Sports & Fitness: Performance Training, Rules & Recovery

Elite athletic performance and general fitness are sustained through structured hypertrophy strategies, sport-specific conditioning, and rigorous adherence to injury prevention protocols.

Woman running in street

Should I Exercise 5 Days a Week?

Exercise promotes good health and weight maintenance. How much you choose to exercise depends on your goals, schedule and priorities.

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Mid adult man exercising in the gym with weights

Are Pre-Workouts Bad for You?

When you want to get the most out of your workout, you make sure every rep, step and weight really counts. Of course, dragging yourself out of bed first thing for a workout can be less than inspiring. Enter the pre-workout supplement, designed to help amp you up for a better, more effective workout.

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teenage boy (16 - 18) holding folder

Activities to Do With Your Teenage Sons

Your teen son's need to hang with his best buds doesn't mean that you are left out in the cold. Although your teenager is growing his sense of independence and often seems to prefer his social circle over his family, he still needs to spend time with Mom and Dad.

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Four teenage boys (13-14) (16-17) sitting on couch watching TV, eating snacks

Fun Activities for a Teen Lock-In

Teen lock-ins provide a safe way for kids to have a good time throughout the night and into the wee hours of the morning. Parents know their children are out of harm’s way, and kids get to enjoy themselves without the unhealthy temptations that unsupervised parties and other teen gatherings often offer.

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Woman running on a treadmill at home

How Fast Am I Going if I Ran at 5.0 on a Treadmill for One Mile?

Knowing your pace in minutes per mile can help you estimate how long it might take you to cover a specific distance. Most treadmill models will tell you how fast you are going in terms of miles per hour (mph), but won't tell you the equivalent minutes-per-mile pace.

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Family jumping together

Do You Lose Jumping Ability?

The ability to jump requires not just strength but power, which is a combination of speed and strength. To lift your body weight into the air, your muscles must contract quickly and forcefully. Athletes spend many hours training to increase the height of their vertical jump.

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Close-up of a Woman's Lips

How to Make Your Lips Bigger With Facial Yoga

Regular yoga shrinks areas of the body, but facial yoga has the opposite effect on your lips. By training the ring of muscles around your mouth with specific exercises, you can define and enlarge the lips.

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Woman lifting weights

The Shoulder Press and a Dumbbell Alternative

With a pair of dumbbells, you can effectively develop strength and tone in the muscles involved in the shoulder press. The shoulder press exercise can cause pain and discomfort in the shoulders due to the susceptible position that your shoulders are placed in as they push the weight up over the head.

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Portrait of mother hugging daughter

Mother and Daughter Activities for Teens

As your daughter gets into her teen years, you might find a distance growing between you as she becomes more preoccupied with friends, boys and her beloved cellphone. Don't let the bond you have with your teen evaporate during this turbulent time.

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Woman in spin class

What Kind of Clips to Use in Spin Class?

When you first start spin class, you can get away with regular cross-training shoes or whatever footwear you prefer. Given the fact though that you probably complete around 3,500 to 4,500 pedal revolutions in a typical 45-minute class, you want to maximize your pedal stroke ASAP, if not sooner.

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Smiling teenage girl holding keys inside car

Ideas for Surprising a Teen With a New Car

Your teen is about to take the next step in growing up by receiving her driver's license, which means she'll probably want a car of her own. Instead of taking your teen shopping for her first car, consider surprising her with one instead.

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Two women power walking

How Long Does It Take to Walk 26 Miles?

If the idea of covering 26 miles on foot in a single outing is appealing but you don't like to run, going the distance at a walking pace is an option. Marathons cover 26.2 miles and often have a bank of runners and one of walkers.

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Man doing pull-ups

Pull-ups for Bulking

Pull-ups work your biceps, lats and middle back muscles. Doing pull-ups with the proper form, alternating your grip and increasing repetitions can help you bulk up these muscle groups to give you the muscular physique you are working to achieve.

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Young male breakdancer doing backflip (blurred motion)

How to Do a Backhandspring When You're Afraid

During a back handspring, you jump backwards to land on your hands and kick your feet over your head. It's mostly seen in gymnastics, but other athletes such as martial artists do it too. A large part of performing back handsprings is conquering the fear of going end over end.

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People running marathon on bridge

What Is the Average Time to Run a Marathon?

In 2012, 487,000 runners finished a U.S. marathon, according to Running USA's annual marathon report. Some runners completed the 26.2-mile race in a little over two hours. Others took more than seven hours.

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indoor training pose

Squat Thrust vs. Burpee

Although the terms squat thrust and burpee often are used interchangeably, they do not refer to the same exercise: They are variations of the same exercise. Both movements incorporate aerobic training and strength training into one sequence, working your cardiovascular system, legs and upper body.

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Basketball player holding ball

Should I Use Compression Tights for Basketball?

If you're a basketball player who likes the idea of a tight layer of fabric around your leg muscles, compression tights or shorts may be for you. As of 2013, it's debatable if they actually help your performance or health.

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