Uphill Athlete Podcast

Scott Johnston is joined by Doctor Jesse Charles, M.D. Jesse is a rural medical doctor and longtime adherent to the Uphill Athlete training methods. As a general practitioner in a rural setting, Jesse sees a wide variety of patients, from those at peak health, to the infirm. In this episode, Scott and Jesse discuss changes that take place as the result of regular exercise; exercise as a ‘phase change’ in the functioning of the body; how exercise facilitates learning; responses of the heart to exercise; nervous system changes and loss of motor units through time; the importance of balance practices in aging populations; the evolution of mitochondria; gut bacteria as a health indicator throughout life; dietary considerations for gut health; training progressions and adaptations for increasing vitality; and thoughts on arthritis prevention.References:Exercise promotes the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) through the action of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate https://elifesciences.org/articles/15092Molecular Choreography of Acute Exercisehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32470399/Hyperglycaemia is associated with impaired muscle signalling and aerobic adaptation to exercisehttps://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-020-0240-7Physical activity offsets genetic risk for incident depression assessed via electronic health records in a biobank cohort studyhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/da.22967MAP training: combining meditation and aerobic exercise reduces depression and rumination while enhancing synchronized brain activityhttps://www.nature.com/articles/tp2015225Exercise Alters Gut Microbiota Composition and Function in Lean and Obese Humanshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29166320/Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolismhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0485-4Blood factors transfer beneficial effects of exercise on neurogenesis and cognition to the aged brainhttps://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6500/167Studies of a targeted risk reduction intervention through defined exercise (STRRIDE)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11581566/BDNF polymorphism predicts the rate of decline in skilled task performance and hippocampal volume in healthy individualshttps://www.nature.com/articles/tp201147Is Your Blood Sugar Undermining Your Workouts?https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/well/move/blood-sugar-diet-foods-workouts-exercise-muscles.htmlFiber-Mediated Nourishment of Gut Microbiota Protects against Diet-Induced Obesity by Restoring IL-22-Mediated Colonic Healthhttps://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(17)30497-3Association Between Dietary Fiber and Lower Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies.https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/181/2/83/2739206

In this episode coach Sam Naney talks with his athlete, professional free skier and ski mountaineer, Cody Townsend. Cody has had a long and illustrious career in free skiing and has been featured in many ski films. Cody’s most recent project is “Chasing The Fifty Classics” — the classic ski descents of North America. The two discuss this project, and in particular, Cody’s training as he chases these lines.

Backcountry skiing is experiencing a huge surge in popularity. Scott Johnston discusses the implications, and the issues, with Larry Goldie, an AMGA-IFMGA-Certified Mountain Guide based in the North Cascade Mountains.

Director of Sports Performance at UC Davis,  Judd Van Sickle,  talks about metabolic testing, fat adaptation, and aerobic deficiency with Scott Johnston.

Phil Maffetone could well be called the "prophet of Zone 2".  He's been writing, speaking and coaching the importance of aerobic base since the early 1980s.  During  a chance meeting with Phil in 1984 Uphill Athlete co-founder Scott Johnston was first exposed to the importance of low intensity training.  In this episode, Scott talks with Phil, originator of the concept of aerobic deficiency. In this discussion they trace the arc of Scott’s training philosophy from that chance meeting in 1984 to the current Uphill Athlete training methodology.

In this episode coaches Alison and Sam Naney discuss the proper application of supplemental strength training and how athletes may go about determining the types of strength training that will benefit them most as individuals.

Join Uphill Athlete co-founder Steve House and Chamonix-based physical therapist Neil MacLean-Martin as they discuss Uphill Athlete's new Chamonix Mountain Fit program. This multi-part program of strength, mobility, functional exercises is a fantastic resource now available to the UA community. Listen to Steve and Neil as they discuss the background, and creation of this program, and get a taste of what this series has to offer mountain athletes.

Join Uphill Athlete coaches Carolyn Parker, Alison Naney, and Maya Seckinger in conversation about helping women in gain the knowledge to support themselves in training, and build confidence in a mountain environment. 

In this episode, Scott Johnston is joined by Olga Dobranowski. Olga is a medical doctor, based out of Colorado, who has tackled some impressive mountain goals. Here some of the topics discussed: growing up and starting climbing in Poland; Polish climbing history; Olga’s early climbing days in Poland and throughout Europe; moving to the U.S.A., and settling in Colorado; the evolution of Olga’s training; orchestrating success on Aconcagua with a busy lifestyle; pre-acclimatization; light and fast; self-assessment of altitude sickness; continued success on a solo climb of Denali; Olga’s base, aerobic, and specific training; hypoxic tents and other techniques for pre-acclimatization; physiological effects of altitude. 

A question we are often asked is how to utilize our training plans through time as many people re-cycle the plans year after year. Scott Johnston and Sam Naney discuss: Knowing how to get the best possible results for each individual; the difference between a training plan and coaching; objectively evaluating training plans and progress as a self-coached athlete; and much more.