The athletes of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Iciness Video games will give their all to head for gold on the snow and ice—but first, they’ll dangle a chance to fragment every thing you wish to know about their sports activities whereas they’re on the facet freeway. That is the Men’s Effectively being Muscle Automobile.
SNOWBOARDER JAKE PATES took some time away from his Olympic prep (and gold medal-mighty social media posting) for a dash within the MH Muscle Automobile with health director Ebenezer Samuel.
The 27-year-used athlete is taking phase in his 2d Olympics, after finishing eighth within the 2018 PyeongChang Video games at age 19. Pates later recovered from a excessive concussion and pivoted to advocacy work specializing within the mind and psychological health of athletes. After returning to global competition, he’s abet on Crew USA, going for gold within the halfpipe.
Earlier than leaping into the facts of the interview, Pates outlined what exactly chances are you’ll perchance perchance presumably need to be taught about his occasion. “You’re strapping a piece of wood to your feet, and you are pointing it down a half tube that’s basically just covered in ice, ” he acknowledged. “You’ve got metal edges on the side, like ice skates, and those lock into the ice, basically, and shoot you out. And you’ve got to do big stuff, cool stuff, [to] impress the judges, and, more importantly, impress your friends. And your girlfriends, if they’re there.”
Glimpse and browse on for facts about Pates’s coaching, “sneaky Pilates,” and additional.
MEN’S HEALTH: What muscle groups are you fascinated about for snowboarding?
JAKE PATES: Glutes. Booty, the total methodology. Booty is gonna be the critical muscle neighborhood that we’re the usage of in halfpipe.
MH: Booty is in now for the time being, appropriate?
JP: Booty became as soon as never no longer in.
MH: When you happen to mediate about coaching that, what’s your crawl-to exercise to make certain that you simply are in snowboard form?
JP: Glute bridges. Basically, Pilates. I gaze change Pilates videos. Yeah, I dangle never been at any Pilates classes, but I crawl to construct sneaky Pilates on my include.
MH: Inside of your workout?
JP: Unbiased appropriate sneaky Pilates with no person staring at.
MH: What’s the exercise you construct that you simply detest doing, but chances are you’ll perchance perchance presumably need to construct?
JP: It be got to be squatting. I’ve got roughly messed up hips and my lower abet constantly killed me, so squatting is the one which I’m esteem, I construct no longer wish to construct it, but I know I ought to aloof construct slightly of bit.
I’m gigantic on the body weight workouts. Core stuff, pushups, dips, pullups. No weight included, ethical body weight. That’s my style.
MH: How construct you secure yourself warmed up earlier than frigid climate for a fair scoot?
JP: In total, I will bring a Theragun with me, but Qigong I’m learning is a new thing. We got a terribly chilly karate master as the US Crew PT right here and he’s been instructing me Qigong, and or no longer it’s very fair appropriate.
MH: Protein or fiber? What’s extra fundamental?
JP: Protein.
MH: Energy or cardio?
JP: Energy.

Courtesy Dorenna Newton
MH: Completely protein you’re going to need display within the Olympic Village?
JP: I brought my include. Momentous. Unbiased appropriate natty—honestly, I construct no longer even know if or no longer it’s accepted, I’m definite it’s miles—but it absolutely’s ethical natty.
MH: It’s some distance accepted.
JP: Hey, chilly. You already know what? I figured, I did now not even need to envision.
MH: That’s how you purchased quality protein. Also, right here’s your gigantic pitch for Momentous sponsorship. What’s the excellent sponsorship you’re going to esteem to secure?
JP: Renzo cryptocurrency.
MH: If there’s one non-sport you’re going to be ready to gain an Olympic medal in, what would or no longer or no longer it’s?
JP: I mediate it would need to be drowsing. Yeah, I will knock out wherever. Ingredient is, recently, we compete at night, so I will sleep all day.
MH: Is it ever k to exercise within the car?
JP: Yeah, constantly you gotta exercise on the crawl. Busy guy.
MH: Invent no longer exercise on this car. Who is your Olympic GOAT?
JP: [Japanese halfpipe gold medalist] Ayumu Hirano, undoubtedly.
MH: Is there any athlete monotonous or alive that chances are you’ll perchance perchance presumably esteem to compete against in any sport?
JP: That is so advanced, these hypotheticals if truth be told secure me, man. I would possibly well perchance esteem to compete against Kobe.
MH: Gloves or mittens?
JP: Gloves, for definite, gotta be ready to crawl the fingers.
MH: what is your Italian espresso expose?
JP: Americano.

Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men’s Effectively being, is a certified trainer and feeble professional football participant and tech reporter. You would gain his work in completely different locations at Mashable, Thrillist, and diverse retailers.