Dr. Peter Attia, a leading health podcaster, says VO₂Max is the #1 measure of longevity. It gauges your max oxygen uptake and represents aerobic capacity, mitochondrial function, and heart health.
Some of his key points:
Use an 80/20 balance between Zone 2 and Zone 5 intensity
Train Zone 2 4 to 6 hours a week (optimally)
Train Zone 5 1-2x week, 60 minutes max
For optimal VO2Max training, you need to train your cardiovascular system approximately 5 hours a week.
And that’s my - and probably your - biggest problem.
Most of us don’t have 5 hours a week to dedicate for “just” cardio.
We still need to:
Strength train
Focus on joint health (stability, mobility, flexibility)
And -
Have a life.
It’s not that I disagree with Dr. Attia per se…
I just disagree with his perspective.
Several reasons:
First, if you have lower back, knee, or hip pain, stiffness, or tightness, one of the best ways to MAKE IT WORSE is to engage in high repetition cardio.
Why?
It embeds those negative compensatory movement patterns and muscle imbalances further into your CNS (Central Nervous System) making them much harder to fix , and keeping you in pain longer.
And pain inhibits the normal functioning of your joints and muscles.
The more you train into and through pain, the faster you’re facing a catastrophic injury or joint replacement.
Second, you require MUSCLE to move.
It’s a documented fact that men lose 10% of their muscle - predominantly fast-twitch muscle fibers - the ones for running faster, jumping higher, and lifting more…
At a rate of 10% per decade if not directly trained.
These are the ones that burn the most energy.
And they are the fibers responsible for keeping your metabolism high - your ability to burn calories at rest.
Training your VO2Max trains your slow twitch (endurance) fibers.
And too much endurance training actually converts your fast twitch fibers into slow twitch fibers.
And that’s exactly the contrary of what we’re after.
Third, too much cardio ( depending on the individual) elevates circulating cortisol levels which lowers :
It diminishes testosterone, increasing fatigue and muscle loss, especially in men over 40.
The number of fast-twitch muscle fibers you have… which are the ones you shed quickest but need the most over 30
Leads to fatigue… an issue many men face, so we want to avoid that!
Has potential to harm mitochondria if misprogrammed… which may seem minor at first until you realize that mitochondria damage → mitochondria death → YOUR death!
So, it’s not that I DISAGREE with Dr. Attia’s reading of the research…
I just DISAGREE with his solution(s).
They are HIGHLY impractical for most of us over-40 types.
That is unless you have all the time in the world, then you should go for it .
What should you do instead ?
1- Focus on joint care
It’s a widely accepted training truth that the reason people end up in nursing homes ( besides Alzheimer’s and dementia) is that they lose mobility .
Why’s that?
We’ll get into that shortly .
But first, get rid of your joint limitations to the best of your ability.
If you’re going after that [INSERT YOUR PET LIFT HERE] but you’re always feeling beaten up and achy…
You might want to rethink that.
You’re not going to take home gold medals or big sponsorships at this stage.
(Said the pot to the kettle. Seriously , I’ve had to have this conversation with myself quite a few times in the last 15 years.)
2- Focus on increasing strength
Work on strengthening those fast-twitch muscle fibers .
Then grow them.
Use the kettlebell Grinds - Press, Front Squat, etc., and keep your reps between 1 and 6.
You can also use the kettlebell ballistics and keep your reps around 10 to 12.
Doing so increases your metabolism and is another way to avoid or reverse Type 2 Diabetes onset .
And as a result, you’ll increase your chances of living longer .
3- Focus on power-focused training
Why?
Power training strengthens fast-twitch fibers and reaction time, often diminished after 40.
Kettlebells are awesome for this.
4- Focus on VO2MAX TRAINING
Now, fortunately, as you get improved with #3 - Power Training…
You can “slide into” this type of training, according to your approach .
“Yeah, but how well does it work compared to Zone 2 training that Dr. Attia recommends?”
Yes, several meta analyses* indicated HIIT - which, when you come right down to it - is a form of power training -
Was more effective to MICT - Moderate Intensity Continuous Training - for improving VO2Max in older populations.
But you can still add in 1-2 Zone 2 sessions a week if you have the time.