Host Brad Kearns welcomes the red-hot author David Epstein to the show, on the heels of his whirlwind global tour to promote his bestselling book, The Sports Gene: Inside the science of extraordinary athletic performance. This is widely regarded as the seminal book on the topic of genetics in sports, and in it Dave dispels many widely held misconceptions and prejudices that people harbor relating to how genetics affects athletic performance.

 In this conversation, Epstein discusses the pop culture of the “10,000 Hour Rule” (first presented by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, Ph.D, and popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in the book Outliers.) Epstein dispels the accuracy of science behind the concept and the practical application of the concept. Basically, it’s BS! Genetic factors are relevant, as illustrated by the amazing “Tale of Two High Jumpers” featured in Chapter 2 in the book. Besides great physical attributes, there are genetic elements to the all-important athletic success factor of “desire to train.” People (like phenomenal ultra-athlete Pam Reed) have different dopamine response systems.

When it comes to stereotyping, for example, “Jamaicans are fast sprinters,” one must not overlook cultural factors. In Jamaica, youth track and field is king—there is no falling through the cracks or diverting to other sports. Epstein also writes for the progressive journalism nonprofit called ProPublica.org, which preserves the tradition of long-form investigative journalism. He had a huge impact with his recent article on the doping suspicions surrounding top track field coach Alberto Salazar. Enjoy the show and grab the book on amazon.com!

Show Notes:

• David did some research on the "ten thousand hour "rule that simply says: "If you put in enough time to anything, you'll become a master."   What did he find? [00:03:17]
• Does repetitive practice help you improve? [00:06:38]
• What’s the importance of practice variability? [00:10:44]
• What part does genetics play in the field of high-level athletics? [00:13:05]
• One surprising thing, when looking at the compulsion to train, involves the dopamine system. [00:18:35]
• What is the secret of the longevity aspect of training? [00:22:35]
• What about the belief that athletes from certain cultures are just born that way? [00:25:49]
• Individualization (peoples' genetic differences) has been the thing to look at regarding training plans. [00:31:24]
• Brad and David discuss medicines and medical exemptions as regards doping in sports. [00:34:38] 

Selected Links from the Episode:

Usain Bolt

David Epstein

Pam Reed

ProPublica

The Sports Gene

Tale of Two High Jumpers

The Sports Gene: Inside the science of extraordinary athletic performance

Description: The hosts with the most, Brad and Brock, return for another ridiculously interesting, free-flowing conversation on all matters of endurance training. First, they discuss how physically demanding jobs might impact training for endurance events—like nurses doing shift work or construction workers trying to train alongside the office workers. There are benefits to “moving frequently” in an active job, but the training schedule of highly physically demanding careers must be flexible and dynamic. When it comes to coaching people with busy lives, the transition away from robotic pre-programmed coaching schedules could alter the current business model, with coaches going from workout programmers to strategists.

Brad mentions how both Dr. Maffetone and Dave Scott agree that going relatively hard and going extremely hard have the same training effect. What if you backed off a bit on your high-intensity workouts? Would you lose mental toughness? Or would you recover faster, have less risk of setbacks (injury, illness, burnout) and thus get even faster? Maffetone thinks so in the premise of his book, 1:59 Marathon.

Brock recites “10 Myths About Elite Runners,” published in a Canadian running magazine, and the two banter about the assorted myths in hopes that recreational competitors can take to heart some of the misnomers about elites that compromise good decision making. This show offers an assortment of valuable tidbits to help you balance your training optimally with your important everyday life responsibilities.

Show Notes:

• Brock talks about coaching his own partner who works irregular 12-hour shifts and how she is able to train for marathons while dealing with her crazy schedule. [00:01:39]
• What is the most optimal training schedule? [00:06:41]
• What if you backed off a bit on your high-intensity workouts? [00:11:59]
• The biggest mistake that endurance athletes make is overtraining in an overstressed pattern. [00:16:43]
• They talk about an article Brock read in a Canadian publication about the top ten myths about elite runners. One is that they "kill it" every workout. [00:19:10]
• One of the other myths is: They never take a sip of booze. [00:23:57]
• Is it true that the elite athletes eat healthy all the time? Can one "undo" years of poor dietary habits? [00:25:21]
• Can a blood test show you enough to get you to turn around your poor dietary habits? Is there metabolic damage? [00:31:15]
• Brad talks about how our bodies are constantly rejuvenating themselves to repair damage. [00:32:50]
• What can we do to live longer? Avoiding stupid mistakes is a good idea. [00:34:21]
• They talk about some more myths about the elite athlete. Do they give up their social life? [00:38:27]
• Myth number 5 is that they all head to the US for university. [00:39:49]
• Do they always get up early to run? [00:42:43]
• Some of the ideas about how to train have been blown away by some examples that Brad shares. [00:45:35] 
• Do the elite athletes ignore injuries? [00:48:08]
• Myth number 9: They never get nervous. [00:56:25]
• Myth number 10 is that they are never hurting during races. [01:00:10] 

Selected Links from the Episode:

Ageless Body, Timeless Mind
Dr. Deepak Chopra
Endurance@Primalblueprint.com
How Lance Does It
I’m Here to Win
Dr. Phil Maffetone
Dr. Doug McGuff: Primal Prescription
Dave Scott