It’s easy to admire IndyCar from the outside: The speed across both street courses and ovals, and the lightning-quick reflexes of the drivers. What most don’t see is the work happening inside the cockpit, which is a battle against heat, gravity, and the limited of physical endurance over the course of two grueling hours.

There’s no power steering, airflow, or break in intensity. In a lot of ways, it’s not just racing—it’s survival. For Kyle Kirkwood, one of the sport’s rising stars, preparation for that kind of suffering doesn’t begin at the track. It starts in the gym, the kitchen, and even weeks in advance of the next race.

Jeff Richter knows this terrain well. As the strength and conditioning coach for 2024 Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden, he’s seen firsthand how the extreme demands of IndyCar tailor the training for the drivers to be hybrid athletes—ones who can lift, sprint, endure, while remaining mentally sharp in searing heat for hours. His gym, located in Indianapolis, operates without air conditioning by design. When the temps climb into the 90s and the humidity sets in, that’s when the real work begins. “Sweat equity,” Richter says, is more than a mindset—it’s a prerequisite to performing at a high level.

Both Kirkwood and Richter approach the sport from different roles, they share the same mission: to build and maintain elite physical output when cockpit temperatures soar above 120 degrees and every tenth of a second matters. Whether it’s race simulation in a heated room, building cognitive resilience under stress, or managing recovery between back-to-back IndyCar race weekends, they’ve developed systems to push the limits while recovering from them immediately and smartly.

Whether you’re an athlete chasing the next milestone or simply looking to train smarter this summer, there’s plenty to learn from the paddock. M&F caught up with both Kirkwood and Richter to learn how they train to beat the heat while staying sharp when every second matters.

Acclimating to the Heat

When cockpit temps hit 120 degrees and the race stretches past the two-hour mark, IndyCar drivers don’t get a water break, let alone a timeout. That reality shapes how Richter approaches training with Newgarden. His gym doesn’t just tolerate heat—it utlizes it. Located in the heart of Indy, the space is kept deliberately uncooled for training. “We actually do believe in both the physiological and mental adaptations that can take place from undergoing a training environment that has a high degree of heat,” Richter says. “They’re making a physiological adaptation that they’re going to be able to cool their bodies better because they’ve trained in this.”

Drivers do complain at first, but eventually, they become accustomed to the sweat. Just like the conditions they face during a hot race, there’s nothing they can do to change the circumstances. “You do have the mental side as well,” says Richter. The two are interconnected. If you physiologically are acclimated to the heat, you’re gonna have a better mental outlook and they learn to fight.”

Kirkwood agrees with this sentiment. While he’s not training with Richter, the Florida-based Andretti driver builds heat exposure directly into his weekly prep—especially during the summer stretch of the IndyCar calendar. “I’ll do a couple of hours a week in a heat room around 120 degrees, usually staying in that Zone 3 or 4 range,” he says. “Being outside in 95- to 100-degree temperatures with the humidity, that’s almost plenty enough to just train outdoors for a couple of days a week.” For both Richter and Kirkwood, these training sessions are controlled discomfort with the purpose of making the heat a setting they perform in rather than a deterrent when it comes time to race.

Both coach and athlete agree that you can’t half step that level of conditioning, especially when you add in the fact that drivers also have to wear fire-resistant racing suits made of Nomex that are designed with multiple layers of fire-retardant material. “If you’re just training in 60-degree temps every day of the week, it’s not going to be sufficient enough,” says Kirkwood. Whether it’s the weightroom or on a road course, training where you sweat can literally help your body adapt, raise your mental conditioning to make race day feel less like a shock and more like second nature.

Both athlete and coach agree on this: You can’t fake this kind of conditioning. There’s no supplement, sauna session, or cold plunge that can fully prepare you to perform in extreme environments without consistent exposure. “If you train in 60 degrees every day, you’ll melt when it’s 90,” says Kirkwood. “It’s that simple.” Whether it’s in the weightroom or on a road course, training where you sweat—literally—helps your body adapt, raises your mental ceiling, and makes race-day feel less like a shock and more like second nature.

The Importance of Hydration

For IndyCar drivers, the cost of under-fueling is more than just a bad workout. It can also cost them a chance at a podium finish or worse. That’s why hydration is more than just a habit—it’s a strategy. Richter approaches it like a math equation. Drivers can lose up to eight pounds of body weight in sweat during a race, making fluid loss less theoretical and more measurable. “If they drink every drop of their in-car hydration system, that’s about 3.3 pounds of fluid. But if they’re losing eight, there’s a gap,” Richter says. “And once they lose more than two percent of body weight, we know performance drops. That’s when mental errors creep in.”

Richter’s approach to bridging this gap is data driven. There are pre and post-session weigh-ins, electrolyte balance, and pre-race fluid loading. Alcohol is something most, if not all, drivers flag during the season because of its diuretic effects. Even a few casual drinks to celebrate a victory can create a hydration deficit that lingers into preparing for the next race. “These are grown men that have to make grown choices to be able to be at the top of the level,” he says.

Kirkwood takes a similarly disciplined approach that is built around consistency and personalization. Hydration often starts a full week before race day, with a combination of water, electrolytes, and sweat testing. “Everyone’s different,” he says. “I use a electrolyte mix called The Right Stuff to preload early in the week, then I’ll switch to Liquid IV or DripDrop two hours before the race for added glucose.” Kirkwood knows that once the race begins, it’s too late to fix a hydration issue.

Rehydration doesn’t stop when the checkered flag waves. Kirkwood doubles down post-race with tart cherry packets, protein shakes, and electrolyte blends—not just to bounce back, but to stay ahead of the next grueling stint. “Even when you feel like you’re rehydrated, your body is still catching up,” he says. “Eating is also critical. Just as many of the right calories as you can intake post-event is crucial.” For drivers and gym goers alike, the less is the same: hydration isn’t just about the bottle in your hand, it’s about knowing your needs, and building your recovery just as you do your weekly workouts.

How to Stay Sharp When It Gets Hot

The physical toll of IndyCar racing is only half the equation. With speeds reaching past 230 mph, a lapse in focus isn’t just costly— it can be catastrophic. That’s why Richter doesn’t just train the body, he tests the brain under stress. Newgarden has to be able to do more than just hit a power number on a machine, he has to be able to react at a moment’s notice when his heart rate is elevated and his core temperature is spiking. Richter builds in cognitive drills—reaction lights, color-coded catches, and decision-making games—after brutal intervals on the rower or assault bike. This helps simulate the same high-stress, overheated chaos of a race.

Kirkwood backs this approach. From experience, he knows the real cognitive breakdowns come after the physical fatigue sets in. “You’re in a fire suit, pulling four G’s into corners, and you’re trying to stay mentally perfect,” he says. To replicate that pressure, Kirkwood also incorporates mentally taxing drills into his heat training, such as reaction games, hand-eye coordination drills, and screen-based cognitive tasks when his heart rate is in zone four and five. “You’re physically and mentally exhausted, and trying to stay sharp is important. So doing a combination of those things while you’re physically exerted is crucial for a sport like this.”

The pairing of physical strain and mental sharpness creates a hybrid approach that everyday athletes can adapt, too. Whether it’s running circuits in the heat and testing reflexes mid-rep, or tracking how your focus shifts as fatigue builds, mental toughness isn’t built in comfort. It’s forged when your body is working overtime. If you want to own your heat training, you need to be just as precise between the ears as you are under the bar.

Recovery Starts Before the Workout Ends

Waiting until the workout is over to think about recovery usually puts you behind. For the IndyCar athletes Richter trains, recovery begins before the first set even begins. “Training is just the stimulus,” he says. “The training is the deposit that you put into your body’s account. You’re not going to realize the ROI until you take care of yourself by eating a good meal afterwards, by rehydrating yourself, and sleep. That’s when the progress happens.” He helps lay a foundation of the recovery protocol should be just as dialed-in as the training plan.

This is also a week to week reality for Kirkwood. After the checkered flag, he’s dialed in on recalibrating his body. That begins with structured eating, rest, and sticking to his routine that helps him bounce back for the next event. “You pretty much beat yourself down to nothing,” he says. “Then you’re right back into another event the following weekend.” For IndyCar athletes, the stress of a race weekend taxes every system of their body in a way that the regular everyday person will never experience. A driver’s recovery plan has to match the flight or fight state stress that is placed on each race day. “They got to be able to recover because in training, if we’re just going focusing on maintaining what we have,” Richter says. “Unfortunately, when they get in the race car, they’re compromised before it starts.”

For the rest of us, the lesson is simple: the recovery has to match your effort. Don’t just chase intensity—support it. Whether you’re pushing through an outdoor HIIT workout in 95-degree heat or grinding reps in the gym, what you do immediately after the session will either help build momentum or burn you out. In the heat, recovery isn’t options—it’s necessary.

Follow Kyle Kirkwood on Instagram @kyle_kirkwood

Follow Jeff Richter on Instagram @richterstrength

Lying in in the ICU after suffering with a massive heart attack, fallen endurance athlete Scott Greenstone set himself a monumental challenge—to run a half Ironman race within a year. His tenacious journey serves as inspiration for anyone that thinks that their health is “too far gone” when it comes to pursuing their own fitness goals.

Fortunately, M&F managed to get Greenstone to sit down long enough to hear his motivational message.

Scott Greenstone had been a keen endurance athlete in his 20s, starting out with marathons and progressing to triathlons, half Ironman, and eventually full Ironman events, but with the demands of work and a growing family taking hold, the New Jersey native began to slow down and became less active. Then came the weight gain.

“In 2018 I was diagnosed with diabetes, which gave me that kick in the butt to get back to endurance training,” he tells M&F.

Sure enough, within six months of training, Greenstone’s numbers had normalized, and he was no longer reliant on diabetes medication. By 2022, the returning athlete was beginning to regain his stride, running a marathon in close to two hours and feeling excited about his progress. Still, fate was about to deal a serious blow because he would later suffer a massive heart attack.

During that demanding marathon the conditions had been extremely hot, and while the doctors were not able to find the source of the heart attack with 100% accuracy, the prevailing belief was that dehydration had caused plaque to be released into his blood stream causing complications for the heart. For many, this setback would have resulted in a return to unhealthier habits, but Greenstone had other ideas. “When lying in the ICU, I did a lot of thinking and came to the decision that a half Ironman was a perfect goal, one year out, assuming the doctors gave me the green light,” he explains.

What is a Half-Ironman?

Officially known as the Ironman 70.3, this race is essentially a long-distance triathlon, where the “70.3” denotes the total length in miles (113km) that the competition covers. It is exactly half of a full Ironman. “I had been thinking about getting back into triathlons and I have always kind of set big goals for myself,” explains the down but not out athlete.

To complete the Ironman 70.3, Greenstone would be required to swim 1.2 miles (1.9km), bike 56 miles (90km), and run 13.1 miles (21.1km).

“Of course, my family were worried about me overdoing it, and putting unnecessary strain on my heart, but I put together a team of cardiologists that specialized in endurance athletes and made sure they gave me the OK before real training began. This definitely went a long way at putting my family’s minds at ease.”

Scott Greenstone’s First Steps Toward the Ironman 70.3

For the first three months after leaving the hospital, Greenstone was advised that he shouldn’t do anything more difficult than taking a walk. He went to cardiac rehab, where he continued his recovery for the following three months by not allowing his heart rate to go over 135 beats per minute. Finally, six months into his training, Greenstone was given the green light to begin exerting himself more fully, with one caveat—no competitions. “From there, I had about three more months to really ramp up and start competing and training hard,” he reflects.

With a career in IT and marketing, Greenstone developed a balanced routine to keep his training consistent, setting his alarm for 5a.m. in order to get his training in while still making time for the family before heading off to work. The recovering athlete continued to focus on keeping his BPM below 135 for the most part and he tackled his old nemesis, dehydration, by drinking plenty of water and supplementing with electrolytes. Once again losing body fat, Greenstone continued to regain his confidence. “Entering the Ironman 70.3 was about the challenge and saying that nothing can prevent me from doing hard things,” he says.

Scott Greenstone Went From The ICU To The Ironman 70.3 Finish Line

Greenstone’s year long journey took him to the inaugural Ironman 70.3 in Jones Beach, NY, on Sept. 23, 2023, but the weather would work against our returning hero once again. “It happened to be during an intense tropical storm,” he recalls. “And so, it turned out to be one of the scariest swims that I have ever done.”

Still, Greenstone dug deep and remembered the promise he’d made to himself in the ICU. He managed to complete the race, and his monumental challenge. “I finished and crossed the line 54 weeks to the day of my heart attack,” explains Greenstone. “Everyone was super proud and excited that I completed the race and in a pretty decent time too!” Indeed, he finished in 5 hours, 25 minutes and 34 seconds, well within the 5 to 7 hour average, and during a tropical storm to boot!

Greenstone was so emboldened by his return to endurance racing that he says he is now more competitive than he was during his 20s. “I am always striving to improve on every aspect of the race, from my weakest discipline, the swim, to my strongest being the run,” he says, adding that he is constantly seeking to improve his performance.

Incredibly, in 2024 Greenstone qualified for the USA Triathlon National Championships, racing in Atlantic City. And most recently, he just finished the Ironman 70.3 in Happy Valley, PA, placing 18th in the 55-59 age group. “I was super excited by my performance, as that is a very difficult course,” reflects the trailblazer.

On July 20, Greenstone hopes to come full circle with his recovery. “I am racing the full distance Ironman, Lake Placid, he reveals. “This will be my second Ironman in Lake Placid, the first being in 2010.”

While Scott Greenstone’s story will be motivation for many, he advises that it’s all about taking small steps. “If someone has not been athletic or active for a long period, they should take things slowly,” he explains. “Build time, distance, and intensity slowly from week to week. Educate yourself, listen to your body, and speak to others that have been doing this for a while to learn what you can,” he enthuses.

Still, the concept of being “too far gone” to improve our fitness levels is an alien concept to this enduring athlete. “Nobody is too old,” he reasons. “They may be out of practice, but with proper focus, preparation and support, I truly believe anyone can accomplish anything they set their mind and body too.”

To follow Scott Greenstone on Instagram, click here. 

There’s a side of competitive bodybuilding that rarely ever makes it to Instagram. The stage photos, the flawless posing, the hard-earned physiques don’t reveal what happens after the lights go down and the body stops cooperating.

Naturopathic Doctor Sabrina Solt competed in four NPC bikini competitions while in medical school. Like many athletes, she followed the classic prep formula of strict meal plans, hardcore calorie deficits, strength and cardio on repeat.

It all worked—until it didn’t. “It kept me very dialed in while studying,” she remembers. But after her last competition, she says almost immediately, she gained about 40 pounds and her cycles became abnormal. “I was tired all the time,” she recalls her frustration. “I could nap at the drop of a dime. [At that time] I was just in a really rough state and nothing that I was doing was working.”

She got caught in a rebound spiral that might be familiar to industry veterans. She doubled down, cut more calories, pushed harder in the gym, and upped her cardio. But none of it helped.

“It actually made things worse,” she says. “It wasn’t until I started eating more that I started healing. I had to actually ‘undiet’ myself. I was able to re-regulate my cycle, and went on to have three children.”

How to Avoid The Mistakes Sabrina Solt Made

Her advice to today’s competitors, especially for women, is to stop prepping like it’s still 1990.

“If I was going to do it again, I would focus more on red meat over chicken and fish,” she says. “Four ounces of steak gives you more nutrients than four ounces of tilapia. I was severely undernourished for a significant amount of time. That’s what wrecked me.”

She’s unapologetic about what works for her now, which is a mainly carnivore approach that healed two decades of irritable bowel syndrome, cleared her skin, and balanced her hormones.

“A lot of the plants we eat are loaded with anti-nutrients, like oxalates, lectins, phytic acid, that were destroying me,” she explains. “Once I eliminated them, within six months, all those issues went away.”

Still, she’s not dogmatic. She’ll have fruit. She’ll enjoy a bite of dessert. But everything she eats now is aligned with one question: Will this set me up for a successful day?

Today, Dr. Solt trains three to five days a week, on and off with a trainer, mostly strength training with cardio in the form of interval training. “I work out because it makes me a better mom, a better doctor, a better person,” she says.

She’s also raising three children, while at the same time running a regenerative medicine clinic. Successfully juggling a full schedule requires Solt to actively protect her energy with tools like red light therapy, peptides, and what she calls her ultimate secret weapon: saying no.

“I’m a recovering people pleaser,” she admits. “But I had to get clear on my values and priorities. Otherwise, I’d spread myself too thin.”

Sleep is her non-negotiable. “I make sure I can get at least seven hours a night, no matter what.”

When she needs extra recovery, she reaches for BPC-157, an orally available peptide known for speeding up healing. “A few weeks ago, I tweaked my rotator cuff lifting. I took BPC-157 and it was gone in a couple days,” she says.

That personal transformation is part of why she was featured in the soon-streaming Amazon documentary sHEALed, the follow-up to the five-part Biohack Yourself documentary series.

The film puts women at the center of the biohacking movement and explores the evolving tools in longevity, hormone health, regenerative medicine, and strength-building beyond aesthetics. “I was honored to contribute,” she says. She shared her work on stem cells, hormone therapy, and peptides, but also the bigger picture of helping women understand how to take ownership of their health.

Using Stem Cells for Recovery and Longevity

Dr. Solt now helps athletes and everyday people heal faster and smarter through regenerative medicine at her clinic in Scottsdale, AZ.

She specializes in stem cell treatments, and she’s quick to bust the myth that you need to leave the country to access legitimate therapies.

“You can get stem cells in the United States,” she says, noting that true stem cell treatments use your own cells. She most frequently uses adipose-derived stem cells, where they take the patient’s fat through a minor liposuction.

“The amount of fat that we take is usually equivalent to one or two sticks of butter,” she explains.

She underscores that post-treatment recovery is critical. “The first week after a stem cell procedure, you’re in a purposeful inflammation phase,” she says. “You want to rest and let the body focus on healing.”

Why is that so? She explains that the body always wants to go after the most acute thing because it sees that as a threat. For example, she notes, “if we treated your knees but then you go out and do a really intense back workout, now you’ve caused purposeful trauma in that area and your body’s going to reshuttle resources over there, redirecting those freshly injected stem cells to recover the acute stressor.”

Prep is just as important too. She often stacks protocols with peptides, hormone optimization, and lifestyle recommendations to effectively prepare patients for stem cells and help that maximize recovery.

Dr. Solt also uses stem cells preventatively on herself. She’ll inject them a couple of times a year to stay ahead of old injuries and maintain longevity.

Redefining Strength: From Stage to Self

For Dr. Solt, strength has meant different things in her life throughout the years.

“I felt strong when I passed my medical boards. I felt strong giving birth to my kids.I felt strong opening my clinic during the start of COVID, and it was successful. And I’ve felt strong navigating my divorce after nine years of marriage,” she shares. “It’s been a complete rebirth.”

When asked what her definition of strength is now, her answer packed a punch. “Strong is showing up as your highest self in whatever the moment calls for.”

Photos: Yasmine Carmen Photography
Shot Location: Bio-Elite Personal Training