“I was lifting the heaviest I ever had, and it was the least beat up I’ve ever felt after the Grand Canyon. Here’s why and how…” – Ryan Hall on The Extramilest Show #124
Round 2 with Ryan Hall, the first American to run a Sub 2:05 marathon in Boston. After retiring from pro running, Ryan took up weightlifting, running coaching and trail running. We discuss strength training for runners, injury prevention, trail running and more.
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Topics covered:
- 0:00 — Master your mind, master your running
- 0:55 — Introducing Ryan Hall
- 1:28 — Heavenly Heat Saunas Sponsorship
- 2:42 — Morning routine, meditation, and body awareness
- 4:15 — What kind of meditation works best for Ryan
- 8:50 — How to release tension in the body
- 11:53 — Meditation, lifting, and staying present
- 15:12 — Following curiosity from road running to trail adventures
- 18:42 — Advice for road runners getting into trail running
- 21:40 — How to become a more well-rounded athlete
- 25:47 — Trail running, self-trust, and staying calm
- 31:56 — Somnus Lab Sponsorship
- 32:57 — Electrolyte strategy
- 38:19 — Strength training: Build power, stay injury-free
- 46:55 — When to push and when to back off
- 49:44 — Nutrition for gaining muscle
- 54:17 — Tracking calories, protein, and meal prep
- 58:24 — Fueling with carbs, fats, and protein
- 1:01:26 — Cooling strategies
- 1:04:50 — How to start strength training
- 1:08:03 — Why a simple gym program helps beginners
- 1:10:45 — Hitting plateaus and small gains
- 1:12:28 — Ryan’s current goals and measuring fitness
- 1:14:16 — Where to find Ryan
- 1:18:35 — How to become a more efficient runner
- 1:20:16 — Why jump rope is great for runners
- 1:24:15 — How to Become a Stronger, Happier, Healthier Athlete
A few of many quotes from my conversation with Ryan Hall Round 2:
- “Put your mind fully into every single rep. If you can train that way, that would be the biggest doping advantage you could ever possibly have.”
- “Where you’re going to find the most peace is wherever you are, doing whatever you’re doing, fully there. That’s where the peace is.”
- “The space between your strides is almost more important than when you impact the ground. Are you able to empty the muscle completely of all that energy?”
- “Ring out whatever season you’re in. Enjoy the crap out of it as much as you know how, and then realize you’re going to change and pivot to the next.”
- “You’re not your strongest self and your fastest self at the same time. That will never happen for anyone. So what do you want?”
- “We want to run from the present, but that’s where the good stuff’s at.”
- “Walk into the gym and do what you don’t feel like doing first, because you suck the most at it, and you’re going to get the best gains by improving it.”
- “The biggest difference is that I have had to learn to trust myself in a way that I never had to trust myself before.”
Hope you enjoy this new video, CLICK HERE to watch it.
Cheers,
Floris Gierman
This episode is brought to you by Heavenly Heat Saunas! I’ve been using a sauna consistently for over a decade, and it’s become one of the highest-leverage recovery tools in my routine, especially after hard runs, long trail days, and heavy lifting sessions. I’ve been using a Heavenly Heat infrared sauna at home, and I love how clean and simple the setup is. It heats the body directly, uses low EMF technology, and is built with high-quality materials like Canadian hemlock wood. If you’ve been thinking about adding a sauna to your training routine, this is a great place to start. Use code FLO to get 6% off at heavenlyheatsaunas.com.
This episode is also brought to you by Somnus Lab! Ryan Hall and I talked a lot in this episode about recovery and doing the work to come back stronger — but none of that happens without quality sleep. The Somnus Lab Cooling Sleep System is a temperature-controlled pad that sits on top of your mattress and lets you dial in the exact sleep temperature for your body. I’ve found that sleeping cooler helps me fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling more recovered. It also has dual-zone control, so you and your partner can each set your own temperature. If you’re training hard and still waking up tired, your sleep environment is likely the problem — Somnus Lab is the fix. Use code FLO for 10% off at somnuslab.com.
