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
Track Your Training Intensity Using an Easy Scale
Many exercise physiologists believe that the intensity of an activity is more important than how long you exercise or how many times you repeat an exercise.
Drink up: Dehydration, Exercise and Heat Don't Mix
When Tour de France cyclist Cadel Evans wanted to press on after fracturing his elbow in a fall in Stage 8, BMC Racing Team physician Max Testa, M.D., made the call. Seeing no risk of permanent damage, Testa gave Evans the green light.
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.
Compact Exercise Kit Great for Travel
When summer vacations roll around, folks often leave their exercise routines behind with their cares. To incorporate exercise into your vacation plans, try exploring local offerings in your favorite activity.
Cross-training Breathes Life Into Off-season Exercise
When I was skating, we skated exclusively on outdoor ice, and there was ice for only a fraction of the year. Cross-training is essentially performing any type of exercise outside of your primary sport to maintain or improve your level of fitness.
Study: Exercise Protects People From Falls, at Any Age
Balance rarely receives a lot of attention, but it's one of the four key components of fitness. You may wonder why balance plays such a significant role in your health.
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