If you’re trying to lean out, indulging in a plate of hearty pasta isn’t the best idea, right? It depends on the recipe, really. Olive Garden’s Spaghetti with Meatballs, for example, has 740 calories and more carbohydrates than eight Oreo cookies. Not to mention, the dish is seriously lacking in vital nutrients.

Luckily there are healthier options out there, but tricking the taste buds does require some creativity. That’s why we’ve teamed up with some of the nation’s top chefs to bring you vitamin-packed “pasta” recipes with a fraction of the calories and carbs. Click through to check out six dishes that allow you to dig in guilt-free whenever a starchy craving strikes—no restaurant reservation required.

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CAULIFLOWER "RISOTTO"
Courtesy of Brandon Boudet, executive chef and owner of Little Dom’s in Los Angeles

Risotto is the epitome of Italian comfort food but it won’t do your waistline any favors. Boudet’s take on the dish will leave your stomach satisfied without sacrificing your physique. Not only is cauliflower rich in vitamin C, it’s also super low-calorie and has just 5 grams of carbohydrates per cup.

Ingredients:

8 cups grated cauliflower (grated with large holes of a box grater)
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped 
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1) In a large sauté pan add butter and olive oil on medium heat.
2) Add green onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
3) Add crushed red pepper and salt to taste, sauté 30 seconds; add grated cauliflower and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. You do not want to brown the cauliflower.
4) Top with Parmesan cheese and salt to taste.

Serves: 4

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CHICKEN NOODLES WITH WINTER PESTO
Courtesy of Rocco DiSpirito, award-winning chef and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pound a Day Diet

“Thinly sliced chicken cooks quickly and makes a wonderful stand-in for traditional carb-filled pappardelle pasta,” explains DiSpirito. “Plus, the nutritious escarole and hint of winter spices makes this dish a real belly warmer.” With a total carb count of 8.25 grams and only 176 calories, you can dig into this tasty, low-fat dish, guilt free.

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, sliced very thin
Dash of cinnamon and paprika
Crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup basil
¼ cup onion, sliced
2 cups escarole, finely chopped
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
Salt, to taste
3 ounces chicken breast, sliced lengthwise, 1/8 inch thick
¼ ounce Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Instructions:

1) Bring two quarts of water to a simmer in a medium saucepot.
2) Spray a medium skillet, place over medium high heat and add the garlic. Cook until golden brown, add the spices, crushed red pepper flakes, basil and onion. Cook until onions have softened, about two minutes, add the escarole and cook until it has wilted and softened, about another two minutes. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about five minutes.
3) Add a pinch of salt to the water, turn off the heat and add the chicken. Stir so all the strips separate.
4) Keep the chicken in the saucepot for about 15-20 seconds or until it just turns white. It will be about half cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place on a plate to cool.
5) Cook the escarole mixture until most of the stock has evaporated and it looks like thick soup or sauce. Then turn off the heat. Add half the cheese, stir in and season with salt. Add the chicken and toss it to coat with the mixture and cook through, about 30 seconds. Spoon onto a plate, top with remaining cheese and serve.

Serves: 1

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PASTA-FREE VEGGIE LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE (not pictured)
Courtesy of Cheryl Forberg, R.D., nutritionist for NBC's The Biggest Loser and author of the upcoming book, A Small Guide to Losing Big

Unlike traditional lasagna, this dish is centered around fiber-filled vegetables, so you’ll feel satisfied, not stuffed. The best part? One serving only has 210 calories and 17 grams of carbs, plus a whopping 18 grams of muscle-building protein. “You'll never miss the pasta in this scrumptious, cheesy Italian favorite,” promises Forberg.

Ingredients:

1 pound of eggplant, ends trimmed, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 links (about 4 ounces each) lean Italian turkey sausage
1 roasted red bell pepper, diced
1 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 cup low-fat marinara sauce
2 egg whites
1 (15-ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese
2 tsp Melissa’s Italian herb seasoning
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2/3 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat an 8x8 inch baking pan with olive oil cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray them lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Broil the eggplant for about eight minutes or until tender and very lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
3) To prepare the meat sauce, cook the sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about three minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook for about four minutes longer, until the meat is no longer pink. The juices should be cooked dry. Stir in the marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes, stirring frequently. The sauce will be very thick.
4) Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, ricotta, Italian seasoning and black pepper until well combined.
5) To assemble the lasagna, spread half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Layer on half of the eggplant slices, followed by half of the ricotta mixture and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with the remaining meat sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6) Bake for about 40 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves: 8

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GRAIN-FREE SPAGHETTI WITH MEAT SAUCE
Courtesy of Danielle Walker, founder of againstallgrain.com and New York Times bestselling author of Meals Made Simple, which includes over 100 grain-free, Paleo-friendly recipes

This nutrient-packed recipe only tastes sinful. Thanks to its high protein and fiber content this low-carb dish is pleasingly filling. “Spaghetti squash has a mild taste so it works great underneath a pungent tomato-based meat sauce,” adds Walker.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press
20 ounces tomato juice or 2 boxes of Pomi strained tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 large spaghetti squash, roasted
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce Instructions:

1) Brown beef with garlic and onions.
2) Add tomato juice and remaining ingredients.
3) Let sauce simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours on low (be careful, it will splatter), or until thick.

Spaghetti Squash Instructions:                           

1) Prick a few holes with a fork on all sides of the squash so the steam can escape.
2) Place the squash into a glass baking dish and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until you can push the squash with your finger and the skin gives a bit..
3) Cut the squash in half (be careful it will be really hot!), and remove the seeds and stringy pulp.
4) Use the tines of a fork to shred and create “spaghetti” strings from the flesh of the squash.

Plating Instructions:

1) Serve sauce over cooked squash and enjoy.

Serves: 4

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ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH GOAT CHEESE AND TOASTED HAZELNUTS
Courtesy of Ben Ford (Harrison Ford’s son), executive chef and owner of Ford’s Filling Station in Los Angeles and author of Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking

This recipe incorporates flavorful spices like chili, thyme, garlic, and ginger and indulgent add-ins like hazelnuts and goat cheese so you won't even miss the pasta noodles. “This is a simple way to cut back on calories and carbs without sacrificing taste,” notes Ford.

Ingredients:

5 zucchinis, cut into long thin strips
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (optional)
1 inch fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
2 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
¼ cup hazelnuts, roasted and crumbled

Instructions:

1) Peel the zucchini, wash, dry, and then using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut into long thin strands.
2) Pour olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter on a hot pan. Add and sauté the ginger, garlic and red chili flakes.
3) Add the zucchini and toss in sauté pan to coat thoroughly.
4) Add sugar, nutmeg and lemon juice and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
5) Add remaining butter and thyme and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Zucchini should be al dente and still have a little bite to them. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
6) Remove from the heat and sprinkle with fresh mint leaves, goat cheese and toasted hazelnuts.

Serves: 4

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RAW CARROT PASTA WITH GINGER-LIME PEANUT SAUCE
Courtesy of Julia Mueller, creator of The Roasted Root and author of Delicious Probiotic Drinks and Let Them Eat Kale! 

“Carrot noodles are a nutrient-packed, gluten-free way to get your pasta fix,” explains Mueller. “Transform this flavorful, fresh side dish into the main attraction by mixing in chicken, shrimp, or even more hearty vegetables like eggplant." It only takes 15 minutes to whip up, so this dish gets major bonus points— talk about fast-food, reinvented.

Ingredients:

5 large carrots, peeled and spiraled into noodles
1/3 cup roasted cashews
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp liquid aminos
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
 1 tbsp lime juice
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions:

1) To create the sauce, combine all ingredients except for the carrots in a small bowl and mix together until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
2) Wash carrots well, then peel them and pat them dry.
3) Using your spiral slicer, make noodles out of all of the carrots. It will be more difficult to make the noodles once there are only a few inches of carrot left, so you can grate the remainder.
4) Place all carrot noodles into a large serving bowl, add sauce and gently toss together.
5) Top with roasted cashews and freshly chopped cilantro. If creating a main dish, mix in the additional vegetables or proteins of choice.

Serves: 4-6

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QUESTION BY: Stan P., Milwaukee, WI
Are there any Men's Fitness-approved workout DVD's or are they all schlocks?

Hey—we don’t thumb our noses at the at-home instructionals, Stan. (Well, not always.) There’s actually a new DVD set out featuring WWE legend Triple H. Titled WWE Power Series: Triple H, it’s unique for the attention it pays to warming up and training around injuries. (Jumping off the top rope and crushing other men can do a number on your joints.) The exercises will keep you limber, lean, and strong, and every routine can be done in your living room with minimal equipment. It’s time-efficient, too—the workouts take less than 20 minutes. As the song goes, “Bow down to the king.”

Get Triple H's program on Amazon >>>

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are hitting the shelves today with a new workout series from Lionsgate Home Entertainment and WWE called WWE Power Series: Triple H and WWE Fit Series: Stephanie McMahon.

Each workout program features the WWE icons as they lead two top-of-the-line workout programs created by world-renowned fitness coach Joe DeFranco, providing official WWE fitness programs for total body transformations. Filmed at the elite WWE Performance Center, both systems allow fans to complete a full-body workout, focusing on upper and lower body, cardio and flexibility from the comfort of their own homes.

WWE Power Series: Triple H

Featuring the eight-time WWE Champion and five-time World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Power Series: Triple H includes a total body workout with exercises designed for the upper and lower body along with cardio and mobility moves to build a strong, ripped and fit body. The DVD features a four-week workout calendar that helps users stay on track and achieve results.

The WWE Power Series features The WWE Power Series features the following regimens:  

• Warm-Up (6 minutes): Power up and prepare to sweat with moves like seal jacks and Cossack stretches to prevent injury and improve performance.
• Upper Body 1 (16 minutes): Pound out power circuits of serious strength moves like dumbbell rows and Zot curls that use progressive reps to shed inches and lay down Superstar muscle.  
• Upper Body 2 (18 minutes): Develop muscle endurance with functional body weight and dumbbell exercises like high-tension planks and shoulder shockers to build both stamina and mega muscle. 
• Lower Body (30 minutes): Experience muscle-mass mania with killer moves like single-leg Romanian dead lifts to improve balance, function and strength with this intense three-set system.
• Muscle-Building Cardio (12 minutes): Give those extra pounds a serious smackdown with four high-octane rounds of this cardio-strength circuit designed to pump the heart, shed fat and carve lean muscle. 
• Mobility (14 minutes): Improve flexibility, reduce soreness and recover from workouts faster with DeFranco’s signature Agile 8 series of stretches and mobility drills. 

*Requires a set of light to heavy dumbbells

WWE Fit Series: Stephanie McMahon

In WWE Fit Series: Stephanie McMahon, the WWE mogul and mother of three, helps viewers achieve the sculpted, sexy physique of the extraordinary WWE Divas. Complete with a four-week workout calendar, the system transforms and strengthens your entire body while shedding fat. 

The WWE Fit Series features the following workout routines:

• Upper Body (14 minutes): Strut your stuff with this powerful strength circuit that uses bodyweight, dumbbells and progressive reps to sculpt sexy arms, defined shoulders and a gorgeous back.
• Lower Body (15 minutes): Tone, tighten and turn heads with butt-blasting rounds of a super circuit that tackles your trouble zones while increasing muscular strength and endurance.
• Abs/Core (12 minutes): Get tough and get ripped with Tabata-style circuits (4 moves/4 minutes) that challenge core strength and function to trim inches and shred strong, sexy abs.
• Cardio (17 minutes): Incinerate fat and calories with two heart-pumping circuits of fierce calisthenics like mountain climbers and T-plank rotations to improve endurance and drop pounds.
• Flexibility (7 minutes): Improve flexibility, reduce soreness and recover faster with an essential series of yoga poses and mobility moves that help create long, lean and limber muscle. 

*Requires a set of light to heavy dumbbells

The WWE Power Series: Triple H and WWE Fit Series: Stephanie McMahon workouts are loaded with routines guaranteed to get any fan into top form. Both DVDs are on sale now at Amazon and other retailers with a suggested MSRP of $14.99 each.

Today we hear a lot about the Mediterranean diet. UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, has proclaimed the Mediterranean diet one of civilization’s great treasures. But which Mediterranean diet? There are sixteen countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. I’ve been to most of them for extended periods of time, and I can tell you that there is no single Mediterranean diet.

What is eaten in Spain is very different from that eaten in Italy, and what is consumed in Italy is distinct from the diet in Greece, not to mention the other 13 countries in the region. If you ask most Americans for their definition of the Mediterranean diet, the response is usually eating pasta (and pizza), drinking red wine, using a little olive oil, drinking espresso, and adding some parmesan cheese to their meals. But that American version doesn’t look anything like the real Mediterranean diet. If you eat that way—and think you’re cutting your risk of heart disease and helping your body shed fat—it’s time to rethink.

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THE REAL MEDITERRANEAN MIRACLE

There is no definitive caloric composition that makes up “the Mediterranean diet.” The best that researchers can do is to estimate adherence to food groups they think should be in the Mediterranean diet. A good guess is that about 60% of the calories in the Mediterranean diet are consumed as carbohydrates, 15% as protein, and about 35% as fat, which would make the Mediterranean diet close in macronutrient composition to the current American diet.

Let me say that again: When it comes to carbs, protein, and fat, the Mediterranean diet is almost identical to what the average American eats.

So why is it seemingly so much healthier? One word: polyphenols. The distinguishing feature of the diets in virtually every region that borders the Mediterranean Sea is not pasta but vegetables and fruits. We finally have enough scientific sophistication to realize that it’s the high levels of polyphenols—micronutrients that act as powerful anti-inflammatory agents—that make the Mediterranean diet unique. If you look at the Mediterranean food groups carefully, they usually fall into two broad categories: those rich in polyphenols (fruits, vegetables, wine) eaten in large quantities and those, such as red meat, chicken, and eggs, that are not great sources of polyphenols—and are eaten less frequently.

Furthermore, it is implicit that the fat in the Mediterranean diet is generally rich in monounsaturated fats (from olive oil and nuts), moderate in omega-3 fats (coming from fish), and low in omega-6 and saturated fats (from corn oil and red meat). Foods rich in polyphenols, monounsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 and saturated fats may well explain why, despite having a similar ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat to the current American diet, the Mediterranean diet is so much more effective at preventing disease and promoting longevity.

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Most of the research around the Mediterranean diet comes from epidemiological studies, which observe large groups of individuals to determine whether those more closely adhering to a dietary ingredient regimen have any improved health outcomes over those who are not. Better adherence to a Mediterranean diet (meaning probably eating more polyphenols) appears to reduce the incidence of diabetes and heart disease. Just as important, adherence to the Mediterranean diet also appears to preserve the mind and slow the rate of aging. Since diabetes, heart disease, and dementia are caused by cellular inflammation, this would strongly suggest that a Mediterranean diet really is an anti-inflammatory diet. However, remember that these benefits only come from a lifetime of eating a Mediterranean diet, reinforcing the ancient Greek origins of the word diet, which means “way of life.”

The American Heart Association, for one, recommends that we avoid fat when possible, especially saturated and trans fats, and if we do eat fat, that we try to focus on polyunsaturated fats like corn oil. Are there any intervention studies that suggest that the Mediterranean diet has health benefits compared with a control diet, such as the one recommended by the AHA?

Actually, there are. The results of the first of such studies, the Lyon Diet Heart Study, didn’t make the American Heart Association very happy. Started in 1988, this study split more than 600 French patients who had recently suffered a heart attack into two groups. One group followed the AHA diet guidelines, consisting of a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet, but the fat they did consume was relatively rich in omega-6 fatty acids (beloved by the AHA because they are shown to lower blood cholesterol). The other group followed an experimental diet similar to the Mediterranean diet, which included more fish, vegetables, and fruits and was low in omega-6 fatty acids.

The researchers wanted their subjects to use olive oil. But because the French tend to prefer butter over olive oil, the researchers gave the subjects free margarine low in omega-6 fatty acids, but enriched with omega-3 fats and lots of trans fatty acids to hold it together. Trans fats! It was almost as though the Med diet subjects were set up to fail. They planned to follow the patients in both groups for the next five years, but the study was stopped after three and half years. Was it ended because those getting the experimental Mediterranean diet were dying like flies because of the trans fats in their diet? No, just the opposite. They were doing dramatically better (especially in terms of mortality) than the subjects following the American Heart Association recommendations.

How much better? They had 70% fewer deaths overall and a complete elimination of sudden cardiac arrest (the primary reason you die from a heart attack). When researchers looked for clinical markers to explain these remarkable differences in mortality, they found the blood cholesterol levels were the same in the two groups, as were the blood sugar and blood pressure levels.The only thing they found that was different was that those following the experimental Mediterranean diet had a 30% lower AA:EPA ratio in their blood. The AA (arachidonic acid):EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) ratio is an indication of the levels of cellular inflammation in your body.

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High levels of cellular inflammation do not mean you have a disease state, but it does indicate that you are not as well as you could be. This suggested that the mortality differences may be a result of reductions in cellular inflammation—and not the usual suspects, like elevated cholesterol and blood pressure That study is old news, but even today, the AHA stubbornly sticks to its “reduce fat and cholesterol” stance, despite consistent evidence against it. In one recently published intervention study, researchers split the subjects into three separate groups. One group was given free nuts, including walnuts and almonds. The second group was given free extra virgin olive oil. The third was told to change their current diet to a low-fat diet.

Not surprisingly, the groups that got the free food eagerly consumed it. Since the free food consisted of items that increased their adherence to the Mediterranean way of eating, it was not surprising that their Mediterranean diet adherence scoresalso increased. At the end of the study, those subjects getting either free nuts or free olive oil (foods rich in polyphenols) had fewer heart attacks. The media screamed this proved the Mediterranean diet prevents heart disease, when it really proved that people who eat free food rich in polyphenols seem to have fewer heart attacks. It also proved that it’s very difficult to change a person’s dietary habit if they don’t get free food.

MAKING THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET BETTER

There have been other more controlled intervention studies that have indicated when you dramatically reduce the levels of carbohydrates in the Mediterranean diet (usually around 60% total calories) and simultaneously increase the protein content from about 15% of total calories to about 30%, there are significant improvements in blood sugar control and satiety. This would suggest that there is a lot of potential improvement in what is considered to be the Mediterranean diet. The logical question might be this: Can the benefits of the Mediterranean diet (decreased chronic disease, increased longevity, and decreased dementia) be taken to a still higher level using the Zone blueprint of balancing protein, carbs, and fat in addition to providing the missing Holy Grail of weight loss at the same time? Absolutely.

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The Standards are bare-bones muscle building tactics. Straight sets, moderate rest, and traditional exercises.

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THE LEG WORKOUT:

1. Barbell squat
3-5 sets
10 reps
60-90 seconds rest

2. Barbell front squat
3-5 sets
10 reps
60-90 seconds rest

3. Romanian deadlift
3-5 sets
10 reps
60-90 seconds rest

4. Dumbbell lunges
3-5 sets
10 reps each leg
60-90 seconds rest

Shot on location at FOCUS NYC

Deputy editor Dean Stattmann recently caught up with Brooklyn-based alt-rock band American Authors at their homecoming concert in New York City. Dean got a backstage pass to interview the boys behind the hit single "Best Day of My Life" thanks to our friends at AXE Hair, who not only styled the band for their November 7 concert at Best Buy Theater but also for the just released video for their new single, "Luck." AXE Hair Gels—Messy look, Spike-Up look, and Clean Cut look—provide a 24-hour hold without the mess, flakes, or crunch of your Pop's old-school gel. In this exclusive video, Dean chats with American Authors about their humble beginnings, creating their own sound, and how they avoid "going up three jeans sizes" while on tour.

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If the ding of new emails inundating your inbox is something you simply can’t ignore, then take a second and assess this new research, which suggests that obsessively checking and immediately responding to work emails is physically and mentally burning us out.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia studied 124 adults of various professions. Participants were either instructed to limit how often they checked their email to three times daily for the week or told to check their email as often as they could (which turned out to be about the same number of times they normally checked their email). The instructions were reversed during a subsequent week.

The participants also answered brief daily surveys regarding their stress levels. Researchers found that people felt less stressed when they checked their email less often.

Seems like a simple fix: ease up on email checking to reduce psychological stress, but most participants found it very difficult to resist the temptation. Try it for yourself. Start checking your email in chunks several times a day. It could be the difference between a happier workday and a major meltdown. Which would you rather?

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With combat-based sports continuing to grow in popularity, particularly when it comes to professional mixed martial arts, it’s interesting to note that there just hasn’t been much change in simulated boxing training equipment for several decades. The best preparation for real boxing, of course, comes from instruction with a trainer or guided forays into practice matches, but when working out alone, options have generally come down to the hanging punching bag for strong strikes, the speed ball for quickness, or shadowboxing to practice technique (or to work on your best Muhammad Ali impression). These pieces of equipment still make up part of the foundation of combat training, but they come with their limitations – punching bags remain more or less stationary, speed balls are more about establishing a rhythm than anything, and shadowboxing is more of a warmup in preparation for an actual fight.

They can also become tedious after a while, not providing the variation necessary to inspire a more prolonged workout. Cedric Salcedo looked to bring some unpredictability and fun to the training process (or anyone looking to mix up their workout routine) in inventing and developing the Shadowball. The concept is simple: Find a wall, punch the ball toward it and keep it bouncing with a barrage of punches for as long as possible. It’s the boxers’ version of standing up one half of a ping pong table and paddling away against the wall, Forrest Gump style.

The ball is about a pound and a half and the size of a volleyball, but creating simple dimensions like that weren’t able to create the Shadowball alone. Salcedo, a loudspeaker designer who admits to having more expertise in the physics of sound than in solid objects like his invention, says, “Fortunately, physics is physics and to be honest, the Shadowball is not that complicated. It centers on weight, density and velocity – the physics of bounce.” Keeping these things in mind, he developed a product that isn’t too light or too heavy, feels satisfying when struck, and doesn’t careen off your fist too fast or too slow.

Of course, everyone has a different experience with it – the harder you hit it, the harder it comes back, so giving the ball a series of soft uppercuts can help you get the hang of it. Salcedo is still getting the word out, saying he’s had great feedback from experienced fighting gyms in Montreal and Boston, and he’s looking to raise $40,000 on Kickstarter to get the product moving in earnest. So, we haven’t been able to actually try out the product yet, but we want to after that video – at the very least, it’s a way to switch things up in any sort of workout, and perhaps this piece of equipment will become as well known as the speed ball or punching bag someday.

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It’s an age-old fitness question – when is the best time to eat before and after a workout? Also, what kinds of foods, what quantities, and how does the workout type affect the ideal nutrition regimen? Well, there are, of course, a lot of variables based on body type, experience level and personal habits, but it’s safe to give some general rules of thumb for anyone heading in for a regular lifting-based strength and conditioning workout. We spoke with Holly Perkins, a certified strength and conditioning specialist with Promax Nutrition, to give us some of the basics.

1. Pre-Workout Eating is all about Digestibility.

Using common sense, or perhaps even bad personal experiences, the gist of this one isn’t tough to figure out – don’t chow down on burgers and shakes within an hour of a workout or all that hoisting and jostling will induce queasiness and shift your focus to keeping your lunch down, as opposed to trying to, you know, get stronger. “Avoid foods that are high in fat or fiber,” Perkins says. “Ideally, you’ll want a carb-protein-fat breakdown of about 40-40-20.” Perkins says that grabbing a meal 90 to 120 minutes prior to a workout is a solid timetable for most people, although digestion rates vary from person to person. A snack in the range of 200 to 250 calories in the last hour before a workout is also helpful to satisfy cravings and keep hunger pangs from ruining your exercise session. Perkins, of course, recommends Promax Original or Pro Series bars to tamp down food urges late in the game.

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2. Don’t Go in Running on Empty.

“A lot of guys go into workouts empty, or on salad, or they’re going for a protein bar that’s just pure protein, but you really have to have some carbohydrates in there for the workouts,” Perkins says. To be at their best, your muscles need to already be in the process of refueling and rebuilding. If you go into a workout hungry, your muscles aren’t ready to work – they’re clamoring for more nutrients to complete the tasks you’re laying out for them. So, make sure to find that proper balance between going into workouts hungry and going in full.

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3. Post-Workout, Eat Some Carbs First.

A common misconception about benefiting from post-exercise eating is the need to pound the protein as soon as possible. It’s important, but the body actually has some time to settle down after the workout before needing the repairing qualities of a fast-digesting protein like a whey protein shake. “I recommend people grab some form of a fast carbohydrate to spike their insulin right after working out,” Perkins says. “It could be fruit, half a sports drink or anything like that.” Post-workout, your muscles are spent and need to be kicked into the recovery process quickly – carbs are your top priority here, but protein is right behind.

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4. Carbs Are Even More Important After an Endurance Workout.

Once again, protein is still important, but after doing a long, slow-burning activity like a 10-mile run, glycogen levels are going to be low and need to be replenished with more carbs. A regular strength and conditioning post-workout carb-to-protein ratio is often recommended to be 2 or 3 to 1, but for endurance athletes, who test their muscles with less force but for longer periods of time, it’s more like 4 to 1. So, make sure to carbo-load afterwards too!

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You know liquid diets can help you take off pounds, but that’s not the case when you’re knocking back eggnog and winter ales at holiday parties and festive get-togethers. Consider this: the average partygoer guzzles nearly 4,000 calories in liquids during the holiday season, according to a Cancer Research UK poll.

A glass of hot-spiced wine here and a seasonal six-pack there add up. Just how much? That 4,000 calories is equivalent to approximately 30 glasses of wine and 22 pints of beer, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Reminder: this is just alcohol. Four thousand calories, and we haven’t even taken into account pigs in a blanket or frosted sugar cookie snowmen (that you don’t want to resemble by the time January rolls around).

Here are a few tips to have in tow before you go into the minefield of temptations present at any holiday party. And if you do cave, we've got ways to do some serious damage control. 

GREAT-TASTING CRAFT BEERS THAT WON'T WRECK YOUR BODY

You're welcome. 

HEALTHY SNACK ALTERNATIVES FOR EVERY CRAVING

The fool-proof way to stay away from the onion dip and cannolis if you simply couldn't resist the booze. (We don't blame you).

HOW NOT TO OVEREAT THIS HOLIDAY

There is such a thing as self control over the holidays. This. Is. Your. Year. 

HOW TO DRINK LIKE AN ATHLETE

When you go to the bar, or the party table full of fizzy punch and the creamy allure of eggnog, remember that you can drink like an athlete. That’s right, approach the bar like you’d approach a weighted bar: with dogged determination. 

HOW TO BURN 5,000 CALORIES

I mean, if you're going to consume 4,000, might as well burn 5,000, right?

THE 22-MINUTE HOLIDAY-TIME WORKOUT

A fast, effective, no funny business workout. 

RED WINE MAY INHIBIT EXERCISE 

If all else fails, know that red wine can reverse the benefits of exercise because of an ingredient called 'resveratrol'—perhaps the only thing that will get you to put the wine glass down. Or at least scare you enough to limit your consumption. 

Men's Fitness style & grooming editor Barret Wertz talks about the must-have gifts to give and get this holiday season. Whether you're gifting your dad, brother, or boss, you can't go wrong with a good grooming product. We've teamed up with Amazon.com to provide you with the six gifting essentials, designed to make everyone happy this holiday season.

To buy these gifts—and to see more of our top grooming picks—check out the Amazon.com Men's Grooming Store.

Paul Dolan is one of the world’s foremost experts on happiness research. The 46-year-old holds a chair in behavioral science at the London School of Economics. He counts Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman and essayist Nassim Nicholas Taleb as fans of his book Happiness by Design: Change What You Do, Not How You Think. And he’s also a huge meathead, nicknamed “The Prof” by the competitive bodybuilders he trains with. Here he talks about how to be happier, weightlifting, and why he consulted scientific data before having children.

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MF: What is happiness?

PD: I argue that happy lives are ones that contain a good balance of pleasure and purpose. If you’re having lots of fun in life, you could probably be happier if you found something fulfilling and equally, if you’re doing lots of things that make your life experiences purposeful, you could probably be happier overall by having more pleasure.

MF: Basically what you’re saying is if I have all the money in the world and I just go and live on my private island, I’m not going to be the happiest I can be? Why is purpose so important?

PD: I think the interesting question is why you think you would be happy on your island with all that money. When you’re thinking about being on the island with all that money, you’re not actually thinking about being on the island with all that money; you’re thinking about becoming someone who is initially on the island. That’s what we project. We don’t project what it’s like after 20 years. We think about what it’s going to be like after 20 minutes. For those first few days, weeks, or even months, being on the island with all that cash is going to be great. But you’ll get used to it. 

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MF: How will I know if something is going to make me happy then?

PD: If something doesn’t feel like it’s either pleasurable or purposeful, you should probably ask yourself ‘why the hell am I doing this?’ For example, sports stars go run at 5 o’clock in the morning; it’s pissing down rain; it’s a miserable, horrible experience; what for? For some prospect of running a faster time in some race? Actually, I think that waking up at 5 o’clock in the morning feels quite purposeful to them, but if getting up at 5 o’clock in the morning is only ever painful and it doesn’t feel like it’s worthwhile in any sense to you, then you should probably stop doing it. 

MF: So how do I become happier?

PD: One of the things we know is happiness slows down the passage of time. We’ve found time passes really slowly for children, and we think the principle reason is because every day is a new day with a new set of experiences for them; whereas when you get older you do the same thing and you've seen it all before, so time passes really quickly. Having new experiences is a really important thing to do, and that's why you should try lots of different things. If you do something and it feels really awful, you should probably stop. And if you find something pleasurable or purposeful then you should carry on. 

MF: How do I know if something is purposeful, or if I really just don’t like it?

PD: What you should do is pay attention to the feedback that you get from those experiences. Take two people who are going out on a 5 a.m. run. One of them is doing it because they have some story that they're telling themselves; that this is a good thing to do and the kind of person that does this is happier, or healthier, or better in some way. But it just only ever feels painful. They should stop. They should stop listening to the story and pay attention to the experience. In contrast, someone else is going out on the 5 a.m. run and they just feel like there's something purposeful and good about the experience. That’s how I feel in the gym. The pain of the rip in the muscle fibers, I actually love that. There's a real purpose in the pain. It's lovely knowing that muscle soreness is a byproduct of something purposeful.

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MF: This all makes so much more sense to me and is really making me rethink the terrible early morning run I just had.

PD: That's really good though. One thing that behavioral science teaches us is that we are creatures of habit. So basically your brain is lazy. It wants to conserve energy and it will create habit loops to make life easier for you. It wants to keep things in an automatic system. That means sometimes you will create bad habits. You've gotten this idea that doing your 5 a.m. run is good for you, it's a habit you've always done so of course it’s making you happy. Well actually, you need to pay attention to the feedback of the experience to know whether it does or not.

MF: Do other things become automatic, like in the office?

PD: It happens with a job. It also happens with partner selection. One of the researchers I work with dumped her boyfriend of eight years after reading my book because she realized that she was living in a story. He was, on the face of it, the perfect boyfriend. But her day-to-day experiences with him were quite different. They weren’t actually making each other happy, even though she could tell a very good story. Her parents liked him and all her friends liked him. How could she not be happy with this great guy? Whatever you do, you need to think about how it feels and not just how you think it should feel. 

MF: So it’s the beginning of the year and I'm a guy who knows that I'm feeling miserable. What's the first thing I need to do?

PD: I think you've already done the first thing actually. You've accepted that you could be happier. Most of the time we think we need to beat ourselves up about not being the kind of person we want to be because that will motivate us to change. That is complete nonsense. The only way that you can ever change is to accept yourself. And then, the simple behavioral science insight is that if you want to do something, make it easier. And if you don't want to do something, make it harder. If you actually think about your own life for a second, you probably make it quite hard for yourself to do things you want and pretty easy to do things you don't.

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MF: Like what?

PD: Maybe you want to eat less takeaway food, but every day you walk past a takeaway on the way home from work. Well, you just made it very, very easy for yourself to do something that you don't want to. If you don’t want to eat it, walk home on a different route. Maybe you want to exercise more but you think you need to do that in a gym and the gym is on the other side of town. You just made it really hard to do something that you want to do. You could work out in the house. Or maybe you say ‘I really want to be someone who’s fitter and exercises more,’ but you hang out with lazy people. You need to re-group your social system to pay attention to the people you want to be more like. One of the reasons I train so hard is because I train with someone that does competition bodybuilding. What a perfect training partner for me. If I had a fat slob as a training partner I wouldn't exercise as hard. So design environments that make it easier to do the things you want.

MF: If I have a goal in mind, like writing a book or running a marathon, how will I know if it’s something that will actually make me happier, or if I just like the idea of wanting to do it?

PD: What you need to do is, if you think that's what you should do, try and think of a way in which it would make it easier for you to get started. Start it. See how it feels and how you like it, and stop doing it if you don't. At least that way you will know, rather than living in a story about what you think should make you happy.

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MF: Have you used any of this advice to make your life happier?

PD: I definitely wouldn't have been a father had I not thought about purpose. You can’t do a more significant thing on the basis of happiness than that. When I was thinking about whether to become a father or not, as a good happiness maximizer, I thought I should look at what the data tell me. And the data tell me that at best, children are neutral and probably most likely to make you more miserable than they would make you happy, so there would be no good reason to have children. But I think while having children might not make you happier, it makes you differently happy. So teaching my kids the times table is just a different sort of happiness for me now. It's more purposeful and a little less pleasurable. It seems to me to make a lot more sense to be a pleasure machine when you are younger and a purpose engine as you get older.

MF: Do you hold the secret to happiness then? What’s the greatest thing you’ve done to be happy?

PD: One thing I did leave out in the book is my wife. She’s 34 but she suggested I leave her age out because it might make me look like I was trying to show off a little bit about having a younger wife, but I do think that's a key to happiness. Find yourself a younger wife. 

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Picture a medieval torture rack for Smurfs. The device, called a uniaxial tensile tester, is about the size of a shoebox. With long tweezers, a doctoral researcher at the UC Davis Functional Molecular Biology Lab plucks a freshly grown, two-weekold anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, from an incubator and clamps the ends to anchors on the tensile tester. A USB cable then hooks it to a laptop, allowing the researcher to tweak how hard and fast the tendon gets yanked, and for how long—hours, sometimes days. 

While the thought may be horrifying to anyone who’s experienced the searing pain of snapping an ACL—it connects your femur and tibia, and is prone to blow out if you play basketball, football, soccer, or ski—thousands of ACLs, cultivated from samples donated by knee-surgery patients, have been torn, twisted, and pulverized with this miniature device. The man behind the mayhem is the lab’s director, Keith Baar, Ph.D., a renowned scientist in the emerging field of molecular exercise physiology. Baar is leading a team of researchers attempting to fathom the complex relationship between your muscles and the connective tissue that holds them together. 

Your connective tissue consists of tendons, ligaments, and what’s known as the “extracellular matrix,” a scaffold-like network of fibers that permeates muscle. Scientists have long known that lifting heavy weights produces bigger, stronger muscles—it activates genes and proteins that instruct cells to build more muscle fibers. During that exercise, it was always thought, your connective tissue was limited to a simple mechanical function: transfer force from muscles to bones, or for ligaments, bones to bones. (Picture train couplings between railcars.) 

But recent discoveries are revealing that connective tissue does a whole lot more. As it turns out, it plays a crucial role in muscle building, a process called hypertrophy. On top of that, it appears that your connective tissue can be improved with specific exercises and nutrient supplements to profoundly impact athletic performance and strength, and prevent injuries.

“The reality is, if you want to be strong, you need to have not only big muscles, but also really good connective tissue,” says Baar. And any exercise routine that overlooks it, he warns, would be like a workout that only targets, say, the left half of your body.

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THE MYTH-BUSTER OF MUSCLE BUILDING

On a sunny August afternoon in California, I walk with Baar (above) across the UC Davis campus to his lab, where things are bustling. A student is hunched over a laptop, squinting at data from an experiment designed to pinpoint which genes instruct muscles to bulk up from weightlifting; another is gloved in latex, handling pea-sized artificial bones made from calcium paste. Baar, 44, svelte in his crisp blue oxford and pressed gray slacks, sports a golden summer tan. “I’ve been training for the Vancouver Marathon, hoping to qualify for Boston,” he says. Baar hardly ever sits. In his office is a chest-high desk designed for working upright. “Every hour I stand it burns 100 calories—that’s equal to running six miles by the end of the day.”

In his early career, Baar was the strength and conditioning coach for the University of Michigan football team. Today he preaches the benefits of connective-tissue health to trainers with USA Track & Field, British Cycling, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association. His research, along with that of a handful of contemporaries around the world, is using new technologies to learn about the genes and proteins that come into play during exercise, chiefly within muscles. 

“Twenty years ago, it was extremely expensive to look at all this stuff,” explains Andrew Philp, Ph.D., a professor of physiology at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., who’s collaborated with Baar on numerous projects. “Only a couple of labs in the world were doing it.” Today, however, once prohibitively pricey tools—machines that analyze scads of genes simultaneously, or isolate single strands of DNA—are accessible to almost anyone doing basic research. 

Because of that, “we now know there are thousands of genes relevant to exercise,” says Richard Lieber, Ph.D., senior research VP at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, who pioneered techniques for recording gene activity in muscles. Imaging systems have vastly improved, too: With MRIs and PET scans, muscles can be observed relaxing and contracting in real time, even in humans. “We can really visualize what’s going on,” says Michael Kjær, Ph.D., a professor of sports medicine at the University of Copenhagen and one of the world’s foremost experts on muscles.

So, what’s all this science telling us? 

In part, it’s corroborating conventional wisdom with hard data. For example, bodybuilders have religiously ingested protein and omega-3s immediately after a vigorous workout without really knowing why. Now research has confirmed that this practice can boost new muscle growth by up to 60%. 

Breakthroughs are also shattering some stubborn misconceptions. For instance, lactic acid buildup isn’t the only thing that makes muscles hurt. Inflammation also contributes to soreness after exercising—and soreness, it turns out, stimulates hypertrophy. The upshot: No pain really does mean no gain. 

“Pain is healthy,” says Kjær—so much so, in fact, that he warns against taking ibuprofen to alleviate post-workout soreness because it can negate the gains attained from exercise.

But of all the recent breakthroughs, none is more surprising than what molecular exercise physiologists are learning about connective tissue and its crucial role in muscle building. It works like this: Human cells “communicate” with each other by releasing biochemical compounds. When you endurance-train, for instance, these compounds, principally calcium, signal your muscle cells to ratchet up your mitochondria, which then increases your capacity for oxygen and allow you to run faster, for longer. A similar signaling process occurs whenever you lift weights. 

But throughout these processes, “we always thought connective tissue was inert,” says Baar. In the mid-2000s, when Kjær—the first to establish a link between robust connective tissue and healthy muscles—and others began recording cell signaling in tendons, they expected silence. Instead they heard a cacophony. And that changed everything.

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LIFELINE TO MUSCLE GROWTH

“Connective tissue is alive and has the ability to renew itself!” Kjær whoops enthusiastically into the phone when I call him at his office in Copenhagen. It’s as if he’s just witnessed a corpse rising from a grave. In a sense he has. Back in 1998, when Kjær, an endocrinologist, began a sports medicine professorship at the University of Copenhagen, “people considered connective tissue not necessarily dead, but not very dynamic either,” he says. “It worked or it was broken, and you couldn’t adapt it very much with training.” 
 

The scientific consensus—and the conviction of pretty much anyone who’d ever done a bench press—was that weight training rendered so-called “micro-tears” in the cells, or myofibers, that muscles are made of; rip them apart, the thinking went, and they responded by beefing up. Meanwhile, the connective tissue that linked the moving parts—bone and muscle—was thought to have negligible influence on muscle size and strength. “But I didn’t really buy this,” says Kjær. “There had to be more to it.” 

Indeed there was. In a series of experiments in 2007, Kjær managed to debunk the enduring notion that micro-tears occur during resistance training by showing that, during exercise, much of what’s torn down and later rebuilt in muscles is the connective tissue—specifically the extracellular matrix—and not the muscle itself. Biopsies on test subjects also confirmed that the culprit in muscle soreness was not, in fact, lactic acid or micro-tears in myofibers. “It was the connective tissue that was damaged,” says Kjær. 

Most surprising of all, Kjær found that a kind of “post-exercise renewal cycle” goes on in connective tissue. His work, along with findings by others, suggests it’s this renewal cycle that signals muscles to hypertrophy—that is, to grow bigger. And that’s why it’s important not to ignore your connective tissue.

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FEEDING THE MUSCLE-BUILDING MONSTER

Connective tissue consists almost entirely of collagen, a type of protein. But collagen doesn’t act alone. Ropelike amino acids called “crosslinks”—which Kjær compares with the suspension cables on the Golden Gate Bridge—bind the collagen molecules together. This has profound ramifications in the extracellularmatrix. Without those connections, the muscle would simply fall apart. 

When your muscles contract, the crosslinks in the matrix tissue bear up to 80% of the force. In other words, the extracellular matrix—under a microscope it looks like honeycomb—spreads the load and, therefore, helps you engage more of your muscles during exercise. It’s only logical, then, that any training you can do to build a healthier muscle matrix will improve your overall performance. But what would this kind of training look like? 

In 2008, Baar and Jennifer Paxton, Ph.D., a professor of tissue engineering at the University of Edinburgh’s Center for Integrative Physiology, set forth to find out. Their team rigged up ACLs on a tensile tester—the Smurf torture device—capable of tugging 11 ligaments simultaneously. Over three years, they churned through more than 1,000 ACLs. They stretched them for different durations—a minute, five minutes, 10 minutes, a week. They stretched them unloaded (bearing no weight), then loaded. They stretched them fast and slow. They varied the recovery intervals from 30 minutes to 24 hours. After each round, they crushed the ACLs into a powder, then tested to see whether new connective tissue had been produced, and if so, how much.

After years of peering through microscopes and crunching numbers, Baar and Paxton made an astounding discovery: The amount of weight lifted has no impact on connective tissue. In fact, only two variables—duration and recovery—make any difference at all. Baar explains it like this: “Whether you’re lifting a huge load or a little load, your tendons respond the same. The only thing that seems to have an effect is time. Your cells stop responding after about five minutes. It’s like speaking to your kids: If you talk to them for longer than a couple of minutes, they stop processing what you’re saying. We found it took six hours for the cells to reset back to normal.” 

He continues, “This tells us that if we want to maximally improve our connective tissue, we have to do five minutes of activity, wait six hours, then do five minutes again.” Practically speaking, you could jump rope for five minutes and then take the afternoon off. The same is true for lifting: light five-minute stints on all your muscle groups gives your connective tissue a rejuvenating thrashing. You can also do Pilates, HIIT, CrossFit, or even basic calisthenics. But whatever method you choose, always use light resistance. If you feel the burn, says Baar, you’re doing too much. 

These repetitive motions will ramp up the collagen in both your extracellular matrix and your tendons, the latter becoming thicker and stiffer. And a stiffer tendon is a good thing, likea bungee cord attached to a kettlebell—a firmer bungee can exert more force on the kettlebell than a stretchy one. “It’s like a spring,” says Baar. “The stiffer the spring, the more energy you get back.” 

Baar and Paxton’s research yielded the world’s first basic training protocol for connective tissue: five minutes on, six hours off. But whether it would actually work had yet to be proven.

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THE MUSCLE MATRIX HITS THE BIG LEAGUES

On July 21, 2004, Grady Sizemore played his first Major League Baseball game, as center fielder for the Cleveland Indians. During his subsequent eight seasons, he played in three MLB All-Star games and won the Gold Glove twice. In 2006, at just 23, he’d scored more runs than any other player that year, and become the youngest player to rack up more than 90 extra-base hits in a single season. 

Then he got injured. Repeatedly. Over a four-year-span, Sizemore underwent seven surgeries—two hernia, one back, an elbow, and three knees. He sat out every game from 2012 to 2014. For his knee surgeries, Sizemore headed to The Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO, known for its progressive techniques and world-renowned orthopedic doctors and physical therapists, including Luke O’Brien, P.T., of the clinic’s rehabilitation program. By chance, O’Brien was introduced to Baar. 

Baar told O’Brien that connective tissue and muscle worked systemically—that an injury to one was like an injury to both. Sizemore had surgery to his knee to repair a bone bruise. But O’Brien now understood that ignoring the supporting tendons would create an inherent weakness—a defective cog in the musculoskeletal machinery—and the player could wind up injured again. “We didn’t treat Grady specifically for a tendon problem,” O’Brien points out. “But the whole process of [rehabbing his knee] allowed the cells enough recovery time to reset, and then reloading him, and doing it a few times during the day, we were doing exactly what Keith had demonstrated.” 

The 32-year-old Sizemore recovered. He did a stint with the Boston Red Sox, did a stretch in the minors, then got called back up to play with the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2014. And his seemingly miraculous comeback was largely due to the attention given to his connective tissue. In the six years since Baar and Paxton developed their training protocol for connective tissue—five minutes on, six hours off—Baar has added another component: Speed.

After snapping many more ACLs in his lab, he says, he noticed that “when you move slowly, you train more of your muscle. If you work faster, with a lighter weight, you get a stimulus for the connective tissue.” He’s already putting this new insight to use. During a scrimmage in August, NBA forward Paul George, who plays for the Indiana Pacers, severely fractured the tibia and fibula in his right leg—the splintered bones tore straight through his skin. George’s trainers at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute called Baar. “They asked for advice on how to get him back playing as quickly as possible,” Baar says. 

His advice: rapid, low-intensity movements—think: CrossFit for wimps—to bolster George’s connective tissue during his downtime.

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OYSTERS, JELL-O, AND A HUNGRY MUSCLE MATRIX

Meanwhile, back in his lab, Baar shows me ACLs marinating in various nutritional liquids. He’s curious which foods might supercharge connective tissue. After a thorough soaking, the ACLs are stretched on the tensile tester until they break. Subsequent analyses inform Baar whether certain compounds influence the formation of collagen and crosslinks. 

“Gelatin is a big one,” he says. “It’s pure collagen, made from animal bones.” More accurately, it’s manufactured by slow-cooking the tendons, ligaments, sometimes bones of animals, namely cows and pigs, in vats of boiling water. Another beneficial molecule is lysyl oxidase, which is activated by copper. So what’s packed with gelatin and copper? Jell-O and oysters, respectively. “This is something you’d take 30–60 minutes before activity,” says Baar. Knowing it’s going to be tough to convince athletes to gorge on these foods just prior to exercising, he’s developing supplements instead. “These nutritional interventions we’ve identified should improve your performance.” Baar sums it up: “The result of all this research is that we’re going to have really new ways to increase muscle mass and muscle strength.” 

Or, put another way, an athlete with robust connective tissue will be at an advantage because his muscles will be able to do more with less. After all, he’s no longer working out just half his body—he’s targeting the whole machinery.

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Research has consistently shown that consuming protein and carbs after a weight-training workout can speed recovery and optimize muscle gains.

But the so-called window for this nutrition doesn’t necessarily close within an hour (or even two or three hours, it turns out), as popular broscience would have you believe. According to a 2013 review, consuming a proteinrich, whole-food meal eaten up to six hours after a workout is sufficient to maximize gains, the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported.

Whip up any of the following high-protein, nutrient-dense meals in the hours following your workout, and rest assured you’re getting the most out of your training.

SALMON & BROWN RICE PASTA WITH KALE PESTO
MAKES: 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

PESTO
2 cups packed torn kale leaves, stems removed
Sea salt, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp miso paste
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Black pepper, to taste

SALMON
2 6 oz skinless salmon fillets
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp coconut oil

PASTA
8 oz brown rice pasta, spaghetti style
1 cup cherry tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

FOR THE KALE PESTO
1) Bring a pot of water to a boil and add kale. Cook 30 seconds, then transfer kale to a bowl filled with ice water and let sit for a minute. Drain in a colander.
2) In a food processor, combine kale leaves, salt, and olive oil. Pulse 10–12 times, or until finely chopped. Scrape down sides of processor, add miso, garlic, nutritional yeast, and pepper, and pulse until well combined.

FOR THE SALMON
1) Preheat oven to 425˚F. Season salmon fillets with salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
2) Place a nonstick, ovensafe pan over high heat and add coconut oil. Once oil has begun to shimmer, Place salmon fillets in pan and cook 1 minute each side, or until golden brown.
3) Move pan to oven and cook 4–5 minutes for medium-rare.

FOR THE PASTA
1) Cook pasta according to package directions.
2) Rinse the cherry tomatoes.
3) When pasta is cooked, toss with kale pesto and tomatoes. Serve pasta with salmon.

NUTRITION (PER SERVING): 375 calories, 15g protein, 59g carbs, 10g fat

ALMOND BUTTER POWER BARS
MAKES: 8 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup rolled oats, toasted
1/2 cup puffed brown rice cereal
3/4 cup puffed quinoa or millet
1/2 cup almonds, sliced
1/3 cup dried cranberries, cut into threads
Pinch sea salt

DIRECTIONS
1) Grease an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. In a small saucepan, heat the almond butter and honey together over low heat for three minutes or until thoroughly melted.
2) In a medium bowl, combine oats, cereal, quinoa or millet, almonds, dried cranberries, and sea salt. Pour the honey mixture into the dry mixture and stir until well combined. Transfer into pan.
3) Wet your hands and press the cereal bar mixture down until it’s flat and even. Let it set in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
4) Remove the mixture from the pan—it should be a solid sheet—and cut into 2-by-1-inch bars.

NUTRITION (PER SERVING): 265 calories, 7g protein, 34g carbs, 13g fat

MINT CHIP SHAKE
MAKES: 2 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS
1 cup coconut water
1 cup almond milk
3/4 cup ice
1 tbsp cacao nibs
8 fresh mint leaves
2 scoops chocolate whey protein

DIRECTIONS
1) Place coconut water, almond milk, ice, cacao nibs, and mint in a blender. Mix on high speed until smooth.
2) Add the whey protein and blend for 45 seconds. Drink immediately.

NUTRITION (PER SERVING): 501 calories, 30g protein, 17g carbs, 36g fat

SPAGHETTI SQUASH EGG BAKE
MAKES: 2 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS
1/2 spaghetti squash
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup quinoa, cooked
4 eggs, whisked

DIRECTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 300°. Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place half squash cut-side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 20–25 minutes.
2) While the spaghetti squash is cooking, place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add coconut oil. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add baby spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
3) Take spaghetti squash out of the oven. Use a fork to remove the threads of squash and place them in a bowl. Add the spinach and onion mixture and the quinoa and mix. Pour in egg mixture.
4) Transfer mixture to baking sheet, spreading it evenly. Bake 45 minutes.
5) Remove from oven. Let cool and cut into two squares.

NUTRITION (PER SERVING): 326 calories, 16g protein, 27g carbs, 18g fat

GRILLED SKIRT STEAK, COLESLAW, AND BROWN RICE TORTILLAS
MAKES: 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE COLESLAW
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 head red cabbage, thinly shredded
1 large carrot, julienned
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

FOR THE STEAK
2 lb skirt steak
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp coarse-ground black pepper

FOR THE TORTILLAS
4 brown rice tortillas
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
1 jar chimichurri sauce

DIRECTIONS
1) Combine all coleslaw ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes.
2) Pat steak dry with paper towels, then rub with grapeseed oil. Rub both sides with salt and pepper. Place a castiron skillet over high heat.
3) Place the steak on the hot skillet and sear for 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Slice the steak thinly.
4) Preheat oven to 400° and place tortillas on a baking sheet. Brush tortillas with olive oil and bake until crispy (about 5 minutes). Distribute  steak among tortillas. Spread chimichurri sauce over the meat and then top with coleslaw.

NUTRITION (PER SERVING): 1,013 calories, 65g protein, 41g carbs, 64g fat