Training & Lifestyle Primer

Because the two are so intricately interwoven, Training & Lifestyle is a single yet multi-facetted tier of the OFM Pyramid.

Training & Lifestyle Primer:

Training: OFM Training is not meant to supplant your sport specific training. OFM implements subtle training tweaks into the training program to Optimize Fat Metabolism. Doing so has a profound effect on the athlete’s performance, recovery and overall health. OFM Training takes more patience but yields greater results. Both the coach and athlete need to understand the implications and commit.

Base Training: No matter what your sport, OFM Base training expands your fat-burning aerobic envelope so you can make sustainable pushes into threshold and anaerobic levels of performance. Ideally, starting base training is accomplished once you have made the physiological shift to burning fat as fuel by restricting carbohydrates. Off-season/early season is best in terms of timing. This also works well for most because carbohydrate restriction can begin before the start of the Holiday Season….this has the effect of keeping the Holiday weight gain off. The other period where base training can help build your fat-burning capabilities is in the recovery phase after competitions or large blocks of training and this includes “active recovery”.

Periodization, Recovery & Adaptation: Periodization is crucial for OFM Training. Proper periodization for OFM means successive build periods of ever increasing training loads in conjunction with recovery periods which allow for full recovery and adaptation. This is key. Adaptation means the body becomes stronger and more resilient so it is prepared for the next bigger/longer/higher intensity period and/or competition. Other terms used are 'Training Effect' and/or 'Supercompensation'

As the periods grow so does the cumulative stress load of training for each period. This is followed by a recovery phase of training so the athlete not only recovers from the cumulative stress but benefits by fully adapting to the cumulative stress. . With increasing periods of training volume so too, does the recovery/adaptation period increase, often growing to 2-3 weeks of recovery after the peak volume of training period is reached for ultra-endurance sports.

While OFM athletes are uniquely equipped to physiologically recover faster from each bout of exercise and can handle the cumulative load of periods of high volume and/or intensity, without periods of full recovery and adaptation they are not bulletproof. Overtraining can occur making the fat-adapted athlete as vulnerable to adrenal stress and other determinants as anyone else.

Active Recovery: Active recovery means recovery runs, spins or walks or hikes on off days. The intensity is low and the goal is circulation and mobility. These can be done in lieu of nothing or downtime because these activities can be downtime if handled properly.

Lifestyle: One word: RELAX. Stepping back from the constant conscious thought process of perfection and achievement has a much greater positive effect on your health and performance than the sum total of the minor mistakes or less than stellar eating habits. Chronic stress leads to chronic Cortisol response leads to sugar burn and impedes the goals of OFM because conscious thought is based upon a “flight or fight” response.

So the first step is achieving the performance and health benefits OFM offers is to take a relaxed approach to most everything you do. This does not mean complacency nor will you be free from stressors. That’s life. It comes down to how you handle them. Many people stress over things which really do not matter while missing addressing the more issues before them. Sound familiar?

Bear in mind that as your metabolism makes that fundamental shift to burning to the fat-adapted state your ability to coherently deal with stress in a relaxed manner will improve. Fat-adaptation yields blood sugar stability and plays a key role in mental focus and emotional stability. These are key observations of athletes when using VESPA and as they shift to being fat-adapted.

Again, the theme of BALANCE comes into play. Finding the right balance between work, sport, family, relationships and rest is crucial in your life to succeed in every aspect.

Sleep: While everyone knows sufficient & proper sleep is vital for health, performance and recovery/adaptation, yet most of us are not getting enough to match our work and training load. This creates a vicious downward spiral which not only tanks your performance and makes you chronically tired but constantly stressed, more and more addicted to sugar/carbs and caffeine, and prone to injury.

The problem is most serious athletes in today’s world are driven to be the best they can in their sport, profession, relationships and family life thus sleep is the first thing that is unwittingly compromised. It is a conundrum for sure.

So, how does someone who strives to do and be their best in all aspects of life find the time to carve out a few more hours of sleep in their lives? While everyone’s situation is unique, here are a few things to consider…..

1.Discipline: Without becoming regimented, look at ways to make your life more efficient. Most people will find there are many ways they are actually wasting time in some of the most banal daily tasks like shopping, cleaning, laundry, bathing and training. Then look at how much of a time sink emails, surfing the internet and social media all play in your life and eliminate the frivolous.

2.Training: Most athletes tend to grossly overtrain in the context of what training volume will yield the best performance for that particular individual. This is principally due to the fact that most training plans are patterned off of how successful professional athletes train. Most professional athletes’ job is their sport! If they do work, the job tends toward low stress jobs which allow them time to train, in other words, the job is secondary to their professional sports career. There is nothing wrong with this, unless you have a full-time job/career and are trying to train like a Pro! So reduce the overall volume and increase the quality of your training to gain more sleep. Keep in mind, the Long Slow Warm Up should not be cut from the program as it is so essential for OFM training.

Downtime: Downtime is a subtle yet important aspect of OFM lifestyle. It is time alone without conscious mental or emotional engagement and distractions this allows the subconscious to sort things out. It can be a 15 minute break, reading the comics, taking the time to enjoy a meal, or taking a bath. It means completely unplugging and does not mean random surfing or pinning to your Pinterest board. Your device needs to be turned off or you are away enough not to notice a text or call.

Healthy Relationships: Healthy supportive relationships are key to long-term success with OFM. This seems obvious, yet, due to the time constraints placed upon an athlete for training and competition, are difficult to achieve with, often, the opposite occurring.

At the core is your relationship with yourself. This is complex and multi-layered. What are the reasons for pursuing your sport? What really drives you? What do you have to prove, and, more importantly, why?

Relationships with others are equally important because we do not exist in a vacuum. Probably the easiest and ideal would be to have your core interpersonal relationships with someone who participates in your sport and at your level. This combines the best of both worlds.

For most, though, our core relationships will exist outside sport so seeking mutually supportive relationships is key….this means you support others in their endeavors as much as they support you!

Again, BALANCE is the key. Striking the right balance of selfishness and selflessness to maintain a stable interpersonal base which gives you the launching pad to tackle the obstacles and challenges of sport and daily life!

Training: Lifestyle

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Welcome and Overview

Week 1: Preparation

Module 1: Introduction

Module 2 : Assessment

Module 3: Cleaning up the Diet

Module 4: Identifying and Mitigating Stressors

Module 5: Supplemental Reading

Week 2 : Initiation

Module 1: Pre-Flight Checklist

Module 2: MR Takeoff Time!

Module 3: Eating and Hydrating

Module 4: Nutrition and Supplementation

Module 5: Using Vespa During the MR

Module 6: Lifestyle and Training During MR

Week 3: Stabilization

Module 1: Stabilization Overview

Module 2: Diet and Supplementation Review and Tweaking

Module 3: Training

Module 4: Lifestyle Review

Module 5: Identifying Underlying Issues

Module 6: Training - Supplemental Material

Module 7: Identifying Underlying Issues - Supplemental Material

Module 8: Lifestyle Supplemental Material

Week 4: Transition to Adaptation Phase

Module 1: Stabilization, Review & Transition to Adaptation Phase

Module 2: Training

Module 3: Nutrition and Supplements

2026 Live Calls and Replays

2025 Live Call Replays