The only thing that’s been more depressing for many Australians over the last eighteen months than this global pandemic and litany of lockdowns has been how the economy has continued to become even more unfair. While cushy office workers have netted fantastic returns from the stock market (and had their sector adapt fairly easily to WFH demands), those who have to physically be somewhere to work have had their incomes’ slashed.Many people have lost their livelihoods and are doing it tough thanks to The Spicy Cough. At the same time, the property market continues to go from strength to insane strength, and interest rates remain historically low. Job insecurity is as high as ever while the stock market is unpredictable and overheated.No wonder people are speculating on crypto and used cars to try and make some scratch… And now it seems our woes have got even worse, with recent wage growth data revealing what we’ve all known instinctively for a while – that not only are wages not growing, they’re actually shrinking.Fresh quarterly wage data shows that at 1.7%, wages growth across 2020-21 was only just over half the 3% level the Reserve Bank of Australia has previously expressed is necessary to lift inflation to within its target band and trigger a rise in interest rates, Australian Financial Review relates. On top of that, real wages – the difference between wage growth and inflation – has actually fallen by 2.1%. That’s the largest fall in 20 years.

Naturally, this news has incensed members of Reddit’s /r/AusFinance community, who have long bemoaned how Australia’s obsession with property is continuing to wreak havoc on the economy, and hamper economic growth for average Aussies.RELATED: Australia’s Favourite Speculative ‘Hobby’ Has Economists Clutching Their CalculatorsOne community member, who claims to be a Sydney-based doctor, was particularly unhappy. “Even though I’m in the highest paid profession, people’s houses are making more money than I do. Plus they don’t have to pay tax. No idea why the general public isn’t more aware/angry.”

“Like honestly why did I bother to get a decent job when home speculators… get to make out like bandits.”

Another agreed with their sentiments, summing up the dilemma thusly: “spend years at uni and tens (or hundreds!) of thousands of dollars only to be outpaced by [the] capital appreciation of [a] shitty ex-public fibro shack in any capital city. The world really has gone mad…”One commenter was even more brutal, simply saying “Lol. We are so fucked.”

“After a decade of trying the same shit and not getting the results they were after along comes 2020 and the RBA doubles down in an absolutely tremendous way while still expecting that somehow the thing that hasn’t been working will suddenly start working. What a tragedy unfolding.”

That wages have actually fallen in real terms despite the fact the labour market is currently so tight is truly a worry… No doubt current wage growth (or lack of it, more accurate) has been deeply affected by the pandemic – but wages have long been out of step with not only inflation but productivity for years now.As the economy continues to look unhealthy and Australia’s biggest cities languish in repeated lockdowns, things are only likely to get worse before they get better. Sorry to be the bearers of bad news.In short? Better start saving – but maybe don’t pile all your savings into Bitcoin hoping that it’ll be a modern-day Fort Knox…

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• World’s Most Mocked ‘Alt Coin’ Could Drag Crypto Out Of The Dark Ages, Elon Musk Claims
• Could This Overlooked Australian Commodity Be About To Boom?

The post Australian Wage Growth Statistics Suggest We're Even More F*cked Than We Thought In 2021 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

You might not have known it from walking from Bondi to Bronte last weekend, but Australia is in the midst of a pandemic.

With swathes of the country locked down, with Delta case numbers continuing to grow (despite said lockdowns); with international borders decidedly closed, we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

Hence the inevitable frustration. Not only are we gaffer taped, but there’s no end date in mind.

And – much as most of us know we should be counting our lucky stars (a glance around the world shows, for most of us, things could be a lot worse) – when you’re scrolling through Instagram and something like the following image slaps you in the face, it’s hard not to grind your molars.

 

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A post shared by Aquabumps (@aquabumps)

Posted by Sydney-based photographer Eugene Tan (find him on Instagram at @aquabumps), the image shows an Ibiza beach in full swing in 2019.

He captions it: “One of my brothers is in Ibiza right now, where it’s stinking hot and open for business. He keeps sending me msgs. Great!”
⁠
He adds: “I was there in 2019 and loved it. I always thought it was a party island, but I was amazed at its natural beauty. Some of the most insanely beautiful beaches of the world exist there.”

“I drank two Mojitos right where I took this photo, slept under a tree on the right around midday. All acceptable behaviour in Europe whilst on a vacay without kids! Many beach-goers are nude – so you can do it all nude if you really want!”

Finally: “I’ve never wanted to sit in a tin can for 21 hours so bad!⁠”

The post was quick to inspire FOMO.

RELATED: Iconic Beach Scene Reveals Greek Freedom Australians Can’t Handle

Fellow Bondi-based photographer Amaury Treguer, who is from Paris, asked: “Were you naked when you slept under that tree? Miss Europe so badly atm.”

 

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A post shared by MORE THAN IBIZA (@morethanibiza)

Another Instagram user, @kevin.krautgartner, wrote: “Seems like an outstanding island.”

@boardsox, meanwhile, commented: “Sounds pretty damn good right now.”

Instagram user @nemdonnelly said: “ I want to go back f- ck Covid !! FYI I’ve been twice and never stepped into a nightclub but we did lunch hard !!! .”

Another Instagram follower, @nugent737, shared an out-looking-in perspective: “We miss Australia. Hopefully one day your borders will be open again. We can travel but its a pain and there are hoops to jump through, test costs etc. The Worlds a mess.”

RELATED: ‘The 40 Year Hangover’: Ibiza Faces Biggest Challenge Yet

Another clever clogs user, @jimwozinoz, pointed out the name of the beach: Cala Saladeta.

A browse through the Cala Saladeta hashtag and geotag on Instagram will give anyone brave enough to look even more FOMO.

 

You’ve been warned…

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The post Ibiza Beach Scene Sends Australians Wild With Envy appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The Land Rover Defender is easily one of the most iconic cars of all time. First introduced in 1983, the boxy British 4×4 enjoyed a 33-year-long production run, during which the car saw very few substantial changes. When production finally wrapped up in 2016, it devastated many automotive enthusiasts, despite the fact the Defender was by that point a rather ancient car from a technical perspective.

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Land Rover had been working on a replacement for the Defender as early as 2012, and in 2020, they finally brought it to market. The new Defender (officially designated the L663) might share the old model’s name but it shares little in common with it: the L663 shares no components or technology with its predecessor; features an aluminium unibody instead of a body-on-frame construction; and is much more geared towards luxury than the old model, like the rest of the modern Land Rover range.

So it came as a surprise (and somewhat of a relief) when Land Rover announced plans to reintroduce a ‘Hard Top’ commercial variant of the L663. The Defender, as well as the original Land Rover series, were always popular as commercial vehicles, with pickup and panel van variants well-loved by farmers and tradespeople around the world – especially in the UK and Australia.

But according to Jeremy Clarkson, the world’s most prominent motoring journalist and now a gentleman farmer, the new ‘Hard Top’ doesn’t hold a candle to the commercial Defender models of old. Indeed, he reckons it’s a bit “pointless”.

Watch the new Defender ‘Hard Top’ in action

The curmudgeonly ex-Top Gear host was trialling one of the new commercial vehicles on his hobby farm in the Cotswolds, his exploits at which have become the focus of a new Amazon Prime series called Clarkson’s Farm. Initially enamoured by the looks of the vehicle (especially its steelies), he found that it didn’t really live up to his expectations.

His first complaint? The pricing. While Defenders were never the cheapest option on the market, even in their heyday, their current £42,920 (AU$77,000) and £51,550 (AU$92,500) base prices for the three and five-door models respectively are pretty eye-watering, he related in his Sunday Times column. That only gets worse when you start adding optional extras, of course.

RELATED: Suzuki Jimny SUV Suffering ‘Rolex’ Price Surge In Australia

He also suggests they’re not very practical as a van, citing its sideways-opening rear door  as “a nuisance in tight spaces.” and that “the bulkhead… robs a lot of space.” The quality and fragility of the interior plastics was another sticking point, Clarkson quipping that “if you need to get your sheep to the abattoir… [it will] look like the aftermath of a high-speed Formula 1 crash.”

As the Sunday Times‘ driving lift-out summarises:

“There have long been complaints from certain quarters that the new Defender is too complicated and expensive to fit the requirements of tradesmen and hill-farmers. The ‘Hard Top’, [Clarkson] concluded, is an ‘afterthought car’ that was meant to address that complaint, but which still doesn’t really fit the bill.”

Of course, it’s often hard to sort the hyperbole from the honesty when it comes to Clarkson, but it is true that the new L663 Defender’s pricing at least is a bit on the nose. Still, compared to Toyota Land Cruiser prices right now, $92,500 seems like a bargain…

RELATED: Toyota Land Cruiser ‘Blood Pact’ Shows How Crazy Australia’s Car Market Has Become

The reality is that the 4×4 panel van – or panel vans more broadly – are a bit of a dying breed. Panel van variants of passenger cars used to be a common sight on British and Australian roads: from the diminutive Mini Clubman to the shagadelic Holden Sandman, the institution that was the ‘pano’ has largely been dead and buried.

Dual-cab utes with canopies like the Ford Ranger or purpose-built vans proper like the Toyota Hiace dominate commercial fleets these days. You can still get poverty-spec Mercedes-Benz G-Classes with a tray back if you really want one, and there are still heaps of ‘troopie’ Land Cruisers and Defender Perenties around, but you’re starved for new 4×4 commercial vehicles in the same vein as the original Defender.

Indeed, three-door SUVs are also somewhat of a dying breed, with the new Defender, Jeep Wrangler, Suzuki Jimny and (currently USA-only) Ford Bronco the most notable remaining flag-bearers. That you can even get the L663 not only as a three-door but as a panel van as well is rather commendable and somewhat of an oddity in today’s automotive landscape.

We suspect Land Rover was inspired to offer the ‘Hard Top’ as a reaction to the forthcoming INEOS Grenadier, a third-party aesthetic and spiritual successor to the old Defender and is being squarely aimed at commercial buyers. While INEOS hasn’t announced plans to offer a panel van Grenadier variant, we’d be amazed if they didn’t.

RELATED: This Tough 4×4 Is The Land Rover Defender Revival We’ve All Been Waiting For

While Land Rover hasn’t confirmed officially that they’ll be bringing the ‘Hard Top’ L663 Down Under, they have made a filing for the vehicle in the Road Vehicle Certification System (RVCS) – an Australian government database listing all vehicles compliant and certified for sale in Australia – which suggests they’re serious about launching the car here, Drive relates.

The question is this: will Aussie tradies actually want to buy them, or will they just be bought by posers? Watch this space.

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The post Land Rover’s Newest Defender Labelled ‘Pointless’ By World’s Top Motoring Journalist appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

“I’ll go tomorrow”, “I’m not feeling so great, I’ll wait under whatever this sickness is clears”, “but it’s boys and beers night.” Phrases such as these put a serious dent in our quest for perfectly chiselled armour. Committing to a serious workout routine, is far easier said than done. Not only do you have to first set some goals, or at least decide you want to go to the gym in the first place, but you also have to then dedicate your time to achieving your fitness aspirations.Your journey toward washboard abs is only made harder to bear when you start thinking you’re making little progress. Newbies to the iron paradise should notice some pretty major changes within their first year of training, but it has been proven that you eventually plateau. This puts your body in a state where it becomes much harder to put on more muscle, with one of the only ways to break through to increase your calorie intake and continue to deadlift, squat and bicep curl your way to a more muscular physique.RELATED: American Man’s Incredible Transformation Proves Anything Is Possible When It Comes To FitnessWhile we’ve previously seen some incredible body transformations from ‘regular folk’, it can often be a good thing to take note of the process of your role models, or those whose lives revolve around all things health, fitness and nutrition. Take crazy German fitness blogger Jo Lindner. He’s featured regularly on our pages here at DMARGE for his insightful workout hacks and techniques, all with the sole aim of helping you increase your confidence in the gym and start seeing the changes you crave.While Jo recently suffered a severe arm injury, highlighting just how much muscle you can lose if you take time away from the gym, he also recently posted a series of photos that show just how ripped you can get over a four year period.

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A post shared by Jo Lindner (@joesthetics)

“Many years here. 2016 – 2020. Random order tho,” Lindner captioned the post. The takeaway? If you really do commit to training and accept that you won’t see changes overnight, you too can get insanely ripped (it’s also safe to say he had a rather solid start point, but anyway…).It could be fair to assume that Jo is one of those genetically gifted humans, who was always destined to have a big physique. And while he may have experimented with steroids in the past, he has since encouraged everyone to avoid them and instead just focus on eating well and sticking to a well thought out training program.After all, you can perform as many pull-ups, push-ups and bench presses until you’re blue in the face, if you’re not eating the right foods and putting yourself on a calorie surplus meal plan, your body won’t get the fuel and protein it needs to turn into muscle and energy.This is a message I can personally vouch for, having put my body on a close-to-four-thousand calorie a day meal plan – drawing inspiration from Chris Hemsworth – in the pursuit of putting on the weight required to make some gains. TL;DR, it worked.Four years may sound like a long time, and the underlying thought of “of course you’re going to get big if you commit for four years” not being lost on us, it’s always good to see visual results with your own eyes, to see what is realistically achievable.

Check out some of Jo Linder’s most intense workouts in the video below

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• Transformation Coach’s Helpful Post Gives Hope To Anyone Wanting To Lose Fat
• Fitness Expert Reveals How Ripped You Can Get In Two Weeks Of Isolation

The post Jo Lindner ‘Natural’ Physique Show How Ripped You Could Be appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Dogecoin is probably the world’s most mocked alt coin. Why? It’s the best known. So it’s the wagging butt of most crypto-related jokes – both among fans and detractors. But this arguably works in its favour (publicity is publicity, etc.).In any case, this ironic ‘meme coin’ has exceeded expectations massively in the last two years.Though it was originally built to be deliberately unusable – with its main purpose being to poke fun at how seriously crypto nerds were taking coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum – due to the community around it (which blew up on the back of an abundance of bored, locked down people with disposable income), its price soared at the start of 2020, and then jumped again in May (when it reached its astonishing peak), making a few people very rich in the process.The New York Times interviewed one ‘Dogecoin millionaire’ earlier this year. He took out a loan and put his life savings on the line to get in on Dogecoin just before the huge spike.He believes in the project so strongly that when his fortune dropped by almost half of its value (post the May peak), he bought more.Others, however, believe there is no real value to the joke project, and its price will inevitably tumble when people eventually lose interest and move onto a new coin (or the crypto sector fails entirely), whether that’s in a week, a month, a year, or a century.Elon Musk is not one of those people. This weekend he said Dogecoin is the best cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange.This is a remarkable claim given the huge price swings Dogecoin is synonymous with.So how can Musk make such a claim? Especially when price volatility is one of the main reasons crypto curries little favour with traditional investors, who are wary of its price swings, and would rather put their life savings into the Venezuelan bolivar than into ~doge~…Could Dogecoin get crypto over this hurdle and out of this terrible enfin infancy?Let’s take a look.Firstly: like most people, Musk enjoys doing things simply because he can. This seems to be the most likely reason he has been manipulating the crypto markets this year with his emoji-filled Tweets, which have seen alt coins like ‘CumRocket’ and ‘Dogecoin’ rise dramatically (when he has talked about them) and Bitcoin (for a time) fall when he expressed concerns over its environmental impact (which is ironic, given how many Bitcoins Tesla owns).His true motives are always up for debate, given his company Tesla and himself personally both hold various cryptocurrencies.Forbes reported in July that “Tesla continues to hold more than $1 billion worth of bitcoin it bought near the beginning of the year – though that investment is now thought to be underwater – but Musk has also indicated he personally holds dogecoin.”Though given how in the public eye he is, if he really is doing something illegal, he is either being very arrogant or very stupid (or simply making the most of the fact that there is less regulation in the crypto market compared to the stock market).He could also just be playing around.But we digress. Why – if we’re going to take his comments at face value – does Musk think Dogecoin has a use case as being crypto’s most viable medium of exchange? And could this stabilise its value?This idea was brought up (again) by an interview CNBC conducted last week with Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban (where Cuban said: “the community for doge is the strongest when it comes to using it as a medium of exchange”). Referencing it, Elon wrote on Twitter: “I’ve been saying this for a while.”

I’ve been saying this for a while

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 14, 2021

Another popular crypto account sarcastically wrote, “I also agree with this in a very totally unbiased way.”

I also agree with this in a very totally unbiased way

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) August 14, 2021

Business Insider reports that “Both celebrity businessmen have been drawn to dogecoin for its light-hearted nature and strong community – and have been important to its 8,000% gain over the last year.”

“However, cryptocurrency skeptics struggle to see what Musk and Cuban see in dogecoin, which is highly volatile and more complicated to use for purchases than mainstream payment methods.”

Neither of the men have provided a reason as to why, technically, Dogeoin is the best coin to be used as a medium of exchange (possibly because currently there is none). Musk has previously talked about the potential to develop it into something more ready to be used like this, hinting he is in talks with Dogecoin developers to see if Tesla could potentially start accepting Dogecoin as payment.This has not yet come to fruition and is nothing, at the time of writing, as far as is publically known, other than an idea Musk has expressed on Twitter. Who knows if it is actually happening.

Watch Elon Musk and Mark Cuban talk about the potential for Dogecoin to become a means of exchange in the video below

Musk’s best argument, it seems, for Dogecoin being the best crypto to become a medium of exchange, is the fact that Dogecoin is the coin with the most love for it, and arguably with the largest community ‘feel’.Musk has also said Dogecoin is significantly quicker at processing transactions and uses less energy than Bitcoin. That’s not a hard feat though, given how energy-intensive and slow Bitcoin is.Then there are a bunch more coins and projects out there that are more specifically designed to be environmentally friendly and good tools to transact with – but they don’t have the user base, community or popularity of Dogecoin.The question then is whether Dogecoin users truly believe in this mission and will migrate to a coin that offers all that, or whether they simply want to have fun speculating and try to get rich. Or whether the developers of Dogecoin will take steps to turn Dogecoin from a joke into an actual alternative to currency or medium of exchange.Musk has previously chatted with fans on Twitter about a hypothetical world where Dogecoin is a Visa alternative.According to Forbes, Musk told a Tesla fan account on Twitter: “Block size and frequency should steadily increase to match broadly available bandwidth,” when asked whether dogecoin’s transactions per second would have to reach the speed of Visa “to be really useful.”

“It won’t need to reach Visa speed, as regulated exchanges will act as de facto second layer. But the perfect should not be the enemy of the good—it is still good to increase base layer transaction speed and lower base layer transaction cost.”

According to Forbes, “It’s hoped that bitcoin, via its payments-focused lightning network and a recent upgrade called taproot, will be able to resolve some of its scaling issues, while ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency after bitcoin, is in the midst of a long-awaited upgrade that’s not expected to be completed for years.”It’s not certain any of them will succeed. Fiat currencies could well continue to dominate forever (in fact many financial professionals will laugh you out of the room for suggesting any crypto currently will elbow their way into the room as a useful thing to buy your morning coffee with, on any significant scale).What’s not up for debate is that Dogecoin has pierced popular imagination, perhaps because it doesn’t take itself too seriously.As a feature article in The Economist’s 1843 put it recently: “’How’s your Doge?’ became a running gag among our friends. As other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Bitcoin looked increasingly formidable, Dogecoin stayed cute and laughable – the underdoggy.”Speaking about her husband, the author continued: “Richard stuck with it. Or rather he opted to hodl (hold on for dear life), as the crypto lingo has it. He’s 55, so this new vocabulary unnerves me. But there’s a squeamish delight in ‘getting into crypto’ at a time of life when you’re supposed to be hitting safer stuff – real estate, gold, municipal bonds.”

“Like a motorcycle, crypto keeps you young, where young means moody, desperate and on the cusp of danger.”

The article also talked about Dogecoin feeling like an exclusive – “if eccentric and possibly delusional” club, “to which average people cannot gain admittance unless they have tested their mettle.”Having invested $1,000 recently in various crypto currencies myself (and learning a very painful lesson in the process) I can attest all too well to this.

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The post World’s Most Mocked ‘Alt Coin’ Could Drag Crypto Out Of The Dark Ages, Elon Musk Claims appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a very big man who has a particular taste for very big cars.He’s most famous for his love of Hummers. Indeed, ‘The Governator’ was the first civilian in the US to own a Humvee, and he loved the vehicle so much that he aggressively lobbied AM General to produce a street-legal, civilian version – the Hummer H1 – and he bought the first two H1s ever sold.Other huge vehicles in the 74-year-old actor, ex-politician and muscleman’s collection include a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, a classic Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible, a Bentley Arnage and even an EV-converted Mercedes-Benz G-Class.But the biggest – or perhaps the most outlandish – car in his collection is his Excalibur. An exceedingly rare car that he doesn’t drive very often, Schwarzenegger was spotted taking the old girl out for a spin over the weekend, attracting more than a few looks in the process. More looks than even a Hummer would get, for sure.

Produced on and off between 1963 and 1990, the Excalibur is an American car modelled after the iconic Mercedes-Benz SSK (W06) roadster, which itself was produced between 1928 and 1932. Created by famed automotive designer Brooks Stevens, the retro-styled vehicle was based on a Studebaker GT Hawk chassis, powered by either a Studebaker or Chevrolet V8 good for 220kW.RELATED: This Rare Studebaker Was Once The Fastest Car In Australia… & Is Now Up For SaleIt’s not clear what year of production Schwarzenegger’s is from – our guess is that it would be an 80s-era ‘SS’ model, which would make sense, as the 80s was when his acting career really took off, and he would have had the money to burn on something so extravagant.Despite Arnie building a career out of playing action heroes, this car really looks like something a supervillain would drive. Although it’s not quite as villainous as this ‘evil’ Australian BMW…

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The post Arnold Schwarzenegger Ditches His Hummer For Ridiculous Supervillain Car appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There are many advantages to flying at the pointy end of the plane. Legroom, the ability to lie down flat (in most cases), champagne.But there is one often forgotten perk – the personal feeling that comes with there being fewer passengers for flight attendants to contend with.This doesn’t guarantee everything will always run smoothly (see: First-Class Passenger Rant Sparks Flight Attendant Fury). But when it does, it helps the thousands of extra dollars (or masses of points) you’ve lumped over for your ticket feel a little more worth it.RELATED: Why Flying First Class Is More Stressful Than Flying Business ClassFrequent first and business class flyer, and the youngest male to visit all 196 countries, James Asquith, recently took to Instagram to make this point, showing flying first class isn’t all about ergonomics and chicken edamame salad.

“It was American Airlines transcon First yesterday, not bad, nothing special, but a great flight because of Kim – a fantastic FA who has been at AA for 33 years – and goes to show that a friendly and good crew member can make an average product feel great, thanks for a wonderful flight!”

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A post shared by James Asquith (@jamesasquith)

Asquith added: “It’s been non-stop for 4 years with the company working now. That’s 7 days a week, 12-16 hours a day and a lot of work behind the scenes that you don’t see on social media. Living in airports and flying means working on weird time zones all the time – and still I love it.”

“Anyone that knows me and spends time with me, sees away from first class flights and a bit of fun (booked super cheap May I add, miles, weird routings etc), that I’m always working – the dedication to something you love will get results, but the online flexers tend to be BS so don’t feel bad about where you are – do the hard work behind the scenes!”

With a schedule like Asquith’s (he later shared some of the details of his next four days, which he said would take him through 22 of the 24 world time zones), you can see why flying at the front might be useful for helping him keep it all up.We’ll drink a champagne slammer to that…

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The post First Class Flyer Reveals Pointy End Perk Too Many People Forget About appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

With the global pandemic still showing no signs of being over soon – despite high vaccination rates in countries such as the UK – looking after yourself continues to be paramount.In Australia, gyms across much of the country have had to close their doors once again as the virus rages again, and while they may be open in most parts of the US, with Covid-related deaths spiking once more, it’s understandable if you’d rather get your fitness fix elsewhere, such as at home.But with many people unlikely to have their own home gym – whether it be a simple set of resistance bands or a fully-fledged squat rack – finding ways to keep yourself in shape can pose an obstacle. Fortunately, international playboy and man who only “does things [he] wants to do” Dan Bilzerian, is on hand to prove that you can turn everyday household objects into some home gym equipment.Posting on his Instagram story recently, Dan can be seen bicep curling – or perhaps more specifically, performing hammer curls – with a pair of hotel chairs. Hammer curls are a fantastic arm workout that primarily targets the long head of the bicep muscle, meaning you can gain yourself a serious set of bicep peaks if you perform them often enough.Admittedly, a pair of chairs could prove to be a little heavy or awkward to hold for some, but the underlying message that suggests you can find weights and workout equipment all around you is one to take onboard.We’ve seen before how German muscle mountain Jo Lindner turned his home sofa into a complete gym, and of course you can perform a simple bodyweight workout to get the blood pumping and muscle building. But even using other everyday items such as bags of flour or sugar, or even some compost if you’re in the middle of a garden renovation, can all add extra benefit to your workouts.If you’re still finding yourself stuck for ideas, you can check out fitness coach Jonas Hereora’s easy guide to replicating your gym workout at home.Stay safe, and don’t let your gains suffer.

Dan Bilzerian is not afraid of a big workout [watch below]

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The post Dan Bilzerian Hotel Workout Proof You Don’t Need A Gym To Get In Shape appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Think a pandemic was the only thing to go viral in 2020 and 2021? Think again.A business and first class trend called ‘slammertime’ has been sweeping the skies. The trend started becoming popular in 2020, and involves filming yourself skulling a flute of champagne (or another kind of alcoholic beverage) and sharing it with your Instagram followers, nominating a number of them to follow your lead.The creator of ‘slammertime’ told DMARGE last year that ‘slammertime’ started as a gentle f*ck you to the pointy end snobs of the world (as well as just “a huge amount of fun”).“The whole thing of slammers started when I had never flown in business class and felt heavily judged and profiled for how I dressed, acted and behaved. I don’t think there should be a stigma about nice things. How many people have walked into a really nice restaurant or hotel and felt profiled?”

“This shouldn’t be the case and it’s a bit of fun trying to break down classist boundaries which I don’t think should exist. The behaviour is light-hearted and fun and brings us as everyday people together. I must get sent hundreds of videos each week from people of all backgrounds doing a slammer on a plane or at home, and it’s just a fun thing. Similar to perhaps doing a round of shots on a night out.”

Watch frequent first and business class flyer James Asquith demonstrate how you do a champagne slammer in the video below

Canadian travel hacker Spencer Giles, who “was introduced to [‘slammertime’] by people on Instagram,” said part of the attraction was the reaction.

“It’s entertaining when you get a sudden eye roll or reaction from an elite frequent flyer on board in first or business class cabins. Its something we look forward to and will continue to do so on all our trips when possible.”

Perth-based travel blogger and owner of Flight Hacks Immanuel Debeer (who is also a ‘slammertime’ enthusiast) told DMARGE in 2020 that ‘slammertime’ was “the only morale booster these days.”Immanuel last month shared a video of a fellow ‘slammertime’ enthusiast (founder of Straight To The Points Spencer Howard) smashing a flute of champagne over in America (in the JFK Clubhouse bar, to be precise).

Watch Spencer smash that champagne in the video below

“The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse isn’t open for an hour. Should I burn some skymiles on a bottle of champagne?” Spencer asked followers, providing them with two options: (yes, or “I don’t like fun”).Underneath, a caption read “Anyone at JFK and want to do slammers?”He then shared the video you can see above of ‘slammertime’ before eventually flying to London with Virgin Atlantic in seat 1A.Sydney University professor of sociology Robert Van Krieken reckons ‘slammertime’ came about, mostly, due to the technological revolution, and the “performativity of Instagram and Twitter.”

“They’re communicating primarily with their social media audience, not with the other people on the plane.”

In terms of in flight etiquette, a Qantas flight attendant told DMARGE last year she sees two sides to ‘slammertime.’“I see a lot of people drinking too much and mixing drinks with sleeping pills… it never ends well. It’s a plane not a restaurant. People should remember that and respect flight attendants.”However, she also said, “I definitely wouldn’t see it as rude. Airlines such as Qantas pride themselves on making customers feel welcome and at home… many people are excited and paid a large amount to fly. I personally love a few bubbles with arriving on board a business class flight.”“However common sense must prevail. And customers must remember it’s not a bar. There’s a time and place for getting smashed and a plane is not it. So knowing when to stop and acknowledging the demands that air travel has on the body is really important.”

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A post shared by Janet – Irish Travel Blogger (@janetnewenham)

Whatever your take on it, ‘slammertime’ appears to be growing. In November 2020 there were 2,612 Instagram posts with the hashtag ‘slammertime’. In August 2021 there were 2,885.Whatever floats your boat throat.

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The post Hedonistic New Trend Sparks Business Class Etiquette Debate appeared first on DMARGE Australia.