Health
ArchiveMicrobes are now being hawked to athletes to prevent sickness and improve recovery. We talked to several experts to separate hype from fact.
Turns out you'll start to see and feel results from a new workout routine very quickly—sometimes after just one session.
You just have to tweak your training and eating habits. Here’s how.
Your pounding headache is no excuse to not get after it on the mountain.
Maybe. But first, don't assume you're actually iron deficient.
Performance-enhancing recipes from Simon Lusky, the baseball team's head chef.
Rattle and roll
For the first time, the energy-boosting adhesives are being marketed specifically to athletes. Here's what you need to know about them.
Stop that lawnmower! Your urban backyard is packed with hidden performance-enhancing plants that can be tossed together to make an ancestral wonder meal.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport might be going down. And that isn't necessarily a good thing for athletes.
So conquer it with these six tips from cycling’s comeback queen, Alison Tetrick.
Bottom line? Eat like an elite to maximize health and performance.
Ambronite is a new competitor in the meal-on-the-go market. But is it any better than offerings like Soylent?
There's no scientific evidence proving that salt therapy will make you a better athlete. But it can have some surprising health benefits that have nothing to do with the respiratory system.
Our test subject spends two uncomfortable weeks getting too close to everyone in his life
We sacrificed our dignity in a Zumba class, but gained a new appreciation for ostentatious exercises and Top 40
It doesn't take much to feel like you've gotten away.
No one's life is Instagram-perfect. Would we be better off sharing the mundane and unattractive parts of ourselves?
Step away from the smartphone. Gaining control over your screen time doesn't have to mean swearing off all electronics—just setting a few sane rules. Do it, and you'll be happier in the end.
These simple strategies will lift your mood, get you outdoors, and help you spend more time doing what you love.
Some companies claim that their clothing can make you burn extra calories. Don't believe the hype.
Pro photographer Larry Rosa looks for pain, postcards, and the hidden stories within every endurance race.
It's called the Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning machine, and it looks like a sci-fi egg from outer space. In theory it one-ups standard hypobaric chambers by giving users greater aerobic gains in a fraction of the time. Is CVAC crackpot pseudoscience? Or an important new discovery that could change the way you train?
An undiagnosed reaction to your pre-race meal could be hurting your athletic performance. Here's how to pinpoint—and fix—the issue.
What man's best friend can teach us about being content
Being in the zone. Zenning out. Whatever you call it, concentrating so deeply you don't even realize it is sublime.
Beginners, we have a secret for you. You don't need high-end gear or a fancy training plan to get better at skiing, running, or climbing. All you have to do is embrace the embarrassment and the pain—and don't forget to laugh. Trust us: It'll be good for your brain.
Tips from legend Lee Sheftel, who sent his first 5.14 after his 59th birthday
Keri Herman only started skiing seriously in her senior year of college. Now she's an Olympian. Here's how she turned her late start into a competitive advantage.
Used to be you had to live at altitude to adapt to it. But new research suggests that by training your respiratory muscles, you can teach yourself to perform better with less oxygen.
Because no one podiums at noon or tags a summit at dusk without a proper first meal
There's nothing wrong with tuning into a show while you're on a trainer. It can actually have some surprising benefits—if done in moderation.
This super coach’s three unconventional training strategies may be the key to your next PR.
Plus the secret to Lindsey Vonn's amazing comeback.
You have no idea how much food can be found right outside your door. In Part 6 of Natural Born Heroes series, a veteren forager teaches Christopher McDougall how to get the most out of his front lawn. …
The Tough Guy race series challenges even the fittest of athletes. Three-time champ James Appleton suffered from severe hypothermia near the end of an event in Perton, UK on February 1, and had to delay celebrating his third place finish. This clip, from Scott Keneally’s upcoming film…
Some of these funky foods from races all around the world will give you a performance boost. Others you should avoid at all costs.
Why even the healthiest athletes stock their carts with Lucky Charms and Ben & Jerry’s—and how to beat the junk-food craving once and for all.
The Super Bowl virgin on running hills, eating yogurt, and guarding Revis Island.
Feed your competitive appetite—sometimes without even leaving the house.
As sensor technology improves and becomes more practical, so does the ability of coaches and athletes to collect—and react to—more nuanced data.
Performance wear that makes you the canvas
You know your weight-training regimen? It's breaking you down. Build yourself up for endurance success—and prevent injury—with these five improved alternatives.
Guess what? The latest trend food has been at aid stations for decades, and for good reason. Broth is packed with muscle-boosting minerals and sodium for post-race recovery. Here's why, and when, to drink up.
Is it possible to train your body to decrease the amount of rest it needs?
A recently declassified report shows that stressing your mind is the secret to training your body.
Want to undo the damage of your desk job in 10 minutes? Crawl like a kid and start spinning like a Sufi monk.
Exactly what alcohol does to athletic performance
I just had surgery after a skiing accident, and my wrist is in a cast for several weeks. What can I do to avoid losing strength while I can't move it?
Breakthrough therapies are helping athletes recover from injuries previously thought untreatable. But many doctors remain unaware of the advancements.
Six surprising reasons to sweat that go far beyond vanity.
Surprise! You'll lose weight and end up with less screen time.
A four-step plan for maximizing your productivity
Cue: Your iPod dock set up by the door. Reward: Serenity, more intuitive pacing.
My buddy and I have a bet going. He says snowboarding burns more calories, I say downhill skiing does. Who's right?
Make those nebulous resolutions last by turning them into habits. The key? The right reward.
It’s not just for elite athlete. Training alone—in the right dose—will make you a faster and more resilient athlete.
Take a random day off—it’ll work wonders for your happiness and health
Your bowl of oatmeal may get boring, but it’s the key to better meal choices throughout the day
Need an alarm to wake up? Find a clock.
Something about messing up has us tiptoeing around mistakes, but embarrassment can help us get ahead by making risk-taking seem a little less risky
Nothing in this world is certain, except death, taxes, and traffic on the morning commute
Sitting is the new smoking—but the cure isn’t just more standing
Even if it means eating a bar on the bike
Cue: A sleep deficit, a Saturday morning. Reward: Fun dreams, self-awareness, less stress.
Specializing in one sport will take you only so far. To really break through, you'll need to branch out.
Because even a great pair of socks can make getting fit more doable
Fact-checking trusted training maxims
How a man wrongly convicted for murder spent nearly a decade in prison—and emerged as a fitness guru.
Sitting all day can have a serious effect on the body. In Part 4 of the Natural Born Heroes series, Christopher McDougall finds out how to correct all of that damage in just a few minutes a day.
Sign up for a midnight fun run on New Year's Eve—and kick ass. Here's how.
When longtime triathlete T.J. Murphy took on a Kokoro camp – a beyond-extreme fitness challenge modeled on the Navy’s Hell Week for SEAL candidates – his first question was purely about the pain: Can I survive this? The second was more metaphysical: Should I even want to? …
Turns out the spin bike is the key to getting—and staying—fast
Strength is useless if you don't hone your agility—the skill of translating power into meaningful movement. And it all starts with mastering the "Kong vault."
Restaurants make us impulsive, which means it can be hard to turn down the cheesecake no matter how big a label it comes with.
More than 76 years ago, a visionary Australian coach had an epiphany that forged a generation of super-athletes: true fitness is all about translating fear into raw power.
One of the most surprising heroes of World War II was a pint-sized shepherd nicknamed The Clown—and his fitness wisdom can change your life.