Description: Host Brad Kearns talks to Dr. Kelly Starrett, the larger-than-life Cross Fit/Mobility/Physical Therapy industry leader who started the viral MobilityWOD.com (Mobility Workout of the Day).

Starrett wrote the bestseller Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance, and Ready to Run (where he applies his revolutionary movement and mobility philosophy to the injury-plagued world of running). He has a lot to say on the subject of how general fitness enthusiasts and competitive athletes can benefit from strength training and other complementary movement practices. This is especially so for endurance athletes, who often adopt that narrowly-focused, mileage obsessed approach.

Kelly has a doctorate in Physical Therapy, operates San Francisco CrossFit, and works with an assortment of elite athletes, including: NFL teams, Olympians, runners and triathletes. As a whitewater paddler, he competed for the US team in two world championships. He is currently training his wife Juliet for the world outrigger canoe championships in Hawaii in September.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Kelly offers up some urgent priorities for fitness enthusiasts to adopt a holistic approach and increase their mobility, prevent injury and improve general health. #1 is to participate in some form of movement practice – yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, kettlebells and other strength training programs are great examples. #2 is to engage in some soft tissue practice, such as foam rolling or using balls and other soft tissue mobility tools. #3 is to eat cleaner ala Primal style, to help minimize systemic inflammation and improve overall tissue health. #4 is to explore the advanced diagnostic technology available today, such as genetic testing and blood testing. Finally, remember that your “Desire to Train” – your intuitive signals of health and motivation each day, should guide you to the proper training decision over and above any fancy schedule that has been designed in advance. “Playing the long game (injury prevention, stress management, longevity promoting behaviors, etc.) is how you win the short game anyway,” asserts Kelly. Enjoy this fascinating and thought-provoking show from perhaps the world’s leading sports trainer and mobility expert.

Show Notes:

• They talk about how to suffer fewer injuries. [00:004:17]
• Brad asks if is it ever too late to recover from the damage done to your body. [00:06:10]
• Do you have the proper technique to be doing your chosen activity? [00:13:32]
• How do we get started on the practice of injury prevention? [00:13:48]
• In the book Ready to Run, there are 12 checkpoints described. [00:15:26]
• Are your tissues normal? [00:17:39]
• Are you missing out on things that will affect you down the road? [00:18:37]
• Do you have a movement practice? [00:20:20]
• What is your strength to weight ratio? [00:21:17]
• How can you get stronger without getting bigger? [00:24:07]
• People need to be able to learn basic maintenance on their body [00:26:00]
• Look at the nutrition. Stop eating sugar first. [00:27:12]
• You need to go on a hunt to identify the weaknesses. [00:28:03]
• Kelly talks about sleep and a lot about stress and the genetic component [00:29:54]
• The NGFR gene causes anemia. [00:31:21]
• How does genetic testing help? [00:32:04]
• Are you Vitamin D deficient? [00:33:03]
• Do you have the “desire to train?” Can you listen to your body? [00:34:19]
• How to take the best practices of sports and apply it to other aspects of your life. [00:38:00]
• How can we get the elite athletes to get enlightened in this area? [00:42:18]
• Where do you start and intervention? [00:45:25]
• Starting in elementary schools, they notice kids start harmful heel striking. [00:46:35]
• There is direct relationship with movement and cognitive skills [00:47:50]

Selected Links from the Episode:
Mark Allen
Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance
Genesolve
Highland Games
MobilityWOD.com
NGFR Gene
Ready to Run
Evelyn Stevens
Matt Vincent

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