TMHS 886: Faster Fat Loss, Peak Performance, & Fitness at Any Age - With Brad Kearns
Apr 14, 2025
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In this engaging discussion, Brad Kearns, a New York Times bestselling author and elite athlete, shares insights on fitness and aging. He challenges misconceptions about exercise, emphasizing why walking is crucial for health and longevity. Brad highlights the importance of functional fitness and setting age-appropriate goals. He critiques popular high-intensity fitness trends and advocates for sustainable practices that protect us as we age. Listeners will discover the value of balancing various exercises, including sprinting, for enhanced vitality.
Brad Kearns emphasizes that age should be seen as an opportunity for setting new fitness goals rather than a barrier to activity.
The podcast critiques modern fitness culture for prioritizing endurance training over strength and functional fitness critical for longevity.
Walking is highlighted as a fundamental exercise that can enhance overall health, serving as a low-impact activity essential for fitness.
Deep dives
Lifelong Fitness and Peak Performance
Staying fit for a lifetime is emphasized as both achievable and essential for maintaining peak performance at any age. The discussion centers around the incredible feats of Brad Kearns, who, at 60 years old, has excelled in Masters athletics, achieving top ranks in high jump and sprinting. This showcases that age should not be seen as a barrier but rather an opportunity to set new personal goals. The narrative encourages listeners to adopt an active lifestyle, focusing on the benefits of engaging with physical challenges throughout one's life.
Misconceptions of Aging
Common misconceptions regarding aging often lead people to believe they should slow down and abandon physical activity as they age. Many individuals resign themselves to merely reminiscing about past athletic achievements instead of actively pursuing fitness in the present. The podcast highlights the importance of a community-oriented approach where parents engage alongside their children in sports, fostering a fun and active environment. This perspective aims to reshape societal views on aging, encouraging individuals to remain active and involved rather than complacent.
The Shift from Endurance to Functional Strength
Modern fitness culture has led many to prioritize steady-state endurance training over maintaining functional strength and muscle mass, which are crucial for longevity. The podcast critiques the conventional wisdom of running long distances as the sole path to fitness, arguing that it often leads to negative health outcomes. Instead, it advocates for high-intensity interval training and strength-focused workouts that can deliver results in significantly less time. This shift not only preserves muscle and strength but also enhances overall vitality as one ages.
Walking as a Fundamental Activity
Walking is highlighted as a fundamental and often overlooked aspect of human fitness that everyone can incorporate into their daily lives. The discussion emphasizes that humans are genetically predisposed to walk, and integrating extensive walking into one's routine can have profound health benefits. Walking serves as a foundational aerobic activity that enhances one's ability to engage in more strenuous physical pursuits later on. By prioritizing walking, individuals can greatly enhance their fitness levels while also engaging in a low-impact form of exercise.
The Importance of Sprinting
Sprinting is presented as a crucial component of fitness, especially for aging individuals looking to maintain physical vitality. The conversation stresses that sprinting workouts can offer significant benefits in terms of fat reduction, muscle preservation, and overall cardiovascular health. Unlike prolonged endurance training, sprinting provides a powerful way to challenge the body effectively without the time commitment required by long-distance running. This approach encourages listeners to incorporate short, intense bursts of activity into their fitness routines for maximum health benefits.
Understanding Foot Health and Mobility
Foot health is crucial for overall fitness and mobility, given that our feet are designed for optimal function over millions of years of evolution. The podcast discusses the negative impact of modern footwear on foot functionality and highlights the importance of wearing minimalist shoes that allow for natural movement. It points out that many health issues, including chronic foot pain, can be addressed by adopting a more barefoot lifestyle. By prioritizing foot health and incorporating suitable footwear, individuals can improve balance, strength, and physical performance.
Although we are living in the most sedentary culture in the history of humankind, we know that movement is a foundational input that our bodies need for physical health, mental health, and so much more. Today, there are a wide variety of exercise modalities and classes that are available – but in this episode, you’re going to learn about what types of physical activity promote true health and longevity. Today’s guest, Brad Kearns, is a New York Times bestselling author, world-ranked professional triathlete, and elite masters track & field sprinter and high jumper. His new book, Born to Walk, coauthored by Mark Sisson, dives into the broken promises of the running boom and why walking is an essential genetic input for human health and longevity. In this interview, Brad is sharing his wealth of knowledge on fitness, including how to set age-appropriate goals, the importance of functional fitness, and what it takes to create a well-rounded fitness routine. You’re going to learn about the major problems with common exercise trends, what types of exercises can protect us as we age, and how to engage in sustainable, lifelong movement practices. Enjoy! In this episode you’ll discover:
A common misconception about aging.
Why our cultural programming around fitness is ineffective.
The problem with popular high-intensity fitness classes.
What the extreme exercise hypothesis is.
The three types of exercise we need to protect against falling as we age.
Why walking is a powerful foundational exercise.
How often we should engage in sprinting exercises.
Brad’s experiences with extreme endurance exercises.
The importance of attaching yourself to a larger mission.
What it means to be coached by your 80-year-old self.
Why your movement practices must be sustainable.
The #1 exercise for longevity.
Why we have to respect our chronological age.
The role of mobility exercises for longevity.
How your toes impact your walking gait.
The importance of spending time barefoot or in minimalist shoes.
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