Eric Heiden
Eric Heiden, MD, was born and raised in Madison, Wis. He won five gold medals in speed skating (all events) at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., in both sprint and long-distance events. He set 15 world records total in the sport. Then Heiden became a professional cyclist, was a founding member of the 7-Eleven Cycling Team and raced in the Tour de France. He received a medical degree from Stanford University and followed his father into orthopedics.
Together with Massimo Testa, MD, a well-known exercise performance physician, he founded the UC Davis Sports Performance Center. Eric now directs the Sports Medicine department at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH) in Salt Lake City and is the co-medical director for USA Cycling, with his long-time professional partner, Testa.
Heiden works as team physician for several professional teams (including basketball's Sacramento Kings and Monarchs), and at Olympic speed-skating and cycling events. When short-track speed skater J.R. Celski cut his leg in a racing accident in September 2009, Dr. Heiden treated him and was featured in a New York Times sports cover story. Celski also turned to Heiden to develop a rehabilitation program so that he could resume training for the Vancouver Olympics in February 2010.
Heiden appears frequently in the media, commenting on athletes' physical condition, injuries, or on topical matters such as doping scandals. With his book, "Faster, Better, Stronger: The Fitness Bible" (Collins), Heiden became one of the few board-certified physicians in the U.S. to offer fitness advice to the public. The column he writes for Tribune Media Services is an extension of his desire to impart his fitness principles to a mass audience.
Heiden now lives and practices in Park City, Utah, with his wife, Karen, who is also an orthopedic surgeon. They have two children.
Eric Heiden Samples
The Best Workout for the Brain May Be Play
The link between learning and exercise is now well established. Substantial research has been done on the effect of exercise on budding intellects. New research reveals that the connection between learning and exercise is not limited to children.
Jump-Start Weight Loss With Two-Week Diet
If you're overweight, you're not alone. Losing weight is a goal of nearly everyone who exercises, and with good reason. Exercise alone, however, is often not enough to kick-start your body into shedding pounds.
Your Heart Goes From Junker to Ferrari With Exercise
Flat abs and bulging biceps are improvements brought on by exercise. With aerobic exercise, your heart's left ventricle -- the chamber that pumps blood out to your body -- grows larger and holds more blood. This adds up.
Testing Could Save Athletes Young and Old
It's the time of year when school sports start gearing up for fall with two-a-day football practices, afternoon soccer scrimmages and long cross-country runs.
Get More Bang for Your Bike Ride by Expanding After-burn
Many fitness programs promote the idea that you lose weight simply because you burn a certain number of calories while you're exercising. For the Tour de France riders we've all been watching, exercise after-burn can last overnight or for days.
Licensing and Reprints
TMS Licensing: We license popular cartoon characters, puzzles and content from renowned creators for print, interactive, TV and film, mobile and board games. TMS also licenses unique commentary in politics, travel, health, business and other categories.
TMS reprints: We grant websites, newsletters, books and other publications permission to reprint any of the 150-plus columns, cartoons, magazine articles, photos and graphics found in our catalog. This content also can be used in corporate communications and training materials.