Brad Kearns tackles more interesting Q&A from Primal Endurance podcast listeners and book readers. Submit your questions at www.primalblueprint.com/endurance and they will get covered on the air.  While the questions relate to the specific needs of the individual, the answers are presented in a manner that applies to a broad audience. Listen and enjoy learning about the challenges and successes of your endurance peers, and come away with plenty of practical tips to help improve your training and competitive results. Todd (age 33) has Lymes disease and he's had many surgeries but still is a fit specimen. He is now getting ready for a sprint triathlon and is asking about how to prevent burnout. What is the best way for him to train? [00:00:59]  Paul is new to Primal Endurance life. He went on a 24-hour mountain bike ride. He suffered from GI problems and had to stop the race. He also asks about keeping his heart rate where he wants it to be when he is going uphill on his bike? What does he need to do differently? [00:08:10]  Sometimes you just have to relax about the competition. [00:15:31]  What are some suggestions about fueling during race? [00:18:05]  Warren asks "How do apply the 180 minus age formula to children?" [00:23:44]  Bradley asks if people would consider refereeing soccer an endurance sport? [00:27:20]  Bruce has trouble buying into Dr. Maffetone's 180 minus age training formula. [00:30:34]  Doug asks about the run-walk formula that he is using. [00:32:38]  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Brad Kearns welcomes favored recurring guest Andrew MacNaughton of TheAthletesPotential. It's been a while since we caught up with Andrew, so he details his dietary experimentation with keto, his return to training after a year of minimal exercise, and the usual assortment of juicy asides and insights about adopting the proper mindset for endurance exercise. Andrew went deep with some 24-hour and even 48-hour fasting, saying that it was no trouble--even while doing moderate aerobic workouts during the fasting period. The show discusses the great potential of functional medicine to help athletes get healthy, the necessary first step to pursuing fitness goals. Gut dysfunction is so prevalent these days, and functional testing can go where traditional medicine does not. Andrew does complete testing every two years so he can track his progression of aging and make sure he is doing the best he can to sustain peak function.  Andrew recommends that athletes ask themselves the important questions of, "what would be best?” "how can I do better?" (for health, for peak performance, etc.) and then work toward the best accommodation of those goals. Putting health as the absolute #1 priority is a good start. Enjoy the show. Please take a moment to leave the show a review on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts and spread the word to your peeps on social media. What did Andrew learn when he tried the Keto experiment as well as trying fasting? [00:01:18]  It takes less time to recover from no meal than it does to recover from bad food! [00:04:08]  What about damage from the vegetable oils? [00:08:07]  What happens as you age when your childhood eating habits were poor? [00:10:06]  What kind of functional testing does he do with his clients? [00:14:24]  What are some of the results Andrew finds in his own testing? [00:16:05] Can one always tell when they have a problem like in the digestive system? [00:19:33]  When acknowledging that our bodies aren't functioning perfectly, it is important to at least learn what would be best for you as you move forward. [00:20:45]  It is very common in this current lifestyle to be so busy that you ignore your body. [00:24:24]  With Andrew's experimenting in diet, what were the effects on his exercise and training? [00:27:39]  Comfort food will eventually make you uncomfortable. [00:39:07]  Do you know what it feels like to feel good? [00:40:35] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad Kearns tackles more interesting Q&A from Primal Endurance podcast listeners and book readers. Submit your questions at www.primalblueprint.com/endurance and they will get covered on the air.  While the questions relate to the specific needs of the individual, the answers are presented in a manner that applies to a broad audience. Listen and enjoy learning about the challenges and successes of your endurance peers, and come away with plenty of practical tips to help improve your training and competitive results. Candy is a coach and she is asking about training young kids and how to prevent injury and burnout. [00:00:53]  David asks about aerobic vs. anaerobic training. He has slowed down his training and now he wants to compete. Will he have to start all over again after he competes using maximum speed? [00:07:30]  Another David, age 28, finds it difficult to contain his heart rate when something beyond his control comes into the picture. What happens to his heart rate? [00.19.12] Ward asks about skipping workouts. He asks about muscle loss in older people (sarcopenia) and whether your skills get depleted if you are not consistent. [00:22:35]  What about de-training due to illness or injury? Can you get it back? [00:30:05]  Travis asks, "Does ketosis protect me from injury?" [00:32:53]  Josh is asking about a massive Navy Seal challenge he participated in and whether such an event is damaging. How can you go about participating in Primal Obstacle Race? [00:35:43]   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad continues to discuss topics of recent interest and new strategies he is trying out in training experiments, including his plunging deep into the world of temperature therapy. In consult with Dr. Kelly Starrett, author of Becoming a Supple Leopard and founder of MobilityWOD.com, you’ll get tips to start using cold water therapy as well as heat therapy to pursue the vaunted benefits.  Brad has a chest freezer filled with near-freezing water for both morning and evening plunges. For morning, it’s a hermetic stressor to boost adaptive hormones and naturally sharpen central nervous system function. For before bed, a quick plunge helps facilitate a good night’s sleep by lowering body temperature. Brad’s game is to stay for ~3 min at temperatures 36-40F. Not long enough to suffer or shiver for hours afterward.  Check out his YouTube videos: Check out his YouTube demonstration coming soon! Short demo to get you started: Coming Soon! A detailed description of benefits and demo: Coming Soon! The deal with cold therapy is to keep it far away from training stimulus. You want the inflammatory process to run its course after a workout, despite the fact that it feels great to cool your legs in an icy river after a hard run or the like.  With heat therapy, the infrared sauna causes a mini-fever effect to enhance cellular function and improve cardiovascular function. Starrett likes the hot sauna where you can really sweat and even get uncomfortable before getting out. Brad is doing Chris Kelly’s Nourish BalanceThrive detox protocol of going into a sauna for a big sweat, and immediately scrubbing off with Dr. Bronners soap to clear toxins (since his NBT tests showed residue of toxic metals and rubber by-products in his blood! Possibly a consequence of growing up in smoggy LA or perhaps even drinking from plastic water bottles that have been exposed to heat - like a sunny car.) In furthering the concept of a more varied and relaxed approach to training, Brad references the podcast where he discussed the Simply Running approach of New Zealand Olympic 1500 meter silver and bronze medalist Nick Willis. The takeaway message is to design a training program that is enjoyable, fits conveniently into your other life responsibilities, and tone down the obsessive need to hit arbitrary time or volume standards. Consistency in the context of building fitness is simply not as important as we think it is. Don’t compare yourself to the elites. They are out there for hours every largely because they do have plenty of time to spend on training and are looking for those incremental benefits.  Take a page from the bodybuilding scene. Ridicule the bro science if you must, but bodybuilders respect and appreciate the importance of balancing stress and rest—breaking down muscles with intense training and then resting and hyper-nourishing to come back with huge muscles.  On the other hand, realize the disastrous consequences of a chronic approach, as we now see the elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors in hard training.  Brad also refers to his super nutrition morning green smoothie, also available on YouTube: Coming Soon! Great topics to get you thinking about ways to optimize your approach to training! Nick Willis Show: http://primalendurance.libsyn.com/interval-show-6-olympic-bronze-medalist-nick-williss-simply-running-approach Muscleheads ripping on cardio article: https://www.muscleforlife.com/how-much-cardio/ Cold water - long: https://youtu.be/1j3AZJVwZnc   Cold water - quick demo: https://youtu.be/2WFFM05YnQ0   Smoothie - long: https://youtu.be/TVYOAErMMis   Smoothie - quick demo: https://youtu.be/FF_mtZoRw5I   Mobility Workout   What is cold temperature therapy and what are the benefits of it? [00:01:44]  How does melatonin work in helping one sleep? What else helps one sleep? [00:09:51]  You do not want the cold exposure anywhere near your workout. [00:13:17]  What is the role of heat therapy? [00:17:00] How does Brad start his day? What motivates him? [00:24:20]  Kickstart your digestive circadian rhythm with a green smoothie.  [00:29:16]  Do we need to eat more calories when we are focused on Keto dieting? [00:32:59]  How do we know if we have a carb dependency problem? [00:37:09] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad updates you on topics of recent interest and new strategies he is trying out in training. Included is his experiment to bring more downtime into his exercise patterns. This means periods of 24-36 hours where there are no formal workouts; this is in order to perform at a higher level when he pushes himself with challenging endurance or high-intensity workouts. That said, Brad also discusses the importance of establishing a baseline routine of general everyday movement, mobility/flexibility exercises, random strength/explosive efforts, and not worrying as much about filling in all the blanks of a training log.   Brad reports that despite reduced overall running frequency and monthly volume, he felt stronger than ever delivering a maximum effort to get his first win in a Speedgolf tournament—playing 18 holes on a hilly course in San Luis Obispo in 52 min and shooting 85 for a Speedgolf score of 137. Brad credits being fully rested, along with having some good sprint workouts, for a strong endurance performance at the tournament. Yes, high-intensity sprint sessions will greatly improve your endurance if they are conducted properly and not in an overly strenuous manner. Then, you pair occasional hard stuff with very comfortably paced aerobic workouts that are safely below MAF heart rate or perhaps WAY below MAF heart rate. Don’t worry; you still get a significant aerobic stimulus even if it’s a brisk walk or a cruiser bike trip to Farmer’s Market. Dr. Maffetone details these concepts in his series of outstanding videos in the Primal Endurance Mastery Course at primalendurance.fit   Brad lets us in on some of the fitness routines that keep him in shape. What?? Downtime?? [00:02:21]  Does slowing down interfere with the competition? What happens when Brad plays Speed Golf? [00:14:39]  "Simply Running" is a book about modifying training by Nick Willis suggesting the same slowing down theory. [00:18:30]  Is excessive cardio really unhealthy? [00:20:54]  What happens if you are sleep deprived? What is Leptin?  What is Ghrelin? [00:24:06]   Are endurance athletes at risk? [00:26:44]  Does genetics come into play? [00:30:21]   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lindsay welcomes Simon Marshall, Ph.D., one half of the brain trust behind Braveheart Coaching (braveheartcoach.com) and co-author along with his wife Lesley Paterson of The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion. Simon is an expert in helping athletes of all levels wrangle their inner "chimp brains" so they can pursue their sports with the heart, wings, and fight of a truly brave athlete. In this episode, Simon discusses with Lindsay the importance of developing an athlete identity, as well as how to know when you're getting waylaid by a "gremlin" (an unwanted thought, feeling, or belief that threatens to derail you on your athletic journey). Whether or not you currently think of yourself an athlete,* Simon is here to share his wealth of knowledge gleaned from years of conducting his own scientific research, racing as a competitive cyclist, and acting as professional sherpa and founding member of Team S.H.I.T. (Supportive Husbands in Training) for Lesley, who is a professional mountain biker, three-time world champion in off-road triathlon, and Ironman® triathlon champion.   * Hint: If you're listening, you're probably an athlete; and if you're not comfortable calling yourself that despite evidence to the contrary (a hefty budget set aside for race fees and equipment, an early-morning alarm set for training, and a love of your sport), read The Brave Athlete.   To find out more about Simon and Lesley's work, visit:  http://www.braveheartcoach.com/the-brave-athlete/ http://www.nourishbalancethrive.com/ Dr. Simon Marshall https://www.velopress.com/authors/dr.-simon-marshall/ https://twitter.com/pssjm3 Lesley Paterson http://www.lesleypaterson.com/ https://www.velopress.com/authors/lesley-paterson/ https://twitter.com/lesleydoestri https://www.instagram.com/lesleydoestriSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad Kearns tackles more interesting Q&A from Primal Endurance podcast listeners and book readers. Submit your questions at www.primalblueprint.com/endurance and they will get covered on the air. While the questions relate to the specific needs of the individual, the answers are presented in a manner that applies to a broad audience. Listen and enjoy learning about the challenges and successes of your endurance peers, and come away with plenty of practical tips to help improve your training and competitive results. Chris asks if the problem people have with running at the "brutally slow place" has anything to do with body composition. [00:02:21]  What about nose breathing? Do we need a heart monitor?  [00:05:31]  Ben asks for advise for those folks who are only able to get out there a couple of short runs per week. [00:13:27]  Tom says he is only a year into running and I really loved it BUT after getting into Maffetone's Yellow Book and Primal Endurance books, he doesn't have any fun. [00:17:33]  What happens if we don't acknowledge that our bodies aren't at 10 percent well? [00:21:41]  Rob is asking about his 13 year-old son's development as he is getting into competitive sports.  [00:26:53]  What about fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscles? [00:32:03]  If you do a lot of endurance training will you loose something on the fast twitch side? [00:33:41] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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]    Workplacehero.meSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Brad Kearns welcomes Tom Hughes of Tri Mechanics in Great Britain. Tom is an expert in skill development and technique for endurance sports, and discusses the benefits of using barefoot/minimalist shoes to refine good running technique. Interestingly, wearing comfortable, cushiony shoes causes more actual impact trauma to your joints (you just can’t feel it), more instability with your balance, and a loss of explosive propulsive force. Tom makes a food analogy about shoes called the “Chocolate Brownie Theory.” Yes, the brownie tastes great at first, but has adverse long-term consequences.  Tom also echoes Katy Bowman’s Movement Nutrition work in discussing the importance of building good “movement habits.” Brad talks about how he makes housework a killer full body workout. Mopping on all fours makes for a sliding plank session. Any time a stair ascent is called for in everyday home living, why not make a commitment to sprint them, every time! Kelly Starrett of MobilityWOD.com argues that endurance athletes should spend 15 minutes of every workout hour doing mobility/flexibility. Add this all up and it’s a mind blower for endurance athletes with ‘one track minds.’ The conversation extends into other interesting areas, including how Tom improved his testosterone readings by honoring the concept of a circadian digestive clock promoted by Dr. Satchin Panda. Tom started making a nutritious smoothie in the morning, which he believed helped kick start his digestive system and get energized for a productive day, and also lower his stress hormone production that might have occurred during his morning hours in a fasted state. The show also covers concerns about overtraining and compromised recovery, advancing the idea Brad discussed on his recent show with Joel Jamieson about recovery debt and the importance of actually devoting time and energy to recovery instead of just taking it for granted. Why is a runner's technique so important? [00:00:57]  How does swimming technique make a difference? [00:06:53]  What is wrong about the comfortable shoes we are used to? [00:11:48]  If a runner switches to the minimalist shoes or barefoot, isn't he going to have some pain while adjusting? [00:20:43]  How does one progress into this new running style? [00:22:33]  How does one pick a good shoe? [00:27:33]  How does he work with clients to improve technique? [00:30:50]  What kind of drills does one need to do to improve balance? [00:34:10]  What are some ways to keep in shape that one can work into the busy day? [00:41:21]  Fitness is multifaceted. Even some athletes are not in the shape they think they are. [00:46:57]  What is digestive circadian rhythm? How does when you eat have an effect? [00:51:52]  Some time being very lean is not the ideal. [01:04:23] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Brad Kearns and Dr. Linsday Taylor get deep into the psyche of the endurance athlete and address some of the common challenges. For happiness and well-being, it's critical to behave in a manner congruent with your stated goals. When you are overtraining and dragging you and your ego thru ill-advised workouts, you depart from high minded ideals and are succumbing to rat race mentality where, as bestselling author Brené Brown says, "fatigue is a badge of honor in modern culture, and self-worth is determined by productivity". Or as frequent podcast guest Andrew MacNaughton comments, "Endurance athletes are most content when they train themselves to exhaustion." Hmm, ring a bell? There is a better way! Hang with the Primal Endurance podcast and enroll in the Mastery Course to get the guidance and expert insights you need to succeed with endurance goals without compromising your health. View full video: https://youtu.be/gImkIvl0tug   Brad and Lindsay discuss aerobic emphasis training and the carbohydrate intake problem. [00:00:16] How can it be possible that going slower can make you go faster? [00:03:35]  What about the bursts of high speed? [00:06:53]  Are you not satisfied until you are exhausted? [00:13:16]  How important is the recovery phase? [00:16:41]  What is your desire to train? Are you taking care of your body?  [00:18:47]  What happens when your focus is improving your technique rather than the speed? [00:26:28]  Why is it so tough? Why do we feel inferior if we are not pushing it? [00:28:02]  Are you a person who can tolerate uncertainty? [00:32:06]  Learn how to trust in your own ability to understand your needs. [00:34:41]  Understand why you are doing this. [00:35:02]  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.