wise athletes podcast #154 | Adaptive Range Expansion for Peak Performance | Mike T Nelson PhD
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About the guest:
Dr. Mike T Nelson is a research-fueled Fitness and Nutrition educator. Dr. Mike has spent 18 years of his life learning how the human body works, specifically focusing on how to properly condition it to burn fat and become stronger, more flexible, and healthier. Better health as a foundation for better athletic performance is his specialty. He is the legendary creator of the Metabolic Flexibility and Physiological Flexibility programs.
Dr Mike's Credentials:
- PhD in Exercise Physiology from University of Minnesota
- BA in Natural Science from St. Scholastica
- MS in Biomechanics from Michigan Technological University
- Adjunct Professor in Human Performance for Carrick Institute for Functional Neurology
- Adjunct Professor & Member of American College of Sports Medicine
- Instructor at Broadview University
- Professional Nutritional Member at the American Society for Nutrition
- Professional Sports Nutrition Member at the International Society for Sports Nutrition
- Professional NSCA Member at the National Strength and Conditioning Association
Episode summary:
Dr Mike is famous for his ability to develop training protocols that bridge the gap between scientific research and actual results for his athletes.
Dr Mike joins me to provide a framework for the crazy stuff we've all heard about and done....that might even make a big difference in reducing biological age and unlocking peak athletic performance. Some of this these therapies you may already be doing, such as sauna or cold therapy, or Wim Hof breathing or breathholds. But listen in to understand why these interventions work and how to organize them intelligently to enhance your resilience, longevity, and physical potential.
Whether you’re an athlete or someone striving to feel younger and stronger, this episode is packed with insights to help you thrive.
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Rebuild your Physiological Flexibility -- the 4 regulators to train: pH, temperature, CO2 tolerance, and expanded fuels.
TEMPERATURE --Cold and heat exposure – embrace the temperature extremes. Turn your body into a machine that thrives under temperature duress.
- Hot -get hot outside or sauna
- Cold - cold water immersion, get cold outside, cold showers (see protocol below)
pH -- ACIDIC vs. BASIC -- teach your body to handle high intensity exercise ("the burn") as well low-CO2 from hyperventilating
- Acidic: HIIT -high intensity exercise (Maximum Effort for a short time)
- Basic: Fast Breathing (supra ventilation) techniques like Wim Hoff and others, lower intensity exercise (Sustainable Effort for a long time)
O2 & CO2 REGULATION -- expand your tolerance of higher CO2 with restricted and nasal breathing
- High CO2 Tolerance: light exercise with nasal breathing, slow/restricted breathing techniques and breath holds
- Low O2: high altitude training if you have access, shallow breathing for 10 minutes to bring SpO2 down and hold under 90%
EXPANDED FUELS -- train your body to burn everything (fat / ketones vs. carbohydrates / lactate), and switch between fuels easily. Intermittent fasting and keto cycling aren’t diets—they’re survival strategies.
- Low glucose usage - fat burning; longer periods of fasting, longer time in zone 2 (fatmax) training, ketone supplements
- High(er) glucose usage -- increased time doing HIIT to create more lactate
Note: Joe's Cold Shower Protocol (that actually works to make it possible to do this impossible feeling act)
- Turn on water....not hot but a warm temp
- Get under water, then turn the temp to cool (starts to feel bad)
- Do your washing and then rinse off soap
- Step away from water, and drop temp ½ way to coldest
- Put in arms in first
- Then step back and put in legs
- Then one shoulder, and then the other
- The chest
- Turn around and let the water spray onto your lower back, then move the water up to your neck
- Lastly, put your head under the water spray
- Step away from water, and drop temp to coldest
- Repeat process ignoring arms and legs.
- Then start counting (start at 10 seconds and work up to 3 minutes), and repeat the core (ignore arms and legs)
- Don’t force it. Work up to 100% cold water if necessary.
- Repeated exposure will lead to pleasurable anticipation
- Don't break the habit or you'll have to start from scratch (believe me, I know)
It is a marker of aging. Your declining ability to deal with extreme stresses eventually compresses your ability to deal with normal stresses. Push back at the extremes to remain functional and recover lost function. Use it or lose it.
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4868097/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5730851/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6240408/
Related episodes:
- Episode 153 | The Physionical Man | Nic Verhoeven PhD of Physionic
- Episode 143 | Nasal Breathing for Health and to Avoid Injury| George Dallom PhD
- Episode 142 | Fasting Mimicking Diet | Joseph Antoun PhD
- Episode 32 | Helping Older Athletes Feel Young Again || Dr Mike T Nelson
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*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice.