Once you've made up your mind to start running, it's tempting to pop your headphones in and hit the pavement without putting much thought into what you're doing. After all, you're just putting one foot in front of the other, right? Wrong. There are a lot of things to consider (and stop stressing out about) before you even lace up. We spoke to professional triathlete Jim Lubinski about the five mistakes he sees rookie runners making the most often, and what you should really be focusing on before you hit the open road. Buying the wrong shoes We all have different feet. What works for one runner may not(probably will not) work for another runner. Yes, it is nice to buy the expensive, sexy shoes you see Usain Bolt wearing, but chances are they are the wrong shoes for you. Go to a running specific store and get properly fit for a shoe that has been built for a foot similar to yours. The wrong shoe leads to injury and poor performance. Too much volume, too soon Running is a high impact sport. It consists of constant pounding, over and over. You must start slow with light volume and gradually build week over week, month over month. Read More

What happens when you don’t stretch? Nothing. For a while. You lift. You get stronger. You improve your diet a bit. You get leaner. You look good. Who needs to stretch? Stretching is for yoga girls and geriatrics. Then you wake up one day and you have a slight pain in your lower back. Nothing major. “Damn,” you say, as you roll out of bed. You instinctively try to stretch it out. Maybe you lean over and touch your toes, which, coincidentally are very far from the tips of your fingers. It helps a bit, so you forget about it. You keep training. In the weight room, you are an animal. Other people look at you and say your lifts are good. But you start to notice that after sitting all day at work, your lower back is aching. You try to stretch it out. Maybe you put your hands on your lower back and do the old man, hips forward stretch with a bustling sigh, but it lingers. Not the biggest deal though, because once you get warmed up at the gym, things feel A-okay. So you forget about it. You keep lifting. You keep getting stronger. You can now squat a small automobile, which feels good. But one day you’re doing a deep squat and you feel something tweak in your lower back. “Damn it,” you say as you rack the weight. That hurt. Read More

So, you want to increase your 40-yard dash? Before hitting the track and sprinting your way to an injury, it's best to understand the mechanics that go into developing a lightning fast sprint. We've asked personal trainer and owner of Functional Patterns Naudi Aguilar for his take on how to train the appropriate muscle groups to have you busting new records in no time. "The primary muscles propelling you into gait (the way we move our body from point A to point B) are not the ones that move forward and back. Explosive sprinting is actually developed through the engagement of muscles acting in rotation, which in turn propel you into forward motion. The development of these two systems are crucial if you want to develop that second gear," Aguilar says. Muscle System One The Anterior Oblique System: External Obliques, Internal Obliques, Adductors These muscles all contract together to rotate the core to help propel us more efficiently and effectively. Read More

Do it right and someone who can work the speed bag provides a mesmerizing beat to power you through your workout. But do it wrong, and you're just that annoying guy at the gym who is making a racket and distracting everyone from their routine. Before you become that guy who is struggling to learn to work the speed bag and driving everyone crazy, watch this simple tutorial from former world champion boxer Amir Khan. You might not be a pro right away, but these basics will ensure you aren't just poking at the damn thing and pissing everyone off. Read More