3 min read
The athletes of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games will give their all to go for gold on the snow and ice—but first, they’ll have a chance to share everything you want to know about their sports while they’re on the road. This is the Men’s Health Muscle Car.
SNOWBOARDER JAKE PATES took some time away from his Olympic prep (and gold medal-worthy social media posting) for a ride in the MH Muscle Car with fitness director Ebenezer Samuel.
The 27-year-old athlete is taking part in his second Olympics, after finishing eighth in the 2018 PyeongChang Games at age 19. Pates later recovered from a serious concussion and pivoted to advocacy work focusing on the brain and mental health of athletes. After returning to international competition, he’s back on Team USA, going for gold in the halfpipe.
Before jumping into the details of the interview, Pates explained what exactly you need to know about his event. “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 said. “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.”
Watch and read on for details about Pates’s training, “sneaky Pilates,” and more.
MEN’S HEALTH: What muscle groups are you thinking about for snowboarding?
JAKE PATES: Glutes. Booty, all the way. Booty is gonna be the main muscle group that we’re using in halfpipe.
MH: Booty is in now these days, right?
JP: Booty was never not in.
MH: When you think about training that, what’s your go-to exercise to make sure you’re in snowboard shape?
JP: Glute bridges. Honestly, Pilates. I watch a lot of Pilates videos. Yeah, I haven’t been at any Pilates classes, but I’ll do sneaky Pilates on my own.
MH: Within your workout?
JP: Just sneaky Pilates with no one watching.
MH: What’s the exercise you do that you hate doing, but you know you need to do?
JP: It’s got to be squatting. I’ve got kind of messed up hips and my lower back always killed me, so squatting is the one that I’m like, I don’t want to do it, but I know I should do a little bit.
I’m big on the bodyweight exercises. Core stuff, pushups, dips, pullups. No weight included, just bodyweight. That’s my style.
MH: How do you get yourself warmed up before cold weather for a good run?
JP: Usually, I will bring a Theragun with me, but Qigong I’m learning is a new thing. We got a really cool karate master as the US Team PT here and he’s been teaching me Qigong, and it’s amazing.
MH: Protein or fiber? What’s more important?
JP: Protein.
MH: Strength or cardio?
JP: Strength.
MH: Best protein you’ve found in the Olympic Village?
JP: I brought my own. Momentous. Just clean—honestly, I don’t even know if it’s approved, I’m sure it is—but it’s just clean.
MH: It is approved.
JP: Hey, cool. You know what? I figured, I didn’t even have to check.
MH: That’s how you know you got quality protein. Also, this is your big pitch for Momentous sponsorship. What’s the biggest sponsorship you’d love to get?
JP: Renzo cryptocurrency.
MH: If there’s one non-sport you can win an Olympic medal in, what would it be?
JP: I think it would have to be sleeping. Yeah, I can knock out anywhere. Thing is, recently, we compete at night, so I can sleep all day.
MH: Is it ever okay to eat in the car?
JP: Yeah, always you gotta eat on the go. Busy guy.
MH: Do not eat in this car. Who is your Olympic GOAT?
JP: [Japanese halfpipe gold medalist] Ayumu Hirano, undoubtedly.
MH: Is there any athlete dead or alive that you would love to compete against in any sport?
JP: This is so tough, these hypotheticals really get me, man. I’d love to compete against Kobe.
MH: Gloves or mittens?
JP: Gloves, for sure, gotta be able to move the fingers.
MH: what is your Italian coffee order?
JP: Americano.
Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men’s Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.
