Episode 22: Is There a Toxic Dose of Exercise?

01/10/25 • 47 min

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with respiratory and exercise physiologist, Dr. Nick Tiller. Rick and Nick discuss if there is a toxic dose of exercise and if so, what it is. Dr. Tiller has established himself as a well-known resource with respect to addressing health and exercise-related myths head on. In that vein, Dr. Tiller is the author of the book, ‘The Skeptic’s Guide to Sports Science.’

1. Tell us about yourself?

2. Endurance sports seem to be trending toward longer distances. Is this a good thing from a health perspective?

3. Let’s talk about it with respect to a bell curve, would you say that with respect to exercise volume, the health benefits of exercise more or less follow the normal distribution?

4. Training is typically viewed through the lens of increasing performance, however it’s rarely also viewed through the lens of health. Are these two things sometimes at odds with each other and why do you think that the health aspect is often not considered with respect to training?

5. Could you discuss some of the things that might be considered toxic with respect to too much cardiovascular exercise?

6. It’s been my experience that with a lot of endurance athletes, especially those that participate in ultra-distance events, they overprioritize volume over intensity. Have you also found this to be true?

7. Is what could be considered a toxic level of cardiovascular subjective and different for each person?

8. With respect to ultra-athletes, are there are guidelines that you recommend with respect to staying out of the ‘toxic’ zone?

When discussing ‘toxic’ levels of exercise, is it specific to a particular type (ie, cardiovascular, strength, etc...), or is it a culmination of all areas of training with respect to overall training load?

1. Tell us about yourself?

2. Endurance sports seem to be trending toward longer distances. Is this a good thing from a health perspective?

3. Let’s talk about it with respect to a bell curve, would you say that with respect to exercise volume, the health benefits of exercise more or less follow the normal distribution?

5. Could you discuss some of the things that might be considered toxic with respect to too much cardiovascular exercise?

7. Is what could be considered a toxic level of cardiovascular subjective and different for each person?

8. With respect to ultra-athletes, are there are guidelines that you recommend with respect to staying out of the ‘toxic’ zone?

Previous Episode

Episode 21: Starting and Scaling Your Coaching Business with Guest Nick Hancock

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with coach Nick Hancock, owner of Maximum Mileage Coaching in the UK. If you’re looking to start or scale your coaching business, consider this podcast a must listen! Coach Hancock doesn’t hold back about his challenges, his successes and his best pieces of advice for new coaches. He also discusses his personal challenges that led him to start running and coaching.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you got into coaching

2. What was it like balancing coaching as your side gig and your full-time job?

3. When you made the decision to go full-time into coaching, was it a leap of faith or was your coaching income enough that you didn’t have many worries?

4. How long did it take to go from side-gig to full-time with coaching?

5. What are some of the things that you do attract and retain athletes?

6. If someone is looking to go full-time into coaching like you did, what are some tips that you have for them?

7. What are some mistakes that you did with respect to going full-time?

8. How do you balance your own training, coaching and family obligations?

9. What do you enjoy the most and least about being a full-time coach?

10. You have a coach that works with you. What advice would you give to coaches that are considering bringing on another coach to work with them?

Next Episode

Episode 23: Coaching Masters Athletes with Nicole Armbrust

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with coach and physical therapist, Nicole Armbrust – owner of Jump Start Running, based out of Boulder, Colorado. Nicole specialized in working with female masters athletes and as such, this podcast discusses her decision to focus on working with masters athletes, as well as various aspects that are pertinent to masters athletes.

1. Tell us about your background

2. Your current focus is working with female masters runners. Why?

3. As a PT, are there any common issues that you see amongst master runners versus younger runners?

4. As a generalization, with respect to endurance sports, aging is often associated with increased – or at least not diminishing endurance, while youth, is often associated with speed and quickness... and quick recovery. Do you find this generalization to be true?

5. What are some of the most important considerations when working with masters runners?

6. I think a lot of masters athletes are concerned about becoming slower. How do you tackle this subject with your athletes and moreover, are there any main things to focus on?

7. As a masters athlete myself, I often reflect back on how I was faster when I was younger and I find myself comparing myself to that person – which inevitably leads to frustration. How do you deal with athletes like myself in this regard?

Do you find that masters athletes are more susceptible to injuries?