The Peak Performance Podcast by Brad Young

In Episode 107 of the Peak Performance Podcast, Brad Young explores what it truly means to evolve as a modern peak performer. Today’s world demands more than discipline, grit, or ancient instinct alone — it requires the ability to merge our primal drive with the cutting‑edge tools shaping human potential. In this episode, Brad breaks down how technology, data, and human biology are converging to create a new kind of performer: one who is sharper, more aware, more capable, and more connected than ever before. From the mindset of our ancestors to the innovations redefining performance today, this episode reveals how to step into the next stage of your personal evolution and unlock the highest version of yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's what we're going to cover today. We're going to talk about what it actually means to be athletic — agility, power, speed, and performance. We're going to break down the different types of power and what they mean for your body. We'll show you how to figure out your body type, measure your metabolic rate, and track your recovery. And then we're going to hand you real training programs — built specifically around your age, your current shape, and your ability level — so you can start training like the athlete you were born to be. No sport required. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Background To understand Westside Barbell, you have to understand where it came from. The original Westside Barbell Club was actually based in Culver City, California, in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a legitimate powerhouse in the world of competitive powerlifting, producing champions and setting standards. But the Westside Barbell that the entire strength world knows and argues about today is the one in Columbus, Ohio, the one built by Louie Simmons. And Louie did not simply copy the California club's name as an act of flattery — he inherited its spirit and then took it somewhere nobody else had the vision or the audacity to go. Louie Simmons came up as a lifter in an era when powerlifting was raw, rough, and not particularly scientific. The sport in the 1970s and early 1980s was built mostly on doing the competition lifts over and over again, adding weight when you could, and hoping your body held together. Periodization was a concept that most American coaches and lifters had barely encountered in any formal way. Soviet and Eastern European strength science was beginning to leak into Western consciousness through translated texts, but it was still largely inaccessible to the average powerlifter grinding it out in a garage or a small gym somewhere in Middle America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most liberating and simultaneously frustrating truths about becoming a peak performer is this: what works brilliantly for your training partner may do almost nothing for you. The fitness world is drowning in one-size-fits-all programs, universal diet plans, and generic recovery advice. And the reason so many people quit, plateau, or get hurt is that they never stop to ask the most important question of all — what does my body actually need? Before we get into the specifics of training, nutrition, and recovery, we need to establish a foundation. That foundation is self-awareness. Not the soft, vague kind you hear about in motivational speeches, but the precise, practical kind that tells you how your body responds to stress, food, sleep, and effort. Peak performance isn't about pushing harder than everyone else. It's about pushing smarter, in the right direction, with the right fuel, at the right time. That's the game we're playing today. The concept of body types has been around for decades, and while modern science has added significant nuance to the conversation, the core idea holds up remarkably well. Understanding whether you tend toward a lean, wiry build, a naturally muscular and athletic frame, or a softer, more endurance-prone physique gives you an extraordinary starting point for designing a lifestyle that actually fits. These aren't rigid boxes. Most people fall somewhere between two types, and your body can shift over time. But knowing your tendencies changes everything about how you approach the work ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before we talk about agencies and fitness tests, we need to define the term we keep using. Peak performance. People throw that phrase around like a motivational slogan, but it has a very real and very measurable meaning when you are preparing for a career in federal law enforcement. Peak performance means your body and your mind are operating at their highest sustainable output across multiple domains simultaneously. It is not just being strong. It is not just being fast. It is not just being mentally tough. It is all of those things working together under pressure, day after day, without breaking down. The reason so many candidates fail their federal fitness evaluations is not because they are lazy. Most of them train hard. They fail because they train the wrong things in the wrong proportions. They focus on one pillar — usually raw strength or endurance — while neglecting the others. A candidate who can bench press three hundred pounds but cannot run a mile and a half in under twelve minutes is not a peak performer. A candidate who can run five miles but cannot complete a series of push-ups and sit-ups under a timed protocol is not a peak performer either. Peak performance is balance with a high ceiling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Empire That Shook the World To understand the Immortals, you first have to understand the world they were born into. The Achaemenid Persian Empire, which stretched from roughly 550 BCE to 330 BCE, was not merely a nation. It was the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. At its height under Darius the Great and later Xerxes, it covered over two million square miles, stretching from the Indus Valley in modern-day Pakistan all the way west to the edges of Greece and north into Central Asia. This empire managed dozens of different peoples, languages, and cultures under a single unified system of governance. The Persian kings were not simply warriors — they were administrators, diplomats, and visionaries. They built roads, they developed one of the earliest postal systems in history, and they created a military structure that was the envy of every rival power. At the core of that military structure was a single, legendary unit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To understand Karelin's dominance, you have to understand one technique that became so associated with him that it was eventually named after him. The Karelin Lift — sometimes called the Karelin Throw — is a move in Greco-Roman wrestling where a competitor lifts an opponent off the mat from behind, hoists them into the air, and slams them down onto their back. This sounds dramatic, but the technical reality makes it even more astonishing. In the super-heavyweight division, Karelin's opponents typically weighed between 260 and 286 pounds. He was lifting men of that size off the ground, inverting them, and driving them into the mat with enough force to score the highest possible points in the sport. Sports scientists who analyzed his mechanics determined that the forces involved in executing the Karelin Lift exceeded what most biomechanics models predicted was possible for a human being to generate through muscular effort alone. The explanation was not that the laws of physics were suspended. The explanation was that Karelin had developed his posterior chain — the muscles running from his hamstrings through his glutes, up his spinal erectors, across his lats and traps — to a degree that was genuinely unprecedented in super-heavyweight competition. He performed this move on opponents who knew it was coming. They trained specifically to defend against it. And he did it anyway. That is the detail that separates a great athlete from a generational one. When your best-trained adversaries prepare specifically for your signature weapon, and you execute it on them anyway, the gap in preparation is not about the technique. It is about the engine behind the technique. Karelin's engine was simply built differently — and we are going to talk about how you can start building yours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inca Warriors: We look at the Secrets of the Ancient Peak Performers. Sit down, get comfortable, and let the story come to you. By the time we are finished, you are going to have a completely new framework for what it means to perform at your absolute best — physically, mentally, and spiritually. And you are going to walk away with a real, practical training plan rooted in the ancient wisdom of the Inca warriors, adapted for your life today. Now we look at Bringing It to the Modern World Now comes the part that I find most exciting. Because everything we have discussed — the endurance, the diet, the mental resilience, the purpose — is not locked in the fourteenth century. It is completely, practically available to you right now. You do not need to live in the Andes. You do not need access to a sling or a quinoa field. What you need is to understand the principles behind what the Inca warriors did, and to apply those principles intelligently to your own life and training. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode explores how reconnecting with these primal movement patterns can unlock levels of performance, vitality, and wellbeing that modern fitness culture often misses entirely. We will dive deep into practical strategies that honor our ancestral blueprint while fitting seamlessly into contemporary life. Think of this not as a return to the past, but as a reclamation of timeless wisdom that can transform your present and future. The Forgotten Language of Movement Our ancestors moved with an eloquence that modern humans have largely forgotten. Every day brought a symphony of natural movements: squatting to gather food, climbing to reach safety or resources, crawling through tight spaces, balancing across uneven terrain, lifting, carrying, throwing, and running. These were not isolated exercises performed in fluorescent-lit gyms. They were integrated, purposeful movements woven into the fabric of daily survival and thriving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Serge Nubret was born in 1938 in Guadeloupe and became one of bodybuilding's most aesthetic competitors. Standing at 6 feet tall with a competition weight around 200 pounds, he competed against Arnold Schwarzenegger, winning the 1976 NABBA Mr. Universe and placing second in the 1973 Mr. Olympia. His physique was characterized by perfect symmetry, tiny waist, and full muscle bellies that created a V-taper rarely seen in any era. The Philosophy What separated Nubret from his peers was his unwavering belief in high-volume training with moderate weights and minimal rest. While others chased strength records, he chased the pump. While others counted calories obsessively, he ate intuitively. His methods were born from careful observation of his own body and an almost spiritual connection to the training process. He believed bodybuilding was meditation in motion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your morning is not just the beginning of your day. It is the architect of your entire life. The way you structure those precious first hours determines whether you will merely react to the world around you or proactively shape your destiny. Peak performers understand this fundamental truth with crystal clarity, which is why they guard their morning routines with fierce dedication. Throughout history, the most successful athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and military leaders have recognized that morning habits set the tone for everything that follows. These rituals are not arbitrary collections of activities but carefully designed systems that prime the mind, energize the body, and align the spirit with purpose. When you win the morning, you create momentum that carries through every challenge and opportunity the day presents. The consistency and discipline embedded in a structured morning routine create a psychological foundation that transforms ordinary individuals into extraordinary performers. This is not about following someone else's blueprint exactly but understanding the principles that make morning routines so powerful and then customizing them to align with your unique goals, values, and aspirations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Delta Force stands apart from other elite units not simply because of physical prowess, but due to a comprehensive selection process that tests psychological resilience, creative problem-solving, and adaptive thinking under extreme stress. While Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and Marine Raiders are all exceptional warriors, Delta's selection emphasizes cognitive flexibility and independent decision-making at levels that exceed most military training programs. The selection process itself reveals the difference. Candidates face deliberately vague instructions, constantly changing requirements, and scenarios designed to break conventional military thinking. They're evaluated on their ability to navigate ambiguity, maintain composure during chaos, and make sound decisions when exhausted beyond normal limits. This approach filters for individuals who can think clearly when others cannot, who adapt when others freeze, and who find solutions when others see only problems. What makes this relevant to your peak performance journey is simple: Delta doesn't just build soldiers who follow orders exceptionally well. They cultivate operators who thrive in uncertainty, who turn constraints into advantages, and who maintain effectiveness when systems fail. These same capabilities translate directly to high-stakes business environments, competitive athletics, and any pursuit demanding excellence under pressure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices