The B.rad Podcast

In this episode, I talk with my good friend and greatest mentor for personal growth and self-awareness, Dave Rossi—appearing for his fifth time on the podcast, a new record, in the B.rad studio during his tour for his new book , Alphas Die Early: For the Man on a Mission — And the Women Who Love Him. The book is so rich and deep, and I strongly urge you to read it—it can be life...

In this episode, I talk about why only about 21% of Americans are regularly active despite today’s booming fitness culture—and I share 4 simple ideas to help make fitness more accessible, affordable, and doable for more people. Inspired by Derek Thompson’s “The Great American Fitness Boom” and data from the American Time Use Survey and Sports & Fitness Industry As...

This episode describes why your time in the 400-meter run could be the single best indicator of your longevity potential and your overall fitness competency. The 400 is known in track & field as the “race of truth” because it sequentially exhausts the various high-intensity systems of the body—testing all of your attributes: speed, strength, power, metabolic fitness, and your...

In this episode, I talk about three simple ways to control chronic inflammation—and how to keep score on your progress instead of chasing expensive supplements. The topic was inspired by a friend who texted me a photo of a pricey bottle of antioxidants and asked if it would help with inflammation, which prompted some classic Brad-splaining. I explain why the biggest drivers of chronic inflam...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Courtney Conley, world renowned foot expert and author of the sensational new book, Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity One Step at a Time . Mark Sisson and I are big fans of Dr. Courtney’s work—there’s so much crossover with what we wrote in  Born to Walk —and she does a beautiful job not just highl...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Tommy Wood about how to protect and strengthen brain health across the lifespan—how overstimulation, chronic stress, and not giving your brain time to rest and recover undermines focus and productivity, and why restructuring your workday, prioritizing sleep, and building in real cognitive breaks can help you think more clearly and perform better. We discuss h...

In this episode, I answer the question of “Why is your B.rad protein so expensive?” and dig into why protein prices keep rising—and why lower prices often mean watered-down products. You will hear about the huge distinction in quality in the protein supplement marketplace, why the gold standard is grass-fed whey protein isolate, and how it stands in stark contrast to whey protein...

Are you overemphasizing cardio in your exercise program? The answer for almost everyone out there is yes. We are doing too much cardio at the expense of the most beneficial fitness stimulations by far (as known to exercise physiology, not just my opinion): anaerobic system development, true sprinting competency, and true muscular strength and explosive power. The biggest drivers of accelerated agi...

In this episode, I explain why my stance on supplements has shifted and react to a New York Times article by Alex Hutchinson (author of Endure and The Explorer’s Gene ) that cuts through the hype surrounding fitness supplements and asks a simple question: which ones actually work? I break down why the supplement industry is such a mess, including research showing that many so-called workout...

In this episode, I dive deep into why protein—especially high-quality whey protein isolate—becomes non-negotiable as we age, and why so many popular products completely miss the mark. I explain the real differences between whey concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate; why lactose intolerance is often a quality issue, not a whey issue; and how misleading media “best of” lists...

In this episode, I do a reaction—and a critical deep dive—into Paul Saladino’s newly released Heart & Soil grass-fed whey protein. I explain why whey protein is considered the highest biological-value protein on the planet, why I’ve personally been very selective about using it, and what immediately caught my attention when Paul repeatedly claimed his whey is “bet...

Please enjoy a great conversation and in-person show here in the Sacramento studios of the B.rad podcast with my good friend and sprinting mentor Cynthia Monteleone, coming to you all the way from the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. We had a long, wide-ranging discussion on health, fitness, peak performance, and longevity—especially in Cynthia’s area of expertise, acting as a truth see...

In this episode, I get into all these viral “every man should be able to…” fitness challenges you see on Instagram and YouTube—the ones with the deep-voice narrator rattling off random benchmarks that aren’t age-graded, aren’t grounded in any science, and somehow declare you “top 10% of health.” I talk about why the subject  is relevant, what t...

In this episode, I talk about the modern tendency to obsess over “science says…” posts—like the viral claim that slapping your quadriceps ten times will wake up your motor cortex, spike your stretch reflex, and increase vertical jump by 18% and sprint speed by 12%. I describe why these numbers raised my hackles, walk through the reality of neural activation and theatrics w...

A friend recently asked, “What’s a good episode to start with?” for a basic overview of health and lifestyle optimization. Great question—and honestly, I didn’t have a good answer. So here it is! This show covers the basics from a big-picture perspective—the one to share with friends and loved ones. It’s not sciency or intimidating, just a simple, reasonab...

In this episode, I talk about why “inspiration is for amateurs,” and why discipline, motivation, and willpower are some of the most overrated concepts in the fitness world. We’re surrounded by grind-culture blowhards bragging about 4 a.m. wake-ups and superhuman discipline, but the real secret to becoming the person you want to be—on the track, in the gym, or in any area of...

In this episode, I talk about four simple but powerful ways to be more active in daily life. Experts now agree that your overall level of movement—not your formal workouts—is the single most important factor for long-term health. You can’t just hit your morning spin class and then sit around the rest of the day. In fact, research on the “Active Couch Potato Syndrome”...

In this episode, I dive deep into protein supplements—how to avoid crappy products loaded with questionable ingredients, and how to read labels like a pro. We break down how whey protein is made, why it’s the most potent and bioavailable protein powder, and why it’s far superior to plant-based sources. I also tackle the myths around protein timing and protein bars: you don’...

In this episode, I call out some dangerous and misguided fitness advice floating around on social media—like a post from a PhD in exercise physiology suggesting that everyone should go run for 45 minutes in 100-degree heat to boost their VO₂ max. Sure, the science on heat training is interesting and real, but context matters. For elite athletes training for world championships, carefully man...

In this episode, I revisit one of the most infamous press conferences in sports history—Allen Iverson’s legendary “practice” rant from 2002—and explain why I think he was actually right all along. Iverson’s words have lived on as a punchline for decades, but when you look closer, you realize he was speaking some deep truth about recovery, workload, and the impos...

I take you through the incredible story of Hicham El Guerrouj, the Moroccan middle-distance legend who was virtually unbeatable for nearly four years, only to face heartbreaking defeats at the Atlanta Olympics. I walk through the agony of those losses, the silver medal at 1500 meters, and the mental and physical toll of carrying the expectations of millions while chasing perfection. We get into ho...

In this episode, I talk about a couple of articles I saw recently about running in the heat—about heat acclimation and endurance training—that honestly kind of rubbed me the wrong way. So alert runners: we need to have a talk about this. I start by reading an excerpt from one of these popular running websites and unpacking some of the flawed assumptions behind this kind of messaging. Y...

I’m so excited to welcome Sean Brosnan to the B.rad podcast! Sean is the author of  Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running , written with Chris Lear and Andrew Grefe. And yes, it’s a book about running—about high school workouts, races, and championships—but it’s also so much more than that. In this epi...

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&mdas...

The foremost health authority, the contrarian, and voice of reason is spouting this level of misinformation, so I think it deserves the acronym: A-Y-F-K-M. Dr. Layne Norton, internet health influencer and self-titled Truth Seeker and debunker, has delivered the single worst piece of fitness advice imaginable. There is no more potentially destructive message to convey besides telling people to push...