No Pain, More Gains

Meet the doctor who wants to change the way we train.

- By Kieran Legg

Hit up any gym, running track or even ski slope and it's rare to find someone preaching the perks of staying in your comfort zone. For most men, pushing yourself has become a way of life, and if you're not shooting for new PBs, you should probably head home. But this philosophy is standing in the way of you and true fitness, argues Dr. Stephen Seiler, a professor at the Department of Sport Science and Physical Education at the University of Adger. The researcher has spent the bulk of his career studying how top athletes train, and now he's looking to leverage his expertise to topple the "no pain, no gain" mantra that is running rife in most fitness circles.

"It's doing serious damage," he says. "You've got all these people focusing on so-called epic workouts... They're missing the point."