How much time should a person spend exercising?
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- čas přidán 3. 05. 2024
- “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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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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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! 😊
then what happened
Yeah, then what happened?
I didn't expect you guys being so qurious about this my little positive experience. Update: the guy, Mark, Ukrainian, looks like anglo-saxon, reminds me Joe Biden, immigrated 30 years ago, HE IS STILL RUNNING and working out on a chin-up bar and more. I see him from time to time and say Hallo! whenever I see him again on my route. Every time I see him he runs in opposite direction to me... What a guy!
@@TroyQwert Mark's not really a Ukrainian name though. Would you mind checking this with him?
@@ergocaustic3473 , don't try my patience.
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.
Id say its much more realisitic to stay consistent with exercise on what you enjoy, rather then trying to be great, which will quickly burn you out. Trying to be great is for full time athletes trying to be no.1.
I agree and would add that you need to be in great shape when young; and stick with it. As you age, it’s really a quick decline when you stop exercising, which leads to declining movement, which leads to a rapid downward spiral. As to the other comment, “the stay consistent with exercise on what you enjoy” is such a vague platitude as to be useless in application. Let me explain. As a long-time endurance and strength coach, I’ve worked with humans ranging from sedentary to elite. I started with elite cyclists and branched out as I got requests. Every human was different, but all of them benefited from an outside perspective and nudges to broaden their exercise window. Just going by feel is not advisable since “feel” is both elusive and highly variable, just as going by some magic prescription (especially diets…) will be alluring but usually suboptimal. If, for example, you “enjoy” walking five minutes a day, that would be better than being immobile. But just barely! If you want to exercise for longevity (lifespan and healthspan), you need to start “enjoying” more and different types of exercise. Some of that will be hard! In general terms, my elite athletes needed intervention in order to REST more and better-they worked out too hard without proper recovery. But most sedentary or low activity humans needed to do more, and learn to do so gradually so as to avoid injury. Peter is focusing on the long, multi-decadal term where age starts to degrade fitness, thus I return to strong support for TheOneMastodon’s (great name!) comment. Just my two cents! 😊
There is a book titled The Mind-Body Method of Running that explores enjoyment, confidence, mental toughness, etc. A lot of information about the perception of effort being the true cause of fatigue.
🙌
@@noosphericaltarzan Right. It’s authored by Matt Fitzgerald (2010) who more recently (2023) wrote _How Bad Do You Want It?_ which I read. Essentially, he discusses how “feel” must be trained in order realize how much (more) performance you can squeeze out of yourself. Although he concentrates on competitive athletic performance, those principles apply to people interested simply in longevity and personal fitness. Many untrained people, for example, can find “Zone 2” but have no clue how hard they can go in a maximal test like VO2. They need a progressive training program that is in large part cognitive, to learn how hard they CAN push. They frankly quit way too early and waste test time and money. If you want to read the cult classic novel about finding out how hard you can go, find _Once A Runner_. “The trial of miles; miles of trials.”
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
Holy moly! Sending healing wishes.
Get well soon ❤
On the other hand, a normal 63 yo wouldn't be hit by a car while biking.
It's a dangerous activity.
@@flowersfrom7311so is driving or riding in a car.
@@oolala53 Statistically, biking is a far more dangerous activity than driving.
Taking in account that it is done mainly to improve health, it is not clear if it produces positive or negative outcome.
At 68 it’s really SAD to see how limited my low exercise neighbors have become
I used to run a women’s fitness center and the difference between the women that did and the women that did not widened with each decade. Seeing women in their 80s improve strength and fitness really quickly was a huge life lesson for me.
Absolutely, I've got loved ones who are in that camp and it's self-destructive. The inactivity compounds on itself and I'd like to see them jogging but now I'd be afraid of them falling
I'm 65 and have COPD and I work out an average of 2 hours a day spread out between weight training, biking and hiking. Unfortunately, I cannot do any high intensity cardio.
I'm only pushing 40 and agree, adding that it's also sad to see how limited some youth/kids are by low exercise
DONALD?
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.
Walking in the forest in Germany in Spring, where the air quality is amazing. Going into mountains soon in Austria. Training before helps.
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.
😂💪🏆
normally I am the old lady kicking ass at the gym.being a trainer for over 35 years, I know what
I'm doing and do more than most. this obviously saved my life
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.
60 minutes is fine per workout 5 out of 7 days is my usage. 72 now !
I exercise and eat to feel better today. Too many unknowns to assure additional longevity. The point is to enjoy today and live it to the full. Of course, understand that what you do today also will affect quality of life tomorrow.
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.
I have a lousy work schedule sometimes with 12 hours shifts plus my commute home. Maybe, too many people are exhausted with overloaded schedules trying to figure out how to fit in their Fitness time
@@FluxNomad678 true. Often we don't know the true consequences of what we choose. If, even when we choose. Most philosophers agree; life is suffering.
@@FluxNomad678 it's a matter of priorities.
The old adage of Quality not Quantity for sure Dr. Attia. Fantastic input here.
One of the best videos on fitness - short but perfect - thanks Peter - loved your book as well
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.
Kettlebells are awesome. They do provide a very effective and efficient workout. Strength, cardio and mobility if you are doing goblets, halos, around the worlds, swings and clean presses. If just swings not so much.
Been doing intense hill hiking for years, plus free weights. Have just switched from free weights to a kettlebell routine and it's an awesome workout. Really feel it! I do use the lighter dumbbells for arm fine tuning, though. I'm 63.
What’s your simple complex, if you don’t mind sharing? Is it by chance a simple and sinister program?
@@namazbaiishmakhametov1810 try the x orbit, it fires a bunch of muscles.
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.
My grandmother lived to 101 and never developed dementia, never took medication, and other than an occasional walk she never exercised. Genetics.
Genetics and common sense.
Extremely small lucky percentage of people. Just imagine what she could have done for decades if she had exercised.
Stress. She has less stress than the average person. Stress is the ultimate killer and the lack of stress is the ultimate longevity pill.
@@theatremints8883 and the most powerful thing a person can do (to give the body the ability to deal with stress) for ultimate mitochondrial, cellular and over arching metabolic health is consistent steady state zone 2 training. There’s nothing that even remotely compares to this “maximum mitochondrial expression.”
True for a particular individual, not representative for a population. What Peter says is simply true for a population and therefore the most true advice for anyone to take. VO2MAX is strongly correlated with health and longevity.
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.
Great advice. Do as much as you can and, keep pushing to improve strength and cardio
Great video - I’m 67 and been working out all my life. Right now in preparing for a USTAF Masters 60 meters dash. I walk trot about 4-7 miles per day depending how my body feels. I add bar exercises- pull-ups, chin-ups, hanging leg lifts, push-ups. And now plyometrics as I get ready for the 60 meter dash. My goal is Top 10 times in the world in my Age group for 60 meter M65-M70.
Dr Attia knows whereof he speaks. I turned 66 last month and decided to treat myself and do a lab VO2MAX test. The result was 45 which puts me at about the 95-98th percentile depending on whose chart you use.. My max sustainable heartrate is 172. Not bad for an old guy. I've been able to average about 3-4 miles running or 15-20 miles biking a day for my entire adult life in spite of being married, raising 4 kids and full time work. It has taken about 45 minutes to an hour six days a week. I've lived past the age where my sibliungs, parents and grand parents all died. I'm seeing more and more of my peers succomb to aging and it scares me. I don't want that to be me - not yet at least. I'm sure there is a point where too much exercise is too much, but I haven't gotten there yet.
You're bullshiting. Doing 6 day will cause body to overtrain (that happen and happen to any other person), so that is your real story how much was exercising?
Eventually we all take that ride in the ambulance
@@liutasx Sorry but you're wrong. Usually 3 days a week are zone 2. Two days are Zone 3-4 and at least one is zone 5 - 4/2 min intervals. Very doable if you have a lifetime history of it. Read some of what Dr Attia used to do training for channel crossing swims.
Very believable, good for you…those are some excellent results! I’m only in my early 50s, but have worked out 6-7 days a week since my late 30s. Mix of cardio and strength training (currently 8 workouts a week). I have added in quick 20-30 min yoga sessions the last couple years 6 days a week as I’ve noticed I need to work on mobility and flexibility more now than my 40s.
Another person who has fell for overtraining hype because the exersises laid out would destroy him and it's something his own regimen doesn't even come close to. Then, he feels compelled because he has been told by other soft people to call bullshit on a total stranger giving their experience🤦♂️
What he is doing is far from overtraining if he has been doing it most of his life. Overtraing exists when one is an extreme hybrid athlete for example. Regular joes it isnt a problem, conditioning and sedentary life/work styles, not enough sleep and poor diets are the culprit for why people burn out.@liutasx
Humans aren't as fragile as you think.
I do 15 miles biking a day going to box/bjj 5 times a week. 2 hours boxing 2-3 hours bjj. No overtraining here
Up your game and stop being scared😂
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!
I think most people who have exercised most of their life and actively try to stay in shape are fairly in tune with how hard to push themselves. When you start to get older you know what you used to be able to achieve and what is now attainable and if you are consistent what is sustainable.
The big question for me is how much should I exercise when I am sick or injured. I don’t want to just sit around and wait to get better.
Thanks for a great answer and perspective. I love what you do!
I train 5 days a week. 3 of which are resistance training days, 2 of which are short duration HIIT. The HIIT training consists of 30 second stair sprints followed by alternating sets of 25 push ups, and 25 dips. 10 sets, 45 seconds rest. During my resistance training days I do zone 2 for 30 to 40 minutes beforehand. I was a Canadian national level swimmer as a kid, and haven’t stopped. 51 years old and I don’t have any plans of stopping.
Good advice. Especially when u get older. It's something I tell my patients daily. For back pain especially.
Great point. I have frequently questioned the validity of data based on exercise quantity for this exact reason.
excellent points. many thanks for this
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.
Thanks for covering this
If you already have a busy life and you follow Attia’s protocol strictly, where the hell is the time for recovery? Loads of exercise without adequate rest & recovery is totally counterproductive and sets people up for injuries and imbalances.
True that!
I am 66 and my VO2man is 55. I exercise 9 to 12 hours/week with approximately 3-4 hours in Zone 2, i.e. I will go biking for 1-1/2 hours at a 14-5mph. Then on Tuesday, I will go on a Z5 ride with a bunch of guys at 18-25mph.
It's taken me a long time to escape the mindset that mild exercise is the best for you, and Dr Attia's breaking down the data in his videos is a big part of how I managed to do it
100%
The ‘fitness’ industry has been obsessed for most of this century with ‘high intensity’ cardio and weightlifting. More than any good evidence, I believe this is more about people in this industry being mostly bodybuilders who like lifting weights and hate actually exercising. It’s about rationalisation.
@@HkFinn83Resistance training and high intensity cardio are crucial pillars of fitness. Light cardio throughout the day being the other, but one of three only.
@@HkFinn83Resistance weight training is a must for longevity as well as adding in aerobics! At 55 I still look like I did in my 30s! And going stronger than ever!
I have never been able to mildly surf ski in a downwind, or mountain bike on a technical and sometimes fast trails. It is hard to get that level of VO2 max in the gym.
@@jmass4207 weightlifting is mostly about vanity. There’s almost no reason to do it at all if you don’t enjoy it. And still being alive at 55 is hardly an achievement.
What I've settled on for now is 20-30 minutes of kettlebell/clubbell exercises following the Easy Strength strategy from Coach Dan and Pavel every single day 7 days a week with a brisk walk in the morning as the sun is rising and a brisk walk in the evening when the sun is setting. All in all it's about an hour per day. On Sundays I also go to a pool and swim some laps for about an hour. It's the only day I really have the time to set aside for my preferred cardio of swimming. My routines tend to change over time though, so who knows what I'll be doing 10 years or 20 years from now. I can say for now though that compared to my peers generally I'm far stronger, I have far more endurance, and I have noticeably better posture. I regularly get mistaken for being 10 years or so younger than I actually am, and I would say my time investment in exercise is pretty minimal. I'm sure there are individuals who invest more time than I do who are in even better condition than I am, but there are significant benefits with even a minimal investment in exercise.
Right on target Peter, great distillery of exercise
I say the right amount of intentional exercise is zero. You should live your life where physical activity is part of your daily work and life. Humans existed and thrived for thousands of years without pushups and gyms and exercise routines. I worked in the woods my whole career and refused promotions to sit at a desk and now at 65 I am glad I did as my office bound friends are all having health issues, so I ask them if it was worth the money and I have not heard a "yes" yet.
So well put!
Intensity over duration is something that I thought would be a good marker for training goals. Good video.
This might ruffle some feathers but it’s been on my mind for a number of months. Something that really bothers me about the vast majority of experts in this space that talk about health/fitness, is that they almost never consider the most relevant metric for society today: compliance.
People talk about absolutely maximizing efficiency for longevity/health by exercising or working out 5+ times a week for at least an hour a day etc for “optimal” health… it’s just such a niche of Americans that are going to try to actually optimize at this level and will actually be able stick with it, and people that are in that camp are already probably doing better than 95% of people out there.
The most important thing experts in this space need to be thinking more about in my opinion isn’t what’s absolutely “optimal”, it’s what is actually practical/convenient enough that more people will actually take the time and energy to do it.
Being able to get, say, 60% of the health benefits is better than 0%, and it should be really obvious that there’s a growing epidemic of 0%, not 60%.
Obviously not every speaker in this health space needs to focus on this, but it’s just so bizarre that it’s hardly ever taken seriously into consideration when you take a step back and look at regular people’s lives.
You are spot on! I would bet that 90%+ of folks who begin an exercise regimen quit well before benefits are gained. Those of us who actually DO the amount of work “experts” say we should be doing are likely in the 95th percentile of fitness-aholics.
And it is too bad…….Dr. Attia rightly points out that it does not take too much to get a really helpful gain in outcomes. The couch potatoes have lots of upside with just a moderate amount of movement!
Fair enough but i don’t think wearing a step counter and going for a hike once a month is going to really increase your vo2 max or really do much. That’s the issue for me. I’d rather experts tell the truth and then let people do what they want with that info
Hammer on nail.
I actually have seen a lot of people in the body building space talk about this. The best program is the one that gets you to the gym in the first place, the second best is the one that hits your goals. I get that for some people just getting there is hard n
He is speaking to a broad audience, not just to you specifically. What you need to do is take this information and find a way to apply it to your schedule. Sometimes, when we hear something we don't necessarily agree with, we look for ways to diminish it instead of being grateful that someone with knowledge has shared the information.
You always make perfect sense. And I love that you talk about the literature. Anyway, I’m old and in terrible shape. I guess I have to start somewhere.
The answer to how much exercise is correct, is within you. Each bout of exercise has to be recovered from and therefore there is a limit to how much exercise stress you can put your body through. If you do too much, or do not have enough rest between exercise bouts, you will be tired all the time and your performance level will fall from previous levels or plateux. Worse still you will become irritable, ill and may no longer want to exercise. If you do too little, or at too low intensity, culminating in only small amounts of exercise stress, you will not benefit from the full training effect. So put these two things together and through trial and error you will find out what your own body can cope with and it is individual to you. On plateuxing also, there is a limit to how fit or fast anybody can be, even with the best exercise regime. This is dictated by your own natural ability and genetics. The level of stress you can cope with will depend on your age and how many months / years you have been exercising for also. You will soon find out after a time, what is right for you at a specific point in time. One other thought, the training effect persae, is not a universal phenomenon, some people react to it greatly, others less so or hardly at all, as found in large studies. The other thing is to immitate exercises that human beings were designed for. We have ( male humans ) evolved to be endurance hunters and gatherers. Human beings used to make their living, catching prey, by running faster animals down, over prolonged periods.
We have excessively large hearts, present a small target to the sun because of our efficient, bipedal motion, are naked of fur and have the ability to sweat profusely to rid the body of excessive heat. All adoptations, to chase down prey, over long periods, to eat meat and survive. All you have to do, is immitate that, in the exercise you do, and you have aerobic, cardiovascular system promoting exercise as we were adapted for. Having a strong body is good also, but a slim strong body is healthy, not looking like a gorilla, which we were never intended to be, which in consequence means increasing your resting metabolic rate to feed all that extra muscle with oxygen. In a food shortage world, large bodies would go extinct. Slim people live longer - fact !
How much to exercise? I'm no expert, but I have been in sports all my life. What I have learned is my body talks to me. Sometimes it just says no exercise today. So, I take the day off. Sometimes two. For me it works, my normal workout is a set of piriformis stretches with Isometrics, balance, and rebounding, a stepper machine I have at the house. I limit myself to no more than one hour per day. I also make sure that my daily walking steps average around 4500/day. I'll be 91 later this year.
Do you have any pain or chronic disease? Whta about your mobility? Are yoi comfortable sitting in squat position?
@@DaliborBe No, no pain. My mobility is about 90-95% of my earlier years, but I do floor exercises all the time and get up with no problem. I squat down to pick stuff from the floor. My single biggest problem is Degenerating Disc Disease, the reason for the Piriformis stretches. The stretches have arrested that however.
@@299300projects this is so encouraging! My mom is almost your age, and she can't up get up off the floor or out of a tub. This breaks my heart! She does cardio every day on a stationary bike, but no stretching or strength training. After running for years, I've recently started yoga (better late than never!) and I can already feel what it's doing for me.
Keeping it mixed up your body guessing plays a big part too. Don’t just do the same thing day after day. Row, run, bike, walk, ski, swim, lift in different pairings some short some long some zone 2 some all out. Concept 2 and Assault fitness products
To me it is binary ..I am 47 years-old, I go for a run every single day regardless of the weather ( Big Goggins fan here ) and I have three different neighbors that live in the same apartment complex that I live in. One has just turned 73 , I see him every day at the park where I run , another neighbor 83 years-old, this guy is really intense, he goes on very long runs every other day, he goes on highways to run and such, then I have a 61 year-old neighbor and it takes him 20 minutes to walk to the park where I usually run , and the park is just a short distance from the apartment complex, takes me about 3-4 minutes to get there and that neighbor just recently quit smoking after being diagnosed with COPD ( Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease ) . He told me that he started smoking when he was 14 years-old and smoked two packs a day ... Secret to longevity ? You need to build these good habits of exercising at a younger age and the most important thing is CONSISTENCY ..
I'll will include to exercise consistency the equal or more important health equations is Efforts + Determinations = Force with given proper time. Just as easy as I measured my own RPE
(Rate of Perceive Exertion) That's how I know if I'm gaining health benefits as always, as cycling enthusiasts incorporating some strength resistance plus HIIT cycles.
#stayhard
47 and you bragging hilarious - i was serious tennis player and runner till 60's now, well the osteo catches up..look at someone who 80 plus who still doing it all. One thing i observed from my youth was the old scandinavian ladies 65 plus, who did yoga -- they continued on with all the other sports, tennis ski hike etc etc
@@downieduck2414 Variety is the key, most people do one thing and break themselves. Its a tale old as time that's why I don't like sports for the most part. They should be enjoyed casually backed up by great conditioning. Most people are too lazy or foolish to do the import work or just live way too hard on the other end.
Who’s gonna carry the boats and the logs??!!
Good talk. 100% agree.
I would love to be able to get this much in, in a week, but society doesn’t work that way. My normal schedule:
5:30 - Wake up
6:00 - Zone 2 cardio (once a week Swedish 4x4)
6:45 - Shower / take dogs out
7:00 - Get kids dressed and kids ready for school
7:30 - get kids to school and start work
5:30 - end of work (maybe), pick kids up from parents
6:00 - get home start dinner / walk dogs
7:00 - Dinner
7:45 - Kids Baths
8:15 - bed time routine with kids
9:00 - answer emails finish work projects
10/11: - Sleep
Very little time to sit back and enjoy life while trying to extend it.
If only society / companies valued their employees heath. But that will never happen.
What is Swedish 4x4 Zone 2?
In a couple of years kids will be able to get dressed and get home themselves and it will get better
I'm a single mom to 2 and I absolutely get it. But I also think everyone needs to have priorities. Maybe move to a smaller house, so you don't have to spend so many hours working if your priorities are being with kids more and taking care of yourself. We all have to find our own balance and listen less to the "rules of society". Also, spend time with your kids now while they want to do the same. As teens they won't to do it as much and you will also regain your free time
You're working too many hours at a day job. Work less, live more.
I worked out every day instead of eating lunch at work. Don't you get a lunch break? Gym close by or go for a walk?
Personal fitness trainer here. There are so many variables to working out in determining how much exercise one should get: your individual goal of training, intensity of training, age.
Been training since 1985 3 x per week 30 min sessions..Still ripped af at 53 years old!!!
Just checked your channel garageman brutal training keep it up grandpa 🔥
People should be generally active every single day. If you're healthy, there should never be a single day where you're sitting/laying all day.
But formal exercise with more intensity should either have a higher frequency with lower volume and duration or lower frequency with more volume/duration.
The sweet spot for me is 20-30 min lifting workouts 6x per week with three upper and three lower. I do only 10-12 sets per workout. In general, I walk a lot, climb stairs daily, do mobility/flexibility daily, etc.. Movement is healthy.
Very well-stated. If your objective is longevity, or increased healthspan and lifespan, then you should first understand your own fitness by testing and analysis; not anecdotes (which abound…). Trust, but verify. 😊 Knowing where you are, then you need to work at it, periodically re-assessing your progress. It’s far too easy to fall for all the snake oil out there when you are guessing. I would just add one other issue: Feel. Some gurus say to go by feel, or “I know my body.” As a coach of a wide spectrum of people over four decades, I observed that most people need to refine their feel based on objective data. Often their feel is a house of cards that collapses under scrutiny. What Peter is saying in short is this: bite the bullet and test your fitness. Find out what’s really going on; where you really stand given what we know now. Then carry out a consistent plan to improve. Lacking that, you’re just guessing and in my experience, those guesses tend to be self-deceptive. Which is why I have coaches, too, and they’re not me! 😅
I don’t see a fit muscular person when I look at Dr Attia, should that count for anything
@@francostacy7675 You are falling into two traps. First, the YT comments trap where saying something cynical is a bad habit. Second, you going on appearance, which is entirely subjective and hardly useful when data is available. If you go on how he tests physically, you will see he’s elite on many levels as a result of his athletic career and longevity-focused training program. So if you don’t see it, your visual perspective needs to be recalibrated. “Fit muscular” here does not mean some gym bro on gear…quite the contrary. Because you have established zero credibility other than commenting, whether you see it or not is essentially meaningless except the degree it reveals your shortcomings. In fact, based on the video and my comment above, yours is laughably revealing. Classic. 🧐
@@tommyrq180 Great rebuttal. I'm also familiar with Dr Attia's well documented health and athletic sport background and agree with you. Meathead you responded to is out of his depth.
Thanks. I am 50 (49.3) years old, and my VO2 max is 50. He is right; I row on Concept2 6800 m every day on average (around 25 mins) and 2.5 million meters a year, for the last two. 80% of my exercise is at 70-80 % effort while 20% is max effort up to 20 mins 171 bpm which is under 20 min 5 k on concept 2.
6800 in 25 min is a great pace for that distance. 👏👏👏
I am about to turn 62. I do HIT strength training 4 days a week ( based on Dorian Yates, Blood n Guts routine ). I love it ! I have gained a huge amount of strength since retiring 18 months ago.
I do walk about 30 minutes a day but need to start working on Vo2 max.
Makes sense. Thanks Peter
I'll send this to anyone who would listen in response to them saying that I exercise too much, 10 minutes a day is enough. Maybe for them. But I'm almost 46 and just last week hanged 4.38 minutes on the bar. And hearing your words, I couldn't be prouder of myself. Thank you for everything that you are doing!
Proud of what? That you can hang that long? ….in the scheme of life and society, how does that rank?
@@francostacy7675 don't worry franco, I can't hang that long either...
That is an obscene dead hang time. Do you train for that specifically, or did freakish grip strength and endurance come along for the ride with other training?
@@michaelfavata2720 Oh, that came totally by accident. I started hanging a couple of months ago every day. Longer and longer each time. And then on one hand. I guess it's a matter of consistency and pushing through pain and discomfort. And thank you for motivating me to try to go for more 😁
@@stephenjensen1988 well I can and I didn’t train for it….never wake up proud about it. No let me be honest here, I used too and I don’t measure it anymore. I measured it in a competition on a military base. I was also arm wrestling champion on base. I am more proud that I never have drank or smoked, and I never cheated on my wife, and raised 4 kids and was always there for them and never complained I am proud of the medals on my wall and my close friends and my faith and proud of my country…..I also give back to my community, pride doesn’t come to me about my hang time lol
Personally I think the doctor should be more concerned about his dosages of statin drugs he takes ….but it’s his life to live as he sees fit
I started bodybuilding at 17, went pro in 2019 at age 29. Now I’m going on 34 and I train maybe 2 times a week sometimes 3, full body workouts supersetting everything such as cable flys, then using 1 handle to do biceps, 20 secs rest if that then back at it for 5 sets. My workouts are around 25 mins and I’m pretty active during the day for cardio.
My body has stayed the same more or less with steady diet for the last 2 years and is enough for staying in good shape for me.
I'm almost 58. I implemented HIIT training about 15 years ago. I will typically do a full body Kettlebell routine with jumping rope between each Kettlebell exercise. 30 seconds of work, 40 seconds of rest ( enough time to let my heart beat drop by 10 to 12 beats) . My workout time doing this is about 40 to 45 minutes max. I also play basketball once a week for about an hour and a half to two hours once a week. My doctor told me that I have the cardiovascular system of someone around 42 to 44 years old. Everything Dr. Attia is saying is 100% correct. Intensity is the key. Not length of time. In fact, anything over 45 min, cortisol is being released, diminishing your gains.
Spend all the money you can. This is solid advice
Amen. At 54 my VO2 max is 50, and I didnt wake up that way, its years of work. I tell my pts every day its the number #1 most important variable in how long a human lives.
FWIW the dept HHS US activity recommendations in fact agree with Attia. Worth the observation most people’s understanding is informed by something more like folklore, and hearsay about expert opinion, than the actual official expert advice
Age 64. Gave up vigorous excercise, due to observations of my peers and older generations. Sports like basketball, football, running, horseback riding, golf, tennis and others, tended to result in permanent damage to the joints, tendons, muscles, spine, and accidental injuries. I enjoy long walks and hikes in nature and working outside in my gardens and yard.
I'm currently deciding whether I should hang up my volleyball shoes for that same reason (still very active though in less chaotic exercise modalities).
I have taken the opposite path at 67 years of age. Over a w year period (with a bit of pain), I gradually increased my basketball workouts. As long as I kept my work within a reasonable level, my joints and muscles would adapt. If I got an injury, I took time to recover.
Now, I am able to get vigorous running & dribbling drills in a few times each week. I did it so I could maintain hand-eye coordination, and build core strength.
But I DO fear that one day, my knees will say, “no nas, no mas”. I will play the next few years by feel and hopefully be able to maintain a decent amount of vigor and avoid injury.
People need to put in the resistance training time to combat the deleterious effects of being sedentary the vast majority of the day if they want to engage in competitive, intense, external-goal oriented sports and not get hurt. Were you doing that?
same i am 72 and all that running and tennis - it catches up, some idiot bragging at 47 how he does so much -- look to the 70 plus who still very active - i noticed the old ladies who did yoga still managed to do hiking tennis ski
@@jmass4207 There is a massive disconnected with physical training and movement vs being a very sedentary society. The society and mindset have to change. Too much stupidity going around and applying logic incorrectly!
Omg, Peter, thank you 🙏🏼 This is EXACTLY what I have been trying to explain to many of the highly sceptical and hugely hesitant trainees who do not believe that my results have been achieved by 20-40 minutes of home bodyweight training solely!!! It is all about the intensity and and focus and the challenge! Also find it hard to reassure the followers who request only 60 minute sessions: my 20 minute bodyweight burpee HIIT is waaay more effective than the 1-hour dumbbell workout. These save tons of time too😅 And yes, diversity AND consistency are also KEY 💪🏼💯❤️
Yayyy, another burpee fanatic 😂 I struggle using dumbells, every time I tried I’d strain a part of my body, obviously my form is wrong and anyway, I never got past 3kg lol. I just love bodyweight HIIT workouts. Okay, it may take more time to see muscles like you would with weights, but I’m not looking for ripped abs. Even if I see a subtle toning and as long as it still strengthens my bones as I age, then that’s good enough for me. 3 x 60 min HIIT - repeat, no repeat, isometric, abs to change things up, and 60 min exercise bike a weekI just want to feel stronger and lift my mood and I’m okay with that 👍🏻
Thanks for that imput. I learned that focus is a great component if I wanted to increase my body mass and reduce fat. Being in my late 50s, I am serious considering adding a couple of workouts to my weekly exercise to achieve that pkus my long walks up.to 25 or 20.k.
Great video, I think a better question to answer might be, what should those outputs be if I'm healthy, and what type of training and dietary interventions do I need to get there. And, what sort of regimen has been shown to be consistently sustainable for the largest number of people given their constraints on knowledge, socio-economic status, current abilities, etc
The output data. The biggest gains are going from sedentary to something. There may be a point where intense exercise stops being of benefit - though this probably doesn't apply to moderate exercise. With moderate exercise the benefits probably keep going - though they get less as you go (getting to elite level from very good gives way less change to health than going from sedentary to the 30minsx4 or 5
Completely sedentary people in those survey studies don't do 20 minutes of indoor walking per day, which could be vacuuming, walking around a mall and carrying some groceries, etc. In other words, they are bedbound and likely dying of cancer or some other disease. Of course they will be likely to die soon in the epidemiology, therefore skewing the numbers. It's not that being sedentary made them die, it's that when you break your hip as an elderly person you're going to die soon anyway.
My favorite doc
I don't want to be like him.
I do not agree with everything they claim *data* is saying...until I read it to confirm.
NOT Taking all The suplements... 😂
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!
Genetics are a bitch. Have you talked to your doctor about supplementing K2? If your intestinal flora isn't producing K2, you have a dietary deficiency or malabsorption issue, or your Vitamin D levels and calcium intake exceed your K2 levels ability to function, your body is going to store calcium where it shouldn't. If they haven't talked to you about your K2 levels, you should consider shopping around for a different doctor because the guy who graduates first, and the guy who graduates last are both called 'Doctor'. Talk to your doctor because addressing the plaques too quickly through supplementation can create the weaknesses in the vascular lining that end up throwing the clots that create the cardiac or stroke event.
@4:19: Dead-hanging with your chin above the bar, for a minute or two, was ONE of the tests we did in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in gym class - to get put into varying categories, due to completed results from the Presedential Physical Fitness Test. I was one of the VERY FEW girls who could actually do that, and this was before private gymnastics classes. So kids CAN be born naturally STRONG!!
A 6:37 video, finally one I could get through! Thank you Peter
Great video. gyms i go to are mostly full of people walking slowly on flat treadmills even holding on, watching tv. feel like those people are really missing the point
Having weight trained all of my adult life, and done many sports to a decent level, at my current middle age, I find working out has barely any point at all.
What does have a point is just being active and outside as much as possible everyday.
Good old fashioned Walking is my main thing... A bit of cycling, wild swimming, paddleboard and shooting a few hoops , maybe a few sets of bodyweight squats a few times a week is more than enough.
By counting session and stats, weights and reps especially later in life can be motivating depending on your ego or what where you are /you want out of life.
But for me, I'd rather take a walk through a town, city, park, heath, forest or along a beach any day than go in an air conditioned room and walk on a treadmill.
The law of diminishing return is important here. Doing more time exercising, might bring more results, but it may not be worthwhile enough(unless being obsessive).
Also, too long , too much exercise, can bring joint problems for many.
Clarence Bass does fine with once a week resistance training , and once a week cardio.
There's no one way is perfect. It all depends on the indivdual.
Thank you for the information and motivation !
Though one thing I’ve learned (correct me if I’m wrong) is that there are also benefits from low to moderate intensity exercise that you can’t get from high intensity. eg anti-gravity muscles if i recall correctly. can’t actually remember but i believe some muscles are best strengthen at low intensity
Big fan, You've added years to my life. That said .... Smoking and Joking lol????? Great video. Thanks.
Great video, one unfortunate disagreement. Social economic circumstances can have a substantial impact on exercise and health outcomes.
I'm not sure who could disagree. It's obviously true. Peter said V02 max isn't dependent on education or socioeconomic status. He didn't say V02 max is the only thing driving health outcomes.
Why? Because poor people have less hours in the day to exercise? Planet fitness is $10 a month or just do body weight exercises at home. Running is free. There is no barrier to entry to exercise other than your willingness to do it.
Training ,lifting weights ,walking,running, all free for anyone to do no matter how poor.Cannot afford weights ? Lift bake bean tins (full of course ) or cement blocks depending on your strength.
The part that I think the socio economy can affect health and fitness is the quality of food. Most people buy crap food in order to savr money because they dont have enough. For example some buy margarine instead of real butter..some buy can fruit instead of the fresh ones, etc etc. That is bad for the health but exercise wise, there are plenty of free or cheap options. No excuses for not exercising.
@@PriusTurbo Look up the findings of research on ACE (adversal childhood experiences)
That's a great point, I try stick close to the 80/20 I do lots of slower runs but then I can do harder running and lifting a couple of times a week. But the slower stuff keeps the engine ticking over and it's active recovery. I'm in my 50's and my V02 max is still in the 60's. Takes a bit of work and I understand not everyone wants to do that.
I was expecting this to be a typical clip and so I was like "damn the front-loading on this question is even more verbose than normal"
Makes so much sense. I see people at the gym all the time that make it a social hour instead of a workout but I'm willing to be they would count that as 1 hr of working out.
Yeps, makes a lot of sense, the number say it all
6-12 hours a week. 80 % in steady state zone 2, 10% in vo2max intervals (always after the zone 2) and some resistance training!
I also think what you are doing outside of your workouts is important in deciding how much you should do. If you do construction then I think you can get away with less and if you have a desk job you should probably do more to make up for sitting all day
❤ thank you
I’m a fan if kettlebell workouts. Clean press squat and snatch. 200 snatches with a 24kg bell in 20 minutes has benefited me well. Along with 50 cleans and presses and squats with double 24kg bells has also been great. Gonna go up in weight here soon.
71 still do powerlifting competitions at high level, train everyday don’t think about the time, just do what it takes to get some sort of improvement.
Thank you for posting this video very straight to the point ❤
I don’t care if people near me think I’m crazy, which they do, but I run 12-14 hours a week, strength train 3-4 hours a week and play around with my kids. I have more energy than anybody else I know.
What is your age?
@@laurafuller8528Just hit 40.
I agree somehow, the quality of your workout have to be combined with your resting/sleeping, your nutrition and overall lifestyle. I am 59 now, I generally train for an hour an 20 minutes daily for four to six days a week. During my training I do 15 to 20 minutes stretching and core exercises, one hour of weight/calesthenic. Then I move downstairs to the Sauna/cold shower for another 30 to 40 minutes and last I swim under water back and forth in the pool for 20 minutes. I generally walk the 5 to 6 km bearfoot in the sandy beach and do regular plunges in cold water in cove nearby. I also do 48 to 72 hours fasting every 3 to four months. My vitality and muscles is like a 40 years old. Thanks to guys like Peter Atia, Andrew Heuberman and others.
I walk, bike, lift weights. Some days i don’t want to go but drag myself and usually these days are some of my best and intense work outs. other days I am hung ho to exercise but this doesn’t always translate into a good work out. Bottom line is I go as hard as I can when I work out some days are intense other says milder but I am working out best I can go is what counts 6 days week.
Thanks man
Over exercising creates alot of cortisol for some people. Everyone is different. Quality is super important and having much self awareness is key and mostly clean eating is key to health and fitness.
Since I’ve stopped CrossFit and went back to just basic 5x5. Kept the same amount of days on/off and kept my cycling the same. I started to sleep so much better. After quitting CrossFit
All research efforts I can see are focused on the shortest possible time to exercise in order to achieve any health gains. I think this emphasis is wrong. Not dying early is a very limited goal… Also this approach misses all the other benefits of exercise, such as socialising, being outside, utilising your muscle pharmacy, being proud of oneself for the self-care. Lastly I believe Peter is right in saying that intensity is the parameter that is missed in most routines. I doesn’t matter if it weightlifting or yoga. Intensity makes it better.
middle distance & sprinting on the treadmill will get you to half hour a day or less (NOT including warm-up). that's 400 meters or less or 2 miles or less
Took me 3 years of hard work to increase my Vo2max from 36 to 54. 80/20 rule is the key; 80% zone 2, 20% FIRE on intervals and tempo runs.
Peter do you use a seven zone model or a five zone model? Thanks for clarifying.
This all sound pretty good to me. The way I think about it if you train correctly the volume takes care of itself. All of my training is high intensity and brief. I do high intensity strength training based on Body by Science, and I do sprints. How often do I train? As often as I can that allows for recovery and adaptation. We don't even have to guess at the interval. We know we are recovered when we excited to go and the workout is an absolute grind. If the muscles give out abruptly, not enough recovery. I also commute on a bike, but I don't consider that training.
There is no question that some exercise is beneficial and most people don’t get enough. The issue is how much will lots of it extend quality and quantity of life. It is a given that some exercise is beneficial but it is also known that there a point that is quickly reached in which there is a diminishing return. Many people are at this point and in fact are not sufficiently recovering from the previous session before starting up again, As an example, there are several noted long distance runners who have fallen over dead while running because of stressing their heart too much. Few if any of the oldest people on record did any systematic exercise but lived what would be considered a normal routine life with no particular focus on physical fitness.
My VO2 max is 59 at age 52. I exercise about 45 to 50 minutes per day on average. No messing around. I'm not counting the time it takes to walk the dog as that is just easy. I do HIIT and sprints weekly and the other stuff is mostly Zone 2.
not everyone exercise for specific health benefits. many exercise for hrs for the incredible feeling emotional high gained from high volume training. I exercise for 6 hrs a day if you cnt walking as exercise_ cardio gym 2 hrs a day I just walk walk and walk . never had a driver's licence aged 62 perfect health.
Finally a real doctor. I'm sick of chiropractors or others posing as doctors and giving medical advice on CZcams.
I think the best thing anyone can do is to incorporate physical activity into your daily life. Cycle or walk to work, cycle walk to the store. Go for walks in nature just for the shear enjoyment of it with the by product of it being good exercise. Physical activity doesnt have to be this scheduled thing that you "Have to" do. I think this is why so many people fall off the wagon so to speak, they see exercise as something separate from their every day life. Its not. Make it something you love to do not something thats a chore. I train calisthenics for 1 hour Monday - Friday and i love it. Being outside in nature early in the morning.......this is a little piece of heaven on earth. The off shoot is that it keeps me strong and in good shape, but i would do it even if that wasn't the case. Take a look at your life and see where the car is not necessary and you could walk or cycle. I see so many people driving when they dont have to and in the end this is what ruins their physical health
Im 62 i train twice a week 1.5 hour sessions in martial arts, at the end of training I am soaked through with sweat, that is what my body can cope with and that's all I do save for stretching every day which I don't consider training. For me it works well.