Below, Stock details how a few of his favourite Jack Black products keep him feeling fresh. And be sure to head to Sharp’s Instagram today at 10 AM, where Stock will give an even more in-depth look at his all-star grooming routine.

For shaving: Beard Lube Conditioning Shave

“Finally! A beard product that checks off all the boxes. This product softens my beard and allows for an easy and close shave without any pain; total game-changer!”

For washing: Turbo Wash Energizing Cleanser for Hair & Body

“I love the smell of this body wash! Coupled with the fact that I can use this head-to-toe is a huge plus.”

For moisturizing: Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20

“Its light texture, fast-action absorption, and sun protection always gives you 100%. It’s my go-to at the cottage.”

For even more moisturizing: Therapy Lip Balm Black Tea SPF 25

“I always keep this lip back in my back pocket. It keeps my lips hydrated and is helpful when I am in the TV studio, on the ice, or outside for a run when the air is particularly dry.”

The post How Jack Black Grooming Products Keep PJ Stock Fresh-Faced for the Camera appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

Psychedelic drugs are helping people across Canada improve their mental health. Despite what your high school health teacher might have told you, a dose of ketamine, LSD or psilocybin (better known as magic mushrooms) – when administered in a controlled setting by a trained medical professional – can be highly effective in treating conditions like PTSD and depression. “The fact is that most of the things that you or I probably learned about psychedelics was either an outright lie or a gross exaggeration,” says Ronan Levy, founder and executive chairman of Field Trip Health, a Toronto-based company specializing in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Not only are psychedelics less addictive and less harmful on the whole than other drugs (including prescription drugs), according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London, these once-vilified substances can be used to effectively treat anxiety, addiction and many other serious mental health conditions.

“When you look at the evidence around psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapies, it’s really profound,” says Levy, whose company operates health centres in Toronto, and a handful of other major cities in the US and Europe. “We’re using these molecules to enhance the effects of therapy and help people go deeper, faster, so they can make more progress than they otherwise would in conventional therapeutic approaches.

For Levy, Field Trip’s mission is a broad one: to eventually use psychedelic-assisted therapies to improve the quality of life for all people. “There’s evidence to suggest that even if you don’t have clinical diagnoses of depression or anxiety, that psychedelic therapies can still be beneficial,” he says, citing evidence of psychedelics being successfully used to treat migraines and early-onset Alzheimers, among other conditions. As the research advances, and government regulations broaden to permit therapeutic use of drugs like psilocybin and MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, more therapies for more conditions may become available in future. In the meantime, Field Trip’s psychedelic therapy treatments rely on ketamine, a Health Canada-approved anesthetic that’s been shown to treat depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders when used in combination with psychotherapy. 

Field Trip’s patients must first undergo a medical screening before embarking on a series of sessions at the company’s health centre, which is outfitted in plush furniture, soothing colours, and a small forest’s worth of potted plants, all the better to put patients’ minds at ease. With the help of an eyeshade and soothing music, they are then guided through an hourlong ketamine “trip,” followed by an exploratory therapy session to discuss the experience. After that is an integration session, in which therapists apply conventional cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to help drive a lasting change in habits and outlook.

According to Levy, the experience is usually pleasant, free of freaky hallucinations, paranoia, or any of the other negative effects sometimes associated with these drugs. “The truth is, the current belief is that there’s no such thing as a bad trip, per se,” he says. It’s one of many misconceptions about psychedelics that Field Trip is working to challenge — one life-changing trip at a time.

The post Why Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Might Be Right for You appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

Peloton is one of few companies that had a banner year in 2020. Like Amazon and Netflix, Peloton offers a service expressly designed to be enjoyed at home, which made it, of course, ideal for lockdown orders and stay-at-home mandates. When gyms all over North America suddenly shut down last March, here was a nifty, high-tech exercise bike with daily live virtual classes and a massive back catalogue of on-demand programming. It was one of those unforeseeable marketplace windfalls — right time, right place. Almost overnight, Covid-19 created a need that Peloton was uniquely positioned to fulfil.

If the Peloton Bike seemed like a good way to keep fit in lockdown, the Peloton Bike+ is even better. The Peloton Bike is, in essence, made for doing spin classes at home. But one can tire of spinning — especially if spinning is the only thing you’re able to do. The Bike+ aims to expand the Peloton repertoire. Now, you can subscribe to the monthly membership program and either sit on the bike for spin or stand beside it and do high-intensity interval training, yoga, stretching, or meditation. The HD touchscreen rotates 180 degrees to the left or right so that you can watch the classes from elsewhere in the room. Now, Peloton even sells light dumbbells and sleek yoga blocks, so that even when gyms do eventually reopen (the thinking goes), you won’t need to return.

It’s certainly tempting to think Peloton is the answer to the questions: how will I ever stay healthy during a global pandemic and will I ever feel safe exercising with other people again? At $3,295 CAD, it is hair-raisingly expensive. But so is a gym membership. And like a gym membership, what you’re really paying for with Peloton is the sense of commitment. But, beyond the pandemic, is a stationary bike with an iPad attached an adequate substitute for a gym membership? And is the Peloton Bike service really all it’s cracked up to be?

For what it’s worth, people really do seem convinced. Reviews tend toward the effusive; like Soul Cycle, fans of Peloton often take on the collective reverence of a cult. “We’ve made a ton of believers. Millions. And that’s before the pandemic,” Tom Cortese, Peloton’s COO and head of product development, told me over the phone shortly before the launch of the Bike+ this past September. “Peloton usage per person actually increases each year. That’s not something you really see in fitness trends.” That’s an interesting quirk in the business model. A brick-and-mortar gym banks on a large percentage of its members signing up in January and never coming in. It’s in their interest for you not to meet your goals. “Conversely, we employ thousands of people whose only job it is to make sure you use your Peloton more today than you did the day before,” says Cortese.

The first time I hopped on my Peloton, I booted up one of the bike’s many first-person city tours, which the company calls Scenic Rides. I chose a strip of West Sunset that I’m familiar with in real life. I was excited to take a brisk ride through Los Angeles. But that’s not how it felt. Instead, it felt like I was sitting on a loud exercise machine in my living room while I watched a shockingly low-res home movie of someone’s bike ride through Los Angeles. This was the revolutionary home fitness trend converting legions of spinning skeptics? A pair of pedals and a YouTube video set to a public-domain techno beat? Forget being transported to another part of the world. Where was any real sense of being on a bike?

What I realized is that the Scenic Rides aren’t the authentic Peloton experience — which explains why they’re buried so deep in the sub-menus, as if Peloton has begrudgingly continued to make the content available but doesn’t want to encourage anyone to use it. The true Peloton experience is the Peloton classes, which can be joined live at regular intervals throughout the day or streamed at any time. These classes have the look and feel of real-life spinning classes, with the slight but niggling distinction that instead of 20 or 30 people riding alongside you, there are tens of thousands spread out in living rooms and basements around the world. The classes range in length and difficulty, and you can sort them by instructor, style of music, or theme.

For my debut ride, I chose a class based on “The Last Dance,” the hugely popular ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan and the ’97-’98 Chicago Bulls that was released early last year. The instructor, Alex Toussaint, wore a Bulls jersey and rode at home in front of his collection of Air Jordan sneakers. “What’s up Peloton!” he roared as the class began. “This one goes out to the greatest to ever do it: Michael Jordan.” As we chugged our way through the demanding 45-minute ride, Alex encouraged us by referencing both Jordan’s win-at-all-costs attitude and highlights from his storied career. “We’re going for that sixth ring!” he shouted as we neared the ride’s climax. It was a tenuous connection, maybe, but I got the point.

The theme, the music, the instructor: all of this stuff is designed, not so secretly, to disguise the fact that riding a stationary bike is kind of boring. A 45-minute ride on the Peloton, compared to, say, a 45-minute CrossFit class at a gym, is pretty mindless and repetitive, and without a charismatic coach clamouring for your attention, it’s hard to imagine pushing yourself. It’s a testament to the intensity and charm of Peloton’s instructors that they’re able to mitigate a lot of that built-in boredom, whether by urging you to hustle, advising you to calm your mind, or joking and laughing and encouraging you to sing along to the tunes. (Toussaint is a big fan of this technique.) Peloton’s instructors have a magnetic sort of star power, and if there is one thing about the experience that unequivocally works, it’s the screen presence they so easily exude.

The Peloton Bike+ separates classes between “on bike” and “on the floor.” It’s the latter that’s meant to bridge the gap between the bike as a fitness tool and the bike as a fitness ecosystem: a whole gym conveniently packed into the corner of your room. But so far, these classes are somewhat lacking. Right off the bat, I sorted the classes by difficulty and chose the hardest high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class available. (This metric is determined by user ratings after the class is completed.) It was, well, fairly easy. After nearly an hour flying through the class’s circuit of bodyweight and dumbbell exercises, I hadn’t broken much of a sweat.

I suspect Peloton’s off-bike programming will improve as the company continues to develop this side of the business. The cycling classes, after all, have been honed to perfection, and they know how to make exercise hard. But HIIT workouts and other fitness regimes don’t seem to lend themselves as well to one-way video instruction as spin classes. When complex full-body movements are involved, it helps to be under the eye of an attentive coach. Still, Peloton is intent to make it work. “We’re not a bike company because we wanted to be a bike company, but because we wanted to figure out the formula for making the fitness experience work at home,” says Cortese. It’s not hard to imagine a future in which they perfect the full package, like they already have the bike.

The post Here’s What the Peloton Bike+ Is Really Like appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

I blocked all the light in my bedroom. I turned off my phone, reluctantly, and dialled down the radiator to help lower my body temperature. And yet, night after night, I chase the most elusive of human necessities: a good night’s sleep.

It comforts (but it doesn’t help) me to know that I’m one of the 43 per cent of Canadian men who report trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, according to a Statistics Canada study from 2017. For women, the number is closer to 50 per cent.

While biological and psychological factors — poor diet, workplace, romantic or financial worries — contribute to sleep disorders, a larger cultural and economic shift in our relationship with the night provides a more holistic understanding of this crisis. It’s not just New York City that never sleeps; it’s most of us, anywhere and everywhere.

Sleep experts tend to date the change in how developed countries disrupted the collective biological clock to the beginning of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century. Until then, a largely agrarian and rural society followed the natural rhythm of the 24-hour cycle: morning and afternoons for work, evenings and night for rest and sleep. In Wild Nights: How Taming Sleep Created Our Restless World, Benjamin Reiss suggests that current notions of the uninterrupted, perfect-night sleep are a recent invention. The solutions for the perfect bedtime experience may actually be causing the problem.

“Battering our sleep with rules, training manuals, rituals, and commercial sleep products,” Reiss writes, creates “a society of fussy, stressed-out sleepers.” We’re cranky because we try not to be. Other sleep experts have documented how some cultures thought of sleep at night in increments or stages in which a few hours of shut-eye are followed by some nocturnal activities (food or sex) and then back to bed.

Despite my best attempts to resist it, incremental sleep has led to some of my most serene and happiest moments. After years of training myself to conquer sleep, I’ve surrendered to my wakefulness. There’s comfort in surrender. These days, I just pick up books I bought recently and never had the time to crack. When I’m too tired to read, I catch up on the numerous podcasts that I subscribe to or browse for new ones. The sound of strangers talking into my ears is oddly comforting, partly because I don’t have to join the conversation and partly because it comes with a readymade excuse to tune it out or, eventually, dose off without being rude.

I’ve become addicted to the BBC’s In Our Time, a Radio 4 program in which host Melvyn Bragg invites three guests to share their expertise on a single arcane or misunderstood subject. In the past few weeks, I’ve learned more than I probably need to know about Tutankhamun, the Siege of Paris in 1870–71 and the colonial history of coffee. A few hours of reading and learning for pleasure (and not as part of my job) strike me as a luxury, a gift from the gods of insomnia — and a fair compensation for the toll that sleep disorders take on my body.

I don’t mean to underplay the darker, long-term ramifications of sleep deprivation. The U.S. government declared sleep disorders a public health epidemic in 2016, as medical evidence links them to obesity and heart disease, as well as a third of fatigue-related fatal traffic collisions. The effects on our collective mental health are incalculable.

What remains less understood and may lead to a worsening of this crisis is the dismantling of that break between the workday and the restful night for people who, nominally at least, have nine-to-five jobs. Mission creep seems an understatement when our mobile phones and laptops keep us tied to the office space long after our bodies have left them. I don’t mean just the need to respond to emails from colleagues or bosses, but the realization that the workday is simply not enough to get our lists of tasks done.

We’re borrowing from our free time to make up for the hours that were usurped by additional work, pointless meetings, or maneuvering demanding co-workers. The mental gap required to transition from the stress of work to the relaxation and rejuvenation of sleep — those hours where I really should be listening to those podcasts and reading my books — is narrowing, and, for most freelancers or the self-employed, disappearing altogether. The attention economy and the electronic gadgets that govern so much of our day-to-day lives don’t care much for our right to sleep.

The conversations we have internally as we replay the day in bed are dwarfed by the never-ending ones that take place on social media or the 24-hour news cycle. #NightTwitter has become a rallying point for millions of gig-economy workers, students and news hounds. In April, scholars of disciplines as wide-ranging as history, urban studies, health, and economy are scheduled to descend on McGill University for an international conference on media and the night. It would be hypo- critical of me to suggest to the organizers that we shut down our connections to the outside world a few hours before bedtime just like we limit food and avoid caffeine. I know that hasn’t worked for me. I wonder, therefore, if the sleep revolution experts seek should be one in which the complications of our over-connected world are factored in: how to sleep through the noise of life and not away from it.

In making that proposal, I’m also acknowledging that what I’m dealing with is a form of addiction — to breaking news, to Twitter threads, to rants, to the goings-on of a political cycle where, despite claiming otherwise, I continue to be shocked by the assaults on democracy and on the environment. Bedtime? Yes, right after one more column about the coronavirus or the bungled peace plan for the Middle East. It’s a miracle that so many people can sleep through it all.

My late father, who also suffered from the same condition, used to sing a lyric from an old Arabic song: “I stayed wide awake and alone while the night went to sleep.” I think I finally know what that feels like. But I wish I could go back in time and tell him about that sweet, sweet surrender to sleeplessness.

KAMAL AL-SOLAYLEE IS A JOURNALIST AND PROFESSOR AT RYERSON UNIVERSITY, AND THE AUTHOR OF THE AWARD-WINNING BOOKS INTOLERABLE AND BROWN.

The post Night Moves: Reckoning with the Science of Sleeplessness appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

1. UPOTHECARY SATIVA FACE BAR

Anyone who knows their cannabis strains knows that sativa has, ahem, uplifting properties. In addition to hydrating hemp seed oil, this facial bar contains charcoal to tackle skin impurities and deliver a fresh, invigorating scent.

$7, upothecary.ca

2. MAHI CBD DAILY SKIN RENEWAL CREAM

This cream, from Canadian brand Mahi, is a lightweight hydrator that protects from environmental irritants. Its key ingredient of CBD can help balance oil production for a soft and non-greasy complexion.

$55, mahiskin.com

3. SCOTCH PORTER CBD BEARD BALM

The addition of CBD to this beard balm’s botanical ingredients (broccoli seed oil, sesame oil, and basil leaf ) means extra anti-inflammatory properties and healthy fatty acids that combat skin flakiness, dryness, and irritation.

$20, scotchporter.com

4. L’EELA RADIANT FACE SERUM

Packed with skin-boosting ingredients, serums make a smart addition to any skincare regimen. L’eela’s version contains antioxidant-rich CBD extract, which helps to reverse the effects of time and impart a well-rested glow.

$70, leelacbdbodycare.com

5. THE BODY SHOP HEMP HEAVY-DUTY FACE PROTECTOR

The Body Shop knows its way around weed: hemp’s been on its ingredients roster since the ’90s. Their Face Protector soothes dry patches while offering all-over hydration (yes, skin still gets dry in the summer).

$14, thebodyshop.com

Photography: Suech and Beck

Prop styling: ALEXANDRA MILANI

The post 5 Ways to Add Cannabis to Your Grooming Regimen appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

Peter Belanger, courtesy of Forme Life, fuseproject

Equipped with speakers, a camera, a microphone, the six-foot, full-length mirror provides an immersive gym experience at home. Virtual classes range from interval training and boxing to meditation and yoga, complete with pullies and adjustable arms for push and pull exercises. AI technology collects data from previous workouts to create a personalized workout regimen.

Peter Belanger, courtesy of Forme Life, fuseproject

When powered down, the matte grey finish blends in naturally with your home. And since it only takes up one square foot of space, you can position or mount it anywhere. As always, Béhar has thought of everything.

Peter Belanger, courtesy of Forme Life, fuseproject

Forme will cost USD$149/month for a 39 month period, and is available to pre-order now with an official launch coming fall 2020.

The post This AI-Powered Smart Mirror Is the Future of Home Fitness appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

Boost the Indoor Air

“Environment can truly affect skin, so think about optimizing your living spaces in order to set the stage and best serve your skincare goals,” says Jennifer Hollander, board-certified family nurse practitioner of AuraSpa Healing Center in Beverly Hills. “Florence Nightingale, the founding mother of nursing, theorized that the environment paradigm is the most important aspect for health and healing to occur,” she says. “Given indoor air can get stagnant, it’s a good idea to open windows for ventilation which can also help promote deeper, more restful sleep.”

Dr. Ava Shamban, board-certified dermatologist and founder of SkinFive by AvaMD preventative skin care clinics in Los Angeles, agrees. “It’s not often we have forced down time, so look at this an opportunity to ramp up self-care and that starts with being mindful of indoor air quality,” she says.

Dr. Ava points out that remaining inside can zap the moisture in skin due to dry air and heating/air conditioning units. “We are in a transitional season right now too, so it’s helpful to use a humidifier,” she says. “You can even add a few drops of lavender oil at night and peppermint or lemon oil during the day for added aromatherapy benefits.” While you’re at it, why not punch up the mood even more with a candle, given scents can help with relaxation? Lola Tilleyaeva created the lush fragrance and candle collection, The Harmonist for exactly this reason.

Hypnotizing Fire Candle Yin, $80

And, don’t forget about the water in your home. Hollander suggests considering a water filtration system. “You ingest and cleanse yourself with this water, and that can affect both your skin and hair tremendously depending on the quality,” she says. “An effective filter can be a big game changer by promoting softer skin and hair.”

Exfoliate and Cleanse

You’ve prepped your surroundings. Now it’s time to prep your face and body. “Men can really elevate their skincare without having to incorporate more than a few simple steps,” says Dr. Kay Durairaj, facial plastic surgeon. Dr. Kay suggests a glycolic acid-based cleanser. Her KD Skincare Glycolic Acid Cleanser helps to remove dead skin that can create dullness and clog pores. “And, follow this up with a hydrating serum designed to keep the skin moisturized,” she adds. “My KD Skincare Deep Blue Hydration Serum is hyaluronic acid based and replenishes skin with water based hydration that even oily skin will benefit from.” Dr. Ava is a proponent of using disposable exfoliating pads a few days a week such as Flawless Pads by Instytutum for soothing hydration combined with resurfacing, thanks to a multi-acid complex and hyaluronic acid. And, her AvaMD Gly/Sal 5-2 Pads are for those with more acne-prone skin. “Many men don’t want the fuss of too much product or too many steps; these pads are the ideal option and very effective too,” she says.

KD Skincare Glycolic Acid Cleanser, $72

KD Skincare Deep Blue Hydration Serum, $72

Flawless Pads by Instytutum, $79

AvaMD Gly/Sal 5-2 Pads, $25

“Men should be particularly careful to heal rather than attack the skin to avoid rosacea, hyperpigmentation, and other skin dysfunctions,” says Dr. Barbara Sturm, founder of Molecular Cosmetics. “Irritating skincare ingredients, treatments and quick ‘fixes’ like acid peels are highly inflammatory, can damage skin barrier function and should be avoided.” Sturm explains that male skin is 25% thicker due to testosterone, and that testosterone level declines 1% per year after the age of 30. Men also have more collagen density, a rougher texture and more natural moisture to their skin. “My facial scrub is a key part of a man’s skincare routine. Keep it in the shower and use it at least twice a week to gently exfoliate and prepare the skin to receive the active ingredients from your skin care regime.”

Don’t forget about your limbs. The Seaweed Exfoliating Body Wash by Spa Technologies is unisex and works as both a shower gel and exfoliant. “This is a 2-in-1 product that cleanses skin and stimulates circulation leaving skin with a healthy glow,” says founder Dan Fryda.

Dr. Barbara Sturm Facial Scrub, $70

Spa Technologies Seaweed Exfoliating Body Wash, $29.25

Treat and Hydrate

“Men must acknowledge that their skin needs just as much attention as women’s in order to reverse damage and rejuvenate,” says New York based, double board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Macrene Alexiades, founder of Macrene Actives. “Use this time to get into a solid routine that will yield short term and long-term results, while providing a path forward once the work week gets back into action.” Alexiades suggests keeping hot water off the face. “Practice splashing the face with lukewarm water instead, and follow this immediately with the Macrene Actives High Performance Serum, my one step skin care solution delivering 50 active, fragrance-free ingredients.” Alexiades created this power player to address all the facets of skin aging: decreasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, reducing redness, brightening brown discolorations, reducing puffiness, and firming and toning the skin.

Macrene Actives High Performance Serum, $195

Patricia Pao, Founder and CEO of the Restorsea skin care collection, believes most men only want to use one product, so she created PRO All Day Every Day 3X Lotion. Pao discovered the transformational properties of her proprietary ingredient, Aquabeautine XL® while touring a salmon hatchery in Western Norway. “This enzyme is released by baby salmon to help them get out of their shells and when you apply it to human skin, it digests dead skin cells while leaving living cells untouched,” she says. Pao asserts that twice daily use “reduces the appearances of redness, fine lines, dark spots and wrinkles and provides softer, more even-toned skin,” and may be used on all skin types, including the most sensitive. One stop shopping for guys who want to keep their regimes at a minimum.

PRO All Day Every Day 3X Lotion, $175

Sheet masks are another easy, disposable treatment that infuse skin with added hydration. “Flawless Mask by Instytutum plumps skin with its hydrolyzed collagen and efficacious transdermal delivery technology (stronger penetration of the ingredients into the skin),” says Dr. Ava. So, peel off that sheet mask, wrap it around your face, kick back while being surrounded by healing scents, and imagine yourself on the warm sands of a tropical beach.

Flawless Mask by Instytutum, $79

Facial Hair and Post-Shaving Protocols

Even if you’re at the point where you’ve forgotten what a razor looks like, and your facial hair could only be described as gnarly, there’s still hope. Night Repair Serum by Spa Technologies is ideal for beard grooming. “This product features shea and coconut butters which help moisturize skin under the beard and prevent flaking, while adding a healthy sheen to your facial hair,” says Fryda.

Spa Technologies Night Repair Serum, $59.25

And, Hollander suggests aromatic, skin-soothing facial oils such as Dr. Ben Talei’s AuraSilk Natural Healing Oil. “This can be followed by a warm bath for the ultimate relaxation experience,” she says. A caveat: women love AuraSilk too, so if you live with members of the opposite sex, be prepared for this treasure to suddenly disappear.

Dr. Ben Talei AuraSilk Natural Healing Oil, $175

Finally, Sturm calls her Hyaluronic Serum the “white t-shirt” of a man’s skincare routine. “Both women and men love this hydrating serum. My male customers swear by it as an aftershave; it eliminates razor bumps while healing the skin matrix,” she says.

Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum, $300

The post Skin-Saving Tips to Step Up Your At-Home Grooming Game appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

The Pushup

Westend61/Getty

You know it, you hate it, but there’s a reason it’s the first on our list. Pushups activate every muscle in your body. Start with your chest nearly touching the floor, then push upwards, keeping your head, glutes, and heels in a straight line. Fifty daily reps will go a long way.

The Lunge

Antonio Saba/Getty

Start in a standing position, take one huge step forward, then lower your upper body until your knee is at a 90-degree bend. Repeat with the opposite leg. Your glutes and calves will thank you later.

The Squat

Sergio Pedemonte/Unsplash

High school teachers used to use wall squats as punishment, but they’re phenomenal for your thighs. With your back flat and your feet hip-width apart, lower yourself until your knees bend at 90 degrees. Hold it for a minute — if you can.

The Plank

visualspace/Getty

If you could hold it for longer than a minute, you’re some kind of hero – but a minute will suffice in helping you work your way to a six-pack. The plank is a core strength exercise that strengthens your spine and abdominal muscles – it should be an essential part of your at-home workout routine.

The Side Plank

Li Sun/Pexels

A side plank is similar to a regular plank in terms of setup and benefits. In a side plank, form matters a little more. Make sure your hips are in line with the rest of your body for a more intense muscle stretch.

The Burpee

lagunaguiance/Getty

If you’re looking to burn fat, the burpee is your friend . A cardio-forward full-body exercise that’ll help you look #shredded without leaving your bedroom.

The Pullup

Chris Minihane/Getty

If you have a home gym with a bar, you’re finally going to get some use out of it. Otherwise, get creative with a door frame or any other high bar you could think of. The pullup (when done properly) hits every muscle in the body and is a key component in arm and ab development.

The Box Jump

Morsa Images/Getty

If you have an old shipping box laying around or bought one in the hopes of starting a home gym, grab it and get ready to do some box jumps. The box jump is great for your lower-body, just make sure that you’re bending your hips and knees and not putting too much pressure on your joints. Be sure to step off the box rather to give your knees a much-needed rest.

The post 8 (Mostly) Equipment-Free Workouts to Keep You Fit While You WFH appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

Essentially a video game that interfaces with your turbo trainer–mounted bike, Zwift’s platform transports you from your basement onto the simulated streets of real-world destinations like London, adjusting resistance to reflect the pixellated terrain you’re virtually riding through. If you’re someone with a weakness for Mario Kart and spin classes, you’ll probably love it. Key to its appeal is the friendly competition that its million-plus users provide in the 200 daily races: after 10 minutes of cycling, it’s easy to feel yourself pedalling harder than you would be without the virtual motivation. That is, provided you can get over the Black Mirror parallels.

WHAT IT EXERCISES:

As with all cycling workouts, expect a steady calorie burn plus strengthened core and quad muscles — which is more than we can say we got from Call of Duty.

HIGH-TECH HOME FITNESS

If creating a workout avatar feels like one step too far into the future, other options are coming. These three (currently U.S.-only) systems pair interactive workout equipment with videos of real-life fitness classes. (It turns out Peloton was just the beginning.)

Boxing: Fightcamp

Sensor-equipped gloves and a punching bag interface with an app that leads you through the full Michael B. Jordan training routine.

joinfightcamp.com

Strength: Tonal

Coached lessons help you work your way through a weights system that automatically adjusts resistance to your strength level using electromagnetism.

tonal.com

Cardio: Mirror

A digital panel that broadcasts yoga, barre, and Pilates classes — and doubles as a mirror when not in use. Perfect for admiring your gains.

mirror.co

The post Get Ripped Without Ever Leaving Your House with These Virtual Workouts appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

OrangeTheory

Imagine a colour-coded scale of intensity that runs from purple (low) to red (high). Orange is pretty close to the top, but not quite there. The premise of these workouts is to spend a quarter of your workout in that orange zone: working hard, but not maxing out your heart rate. In other words, tough enough for major gains, but still approachable for average Joe.

Precision Run

If you’re a treadmill enthusiast who feels most driven to push yourself in slightly competitive group settings, get ready to love Equinox’s new breed of interval training that reimagines the spin class environment for runners. Just what you need to keep yourself from slacking off at the end of your jog.

TRX

You know how gymnasts are insanely ripped? That’s thanks to their time on the rings. Basic TRX incorporates straps with handles into a bodyweight workout based on similar resistance-training principles. Think of the force you feel while holding a water-skiing rope and you have the main idea. Skip ahead a few months, and you have a shredded body.

The post What Are These New Workouts I Keep Hearing About? appeared first on Sharp Magazine.

Each piece is handcrafted from a luxe material palette borrowed from modern architecture. For instance, the Laohi pull-up bar designed to be mounted over a door has handlebars wrapped in leather for easy gripping, while Yaling’s maple block holds a set of six brass hand weights. So even if your abs aren’t quite cut from steel, your gym gear will be.

From $1,100 USD at workinuse.com

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A squash ball can reach speeds of up to 270 kilometres an hour, meaning that your own movements must happen at hyper-speed as well — effectively packing in multiple workouts’ worth of exercise. “It’s one of the most efficient ways to hit the gym,” says Hamilton. “You’re going to see a burn of 600-plus calories in a match.” No wonder the sport’s a favourite of so many downtown dealmakers. But don’t be intimidated by your experienced peers. “Even beginners don’t need to know a ton to have good rallies with each other,” says Hamilton. So if you’ve yet to master your backhand serve, consider this winter the perfect time.

RACK UP THE GAINS:

Three fitness benefits that coach Tyler Hamilton says you can look forward to at the end of the season:

Endurance

“It’s good interval training,” says Hamilton. “In a hard rally, your heart rate is spiking for 30 to 45 seconds, but there’s steady aerobic activity sustained the whole time, too.”

Power

Hamilton compares the muscular endurance honed during a game of squash to doing high reps at a low weight. Translation: time to start wearing more short-sleeved tees.

Flexibility

The upper body twists and turns while swinging, all the while you lunge and shuffle toward each shot. Expect a boost to core strength and stability.

LINEAR THINKING:

Confused by the layout of a squash court? Here’s the bottom line. (And the top line. And the middle ones.)

A) Service Box:

A player must have one foot in this area while serving.

B) Service Line + C) Out Line:

Serves must make first contact between these two.

D) Short Line:

Serves must land past this line on the opposite side of the court. You get one bounce after a ball hits the wall before you must return it.

E) Tin Line:

Returns must land above this line and below the Out Line to remain in play.

Each game is played to 11 points, with a point awarded for each rally. If the server wins the rally, they maintain service; if the receiver wins, they become the server.

PRO TIPS:

1 Don’t just mimic tennis — your hold on a squash racquet should plant your thumb and forefinger firm at the top of the handle, with the face pointed slightly towards the ceiling.

2 “Get the ball to a corner,” says Hamilton. This will send your opponent scrambling to the edge of the court to catch it as it bounces back, and very likely secure your victory.

The post Squashing Your Post-holiday Gut Starts on the Squash Court appeared first on Sharp Magazine.