Our 59th Crushing Iron podcast is out and we interview health and human performance writer, Brad Stulberg. Brad co-wrote “Peak Performance” with Steve Magness (an earlier guest on the podcast) and these guys hit a home run.
When we started the Crushing Iron Podcast, our goal was to find passionate people and help inspire others in triathlon and life. We didn’t really know what we were doing, but obviously something is connecting, and having guys like Brad and Steve share their incredible insight is thrilling.
PEAK PERFORMANCE – BY BRAD STULBERG AND STEVE MAGNESS
“Peak Performance” is a manual for modern life. Brad and Steve combine scientific evidence with eloquent storytelling to explain many things we may already feel in our gut but don’t quite understand. They take a deep dive into the theory of STRESS + REST = GROWTH and deliver clear answers on how to be a better athlete, along with a more focused, productive, and purposeful human being.
Coach Robbie and I highly recommend the book to anyone who is looking to find another level in their performance or get to the bottom of bad habits that derail your progress. The book is out June 6th, but we’d like to encourage you to help these guys by pre-ordering if you think this is for you. Here’s the pre-order link with some cool giveaways.
Below are some quotes and notes I pulled while reading this fascinating book, “Peak Performance.”
- There is nothing more gratifying or fulfilling than setting a goal on the outer boundaries of what we think is possible, and then systematically pursuing it.
- David Epstein, a well-respected investigative reporter who covers doping, dug deep into the world of performance enhancing drug (PED) use among weekend warriors. What he found isn’t pretty: He says that some $120 billion are attributed to “anti-aging,” much of which is the peddling of steroids to middle-age men. This market is only destined to grow as baby boomers, with their disposable incomes and desire to stay young and competitive, grow older. Epstein sums up the sit- uation in the report’s title: “Everyone’s Juicing.”
- Economists Daniel Hamermesh and Elena Stancanelli found that 27 percent of Americans regularly work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and 29 percent of Americans do at least some work on the weekends.
- Resisting Cookies is a Dangerous game
- Stress isn’t just harmful, it can also serve as a stimulus for growth and adaptation. But if the stress is too large or last too long the body fails to adapt.
- Skills come from struggle
- Growth comes at the point of resistance
- “For 99% of us, effective multi-tasking is effective delusional thinking.”
- “Instead of trying to calm yourself down, ‘reappraising your pre-performance as excitement’ is often advantageous.”
- The good idea comes in the moment of rest.
- How to warm up to give you the best shot at getting “into the zone.”
- Be fully intentional on how you spend your most precious resource: time.
- Is fatigue all in your head?
- How people break through the limits of “self” and find the power of purpose through minimizing ego.
“Peak Performance” is loaded with insight and solutions that will help you get on your right path. I really like it because it isn’t a typical “self-help” foray that leads with a “trust us” attitude, instead “Peak Performance” explains “why” you feels certain ways, and how science has given us a roadmap to help you get more connected with your body, mind, and spiritual centers.
Here’s the podcast with Brad Stulberg, please spread the word on the Crushing Iron podcast if you enjoy what you hear. Follow Brad on Twitter @BStulberg