Forget laboratory tests: the Tour de France provides a real-world look at the limits of human fitness. Tadej Pogačar wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey bicycle with a bunch of riders (Photo: Jeff Patchaud/AFP via Getty Images) Published on July 23, 2026 08:39 am The official record for highest VO2 max belongs to a former
In a scratch-and-claw competition to become the “next Herox”, the field is getting crowded: Deka Fit, an indoor race from the creators of the Spartan Race. There’s the ATHX, which is a slightly longer Highrox from Adidas. There’s METRIX, a UK-based Hyrox clone with fewer stations. And now, there’s Zenom, the “decathlon of fitness” in
The Tour de France is currently underway, taking on the world’s top cyclists through 21 grueling stages across some of France’s toughest terrain. And to bring the taste of the coveted race to the gym, planet health A circuit-style workout created inspired by the movements cyclists use to build strength, endurance and core stability. The
Rob Lee, the first person to complete both the Seven Summits and the Ocean’s Seven, swears by surviving 11+ hours in salt water using ointment from a 125-year-old cow’s udder. Caroline Gleich slathers Rob Lee with zinc oxide cream before a 12-hour swim in the Tsugaru Strait, part of her record-setting Double Seven Challenge. (Photo: