Sisson Mark - Primal Endurance: Revolutionize Your Training Approach to Drop Excess Body Fat, Manage Stress, Preserve Health, and Go a Lot Faster!

ENDURANCE

MARK SISSON
AND BRAD KEARNS

2016, Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns. All rights reserved.

Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the publisher.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher. Information in this book was accurate at the time researched. The author received no incentives or compensation to promote the item recommendations in the book.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015945804

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher

Sisson, Mark 1953- ; and Kearns, Brad 1965

Primal Endurance/Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns

ISBN: 978-1-939563-08-8

1. Endurance training 2. Physical fitness 3. Weight loss 4. Exercise physiology

Design and Layout: Caroline De Vita

Illustrations & Cartoons: Caroline De Vita

Cover Design: Jane Meadows

Cover photography: Leslie Klenke

Editor: Penelope Jackson

Copy Editor: Kate Kennedy

Index: Tim Tate

Other photos used by permission and courtesy of: Dr. Peter Attia, Robina Bennion, Nick Borelli, Katy Bowman, Suzanne Cardenas, RunDMC Curley, Jacques DeVore, Doug Ellis Photography, Johnny G, Richard Graham (professional quality triathlon photos of Pigg, Allen, Kearns, etc.), Joe Grant, Brad Kearns, Maria Kearns, Dr. Steven E Kobrine, Lauren Lobley, Dr. Phil Maffetone, Betty Melocotn, Colleen Conners-Pace, Dr. Cate Shanahan, Carrie Sisson, Mark Sisson, Mike Stahlberg, Jon Stahley, Dr. Kelly Starrett, Sweetwater Health LLC, Lindsay Taylor, US Government DMSP, and the featured athletes in .

Shutterstock images-: EpicStockMedia, Foodpics, Jane Halmes, Vadim Ivanov, Sebastian Kaulitzki, Kayo, ruigsantos, TigerForce, Dennis Van de Water, vlad.georgescu, Davydenko Yuliia. iStock images-: angelhell, Matthias Drobeck, kickers, Steve Krull, Lorado, Jason Lugo, mihtiander, Joe.Potato, sangfoto, stockstudioX, strauski, swetta, thelinke.

Publisher: Primal Blueprint Publishing, 1641 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033

For information on quantity discounts, please call 888-774-6259,

email: info@primalblueprintpublishing.com,

or visit PrimalBlueprintPublishing.com.

DISCLAIMER: The ideas, concepts, and opinions expressed in this book are intended to be used for educational purposes only. This book is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not rendering medical advice of any kind, nor is this book intended to replace medical advice, nor to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, condition, illness, or injury. It is imperative that before beginning any diet, exercise, or lifestyle program, including any aspect of the methodologies mentioned in Primal Endurance, you receive full medical clearance from a licensed physician. The authors and publisher claim no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material in this book. If you object to this disclaimer, you may return the book to publisher for a full refund.

Welcome from Mark and Brad!

Photo by, uh, Brad Kearns (hey, no one was home)

NOTE FROM MARK: As you probably already know or will find out soon, I enjoyed some success in marathon and triathlon back in my day, but I struggled and suffered so much in the process that I was compelled to rethink many of the standard assumptions about endurance training and racing. You know, stuff like more is better, consistency is key, and other such complete nonsense. Ive been talking, coaching, and writing about this stuff for many years, but in recent years Ive been diverted to a bigger calling than the niche community of endurance athletes in my quest to counter conventional wisdom about diet, exercise, and lifestyle with the evolutionary health principles, and my particular spin on evolutionary or ancestral health practices that I call the Primal Blueprint.

This book feels like Ive come full circle, able to return to my roots in the endurance scene while acquainting the community with my passion for primal living. Since there is so much disparity between the conventional approach to endurance training and the Primal Blueprint way of life, this endeavor is a challenge in many ways.

Okay, Ive come full circle in spirit, but not in body. I cant drop any more 100-milers before lunch like this guy did back in the day.

Along those lines, we have made a sincere commitment to pull no punches and give you the real scoop at all times in this book. I know youve been exposed to a ton of training and racing philosophies through your eager consumption of books, magazines, internet resources, coaching advice, and peer banter. Sometimes this overstimulation makes it difficult to distill whats most important, or make sense of conflicting viewpoints. Throughout this project, Brad and I have been mindful of keeping our commitment to giving you the very best weve got on this subject. If you feel chapped at commentary about why endurance athletes are too fat or the like, please remember that were speaking to you from the perspective of having been through a similar journey.

Even though my days on the starting line have long since passed, I have a deep appreciation and respect for the goals you are pursuing and working toward each day, and I want the very best for you. With my natural coaching instincts such a big part of who I am, Im going to push and challenge and second guess you in the process of helping you be the best you can be. So get ready for a wild ride with Primal Endurance!

NOTE FROM BRAD: Well said, Mark! I too am overjoyed to have this opportunity to work with Mark and present this story to you on a topic that is near and dear to both of our hearts. As an athlete, my association with Coach Mark transformed my career, allowing me to reach the top level of triathlon while at the same time protecting my health much more than I could have following the conventional approach. When I stopped competing and Mark stopped coaching in the mid-1990s, we pursued separate career paths for many years, but reconvened when I was compelled to assist Mark with the phenomenal growth of the Primal Blueprint movement that he started with the launch of MarksDailyApple.com in 2006.

Mark and I always kept in touch over the years, and Id paid a casual interest in his MarksDailyApple.com musings in the early days. But when he published his groundbreaking article, A Case Against Cardio, in 2007, I was absolutely thrown for a loop. Here was my coach and mentor, a former elite marathoner and Ironman triathlete himself, calling out the entire endurance community as engaging in unhealthy, even dangerous, behavior in the form of chronic cardiovascular exercise!