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I'm shopping for a road bike for triathlons and day cruises with a price tag below $1,500. Any suggestions? Kevin Fargo, North Dakota
Rule number one for total physical fitness? Where your back goes, all else follows. Keep yours in top shape with our guide to strength, flexibility, and injury treatment.
I’m sick of being confined to the treadmill this winter. How should I dress for a cold-weather run? Knox Brookline, Massachusetts
Over the holidays I put on a few extra pounds, as I'm sure a lot of people did. It's not a lot of weight, just about five pounds, but I'm struggling to get it back off my body. I do well for a few days, then I crack and overeat again. I know how to eat healthy, but by the end of the work day I don't have enough energy to do my workouts. What I doing wrong?
No time? No equipment? No excuses. Our experts kick your training into overdrive with customized 30-minute workouts for every harried athlete.
Can a performance supplement be legal, healthy, and effective? The Lab Rat pops a fistful to find out.
Got any suggestions for a good heart-rate monitor that is reasonably priced? Jeanna Princeton, New Jersey
Kick off the year by snuffing out stress, playing more, eating right, and keeping fit enough to nail any adventure.
Make skate skiing part of the season's regimen and you'll start the year with fitness to spare
The latest all-mountain jackets keep you toasty on lift rides and cool on out-of-bounds hikes
Alberta now rivals British Columbia as Canada's best winter playground
I need a headlp for late-night trail running. I have a Petzl Tikka, which is great if everything is within hands reach, but beyond your feet it doesn't work very well. What do you suggest? David Syracuse, New York
To interview ultrarunner Dean Karnazes for our January cover story, “This Life Goes to 11,” managing editor Katie Arnold joined him for a “short run.” Four hours later, she’d completed her first marathon. Here, read extended excerpts from their conversation.
How does an athlete stay fit and healthy during the coldest months? Eat seasonally.
In which our intrepid misadventurer sets out to win a marathon and quit smoking. (Hint: He only succeeds at one.)
In his brazen adaptation of the bestseller Fast Food Nation, Richard Linklater looks to jolt America out of its quickie-burger habit with a tale of tainted meat
Will you look ridiculous trying a Hollywood workout? Quite possibly. But you'll also tap into America's greatest training resource.
What can I do to help improve the strength and stability in my ankles? I have been an avid hiker for over 14 years and have never had a problem with stability, regardless of the footwear worn. But a couple of years ago I noticed that my ankles felt weak and would twist far too easily, even on moderately uneven terrain. I've tried using footwear geared towards providing more stability but it seems to have a minimal impact on the problem. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I’m an over-pronator and run marathons with motion-control shoes to compensate. I’d like to get into adventure racing and need to know which trail-running shoes offer the best motion control. Any ideas? Jay Pensacola, Florida
What happens when training goes digital? Your workouts get real.
Several weeks ago I ran the marathon I've been training for since January, and now I've gained four pounds in the past six weeks. How can I keep the weight off? Help!
Knees are critical joints, and they can't be traded in like last year's cell phone. Keep your hinges state-of-the-art with our complete guide to strength, conditioning, and injury prevention.
You've done your rehab, your knee feels great, you think you’re ready to return to action. But don’t rush back into the fray. Avoid a repeat injury by first taking—and passing—this return-to-sport test, provided by the Steadman Hawkins Center, a renowned orthopedic center in Vail, Colorado. Don’t attempt to perform this test on your
Want a spin bike delivered to your room? Get that and more with our guide to staying fit on the road.
The peloton has been looking forward to the first rest day of the 2006 Tour de France. The first week of the race has been fast and hard, and many men hit the ground at least once this week. This rest day gives them a short period to recuperate from…
Tackle cycling's ultimate fitness test and learn where your riding really stands
You may never have what it takes to race up steep alpine passes like the best cyclists in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from their training secrets. You’re using the same muscles, pedaling up the same inclines, and maybe even riding the same bike. So the…
Learn Spanish and other languages while you train with this smarter-than-average spinning class
Get the most out of long summer days with featherweight performance gear for running, riding, climbing, and hiking
Ready to play your way to total fitness? We thought so. Kick-start your transformation with a visionary six-week approach to bringing body and mind together for strength, stamina, and your best performance ever.
After a breakout year, this native Colorado triathlete is ready for the world stage
I'm interested in joining a local search-and-rescue te that requires members to have 24 to 48 hours worth of non-perishable food in their daypack. What are some good foods to carry that are light and don’t take up much space, but would provide me with the necessary nutrients? Jon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
For a compulsive adventurer who can't stay put, sometimes there's only one cure: Get Zen. If only it were that easy.
I am a slow runner. In fact, last week I was running and I was passed by a glacier. How can I improve my speed?
Train right with tips and tricks and of the trade from Chris Carmichael and Carmichael Training Systems.
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 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.
Oxygen chambers allow you to simulate the world's altitude extremes. But should you? Depends on what you're after.
You're gonna get hurt—count on it. Here are the new smart fixes for those inevitable breaks, tears, and strains.
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?
I pretty new to running and going to do a 13-mile trail run that is expected to take about four-plus hours. I looking for hydration packs as there will not be aid stations or anything like that. My concern is with the hydration backpacks or lumbar packs that offer only one place to store one kind of drink. What do I do about carrying water and my electrolyte replacement? Are backpacks out of the question? How do you feel about The North Face Dayhiker Lumbar Pack? It has plenty of room for food, and has a dual source for water and my other drink. Tia San Jose, California
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.
What's the best headlp for running groomed trails now that it gets dark early? I'd like it to be waterproof for those snowy or rainy days. Ray Wheaton, Illinois
Want an unbreakable superstructure? Building tough bones can be as easy as grabbing your skis and charging bumps all day long.
She: "I just ran 300 miles!" He: "Check out my rippling quads!" It ain't easy being Pam Reed. When the skinny Tucson mom ran 11 marathons in a row without stopping this spring, did anybody notice? No, they were too busy fawning over her nemesis, the buff Dean Karnazes, as he dashed gaily from magazine shoot to book signing. So what gives?
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.
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,…
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…
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…
Chris Carmichael wants to answer your most pressing fitness questions. Go ahead, ask him anything.
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.
Don't undermine your trail-shoe investment with tired socks. A fresh set of condition-specific cushions will turn miles into smiles.
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…
Whether your happy medium is mud, water, or plain old dirt, there's a trick new trail runner built to take you there
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…
Boxing drills aren't just for pugs anymore—they'll jump-start your fitness for mountain biking, paddling, climbing, and more
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.
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?
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.