This week Kevin talks with 2015 Spartan Race World Champion, and all around prolific badass multisports racer Robert Killian, about what it takes to be and stay on top of such a demanding sport like OCR. LESSONS: Being prepared puts you in the best possible situation & can reduce pressure Motivating others can motivate you to be better The importance of sleep, mobility and nutrition Grit, determination can carry you through, not biceps SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow Y...
Mar 15, 2019•4 min•Ep. 328
Inspired by former Navy SEAL & 1 of the world’s best CrossFit competitors, Josh Bridges. Josh constantly talks about #PayTheMan - meaning, you gotta earn it! If you want something, you gotta EARN it. You don’t deserve anything. You get what you Earn! LESSONS: Most successful people will tell you that the majority of their victories and success stories are on the other side of hard work, aka Paying the Man. You can #PayTheMan and apply this lesson to any area of your life. Set small goals tha...
Mar 14, 2019•3 min•Ep. 327
The future can be scary for some of us. It’s normal to be uncomfortable with the unknown and uncertain. But future tripping, the act of making your way into the future and tripping over what exists, is not an effective way of handling your worries. This kind of thinking can easily create more worry and concern for what lays ahead. Though it may be hard, working to stay in the present and remain focused on the task right in front of you is a better way of handling what you may be anxious about. L...
Mar 13, 2019•3 min•Ep. 326
A former Celtics NBA player, Chris Herren speaks honestly and openly about his addictions and his path to recovery. Whether dealing with addiction, or the day to day problems of life, Herren advocates doing things the hard way. He believes kids need to learn to deal head-on with the real and difficult emotions life can bring, this will reduce the temptation to mask and avoid them with drugs and alcohol. Just like physical and mental resilience - emotional resilience is a key building block for s...
Mar 12, 2019•28 min•Ep. 325
I often find myself giving other’s opinions, especially a stranger’s, more value over what I find valuable or purposeful. In this episode I introduce and toss around a few thought processes that help me defeat falling into that trap. Who has authority over how we feel? Who lends the ultimate approval on what it is that fills us with purpose or value? Is it your ‘why’ or is it someone else’s ‘why’ that gives us energy and direction? If it isn’t each of us ourself, then why are we always looking f...
Mar 11, 2019•10 min•Ep. 324
The link between intermittent fasting and good health has been noticed for a while. Intermittent fasting means going about 8 to 12 hours without food but in some cases a bit longer. And recent studies have begun to make clear the connection between fasting and longevity, a finding that is creating a lot of buzz. What we talk about: There are some obvious reasons that connect fasting to good health. The most obvious is weight loss. But there are many others: Increasing your metabolism. While it’s...
Mar 10, 2019•4 min•Ep. 323
Kevin Gillotti talks with 40+ masters athlete, SGX coach, commentator & hella legit OCR racer Kevin Donahue about staying injury free over a long & demanding Spartan Race season and career. TAKE AWAY POINTS: Genetics plays a role, tap into that knowledge of self Using your lower body to your advantage, even on overhead head obstacles Take some risks & try new techniques Don't eat candy, it’s bad for you SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/Spa...
Mar 08, 2019•4 min•Ep. 322
Zach Even-Esh, Joe DeSena and Brian Chontosh talk about building teams. The best teams, companies & work environments come from a place where the leaders invest in their team. Taking great care of your team inspires them to want to be a bigger & better part of the team! LESSONS: Don’t hold others back on your team. Help them win. When your team wins, you win, even if they leave for another team! Ethics & caring for others is “winning”. In the long run, you will always feel better whe...
Mar 07, 2019•5 min•Ep. 321
Sometimes when we encounter struggle or a challenge we transform what might be best identified as a small problem into a catastrophe. You know the phrase, “turning a molehill into a mountain.” So that’s an actual psychological phenomenon called, Catastrophizing. This way of thinking can get you into trouble, however, because not all problems are catastrophes. In order to remain balanced and grounded human beings it’s important that are responses to problems are congruent with the degree of chall...
Mar 06, 2019•2 min•Ep. 320
Rebekah and her son were spectating at the finish line of the Boston in Marathon in 2013 when those two fateful bombs exploded. She may have lost part of her leg- but 68 operations later, she has gained a whole new insight on “counting her blessings, not her problems.” Instead of being defined by this one event she has used it as a catalyst to make PTSD training available for children all over the country through her foundation Rebekah’s Angels. She says very few have to deal with a bomb explodi...
Mar 05, 2019•27 min•Ep. 320
This week we welcome Brian "Tosh" Chontosh to the Spartan Up family! He'll be here every Monday with Spartan Stand. What are you capable of right here, right now; not a question, a statement. What you could have done if, what you might be able to do if, if you had time to prepare, or under whatever cute circumstance you require to succeed is of zero interest. A readiness mindset consists of two parts. 1) anticipating reasonable and likely events or circumstance in order to prepare. This is the g...
Mar 04, 2019•5 min•Ep. 318
We all know that it’s important to pay attention to our daily food intake. But many people don’t know this important fact: the number of calories your body retains is not only affected by how much you eat but also by when you eat. What we Talk About: In this podcast, we’re going to look at the impact of the body’s daily cycles – it’s circadian rhythms (or “CR”) – on supporting the maintenance of healthier food intake and more efficient weight control. The process by which the body breaks down fo...
Mar 03, 2019•4 min•Ep. 317
This week I talk with the tiny, but fiercely mighty, Faye Stenning about staying fit & race prepping in a dense city habitat like the overwhelming & chaotic life of a NYC city dweller. TAKE AWAY POINTS: Be creative in your training options and use the environment you have Commuting to trails, finding groups, pick your times, just do what you have to do Surround yourself with like minded people It CAN be done SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/Sp...
Mar 01, 2019•4 min•Ep. 316
Zach brings on special guest & fellow Spartan Podcaster, Tosh, to discuss why you should NOT feel bad while standing up for Excellence! Sometimes we start to feel bad when our friends and family tell us, Hey, you’ve changed! That’s right, you are changing for the better and there is Nothing wrong with that! LESSONS: • Do not conform to the norms of “good enough”, even when people close to you try to tell you that you’re trying too hard. • Do not ease up on your mission. If you’ve done the wo...
Feb 28, 2019•5 min•Ep. 315
Emotional reasoning is a negative thinking pattern that can best be described as the process of turning feeling into fact. We cannot control how we feel but we can control what we do with these feelings and when we turn our feelings into fact we can find ourselves in a made up reality. Being aware of when you engage in emotional reasoning can help you shift out of this way of thinking and bring you back into a position of knowing that a feeling is sometimes just a feeling. LESSONS: Emotional Rea...
Feb 27, 2019•4 min•Ep. 314
In that moment when you think your life will end, will you have regrets? During his second Afghanistan deployment Green beret Kevin Flike was shot in the abdomen, what did he think in those touch and go moments? Kevin says “an experience is worth nothing unless you share it,” now he shares the story of his own recovery and his experiences going from highly competent soldier to a man who needed help putting on his socks. He talks about fear, courage (which he defines as “going forward when the ou...
Feb 26, 2019•27 min•Ep. 313
There are a million ways you can be tempted to squeeze a few more minutes or hours out of your day, but if you want to stay healthy, you should remember one thing: you can’t cheat sleep. If you do, you may throw off what’s called - your circadian rhythm. Circadian Rhythm is also called your sleep/wake cycle and it’s the physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24- hour or daily cycle in your body. One of the chemical or hormone mechanisms that is central to your circadian rhythm (a...
Feb 24, 2019•4 min•Ep. 312
This week I talk strategies for overcoming pre-race jitters and nervousness with Kenneth Yee. When you travel all of the way from Malaysia for a first time visit to a country, a lot is at stake because a lot has been expended. So the last thing you need is to be dealing with energy robbing nervousness on top of all of the other moving pieces associated with racing. TAKE AWAY POINTS: Ask for advice from more well traveled athletes on their tactics Concerns about temperature changes between countr...
Feb 22, 2019•2 min•Ep. 311
People LOVE being around passionate people. It makes them feel good And inspires them to get better at Life! LESSONS: • If you’re struggling to get better in a certain area of your life, Seek out passionate coaches / environments to become part of. • Passionate people can completely alter the trajectory of a company, school, sports team, etc. • Passion is inside ALL of us, you need to share it with the world. LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spar...
Feb 21, 2019•4 min•Ep. 310
Great competitors believe that they have the capacity to win and compete in the way that moves them closer to their goals. They build themselves up with confidence and visualize accomplishments instead of defeats. Believing in yourself is a key part of pumping positive medicine into your brain and your body, as the power of positive thinking has been demonstrated across disciplines. LESSONS: A strong belief in your capacity to achieve and get things done is a critical part of being a great compe...
Feb 20, 2019•3 min•Ep. 309
Picture this, you’ve just reached the Summit of Everest- a pinnacle achievement when you’re literally on top of the World… and all of sudden everything goes white... your completely blind. Join us this week as Brian walks us down his “Blind Descent,” and tells us what skills learned from his time as a former US Navy Air Rescue Swimmer / Combat Search and Rescue and perhaps a little luck, got him home safe. LESSONS: Don’t panic Focus on what needs to be done Do more Be who you are Seek obstacles,...
Feb 19, 2019•38 min•Ep. 308
Our bodies need energy and we get that from the food we eat. No surprise, right? But, what is the gatekeeper between food consumption and the energy needed for athletic performance? It’s your gut – especially the gut flora. EPISODE SCRIPT There are millions and millions of bacteria in your gut – in fact, there are ten times more bacteria than cells in your gut. Ten times! What are these flora doing in addition to processing food? They can identify pathogens (dangerous compounds) Bolster and impr...
Feb 17, 2019•4 min•Ep. 307
On this episode, I talk with Colleen about adjusting & adapting (time changes, food, sleep, training, weather) to the local race destination and preparing for a race after the rigors of long-distance international travel. Colleen should know, she traveled 28 hours from Malaysia to race in the USA. TAKE AWAY POINTS: Using meals to beat jet lag effects Paying attention to time zones (get on the local time ASAP) Using sleep times of race time zone, even when traveling despite what others are do...
Feb 15, 2019•2 min•Ep. 306
Rest & recovery are NOT a negative thing for Spartans. In fact, when you work hard, the rest and recovery gives you the much need mental & physical break allowing you to come back stronger, more energized and more inspired. LESSONS: Rest & recovery are good for the mind AND body. Taking a break from the normal stimulus will boost your creativity. More is not better, Better is Better! LINKS: More about Zach https://zacheven-esh.com Read “The Spartan Way” https://www.spartan.com/en/rac...
Feb 14, 2019•3 min•Ep. 305
Great competitors believe that they have control over the things that happen in their lives and they take ownership of those choices. They do not offload poor performance to circumstances outside of them. They take ownership for the choices - both those that make them stronger (both mentally and physically) and those that put them in circumstances of struggle. Ownership is about believing that you have a strong internal locus of control - that you can control the direction of your life. LESSONS:...
Feb 13, 2019•3 min•Ep. 304
What does it take to solve complicated and seemingly insurmountable challenges? Dr. Jeff Karp, Principal Investigator of Karp Lab & Harvard Medical School professor, believes the answer is a multidisciplinary approach. Surround yourself with experts who have expertise you don’t with a variety of skills and backgrounds. Karp explains to Joe De Sena how his team applied their problem-solving system to a specific challenge around brain cancer. It’s a system and process that can be applied to an...
Feb 12, 2019•35 min•Ep. 303
Maintaining good health usually means doing many things and not just one. For instance, if you want to lose weight, gaining muscle can help, but focusing on that alone is not the best or most efficient way to make your weight goals. Today, we’re focusing on immunity and how to naturally raise the bar and stay healthy. A multi-faceted approach is even more important in boosting the strength of your immune system. The right foods and herbs combined with the right daily habits can support your immu...
Feb 10, 2019•4 min•Ep. 302
On this episode, Cole and I chat about tapering for a Spartan Race using methods such as the current week’s workload and perceived effort as a determination for how much of an effort level and workload to put out in a race taper depending on race distance (Sprint, Super, Beast). TAKE AWAY POINTS: At least a 1 week taper for a Beast Use RPE (rate of perceived exertion) as a means to determine effort level The immediate events leading up to a race (sleep, work, previous workouts) need consideratio...
Feb 08, 2019•3 min•Ep. 301
I first heard this Sun Tzu quote from my friend and NFL Veteran, John Welbourn. It REALLY hit home for me as I have experienced Countless times how an environment can lift you up or hold you back. LESSONS: Surround yourself with battery chargers as our friend Joe Polish says to gain inspiration from others As a parent, keep an eye on your kids’ friends. Do they make your child better or add more stress? Whether it’s work, sports, gym - you’re always in an “environment” and surrounded by people. ...
Feb 07, 2019•4 min•Ep. 300
Great competitors stay committed. There will always be excuses, always a reason to quit, move on to something else, or put it on the shelf for later. Great competitors commit. They move away from language like, “I’ll try”, that immediately gives them a way out, and they use more declarative statements like, “I will.” Having the mindset of completion allows them to move forward with stronger intention and will. LESSONS: Commitment is a key element to becoming a great competitor. Try to shift away...
Feb 06, 2019•1 min•Ep. 299
