Is it true that … you need to lift heavy weights to build muscle mass?

Most people who want larger muscles head to the gym. But gains can be made at home without any equipment at all

7,000 steps a day could be enough to improve health, say researchers

Target easier to achieve than 10,000 steps and linked to 37% reduction in cancer deaths

The one change that worked: I hated exercise – until I put a bike in front of my TV

The rule is: no telly unless I’m working out. So I pedal moderately while the football is on, and sprint during the ad breaks. I’ve never had more energy

Is it true that … it’s harder to build muscle mass and strength as you age?

Getting fit can be more difficult as you grow older, but a few tweaks to aerobic and resistance training can have a positive impact and reduce the risk of disease

‘Life is brutal. Running helps’: the 17-year-old who faced despair – and ran the length of Britain

Marcus Skeet has dealt with a lot: diabetes, anxiety, depression, OCD and the pressures of being a young carer. A few years ago, he reached his lowest point. Then he began working towards an extraordinary goal

Aqua lungs: how Rod Stewart’s underwater swimming may help his singing

Singer trains underwater like Frank Sinatra once did and scientists say it may be useful in maintaining vocal prowess

Experience: I’ve walked across three countries in a straight line

I didn’t train for my first attempt and got stuck on a mountain with no signal, darkness falling and hypothermia setting in

‘It got messy’: the good, the bad and the sneezy of testing hay fever remedies

This week: hay fever cures that actually work; festival essentials; and the best SPFs, tested

Is it true that … there’s no gain without pain?

Feeling the burn is your body’s way of signalling effort, but you don’t always have to suffer to make progress

I ditched the gym and you can too – here are six ways to get fit without it

Whether you enjoy ‘rucking’, walking, running or making your own sandbags, life after winding up your monthly membership can be your healthiest and happiest ever

I vowed to never exercise again. Then along came Ultimate Frisbee

I used to be addicted to exercise in all its most joyless, soulless forms. It took a flying object to show me the magnetic joy of play

Switch on those glutes! Suddenly it’s all about the bass, and for good reason

The gluteal muscles are vital for getting us up and about, yet humanity’s increasingly sedentary lifestyle is leading to neglect of our glute health

The deadlift difference: is this the exercise you need for an active and pain-free future?

Life is easier with a strong, flexible body – and this weightlifting move will help with everything from rearranging the furniture to picking up your groceries. You might even learn to love the barbell

‘Now I do weight training’: how exercise helped one patient stay free of cancer

Margaret Tubridy, 69, took part in landmark study that reveals the role of exercise in preventing return of disease

From strength training in your 20s to yoga in your 80s: how to reach peak fitness at any age

Can you hold a 60-second plank? How about tying your shoelace in mid-air? Here’s how to test your fitness in every decade of life