Libsyn Directory

Rerun - Success Through the Struggle with Spartan Race Founder Joseph De Sena- EP025

Release Date: 10/27/2019

Rerun - The Perfect Human Diet with CJ Hunt - EP012

Ali Fitness Podcast

Naysayers often dismiss the Paleo lifestyle with the claim that it is simply a fad. But if you start at the beginning and explore what early humans were eating two million years ago, it becomes clear that the animal fat diet not only sustained our early ancestors but actually led to the development of our species. So if the Paleo movement is a fad, it’s a pretty persistent one! Today’s guest is no stranger to the pushback against the lifestyle, and he’s here to explain how the latest science and technology support his understanding of Paleo as the perfect human diet. CJ Hunt dropped dead...

Rerun - Biohacking That Won’t Break the Bank with Thaddeus Owen - EP076

Ali Fitness Podcast

We tend to associate biohacking with expensive gadgets. But the truth is, some of the best things you can do for your health cost nothing at all. On this episode of Ali Fitness, we hack the biohacker, picking the brain of a master to find out how to feel our best—without breaking the bank! Thaddeus Owen is a master biohacker and blogger with and . He is also a certified Bulletproof Coach with a Master’s degree in Holistic Nutrition as well as a certified personal trainer. Thaddeus began his career as a chemical engineer, working for a traditional pharmaceutical company....

Adapt to Stress with a Groundbreaking Wearable—with David Rabin of Apollo Neuroscience - EP136

Ali Fitness Podcast

Wish you could wake up without a cup of coffee? Or wind down at night without a glass of wine? Most of us spend the day self-medicating to manage our energy, using stimulants and sedatives to adjust our body’s rhythms. Rhythms thrown off by the activity-driven stress of modern life. But what if there was a wearable that could replicate the states of calm and balance we’re chasing and ultimately restore our body’s natural rhythms? Dr. David Rabin is the Cofounder and CIO at , a technology company developing the first scientifically-validated wearable to improve focus, sleep and meditative...

Rerun - Primal Blueprint Thought-Leader Brad Kearns on the Keto Diet - EP005

Ali Fitness Podcast

Might as well face it, you’re addicted to carbs. The conventional approach to endurance training promotes ‘chronic cardio’ and carbohydrate dependency. But there is a way to reset your metabolic clock with the keto diet, and today’s guest wrote the book on it – well, he co-authored it anyway! Brad Kearns has been a well-known coach, speaker and author in the health and fitness realm for 20-plus years. During his nine-year career as a triathlete, he was one of the world’s top ranked professionals, amassing 30 wins worldwide on the pro circuit, and he still holds the Hawaii Ironman...

Leveraging Quality CBD to Optimize Health—with Will Kleidon of Ojai Energetics - EP135

Ali Fitness Podcast

For thousands and thousands of years, humans have consumed cannabis, leveraging its micronutrients to adapt to technological shifts. And then we abruptly pulled it out of our diets, just as our oxidative stress levels shot up. So, what can we do to counter this one-two punch to our collective health? How, exactly, do CBD and other compounds produced by the cannabis plant work to benefit our body systems? And what can we do to choose quality CBD products that actually work? Will Kleidon is the Founder and CEO of , an ethics-driven health and wellness company based in California. Ojai Energetics...

Rerun - How Insufficient Sleep Impacts Athletic Performance with Pat Byrne - EP045

Ali Fitness Podcast

‘The best athletes on the teams I’ve worked with have always been the best sleepers. The bottom third of the sleepers are usually gone within a few years.’ We live in a world where functioning on less and less sleep has become ‘the new normal,’ so we may not realize just how much insufficient sleep impacts our performance. Of course, there are elements of this that are out of our control, like the travel schedule associated with competition. But if you are struggling to get close to the recommended 7½-9 hours, it is likely that your reaction time and your ability to focus are...

What’s Hijacking Your Health & Happiness?—with Dr. Brian Brown - EP134

Ali Fitness Podcast

There’s a direct correlation between health and happiness. Any yet, traditional medicine treats our unhappiness with antidepressants. The medical community manages symptoms of anxiety and depression with drugs—rather than taking the time to find the root cause of our health issues. So, what can we do to stop poor health from hijacking our happiness? is the peak longevity strategist behind The Optimal CEO, a functional medicine practice that helps high-level entrepreneurs, influencers and CEOs achieve optimal health. He works with clients to develop a custom wellness plan, supporting them...

Rerun - Addressing Chronic Disease Via Collaborative Practice with Chris Kresser - EP078

Ali Fitness Podcast

We are suffering from the worst chronic disease problem the world has ever seen, and traditional medicine is not set up to address the issue. In fact, a full 50% of Americans are dealing with at least one chronic disease right now, and by 2030, healthcare spending to treat chronic disease is projected to hit a mind-bending $47 trillion. Chris Kresser is on a mission to address chronic disease by way of a collaborative practice model that affords patients a healthcare team consisting of a general practitioner as well as a health coach, personal trainer, counselor, etc.—all working together to...

Cutting-Edge Home Health Testing—with Dr. Christopher Mason of Onegevity - EP133

Ali Fitness Podcast

Home health testing is all the rage. But which one of the many services available provides the most accurate results? And is there a platform with more to offer than information? A platform that delivers actionable advice for solving your health challenges or improving your performance? Dr. Christopher Mason is an Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cofounder of , a platform designed to empower individuals to maintain optimal health by democratizing access to actionable information from leading-edge biomedical research. Dr. Chris earned his BS in Genetics and Biochemistry from...

Rerun - Success Through the Struggle with Spartan Race Founder Joseph De Sena- EP025

Ali Fitness Podcast

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Joseph De Sena truly lives by this unique philosophy, having moved his family from Japan to New York because things were getting too easy. His belief that life is more fruitful when you’ve struggled extends to his work as well. Joe is the CEO and co-founder of Spartan Race, Inc, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand. The Spartan lifestyle spans 35 countries and encompasses a global championship series as well as training and nutrition programs. Joe had a lucrative career on Wall Street, but he wasn’t inspired by the work. In...

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“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Joseph De Sena truly lives by this unique philosophy, having moved his family from Japan to New York because things were getting too easy. His belief that life is more fruitful when you’ve struggled extends to his work as well.

Joe is the CEO and co-founder of Spartan Race, Inc, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand. The Spartan lifestyle spans 35 countries and encompasses a global championship series as well as training and nutrition programs.

Joe had a lucrative career on Wall Street, but he wasn’t inspired by the work. In 2000, he got the idea to change people’s lives through endurance racing, but the events were too difficult for most and Peak was losing money. In 2010, he changed the race format and Spartan was born. Today Joe addresses the difference between Spartan and other obstacle races, how to train for a TRIFECTA, and the healthy addiction associated with Spartan racing. Learn more about Joe’s hope for the future of Spartan racing and how he seeks to help people push themselves in order to grow.

Topics Covered

[1:01] How Joe came to start Spartan racing

Grew up in Queens
Mom became interested in yoga, meditation
Introduced to 3100-mile race (mind stronger than body)
Initially did other jobs to chase money
In 2000, decided to start race business to change lives
com lost money for ten years (300-plus mile races too difficult for most)
Changed format, name in 2010
Now 1M participants in 35 countries

[4:55] The difference between Spartan race and other obstacle races

Authentic, athletic (nothing silly)
Spartan seeks to be Olympic sport
Consistency, competition

[6:34] The growing interest in Spartan racing

Feels good to be healthy, push yourself
Human brain changes in positive way
Reconnect with friends, the earth
Chance to feel alive
Triathlon is linear, ‘boring’
Spartan has lower bar to enter

[8:30] How to train for a TRIFECTA

One hour per day (for respectable time)
Do yoga to help prevent injury
Burpees, pull-ups and running

[10:17] The ideal facilities to train for Spartan

Any gym
Coach or trainer can help with motivation
1,000 certified SGX coaches around the world

[12:24] The risk of injury in Spartan racing

Injury rates lowest in industry
Imagery and narrative is intimidating, so people train
Dangerous to go cold

[13:56] Who participates in Spartan racing

71-year-old mother-in-law did Tokyo race
11-year-old son did Fort Knox, 8-year-old daughter did Beast
All sizes and shapes of people
Go at own pace, do what you can
Can’t get through obstacle, do burpees as punishment

[14:43] How long you should train for your first Spartan race

At least 60 days
Include yoga to prevent injury
Run five days a week
Give Ali Fitness podcast a 5-star review on iTunes then email [email protected] for a free copy of Spartan Fit!

[15:45] The prize money associated with Spartan racing