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Watch senior editor Jonah Ogles' transition from zero to downhill hero
Last week, at the International Triathlon Union’s Grand Final, Jonny Brownlee nearly lost consciousness a quarter-mile from the finish line. This is the most recent example of a trend that seems to plague the sport.
Developing flexibility is just as important as developing strength. Here are the best moves to make you a healthier, more efficient all-around athlete.
With nothing more than his bike, running shoes, and small amount of gear, Joe Grant managed to climb every fourteener in Colorado in record time. Here’s how he pulled it off.
Alone, these tiny details won't boost performance much. But their sum could mean the difference between a good race and a PR.
A morning run or evening spin class may feel great, but if the rest of your day involves sitting on your ass, a brief burst does little for your overall well-being.
Want to perform like a pro, even with the years piling up? Nick Heil got the deluxe treatment at Exos, a cutting-edge outfit that works with NFL players and soccer stars. He came out slimmer, stronger, and more focused—the perfect upgrade for anybody, at any age, who plays hard in the outdoors.
Two weeks of full-time, one-on-one instruction at Exos can set you back $4,800. Here’s how to get many of the same performance benefits without taking out a second mortgage.
New research shows that perceptions of fatigue and pain stop us from hitting our physical limits long before our bodies do. Can athletes train their brains to reach unheard-of levels of peak performance?
Whether you’re an elite athlete or a restless desk jockey, there are better ways to achieve your goals. Just ask 4-Hour guru Tim Ferriss, who started quizzing the world’s greatest performers on their routines as a side project—and ended up with a whole new approach to training.
Don’t let the Theranos saga fool you: we’ve entered a new era of self-quantification, in which on-demand blood testing is sold as the easy way to fine-tune your training and nutrition. Can an algorithm really replace your coach?
How endurance athlete Patrick Sweeney puts away nearly 3,000 calories a day on the ketone diet
Your mind is also key to recovery
The diet has quietly become the rage among ultra-endurance athletes and elite soldiers, and it's a surprisingly yummy way to fuel up.
If you’re willing to work hard, conquer your fears, and maybe don some superhero spandex, anything is possible
The key to peak performance: take better care of yourself
These neuron-stimulating Halo Sport headphones are said to boost athletic performance
Move the dial with the power of science
Being fit is about constant movement, and children are in constant motion during playtime at the jungle gym. Why not join their lead?
Wisdom from the strength and conditioning coach who trains the NFL’s best
Meeting up with your friends for a post-run drink could do a lot more good than you realize
A new generation of natural protein powders build muscle and aid recovery the clean way
Once released, the formerly incarcerated face a daunting set of challenges—a job, a place to live, and, most urgently, breaking the cycle of bad friends and bad habits that can lead to more prison time. Now scientists and activists are asking whether nature may be essential to helping them build new lives.
Fitness gains don’t occur during workouts, they occur after. Recovering while stressed could throw a serious wrench into your training.
When people ask why I love photographing weird sports and games, I tell them I love photographing people having fun. Pretty simple.
We use fitness trackers with the goal of improving our health, but the public data generated by these devices can be used in some pretty surprising ways.
Michael “Biker” Sherlock, a noted downhill skateboarder and street luger who won multiple medals at the X Games and Gravity Games, sustained many head injuries during his career.
When the news broke in May that BMX legend Dave Mirra, who committed suicide in February, had the degenerative brain disease CTE, everything changed in the world of action sports. Cyclists, skiers, and other athletes began asking: are we subject to the same concussion and CTE risks that have been so widely reported in the NFL?
A growing number of scientists, athletes, and even a retired general believe that fasting leads to better health. Should you listen?
There’s no universal blueprint for treating a concussion. The protocol depends on the individual’s symptoms and medical history, and recovery times vary.
Our organ-by-organ breakdown of what happens inside your body when you push it in the heat
Skepticism about doping is at an all-time high. What, if anything, will save sport? Seven experts weigh in.
You’ve seen the cupping marks on Michael Phelps’ shoulders, but other athletes are also using a variety of Eastern medicine practices to recover better and stay in peak condition through the Games.
Ashton Eaton, criticized for a Team Canada hat, illustrates just how misguided country-centric fandom has become
Forget doping. Behold our ideal athlete, pieced together by the best parts of Olympians present and past.
This staple of dirtbags and endurance athletes gets a lot of love—and a lot of hate. Here’s why it just may be the most polarizing breakfast food.
From wipeouts to ties to near violence, here are the least graceful—but most memorable—finish line moments
Most Olympic athletes scrape by for the love of their sport. But these 20 have the economic power of small countries.
Better equipment, medicine, and compensation means Olympic athletes can compete well into their thirties—and beyond
By focusing on the controllables, practicing gratitude, and relying on a foundation of physical and mental training.
While Michael Phelps admitted that his expression was unintentional, could it have influenced his gold medal-winning performance?
Eight weird (and legal) performance-enhancing substances that Olympic athletes have used to gain an advantage
Everyone experiences pre-event nerves. Here’s how to turn them into an advantage.
New research calls beet juice’s magic powers into question—at least for certain athletes
An expert look at the most feasible—and nuttiest—submissions
Grayling, Michigan, is a small dot on some maps. The quaint tourist town is best known for its fly-fishing history and for being the epicenter of "up north" in the Midwest. Its other claim to faim: hosting a popular event that claims to be "the world's toughest spectator race."
It's all about experience, eating slow, and going beyond the comfort food
Is the world’s most dominant triathlete primed for gold?
Natalie Coughlin is focusing on the little things
The metrics from your last run or ride can be—and have been—used to save lives, make cities safer, and put people in handcuffs
Meet the inspiring Spartan racers who have overcome massive life obstacles to compete
A new book examines sex-specific fueling, the role of female hormones in performance, and why you're probably not eating enough carbs
Plus, Lance Armstrong’s favorite on-the-bike snack
What riders eat to make it through the world’s toughest bike race
How has eating changed at the world’s biggest bike race? We made it our mission to find out.
Is heat better than altitude? The science seems to say so.
Tunes that’ll help power you through a workout or find zen during a long trail run
The sport will return to the 2016 Olympics after nearly a century, and Carlin Isles is the player we can't wait to watch
Physical resilience, mental toughness, and embracing both the highs and lows
After a bumpy year filled with injury, illness, and a ton of ups and downs, Canadian triathlete Kirsten Sweetland has figured out success
Or rather it could be, with two simple tweaks
Nearly two million Americans suffer from opioid addiction. Athletes haven't been able to avoid the epidemic, but they've found novel ways to alleviate pain without using prescription meds.
'Calm of the Mountains' is a short film from Lululemon about Rio-hopeful Melinda Withrow and her relationship with her dad and the mountains of Polson, Montana
The secret to unlocking your athletic potential is in your genes, but scientists don’t know what they’re telling us—yet
'A Fighting Chance' provides an authentic look into the lives of four Olympic Games hopefuls from diverse countries
Hard work, sleep, meditation, routine, and drawing upon years of wisdom
The creators of a new kind of driving range are betting that loud music, tons of booze, and an addictive point system will make golf cool again
Does an enigmatic European have the secret to ultimate performance? Laird Hamilton and Tim Ferris think so—and research backs them up.
Products to keep your core temperature down and your performance up
Develop confidence, minimize ego
Whether you're running, climbing, surfing, or fly fishing, Bullfrog has the ideal sunscreen for the every summer activity.
Whether you’ve been working hard all winter or are newly motivated by the long, warm days to jump into training, summer is the best time get out on the water, rock walls, and trails. Here are ten ways to maximize your performance.