Mens Health South Africa – November-December 2025
Summary
Kevin Lerena, the WBC Bridgerweight and IBO Cruiserweight champion, opens his training diary at 4am in the Men's Health South Africa November-December 2025 issue (R90), revealing the exact discipline behind his 31-4-0 record. The cover feature dives into Lerena's loss to Lawrence Okolie at Wembley, his mental reset with sports psychologists and the "killer instinct" he had to reacquire. This issue also investigates trenbolone, the bovine steroid taking over Gen Z's social media feeds, and delivers 21 outdoor muscle-building strategies to finish the year stronger.
The 114-page issue centres on Lerena's journey from overlooked rugby convert to two-title champion, with a training-day timeline starting at 4am — Biogen Elite Carb bar, 6-8km run, ice bath and two gym sessions before noon. The MH Grooming Awards (p.57) curate a self-care cabinet across scent, skin, hair, treatment and barber categories. A smart tech roundup profiles wearables shaping the future of healthcare, and the stacked lunch feature delivers super-powered salad recipes designed for all-day satiety.
Regular columns include Ed's Letter, News You Can Use (science journals distilled into fitness intel), The Big Question, Polling and Unfiltered. The MH Trainer section (p.99-114) covers the 8×8 method popularised by Vince Gironda, concurrent training science and the finisher arm workout promised on the cover. The magazine closes with a transformation story and a call for reader goals to close 2025 stronger.
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Content Guide
▸ Cover Feature
p.24 · The Hunger Game — Kevin Lerena
Kieran Legg's feature follows Lerena's journey from his loss to Lawrence Okolie through his mental overhaul with sports psychologists. Lerena admits he entered the Wembley fight thinking about his children, not about winning — and that empathy cost him his killer instinct. The piece includes three of Lerena's power-building moves: med ball rotational throws for core speed, landmine split jerks for lower-to-upper body power transfer and pull-ups for back strength. Run Lerena's 4am-start daily template for one week: morning run (6-8km), midday strength session, ice bath, second gym session, and track whether the volume is sustainable for your recovery capacity.
▸ Investigation
p.68 · Runaway Tren
Matt Martell investigates how trenbolone, a veterinary steroid developed for cattle, became Gen Z's favourite social media muscle hack. The article follows teens Frank and Jesse (anonymised) who joke about "hopping on tren" whenever they fail a bench press PR, revealing how TikTok and Instagram normalise a drug with documented mental health risks including addiction and paranoia. One key finding: teens surveyed view the physical side effects as less scary than the psychological ones, yet the algorithm keeps serving them transformation videos without health warnings.
▸ Grooming
p.57 · MH Grooming Awards
Editors and a panel of testers select the year's best self-care products across seven categories: scent, skin, hair, treatment, beard and barber. Winners include Dunhill Icon for fragrance, Dermalogica Skinperfect Primer for skin and Lamelle Nourish Revitalise Eye Cream (R825) for eye treatment. Testers highlight the Lamelle eye cream for reducing puffiness and firming contours after late nights and early gym sessions.
▸ Fitness
p.84 · Small Wins
21 modest but measurable fitness goals designed to build long-lasting results before summer. Each micro-goal — from adding one extra rep per set to walking 10 minutes further each week — takes minimal time but compounds into visible progress. Pick three micro-goals from the list and attach each to an existing daily habit, such as doing one set of pull-ups after every shower.
p.103 · Take It Outside
21 strategies for building muscle outdoors this season, from park-bench dips to hill sprints and playground pull-ups. The guide leverages sunshine and fresh air as training variables that improve mood and adherence simultaneously.
▸ Tech
p.40 · Wear It Well — Smart Tech Upgrades
A roundup of 2025's most impactful health tech, including Garmin's Venu 4 smartwatch and the growing category of smart rings that track sleep, HRV and recovery. The article explains how wearable data can inform daily training decisions — a low HRV score means pivot to mobility work rather than skipping training entirely.
▸ Food
p.92 · The Stacked Lunch
Super-powered salad recipes engineered for all-day satiety, with protein-to-fibre ratios calculated for sustained energy. Each recipe uses a base of leafy greens, a protein source, a whole grain and a healthy fat drizzle, designed to be prepped in bulk on Sunday.
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Editor's Take
The November-December 2025 issue delivers its strongest work in the Kevin Lerena feature, which earns every one of its multi-page spread with honest access to a champion confronting his own mortality in the ring — the 4am training diary alone justifies the cover price. The trenbolone investigation is the second-strongest piece, genuinely alarming without being sensational. The weakest section is the Grooming Awards, which reads like extended native advertising despite useful product picks; eight pages of fragrance and face cream feels disproportionate in a fitness magazine. This issue best suits men who want real athlete training detail and hard-hitting health journalism rather than lifestyle puff pieces.
Strengths
• Lerena training diary with exact 4am-to-8.45am schedule and exercise selections
• Trenbolone investigation with anonymised teen sourcing and mental health focus
• 21 outdoor training strategies require zero gym equipment
Weaknesses
• Grooming Awards section reads as native advertising
• Smart tech roundup lacks price comparisons across competing devices
Verdict: Recommended — The Lerena access piece and trenbolone investigation deliver the hard edge that fitness journalism needs, though the grooming section pads the page count.
