Tired of feeling overwhelmed by fitness options and information on the internet?  Frustrated by confusing trends and fads that seem to contradict each other?  Not sure where to start?

We feel your pain, and Dr. Rand Michael is here to help. 

ED trauma physician/USAF Officer by trade, Strength & Conditioning Coach by passion, Dr. Michael knows MORE than a thing or two about training and evidence based research.

In episode 11 of the Live Deep podcast, Dr. Michael dispels fiction/feelings and carefully communicates the current facts around resistance training, endurance training, healthy habits, and how to craft a lifestyle that supports fitness goals.  The takeaway; don't over-complicate training and stick to the basics for sustainable growth.

Amongst many topics, we discussed stigmas surrounding squatting, optimal fitness training routines and volumes, optimal endurance training, healthy mindset and habits, balancing a busy schedule, and the intersections of faith, family, and fitness. 

Key Takeaways

- Alternate between strength and endurance seasons in your fitness routine.

- Consider individual preferences and goals when designing a training program.

- Modify exercises and listen to your body to prevent injuries.

- Include at least two resistance training sessions per week for a minimum of 30 minutes each

- Incorporate zone 2 cardio into your fitness routine for overall health and longevity.

Chapters

03:48 - Current Fitness Routine

09:16 - Definition of Strength Training

12:38 - Addressing Injuries and Modifying Exercises

18:08 - Strength Training Recommendations

21:39 - Strength Training Programming

25:35 - Endurance Training and Goals

32:20 - Seasonal Training Approach

35:08 - Maintenance Endurance Training

37:31 - Zone 2 Cardio and Heart Rate

38:49 - Benefits of Zone 2 Cardio

39:27 - The Importance of Low Intensity Aerobic Cardio

41:11 - Finding Time for Zone 2 Cardio

43:22 - Tips for Endurance Training

46:42 - Balancing Resistance Training and Endurance Training

49:41 - Maintaining a Balanced Lifestyle

55:51 - Creating Rhythms and Habits

58:48 - Flexibility in Training Time

Follow and learn from Dr. Michael on Instagram @dr.captain_

Access Dr. Michael's coaching in the Altum Tribe: https://www.altumfitness.com/apps

Join our Altum Fitness App waitlist here: www.altumfitness.com

Live Deep, by Altum Fitness, is a show about breaking free from stress and unhealthy habits through physical and emotional fitness.  Join us weekly as we explore physical, mental, and spiritual wellness with frontline experts sharing actionable insights in the pursuit of discovering what it means to live a life that is truly DEEP.  #LiveDeep

6,392 US Veterans died by suicide in 2021. Read that again. Slow down, and read it again. And again. ⁠Read it until it fully registers.⁠

One Veteran suicide is one too many. Yet, everyday 17 US Veterans take their own life, and it's only getting worse. Coinciding with this heartbreaking trend are increases in the reported prevalence rates of alcohol use, anxiety, depression, PTSD, loneliness, financial concerns, and homelessness.

Who is doing something about this?

There are incredible organizations across the country answering the call for help. Healing Warriors, a Colorado-based non-profit providing non-narcotic therapies to Veterans and their families, AT NO COST, is one such organization answering that call.

Chase Zajc, Executive Director of Healing Warriors, joined the Live Deep podcast to discuss how his organization is fighting to realize their vision of a "suicide free world where all veterans and their families thrive."

Chase outlined Healing Warriors four-pillar approach: Strengthening Access and Delivery of Care, Coping Tools, Resourcing and Promoting Connectedness, and how the impact of their care extends beyond the individual veteran to their families. 

We discussed:

03:01 - Overview of Healing Warriors

10:13 - Unique Approach to Treating Veterans

12:09 - Acupuncture, Craniosacral Therapy, and other Alternative Methods for Healing

19:26 - Collaboration with other organizations

25:27 - Hesitancy and Skepticism in the Veteran Community

29:03 - Suicide Rates among Veterans/Contributing factors

41:47 - The First Year of Transition for Veterans

49:24 - The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant

55:34 - The Four Pillars of Healing Warriors

01:01:18 - The Story of a Young Boy

01:01:54 - The Future of Healing Warriors

01:02:42 - How we can Support Healing Warriors

You are encouraged to learn more about Healing Warriors, and donate to their organization, at www.healingwarriorsprogram.org

Follow Healing Warriors on Instagram @healingwarriorsprogram

If you are a Veteran feeling hopeless, experiencing an emotional crisis, or simply need help finding care, please call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Press 1 for Veterans. Know that you are loved, and there are countless Americans across the country waiting for the opportunity to support you.

Live Deep, by Altum Fitness, is a show about breaking free from stress and unhealthy habits through physical and emotional fitness. Join us weekly as we explore physical, mental, and spiritual wellness with frontline experts sharing actionable insights in the pursuit of discovering what it means to live a life that is truly DEEP. #LiveDeep

Has unaddressed trauma been insidiously lurking beneath your consciousness, sabotaging relationships and stealing moments of pure joy from your life?  How can we identify, confront, and start the intentional process of healing trauma, moving away from bondage, and toward emotional freedom?  What does it mean to find a “new identity,” and is it worth the effort? (hint: YES). 

We tackle these pivotal questions and more on episode 9 of Live Deep with renowned Men’s Mindset &  Mental Health Coach and cultural influencer Elise Micheals. 

This is NOT your typical Q&A.  Jesse and Elise intentionally sat down for an actual coaching session in a "reality" format.  With Elise guiding the way and Jesse bearing all, you’re in for a touching, emotional, and rewarding experience that we hope brings value to your life…as it did for us.

You can learn more about Elise and explore her coaching here: https://www.elisemicheals.com/

Explore her Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@EliseMicheals

Follow Elise on Instagram @elisemicheals_

Social media, substances, work, streaming, pornography…pick your poison.  The frequency and intensity in which humans disconnect, or disassociate, from the speed and stress of everyday life is unprecedented, and growing worse each year.  If left unchecked, these tendencies become deeply embedded habits that chronically steal our attention and rob us of the ability to live meaningful, healthy lives in connection with ourselves, and others. 

How do we break free from these habits? 

JT Frank, founder of Consequence of Habit (COH) and host of the COH Podcast, joined the #LiveFitBreakFree podcast to help answer this pivotal question.

We discuss the formation and infestation of habits in our lives, how they impact us, and explore actionable steps to break free from addictions and harmful habits.  We also discuss the commoditization of human attention, and the importance of finding presence as a daily practice. 

In addition to founding COH, JT is a United States Air Force veteran, proud father of 3, and ambassador of Athletic Brewing Company.

You can learn more about COH and support their mission here: https://www.consequenceofhabit.org/

You can stream the COH podcast here: https://www.consequenceofhabit.org/coh-podcast

Follow COH on Instagram @consequence_of_habit

How do we find "meaning" in life, and what does "meaning" even mean? Are we pursuing meaning based on our OWN wants/needs/desires, or what others instilled in us? Could our unhealthy ego be dictating our life, instead of our "good ego"? All thought provoking questions we explored with the mighty Benoit Kim on episode 7 of the Live Deep podcast.

Benoit Kim is a US Army veteran, Penn-educated former policy maker turned psychotherapist, and host of the Discover More podcast. His show is #1 in all independent science podcasts, #16 overall in all science podcasts, and a rising show on the Apple Podcasts top 100 in 2024. 

You can learn more about Benoit and listen to the Discover More podcast here: https://www.discovermorepodcast.com/

Watch on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@DiscoverMorePodcast

Follow him on Instagram @discovermorepodcast

(03:44.022): "In America, we put productivity and self-worth on a pedestal through the lens of prestige or accolades... I lived in this paradigm of achievements over all things."

(08:53.514): "Unless you've been confronted with meaningless activities, you don't realize what's meaningful... Without addiction, recovery means nothing."

(15:56.05): "True seeking and finding your inner truth requires sacrifice. But the question is, is it worth living a life knowing it's not the life you designed for yourself?"

(19:14.134): "All worthy lives, all worthy pursuits in life, including seeking meaning, requires great effort."

(25:34.506): "Ego is not a bad thing... It serves a purpose and a function. I believe grief is a price we pay to experience love."

(32:50.314): "Words are cheap, but your behavior patterns will not lie to you. That's the behavior gap analysis."

(42:48.17): "Parents are just older children having children for the first time."

(51:39.406): "Veterans... they're very lonely, very, very lonely. Loneliness is their number one struggle, and number two is substance abuse or addiction to cover up the fact that they're lonely."

Less than 1% of the US population will ever run a marathon. Todd Crandell ran a marathon 6 days after finishing an IRONMAN race...that's 2+ miles swimming, 110+ miles cycling, and then a marathon.......in the same day. In fact, he's completed over 110 IRONMANs, and counting.

Todd, aka The Original Sober Triathlete, is a former addict-turned-counselor who has dedicated his life to helping those in recovery. He is a 5-time author, 3-time documentary star, speaker, podcast host, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC-CS), and vegan athlete. He is also the founder of Racing for Recovery, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has helped thousands of addicts improve their quality of life through therapy and a promoting a lifestyle of health, fitness, and sobriety.

Todd joined the podcast to share his story of trauma, triumph over addiction, and healing through endurance sports. He also shared his views on therapy, optimal recovery, ethical nutrition, personal alignment, and daily practices. You won't want to miss it.

You can learn more about Todd and his work at https://racingforrecovery.org/

Follow him on Instagram @soberultraman

Dale King is the focus of the award-winning documentary “Small Town Strong.”  He is a former Army intelligence officer, combat veteran, entrepreneur, CrossFit coach, Shark Tank alumni, and founder of numerous non-profits.  He is also a family man and proud Ohioan.

Our second veteran entrepreneur on the show, Dale joined the Live Fit Break Free podcast and shared his story, starting with his return from combat to a hometown ravaged by opioid addiction and launching PSKC CrossFit as a beacon of hope for his community.  Dale has appeared  (successfully) on the hit show Shark Tank, launched numerous successful ventures and non-profits, and is now the main focus of “Small Town Strong,” a documentary chronicling the journey of PSKC and his community’s battle against addiction.

Evan Seale is a Texan with an absurd resume: D1 soccer player at West Point, former Army Ranger (regiment), combat veteran (3x deployments), Ivy League MBA graduate (Wharton), and co-founder of VRB Labs, a TX-based supplement/performance brand with a focus on natural solutions for sleep, stress, and pain.

Most of us would be proud with just ONE of those accolades.

Our first #VeteransHelpingVeterans episode, Evan joined the Live Deep podcast and shared his story, from a young TX kid showing up at West Point in NY, to his first Afghanistan deployment, all the way through Co-Founding VRB Labs, where he impacts thousands of lives across the country.

Learn more about VRB at www.vrblabs.com and follow on Instagram @vrb_labs

Download our fitness/community apps at www.altumfitness.com

Jesse Carrajat is a Colorado-based certified fitness trainer, health coach, family man, and veteran of the USMC. He is also the Founder of Altum Fitness. Jesse joins Live Fit Break Free to unpack his fascinating origin story; taking us all the way back to childhood and the role that environment plays in our relationship with substances. He also lays out the catalyst for starting Altum, and the mission behind the movement: to help millions of Americans break free from harmful habits through fitness.

In this episode, Jesse shares his personal journey with alcohol, starting from his childhood exposure to alcohol and his early experiences with drinking. He discusses the negative effects of alcohol abuse in his adolescence and how it continued into his college years and early adulthood. Jesse talks about his decision to join the Marines and how alcohol remained a problem in his life. He also shares how meeting his wife, Meg, and finding faith helped him start to address his drinking habits. Jesse discusses his decision to stop drinking and the challenges he faces in maintaining sobriety. He also talks about his career transition and the founding of Altum Fitness, a company focused on helping people break free from alcohol addiction through fitness and community support.

Takeaways

Childhood exposure to alcohol can have a significant impact on a person's relationship with alcohol later in life. Alcohol abuse can lead to self-destructive behavior and a loss of identity. Finding support and community can be crucial in overcoming alcohol addiction. Replacing unhealthy habits with healthier alternatives, such as exercise and mindfulness, can help in maintaining sobriety. Our purpose should be to pursue deep, meaningful, connective lives.

Chapters

- 01:42 Childhood and Early Exposure to Alcohol

- 04:04 Negative Effects of Alcohol in Adolescence

- 06:54 Alcohol Abuse in High School and College

- 08:50 Joining the Marines and Continued Drinking

- 17:05 Meeting Meg and Alcohol's Role in Their Relationship

- 24:02 Realization and Decision to Stop Drinking

- 28:51 Starting Altum Fitness and Personal Goals

- 37:42 Strategies for Staying Alcohol-Free

Follow us and get plugged in at www.Altumfitness.com