Primal Endurance Podcast # 141: Brock Armstrong
Host Brad Kearns welcomes the Brock the Renaissance man from Vancouver, Canada. Brock is deep into the podcast scene as a producer and host of numerous health/fitness/primal-paleo/biohacking style shows, and also a longtime endurance coach. His Workplace Hero podcast helps those with sedentary office jobs make the best of their surroundings and minimize the health challenges of office work. Having been around the biohacking scene for a while, Brock states that he is generally the ultimate skeptic and non-responder to much fancy cool stuff that he has tried. This wide-ranging conversation unearths some memorable insights and clarities for those seeking an effective diet, exercise and lifestyle regimen.
This show covers: The state of the union and future hopes for the medium of podcasting; how Brock transitioned from a strict endurance athlete to hit the gym and get jacked! (including the top secret, highly questionable supplement that he obtained through a sketchy supplier that worked so well it scared the crap out of him!); the new trend of top endurance athletes passing on stretching, icing, massage, and foam rolling, because they’d rather feel the tightness and inflammation that is a fundamental component of the training effect. On that note, post-workout heat therapy is proving to be an excellent way to boost fitness, while cold therapy might be best in the early morning (per K-Starr), at least 2 hours after workouts to not interfere with the training effect, or in the evening (especially when paired with hot, like Brad in wintertime at his parents cold pool, hot spa in LA!). Along these lines, the pair discusses whether the benefits of yoga are overblown, and how pursuing broad-based fitness competency with functional mobility/flexibility exercises and increased general everyday movement might be the best winning ticket for athletes.
Brock geeks out with a great insight about Hebbs Law - where “neurons that fire together, wire together.” Translation: If your swim stroke or running form sucks, training will ingrain these technique flaws further. Enroll in the Primal Endurance Mastery Course and learn how to run with the grace and beauty of a deer! We end with a frank discussion about bio hacks - the pure nonsense out there, how lots of expensive high tech stuff lacks relevance to the average athlete, how bad lifestyle habits will render your hacks useless, and how Brock’s muscles got so big, so fast, he washed his fake essential oils down the toilet and stuck with the basics. This is a very entertaining show with both philosophical questions to ponder and practical tips to implement.
What going on in podcasting in today's community? [00:04:09]
How did Brock transition to strength training from his focus on endurance work? [00:13:06]
Is there a benefit of massage or yoga on athletes who are trying to bulk up their bodies? [00:17:52]
How does one know what level of fitness they have? [00:23:17]
What do we mean when we say the word "fitness"? What are you thinking when you hear that word? [00:29:51]
What holds people back from getting the proper fitness routine? [00:35:15]
How does Hebb's Rule affect technique and how can it work against you if you are learning? [00:36:59]
Don't we just know how to run naturally? [00:41:22]
Aren't there some shortcuts to fitness? [00:42:52]
What about cryotherapy? [00:51:14]
What is the benefit of the sauna? [00:53:32]
What are peptides that Brock was using? [00:59:37]
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