In this show, I share 40 mind-blowing assertions to recalibrate modern fitness philosophy, inspired by content in the book Born to Walk, written by me and Mark Sisson.

Walking is universally health-boosting, delivers excellent aerobic conditioning, stabilizes energy, mood, and appetite, and carries near zero overuse injury risk. In contrast, endurance running—even at a comfortable pace—is too physically stressful for the vast majority of participants, promotes breakdown, burnout, and chronic injury, and is most likely bad for your health when done in the typical modern manner.

You’ll hear why walking is a genetic expectation for health, why most endurance exercise should be conducted at or below your fat max heart rate, and how chronic cardio promotes stress hormone overproduction, suppressed immune function, and visceral fat storage. I also explain why elevated cushioned shoes enable poor running technique, drive injuries, and why recreational endurance running has only been possible in modern times because of them.

Key points from this episode:
Walking is universally health-boosting and delivers excellent aerobic conditioning with minimal risk
Running is too strenuous and stressful for most participants; walking should be the baseline
Fat max heart rate (180 minus age) is the true measure for energizing, fat-burning cardio
Chronic cardio promotes overuse injury, stress hormone overproduction, suppressed immunity, and visceral fat
Elevated cushioned shoes enable poor running technique and are the driver of chronic injury rates
The most celebrated endurance events (marathon, Ironman) are antithetical to health and fueled by marketing hype
Humans never ran for recreation until the modern running boom; ancestral movement was built on walking, strength, sprints, and play

Learn more at BornToWalkBook.com, where you can also download the free PDF resource with all 40 assertions and more tools for building lifelong health.

 

TIMESTAMPS:

For the vast majority of participants, running, even at a comfortable pace, is too physically stressful. [00:50]

The vast majority of your training should be at a medium or perhaps brisk walk if you're really fit, with a minimal amount of anything faster because it elevates the heart rate too high and it's too strenuous. [04:34]

Fat max heart rate represents the intensity at which you burn the maximum number of fat calories per minute. [06:27]

If you cannot proceed faster than 14 minutes per mile while you're at your fat max heart rate, you should be walking, not running. [08:32]

Maintaining muscle mass strength needs to be added to your bicycling, jogging, stiar climbing. Those simply aren't enough. [13:44]

It's not about the calories burned, it's about the movement. [16:50]

Running is catabolic. It breaks your body down and requires recovery while walking is anabolic, which means it sends the genetic signaling for efficient metabolic immune cognitive and endocrine function [24:54]

Running on elevated shoes enables poor running technique. [30:25]

When you're running barefoot, impact forces are similar whether the surface is hard or soft. [35:15]

Chronic cardio can suppress immune function, promote chronic inflammation, compromise gut health and damage mitochondria. [37:50]

The monotony of repetitive impact trauma and mental and physical suffering associated with steady state cardio can easily breed an obsessive addictive mentality. [43:08]

Don't overdo the search for that endorphin rush. [46:12]

Any homo sapiens genetic gifts for endurance are buried today under excess body fat, insufficient daily baseline activity, weak musculature and dysfunctional feet caused by a lifetime in shoes [53:50]

Recreational runnung is a new thing. It has come about only by elevated cushioned shoes. [59:56]

 

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com
B.rad Superdrink – Hydrates 28% Faster than Water—Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
Brad Kearns Cardio 2.0 Workout
The Primal Blueprint
Peluva YouTube

 

We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!

Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:


B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein!


Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!


Ketone-IQ Save 30% off your first subscription order & receive a free six-pack of Ketone-IQ!
Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.


Mito Red Light: Photobiomodulation light panels to enhance cellular energy production, improve recovery, and optimize circadian rhythm. Use code BRAD for 5% discount!


Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience


Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!

In this show, I share 40 mind-blowing assertions to recalibrate modern fitness philosophy, inspired by content in the book Born to Walk, written by me and Mark Sisson.
Walking is universally health-boosting, delivers excellent aerobic conditioning, stabilizes energy, mood, and appetite, and carries near zero overuse injury risk. In contrast, endurance running&mdash;even at a comfortable pace&mdash;is too physically stressful for the vast majority of participants, promotes breakdown, burnout, and chronic injury, and is most likely bad for your health when done in the typical modern manner.
You&rsquo;ll hear why walking is a genetic expectation for health, why most endurance exercise should be conducted at or below your fat max heart rate, and how chronic cardio promotes stress hormone overproduction, suppressed immune function, and visceral fat storage. I also explain why elevated cushioned shoes enable poor running technique, drive injuries, and why recreational endurance running has only been possible in modern times because of them.
Key points from this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Walking is universally health-boosting and delivers excellent aerobic conditioning with minimal risk</li>
<li aria-level="1">Running is too strenuous and stressful for most participants; walking should be the baseline</li>
<li aria-level="1">Fat max heart rate (180 minus age) is the true measure for energizing, fat-burning cardio</li>
<li aria-level="1">Chronic cardio promotes overuse injury, stress hormone overproduction, suppressed immunity, and visceral fat</li>
<li aria-level="1">Elevated cushioned shoes enable poor running technique and are the driver of chronic injury rates</li>
<li aria-level="1">The most celebrated endurance events (marathon, Ironman) are antithetical to health and fueled by marketing hype</li>
<li aria-level="1">Humans never ran for recreation until the modern running boom; ancestral movement was built on walking, strength, sprints, and play</li>
</ul>
Learn more at BornToWalkBook.com, where you can also download the free PDF resource with all 40 assertions and more tools for building lifelong health.
&nbsp;
TIMESTAMPS:
For the vast majority of participants, running, even at a comfortable pace, is too physically stressful. [00:50]
The vast majority of your training should be at a medium or perhaps brisk walk if you're really fit, with a minimal amount of anything faster because it elevates the heart rate too high and it's too strenuous. [04:34]
Fat max heart rate represents the intensity at which you burn the maximum number of fat calories per minute. [06:27]
If you cannot proceed faster than 14 minutes per mile while you're at your fat max heart rate, you should be walking, not running. [08:32]
Maintaining muscle mass strength needs to be added to your bicycling, jogging, stiar climbing. Those simply aren't enough. [13:44]
It's not about the calories burned, it's about the movement. [16:50]
Running is catabolic. It breaks your body down and requires recovery while walking is anabolic, which means it sends the genetic signaling for efficient metabolic immune cognitive and endocrine function [24:54]
Running on elevated shoes enables poor running technique. [30:25]
When you're running barefoot, impact forces are similar whether the surface is hard or soft. [35:15]
Chronic cardio can suppress immune function, promote chronic inflammation, compromise gut health and damage mitochondria. [37:50]
The monotony of repetitive impact trauma and mental and physical suffering associated with steady state cardio can easily breed an obsessive addictive mentality. [43:08]
Don't overdo the search for that endorphin rush. [46:12]
Any homo sapiens genetic gifts for endurance are buried today under excess body fat, insufficient daily baseline activity, weak musculature and dysfunctional feet caused by a lifetime in shoes [53:50]
Recreational runnung is a new thing. It has come about only by elevated cushioned shoes. [59:56]
&nbsp;
LINKS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">Brad Kearns.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bradnutrition.com/">BradNutrition.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://a.co/d/3pVVl9w">B.rad Superdrink &ndash; Hydrates 28% Faster than Water&mdash;Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery</a></li>
<li><a href="about:blank">B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/shop/">Brad&rsquo;s Shopping Page</a></li>
<li><a href="http://borntowalkbook.com/">BornToWalkBook.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">B.rad Podcast &ndash; All Episodes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://peluva.com/?view=cro-id28570">Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KFlg5hLma8&amp;t=87s">Brad Kearns Cardio 2.0 Workout</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-Mark-Sisson/dp/193956347X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YKONUSHPDWC1&amp;keywords=The+Primal+Blueprint&amp;qid=1649291364&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=the+primal+blueprint,stripbooks,126&amp;sr=1-1">The Primal Blueprint</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@wearpeluva/videos">Peluva YouTube</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&amp;A shows, emailed to <a href="mailto:getoveryourselfpodcast@gmail.com">podcast@bradventures.com</a>. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn&rsquo;t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won&rsquo;t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://bradnutrition.com/?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">B.rad Nutrition:</a> Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein!
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://peluva.com/?sscid=91k7_1q58j&amp;utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Peluva</a>: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://ketone.com/BRAD?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Ketone-IQ</a>&nbsp;Save 30% off your first subscription order &amp; receive a free six-pack of Ketone-IQ!
</li>
<li><a href="http://getstride.com" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://getstride.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1744479083574000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2M5EotlxxWpksCKN7ZVyMD">Get Stride: </a>Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome &amp; blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.mitoredlight.com/?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Mito Red Light:</a>&nbsp;Photobiomodulation light panels to enhance cellular energy production, improve recovery, and optimize circadian rhythm. Use code BRAD for 5% discount!
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://bradventures.thinkific.com/collections?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Online educational courses:</a>&nbsp;Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.primalhealthcoach.com/brad/?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Primal Fitness Expert Certification</a>: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!
</li>
</ul>

Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let’s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It’s time to B.rad!

 

Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let&rsquo;s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It&rsquo;s time to B.rad!
&nbsp;

Brad Kearns, NY Times bestselling author and world #1 masters age 60+ high jumper, offers a fun and diverse mix of interviews with leading authors and health experts, and  how-to shows for peak performance, weight loss, personal growth, and longevity

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