Beyond Training Quotes

“In a nutshell: Stress is stress - no matter whether it's from exercise or from lifestyle - and the more stress you're placing on yourself from your lifestyle, the less stress you'll be able to place on yourself from exercise.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“For years, exercise scientists have been convinced that the only way to increase mitochondrial density is with aerobic endurance training, but recent studies have proved otherwise. Not only is an increase in the size and number of mitochondria a proven adaptation to HIIT, but the mitochondrial benefit of HIIT goes way beyond size and number. For example, all your mitochondria contain oxidative enzymes, such as citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase, and succinate dehydrogenase. These oxidative enzymes lead to improved metabolic function of your skeletal muscles—particularly by causing more effective fat and carbohydrate breakdown for fuel and also by accelerating energy formation from ATP. So more oxidative enzymes means that you have a higher capacity for going longer and harder. And it turns out that, according to an initial study on the effect of HIIT on oxidative enzymes, there were enormous increases in skeletal muscle oxidative enzymes in seven weeks in subjects who did four to ten thirty-second maximal cycling sprints followed by four minutes of recovery just three days a week. But what about HIIT as opposed to aerobic cardio? Another six-week training study compared the increase in oxidative enzymes that resulted from either: 1. Four to six thirty-second maximal-effort cycling sprints, each followed by four-and-a-half minutes of recovery, performed three days a week (classic HIIT training) or 2. Forty to sixty minutes of steady cycling at 65 percent VO2 max (an easy aerobic intensity) five days a week The levels of oxidative enzymes in the mitochondria in subjects who performed the HIIT program were significantly higher—even though they were training at a fraction of the volume of the aerobic group. How could this favorable endurance adaptation happen with such short periods of exercise? It turns out that the increased mitochondrial density and oxidative-enzyme activity from HIIT are caused by completely different message-signaling pathways than those created by traditional endurance training.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“You have to leave behind the exhausting pursuit of exercise for the sake of exercise and discover the beautiful balance between health and performance.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“Don’t drink coffee or caffeinated drinks before your nap.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“era, life was a constant physical challenge. We didn’t have refrigerators, preservatives, microwaves, fast food, or pizza delivery to help us put dinner on the table. Rather than rushing”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“(In many cases, increasing fat availability immediately before exercise can actually increase endurance performance as well as enhance recovery. See Figure 2-2.)”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“I was flying high. And low. And high. And low...”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“If you really want to take isometrics to the next level, you can use a technique that Jay calls “extreme isometrics,” in which you move, but very, very s-l-o-w-l-y. We’re talking five to ten minutes per repetition. This technique takes intense focus. Go ahead and try to do a ten-minute push-up and see how your entire body responds.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“In conclusion, if you use an alarm clock, you endanger your data.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“Potassium citrate, 400–500 milligrams. Earlier, I mentioned Morvan’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that destroys the brain’s potassium channels, which leads to severe insomnia and death(15). Don’t worry: If you need potassium citrate to get to sleep, it doesn’t mean that you have a fatal autoimmune disease. But it may mean that you have a mineral imbalance, and potassium citrate can help address that and relax you. Potassium is most effective when balanced with magnesium, so you should combine it with 400–500 milligrams Natural Calm magnesium, taken about a half-hour to an hour before bed. Back off the dosage if you get loose stool. If the magnesium citrate in Natural Calm upsets your stomach, try magnesium glycinate or magnesium taurate. And if you want sleep along with a glorious morning bowel movement, use oxygenated magnesium in the form of MagO2. I link to some good brands on the web page for this chapter.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“My eating “system” is very simple: 99 percent of the time, I eat the same thing for breakfast (green smoothie), for lunch (sardine salad), and for an afternoon snack (coconut milk with protein powder)—which saves a lot of brain time pondering what to eat and saves a lot of prep time, because the more you do something, the faster you’re able to do it. For dinner, we eat out, or I try a new recipe and include my children so it’s a fun learning project, or Jessa cooks.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“Blood pressure: Take and compare two blood pressure readings—one while lying down and one while standing. Lie down for five minutes before taking the first reading. Then stand up and immediately take your blood pressure again. If your blood pressure is lower after standing, you probably have reduced adrenal gland function—more specifically inadequate aldosterone, which is an adrenal hormone that regulates your blood pressure. The degree to which blood pressure drops while standing is often proportionate to the degree of aldosterone-related adrenal issues. If your adrenal function is normal, your body will elevate your blood pressure when you stand up in order to push blood to your brain. If adrenal function is not normal, your blood pressure does not elevate, and this is why overtrained athletes tend to get dizzy more often.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“Researchers have also observed that people who listened to music during exercise actually improved their mood, the speed of their decision-making, and even their verbal fluency. That means you’ll not only be able to exercise harder when you listen to music, but you may actually get smarter, too, or perhaps have better focus.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“because salivary testing”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life

“Running LT Test: Exercise for thirty minutes at the max effort you can sustain, monitoring your heart rate throughout. Your average heart rate during the final twenty minutes should correspond to your LT.”
― Ben Greenfield, Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life