Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It is worth repeating the message about the tremendous benefits of doing high intensity cardio for your overall health and longevity.
I think many people get to a comfort zone where they hop on a treadmill or elliptical for an easy steady state cardio session for about an hour a day for 5-6 days a week without doing anything else (any exercise is beneficial compared to doing no exercise, so don't get the message twisted).
However, all it takes is one or two workouts per week that focuses on high intensity movements, around 90% of your max heart rate, for a much shorter period of time, in order to reap the benefits of it. Dr. Attia only does one or two such workouts per week at 8 minutes per session doing high intensity intervals on his bike.
Basically, get off your ass! Too many middle age folks just go on this regime of eating drinking and sitting daily routine. Walking isn't enough, you need to go out and put yourself in survival mode.
I've been incorporating burpees and walk downs into my routine the last few months and it feels good. As mentioned above, movement is medicine! I also believe exercise is the best anti anxiety/depression remedy you can do.
I also believe exercise is the best anti anxiety/depression remedy you can do.
100% and that is the reason I began working out in my early 20s, I was dealing with being very down and was not exercising. It was like a light switch was flipped and I would never go back to that sedentary lifestyle again.
People should definitely be doing HIIT, but it should only be like 10-20% of your exercise volume at most. There is still a lot of benefit to easy days.
My trainers had me do HIIT, for example medicine ball slams and self-powered curved treadmill sprints. In my old gym, a trainer had me do a fan bike machine.
It's great but, man, do I get out of breath. Steady-state cardio is just more relaxing....
Just get some exercise. You don't need whatever it is the latest social media influencer is peddling. Lift some heavy things, go for a run or a swim or a bike or even just a walk. Play tennis or soccer or frisbee or go golfing and skip the cart if that's your thing. Really the biggest thing that couch potatoes should not jump immediately into is vigorous anything. If you're already active and in good shape, sure, incorporate a small amount of it in your exercise regiment.
Having elite level cardio... look, for most people it's not possible. You're not Bradley Wiggins or Lance Armstrong or Kipchoge. You don't have the genetics to be Bradley Wiggins or Armstrong or Kipchoge. You're not even on the sauce to be Armstrong. You don't have 20-25 hours a week to train. You might be over 40 in which case even if you have the genetics and the sauce and the time you're over 40. Elite level cardio athletes are freakishly rare at 40 because almost none of them are elite anymore by 40. Age sucks that way. It's out of your control that it's incredibly unlikely that you have the genetic base to be capable of making it to elite level so don't waste time dwelling on it. Pulling numbers out of my butt but probably 90% of the benefits you can see from just getting regular exercise even if you can't run a sub three hour marathon and aren't elite.
Attia blows a lot of smoke, don't really know why. Maybe it's a motivational thing where doing so helps motivate people. For example, his schtick is 3 w/kg at Zone 2 is equivalent to elite athlete. It's just not. For someone in shape you're looking at around 75-80% (generally) of FTP in Zone 2. So 3 w/kg in Zone 2 is roughly around 3.5 to 4 w/kg FTP. Elite athletes are mostly in the 4.71 to 5.76 w/kg range. Sprinters don't really need to have good w/kg FTP. They mostly don't. That's why whenever they go in the mountains all the sprinters get shot off the back in bike racing. Even before things heat and anyone is really racing, they're out the back. With a 3.5 to 4 w/kg you'd probably be able to hang on with the sprinter caboose as they take it easy and you suffer. https://www.wattkg.com/power-records/
That's not to say 3.5 to 4 is bad. It's pretty good actually. On a weekend group ride, you'd be one of the stronger riders in the stronger group. For a racer you'd be about middle pack. That's really pretty good. It just isn't elite.
Last edited by Malloric; 01-23-2024 at 04:36 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
