Health
ArchiveRamp up for winter thrills with counterintuitive cross-training
For an injury-free season on the slopes, limber up before you go
Urban pollution can undo your fitness plans. To avoid the big wheeze, check out our guide to finding the freshest outdoor oxygen in cities across the country.
You train almost every other part of your body, so why not your eyes? Sharpen your vision with these techniques; we guarantee your athletic performance will improve.
Do you lie awake at night worrying that everything you know is wrong? You need what this guy is selling!
A new test for bike saddles promises to protect you from getting numb or falling limp. Go nuts!
Is no cut at all. The latest surgery-free solutions to sports injuries may help you bypass the O.R., and put you back at the top of your game.
Nothing caps a righteous day like a proper toast. But hauling vino into the wild has always been as practical as hiking in loafers—until now. Quality boxed wines—seriously—have arrived. These cardboard carriers deliver three liters in tough plastic wineskins. And the taste? We invited Mark Miller, godfather of modern southwestern…
IN CHRIS CARMICHAEL’S NEW BOOK on nutrition, Food for Fitness (Penguin, $26), due out in late July, Lance Armstrong’s coach puts the smack down on the high-protein, low-carb diet frenzy. According to Carmichael, the barbarian diet is disastrous for active types—much better to get back on the pasta-and-potato train. Since…
Withstand summer's deadly rays with heroic, high-tech SPF solutions
Smart trend or exercise fad? We sorted out the tired and the wired to find 2004's fitness winners.
Week of April 3-9, 1997 Hiking and biking in North Carolina Schlepping a surfboard to Costa Rica? Planning an adventure trip with a toddler Rock-climbing schools in New Hampshire…
Week of August 29-September 4, 1996 Roughing it (sort of) on St. John Aspen action, minus the snow Outside the Beltway, into Virginia Camping in Hoosier National Forest…
Week of January 30-February 5, 1997 Through-hiking the Appalachian Trail Hiking and rafting in Northern California Late-season skiing at Colorado resorts Making the most of five days in the Adirondacks…
You’ve done other books, right? Q: Warren, I really don’t think your new book is your first. It seems that I have a book about ski-bumming in Sun Valley that I…
Think of this as your adventure tool box: We’ve got the strength moves you need for peak performance, from core training to flexibility building to explosive power drills. Ramp up your fitness plan with these six workouts, guaranteed to get you buff—and ready to play outside.
Outside magazine, September 1997 Spontaneous Consumption Bahìa Magdalena was to be merely a pit stop. Then he met Paloma, Queen of Ceviche. By Randy Wayne White It was Paloma Magallanes, a spirited but untraveled grandmother, who unwittingly convinced me to…
Outside magazine, March 1999 Drop and Give Me … a Nap Why hitting the sheets may be better than hitting the streets By Peter Lewis In our endless quest to stay fit and healthy,…
Bodywork, May 1999 Eyes Wide Open No need to settle for so-so sight. Not when an ocular workout can bring your game into focus. By Tish Hamilton Two seasons ago Greg Vaughn was,…
Outside magazine, June 1995 Regimens: Getting a Foot Up on Overuse Injuries By Sara Corbett Modern athletic shoes may have given us too much of a good thing. “They’ve allowed the muscles that naturally stabilize our feet to weaken,” says Tom McPoil, an associate…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Prescriptions: Doctoring for the Downside By Andrew Tilin The flip side of downhill training is that it can be hard on your joints and tendons. “Ankles are an obvious concern when you’re running downhill,” says Richard Watkins, a strength and…
Outside Magazine, February 1995 Regimens: Gaining Ground on the Treadmill By Dana Sullivan Running six miles is easier on a treadmill than in the real world of wind, unforgiving pavement, traffic lights, and dogs. So if bouts of nasty weather move some of your…
Outside magazine, November 1995 Winter Training, Any Way You Carve It Snow-sport dabblers, beware: The more pursuits you take up, the more varied your regimen should be By Sara Corbett Impressed last winter by the flocks of pirouetting telemarkers and snowboarders, I…
Outside magazine, December 1999 Page: 1 | 2 | 3 BE THE FIRE KEEPER “Hypothermia,” says James Wilkerson, editor of Hypothermia, Frostbite and Other Cold Injuries (The Mountaineers, $13), “is a disorder…
Outside magazine, July 1995 Strategies: Because Man Cannot Run on Fumes Alone By Mark Jannot A lunchtime workout inevitably squeezes out one of the day’s main events–lunch. With the assistance of Nancy Clark, director of nutrition services at the SportsMedicine Brookline clinic in Massachusetts,…
Outside magazine, December 1995 Prescriptions: Stopping Exercise-Induced Asthma Cold By Paul Gains Winter athletes know the importance of protecting the extremities: Fingers and toes, ears and heads have to be insulated from the conditions that can lead to frostbite and hypothermia. Less obviously in…
Outside magazine, March 1996 Strategies: How to Achieve In-Line Efficiency By Dana Sullivan If you’re thinking about trading running shoes for in-line skates now that there’s asphalt where slush used to be, a recent study conducted at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst says you’re smart.
Outside magazine, July 1999 The Cartwheel The Diving Dig | The Cartwheel | The Figure Four | Take the Stairs | The Crossover Dribble |…
Outside magazine, May 1996 …Or Not to Stretch You’ll rarely, if ever, hear anyone question the wisdom of a good warm-up or deny the importance of flexibility. But shout “Stretch!” in a crowded trainers’ convention and you’re liable to start a brawl. “The medical literature doesn’t…
Outside magazine, August 1996 Adventure: Blisters R Us By John Alderman On July 24, two single-engine floatplanes will drop six explorers onto the icy chop of Summit Lake, deep in Alaska’s Brooks Range. Once ashore, the team will begin a 20-mile trek through scree…
Outside magazine, April 1996 Intake: Rehydrate, Reload, Recover By Suzanne Schlosberg “Eating and drinking properly after a major athletic push can make the difference between recovering quickly and having fatigue lag on for days,” says Bonnie Modugno, a dietician based in Santa Monica,…
Bodywork, April 1997 Intake: Puppy Uppers By Brad Wetzler Mocha-flavored Powerbars, orangeburst Gu, Thunder Bars–and don’t forget Super Mega Mass 4000. Clearly, real food isn’t in among endurance athletes these days. And if carbo-visionary Pat Meiering has his way, your dog will…
Outside magazine, September 1996 Regimens: Mental Training Routines Tailored to Your… “Issue” Mark Jannot Virtually all of the athletes who consult with Nate Zinsser, sports psychologist for the Center for Enhanced Performance at West Point, fall into one of three categories, depending on the…
Outside magazine, September 1996 Rx for Sick Gear By Glenn Randall “NO MAN EVER STOOD THE LOWER IN MY estimation for having a patch in his clothes,” wrote Thoreau in Walden. Our man’s ponderings have an especially practical ring in this age of…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Regimens: Aprês Ski: Downhill Workout For the Indoors When members of the U.S. Ski team come off the slopes and into the weight room, aside from doing zillions of leg extensions, they work their “downhill” muscles. And…
Outside magazine, March 1999 Proprioceptive Neuromuscular What? These days, there’s a lot more to stretching than feeling the burn By Andy Dappen A month or so before the 1989 U.S. summer National Championships, swimmer…
Outside magazine, June 1994 Regimens: Getting a Grip By John Brant Keith Cedro, a former strength and conditioning coach for the New York Mets, has seen plenty of good athletes with bad hands. But his prescription isn’t just for million-dollar ballplayers.
Outside magazine, July 1996 Riding Less to Achieve More By Alan Cote “It’ s kind of trite, but it’s true: getting in shape is more about quality than quantity,” says mountain-biking legend Ned Overend. Maximizing the quality of training time is something he…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Downhill Bracer For runners, hikers, and skiers in training, the best offense is a good descent By Andrew Tillin When Bill McDermott crests the hill near the 23-mile mark of his beloved Catalina Marathon, he approaches the…
Outside Magazine, February 1995 Prevention: Keeping Ankles from Taking a Turn for the Worse By Martha Thomas Unless you’re a swimmer, there’s a 75 percent chance that your sports injury will be ankle – related,” says William Hamilton, senior attending orthopedic surgeon at St.
Family Vacations, Summer 1996 Staying Safe: Bug Juices Bugs like water–so expect some close encounters with this less-than-appealing slice of wildlife. Insect repellent is essential, of course, but it’s not without controversy. The consensus in wilderness medical circles is that the first line of defense…
Outside magazine, July 1995 The Cost of Martyrdom By Larry Burke He is the most famous inmate in Leavenworth–indeed, one of the most famous prisoners in America. His case has become a kind of modern Sacco-Vanzetti, an international cause that’s been the subject of…
Outside magazine, February 1997 Fitness ’97 By Todd Balf The Guru Speaks. You Should Listen. Mark Allen, six-time winner of the Hawaii Ironman and unrivaled exemplar of the exceedingly fit, has called his career quits. Now…
Outside magazine, March 1996 Throw Your Body Weight Around With basic calisthenics, you can forget the gym fees–and become your own best workout equipment By Ken McAlpine The gym I’m in today is different. It’s sunny, it doesn’t smell, and a breeze…
Outside magazine, August 1995 Intake: Claims You Can Swallow? By Mark Jannot Perhaps you missed it in the international headlines about war and peace elsewhere, but a détente of sorts has been negotiated between the dietary supplement industry and the Food and Drug Administration,…
Outside magazine, May 1996 Flexibility With 15 minutes and a spot on the floor, Trace Worthington can fire up your muscles for anything By Mark Jannot The world’s greatest aerial skier says that if he weren’t so dedicated to maintaining his flexibility,…
Outside magazine, March 2000 Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 DO THE OSCILLATION MENTAL STAMINA TEST |…
Bodywork: Fitness for the Outside Athlete, November 1996 Essentials: Another Form of Pain Prevention By Sarah Bowen Shea Although a rigorous preseason training regimen may take care of your muscular woes, it won’t prevent another kind of pain–that which comes from impact. Thus…
Outside magazine, April 1996 Regimens: Going Long the Light-Weight Way By Mark Jannot Endurance training happens in the weight room too, with light weights and lots of repetitions. These exercises provide a full-body workout with that aim. Stu Mittleman recommends “stacking” three…
Outside magazine, April 1999 Good-bye, Guesswork The grounded new way to know how hard to go By Peter Lewis You’re probably well aware of the fact that you should divide your endurance regimen among long…
Outside magazine, September 1996 Training: Fabulous Abs, with Function By Cory Johnson THE “WASHBOARD ABS NOW!” VARIETY OF workout so popular with the indoor fitness set focuses on the aesthetics of muscle development, on the sculpting of a perfect, corrugated stomach. That’s fine, but…
Outside Magazine, November 1994 Intake: Food for the Fastest? By Elaine Appleton There’s a point in an afternoon of rock climbing or pool intervals when most athletes would resort to PowerBar by injection if it meant an instant surge of energy. But load carbos…
Outside Magazine, November 1994 Regimens: Positive Apres-Effects By Dana Sullivan You wouldn’t think of interrupting a mountain-bike ride or a trail run for a cocktail, but alpine skiing is different. It’s worthy exercise, sure–but it’s a party, too. If you’re interested in actually skiing,…
Bodywork, March 1999 It Pays to Be Flexible A few new moves to get you out of that stretching rut The best way to choose a type of stretching that suits your style is, of course, to try them all. But whether you…
Outside magazine, June 1994 You Could Use Some Helping Hands You’re only as good as your grasp, so before you pick up the pace this summer, pick up the silly putty By John Brant During my freshman year in college, a…
Outside magazine, July 1996 Medicine: Pills for Pain–Not Performance By Gretchen Reynolds “Vitamin I, vitamin K, vitamin N: that’s ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen. They all have little pet names,” says Jenny Stone, a certified athletic trainer in charge of clinical programs for sports medicine at…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Intake: How to Dodge the Wall This Fall By Lisa Twyman Bessone With the big-city double-header of marathoning coming up–Chicago on October 20 and New York two weeks later–many runners are boosting their mileage. But in concentrating so intently…
Outside Magazine, February 1995 Strategies: No Time (and Temperature) Like the Present By Mark Jannot The beauty of winter’s aerobic triumvirate — cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and snowshoeing — is that it offers a comprehensive fitness program. One sport will challenge your upper body,…
Outside magazine, July 1996 Sidestepping Summer’s Ills Active antidotes to keep an injured body in motion By Gretchen Reynolds It’s the ri-i-iping sound as the achilles tendon ruptures that’s so gruesome,” says Jim Allivato, athletic trainer of the sports medicine center at…
Outside magazine, July 1995 Endurance: Who Needs Pruny Toes? Maddy Tomoen’s splash-free dreams of becoming queen of the multiworld By Martin Dugard “I’ve gotten used to the lack of respect,” says Maddy Tormoen, her voice betraying irritation. “But sometimes it really bothers…
Fitness ’97, February 1997 The Master’s Plan WEEK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 1…
Outside magazine, July 1999 The Figure Four The Diving Dig | The Cartwheel | The Figure Four | Take the Stairs | The Crossover Dribble…
Outside magazine, May 1996 No Bells, No Whistles, No Bull Just a streamlined approach to the six elements of fitness By Mark Jannot In this age of fitness-advice overload, with “trim that tummy in just three hours a week” quick fixes on…
Outside magazine, March 2000 Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 REALITY CHECK MENTAL STAMINA TEST | HEALTHY…
The Downhill Report, December 1996 You Don’t Have to Sweat It Sometimes it’s hot–and sometimes it’s not. Introducing the world’s first truly all-weather ski outfit. By John Alderman Pity the ski outfit. One moment it’s expected to keep you cool and…
Outside magazine, April 1996 Prescriptions: Soothing the Burn By Kiki Yablon When your hair-trigger camp stove has just seared your backcountry buddy, forget what you think you know. “Your campsite isn’t the place to ‘stop, drop, and roll,'” says Dr. William Forgey, editor of…
Review, April 1997 All the Tent You Need For most people, most of the time, a super-light shelter for two is just enough By Doug Gantenbein Essentials: Tent Pampering Backcountry truism: Your tent is only as good as…
Bodywork, July 1998 The Massage Shortcut Concrete benefits of a touchy-feely technique By Nancy Coulter-Parker If you always seem to have just enough energy to play but not to tend to the fussier details of fitness — you…
Outside Magazine, November 1994 Strategies: Extracting Knowledge from Thin Air By Dorothy Foltz-Gray Even before you’re reunited with your luggage, the stress of altitude is undermining your ski vacation. The drop in atmospheric pressure between home and resort–the average flatlander lives at 500 feet,…
 Outside magazine, October 1995 The Ubergirl Cometh The age of Gabrielle Reece is upon us. She’s big, she’s strong, and with thousands more like her out there, she’s replicating fast. Can you deal with that?…
Outside magazine, June 1994 The Perfect Summer: Crank the AC, Man the VCR Summer viewing for the discriminating sloth By Alex Heard Cut the self-delusional “I’m active. I won’t rent movies this summer.” Yes, you will. And when the urge…
Outside magazine, April 1995 The Indestructible Cowboy By Larry Burke We are, it is safe to say, a nation of cowboy fanatics. Whether it’s Eastwood or Autry, the Virginian or the Marlboro Man, no hero has a firmer purchase on the American imagination than…
Outside magazine, June 1994 The Perfect Summer: Shed Those Pesky Pounds Advice on lightening your backcountry load By Michael McRae In outdoor product design, the grail of going light is forever being resurrected. In the sixties Gerry Mountaineering introduced a 13-pound…
Outside magazine, August 1999 Easy Strider Finding the perfect-fitting running shoe is a simple matter of one, two, or three By Andrew Tilin CUSHIONING | STABILITY…
Fitness for the Outside Athlete, December 1996 Intake: The Shakedown on Weight-Gain Powders By Cory Johnson You can laugh at the gym-bound troglodytes whose primary life mission is to become bulgy. But being a 98-pound weakling–aerobically fit or not–won’t boost your performance. “Whether…
Outside magazine, July 1999 The Twisting Somersault The Diving Dig | The Cartwheel | The Figure Four | Take the Stairs | The Crossover Dribble…