The Consistently Good Podcast

In this episode, Jeff sits down with BPN athlete Luke Hopkins: USC neuroscience grad, Ironman, and one of the toughest 23-year-olds he knows. They talk about going back to therapy after a broken ankle, feeling bad for feeling bad, why your brain quits before your body does, and why honesty isn't oversharing.00:00 Meet Luke Hopkins03:53 Connecticut to USC06:29 Dad's Accident09:52 Anxiety and Perfectionism12:05 Back to Therapy16:37 Feeling Bad for Feeling Bad19:12 Stick Around22:07 Why Neuroscience27:49 Football to Ironman29:19 Brain Quits First34:07 Just Start43:17 Vulnerability Is Honesty48:28 Mental Health Education52:42 Inspiration vs. Role Model1:01:52 Ironman FloridaBecome a BPN member FOR FREE - Unlock 25% off FOR LIFE ⁠⁠https://www.bareperformancenutrition.com/collections/performance-nutrition⁠Bat City Track Club is an emerging national class and regionally elite team with a primary focus on distances 5,000m to the marathon.⁠https://www.batcitytc.com/⁠FOLLOW:IG: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastYT: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastJEFF CUNNINGHAM:IG: @jdcunningham97BAT CITY: @batcitytrackclubThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal [health or profession] advice. Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) is not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.MB01WUEORYB6ICC

Jeff Cunningham kicks off Season 4 with what he'd do differently if he could start over as a runner. He raced his workouts, ran too few miles, gray-zoned his easy runs, skipped the weight room, under-fueled, and didn't sleep enough. Here's what almost 40 years of running and coaching finally taught him. So, don't make the same mistakes kids.CHAPTERS:00:00 Season 4 kickoff04:00 Mistake 1: Racing workouts (there is no cheat code for toughness)06:45 Mistake 2: Too few miles12:20 Mistakes 3 and 4: gray-zoning easy runs and not fueling after hard 20:20 Mistake 5: Skipping Workouts22:20 Mistake 6: Sleep makes you Sleepy26:45 Mistake 7: Alcohol and recovery (my best season was the sober one)29:30 Mistake 8: "Have to run this race" vs. "Get to run this race"32:30 Marathons on two gels: sodium, cramps, and a jelly donut from Elvis37:30 Rookie coaching mistakes and discovering critical velocity by accident41:45 You can't staple guts to the gutless: confidence over crushing soulsBecome a BPN member FOR FREE - Unlock 25% off FOR LIFE ⁠⁠https://www.bareperformancenutrition.com/collections/performance-nutrition⁠Bat City Track Club is an emerging national class and regionally elite team with a primary focus on distances 5,000m to the marathon.⁠https://www.batcitytc.com/⁠FOLLOW:IG: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastYT: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastJEFF CUNNINGHAM:IG: @jdcunningham97BAT CITY: @batcitytrackclubThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal [health or profession] advice. Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) is not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.MB01JZKI9FWDWEH

Jeff is closing out Season 3 of the Consistently Good Podcast by taking on some of running’s most repeated clichés. From “no pain, no gain” to “run slow to run fast,” Jeff breaks down what’s actually useful, what can get runners into trouble, and why better training usually comes back to the same things: perspective, patience, and showing up consistently.CHAPTERS:00:00 Running Clichés Are Everywhere02:32 The Four Types of Clichés05:10 Can You Really Get 1% Better Every Day?12:50 The Problem With “No Pain, No Gain”16:25 What “Embrace the Grind” Gets Wrong22:45 Is Pain Really Weakness Leaving the Body?24:30 When Comparison Helps and Hurts31:55 “Just Worry About Us”35:09 The Worst Nutrition and Body Image Clichés40:32 Does Running Slow Really Make You Faster?43:36 Do Summer Miles Bring Fall Smiles?45:15 The Race Is Not Always to the Swift47:13 Closing Out Season 3Become a BPN member FOR FREE - Unlock 25% off FOR LIFE ⁠⁠https://www.bareperformancenutrition.com/collections/performance-nutrition⁠Bat City Track Club is an emerging national class and regionally elite team with a primary focus on distances 5,000m to the marathon.⁠https://www.batcitytc.com/⁠FOLLOW:IG: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastYT: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastJEFF CUNNINGHAM:IG: @jdcunningham97BAT CITY: @batcitytrackclubThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal [health or profession] advice. Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) is not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.MB01XCZAFHACAI1

Coach is devoting a full episode to how runners can chase ambitious goals while respecting the realities of aging.In this episode, Jeff breaks down what actually changes as runners move into their 30s, 40s, and beyond: hormones, recovery, strength, mobility, injury risk, and bandwidth. You know, the fun stuff nobody worried about when their biggest responsibility was keeping a goldfish alive.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome and Big Picture00:57 Aging Realities Without Limits04:13 Life Bandwidth and Responsibilities06:48 Training Around Real Schedules09:56 Hormones and Aging Basics11:29 Testosterone Decline Explained16:09 Strength, Speed and Rest20:32 Supplements and TRT Rules25:10 Estrogen, Perimenopause and Performance29:54 Run, Lift and Recover Through Transition33:58 Strength Training for Bones35:25 Speed Work for Mitochondria37:04 Reduce Training Density37:45 Protein and Carbs Strategy40:24 Bone Nutrients, Vitamin D and Calcium43:35 HRT and Anti-Doping Rules45:20 Desiccation and Hydration50:47 Warmups, Recovery and PTBecome a BPN member FOR FREE - Unlock 25% off FOR LIFE ⁠⁠https://www.bareperformancenutrition.com/collections/performance-nutrition⁠Bat City Track Club is an emerging national class and regionally elite team with a primary focus on distances 5,000m to the marathon.⁠https://www.batcitytc.com/⁠FOLLOW:IG: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastYT: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastJEFF CUNNINGHAM:IG: @jdcunningham97BAT CITY: @batcitytrackclubThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal [health or profession] advice. Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) is not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.MB014G1M05I2QO4

We are about 11-14 weeks out from some of the major marathons in the US. Today, Coach is breaking down how to build a marathon training block for fall races like Chicago, New York, and Indianapolis. He covers periodization, weekly workouts, long runs, marathon-pace training, fueling, recovery, heat adjustments, and tapering. Most importantly guys, he explains how to train consistently, build mileage safely, and avoid cramming missed workouts like some college student facing a Monday deadline.CHAPTERS:00:00 Intro02:17 Marathon Training Periodization Explained05:27 How Long Should a Marathon Block Be?09:28 Why a 13-Week Marathon Plan Works13:51 Critical Velocity Repeats and Pacing19:01 Tempo Runs and Combination Workouts22:05 Long-Run Workouts and Marathon Tapering24:52 How to Space Workouts for Recovery27:05 Adding Marathon Pace to Long Runs28:18 Adjusting Training for Heat and Humidity30:01 Maintaining Speed During Marathon Training33:22 What to Do When You Miss a Workout38:02 Gut Training, Carbohydrates, and Sodium39:54 How to Prepare for Your Marathon Course42:00 How Many 20-Mile Runs Do You Need?43:24 Balancing Repeats and Threshold Workouts46:32 Marathon Block Length and Mental Fatigue48:40 MailbagBecome a BPN member FOR FREE - Unlock 25% off FOR LIFE ⁠⁠https://www.bareperformancenutrition.com/collections/performance-nutrition⁠Bat City Track Club is an emerging national class and regionally elite team with a primary focus on distances 5,000m to the marathon.⁠https://www.batcitytc.com/⁠FOLLOW:IG: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastYT: @theconsistentlygoodpodcastJEFF CUNNINGHAM:IG: @jdcunningham97BAT CITY: @batcitytrackclubThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal [health or profession] advice. Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) is not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.MB01CJB7DV9B4VS