Primal Endurance Podcast

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.

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. Gentry McGrath, 48-year-old chiropractor asks about the confusing messages one gets listening to the various podcasts with the often differing theories of how best to train. [00:00:55]  Chad asks can running strides be added throughout the aerobic base building period? [00:10:33]  Matthew asks what are signs of overtraining? [00:14:16]  With reactions to food and training varying between individuals, doesn't it make you question the universal application of the MAF formula? [00:19:49]  Marco ran the Paris marathon. It was pretty easy up to kilometer 32 and then the last 10K it was harder. What happened? I have plateaued at my MAF heart rate. Shall I try to add 5 beats? [00:25:46]  The body responds really well and the mind responds well to epic over-distance training sessions. [00:33:47] 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. Arnie (58) asks about his fat adaptation and its impact on his performance. [00:01:37] Do I lose my flight or fight response when I train aerobically? [00:02:24]  The fast twitch muscle fibers that are not using oxygen do not need a high volume of training. [`00:07:22]  How many carbs do I need to consume so that I have sufficient glycogen during high demand occasions? [00:09:33]  What happens to us when we burn too much protein? [00:14:55]  When you are healthy, getting adequate sleep, eating nutrient intense diet, you are going to get the most out of your body. [00:19:44]  Paul asks why he can't walk a mile and get his heart rate below 160? [00:22:16] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Brad Kearns talks in more detail about the importance of rethinking recovery, on the heels of the landmark MarksDailyApple.com post Rethinking Recovery, and also Brad's recent podcast with Joel Jamieson. The profound insight for reflection is that we kinda sorta take recovery for granted in that we don't acknowledge, understand, or account for the scientific fact that recovery takes energy in and of itself. Refreshing the sodium-potassium pumps in the muscle cells and brain neurons, digesting food in the intestines, converting ingested calories into triglycerides or glycogen in the liver, the immune system keeping infections at bay--all these command a slice of the pie chart of your total energy expenditure in a given day or month or year. Furthering this thought, could it be that world records and Olympic gold medals of the future will be achieved by athletes who train less and rest more in comparison to the amazing top athletes of today? For the recreational enthusiast who is obligated to devote energy to so many other areas (family, work, commuting, routine daily chores and errands, etc.), it follows that training less and taking more chill time could be a secret weapon to achieve performance breakthroughs and avoid chronic patterns that compromise not only your performance but your general health. Do we take recovery for granted? [00:00:30]  What is the additive model expenditure? [00:03:57]  Brad talks about his training in the old days and how wrong it was. [00:08:43]  Recovery and restoration require energy.  [00:11:14]  Our daily energy resources are allocated to what three functions? [00:13:37]  How can we be more productive? [00:22:39]  What if the athletes tone things down? [00:27:00]  When in doubt, chill out!!! [00:33:07]    Links: Joel Jamieson podcast on Primal Blueprint channel: http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-211-joel-jamieson/ Rethinking Recovery: https://www.marksdailyapple.com/rest-and-recovery-a-pivotal-new-perspective/ Hadza Energy Expenditure Study 8 Weeks OutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Brad Kearns dusts off the age-old dilemma for endurance athletes: the relative benefits and contribution of intense efforts versus a commitment to aerobic base building to deliver best results. Brad reflects on his recent show with Dave Scott, where Dave advocated frequent brief, high intensity bursts during endurance workouts to flush the cardiovascular system and deliver rapid fitness improvements. Brad stacks this insight against Dr. Maffetone's extensive commentary in the Primal Endurance Mastery Course videos that there is a stress impact of every workout and that pursuing modern endurance goals is generally antithetical to health. Brad mentions his own experimentation with intuitive, very short duration bursts of high intensity effort, such as banging out 100 Decline Spiderman pushups every time he visits a certain dog park, and the idea that keeping things brief can prevent that breakdown and delayed recovery time from a grueling high intensity workout.   Brad also tackles a few listener questions in this show, relating to tapering (reduce volume, maintain intensity), applying the Primal Endurance principles to team sports, and finally a success story from Suzanne where she improved her ironman time by FOUR hours following Primal Endurance principles. Enjoy! How to reconcile the emphasis on aerobic base with Dave Scott's suggestion to include brief bouts of high intensity efforts frequently? [00:01:50]  Todd from Australia asks about having not much time to workout so when he does, his heart rate it elevated above aerobic maximum. He asks about training volume and time frames. [00:13:23]  Peter is a marathoner but wonders about tapering: the proper pre-race preparations like nutrition and workouts. [00:18:26]  A soccer referee asks: How does his situation of running, jogging, sprinting, and running backwards etc. fit with primal endurance framework?  [00:22:07]  Suzanne is wondering about her recovery after Ironman Nice where simply changing her nutrition and following Primal Endurance improved her time. [00:27:43]  Links to publish with this show Dave Scott Episode 119 Primal Endurance Mastery Course Decline Spiderman pushups Brad's Morning Exercise Routine  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Brad Kearns talks with Dr. Ben Lynch, author of the book Dirty Genes, which has hit #1 bestseller in its amazon category in January, 2018. Dr. Lynch explains with great clarity and specificity that your genes are not your destiny. He identifies individual genes that can cause health dysfunction and provides a detailed action plan to clean up your genes and promote optimal gene expression. Included is the oft-mentioned MTHFR which influences the critical cellular process of methylation. The COMT gene influences your ability to stay calm and focused.  Dr. Lynch's programs starts with a two-week "soak and scrub" phase to promote general health, then goes into a "spot cleaning" phase where you target your particular genetic issues relating to the aforementioned as well as heart function, liver function, and mood stability. This is pretty scientific stuff, but Dr. Lynch does a great job explaining it clearly and giving you some immediate actionable steps to take to clean up your genetic function.  Does your family tree have total influence over your genes? [00:00:16]  What lifestyle behaviors would be mitigating these risks? [00:03:32]   How does his Soak and Scrub protocol work to cleanse the genes? [00:06:20]  What are some eating tips? [00:10:55]  What is Spot Cleaning? [00:13:31]  Is there a particular gene related to cardio vascular disease? [00:16:30]  How do these isolated genes work regarding disease risk? [00:17:49]  Tell us about the MTHFR gene. [00:21:31]  Can you define methylation? [00:25:02]  What is COMT? How does it work? What is the difference in personality with fast or slow COMT? [00:28:57]  Where are we going with all this amazing genetic testing? [00:35:23]  What about the Dirty Gene Summit program? [00:43:38]  Dirty Genes MethylaltionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Brad Kearns talks in further detail about the provocative comments from Dr. Tommy Wood during their recent podcast. Dr. Tommy proposed that if you are metabolically healthy, at optimal body fat composition, with good blood work and with ambitious fitness goals, you may be best served by consuming as many calories as you can (of nutritious foods only of course) without gaining weight. Contrast this with the often-touted benefits of fasting and caloric efficiency, where thriving on as few calories as necessary and producing optimally minimal insulin is believed to correlate strongly with longevity. Dr. Tommy and Brad theorize that there may be a different set of decision-making parameters if you are trying to reduce excess body fat, recover from metabolic damage, or have adverse blood results. Even so, Dr. Tommy offers the profound suggestion that you should not even concern yourself with fat reduction until you become metabolically healthy.  Brad mentions his personal experiment with an increased caloric intake to fuel his peak performance goals. After 13 weeks, he reports excellent results including body composition and improved performance, assisted by a nutrient-dense morning smoothie in place of prolonged fasting, and generally looser purse strings with total caloric intake and carb intake, especially in conjunction with high calorie burning workouts. In conjunction with a more intuitive approach to eating, Brad mentions being more fractal and intuitive with his high intensity exercise efforts--sprinkling in little bouts over the course of a day that don't really count as official workouts, but contribute to him developing a higher platform to launch from when he goes for big sprint, high jump, strength training sessions. Check the video links for his decline spiderman pushup and first-thing morning exercise routine   Where do we stand right now with all the information that is out there overwhelming us? [00:03:07]  Why do you have a specific goal? [00:05:04]  Your mental attitude has a huge effect on longevity and weight loss. [00:06:03]  Focusing on only on results detracts from the experience of performance. [00:11:56]  Every one in this arena has some kind of story about how they got here. [00:15:29]  Are we afraid to turn down the competitive part of our personality? [00:18:07]  What is the situation with starting this program? Is it important to find what causes your problem? [00:24:28] Sometimes the amount you eat or the number of calories isn't what you want to look at. [00:30:09]  Sometimes the training paradigm requires a deviation in what we are talking about regarding the amount of food you need. [00:33:48]  What happens to folks who are carrying some excess body fat and/or some blood values that need to be corrected? [00:40:32] Healthy physiology is needed first before concern about losing weight. [00:47:44]    Links:  Dr. Tommy Wood - Podcast 123 Decline Spiderman pushups Brad's Morning Exercise RoutineSee 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. Carl has been on the Paleo diet for almost a year. Is there a good app with heart rate alarm? [00:01:21]  Lisa is 48 and has been following the MAF for several months with limited results. Is it okay that my VO2 test on a treadmill showed that my aerobic threshold is 5 beats higher than 180 minus my age? [00:02:04]  MaryAnn just started trying heart rate training.  I am slower than when I started.  Is this normal? [00:08:45] Mike asks: Is there a comfortable maximum duration for a training run. Running is more taxing than biking. [00:10:25]  Mike also adds: Does the aerobic base for running help your cycling base and vice versa? [00:13:03]  From Ward: What is the efficacy for the 100-UP drill of Walter George as made popular by Christopher McDougall. Is this a good way to both build foot/leg strength and to develop good running form? [00:15:38]  Brian asks about the Keto diet:  Can you share what a day or two in the life of Brad's Keto eating looks like? [00:18:40]  More from Brian:  Are there any rough guidelines for the amount of aerobic training (hours in a week) to complete a given event in a reasonable time? [00:27:49]  Kareem asks about his outrigger paddling training for the 38 mile Molokai channel to Oahu. What test should he take as an endurance athlete?  [00:31:02]  Rick is a marathon runner and his question is about fueling with gels. [00:36:16] Walter George Christopher McDougall Molokai to Oahu race Nourish, Balance, ThriveSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Brad Kearns talks to Italian amateur triathlete Stefano Passarello, a longtime listener to the podcast who has an absolutely amazing success story with low carb, slow-paced endurance training. Stefano, an accounting firm CEO based in Hong Kong, has attained the highest level of triathlon success in his very first year in the sport. A 2:26 marathon runner who turned to triathlon due to repeated injury, Stefano qualified for Hawaii Ironman World Championships and ran a 2:53 marathon off the bike in Kona! This is the third fastest amateur marathon split in the 40-year history of the Ironman! Stefano's approach is a beautiful blend of keto style eating, comfortably paced over distance workouts, and a relaxed, process-oriented approach where he carefully balances the stress of life and training to avoid chronic patterns and stay happy and inspired.  The conversation goes deep into both the optimal approach to become bonk-proof and stay healthy (hint: slow down and cut carbs!) and the evolved mindset that will prevent the all-too-common obsessive, overly-competitive, Type-A approach that leads to burnout. Stefano entertains with some great quotes and anecdotes: how a short, hairy Italian guy was totally intimidated by the "scene" on Alii Drive but was later validated by passing the posers in droves in the latter stages of the marathon. How the endorphin rush of challenging workouts represents a "taste of your favorite drug," and is something to carefully moderate. Enjoy this wild ride with a very entertaining and talented athlete who has "reverse engineered" the MAF and Primal Endurance training methods into big-time success! Who is Stefano Passarello? [00:00:58]  How did he get into the sport and how did his training method work? [00:02:25]  How did he discover Primal Blueprint? [00:07:09]  What was he thinking when he was at his first Ironman looking at the other athletes? [00:08:34]  How does the relaxed nature of his training and his diet payoff? [00:11:48]  What? He doesn't even have a Power Meter on his bike!! [00:14:47]  Training decisions need to come from your mood. [00:16:44]  How does adrenaline become the drug of choice?  [00:18:41]  What happens when you bonk? [00:26:55]  Stefano talks about balance. [00:26:14]  People in this sport need to do something to compensate. [00:34:19]  After a certain point, your body becomes exhausted. [00:38:38]  What does it mean..."trust the system"? What is your purpose? [00:42:05]  How does he work his fasting workouts?  What does he eat afterwards? [00:45:49]  Why are they still selling sugar to athletes at the Ironman Expo? [00:54:50]  In the old days, the super athletes were sugar-burners. What happened to them?  [00:57:10]  What are the final suggestions? [01:00:08] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.