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For a compulsive adventurer who can't stay put, sometimes there's only one cure: Get Zen. If only it were that easy.
Train right with tips and tricks and of the trade from Chris Carmichael and Carmichael Training Systems.
YOU CAN BET that drug-company executives aren’t among the 70 million Americans suffering from sleep problems. Thanks to blockbusters like $2-billion-a-year Ambien, the sleep-aid industry is booming, and several similar drugs are angling for space in your medicine cabinet, including Lunesta, launched in 2004, and others awaiting FDA approval. These…
Want real results? A new regimen sheds pounds, builds strength, and shortens your workout time.
HARD TO BELIEVE, but the bitter, pep-boosting ginseng root—reputed to enhance everything from libido to longevity—has been at the center of trade wars and political dynasties for centuries. Native to Asia and North America, the herb is sought by Chinese herbalists, New Age entrepreneurs, and international smuggling rings, all trying…
You're gonna get hurt—count on it. Here are the new smart fixes for those inevitable breaks, tears, and strains.
Oxygen chambers allow you to simulate the world's altitude extremes. But should you? Depends on what you're after.
Ski all you want with our 21-day late-winter plan for optimizing shoulder-season fitness
With more and more A-list resorts offering up fractional ownership opportunities, living the dream on some of your favorite powder grounds and being pampered like a rock star is becoming a reality
Triumph and controversy reigned at one of America's most prestigious triathlons Sunday
Despite years of carbohydrate bashing in the diet industry, most athletes still know the value of a good bowl of brown rice. And the newest U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which call for a minimum of three ounces of whole grains daily, back them up. Besides supplying premium muscle fuel, whole grains…
He's pumped, pious, and convinced that he's found the secret to a heavenly body and "outrageous happiness." Is Christian fitness coach and bestselling author Ben Lerner divinely inspired�or just blessed with marketing savvy?
I am a runner and not interested in going to the gym. What results could I get if I did, say, 20 regular push-ups, 20 wide-grip push-ups and ten tricep push-ups every day?
We cull 25 years of the best of Outside's esteemed Bodywork section to bring you the best advice on terrain hucking, knee recuperation, injury prevention, and more.
Want an unbreakable superstructure? Building tough bones can be as easy as grabbing your skis and charging bumps all day long.
Faris Al-Sultan's crusade to become triathlon's first Muslim world champion
TECHNOLOGY HAS MEANT GREAT THINGS for the fitness industry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get real results from “old school” workouts. When I coached the U.S. National Cycling Team, from 1990 to ’97, I used the mountains behind my Colorado Springs cabin as a training ground for young racers,…
Are you wasting valuable munch time on food you don't need? A cutting-edge gene test may tell you exactly what your body requires to stay healthy, grow stronger, and recover faster.
WHEN I WAS RACING BIKES in the 1980s, we still had no idea what we were doing when it came to sports drinks for endurance. We knew we needed more than simple water to replace the calories and minerals we were burning up and sweating out during training. But beyond…
CHRIST HAS RETURNED. No, not the carpenter—the skater. Christian Hosoi (“Christ” to fans) is resurrecting his career at 37. After a drug-fueled meltdown that ended with four and a half years in prison, the legendary aerobat is taking his first high-profile steps toward reentering the competitive fray—touring with skate exhibitions,…
NEED NEW INCENTIVES TO STAY IN SHAPE? How about gunfights, acrobatics, and international espionage? Spy School, a new fitness program from the Los Angeles–based gym Absolution (www.absolution-la.com), offers a custom menu of health and “adrenaline management” courses designed to turn you into the next Mr. or Mrs.
BROKEN BONES, TWEAKED KNEES, torn tendons: In days of yore—say, last year—these injuries would’ve promptly ended your season of biking, running, or hoops. Not anymore. Doctors are now shifting toward minimally invasive surgical techniques and natural healing stimulants that not only get you back in the game in top form…
Chris Carmichael wants to answer your most pressing fitness questions. Go ahead, ask him anything.
After years of faithfully guarding against the much-hyped perils of dehydration, recreational athletes were hit with some startling news this past spring: Drinking water can kill you. A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine had news outlets issuing grim proclamations about the dangers of hyponatremia—a potentially deadly…
Can you hear the silence? We’re in a lull between diet fads. Enjoy it while it lasts, because the next hot diet will probably appear within months, killing off the previous rage and, unfortunately, any sound nutritional advice it might have contained. Ask and You Will Receive Got a fitness…
Fit or not, it's time to wise up and listen to your ticker. It could be headed for an untimely failure.
Cheaters can't be stopped. Testing costs a fortune. It's shockingly easy to beat the system. The drug cops are perpetually playing catch-up. Says who? Drug-testing expert Don Catlin, that's who. He's the doping detective who helped break the BALCO scandal wide open—and the man who's about to launch a radical new campaign to finally solve the problem.
Boxing drills aren't just for pugs anymore—they'll jump-start your fitness for mountain biking, paddling, climbing, and more
FOR CENTURIES, Eastern mystics have prescribed meditation as one-stop shopping for all that ails you. And Western researchers have been proving them right, showing that it can boost memory, concentration, and even athletic performance. Dr. Herbert Benson, president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute, in Boston, has shown that just two…
WHEN TONY KANAAN lines up for the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, chances are he’ll have one of the slowest heartbeats on the grid—and not because of overconfidence. The 30-year-old Brazilian uses triathlon training to prep for the rigors of his 200-mile-per-hour workdays. And it’s paying off. Kanaan won the…
Embrace the summer sun with an intelligent skin-protection strategy
I want to get a six pack within a week and keep it there. Is it possible? If so then how?
Got the whole make-fitness-fun thing? Now let's talk about that mortal coil of yours. You think you know it, but you don't know Jack.
ADDED SUGARS—the myriad sweeteners that sneak into everything from ice cream to salad dressing—pile up in the diet of the average American to the tune of more than 95 pounds a year. And that’s not counting the naturally occurring sugars in things like fruit and milk. Without taking sides in…
Fit should be synonymous with fun. So stop working out and start acting like a kid again. With help from fitness experts, pro athletes, and groundbreaking coaches, we'll show you how playing your favorite games leads to a lifetime of high-energy health.
How does lap swimming compare with other aerobic workouts? Does a mile of swimming equate at all with a mile of running?
The insurance industry amps up with specialized policies for thrill seekers
Dr. Claudio Stampi teaches endurance sailors how to perform better on minimal sleep. The secret, he says, is learning how to power-nap.
What's the fastest way to bring power and stamina to your sport? Start moving very, very slowly. (No, even slower than that.)
Sore and suffering after a long day? Flush away the pain and restore your mojo with these eight feel-better tools.
For regular guys, slam-dunking seems like an impossible dream. But the quest to soar is a fitness jackpot.
I'm soft and want to get ripped fast. What's the best way?
It turns out those stoned huckers aren’t the only radicals you have to guard against on the mountain. A recent Hungarian study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine reports that when you spend time at altitude, you increase the formation of free radicals, naturally occurring molecules in your…
It's simple, it's beautiful—just lose ten pounds of fat and you'll fly
Want to dunk a basketball? No? How about maximizing your performance in every sport you do? We thought you'd be interested in that. The following training program was followed by writer Josh McHugh, who writes about his quest to dunk a basketball in the March issue of Outside. Adhere to it the way Josh did, and you may remake yourself into a bone-a-fide
Fitness guru Dave Scott is intent on telling us when to eat. Why? Because ultimate performance is all about perfect nutritional timing.
In the January issue of Outside magazine personal trainer and elite triathlete Karen Merrill put together a strength program that only requires a set of weights and an adjustable bench. Here we'll give you her program again with step-by-step instructions to every exercise.
Whether your goal is more energy, a happier bod, or a competitive edge for work and play, our seven steps will change the way you think about food.
As if all the hype about “natural male enhancement” weren’t enough of a challenge to men’s self-confidence, a recent study at the University of Central Florida found that ads featuring muscle-bound male models can distort men’s body images the same way rail-thin swimsuit models do women’s. Look, guys: “Fit” doesn’t…
If you lived here, you'd be fit now! Our three high-style gyms will take you there.
THIS STRENGTH REGIMEN—designed by Los Angeles–based coach Steve Ilg, author of Total Body Transformation (Hyperion)—was built to match the groove of the Zen room. » YOU CAN ACHIEVE what Ilg calls Wholistic Fitness with this routine, which utilizes yoga blocks to create strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility. » STRUCTURE RULES:…
Svelte swimmer and Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin knows that good food and great performance are inextricably linked. She's also a foodie who loves to cook and has penned an informal cookbook of energy-packed recipes for her teammates on the UC Berkeley swim team. Some of her mouth-watering and engine-firing results are below.
Conflicting advice, fad diets, dire warnings about obesity and disease—it’s a nutritional wilderness out there. What your active lifestyle needs is the real meal deal, straight talk about food, health, and wellness that can power your adventures and fuel your dreams. What you need is a balanced plan for lifelong…
Los Angeles-based coach and author Steve Ilg (Total Body Transformation, Hyperion 2004) has spent the last 20 years honing a workout program that combines the best of strength, focus, balance, endurance, and flexibility for athletes
Despite new reports about dangerous mercury levels in seafood and ongoing concerns about overfishing, dietitian Susan Kleiner, author of Power Eating and food guru for the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics, still recommends five fish meals a week to her clients. Why? Because there’s high-octane goodness in every bite. Fish delivers a…
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…
Smart trend or exercise fad? We sorted out the tired and the wired to find 2004's fitness winners.
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…
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…
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, February 1995 Fitness Machines Worth Coming Home To Investing in club quality–without the club By Bob Howells Purchasing a bargain-basement home-fitness machine is usually a lesson in false economy: Cheap gym equipment seldom serves its ostensible purpose for more than…
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,…
Outside magazine, October 1994 Skills: Ride Out the Revolutions By Dana Sullivan Titanium pedals are fine if you have the money, but there’s a more basic way to improve your cycling stroke. According to Jeff Broker, a biomechanics expert with the U.S. Olympic Committee, most recreational…