Exercise Quotes

Peak aerobic cardiorespiratory fitness, measured in terms of VO₂ max (via a treadmill test), is perhaps the single most powerful marker for longevity. VO₂ max represents the maximum rate at which a person can utilize oxygen. This is measured, naturally, while a person is exercising at essentially their upper limit of efforts. (If you've ever had this test done, you'll know just how unpleasant it is.) The more oxygen your body is able to use, the higher your VO₂ max. [2023] - Peter Attia

Zone 2 is one of five levels of intensity used by coaches and trainers in endurance sports. Some models have five zones, but others have six or seven. Typically, zone 1 is a walk in the park and zone 5 (or 6, or 7) is an all-out sprint. Zone 2 is more or less the same in all training models: going at a speed slow enough that one can still maintain a conversation but fast enough that the conversation might be a little strained. Zone 2 is a powerful mediator of metabolic health and glucose homeostasis. For some people, a brisk walk might get them into zone 2; for those in better condition, zone 2 means walking uphill. [2023] - Peter Attia

Where HIIT intervals are very short, typically measured in seconds, VO₂ max intervals are a bit longer, ranging from 3 to 8 minutes-and a notch less intense. I do these workouts on my road bike, mounted to a stationary trainer, or on a rowing machine, but running on a treadmill (or a track) could also work. The tried-and true formula for these intervals is to go 4 minutes at the maximum pace you can sustain for this amount of time-not an all-out sprint, but still a very hard effort. Then ride or jog 4 minutes easy, which should be enough time for your heart rate to come back down to below about 100 beats per minute. Repeat this 4-6 times and cool down. [2023] - Peter Attia

It takes much less time to lose muscle mass and strength than to gain it, particularly if we're sedentary. Even if someone has been training diligently, a short period of inactivity can erase many of those gains. [2023] - Peter Attia

Fundamentally I structure my training around exercises that improve the following: 1. Grip strength, how hard you can grip with your hands, which involves everything from your hands to your lats. 2. Attention to both concentric and eccentric loading for all movements, meaning when our muscles are shortening (concentric) and when they're lengthening (eccentric). In other words, we need to be able to lift the weight up and put it back down, slowly and with control. Rucking down hills is a great way to work on eccentric strength, because it forces you to put on the "brakes." 3. Pulling motions, at all angles from overhead to in front of you, which also requires grip strength (e.g., pull-ups and rows). 4. Hip-hinging movements, such as the deadlift and squat, but also step-ups, hip thrusters, and countless single-leg variants of exercises that strengthen the legs, glutes, and lower back. [2023] - Peter Attia

Walking before eating can offset the detrimental effects of high-fat meals, lowering by 25% the levels of blood triglycerides (a type of fat related to how much sugar you eat, above-normal levels can lead to heart disease). Wait at least an hour after eating, and don't exercise too close to bedtime, as you may then take longer to fall asleep. [2021] - Gerald Lemole

Six principles for strength training: 1) Overload; 2) Progressive training; 3) Momentary muscle failure; 4) One set only; 5) Slow is better; 6) Sufficient recovery time. Taken together, those principles form the basis of what is known as High-Intensity Training, or HIT for short. People are invariably doing the conventional workout of multiple sets of fairly fast reps. And there's nothing wrong with that if you enjoy it, have the time, and don't injure yourself. But research shows that HIT delivers equal results in a fraction of the time. Intensity is more important than duration, whether you're doing aerobic exercise--high-intensity interval training exemplifies the rule of thumb--or strength training. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

You work the larger muscles first and progress to smaller ones as you go, because larger muscle groups will activate the nervous system, hormone circulation, and blood circulation more quickly, which preps the whole body. If one of your goals is to improve your cardio, try to keep the interval between exercises to less than 30 seconds. Remember, the number of reps doesn't matter. What's worth noticing and recording is how long your muscles are able to work slowly against the resistance before failing--what's know as 'time under load'. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

You can use free weights for MSTF (Mindful Strength Training to Failure)--but for certain exercises, such as the squat or the bench press, reaching muscular failure while a heavy weight is balanced above you could be hazardous. Whatever load you're moving, it helps to be present to it not as an enemy to be conquered, but as a partner that is helping you into an exploration you couldn't achieve without it. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

Having completed one set to failure, there is no advantage in doing a second set. The set will have taken between 90 and 120 seconds from start to finish. If your time falls significantly outside that range, make a note to adjust the difficulty the next time. On a machine, that means increasing or decreasing the weight. If you're new to strength training and have lost muscle mass, you might be able to do a workout three times a week. As you get stronger, that will decrease to twice a week, then perhaps to once a week. Research has also shown that it's inadvisable to do aerobic exercise on the same day as an MSTF session, as doing so may inhibit the benefits of the strength training. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

One half-hour session of MSTF a week will be sufficient for all your major muscle groups to get stronger. Two sessions would likely help you do that more quickly. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

Consistent, moderate exercise is wonderful for one's health: walking, gardening, going for a bike ride--it all helps. In fact, walking after an MSTF workout may moderate the short-lived inflammation that sets in. On the other hand, moderate exercise is no substitute for MSTF. In deed, people who rely on a walking program for fitness will typically lose between 4 and 6 pounds of lean muscle every decade. Moderate steady-state activities like walking, running, or swimming help keep us healthy--but without regular resistance exercise that enlists and overloads our larger muscles, sarcopenia will progress, along with its attendant risk factors. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

A single minute's worth of hard exercise three times a week can provide the same cardiorespiratory benefits as 45 minutes of endurance training three times a week. There is no question that endurance training will help you get fit. If you enjoy going for long, easy runs, keep it up! You're going to benefit from them in many, many ways. But there is a certain alchemy in the body that is activated by intensity. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

Prolonged aerobic training (e.g. swimming, cycling and walking) is widely beneficial to all body systems, but there are clinical evidences suggesting that none of these activities provide an adequate stimulus to bones. Progressive resistance exercise has been highlighted as the most promising intervention to maintain or increase bone mass and density. Yes, it's intense, but because it's so slow it's also low impact. Furthermore, because the muscles are contracting with intensity, they release myokines that stimulate an increase in bone mineral density. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

You may drink a high-quality, pure whey protein isolate shortly after each workout. Especially in the 24-hour period following an intense MSTF session, it's important to provide your body with enough high-quality protein to facilitate the remodeling that your workout has made a priority. If you add in a little fasting once in a while, you'll be providing a double stimulus to your 'survival circuit'--MSTF plus fasting--that will create a highly beneficial activation of your longevity genes. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

With every MSTF set you do, move against the resistance slowly, smoothly, and with control. Take a minimum of 4 seconds to go from the bottom of the movement to the top, and vice versa. You can take as much as 30 seconds in either direction, but not less than 4. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

MSTF is designed to be progressive. There are always adjustments being made to the resistance, or the speed at with you lower the weight on the last rep, to bring the targeted muscles to failure somewhere in the time-efficient sweet spot between 90 and 120 seconds. If you're reaching failure in less than 70 seconds on a machine, consider decreasing the resistance by 5%. If using a resistance band, try one with lower resistance. If using your body weight, simply maintain your slow, controlled cadence and you'll grow stronger, or try finishing with negative-only reps after failing on the positives. If you're reaching failure at or beyond the upper limit of 120 seconds, you can increase the resistance by 5% on a machine, or go to a resistance band with greater resistance. If using your body weight, you can slow down your cadence--for instance, from 4 seconds to 6 seconds. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

There are two types of exercise that should be included in a routine, because they contribute to your strength in different ways. Compound exercises involve more than one join (when you do a Chest Press, for example, your shoulder, elbows, and wrists are all involved in doing the work). Single-joint exercises focus on the muscles that move a single joint through its full range of motion (a good example is the Leg Extension, in which a leg begins bent at less than 90 degrees, and then pushes against a resistance to straighten itself). [2021] - Philip Shepherd

There are two practices that I try do every week. The first is the 5BX program developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force. I also do a session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) once a week. I settled on a 9½-minute HIIT workout that I've adapted from one descripted by fitness expert Clarence Bass. Here's how it goes: 1) 3-minute easy warmup; 2) 30 seconds all-out sprint; 3) 1½ minutes easy recovery; 4) 30 seconds all-out sprint; 5) 1½ minutes easy recovery; 6) 30 seconds all-out sprint; 7) 2 minutes easy cool-down. [2021] - Philip Shepherd

ROM means Range of Motion. When moving a weight ruing an exercise, the targeted muscles are lengthened in the starting position, and then as they slowly contract they move the weight through its range of motion until they arrive at the point where they are fully contracted as the exercise allows. From that position of contraction, the targeted muscles then begin to lengthen again, lowering the weight through the range of motion to return to the starting position. [2021] - Philip Shepherd