Trainer Guest Expert Trainer

This months trainer

Andy McKenzie

UK Strength and Conditioning Association accredited coach Andy McKenzie is the head trainer for War Machine in Britain. Its the most advanced bodyweight training system out there, he says. Pulling The Pin has seen many a professional athlete struggle with basic movements. Visit warmachineeurope.com to find out more.

This time its

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Words Joel Snape Photography Danny Bird Model Scott Elliott@WAthletic

The War Machine is a great way to add rotational moves to your training for bigger fat-loss benefits, sportspecific strength and increased joint stability

ost gym routines contain plenty of pulling and pushing moves the basic movements of everyday human life that will build a lean physique and prepare you for a huge variety of real-life tasks. But your gains could be even greater if you add rotational movements. The trunk muscles provide the link between power generated from the hips and the shoulders, says personal trainer Andy McKenzie. Theyre the key to transmitting that force in an efficient manner, so a weak core will hold you back. People have traditionally found it tricky to train rotational moves which is where the War Machine, a pulley-based training system, comes in. Originally designed for the military and fighters hence the name this workout system is now making its way into mainstream gym chains. The key to the system is its nifty Pull The Pin option. When the pins in, it works just like a traditional suspension trainer. When the pin comes out, though, the War Machine basically turns into a pulley, adding an element of instability that makes any move you do exponentially tougher. Learning to control rotation and then to use it also helps with everyday movement from walking to running, sprinting and throwing, says McKenzie. Using the WM also reduces the likelihood of injury around these joints due to that increased control of movement and reduced stress to the joint.

How to do the workout

Its traditionally been tricky to train rotational moves which is where the War Machine comes in

>This workout provides exercises that target each major muscle group. Each has a beginner and advanced variation, depending on how comfortable you are with the War Machine. Its better to do the moves properly than do lots of sub-standard reps so focus on executing each exercise with slow, controlled form. >Perform three sets for each exercise. Instead of going for a certain number of reps, do each exercise for the following time intervals, depending on your fitness levels: Out of condition: 15-20 seconds Fit: 25-35 seconds Super-fit: 40-60 seconds >Experiment to find the combination of exercise and time interval that works for you. So, if youre fit but inexperienced with rotation training you might want to pick the beginner exercise but combine it with the super-fit time interval, and vice versa. >Rest for 30 seconds between each set and 45 seconds between each exercise.
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Main Workout

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War Machine Warm-up

To warm up youll keep the pin in the War Machine so that its locked and behaves like any other suspension trainer. For each move, stand at an angle that suits your strength level. Perform a few reps of each move.

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One-arm press
Chest press
>Slowly lower your chest towards your hands, keeping your core tight and body aligned. >Push back up to the start position.

>Keep one arm extended and static, with a slight bend in the elbow, while the other arm executes a chest press. >Pause at the top of the move and repeat on the other side.

Hamstring curl

>Lie face up with both heels in the foot cradles. Engage your core and press your hips up and off the floor. >Bring both heels in and curl them towards your glutes, lifting your hips as you curl.

Suspended lunge

>Put one foot inside one or both handles. Hop forward so that your suspended foot is roughly 30cm ahead of the pulley. >Slowly bend your front leg into a lunge while driving your suspended leg straight back. Make sure your front knee doesnt move ahead of your toes.

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Inverted row

>Hold both handles and lean back, keeping your core tight.

Squat

>Stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart, holding both handles. Keeping tension on the handles, lower into a squat. >Rise, thrusting your hips forward. As this gets easier, lean back further in the top position.

Chest press

>Slowly lower your chest towards your hands, keeping your core tight and body aligned. This will be harder now youve also got to cope with the instability of the machine. >Push back up to the start.

Full rotation press

>Keep one arm extended and steady while you slowly rotate your body, look over your shoulder and open up your other arm to full extension. >Bring your rear arm in and press back to the start.

One-leg curl

>Lie face up with both heels in the machine. Keep one leg straight while you curl the other heel towards your glutes, raising your hips as you do so.

Pistol

>Holding both handles, raise one leg slightly, engage your core and find your balance. >Squat down on standing leg, pointing handles to the pulley. >Push through your heel to return to the start.

Side lunge

>Holding both handles, lunge to one side of the pulley, stepping to the same side with your trailing leg. >Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Suspended lunge rotation

>Do a suspended lunge. When you return to the start position, rotate to touch your front leg with the opposite arm.

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Pull the pin on fat

Want to show off those rotation-honed abs? Then youll also need to address your diet. Andy McKenzie explains how
> The easiest dietary change you can make to accelerate fat loss is to up your water intake. Water is a basic part of our physiology and even around two per cent dehydration can cause a ten per cent deficit in strength as well as raising cortisol levels which may promote weight gain from the stress this causes in the body. Aim for one litre of water per 20kg of mass, per day. > Get one thing right at a time. Start with your fluid intake, then progress to breakfast, snack, lunch and finally evening meal. If you try to make a huge dietary overhaul in one go, youll need willpower of steel to stay the course. > Dont read diet books. Instead keep a food diary and see how your body responds to your food intake. More importantly, keeping a food diary will show you exactly how much or little you actually eat. > Get inventive. Often people make the same food choices every day. Look beyond eggs and chicken for protein, and experiment to see which foods leave you feeling energised and which make you sluggish. > Eat some sort of lean protein with every meal. Dont think you have to eat traditional breakfast foods in the morning theres no reason to treat breakfast differently from any other meal. Try having steak, asparagus and some nuts for breakfast.
Words Ben Ince, Simon Miller Photography Danny Bird, packshotfactory.co.uk

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Side plank

>With both feet in the foot cradles, turn on your side with your top foot crossed in front of your bottom foot. Keep your bottom forearm on the ground directly below your shoulder.

Climber

>Keeping your knees bent, put your feet on a bench. >Move the pulley up and down with alternating arms in a climbing action.

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Spider-Man

>Start in the plank position, then swing one knee forward, towards your elbow. Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.

Rotating side plank

Suspended crunch Hanging climber

>With both feet in foot cradles, walk hands away from pulley until youre in a plank position. >Bring knees to chest, lifting hips towards ceiling.

>Perform a side plank as normal, but pass your top hand underneath your torso, keeping your core braced throughout.

>Cross your ankles and raise your lower body off the ground. Keep your core tight. >Move the pulley up and down with alternating arms.

> If we are what we eat, then think about this when you eat meat and ensure the animal has eaten its natural diet. If you eat a lot of meat then you should opt for grass-fed organic beef, which doesnt need to be expensive check out athleat.co.uk.
The Reebok Sports Club offers a new functional training area, featuring the War Machine alongside Olympic rings, battling ropes and a bespoke pull-up rig. reebokclub.co.uk

For three more rotational moves, go to mensfitness.co.uk/links/rotate

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