Endurance Planet

By Endurance Planet Inc.Health & Fitness

Endurance Planet episodes

June 19, 2020ATC 313: The Overtraining-Oxidative Stress Connection, A 30% Rule For Running–What Is It and Who Should Follow It, And Why Now The Time To Focus On Those Weaknesses
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Intro
A fun challenge because why not: How close can you get to running 10k on the dot without looking at your GPS or watch? The rules are: NO well-known routes, it must include hills and of course you can not have a stopwatch or a map! Cover your watch. Press start and run until you think you’ve covered 10k.
Study discussion:
Intramuscular mechanisms of overtraining
Published Jan 2020
From the study: “the purpose of this review is to discuss potential underlying mechanisms that may contribute to exercise-induced overtraining syndrome (OTS) in skeletal muscle.”
Prevalence
Studies report that ~30% of both young athletes (< 18 years) and elite athletes (> 18 years old) have experienced overreaching/OTS at least once [6–9]. However a prevalence of as high as ~60% in male and female elite runners have been described [10].
Defining OTS
Persistent underperformance despite > 2 months of recovery,
Changes in mood
Absence of symptoms/diagnosis of other possible causes of underperformance [8,9,11,12].
OTS has been attributed to both central (psychological, neurological) and peripheral (intramuscular) mechanisms [8,9,11,12].
The major proposed mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle weakness in OTS:
Glycogen depletion hypothesis- contributes but not enough to explain mechanism nor directly cause.
Muscle damage hypothesis- Mechanical damage not directly responsible for exercise-induced loss of force or OTS; not a direct cause.
Inflammation hypothesis- Thus, repeated strenuous exercise can induce a persistent intramuscular molecular cytokine signature, which shares commonalities with disease states of chronic inflammation (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis [80]) which is accompanied by muscle weakness [76–78,80]. As a result, repeated strenuous physical activity with too short recovery periods that induces soluble factors which prolongs the duration of inflammation will most certainly lead to decreased muscle function and may well be a key component in OTS.
The oxidative stress hypothesis- Similar to chronic disease, OTS may represent a state of chronic oxidative stress. For instance, blood markers of oxidative stress (e.g. depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH)) can persist for longer than a month following an ultra-endurance running event [100].
Conclusion: “Current data implicates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS) and inflammatory pathways as the most likely mechanisms contributing to OTS in skeletal muscle. Finally, we allude to potential interventions that can mitigate OTS in skeletal muscle.”
Inflammation
For instance, over-expression of IL-6 causing chronically elevated IL-6 levels in skeletal muscle, results in lowered force production, reduced expression of proteins in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, and diminished respiratory capacity [81].
Moreover, exercise-induced muscle damage can persist for weeks and trigger macrophage activation where several cytokines (incl. TNFα, IFNγ, IL-6, and IL-10), appear to be involved [44,50,63,64].
VICIOUS CYCLE: Cytokines are known to increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and in turn, ROS can promote release of pro-inflammatory cytokines [67,80,84–86]. (And process continues)
ROS can cause an imbalance in the redox state of the muscle, resulting in impaired exercise performance as evident in athletes with OTS [12,87].
One solution to mitigate OTS: use of antioxidants to alleviate the oxidative stress. “We acknowledge that antioxidants (e.g., vitamin C and E) given to healthy individuals can have detrimental effects on endurance training adaptations [94–96]. However, here we imply that OTS more closely resembles a state of chronically elevated oxidative stress, such as in chronic disease, rather than exercise adaptation.
Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds may show promise in neutralizing the elevated oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in muscles of athletes with OTS, although further research is required.
Of note: Many articles referenced were rat studies, and OTS is a HUMAN condition that is about more than muscle physiology.
Jessie asks:
The 30% rule for running and should we follow it
This rule states that your weekend long run should be no more than 30% of your total weekly volume. How and why this is, where does it apply (eg triathlete vs runner), when should it be considered (eg running durability), etc.
What the Coaches say:
Even though this percentage is a good general rule, it might not always be appropriate based on specific circumstances.
This rule is in place to protect you. But if you can safely break it, then do it. Be honest about your durability.
Triathletes especially can break this rule, because their time on the bike takes away from run volume. This rule would probably be unrealistic for most triathletes, though it would work better for pure runners.
What’s the effect of pushing that volume? If you do excessive volume on your long run, then have to take several days off to recover, then you need to shorten the long run.
Kenaia N. asks:
How to train with the goal of improvement when there are no races?
Hi! I absolutely love your podcast and have a question I’m hoping you’ll be able to answer…
This is probably on a lot of people’s minds at the moment, but I’m curious what the smartest way to train right now is, when races are cancelled and it’s hard to know what to plan for.
My own dilemma is this: I was planning on racing Boston and New York this year as my spring and fall races. As things stand now, I’m planning on racing Boston in the fall and just giving New York my best after that. I’m training like these races are going to happen, building up to 80 mile weeks, incorporating speed work where it will be appropriate, etc. But my fear is that one or both will end up being cancelled.
I understand how to write a periodized training plan, but how do I train to improve if there are no races (specifically, when there are no marathons)? My end goal is to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the next 4 years (the qualifying time is 2:45 for women). If Boston and/or New York are cancelled, would it be smarter to just run steady base mileage until I can target a specific race? Should I create shorter-distance time trials for myself? Obviously this is a hypothetical as both races are still currently scheduled, but I’d love to know your thoughts on how to train for an end goal without the benchmarks races give us.
What the Coaches say:
You’re tying training and improvement to racing, but that’s not necessary. You can gauge improvement by looking at training blocks.
For athletes who are trained for long distance, their weakness is normally speed.
Stepping back and doing a speed focus will not detract from your endurance. It will actually make you a stronger athlete to work on 1-mile and 5-mile speed.
What is limiting you from running 2:45? It’s not volume, but speed.
There’s no “right” training right now. “Appropriate training” is based on the assumption that you have a race X days out. Since there are no races, there’s no wrong way to train (as long as you don’t get hurt). Right now you’re just training to train.
Note to everyone right now: Do NOT train for your goal race, since we don’t know when they’re going to happen!
The post ATC 313: The Overtraining-Oxidative Stress Connection, A 30% Rule For Running–What Is It and Who Should Follow It, And Why Now The Time To Focus On Those Weaknesses first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 16 min
June 12, 2020HPN 18: Summer’s Best–Food As Medicine With These 5 Seasonal Picks, Plus: Gut Healing After Antibiotics
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Welcome to episode 18 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Seasonal Eating Guide – Summer:
Raspberries
Resistant starch source, along with other berries too!
Berry Polyphenols Inhibit α-Amylase in Vitro: Identifying Active Components in Rowanberry and Raspberry
Evidence to show that raspberries inhibit amylase, the enzyme that we use to digest starch, leaving more for our good gut flora (i.e., acts as resistant starch).
Polyphenol-rich extracts from a range of berries inhibited α-amylase in vitro, but the most effective were from raspberry and rowanberry.
Such synergistic interactions could have implications for the current clinical use of acarbose for postprandial glycaemic control in type-2 diabetics.
Lower sugar than other fruits (50-75% less than things like apples and mango).
It has anthocyanins which may improve blood sugar.
Incorporate raspberries literally anywhere (e.g., spread raspberries right on your toast), but specifically, have with your higher carb foods and note if it helps your PP blood sugar response!
Arugula
A peppery, nutty salad green with a bitter bite. Mass-produced Baby Arugula will be milder, “wild” arugula will have more of a kick.
Mostly grown in CA and AZ, but also found locally in many other places.
Arugula goes bad within a few days; the best way to store it is to keep them in a damp paper towel. Plastic bags create a moist environment that makes them mushy.
Use raw from basically anything: pizza, omelets, pasta, salads (pairs well with fatty and acidic ingredients), as a side to meat or fish, or chop them up for a pesto!
Health Benefits
Glucosinolates – sulfur-containing compounds, and key phytonutrients that are believed to act against cancer cells
High antioxidant food – Vitamins K, A, & C
Liver – arugula contains cleansing properties that help counteract the poisoning effects of heavy metals particularly in your liver
Figs
Peak season mid to late summer.
In season, go for the fresh/raw figs, not the dried ones. Although dried figs are a powerhouse of nutrients, 100g of dried figs have more than 3x the carbs and sugar than 100g of fresh/raw figs.
High in fiber and potassium.
Throw in with a salad – pairs well with arugula, goat cheese, and walnuts; use to naturally sweeten your oatmeal; make homemade fig bars; sweeten your smoothie bowls or have with yogurt; eat them plain as a snack.
Good for 7-10 days.
The Effects of Ficus Carica Polysaccharide on Immune Response and Expression of Some Immune-Related Genes in Grass Carp, Ctenopharyngodon Idella
Used in traditional Chinese medicine commonly as an aid in healthy immune function
Fruit, root, and leaves are used in native system of medicine for gastrointestinal disorders (colic, indigestion, loss of appetite and diarrhea), respiratory disorders (sore throats, coughs, and bronchial problems), inflammatory disorders and cardiovascular disorders (Ponelope 1997). Fig has been traditionally used for its medicinal benefits as metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory remedy (Duke et al., 2002).
This study showed that fig (isolated Ficus carica polysaccharide (FCP) from fig and turned into a liquid tincture) can help stimulate an immune system response in grass carp (fish) to ward of illness and bacterial invaders we don’t want (source).
Parsley
The season begins in late spring to early summer.
Curly leaf (French) is mild and slightly herbaceous. The flat-leaf (Italian) is more grassy and peppery.
Food safety recalls from salmonella contamination so grow your own or buy local and wash it!
Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to a week, OR better yet, in a glass jar upright with a few inches of water.
Make tabbouleh – Middle Eastern salad made of bulgur wheat, tomatoes, and herbs. Or persillade (French) – Finely chopped parsley and garlic to add to roasted veggies, rice, pasta, or eggs.
Health benefits
½ cup is 50% of vitamin C
High in vitamins K and A
Considered the “motherlode of disease-fighting phytonutrients”
Flavonoids have shown promise to reduce inflammation and support our immune systems.
Antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Freshens up bad breath because of its antibacterial properties.
Garlic
Prebiotic food
Defined as: “nondigestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth of one or a limited number of bacterial species in the colon, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, which have the potential to improve host health.” (source)
But the more you cook, the more you lose prebiotically
Thousands of peer-reviewed studies looking at the health benefits of garlic.
Family with leeks, onion, chives, scallion.
Contains: flavonoids, oligosaccharides, amino acids, allicin, and sulfur.
If dealing with SIBO, sit this one out for a bit.
Raw is better than cooked for health purposes (i.e., used as an antimicrobial), but cooked garlic is still high in antioxidants and sulfur.
No antimicrobial properties from consuming cooked garlic, but still get the nutritional benefit of the sulfur compounds
Allicin, an organosulfur compound, is a powerful antimicrobial/antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic. Pathogenic microbes don’t seem to be able to develop resistance to allicin over time,
HOWEVER- allicin doesn’t withstand cooking/heat (no more than 117F wet heat; 150F dry heat for allicin to stay alive), so consuming fresh, uncooked garlic should be crushed, sliced, or chewed to maximize allicin production.
If you’re not down for raw garlic- Allicin supplements are widely available.
I like Allimax or Allimax Pro by Allimax Neutraceuticals.
Can be found through Fullscript on the Endurance Planet shop page
Supplemet can help prevent/fight common cold among other infections.
Preventing the Common Cold With a Garlic Supplement: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Survey
90-day intervention: Garlic allicin supplement group had 60% fewer colds, 70% fewer days affected
One report describes that during an influenza epidemic, the former Soviet Union imported more than 500 tons of garlic cloves for acute treatment. Among the viruses sensitive to garlic extracts are the human cytomegalovirus, human rhinovirus type 2, herpes simplex types 1 and 2, and influenza B. Evidence points toward allicin and its condensation product ajoene as the main components in garlic responsible for this antiviral activity.
Anti-inflammatory
Garlic Supplementation Reduces Circulating C-reactive Protein, Tumor Necrosis Factor, and Interleukin-6 in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Garlic doses ranged from 12 to 3600 mg/d, and intervention duration ranged from 2 to 52 wk.
Garlic prevents inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.
Garlic contains a compound called, 1,2,-vinyldithiin, which decreases obesity-related inflammation.
Fermented Honey Garlic recipe
Jessica asks:
Helping Gut After a Round of Antibiotics
I had to take antibiotics for a recent UTI and my gut’s been off since. I’m training for a marathon later this year and then a 50k, and I’m all-in with the holistic approach. In this case, I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to keep my gut health as good as it can be so if I had to take antibiotics, what can or should I do now to help rebuild anything I may have lost?
What the Coaches say:
Antibiotics have their time and place.
The coaches are not against antibiotics. If you need to go on a round on antibiotics, then please do so.
Why can antibiotics be harmful to us?
Overprescribed
It’s very hard to take an antibiotic without affecting other bacteria as well; antibiotics kill both the bad and good bacteria
So while the objective of the antibiotic is to get rid of the pathogenic bacteria, it will kill other harmless gut bacteria, even the antibiotics that have a more specific mission
Due to the rapid reduction of bacteria in your gut, it allows for other diseases and opportunistic (i.e., possible candida) bacteria to come in and take over. You end up with less diversity which can lead to a deregulation of the immune system, inflammation in the gut, and may also lead to autoimmune diseases
Wide spectrum antibiotics cause even more harm, as they tend to eliminate a huge chunk of the gut bacterial community
When taking antibiotics
Avoid foods that feed yeast and hard to digest/potentially inflammatory foods
Sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, alcohol
Eat probiotic-rich foods
Sauerkraut, kimchi, low sugar kombucha, etc.
Eat prebiotics!
Feed beneficial flora
Garlic, leeks, onions, jicama, chicory root, asparagus, green bananas and plantains, cacao, resistant starches (cooled potatoes/rice)
Antibiotics and training
Consider MAF-based approach without too much intensity; intensity may add insult to injury
Consider skipping races or big events while taking antibiotics
Think of all the things that contribute to leaky gut, or your GI triggers, and avoid those if needing to take antibiotics
Do more yoga and restorative activity instead
Short-Term Effect of Antibiotics on Human Gut Microbiota
“These studies have shown that treatment is followed by a significant alteration of the gut microbiota composition and a decrease between one-fourth to one-third of the microbial diversity in the digestive tract [4], [8]. The microbiota is relatively resilient and returns to the pre-treatment state several weeks after drug cessation [9].”
“However, other recent studies on the long-term effects of antibiotic intake have shown that microbiota does not show complete resilience three months after treatment cessation [4], [5], [9], [10], [11]. Variations in the resilience observed might be due to differences in the methodology used to analyze microbiota variability.”
Short-Term Antibiotic Treatment Has Differing Long-Term Impacts on the Human Throat and Gut Microbiome
“Although the diversity of the microbiota subsequently recovered to resemble the pre-treatment states, the microbiota remained perturbed in some cases for up to four years post treatment. In addition, four years after treatment high levels of the macrolide resistance gene erm(B) were found, indicating that antibiotic resistance, once selected for, can persist for longer periods of time than previously recognized. This highlights the importance of a restrictive antibiotic usage in order to prevent subsequent treatment failure and potential spread of antibiotic resistance.”
The composition of gut bacteria almost recovers after antibiotics
3 antibiotics given to healthy young men for 4 days
Caused almost a complete eradication of gut bacteria
A gradual recovery of bacteria over the next 6 months
BUT still missing 9 of their common beneficial bacteria strains and developed a few more less desirable ones
Foods:
Cooked/cooled starches, fruits, high fiber veggies, whole complex carbs/GF grains (e.g., oatmeal), psyllium husk, resistant starch, FOS, green bananas, sweet potatoes, tubers, etc.
Supplements (check out our dispensary at Fullscript for a discount on these supplements):
Saccharomyces boulardii
Yeast (but the good kind! not candida)
Also helps increase SCFA
Can supplement (keep cool)
It is an antibiotic-resistant, probiotic yeast strain originally isolated from lychee fruit
S. boulardii for highly pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria like Clostridium difficile and preventive therapy against C. difficile–associated diarrhea
Helps to rebuild after antibiotics:
Re-Colonizes damaged endothelium
Can remove pathogenic yeasts
Creates a healthier microenvironment for commensal bacteria, i.e. Can kick out your candida, etc.
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are made when you eat fiber, and they help keep gut barrier immunity; including Butyrate.
Bone broth for glutamine and gut repair
L-Glutamine
Collagen
If it’s really bad:
May need to test for fungal/yeast overgrowth or something else that “crept in” due to antibiotics and treat from there.
Please hire someone, if needed! Support can be helpful.
The post HPN 18: Summer’s Best–Food As Medicine With These 5 Seasonal Picks, Plus: Gut Healing After Antibiotics first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 6 min
June 05, 2020ATC 312: How 4-Second Sprints Can Transform Health (And Prevent You From Sitting For Too Long), Getting Back To Exercise as PLAY, Building a Smart Weekly Schedule, and More
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Intro Discussion:
Covid & Movement via Garmin
Article from Garmin about health trends since COVID
Steps decreased 12% in April
But workout activity steps increase 24%
People exercising more to offset less movement?
Epidemiological studies indicate that most American adults sit for a least 10 hours a day
Prolonged sitting leads to increased risks for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disruptions, high circulating TGs (muscles at rest don’t as easily break up TGs).
Athletes are not immune to this: Even an hour-long workout may not be enough to combat prolonged sitting. (Your body still might have difficulty with fat metabolism the next day.)
More people are building out home gyms.
In addition to doing a complete workout in your home gym, consider trying “slow weights.”
4-s Sprint Study
Hourly 4-s Sprints Prevent Impairment of Postprandial Fat Metabolism from Inactivity
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/well/coronavirus-exercise-heart-health.html
Interrupting a long day of sitting with just 5 x 4 sec sprints every hour for 8hr (in this case cycling) can have the following benefits NEXT DAY:
Reduce postprandial plasma lipids by 31%
Increase fat oxidation by 43%
Glucose/insulin unchanged in this study
However, I’ve noticed that sprints in the 1-2hr window post-meal can lower PP glucose for those who need that as an intervention.
Add that up and it’s less than 3min a day of sprinting, not including recovery interval between sprints. (They had a 45sec rest between each set of 5.)
Suzanne S. asks:
How to build a smart weekly schedule?
Hey guys!
I’m a long time listener and really value the advice you two hand out. You keep me company early on Saturday mornings! I liked your May 8th podcast which discussed training for life vs a race and it sparked a question. I’m guessing that I might be overthinking, the way I often do, but here it is anyways:
Brief history: I’m a 39 yr old female who loves exercise and getting outdoors first thing in the morning. I used to run half marathons (middle of the pack, trained with a running group) but I burnt myself out 5 years ago due to too much exercise and work and stress and not enough rest and relaxation. I started following the MAF approach and have learned a lot about listening to my body. I also have never really gotten to the point that I can do anything more than a shuffle at MAF. My routine for a few years has been a 45 minute shuffle/walk (5ish times/week) around the flattest streets that I can find in my neighborhood. It gives me a dose of fresh air but otherwise it feels lame (because it’s neither a walk nor a run) and I end up not having time in my day for other exercise.
I should mention that my goals are to be healthy, strong and well-rounded and be able to comfortably go for an easy run with a friend once in a while. I’m not interested in training for a race or running long distances. I also have to be careful about stress and not letting myself overdo it in terms of exercise.
During this weird covid time, I’ve switched things up a bit and have been going on some shorter non-MAF runs (25-30 min, heart rate around 160 at an easy pace – feels good as long as I keep it short), lots of walks and doing more strength work (body weight exercises, TRX and some weights at home, nothing crazy heavy). I get a nice little boost of energy from these workouts. I like the variety and although I have this bad feeling psychologically about letting my heart rate go up, I am having way more fun! My question is as to how to schedule things: I’ve heard of the idea of making hard days hard and easy days easy. Would it make more sense to do strength work on the same days as my short runs and then have a few days/week where I stick to things like walking and yoga? Or is it ok to do a little bit of hard work every day as long as it’s for a short time – say a 25 min run followed by a 20 min walk a few days/week and a 25 min strength session on the alternating days with one rest day/week…
Again, maybe I’m overthinking but would love to hear what you have to say. Thanks again for all you do and take care during these crazy times!
What the Coaches say:
Burnout is descriptive of a mental condition, not a physical one. Lucho doesn’t see any indication of physical overtraining in your language.
Your efforts to mitigate stress are actually causing you more stress!
Put your HR monitor away for a month. Allow yourself to have guilt-free freedom of choice to exercise the way you like. Be honest with yourself about perceived exertion, and do what feels good physically and mentally.
With no races planned, there is no correct training.
Your training at 160 bpm is almost certainly still aerobic.
Take a more playful approach to your training. Try to release some of your rigidity.
The intensity of your runs doesn’t seem particularly difficult for you. Plus, the 25 min strength workouts also don’t seem too strenuous. Feel free to experiment. Try a week of running 5 days with 2 of those runs at 160 bpm and strength/walks as you see fit. See how you feel.
When work is stressful, don’t add the extra stress of a hard workout.
Alyssa asks:
MAF feels too hard, body feeling run down
Hi Endurance Planet Team!
I’m a new listener and am so glad I found the podcast! I’ve been listening pretty religiously and super grateful for all the information you put out!
I learned about MAF through the show and have started trying to incorporate it in my runs but have found that my comfortable running pace has kept my heart rate well under my MAF goal. I’m wondering if this might be a strength or muscle power issue? Would you recommend running fast enough to reach my MAF range even if it means I will burn out and need to run shorter distances?
For some context, I just got back into running over the past two months while the stay at home order has been in place. I mountaineer/alpine ski and have a strong aerobic base and lots of weekly miles in my training already, although very little of them while running. I also currently (and historically) incorporate low intensity strength training in my routine 4-5 times per week, focusing mainly on physical therapy style workouts and usually 2 sessions a week focusing solely on legs. I’ve had a meniscus tear, BAD ankle sprain, and Achilles injury within the past six years but over the past two years have stayed injury free by really dialing in mobility and strength training especially for my legs.
I’m 28 and per the standard MAF formula (180-28) my target is 142-152. To get myself up to the 150-152 range I need to be running up a steep hill for a few minutes or running close to a sprint and there’s no way right now I’m strong enough to keep that pace for a run. For example, I did a 13 mile run yesterday on mostly flat trail and road (~1000’ gain total) and my heart rate pretty much stayed around 130-132 bpm the entire time. Even when I do shorter 5 mile runs, for example, my natural pace keeps my heart rate at about 130 bpm.
I think I could definitely push myself to run faster and get my HR closer to my MAF range but would have to cut back on my weekly volume. I’m running between 20-25 miles per week right and would like to slowly increase that base (I’ve been adding ~1-2 miles per week). I don’t have any races in mind but I’ve been loving trail running so much and would be stoked to one day incorporate it into my mountaineering goals. Being able to run and climb some mountains light and fast vs. hauling a bunch of over night gear for a climb is an exciting prospect to me. And just running at higher altitudes and more remote places in the wilderness is a super exciting prospect for me too. So frankly, I really don’t care about going fast I care about going far and having the endurance to get a lot of miles and elevation gain in. And my primary goal is also metabolic health and remaining injury free.
Just curious how you think I should be using the MAF method in my weekly training given my goals and where my comfortable pace is keeping my HR at?
My pace on flatish road at my MAF HR is ~8:15-8:30 min/miles. My pace at ~132 HR is ~10:00 min/miles. I have only done one MAF test on a rolling/mildly hilly trail with the following times per mile:
1. 8:16
2. 8:28
3. 8:21
4. 8:35
5. 8:47
I’m also wondering if I can add another question? I’m wondering what your opinion is on if it’s possible for me to continue running at MAF (or even just my perceived easy pace closer to 10 min/miles) while trying to balance out my hormones?
I recently got bloodwork and had high SBGH, testosterone, and estrone. My estrogen was in the normal range. I sadly didn’t get my cortisol tested but I just know it’s high. I struggle with waking up in the middle of the night between 1-3 AM with a stressed and sometimes ravenous feeling. This is especially common after long weekends spent climbing/mountaineering. I’m grateful my job, relationships, and daily life are not stressful to me but I’m very type A and have always struggled with letting myself relax so I tend to operate in a more tense state anyways throughout the day to try to get as much done as possible even when I don’t need to. So I’m thinking I need to find a better balance with how I operate daily and how I handle my training to lower my cortisol and get my other hormones in check. I feel super good about my diet but do just feel like my body is out of whack for the past several years. I don’t really have extended periods of rest because I’m able to climb, ski, etc year round. I do try to get one-two rest days per week but I usually still do core and mobility work :/ I know I need to find a better balance I’m just trying to figure out how much to pare back and if I might need to take a break from any form of cardio altogether for awhile to let my hormones rebalance? Or if low intensity biking, running, hiking, and rock climbing could be okay for me and maybe take a month or so off from more intense forms of cardio like hiking/climbing with a heavy pack on all day and see if that helps?
What the Coaches say:
Lucho thinks the MAF formula is wrong for you. What’s the highest HR number you’ve ever seen? That’s indicative, a little bit, of where your natural HR capacity is.
125-135 seems to be where you should be training.
Struggling at your MAF HR is probably indicative of your overall state of health.
If hormones are out of whack, you might consider looking into symptoms of PCOS.
Do some at-home blood glucose testing. See if your fasting is above 90 (not ideal) or 100 (problematic) and postparandial levels are higher than 140 after an hour.
See this podcast Tawnee did with Phil Maffetone about blood glucose monitoring.
Lucho doesn’t think this is a strength issue.
The post ATC 312: How 4-Second Sprints Can Transform Health (And Prevent You From Sitting For Too Long), Getting Back To Exercise as PLAY, Building a Smart Weekly Schedule, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 12 min
May 29, 2020Sock Doc 9: Mastering Melatonin and Sleep (Without Supplementing), Being Weary of CBD, Hypermobile Athletes and the Estrogen Connection, and More
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Dr. Steve Gangemi, aka The Sock Doc, is back on to discuss sleep habits, supplementing, CBD, and more. Steve is a holistic alternative health care doctor who runs a practice in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Learn more about his practice at drgangemi.com and visit his many resources at sock-doc.com.
On this episode:
Do you have questions for The Sock Doc? Please email them to [email protected]
Please help support this podcast by leaving a review: iTunes, Stitcher.
Melatonin
The main reason someone is unable to sleep well is due to high-stress hormones
The Soc Doc usually sees individuals making enough melatonin; however, individuals think they need more to suppress a skewed cortisol pathway
Doc Parsley’s Sleep Remedy
Melatonin was added to the formula
Melatonin can make you feel better, but you may not be addressing the actual problem
By supplementing with melatonin can we prevent our body’s ability to make it on its own?
How much is too much melatonin?
How the dietary aspect plays an important role
Brain-adrenal balance (HPA axis), hormones, and neurotransmitters:
Melatonin is inversely proportional to cortisol (i.e., high cortisol at night is not good for melatonin)
Sex hormone imbalances; neuroendocrine influencers that can result in sleep disturbances.
Cortisol patterns
All these things measured on the DUTCH Test
How do our natural neurotransmitters affect melatonin and sleep?
GABA – the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, sleep promoter, decrease the activity of our wakefulness promoters (histamine, serotonin, norepinephrine)
Serotonin – too little not good, too much not good; serotonin makes melatonin; diet can play a role
If you’re suffering from sleep issues, please consult with a health practitioner.
Know why you’re taking a supplement
The Power of Sleep
Common Sleep Problems
CBD for athletes
It doesn’t cure anything; it might help reduce certain symptoms, but it does not correct the real issue.
Good CBD will have ~.3% of active THC in it; you might not pass a drug test
What is the reason you want to take CBD?
Purported benefits?
Yes, for certain populations (e.g., people with seizures).
Carolyn asks:
Hypermobile athletes and shoe choices, strength training, etc.
I’m a 29 year old woman, been doing endurance sports for around 10 years now. Mainly cycling, however I’ve thrown in some triathlons and a few half marathons through the years. (PB half is 2:23 and would love to lower this). Prior to all this, I was a competitive luge athlete for 9 years which was mainly a power and explosive speed based sport. Big change in training but still love my time in the weight room as a result. For 2020, I have set myself the goal of doing my first half Ironman. My question revolves around running economy and efficiency as an athlete with some ligamentous laxity and hypermobility. I have always considered myself flexible but never considered it as a problem. However, I recently developed peroneal tendinitis and have been in physical therapy. This is my first running injury in many years. My PT commented on the hypermobility of my lower legs and feet in particular. I have double the normal range of motion in dorsiflexion (30 instead of 15-20 degrees), hyperextend my knees and have hypermobility in my first rays (big toes) and flexible flat feet.
I have transitioned to zero drop shoes for running through the years as they irritate my knees less than traditional shoes. Altras have been my preference due to the wide toe box. On a completely separate tangent, not loving the most recent iterations of their shoes. But that’s for a different day. Now my PT is recommending I switch to a more traditional running shoe with some stability to offset my hypermobility. As I’ve thought more about the biomechanics of it, it seems to make some sense. It also got me wondering, would that potentially make me more economical when running as it takes away from my full range of motion? (In my case, not a horrible thing). I know Lucho always stresses stiffness in the lower legs as being good for running economy and wondered if this would help. If not, any tips on strength training exercises to increase running economy? Always looking to get faster and would love your input.
What The Soc Doc says:
Estrogen’s effect on ligaments in women
Estrogen levels too high, progesterone levels too low
PMS is common in females, but it is not normal
Loose ligaments and connective tissue disorders
Ehlers Danlos syndrome
Dutch Test
The post Sock Doc 9: Mastering Melatonin and Sleep (Without Supplementing), Being Weary of CBD, Hypermobile Athletes and the Estrogen Connection, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 6 min
May 22, 2020Dr. Phil Maffetone 25: Steps To Naturally Overcome Seasonal Allergies, Social Distancing From Sugar, and More
Sponsor:
Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the ads on the sidebar banner or the Amazon search bar (to the right of the page), or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show!

We are back with Dr. Phil Maffetone to discuss some of his new published articles and help you get to the bottom of your seasonal allergies.
Topics discussed:
Phil Maffetone and Paul Laursen: Maximum Aerobic Function: Clinical Relevance, Physiological Underpinnings, and Practical Application
Phil Maffetone and Paul Laursen: The Perfect Storm: Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic Meets Overfat Pandemic
The coronavirus is found in a higher prevalence in people who are overfat or have downstream chronic diseases and inflammation that overfat causes.
Tale of two pandemics
Phil Maffetone: SPECIAL REPORT: COVID Recovery
Now is not the time for politics, but for public health.
We, as individuals, can create change.
Seasonal allergies:
If you have seasonal allergies, it means your health is impaired on some level. Because of that impairment, you’re not going to burn as much fat at the higher heart rate you wish you could maintain in training; therefore, you have to train at a lower heart rate to maintain a higher level of fat burning.
The 180 Formula
If you get more than two colds, infections, or bouts of flu per year, that is too many.
Steps to improve your gut health:
Get rid of junk food and sugar.
If you still have problems after removing junk food and sugar, you may have to eliminate certain foods.
If you’re still having issues, you may want to take a test (e.g., stool test).
If you’re still having issues, you may need to see a Gastroenterologist.
It will take time to heal your gut.
Supplements; keep it simple!
MAF training and gut health
The post Dr. Phil Maffetone 25: Steps To Naturally Overcome Seasonal Allergies, Social Distancing From Sugar, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 12 min
May 15, 2020HPN 17: Don’t Let Runner’s Diarrhea Ruin Your Mojo, Plus: Carb Periodization vs. Chronic LCHF and Managing ‘Calorie Quality’ For High Energy Needs
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Welcome to episode 17 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Intro:
Julie is using this book: Training for the Uphill Athlete for her 50k training plan.
Sarah asks:
Managing caloric intake
Hey all, I have a question about caloric intake during ultra training – I started running 50ks in 2017, and never really went with a meal plan or was even well informed about my caloric needs; I actually did my first 50k race after 28 days of strict keto, didn’t eat anything during the race and had one of my best performances to date. I’m now in the midst of training for my second 50 miler and my first 100k this spring, and have started to pay closer attention to overall energy balance – mainly for performance reasons and not due to any negative hormonal symptoms. Throughout this entire process (even the keto, which continued for another year and a half) I never lost my cycle (though its been harder to track with an IUD). With 50+ mile weeks, daily caloric needs break 3700kcal, which can be really really difficult to get (I’m a 27 year old female, 5’10”, 17% body fat, 60kg of lean mass).
My question is this: if your only two options are low-quality foods or no food, do you eat lower quality foods to get your daily calories? Obviously all high quality calories are ideal, but if that’s not an option is it better to eat a cookie or two to get the calories or skip things like processed flour, sugar, or simple carbs and finish the day in a deficit. I would consider high quality to be unprocessed, natural foods without added sugar. Thanks!
What the coaches say:
Article – UM study finds diverse diet as effective as sports supplements for female athletes
Study – Males and Females exhibit similar muscle glycogen recovery with varied food sources
8 males and 8 females
90-minute glycogen depleted cycle
2 carbohydrate feedings afterward with either the sports supplements or potato-based product
Muscle biopsies (glycogen) and blood samples (glucose, insulin) were taken during recovery
Conclusion: “These results indicate that food items, such as potato-based products, can be as effective as commercially marketed sports supplements when developing glycogen recovery oriented menus and that absolute carbohydrate dose feedings (g kg−1) can be effectively applied to both males and females.”
Summary: The researchers found no difference in the efficacy between Gatorade and Mcdonald’s hashbrowns at recovering glycogen stores. Both products were low quality, but there doesn’t seem to be a difference between the liquids and solids, and that the more obsessed we get with finding the optimal option, the less likely we are to recover properly.
Since you’re eating really well most of the time and are struggling to meet your energy needs, eat the cookies. Our bodies are resilient and will know what to do with the contents of the cookies and put it to good use.
A more light-hearted approach to refueling can be incredibly beneficial as the stress is low, and you’re more likely to meet your needs because you’re not “waiting to make something healthier” a couple of hours later when you get home.
Meal quality doesn’t have to be perfect! Meeting your caloric need is more important.
In the middle of nowhere and stuck without food? Find a gas station and look for hardboiled eggs, fruit, cookies.
Ditch the keto! There is no need to be doing keto, especially during your in-season.
Marco asks:
Questioning ongoing LCHF vs periodizing carbs
Hi. Marco, 32 yo from Belgium. I’ve been a MAF and LCHF enthusiast for many years. I’m even Primal Health Coach certified. I’m also an avid marathoner (PB of 3h05 and currently training to BQ). However, I’ve been questioning the LCHF approach for a while. Let me explain.
During my last training cycle (end of 2019), I was training 4-5x a week (about 50 km/week), including a weekly long run and another hard workout on the week (threshold or HIIT). The rest was aerobic training. I was eating LCHF pretty much all the time. However I often had lingering soreness and fatigue, especially the days after hard workouts. My body weight was around 68-69 kg but by the end of the training cycle it was lowering to 65-66 kg (which may or may not be a good thing). However, at the end of the training cycle I tried UCAN products after hard workouts and I noticed that I was recovering faster (no soreness the days after and I was feeling more energized).
Right now, during my current training cycle, I’m still paying attention to avoiding refined carbs and junk food but I’m more indulgent on carbs (refined or not) than before. My training volume is higher, I train 6x/week for a weekly volume of about 80 km. I usually have 3 hard workouts a week (1 long run, 1 HIIT session and 1 threshold workout), the rest being aerobic training. The training load is the highest I’ve ever had and I’m making great progress towards my goal of BQ. My MAF tests have been improving a lot (from 4:35/km to 4:15/km) as well as other markers. My body weight is remaining around 68-69 kg, which is higher than during my previous training cycles where I was progressively lowering to 65-66kg. I don’t know if it’s because of an increase in muscle mass or not, but I’m in the best shape of my life. No lingering soreness or fatigue after hard workouts. I don’t consume UCAN but I’m sure to eat enough proteins after these workouts and consume carbs when I feel the need to (not always natural ones though). Thus my approach wrt the diet is more one of a periodized carbs that pure LCHF.
Last week I decided not to eat any refined carbs or grains, so I was back to a LCHF diet. My hard workouts were harder (increased RPE) and for the first time during this training cycle I had lingering soreness and fatigue the following days. Yesterday I ate a big pizza and I feel that my body just absorbed it all. I was just really hungry. Even though I have a hard time to admit it, my feeling is that a periodized or more indulgent approach to carb eating is the way to go. I’d like to add that I’m quite fat adapted (I’ve run a full marathon fasted in my MAF zone without any problem). What do you think about it?
What the coaches say:
Find a more balanced approach – a way of eating that doesn’t lead you to eat a big pizza because you were so hungry from restricting all week.
Using the carbs around your workouts to fuel and recover properly
One of the great debates in sports nutrition these days: more traditional carb fueling that is well supported in the research? Or a more innovative LCHF approach that is just emerging?
There are many studies we could site arguing one way or another, but from what Tawnee has learned over the years that it comes down to this:
Develop your metabolic efficiency (aka “metabolic machinery”), so you’re not overly carb/sugar dependent, your blood sugar rocks, and you can use fat for fuel.
This process could come in many forms from temporary LCHF diets or keto in offseason to carb timing in season.
Keep in mind as an athlete, the winner is not determined who is burning the most fat for fuel! We still need to properly fuel for performance (and recovery, etc.), as you’ve seen with using UCAN, for example.
Once the metabolic function is healthy, you don’t have to keep restricting carbs or stay keto, etc.
You’re already improving fat utilization just by training.
Exercise training is a stronger stimulus. Even in a fully fat-adapted athlete, who has adapted to a radical dietary manipulation comprising very high fat and very low carbohydrate, the increase in fat use during exercise is not extraordinary…perhaps as much as accomplished through training alone.
Don’t restrict a whole macro group from your diet and stay that way. Ever.
Energy & carbohydrate needs are relative.
One big mistake is athletes not knowing their energy needs relative to training. You’re burning through more than the average human. Eat like it.
If you’re training a lot as most endurance athletes are, you’re still “low carb” at 100-250g day. The more your training goes up, the more carbs/calories you need and this will not necessarily hinder your fat adaptation and health markers.
Ex) sedentary person needing 2000 kcal/day as 30% CHO, 20% PRO, 50% fat – 150 grams CHO/day. But take an athlete needing 3500 kcal/day still only taking in 30% CHO, and that boosts to about 260g CHO a day.
Too many fasted workouts will mess up your health. Don’t be afraid to eat!
But to be sure–test test test!
Quarterly or bi-annual complete blood tests, blood glucose tests at home, hormone/adrenal tests (DUTCH), gut tests as needed.
You are an individual.
What diet works for you is the one that keeps you healthy and performing well. Don’t force a diet that doesn’t feel good. And also, be open-minded that your dietary needs will change, and you have to evolve with it and not get too stuck in one way. There is no one correct way.
Corey asks:
Runner’s diarrhea – is it the coffee?
Hello. Recently started listening during quarantine. I’ve been getting most of my miles on the local streets and developed a new bad habit: I often need to loop around back home for the bathroom. I dont want to take imodium since my runs are local, and rather save them for races and long runs. My coffee ranges from hours before to close to heading out. Havent found any timing that fixes this problem. Is there something else to try?
What the coaches say:
Things to consider:
Coffee can stimulate colonic motor activity (in around 29% of people); it has naturally occurring chemicals that may stimulate muscle contractions in the lower colon, promoting bowel movements as quickly as 4 minutes later.
Acute or chronic diarrhea issue?
Do you have diarrhea outside of your runs?
A study on runner’s diarrhea says: “It is unlikely that individuals running at low intensity or for short durations will present with diarrhea.” Unless you’re running hard all the time (e.g., tempo or higher, but not MAF), it could be a gut issue being triggered by runs.
Diet
If LCHF/keto diet, we discussed diarrhea on HPN 4
What’s your general diet like? Inflammatory foods, macros, restrictions, high sugar, refined junk, etc.?
What are you eating & drinking the night before and morning pre-run?
What’s in your coffee, how much, etc?
Skip FODMAPs pre-run
The intensity of runs.
Usually higher intensity causes bigger problems.
Study: Runner’s diarrhea: what is it, what causes it, and how can it be prevented?
The main causes of diarrhea in runners are:
Ischemic
“Blood is shunted from viscera to active tissues, such as skeletal muscles, the heart, lungs, and the brain [23,24], which leads to a decrease of approximately 80% of splanchnic blood flow, at 70% of VO2max [24].”
Both gastrointestinal ischemia and reperfusion cause mucosal injury, which leads to gut barrier function loss, increasing permeability and bacterial translocation [27], and resulting in the generation of endotoxins [11] that can cause diarrhea [1,5], though this is controversial [4,12& ,28,29].
Although endotoxemia seems to be an important cause of diarrhea, more studies are necessary to evaluate the effect of bacterial translocation as a causal factor in runner’s diarrhea.
Mechanical
More likely during a run vs. swimming/cycling?
Nutritional factors
Pre: FODMAPs? Gluten? Hydration state
During: CHO ingestion, types of CHO, amount, osmolality, gel vs. liquid.
KEY POINT: For the prevention of diarrhea, it has been recommended to avoid:
Dehydration, pre-run ingestion of high-fiber, highly concentrated carbohydrate beverages (hyperosmolar), FODMAPs, caffeine, bicarbonate (baking soda), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Gut dysbiosis
Issues outside of running?
Stress: GI problems highly prevalent in runners, high-intensity training, those under high general life stress, etc.
Gut permeability/leaky gut
Healing!
L-glutamine has some promising evidence though not conclusive.
Start more general with supplements: GI Revive, Restore for Gut Health, probiotics with lactobacillus and bifidobacterium strains (food sources of probiotics too!), Restore: a soil-derived mineral supplement to strengthen gut wall; promotes good bacteria.
Anti-inflammatory foods
Limit refined carbs (white flour, etc), sugars
No NSAIDs
Ongoing Imodium use is a bad idea.
Podcast mentioned: Dana Lis PhD: New Research on Gluten-Free and Low-FODMAP Diets For Athletes, and Takeaways For Your Needs
A low-FODMAP diet improved a male athlete’s GI symptoms.
Bottom line: What you eat, how you exercise, how you’re recovering, it all matters. Poor diet, even outside of when you run, is not helping gut, gut barrier function, etc.
The post HPN 17: Don’t Let Runner’s Diarrhea Ruin Your Mojo, Plus: Carb Periodization vs. Chronic LCHF and Managing ‘Calorie Quality’ For High Energy Needs first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 13 min
May 08, 2020ATC 311: Badass Bricks, Data Anxiety, Training For Life vs. A Race, The ‘1/5 Rule’ For Bike-Run Balance, and More!
Sponsor:
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Intro:
Lucho is LiveStreaming on Twitch. You can contact him there and ask any questions (or make fun of him
Tawnee’s Quarantine Bike/Run/ST Brick
Each 20’ bike is executed as the following, increasing intensity each set as desired:
5′ warmup
10′ low cadence climbing/rolling hills
5′ high cadence 90+
(note- the actual intensity/watts/HR on each set of bike is meant to progress from moderate to hard)
Set 1
20′ bike – building to MAF to MAF + 5bpm
1 mile run – MAF/Z2 (no more than 5 over MAF)
Strength:
3:00 stretch cord swim exercise variations (mix it up for 3′ continuous)
25 KB swings (sub exercise of choice e.g. split squat jumps)
10 bridges with weight on hips
10 reverse lunges or Bulgarian split squats with weight
60″ plank variations
Set 2
20′ bike – intensity now build to Z3/tempo
1 mile run at tempo/Z3 (aim for about 1min faster or 10bpm ish over MAF)
Strength – repeat
Set 3
20′ bike – intensity from tempo to threshold
1 mile run @ threshold/Z4
Strength – repeat
Set 4
AYF (as you feel)
Lucho’s Brick Workout
*Squats can be lunges or bulgarians
*Pushups can be stretch cords
*Burpees are what people do all day in hell
12 x 1:00 / 30″ easy
50 squats
40 pushups
30 burpees
1:00 plank
Bike/run- 10 x 1:00/30″ easy
45 squats
35 pushups
25 burpees
1:00 plank
Bike/run- 8 x 1:00/30″ easy
40 squats
30 pushups
20 burpees
1:00 plank
Bike/run- 6 x 1:00/30″ easy
35 squats
25 pushups
15 burpees
1:00 plank
Bike/run- 4 x 1:00/30″ easy
30 squats
20 pushups
10 burpees
1:00 plank
Totals:
Bike/run = 1:00
Squats = 200
Pushups = 150
Burpees = 100
Planks = 5:00
Results from Tawnee’s HR Experiment
Tawnee had her athletes go one week running at perceived MAF, but with HR not visible on their watches (though it was recorded). She discovered that most of her athletes ran at a faster pace with a lower HR when they could not see their HR! Why? We often get wrapped up in sticking to MAF and that extra stress causes an increased HR.
Give an intuitive MAF week a try and see how it works for you!
Cody asks:
Training ‘For Life’ vs. a Race
Hi guys, I have been a listener for about a year now and I love the show! Thank you so much for your down to earth advice. My question is: what are your recommendations for training (specifically running) when we are just looking for long-term health and improvement across the board vs. training for a race on the calendar? Especially for people who are looking to do some strength training as well? I feel like this is applicable when COVID-19 has forced a lot of those races to be cancelled.
Will I continue to see running improvement sticking to MAF runs 3x/week ~45-60 min/day with a longer run on weekends (so 4 runs/week total), or will there eventually be a plateau and no further improvement? If I do mix in “fun-runs” (tempo, fartlek, etc) will that hurt potential running improvement?
My current plan is: Monday – strength training (ST), tuesday – run, Wednesday – run, Thursday – ST, Friday – run, Saturday/Sunday – long run/rest in some order depending on schedule.
ST (3-5 reps x 5 sets @ 70-90% of 1RM) = squat, deadlift, bench, pull-ups
T/W/F Run = ~45-60 min @ MAF
Sat/Sun Run = 60+ min low end of MAF
Goal = would like to improve on everything, but improving run > ST.
MAF = 151 bpm, ~9:15 pace
I am a 29 year old Male, 180 -190 lbs during year, former high school athlete, dropped off a little bit in college, and got back into working out after college. Last few years, I have done a mix of strength training, CrossFit, and endurance (have done a few half marathons and competed in my first sprint triathlon last year). I have found that I prefer the peace that comes with running above anything else.
Thank you for continuing to put on a great show!
Cody from Nebraska
What the Coaches say:
Lucho would worry about plateauing more in strength than running.
Do this for 4-6 weeks and see if your average MAF pace improves. If not, then you’ll need to reassess the program.
Tawnee recommends changing your Wednesday run to include some intensity and consider doing some fartleks in your long run. (Since you’re young and healthy, you can probably get away with some intensity).
“Allow” the fun runs, rather than “plan” them.
When you’re assessing your pace and performance, keep in mind the context of your training from the past days.
Lucho recommends doing one session of 5×5 and another complementary session (overhead press, stretch cords, etc.). Don’t lift too heavy too often.
When “training for life,” it’s important to try different sports and be a well rounded athlete. Try SUP, backpacking, or archery.
Brad M. asks:
Balance between bike & run volume (for LC Tri)
Yo Coaches,
What are your thoughts on the balance between bike and run volume for long course triathlon? I read Jesse Kropelnicki’s rule of thumb being run volume no more than 1/5 of bike volume so that would be something like 40mi run/200mi bike a week. Have you found a good range/balance for your Kona qualifiers? Also what range for total volume have you found for your KQ athletes that are 40+. I have done 20-30 hrs/wk in past builds but have been playing with lower volume but higher intensity the last couple of years and am trying to dial in those last few % to try and qualify. Came pretty close last fall in Florida 9:29 and 6th, 11m from last spot. Have you ever seen the attached chart? Tri version of Jack Daniels, thoughts? Ran a recent 5K at 17:45 and last year Florida was 3:25 do these line up?
What the Coaches say:
Yes, as Jesse Kropelnicki says, traditionally, run volume should be no more than 1/5 of bike volume (for example, 20 mile run week, 100 bike week).
BUT, there’s no hard and fast rule!
You have to be strong enough on the bike to run well.
As Lucho says, the strongest runners are the strongest cyclists.
You need to bike 4:50 again, but run faster. To do that, you need to become a stronger cyclist so you have more juice for the run.
Your 5K time doesn’t exactly line up with running a 3:10 in an Ironman marathon. You need to make sure your goal pace at Ironman feels easy.
To get faster, you need to add intensity. Once you adapt to higher intensity, you need to bring volume back in.
You can “focus” more on the run without changing any volume by moving your long run to the day before your long bike, so you’re hitting the run with fresh legs and the bike on tired legs.
Use your old logs as a template to inform your future training.
The post ATC 311: Badass Bricks, Data Anxiety, Training For Life vs. A Race, The ‘1/5 Rule’ For Bike-Run Balance, and More! first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 10 min
May 01, 2020Chris Kelly & Julian Abel: Coming Together in the Coronavirus Era
Sponsor:
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Or what about all the healthy foods offered by Primal Kitchen; when you shop through us you get a free box of bars too! Primal Kitchen is one of the few brands we trust for truly clean ingredients (dressings, sauces, and more FREE of industrial seed oils, etc.) and they make cooking that much easier and more flavorful! See Tawnee’s pantry–she’s a faithful Primal Kitchen customer.

Navigating through the coronavirus era with compassion and success is the theme for this episode. Our guests today are Dr. Julian Abel, of Compassionate Communities, who recently joined us for a podcast on social connections and their benefit for health, performance and longevity. Well ironically this show debuted right before the COVID19 pandemic unfolded, and just days later we were told to maintain social distance. So we wanted to bring Julian back on to talk about how we can and should still stay connected during these ever-changing times. And also with us is Mr. Chris Kelly of Nourish Balance Thrive who’s been on several Endurance Planet podcasts. Chris has some very interesting perspectives and points of research that tie into the theme of today’s show. If you are seeking out some dialed in health and performance coaching check out Chris and his team at Nourish Balance Thrive.

On this show:
Self-introspection
Chris’ recent webinar with Simon Marshall & Lesley Peterson
Endurance Planet podcast episode with Simon Marshall, Ph.D., and Lesley Paterson: How To Be A Brave Athlete by Managing Your Brain
The Brave Athlete – Calm The F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion
We are not wired for uncertainty or loneliness.
Why are some people more vulnerable to uncertainty and anxiety than others?
Some personality traits may make it harder to cope with stressors, such as uncertainty and loneliness.
What’s the best way to go about “checking in” with yourself?
We are doing the right thing by physically isolating ourselves right now. You don’t want to get yourself or others sick, and you don’t want to spread the infection.
Because we are more isolated, what is going on in our minds becomes more apparent.
Since we are hard-wired to do the opposite of physically isolating ourselves, it’s important to connect with your compassionate motivation; we have the opportunity to see what’s going on inside ourselves.
Steps that you can take to improve mental health:
Use meditation to calm the mind. Breathing meditations may calm emotions down; your mind becomes slightly calmer, which makes the thoughts that arise slightly less intense and easier to cope with.
Go for a walk outside.
If you can’t go outside, look outdoors to connect with nature.
Exercise outdoors.
Use your awareness to see what is going on in your mind.
Tools to use to help when working from home?
Noise-canceling headphones
Deep Work by Cal Newport
The importance of having a sanctuary where you do your deep work.
Lesley Paterson and Dr. Simon Marshall: The XTERRA Podcast
How to create certainty in an uncertain world through habits.
Atomic Habits: James Clear
Julian says: “We have become distracted from what is important through the stimulation of our desires and our compulsion with external sources of happiness through acquisition. Instead, what we have now is an opportunity to focus on what is important.”
We’ve evolved to be compassionate, social beings; it’s fundamental to our survival.
Propaganda (book) 1928
The beginning of the marketing industry and the deliberate selling of stuff we don’t need. Which then led to happiness = acquisition.
Robert Waldinger & the Harvard Study of Adult Development TED Talk
The quality of relationships is key in determining our health, wellbeing, and happiness. Not the acquisition of “stuff.”
The first step to developing quality relationships is to be a compassionate, kind person.
Right now, we don’t want to socially isolate! We want to maintain our relationships while maintaining physical distancing.
Exercise and race cancelation
Is racing the only reason you train?
Try and focus on enjoying the process and not on an external factor (e.g., races)
Racing is just icing on the cake!
Julian says:
“We judge others by who they are as human beings, but we judge ourselves by what we do.”
Brad Kern’s Podcast
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller
Social Media
If you’re connecting with people on social media, make sure and do it from a place of kindness.
Be mindful of your motivation.
Quarantine & Connectedness
Cordon sanitaire: restriction of movement
Chris says:
Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection by John T. Cacioppo
NBT’s survey of the past 3 years on loneliness; as of March 4th:
9% of the 13,932 respondents report feeling isolated sometimes, often, or always.
9% of the 13,937 respondents report only sometimes, rarely, or never having people they can talk to.
8% of the 13,951 respondents report only sometimes, rarely, or never feeling part of a group of friends.
Nourish Balance Thrive podcast episode with Stephanie Welch
Anthropological studies
The isolation pandemic is an inevitable result of the nuclear family; the nuclear family is a flawed and failed concept.
David Brooks: The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake – The Atlantic
Intentional communities; cohousing; tribal-based way of living.
Nourish Balance Thrive podcast episode with Megan Sanctuary
Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding by Sarah Hrdy
Julian says:
Our nature is to be social; it’s deeply embedded in us.
We should still be developing our social relationships during this time
How can we stay connected during this time?
Public Health Palliative Care International – COVID19 Resources
Create compassionate streets and neighborhoods
Neighbor and community support
Team of helpers
Offer assistance and practical help (e.g. shopping for someone)
National Health Service – United Kingdom
Help and support others
Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed
Whether it’s compassionate communities or cohousing, our connections with friends/family/neighbors are crucial—the bottom line is that we need this interaction and closeness.
Moving forward & some solutions
Reopening communities and reintegrating into society
Compassion, care, and kindness
Talking cafes, meetups, etc.
The Coronation – Charles Eisenstein
The Power of Bad by John Tierney and Roy Baumeister
Circles of Care: Should community development redefine the practice of palliate care?
Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress by Christopher Ryan
Running with Sherman by Chris McDougall
The post Chris Kelly & Julian Abel: Coming Together in the Coronavirus Era first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 20 min
April 24, 2020ATC 310: Strength Training Makes Sense For Endurance Athletes So Why Do So Many Plans Lack It? Plus: What the ‘Drop Off’ In MAF Pace Means, And Learning When You Should Call It Quits On A Workout
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Announcements
Lucho is LiveStreaming on Twitch. You can contact him there and ask any questions.
Tawnee is making a weekly EP Zwift ride! Follow EP on Instagram for more details.
Andrew asks:
Daily Double and MAF Drop-off
Hey guys,
I recently started listening to your show and am really loving it. I’m a physical therapist by “trade” but have also run multiple marathons and identify more as a runner than a PT. I’ve had a few kids (which cuts into training!) and am starting to get back to it. I have a few questions and just curious what your thoughts are. I’m both a coach and a competitor so I’ve got questions for both sides.
1. What are your thoughts on multiple MAF runs in one day? I’m training for my first 50 miler and, because of my work/life schedule, multiple runs in one day is how I get a lot of my miles in. Is there a minimum time needed to get benefit? 30 minutes? Obviously, “how little to train” is just as murky as “how much to train” but I’m curious if there’s any data you suggest as a minimum needed to cause physiological change.
2. Is there any significance to the drop off that occurs in a MAF test? Example: a 4 mile test with a total drop of 15 sec/mile (9:00 min/mile @ mile 1 to 9:15 min/mile @ mile 4) vs. a 45 second drop off (9:00-9:45). Would an earlier/quicker drop off be related to lack of condition vs. later/slower be a nutrition/energy availability issue (just a thought)? Is there a difference in how you would train these athletes? (Not sure what average drop off would be so I apologize if I’m way off.)
3. In thinking about question 2… what about drop off during training? How far do you let your pace drop? And can you use the “rate” of decline to plan nutrition intake during marathon/ultras? Or is it only useful to monitor progress in general terms?
Thanks guys, keep up the great work! Looking forward to more shows!
What the Coaches say:
Lucho has heard Mark Allen say 3 miles is the minimum effective dose for a short run, while Tawnee has heard 35 minutes is the lowest effective dose to maintain run fitness.
Three factors to bear in mind:
How fatigued are you? 3 miles the day after a 20-miler will be much “harder” than 3 miles on fresh legs.
How relatively fit are you? 3 miles for someone running 20 miles a week is really different than 3 miles for someone doing 100 miles a week.
What’s the purpose of the run? A recovery run of 3 miles is fine, but an easy workout run should be 4-7 miles.
Frequency does matter in gaining run fitness.
The MAF drop-off is only significant in that it shows your improvement. You can’t plug it into an algorithm and gain any specific knowledge from it.
If you’re doing a long MAF test (like over 10 miles) then the drop-off might be related to fueling.
If you haven’t warmed up appropriately, your first two miles on the MAF test will be artificially fast.
There’s no definitive pace/mile drop that’s been proven to be permissible.
Rather than drop-off, Lucho is more concerned when a runner’s pace becomes too slow, so it’s compromising structural performance (risking injury or illness).
Perceived exertion matters. If you genuinely feel good, even though you’re technically over MAF, then you’re fine to keep going.
How durable are you? You can push it if you’ve done the work to make sure you don’t get injured.
Sandy asks:
Endurance as Submax Exercise and Why the Lack of Strength Training in Endurance Programs?
Hi Tawnee and Lucho:
Thank you for so many episodes of the podcast and so much dedication to getting the information out there. Listening each week now enables me to speak confidently with my many endurance friends about lactate thresholds, anaerobic zones and the other minutae of training. They love that I speak their language!
I am an endurance athlete but also a strength athlete as my sports are rock climbing, sea kayaking, bushwalking (as we call it in Australia) and trail running.
I would be interested in hearing you and Lucho discuss strength training for endurance around the following parameters:
If we assume that endurance is actually a long, continuous series of submaximal contractions, the stronger I am, the better my endurance performance should be as I am using less of my base case of strength for each submaximal contraction. Durability should also be better in an overall stronger athlete. Theoretically then any training program should include 1 to 2 days per week of maximum strength training using standard maximum strength guidelines – say 3 to 4 exercises for 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 4 repetitions at 85 to 90% of 1 RM, but NOT going to failure (hypertrophy probably not desirable for endurance athletes).
What is your opinion of why endurance training programs never feature regular strength training? Do you program regular strength training for your athletes? I would be interested in your discussion.
Thank you.
What the Coaches say:
See Episode 305 for Tawnee and Lucho talking about strength training
Tawnee and Lucho discussed why they like ST even when research presents studies that did not show a benefit. You can certainly cherry pick and find articles where ST provided no benefit to athletes in speed, power, pace, economy. They are there. But does that mean it’s wrong?
Two studies that showed no benefit:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4783109/
https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/publishahead/Strength_and_Conditioning_Habits_of_Competitive.95728.aspx
On this show, Tawnee and Lucho discuss this study: Strength Training for Endurance Athletes: Theory to Practice
Evidence shows more than 25 years of research supporting ST efficacy and application for EAs.
“Endurance in sport has been defined as the ability to maintain or repeat a given force or power output.”
“Strength can be defined as the ability to produce force. Strength is a skill, which can be expressed in a magnitude of 0–100%.”
Two primary forms of strength training have been investigated:
Maximal, high-force, low-velocity, strength training (HFLV)
Explosive, low-force, high-velocity strength training (LFHV)
Both low-intensity exercise endurance and high-intensity exercise endurance have been shown to improve as a result of HFLV and LFHV ST
Better to periodize than trying to improve all at once
Also look to limitations in study design (eg controlling for volume etc), and this goes both ways whether a study found a positive or negative outcome with ST.
“Strength training has been reported to increase musculotendinous unit stiffness. This results in an enhanced ability to store elastic energy in the series and parallel elastic component during eccentric muscle actions, which in turn increases concentric muscle force.”
“The superior performance changes with heavier strength training may be attributed to greater increases in musculotendinous unit stiffness, greater recruitment of high-threshold motor units, and greater capacity to store and release elastic energy, which lead to a right and upward shift in the force-velocity and force-power relationships.”
Tawnee’s Thoughts:
What we can do best here is a “cost benefit analysis” for each athlete and through their season:
The first question to ask is in what case (either theoretical or literal) is ST “bad” to endurance athletes?
Fatiguing
Waste of time
Takes away from time/stress that could be spent endurance training (is the tradeoff worth it?)
Doesn’t result in any benefits to main sport(s)
Boring/not enjoyable
Introduces new risk of injury or something else deleterious
Meanwhile, the next question to ask is what benefits could ST provide:
Improved body comp
Healthy hormonal balance (endurance depletes; strength can rebuild)
Improved durability and muscular endurance
Musculotendinous unit stiffness (HFLV); running > cycling b/c SSC
Motor unit recruitment (HFLV)
Store/release elastic energy (HFLV)
Peak force (HFLV)
Injury resilience
Lighter loads at higher velocity can improve RFD
More balanced body (anterior/posterior, planes of motion, proper mobility, etc)
Better movers (this is not necessarily everyone but where deficiency is clear should be addressed)
Training plans have to be individualized based on the athlete’s goals, capacities, and inclination.
There’s a lot of skinny endurance athletes who could benefit from hypertrophy.
The post ATC 310: Strength Training Makes Sense For Endurance Athletes So Why Do So Many Plans Lack It? Plus: What the ‘Drop Off’ In MAF Pace Means, And Learning When You Should Call It Quits On A Workout first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 20 min
April 17, 2020HPN 16: Dialing in Diet For MAF Training, What An Average Day of Healthy Fat Intake Looks Like, And Troubleshooting Stalled Weight Loss in An Ironman Athlete
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Welcome to episode 16 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Jaquelyn asks:
Diet Approach while MAF Training
Hey Tawnee! I’ve loved the podcast for many many years. I’m a long distance triathlete and dabble in the marathon. I recently changed coaches and I am embracing the MAF method for the first time. I have been listening about it for years but I’m finally a student of the philosophy! I think its amazing and I’m already seeing alot of progress. My question is related to diet while using MAF. I have always had more of a high intensity approach and I’m feeling I need to revamp the area of nutrition as well. Can you give me an idea of the best balance of macros to maintain my weight and fuel my workouts.
More details: I’m 36 year old female. 135lbs and 5’7. I have been following a Mediterranean style diet for many years. Fairly low carb because I’m really drawn to veggies over starches. I ran into some hypoglycemia issues about a year ago so I have added more low glycemic carbs. I am feeling better and my blood sugars are more stable. But I do feel like I’m massively under fueling for workouts and training. I have alot of problems with the last half of the ironman/70.3 run. Although I have never had any gastric issues races, I just never can race to my potential. My new coach decided to build my aerobic system with a MAF style approach and I’m curious on how to eat with this new concept. I was doing a low volume high intensity approach for many years. I’m a very busy person, work full time as a dental assistant, own a beef cattle farm, and love, love long distance triathlons. I am currently eating 1800-2000 calories a day. 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein. I tried closer to 2300 calories with a 50/20/30 but I was so full all the time it was hard to train! I am currently in a base phase of training, race July 12. 15-18 hours training in all MAF Heart rate, except for my couple tests I do every 3 weeks.
What the Coaches say:
1800 calories with a 40% carbohydrates (180g), 30% fat (60g), and 30% protein (135g)
This is likely to be too low in fat and overall calories
2000 calories with a 40% carbohydrates (200g), 30% fat (67g), and 30% protein (150g)
This is likely too low in fat, and maybe even too much protein. 200g of CHO (carbohydrates) is okay on heavier training days (higher volume MAF), but it doesn’t need to be that high every day
Recommended:
PRO: Adjust PRO to about 100-130g/day (e.g., 2g/kg/bm), likely not much more needed than that. Only more than 2g/kg under special circumstances such as injury healing, bodybuilding, etc.
Too much protein (i.e., more than your body needs) could cause excess amino acids being used for gluconeogenesis where the liver converts amino acids from protein into glucose. This is a totally normal process that occurs on a regular basis, but it may increase when protein intake is very high, which is not something that we need or want.
High protein diet is accompanied by increased stimulation of glucagon and insulin within the endocrine pancreas, high glycogen turnover and stimulation of gluconeogenesis.
Glucagon is a peptide hormone, produced by alpha cells of the pancreas. It works to raise the concentration of glucose and fatty acids in the bloodstream and is considered to be the main catabolic hormone of the body. Glucagon raises blood sugar, insulin reduces blood sugar.
FAT: Increase
Only ~60-70g/day or so isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The coaches are not suggesting LCHF, however, your body may be starved of some healthy fats that you need.
MAF is a metabolic approach to allow the body to be more efficient with fat. Higher healthy fat intake is complementary. Carbs NOT bad, but low fat is not ideal.
BOOST fat to 100g+ (increasing fat on lower carb days is KEY, too).
Example of a fairly typical day of healthy fats:
2 TBSP grassfed butter = 24g fat (200cal). Great for women especially.
2 pastured organic eggs = 9g fat (140cal)
½ avocado = 12g fat (130cal)
1 TBSP olive oil = 13g fat (120cal)
4oz grassfed ground beef (85/15) = 17g fat (240 cal)
15 almonds = 9g fat (100cal)
1 TBSP avocado oil = 14g fat (124 cal)
3.5oz wild king salmon = 13g fat (230cal)
2 squares 85% dark chocolate = 9g fat (113cal)
TOTAL = 120g FAT (1080cal)
CHO: Allow for carb cycling, where on heavy training days and maybe even the day after (whether volume or intensity) allow for 200g/CHO give or take, but on lighter training days, carbs can drop to ~120-150/g day and on those days. Making these small changes based on output will help with weight maintenance goal.
CALORIES:
Say you’re training 15hr week, moderate-intensity/MAF (10min/mile) + daily activities.
Exercise: burning up to 1300 calories a day from training.
Basal Metabolic Rate: ballpark of 1660 calories.
Plus factor in other calories burned through daily movement, activities, etc. (few hundred calories maybe?)
Around 3200 calories a day to meet your energy needs.
So at 2000 cal/day or less, you’re drastically underfueling.
If having trouble eating over 2k a day, may look at gut health, nutrient timing, types of foods pre-training, etc.
E.g. SIBO causes a feeling of fullness, etc.
Or try to eat lower veggie and lower carbs PRE training and focus on legit carb refuels post-training.
Definitely see a place for low glycemic grains and higher fats to incorporate pre-training. E.g., 2 tbsp butter on toast with 1-2 eggs. Or a bowl of oats with chia seeds, coconut butter, protein powder.
Maybe explore UCAN for blood sugar control and meeting calorie/carb needs. Blend into a smoothie?
I would try to eat within an hour of waking up and every 2-3 hours
For sure eating as soon as you can post-workout; if you’re not doing this it could be that one thing that makes a huge difference.
Top off meals with higher calorie foods like olives, nuts, butter on veg, avocado.
Always have food with you, make a big smoothie to sip on during the day
What about the possibly be unintentionally not eating enough by trying to eat healthy? Thinking too much about macros? Seems to be a tracker, has the traits of this mindset. I would make some of these changes, track for a couple of weeks, and once you find a way of eating that feels best, loosen the reigns
Final point: increase calories and fat, decrease protein, carb cycle, make sure you’re eating before and after workouts
This will 1. Help you not feel so full and 2. Help you “race to potential!”
Ken asks:
Old guy trying to lose pounds and gain speed
Hey guys love the show, long time listener, your podcast is #1 with me! Here’s my question and sorry for the length, hope you can reply. Thanks so much. As a 67 ½ year old triathlete I’ve come to accept a decline in my race and training performance over the years but can’t help but be frustrated by 2 nagging issues in my attempt to remain fit and injury free. These issues are run performance and body weight and I’m losing my battle to control both. Some quick background, as I said I’ll be 68 in 2020 and am a short but muscular male, 5’ 4” tall and weighing about 145 in season and 150 or more in the outseason. I came to triathlon and road running late in life, starting at the age of 59. Since then I’m a 2 time Ironman finisher @ Lake Placid in 2012 and Maryland 2014; 14 time finisher in Half-Ironman, Rev3, Challenge Family and HITS 70.3’s; 2 marathons, 9 half marathons, and a whole bunch of shorter triathlon and running races like Oly Tri’s, 5K’s, 10K’s etc. over the last 10 years. I’m generally a mid to back of the packer with my best performance at IM Maryland when I was 62 finishing in 13:14 and 10th in my age group. Never a fast runner, my best 5K was around 24 minutes and best half marathon around 2 hours flat. I’m fine with my times overall but am always looking to improve and feel that it’s my running that has had the biggest dropoff and needs the most help. To that end I’ve been increasing my running mileage since the start of 2020 from 10 miles per week to 15 and this week hopefully 20. I feel my sweet spot for remaining injury free is under 40 miles a week and I hope to reach that by March.
My issue is that my running pace never improves and all my slow, easy training runs feel hard. Even when I include threshold runs and sprint intervals and strength work I NEVER get faster. I would be happy with even some of my easy 5 miles runs to feel easy but they don’t and I have to stop and walk consistently throughout the runs. I attribute a lot of that to some injuries that have slowed me down over the years but I mostly blame my crazy inability to lose weight. I can’t help but be envious of my training buddies in my age range who are running easy at an 8:30 pace while I struggle at 11:00 minute miles! The one common feature they all have is they are long and lean. While I’ll never be long, I figure I can try being lean and for my height it’s not the 150 lbs I carry now but more like 130 – 135. And my waist size is alarmingly big for a guy my size; over the last 10 years it went from 30-31 inches to now 35-36 inches!! WTF!
Always a healthy eater (no junk food, none), I’ve tried a new approach of the last 6 weeks to get lean and closer to my ideal body weight of 135 or less to see if that would help my running and overall fitness. I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for 5 days each week along with LCHF. I track my calorie intake daily and it’s rarely over 1800 calories a day. A typical day for me would be one hour workout like a Zwift bike ride or spin class, or a 3-5 mile run, strength training, swimming and even some golf walking the course. Meals are limited to 2, the first around noon or 1:00 pm usually 2 eggs, 2-3 slices of bacon, half an avocado with coffee with half and half. A snack would be a cup of cottage cheese or some slices of cheddar cheese and a piece of fruit and maybe a few (3-4) whole grain pretzels. Dinner is a protein like beef, chicken pork or fish with a salad and a side vegetable. Usually I’ll have a glass of wine or an ipa to wash it all down although lately I’ve given up both and drink green tea. On the weekends I don’t fast but my food intake doesn’t increase significantly and I’m rarely over 2500 calories. I started all of this December 9th and now as I write this it’s January 13. In all that time I’ve gone from 151 lbs to 149. Even allowing for the holidays and the occasional cheats on the weekend this is nuts. I mean if this were even a simple low calorie weight watchers diet I’d expect to lose more than this lousy 2 lbs? What’s going on? Is it slow metabolism, hormones, thyroid? Should I see an endocrinologist or a nutritionist or what? Any thoughts would be really appreciated. Help please!
What the Coaches say:
Waist to height ratio:
If waist circumference is half your height or more, that can signify a potential problem.
Study: The Prevalence of Overfat Adults and Children in the US (Maffetone, Larson)
“Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that increased abdominal fat, assessed through WC and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), can predict adiposity-related risk (37). WHtR was more strongly related to cardiometabolic risk factors than BMI (29, 44). In normal-weight non-obese children with a commonly used cutoff of WHtR ≥ 0.5, over 55% had one to three cardiometabolic health risk factors associated with increases in WC, triglycerides, and blood pressure (45). Adults from the NHANES, 1999–2000 cohort showed that 86% of adults with abdominal obesity [defined as WC in men ≥ 102 cm (40″), in women ≥88 cm (35″)] had at least one other cardiometabolic risk factor (46).”
Troubleshooting/ideas:
Potentially adopt a more plant-based diet (not vegan, still suggesting animal-based proteins!) but right now you’re consuming a lot of meats, fats, & acidic foods without a lot of colorful fresh produce.
Swap the bacon for colors
Swap the cheese for colors
If the salad and vegetable portion of your dinner is as small as I suspect it to be, increase that
Get blood labs with full thyroid panel, lipids, iron, CBC, hbA1c, etc.
Free T3, Free T4, Total T3, Total T4, TSH, TPO Abs., Thyroglobulin, etc.
Definitely get a DUTCH test – would like to see cortisol patterns (not just in blood serum but cortisol trends and overall HPA axis function) and sex hormones.
Is stress an issue?
Overtraining- not just now but over the years?
Low Testosterone?
Testosterone decreases after 40 by 1-2%/year
Responsible for regulating fat distribution and muscle strength. Less T, less effective at burning calories
As for running:
Rarely do I see 10-15mpw lead to significant fitness gains/speed.
Maybe put triathlon on hold and invest in running focus? This has been a great strategy for my athletes who are weaker in the run.
If you can handle 30-40mpw of 80/20 this is probably going to yield good results + add strength training as injury preventative (single leg exercises!).
Nutritionally, maybe intermittent fasting not the right strategy for you. Listen to our last HPN show: within day energy deficiency associated with metabolic disturbance.
Add in smaller more frequent meals.
Start measuring blood glucose to get an idea of what’s going on:
Fasting and postprandial at 1, 2, or 3hr after meals.
Want to keep blood sugar as stable as possible.
Additional resources mentioned in this episode:
UCAN – get 15% with our link or code enduranceplanet
DUTCH Test
Podcast episode with Dr. Phil Maffetone: waist-to-height ratio
Podcast episode with Dr. Phil Maffetone: blood glucose levels
Brad Kearn’s podcast
The post HPN 16: Dialing in Diet For MAF Training, What An Average Day of Healthy Fat Intake Looks Like, And Troubleshooting Stalled Weight Loss in An Ironman Athlete first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 9 min