How much time should a person spend exercising?

“How much time do I need to spend exercising?” It’s a question I hear often, and it is the subject of countless research studies and popular press articles. And yet, this question misses the point.

When it comes to exercise, we should only concern ourselves with duration insofar as it influences what we really care about: results. Exercise is not a goal in itself – rather, it is a means of achieving good cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and metabolic health, and the ultimate indicators of sufficient exercise are therefore a good VO2 max and adequate muscle mass.

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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 90 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.

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[TroyQwert]

I saw a guy running in my neighborhood for many years. Well, running in his pace. Eventually, I stopped when I saw him on his route recently and gave him a hug after we introduced each other. He is 87 years young and he is jogging every day. I said: Thank you for encouraging me to continue! 😊

[nrjetik]

i have been exercising daily for more than 35 years, at 64 and a menopausal woman, I recently was hit while training on my bike by a car 6 weeks ago and still battling the repercussions ( mostly TBI) My bone density ( I had a dexa scan 6 months ago showed is super) so my shattered radius and 4 broken ribs proves how hard I got hit. I am sure a "normal· 63 yesr old female would be dead- The recovery is slower than my athletic self likes, but I am making progress, walking 7-10km up and down hills, working on my balance, core etc. I aim to be back racing masters next year! thanks for always having great informational podcasts

[tommays]

At 68 it’s really SAD to see how limited my low exercise neighbors have become

[TheOneMastodon]

You're right; in order to be in good shape when you're old, you need to be in GREAT shape when you're young. Great isn't easy, it's hard.

[mariosangermano]

I'm 60, and began cardio exercise at age 17. What I found over the years is, not that the exercise is 30 minutes or more, but the intensity and frequency.
My conclusion. 30 to 45 minutes 5 days a week gives me the best overall sense of calm and peace and spending a lot of energy which gives me more energy. A resting heart rate between 52 bpm - 65 bpm.
An average daily BP reading of 110/ 68, give or a take a few points. My highest, 119/ 78.

[idfofvr]

Finally a real doctor. I'm sick of chiropractors or others posing as doctors and giving medical advice on YouTube.

[fritsgerms]

I find it fascinating that this topic comes up again and again. A scientist once put it to me like this; with physical stress the system retains its ability to rejuvenate. You stop the physical stress and its intensity, you lower the rejuvenation ability. There is nothing to choose from. One or the other will happen.

[grantbradley]

Being active the majority of my life I don’t give my daily workouts a second thought. It’s a lifestyle. I work out with gymnastics rings three days a week, mixing in yoga and strength training on other days. I was approached by a gym member some time ago and asked if I was a MMA fighter. Lol I’m 67.

[chasecentario]

60 minutes is fine per workout 5 out of 7 days is my usage. 72 now !

[wazakiYEAH]

This is the reason why I switch to kettlebell training. I do 30 minutes max, and I'm good already. I'm just doing one simple complex kettlebell, and it is much easy to be consistent. You can do the exercise at home. You only need 1 or 2 bells for it.

[LianaSchill-hzfv]

Walking in the forest in Germany in Spring, where the air quality is amazing. Going into mountains soon in Austria. Training before helps.

[Gref]

Started regular excercise at christmas 2022 after watching Attia's Huberman and Rogan shorts, now I'm excercising 10 hours a week and never felt better. Fell in love with bike and lifting, now I'm trying to incorporate stretching routine. Stopped playing video games 5 days a week, gained so much energy during the day. Can't recommend it enough. Now other people see me after those months of training and get hooked on excercise by my example. It's awesome.

My advice: don't start with other people's training programs. Start by walking or riding a bike, don't measure heartbeat, calories, exact time etc. One most important thing is a habit and most of us need pleasure and fun to make habit a part of our lifestyle. Counting, measuring and tracking may do the trick to motivate you but can also make all this too hard and require too much attention when all you really need to start building a habit is doing stuff daily or even 2-3 times a day for a few minutes. Also, buy Atomic Habits, it will change your life.

Thank you dr Attia, you changed me as well as many others, I'm sure.

[josephschuster]

I agree 100%! Know your physical abilities, and stay focused on technique. Frequency, patience, and your own comfort zone is a good benchmark. I’m committed to my physical well being for the rest of my life…I’m almost 65 and never committed for long to any form of exercise. But, I am now. Start believing in the results, and it will happen.

[The-Contractor]

My Father started me on Free Weight exercise when I was 8. I eventually aged to the point where pushing heavy iron was out. I switched to Overcoming Isometrics, Animal/Primal Flow, and Kettle Bell Swings. Now 68 and my biological age is approximately 40. More to the point, I feel great and look good. I exercise daily.

[johndanczak]

I have a high VO2 max, bench press 225 10 reps, and squat 275 lbs. I also have a Cardiac Calcium Score of 1250. I’m 52. I can’t say exercise or being fit has done much to reduce my risk of sudden death by stroke or a cardiac event. So, take that for what it’s worth. Live in the moment. Don’t worry about 65 if you are 50. Just get to 51. That’s all I have to say about all the focus on exercise!

[Ray_Here]

So Right Dr. Attia! I am 72yrs old. I started measuring my VO2 Max about a 18 months ago. Running three times a week, It took me a while to move it from 32 up to 35. About 9 months ago I started going to a trainer who kicks my butt twice a week. Six months ago I started running once a week with high intensity intervals based on Dr. Attila’s recommendation. The other 2 days are more in the zone 2 range. My VO2 max has increased to 40 and I’m going to push it higher. At my age, however, I do think taking two days off is wise and allows me to recover. After reading your book, Outlive, I have significantly changed my diet as well. Thank you for all your great advice!

[iyernil]

One of the best videos on fitness - short but perfect - thanks Peter - loved your book as well

[tom]

I love this video. First time viewer and I subscribed. I'm now 72 and workout about 10 hours a week, maybe a bit more. I do weight training (about 13 to 15 sets of 8 to 10 reps for large muscle groups per week with less than a minute's rest between sets, a few less sets for the smaller muscle groups), I do ab work three times a week, and a variety of cardio (brisk walking, rowing, hill climbing, stair climbing, elliptical biking, etc.) four to five times a week for between 120 and 210 minutes with 36 minutes of HIIT (usually on the stair machine). I do about a half hour stretching and hanging four or five times a week, but I don't include that in my 'workout time' totals. I do not feel rundown, but I do feel I have worked out hard. I eat clean with organic foods and supplements that seem to be helping, like collagen, creatine, Taurine, Glycine, NAC, omega 3's, L-Citrulline, D-3, K-2, Magnesium, and Zinc among a few others. We can not control everything, but with the given science, we can be collectively healthier than ever before. Best fortunes to all.

[thefpvlife]

The old adage of Quality not Quantity for sure Dr. Attia. Fantastic input here.

[HSLSFirst]

Great advice. Do as much as you can and, keep pushing to improve strength and cardio