How to train your cardiovascular fitness | Peter Attia

This clip is from episode #261 of The Drive - Training for The Centenarian Decathlon: zone 2, VO2 max, stability, and strength

In this special episode filmed live in front of readers of Outlive, Peter answers questions revolving around his concept of the centenarian decathlon.

In this clip, we discuss:

- The pyramid of cardiorespiratory training
- Peter’s zone 2 training and recommendations
- Peter’s VO2 max training and recommendations

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About:

The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, and all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 60 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more.

Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their healthspan.

Connect with Peter on:

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[Apice.]

Listening to Attia talking about VO2 max is a joy

[Maritime]

I compete in Ironman's at age 56 so do a lot of research on how to maximize my fitness. Dr. Attia's information is very consistent with the best information I have found. I like his explanations as they're very clear and succinct. Some sources of information can get quite technical and difficult to turn into real world action items.

[deedee]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:00 🏃‍♂️ Cardiovascular fitness training aims to maximize the area between Zone 2 (base) and VO2 max (peak) to achieve the best results.
00:38 🚴 The 80/20 rule suggests that around 80% of training volume should focus on Zone 2, and 20% on VO2 max for most athletes, including elite ones like Tadej Pogacar.
01:47 🕰️ Time commitment plays a crucial role in designing a cardio workout routine, and it varies for individuals based on their schedules.
02:59 🔄 It's generally recommended to spread out Zone 2 workouts rather than doing them all at once, even if you can handle a longer session.
03:52 💪 The weekly training schedule typically involves strength training, Zone 2 workouts, stability training, and VO2 max sessions, with different days dedicated to each.
05:29 🏃‍♀️ Zone 2 workouts should ideally last at least 30 minutes per session to be effective.
08:53 🏋️‍♂️ VO2 max training modalities can include cycling (outdoors or on a stationary bike), stair climber, treadmill running, swimming, and rowing.
11:34 ⏱️ VO2 max workouts often involve intervals of 3-8 minutes, such as four minutes on and four minutes off, with the goal of maintaining a high intensity.

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[PeacePresencePower]

I loved this guys questions... he gave clarity on all the subtle aspects of it that the average dude(me) did not understand. I gained more clarity from this video than watching 10 other similar videos.

[Gref]

I hated moving for 31 years p, my whole life. 7 months ago I saw dr Attia at Rogan’s and Huberman’s and I was hooked. Noone can talk about this and make you want to excercise just for the sake of it, for your health and joy. And believe me, I tried to start training since I was a kid. This man is like a missionary making people believe just by preaching.

[mottohorn]

7:58 best description of how I messed up training in past. I’ve been focused on steady state Z2 like you’re describing the correct way recently, and have noticed so much change in my RHR, my workout HRs, and my ability to recovery from hard efforts.

[creektopfarms]

Y’all are lucky to have normal hearts, I have half a heart, my vo2 is 27(very poor) Spo2 90% and I still manage to hike regularly and rock climb. I just did a 900 rock face called Tahquitz twice in 2 weeks. Take care of yourselves and be thankful for being normal if you are.

[milosgrujic]

I do love listening to this guy! He's so knowledgeable and those knowledge he put strongly on his own skin over time! Just great for people who are starting out this journey!!

[nithin]

I really liked the way thr interviwer asked the question. Asked every detail.

[schrafn]

I'm 32 years old and training for the hardest 1-day mountain bike race in America. I came to the conclusion recently that my training was not focused nearly enough on zone 2. As my muscular endurance is currently much higher than my cardio endurance. Thank you for the valuable insight to improve my training and race experience

[viq]

Thanks I totally forgot about vo2 Max training. I was so focused on zone 2.

[gefloigle]

“What we’re looking for is the harnessing of mitochondrial efficiency, and to do that you have to be able to push oxidative phosphorylation right to its limit before you trip into glycolysis.”
_–Dr. Peter Attia_

I’m going to have this mounted on my wall.

[lisatowe]

So good to hear a man younger than me by close to a decade say he can’t do some things anymore. I get frustrated because of what I used to do. I simply don’t have the time to do it all and some body parts just don’t handle quite the intensity

[Dggb]

Thank you for the weekly schedule breakdown. Hugely helpful

[jeg]

When Peter mentioned archery, thats a strange one but since 💡I am half way thought his book Outlive. Love reading your book, so very well written and keeps the reader engaged.

[helibladerunner]

Great video, thanks for sharing
You're an inspirational speaker and now I not only watch your videos , I also share them with my wife who has also found your videos a great encouragement.
Thanks again, keep us the good work.

[marcjov]

He mentioned Tadej Pogačar as example and he is from a small country of Slovenia, that is where I come from. Really surprised. Nice for Tadej.

[paulwg]

Love Dr Attia
I do my VO2 Max on rower. 4 minutes on 4 minutes rest.

[YoursTruly]

Love you guys took the time to explain Zone 2 and VO2 max before going into the nitty gritty. Really appreciate that 🙏

[chriscruciat]

This is very useful. So then in my case, in addition to weight training, I can do 3 times per week Zone 2 and 1 time per week HIIT to achieve my Vo2 Max