We basked in some amazing news before this great episode! The main topic was a breakdown of one of the most important elements of performance and health: blood volume.

Studies show that blood volume can seem to act as a synonym for fitness, with one finding that 6 weeks of training gains can be reversed with a phlebotomy that returns blood volume to baseline levels. Positive adaptations can happen in a few days, and it clearly matters for performance. If any other intervention worked like that, you’d assume everyone would be talking about it all the time. But blood volume is not discussed often! We pull back the curtain on the science.

We also talked about a new review article on exogenous lactate supplementation. It might be a brave new world in the next 5 years, but right now there are more questions than answers. We speculate!

And this one was full of cool topics! Other topics: the shockingly good news Megan has received in recent heart tests, our disdain for the Enhanced Games, recent age group doping news, the Satisfy Circle Pit, the true GOAT of endurance, running v. biking, uphill treadmill workouts, and lots more.

Yes, David actually hit himself for a joke on this episode. Podcasts are definitely the medium for physical and visual comedy.

We love you all! HUZZAH!

-David and Megan

Click "Get 40% Off" button for 40% off at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap

Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com (code "SWAP")

The Wahoo KICKR Run is the best treadmill on the market: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/kickr-run-buy (code “SWAP”)

For training plans, weekly bonus podcasts, heart rate zones, articles, and videos: patreon.com/swap

We talked about some of the strangest and coolest research topics in endurance sports for this episode! Basically, the science discussions went long, so we just ran with it.

The main discussion was on how to stop cramps, laying out 10 theories. But put on your tin foil hats, because we think the cramping conspiracy runs deep. Our theory: cramping is connected to fatigue resistance is connected to all endurance performance, and thinking about cramp prevention might revolutionize all training theory even for athletes who never cramp. IT GOES DEEP!

We also talked about a new missing link heat study, connecting altitude blood changes to long-term passive heat training. It was especially weird because the researchers were unsure of exactly why it happened. Those are the most fun study moments!

Other topics: very short-term changes in fat max and fat oxidation (featuring the wildest figure we have seen in a long time), the difficulty of studies due to large error bars and small effect sizes, the crossover point in metabolic research, the incredible Dark Wizard documentary, and a question on relationships.

For a clue about what was censored, here’s the hint: I caught mommy [bleeping] [bleepa blaus].

We love you all! HUZZAH!

-David and Megan

Click "Get 40% Off" button for 40% off at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap

Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com (code "SWAP")

The Wahoo KICKR Run is the best treadmill on the market: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/kickr-run-buy (code “SWAP”)

For training plans, weekly bonus podcasts, heart rate zones, articles, and videos: patreon.com/swap

We had some HYPOTHESES for this amazing episode! The main topics all revolved around fatigue resistance (often called “durability” in the literature), which we think is the most exciting area of training theory and physiology. It started with Rachel Entrekin’s legendary overall win at the Cocodona 250, an event that explores some of the strangest and coolest parts of endurance.

Our big theory: what we’re seeing in these wild ultras is directly connected to what we see in short distances. A new study looked at fatigue resistance variations between men and women, with some shocking results. We expand the scope to talk about the literature generally before going to some ideas for how it all might relate to the central nervous system.

...And how it relates to fueling. You could probably guess that we were going to talk about carbs.

Plus, we answer questions about the culture of fueling for young athletes and feeling good after long runs!

This one starts with a description of Megan’s health journey. The hottest vacation is apparently a 3-day stay in Boulder Community Hospital. Things are scary, but we’re holding onto hope for the future.

We love you all! HUZZAH!

-David and Megan

Click "Get 40% Off" button for 40% off at The Feed here: thefeed.com/swap

Buy Janji's amazing gear: https://janji.com (code "SWAP")

The Wahoo KICKR Run is the best treadmill on the market: https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/treadmills/kickr-run-buy (code “SWAP”)

For training plans, weekly bonus podcasts, heart rate zones, articles, and videos: patreon.com/swap