Training & Performance
Archive
When the American cyclist quit the Tour, he did exactly what an athlete should do
Several times now, I've come down with a sore throat and sniffles in the days following a marathon or triathlon. Am I allergic to exercise?
It's a great fitness tool—but there are other ways to use it besides swings
I've been eyeing a course record, but this summer heat is making me lethargic. Any advice on tackling the perfect ride?
Inside the wildly successful USAT College Recruitment Program
Junky, addict, criminal: these aren't words you'd typically use to describe one of the world's top triathletes. Shane Niemeyer turned his life around with the help of an Outside Magazine slipped under his prison door. Watch Dispatches Mondays at 9:30pm on Outside Television. …
Nine months on the open water racing a 66-foot sailboat around the world is an endurance feat like no other. Here’s how the winning team prepared for the task.
It's summer! I'm doubling my mileage and already feeling the pain. What can I do, aside from cutting back or resting, to stay healthy?
What to do when your No. 1 bud goes down in the field
Endurance expert Matt Fitzgerald shares how to push your body further by mastering your mind
Exercises guaranteed to up your game, no matter your sport
When it comes to fitness, take the home-field advantage
The classic military move gets a makeover
To simulate the unpredictability of your sport, add elements of randomness—and downright chaos—to your exercise regimen
Dominate your favorite sports without any weight training
You don’t always need a highly structured training plan to get into fighting shape
Sure, you could swim laps. But you can also enhance your performance with this in-the-water workout that will burn calories—and rejuvenate your body.
It just takes a little creativity to challenge your muscles—and mind—in new ways. Allow us to enlighten you.
Simulating combat will whip your own butt into shape, while helping you build power and endurance
The resistance—and softness—of the sand and water will make you more versatile
The classic strength and power move gets a makeover, giving you even better benefits
Four ways to avoid a potentially dangerous inflammatory response
Over the past decade, ultrarunning has gone from a fringe pursuit for distance freaks to a hypercompetitive sport attracting big-time sponsors. But a mysterious training condition is suddenly plaguing its ranks, robbing a generation of top athletes of their talents and forcing victims to wonder: Is it possible to love this sport too much?
The number of hours you're supposed to shoot for: 4
Pain fades, but glory is forever. Or at least until your next competition.
A behind-the-scenes documentary look at the human drama of endurance racing and the bonds formed between Porsche drivers, teams, fans and cars. …
Jumping and "plyo" exercises boost speed and power. But they can benefit distance athletes, too.
Forget complicated workout regimens. CrossFit phenom Christmas Abbott shows simple strength exercises are all you need to start feeling fierce
Research suggests artificial muscle enhancers stick with cheating athletes for life. So will we see lifetime bans for first-time cheats?
Nobody knows exactly what Ironman will do now that the government has shuttered the Kona lottery, but we have a proposal: use those extra entry spots to grow women's racing.
The data sure isn't driving us nuts
This May, another group of climbers, parkour runners, and gymnasts will try—and most likely fail—to achieve “Total Victory” on the nation’s favorite obstacle course show.
In the grueling world of ultrarunning, she's an anomaly: a low-key athlete who thrives on unstructured training, competes by instinct, and crushes men in the sport's most prestigious race
Thought those monkey bars were tough at your last OCR? Wait ‘till you see these.
Leadville, Western States, and the New York Marathon all use some type of lottery system to determine entrants as well
They're painful but also magical, relieving the post-workout soreness that afflicts so many athletes. But do they really aid recovery? Increasingly, the evidence says no.
Started by Ivy League athletes, the C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championship is opening up the sport to a whole new crowd.
Expert tips to help you get the most out of your strength session—so you don't waste your time.
New research shows that pushing through fatigue can boost your performance
Their genius is unquantifiable. That's a lesson Triathlon Australia learned the hard way.
New research is helping athletes engineer their own flow state
My city gets smoggy during the summer months. Will it make me sick to train outdoors?
You can do this yoga-meets-wrestling series of movements anywhere, with results that put the weight machines to shame
Fat and fit is a myth, but a few extra pounds won't kill you—and being skinny won't necessarily save your life.
I got myself a sport watch and it came with a chest strap. I'm tempted not to use the strap because heart rate training seems difficult. Any tips for making it simple?
Spanning nearly 350 miles across some of the most beautiful and rugged country in the world, the GODZone Adventure race is one of the most demanding events on the planet. Only 14 of the 52 finished the 2015 course. Feel their pain.
How even the smallest intervals can make athletes mental superstars.
I know I need some help with my current workout regimen, but I don't know where to start.
I'm an endurance athlete and I feel like if I can't get in at least an hour, working out is pointless. Is there any benefit to training if I have less than 20 minutes to do it?
Two dueling trainers resurrect a forgotten but insanely effective gym machine
Basketball or soccer games with friends can take the place of cardio, but they shouldn't be your only form of exercise.
New tech company FitRankings lets you measure how effective your workouts really are—and compare them head-to-head with other athletes around the world.
How one team is leading pro cycling out of the concussion Dark Ages—and providing a potential road map for the NFL
Losing fat and boosting muscle mass can make a big difference in how you burn calories.
Boost reaction time and reduce clumsiness on the field with these expert moves.
Michael Phelps and Killian Journet are both amazing athletes, but they occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. Where do you fall?
Get more from your standing desk.
The science behind how logging lots and lots of miles fosters an unflappable demeanor—and how to get it yourself.
The pain, beauty, and nipple considerations of running for a really, really long time
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.
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.
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?
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.