We all know that sleep is essential for good health; however, recent research suggests that quality sleep and athletic performance begin with the proper bedtime.

The study, published in June of this year in the journal had nearly 20,000 people wear fitness trackers for a year and discovered that those who went to bed earlier than usual engaged in the most moderate-to-vigorous physical activity the next day, even though participants slept the same amount of time as they typically did. 鈥淕oing to sleep earlier than usual may be an effective strategy to maintain normal sleep duration while also optimizing next-day physical activity,鈥� the researchers wrote.

Personally, I鈥檝e always struggled to stay up late, but I notice that when I give in to my natural desire to go to bed early, I feel more invigorated and ready to tackle my training runs than when I go to bed way past my bedtime. Now, I make it a point to hit the sheets the night before hard workout days and races to give myself the best chance of success.

Of course, everyone’s biorhythms are different. How can you figure out what your bedtime should be to maximize your performance? Three sleep specialists share a guide on calculating the best time to go to sleep based on your performance goals.

What to Consider Before Choosing a Bedtime

鈥淐onsistent and adequate sleep can improve daytime concentration and productivity, which can boost exercise performance,鈥� says Dr. Madeleine Basist, a pulmonologist and sleep medicine fellow at Northwell鈥檚 Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Getting the right amount of sleep can also help you have the energy to power through your next workout, points out , a neurologist and sleep medicine physician based in Virginia, and host of the podcast.

At baseline, a consistent sleep and wake time can go a long way toward supporting your health and your performance. 鈥淚t helps our brains align our circadian rhythms鈥攂ody clocks鈥攚hich means we can be healthier and more fit,鈥� says , a neurologist based in Nashville, Tennessee.

But every person鈥檚 internal clock is different, and so are the various elements that can impact your optimal bedtime.

Doctors suggest keeping the following factors in mind when choosing a bedtime.

Chronotype: Are You an Early Bird or Night Owl?

Your chronotype is the natural desire of your body to go to sleep at a certain time, Basist explains. It鈥檚 what people mean when they use terms like 鈥渕orning bird鈥� and 鈥渘ight owl.鈥�

鈥淲hen given the choice, choosing a bedtime that is at odds with your chronotype can be challenging as, by definition, you are choosing a sleep-wake schedule that is not aligned with what your body prefers naturally,鈥� Winter says. If your work and lifestyle allow for it, choosing a bedtime that aligns with your body’s natural rhythm is ideal, he adds.

Your Work Schedule

Do you work standard hours, do shift work, or work overnights? You should factor this in here. Depending on when you need to be at work, it will impact the time you should get up, so you鈥檒l need to calculate backwards to make sure you conk out at the right time, Malow says.

Your Day-to-Day Responsibilities

Having young kids and evening responsibilities should factor into your ideal bedtime, too. However, Malow recommends doing what you can to minimize social obligations that can interfere with your bedtime. 鈥淭ry not to overschedule, if you can, so you can get sufficient sleep,鈥� she says.

Sleep Disorders or Medical Conditions

If you have a sleep disorder or other underlying medical condition, it鈥檚 crucial to do what you can to treat and manage it well. But this can be easier said than done. 鈥淕enerally speaking, untreated medical conditions and sleep disorders result in earlier bedtimes as the individual seeks to compensate for poor sleep quality with more sleep quantity,鈥� Winter says.

Desired Training Frequency

Are you planning to train twice a week or six times a week? Your bedtime should reflect that to make sure you get adequate sleep for your recovery. 鈥淎 realistic bedtime should align with your planned daily commitments and training hours,鈥� Basist says.

Desired Training Time of Day

Do you plan to train in the morning, midday, or evening? This should be based on your chronotype as much as possible, according to Malow. 鈥淚f you are a morning lark, aim for exercise in the morning,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f a night owl, exercise later in the day, but avoid too close to bedtime as that can be stimulating and interfere with sleep.鈥�

How to Calculate the Exact Time You Should Go to Sleep for Optimal Athletic Performance

Because your fitness goals, chronotype, and daily life are different from everyone else鈥檚, it鈥檚 important to choose your ideal bedtime based on your own needs.

Our experts recommend going through the following steps to calculate the optimal bedtime for your performance goals.

Step 1: Choose Your Target Wake Time

Few people can roll right out of bed and start training immediately. Even if you feel you can handle this, it鈥檚 best to put a little distance between your wake time and the start of your training to ensure you鈥檒l be able to perform at the level you want, Winter says.

Of course, you鈥檒l also want to factor in the amount of time your workout will take and when you need to be at work or other obligations. (This is less of an issue if you鈥檙e planning on a midday or evening workout, but should factor into your bedtime calculation.)

Step 2: Work Backwards from Wake Time

You likely have a good sense of how much sleep you need to feel well-rested. But suggest getting at least seven hours of sleep, and you鈥檒l likely need more to compensate for higher levels of training intensity as well as your own personal preference. When calculating this, include an extra ten- to 30-minute window to actually fall asleep.

Step 3: Factor in Recovery Demands

If your training involves light to moderate exercise two to three times a week, seven to eight hours of sleep may be enough, Winter says. But if you鈥檙e planning to do more intense exercise for five to six days a week, you may want to aim for eight to nine hours.

鈥淚ncrease sleep time if rigorous training is leaving you feeling tired,鈥� Winter says. 鈥淓lite athletes can see swings of several hours in their sleep depending on whether or not they are training hard or relaxing more in the off-season.鈥�

Still, your personal needs will influence how much sleep you should get. 鈥淪even to eight hours may be enough for some,鈥� Malow says.

Step 4: Account for Sleep Quality

If you struggle to have consistent sleep, you may need to factor in additional time when choosing a bedtime. Malow recommends getting out of bed if you can鈥檛 sleep, noting that if you lie there, your mind will start to associate your bed with not sleeping. But that time out of bed should be considered when calculating when to get into bed.

For someone who doesn’t sleep right away, you might need to hop in bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier than I would.

If you find you鈥檙e regularly struggling to go to sleep at the time of your choosing, Malow says you may need to go to bed later. She also stresses the importance of focusing on sleep hygiene, limiting screen time before bed, and having a winding-down routine before you get into bed.

Step 5: Test and Adjust

The best bedtime for you can be tricky to calculate, given how many variables there are to consider. If you鈥檙e adjusting your bedtime, doctors recommend trying it out for a week while tracking your energy, workout performance, and recovery. Then, you can adjust your bedtime if you鈥檙e still tired or if you feel that your performance is lacking. 鈥淭he key is to understand your individual needs and adjust your sleep schedule accordingly,鈥� Basist says.

I Followed Those Steps to Calculate My Ideal Bedtime

I鈥檓 a morning bird who exercises six days a week, alternating between running, cycling, and strength-training workouts. I have four young kids and work full-time, so I prefer to exercise in the morning before my day gets chaotic. My kids go to bed around 8:30 p.m., and I need to be up around 5 a.m. to fit in a workout before getting them ready for the day.

To get eight hours of sleep, that means my ideal bedtime would be around 9 p.m.

I don’t need to allot much time for myself to fall asleep because I knock out pretty quickly after my head hits the pillow. For someone who doesn’t sleep right away, you might need to hop in bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier than I would.

If I want to do some HIIT the next day, I might need to get in bed right after I put my kids to bed at 8:30.

While there are some nights that I tend to go to bed a little later than 9 o’clock (I sometimes try to squeeze in a couple of nighttime chores), I do feel well rested and better able to push myself when I actually go to bed at 9 p.m.

The Bottom Line

Sleep is complicated, and it鈥檚 difficult to have the exact same bedtime every night. However, doctors say that aiming for consistency is key.

鈥淲hile our brain and body’s neurotransmitters, hormones, and other chemicals are always in a state of flux, their patterns of influence follow predictable 24-hour patterns,鈥� Winter says. 鈥淪ince sleep represents a very dynamic and large-scale state change of these chemical patterns, the timing of when we enter sleep and exit sleep influences those chemical changes dramatically.鈥�

Want more听国产吃瓜黑料听health stories?听. Ready to push yourself? Enter MapMyRun鈥檚听听running challenge.

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Even though I prefer not to train and coach by heart rate, I have found that using these numbers鈥攕pecifically resting heart rate values鈥攃an be a great tool for assessing recovery and how the body is adapting to training. Runners can measure their resting heart rate over time to evaluate their fitness gains during long bouts of training and to track when they might be overtraining or not properly recovering from their last hard workout.

While you likely have a running watch or heart rate monitor, you don鈥檛 even need it to check your resting heart rate. All you need to do is take your pulse and record the numbers.

Using Resting Heart Rate to Measure Fitness and Fatigue

Measuring your resting heart rate is pretty simple. As soon as you wake up in the morning, find your pulse on your neck, just under your chin, or on your wrist.

How to Calculate Resting Heart Rate

• Using a watch, count the number of times your heart beats for 20 seconds.
• Multiply this number by three, and you have your resting heart rate (RHR) in beats per minute (bpm).
• Record this number in your notebook next to the day鈥檚 date.
• Now make sure to repeat this process every morning.

For runners, a 鈥済ood鈥� resting heart rate typically falls between 40 and 60 bpm.

With each passing day, you鈥檙e creating an accurate record of your morning heart rate that you can reference after challenging workouts to ensure that you鈥檙e recovered. You can also look at this data when you think you might be facing a case of overtraining. Before trying to glean any insight from these numbers, however, be sure to record at least three weeks of data.

What鈥檚 a Good Resting Heart Rate for Runners?

Like most things, a 鈥済ood鈥� resting heart rate for runners is personal. For the average person, a normal resting heart rate is between . For runners, a 鈥済ood鈥� resting heart rate typically falls between 40 and 60 bpm. Highly trained endurance athletes may see numbers even lower because regular cardiovascular training strengthens the heart muscle, allowing it to pump more blood with each beat.

Factors That May Affect Your Resting Heart Rate

While a lower RHR often signals better cardiovascular efficiency, there are plenty of fit people who have a naturally high RHR. Your RHR depends on many factors, like age, body type, and medications.

In my experience, it takes a reading that鈥檚 seven bpm higher than normal to signify excessive training fatigue.

There are also environmental factors, such as temperature, altitude, air quality, and your emotional state. That鈥檚 why I recommend runners monitor their RHR over time. That way, you鈥檒l be able to see your average RHR as well as outlier readings. A sudden spike in resting heart rate could indicate illness (and your immune system working overtime) before you even start to feel sick. It can also indicate that your body is overtaxed, suggesting that you need to take a break from training.

How to Use Your Resting Heart Rate Data When Training

Keep an eye on your resting morning heart rate in the two or three days after a hard workout. If it鈥檚 significantly elevated from its normal average (seven or more bpm), that鈥檚 a sign that you鈥檙e not fully recovered from the workout. Remember, there is going to be some variability in your daily heart rate regardless of your recovery level. Don鈥檛 be concerned if you鈥檙e three to four bpm over your normal average on a given day. In my experience, it takes a reading that鈥檚 seven bpm higher than normal to signify excessive training fatigue.

You can also use this data to identify long-term trends. If you notice your heart rate steadily increasing over a two- or three-week period, you may be overtraining or not scheduling enough recovery time between workouts. In this circumstance, consider taking a down week and monitor how your body and heart rate respond to the extra recovery. On the opposite spectrum, if you see your heart rate is slowly declining, it鈥檚 usually a good indication that you鈥檙e getting fitter. If you haven鈥檛 raced in a while, this can be a huge motivation booster.

While scientific research has not conclusively proven that a long-term resting heart rate specifically equates to overtraining, some data suggests a high probability that an increased heart rate is associated with training fatigue. (Taking a few extra recovery days after a challenging workout or a light week of training never hurt anyone.)

Why Morning Resting Heart Rate Data Helps Determine Fatigue Level

From a physiological perspective, measuring heart rate data to determine fatigue works because heart rate modulation is determined by the effect of the muscular contractions and nervous signals of both branches of the autonomic nervous system on the myocardium and the sinus node.

Increased parasympathetic nervous activity slows the heart rate, whereas increased sympathetic nervous activity accelerates the heart rate. The autonomic nervous system also fulfills a pivotal role in stress tolerance. Consequently, negative adaptation to training stress may involve the autonomic nervous system and result in an altered heart rate.

My aversion to training strictly by heart rate is that I鈥檝e often found the data to be unreliable. When training, you need to factor in weather, stress, stimulant intake (e.g., caffeine consumption), and, of course, the variability of the monitor itself. However, measuring heart rate at the same time each morning avoids many of these potential pitfalls. While there is still the potential for some variability (like a bad night鈥檚 sleep or daily heart rate variation of two to four bpm), it is far less so compared to when used every day in training. In short, tracking morning heart rate can provide more reliable data.

Morning heart rate data, if tracked regularly, can be an easy, effective method for monitoring fatigue levels, how well you鈥檙e adapting to workouts, and can help prevent long-term overtraining. Considering it takes less than a minute to perform, it’s easy to add this simple practice to your daily routine to ensure you鈥檙e training optimally and recovering well between workouts.

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It鈥檚 easy to judge when you spot someone cruising out of your local coffee shop with an extra-caffeinated beverage in hand. The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal knows this all too well. He raised eyebrows earlier this year after paparazzi snapped a photo of his Starbucks order: a quad espresso with two extra shots, a drink a 鈥渕ethaccino.鈥�

But Pascal is far from the only person to use high levels of caffeine to kickstart the day鈥攐r to听enhance performance. suggests that about 74 percent of elite athletes use caffeine as a performance-enhancing tool before or during a sporting event. Endurance athletes are the most likely to do so. Studies also conclude that caffeine has positive effects on endurance (by up to , according to a 2021 study), on , and on both .

As a former cross-country runner in college, I get the allure. Several of my teammates and I regularly drank coffee before meets in an attempt to rev ourselves up and maybe听get a competitive edge.

But caffeine hits everyone differently. Therefore, it鈥檚 challenging to determine the exact amount needed to enhance your performance. Something like Pascal鈥檚 order, which has an estimated 450 milligrams of caffeine (a single shot of Starbucks espresso contains about ), could make some too jittery to perform well. For others, a methaccino might be optimal.

But I wanted to know if a) there was a way to calculate how much caffeine someone would need to see real improvement in their sport, and b) how to do it. To get those answers, I interviewed a caffeine researcher, sports dietitians, and a sports medicine physician.

Here鈥檚 what they had to say.

Is There a Form of Caffeine That Works Best?

鈥淔or the most part, athletes consume caffeine via direct supplementation, typically through sports supplements,鈥� says , a nutrition researcher and associate professor in the Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Science at Coventry University.

Caffeine in Liquid Form (Coffee and Energy Drinks)

According to Tallis, when caffeine is consumed in this medium, it enters the bloodstream almost instantly. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l hit peak blood levels about 30 to 45 minutes after consumption.鈥�

Pills and Powders

鈥淐affeine in pill or powder form provides a precise dose and is quickly absorbed, which is beneficial for timing performance,鈥� says , a nutritionist and board-certified sport specialist in dietetics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

After you ingest caffeine in pill form, Tallis says it needs to be dissolved before it can be absorbed, which may take between ten and 30 minutes. Peak absorption happens around 45 to 60 minutes after consumption, he says.

Gum

Caffeinated gum or mouth rinse works the fastest because the oral mucosa absorbs it quickly, so it doesn鈥檛 need to be digested. 鈥淭hey can get you to peak blood levels in just five to 10 minutes,鈥� says Tallis.

Keep this in mind, though: caffeine probably won鈥檛 transform an average exerciser into a superstar. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unlikely to win you the race, but may give you a slight boost,鈥� says , a sports medicine doctor and professor in the Division of Sports Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Despite all the supplements with enticing advertising, most of them don鈥檛 actually work, says , a fitness nutrition specialist and personal trainer. 鈥淐affeine is one of the few exceptions.鈥�

How to Calculate the Amount of Caffeine That Will Improve Your Workouts

While the effects of caffeine on performance can vary, the way to calculate the amount is pretty clear-cut.

The (ISSN) reports that having three to six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight has been shown to improve exercise performance.

Here鈥檚 the formula you can use:

1. First, calculate your weight in kilograms: since one pound equals 0.45 kg, multiply (your weight in pounds) x (0.45 kg) = your weight in kilograms.
2. To find the lower end of your optimal caffeine dosage: multiply (3 mg) x (your weight in kilograms)
3. To find your maximum dosage of caffeine: multiply (6 mg) x (your weight in kilograms)

In my case, I weigh 130 pounds (or 58.9 kilograms), so that means I may need between 177 and 353 milligrams of caffeine to boost my performance.

Could a Lower Dosage of Caffeine Work?

The ISSN also notes that it鈥檚 not clear how little caffeine someone would need to take to see an impact, but the amount may be as low as two milligrams per kilogram of body weight. (If I were to plug this into the above formula again, I might see some benefits if I consume around 117 milligrams of caffeine.)

鈥淥ptimal caffeine dosing is highly individualized,鈥� Tallis says. 鈥淐onsumers should start with a lower dose than recommended and monitor their response before increasing.鈥�

When鈥檚 the Best Time to Ingest Caffeine Before a Workout?

The ISSN says it depends. While most people supplement with caffeine 60 minutes before exercise, the right timing may depend on the source, with things like chewing gum taking less time to kick in than caffeinated capsules.

Too Much Caffeine Will Hurt Your Performance

Keep this important caveat in mind: per the , high doses of caffeine, around nine milligrams per kilogram of body weight, will likely have adverse effects on your performance. Using that formula again, my too-high caffeine limit would be 530 mg鈥攖hat鈥檚 about 18 percent more caffeine than what鈥檚 in Pascal鈥檚 methaccino.

Too much caffeine can easily make you feel sick,听鈥攁ll of which would throw a wrench in your performance. Anxiety might join the party, too, and disrupt your sleep. 鈥淔or athletes, poor sleep and heightened stress can reduce training quality and increase injury risk,鈥� Vavrek points out.

Don鈥檛 Exceed This Amount of Caffeine in a Day

Caffeine is usually safe for most healthy adults, but it may not be a good option for people with underlying health conditions like high blood pressure or those who take medications that may interact with caffeine, like drugs to treat asthma or heart conditions, Tallis says. That, combined with supplements being unregulated by the (FDA) before they hit the market, means it鈥檚 a good idea to check in with your doctor first if you鈥檙e interested in taking a caffeine supplement.

The recommends capping your caffeine intake at 400 milligrams a day, although that鈥檚 a blanket suggestion and is based more on amounts that are linked with side effects, Tallis says.

In the case of Pascal’s methaccino, the amount of caffeine it contains may be suitable for some people, especially those with a higher body weight and who typically tolerate caffeine well.

But, again, everyone is different. 鈥淓ven doses as low as three milligrams per kilogram can cause side effects in some individuals, including headaches, anxiety, insomnia, increased heart rate, and nausea,鈥� Tallis says. 鈥淭hese effects become more prevalent and severe at higher doses. It鈥檚 important to consider total daily caffeine intake, including dietary sources, as supplementation will add to this total.鈥�

Ultimately, it can take some tinkering to figure out the right amount of caffeine to boost your performance. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 best to start slow, if you want to try this at all. Gregory also recommends trying caffeine outside of important performance moments to see how you do first. 鈥淒on鈥檛 add something new on the day of a big race or game.鈥�

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Earlier this week, I found myself dissecting an embargoed briefing video frame by frame, like a JFK obsessive trying to squeeze meaning from the Zapruder film. I鈥檇 just had an interview with three top scientists from Nike鈥檚 Breaking4 team, the group tasked with coordinating Faith Kipyegon鈥檚 attempt to run the first women鈥檚 sub-four-minute mile later this month. I got some answers, but I still had some big questions, and I hoped the video might reveal some clues.

Ever since back in April, there鈥檚 been speculation about how Kipyegon will be able to make the leap from her current world-record time of 4:07.64 to sub-four. It鈥檚 reminiscent of the uncertainty that surrounded the company鈥檚 Breaking2 project in 2017, when they announced that Eliud Kipchoge and two other runners would aim for a sub-two-hour marathon at a time when the world record was 2:02:57. Such a big leap鈥�2.4 percent, compared to the 3.1 percent Kipyegon needs鈥攕eemed implausible, and most observers dismissed the announcement as an overhyped publicity stunt. Then Kipchoge ran 2:00:25 (and later broke 2:00 in another exhibition race). So the commentary this time has been more circumspect. Nike must have something up their sleeve, the thinking goes, otherwise they wouldn鈥檛 be sticking their necks out.

The three experts Nike made available to discuss the project were Carrie Dimoff from the Innovation Footwear team, Lisa Gibson from the Apparel Innovation team, and Brett Kirby, a physiologist at the Nike Sport Research Lab. The choice of experts tells us which levers the company hopes to pull in pursuit of a four-minute mile. Here鈥檚 what they revealed.

The Shoes

The least surprising news is that Kipyegon will be wearing bespoke racing shoes, dubbed the Victory Elite FK, designed to make her faster than she was in the Victory 2 spikes she set her current record in. How much faster the new shoes will be is hard to determine, though.

When Kipchoge ran Breaking2, he did so in a radical new shoe design featuring a curved carbon fiber plate and a thick layer of ultra-resilient midsole foam. Those shoes came with a lab-tested promise: they made runners four percent more efficient, on average. That kind of efficiency difference is capable of reducing race times by two to three percent. In other words, the shoes alone made Breaking2 plausible.

Quantifying the benefits of Kipyegon鈥檚 new spikes is harder for a couple of reasons. One is that you can only measure efficiency accurately when you鈥檙e running slower than your aerobic threshold. At faster speeds, like your mile race pace, you start relying on 鈥渁naerobic鈥� metabolism, which doesn鈥檛 require oxygen. Since running economy is calculated based on how much oxygen you鈥檙e consuming, our go-to measurement techniques are no longer accurate once you go anaerobic.

Even if it was possible to measure running economy at mile speed鈥攊f we knew that, say, the new spikes were 4 percent more efficient than previous models鈥攖hat wouldn鈥檛 tell us exactly how much faster Kipyegon could run. For marathons, efficiency is crucial, because in a long race you鈥檙e inevitably going to run low on fuel. In a mile, you don鈥檛 have enough time to empty the tank. Efficiency is still useful, but it鈥檚 not the race-defining factor is it in longer events.

For sprinters, fuel efficiency is basically irrelevant. Instead, they鈥檙e concerned with how effectively they can transmit force to the ground to propel themselves forward, energy costs be damned. Milers are somewhere in the middle, needing to find a balance between efficiency and force transmission. The data Dimoff and her team collected on Kipyegon鈥檚 various shoe prototypes used a force-sensing treadmill to figure out how much power she could transmit to the ground, as well as biomechanical analysis to estimate how much energy she was burning. They didn鈥檛 share any numbers, but they saw measurable improvement in those parameters as they fine-tuned successive iterations of the new Victory Elite FK design.

More generally, there鈥檚 not a lot of data on the new generation of superspikes, which, like the road-running supershoes introduced in Breaking2, tend to have a midsole unit with lightweight, resilient foam, often alongside a stiff carbon fiber plate. The best info we have on such spikes comes from Wouter Hoogkamer and his colleagues at the University Massachusetts, Amherst鈥檚 Integrative Locomotion Lab. They that runners tended to go about 2 percent faster in superspikes than in conventional spikes.

An interesting detail in Hoogkamer鈥檚 data is that men ran faster in spikes that had a carbon plate in addition to the foam midsole. For women, on the other hand, the carbon plate didn鈥檛 make any difference. That suggests that the generic plate used in the test shoes might have been too stiff for the women to exert enough force to take advantage of its propulsive properties. If that鈥檚 true, then the extensive fine-tuning that Nike is doing to create a shoe specifically tailored to Kipyegon鈥檚 stride has the potential to make her faster than an off-the-shelf shoe.

With that preamble, what does Kipyegon鈥檚 new shoe look like? In some ways, it鈥檚 a lot like the that she wore last year. It has an air pod (a bubble designed to compress and then spring back to return energy) under the forefoot, a wedge of ZoomX foam under the heel, and a curved carbon fiber plate running under the length of the sole. They鈥檝e pulled out all the stops to use thinner and lighter materials for the upper, and the spikes themselves鈥攕ix rather than the four in the Victory 2鈥攁re 3D-printed titanium to reduce weight. One of the prototypes they tested was a barely-there 83 grams, compared to a listed weight of 136 grams for the Victory 2. Based on the rule of thumb that every hundred grams of shoe weight burns an extra one percent of energy, that’s half-percent edge in weight alone. Thanks to all this trimming, the Nike team has been able to make the forefoot air pod three millimeters thicker, which gives a little more energy return over the Victory 2. According to Dimoff, the air pods return more than 90 percent of the energy you put into a given foot strike.

World Athletics rules limit the stack height (i.e. the total thickness of the sole) of track spikes to 20 millimeters. Dimoff said the shoe will conform to this and other requirements. In fact, in Kipyegon鈥檚 sole track outing of the year so far, a 1,000-meter race in 2:29.21 at the Xiamen Diamond League race in April, she wore a version of the new shoe which had gone through the World Athletics approval process (I鈥檓 pretty sure it鈥檚 the Dev 611 shoe listed ). That certification process takes about 30 days; since Dimoff鈥檚 team wants to continue making tweaks right up to the last minute, they won鈥檛 be submitting the Breaking4 shoe for certification, but expect that it would pass if submitted. That, on its own, is enough to guarantee that whatever time Kipyegon runs won’t count as a world record, whatever other rules they do or don’t bend.

The Apparel

There鈥檚 lots to say about the 鈥淔ly Suit鈥� Nike is designing for Kipyegon, but I鈥檓 probably not the right person to say it. A lot of the focus for Gibson鈥檚 team is making sure that Kipyegon feels good鈥攃omfortable, confident, unconstricted鈥攚hile she runs. I鈥檓 a big believer that these factors are important, but they鈥檙e very hard to quantify.

Of course, the team did do a ton of aerodynamic testing, both in the wind tunnel and with simulations. The fabric has 3D-printed Aeronodes: little bumps of varying size distributed across the garment to create mico-eddies that reduce the turbulence of the air flowing past Kipyegon. The suit comes with arm sleeves with articulated elbows to minimize creasing, which also extend forward to cover the knuckles, where some of the most turbulent air can be found. It鈥檚 got a headband, the running equivalent of an aero helmet in cycling. Nike is also debuting a special new sports bra that鈥檚 3D-printed out of ultralight TPU, a polymer that鈥檚 better known to runners as one of the midsole foam materials used in supershoes.

How much does this stuff matter when you put it all together? Presumably Nike has a wind tunnel estimate comparing runners鈥� energy consumption with the new suit compared to business-as-usual, but the researchers didn鈥檛 share it. For Breaking2 in 2017, one of Nike鈥檚 apparel specialists told me they figured they would get somewhere between a second and a minute over the course of the marathon from all the aerodynamics they鈥檇 worked on鈥攁nd that this was crucial, because if Kipchoge missed the two-hour barrier by a second, they would never forgive themselves. Gibson told me something similar about the Breaking4 suit: 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to leave anything on the table.鈥�

Everything Else鈥ncluding Drafting

Adding up the hypothetical numbers for the shoes and clothing, a four-minute mile still seems far away. I was imagining some pretty far-out scenarios when Nike first announced this attempt, like a specially built track with perfect bounciness and optimized curves, but Kirby shot those ideas down quickly. The race is going to take place at Stade Charl茅ty in Paris sometime between June 26 (the most likely date) and June 28. They鈥檙e not building anything new or modifying the stadium or track surface in any way. They chose it because, based on a review of decades of environmental data, it鈥檚 likely to have great weather and in particular a low likelihood of storms. It also helps that Kipyegon has set a couple of world records in that stadium: 5,000 meters in 2023, 1,500 meters in 2024.

I asked about nutrition and supplements. For example, Kipyegon has reportedly tried baking soda in at least some of her prior races. Kipyegon has her own nutrition team through her sports management agency, according to Kirby, so Nike isn鈥檛 making any changes to the regime she鈥檚 already on. They are, however, monitoring and analyzing her training. What sort of insights does that provide? Kipyegon is strongest over the 1,500 to 5,000-meter range rather than over shorter distances like the 800 meters, Kirby noted, so the training analysis indicated that she needs to develop her speed鈥攐r, as physiologists would say, her anaerobic capacity. Kipyegon鈥檚 legendary coach, Patrick Sang, probably didn鈥檛 need a supercomputer to uncover this insight, but perhaps the analysis is helping him figure out just how much speedwork is enough, and how he can add it in without compromising her endurance.

That leaves drafting. After Breaking2, most of the post-mortems attributed Kipchoge鈥檚 big leap in performance to some mix of supershoes and the pacers who surrounded him and blocked the wind for almost the entire race. Some thought his success was virtually all pacers; others thought it was virtually all shoes, and that debate continues to this day. Breaking4 will give us another datapoint. In this case, the shoes don鈥檛 seem like a radical break with the shoes Kipyegon and others have already been wearing, so it seems to me they must be relying on drafting. Some recent research from Rodger Kram鈥檚 group at the University of Colorado, completely unconnected to the Breaking4 initiative, suggested that drafting alone would indeed be enough to get Kipyegon to sub-four.

How will they do it? Nike鈥檚 official line is that they haven鈥檛 decided yet. How many pacers will there be? TBD. In what formation? TBD. Will they be men or women? TBD. Will they run the whole race or, as in Breaking2, sub in and out partway? TBD. Will there be pacers at all, or might she just run a solo time trial guided by nothing but pace lights? TBD. I can believe that they鈥檙e still fine-tuning the details, but I have a hard time believing all those options are still on the whiteboard.

That鈥檚 where the frame-by-frame video analysis comes in: In one of Nike鈥檚 briefing videos about the science, in the background at what appears to be the forest-shrouded track on Nike鈥檚 main campus, you can see glimpses of what looks like drafting experiments going on. A runner clad in white circles the track with something鈥攑erhaps an air pressure or wind sensor?鈥攕trapped to their chest. Sometimes they鈥檙e alone; sometimes there are two other runners in black singlets directly and diagonally in front of them; sometimes there are three. In one shot, five pacers form a half-diamond in front, beside, and behind the central runner.

Which configuration will it be? Who knows. My best guess, triangulating between physiology and optics, would be either one shift of five men taking her all the way to the finish, or two to three shifts of five women taking turns. But I can鈥檛 blame the Nike team for not spilling all the details in advance. I would probably do the same in their shoes. However you add up the numbers, getting to sub-four is going to require a stupendously, perhaps even magically, good day. On his best days, Eliud Kipchoge seemed to be able to summon some magic from a deep well-spring of self-belief that transcended all the shoe tech and pacers and hyper-optimized conditions. Nike is clearly hoping that Kipyegon will be able to do the same. But the thing about magic is that, if you talk about it too much, it tends to disappear.

Faith Kipyegon鈥檚 Breaking4 race is scheduled for the evening of June 26. I鈥檒l be providing on-the-ground coverage from Paris before, during, and after the race, so stay tuned.

For more Sweat Science, join me on and , sign up for the , and check out my new book .

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Welcome to the modern world: we鈥檙e all stressed here. Habits and practices designed for relaxation or a more active unwind are the most common antidote, with spa days, time outside, and a solid yoga class countering some of the effects of overwhelm. But what if the solution to your habitual stress is actually more stress?

鈥淭he idea of adding stress to our lives as a method of stress management might seem nonsensical, especially since many people already experience too much stress,鈥� says Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist, a research scientist and author of The Stress Paradox. 鈥淗owever, this is because we often experience the wrong kind.鈥�

Paradoxically enough, good stress does exist鈥攜ou might even be experimenting with it already鈥攁nd incorporating it into your routine can make you more in athletic performance and beyond.

Good Stress Versus Bad Stress

Defining good stress becomes easier when you understand what it鈥檚 not. The type of stress that you likely complain about (the bad kind) is called chronic stress, which is 鈥渂ad鈥� because it鈥檚 persistent鈥攁nd it negatively affects nearly every part of your body over time. It raises and damages blood vessels, dysregulates your immune system, disrupts , and increases , says Berquist.

Stress takes a toll on the mind, too, he says,听, impairing memory, and even enlarging听the amygdala, which in turn increases our reactivity to stress.

鈥淲hen stress is consistently high and is not appropriately addressed, it can impact your sleep patterns (ability to fall asleep and stay asleep), your energy levels throughout the day, and your focus on tasks,鈥� adds Haley Michno, a social worker. 鈥淎dditionally, constant stress can also affect how you are showing up in relationships, impacting your ability to be present and connected to others.鈥�

The Link Between Stress and Performance

Desirable stress isn鈥檛 chronic. Instead, it comes in occasional bursts, bolstering resilience and balancing your body.

Deliberately introducing challenges that align with our values or contribute to a greater good can help release hormones and neurotransmitters that counteract cortisol and reduce its harmful effects.

There are two types of beneficial stress: , which refers to stress that is deemed meaningful psychologically or emotionally (like the pressure experienced when we鈥檙e striving toward a goal we want to achieve), and , which is all about the biological response.

鈥淗ormetic stress refers to brief and intermittent challenges that our bodies are designed to handle,鈥� says Berquist.听The phrase refers to听, or the relationship between a low-level stressor and a beneficial biological response.听In performance training, hormetic stress is , a learned adaptation toward resilience that allows athletes to perform better in the face of adversity.

Hormetic Stress Feels Bad Now but Good Later

Berquist notes that you can tell the difference between good and bad stress by how you feel afterward. Where chronic stress can leave you feeling depleted, anxious, and burnt out, good stress comes with energy, strength, and even creativity.

Hormetic stress has another name: type-two fun. An item on the outdoor world鈥檚 鈥�,鈥� type-two fun refers to something that鈥檚 tough at the moment but feels awesome after the fact.

Cold plunges, sauna sessions, medium-intensity exercise, and intermittent fasting are all popular examples of hormetic stress. These purposeful, challenging moments temporarily overwhelm your mind and body in a good way.

鈥淧hysical stressors can enhance our psychological resilience, and vice versa,鈥� explains Berquist. 鈥淒eliberately introducing challenges that align with our values or contribute to a greater good can help release hormones and neurotransmitters that counteract cortisol and reduce its harmful effects.鈥�

Too Much of Any Stressor Can Backfire

Though hormetic stress is technically good, this kind of purposeful pressure should be practiced mindfully. Berquist recommends incorporating small amounts of good stress followed by recovery鈥攚hether that鈥檚 a rest-day workout or a few days off from the sauna鈥攖o allow your mental and physical strength to build over time.

And know that no matter how much hormetic stress you embrace, bad stress will still find you. If your stress is adversely affecting your performance, resting and reaching out to a mental health professional are always your options.

鈥淚t is OK to take breaks and address your needs to be proactive in addressing stress,鈥� says Michno, who also suggests leaning on your support system during trying times.

Want more of听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Health stories?听.

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As headlines go, 鈥淪ocial Media is Bad鈥� doesn鈥檛 raise many eyebrows these days. TikTok and its ilk are said to be harming mental health, stifling creativity, eroding privacy, fueling disinformation, undermining national security, and so on. These are all big issues worthy of careful debate. But there鈥檚 a narrower and more tangible risk that Sweat Science readers might be concerned about. What if social media is making us slower?

A , from Carlos Freitas-Junior of the Federal University of Paraiba in Brazil and his colleagues, presents data on what happens when athletes scroll on their phones before training sessions. Surprisingly, it doesn鈥檛 just mess with that specific workout. Instead, over time, the athletes make smaller gains in performance. The findings tell us something about social media鈥攁nd they also suggest that the benefits of a workout may depend in part on the state of mind you鈥檙e in while doing it.

The Problem(s) With Social Media

Several studies over the years have examined social media use in athletes. Most famously, back in 2019 found an association between late-night tweeting (as it was then called) and next-day game performance in NBA players. If the players were tweeting after 11:00 P.M., the players tended to score fewer points, grab fewer rebounds, and shoot less accurately the next day.

You might argue鈥攃orrectly鈥攖hat the problem here is sleep deprivation rather than social media. But have found direct links between the usage of apps such as TikTok and sleep patterns in young athletes, suggesting that the root of the problem is the apps. Researchers have also linked social media use to mental well-being and even eating disorders in athletes, both of which impact performance.

These indirect impacts aren鈥檛 always straightforward: the TikTok-hurts-sleep study also found that Instagram usage was associated with greater calmness, for example. But there鈥檚 also a more immediate concern, which is that social media apps leave you mentally fatigued, which in turn directly compromises your endurance and decision-making abilities.

The Mental Fatigue Debate

The study that kicked off the modern conversation about mental fatigue in sport was a 2009 experiment from a researcher named Samuele Marcora. He showed that 90 minutes of doing a cognitively challenging computer task by about 15 percent compared to spending 90 minutes watching a documentary.

More studies followed, each investigating different types of mental fatigue and their effects on different types of athletic performance. Many of them echoed Marcora鈥檚 original results, but . One of the big unresolved questions is the extent to which the findings apply in real life. If you have to write an exam or do your taxes right before you run a marathon, that鈥檚 probably bad news. But what about the normal activities we engage in on a daily basis鈥攍ike scrolling through the social media apps on your phones? Do they induce sufficient mental fatigue to affect performance?

Back in 2021, found that 30 minutes of social media use hurt athletes鈥� times in 100- and 200-meter freestyle trials, but not in the 50 meters. found that boxers made worse decisions after using social media, but that their jumping performance was unaffected. found no effect of social media use on strength training performance. These results are consistent with the general pattern of research on mental fatigue and related stressors like sleep deprivation: with sufficient motivation, you can still exert maximal force, but your decision-making and endurance may be compromised.

What the New Data Shows

Freitas-Junior鈥檚 new study looks at volleyball players, testing their jumping performance and their 鈥渁ttack efficiency,鈥� a measure of how hard and how accurately they can hit the ball in a sequence of attacks. What鈥檚 different about the study is that it looked at long-term rather than immediate effects. Fourteen athletes spent half an hour before practice either using Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram on their phones, or watching documentaries about the history of the Olympics. After three weeks, their performance was assessed and then they switched groups and repeated the process for another three weeks.

At the end of the three-week period, jumping performance wasn鈥檛 affected under either condition, but athletes鈥� attack efficiency was worse following the three weeks of social media use. The difference was statistically significant, but to be honest the data isn鈥檛 very convincing.

For starters, take a look at the mental fatigue data. This shows how much, on average, mental fatigue (on the vertical axis) increased after watching the documentary (DOC) or using social media (SMA):

This is nice clean data. Watching the documentary increased the subjective perception of mental fatigue in almost every individual. Using social media increased it even more, again with uniform results in all the individuals. We can say with confidence that social media use increases mental fatigue compared to chilling with a doc.

Now take a look at the attack efficiency data, measured in arbitrary units where a higher number is better:

This time the individual data is all over the map. The statistical analysis tells us that, on average, the social media group got worse while the documentary group got better. This average effect may or may not be real鈥攐nly more and larger studies can confirm if it is. Based on the body of previous research, I鈥檇 guess that it鈥檚 probably real. But the pattern is so inconsistent on an individual level that I鈥檇 hesitate to use it as a basis for advice to athletes. Some athletes got better after social media use. That might be a fluke, or it might indicate that they have a healthier relationship with their apps such that a little phone time before practice gets them in a better headspace.

In the end, then, the narrative isn鈥檛 as tidy as we might like. It鈥檚 not that social media is uniformly bad, will leave you mentally fatigued, and will automatically rob you of training gains. There鈥檚 still a valuable message here, though. The things we do鈥攕ocial media, yes, but also real-world socializing, reading a book, listening to music, working, commuting, daydreaming, and so on鈥攁ffect our mental state and readiness to perform. We all respond to these things differently, so there鈥檚 no universal list of dos and don鈥檛s. But it鈥檚 worth figuring out what gets you in the right headspace and leaves you mentally energized, so that you can replicate it when it matters.

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Food creator recipe has exploded in popularity on TikTok. The dish, which features white beans, chickpeas, and peppers, has racked up 12.5 million views on the social network so far and inspired a slew of spin-off recipes. I imagine all of the fanfare for this dish is due to the fact that it’s packed with tons of nutrients, is aesthetically pleasing, and is a nice change from your typical leafy green salad.

Even though beans are trending, a 2021 study published in concluded that most Americans aren鈥檛 even getting close to the听recommended amount.听The latest proposed dietary guidelines, which are from an advisory committee to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), recommend that people eat at least 2.5 cups of beans and lentils per week. That鈥檚 a big increase from the current of legumes per week.

Beans, which are full of , aren’t just a good base for a salad鈥攖hey may give you an athletic edge. They’re also easy to incorporate into your diet.

What鈥檚 Behind the Push to Eat More Beans?

鈥淏eans are one of the healthiest foods to consume,鈥� says , a certified sport specialist in dietetics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

“They’re nutrient powerhouses, offering protein, iron, and B vitamins, all while being low in fat and highly sustainable to produce,鈥� says , co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy, a practice that offers nutritional guidance for people with and without underlying health conditions.

Beans Are High in Protein

The small legumes are a significant source of plant-based protein, making them a good option for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone looking to lower their meat consumption, says Vavrek.

“Beans are lower in fat than red meat (yes, beans contain a very small amount of fat), and they are a good source of fiber,鈥� says , a registered dietician at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates. So, consistently听swapping a cut of steak for a cup of beans may .

They Help Boost Energy and Lower Disease Risk

The complex carbohydrates in beans are an excellent source of energy, says , an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. Complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and corn take longer to digest and provide more energy for a longer duration than simple carbohydrates such as white pasta or white bread. They also contain more nutrients, including听fiber and vitamin B, than simple carbs.

A growing body of research links eating more legumes with better health, including a lowered risk of developing chronic diseases such as . One scientific review published in the journal in 2023 found that people who consistently included beans in their diets had a lower risk of death from any cause.

Still, beans aren鈥檛 a staple food in most American diets. 鈥淏eans really haven鈥檛 gotten the love they deserve,鈥� says , a registered dietician and author of the healthy-living guide titled The Little Book of Game-Changers. Cording says the reason isn鈥檛 entirely clear, but it’s possible that Americans have simply gotten used to thinking of animal sources for protein. 鈥淎lso, I find that often people don鈥檛 know what to do with them,鈥� she says.

How Beans Can Optimize Athletic Performance

鈥淏eans are high in carbohydrates, and, as we know, athletes need carbohydrates to help fuel performance,鈥� Vavrek says. That, combined with their protein levels, 鈥渕ake them an excellent choice for fueling recovery,鈥� Keatley says.

Keatley says that beans鈥� high-fiber content also helps regulate blood sugar to deliver consistent, sustained energy while you train. That fiber content also supports gut health and digestion, which makes it easier for your body to absorb nutrients, Metzger adds. It also may help your body recover after workouts, she says.

Beans even contain electrolytes like potassium, which are often found in sports drinks and are essential for hydration, muscle function, and preventing cramps, Young says.

Beans May Enhance Agility and Speed

There isn鈥檛 a lot of research directly looking at the impact of legumes on athletic performance, but there is some.

A small, randomized, double-blind study published in the journal in 2020 had eight soccer players either eat a lentil-based nutrition bar or a carbohydrate-based bar two hours before a simulated soccer match. The participants were given an agility test of paced jogging, running, walking, and sprinting, along with three-minute intervals of soccer agility skills. Study participants who had the lentil-based bar performed better on the agility test and had a lower carbohydrate oxidation rate (the speed at which the body breaks down carbs for energy) during the match. As a result, the researchers concluded that the lentil-based bar provided an improvement in agility, running, and jumping high later in the game.

A small 2020 study published in divided 19 soccer players, 12 women and 7 men, into two groups. The first group ate a pulse-based diet (including beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.), and the second group consumed their regular diet for four weeks. The researchers found that only the female participants, who made up the majority of the study participants, reduced their total cholesterol levels on the pulse-based diets and also increased their levels of high-density lipoproteins, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the researchers didn鈥檛 conclude that the beans enhanced athletic performance鈥攐nly that they supported other factors that contributed to good health.

Is It a Good Idea to Eat Beans Before a Workout?

Cording stresses that everyone鈥檚 body processes beans differently, but in general, she doesn鈥檛 recommend having a hefty serving of beans before a workout. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 going to be really uncomfortable because of the impact it can have on digestion,鈥� she says. The high fiber content can lead to bloating or gas, which could interfere with performance.

Because of this, Keatley suggests eating beans at least 12 to 24 hours before a workout and consistently sprinkling them throughout your diet, focusing on smaller servings at each sitting versus larger ones to minimize side effects. 鈥淚ncorporating them regularly into meals throughout training is more effective than relying on a one-off 鈥榖ean boost,鈥欌�� he says. Another reason to focus on consistency, according to Young: 鈥淩egularly including beans in your diet helps your body adapt to digesting them efficiently.鈥� Making sure the beans are thoroughly cooked can also make them easier to digest.

If you鈥檙e concerned about timing beans around your performance or aren鈥檛 sure how you鈥檒l react to them, Cording says it鈥檚 better to have them after your workout and gauge how you feel from there.

How to Get More Beans in Your Diet

If you鈥檙e not currently a bean eater, Cording suggests starting slow. Vavrek recommends drinking plenty of water to help move legumes through your digestive system and prevent constipation. Metzger also suggests soaking beans overnight in cool water, which removes some of the gas-producing sugars.

Here are some easy ways to eat more beans, according to Metzger:

• Add chickpeas to a salad听or soup, or make a chili
• Eat black beans with rice or as a side dish
• Saut茅 white beans with garlic and olive oil
• Snack on roasted soybeans
• Dip pita chips or vegetables in hummus
• Toss lima beans into your salad or create a succotash (a combo of corn and lima beans)

You can even put beans in smoothies, Cording says. 鈥淭he key is to integrate them consistently across meals, allowing their benefits to support overall training and performance,鈥� Keatley says.

Want more of听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Health stories?听.

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翱耻迟蝉颈诲别鈥檚 Trail Magic hiking columnist Grayson Haver Currin is attempting to bag the triple crown of hiking. He鈥檚 already thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, with one more to go: the Continental Divide Trail. He鈥檒l share notes from the field as he walks with his wife for the rest of the year. Tune in on to follow his journey.

In 30 days, I have climbed nearly 130,000 feet. If I were in Manhattan, rather than heading south through Montana and Idaho along the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), I could have easily done the same thing just by running up and down the stairs at the Empire State Building, twice a day for the same time period.

Some of this gain has been totally unremarkable. I鈥檝e picked up 100 feet here, 200 there on spans of the CDT that have mostly felt flat. But some of these ascents during my first 700 miles along my thru-hike have been spectacular, not only for their steepness but the beauty both at the peak and along the route to reach it. There was the Triple Divide Pass, for instance, near where the waters of North America split for the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic ocean, a hydrological oddity like few others. Or there was the panoramic push along switchbacks above Storm Lake to Goat Flats, a sweeping and windswept saddle speckled by larches, high in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness. It felt like another world. Climbing, at least as I see it, is the psychedelic of hiking, a gateway to a dimension you previously couldn鈥檛 imagine.

But I know that climbing can be daunting, too, taxing not only for your legs and lungs but also the brain. 鈥淗ow far and how long,鈥� hikers often wonder on the uphill, 鈥渃an life go on like this?鈥� I鈥檝e been there, of course; these days, as we continue toward Mexico mile by mile, I ask myself this at least once a day. In five years of thru-hiking, however, I鈥檝e developed some strategies鈥攕ome mental and others physical, some predictable and others zany鈥攖o help myself more efficiently hike uphill.

Remember: the more you do it, the better you get. The better you get, the easier the views from the top come.

Beginner-Friendly Tips for Hiking Uphill

1. Churn your feet to optimize your inertia.

I was an awful high-school football player, too small and soft for my obligatory position on the offensive line and too slow for anything else. But I internalized at least one invaluable lesson from those days of trying (and largely failing) to open holes for running backs: Keep your feet moving, so that you remain more reactive and don鈥檛 waste inertia energy. That鈥檚 how I climb, too, with my legs in constant motion, as if pushing the pedals of an imaginary bicycle. When going uphill, it鈥檚 all too tempting to treat each step like a single act, sinking so deep into each bend of the knee that it feels like you鈥檙e about to stop with each step. Fatigue makes this more enticing as you ascend, but avoid it. Spring into shorter steps, almost as if you鈥檙e (slowly) about to leap into the next one. This keeps the necessary muscles ready and engaged, glutes to toes, and you won鈥檛 waste momentum. Remember this when it comes to climbing strides: Short and steady, not long and labored.

2. Don鈥檛 forget your arms; use your trekking poles to your advantage.

As you climb, your legs may burn, cramp, or generally ache. Why not help them? While your shoulders may be supporting your backpack, the rest of your arms are free to propel you. All too often, I see people bent over their hiking poles as they climb, as if they鈥檙e leaning on the frames of a walker in a retirement facility. Get at least one of those poles behind you, and push forward with it on every step. Think of it as a bonus thruster, able to alleviate at least a bit of your struggle. (Speaking of which, I鈥檝e been loving these new . They鈥檙e super strong relative to their weight, and not flimsy like many of their carbon fiber brethren.) And if you鈥檙e foregoing poles, swing your arms forward with your steps, almost as if you鈥檙e lunging for the peak. Will you look goofy, as if you鈥檙e marching up a mountain in military fashion? Totally. Will it help? Probably.

3. Microdose your breaks and keep your backpack on.

On a recent ascent so extended it felt as if I were walking up a broken escalator to nowhere, I spotted a fellow hiker at the end of a switchback having a wrestling match with his backpack. He鈥檇 thrown it down to take a break, then collapsed in the dirt beside it for an extended spell. Then, he struggled to start again. Don鈥檛 do that. Take smaller breaks more often, and please leave your pack on. Lean on your hiking poles or rest with your pack against a tree long enough to catch your breath and for the sweat to slow just a little (maybe a minute), then proceed. A good way to time this? Put on a favorite album of four-minute songs; pause for a microbreak every two tracks, and begin again when the chorus of the third hits.

4. Skip the excess water; filter as you go.

How many times have I seen a hapless day hiker plodding up the side of a mountain sporting a backpack stuffed with two (very full) one-liter Nalgenes? Enough that I feel compelled to mention it here. That, after all, is more than five pounds of stuff鈥攍iquid and bottle included. Most climbs will have at least one water source, clearly delineated in mobile apps, digital maps, or online trip reports. Use it. Leave the extra Nalgene in your car, and climb with the indomitable Sawyer Squeeze, a two-ounce tube that filters water that might not even look clean. (This frees up space in your pack for electrolyte powder, snacks, layers, and other things, too.)

5. Fuel up along the way.

Snack as you climb, and enjoy some sugar as you do. Is it the vanity of fitness that causes folks to forego food as they ascend, convinced that, if they wait until the summit before cracking open those gummy bears, they鈥檒l arrive with perfect abs or something? Is it the promise of a good-old gorge at the end of a long day outside? I don鈥檛 know, really, but give your engine the calories it needs before you bonk. Think: simple sugars your body craves. Jellybeans, pineapple rings, gummy bears, and caffeinated packets of Gu are some of my favorites. Bottom line? Eat enough to burn as you churn your way up the hill.

6. Move from target landmark to target landmark.

I learned to run well from a long-distance cyclist who once offered this perfect insight during my early days of sprinting hills: As you hit the hill鈥檚 base, pick a landmark a short distance up鈥攕ay, a stump, or a crack in the asphalt鈥攁nd power toward it. Just before you reach it, pick another landmark and repeat. Do this long enough, and you鈥檒l be speeding off the crest just as this game gets fun. I still run this way, and I鈥檝e found it to be the ideal hiking trick, like a solution to Zeno鈥檚 dichotomy paradox that actually gets you where you want to be, which is the downhill.

7. Engage your mind to hike uphill.

As you climb, the trail will doubtlessly bend and dip as you tackle the terrain. But your task essentially remains linear, as you increase your elevation over a set distance. I have long tricked my brain into thinking otherwise with a strategy that I recognize may make me sound mental: I count out of order. Quietly in my head or just under my breath, I鈥檒l start with the basics of 鈥渙ne, two, three鈥� but soon skip in the count to wherever I fancy, maybe jumping 10 digits at a time or perhaps multiplying the last two numbers to put me somewhere else entirely on the continuum of integers. Sometimes, I鈥檒l even count backwards. I look for patterns in these numbers and try to think about why I鈥檝e stumbled upon them. Before I know it, I鈥檝e knocked off another 500 feet of gain. Essentially, let your mind wander and get away from the straightforward and sometimes strenuous task at hand. The Uncounting Game works for me, though other mind-game approaches are endless, from audiobooks and mantras to counting trailside squirrels. Pick a distraction, and go.

8. Get your drone on, musically.

Usually people think music meant for climbing hills should be fast and loud, like power-up anthems that will push you forward with a surge of positivity. Sure, I do that. But as with The Uncounting Game, I also like to let my thoughts wander during my climbs, to forget at least a little bit what I鈥檓 doing until reality blurs into a haze. So instead, I listen to drone鈥攖hat is, mesmerizing, beatless stretches of sound that sometimes evolve very little over the course of an hour. By paying attention to near-microscopic changes, like suddenly sensing the different way a violinist is holding the bow, I slip out of current drudgery. Drone music exists in most musical forms, from heavy metal and electronic to string bands and choirs, so you can find one that fits your mood.

On the CDT, my go-to drones for climbing the first 130,000 feet have been: Kali Malone鈥檚 , a massive work for organ; Earth鈥檚 , a foundational document of drone metal; Kalia Vendever鈥檚 , a gorgeous little set of trombone hums; and 脡liane Radigue鈥檚 , an absorbing meditation of circuits and bells. You can keep the volume down, too, to listen for the birds and bears as you ascend.

The post 8 Beginner-Friendly Tips for Hiking Uphill More Efficiently appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

You鈥檙e a busy person who wants to optimize every minute of training to achieve your goals.

I can help you. I鈥檝e coached Olympians, national- and world-record holders, and national and NCAA champions. Each reached the pinnacle of the sport by making the most of the miles they ran while avoiding injury and burnout. To do that, you need to understand the demands racing requires of your body and train effectively to adapt your body to meet those demands.

The races that most runners train for are almost entirely aerobic events. Yes, even the mile or the 5K. To succeed at those distances, you need to be able to sustain a hard pace for several minutes, and often for more than an hour.

You need to be an aerobic monster.

I like to explain this idea by talking about a common race goal. Many of the women I coached collegiately wanted to break 5:00 in the mile. I would ask: 鈥淐an you run 75 seconds for one lap of the track? Of course you can, pretty easily. How about 2:30 for two laps? Yes, but it鈥檚 starting to get hard. How about 3:45 for three laps? Now that鈥檚 getting really hard. Could you then run a fourth lap in less than 75 seconds? Almost certainly not right now.鈥�

RELATED: How to Increase Your Aerobic Capacity (a.k.a. VO2 Max)

My point was that a short segment at your desired race pace isn鈥檛 a big deal. (If it is, you probably need a less ambitious goal.) If a reasonable goal for you is to break 20:00 for the 5K, then running 400 meters in 1:36 or 800 meters in 3:12 won鈥檛 be a major strain. You have the basic speed to run that pace comfortably. It鈥檚 sustaining the pace that鈥檚 the challenge. Being able to do that requires training that builds your high-end aerobic capacity. That鈥檚 what I mean by being an aerobic monster.

So, what does this mean in practical terms? Mileage isn鈥檛 everything, but most runners will become stronger aerobically by carefully and gradually increasing the volume of running they can handle. Increasing your mileage from year to year while still being able to hit your times in workouts and races will improve your VO2 max (ability to pump a lot of blood to working muscles), lactate threshold (ability to clear lactate and therefore not have to slow), and running economy (amount of oxygen needed to hold a certain pace).

By 鈥渉andle鈥� mileage increases, I mean being able to run at something more than a crawl without getting hurt or worn down. A little extra soreness or tightness is common at a newly higher mileage. A sharp new pain, soreness, tightness that doesn鈥檛 go away once you鈥檙e warmed up, is a warning sign. Similarly, if your goal is to run 6:00-per-mile pace for a 10K, but you鈥檙e so tired from upping your mileage that you struggle to run a 6:00 mile in training, you鈥檙e overdoing it. And if you鈥檙e no longer a coherent person during the rest of your day, with no energy for your real-world responsibilities, you鈥檙e definitely running too much (says the guy who in college studied standing up because he would fall asleep immediately if he read sitting down).

But there鈥檚 more to being an aerobic monster than simply how much you run. Take two runners who average 40 miles per week. One might run almost the same distance every day at about the same medium-effort pace. He鈥檒l be a decent aerobic athlete. Another鈥檚 week might include a long run, a tempo run, and some shorter recovery days. She鈥檒l be an aerobic monster.

Long runs and tempo runs are key to building your ability to hold a strong pace. I鈥檇 much rather have you run 12 miles on Sunday and four miles on Monday than eight miles each day. Tempo runs are especially effective at raising your lactate threshold, the point at which your effort goes from aerobic to anaerobic, causing you to slow in the next few minutes if you tried to keep holding a given pace. A steady diet of tempo runs will make you able to run aerobically at a faster pace and will lengthen the time you can hold that faster pace. A bonus: As you become more of an aerobic monster, your everyday runs will get faster at the same effort level, leading to that much more of a training effect.

To get an idea of what this all means in practice, consider the training of Heather MacLean, an Olympian I coach who was ranked ninth in the world in 2022 at 1500 meters.

Heather鈥檚 longest race lasts just four minutes. Yet much of her training before her peak racing season could be confused for that of a 5K or 10K specialist. For most of the year, she does a weekly long run and regular tempo workouts. Why? Because the same principle that was true for the collegiate runners who wanted to break 5:00 for the mile is true for Heather to break 4:00 for 1500 meters. (Her best is 3:58.)

The average pace to do so鈥�64 seconds per 400 meters鈥攊sn鈥檛 a challenge for her to hold for one lap. What she needs is the ability to run the first three laps of the three-and-three-quarter-lap race aerobically, so that she can sprint against the best in the world in the final 300 meters. How did she get there? In large part, not by running all-out 400-meter repeats twice a week, but by the steady accumulation of long runs and tempo runs for months on end.

RELATED: The 国产吃瓜黑料 Guide to Setting and Achieving Your Running Goals

In a typical year, one of Heather鈥檚 main targets is the outdoor U.S. championship in late June or early July. On that schedule, it鈥檚 only in April and May that her workouts start to look more like what you might expect for a world-class miler. But even then, she still does a good long run most weeks, and many of her track workouts include long repeats at 5K race pace. If she doesn鈥檛 have a tune-up race in a given week, she鈥檒l usually do a tempo run. All of these elements preserve the aerobic monster status she built in the previous several months

You鈥檒l know you鈥檙e becoming an aerobic monster when your training starts feeling more doable. You鈥檒l find you鈥檙e finishing your long runs at a good pace, rather than hanging on and hoping they鈥檒l end soon. On hard sessions, you鈥檒l definitely be working hard, but you鈥檒l feel stronger while doing so, and you鈥檒l recover more quickly between repeats. You鈥檒l simply feel more capable than before; any given run won鈥檛 seem to take as much out of you.

鈥� Adapted with permission from , by Mark Coogan and Scott Douglas

The post How to Achieve Your Running Goals? Become an Aerobic Monster. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The questions surrounding what to eat鈥攁nd when鈥攊n our society are abundant: Did we exercise enough to earn our spaghetti dinner? Did we eat less before an extravagant meal so that we can feel less guilty enjoying it? Almost everyone has probably heard, or uttered, phrases like: I deserve this meal because I went to the gym earlier. But you don鈥檛 have to earn your food, and a meal should not just be a reward.

Calories are necessary for our bodies to function properly鈥攅ven without exercise. Moreover, food is a vital connection between people, their communities, and their heritage. So it鈥檚 time we started thinking about it that way. Here鈥檚 why.

You Need More Calories Than You Think

In simple terms, calories are units of energy that our bodies need to function. If we eat 400 calories of food, that is 400 units of energy that our body can then use. Our bodies don鈥檛 just need calories for movement and exercise. We need them for everyday living.

Oftentimes, we see exercise as an activity that earns food, instead of an activity that can make us physically stronger and supports mental health.

鈥淥ur body uses more than 50 percent of its calories for basic life functions, such as keeping your heart beating and lungs breathing,鈥� says performance dietitian .

How Many Calories Does It Take to Fuel Parts of the Body?

On average, the brain uses 240 to 320 calories a day (and a tiny bit more if you鈥檙e doing focused work), the liver 200 calories, the heart 440 calories, and both kidneys 420 calories. That鈥檚 1,300 calories total, more than some diets allow for a daily limit.

How we utilize calories also depends on numerous factors, including the type of food we eat, the body鈥檚 metabolism, and our gut microbiome.

The Concept of听 “Earning Food” Is Problematic

鈥淲hen we believe that food must be earned, we create a negative relationship with food, exercise, and our bodies,鈥� says Jaimee Cooper, a performance dietitian based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This leads to us viewing food in a hierarchical way, and in doing so, we associate a moral value to ourselves we when eat, categorizing foods into good and bad groups instead of recognizing that it provides more than just nutrients. This can also apply to our relationship with movement. Oftentimes, we see exercise as an activity that earns food, instead of an activity that can make us physically stronger and supports mental health.

We should also remember that food represents much more than fuel to our bodies. Our meal choices are based on individual preferences, cultural heritage, finances, accessibility, and more.

Establishing a healthy relationship with food is essential for all of us. This means viewing food as fuel, but also celebrating its social and cultural aspects as well.

鈥淢y hope is that people can connect with the benefits of exercise and recognize that eating enough food is the way to get the most out of those benefits,鈥� says Eling Tsai, a dietitian based in Brooklyn, New York.

What and How Often Should People Eat?

Diversifying your plate is both a simple and proactive听way to think about how to eat. Different nutrients are going to come from different foods. Some foods, like animal proteins (beef, poultry, oysters, etc.) and plant-based foods like fortified cereals, beans, and spinach, provide us with iron, which is crucial for maintaining healthy red blood cells and enhancing performance by preventing dizziness and fatigue.

Carbohydrates provide sustained energy for physical activity. A variety of foods in our diet is going to provide us with different antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and can also help support our gut microbiome, which is important for the immune system and heart.

Don’t Skip Meals

Have the urge to skip a meal due to inactivity? Think again. Eating every three to four hours helps keep blood sugar consistent and optimizes stomach digestion, prevents lethargy, and could guard against heart health issues.

鈥淵ou need to eat more food than you think,鈥� Cooper says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a popular myth that training fasted will burn more body fat. While the body may burn fat as fuel, it will also break down muscle as fuel too. Training with food can help your body work more efficiently to get you to push your body further.鈥�

There’s No Such Thing as a Perfect Way to Eat

Perfect eating doesn’t exist because our needs as humans are individual鈥攚e are not going to have the same needs and preferences as the person next to us. Our own nutritional needs will also change daily due to our different movements, hormones, and lifestyles, which is completely normal.

Tsai encourages people to tailor their nutrition to the type of exercise they are doing that day鈥攁 three-hour run will require different fuel than, say, a 45-minute yoga class. 鈥淭rial and error is one of the best ways to understand which foods work the best for you before and after you work out, and can make you feel the most confident,鈥� Tsai says. And if you are still confused, a professional performance dietitian could help.

Most importantly, establishing a healthy relationship with food is essential for all of us. This means viewing food as fuel, but also celebrating its social and cultural aspects as well.

Want more of听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Health stories?听.

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