Watch Goggins sweat it out on the assault bike in the video below.
David Goggins is a man on a mission. A fitness lover, more than a phenomenon, he transformed his life, he says, through sheer hard work, going from being overweight and working in pest control to being a Navy Seal and then an ultra-endurance athlete.
But even someone like him ought to struggle after two hours on an assault bike, you might think (after lasting barely 20 minutes yourself). Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’d be wrong. Goggins took to Instagram on Friday to share an “insane” sounding exercise he just casually does “sometimes.”
As part of a longer Instagram post, Goggins wrote: “I hate showing off but sometimes people just love running their mouths. In a simple conversation with someone, they asked me about working out. So I told him…I told this guy I sometimes go to the gym and get on the assault bike for two hours at 80rpms.”
“While this sounds absolutely insane to most people, this is just the kind of shit I do. This is how far I have pushed my mind and body everyday for the last 20 years therefore I don’t even think it is a big deal.”
“P.S. Before I got on this bike, I was on the stairclimber for 45 minutes at a level 13-14 using no hands to brace myself and then quickly transitioned to the assault bike for an easy 30 minutes between 81-85 rpms. Burned 637 calories on the assault bike in that 30 minutes so do the math!”
The video seemed to have been inspired by a boxer, who apparently claimed to be able to match Goggins’ furious workouts.
“You Don’t Know Me, Son!” Goggins began the post. “I am only talking to one person here and he knows who he is- but, it is all fun and games, KINDA!!!!”
“A lot of people talk mad shit out here who claim to be motivators. This is why I keep the hardest shit I do to myself because it may seem unbelievable or exaggerated to a lot of people. I back all my shit up with proof.”
“Don’t ever question the truth behind what I say I do and my ability to go the distance. You will end up in severe cardiac arrest! So by all means, I can not wait to have you beside me on an assault bike in the near future. It will be a lesson you will never, ever forget. This is not a joke my friend, this is my life.”
This isn’t the first time Goggins has shared workout motivation and advice from the seat of a bicycle, or gym bike, as you can see below.
The assault bike is the “it” bike for low-impact, high-output cardio exercise, and is commonly known in Crossfit and F45 circles as an instrument of torture (and ego-driven competition).
Some even call it the “devil’s bicycle.” As Trifecta puts it: “No matter how long you spend on the Assault bike, one thing is true of athletes of all ages, fitness levels and experience – it sucks.”
They add four tips for those wanting to improve their assault bike performance: consider your height, adjust accordingly, create a rhythm and work efficiently.
It’s incredibly difficult to explain to someone who’s not into watches just what attracts you to these tiny mechanical marvels. In this age where smartphones and smartwatches are everywhere – where you don’t need a watch to tell the time easily anymore – the humble watch seems like an anachronism.
But a watch is more than just a time-telling tool; a simple instrument. Not only are watches like living, breathing pieces of art, but they’re also a beautiful way of celebrating life’s achievements, expressing oneself, and ultimately, they’re an expression of a special type of devotion.
As watch fans, we sometimes forget that. That’s why Watches of Switzerland’s latest campaign is so brilliant: it reminds us of why we got into watches in the first place, as well as eloquently makes the case for watches even in this fast-paced digital age.
The leading Australian luxury watch boutique retailer has teamed up with acclaimed director and photographer Matsu as well as the musical virtuoso Brian Kruger on a touching new campaign titled A Devotion to the Extraordinary, which celebrates the extraordinary people who walk through their doors.
On wrist: the new IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch 43 (ref. IW329301). Read more about this cool new release here.
It’s a unique campaign inasmuch as it’s only tangentially about watches: really, it’s about how successful people from all walks of life are united by their common passion for watches. Watches aren’t just a symbol of achievement, they’re a symbol of those who think differently; aren’t satisfied with complacency; who want to achieve even more. We love watches not only for what they are, but what they represent.
“The new campaign is all about the people who make our family business such an amazing organisation,” observes Sam van der Griend, the Managing Director of Watches of Switzerland.
“We wanted to create something that is genuine and authentic; that recognises our clients for the extraordinary people they are, and the devotion our staff show them by providing the highly regarded level of customer service and recognition they deserve.
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You can explore the dazzling new story, as well as discover Watches of Switzerland’s impressive range of luxury timepieces, at their online boutique here.
A video of a passenger on what is speculated to be a Southwest, Alaska or Spirit Airlines flight has caused uproar on Instagram. That video? Footage has emerged of a man appearing to give himself a tattoo, with a cordless tattoo gun, mid-flight.
How very Spirit Airlines, many thought, commenting as much underneath the video of the act (see: “Spirit Airlines checking in” and “
This must be on a Spirit flight”).
Another user, underneath Passenger Shaming’s reposting of the video, said they were concerned not just about the risk the passenger was posing to himself, but to the hygiene of the plane.
“I’m just thinking of the tiny blood microspatters all over that tray,” they wrote.
“Dude isn’t even wearing gloves!”
Watch the man (allegedly) giving himself a tattoo on a plane in the video below.
Another user commented: “Oooooof. Hepatitis Highway.”
“I’m constantly going to wonder what in AF happened in the seat before me now.”
Others had even bigger questions, like: “Would that be considered as a weapon?” and “How did they manage to get the tattoo’s equipment inside of it?”
Others were even stronger in their condemnation. One wrote: “Some people need to just stay home.” Another said: “I wish ppl would just go to sleep and shut up on flights.”
Even more succinctly, one wrote: “I hate it.”
It didn’t end there. Over on Instagram account @suckytattoos (where the video originated), some choice comments included: “Can’t wait to catch a blood disease next time I fly spirit,” and“Mile high tattoo club.”
“What in the hep C is this,” asked another.
Tattoo artist @girlknewyork Mira Mariah admitted she had thought about doing a similar thing, commenting: “As soon as I got the new cordless I thought to myself ‘u can tattoo on jets now’.”
Another tattoo artist was less impressed, writing: “and now probably he fucks it up for all of us to have tattoo machine in our hand luggage.”
There you have it – certainly not something you see every day. This even rivals the time a passenger decided to do a spot of yoga mid flight.
Orlando Bloom is one of the 21st Century’s most recognisable actors, thanks to his starring roles in blockbuster film franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Pirates Of The Caribbean. He might not have starred in any really big films in recent years, but he’s still worth a few lazy million…
So it was surprising to see photos emerge of him last week driving a somewhat modest Porsche (if such a thing exists). Out for dinner at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood last week with his partner Katy Perry as well as with some mates, Bloom was spotted driving a 2019 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS – superficially, not a very surprising car for him to drive, until you sit down and think about it for a second.
Generally speaking, celebrities tend to buy the top-spec or trim level of a car. If you’re worth millions, why buy the base model? Except that the Carrera 4 GTS is neither the base model nor the top-flight model: it’s very much a middle-of-the-pack specification.
Maybe we’re reading too much into it, but it’s just a bit of a weird trim level for a celeb to opt for. Why didn’t he just get the Turbo, or the 911 R, or the GT3? He can certainly afford it.
L-R: Bloom with his Cayenne, and then again with his classic 911. Images: Twitter
Maybe it’s because he’s a real Porsche enthusiast, and he’s all about quantity over quality (not that the Carrera 4 GTS is by any stretch not a quality car). Bloom also owns a Porsche Cayenne, as well as a classic 911.
He was also spotted late last year eyeing off a stunning green 1973 Porsche 911 RSR, which fellow celeb Ellen DeGeneres was also spotted checking out, The Daily Mail reports. It’s not clear whether either star ended up buying the rare German sports car, but considering Bloom’s blooming Porsche addiction, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he ended up pulling the trigger on the thing.
Ah, the lifestyles of the rich and the famous… It would be nice to have a fleet of Porsches, hey?
Speaking of Porsche, check out their bonkers new concept car, the all-electric Mission R, below.
Today, every single work environment needs to abide by various workplace health and safety laws, not only for employees but for customers, visitors and anyone else who steps foot on the business premises. Although, while it is the businesses’ and the owners’ obligation to instil workplace health and safety measures, it’s also down to the individual employees to follow them.
Each Australian state has its own workplace health and safety laws that businesses need to follow, so what might be an obligation in New South Wales, for example, may not necessarily be the case in South Australia.
But on the whole, what is incredibly apparent, is just how far workplace health and safety has come over the years in Australia, as one photo recently posted to The Sydney Morning Herald Archives Instagram account perfectly demonstrates.
The image in question shows Peter McCormack – referred to as a “dogman” – being lifted up over the streets of Sydney, as he works on the £2 million Royal Assurance Building on Bent Street, in 1959. It’s been difficult to discern what the Royal Assurance building is used for today if it indeed is still standing, as records regarding its presence in the Australian city are thin on the ground.
Regardless, we’re not here for a history of Sydney’s architecture. What we’re interested in is the way in which Mr McCormack is being lifted high above Sydney’s streets.
Clearly long before the days of strict health and safety laws, Peter appears to only be connected to the crane’s chain attachment by way of standing on some hooks. He’s also holding on for dear life – although admittedly, he looks remarkably calm about the whole affair – on both the chain on the crane and a secondary rope.
You’ll also notice there isn’t a hard hat in sight, nor does he even seem to be wearing steel-toe capped boots. It beggars belief that a) this was the customary approach to scaling high-rise buildings and b) someone like Peter was even willing to be airlifted in such a manner.
These days, virtually every minute aspect of a construction site – or any business for that matter – falls under the scrutinous eye of health and safety law. Hell, you can’t even get up onto someone shoulders at a nightclub or festival without a member of security telling you to get down. The aforementioned hard hats and steel-toe cap boots at mandatory, as is high-visibility clothing, or PPE – Personal Protective Equipment – as it is more commonly known.
Harnesses are commonplace too, in the event someone should make a misstep or slip, to prevent them from plummeting to the ground far below. Of course, scaffolding has become just as common within city skylines as birds in the sky, allowing for much safer and easier travel up and down a building’s innards and facade.
Image: Financial Times
An image taken from the construction of the Crown Sydney casino in Barangaroo perfectly demonstrates the measures modern-day construction workers have to abide by during the building of high-rise buildings.
As technologies and building materials constantly evolve, and the imaginations of architects stretch further and further, we’ll no doubt continue to see countless changes made to workplace health and safety legislation. Who knows, one day we may end up comparing the image just above with the methods of a future time, noting drastic differences once again.
Dating is a minefield. Dating in Sydney, Australia, however, is a whole ‘other kettle of fish. Put simply, the city is full of f*ckbois. This has been proven time and time again, with some of the most recent evidence coming from TikTok user Abby Elizabeth, who made others aware of some messages she’d received on dating apps, which included “I won’t tell my girlfriend.”
It’s enough to make the nice guys out there embarrassed (if they weren’t already living in a permanent state of embarrassment).
To offer perhaps a little bit of justification – if it is indeed possible – the dating scene in Sydney has been turned upside down since the arrival of The Spicy Cough, with virtually all singles being required to virtually forego any chance of finding love, and simply try and enjoy the alone time.
The positives from this are that single Australians have used the time to decide what it is they want from a partner, as well as realising life is too short, and that it’s now time to do things in the bedroom that would otherwise be considered taboo.
But the f*ckboi could actually be more of an umbrella term, as opposed to singling out a specific type of Sydney man, as another TikTok video series proves. The videos come courtesy of @racyinaus, or Rachel in Australia, an American expat who now resides Down Under.
In an ongoing series of videos, she describes typical Sydney men women are likely to encounter on their dating travels, none of whom seem like boyfriend or even husband material. We presume her videos are based on personal experience.
If you’re a single woman living in Sydney and reading this, we guarantee you’ll be able to relate to some, if not all of the videos Rachel has posted thus far.
Check out Rachel’s observations of single Sydney men in the video below
She says “the first guy you’ll go out with is a guy that works in ‘commercial real estate’, on the first date he’s going to buy you both a pitcher of something, and he’s going to pick an outside table because he’ll spend the whole time vaping.”
She goes on to reveal another type of Sydney man, “a mid-20s bartender, who somehow manages to live in a ridiculous penthouse in Vaucluse.” Other Sydney singletons that women can expect to meet up with include the “Irish guy who lives in Bondi, with some kind of butt tattoo he really regrets but whips it out the second you ask what it is.” He will also have the “quintessential Irish haircut”, which can be likened to those seen in Peaky Blinders.
We won’t spell out in detail all of the various Sydney stereotypes Rachel lists off, we’ll leave you to enjoy watching the video above. What her videos do bring to light, however, is the fact that these stereotypes do still exist, and that there’s no mention whatsoever of the ‘nice guy’.
“As someone who has always been the ‘fixer’ as opposed to the one that needs fixing, I took away from this scary hospital moment a new outlook on the ‘good guy.’ Turns out he can be actually pretty darn sexy,” she said.
Sexologist and relationship expert Dr Nikki Goldstein has also previously told DMARGE that nice guys may finally get their chance to shine in a post-Covid world,
“COVID has changed how we date. We have gone from the hookup era to the relationship era. People are wondering when they can get out and travel again and if lockdowns will be the new norm.”
“So, they are also assessing who they want to be locked down with. People don’t necessarily want a bad guy but a guy that will be with them through the hard times and support them through a pandemic… The good guy.”
Of course, unless you make it plain as day that you’re a piece of sh*t in your profile, a woman is unlikely to know whether you’re a good or a bad guy. But let Rachel’s TikTok videos be a warning that women are cottoning on to the predictable games you play.
The humble squat – or, more specifically, in the case of this article – the barbell back squat, is one of the all-time greatest muscle-building moves for your legs. A compound movement, it targets multiple muscle groups in one hit, including the quads, hamstrings and glutes, along with your core and back muscles, which work to keep your torso upright during the movement.
Put simply, the barbell back squat should feature in everyone’s leg day routine. Because we all know to never skip leg day, don’t we?
But what if we told you there was a slight variation of the back squat that could see your big legs, become huge legs? You may already be aware of common variations, such as the front squat, split squat and goblet squat, but this new variation that has come to our attention could well blow all of them out of the water.
Proposed by Dr Joel Seedman, a fitness trainer and owner of Advanced Human Performance who works with some of the finest NFL athletes in America – the BANA 2:1 Lunge to Squat could be the secret leg exercise your workout routine has been missing.
You may not be aware of the BANA technique, and there is much to unpack from it. Thankfully, Joel is on hand to explain it in great detail.
“BANA stands for Bilateral Assisted Negative Accentuated, or basically Up with 2, Down with 1 (BANA 2:1) protocol. This allows the individual to perform eccentric overload on their own without the use of a spotter.”
Eccentric overload, for the uninitiated, is where the force applied during the eccentric phase of the movement (the lengthening of the muscle) is greater than the concentric phase (the shortening of the movement).
In the case of the lunge squat put forward by Dr Seedman, “essentially what you’re doing is performing the concentric phase of the lift with 2 limbs (squat position) and the eccentric phase with 1 limb (lunge position), thereby providing greater eccentric overloading during that eccentric or negative moment.”
There is much evidence to suggest eccentric overload can be an incredibly effective tool to help build muscle size and strength, as well as minimise or reduce injury.
For Dr Seedman’s BANA 2:1 Lunge to Squat, you also need to incorporate the “biomechanical drop rep protocol (similar to the biomechanics drop sets only the adjustment happens mid rep rather than mid-set).”
This, we believe, refers to the fact that during the lowering of the barbell while in the lunge position, the weight of the bar is taken off your shoulders by way of two bars. You then need to get into a squat position to push up.
It’s the lowering movement, in a lunge position, that will really help to maximise the size of your legs since just one leg is predominantly responsible for holding the weight on the bar. The upward movement, which you should perform as explosively as possible, will help to improve the strength. Working in perfect harmony.
Dr Seedman adds, “Most lifters can handle 25-35% more total loading on traditional bilateral squats and deadlifts, in comparison to their split stance & kickstand counterparts. Simply adjusting the position mid rep allows us to dictate the degree of overload.”
It may sound confusing, so it’s probably best to simply watch the video above, before reading the explanation again.
Following this, try and incorporate them into your next leg day routine, performing 2 to 3 sets with just 3 to 4 reps per leg. Supersized legs await.
Sperry, founded in 1935, introduced the first boat shoe to the world after founder, Paul A. Sperry slipped on the deck of his boat, fell overboard, and became driven to develop a non-slip shoe. Now famous for the creation of the boat shoe, Sperry is dedicated to crafting the tools for life’s memorable experiences — on, off, and by the water.
Sperry’s Gold Cup Authentic Original Rivingston Boat Shoe is an extremely sophisticated yet comfortable shoe that just happens to be the shoe of choice for one Mr James Bond. Yes, that’s right, Sperry’s shoe features in the latest Bond flick, No Time To Die; Daniel Craig sports them during the Caribbean scenes.
If you want to take style cues from Bond himself – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t? – you can get yourself a pair of the Gold Cup Authentic Original Rivingston’s for only $159.95!
Plus, these shoes are not only stylish; they also feature a genuine hand-sewn moccasin construction that conforms to your foot for durable, broken-in comfort, shock-absorbing heel cups & Ortholite insoles for added stability, and an extra memory foam layer for ultimate cushioning.
Porsche has one of the greatest track records out of any automobile manufacturer on the planet (both on and off the track, as the case may be). Simply put, they’ve never really made a bad car; it’s just that some Porsches are more desirable than others.
No, there’s really only one Porsche that Australians – as well as the rest of the world – don’t really want: the controversial 996.
Produced from 1997 to 2006, the fourth generation of the famous 911 is widely considered one of Porsche’s rare missteps. The switch from air-cooled to water-cooled engines infuriated purists, but most buyers simply didn’t like the unusual ‘fried egg’ headlight clusters. For years, the 996 was Porsche’s ugly duckling, and could regularly be picked up for as little as $40,000 even a few years ago.
But it seems things have changed. Perhaps as a result of Australia’s completely cooked used car prices – or maybe because Aussies have finally woken up to the joys of the 996 – prices are absolutely booming, especially for low-mileage fixed-roof models.
“You could get a 996 4S for $80k 12 months ago,” DMARGE Publisher and Founder Luc Wiesman explains. “Now, if you want one with under 100kms on the clock, it’s nearly double. Others are going for $130k.”
Even soft-top 996s, traditionally the worst-selling 911s in Australia, are going for big bucks. This 2005 4S is going for just under $99,000 in Melbourne. Image: Lorbek Luxury Cars
So what’s the deal – is this just more COVID-era speculation, or has the 996 finally become cool?
We spoke to Ian Davies, Director of Prestige Connex and a die-hard Porsche fan, who’s in two minds about this 996 situation.
“It certainly hasn’t become a ‘real’ investment for the astute buyer… However, there are certainly 996 fans and owners that believe as it’s a variant of the 911 it must be worth more and a [worthy] future investment.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn’t that what they say?”
He also recommends that buyers look for models with the later 3.6L engine, as the earlier 3.4L power unit was notorious for IMS bearing failures – if that bearing goes, it’s a complete engine teardown for you.
As we’ve seen again and again this year, it’s hard to tell if this is just a result of the current car shortage, or if the 996 has finally started to grow on Aussies. Some truisms remain, well true – do your research, shop carefully, and above all, drive a car because you like it, not because others tell you to like it.
Watch Porsche take you through their 70-year history in just 2 minutes below.
Tudor makes some of the best Swiss watches on the planet. They’re exceptional timepieces, and more or less sell themselves – but it was an absolute masterstroke for the ‘People’s Rolex’ brand to sign David Beckham as a brand ambassador.
Since 2017, the legendary ex-football player and international style icon has been one of the Swiss watch brand’s most high-profile partners, alongside other stars such as Lady Gaga, Jay Chou and the All Blacks (the New Zealand national rugby league team). The stylish, sporty Englishman is the perfect ambassador for their stylish, sporty, English-monikered timepieces.
It’s a collaboration both parties seem very happy with. Last year, Tudor even gifted Beckham his very own, one-of-a-kind Inter Miami-branded Pelagos to celebrate his football team’s success. Now, in 2021, Tudor seems to have blessed Becks with yet another unique Pelagos – but this one’s arguably a lot more interesting.
Earlier this week, Beckham shared a cheeky photo of himself behind the wheel of his car, captioned ‘game time countdown’ and giving his 69.2 Instagram followers a pretty good look at an as-of-yet unreleased variant of Tudor’s flagship titanium dive watch. Horological researcher & expert watch spotter Nick Gould (@niccoloy) was quick to point out that we’ve never seen a Pelagos like this before, meaning it’s likely some sort of prototype.
Image: @davidbeckham via @niccoloy
There are three key features of this leaked Pelagos that are noteworthy. Firstly, it features a navy blue dial and bezel; colours we haven’t seen on a Pelagos before. It’s a handsome look that evokes some of the dive watches Tudor produced for the Marine Nationale, the French Navy, from the 50s to the 80s.
Secondly, the bezel has a slightly different, fully hashed design. Current Pelagos models only feature hashing between 0 and 15. Finally, this model doesn’t have a date window, whereas all previous Pelagos watches have had a date window.
All in all, it’s a pretty good looking, no-frills piece that we’d imagine sell like hotcakes if it makes its way into production. Being that Becks tagged Tudor in the post, we can safely assume this is all part of their marketing strategy for the thing… It’s working, we guess.
Check out some of the other exciting watches David Beckham has in his collection below.
For years now, if you want to bump uglies with your better half without risk of conceiving a child, the best contraceptive options for men are the humble condom or the not-so-humble vasectomy. One can limit the amount of pleasure and feel you get from the act of making love, while the other provides a permanent solution to a child-free future.
Women, on the other hand, have a number of options available to them, including the notorious ‘pill’, the diaphragm – or female condom – a contraceptive injection, an implant or an IUD. It certainly begs the question, why are there not more contraceptive options for men? The onus is far more heavily skewed towards females to take measures to prevent pregnancy, but it takes two to tango.
Men could soon be gifted a new option, however, if one industrial design graduate has anything to do with it. Enter: COSO, a potential contraceptive invented by Rebecca Weiss, who, according to News.com.au, is an industrial design graduate from the University of Munich. Rebecca took home the prize for winning entry at Germany’s James Dyson Awards for her invention, which uses ultrasound technology to prevent male sperm from swimming towards an egg.
Up until the invention of COSO, research and development for new male contraceptive methods have tended to hit a brick wall, predominately because it has proven to be a much harder task. This is because women only produce one egg each month, compared to men who produce sperm on a regular basis.
Potential drugs that could well inhibit a man’s ability to produce sperm – such as this heat sensitive formula that would block sperm from getting out – have also shown to cause a decrease in testosterone levels, the male hormone that men need to look and feel good, as well as to give them a sex drive in the first place.
COSO however, aims to remedy this. It is what can only really be described as a ‘ball-cuzi’, as it requires the man to dunk his boys into an ultrasonic bath, wherein it will use deep heat to cease sperm mobility inside the testicles. Rebecca adds COSO is completely hormone-free and reversible.
If and when it goes into full production, and men choose to use it lest they be gifted a screaming toddler, they will have to use it for the first time under supervision of a doctor – don’t worry, they’ve seen everything before – and will then take around two weeks for the treatment to take full effect. So no jumping from bath to bed on the first night, fellas.
COSO users will then have to continue to give their gonads baths every few months for it to remain effective, and following the last time it’s used, you can expect to have up to six months of pregnancy-worry-free sex.
Being a 21st century device, there is a companion app available, which you can use to monitor the time remaining until you remove your plumbs from their soaking. “The technology of the COSO is based on a study of the Parsemus Foundation from 2012, in which successful research was conducted on ultrasound contraception,” Rebecca relates.
“So far, the procedure has been applied to animals. Therefore, the technical parameters are hypothetically transferred to humans.”
Rebecca’s reason for coming up with COSO relates to our opening paragraph. News.com.au adds she was diagnosed with precursor cervical cancer, and had been taking the common contraceptive pill. The pill, if taken for lengthy periods of time can actually increase a woman’s chance of contracting cervical cancer.
Image: Jamesdysonaward.org
Speaking of her invention, Rebecca added, “When my partner and I were looking for an alternative method [of contraception], we became aware of the lack of male contraceptives.”
“This problem is not unique to me personally, it affects many others as well, as is made evident in the current growing public discussion about the lack of contraception alternatives.”
“COSO offers a user-friendly contraceptive method that is easy to use, without any physical intervention, pain or any known side effects.”
However, she also adds, “But without valid data, the project cannot be realised.”
Rebecca is hoping to secure more funding – she won $3690 for winning the contest in Germany – so that further clinical trials can take place. COSO has been chosen as one of 20 short-listed finalists to be in with a chance of winning the international award, which would see Rebecca win an additional $55,358 worth of funding.
If put into full-scale production, COSO will be easy-to-use, easy to clean and will be available in a range of colours.
Terrifying, or a more relaxing way to live a more relaxed life? You decide.
A Bronte house sale in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs has left locals shocked after it smashed the suburb’s record for most expensive house sold in the East. What’s more: it sold for an even higher price than first rumoured.
That’s right: even though there was talk of the place going for a record high of $18 million, it actually sold for almost $5.5 million more.
It was sold to blockchain start-up co-founders Joanne Way Yee Huynh and Dorjee Sun, who are returning from Singapore. The house had only been on the market for a week (with an $18 million price guide) before they snapped it up for $23.3 million – a house record for the Eastern Beaches.
Image Credit: Domain
This shocked some locals. Fine art beach photographer Eugene Tan, who has been shooting daily since 1999, wrote of the sale on Instagram: “Did you see a house just sold for 23 mil on Bronte Beach? Yeah, only a lazy 23 million. Property market is nuts. That’s a 15 million dollar profit in 5 years. You know the property market is hot when it features in my daily ramble.”
Of the couple that bought the house, Domain reports that Joanne Huynh “is well-established in Singapore’s start-up community as a co-founder of blockchain company Perlin, where she is in charge of strategy and finance.”
Domain added: “Husband Dorjee Sun is Perlin’s chief executive, and is the founder of Carbon Conservation, which works to tackle the problems of deforestation in Indonesia, as chronicled in the 2008 award-winning documentary, The Burning Season, narrated by Hugh Jackman.”
Of the record price, Domain adds: “The purchase by the returning expats tops Bronte’s $17.9 million record set last year by green energy entrepreneur Carl Prins.”
“The Eastern Beaches house price high was previously $22 million, set in June by the sale of the North Bondi home of interior designer Michalle Smith and architect Alex Smith to businesswoman Lenka Dransfield.”
Bathers enjoying Bronte Beach’s sea pool. Image Credit: Getty Images.
The $23.3 million Bronte home that just sold has five bedrooms and overlooks Bronte Marine Drive, opposite the surf break, comprising 485 square metres.
The previous owner of the house – a head of a private equity firm, who purchased it five years ago for $8.05 million – will presumably be contratulating himself on a nice pay day. According to Domain, “the deal translates to more than $48,000 per square metre.”
Sydney has a fantastic fine dining scene, but if you’re looking for a meal that’ll taste good and impress all your Instagram followers, then you can’t go past Bondi Icebergs.
Perched on the southern end of The Harbour City’s most famous beach, the iconic swimming club is also home to one of Sydney’s best (and most beautiful) restaurants. As we’ve discussed before here at DMARGE, it’s the perfect place if you want to people watch as well as be watched, and maybe even eat some tiramisù.
But there are simply some things you don’t want to watch while you’re eating… Like a vaguely pornographic photoshoot as you’re tucking into lunch. Sadly, that’s exactly what some diners at Icebergs had to endure yesterday.
Rory Warnock, a Bondi-based performance and wellness coach, shared how during his lunch, an influencer and her photographer decided to take a few candid shots right by his table, the influencer wearing nothing but some bizarre, bum-revealing pants. There’s probably a joke about ‘buns’ in here somewhere…
A medium-rare sort of view… More like Assbergs? Image: @rorywarnockwellness
The eagle-eyed among you might also notice her unusual footwear. Yes, those are indeed high-heel Crocs: specifically, they’re from a collaborative capsule with Balenciaga, they’re called the Crocs Madame (an appropriate pun, considering the circumstances), and they’re worth AU$875. You can’t make this shit up. This is peak Bondi, people.
All jokes aside, it’s pretty poor taste to cause such a scene at a restaurant when people are eating like this. As much as Bondi influencers might like to think otherwise, the world is not your photo booth: it’s just disrespectful to diners and staff who are just trying to get through lunch.
Turkish butcher and salt sprinkling maestro Salt Bae has become an unlikely fitness influencer. While we may have ‘genuine’ fitness inspirational figures who make it their career to teach others about correct form or new and intuitive techniques to help you achieve huge gains, Salt Bae can often go under the radar.
But as we’ve shown time and time again, his workouts, which flicker between the ordinary and not-so-ordinary, are ones you should definitely consider adding into your training regimes. Not least because the work he does, combined with his apparent love for the carnivore diet, allow him to maintain an incredibly low body fat percentage and subsequently improve his muscle definition. He certainly avoids the skinny muscular body type.
But, other than just eating a sh*t tonne of meat, just exactly how does he achieve such a lean physique? Fortunately, the man himself has revealed in yet another series of videos some of the training he performs that keeps him in such great shape.
Taking to his Instagram stories, Salt Bae transitions between revealing shots of his now-famously shredded torso and insane vascularity to playing some clips relaying how he uses a pair of dumbbells and some resistance bands (occasionally combining the two) to put his muscles under incredible tension, which is reported to help improve muscular strength, endurance and growth.
Time Under Tension – or TUT – has been proven to help lower body fat percentage. And, because it usually involves performing movements at a slower pace, you not only allow the muscles to experience the greatest amount of tension for the greatest amount of time, but you also encourage yourself to become more mindful and present, since you need to focus more heavily on the movement being performed (which can lead to better technique).
Check out Salt Bae’s secret to shredding success in the video below
In the videos, he can be seen performing the following movements:
Seated resistance band row: A great upper body exercise that targets your back and upper arm muscles. To perform, sit on the floor with legs together and knees slightly bent. Depending on the type of resistance band you have, you can either wrap the ends around the soles of your feet or wrap it around a solid pole.
Hold the ends of the resistance band in each hand with palms facing in, brace your core and lock your shoulder blades down. Pull both hands towards your chest until they are over your thighs, keeping your palms in line with your nipples and your elbows close to your body. You’ll want to aim to hold this end position for a minimum of one second, but as Salt Bae shows, holding for longer increases the time under tension.
Dumbbell squats with resistance band: Squats, as we should all know by now, are a fantastic compound movement that targets not only the major muscles in your legs but your core and back too, since they’re activated to help keep your torso upright during the movement.
Foregoing traditional barbell back squats, Salt Bae can be seen performing dumbbell squats, with a resistance band wrapped around them. Dumbbell squats are noted for activating different muscles compared to barbell squats, and primarily focus on the legs, core and forearms, as well as putting more focus on the lats compared to using a barbell.
Adding a resistance band into the mix helps to increase the weight of the load, without increasing the actual weight of the dumbbells. It’s a neat trick to use if you don’t have access to heavier weights, but find that your usual load is becoming a little easy.
To perform, hold a dumbbell in each hand and loop a single resistance band around the two, with the other end wrapped around a solid pole. In Salt Bae’s case, he’s performing a cannonball squat, which sees the feet brought closer together than in a regular squat. This can help to place more focus on the quadriceps, although some believe they don’t offer a huge difference to regular squats.
With feet close together, squat down, pushing your bum out and keeping your knees over your toes and dumbbells in front of your knees. Hold this squat position for a second or two and push back up with some explosive power, and squeeze your glutes before performing another squat.
Dumbbell glute bridge: The dumbbell glute bridge works, unsurprisingly, the glutes. Most people who perform this movement using dumbbells would just use a singular one placed horizontally across their hips. Salt Bae, however, uses two dumbbells, with each placed vertically on his upper thigh to provide a greater load to push against.
To perform, lie on your back with your knees bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing inward, and with each dumbbell resting on your upper thighs. Push your heels into the floor to help with pushing your hips upwards, ensuring that you hold the dumbbells in position as you do so. Raise your hips until your back and lower body form a straight line. Squeeze your glutes for a second or two at the top of the movement, before lowering back down to the starting position.
Perform these three movements on a regular basis, ensuring you employ the time under tension technique, and you’ll not only feel the difference the next day through muscle soreness, but you’ll start to notice a difference in muscle size, too.
Check out some of Salt Bae’s other workouts for shredded success in the video below.
While Australians are raised on a steady diet of cruisers and ill-gotten beer, the French are, the stereotype goes, fed a diet of watered down wine.
As such, when we grow up, we are a lot less confident (broadly speaking) when it comes to picking wine.
Of course, wine knowledge, and familiarity is on the rise in Australia. But we’re a couple of hundred years behind the French, so it’s fair enough that we have some catching up to do.
Until that day comes, however, videos like the following will continue to hit close to home (even if they aren’t directed at us but rather at the ‘pub-cultured’ Brits).
Enter: a recent clip by bilingual comedian Tatty Macleod (@tatty_macleod). The clip brilliantly skewers the difference between how English people look at wine and how French people look at wine. Though it is targeted at Brits, many of the points ring true for Australians too.
Watch Tatty tear Britons’ wine picking skills to shreds in the video below…
In particular, the points about the French trying to match their wine to their food (“is this too citrusy for salmon tartar”?) and thinking about the reputation of a certain time period (“was 2007 a good year?”), ring loud and clear.
“I’d prefer a sancerre, but if they don’t have it, this will do.”
Tatty then makes a number of cliche comments English people are known to make when looking at wine in a bottle shop.
“Oh look, a special.”
“That one’s on special offer.”
“That ones also reduced.”
Just in case you hadn’t already got the picture, Tatty adds: “That one’s cheap.”
“That one’s really cheap.”
“This one is more expensive than that one, but technically this one was more expensive to begin with.”
Classic.
She finishes the skit with: “Oh my god, 11%!”
“Oh, they do wine in a box. Should we just get a box of wine?”
The only point we would say doesn’t ring true for Australia is the one where Tatty emphasises French people looking for an organic wine (“they don’t have an organic one?”), with the implication being they value organic wine and we don’t.
We can’t speak for whether this is the case in England, but in Australia, particularly in recent years, consumers have started cottoning onto the organic wine trend and enjoying it, statistics reveal.
The skit also, we reckon, makes an important point regarding French wine’s impeccable global reputation. Though France really does make some world-beating vinos, Australia (and other countries) are catching up (and have been for a while).
We’d argue, the real reason many people think French wine is ‘always better,’ is because when they have been in France they have paid more attention to what they are picking, or been with people who have paid more attention to what they are picking.
Not to mention the placebo effect (and the fact that good wine, or reasonable-quality wine, can be a little bit cheaper in France than it is in Australia, due to its plentiful supply).
Conversely, in Australia, many people have experienced bad wine choices and then assumed all Australian wine is bad.
But the truth is, if you are smart about your choice, after the leaps and bounds Australian wine has made, whether you are in Paris or Parramatta, you can choose a good wine in 2021.
Speaking of which: these are the best Australian wines to buy right now, according to DMARGE’s expert wine picker.
Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal, better know as Shaq (or Shaq Diesel if you’re a man of culture), is not only one of the best basketball players of all time, but a real Renaissance man.
A real gentle giant known for his great sense of humour and his surprising business acumen, the 49-year-old, 7ft1in NBA legend has done everything from starring in films, video games and even professional wrestling; endorsing brands as diverse as Tonka, Pepsi and Buick; investing in eSports and property development, and has even launched his own big and tall suits line. He’s got a real Midas touch – except when it comes to watches, it seems.
Last year, Shaq launched his own watch line with Invicta, a Swiss watch brand with a somewhat chequered reputation. While Invicta offer some of the most affordable Swiss made watches on the market (although it’s often dubious how Swiss many of their pieces really are), they’re widely criticised by most watch collectors for their cheap-looking aesthetics and build quality.
Sadly, the Invicta SHAQ Collection (all caps so you know it’s serious!) is no exception to this rule. Indeed, it’s perhaps the rule. Encompassing dozens of watches, each with a design more horrific than the last, the Invicta SHAQ collection might just be the most ugly bunch of on the planet.
Page 1 of the Invicta Shaq collection. There’s four more pages, and they don’t get any better. Image: screenshot
Fake jewels, fake gold, cheap-looking finishes… To add insult to injury, many of these watches have four-figure price tags, despite their cheap construction and quartz movements. All feature a case size of 50mm or above, too – Shaq’s a big dude so that makes sense, but 50mm would be astronomically large for the average person. Like Flava Flav clocks for the wrist.
Invicta describe these watches as “imparting a formidable aesthetic” and “distinguished depictions at the height of design and performance… artistry in timekeeping marked by excellence, poise, and power.” We’d call them overpriced and chintzy (although Invicta always has a huge amount of watches on ‘clearance’, so buying one full price is an exceptional folly).
It’s ironic that Shaq’s co-signed such awful watches when he’s previously penned a far more illustrious collaboration: his very own Audemars Piguet signature model. The Royal Oak Offshore ‘Shaquille O’Neal’ also features a hefty 48mm case size and is hardly an exercise in horological subtlety, but it’s leagues above anything Invicta has ever made.
Check out that watch, as well as some of the best watches NBA players have in their myriad collections, below.
Bonobos was born because founders, Andy Dunn & Brian Spaly, couldn’t find men’s pants that fit (they were either too tight or too boxy) and wanted to fix this common problem men face while shopping. They fixed it with their not-so-secret secret: all Bonobos’ pants have a curved waistband that conforms to the natural shape of men’s waists.
While the brand has since expanded into producing most men’s clothing – tees, shirts, shorts, blazers, swimwear, etc. – Bonobos has kept their curved waistband design in all of their bottoms, including their Stretch Washed Chino 2.0, which has just dropped.
These chinos are an upgraded version of Bonobos’ best selling Stretch Washed Chino and are crafted with 4-way stretch cotton and now feature non-iron wrinkle-resistant technology & a secure zip pocket. Available in seven different colours, the Stretch Washed Chino 2.0 is a serious must-have; especially considering they’re only $99!
Anyone who commits themselves to improving their health by way of fitness will often settle on a chosen discipline, be it running, cycling, weightlifting, CrossFit, and so on. Once we’ve nestled into a routine and start seeing results, (or at least, the results we expect to obtain) from said sport, we can sometimes feel like we can never deviate from that or else any gains we’ve made will suffer.
One such popular example is strength training vs. cardio training. At their most basic level, strength training is seen as a means to build muscle size and strength, and cardio training is employed to help shed body fat, lose weight and improve aerobic fitness. The common belief is that one cannot work in tandem with the other. But that isn’t necessarily the case.
American fitness influencer and athlete Henry Matthews recently weighed in on this debate, in the hope of debunking the myths. In a recent post on Instagram, Matthews said:
“Most people go through their physical training life thinking that running and big muscles are completely incompatible. The popular images that support this misconception come from media reports that show musclebound bodybuilders only engage in lifting heavy weights and seemingly bone-thin marathon runners doing nothing but run long distances in incredibly fast times.”
He continued: “Science however looks beyond media images and what we know of how the body works argues against both these stereotypes. Bodybuilders are, indeed, heavily muscled and generally avoid running and marathon runners don’t generally go for lifting weights as part of their regular training. The reason for this lies in their specialisation.”
“If we are doing bodybuilding our measure for success lies in size. We really need to build our muscles to the largest possible size to feel we are succeeding in our sport. So, size rather than strength of speed or explosiveness is what we strive for and running is not something that would help us gain that.”
“Similarly, marathon runners are interested in endurance. The measure of success of their chosen sport is long distances run fast. They have zero interest in having large biceps or heavily built pectorals and having massive quads, in this case, is something unnecessary.”
“Contrary to popular belief regular cardio training, whether that is running or cycling can help those who train with weights, experience improved gains in muscle strength and endurance.”
Henry isn’t suggesting that a marathon runner should aim to deadlift over 100kgs, or be able to squat 3 times their bodyweight, because too much muscle will inevitably slow a runner down. But at the same time, having some muscle, or a bit of extra explosive power could help someone run that bit faster.
Indeed, an April 2021 article on Insidercovers this exact topic, with a reader writing in wanting to put on muscle, following “years of doing cardio and HIIT classes.” They’re worried they’ll gain unwanted weight if they cut out cardio altogether to focus on strength training.
Journalist Rachel Hosie cites celebrity personal trainer as saying “cardio doesn’t necessarily hinder muscle growth if you’re training right.”
“They key is not to let the cardio interfere with your resistance workouts. Only you know if running and HIIT, or high-intensity interval training classes leave you too fatigued to lift weights.”
However, as some people may forget, “when it comes to muscle building, the magic actually happens when you’re recovering from your workouts, not in the gym, so you need to make sure your body has enough rest between workouts,” Rosie adds.
“Many strength-training fans do what’s known as ‘active recovery’, which usually means some form of steady-state cardio like a leisurely cycle, a walk, or a gentle jog. This can help the muscles recover by increasing blood flow.”
While this may be true, it’s still important to keep an eye on just how intense your active recovery is. “Sprints or HIIT classes, are likely to add more strain to the muscles, so you need to be mindful of how these exercises make you feel.”
Runtasticechoes this point, “As a rule of thumb, you should never attempt a strength (muscle) building session when your muscles are already fatigued. You will not be able to work out at the necessary intensity to create an effective training stimulus. And, the risk of injury increases when you lift heavy weights with tired muscles because your stabilizing muscles are weakened and your coordination is impaired.”
They add that nutrition becomes all the more important if you’re practicing both strength-training and cardio alongside one another:
“As long as you provide your body with enough high-quality protein, complex carbohydrates and essential fats and give your muscles time to recover, endurance training definitely does not lead to muscle loss.”
In fact, the two really can work in harmony with one another, since performing cardio workouts can allow your “cardiovascular system to work better and more efficiently, including an increase in capillary growth in the muscle, which can improve muscle circulation.”
“Cardio also improves your stamina and speeds up your recovery, meaning you can work out more often and at higher intensities. And of course, cardio can help reduce your body fat percentage,” meaning the muscle you do build from strength training will be far more visible.
So, with that myth debunked, when and how much of each discipline should you be doing? We’ve previously heard from fitness coach James Kew, who explained when you should perform either, with the answer ultimately being “to prioritise your main goal.”
“If your goal is to improve your cardiovascular endurance, then do cardio first [in your workout program], if your goal is to change your body shape by having more muscle and less fat, then strength training should come first.” After all, we’ve also heard from an expert physician who perfectly explains how building muscle can lead to fat loss, so if you choose to do cardio simply with the goal of losing weight and fat, you may find greater solace in lifting weights.
It’s particularly important to remember that every body is different, so a strength/cardio split that works for one person, may not be the best course of action for someone else, it’s all about finding the perfect balance. Just let it be known that strength training and cardio aren’t mortal enemies.
