This is a reboot of Episode 20, recorded in 2018 with my dear friend, Brian Enos. He published a new book on July 17th, 2024 so I figured it would be a nice means of sharing some of the history of the NonProphet podcast (formerly known as The Dissect Podcast) and helping listeners understand why they might very well be interested in the new book titled, "Practical Living". You may learn a bit more about the book by surfing to the Journal section of the NonProphet site.

In the first mobile recording of the Dissect podcast, Mark sits down with friend and mentor, Brian Enos, to talk about shooting, Zen, temperament, road tripping, psychedelics and thinking about how to think. Brian is the author of “Practical Shooting — Beyond Fundamentals”. It is considered one of the best books on the subject, and certainly the deepest. During his career, he won multiple Area and National titles and despite this success—or maybe because of it—one day he quit cold turkey, which also comes up during the conversation.

Mark and Carl Kuschke discuss the preparation for an endurance event which was quite outside Carl's normal training focus and activity. He was recruited into a college tennis program but quickly realized going pro wasn't in his future so after graduating he entered the workforce and his training occurred mostly in the gym where he finally put on some muscle because the tennis training volume decreased. We discuss the concept of functional fitness, what functionality means, how to navigate the wilderness of fitness once the university coaching and programming are done, time limitations due to demands of family and work (10 hours per week, max), as well as the utility of online, remote programs. Often, the solution to a sense of stagnation in the gym is to break the routine, to choose an unusual objective and train differently for it. Mark concedes that obstacle course racing may actually be pretty fun, and Carl extolls the reassurance offered by a solid training plan, one that had him well enough prepared to actually enjoy himself on the day of the event. There are some details about the training itself, from VO2 intervals to grip work and the notorious Bulgarian Split Squat Test, and discussion of choosing an appropriate objective according to one's physical history, available time and innate curiosity. This isn't about a high end performance done by a famous athlete, rather it's a conversation that maybe lights the way for anyone to improve their fitness and enjoy the experience.

Kegan and Lucas join Michael to discuss what is wrong with fitness culture and how to think about changing it. This conversation starts on the topic of training consistency and how folks maintain it, which requires them to define consistent training. This quickly presents the conundrum that negative feedback slows or stops consistency, that positive feedback is needed to maintain consistency, and one must train consistently in order to 'cause' positive feedback. And to train consistently one must be semi- or totally-obsessed; to excel requires obsession, you have to be thinking about it when you're not doing it.

Training, actual training, starts with a purpose, what are you training for? Why are you doing it? If the Why isn't defined, and precisely, then the work is difficult to sustain ... if you have nothing to progress toward and no way to measure or appreciate it, well, doing it isn't as easy or defensible as might otherwise be true.

The guys realize that one's timeline affects point of view but also the effectiveness of the effort. High intensity training leads to a short-term outlook; a 11-minute workout, regardless of how hard it is, does not compel or inspire you to think 72 hours ahead much less ten years ahead. How will what you are doing today influence your physical and psychological condition in ten years? Do you even care? Few actually think ahead, but we all should, because we might actually live that long. And "ahead" changes over time, with understanding. At a younger age, when an entire world was laid out ahead but our appetites were demanding, if acquiring a skill or developing a fitness characteristic took longer than twelve weeks it was too long. Later, with more experience and maturity we recognized it is totally acceptable to sit with the idea that learning to jump might take one year, and that's OK. The real outcomes take time.

Sadly, a short frame of reference and quick execution doesn't develop the habits that sustain the condition that was achieved in a short amount of time. To be sure, surface changes, appearance changes may happen quickly but deep, meaningful, lasting change takes time, it takes getting used to ... and living with it.

They discuss using competition wisely and wonder if the biggest mistakes made in business are the same ones made in fitness, which could be a launchpad for a marketing gimmick but Michael steers them back to the idea that the intent of a workout prescription affects and changes the execution AND the result of the training session.

A laundry list of exercises has no value ... but we can overwrite a lot of wrongness with a proper intention (or thesis). And more important than intent is the story surrounding it, no one remembers or cares about the science of a workout or training style, but they do recall and carry with them the story of it, the narrative built around the session or overall program ... the best storyteller might actually be the best coach or trainer. So while people chase the numbers of a set/rep/duration structure believing these to be the magical keys, others understand, and have proven that if you go long enough or hard enough stuff comes up ... and if you are sensitized and aware, that stuff might cause meaningful change.

Darryl Bolke retired after 19.5 years as a full time officer from a Southern California police department where he also worked as the Firearms Instructor and Armorer for the Special Weapons and Tactics Team for 17 years. He participated in the investigation of over 75 officer involved shootings, assisting with the firearms portion of these investigations, and provided expert testimony in regards to firearms usage and police tactics in numerous court cases.  Bolke also developed and implemented a nationally recognized edged weapons policy and training program for law enforcement. He has trained with the best of the best, literally, and offers insight that can only come from years of training, and more importantly, years of real world experience combined with a rabid curiosity and appreciation of history. This conversation ranges from the development of the MARS Armament THUG pistol to the differences between sport shooting and use of force shooting, the importance of training and education, the good and the bad aspects of modern policing, and the not-so-obvious value of an 8-shot, .22 caliber revolver.

This episode (recorded 9/1/20) starts in the gutter but quickly develops into a conversation about real estate and exodus-related price increases in states like Utah, Idaho and Colorado, where remote workers flock after realizing they don't need to tolerate the bullshit imposed by city, county and state governments in places like California or New York. Bullshit like increasing state taxes to the point that the most productive people — those most able to pay higher taxes — leave the state. And to impose those increases retroactively ... who in their right mind would participate in this Ponzi scheme? But since that topic was too serious and depressing we revisited the Ginocyde pizza shop idea, came up with the motto, "One slice at a time," because nothing goes better with pizza than self-determination, and realized that we are one cardboard box and logo away from opening at our new location, "Down the tracks, not across them." Enjoy!

Michael and Kegan discuss the downside of specialization and reductionism with regards to nutrition, and fitness, and pass by way of a critique of the for-profit medical establishment. Of course, #fitnessisfucked comes up — after all, this is The Worst Fitness Podcast In The World.

Casey Parlett was in town to coach at a CF Level 2 seminar and decided it was a good idea to sit down with Michael, Kegan, and forever guest George Briones to discuss training, nutrition, a bit about his background in Muay Thai, and his views on the lack of society's ability to be self-aware and the impact that is having.

The first hour wasn't useful so we deleted it. Then we settled in to discuss an idea tied to The Space, which was what we call our gym. The Space Program is a virtual gym, where the more creative coaches in our circle may post and discuss training concepts they are working with, examples of the physical expressions of those concepts, i.e. workouts or training sessions, and where participants can interact about their own experiences with the sessions. We will offer (paid) access to the beta version on October 9th, 2020 during a 24 hour-long buying window. The beta test will last for three months and inform the "alpha" program that should go live early next year — unless it's a bad idea, in which case we would drown it in its own sweat.

Let's talk about fitness! Or something. Fifteen years ago Mark designed and implemented the training, diet and recovery practices for the actors and stunt team making a movie titled "300". Some say this work changed how male action stars looked on the big screen, and whether that is accurate or not, the bodies shaped by this program caused a lot of speculation and imitation and tempted a number of frauds to claim they were there, did the work, knew the "secrets" and should be paid for having done so. This was fairly easy because the guy who did the work (and his assistant) never shouted from rooftops, or tried to recycle and resell the work. They understood that what allowed those remarkable changes to occur was specific to the particular context and involved many more elements than just the exercises. After "300" Mark trained actors and stunt crew for eight more Hollywood movies. Michael worked as his assistant or independently on four of those films. Recently, the brand, the company, once co-owned by Mark, offered a training program that follows "the exact regimen we used for our biggest movie clients", which is a fun marketing twist based on the premise that a brand or corporation is interchangeable with an individual. In response, Mark released the actual "300" training record fifteen years after the fact. The brand couldn't do that because no one currently employed there was present for that film or any other movie project where Mark (and Michael) were responsible for the outcome, held to a standard and a deadline, with real money riding on the results. If you want to read more about the motivation for this incendiary action you may find an essay here: https://www.nonprophet.media/300-training

Chris Worden — who previously joined us for Episode 19 — is a photo journalist, motorcycle enthusiast, a student of physical fitness, and someone who entertains our ideas, and bounces them back at us, sometimes rather forcefully. Chris drove down to SLC to spend a week training, rewriting his dietary plan, practicing a little jiu-jitsu and basking in the much-needed fellowship that COVID has stripped from all of our lives. A few days into the week he suggested a podcast that developed the idea of the unifying theory of all conspiracy. While we may not have solved that conundrum several others came up along the way. This is Not Safe For Work, unless you work from home ... but even there, if you are easily offended or don't like opinions that are not your own, do not listen. Move along.

Sam Elias has proven himself one of the most versatile climbers in the world, climbing everything from Everest to 5.14d, M13, WI6 and winning the Ouray Ice Competition. The water runs deeper than the physical and Sam's art covers a range from tattoos to wood block prints to t-shirts ... and pottery. He is thinker with broad sensitivity and the language to share that. In this epic (3hrs 20min) conversation we cover all sorts of things from ski racing to climbing to COVID to racism and the theme of empathy that ties these topics together in the spirit of a very complex individual.

Ivan Loomis, aka @kit_badger, has had some adventures. In this conversation we catch up after first meeting at a shooting course in northern Idaho, Ivan talks about racing the Baja 1000 in a nearly-stock Toyota Tercel wagon, and, in a later attempt, going end-over-end in a Chevy Blazer when some critical steering components failed catastrophically. Deeper in we discuss his service in the USMC, and Air Force, and eventually as a security contractor. This talk is firearms-centric with emphasis on the thinking aspect vs. the gear aspect and introduces his cross-country Coast To Coast tour offering folks the opportunity to shoot some rather compelling firearms at Range Days along the way. Tune in to learn, and also check out his website and youtube channel where thoughtful and articulate gear reviews abound. www.kitbadger.com

We were a bit scattered, which seems to be the way of the world these days, and didn't want to talk about anything heavy. But at least we stayed out of the gutter.

Roger Gracie is a 10x IBJJF world champion. More notably, he is widely regarded as the GOAT of competitive jiujitsu in the gi. His dominant style is subtle and simple but the way he has claimed so many victories is based on technical precision and an understanding of the details to a degree that baffles anyone who has pursued the sport. Michael was reintroduced to BJJ by Roger while working on a motion picture in London in the summer of 2016. They met up in Mallorca, Spain for a 5-day BJJ festival where Michael was able to have a conversation with Roger about the bigger picture of a professional jiujitsu athlete’s career, and what motivates and fuels a path in combat sport. They discuss what it takes to be a great athlete, the imbalances of sport-specific training, and what it means to add to the legacy of the Gracie name.

Josh Tyler and Erin Blevins join Kegan, Michael and Mark to discuss random topics, some current and relevant, some less so. Politics, UFOs, Sexuality, Unemployment Benefits, Small Business — and market reliance on USPS to keep private couriers' pricing in check — and, of course, Language. Mark wonders ruefully about the past tense of "Yeet" ... until Michael derails the crew with a hypothesis about Cthulhu and the Fermi paradox.

Kelly Halpin is an accomplished mountain athlete, artist and author. We first spoke with her one year ago on Episode 79, and she returned along with Brody Leven for Episode 101. This time Thurk helps guide the conversation about her recent traverse of the Wind River High Route — 100 miles, 30,000 feet of elevation gain — in 59hrs 37min, setting the fastest known time for a solo unsupported crossing. She grew up in Jackson, Wyoming so the mountains are in her blood, and graduated from the Art Center College of Design with a BFA in film, which shows in her art and photography and how she sees the world around her. This conversation is gold.

We had to redeem ourselves after Ep. 128 so we decided to talk about conviction and monotheism and the Divine Feminine ... which should balance the glory hole discussion nicely. Then, after some brief housekeeping about various fetishes mentioned in 128 Michael, Kegan and Mark settle in to a discussion of training and the lessons that may apply universally across many different disciplines or human endeavors, concluding that (long) experience leads to the ability to improvise, and that the specificity of technical practice is very important. Deeper into the conversation we discuss diet, the practice of it and books about it, which some listeners may find useful. The episode does finish with a quick mention of cannibalism, which, I suppose is still on the topic of diet. Enjoy.

IG handles of allies mentioned in this episode:

@samkempcj

@runenationllc

@payson

@rangefox

@kit_badger

@one_7_six

@firstspear

@gbriones_3

If you are easily offended or triggered feel free to skip this episode. We were exhausted after the most recent Symposium so very little of this conversation provides knowledge. That said we started out talking about dogs, which is always good. Then it turned towards genocide and then pizza ... what good could possibly come from this? Josh Goldstein returns, along with Ben, Lambear (of God), and Sparkle. If you do choose to listen it may be best to stop after 13:25 but if you're curious and tolerant you could risk it until 17:42 before bailing out because it's all downhill from there. Let's just say that if you are into rabbit holes but not glory holes stop listening before the 38-minute mark.

On July 23rd, 2020 we dove headfirst into a conversation about racism. Present were Mark, Michael, Kegan, Patrick (Kegan's father) and Mike Thurk, whose eyes were opened when he attended protests here in SLC on May 30th, coincident with the NonProphet Symposium held that weekend. The protests turned to riots rather quickly and it was all within earshot and sometimes sight of our building. Thurk returned to Colorado, participated in events in Denver and Aurora, photographed, conversed, considered, meditated and returned to NonProphet two months later to share what he had discovered, to challenge our positions, and to help steer the discussion while we all worked out what our ideas are. This is a difficult topic and this is our most dangerous podcast episode ever.

Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL sniper and NYTs bestselling author of three novels, THE TERMINAL LIST, TRUE BELIEVER, and SAVAGE SON, two of which were on the NYTs audio bestseller list simultaneously. He is a prolific reader, influenced as a writer by many of the greats of the "military/spy novel" genre, and a man who understood exactly what he wanted to do with his life at a very young age. He is a warrior-poet, self-described "gear guy", and a seeker. In this conversation he and Mark discuss their overlap in experience and relationships, development of the PCU cold-weather clothing system, light haul system, all sorts of nerdy shooting stuff, and remember great men who did and are currently doing great things. It's a talk about action, and writing, politics and current events where few stones are left unturned but enough are that a second conversation is inevitable. Tune in. Turn on. And enjoy.

Show Note: When discussing Rick Sylvester's amazing ski-BASE jump at the opening of "The Spy Who Loved Me" in 1976 Mark confidently, yet mistakenly identified the exit as Mount Thor when it was actually Mount Asgard. But because that bit of the chat was so fun it was not edited out, Mark figuring it is more honest to simply remain embarrassed for the rest of his days.

This is a rambling episode during which Kegan, Mark and Michael speak briefly about peace officers and riot officers, the problems they deal with and the ones they have, with specific attention paid to shooting accuracy in the context of old NYPD statistics and a recent event in Salt Lake City, as well as the dehumanizing aspect of a uniform and job choice. Public guillotining receives attention (again), as do term limits and the political support that encourages and allows the behavior by police that citizens are currently protesting against — the same political behavior that creates solutions to problems they themselves have created. We learn that Kegan hates masks, Mark believes they are more effective at controlling minds than virus transmission but wears one in deference to others who have different levels of comfort when spacing cannot be controlled, and Michael conducts himself as if everyone already has the virus.

The main takeaway from the first hour regards paying attention how difficult it can be for some to notice the distance between themselves and their fellow humans, or when they touch their faces, etc. To live “normally” it is imperative to educate ourselves about the mechanics of virus transmission, why plain (non-anti-bacterial) soap works to deactivate the virus, and ultimately, to practice self-awareness.

Other topics include cocaine, sushi, fireman calendars, and managing focus to accomplish particular objectives.

Michael and Mark try to make some sense of the last few weeks, maybe months. They explore the difference between reacting and responding, and the fact that meaningful change will not occur unless it is made profitable.

Jamie is a psychiatric nurse who is between contracts and using his time to travel, fly parachutes, speed wings and wing suits, take in the occasional MTB ride, do a little surfing and paddle boarding, and generally keeping a low profile while pursuing these forms of active meditation. He dropped by the NonProphet Event Center for a live conversation, and to meet in person, which we hadn't yet done after becoming acquainted via social media. The 3hr 40min conversation flowed over a variety of topics, one of them being a route I climbed with Randy Rackliff in 1988. At one point Jamie declared, "How terrifyingly cool," after I described the ice cliffs calving-off above and missing us because the pitch we were on was so steep. Regarding events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic he said, "It's harder to become positive now than it is to become negative — and I'm choosing the hard path," and that is a solid, difficult choice to make and then live. Tune in, break the convo into chunks if you have to, but see it through because it's a good one.

Julia and Ben hail from the Carolinas and despite the uncertainty, flew and drove west to attend the May 30th Symposium. Having attended and contributed to the February Symposium — before COVID really kicked in, before protests and riots — they valued the conversation and exchange enough to return. Julia is a medical care professional and promised some rage regarding the current system and how it might be improved but what I heard was sober thought, predicated on the back of more than a decade of experience. Of course we detoured down some rabbit holes but overall, the insight present in this discussion was refreshing and maybe, slightly ... hopeful.

Back in 2018 Nate Pack, who at the time was the "Undisputed King of The Airdyne" joined us for a conversation (Ep. 53) and this is the Intro we wrote for that episode:

"The guys speak with Nate Pack about capacity and tolerance, about the engine and its gas tank, and get down in the weeds about numbers, which is no surprise as Nate holds a PhD in bio-engineering and is a self-described “smart guy”. He also has a high degree of mastery in extensive effort. During the conversation they divulge the secret workout everyone has been asking for, and the dietary pairings used to amplify its effect. Finally—since this is an exercise and fitness podcast—they analyze the numbers in order to coronate the undisputed king of the Airdyne, and discuss how to plot the linear progression curves of power and time to expose truth."

Those numbers, achieved on the AD4 fan bike, which was the standard at the time, are:

10 minutes = 412 calories

20 minutes = 705 calories

30 minutes = 1002 calories

60 minutes = 1935 calories

Nate returns to the podcast to discuss the many years of growth and change that has occurred since. We started by discussing how easily we can trick ourselves into believing that more and harder effort can overcome other poor choices, generally those of the dietary kind but when that doesn't work it's time for wholesale change. After having realized that he had gained more weight than he could tolerate or overcome with power, and along the way lost much of his aerobic fitness, Nate made a change.

"Sometimes the mirror reflects the image we want to see and not the truth."

He started training base (intensity) only for 15-18 hours a week, some on bike but also a lot of walking. He dropped 40 pounds in 15 weeks, 3-4 pounds per week on average, and then consciously slowed it down, taking advantage of the positive feedback but also realizing he needed to turn conscious behavior into a habit, which is more or less automatic. He took another ten pounds off over eight weeks, and slowed the weight loss down even more, while not losing focus. By the time the Logan-to-Jackson (LOTOJA) bike race was held in early-September of 2023 he had lost sixty+ pounds and rebuilt his long endurance and long threshold fitness back.

This was the first time on our podcast when the following phrase was spoken, "without going into the biochemistry of PGC-1 Alpha ...", which relates to mitochondrial biogenisis and "promotes the remodeling of muscle tissue to a fiber-type composition that is metabolically more oxidative and less glycolytic in nature, and it participates in the regulation of both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism."

It's a fitness podcast and sometimes complex details are discussed so a detailed description of training intensity ensues, referencing mitochondrial biogenesis, work/rest ratios for intervals, effort that produces 2.5 mmol/l lactate but would produce 5 if sustained but it isn't, etc. Yes, down in the weeds a bit but we didn't stay there, shifting instead to the concept of sustainability and the necessity of a big volume of consistency; measuring progress in years, not merely weeks or months.

Once the topic of physical training is exhausted we moved on to the psychological, to freeing himself of 'expectations of outcome' while never questioning the expectation of the effort he is willing to make ... and 'will I give all that I am willing to give? Not able but willing ...' What are we willing to give to achieve our objectives, and what do we hold in reserve to apply to other activities or relationships?

We hit the offramp with an exchange about learning to be kind to oneself in the midst of the unfairness of the universe, "This is the lesson I was searching for: not more watts but more growth."

It's a long and powerful conversation, and sometimes quite in a niche—not every moment will be for every listener—but the high points are universally applicable, and understandable to anyone who is paying attention to the long journey called life we are all taking.

Thurk joined us for Ep. 86 when Joe Holmes spoke truth through several glasses of wine, and ever since we have been waiting for him to join us solo. This conversation occurred prior to the May 30th Symposium, before protests and riots and free assembly in our space as well as in the streets. Thurk changed over that weekend — attending the protest-turned-riot early on Saturday, and the riot-gone-violent later that evening to capture images. The following week he photographed protests in Denver and his images from there and SLC are very compelling. See some at www.mthurk.com and @mthurk on IG. Because the protests began in earnest after this conversation we spoke nothing of it, instead focusing on creativity or its lack under lockdown, and Thurk pressured us to keep creating despite however we feel during this period because, "art IS essential."

Josh Goldstein came to the NonProphet Event Center for the first Symposium since the Coronavirus lockdown and ended up staying about a week as he found a camaraderie at Non-Prophet that he had been seeking out recently. Josh has a way of provoking thought through his words so we couldn't resist recording a podcast and discuss the ongoing events taking place in the country. You might know Josh from his days with Caveman Coffee running around acting and looking a bit like Tarzan or from his new TV Show on ESPN2 called Gymratts.

Michael Carter has been visiting us and opening our eyes since 2017. We recorded a podcast with him when we were still rehearsing back then but the audio was unlistenable so we never posted it. Michael's visit for the Symposium this weekend coincided with some strange circumstances (pandemic and demonstrations/riots) but we finally got him into the studio for a conversation about ... the human condition and the widely differing conditions of human experience. Michael grew up on the south side of Chicago, lives and works in the city, he is educated, eloquent, open-minded and every conversation we have ever had with him has challenged us in a way few other have. This one was no different.

We are over it. This is depressing. It is bullshit. No "leaders" will admit they may have been wrong, and focus solely on what they did right. All are desperately trying to avoid any legal recourse for having been wrong thus are enforcing measures that appeared to be correct when they were still ignorant, trying to demonstrate their power since their knowledge and awareness and qualifications are being questioned ... not openly or bluntly enough IMO but that will come. On the other hand, we recognize the "creeping malaise", that frustration wanes with time and becomes acceptance. We are being normalized to accept future infringements, engineered to enjoy being sodomized, and too few can forecast what is ahead of us, down the road, as the clock ticks ... if you aren't awake, I hope you enjoyed your nap because the alarm clock and bells and the call to "Stand To" are set to chime sooner than you think.

This is an episode about nothing. We were lost, maybe a little depressed by watching human nature play out when confronted with mortal risk — the overreaction, the holier-than-thou, the pandemic-for-thee-but-not-for-me attitude and behavior expressed by the most vocal and visible politicians, yeah, it's a drag. And it makes me want to shout with Zach, "There'll be no shelter here!" But eventually we began discussing smart cars and that made everyone happy. Still, there remains a "thin line between entertainment and war ..." which will it be for you?

Tom Asturias is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Pedro Sauer, Johnny Carlquist and James Gardner. He is also a physician's assistant who dropped in to discuss COVID-19 generally, its prevalence in Utah specifically, and to help us understand or clear up some of the information we have only been able to glean from the media, and not from anyone on the front line (excepting Keith Borg who talked with us on Ep. 115). The conversation is one of the more measured we have ever recorded, with Tom's careful and respectful use of language helping us to be more calm and precise than usual. This is a good one. Dig it.

The first rule of COVID is You Can't NOT Talk About COVID. Keith Borg joins us to discuss his perspective as a medical researcher and emergency physician, father, and athlete. He travels between his home hospital in Charleston, SC and points west to work so he has been personally exposed to different local phenomenon as well as in discussion with colleagues in areas with greater population density so his view is broad and objective and more acute than ours. Tune in, it's good. No edits (for mouth pops or otherwise), this is as live as we will ever get ... three hours from the end of the recording to the upload.

SNOWFLAKE WARNING: This episode starts in the gutter with a discussion of drugging oneself to sleep and then being raped by the government but the tone quickly rises toward the topic of euthanasia, farm and ranch "depopulation", employment bias, i.e. essential vs. non-essential, and once again, Biden's many and varied moral transgressions, and the "practical utility" of science. Later, Michael discovers blueprints for a 1792 guillotine. For levity, Mark suggests lengthening the football field to 400m to make it an endurance sport, and then offers anecdotal "evidence" that cigarettes improve adaptation to high altitude. Whatever, if you're into the irreverent-yet-thoughtful and provocative think-for-yourself attitude that frequently comes out of the NonProphet project this episode is a fine example, and if you hate that, this episode is also a fine example.

From the complexity of vanilla as a flavor to comfort eating under lockdown to police officers returning to the original charter of being peace officers, this episode starts off snarky and goes downhill ... we spoke about fitness and dared describe an actual workout. But then we came to our senses and began talking about Biden's predilection for inappropriate familiarity with young women, the difference between racist and rapist, and finally settle on greed as a topic worth spending some time with. Trevor Thompson joins us for a pretty fun time.

To balance out the comedy and sarcasm of episode 111 we decided to discuss some topics with which we have more experience, dare I say expertise? We cover nutrition, inflammation, stress, some training ideas, fear, risk and the decision-making around it ...and then the rabbit hole of the Truman Doctrine opened ... but this is NOT advice.

Michael and Kegan sit down with Nate Pack to discuss this year's annual Space Race, which occurs on New Years Eve. Previous editions include a 24-hour Assault Bike challenge in teams of three (580 miles was the final 'winning' score), 12-hour Dante's Triathlon (ski, row, bike 50-40-30-20-10 calories repeated in teams fo 3 or 4 depending on total weight of the team), and a 6-hour 40/400 AMRAP (40 calories plus 400m run) done solo. Continuing to cut total time by 50% would obviously lead to a 3-hour event and no one saw the point in that — the goal must be challenging and difficult enough to cause change or adaptation if that is what one seeks. And the power of having a date or deadline for performance, and people to do it with should not be underestimated.

Once the structure of this year's event was determined they delve into the psychological (and physical) limitations of truly hard effort, the challenges of different time domains, and how most people never actually work hard but believe they do. Nate also discusses his impressions of the Capacity manual and the eight-week progression proposed therein ... and how ‘simple’ is much harder to abide than we imagine. Within this context they cover the various interval structures and training styles that helped develop them into the athletes they are today.

Finally, Michael declares, "You have to rewrite what your brain thinks is hard in order to do something harder ..." and drops the mic. 

The conversation begins with a pirated clip from Vic DiBitetto's YouTube channel during which he teaches the leaders a lesson and then WE go downhill or uphill from there. Mark recites a laborious reply to a critical email received from a former listener, while Michael dispenses his reply rather quickly. If this is of no interest, conversation about experts — academic and practical — among other observations begins about 20 minutes in. As fun, comical and sarcastic as this exercise was, it did fuel some thought and off-line discussion, which is never a bad thing.

Sam joined us to talk about identity, being declared non-essential, and our poor relationship with death. In other words, life will kill you.

We are horrible people. Don't listen to us. Don't play this podcast. You will have to wade through loads of deviant and treasonous, anti-authoritarian conversation to get to any useful, actionable information and ideas. Please move along. Unless you want to be provoked, or woken from the nap your so-called leaders have told you to take. If you're looking for a free home workout or lockdown fitness advice do a web search for Jillian or some other imposter. If you are seeking the means of your own independence ... we probably can't help with that either but we can point you in the direction of autonomy, of independent thinking, of taking control instead of ceding it. Maybe. Hopefully. Because the future you were counting on has been utterly, irrevocably changed. And your 1RM bench press is more irrelevant now than it ever was.

Nic Lazz joins us for another look at the current situation and how we are addressing it personally, locally. We begin with some apologies and clarification regarding episode 107, move on to the cocktail for this episode — a variant of the Black Manhattan — and then get into all things Corona, wealth redistribution, population control, and a few rabbit holes. We end the episode with Michael reciting a speech (or letter) attributed to Chief Seattle as quoted in Buckminster Fuller's book titled "Critical Path". As powerful and moving as these words are, they are fictional, embellishing Seattle's original words for effect as part of a movie script written in 1971 by Ted Perry. Many have quoted these words, including Al Gore, in his book, "Earth in the Balance" (1992).This actually compels a future discussion about words, how we use them, how we are moved by them, and whether the real source matters as long as we recognize and acknowledge it. If a call to action is based on misattributed words and the outcome is positive for our species and our environment — the planet — where's the wrong? To quote Barbara Mikkelson, "... the Chief Seattle Speech has something to teach us all: So if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. We may be brothers after all."That Perry's eloquent speech turned Chief Seattle into a manufactured prophet matters little to us because, after all, we are NonProphet.

Nic Lazz dropped by after a couple of weeks of self-quarantine so we recorded a conversation that was attended by him, Kegan, Michael, Mark, TOKI and some other whiskey, the name of which has faded from memory. We figured we should have a bit of fun instead being all gloom and doom and colon self-care advice so we brought in the 80s action movie characters and let them speak their minds as well.

Two weeks into the quarantine, isolation, distancing, whatever ... Kegan, Michael and Mark get together to share ideas, air, maybe some spit, and to confront human nature and the individually-driven behavior that has not yet been modified by microbes or the National Guard. We discuss Universal (National) Basic Income, flash mobs as revolution, or at least political pressure, our currently restricted movement as governmental telegraphing of the future, and — as ever — ignorant yet powerful people fighting tooth and nail (as if they have any idea what that means) to keep the power they believe they will have in perpetuity.

George Briones joins Kegan, Michael and Mark to talk about anything but the COVID-19 situation, although we also explored that a little bit. Mostly it is rabbit holes about banking, politicians, quarantined-fitness, drinking, astral planes, see 10, do 10, tag 10 and the logical conclusion for a psychonaut, and finally, near the end of the discussion, how to shape the radii of a hydration bladder hose to make insertion less uncomfortable. If you were looking for fitness advice, find it in the show notes.

Kegan rejoins us from isolation, which we all hope was long enough, and will address if we learn differently. Mark launched with the topic of "How to Enrich Yourself by Seeking Political Office" and things became rather impassioned from there. Some solutions were proposed and the scrubbing of current consciousness hypothesized as a possible benefit of the current, viral situation. We offered a few tips on toilet paper usage, which foods to buy and which to avoid, why you should spend resources wisely rather than counting on debt-forgiveness and governmental munificence. And we talked about how we will provide assistance micro-locally despite our relatively meager assets. Tune in. Turn on. Cause positive change.

We brought Kegan into the studio via FaceTime today so that, despite being in self-quarantine after some international air travel, we could record a podcast. This is the first ever "call-in" episode of the NonProphet podcast and while the audio isn't great, it isn't unlistenable either. We start the episode discussing the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Salt Lake City this morning, which was followed by four dozen aftershocks, one as high as 4.6, contributing to the general uncertainty of these times. The conversation offers no solutions other than to take the social distancing and isolation seriously, do it voluntarily, do it now, educate yourself, and get ready for more than a 14-day vacation with Netflix. The peak is further down the road than you think.

Recorded before we changed the name of the podcast, this is Part Two of our conversation with Chris Baker and James Shaw from WeMove Magazine (and podcast) during which we discuss "stability as adaptability", "plant-based vs. planet-based" diets, and how far you might go if only you were both curious and committed. Part One of the conversation was posted as Ep. 91

Nahko is a singer/songwriter — a musician — who truly journeys between genres and manages to reinvent his style with each successive expression. He sits down with Michael and returning guest, Adam St. Simons in the middle of their North American tour to discuss the creative process, his humble beginnings of farm work, and how great trials are often opportunities to make great music. Nahko can be found here and his tour dates here.

Brody Leven is a professional adventure skier who prefers climbing up to skiing down. His ski and biking adventures have taken him all over the world, from Uganda to New Zealand, from Svalbard to Argentina, and all over the North American continent. Brody cares deeply for the terrain and environment where he practices his craft and spends half of his time working to protect public land and the environment. He addresses Congress on these subjects each year, attended the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) in 2015, and generously donates time to Protect Our Winters, among other organizations. Kelly Halpin returns to the podcast, previously joining us for episode 79. She is an illustrator who contributed to the NonProphet Strength manual and an accomplished mountain athlete. In 2019 she completed the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Link-up in 23hrs 44min (solo), set the FKT on the Teton Crest Trail in 9hrs 11min (with Fred Most), and later, also with Fred, pioneered the Teton Center Punch Traverse, which follows the hydrographic crest of the Teton Range, in 43hrs 29min.

During the first NonProphet Symposium of 2020 we recorded live podcast. The conversation was driven largely by audience questions centered around why we say Fitness Is Fucked, the difference between believing something and expressing it with action, Behavior Shaming vs. Body Shaming, disordered eating (of course), using fitness itself as a mirror rather than simply looking at one.

Billy Innes, Chris Burkeybyle aka Burkey, and Joe Holmes join us the day after the February 2020 symposium and the conversation starts with a bang, "When does the practice of sport become counter-productive? When does it go so far that fitness becomes injury?" We examine the concept of play being different than competition, and that it is the competitive aspect and the demands of being better than someone else which make one more susceptible to injury. The conversation also explores various uses of the mirror, and the accuracy (or not) of the reflections seen by different subjects. Around 30 minutes in Burkey asks, "What happens to a fist when you open your hand? A fist is not a thing it's an action ... but it's also a thing. (Then) Are we trying to be an action or are we trying to be a result?" Take the deep dive with us.