Health
ArchiveWhen former Outside Online Editor Megan Miller told me this past spring she was working on a new adventure fitness app called Teemo, I was curious. How would it work? Who would use it? How easy would it be? She revealed the app a couple of…
I can see the smoke from wildfires burning all across the state. How do I know if it’s safe to run outside?
The U.S. Olympic Training Center serves 1,200 meals to 350 athletes each day. The most popular dish? A nutrient-dense Thai chicken soup.
I’m racing the Leadville Trail 100 this August. I live at sea level, so when should I go up there to race my best?
Fact: Exercising in polluted air can increase your risk of asthma, stroke, and heart failure. But is it better than the alternative—avoiding a workout altogether?
I want to keep up my training routine—but I'm injured. Will taking Advil for the pain in my strained quad inhibit healing?
I can’t live without sweets. Is it possible to have my dessert and eat it too—without undoing all the work I did training?
I know that exercise is supposed to improve sex, but is there a point of diminishing returns?
I want to add miles for my ultra training, but I'm concerned about breaking down my body. Will longer runs wreck my hard-won muscle tone?
The United States Olympic Committee has announced its 2011 coaches of the year. Rick Bower, coach of the U.S. snowboarding halfpipe team, took home the top honor. In the past, that award has gone to prominent names, including cycling coach Chris Carmichael…
I’ve seen it on a whole range of athletes, from Olympic volleyball players to swimmers and soccer players. How is Kinesio tape supposed to work, and is it effective?
A strong trunk is the key to efficient paddling. These four poses will help get you there.
There's been a lot of talk lately about long runs being hard on the body, particularly the heart. I've also read the CrossFit argument against distance running, even when preparing for a marathon. Should I change how I run?
Priceless advice from world-champion decathlete Trey Hardee, who has distilled a decade of training and nutrition wisdom into one customizable gold-medal fitness formula.
The champion decathlete shares his favorite recovery meal
Everything you need to complete one of the hardest races on earth, including a 16-week training program developed by Spartan's own Dr. Jeff Godin; the ultimate Spartan nutrition plan; and advice from Hobie Call, the winningest Spartan racer of all time
Is it true that if I abstain from caffeine before I race, it’ll be more effective during the race? How will it help me, and how much should I take?
Lewis dishes on the nuances of slackline tricking competition, the newest event at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail
Staying loose and strong are essential for efficient swimming. These four poses strike the perfect balance.
Maintaining a plant-based diet can take up lots of precious time and energy, but you can have this nutritious rice-based dish on the table in less than 20 minutes
I’m bored of my routine and have trouble getting motivated to exercise. I'd like to train with someone, but I'm not sure where to look. Got any suggestions?
Sitting down with an Outside in Aspen athlete
A Q&A with an Outside in Aspen participant
I've heard that inflammation is bad for me and can hurt my sports performance. Why is that, and is there an easy way to keep inflammation down?
I want to shed a few pounds and move closer to my speed goals, but all the recommended recovery foods are high-carb and high-calorie. Will using the Paleo Diet make it more difficult to train for the next big race?
Juggling a busy schedule, I try to make my exercise time as well-rounded and efficient as possible. To maximize my workout, is it better to run or lift first?
I'm looking to maximize my triathlon training days. Could you recommend a few places?
I've read about CrossFit adherents who have run marathons using just the exercise program's strength and conditioning regimen. Can I really train for a race using CrossFit alone?
What are the things I should make sure not to do in the final weeks before a triathlon?
A new study says that Ibuprofen can help prevent mountain climbers from getting altitude sickness
Why a Bay Area gym has become a destination for the world’s top athletes
Cola. Photo: Shutterstock Can a diet of Twinkies and cola negatively affect your memory? That's what scientists who conducted a study on rats in the Journal of Physiology are suggesting. “Our…
My local gym touts metabolic testing for everybody, from people who want to lose 60 pounds to those who want to shave a few seconds off their PR. It's pretty spendy. Should I do it?
The jury is still out on dosage guidelines for nitrates and beta-alanine, but here are recommendations from two top nutritionists
Endurance athletes have been chasing a natural oxygen boost for decades. The answer may be as simple as eating your vegetables.
I'm looking for ways to gauge improvement. If I can soak through my wicking base layers, I call that a good day. Do better athletes sweat more?
I'm getting faster as I get older. Maybe I should think about upping my game and shooting for some really big goals...
It's hard to differentiate between recovery eating and overeating. Are those last few pounds holding me back?
Recharge your battery with a much deserved break from your daily routine.
The Quidditch World Cup sounds dorky, and make no mistake: it is. But these sorcery-loving Harry Potter fans play pretty rough, as Eric Hansen found out when he captained a bad-news team of ex-athletes, ultimate Frisbee studs, slobs, drunks, and some people he knows from Iceland. Brooms up, and may the best Muggles win.
Is there a way to schedule my training sessions to get the most out of my workout?
Two years after undergoing surgery to correct a debilitating heart condition, the Australian triathlete is poised to qualify for the Olympics
Time for a walk, via Shutterstock Don't just sit there. That's the obvious lesson learned after reading Gretchen Reynolds's latest column on health…
Americans spend hundreds of millions of dollars on fish oil supplements every year, but studies have never been able to prove their effectiveness
Apparently, I'm going to live until I'm 82. At least that's what this new online Life Expectancy Calculator from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Public Health Ontario, the University of Ottawa, and the…
I have been following professional triathlon for a while and am amazed by the performances of elite athletes. Is there anything that we recreational athletes can learn from them? Just about very one of my amateur athletes asks me this at some point. The short answer is a resounding, “YES!”…
And our favorite recipes for incorporating them into your post-workout routine
I’d like to think that I’m the kind of parent who knows exactly what her kids should eating at any given time, and how much. The kind of parent who’ll—for example—whip up homemade date-and-nut energy bars or lemon sports…
Matt Dixon of Purplepatch Fitness explains how to eat when you’re training and recovering. For more triathlon training videos, go to The Outside Challenge.
What’s the secret of success in endurance sports? I get asked this a lot. The answer can be boiled down to one phrase: consistency of effective training. Performance does not arrive overnight. It comes out of a consistently applied training plan that is appropriate and specific to your…
Refuel with these bacon-cashew rice cakes from sports physiologist Allen Lim
Major League Baseball’s long tradition of warming up for the season with oddball adventures
Get ready to maximize the endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, and power you never knew you had.
Matt Dixon of Purplepatch Fitness shares one of the best exercises for building strength in your glutes. For more triathlon fitness videos and interactive training plans, check out The Outside Challenge.
Matt Dixon of Purplepatch Fitness demonstrates one of the best exercises for building strength in your hamstrings and glutes. For more triathlon fitness videos and interactive training plans, check out The Outside Challenge.
Get a solid endurance base through heart-rate training.
Fine-tune your fitness with balance and agility exercises. Here's how.
To keep a workout program fresh, you need to make it your own, and some days you need to break the rules—within reason.
Heart-rate training is the key to gauging your aerobic intensity and building endurance. Here's how to get started.
The ultimate guide to weightlifting for endurance athletes
Have trail and gym work turned you into a stiff? You need some flex time with Ashtanga yoga.
A decade of research reveals that creatine is the real deal—but watch your step when tempted by other supplements making big promises
Your foundation is built. It's time to tweak the beast.
How much protein do you really need? A lot more than Uncle Sam's telling you.
We asked four top fitness coaches for their tape-it-to-the-fridge-door advice. Here's what they told us. (Bonus: We kick your excuses to the curb.)
After every workout, recovery starts with the first thing you put in your mouth
I’ve never done a triathlon. I don’t swim. I don’t run. And I bike mainly when our copy chief goads me into it. Yes, this is pathetic, especially since I edit Outside’s fitness coverage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still active: I ski all winter, hike a 12,000-foot peak at…
In our obsession with minimizing exercise damage, we may have lost sight of the reason we exercise in the first place: to force our bodies to adapt and get stronger