So the exercise paradox, put simply, is that the more you exercise, the fitter you are,

the less likely you are to have a heart problem.

But no matter how fit you are, it's during exercise that you're likely to have your problem

if one is destined to happen.

What's up, folks?

Welcome back to King of the Ride podcast.

This is a fascinating one that I've been wanting to record for a number of years, and I'm thrilled that we actually got around to doing it.

This episode is all about the athlete's heart. In short, an athlete's cardiovascular system is different from a, quote, normal person's cardiovascular system.

Why do we hear stories of athletes dropping dead at the peak of their physical condition? What happened to Sunny Cabrilli

at the finish line of Volta Catalonia this year? What should you be doing to keep your heart

healthy, presumably as an active person yourself? Our guest today is not just an expert in the

field, but he quite frankly invented it.

Dr. Aaron Baggish is our guest today. His specialty is sports cardiology, which is a well-respected

and well-established field at this point. Fascinatingly, however, prior to 2008 when he created

the cardiovascular performance program at Boston's Mass General Hospital,

sports cardiology here in the United States really didn't exist. Dr. Baggish put it on the map.

He created this field that's quickly proven imperative, essential for professional and elite athletes,

and anyone who is active as part of their job. First responders, Navy SEALs,

firefighters, and so forth. Dr. Baggish serves as team cardiologist and physician for numerous

athletic organizations, including as medical director for the Boston Marathon, Cardiologist, team

physician for U.S. soccer, U.S. Rowing, Harvard University, Suffolk University, the New England Patriots, the Boston

Bruins, and the New England Revolution, among others. After more than a dozen years establishing

...