Giancarlo-Stanton-Cover-Story.Pdf
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How the electrifying Giancarlo Stanton overcame a gruesome injury to become an MVP and the reigning home run king. By Austin Murphy Photographs by Peter Yang MEN’S HEALTH PAGE 91 APRIL 2018 BOMBStantonS averages a homer every 13.4 at bats, the highest rate in the majors and fourth best in the history of the game, behind Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, AWAY! and Barry Bonds. Kettlebell Swing Romanian Deadlift Zercher Squat GIANCARLO STANTON WAS Box Jump DOWN IN The WORKOUT 1/ COUNT: ONE BALL, ACHIEVE LIFKettlebellTOFF Swing Add these supersets to your workouts to improve core strength and Offsetrotational Cable power. Pull TWO STRIKES. Aim to do 4 sets of each. —MichAEL EasTER Kettlebell Swing HE WAS JUST ROMANIAN DEADLIFT + KETTLEBELL SWING Romanian Deadlift TRYING TO MAKE Kettlebell Swing SOliD CONTACT, Kettlebell Swing Hamstrings HRomanianOW TO DO ITDeadlift Stand with a loadedKettlebell barbell. Swing Keep your knees slightly bent as you hinge at the hips; take he later explained, which is why his home run off Pirates 5 seconds to lower your torso until it’s almost parallel pitcher Tyler Glasnow last June traveled a mere 449 feet, to the floor. Keeping your back straight, raise your torso.Romanian That’s 1Deadlift rep; do 5. Then do 10 kettlebell swings. considerably shorter than many moonshots Stanton has launched in his pro career, dating back to his time in the Zercher Squat minors. (We’re thinking, in particular, of the 500-plus- ZERCRomanianHER SQUAT Deadlift + BOX JUMP foot meteorite he sent screaming over the scoreboard of the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits in 2010.) Stanton’s clout off Glasnow, though modest by his own standards, came within inches of exiting Pittsburgh’s PNC Park and finding the Allegheny River. “Do you ever take that for Romanian Deadlift ZercherZercher Squat Squat Hamstrings granted,” a reporter asked Stanton after the game, “that you can hit a ball that far?” “No, never take it for granted,” replied Stanton, then HOWZercher TO D OSquat IT Hold a loaded barbell in the crooks in his eighth season with the Miami Marlins. If you do of your arms, keeping it close to yourBox chest. Jump Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat. Hold that, he added, “this game will hit you right in the mouth.” the “down” position for 5 seconds; then explosively He wasn’t speaking figuratively. 267 stand. That’s 1 rep; do 5. Then do 5 box jumps. CAREER HOME RUNS Stanton was leading the National League in home IN EIghT SEasONS. runs (37) on September 11, 2014, when he stepped in Despite playing in the NL his entire career, OFFSETBox CABLE Jump PULL + PLANK ROWCat Camels against the Milwaukee Brewers’ Mike Fiers. It would be Stanton has hit a homer his last at bat of the season. With the count 0-1, Fiers deliv- in every AL East stadium except Baltimore’s. He Zercher Squat ered an 88 mph fastball that got away from him. The ball Box Jump has one in New York, Box Jump stoved in the left side of Stanton’s face, fracturing bones, Boston, and Tampa, knocking out teeth, damaging his jaw, and creating a lac- and three in Toronto. Offset Cable Pull eration that required more than 20 stitches to close. After medical personnel attended to him for several minutes, Stanton was placed on a gurney and wheeled off the field. The 88 mph fastball HOOffsetW TO CableDO IT Pull Stand with the cable machine to Distraught after watching Stanton crumple to the ground, that injured Stanton’s your left, the handle set to mid-level.Plank Push Rows your hips Fiers proceeded to plunk the next batter too. Players from jaw affected his abil- back and twist your torso to the left to grab the both teams poured onto the field. ity to eat normally for handleOffset with Cable your Pull right hand, arm straight. This is the about a month. “I had starting position. Explosively pull the cable across It boded well for Stanton’s comeback that, as he saw an awkward bite. One your body as you twist your torso to the right, fin- the benches empty—he was watching on a small TV in side of my mouth ishing with your right elbow close to your right rib Offset Cable Pull Box Jump the bowels of Miller Park—he tried to rise from his gurney wouldn’t touch when cage. That’s 1 rep. Reverse the move and repeat. Do it came down,” he 5 reps on each side. Then immediately get into the and join the fray. “I wanted to get out there and get mine says. “I was nibbling plank position with your hands holding light dumb- in,” he recalls, laughing, “but I was strapped in.” on soft foods.” bells and do 10 reps of plank rows on each side. Hamstrings 92 MensHealth.com / April 2018 MensHealth.com / April 2018 93 Hamstrings Hamstrings Offset Cable Pull Hamstrings Hamstrings Hamstrings Hamstrings Cat Camels Cat Camels Cat Camels Hamstrings Hamstrings Plank Rows Plank Rows Plank Rows Cat Camels Hamstrings Plank Rows Cat Camels Plank Rows Kettlebell SwingKettlebell Swing Romanian Deadlift Romanian Deadlift Kettlebell Swing Zercher Squat Romanian Deadlift Zercher Squat Box Jump Zercher Squat Box Jump “ I NeveR QUESTIONED Offset Cable Pull if I WAS GOING Box Jump TO geT BACK WORKOUT 2/ TO WheRE I WAS, STRENGTOffsetheN Cable YOUR Pull ARMOR What if you could protect your body from injury with just a few exer- cises? That’s what Stanton finally did last season. For most of his career, JUST MAYBE his otherworldly strength had been both a blessing and a curse: His explosive swing left fans in awe but routinely overtaxed his supporting muscles. Only twice in his first seven seasons did he play in more than 123 games (out of 162). He discarded his “injury-prone” label last year, HOW LONG IT thanks to a new warmup philosophy that made him durable enough to handle Offsethis power. Cable Result: Pull He missed just three games, cranked a career- high 59 homers, and became National League MVP. Steal his moves to WOULD TAKE.” knock your hamstring and back pain out of the park. —MichAEL EasTER Hamstrings Hamstrings PREVENT TIGHT HAMSTRINGS Hamstrings why Hamstring strains don’t just position.Hamstrings Remain in the reverse plague regular guys; they also slow lunge position as you bend your down All-Stars like Stanton. Keep your torso over your left thigh; hold for hamstrings loose with this drill. Much 15 seconds. Raise your torso upright, like Stanton’s own warmup, it places then do 5 split-squat reps; after you in the lunge position, considered the fifth, hold for 15 seconds in the restorative in many yoga disciplines. bottom position. Return to the top HOW TO DO IT Start by standing of the split squat; hold your arms tall, arms overhead. Step back with out in front of you. Hinge forward your right leg into a reverse lunge, and lower your torso until it is parallel and then stand back up straight; do to the floor. Do 10, then repeat the 9 more, ending in the reverse lunge entire series with your left leg back. TO saY THAT STanTon, 28, Has maDE A CompLETE school in Sherman Oaks, California, Stanton was a stud Images (top), Marlins/Getty Foldy/Miami Rob spread: previous shirt (above); Bone jeans, John Varvatos Stanton took about 20 swings in batting practice and Hamstrings Styling: Sandra Nygaard, grooming: Emily Wetzel, prop styling: Kendall Faeth/Faeth Gruppe, Rag + Rag + Gruppe, Faeth/Faeth styling: Kendall prop Emily Wetzel, grooming: Nygaard, Styling: Sandra recovery is a glaring understatement. He led the majors wide receiver and cornerback coveted by then-USC coach Photo Images, Morry Gash/AP McGinnis/Getty Mike Sports/Newscom, Today Sieu/USA Benny hit a handful of balls out of the park, including two that last season with 59 home runs. Only one other big leaguer Pete Carroll. He was also a Rodmanesque rebounder aver- went rustling through treetops some 40 feet above the Cat Camels broke the 50-homer barrier in 2017: Aaron Judge. And at aging 13 points per game for the basketball team. But in fence. Two balls even sailed over the access road beyond Hamstrings 6' 7" and 282 pounds, Judge has an inch and almost 40 baseball? He was only a middling outfielder. The sport the stadium and into a nearby golf course. After that jaw- pounds on him. 69 that eventually landed him a 13-year, $325 million con- dropping display of power, a throng of scouts made their Judge, of course, clubbed 52 homers in his rookie sea- tract—the most lucrative deal in the history of North way over to the rangy slugger, some of them going so far son with the Yankees. When reports started emerging American sports—was actually his third best when he as to ask, “Who are you?” that New York was trading for Stanton, Judge tweeted, YARDS was growing up. American League pitchers are about to find out for “Hey @Giancarlo818 [fist-bump emoji]...” above a GIF of STANTON’S As a junior, Stanton was overshadowed on the dia- themselves, especially those in the AL East, who will Will Ferrell asking John C. Reilly in the movie Step Broth- LONGEST PUNT mond by lots of other Southern California schoolboys. “He face the Bronx Bombers 19 times and must now reckon IN HIgh schOOL. ers, “Did we just become best friends?” just needed to play more,” says Tom Dill, his skipper at with a murderers’ row featuring the dueling yetis Judge EASE LOWER BACK PAIN In addition to averag- Cat Camels Two days later, rumor became fact.