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The Peak Performance Podcast by Brad Young

Brad Young

Welcome to the Peak Performance Podcast—your guide to unlocking your potential and thriving in every area of life. Hosted by Brad Young, Ph.D., bestselling author and trusted voice in health, fitness, and personal growth, this show delivers practical, evidence-based strategies to help you become your best self.

Ranked in the top 10% of podcasts globally—and previously in the top 10 health and fitness podcasts—this show continues to grow, evolve, and raise the bar.

Brad goes beyond theory, breaking down the training, mindset, and nutrition of elite athletes and high performers, then testing these strategies in real life. From running and fitness to mental resilience and modern health technology, he shares what actually works so you can apply it immediately.

Each episode is packed with actionable tools to improve your mental, physical, and emotional well-being—whether you're optimizing performance, building better habits, or overcoming challenges.

This isn’t just information—it’s transformation. Subscribe and start your journey to peak performance today.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any medical conditions.

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Yesterday · 32 min
Episode 131: The Science of Peptides: What Your Body Already Knows How to Do
Today we are going deep into one of the most fascinating and honestly one of the most misunderstood topics in the performance and recovery world right now — peptides. Whether you are a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior, someone grinding through military training, or just a person who wants to heal faster and feel better in their body, this episode is going to give you a grounded, honest look at what peptides are, how they work, what the science actually says, and where the gaps in our knowledge still exist. Before we go anywhere, I want to be completely transparent with you. Everything I share in this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. None of this is medical advice. I am not a physician, and nothing I say should replace a conversation with a qualified healthcare provider who understands your individual situation. Peptides exist in a complex regulatory and medical landscape, and what works for one person may not be appropriate for another. Please treat this as a starting point for your own research and your own conversations with professionals. Now, with that said, let's get into it. Because the world of peptides is genuinely exciting, and if you've been curious about them, you deserve a real, thorough conversation about what we know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thursday · 25 min
Episode 130: HITT: The Science of Doing Less to Become More
We are going to talk about why training harder, not longer, is the single most powerful physical performance shift you can make. We are going to talk about the science, the legends, the athletes, and the exact plan you can use starting this week to build a body and a mind that performs at the absolute highest level. This is not a trend. This is not a hack. This is biology meeting intensity, and when you understand it deeply, you will never look at a two-hour gym session the same way again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 10 · 20 min
Episode 129:AI Driven Training Systems
For years, most workout programs followed a fixed schedule. Monday was a hard day. Tuesday was cardio. Wednesday was strength. Thursday was recovery. The plan told us what to do based on the calendar, but the calendar did not know whether we slept well, whether our resting heart rate was elevated, whether we were carrying unusual stress, or whether our last workout created more fatigue than expected. That is the promise of adaptive training. Instead of asking only, What does the program say today, we can also ask, What is my body prepared to do today? A wearable device may collect heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep duration, movement, training load, breathing rate, and other signals. An algorithm can compare that information with our personal history and recommend a harder session, an easier session, or recovery. I want to be clear from the beginning. This technology can be useful, but it is not magic. A watch is not a physician. An algorithm is not an experienced coach standing beside us. A readiness score is not a diagnosis, and one unusual reading does not mean something is wrong. The best use of artificial intelligence is not to surrender our judgment. It is to improve our judgment by giving us another source of information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 5 · 30 min
Episode 128: Simplified Peak Performance in an Era of Complexity
The world has never offered more tools, more data, more protocols, more supplements, more coaches, more content about performance. And yet, the people who are genuinely operating at the top — the ones who sustain it, who build legacies, who don't burn out — they almost universally share one trait. They have simplified everything down to its essence. They have cut away the noise and committed deeply to a very small number of things that actually matter. That's what today is about. Simplicity as a competitive advantage. Not laziness — ruthless, intentional, disciplined simplicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 30 · 28 min
Episode 127: Apache Breathwork and How It Will Change Your Running Forever
This episode is going to change the way you run. I am not being dramatic. I am telling you what happened to me and what happens to every single person I have coached through this protocol. When you finish listening and you start applying what I am laying out for you today, your relationship with running will never be the same. You are going to feel in control on hard efforts. You are going to recover faster between intervals. You are going to finish long runs feeling strong instead of destroyed. And you are going to do all of that by learning how to breathe the way the Apache did. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 25 · 28 min
Episode 126: Micro Workouts: The Training Revolution You Cannot Afford to Ignore
A micro workout is a short, deliberate training bout lasting anywhere from two minutes to twenty minutes, performed multiple times throughout the day. The sessions are not random. They are not just dropping and doing push-ups because you felt guilty eating a sandwich. They are programmed with intent, targeted at specific movement patterns, energy systems, or weak points in your physical profile. Every single rep you perform in a micro workout has a purpose. The physiological basis for why this works is profound. When you perform a brief bout of high-quality movement, you trigger a neuromuscular response, a hormonal cascade, and a metabolic shift that together begin the adaptation process. You do not need to be in the gym for ninety minutes to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. You need progressive tension applied to a muscle group consistently over time. Micro workouts allow you to accumulate that tension across multiple daily bouts, which means your muscles receive a training signal far more frequently than the person who only lifts three days per week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 20 · 30 min
Episode 125: Training for a Spartan Race: Everything You Need to Get to the Finish Line
When most people think about preparing for a Spartan Race, they default to running. They lace up their shoes, hit the pavement a few times a week, and assume that because they can run a five-miler comfortably, they are ready. They are not. A Spartan Race is a multi-domain athletic event, and if you neglect even one of those domains, you will feel it hard on race day — usually at the worst possible moment, like mile seven of a twelve-mile Beast when your grip gives out on the monkey bars and you are staring down thirty burpees. The five training pillars you need to own are cardiovascular endurance, functional strength, grip and carry capacity, obstacle-specific skill work, and mental toughness. These are not optional. They are the architecture of every well-built Spartan athlete. Cardiovascular endurance keeps you moving between obstacles when your heart rate is spiking and your legs are burning. Functional strength lets you climb walls, carry sandbags, drag sleds, and haul yourself over rigs. Grip and carry capacity is its own category because it is that specific and that important — your forearms and hands will fail you before almost anything else if you do not train them intentionally. Obstacle skill work means you have actually practiced the movements, not just done exercises that are kind of similar. And mental toughness is what keeps you executing when your body is begging you to quit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#124
September 15 · 29 min
Episode 124: The Chemistry Behind Champions
Team success isn’t magic — it’s chemistry. In this episode of The Peak Performance Podcast, we break down the hidden forces that turn a group of athletes into a unified, unstoppable unit. Champions aren’t built on talent alone; they’re built on trust, communication, and a shared identity that holds under pressure. When athletes sync mentally, emotionally, and strategically, performance skyrockets — and the game changes. Today, we’re diving into the psychology, the science, and the real‑world dynamics behind elite teams. From group_cohesion to high‑trust_culture to performance_alignment, you’ll learn what separates good teams from championship‑level organizations. Whether you’re an athlete, a coach, or a leader building your own high‑performance environment, this episode will show you exactly how chemistry becomes a competitive advantage. Let’s get into it — and unlock what truly makes champions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#123
September 10 · 28 min
Episode 123: Train, Eat, Sleep, and Perform Like You Are in Bootcamp
Bootcamp is built on one idea: strip away everything unnecessary and forge a human being who can perform under pressure, recover quickly, and stay disciplined when it matters most. In this episode, Train, Eat, Sleep, and Perform Like You Are in Bootcamp, we explore how adopting the core principles of military-style living can elevate physical performance, mental toughness, and daily consistency. Modern life encourages comfort, convenience, and constant distraction. Bootcamp is the opposite. It demands structure, intentional stress, precise nutrition, regimented sleep, and relentless accountability. When these elements are applied to civilian training, they create a powerful framework for peak performance — one that removes guesswork and replaces it with discipline, clarity, and measurable progress. In this episode, we break down the science behind high-intensity physical conditioning, the metabolic impact of structured eating, the neurological benefits of strict sleep hygiene, and the psychological transformation that comes from embracing discomfort. You will learn how to build a lifestyle that mirrors the efficiency and resilience of a bootcamp environment — without needing a drill instructor or a barracks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#122
September 5 · 28 min
Episode 122:The Weighted Vest Advantage
The weighted vest is one of the simplest tools in training — and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, The Weighted Vest Advantage, we explore how adding external load to everyday movement can transform strength, conditioning, posture, metabolic efficiency, and even mental resilience. Across human history, carrying weight has been a built‑in part of life: hunters hauling game, warriors moving in armor, laborers transporting materials. Today, most of us live in environments engineered for convenience — minimal strain, minimal effort, minimal challenge. The weighted vest reintroduces a primal stimulus that the body recognizes instantly: work that demands adaptation. In this episode, we break down the physiology behind load‑bearing movement, the research on improved VO₂ max and bone density, the psychological benefits of training under pressure, and how strategic vest use can elevate performance across strength training, endurance work, and daily life. Whether you’re an athlete, a coach, or someone committed to long‑term physical mastery, this conversation will show you why external load is one of the most powerful — and accessible — tools for unlocking peak performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 30 · 27 min
Episode 121:Calisthenics Street Lifting and Weighted Bodyweight Training
What You Will Learn Today You will explore the foundational principles of calisthenics and street lifting, understanding how these disciplines evolved from simple bodyweight training into a highly technical strength sport practiced worldwide. You’ll learn how calisthenics builds movement literacy, joint integrity, and full‑body coordination, while street lifting adds external load to transform traditional bodyweight movements into maximal‑strength expressions. This section breaks down why these methods produce athletes with extraordinary strength‑to‑weight ratios and elite levels of tendon and connective‑tissue resilience. You will dive into how weighted calisthenics builds extraordinary strength relative to bodyweight, including the biomechanics of loaded pull‑ups, dips, muscle‑ups, and lever variations. You’ll learn why adding weight to bodyweight patterns creates unique neuromuscular adaptations, how it increases motor‑unit recruitment, and why it produces strength that transfers directly into climbing, grappling, sprinting, and combat sports. This segment explains how weighted calisthenics bridges the gap between pure calisthenics and traditional weightlifting, giving athletes the best of both worlds. You will examine the specific training methods top street‑lifting athletes use, including high‑tension isometrics, progressive weighted variations, tendon‑focused loading cycles, and advanced skill progressions like front levers, planches, and weighted muscle‑ups. You’ll learn how elite performers structure their sessions, manage fatigue, build connective‑tissue durability, and use micro‑progressions to break plateaus. This section highlights the unique blend of strength, skill, and discipline that defines the sport’s top athletes. Finally, you will learn how to progress from bodyweight to weighted calisthenics safely and effectively, with a complete roadmap that includes foundational strength standards, beginner progressions, intermediate loading strategies, and advanced templates inspired by street‑lifting methodology. You’ll receive guidance on tendon preparation, joint conditioning, volume management, and how to integrate weighted calisthenics into a broader strength program. Whether you’re new to calisthenics or ready to push into elite territory, you’ll walk away with a clear blueprint for long‑term progression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 25 · 24 min
Episode 120: Isometrics for Elite Athletes Tendons, Strength, and Staying at the Top
What You Will Learn Today You will explore how elite athletes across multiple sports use isometrics to maintain peak performance and extend their competitive careers, revealing why fighters, sprinters, powerlifters, gymnasts, and field athletes all rely on static strength work to protect joints, sharpen neural efficiency, and sustain high output deep into long seasons. You’ll learn how isometrics allow athletes to train at high intensity without the mechanical wear of dynamic lifting, making them one of the most effective tools for longevity in high‑stress sports. You will dive into the specific science of tendon adaptation through isometric loading, including how static contractions stimulate collagen synthesis, increase tendon stiffness, improve force transmission, and remodel connective tissue for durability. We’ll break down how tendons respond differently to isometric versus dynamic training, why stiffness is a performance advantage, and how controlled static loading can reduce injury risk while enhancing explosive power. You will learn how isometric overcoming work produces strength gains unavailable through dynamic training alone, including the unique neural adaptations that occur when the body attempts to produce maximal force against an immovable object. This section explains how overcoming isometrics increase motor‑unit recruitment, improve rate‑of‑force development, and build joint‑angle‑specific strength that carries over into lifts, sprints, grappling, and striking. You’ll understand why elite performers use overcoming isometrics to break plateaus, reinforce sticking points, and build raw force capacity. Finally, you’ll receive a complete isometric program for tendon and performance development, built for beginners, intermediates, and advanced athletes. This includes foundational positions, progression timelines, recommended time‑under‑tension, overcoming versus yielding variations, and weekly templates inspired by the methods used in elite training rooms. Whether your goal is injury‑proofing, strength building, explosive power, or long‑term athletic resilience, you’ll walk away with a structured plan you can start this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 20 · 21 min
Episode 119:The Dagestan Method : Training Champions from Childhood
What You Will Learn Today You will dive into the cultural and historical foundation of Dagestan wrestling, a system shaped by mountains, scarcity, community pressure, and a warrior ethos that has produced some of the most dominant combat athletes on earth. You’ll explore how this rugged environment forged a training culture where discipline is non‑negotiable, toughness is expected, and excellence is the only acceptable outcome. This segment uncovers how Dagestan’s traditions, values, and social structures create a developmental pipeline unlike anything found in the Western world. You will learn how children are developed from a young age through graduated exposure to hard training—starting with playful grappling, progressing into structured drilling, and eventually entering intense competitive cycles. We’ll break down how coaches, families, and communities work together to build physical literacy, emotional resilience, and a deep internal drive long before formal training begins. You’ll understand why Dagestani athletes grow up with an unshakeable identity rooted in discipline, humility, and relentless effort. This episode examines the specific methods that build the physical and mental qualities of Dagestan champions, including high‑volume mat work, isometric tension drills, rugged outdoor conditioning, partner‑based resistance training, and the psychological frameworks that cultivate grit, composure, and strategic intelligence. You’ll learn how these athletes develop tendon strength, explosive power, positional dominance, and the ability to stay calm under extreme pressure—qualities that translate far beyond wrestling. Finally, you’ll receive a complete training program inspired by the Dagestan method, designed for modern athletes who want to capture the essence of this system without needing to live in the mountains. The program includes foundational drills, conditioning circuits, mental toughness practices, and progressive skill development you can begin this week. Whether you’re a coach, an athlete, or a student of human performance, you’ll walk away with a blueprint for building resilience, strength, and discipline the Dagestan way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 15 · 25 min
Episode 118: Modern Gym Culture and What Strength Really Means
What We Will Learn Today Today, I’m recalibrating my expectations, sharpening my training goals, and getting brutally honest about what real, measurable strength looks like. I’m breaking down the gap between what the average adult can actually do and what the elite one‑percenters of strength achieve, so I can anchor my ambition to reality without ever shrinking it. I’m learning the truth about bodyweight standards — what I should realistically be able to do in pull‑ups, push‑ups, dips, and core work — and how those numbers shift once I add external load. Then I’m stepping into the deep end: the powerlifting benchmarks that define the top one percent of strength worldwide. I’m seeing what elite lifters squat, bench, and deadlift, and why those numbers aren’t just impressive — they’re biologically extreme. I’m also confronting how social media distortion warps my perception of strength. Angles, PEDs, filters, and curated highlight reels create a world where normal looks weak and elite looks attainable with a six‑week program. I’m dismantling those illusions and learning how to build goals that are grounded in truth but still aggressive enough to stretch my limits. By the end, I’ll know how to calibrate my training to my current level, set targets that challenge me without breaking me, and build a strength identity based on reality — not trends. This is how I stay ambitious without becoming delusional, and how I chase peak performance with a path that actually gets me there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 10 · 23 min
Episode 117: Why Strongman Training Is Different
Let me start by explaining what makes strongman training fundamentally different from traditional barbell-based strength training, because the differences are significant and they matter for how you think about incorporating this work. In traditional powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting, you are working with standardized implements at fixed heights, along fixed movement paths, with loads that are measured precisely and incremented systematically. There is enormous value in that precision, and I am not dismissing it. But strongman training operates in a completely different mechanical and neurological environment. The implements are odd-shaped and awkward — logs, stones, kegs, yokes, farmer handles. The loads shift and move unpredictably. The movements require full-body coordination under extreme load in ways that a squat or a deadlift with a straight barbell simply does not replicate. What this means physiologically is that strongman training demands coordination across stabilizer muscle systems that conventional training often underloads. Your rotator cuff, your hip external rotators, the deep spinal stabilizers, the muscles of the forearm and hand — these structures get challenged in strongman training at levels that carry over significantly to athletic performance in almost every sport. The central nervous system adaptations from strongman work are also distinct. Because the loads are heavy, the durations are often longer than a single maximal lift, and the implements are unstable, the nervous system has to maintain high-threshold motor unit recruitment for extended periods. That is a training stimulus you simply cannot replicate by doing a heavy set of three on the squat, no matter how hard you work in that gym. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 5 · 25 min
Episode 116:The Isometric Edge for Peak Performance
What You Will Learn Today You will explore the physiological foundation of isometric strength, including how static muscular contractions create high‑tension environments that stimulate neural drive, motor‑unit recruitment, and tendon adaptation in ways dynamic training cannot match. You’ll learn how elite athletes across strength sports, combat disciplines, and endurance fields strategically integrate isometrics to increase force production, improve joint stability, and enhance performance without excessive wear on the body. This episode breaks down the role of tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue in strength expression—and why static loading is one of the most effective ways to remodel these tissues for durability, stiffness, and long‑term resilience. You’ll understand how isometrics influence collagen synthesis, tendon stiffness, and the ability to transmit force efficiently through the kinetic chain. Finally, you’ll receive a complete beginner‑to‑advanced isometric protocol you can start this week. It includes foundational positions, progression strategies, time‑under‑tension guidelines, and advanced variations used by high‑level performers. Whether you’re new to isometrics or ready to push into elite territory, you’ll walk away with a clear, structured plan for building strength that lasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 30 · 40 min
Episode 115 The Rise of Precision Recovery
Modern performance isn’t just about how hard you train — it’s about how intelligently you recover. In this episode, we explore the evolution of precision recovery, where athletes use data‑driven insights, biometrics, and targeted interventions to optimize rest, repair, and long‑term resilience. From sleep analytics to micro‑recovery protocols, we break down how personalized recovery strategies are helping high performers reduce fatigue, prevent injury, and sustain peak output in a demanding world. This is the new science of bouncing back stronger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 25 · 28 min
Episode 114: The Psychology of Staying Power
Staying power isn’t about talent — it’s about the mental architecture that keeps you moving when motivation fades and obstacles stack up. In this episode, we break down the psychology behind long‑term consistency, exploring how identity, emotional regulation, cognitive endurance, and habit‑based resilience shape your ability to stay committed to excellence. You’ll learn why some people burn out while others build momentum, and how to cultivate the mindset that keeps you progressing long after the initial spark is gone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 20 · 30 min
Episode 113: Metabolic Adaptation in the Modern World
Your metabolism isn’t static — it’s constantly negotiating with your environment, your habits, and the demands of modern life. In this episode, we explore how stress, nutrition, technology, sleep patterns, and lifestyle shifts shape metabolic adaptation in ways both helpful and harmful. You’ll learn how the body adjusts to scarcity, abundance, chronic stress, and inconsistent routines, and what you can do to guide those adaptations toward better energy, performance, and long‑term health. It’s a deep dive into how your metabolism evolves to survive — and how you can train it to thrive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 15 · 26 min
Episode 112: The AI Enhanced Athlete
The rise of the AI‑enhanced athlete is reshaping what human performance looks like. This episode explores how intelligent systems, biometric analytics, and adaptive training models are helping athletes break plateaus, sharpen decision‑making, and unlock levels of precision once impossible through traditional coaching alone. We dive into real‑world applications, ethical considerations, and the future of competition as humans learn to partner with machines to elevate strength, speed, recovery, and mental resilience. It’s a look at how technology isn’t replacing athletes — it’s redefining excellence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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