As many of you know, Brad is my longtime writing partner, host of the Primal Endurance podcast and host of the weekly keto show on the Primal Blueprint podcast. (He’s just started his own podcast recently called Get Over Yourself. You can check it out and even listen to an edition he’s called “The Ultimate Mark Sisson Interview.”) Our relationship goes back 30 years to when I was Brad’s coach during his career on the professional triathlon circuit. The start of Brad’s chronic plantar fasciitis ordeal dates back nearly that long, until he was completely cured in a matter of weeks back in 2011. Hence, the subject of today’s post! If you are a sufferer, pay close attention because we dove deep into this topic and are giving you the tools to never suffer again.
Indeed, as Brad will detail shortly, miracle cures are possible, even for extreme sufferers. About three years ago, Brad was over at my place on a Monday and noticed me spending a lot of time rubbing and stretching my chronically tight Achilles tendon; it had taken its weekly beating the previous day at Ultimate Frisbee. I tried the prolonged stretches he details in the article and experienced immediate relief. (Around the same time, I also started to experiment with the early supplemental collagen products on the market, which also helped my foot issues and other joint aches and pains clear up.).
Enjoy today’s article, and let us know your thoughts on this treatment protocol.
Read MoreThe deadlift is a full-body exercise that can (and should) be a central component of any strength training program. Everyone from beginners to competitive bodybuilders benefits from deadlifting.
“Lift heavy things” is one of the 10 Primal Blueprint Laws because building and maintaining muscle is mandatory for metabolic health, mobility, and being able to participate in your favorite pursuits now and well into old age. Anyone who plans to be a spry and active nonagenarian—hopefully that’s you—must lift heavy things. More specifically, “lifting heavy things” should mimic the activities of everyday life and build the strength necessary to make these activities easier. The deadlift is the quintessential example of a compound movement that builds that kind of functional strength.
Read MoreFor today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m doing three quick topics. First, what are we to make of the studies in which replacing saturated fat and trans-fat with omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fat seems to reduce heart disease? Second, although red meat is nutrient dense and generally a more interesting option than plain chicken breast, some people have legit red meat allergies (tick-induced or otherwise). What do I think about that and the tick situation in general? And third, is HIIT an effective (and safe) option for middle-aged men?
Let’s go:
Read MoreToday’s post is offered up by the good folks at PaleoHacks.com. I’ve always been a fan of at-home, bodyweight workouts, as many of you know, and this routine is worth adding to the rotation. Enjoy, everyone.
A Power Yoga Flow is just what you need to improve your functional strength, mobility and stability. But you may be wondering: ”What is functional strength?”
Functional strength is just what it sounds like—the strength to function in your daily life. Many of the movements you do regularly require lifting, bending, stepping, squatting, twisting, muscular endurance and more. A lack of functional strength makes life more difficult. You may get fatigued or winded simply by doing everyday tasks. By following a functional strength and mobility sequence like this Power Yoga Flow just a few times per week, you can increase your functional strength.
Read MoreA few months ago, I explored the benefits and applications of cold therapy. Today, I’m going to talk about the benefits and applications of heat therapy—one of the most ubiquitous and ancestral therapies in the history of humankind. You name a culture and—as long as they didn’t live in perpetual tropical heat—they probably had some form of heat therapy. Native Americans had the sweat lodge, those of Central America the temazcal. The Romans had the thermae, which they picked up and refined from the Greeks. Other famous traditions include Finnish saunas, Russian banyas, Turkish hammams, Japanese sentó (or the natural spring-fed onsen), and the Korean jjimjilbang. People really like the heat.
Read MoreBack in June during the 21-Day Challenge, I asked you to share questions you had about my personal health routine, and I’m looking forward to answering those in the coming months. We talk a lot about generalities here, and for good reason. Research can and should drive principle, but oftentimes while we wait around for it (or have questions about the overall validity of what’s out there), n=1 self-experimentation can tell us a lot.
Over the years, I’ve gathered ideas for that experimentation by reading the studies and listening to others talk about the choices they make. All of it together has—and continues to—inform the routine I follow to live the life I want. Among the many questions you sent were inquiries about my supplement regimen. Today I’m sharing what I take, when I take it, and why.
Read MoreIf you’re looking for an easy way to incorporate a beginning strength training practice (or just a little extra effort) into your exercise routine, wearable weights—which include weighted vests, ankle weights and wrist weights—can seem like a no-brainer. After all, you’re technically investing the same amount of time and doing the same activities but just with more effort and benefit. And you just have to slip them on and go, right?
Not exactly.
Read MoreResistance bands are the ultimate versatile, affordable, ultra-compact home gym. You can get a fantastic, quick body workout with something that fits into a drawstring backpack or an airplane carry on. Bands are obviously great for workouts on-the-go in hotel rooms and elsewhere, but they’re so effective that they can and should become a centerpiece of your strength training experience at home or at your favorite gym.
Read MoreThere’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that kids aren’t getting enough physical activity.
Inadequate amounts of physical activity are a strong risk factor for obesity and metabolic dysfunction in kids. It’s most likely causal, too, because as much as people question the usefulness of only exercising to lose weight, there’s no question that exercise and physical activity in general is important for preventing obesity from occurring.
Read MoreFor today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering six questions from readers. First, is funding from a biased source sufficient to negate a study’s results? Second, what are some good high intensity interval training workouts that people might not have considered? Third, what can someone recovering from an ACL tear do for HIIT without triggering knee pain flareups? Fourth, how do I like to eat spinach? And finally, how and when do I like to take collagen?
Let’s go:
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