In this episode:

Matt spent quality time with Joe Desena in Vermont at last weekend's Agoge.

The conversation with Joe goes a really long way and includes:

• The story behind his tattoos.
• Who will take over Spartan when he's gone.
• What he thinks of the new Spartan Team TV show.
• The early days of Spartan.
• What he is doing in Asia.
• Much, much, more.

Today's show is sponsored by:

Udder Mud Run – Use code RUNORM for $10 off this race!

Wetsuit Wearhouse – Save 15% using coupon code ORM on all purchases.

BoneFrog Challenge – ORM10 gets you $10 off all 2016 races.

In this episode:

Hobie Call backs up his claims to win at Palmerton, PA and The Spartan World Championships. He also talks about Facebook haters, masters athletes, and retirement.

Ryan Atkins comes on to talk about losing to Hobie, what he thinks will happen at Palmerton, how he ranks his race schedule, and who is partner is for WTM 2016.

Damn, this one's good!

Today's show is sponsored by:

CMC Race – The Civilian Military Combine is back. Sept 10, Brooklyn, NY $10 off with code ORM.

MudGear – Order now for free shipping in the United States.

Rugged Maniac – $5 off when you use the code PODCAST.

The Preface

Two weeks ago, Obstacle Racing Media published a podcast interview with Dr. Jason Wagner. We reached out to Jason as a direct result of his blog post questioning the legitimacy and effectiveness of the “Elevation Training Mask”. I personally reached out to TrainingMask.com shortly after this episode aired to see if they wanted to respond to any of Jason’s findings.

I got in touch with the CEO of Training Mask LLC, Casey Danford, and he suggested we speak with Brian MacKenzie. Brian is a world renowned strength and conditioning coach and has studied altitude and hypoxic training for over 10 years. Brian works for Training Mask, LLC as an independent contractor and wears the loose title of “Research & Development in Human Performance”.

I chose to have Joshua Grant on the call with me to ask some tough questions. Josh is a well respected athlete and has become ORM’s resident skeptic/myth buster. Many in the OCR community may remember his appearance with the inventor of "Let's Talk About Oral I.V." on a previous podcast episode.

The episode

Listen in and let the episode speak for itself.

The Aftermath

Several questions came up during the call regarding the true benefits/claims of the mask. The largest bone of contention being that the mask has nothing to do with actual “elevation training”. Statements had been made previously by some associated with Training Mask, LLC that many were aware these benefits did not exist, but that it didn’t mean the Training Mask wasn’t a quality product, didn’t have other benefits, etc.

Joshua Grant pointed out that the words “elevation mask” (along with the logo appearance of mountains still appearing on the mask and its packaging) was misleading consumers.

When this point was raised, Brian answered the best he could, then referred us back to Casey Danford, the CEO of Training Mask, for further discussion.

This afternoon we received breaking news in the form of an email from Mr. Danford.

Click here to read about the name change to Resistance Training Mask.

The Aftermath

Episode 183 - Matt Iseman and Jeff Cain.

Matt and Matt talk about stand up comedy in LA, how Iseman got to American Ninja Warrior, and new stuff for the Ninjas in 2016.

Matt and Jeff talk OCR old days, Barkley Fall Classic, and Jeff's non profit, For Those Who Would.

Today's show is sponsored by:

BoneFrog Challenge – ORM10 gets you $10 off all 2016 races.

Epic Series - Use code ORM20 for 20%off June 11 in San Diego, CA.

Liquid Run - Code ORM25 gets you $25 off admission.

Show Notes:

Matt Iseman tweets a lot.

For Those Who Would Website.

Jeff on Episode #6 way back in July 23, 2012.

Jeff's Obstacle Racers Prayer blog post.