Mens Fitness Guides – Issue 63 2026

Summary

Men's Fitness Guides Issue 63 — priced £4.99 — is a dedicated Workout Manual covering Hollywood muscle plans (Wolverine/Hugh Jackman physique), bodyweight training, strongman-style workouts with standard gym kit, big arms, upper-body muscle, and lower-body power, plus NFL Academy training methods and Wild Chef high-protein outdoor recipes.

Cover and issue data confirmed: Issue 63, £4.99, edited by Ben Ince. Cover line "WORKOUT MANUAL — Your complete guide to building muscle and burning fat" with "Step-by-step guides, Beginner & pro plans, Expert tips & advice, Total-body workouts". Featured sections: Hollywood Muscle (p.08), Bodyweight Training (p.22), Strongman Training (p.36), Big Arms Workout (p.46), Upper-Body Muscle (p.56), Lower-Body Power (p.60). Additional cover-blurbed content includes NFL Academy training, Wild Chef high-protein recipes, 15 alternative lifts, and Operation 400 high-rep fat-loss protocol. Terminology decoded on p.06 covers Reps, Sets, Rest, Tempo, Superset, Tri-set, Max Reps. Contributors include Sam Rider, Joel Snape, with art editor Camille Neilson and chief subeditor Jo Williams. Published by Kelsey Media.

—————

Content Guide

▸ Training Plans

p.08 · Hollywood Muscle
Definitive action-hero workout plans based on the training philosophies behind actors like Hugh Jackman. Each plan runs 8 weeks and is split into strength and hypertrophy phases with specific rep ranges, rest periods and progression rules. Take your 1RM on the main lifts before starting and retest at week 4 — the programme's loading scheme is calibrated to a percentage of that number, not to estimated maxes.

p.22 · Bodyweight Training
A complete bodyweight programme for readers who train at home or while travelling. The plan progresses from basic push-pull-squat-hinge patterns to advanced single-leg and gymnastic-style movements. Film your push-up form from the side on week 1 and compare to the "straight line from neck to ankle" cue in the guide — most trainees need to brace their glutes harder to eliminate lumbar sag.

p.36 · Strongman Training
Replicate strongman moves — tyre flips, farmer's walks, sandbag carries, log press analogues — with standard gym equipment. Each exercise includes a substitution guide so you can train the movement pattern without specialty gear. Start with farmer's walks using the heaviest dumbbells you can hold for 30 metres; grip strength is the limiting factor before your legs fatigue.

p.46 · Big Arms Workout
A dedicated arm hypertrophy plan targeting biceps and triceps from multiple angles. The plan specifies which exercises hit the long head versus the lateral head of each muscle group. Prioritise the overhead triceps extension for long-head development — the guide's EMG data shows it activates more fibres than pushdowns.

p.56 · Upper-Body Muscle
Build a strong, functional upper body at home using minimal equipment. The programme combines horizontal and vertical push and pull patterns with progressive overload through rep accumulation rather than weight increases. Increase reps per set by one each session until you reach 15, then add weight — this "double progression" method is the guide's recommended approach for home training.

p.60 · Lower-Body Power
Improve explosive power through squats, jumps and loaded carries. Each exercise includes a concentric-speed prescription — lift the weight as fast as possible even when the load is heavy. Use a smartphone slo-mo video to check whether your bar speed slows in the last third of the concentric phase; if it does, reduce the load by 10%.

▸ Bonus Content

· NFL Academy Training
How the NFL Academy coaches elite-level athletes, with specific drills and conditioning methods adapted for general fitness readers. The article covers acceleration mechanics, change-of-direction drills and collision preparedness. Apply the "two-inch start" drill to your sprint starts — the NFL method emphasises forward lean from the ankle, not the waist.

· 15 Alternative Lifts
From Jefferson deadlifts to landmine presses, these 15 less-common exercises target muscles that standard lifts miss or underload. Each includes setup photos, common faults and programming placement advice. Add one alternative lift as a secondary movement for four weeks before rotating to the next — the guide's adaptation model suggests 4-6 weeks for neural familiarisation.

· Operation 400
A high-rep fat-loss protocol built around 400 total reps per session using compound movements only. The protocol prescribes a fixed weight across all exercises and a running clock. Choose a load you can complete for 15 clean reps on the first exercise — the fatigue accumulation across 400 reps makes load selection the critical variable.

—————

Editor's Take

As a single-topic manual, Issue 63 delivers exactly what the cover promises — complete training plans with progression logic. The Hollywood Muscle section stands out because it names the actors and films, providing a motivation hook without gimmick. The strongman adaptations for commercial gyms solve a real problem — most strongman content assumes you have tyre-flip access. Weakest section: the bodyweight programme is solid but too similar to what Men's Fitness has published in previous guides; it needed a distinct angle. Operation 400 is effective but the name overpromises — it is a conditioning finisher, not a complete programme. Best for the intermediate lifter who wants a structured 8-week plan with clear progression rules, not for the beginner who needs basic exercise instruction.

Strengths
• Strongman conversions for standard gym equipment are genuinely useful
• Hollywood Muscle plans with named actor physiques and specific training splits
• Alternative lifts section with programming placement guidance

Weaknesses
• Bodyweight programme lacks a fresh angle from previous guides
• Operation 400 name implies a complete programme but is a finisher only

Verdict: Recommended — The best single-topic Men's Fitness guide this year for intermediate lifters.