#145: Catching Up With Brad, Part 2
Brad continues to discuss topics of recent interest and new strategies he is trying out in training experiments, including his plunging deep into the world of temperature therapy. In consult with Dr. Kelly Starrett, author of Becoming a Supple Leopard and founder of MobilityWOD.com, you’ll get tips to start using cold water therapy as well as heat therapy to pursue the vaunted benefits.
Brad has a chest freezer filled with near-freezing water for both morning and evening plunges. For morning, it’s a hermetic stressor to boost adaptive hormones and naturally sharpen central nervous system function. For before bed, a quick plunge helps facilitate a good night’s sleep by lowering body temperature. Brad’s game is to stay for ~3 min at temperatures 36-40F. Not long enough to suffer or shiver for hours afterward.
Check out his YouTube videos: Check out his YouTube demonstration coming soon!
Short demo to get you started: Coming Soon!
A detailed description of benefits and demo: Coming Soon!
The deal with cold therapy is to keep it far away from training stimulus. You want the inflammatory process to run its course after a workout, despite the fact that it feels great to cool your legs in an icy river after a hard run or the like.
With heat therapy, the infrared sauna causes a mini-fever effect to enhance cellular function and improve cardiovascular function. Starrett likes the hot sauna where you can really sweat and even get uncomfortable before getting out. Brad is doing Chris Kelly’s Nourish BalanceThrive detox protocol of going into a sauna for a big sweat, and immediately scrubbing off with Dr. Bronners soap to clear toxins (since his NBT tests showed residue of toxic metals and rubber by-products in his blood! Possibly a consequence of growing up in smoggy LA or perhaps even drinking from plastic water bottles that have been exposed to heat - like a sunny car.)
In furthering the concept of a more varied and relaxed approach to training, Brad references the podcast where he discussed the Simply Running approach of New Zealand Olympic 1500 meter silver and bronze medalist Nick Willis. The takeaway message is to design a training program that is enjoyable, fits conveniently into your other life responsibilities, and tone down the obsessive need to hit arbitrary time or volume standards. Consistency in the context of building fitness is simply not as important as we think it is. Don’t compare yourself to the elites. They are out there for hours every largely because they do have plenty of time to spend on training and are looking for those incremental benefits.
Take a page from the bodybuilding scene. Ridicule the bro science if you must, but bodybuilders respect and appreciate the importance of balancing stress and rest—breaking down muscles with intense training and then resting and hyper-nourishing to come back with huge muscles.
On the other hand, realize the disastrous consequences of a chronic approach, as we now see the elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors in hard training.
Brad also refers to his super nutrition morning green smoothie, also available on YouTube: Coming Soon!
Great topics to get you thinking about ways to optimize your approach to training!
Nick Willis Show: http://primalendurance.libsyn.com/interval-show-6-olympic-bronze-medalist-nick-williss-simply-running-approach
Muscleheads ripping on cardio article:
https://www.muscleforlife.com/how-much-cardio/
Cold water - long:
Cold water - quick demo:
Smoothie - long:
Smoothie - quick demo:
What is cold temperature therapy and what are the benefits of it? [00:01:44]
How does melatonin work in helping one sleep? What else helps one sleep? [00:09:51]
You do not want the cold exposure anywhere near your workout. [00:13:17]
What is the role of heat therapy? [00:17:00]
How does Brad start his day? What motivates him? [00:24:20]
Kickstart your digestive circadian rhythm with a green smoothie. [00:29:16]
Do we need to eat more calories when we are focused on Keto dieting? [00:32:59]
How do we know if we have a carb dependency problem? [00:37:09]
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