The B.rad Podcast
by Brad Kearns
Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let’s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It’s time to B.rad!
Episodes
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The Training You’re Missing That Prevents Age-Related Decline
Quick: What’s the leading cause of injury and death among Americans over age 65? Heart attack? Stroke? It’s actually falling—and specifically, the adverse health consequences that can follow a fall. There are 14 million falls a year among Americans over age 65, including 3 million…
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Could The Quarter (400-Meter Run) Be The Best Fitness Metric For Longevity?
What if running one lap around the track could reveal more about your longevity potential than any other fitness test? The 400-meter run is known in track and field as the “race of truth,” challenging your fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers, aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, and your...
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Forget Wearables! Follow These Simple, Low-Tech Sleep Secrets
It’s time for some more Bradsplaining! These are short episodes inspired by longer, full-length episodes that I have on the B.rad Podcast, so if you want a little quick hit, maybe it will interest and intrigue you to listen to a longer show on the same subject—that’s the idea. In this episode…
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Are You Neglecting The Most Important Workout For Longevity?
Welcome to a new series on the B.rad Podcast called “Bradsplaining,” where I provide tips, insights, and commentary on distinct subjects, giving you shorter episodes with actionable insights and takeaways. The first episode explains why I quit jogging after 40 years—and why you might want to…
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Why Testosterone Is The Best Blood Marker To Track Overall Health and Longevity Potential
Today, I'm taking you through my latest blood testing with Vitals Vault and sharing the biomarkers I pay the most attention to for health and performance. I explain why I track triglycerides-to-HDL ratio, fasting insulin, vitamin D, and especially testosterone, free testosterone, and SHBG—and why...
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Why I Stopped Jogging (And Maybe You Should Too): A Morning Walk With Brad
I made a post the other day stating that people over 50 should be banned from running marathons, and was greatly amused to see all the savage, critical comments coming back at me. Fair points made by those of you who are thriving in the endurance community, but what I am really talking about is…
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5 Shocking Misconceptions About Doping In Olympic and Professional Sports
Almost everything the average sports fan believes about doping is wrong. The “dirty cheaters stealing medals from clean athletes” story almost never describes what actually happened. Instead, we’ve had dirty sports, Cold War dynamics, and athletes faced with the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”...
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Is Circadian Rhythm The Ultimate Biohack? (Yes: Especially For Post-Menopausal Females!)
Could optimizing your circadian rhythm be the most important health intervention of all? In this show, I take a trip around the 24-hour clock, exploring fascinating ideas about light, leptin, metabolism, sleep, and circadian biology. We’ll look at why direct outdoor light in the morning matters,...
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Surprising Strategies to Help You Fall and Stay Asleep. Hint: They're Not The Usual Stuff | Chu Zhu
I’m so excited to bring you this wonderful interview with Mr. Chu Zhu. He is the founder of a company called Somnus Lab, and they make an amazing mattress cooling sleep system to help you regulate your body temperature during sleep. Chu is a scientifically sophisticated guest who explains some...
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Brad Talks Testosterone Testing (And Other Important Blood Tests)
Let’s talk about testosterone testing and other important blood tests you can track for your overall health, wellness, vitality, and longevity. I recorded this show on the occasion of my first visit to the blood lab after signing up for Vitals Vault’s premium program, and I talk about some of my...
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Is Pursuing "Loungevity" Over Longevity Funny, Or Offensive?
Should we pursue "loungevity" instead of longevity? This is a question posed by prominent sports commentator Colin Cowherd on a recent rant that appeared on Instagram. It was very entertaining, and the intent was to be humorous, but it was also, to me, very offensive at times and brings up this…
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Is Muscle Power More Important Than Strength For Longevity?
In your 30s, you start to lose a certain percentage of muscle tissue year over year, and that rate really accelerates when you hit 60. But everything we've been told about the importance of maintaining muscle as you age is roughly around half right. Maintaining muscle mass and muscle strength is…
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The Three Most Important Workouts For Longevity (That You Probably Aren't Doing!)
Hey, Brad Kearns here with some thoughts from my morning walk about the foundation of any excellent, well-rounded fitness program for peak performance, vitality, fat loss, and longevity. Did you know half of regular runners get an overuse injury every year, and 25% of regular runners are injured…
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Manage Your Emotional Response With 4 "Tiny Shifts" | Dr. Elisha Goldstein
What if the emotional patterns you struggle with aren’t actually who you are? What if they’re just patterns—and patterns can be interrupted? I’m joined by Dr. Elisha Goldstein, returning to the show eight years after his first appearance, to talk about his new book, Tiny Shifts: How Emotional...
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"A Tweak A Week": Secrets to Transforming Your Diet And Health The Right Way | Ben Azadi
Get ready for another great show with Ben Azadi, author of the new book KetoFlex. Ben has an incredible story—after struggling with obesity and depression in his early 20s, he lost 80 pounds and completely transformed his health. Today he's helping people better understand metabolism, fasting…
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Could Cacao Be The #1 Superfood Of All-Time?
Welcome to a most informative and inspiring show about the amazing ancient superfood of cacao! This episode will give you everything you need to know about its remarkable health benefits, healing properties, and how to choose the most sustainable, eco-friendly, fair-trade bean-to-bar products.…
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The World's Fittest Woman Trains Easier Than You Think! | Lauren Weeks
Hey, how about a podcast guest of the fittest female athlete in the world? Her name is Lauren Weeks and she is a Hyrox legend and a three-time world champion widely considered to be the most decorated competitor in the sport’s history and the world’s fittest woman. That’s a title you can throw...
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Four Rest Days A Week To Become World Champion? The Truth About Recovery | Cynthia Monteleone
I am so excited to welcome back to the B.rad Podcast, Cynthia Monteleone, my good friend and sprinting mentor coach to numerous Olympic and world champion masters track and field athletes, and a former world champion herself in the 400 meters for women aged 45 and over! Our last show was…
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Five Ways You May Be Screwing Up Your Fitness Goals - Even If You're Hard Core!
The more hardcore and devoted you get to fitness, the more risk you bring that you might actually be doing things the wrong way and getting counterproductive results. In this episode, I break down 5 ways you may be screwing up your fitness goals—even if you’re consistent, disciplined, and…
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Beware of Drinking Coffee, Workout Soreness, And Garbage At Whole Foods
In this Q&A episode, I answer questions about how to train for varied competitive distances without getting pulled in too many directions, explain my compelling stance on avoiding coffee (and NSAIDs), and give a plug for Dr. Doug McGuff’s “Big 5” total-body workout—a simple, highly effective way…
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Are You Self-Sabotaging Your Goals? Most Likely Yes! Here's How To Reprogram Quickly! | Thais Gibson
Today’s episode is a special rebroadcast of one of my all-time favorite conversations on the B.rad Podcast! Every so often, I like to revisit episodes that made a profound impact on me personally and delivered tremendous value to listeners, and this conversation with Thais Gibson is absolutely…
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Running A Marathon Causes Shocking Damage To Brain And Body! (Here's What To Do Instead)
Running a marathon is a bad idea—and in this episode, I explain why. I react to a shocking new study suggesting that during a marathon, the brain may actually consume myelin (the fatty insulation around nerve fibers) for fuel once glycogen stores run low. The researchers reassure us that the…
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8 Rules For A Better Life; Or, How To Get Over Yourself
Here’s a quick show about getting over yourself, inspired by a passage from Tony Robbins called “8 Rules for a Better Life.” As I read through the rules, I realized they all kind of hearkened back to my old podcast title, Get Over Yourself, which I believe is a quick and effective mantra for...
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Sprinting The Right Way, Beware of Influencers Going Outside Their Lane; Are Chemicals (Not Calories) Making Us Fat?
Get ready for a wild one! I dive into this Q&A with interesting insights on a variety of topics: designing your own intuitive diet instead of outsourcing decisions to others; the benefits of the hex bar deadlift; how the chemicals in American food—more so than calories—could be driving the…
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Should You Broadcast Your Goals, Or Quietly Pursue Them?
In this episode, I talk about whether you should announce your goals to the world with great fanfare—or just quietly plug away and pursue them. The topic was inspired by a couple of social media clips, including a “sub-11 second 100 meters in 90 days” project, which sounds exciting…but also...
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Faster Than College Athletes at Age 50! Meet World Record Holder Kristy Matthews
Enjoy this engaging interview with Kristy Matthews, the world indoor record holder in the 400 meters in the female 50+Masters division of Masters track&field! She can run 58 seconds for 400 meters, which is on a par with collegiate level athletes! Indeed, Kristy was a collegiate track star at San...
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3 Ways To Get Superfit - Without Going To The Gym!
In this episode, I talk about how to get super fit without going to the gym—and how it doesn’t take much time, equipment, or even budget to get started. I share how a simple morning routine—even just five minutes to get the blood flowing and shake the cobwebs out—can become a powerful daily…
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The Rise Of The Omega Man—A Vulnerable, Authentic Approach to a New Masculinity | Dave Rossi
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...
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4 Ideas To Make America Fitter (Since Only 21% Of Americans Are Part Of The Fitness Boom)
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…
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Why The "Quarter" Is The Best Fitness Marker For Longevity
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...
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3 Steps to Control Chronic Inflammation (And How to Keep Score On Your Progress)
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…
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Why Your Feet Are The Most Overlooked Element Of Lifelong Health | Dr. Courtney Conley
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…
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Do These Five Things Right Now To Prevent Dementia Later | Dr. Tommy Wood
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...
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Why Protein Supplements Are Getting More Expensive (And Less Potent) And How To Source The Best
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…
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Are You Overdoing Cardio and HIIT (And Missing Out On the Single Best Fitness Stimulation For Longevity and Fat Loss?)
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...
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Brad Reacts to Alex Hutchinson's "6 Supplements Worth Trying" Article
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...
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Whey Protein And High Intensity Exercise - Two Key Longevity Drivers
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…
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Brad Reacts To Paul Saladino's Whey Protein Claims (Sorting Fact From Hype)
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...
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World Champion Sprinter Gives The Secret To Lowering Inflammation and Getting Fast and Strong For Longevity | Cynthia Monteleone
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...
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The Best Fitness Benchmarks For Longevity (Better than Lame Internet Clickbait)
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.”…
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Beware of BS Exercise Physiology Data - Use Critical Thinking Instead
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...
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Start Here: A Master Class in Sleep, Diet, Movement, Fitness and Stress Management
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...
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Discipline, Motivation, and Will Power Are Overrated: The 3 True Secrets To Becoming a Fitness Champ
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...
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Four Ways To Be More Active In Life
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...
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How To Avoid Crappy Protein Supplements (And Choose The Best)
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...
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Training In 100F Heat, And Other Horrible Fitness Advice
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...
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Allen Iverson Was Right! Practice Is Overrated - Here's Why
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…
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Hicham El Guerrouj: The Most Talented, Most Focused, and Best Trained Athlete of All-Time?
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...
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Don't Run In The Heat! It's A Dumb Idea (But Go Ahead And Sprint In The Heat)
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...
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How Dreaming Big And Going All-In Made The Greatest High School Athletic Team Ever | Sean Brosnan
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…
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About this show
Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let’s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It’s time to B.rad!
Hosted by
Brad Kearns
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