After a run in the sun or a day spent on the windy ski slopes, I usually come home to discover that my hair is a sweaty, tangled mess. Trying to pull a comb through it only seems to make it worse, forcing me into yet another wash, which I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to do daily, right? And considering how much of a beating our hair takes when exercising, it’s important to take good care of your hair during and after a workout.

The good news is that protecting your hair doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your fitness goals. With the right routine for your hair type and a few mess-free styling tips, you can ensure your hair and scalp stay as healthy and strong as you.

A Build-Up of Sweat Creates the Perfect Environment for Bacteria to Grow

According to a Colorado-based dermatologist, and avid hiker and climber, when we work out, sweat sits on the scalp and increases moisture and oil, which can lead to excess fungal growth.

She explains that this kind of fungi, also called , is a type of yeast that naturally exists on our skin. But, if it overgrows, it can lead to inflammation, itching, scaling, excessive oiliness or dryness, and flaking on the scalp.

Sunlight and Elements Dry Out—and Break—Your Strands

“Sun exposure can damage the actual hair shaft, and it can lead to excessive dryness, which can lead to breakage,” says Shao, who adds that sun exposure over time on the scalp itself can also increase your risk for skin cancer.

If you are doing an activity like skiing or biking, wind may also cause damage. “When your hair is getting whipped around, it gets super knotty, and you have to get all that out; that is definitely going to cause hair breakage and damage,” says Shao.

She adds that it’s important to avoid doing outdoor activities while your hair is wet. “Wet hair is really weak, making excessive heat and cold when your hair is wet a potential problem.”

Too-Tight Buns and Ponytails May Cause Hair Loss

Keeping your hair pulled taut and away from the face with a scrunchie can lead to , a type of hair loss caused by prolonged or repeated tension on the hair strands. “This pulling can lead to hair loss and scalp damage,” says Shao.

Swim Caps Are, Ironically, Not Great Either

Wearing tight swim caps may also cause the hairline to recede.

“Swim caps are great in one sense because they have the benefit of protecting our hair from chlorine,” says Shao, who explains that the chemicals can damage the protective hair cuticle, drying out your strands and scalp. “But swim caps—especially if they are too tight, or worn for extended periods of time, or not put on properly—they can cause a lot of excessive pulling force.”

Silicone caps are better than other materials, like latex, because they tend to fit better and don’t pull on the hair. Regardless of your chosen material, Shao suggests applying a leave-in conditioner to your hair before putting on a cap, which can allow it to slip on more easily. Put both hands inside the cap facing each other and stretch the cap as wide as you can, pulling it over your forehead.

How to Manage Your Hair While Working Out

Your active hair care routine should be tailored to your specific hair profile.ÌęHair knowledge and routine adjustments will go a long way in protecting and nourishing your hair.

Consider Your Hair Type

Hair types divide your hair’s growth pattern and texture into numbered, lettered categories. The accompanying letters, A, B, and C, align with section width, aka the tightness of your curl. Coily hair, for example, may be categorized as type 4b or 4c.

In terms of texture, there are :

• Straight (Type 1): lays flat and can be harder to curl
• Wavy (Type 2): has more volume than straight hair; the tightest waves can be mistaken for curls
• Curly (Type 3): can be loose or tighter, springy curls; because oil has a harder time traveling down the winding strands, curly hair can get dry and frizzy
• Coily (Type 4): tight curls and strands have a zigzag pattern

Additionally, your hair may be naturally thick or thin, oily or dry. And while anybody can experience scalp conditions like psoriasis or alopecia, different hair types are often associated with different conditions. “In general, coarse, coily hair is going to be more prone to dryness and breakage, while more fine hair can be more susceptible to oiliness and scalp irritation,” says Shao.

Choose Accessories Best Suited to Your Hair Needs

While getting to know your locks is a must, proper styling is another can’t-miss step. , co-founder of , an organization dedicated to elevating Black women distance runners, suggests wearing hats with satin linings to prevent snagging.

That said, Shao notes that cotton hats can trap sweat and moisture against the scalp—so if you are going to wear a hat, make it a moisture-wicking one. “Make sure that you are washing those caps frequently and allowing them toÌę fully dry before using them again, as caps, as well as headbands, can hold on to bacteria, and that can lead to acne, folliculitis, and breakouts,” she says

In terms of all styles, loose is better. Shao recommends a low bun, loose braid, or hair twists rather than tight braids for those with type 4b or 4c hair. Silk or snag-free hair ties can help ensure that there’s no unnecessary tearing.

“Everyone’s hair is unique to them and how they care for it is also something that is deeply personal to them, so finding what works best for you is important,” says Robinson. “If one thing doesn’t work, just try something else.”

5 Easy Workout Hairstyles

Not sure which updo is right for you? These simple styles are worthy contenders.

1. French Braids

“My go-to is two French braids that lead into a ponytail,” says running influencerÌę. “It keeps hair out of my face and is super cute, too.”

SAVE FOR LATER! Instructions below! What you’ll need: two clear elastics, regular hair tie, brush Step 1: Part your hair down the middle Step 2: Start a French braid on the left side. When you reach the back of your head, don’t gather more hair and instead pivot to a regular braid! Tie off at the end. Step 3: Repeat on the right side Step 4: Gather all hair in a ponytail and that’s it! Optional Steps: Use a wax stick to keep any flyaways down. You can also untie the smaller elastics once the ponytail is secure and undo the braids in just the pony so they still stay up top but the ponytail is brainless. If you try this out, defo let me know!

2. Loose Bun or Puff

A not-too-tight bun or puff is a good choice to keep your hair off your neck on hot days. Spiral hair ties Ìęare a good option if you want to toss your hair up; they can stretch to accommodate thick hair, are durable, and are gentle on your strands.

A hair tutorial for hair or any babes.

3. Bubble Ponytail

Justine also often wears a bubble pony (where you use elastic bands to create puffy sections in a ponytail). This is a great style for an intense workout because gathering the hair down the ponytail can prevent nasty tangles which then cause breakage when you try to comb them out.

Now accepting ideas for my next running hairstyle! I need fun inspo and I love trying new things!

4. Rip Tied

Shao suggests a , a brand of hair tie that keeps your hair contained. “Those are really nice, especially if you are a skier and you want to wear your hair in a braid, or if you’re a surfer, because the wind factor is a problem, so having your hair a little more tied up is nice.” As a bonus, Rip Tie offers ties in an array of vibrant colors to suit whatever vibe you’re going for.

This @RipTieHair are such a game changer for my tangled hair girlies

5. Softly Secured

Robinson likes to wear wide elastic headbands if she is wearing her hair straight and loosely clipped back to avoid the dreaded ponytail dent. “If I’m wearing a protective style, same thing: I just loosely tie my hair up so it doesn’t give my edges too much tension,” she says.

Need more headbands

How to Care for Your Hair After a Workout

Ultimately, intentional hair care is just one part of a healthier whole. After working out, the correct cleansing schedule and between-wash products can make all the difference.

Cleanse with Care

“In general, it’s important to maintain a regular hair wash routine, but that is going to be a little different for everybody,” says Shao. “It really does depend on the type of scalp and hair that you have, and also your activity level.” If you are exercising daily and have an oily scalp, for example, you may need to wash your hair daily or every other day. For frequent cleansing, Shao suggests using a mild, sulfate-free shampoo and applying it directly to your scalp before lathering. “You don’t necessarily need to put shampoo on your hair shaft, and definitely not your hair ends unless you rolled around in the dirt or something,” she says.

People with coily, type 4b or 4c, hair may not need to wash every day. Shao notes that these hair types tend toward dryness and brittleness, making the natural oils that come with skipping a wash essential. For people with extensions, weaves, or braids, Shao recommends diluting your shampoo into a spray bottle—just spray your scalp and rinse.

Refresh Between Showers

There are ways to refresh your hair after a workout without fully washing it. If you have coily hair, Shao recommends doing a water rinse of your scalp after workouts to get some of the salt and sweat buildup out. Robinson says she only washes her hair about once a week but uses the to revamp her hair between washes.

If you are washing infrequently and still struggling with dry hair or dandruff, Shao suggests using an anti-dandruff serum ( from Jupiter, a scalp repair and haircare brand), which she says can help control yeast growth.

“Don’t be discouraged by your hair getting messed up because the bigger picture is making sure you are well,” says Robinson. “You can always style your hair in a different way, try something else, wash it, and start over, but you only get one you, one life, to be healthy. That’s the priority.”

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Now that the excitement of New Year’s has long worn off, you might find yourself de-prioritizing the list of resolutions you made at the top of the year. I, for one, have already skipped the daily journaling and stretching practices I committed to more times than I’d like to admit. Whether your goal was to squeeze in a ten-minute walk each day before work or totally overhaul your fitness routine, it’s always tough to make new habits stick.

For this reason, many Americans who resolve to be more active each year quit into the new year. And according to data from the , some people report that they break their resolutions even earlier. About 60 percent of adults who made at least one resolution in 2024 had kept all of them by mid-January; another 28 percent said they’d kept some of their resolutions, while 13 percent said they’d already given up on them. If you’re in this last camp (or you’re about to be), we have good news: “It’s never too late to start a habit or get back on track, especially when it’s tied to a core value you hold,” says , a psychologist based in Florida. “You can pick back up at any time.”

Here, experts provide a few tips for anyone whose resolutions are in danger of being put on the back burner until the next new year rolls around.

1. If You’ve Been Missing Your Daily Walks, It’s Time to Recruit a Friend

If you’re just not excited about your daily walk, inviting a neighbor might do the trick. “It’s harder not to do something you said you’re going to do when there’s another person involved in it,” says , a psychologist based in California. Another plus, she adds, is that “It’s just probably more fun. Changing behaviors can be challenging, and you should infuse fun and joy into that any way you can.”

You may even take longer walks when you bring a friend. I’ve found that time flies by when you chat with a friend while strolling through the park. If you’re still not convinced, that people may see added mental health benefits when working out with others compared to those who work out alone.

2. If You’re Skipping Workouts Because It’s Cold, Reassess What Kind of Gear You Need

Extreme cold has descended upon much of the U.S.Ìęin recent weeks, and this could be why you’re dragging your feet when it’s time to go for your daily run or other outdoor exercise routine.

If those workouts have led to severe discomfort lately—for instance, if your fingers, toes, or any other part of your body got so cold they became stiff or numb—that’s a sign you need to wear different gear, says , an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to buy anything new. “Try dressing in layers,” Horan recommends.

If you’re up for spending a few bucks on some cold-weather gear, consider investing in a good base layer, fleece-lined gloves, or a headband that doubles as an ear warmer. that stick to the bottom of your socks have also been a game-changer for me this year.

3. Plan to Skip Some Days

Because implementing a new practice into your daily life can be difficult, you should be prepared to miss some days. This means designating a few days each week or month as “no-gym” days when you know you won’t make it.

You can approach this one of two ways: blocking out certain daysÌęyou know will be extra busy or picking those days as they arise. Try to spend the time that you would normally dedicate to your resolutions doing something rejuvenating, like reading, meditating, watching reality TV, or doing another activity that leaves you feeling refreshed.

“As much as routine can be helpful and good, it’s not always realistic to say, ‘I’m going to start going to the gym four times a week,’” Puder says. Inevitably, you will have a sick day, a really long work day, or a day during which things just don’t go as planned. Knowing you won’t meet your goal every single day can help you reset when that happens.

“All-or-nothing thinking is a cognitive error,” Reynolds says. If you’ve come to terms with the fact you’ll probably break your streak, you may also be more inclined to give it your all on the days when you do make it to the gym.

4. Listen to Your Body—If You’re Sore or In Pain, It’s Time to Go Back to the Drawing Board

Taking your fitness routine from zero to 100 can leave you feeling fatigued or worse. “We call it ,” Horan says. “When someone’s new exercise regimen is too intense, thisÌępaired with sleep lack and/or lack of proper nutrition can increase injury risk,” she says.

It can be hard to differentiate between regular soreness that occurs after working out a particular muscle group for the first time in a while and overtraining. But one sign that you’re going a little too hard is pain or soreness that lasts more than four days after the workout that caused it. “If it’s lasting five days, that can be a sign that our bodies are not recovering properly,” Horan says.

Another tell-tale sign is asymmetrical pain. For example, Horan says, “When someone comes to me and says, ‘My right knee really hurts, but my left knee is fine.’”

Overtraining can highlight slight muscle imbalances throughout your body. Let’s say you always do certain household chores with your right arm; this could mean that the muscles on the right side of your upper body may already be a bit stronger than those on your left. If you start overtraining, those muscle imbalances may become noticeable via asymmetrical pain.

If this sounds familiar, consider scaling back your workout routine and then building up to your ultimate goals.

5. Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Protein to Accommodate Your New Activity Level

If you’re beginning to feel less energized than usual ahead of your workouts, you may need to tweak your diet.

“If you are increasing your movement without also increasing nutrition, you’re asking your body to perform at a higher level with less fuel,” says , a dietitian based in New York.

You may need to work more protein into your meals or simply eat more of the foods you usually gravitate towards. “Maybe someone who used to be satisfied with a cup of rice alongside their dinner finds they’re going back for seconds,” Geraty says. Paying attention to your body’s needs will boost your energy and help you meet your goals.

6. Consider Starting Some (Healthy) Competition

Many fitness trackers and apps, like , allow you to share your progress at the gym with friends and family members, and they can give you kudos when you’re on a roll. The recognition from loved ones is nice, but it can also be motivating to monitor their progress as well.

If you see that you’re the only one in your family who didn’t go for a walk today, that may be all the incentive you need to grab your tennis shoes and get out the door. Each time I learn that my Dad, who’s one month shy of 70, has hit five-plus miles in a given day, I’m far less likely to rot on the couch all evening.

Want more ofÌęșÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű’s Health stories?Ìę.

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Mick Jagger is 81 years old and on the Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds” tour. The shows run somewhere between two and two-and-a-half hours long. Jagger is running, gyrating, singing, and dancing at each one. I couldn’t help but notice that Jagger is in incredible shape—for a person at any age. How does he do it? And what would it feel like to work out like him?

How to Work Out Like Mick Jagger

Jagger has worked with the Norwegian personal trainer Torje Eike for many years, and cite yoga, dancing, strength training, sprinting, and meditation asÌęthe types of workouts that Jagger tends to do five to six days each week.

Using these online sources—along with videos Jagger has shared and interviews he has given—I put together a five-day Jagger workout plan that incorporates each of his core fitness practices.

And then I tried it.

Day 1: 1 Hour of Vinyasa Yoga to Start the Day

I decided to start my Jagger week in my comfort zone with a form of physical activity we both seem to love: yoga. I practice vinyasa two to three times a week and have done soÌęon and off for a decade.

Today’s class started with a dash of kismet, though. The instructor at my usual studio, ,Ìęasked if anyone in the room was familiar with Rick Rubin. Surely she łŠČčČÔ’t be talking about the record producer, right? I thought to myself as I tentatively raised my hand. But Rick Rubin, the unparalleled American producer of albums ranging from The Beastie Boys’ 1984 License to Ill to Mick Jagger’s 1993 Wandering Spirit,Ìęwas exactly who she was talking about. She used Rubin’s thoughts on creativity to ground that day’s practice, which ended up going pretty heavy on the chair poses if you ask me.

Mick, are you here with us in the room right now?

Day 2: Transcendental Meditation and Strength Training

I’m not going to lie; I was dreading the meditation component of Jagger’s routine. will tell you that meditation is one of his major habits. Except, and this is important, I have spent at least 15 of my 36 years on the planet very aware that meditation might help quiet my usually screaming mind. But I’ve always refused to do it because it sounds a little too quiet. And 15 minutes sounds like a very long time.

So, since I’m a meditation avoider and thus a total novice, I did some cursory research on Transcendental Meditation before I sat down to try it. From what I , picking a mantra, one that consists of sounds vs. meanings, and repeating that mantra throughout the practice serves as step one. Step two is sitting for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day, choosing a comfortable position, and repeating the mantra until the end of the allotted time.

Obviously, I went for the 15-minute option. I chose the classic Sanskrit “Om” as my mantra and settled into a comfortable position in my office and guest room. As the minutes ticked by, I resisted the urge to check the remaining time on my phone and to focus on the meditation.

And, honestly, it was kind of great. The time passed much faster than I expected. I assumed I was around the five-minute mark when the timer went off to signal 15. Repeating the mantra made it easier to push out intrusive thoughts, and I felt myself settle into silence in a way that is usually pretty elusive to me. I think I might keep meditating even after my Jagger week.

Oh, I also did strength training on Day 2Ìębecause Jagger gets in a few good gym workouts each week, and weight training is already part of my regular routine. I performed bench presses, shoulder presses, tricep extensions, flys, concentration curls, medicine ball twists, incline bench with dumbbells, and kettlebell shrugs.

Not bad.

Day 3: 1+ Hour of Vinyasa and Sprints

Most places I looked online included a striking detail about Jagger’s purported regimen: in the past at least, he’s done sprints to keep in shape. A lifetime ago, I, too, regularly did 100-meter sprints, and I was actually very good at them. I was a high school soccer player who set the all-time scoring record for the sport at my high school because, in addition to a strong right foot, I was just really, really fast.

But then,Ìęclose to 20 years elapsed, and I became a sedentary knowledge worker and had a baby. I łŠČčČÔ’t say sprinting is part of my week unless we’re talking about hustling behind my child after she darts toward the street in front of our house.

So sprinting hurt, and I went relatively easy on myself since it had been a while.ÌęI opted to do four 100-meter sprints with a ten-minute warmup consisting of a short jog, leg swings, and some stretching. I tried to be reasonable, too, and get some negative splits going by starting at around 70 percent of my already diminished sprinting capacity. I was huffing and puffing by the end, but I made it through, which was my singular goal for this exercise.

I should note that I also did an hour and 15 minutes of vinyasa yoga in the evening. I’m not sure if Mick Jagger combines workout types across his days, but I have to imagine that if he’s feeling up to it, he does.

Day 4: Dance Workout

No Jagger workout week could exist without at least one . (And in one , Jagger said he does two dance workouts a week.) I kept it simple and found a , though I’m certain Jagger must be able to dance for much longer stretches.

Dancing isn’t at all part of my regular regimen, and it was hard. It required coordination and speed, and I had to keep my eyes on the screen to be able to follow the instructions with any semblance of proficiency. I think the cardio component of this workout is great, and I totally get why it makes sense for someone performing “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” on the regular, but I’m not sure I’d subject myself to this particular form of training again. My dancing is best saved for family wedding receptions.

Day 5: Strength Training

On my final day of Jagger Week, I repeated my strength training circuit from Day 2. This is my regular lifting routine, and it makes my arms and back feel strong and pliable. I figured I would end the Jagger week in my own comfort zone.

Should You Work Out Like Mick Jagger?

I spoke with , a former Division 1 athlete, SoulCycle instructor, and certified personal trainer, to get her take on the workout plan I put together, as well as what she would suggest for anyone who really does want to get started working out like Jagger.

Gaines told me it would be best to ease into the Jagger-style workout if you’re a relatively sedentary person. She recommends working out two to three times per week for the first month, building up to four times per week in month two, and maxing out at five to six times per week in month three. “For the first month, I would suggest strength training two times per week and cardio once a week,” she says. “Strength training will help prevent injuries and will give your muscles the foundation to take on other activities, such as dance or yoga.”

If my week as Mick Jagger taught me anything, it’s that a diversified workout plan and a focus on mindfulness feel really good. If I were to habituate some of what I tested out this week—and move beyond the initial soreness—I think I would feel really balanced and strong.

And, as Gaines reminded me, the most important thing to remember when starting any routine is to take it easy on yourself. “Have patience in building a program that works best for you, but also patience in getting the results you are looking for, she says. “The best way to build a Jagger-style regimen would be over time, so patience is key.”

Ryleigh Nucilli is the former Director of Digital Content at National Geographic and the former Digital Managing Editor at șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online. Sturgill Simpson is her favorite musician, but she’s not sure what he does to stay in shape.

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You should do something that makes you sweat every single day, right?

At least, that very loose metric has long been the standard for anyone who wants to stay fit, live longer and healthier, and stave off any number of diseases that are associated with inactivity. According to in both the U.S. and UK, adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise (like walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (like running) each weekÌęto reduce the risk of long-term health issues like .

However, according to a journal from the American Heart Association, it might be perfectly fine to cram a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days. In fact, the study says that doing as much—becoming a “weekend warrior,” so to speak—can lower the risk of developing more than two-hundred diseases when compared to wholly inactive people.

The study, led by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, analyzed information from nearly 90,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank project and categorized their physical activity as weekend warrior, regular, or inactive based on federal guidelines. Researchers found that weekend warriors’ approach of going hard on their days off seemed as effective at reducing disease risk as regular exercise spaced more evenly throughout the week.

“Because there appears to be similar benefits for weekend warrior versus regular activity, it may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most,” the study’s co-senior author, Dr. Shaan Khurshid, said in .

It’s hardly a shock that doing something is better than doing nothing. But seeing the positive impact of just a few workout sessions per week backed by scientific research is reassuring, especially for people who may not have the time to get sweaty every day.

All that being said, don’t give in to the temptation to skip your warmup so you can pack all of your fitness goals into a compact timeframe.

“Even if your time is very limited, I would never tell an athlete to go into a workout cold,” says Mandy Gallagher, a level-one USA Cycling coach based in Durham, North Carolina. Gallagher also says you should still move your body as much as possible during the week, even if that just means taking a short walk every day, lightly stretching and loosening your body during work hours, or, if you’re a parent, getting outside and playing with your kids.

“Do something active during the week, even if it’s just for ten minutes a day,” she says.

Matt Sanderson, a human performance coach at the fitness company , stresses the importance of approaching a reduced workout load for exactly what it is.

“Don’t try and pack five days of working out into two days,” says Sanderson, who has a master’s degree in strength and conditioning and was previously a physical training instructor with Britain’s Royal Air Force. “Approach it as a two-day-a-week training plan.”

So how do you become a weekend warrior? How do you wring the most out of those 75 or 150 minutes? Here’s how to optimize your weekend workouts.

Change Up Your Zones

To get the most out of your two-day-a-week workout plan, both Gallagher and Sanderson agree that varying your level of intensity is key.

Alternating workouts between two of the five heart-rate training zones is an effective way to build aerobic and anaerobic fitness, Sanderson says. He recommends exercising in zone two, which is typically 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, for one of your workouts. Then on the next day, try exercising in zone five, which should push you to 90 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate. (To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, a 35-year-old would have a maximum heart rate of 185 beats per minute).

If you don’t have a way to track your heart rate, Sanderson says you can estimate your workout intensity by your ability to talk. While exercising in zone two, you should be able to hold a conversation; a zone five workout will require “everything you’ve got,” he says.

Depending on your level of cardiorespiratory endurance, a zone two workout could be an hour of brisk walking, jogging, or alternating between walking and running at a leisurely pace. For another moderate intensity workout, Sanderson recommends rucking—an increasingly popular fitness trend that involves walking with a weighted backpack.

“Go ruck for 400 meters,” he says. “Then ditch your pack and walk for 400 meters. Then throw your pack back on for 400 more. Alternate that for an hour.”

Your zone five workout may include sprint repeats or shorter, max-effort runs. For these efforts, Sanderson stresses focusing on how close you are to your endpoint, whether that’s your home or your car.

“Pick a loop around your neighborhood or go work out at the local track,” he says. “The last thing you want is to have done hard efforts five kilometers down a trail only to say, ‘OK, I’m done,’ and have to walk five kilometers back.”

Ride Your Bike

If you’d rather spend your weekend cycling, Gallagher also recommends varying the pace and length of your bike rides.

“One day focus on endurance or a longer ride, one day focus on intensity or a shorter ride,” she says.

To build a strong endurance base, Gallagher recommends a 90-minute ride at a steady, conversational pace. Bookend that ride on either side with a 15-minute warmup and a 15-minute cool down and stretch. For your warmup, Gallagher suggests an easy ride peppered with some quick speed bursts, where you’re pushing your pedals over 100 RPM.

To increase your , your next workout should focus on intense efforts. For those, Gallagher recommends the following with the same warmup and cool down efforts.

“Find some short climbs, under three minutes, and do hill repeats,” Gallagher says.

She advisesÌęstarting with a set of three to five climbs with about two to three minutes in between efforts. As your fitness increases, you can add additional sets.

Gallagher also suggests finding some flat terrain and focusing on 15- to 30-second-long sprints. Start with five to eight sprints with about two to three minutes of moderate cycling in between efforts, and add more sprints as you are able.

Finally, Gallagher encourages one-to-one bursts, where efforts and rest come in equal measure. In other words, ride hard for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds. As you gain fitness, increase to one minute on, one minute off; three minutes on, three minutes off, etc. Repeat the efforts three to six times per set with five to ten minutes of rest in between sets.

Keep It Fun

The key to staying consistent as a weekend warrior is having fun. If you don’t enjoy running, don’t run. If you have limited time to achieve your fitness goals, it’s best (and easiest) to get your exercise in by planning an activity you’ll look forward to.

“It’s essential to do something that you enjoy rather than something you hate that you think is going to be beneficial to you,” Sanderson says. “You have to think of it like, ‘What’s something I’m going to do for the rest of my life?’ rather than, ‘This is something that’s going to be beneficial to me over the next six weeks.’”

Sanderson also says that exercise can be a social activity. In particular, the conversational nature of zone two workouts allows you to connect with a workout partner in a way that intense efforts may not.

“Find a flag football league or a softball league, a running club or a cycling group,” he says. “That helps massively, not only for fitness but also accountability and mental health.”

If you enjoy your workout, it will feel less like work, Gallagher says.

“The big thing is that you don’t want to make it seem like another job,” she says. “If you’re out on your bike, that’s a good thing.”

Too often, we associate fitness with suffering in a gym or miles thumping underfoot. In reality, fitness can and should be fun. And when it is, you’re more likely to keep coming back to it, even if it is just for a few hours each week.

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As an endurance athlete, I spent the better part of my twenties training for and running ultramarathons. My body was resilient, productively absorbing 60- to 100-mile training weeks and races just as long, and I thought that would continue indefinitely.

Then, over the course of nine months, I developed intermittent but often excruciating sciatica, nerve pain that originates in the lower back and radiates down the leg, and eventually, as a result of changing my running gait to compensate for this pain, a torn hip labrum. I expected rest—the do-nothing, on-the-couch type rest—to eventually heal me, but the pain persisted. I saw massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, bone and joint specialists, and nerve doctors. No one had a clear answer and no treatment worked.

It was at this vulnerable moment, in 2020, that I discovered the Knees Over Toes Guy. Ben Patrick, a then 30-year-old based in Clearwater, Florida, posted videos of himself on Instagram performing scroll-stopping feats of circus athleticism without any apparent discomfort: springing from a stationary deep squat up to dunk a basketball; where, from a standing position, he drops his knees out forward to touch the ground. These exercises put a remarkable amount of pressure on very vulnerable joints.

In nearly every video, Patrick shares that he has had three knee surgeries, and doctors told him he would never be able to squat or play basketball without pain again. But through an unconventional—and some might say dangerous—strength training protocol, Patrick was not only able to effectively eliminate his pain, but he says he was able to increase his speed and vertical jump to well beyond his youthful PRs. His message was that anyone can achieve that same ability and resilience. But in order to do so, you’d have to forget most everything you’ve been told about strength training.

The internet is rife with fitness hucksters and overpriced, overcomplicated training plans, but Patrick seemed different. As I read the hundreds of comments under his videos, I was struck by how universally positive everyone was, with sincere-seeming testimonials for his online program, gratitude for introducing them to these unconventional movements, and encouragement towards users who shared their stories of chronic pain.ÌęI was also impressed by the numerous physical therapists . Desperate to regain autonomy over my athleticism, I decided to give his exercises a try.

Over the last four years, Patrick has exploded in popularity, going from a trainer and gym owner to an online fitness mega-personality with 2.4 million Instagram followers. Patrick, who declined to speak with us for this article, has shared his origin story on many podcasts, including the mega-popular Joe Rogan Experience, which has 14.5 million followers on Spotify and 17.6 million on YouTube.

As an obsessive youth basketball player, his passion for the sport and penchant for grueling drills (he would frequently perform 1,000 daily layups) led to painful, fragile knees. His teammates nicknamed him Old Man. After Patrick underwent those three knee surgeries—the first while he was still a teenager—he discovered the late, famed Canadian strength coach Charles Poliquin, who preached a style of strength training where each rep is taken to its stretched end range. The priority is not just the amount of weight you can lift, but the body’s ability to move into deeper positions while doing so. (Poliquin was noted for his Seussian soundbite: “Strength is gained in the range it is trained.”)

Patrick adopted Poliquin’s training techniques and not only eliminated his chronic knee pain, he says, but began to redevelop his athleticism. At age 23, he was offered a full-ride scholarship to play D1 basketball at Eastern Florida State College. Now, as a trainer, he proselytizes this training philosophy through his unsubtly named app and online coaching business, Athletic Truth Group.

Part of Patrick’s success can be attributed to his origin story and his social media savvy: his videos are short, attention grabbing, and feature practical training advice. With the bracing sincerity of a youth camp counselor, he talks directly to the camera, appearing trustworthy and capable. But the other part is that this style of training—which Poliquin pioneered and Patrick champions—is, by historic standards, radical.

If you have ever spent time in a weight room, you’ve likely been warned that your knees should never go past your toes in a squat. Instead, you should push your butt backwards and stop when the upper and lower leg form a 90-degree angle. Failing to do so will put too much pressure on your knee and cause injury.

This is only half true. Squatting with your knees over your toes does put pressure on the joint, but that pressure may actually help you avoid injury.

“Tendons, cartilage, ligaments—all those things will toughen up to load,” says Erik Meira, a physical therapist and rehab specialist based in Portland, Oregon, who works with NBA and NFL players. For most athletes, especially those in endurance sports, injuries occur in the connective tissues of the joints. Tendons, while quite different in composition than muscles, still operate under the same principle: to get them stronger, you must use them in a mildly stressful manner, then back off and let them recover.

“Knees over toes is something that has been vilified for a long time as causing pain to the front of the knee,” says Meira. “The reality is it will cause pain if you’re not conditioned to take that kind of load. But the best way to condition yourself to that kind of load is to get used to positions like that.”

Patrick has taken this philosophy—that bending your knees under progressive load will make them healthy and strong—and applied it to other vulnerable parts of the body including the ankles, hips, lower back, shoulders, and elbows. In a way, Patrick’s protocol could be seen as a gym routine structured entirely around proactive physical therapy: he identifies problem areas and develops strength and range of motion in the local musculature and connective tissue.

It is a tremendously appealing proposition to many endurance athletes, who are traditionally averse to the gym. Here is a style of strength training that doesn’t prioritize muscle mass, is singularly focused on avoiding pain, and will allow you to fully express yourself physically outside of the gym.

In 2020, I was one of many impressionable scrollers transfixed by Patrick and his message. Without much to lose, I dedicated myself to 16 weeks of his program through the app. The first cycle, a full-body general protocol called Zero, was easy. I did repetitive, progressive bodyweight exercises—some familiar, some novel—to strengthen mind-muscle connections and expose my joints to new movement patterns. Then, four weeks later, came Dense, where you take these same and other similar exercises, add weight, and perform many sets to condition your joints through repetition under manageable load. Four weeks after that, I moved on to a back-specific training program.

The most significant movement for me in this block was the , which you perform on a forward-angled, hip-high bench that allows you to hinge forward from the hips and directly strengthen the lower back muscles. This was terrifying, as I thought putting my injured back in that exposed position would only hurt it further. But this is precisely what this program is trying to teach: safely training in a vulnerable position creates resilience in that position.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjTz7R8NkJx/

“The most important part of rehabilitation is graded exposure,” says Mike Istraetel, the popular online fitness commentator who holds a doctorate in exercise science. “You want a little bit of irritation, then back off and heal up
 The biggest mistake people make in a gym is assuming a degree of fragility to their body.”

And while Patrick emphasizes the importance of developing strength in tendons themselves, there’s also another factor at work. “Tendons take up to nine months, if not more, of consistently loading to heal and grow stronger,” says Matt Klein, a rehabilitation and movement science professor at George Fox University. “But patients can have an acute decrease in pain [when they first start training the injured joint] and that’s not because the tendon has changed. That’s because their perception of pain—a fear response—has changed.”

Meira explains that fear activates our nervous system and sends us into a dysfunctional “protective mode.”Ìę “We see this a lot with low back pain,” Meira says. “An individual starts to fear taking load and their back gets weaker. Then they łŠČčČÔ’t take more load, then they fear it more, and they end up in a downward spiral where their back is made out of glass.”

With this mindset, I performed small reps at first, barely leaning forward a few inches, then the next time I went a little deeper, and so on until months later, I was doing 20 full range reps. Eventually I started holding a weight to my chest as I leaned forward, taxing my low back further. And an amazing thing happened: my sciatica went away. Gone, vanished. The insidious nerve pain that for years—literally years—I tried to roll, massage, stretch, and rest away, finally disappeared. All it needed, it turned out, was to get stronger.

“The biggest mistake I see with athletes is resting for wellness,” says Meira. “Let’s say the front of my knee gets sensitive when I run. I think I’m going to stop putting any load on it and let that heal. Then once it heals I’ll go back to what I’m doing. But when I’m resting it, the front of that knee isn’t getting any stimulus, so it’s not learning to take load. It’s being de-conditioned to load. Being overprotective is often what gives us issues.” This is ultimately Patrick’s message: to heal your body, you must use your body.

“Ten years ago we still had a postural fear model: you should not put your knees over your toes because that’s going to cause you knee pain; you should not slouch because that’s going to cause you neck pain,” says Klein. “The current evidence suggests that the perfect posture is the one you’re in for the least amount of time. Move. People are going to be slumped forward and extended and everything in between. Your body is meant to move in these ways. If your body is having trouble in a position, train in that position more.”

As I progressed through the program, it became evident that there are only about two dozen total exercises that Patrick repeatedly prescribes. If you’ve never performed these movements, the app—which coaches you through proper form—is invaluable. The back extension machine was revelatory for me and got me out of pain and back to the sport I love.

But as I rebuilt my running body and tried to progress deeper into his program, I ran up against his one-size-fits-most approach, an unfortunate and necessary limitation of mass-marketed fitness programs. For instance, deadlifts, which Ben prescribes, still hurt my back no matter how gentle or light I went.

No program will serve as the answer to everything, says Klein. “I think [Patrick] is helping a lot of people,” he says. “But I also think it can hurt a lot of people.” Klein points out that athletes should only try these training protocols after taking the time to pursue an accurate diagnosis with doctors and physical therapists—to ensure they’re treating the right thing.

After two years, I stopped following Patrick’s program through his app, but his philosophies have fundamentally changed how I think about exercise. Now, four years since I began his protocol, running is still my priority, but I only run four days a week instead of six. Strength training two to three times a week is non-negotiable. Each session is full-body and joint-focused, and at least half of the exercises I perform are ones I learned through his program. I haven’t gone a week without a back extension in two years. But the most important thing the Knees Over Toes Guy has taught me is as simple and radical as this: to keep athletically progressing and doing what you love into your thirties and beyond, you have to get strong. Spending time in the gym is a real-time fight against aging.

Despite the reduction in my running volume, I’m still getting faster, winning races, and setting PRs. But the thing I’m most proud of: I’m doing it all without pain.

The Knees Over Toes Philosophy

Strength Train

If you are injury-prone, aging, or looking to maximize your body’s potential, you MUST strength train. Full stop. Two or three times a week is ideal, but once a week is better than nothing. Perhaps this is obvious, but it bears repeating to strength-shy endurance athletes.

Measurably Strengthen Vulnerable Areas

Identify the muscles that support your body’s most vulnerable areas and train them unyieldingly. For ankles, this means targeting your calves (encompassing both the soleus and gastrocnemius) and tibialis anterior, the oft-ignored muscle on the front of the lower leg. For knees, it’s mainly quads and hamstrings. And for hips and back, well, it’s your hip flexors and back muscles. Do this in a manner that you can measure, such as weight lifted or reps completed, and work to improve those metrics. This is in contrast to many other runners’ strength programs, where you’ll likely find complex kettlebell swinging workouts, yogic core stability routines, or resistance band “activation” drills. There’s nothing inherently bad about these exercises, but they fail to give you a way to measure their progress. They are also inefficient at genuinely strengthening the muscles and tendons that do the most for you.

Build Balance

Nearly everyone has practiced squatting. But when was the last time you did the opposite–that is, lifted weight up off the ground with your legs instead of lowering weight toward the ground? Over time, certain exercises have become popular while their counterbalancing movements have not. Most athletes train their calves but not their tibialis anterior; their squat but not their hip flexors; their abs but not their lower back. To be a high-performing pain-free athlete, you must train both sides of the body, and both sides of any joint.

Regress

If pain pops up, as it is bound to, do not stop training that area. Instead, regress the movement (e.g. less weight, smaller range of motion, and/or fewer reps) to the point where you feel no pain. But do not cease to use that area of the body entirely. Pain is bad and you should never work through pain—but motion is lotion.

Length Through Strength

Static stretching is not the panacea for health that it was once thought to be. However, the mobility (i.e. range of motion) of your joints and muscles is incredibly important and is correlated with healthier tissue. So how do we reconcile those two truths? We work to lengthen while strengthening. This means that for every exercise, you should be feeling a stretch at the top or bottom of the movement, and you should perform every exercise with the greatest bend in the targeted joint that you can achieve without pain. (Often, this means starting by lifting lighter weights.)

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If you’re used to following a fitness program, the prospect of taking a break over the holidays can feel daunting. Will all that time spent sitting in airport terminals or melting into the couch set you back in your training? Will you return from vacation a slower, weaker athlete?

Let’s start with the good news: A short break from working out can actually be helpful. “As long as you’re staying consistent before then, taking a three- or four-day rest is actually going to be a net positive because you’re giving your body that time to recover,” says Grayson Wickham, a doctor of physical therapyÌęand the founder of , a stretching app and website.

During a break from exercise, cardiovascular capacity typically declines faster than strength, but even that reduction in aerobic fitness takes longer than you may think. A 2024 meta-analysis published in the journal suggests that it takes at least 12 days of not training before your VO2 max starts to decrease. You have even more leeway when it comes to strength training. The researchers behind a 2024 study published in the say that people who lift regularly “should not be too concerned” about taking up to ten weeks off once a year.

But this doesn’t mean you should be sedentary for the duration of your vacation either, as prolonged sitting may lead to muscle and joint , which can make everyday tasks difficult or uncomfortable. A little movement can go a long way.

Yes, Body-Weight Workouts Still Count

Body-weight exercises might sound easy for experienced athletes. But there are three levers you can pull to make an on-the-road workout harder: eccentrics, isometrics, and plyometrics. “Varying your exercise choice, as well as tempo and speed, can make your workout more challenging and lead to increased strength, power, and hypertrophy,” Wickham says. Ìę

Eccentric training involves controlling a weight (including your body-weight) as it moves downward (think: lowering into a squat or a pushup, or bringing a weight back down after an overhead press). Focusing on the eccentric portion of an exercise can also lead to greater “as there is typically more muscle damage elicited during the exercise” rather than at a typical speed, Wickham explains.

Isometric holds involve while keeping its length constant. When performed at a joint’s end range of motion—like the bottom of a squat or the top of an overhead press—isometric holds “are very effective for improving mobility and range of motion,” Wickham says. This will then lead to increased joint stability and injury prevention potential, he adds.

—jumping movements that challenge you to quickly exert force and target your fast-twitch muscle fibers—“are great at improving power as you are now taking a movement and then increasing the speed at which you are performing it,” Wickham says. During this type of training, your muscles need to control the descent back to the ground, he adds. Plyometrics particularly benefit athletes whose sports rely on fast, forceful movements (think: tennis, martial arts, sprinting).

If you’re primarily focused on training for one sport, you can structure your body-weight workouts in service of that goal. Cyclists, for example, can focus on leg exercises and may want to do higher rep sets to improve muscular endurance.

If you’re a higher level athlete or otherwise concerned about straying from your usual schedule, plan ahead by building in a de-load or taper week to coincide with the holiday break.

The Moves

These exercises cover five fundamental movement patterns typically used while training and performing everyday tasks: squat, lunge, hinge, push, and pull.

Build your own workout(s) by choosing one or two moves from each category. Each basic exercise can be enhanced by slowing down the eccentric movement, holding an isometric pause, or adding a plyometric component.

Any amount of time spent working out is great, but try to fit in a session that’s 20 minutes or longer if possible.

For each exercise, complete three or four sets of eight to twelve repetitions with about 60 seconds between sets.

Squat

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hands by your sides. Engaging your core, hinge at the hips and bend your knees at the same time. As you lower into the squat, keep your arms straight and raise them to chest height. Keep your gaze straight ahead as you maintain a flat back and proud chest. When you’re ready to rise back to standing, press your feet into the floor and imagine that you’re trying to pull the floor beneath your feet apart. This will help keep your knees from caving in as you stand back up.

How to Make This Move More Challenging

Eccentric

Try lowering for a count of three.

Isometric

Hold a two-second pause at the bottom.

Plyometric

At the bottom of the squat, bring your straight arms slightly behind you, then quickly bring them forward and use them to help you drive your body up from the floor. Extend your legs as you rise so your ankles, knees, and hips are at full extension in the air. Land with control and then repeat.

Reverse Lunge

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms by your sides. Take a big step back with your right leg and bend both knees so your legs form 90-degree angles, bringing your arms to 90-degree angles by your sides. Your right knee should hover an inch above the floor, and the majority of your weight should be in your left leg (if you’re feeling this more in your right leg, try leaning your torso slightly forward). Press through your left foot and straighten both legs as you return your right leg to standing and let your arms hang by your sides. Complete all reps on one side before switching sides.

How to Make This Move More Challenging

Eccentric

Lower into each lunge to a count of three.

Isometric

Hold at two-second pause at the bottom of the lunge, keeping your back leg hovering just above the ground.

Plyometric

For this one, you’ll switch legs after each rep. At the bottom of the lunge, press into both feet and jump up, coming to full extension of the ankle, knee, and hip in the air. Land with the opposite leg in front and lower into a lunge on that side. Keep switching back and forth.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a soft bend in both knees. Shift your weight to your left leg and hover your right foot off the ground. Engage your core and hinge at your hips as you kick your right leg back behind you. Lower until your torso and leg are in a straight line and parallel with the floor. You can keep your hands clasped at your chest for the duration of this movement. To make this move more challenging, hold a weight or another household item, like a water bottle or book, in each hand. Alternatively, you could hold a single weight in the hand on the same side as the elevated leg. Maintain a flat back throughout the movement. Switch sides.

How to Make This Move More Challenging

Eccentric

Lower to parallel to a count of three.

Isometric

Pause for two seconds at the bottom of the hinge.

Plyometric

Romanian deadlifts should be slow and controlled but you can similarly challenge your hip hinge with a box jump or broad jump. For a box jump, use a sturdy platform like a stair or bench. Stand with your feet parallel in front of the platform, bend your knees, and jump up, landing with your hips and knees in flexion. Stand up and step back down. For a broad jump, choose a spot on the floor in front of you, and bounding off both feet at the same time, jump toward that spot. Land with your hips and knees in flexion, then stand up, turn around, and jump the other way.

Push-Up

To do a standard push-up, begin on the floor on all fours, your hands shoulder-width apart. Step one leg back at a time so you’re in a plank position. Bending your elbows out to the sides, slowly lower your body in a straight line without arching your lower back or raising your hips. When your torso is just above the floor, press your palms into the floor and rise back up to plank position.

In addition to doing traditional modified push-ups on your knees, there are several other ways that you can make the basic push-up easier.

• Elevated push-up: Place your hands on a chair (as long as that chair is pressed against a wall) or similar elevated surface. To make this even easier, stand with your hands pressed into a wall.
• Banded push-up: If you have a resistance band, place it around both arms, just above your elbows (a long loop band may need to be wrapped around twice). As you lower into the push-up, the band will help you press back up to the top.
• : Begin by sitting on the floor on your knees. Walk your hands out in front of you until your back is flat, keeping your knees and toes planted on the floor. Bend your elbows and lower your body all the way to the floor. When your chest touches the floor, pause, lift your hands one inch off the floor, place them back down, and push yourself back up.

How to Make This Move More Challenging

Eccentric

Lower for a count of three (you can do this as a hand-release push-up as well).

Isometric

Hover just above the floor for two seconds before pressing back to the start position.

Plyometric

Plyometric push-ups are a particularly advanced move when done on the floor. Try this move first by beginning in an elevated push-up stance as explained above. Lower your chest towards the bench or other sturdy elevated surface, keeping your elbows pressed into the sides of your torso. Press your hands into the bench and try to explosively push your body away from the bench, extending your arms straight as you rise; your hands should be off the bench for a brief second before landing back into push-up position. That’s one rep.

Resistance Band Rows

Pulling pattern movements are going to be most effective with something to pull onto. If you can slip a long resistance band (loop- or handle-style) into your bag, there’s a lot you can add to your workouts.

You can do these two ways: horizontal row and vertical row.

For the horizontal row, attach one end of a resistance band to a sturdy anchor point at about chest height (this might mean kneeling to use a door knob or table leg, or standing and closing a door on the band). Grip the opposite end of the band in both hands, keeping your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. Drawing your shoulder blades together and engaging your lats, pull your elbows back. Hold, then return to the starting position.

For the vertical row, stand with your feet hip-width apart, one end of the looped band under your feet. Grip the opposite end with both hands about shoulder-width apart. Keeping an upright torso, draw your elbows high, pulling the band up towards your chin. Hold, then slowly return.

How to Make This Move More Challenging

Eccentric

Resist the band for a count of three as you return to your starting position.

Isometric

Hold for a count of two at the highest point of your row.

Plyometric

Making a banded row plyometric is challenging (especially when it’s attached to the doorframe of someone else’s home). For a plyometric pulling exercise, try attaching one end of your band to the top of a door or, if possible, a tree branch outside. Hold the opposite end of the band with two hands, shoulder-width apart. As you would on a Ski Erg machine, in one quick motion, hinge at the hips and pull the band down with force, drawing your hands towards the outsides of your hips, as you might with a pair of ski poles.

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Touching your toes. The standing quad hold. The overhead tricep stretch. These are the static positions our high school gym teachers taught us to warm up with before engaging in any physical activity. But to adequately prime your body for movement—whether you’re biking to work or trekking up a mountain—you have to actually get moving.

“Why would you do something passive to improve something active?” says Grayson Wickham, a doctor of physical therapy and the founder of , a mobility and stretching app. Dynamic stretching, he explains, “happens when you are moving your muscles from a shortened to a lengthened position by moving your joint in a specific direction.”

Dynamic stretches are best for warming up. These controlled movements mimic the exercises you’re about to perform in your workout, with a slower, more deliberate pace. For example, before a run, you might do a few walking high knees and arm swings. If you’re climbing, you may spend more time practicing hip-opening rotations and shoulder rolls. These movements will increase overall blood flow and minimize muscle and joint stiffness, which can during exercise.

But dynamic stretching can also help you move more easily through everyday tasks like running errands or doing household chores. “Dynamic stretching should be done every morning, not just because you’re going to work out and not just because you’re athletic, but because you’re a human,” says Marnie Adler, a Pilates instructor based in Toronto, Ontario. For the last decade her work has focused on helping clients move with greater mobility and stability, beginning workouts with purposeful dynamic stretching before progressing into more difficult moves. “It’s about getting your body moving, no matter what your plan is for the day,” she adds.

Static vs. Dynamic Stretching: Which Is Better?

Most studies on the impact of different types of stretching have small sample sizes. But the available research indicates that dynamic stretching and increases your , which better prepares your muscles for action. By decreasing muscle stiffness and increasing joint flexibility, dynamic stretching also helps .

Analyzing more than two decades of research on the topic, the authors of a published in the European Journal of Applied Psychology suggest that an optimal warm-up should include low-intensity aerobic work, followed by both dynamic stretching and sport-specific dynamic movements.

Static stretching, on the other hand, involves “stretching out a muscle and joint and then simply relaxing into the hold,” Wickham says.

Although many of us were taught to hold these positions before exercising, a growing body of research suggests that this style of warm-up can force production, endurance, speed, . A 2012 study in the found that static stretching reduced cyclists’ mechanical efficiency and caused them to tire out faster.

“From a physiologic perspective, static stretching is just passively elongating your connective tissues,” Wickham says. “After static stretching you now have a more flexible, floppy joint that lacks end range of motion stability, muscle activation, and joint control. This is a great recipe for injury as you now have even poorer joint control while performing an exercise or athletic movement.”

Wickham doesn’t consider static stretching a critical part of post-workout recovery, either, but he notes that it can be added during a rest day as a relaxation strategy.

The Moves

Adler suggests performing this set of dynamic moves before any workout or choosing the ones that best support your activity. You can also do them upon waking and before bed to mitigate muscle stiffness from sleeping or spending time sitting. The static moves can be done on a rest day or after your workout is complete.

Quads

Dynamic: Lunge with Rotation

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Take a big step forward with one foot, and bend both knees as you drop into a lunge. Your knees should both be at 90-degree angles and your back knee should be hovering just slightly above the ground. Bend your elbows at your sides and twist your torso across your front leg, then across your back leg, then back to center. That’s one rep. Come back to standing and repeat on the opposite leg. Perform 10 reps on each side.

You should feel this movement primarily in the quad of your front leg. If not, hinge your torso just slightly forward to bring more weight into your front leg.

Static: Standing Quad Stretch

You can do this move free-standing or with one hand gently pressed against a wall or lightly holding a chair for balance. Standing with feet parallel, bend your right leg, bringing your foot behind you. Reach back with your right hand and grab hold of the top of your foot. Gently pull upwards on your foot, feeling the stretch in your quad. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds before switching sides.

Hamstrings

Dynamic: Hamstring Stretch

Stand with feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in the knees. Hinge at the hips and lower your arms and torso towards the floor, keeping your legs straight enough to feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Once your hands touch the ground, lower your hips into a deep squat. From there, raise the hips without lifting the torso (try to keep your fingertips in contact with the floor). Lower right back down into the deep squat. Continue this motion of raising and lowering the hips for ten reps.

Static: Elevated Leg Stretch

Standing with feet parallel in front of a chair, couch, or bench, lift one leg and place your heel on the elevated surface. Keeping a soft bend in your standing leg and your lifted leg straight, reach your hands towards the foot of your lifted leg and hold for 30 to 60 seconds. You should feel a gentle stretch in the back of the lifted leg.

Hips

Dynamic: Hip CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)

Begin on all fours. Keeping your torso centered and stable and without collapsing to one side, lift your bent right leg and draw the knee in towards your right elbow, then out to the side, then back, ending with your leg behind you, knee bent and heel pointed towards the ceiling. Bring the knee back to the ground to complete the motion. Then reverse it. You should feel this movement in your hip flexors and glutes, and it should feel like you’re rotating your leg through the entire range of motion of your hip joint. That’s one rep. Complete ten reps.

Note: You can also do this move standing if being on your knees is uncomfortable. You can gently hold onto a static object to help with balance.

Static: Wall V-Stretch

Lying on your back with your butt and legs pressed up against a wall, open your legs into a wide V position. You can gently press out on your inner thighs with your hands to deepen the stretch. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

You should feel a stretch in your inner thighs and hip flexors.

Shoulders

Dynamic: Shoulder Rolls

With your arms by your sides or outstretched, draw your shoulders up towards your ears, then down your back, feeling your shoulder blades rise and lower. After doing 10 reps backward, switch directions for 10 reps forward. Lastly, raise your arms overhead and draw your shoulders up, then release them back down. You should feel this in the front and back of your shoulders (anterior and rear delts) and your lats. Perform 10 reps overhead.

Static: Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch

Begin with your arms hanging by your sides. Raise and reach your right arm across your chest. Grasp your upper right arm just above the elbow with your left hand and gently pull your arm to deepen the stretch. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

You should feel this in the back of your shoulders and lats.

Core and Spine

Dynamic: Roll-Down and Roll-Up

Begin in a seated position with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Your legs should be hip-width apart. Extend your arms in front of you. Begin to slowly roll your torso down towards the mat, keeping your core braced as you go, controlling through the entire range of motion. Once you reach the mat, inhale, exhale, and begin to slowly roll back up. That’s one rep. Complete ten reps.

This move should gently challenge your core stability and warm up the muscles that surround your spine. If you feel a strain or discomfort in your lower back, shorten your range of motion; instead of lowering all the way to the mat, stop about halfway down and then roll back up.

Static: Child’s Pose and Shell Stretch

Begin on the floor in a kneeling position. Bring your knees wide and your toes together, and sit your butt back on your heels. Walk your hands out in front of you until you’re folded forward at the hips. Maintain a neutral neck position, with your eyes looking at the floor directly beneath your head. Tilt your tailbone back towards your heels. Hold that stretch. Then reach your hands forward and let your tailbone rock forward. Hold that position. Repeat, shifting your tailbone back and forth with a hold at each end range, for 30 to 60 seconds.

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December 8, 2024, marks the day that Taylor Swift ends her record-shattering Eras Tour. It lasted 22 months, spanned over five continents, and earned more money than any tour that had ever come before it, grossing more than $1 billion in its first year alone.

At șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű, we wanted to pay homage to Swift’s Eras achievements through the lens of distance traveled, which, we realized, must also be superlative. And to be clear, we aren’t referencing the controversies surrounding her . We wanted to know: HowÌęmuch ground did Swift—herself—cover over the course of her 149 performances?

To get an answer, we devised a nifty method to calculate how many steps she might have taken at each of her shows. We reviewed three different concerts from the tour, one from its , , and . Within each of the selected concerts, we watched ten randomly chosen one-minute intervals, and countedÌęthe number of steps taken each minute. This allowed us to calculate her average steps per show and to create a rough total of steps across all her performances.

An average Eras Tour concert runs for about 3.5 hours, which is 210 minutes. We based our numbers on that average show length.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour by the Numbers

Here’s where we landed on Swift’s Eras Tour distance.

Miles Covered

Between dancing and walking across the stage, Swift took somewhere in the neighborhood of 657,090 steps throughout the durationÌęof the Eras Tour. That’s the equivalent of 329 miles walked across the stage.

Races Completed

It also equates to roughly 12.5 regular-length marathons, 6.5 50-mile ultramarathons, and 3.3 100-mile .

Calories Burned

Using the average number of calories burned per mile walked (which is 100), Swift expended something like 32,900 calories—just in steps. That number is to say nothing of the other dancing, squatting, gyrating, and guitar-holding she did onstage, which burned additional calories, too.

Distance Traveled

Let’s put her steps on a map. Looking at the globe, Swift walked a distance longer than the length of Scotland or the state of Massachusetts. She completed the extent of the John Muir Trail, plus an extra 100 miles.

And she did most of it in thigh-high-heeled boots.

Our guess is that Swift is probably more impressed with the fiscal records she shattered during Eras or the meaningful interactions she’s had with her legions of fans. But we’re not going to lie, 6.5 ultramarathons are pretty cool, too.

Ryleigh Nucilli is not a self-described Swiftie, but she’ll admit to listening to “The Man” on repeat. When she’s not calculating musical superstars’ step counts, she’s reading, writing, and consulting for digital brands.

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For the past two summers, TikToks of Paul Mescal’s training regimen for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II have gone viral. Mescal, an Irish actor known for his breakout role in Hulu’s adaptation of the Sally Rooney novel Normal People, looks ripped. , which has over 2 million views, Mescal does continuous upright rows with dumbbells for over 20 seconds. I łŠČčČÔ’t discern the weight he’s holding, but I can see from his strainedÌęface and measured breathing that it isn’t light.

5 stars

I have to be honest, though, when the internet started salivating over Mescal’s physique, I wondered, is that—at all—what gladiators looked like? What do we actually know about gladiators’ diet, exercise, and appearance? Frankly, it all seems ripe for some real Hollywood inaccuracy.

To answer my questions, I talked to Alexander Mariotti, a.k.a “.” Mariotti, who has been a historical consultant on numerous films and television series, including Gladiator II, also lives a bit like a gladiator, so he is a wealth of information on my Paul Mescal-focused queries andÌęthe gladiator diet, exercise, and philosophy in a much broader sense.

OUTSIDE: We’ve all seen the videos of Paul Mescal working out to play Lucius in Gladiator II. Does his physique align with what we know about real gladiators?
MARIOTTI: Well, [Mescal’s body] is built for a different reason. It’s a physique built for a short period of time and not to be an enduring athlete. So, the aesthetic is important for the movie, but it doesn’t actually have to perform. The Romans believed, above all, that the body should be functional. And certainly, I think for people like Mescal when you’re training, there is a level of functionality, too, because he’s got to perform all those scenes.

So the Romans weren’t into how fit they looked?
There’s a very interesting break in culture between the Romans and the Greeks (after the Romans conquered the Greeks), where the Greeks became obsessed with diets, and they wanted to look like statues (). If you look at modern gym culture, it’s very much the same. You’ve got some people who aesthetically look great, but they can’t do anything. They’re physically perfect, but they can’t run, can’t lift, can’t play. I see that in our culture as well, with what the Romans warned about: excessive obsession with the “look.”

Work Out Like a Gladiator

So, what do we actually know about how gladiators trained? Is there such a thing as a “gladiator workout?”
I can give you a very good idea, because I use it, and I’ve used it now for probably 15 years. It’s a system called the Tetrad. It’s a four-day split, and it was originally devised by Greek trainers for the Olympics. But it was such a good system that it made its way into the Roman army.

The way it works is that the first day is a preparatory day. The second day they called “an inescapable test of one’s limits.” The third day is rest, because they believe that rest and recovery are very important. And the fourth day is a skills day.

What might using the Tetrad gladiator training system look like for a modern person?
Day 1: On the preparatory day, I tend to do rowing. Nothing’s more ancient than being in a galley on a ship. I’ll do maybe 2,000 meters of rowing and then put in something else aerobic, like a short circuit, but nothing that’s going to exhaust me.

Day 2: The next day is when I do a full workout. The Romans had medicine balls, so you can use a kettlebell, medicine balls, circuits, weights, whatever. But the point is to test the limits of your body, to do more than you can do, to do as much as you can do.

Day 3: The third day you rest; that’s very important.

Day 4: The fourth day is skills. And skills, for me, is boxing training. So, I’ll do circuits on boxing, which are very similar to the movements they used in gladiator fighting.

Eat Like a Gladiator

And what about gladiators’ diets? Were they really the barley eaters that ancient texts describe?
Mike Tyson couldn’t survive off barley alone. The human body hasn’t evolved in the last 2,000 years. Our capabilities are what they are. If you took a heavyweight boxer and you started feeding him barley and ash, he wouldn’t be able to perform at the level he needed. So, yes, they were given sustenance.

They were given in the same way that sumo wrestlers are given stews to fatten them up. You had to, in a very economic way, feed your fighters. It’s findings in places like Herculaneum that are breaking these myths and giving us the understanding that they had very varied and balanced diets—just like us—including meat, fish, and cheese.

Gladiators, they’re just like us. Gladiators were people. Gladiators were high-performance athletes. Just like with modern fitness, their diet and exercise would have been honed and iterated upon by those who had a vested interest in their performance over the course of centuries.

Knowing they prized functionality over appearance gives me a critical eye for my own viewing of pop culture. That said, even if movies aren’t perfectly historically rendered, their role is to entertain and inspire. They’re allowed to deviate.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Prior to șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű, Ryleigh Nucilli was the Senior Manager of Ranker’s Weird History brand, where she spent lots of time investigating the historical accuracy of pop culture. Her work on gladiators’ diets can also be found in The New York Times bestseller .

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