Primal Endurance Podcast

By Brad KearnsHealth & Fitness

Primal Endurance Podcast episodes

October 29, 2015 #29: Christopher Walker
Host Brad Kearns talks to testosterone expert Christopher Walker, who details a remarkable story of self-healing from serious endocrine problems. Don’t flinch at the title—Chris’ approach is the opposite of the magic supplement obsessed blather you typically hear on the topic of testosterone enhancement. Chris was a college student at Duke and a hardcore triathlete when he first experienced some debilitating symptoms of low testosterone. When tested he was found to have a hideously low serum level of 11 ng/dl, where the normal range for his age group would be 400-1000 ng/dl. He was also discovered to have a pituitary tumor, which in addition to adverse lifestyle practices, was the cause of his serious disorder.

Chris boldly chose to forego the medically advised approach of either surgery or hormone replacement therapy and embark on a holistic lifestyle transformation. In a short time, he cured his condition and his testosterone level skyrocketed to 1192 ng/dl! Chris’s key to recovery included an assortment of holistic methods, including adopting a new empowering mindset and a diet full of primal-aligned foods.

Christopher offers these and other actionable tips for males to naturally elevate testosterone in today’s episode. Furthermore, testshock.com offers details about Christopher’s full program, including an excellent free print book (just pay S&H and he’ll mail you an actual book!) to get you started. So tune in to get a jump start on a common problem that may have a simpler (and more painless) solution than you might have thought!
46 min
October 23, 2015#28: David Epstein
Host Brad Kearns welcomes the red-hot author David Epstein to the show, on the heels of his whirlwind global tour to promote his bestselling book, The Sports Gene: Inside the science of extraordinary athletic performance. This is widely regarded as the seminal book on the topic of genetics in sports, and in it Dave dispels many widely held misconceptions and prejudices that people harbor relating to how genetics affects athletic performance.
In this conversation, Epstein discusses the pop culture of the “10,000 Hour Rule” (first presented by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, Ph.D, and popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in the book Outliers.) Epstein dispels the accuracy of science behind the concept and the practical application of the concept. Basically, it’s BS! Genetic factors are relevant, as illustrated by the amazing “Tale of Two High Jumpers” featured in Chapter 2 in the book. Besides great physical attributes, there are genetic elements to the all-important athletic success factor of “desire to train.” People (like phenomenal ultra-athlete Pam Reed) have different dopamine response systems.
When it comes to stereotyping, for example, “Jamaicans are fast sprinters,” one must not overlook cultural factors. In Jamaica, youth track and field is king—there is no falling through the cracks or diverting to other sports. Epstein also writes for the progressive journalism nonprofit called ProPublica.org, which preserves the tradition of long-form investigative journalism. He had a huge impact with his recent article on the doping suspicions surrounding top track field coach Alberto Salazar. Enjoy the show and grab the book on amazon.com!
Show Notes:
David did some research on the "ten thousand hour "rule that simply says: "If you put in enough time to anything, you'll become a master." What did he find? [00:03:17]
Does repetitive practice help you improve? [00:06:38]
What’s the importance of practice variability? [00:10:44]
What part does genetics play in the field of high-level athletics? [00:13:05]
One surprising thing, when looking at the compulsion to train, involves the dopamine system. [00:18:35]
What is the secret of the longevity aspect of training? [00:22:35]
What about the belief that athletes from certain cultures are just born that way? [00:25:49]
Individualization (peoples' genetic differences) has been the thing to look at regarding training plans. [00:31:24]
Brad and David discuss medicines and medical exemptions as regards doping in sports. [00:34:38]
Selected Links from the Episode:
Usain Bolt
David Epstein
Pam Reed
ProPublica
The Sports Gene
Tale of Two High Jumpers
The Sports Gene: Inside the science of extraordinary athletic performance
47 min
October 17, 2015#27: Brad Kearns & Brock Armstrong
Description: The hosts with the most, Brad and Brock, return for another ridiculously interesting, free-flowing conversation on all matters of endurance training. First, they discuss how physically demanding jobs might impact training for endurance events—like nurses doing shift work or construction workers trying to train alongside the office workers. There are benefits to “moving frequently” in an active job, but the training schedule of highly physically demanding careers must be flexible and dynamic. When it comes to coaching people with busy lives, the transition away from robotic pre-programmed coaching schedules could alter the current business model, with coaches going from workout programmers to strategists.
Brad mentions how both Dr. Maffetone and Dave Scott agree that going relatively hard and going extremely hard have the same training effect. What if you backed off a bit on your high-intensity workouts? Would you lose mental toughness? Or would you recover faster, have less risk of setbacks (injury, illness, burnout) and thus get even faster? Maffetone thinks so in the premise of his book, 1:59 Marathon.
Brock recites “10 Myths About Elite Runners,” published in a Canadian running magazine, and the two banter about the assorted myths in hopes that recreational competitors can take to heart some of the misnomers about elites that compromise good decision making. This show offers an assortment of valuable tidbits to help you balance your training optimally with your important everyday life responsibilities.
Show Notes:
Brock talks about coaching his own partner who works irregular 12-hour shifts and how she is able to train for marathons while dealing with her crazy schedule. [00:01:39]
What is the most optimal training schedule? [00:06:41]
What if you backed off a bit on your high-intensity workouts? [00:11:59]
The biggest mistake that endurance athletes make is overtraining in an overstressed pattern. [00:16:43]
They talk about an article Brock read in a Canadian publication about the top ten myths about elite runners. One is that they "kill it" every workout. [00:19:10]
One of the other myths is: They never take a sip of booze. [00:23:57]
Is it true that the elite athletes eat healthy all the time? Can one "undo" years of poor dietary habits? [00:25:21]
Can a blood test show you enough to get you to turn around your poor dietary habits? Is there metabolic damage? [00:31:15]
Brad talks about how our bodies are constantly rejuvenating themselves to repair damage. [00:32:50]
What can we do to live longer? Avoiding stupid mistakes is a good idea. [00:34:21]
They talk about some more myths about the elite athlete. Do they give up their social life? [00:38:27]
Myth number 5 is that they all head to the US for university. [00:39:49]
Do they always get up early to run? [00:42:43]
Some of the ideas about how to train have been blown away by some examples that Brad shares. [00:45:35]
Do the elite athletes ignore injuries? [00:48:08]
Myth number 9: They never get nervous. [00:56:25]
Myth number 10 is that they are never hurting during races. [01:00:10]
Selected Links from the Episode:
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind
Dr. Deepak Chopra
[email protected]
How Lance Does It
I’m Here to Win
Dr. Phil Maffetone
Dr. Doug McGuff: Primal Prescription
Dave Scott
1 hr 7 min
October 09, 2015#26: Andrew MacNaughton
Recurring guest Andrew MacNaughton joins host Brad Kearns to get into the technique matters such as:
Swimming: Turnover rate vs stroke length
Cycling: determining optimal cadence
Running: determining optimal technique and stride patterns
As usual, Brad and Andrew go off on interesting and informative tangents. At the end of the show, Andrew drops the most controversial bomb perhaps ever on the podcast: common recovery aids and practices could be counterproductive! That's right, no icing, no massage, no compression! Instead, let the body heal thyself without interference. This provocative concept has gained some traction among today's top triathletes.
54 min
October 03, 2015 #25: Chuck Hixson
Host Brad Kearns joins Chuck Hixson, CEO of AVAcore Technologies in Michigan, exclusive manufacturers of a phenomenal recovery product known as the RTX (Rapid Thermal Exchange) cooling glove. The product was developed in consultation with Stanford University researchers who made a stunning discovery in the laboratory related to improving peak performance—dramatically—by quickly cooling body temperature.

The glove works by quickly cooling the brain, vital organs and muscles by applying cool circulating water and a slight vacuuming effect to the temperature sensitive AVAs—a network of veins in the palms of your hands that regulate body temperature with a highly variable blood flow based on environmental temperatures. Physical performance is strongly associated with body temperature. When you get hot, you slow down—key enzymes change shape and malfunction when overheated, stopping cellular metabolic processes. If you are able to cool off during a workout (say, with a 3-minute session wearing the glove), you can keep going. Using the glove post workout will facilitate fast recovery by reducing the inflammatory cytokines that cause muscle damage. Listen to Chuck detail the technology and the practical application of this product that is now available for commercial use.

Visit AVAcore.com and click on the INDIEGOGO icon to participate in their limited time promotion to pre-order the RTX glove at a discounted price of $249. The offer expires on September 10th, 2015 so enjoy the podcast and then order your glove!
43 min
September 26, 2015 #24: Brad Kearns and Brock Armstrong
Host Brad Kearns catches up with Host Brock Armstrong -- that's right, the main hosts catch up with each other and hit it hard on an assortment of interesting topics. They debate the pros and cons of various coaching models, stressing the importance of having a wide-ranging personal relationship with athletes to help training sync with other life variables. Brock FIRES clients who refuse to take time off!
The pair gets into one of their favorite subjects, Heart Rate Variability, referencing the Primal Endurance Podcast episode 6 with Sweetbeat Life CEO Ronda Collier. They talk about how monitoring HRV and basing training decisions off of variation from baseline values brings a critical objective element to the challenge of making smart training decisions. For example, when you are running on fight or flight chemicals, it's hard to tell if you are actually stressed because the hectic pace of modern life is so familiar that it seems normal to the brain. Get to know your Primal Endurance Podcast hosts Brad and Brock through this lively and informative show!
51 min
September 18, 2015#23: Aaron Olson
Host Brad Kearns welcomes Aaron Olson, the popular host of the Paleo Runner Podcast, to the show to discuss Aaron’s new book, Low Mileage Running. The book is “a short guide to running faster, injury free.” Aaron details his injury-riddled running career as a high school and college competitor, as he struggled to thrive doing the traditional high mileage programs.

Frustrated with repeated injuries, Aaron tried cutting out junk mileage but keeping high intensity workouts and including extra rest in his schedule. He discovered that his injuries went away and he ran even faster than before. Aaron believes in an intuitive approach instead of following a rigid schedule. Perform those intense workouts when you feel strong and you skip them if other stressors are present in your life or you simply don’t feel your best during the session.

Aaron’s Paleo Runner podcast expertly blends the worlds of endurance running and paleo eating and living. Aaron became a convert to paleo after a lifelong struggle with IBS that subsided almost as soon as he started to ditch toxic modern foods and adopt a paleo eating strategy. Check out his podcast on iTunes or through his blog paleorunner.org.

Show notes:
The book Low-Mileage Running came about after Aaron sustained some injuries. [00:01:31]
Most often we read that injuries come from intensity. Is this true? [00:02:41]
How does the intuitive approach after workouts help in recovery? [00:07:05]
Aaron, who has had years of experience as a runner, has talked about his own training. What about the novice runner? [00:08:05]
How does one decide what kind of workout to do? [00:12:57]
What’s the focus of Aaron’s podcast? [00:16:32]
How are the endurance and paleo communities blending together? [00:18:03]
What about body composition? [00:21:20]
What are safe starches? How do you determine which carbs are okay? [00:22:55]
How do you select guests for your podcasts? [00:24:13]
What is Brad and Mark's solution to doing too much training or not enough? [00:26:59]
What happens to one’s training schedule during the off-season? [00:28:49]

Selected Links from the Episode:

Low-Mileage Running Book

Tim Noakes

Paleo Runner Podcast

Primal Endurance Approach
36 min
September 11, 2015 #22: Brad Kearns on Sleep
Host Brad Kearns records this fast paced essay on the importance of adequate sleep (especially for endurance athletes), in response to a recent episode of the Freakonomics Podcast.

Brad has always maintained a busy lifestyle balancing roles as a father, writer, and former triathlete, and discovered long ago that “sleep is everything.” Tune into today’s show for some quick tips and a personal sleep success story.
10 min
September 04, 2015#21: Dr. Phil Maffetone, Part 3
Host Brad Kearns welcomes popular guest Dr. Phil Maffetone to the show for the third time. Dr. Maffetone brings along both his insightful commentary and his ultimate endurance wisdom about balancing stress and rest while emphasizing aerobically-paced training. In this conversation, Phil talks about his incredible new smartphone app—called the MAF App—that does an assortment of evaluations to help you track health, fitness, disease risk factors, and stress levels.

Brad also challenges Phil on his profound assertion that endurance athletes need not ever exceed 90 percent of their maximum heart rate. Phil explains that the additional stress of going up to a maximum level does not deliver a sufficient return on investment. A healthy athlete can dig deep on race day and give a respectable 100 percent effort. Phil details the metabolic and endocrine effects of the stress response, and how to guard against the overtraining syndrome. “The game is how to moderate stress while training hard enough to perform your best,” Phil explains. Phil mentions how, for tracking aerobic improvement, time trials and other performance trackers are inferior to using a sub-maximal MAF test on a regular basis. Enjoy another lovely and informative show with Dr. Maffetone!

Show Notes:
Phil describes his exciting new app (MAF App) that can monitor amazing things about your health and fitness. [00:00:55]
How does this app work and what does it track? [00:04:22]
One of the big red flags is the reduced desire to train. [00:07:07]
What is the best way to evaluate an athlete? [00:09:42]
When doing an anaerobic workout, how much should you exceed your maximum heart rate? [00:14:05]
What is the cost of training too hard? [00:22:10]
Can you rely on performance to gauge where you are by doing time trials? [00:24:32]
Even if you have been training at a slow rate, don't worry about not knowing what to do when you go to a race. You'll be surprised at your performance. [00:28:08]
In Maffetone 's book, 1:59, he speculates that the ability to run a marathon under two minutes will not come from more training miles, nor from more intensity, but a reduction in both. [00:31:48]
From a health standpoint, are there some athletes who would have been better off staying couch potatoes? [00:35:46]
There are more overweight athletes these days. Is the main reason they are in poor health because of their dietary habits? [00:40:15]
What is the two-week test? What role does diet play? [00:41:56]

Selected Links from the Episode:

Phil Maffetone
Maffetone Music
MAFApp
1:59 (Book)
52 min
August 28, 2015 #20: Graeme Turner
In today’s show, Brock Armstrong sits down with Graeme Turner, a nationally accredited triathlon coach, qualified sports nutritionist, and strength and conditioning coach. To boot, Graeme is a Retül Certified Bike Fitter, a fourth-degree black belt in karate, and WKA certified coach for kickboxers and MMA fighters. Graeme, a former IT wiz who left the tech world to pursue his passion for helping individuals reach their fitness goals, talks about his race history, including his qualifications for the New York and Boston Marathons along with an Ironman 70.3 he conducted without fuel.
He and Brock go in depth about his specialized coaching philosophy, which is based on a minimalist program emphasizing power and strength over long distance. They also discuss Graeme’s techniques for fasting and how to schedule training sessions for optimal benefit.
51 min

About Primal Endurance Podcast

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Welcome to The Primal Endurance Podcast, where we challenge the ineffective, overly stressful conventional approach to endurance training and provide a refreshing, sensible, healthy, fun alternative.…