Move • Lift • Sprint • Play
Glen's Fitness Philosophy
Inspired by Mark Sisson and the ancestral health movement. Move frequently at a slow pace. Lift heavy things. Sprint once in a while. Play every day. Sleep like your life depends on it — because it does.
The Framework
Why Primal?
I spent my twenties doing what most people do: running on treadmills, doing random machine circuits, and wondering why I never looked or felt the way I wanted. Then I read The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, and everything changed.
The premise is simple: our genes were shaped by 2.5 million years of evolution. Our ancestors walked all day, lifted heavy things when they needed to, sprinted to escape danger, and played constantly. They did not jog at 65% of their max heart rate for 45 minutes on a StairMaster. The mismatch between how we evolved to move and how modern gyms tell us to move is the root cause of most fitness frustration.
Living in Miami Beach makes this philosophy easy to implement. I walk the beach. I kitesurf when the wind blows. I sprint on the sand. I swim in the ocean. The gym is just for heavy compound lifts, and I am in and out in 30 minutes. The rest is outdoor play.
The 6 Principles
Adapted from Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint framework, filtered through my own experience.
Move Frequently at a Slow Pace
Walk, hike, swim, paddle, or bike at a heart rate of 55-75% of max. This is the base of the pyramid. 3-5 hours per week of low-level aerobic activity burns fat, builds mitochondria, and does not produce the cortisol spike that chronic cardio does. I walk Miami Beach almost every day.
Lift Heavy Things
Brief, intense strength sessions 2-3 times per week. Compound movements: deadlifts, squats, pull-ups, presses, rows. Sessions last 20-40 minutes. The goal is functional strength, not bodybuilding. Lift heavy enough that you cannot do more than 8 reps. Rest long enough to do it again.
Sprint Once in a While
An all-out sprint effort once every 7-10 days. This can be running sprints on the beach, cycling sprints, swimming sprints, or even rowing machine intervals. 4-8 efforts of 10-30 seconds with full recovery between. Sprinting triggers a massive hormonal response — growth hormone, testosterone, and BDNF for brain health.
Play
Unstructured physical play is not optional — it is essential. Kiteboarding, pickup basketball, wrestling on the beach, swimming in the ocean, climbing things. Play activates your nervous system in ways that structured exercise cannot. This is where kiteboarding fits in. Every session is play.
Get Adequate Sleep
7-9 hours in a dark, cool room. No screens for an hour before bed. Sleep is when your body repairs, consolidates memory, and regulates hormones. You can train perfectly and eat perfectly and still break down if you are not sleeping. This is non-negotiable.
Get Sunlight
Morning sunlight exposure within 30 minutes of waking. 15-30 minutes of direct sun daily for vitamin D synthesis and circadian rhythm regulation. Living in Miami makes this easy. Sunlight is the original performance enhancer — it regulates sleep, mood, testosterone, and immune function.
Weekly Routine
A typical week. Adjusted based on wind, waves, and how my body feels.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Monday | Strength — Upper Body Pull-ups (weighted), overhead press, barbell rows, dips. 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps. 30-40 minutes. Walk 30+ minutes. |
| Tuesday | Active Recovery / Walk Long walk on Miami Beach (45-60 min). Mobility work, foam rolling, stretching. Light swimming if conditions are good. |
| Wednesday | Strength — Lower Body Deadlifts, front squats, lunges, calf raises. 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps. 30-40 minutes. Walk 30+ minutes. |
| Thursday | Play / Kite / Swim Kiteboarding if wind allows. Otherwise ocean swim, paddleboard, or pickup sports. Unstructured movement. Minimum 60 minutes outside. |
| Friday | Strength — Full Body Turkish get-ups, farmer carries, kettlebell swings, push-ups, hanging leg raises. Functional movement patterns. 30-40 minutes. |
| Saturday | Sprint + Play Beach sprints: 6-8 x 20-second all-out efforts with full recovery. Then kiteboarding, ocean swim, or beach volleyball. The weekend is for play. |
| Sunday | Rest / Walk / Stretch Complete rest or gentle walk. Long stretching session. Meal prep for the week. No intense training. Recovery is training. |
Supplement Stack
Evidence-based supplements only. No proprietary blends, no hype. Links go to Amazon.
Recovery Practices
You do not get stronger during the workout. You get stronger during recovery.
Walking
The most underrated recovery tool. A 30-60 minute walk the day after a hard session promotes blood flow, clears metabolic waste, and does not add training stress. Walking on sand at the beach adds foot strength as a bonus.
Influence
The Mark Sisson Effect
I live in Miami Beach. Mark Sisson lives in Miami Beach. That proximity alone has shaped how I think about training, nutrition, and longevity.
Mark is a former elite endurance athlete who discovered that chronic cardio was destroying his body. He pivoted to a primal lifestyle — low-carb nutrition, brief intense training, lots of walking and play — and at 70+ years old he looks and moves better than most 40-year-olds.
His books The Primal Blueprint and Primal Endurance are the foundation of my approach. His company Primal Kitchen (sold to Kraft Heinz) made clean eating accessible. His shoe company Peluva is reimagining footwear. The man practices what he preaches.
Kiteboarding Is Fitness
A 2-3 hour kiteboarding session is a full-body workout disguised as the most fun you have ever had. Your core is engaged the entire time. Your legs absorb chop and power turns. Your arms and back manage the bar. Your cardiovascular system runs at a moderate pace for hours.
But the real value is neurological. Kiteboarding demands constant attention — wind shifts, wave timing, other riders, kite position. It is a flow state activity. You cannot think about work, your portfolio, or your problems when you are riding 25 knots of wind across Biscayne Bay. That mental reset is as important as any physical benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ancestral health / primal fitness?
Ancestral health (also called primal fitness) is a training and lifestyle philosophy based on how humans evolved to move. Instead of chronic cardio on machines, you move frequently at a slow pace (walking, hiking), lift heavy things 2-3 times per week, sprint occasionally, and prioritize unstructured play. The approach was popularized by Mark Sisson through his book The Primal Blueprint and his website Mark's Daily Apple. The core idea: our genes expect the movement patterns of our ancestors, and modern sedentary life with occasional extreme exercise is a mismatch.
Who is Mark Sisson and how does he influence Glen's fitness?
Mark Sisson is the founder of Primal Kitchen, the author of The Primal Blueprint and Primal Endurance, and one of the pioneers of the ancestral health movement. He is a former elite marathon runner and Ironman triathlete who now advocates for a low-carb, primal lifestyle. Glen lives near Mark in Miami Beach and considers his work foundational to his own fitness philosophy. The key principles — move slowly often, lift heavy, sprint sometimes, play — come directly from Sisson's framework.
How often should you work out per week?
In the primal framework, you train 5-6 days per week but only 2-3 of those are intense (strength training or sprints). The rest is low-level movement like walking, swimming, or casual sports. One full rest day per week. The mistake most people make is training hard every day, which spikes cortisol and leads to burnout. More is not better. Better is better.
What supplements does Glen Bradford take?
Glen's core supplement stack includes creatine monohydrate (5g daily), omega-3 fish oil (2-3g EPA/DHA), vitamin D3 + K2 (5,000 IU), magnesium glycinate (400-600mg before bed), collagen peptides (10-20g), and electrolytes (LMNT or similar, especially in Miami heat). These are foundational supplements with strong scientific backing. He avoids most pre-workouts, fat burners, and anything with proprietary blends.
How does kiteboarding fit into a fitness routine?
Kiteboarding is the ultimate 'play' activity in the primal fitness framework. A 2-3 hour kite session engages your core, legs, arms, and cardiovascular system while also being genuinely fun. It counts as both low-level aerobic movement and play. On windy days, kiteboarding replaces a gym session entirely. The mental health benefits — being on the ocean, disconnected from screens, focused on the wind — are as valuable as the physical benefits.
What is the best recovery practice after exercise?
The best recovery practices are adequate sleep (7-9 hours), walking the day after hard training, cold exposure (cold showers or cold plunge), sauna (3-4 times per week), foam rolling, and proper nutrition. Recovery is when adaptation happens — you do not get stronger during the workout, you get stronger during recovery. Most people undertrain recovery and overtrain intensity.
Is cardio bad for you?
Chronic cardio — long-duration moderate-to-high intensity endurance training done frequently — can elevate cortisol, suppress immune function, and lead to overuse injuries. This is the Mark Sisson argument against the traditional 'jog 5 miles every day' approach. However, low-level aerobic movement (walking, easy cycling, swimming at 55-75% max heart rate) is extremely beneficial and should be done 3-5 hours per week. The key distinction is intensity: low and slow is great, moderate and chronic is problematic.
Disclosure: Supplement and gear links on this page go to Amazon and include an affiliate tag (glenbradford-20). If you buy something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use or have thoroughly researched. This is not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.
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