth. <a href="https://t.co/igeoSeWlzy" id="54bb8ce7-e4fd-3912-a9b7-80eadcd2ce68"> pic.twitter.com/igeoSeWlzy </a> - E:60 (@E60) <a href="https://twitter.com/E60/status/1116013688849354752?ref_src=twsrc^tfw" id="3c772c0e-6f7d-3488-a61f-764adcb23dfc"> April 10, 2019 </a>

It's not hard to imagine the 6-foot-9, 440-pound Bjrnsson being a monster in the paint as he reflects on his time spent on Iceland's U18 team. I was a bit crazy and trained a lot, probably three times a day, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a755986/hafthor-bjornsson-game-of-thrones-the-mountain/" id="2958bc83-dc5f-3f79-a217-4b8b6a8ab581"> he told Men's Health UK in an interview earlier this year </a> . Before school, then afterwards, plus I was lifting at night. A spell as a pro baller in his homelands first division was curtailed at 20 by surgery on his ankle. I was very sad. I wasnt sure what the next step was, he said.

The Mountain lifts an Atlas ball in training

That's when he started focusing even more on the strength aspect of his training. "Ive always enjoyed lifting heavy; I saw extremely good results, he told MH. Bjrnsson ran less and ate more. I just got hooked, seeing how strong I got and how much my body changed. Soon after, he started competing in strongman contests. He worked his way up to the World' Strongest Man contest, placing second three times and third three times before <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a20212985/the-mountain-worlds-strongest-man-2018-workout/" id="26bb7e94-0819-3b31-aa7e-1bfba1ccc2a5"> finally winning in 2018. </a> He <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a27073093/thor-bjornsson-europe-strongest-man-2019/" id="262372c4-458a-3fdd-af1d-8f11a2da78a5"> just won his fifth straight Europe's Strongest Man championship </a> , and will defend the world title June in Bradenton, Florida. For a detailed round up of the top strongmen in the world, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a759056/5-finalists-to-watch-at-the-2018-worlds-strongest-man/" id="bacaa4ad-289e-32ac-aee8-d2563b939adc"> read this story. </a>

Hafr Jlus Bjrnsson on the set of Strongman: Beyond the Mountain

In a series of interviews in the film, Bjrnsson opens up about his surprise audition for Game of Thrones and talks about the challenges of balancing his acting career, strongman training, and his duties as a dad.

"I got this email out of nowhere to audition for Games of Thrones," he says in the trailer. "I thought this can't be true. It must be bullshi*t. I didn't even answer." Later, he got a call to do the audition and said, "Sure, I don't know what I'm doing, but let's try it." At the audition, they wanted to test his strength. "They asked me to pick a guy up, so I lifted him over my head and they were like, 'Whoa! You're strong!"

If you need any more incentive to check out the doc before tuning in to the Season 8 premiere, Strongman: Beyond The Mountain is narrated by Anton Lesser, who plays Qyburn on Game of Thrones.

Watch The Mountain Drag Planes and Break Records

Before you watch the Hafr Jlus Bjrnsson, a.k.a. The Mountain, in the premiere of Game of Thrones on Sunday night, you might want to learn some more about the man behind those hulking muscles and imposing armor.

Get Hyped for 'Game of Thrones' By Watching the Mountain Drag a Plane

"It's a very special story about a very special human being," The Rock said in an Instagram video teasing the film. "[Milton] has been a lifelong friend, a brother to me. You know how every once in a while in life, if we're lucky enough, we meet these special people, who seem to be touched by angles and have the unique ability to impact lives where ever they go. Meet Milton McBride, The Rock's Rock."

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/BwE0uN2hXUT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" id="b2246b42-ecce-33e7-a65a-5cf4d9aeeece"> View this post on Instagram </a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/BwE0uN2hXUT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" id="c01be308-ae62-309d-a97f-9a1901cda136"> A special short film from @ESPN, @SevenBucksDS, @RocknRobinTV that tells the story of my lifelong friend, hero and @SpecialOlympics athlete -- Milton McBride Rosen. </a> A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/therock/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" id="f51ebae9-f9d1-35eb-a879-9bed8c9f1db5"> therock </a> (@therock) on Apr 10, 2019 at 5:44am PDT

Johnson recounts how as six-year-old he met Milton, and how they later shared a bedroom and became like brothers. The film explores how a bunch of trainers and athletes at The Body Shoppe, a gym in Florida, took Milton in-and how Milton was one of the people who actually introduced The Rock to working out. Milton entered the Special Olympics, first in track and field, and then in weight lifting. Eventually Milton would bench press more than double his body weight and win the Florida State championship.

Beyond his athletic achievements, The Rock also shares how Milton became somewhat of "saving grace for my dad." At that time, Rocky Johnson's career as a WWE wrestler was over and he was not making money and "drinking real heavy." Rocky Johnson tells the story of how once Milton took his bottle and dumped it out, because he knew it was "no good and he knew it was hurting me." Johnson admits he wanted to "kick his a**," but Milton took off out the door. Johnson says Milton's compassion for him helped him sober up and probably saved his life.

Be warned: The film is a real tear-jerker. "When you get someone who comes around and is not judging you and looks at you and loves you and will cry with you and says, 'I got you," Johnson says in the clip. "And then the fact that it's Milton and he has Down syndrome, and this connection happens... his heart is boundless, the love he has his boundless, the empathy is boundless. That's how Milton has impacted my life in ways that I could never have imagined." Check out the full film here:

"The Rock's Rock" is just one part of a special series, called 50 Game Changers, from ESPN and the Special Olympics, celebrating Special Olympics 50th anniversary.

Meet the Person Who Most Inspires The Rock

Ever wondered who could possibly inspire Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a.k.a. the hardest worker in the room? The man himself opened up to answer that question in a new short film "The Rock's Rock," in which he talks about his relationship with Milton McBride Rosen, a Special Olympian with Down syndrome.

This Short Film About The Rock's Inspiration May Just Make You Ugly Cry

"No herky jerky movements. A microcosm for life/ Slow, steady precision-then go in for the kill. Finish your week strong."

It's generating strong reactions, because some people felt he was throwing shade on the whipping motion of kipping pullups, so popular with the CrossFit crowd.

"Rock redefines kipping as herky jerky."

"No CrossFit sh*t technique there!"

"CrossFitters are in an uproar over this strong steady pull up!"

But people are also dissing The Rock's technique.

"His chin doesnt even go over the bar. LOL."

"See even The Rock struggles with pull ups."

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv39kjZh3JL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" id="64962177-5a2d-3d46-a550-29f51244adb4"> View this post on Instagram </a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv39kjZh3JL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" id="3d432778-c9c7-36b8-a83d-c92284345ad2"> No herky jerky movements. A microcosm for life/ Slow, steady precision - then go in for the kill. Finish your week strong. #ironparadise #jump #WSR </a> A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/therock/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" id="f51ebae9-f9d1-35eb-a879-9bed8c9f1db5"> therock </a> (@therock) on Apr 5, 2019 at 5:55am PDT

It begs the question, does your chin have to go over the bar-and what is perfect form?

The answer: It depends on your training goal, and your mobility. The chest-to-bar pullup may be the CrossFit standard, but that doesn't mean it's meant for you. And if you're aiming to solely grow your lats, or if you have shoulder issues, the chest-to-bar pullup may not be your best option.

"The Rock is not doing a full pull-up, but for the purpose of what he's doing, it's perfect," says Men's Health <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ebenezersamuel23/?hl=en" id="883df89f-db01-36bb-a1d6-798e567254f2"> fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. </a> "Hes using a wide grip and crushing his lats as opposed to trying to do it as a total-body motion. Its a bodybuilding motion with a particular purpose: to grow those lats. Hes also not bothering to pull his chest to the bar because hes focusing on those lats, on adding width to his back instead of hitting his mid back." While it doesn't hurt to aim to raise your chest to the bar, don't sweat it too hard, adds Samuel, especially if you have shoulder issues. Pull up as high as you can and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Using a slow, smooth, steady cadence also has different benefits than the kipping motion you'll see CrossFitters often use. A slow, steady cadence allows you to keep your lats under tension for longer, flushing blood into the muscles for maximum growth. CrossFitters use the kip, meanwhile, to pile up plenty of reps while not placing their muscles under the same strain.

That begs another question: How many reps did Dwayne do? We'll probably never know!

If you're new to this exercise, check out this article on how to <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19531826/pullup-progression/" id="9d31d624-f853-3b5a-a6f5-2dd07d497af6"> master the pullup </a> and if you're thinking about what bar to get for your home, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19546882/greatest-pullup-bars/" id="0b79ca49-c48e-3216-a8a6-70647907a8c4"> consider these great options </a> .

And if you are wondering which are generally considered the easiest and hardest variations, use this list:

Negative chinup (underhand grip and jump into the up position, then lower your body) Band assisted chinup

Mixed grip chinup (one underhand grip, one overhand grip)

The Rock's wide-grip, slow-lower variation

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is back at it in the gym doing pullups and he just posted a video on Instagram with a motivational message.

Is the Rock's Slow and Steady Pullup Trolling Crossfit?

What's the move? Basically, it's a barbell biceps curl broken down into three phases, so it's a mix of partial and full reps. Packing all that work into a single set and using serious resistance ignites plenty of biceps growth, and teaches you to master your full curling range of motion, too.

<ul><li> Start with 7 reps from the top position of a curl going only halfway down. It's smart to start with the top phase when you're fresh because that range of motion is the most challenging phase for your biceps, forcing them to work without any assistance from your forearms. </li><li> Do 7 reps from the bottom with your arms straight going only halfway up to your waist. </li><li> Finish by doing 7 full reps, from the bottom with your arms extended, curling the barbell up to your shoulders. </li></ul>

Johnson noted that, "Pushing past your pain threshold to squeeze out a few more extra reps is where success and magic happens." If you've done a hard arms workout and have a challenging weight on the bar, your guns will be on fire those last seven repetitions.

Because he's The Rock and because Instagram, there was lots of good-natured trolling.

One man noted he was doing those in high school.

Another observed that using 25-pound plates for 21s (which added up to a fierce 95 total pounds that the Rock was moving) was burly.

Another critiqued The Rock's form, commenting that he was rocking back and forth.

And another said The Rock's biceps and triceps still need work. LOL.

While many people do 21s using a barbell, you can also do it using dumbbells. <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19534417/the-lifting-technique-that-will-make-your-biceps-look-like-baseballs/" id="d5f17e32-a219-36ee-aaf8-8260440fc8ec"> And you can apply the same rep and range of motion scheme to many other exercises </a> , including squats, pushups, and even pullups.

The Rock Digs This Old-School Biceps Move

The Rock just posted an Instagram video of one of his favorite biceps blasters. It's a classic that he probably first learned back in the day at The U-and it's a move that plenty of guys do either at the beginning or end of a nasty arm day. Dwayne Johnson titled it the "21 inch Gun salute," riffing off the name of the exercise, the size of his biceps, and, of course guns!

The Rock Shares A Classic Biceps Blaster on IG

So you can imagine my joy when I spotted a six-pack of Teeny Tiny Avocados at Trader Joe's. These fiber- and protein-packed orbs are about half the size of a traditional avocado and at 160-calories are the perfect single-serving size. As a reminder, avocados are also a great source of heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats and potassium.

Each babycado contains 15 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein. A six-pack costs from $2.69 to $2.99 depending on where you live. You can also find them at some farmer's markets.

Although they're labelled Teeny Tiny Avocados, they're actually just regular California Haas avocados that never reach full size because of poor weather conditions.

They first burst on the scene in 2016 and gained Instagram notoriety during the peak of avocado-toast craze. They come back on shelves whenever growing conditions are not optimal.

Expect the same creamy, nutty taste as a regular avocado and similar texture. The seed-to-flesh ratio is about the same. Although in my experience, the flesh is a little firmer and more ripens more uniformly. Pro tip: Store uncut avocados in the fridge to slow down the ripening process.

Here are three ways to work the tiny avocado into your eating plan:

Avo Scramble An easy to prepare and delicious 430-calorie breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Make it: Scramble three eggs and serve with a sliced tiny avocado seasoned with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Avo Toast (recipe from <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19524618/green-beast-best-power-shake/" id="07de8de8-2296-3955-acb7-d93d6fb074c4"> Jillian Michaels </a> ) The whole-grain toast supplies carbohydrates to give you energy to start your day, while the creamy avocado fills you up and helps you stay satiated until mid-morning. To add protein, top it with a poached egg.

Make it: Toast two slices whole grain bread. Mash half a tiny avocado on top of each slice. Sprinkle on 1/2-tsp of chia seeds and a pinch of red pepper flakes over the toast. Finish off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

The Green Beast Smoothie (recipe from Men's Health Guy Gourmet) It skips the kale in favorite of spinach, which is loaded with the good stuff, but more subtle in flavor. Fresh green grapes balance out the bite with natural sweetness. Avocado lends creaminess and the lime will shake your taste buds awake. Plus, it contains a kick of caffeine from the bottled green tea-but not so much that you'll suffer a crash four hours later. <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19524618/green-beast-best-power-shake/" id="fcb9cdcc-80fc-3e56-ae87-f6ff70a76569"> It contains 230 calories and 12 grams of protein </a> .

Make it : Blend till smooth: 2 cups baby spinach, 15 green grapes, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup lightly sweetened bottled green tea (like Honest Tea Honey Green Tea), 1 tiny avocado, the juice of 1/2 lime, and 1 tsp agave nectar or honey (optional).

My go-to to breakfast is half an avocado and scrambled eggs. The problem is I often waste the other half of the avocado because it gets brown and nasty overnight, even if you do all those hacks like keeping the pit in, spritzing with lemon, and wrapping in plastic.

Rejoice! The Tiny Avocado is Back!

Harris calls for more kicks, and the entire 12-person class kicks, then resets, then does it again, like an Instagram Boomerang. Im quickly learning the challenge of Muay Thai: Can you blend power, balance, and flexibility while using your leg muscles, the biggest in the body?

Im trying. Harris tells me to imagine my legs are baseball bats-and swing hard!

Get Your Kicks With This Intense Muay Thai Class

Kickboxing for fitness isnt new (remember TaeBo?), but, powered by the rise of the UFC, its mainstream again. Hit House is part of a cadre of new spots like Throwdown NYC and iLoveKickboxing that are popularizing mixed-martial-arts training. In 2017, about 6.7 million people used cardio kickboxing to stay in shape, according to a new report, beating out boxing by more than 1.5 million.

It helps that theres a mental aspect. To many patients, I recommend exercise that channels aggression, says Drew Ramsey, M.D., a clinical psychiatrist and MH mental health advisor. But pretending the bag is a person you hate is not the healthiest option, he says. Instead, frame the enemy emotionally and specifically: The bag is your pain, your fear, your anxiety.

Hit House, which opened last year, caters most explicitly to newbies. Tyler Scott, a 36-year-old amateur Muay Thai fighter, is the brains behind the bludgeoning. Trained in jujitsu and Muay Thai, he fought in the Bronx underground, and by 2011, hed piled up a 51 record. He hung it up to start Hit House.

While he acknowledges his resume cant compete with those of elite UFC coaches, he set out to do something different. There are top-shelf fighting gyms all over, he says. My wife and I wanted to create a beginners Muay Thai class centered around striking and bag work.

The morning and evening sessions are packed with a mix of men and women. Each class kicks off with calisthenics, jumping jacks, and pushups. Sweat already glazes my forehead as I learn the eight kicks and punches. All require rotation at my hips. Harris demos the moves, then I practice, strafing the heavy bag, dubbed Bishop and unique to HitHouse. Bishop is a hybrid bag, softer than a typical bag, shaped like a marshmallow human (or a svelte chess piece), and anchored to the ceiling and floor. Kicking it is exhausting, activating my glutes, hips, and quads. Its a fresh spin on leg day.

Im thinking about this as we transition into eight 3-minute rounds that make me repeat combos. By now, all the rotation has turned this into a serious core workout. Things get fierce in round four, when we try a switch rear kick, which has you changing stance before swiveling from your hips to launch a kick.

Im relieved when Harris says well do a round of core work. But its more rotation: crunches, bicycles, and X-ups (right leg to left shin and vice versa). My abs feel like theyre being wrung out.

Then its back to beating Bishop. Im starting to get this. After the sixth round, which is mostly side-knees and elbows, we focus on kicks. We deliver three in rapid succession. Now Im Jean-ClaudeVan Damme in Kickboxer, chopping down stress like JCVD chopped down a palm tree with his shin.

First with my left leg: thwack, thwack, thwack. Then my right: thwack, thwack, thwack. Then we throw hooks, and more kicks. My butt cheeks are on fire. Harris wants flying kicks now, soIm jumping and kicking with all Ive got.

I'm 12 minutes into my first-ever Muay Thai class at <a href="https://www.hithouse.com/" id="b1e9756c-2806-3f60-a4d8-e6ee1634b2c5"> Hit House </a> in New York City when instructor Raquel Harris commands everyone to strike their bag with a rear kick, the Muay Thai money shot. You rotate your body and pivot on the ball of your front foot, and kick your opponent with a thwack. Thanks to my soccer background, my kick connects with a solid blast, but Im left off-balance.