The Health Goth Issue

Of course Health Goth happened here.

The moment's hottest fashion trend—think sweaty, muscle-bound cyberpunks, black mesh and blacker spandex—originated in Portland. It may have started as an in-joke between local scenesters, but it's now been the subject of trend

pieces everywhere from Complex to The New York Times. We can't even pretend to be surprised, because we're so not.

Niche subcultures are what Portland does best. This is a town that's happy to geek out over records, books, tattoos and ancient grains. We obsess over fluids people elsewhere take for granted—coffee, beer, water.

We're nearly as fixated on our fitness. According to Men's Health magazine, we're the fittest city in the nation. USA Today and the American College of Sports Medicine have also ranked us toward the top.

Add six months of drizzle and gray skies, and it all starts to blur together. Walk down Alberta Street, and you're likely to spot yoga witches, climb punks, emo

cyclists and hippie runners. In the Hollywood neighborhood, there's a

24 Hour Fitness full of indie-rockers.

Because Portland winters are cold and dark, and because we're really into M.E.S.H., Total Freedom and SPF666 right now, we thought we'd devote this

issue to Health Goth—in the broadest sense.

Face it, your mom's Zumba class is boring, and even your dad is over CrossFit. Portlanders want to be healthier versions of themselves without buying into the

macho, strip-malled version of gym culture. That might involve weird, barely legal supplements or macronutrient-dense protein bars made with pasture-raised beef, working out with battle ropes or maybe just finding a new and better way to poop.

Read on, and you'll find all of that, plus some tips on doing the Health Goth thing, straight from the dudes who launched it.

Willamette Week

The Health Goth Issue

What’s hot in fitness: Nootropic drugs, battle ropes, macronutrients and better pooping technique.