Mental Conditioning

Embarking on four days of total blackout, inside the sensory equivalent of a tomb, our writer went on a dark-cave retreat, the same one that quarterback Aaron Rodgers did

The benefits of training your mental skills are, by definition, all in your head. So how do we prove that it works?

In her new book, ‘Mind Game,’ Julie Kliegman offers a wide-ranging look at the inner struggles of sports stars and also-rans

Both require self-motivation, incremental and attainable goals, and a whole lot of follow-through

How to think on challenging runs depends on your intention. Here’s what the research says.

A psychedelic renaissance is underway in the U.S., with an emphasis on the healing potential for depression and trauma. An Outside editor gives ketamine a test run and reports that the power is real.

There are both healthy and harmful ways to get away from it all, psychologists point out

The surfer’s agoraphobia was preventing him from living the life he wanted, so he reached out to his wave-riding community for help

Witnessing a friend’s dangerous fall prompted the author to reevaluate the way she talks about outdoor blunders

When the travel guide’s life turned upside down during the pandemic, he saw a chance to venture toward the kind of future he really wanted

She knew she was going to be the best triathlete in the world one day. But first she had to learn to swim.

When she broke her neck in a crash, the mountain biker was forced to face what she’d been unwilling to admit

After she quit a stable career to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist, she realized she needed a big break—and found one in the middle of the Indian Ocean

Researchers present new findings on mental fatigue, mental training, and the importance of your surroundings

At the end of my mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, I realized I needed to handle my sorrow the same way I approached athletic training

For Mental Health Awareness Month, the Olympian partnered with the New York Road Runners to share the message that when it comes to mental health, it’s about progress, not perfection

After being hit by a car, the entrepreneur was afraid to cross the street. Training for a marathon helped her take back her life.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, here are some of our favorite articles on running and the brain, as well as expert advice on how you can master your mind to enhance training, boost recovery, and become a happier runner.

We're only human, and bad races here and there are inevitable. Here's a crash course in honing your mind to mentally power through a tough day.

The psychology behind why we get so nervous before a race and strategies for coping with the impending pain

As a high-school student, she signed up for an ambitious adventure—and learned the hard way to be upfront about what doesn’t know

After close calls in combat zones and on mountaineering expeditions, the journalist is taking a very different kind of journey

When her son was jailed for a crime he didn’t commit, the former legislator dealt with her pain in isolation. A powerful experience in nature spurred her to turn to her community for support.

In his new book, ‘A Mile at a Time,’ endurance athlete Travis Macy offers key insights about helping his dad endure Alzheimer’s disease 

My sport is a huge part of my identity, but I’m not as good as I hoped I’d be. What if this is my peak? 

After a frightening accident, the veteran journalist reset her approach to work and life. The result was a surge in creativity.

What’s the difference between overcoming hardship and succumbing to it? Grit.

After a grapefruit-size cancerous tumor nearly killed her, the physician committed to spending as much time as possible doing what she loves most

When the mountain guide was caught in an avalanche, he was sure it was the end. But deep inside himself he discovered the will to live.

We let dogs out to run. We should do the same for ourselves.

After a devastating accident, the mountain biker realized that getting back on the trail meant accepting discomfort and unpredictability

The creative was a reluctant runner until he realized that telling himself stories could get him through any distance—and help him be the person he wants to be

When one of the world’s best crack climbers was grounded by chronic fatigue syndrome—a mysterious illness with disabling symptoms that can include a mix of confusion, headaches, and sensory overload—his life became an uphill struggle just to feel human again.

Whether you’re determined to embrace a healthier diet or finally ride that mountain bike you bought during the pandemic, wellness-focused getaways can help bring those good intentions to fruition. Here are awesome travel-focused ideas designed to do just that.

A new model breaks down the ability to fight through adversity into its constituent parts

Healthy habits are hard to maintain. We sent five writers on long-overdue quests for self-improvement.

After becoming paralyzed from the chest down, the mountain athlete found an unlikely ally in recovery: psychedelics

After suffering a nervous breakdown, mountain-bike photographer Matt Wragg received a surprising opinion from his psychologist

“I have shin splints,” “All of my running socks are dirty,” “I just ate a full rack of ribs and drank six Budweisers”

It's no secret that athletes need to develop their mental game to compete at their best, but a growing number of athletes in many sports are now seeking out expert-led training for their minds

New research on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs highlights the importance of consistency

New research explores whether the performance-boosting effects of positive self-talk can be attributed to more than just the absence of negativity

In an excerpt from his new book, ‘Do Hard Things,’ Steve Magness explains a clever tactic to combat anxiety and free yourself to perform

A team of Canadian Olympic sports psychologists tries to nail down the intangible “it”

After a lifetime of prudishness, our writer tries to become one of those people who bares it all in the great outdoors

We asked a bunch of great writers to bear down, focus, and tell us what makes them giddiest in the outdoors. Join them as they celebrate everything from diving off rocks to adventure flirting to … shivering in a bed between cold sheets? (Hey, don’t judge.) Plus: five scientifically proven ways to up the fun and improve your health.

If chronic overthinking is getting in the way of your next adventure, ask yourself these two questions

What motivates someone to run more than 3,000 miles around a block in Queens, New York? Transcendence.

Drew Petersen seemed like just another free-spirited mountain dude. But the pain he was hiding nearly destroyed him.

New research explores how physical and mental factors affect how athletes raise their game when it counts

Science-backed strategies to help you learn to accept racing discomfort and choose how you react to it

Why is taking an hour off so difficult?

Work less, adventure more, and get some rest

Water-cooler chat? Make an appointment.

Old habits are hard to break

In the past two years, Americans have become disenchanted with work, leading to major strikes and what is being called the Great Resignation. But what if there was a better way? This writer went looking for that ever elusive work-life balance, learning how to get outside more and stress less.

And faced my fear of the ocean to boot

A new study grapples with a familiar question: How much of athletic success is physical, and how much is mental?

He needed something—anything—to cure his winter COVID blues. Science led him to a mildewy steam room and a very cold shower.

Rethink your approach to work, fitness, and process as you head into the new year

After Lawlor Coe lost his brother Hunter to tragedy, he did everything he could to avoid his pain. Then he began to run.

When someone gets hurt in the wild, we know what to do. But what we’ve lacked for way too long are the tools to help people in severe mental distress.

Mike McCastle has found a very unusual way to benefit others: by enduring agonizing physical challenges

Activities such as lifting weights, hiking, or even woodworking teach us humility and keep us grounded in reality

No—and here’s why

Feeling adrift in a black hole after your marathon? You’re normal, and in good company. World-class runners, coaches and sport psychologists offer their advice.

In this excerpt from his new book ‘The Practice of Groundedness,’ our Do It Better columnist Brad Stulberg gives concrete steps to integrate exercise into your daily life

Over the past few years, McCastle has completed 5,804 pull-ups in a single day, pulled a 5,000-pound truck across the Mojave Desert, and climbed a rope the equivalent height of Mount Everest. How on earth has this Navy SEAL dropout accomplished some of the craziest physical feats in recent memory?

Even after a life-changing diagnosis, I can still experience the thrill of adventure

Oregon voters have opened the door to treating mental illness with substances like ketamine and psilocybin. In a peek at the future, our seeker attends a backwoods retreat where patients get help from a powerful combination of drugs and the outdoors.

In this excerpt from his new book ‘The Practice of Groundedness,’ our Do It Better columnist Brad Stulberg explains how ritualizing exercise benefits your brain and body

Bobsledder Steve Mesler incorporates these practices into training to boost his mental health and physical performance

“You always think you’ll save the ones you love when the moment comes. But he didn’t save her.”

What this Olympic moment can teach all of us about mental health

They’re deceptively straightforward, but if you can follow them, you’ll see the benefits

What we learn from getting way, way outside our comfort zones