The Strength Running Podcast

Alyssa Olenick is an exercise phyisology PhD, ultramarathoner, hybrid athlete, and weightlifter. She's been featured in Time, Nike, Women's Health - and pretty much every major media outlet and podcast that exists.

She's also one of my favorite communicators about training theory and physiology.

Today, she's helping us decipher Zone 2 running:

• How to grow Z2 fitness (hint: don't just run in Z2!)
• The timeline of Zone 2 improvem...

Charlie Sweeney is chasing the dream... by running up to 145 miles per week.

This volume is not for the faint of heart (or most of us mere mortals...). But we can learn a lot from elite athletes who are training at top mileage levels.

In this episode you will learn:

• How Charlie makes time for running twice per day with a full-time job
• His progression of mileage over the years that got him to 145 mpw
• The benefits he expects to ...

Eoin Everard is a physiotherapist with a PhD in Biomechanics. He's also a sub-4 minute miler, a sub-14 minute 5k runner, and a five-time Irish National Champion in the 1500 and 3000m.

He also hosts the Better Running Podcast and is the cofounder of the BackAware Belt.

Today's conversation focuses on plyometrics: 

• How can your average runner even get started with plyometrics
• Why you do NOT need advanced depth drops and oth...

Running form has often focused on concepts like cadence and footstrike to create change and improve efficiency. But a "top down" approach - focusing on the arms, torso, and cues - is an innovative and accessible way to become a stronger, healthier runner.

Paul Mackinnon is a former semi-pro hockey player who has become an expert on gait retraining. He's is from Melbourne, Australia and has worked with many high level athl...

Brady Holmer has a Master's degree in Human Performance, writes the incredibly popular Physiologically Speaking newsletter, and has recently run a 2:24 marathon.

He also trains unconventionally: gone are the 100-mile weeks and in place of them are moderate mileage weeks (60-80) with 10+ hours of cycling. 

In this episode, we rank the core 3 performance metrics of VO2 Max, Lactate Threshold, and Running Economy and discuss how ...

Stevie Lyn Smith is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, a Registered Dietitian, and an 11x Ironman competitor with an 11:35 PR. 

Today, we're exploring the most recent advances in sports nutrition for fueling:

• How many carbs are now recommended per hour of hard running? What about workouts or long runs?
• Is "proteinmaxxing" valuable for runners? What are its potential drawbacks?
• How much dehydration is accept...

Thomas Nobbs is a running coach with 10+ years of experience and newly minted 2:09 marathoner - making him Canada's 4th fastest marathoner ever!

He joins us to discuss training myths and best practices: 

• Training "myths" and overblown ideas
• Trends in the running community
• When it's a good idea / bad idea to model elite runners
• The most impactful levers to pull for marathon improvement for 3-4 hour marathoners

GIve T...

Brant Stachel is a tour de force: he's a massage therapist, coach to elite marathoners, published author of Fast and Free: Mindset Training for Endurance Athletes, licensed psychotherapist, and former professional triathlete. Incredible.

Coach Stachel's athlete Tom Nobbs just became Canada's 4th fastest marathoner with his 2:09 finish. Today, we discuss: 

• Mindset training for runners
• How Nobbs ran 2:09 off entirely t...

Tom Walters is a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist, former college professor, and author of Rehab Science (a bestseller on Amazon).

Besides running his clinical practice, Tom served as a full-time undergraduate kinesiology professor for eight years, teaching human biomechanics, therapeutic exercise, and pain science. 

Today, we discuss the science of pain and the injury treatment process:

• Is all pain bad?
• Why ...

Duane Scotti is a physical therapist, certified running coach, and host of the Healthy Runner Podcast. Today, we're focusing on IT Band Syndrome.

I've personally had ITBS twice - and once so severe that it nearly ended my running career. After seeing 4 PT's, I developed the ITB Rehab Routine to build hip and glute strength. You can also get an illustrated guide to the routine.

Duane and I discuss: 

• How to know if you hav...

Bill Evans has a PhD in Exercise Physiology, coaching experience at the D1 level, and is the founder of Endurance Laboratory. He has more than 20 scientific papers published in his field and was formerly a senior scientist at Johns Hopkins University in their Applied Physics Laboratory.

Today, he's helping you improve your running economy. We discuss:

• The impact of easy running and different types of workouts on economy
• H...

Listeners know I'm a relentless advocate of strength training, whether you're doing bodyweight exercises at home or lifting heavy in the gym.

But some runners take strength training to a level above and beyond the rest of us - and find great success along the way.

Elizabeth Corkum is a fellow running coach and one of my former private coaching clients. Elizabeth - who goes by the nickname Corky - is a 2:58 ...

Vikash Sharma, DPT is going to help you return to running after your next injury - faster and with less fitness loss possible.

He's the owner of Perfect Stride PT, a certified running coach, the creator of Running for Life, and a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. 

Our conversation today is about how to come back after your next injury. The "return to run" plan post-injury can be as confusing as planning advanced ...

Jonathan Pierce is an ART certified massage therapist, a Stanford All-American in the 3,000m steeplechase, and a former pro runner for Reebok, ASICS, and the Mammoth Track Club. Not only has he competed at the Olympic Trials, he's worked there as a therapist. 

He's also the founder of NOVOS Athlete in San Diego, a physical therapy and performance center for athletes. 

Jonathan joins us to discuss his experience worki...

What if you have to make the hard decision to stop running altogether? That's the heartbreaking choice Dimity McDowell, a long-time runner and sports journalist, had to make a few years ago.

In this conversation and in her new book, The 27th Mile, we explore what it means to hang up your running shoes for good: 

• The loss of identity, community, and purpose 
• How to fill the hole that running once filled
• What the exper...

Ken Rideout is one of the fastest 50+ runners in the world, clocking 2:28 at age 50. A former addict, he turned his focus to running and became unstoppable, winning the 155-mile Gobi Desert March and the 2021 NYC Marathon Master's Division.

His new book, Everything You Want is on the Other Side of Hard: A Memoir, is now available.

Ken's on the podcast today to discuss: 

• His extraordinary mindset skills and how he stays dr...

Brent Edwards is a professor of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. He's an expert on how mechanical load affects the body and influences musculoskeletal health and injury risk.

Learn how to build injury resiliency here with my best advice!

In addition to running experiments in the lab, he's also working with the smart shoe company Avelo to help them figure out how to keep runners healthy. His expertise ensures Avelo's impact...

Dr. Jordan Metzl is a Harvard-trained medical doctor, bestselling author, and a highly sought after international speaker. His new book, Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness Motivation to Embrace Health and Longevity, is now available!

Jordan is the creator of the immensely popular Iron Strength workout, a medical columnist for Triathlete Magazine, and a 37-time marathon finisher (not to mention an Ironman Triathlete!).

In this conv...

Brad Stulberg is the New York Times best-selling author of The Way of Excellence. He cohosts the Growth Equation podcast, coaches executives and entrepreneurs, and is on the faculty at the University of Michigan's Graduate School of Public Health. He also deadlifts 530 pounds!

He's also the author of The Practice of Groundedness and coauthor of Peak Performance. 

In this conversation, we explore what it means to run sustainabl...