Alex Hutchinson is a National Magazine Award-winning journalist and聽国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Sweat Science columnist, covering the latest research on endurance and outdoor sports.
His most recent book is the聽New York Times聽bestseller聽. Before becoming a journalist, he completed a PhD in physics at the University of Cambridge and worked as a researcher in the National Security Agency鈥檚 Quantum Computing group. He also competed for the Canadian national team in track, cross-country, road, and mountain running. He lives (and runs) in Toronto.
Published
The algorithms used to estimate your training load have some fundamental flaws, scientists say
Most people run the same pace regardless of how far they鈥檙e running, according to new research
How well you can see your surroundings matters, but subtle gait changes also burn more energy
Like the two-hour marathon chase, next month鈥檚 assault on the seven- and eight-hour Ironman barriers will require some rule-bending
Runners smack the ground harder鈥攂ut get injured less鈥攊n more cushioned shoes. New research explains why.
Scientists studying mice found that their competitive efforts depended on their social ranking rather than their strength or speed
An analysis of power data from pro cyclists quantifies the effects of hot and cold air temperatures on performance
You can鈥檛 run fast without using your arms鈥攐r can you?
Despite years of research, the athletic potential of Montmorency cherries isn鈥檛 as sweet as it sounds
An analysis of pro cycling data finds that altitude-born South American riders race better at high altitudes than their lowland-born rivals
The oral health risks associated with heavy sports-drink use seem clear, but the evidence remains murky
New findings suggest that results from large training studies can鈥檛 be generalized to individuals
A new study of identical twins shows that, despite their reputation as inert rubber bands, Achilles tendons adapt to exercise
New research explores how physical and mental factors affect how athletes raise their game when it counts
A popular training rule for endurance athletes faces scrutiny from skeptical scientists
A new study gathers insights from 71 trans-ocean rowers who (mostly) made it to the other side
A new study grapples with a familiar question: How much of athletic success is physical, and how much is mental?
We tend to assume that a nice-looking stride is a fast one, but maybe looking good is its own reward
Scientists have figured out how to make simple exoskeletons that improve running efficiency. Should track and field authorities be worried?
Different workout styles can get you equally fit, but they affect your body differently鈥攚hich suggests that you should mix it up
A new way of classifying athletes aims to quantify the thresholds that distinguish recreational athletes from their trained, highly trained, and elite brethren
Our Sweat Science columnist spent two months measuring his blood sugar around the clock. Here鈥檚 what he found.
The latest 鈥渆xercise in a bottle鈥 study finds that plasma from exercising mice makes sedentary mice smarter. But don鈥檛 throw out your workout gear just yet.
Over the past decade, research into compression sportswear has exploded. Here鈥檚 what the results reveal.
It鈥檚 time to break out the merino base layers and the heat-exchange breathing masks
A selection of (mostly) new titles for fans of science, endurance, fitness, and adventure
The genes that make some people vulnerable to a fatal heart stoppage may be the same ones that give them an athletic edge, researchers suggest
Sports medicine physicians are rethinking the relationship between damage to your body and how it feels
As skimo prepares for its Olympic debut in 2026, sports scientists explore the sport鈥檚 demands
Your GPS watch and other gadgets are great at describing training, but prescribing it is a harder challenge
A mathematical model explains how endurance and speed come together to determine who will win a last-lap sprint
A new study quantifies the effects of running on technical terrain
A new study uses machine learning to quantify the effects of temperature, humidity, heat, and sun
Scientists take their equations for the energy demand of hills and rough terrain out into the real world
The link between serious cycling and poor bone health is well established, but researchers are still debating what to do about it
The physiological differences between men and women affect how much fluid they store, how they sweat, and how quickly they heat up. Does that matter?
Yes, people sometimes die while running. No, that doesn鈥檛 mean running is 鈥渄angerous.鈥
A new study investigates how different types of physical performance are affected by the time of day
The case of 24-year-old Daniel Granberg, who died of high-altitude pulmonary edema earlier this month, highlights the danger of altitudes well below the Himalayan 鈥渄eath zone鈥
A new study suggests that hydrogels enable you to down more carbs with less digestive distress, and race faster as a result.
A new app called NatureQuant harnesses the latest research to track and rate your time outside. Next up: determining how much you need.
A new study measures the physical and cognitive load of four different treading techniques. The key? Generate lift.
Regular exercisers drink more, a new study confirms, but are less likely to be problem drinkers
Supersapiens鈥檚 new continuous glucose monitor promises to help athletes manage their energy levels. But can it really stave off a bonk?
A long-running gym debate about whether to train each limb separately comes to the cycling world
A new study of Western States ultrarunners illustrates the power of looking beyond simple risk factors to predict injury
Scientists have been debating whether muscles contract more slowly as you age, but new data suggests the real problem is a loss of strength
After years of debate on the dangers of 鈥渢oo much exercise,鈥 researchers sum up the state of current knowledge
Exercise and digestion often don鈥檛 mix well, but scientists are on the case
Israel Start-Up Nation鈥檚 physiologist Paulo Saldhana explains the data鈥攁nd the feelings鈥攖hat determine who attacks when in a cycling race
It鈥檚 the simplest and cheapest performance booster available, so why don鈥檛 elite athletes take advantage of it?
Five years after the Vaporfly upended marathon running, track shoes are set to star in Tokyo
New research fine-tunes the details of heat adaptation
A new study shows measurable gains in strength from a purely imaginary training program
The physiology of events like the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is radically different from 鈥渟hort鈥 events like the marathon
Instead of focusing on joint angles and limb movements, a new study takes a holistic approach to the biomechanics of elite runners
Dealing with discomfort isn鈥檛 a magical gift. It鈥檚 a skill, and you can improve at it.
New research sifts through the evidence to figure what types of intervals make you fastest
The mile isn鈥檛 just another race distance. It鈥檚 almost its own sport.
Exercise causes pain, but it also dulls it. Researchers are still trying to understand how that works.
A new study tests how much cycling it takes to maximize cognitive function in endurance athletes
The latest deaths raised questions about the role of COVID, but analyses of nearly a century鈥檚 worth of climbing records suggest some consistent patterns
A new study looks for adaptations in the placenta, and finds positive effects from exercise during pregnancy
Researchers are searching for telltale clues in your strength, flexibility, or body position that signal an impending injury. It鈥檚 harder than you think.
A new analysis digs into who overheats and which conditions are most risky, with surprising results
Setting high goals is great, but how you deal with falling short determines how long you鈥檙e willing to keep chasing them
What separates the best endurance athletes from everyone else isn鈥檛 their amazing lab test data or power values鈥攊t鈥檚 how well they maintain those values after a few hours of exhausting exercise
It鈥檚 easy鈥攎aybe a bit too easy鈥攖o believe that poor sleep leaves you more vulnerable to injury. But researchers aren鈥檛 so sure after all.
Maintaining the ability to hit top gear after your twenties is useful even for endurance athletes, and takes specific training
Running alone against the clock is very different from trying to beat other runners, but untangling how our minds process the challenge is 鈥渓ike knitting with spaghetti鈥
A new review assesses what it takes to maintain endurance and strength when circumstances interfere with your usual training
Changing hormone levels affect your tendons, ligaments, and muscles, and evidence is mounting that this can influence your chances of injury
Mental fatigue has become a hot topic for sports science researchers, but its effects remain controversial
At the 2019 World Championships, researchers gave marathoners and racewalkers swallowable thermometer pills and used thermal cameras to assess the effectiveness of hydration and cooling techniques in the heat of competition
Detailed power data from sprinter Marcel Kittel and climber Tom Dumoulin highlight the contrasting physiological demands faced by different riders
A new study explores how inner monologue varies between sports, situations, and experience levels
Tallying which articles are most frequently cited in later studies reveals the biggest trends in sports science鈥攁nd some oversights
Unlike heat training, repeated exposure to cold doesn't necessarily help you handle winter weather better
A new study plots the progression of thousands of people following an ultra-minimalist training plan. The results are impressive鈥攁t least initially.
Winning races when you鈥檙e young may seem like a good predictor of future success, but it鈥檚 not perfect