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Primal Endurance: Escape chronic cardio and carbohydrate dependency and become a fat burning beast! Paperback – Illustrated, January 4, 2016
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Primal Endurance shakes up the status quo and challenges the overly stressful, ineffective conventional approach to endurance training. While marathons and triathlons are wildly popular and bring much gratification and camaraderie to the participants, the majority of athletes are too slow, continually tired, and carry too much body fat respective to the time they devote to training. The prevailing “chronic cardio” approach promotes carbohydrate dependency, overly stressful lifestyle patterns, and ultimately burnout.
Mark Sisson, author of the 2009 bestseller, The Primal Blueprint, and de-facto leader of the primal/paleo lifestyle movement, expertly applies primal lifestyle principles to the unique challenge of endurance training and racing. Unlike the many instant and self-anointed experts who have descended upon the endurance scene in recent years, Sisson and his co-author/business partner Brad Kearns boast a rich history in endurance sports. Sisson has a 2:18 marathon and 4th place Hawaii Ironman finish to his credit, has spearheaded triathlon’s global anti-doping program for the International Triathlon Union, and has coached/advised leading professional athletes, including Olympic triathlon gold and silver medalist Simon Whitfield and Tour de France cyclist Dave Zabriskie. Under Sisson’s guidance, Kearns won multiple national championships in duathlon and triathlon, and rose to a #3 world triathlon ranking in 1991.
Primal Endurance applies an all-encompassing approach to endurance training that includes primal-aligned eating to escape carbohydrate dependency and enhance fat metabolism, building an aerobic base with comfortably paced workouts, strategically introducing high intensity strength and sprint workouts, emphasizing rest, recovery, and an annual periodization, and finally cultivating an intuitive approach to training instead of the usual robotic approach of fixed weekly workout schedules. When you “go Primal” as an endurance athlete, you can expect to enjoy these and other benefits in short order:
- Easily reduce excess body fat and keep it off permanently, even during periods of reduced training
- Perform better by reprogramming your genes to burn fat and spare glycogen during sustained endurance efforts
- Avoid overtraining, burnout, illness, and injury by improving your balance of stress and rest, both in training and everyday life
- Spend fewer total hours training and get more return on investment with periodized and purposeful workout patterns
- Have more fun, be more spontaneous, and break free from the pull of the obsessive/compulsive mindset that is common among highly motivated, goal-oriented endurance athletes
- Have more energy and better focus during daily life instead of suffering from the “active couch potato syndrome,” with cumulative fatigue from incessant heavy training makes you lazy and sluggish
Primal Endurance is about slowing down, balancing out, chilling out, and having more fun with your endurance pursuits. It’s about building your health through sensible training patterns, instead of destroying your health through chronic training patterns. While it might be hard to believe at first glance, you can actually get faster by backing off from the overly aggressive and overly regimented “Type-A” training approach that prevails in today’s endurance community. Primal Endurance will show you how, every step of the way.
- Print length380 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPrimal Nutrition, Inc.
- Publication dateJanuary 4, 2016
- Dimensions7.8 x 0.8 x 9.9 inches
- ISBN-101939563089
- ISBN-13978-1939563088
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About the Author
Besides The Primal Blueprint, Mark has authored The Primal Blueprint 21-day Total Body Transformation, The Primal Connection (which won the Eric Hoffer Award in 2013 for best self-published book, and the Ben Franklin Award silver medal in the mind/body/spirit category); and numerous other books on cooking, athletic training, and health. Mark became a New York Times bestselling author with his 2017 title, The Keto Reset Diet, which also held the #1 overall bestselling book on amazon.com for a few days upon release.
Brad Kearns is Mark Sisson's longtime co-author, host of the B.rad podcast, and an elite masters athlete. He broke the Guinness World Record in speedgolf at age 53, is a #1 USA-ranked age 55-59 high jumper, and former US national champion and #3 world-ranked professional triathlete. He lives in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, with his wife, Elizabeth, and enjoys a daily cold plunge in the lake year-round.
Product details
- Publisher : Primal Nutrition, Inc.; 1st edition (January 4, 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 380 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1939563089
- ISBN-13 : 978-1939563088
- Item Weight : 1.85 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.8 x 0.8 x 9.9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #237,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #64 in Paleo Diet
- #262 in Low Carb Diets (Books)
- #1,231 in Weight Loss Diets (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Brad Kearns is a New York Times bestselling author, #1 ranked USA Masters Track&Field age 55-59 high jumper (in ‘20, '22, and '24), Guinness World Record setting Speedgolfer, and former US national champion and #3 world-ranked professional triathlete. He has worked with Mark Sisson to promote the Primal Blueprint lifestyle with books, seminars, retreats, and online courses. In 2017, their book, The Keto Reset Diet, became New York Times bestseller, and reached #1 on overall on Amazon.
Brad hosts the B.rad podcast (reached top-10 in Apple Podcasts "Fitness" category in ‘22), covering health, fitness, peak performance, personal growth, happiness, relationships and longevity. Brad's promotes the ideal of pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life.
In 2018, Brad broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest single hole of golf ever played (minimum hole length of 500 yards). During his nine-year career as a triathlete, Brad amassed 30 wins worldwide on the pro circuit, two US national championships, and a #3 world-ranking in ’91. He lives at Lake Tahoe, Nevada with wife Elizabeth.
Mark Sisson is widely regarded as the founding father of the ancestral health movement. His number-one-ranked blog and Primal Health Coach Institute have paved the way for primal enthusiasts to take personal responsibility for their health. Known as a market-disrupting, innovative entrepreneur, Mark’s Primal Kitchen enterprise introduced healthy condiments to the marketplace for the first time, and was acquired by Kraft-Heinz in 2018. As one of the earliest proponents of barefoot-inspired living, Mark proceeded to launch Peluva five-toe minimalist footwear company (with his son Kyle) in 2021, and is now busy “changing the way the world walks.”
Mark, 71, has a BA in biology from Williams College and is a former world-class endurance athlete, with a 2:18 marathon and a fourth-place finish in the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championships to his credit. Mark lives in Miami Beach, Florida, where enjoys Ultimate Frisbee, standup paddling, fat-tire beach bike rides, and a walking-oriented lifestyle.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book provides good and interesting information about diet and exercise. They find it well-written and easy to read, with great nutrition and exercise advice for all levels. The book helps them achieve a higher level of fitness and overall health. Readers report positive results from following the advice and are happy with the results. They also mention that the training program works for many people and is inspiring and life-changing. However, some customers feel the content is repetitive and could be compiled within 100 pages.
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Customers appreciate the book's information quality. They find the concepts and information useful, with the authors doing a good job of combining their experience and knowledge. The book is described as a great resource tool with clear explanations, providing a formal guide for fitness enthusiasts. Readers mention that the Primal Blueprint changed their lives.
"...have put together is the same as what I have found that works for endurance performance...." Read more
"...has worked for many people, including many very serious and very successful athletes, bringing them to a higher level of fitness and overall health..." Read more
"...of some of the statements made but in general, it was helpful for me in my endurance pursuits and how to train and eat better...." Read more
"...The tone of the book is upbeat, funny and scientific, while being down-to-earth...." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They appreciate the scientific yet down-to-earth approach. The concepts are solid and the workouts are simple. Overall, readers feel they got their money's worth from this comprehensive and well-researched book.
"...I eat the right foods. I lift weights, but the workout doesn't take hardly any time...just 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes...." Read more
"Primal Endurance is a fascinating, well-written, well-researched and fun to read book about attaining ultimate health and fitness...." Read more
"This was a good read...." Read more
"...The tone of the book is upbeat, funny and scientific, while being down-to-earth...." Read more
Customers find the book provides good nutrition and exercise advice for all levels. They say it's good for athletes and anyone interested in fitness and fat-based diets. Some readers mention that the book helped them lose 2-3 pounds of body fat a week.
"...It is awesome! Right now, I am losing 2-3 pounds of body fat a week, and I am looking awesome too. Thanks!!! This book rocks!" Read more
"...It includes sections on not just training, but the importance of rest, diet, stress, sleep, etc - it's a real prescription for how to live a..." Read more
"...general, it was helpful for me in my endurance pursuits and how to train and eat better...." Read more
"...I feel I got my money's worth. In fact, I have lost 20# of body fat since reading this book...." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for improving their fitness level. They say it provides great nutrition and exercise advice for all levels. The book helps them learn a new way to look at running and how to fuel and strengthen their bodies. It makes running fun again, and the author's tips on getting lean and stronger are spot-on.
"...very serious and very successful athletes, bringing them to a higher level of fitness and overall health with much less injury than they had faced..." Read more
"...is also backed up by plenty of literature and facts that support running aerobically...." Read more
"...the “Why’s” of the need for strength training and a balanced approach to fitness is key...." Read more
"...Running is fun again. I'm not exhausted and in pain all the time. I'm not running to the fridge and pantry right after runs any longer...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the book's performance. They say it helps them use fat for energy and perform better. The advice works well, and it has worked for many people. Readers describe it as an excellent, comprehensive book that provides a powerful and necessary message.
"...It really works. I am getting lean and my performance is outstanding. I am getting stronger in the lifts, and my running is very easy...." Read more
"...anecdotes you can see clearly how this training program has worked for many people, including many very serious and very successful athletes,..." Read more
"The book "Primal Endurance" provides a powerful and necessary message that you do not need to subject yourself to excessive exercise or..." Read more
"...Lifestyle, and teaches you to utilize fat for energy, and perform at a higher level...." Read more
Customers are getting stronger in the lifts and running easier after reading the book. They find it inspiring and helpful for balancing life.
"...It really works. I am getting lean and my performance is outstanding. I am getting stronger in the lifts, and my running is very easy...." Read more
"...not for everyone though I have found that after the first month I feel stronger and faster and I get more out of my long run days." Read more
"...adjustments that led to worlds of difference in terms of energy and endurance. I overhauled all my eating habits and I've never felt better." Read more
"This is very good advice to any endurance athlete, as well as balancing life. Very down to earth approach to all training." Read more
Customers feel the content is repetitive and unnecessarily redundant. They find the writing too detailed and overly repetitive, making it boring to read.
"...To me, it felt like there was a lot of filler material and repetition...." Read more
"...The book is a little obnoxious and reads more like a trend pushing magazine. Lots of photos of old dudes with their shirts off!..." Read more
"...It seems each point is repeated over and over unnecessarily...." Read more
"This book is over the top, way to detailed for my needs, nonetheless, I continue to read it since it has so much info...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2016I love this book. The information that Mark and Brad have put together is the same as what I have found that works for endurance performance. Many years ago I followed the conventional wisdom that eating low fat, high carb was the way to go. It was very odd because following this diet, I had a spare tire around my waist. WTF!! What was even odder was that I was exercising a lot. People said that was what you need to do to lose weight...burn body fat. It was not working. Again, WTF!! One year I trained and ran 2 marathons (one in June, and the other in October). I didn't lose any weight that year even though I was exercising almost every day; lifting weights, biking, and doing very long runs. A couple years ago I changed my diet to low carb, high fat, a paleo/primal diet. In 3 months, I lost 50 pounds and I was just sitting on the couch watching TV. Go figure.
Today, I still have a little spare tire, but I am following Mark and Brad's advice in Primal Endurance and my stomach is getting flat. What amazes me is how easy it is. I eat the right foods. I lift weights, but the workout doesn't take hardly any time...just 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes. I do a 5 by 5 workout and can do 5-7 exercises in that time. I do squats, Romanian deadlifts, straight leg deadlifts, and more. I love it. I also run long runs a couple times during the week for 1-2 hours each. I do sprints once a week too. The time I am exercising is shorter than what I was doing in the past, but the quality is very good. It really works. I am getting lean and my performance is outstanding. I am getting stronger in the lifts, and my running is very easy. It is awesome! Right now, I am losing 2-3 pounds of body fat a week, and I am looking awesome too. Thanks!!! This book rocks!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2016Primal Endurance is a fascinating, well-written, well-researched and fun to read book about attaining ultimate health and fitness. While it turns everything most athletes have believed for years on its head, there seems to be a great deal of science and anecdotal success stories to back it up.
Both my husband and I have been reading the book and learning a lot from it. I'm pretty much a fitness beginner, just started to run for the first time in my life this summer - so I think the book will make sure I build a solid and maintainable level of fitness. My husband has been running regularly for years and occasionally competing with good results - but this summer he got injured and burned out from what was probably overtraining. So Primal Endurance is a really eye-opening read for him and involves a complete shift in the way he's used to training - but he's giving it a real try to see how it works.
The book is very thorough and definitely exceeded my expectations on the amount of information it would contain. It includes sections on not just training, but the importance of rest, diet, stress, sleep, etc - it's a real prescription for how to live a healthy lifestyle, and I think it can be just as useful for people who are only trying to be fit and strong and who aren't runners.
I love the success stories scattered throughout the book - through the personal anecdotes you can see clearly how this training program has worked for many people, including many very serious and very successful athletes, bringing them to a higher level of fitness and overall health with much less injury than they had faced before. The stories are extremely motivational as well as being fun.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to achieve and maintain high levels of fitness while not compromising their health in the way that many athletes do.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2016
4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful info for those intersted in a primal/paleo lifestyle AND endurance sports
This was a good read. Helped connect a few dots about a primal lifestyle and endurance, highlighting some new things, and reiterating some old things. I have to admit, I haven't fact checked everything so I can't speak to the completeness of some of the statements made but in general, it was helpful for me in my endurance pursuits and how to train and eat better. I've noticed a difference by following some of the guidance offered.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2016The book "Primal Endurance" provides a powerful and necessary message that you do not need to subject yourself to excessive exercise or carbohydrate heavy diets to become your best possible self - whether you are a professional athlete or an individual simply wanting to be healthy. The discussions about diet and exercise are animated by the comparison of an athlete building either a "Tesla engine" or a "SmartCar/DumbCar engine" to take into training, competition and every day life. The tone of the book is upbeat, funny and scientific, while being down-to-earth. I found myself realizing that each bit of information could be applied to both professional athletes and older men and women who just like to take a neighborhood stroll after dinner. Few, if any, books on fitness can reach such a wide audience at the same time. Congratulations to the authors for their contribution and for filling a niche in the industry that no one even knew existed until now! I will keep referring back to this book as I coach athletes and also as I personally move forward - reaching to become my best possible self!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017About one chapter worth of really good information stretched out over the length of a book. Primal Endurance has actually been really helpful to me and I am glad that I read it. I feel I got my money's worth. In fact, I have lost 20# of body fat since reading this book. However the value in this book comes from about 4 or 5 big ideas. These concepts are supported with very little detail and all could have been crammed into one chapter. To me, it felt like there was a lot of filler material and repetition. Because the book is so general, I don't really think it is appropriate for a beginner. It worked for me because I have been working on my endurance for a while and I had specific goals in mind.
Top reviews from other countries
- MelissaReviewed in Canada on August 21, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book
This book launched my health journey. I learned about a new way to train for a triathlon…it’s simple and less taxing on the body…with phenomenal results.
- Leonardo CarvalhoReviewed in Brazil on June 1, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Revelador
Top
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Bernard BelReviewed in France on June 16, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Un ouvrage de référence
Vu le parcours de Mark Sisson, cet ouvrage intéressera les sportifs, les non-sportifs, et tous ceux qui croient possible de ralentir la dégradation de l'organisme (et du psychisme) associée au vieillissement. Ses recommandations sont en plein accord avec celles que j'ai documentées dans mon article "Vivre bien et longtemps" du site "lebonheurestpossible(point)org".
On est loin, très loin, du "faites de l'exercice" ânonné par de nombreux médecins généralistes ou cardiologues qui confondent les formes d'entraînement !
- Sandeep singhReviewed in India on February 8, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Life changing, life saving book. Thank you for bringing smile back on my face 😄
- JackGJessenReviewed in Australia on November 20, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Fat Burning Beast Simplified
Easy read, well structured and explained. I'm putting it to use through applying the principles for the coming marathon kayak season.