V02 Max For Longevity

I’ve been on a fitness transformation that started during Covid. I ramped up the fitness, ramped down the processed food and focused on sleep. The results were astounding.

• I’m 42 and feel 30.
• I sleep at least 8 hours a night.
• I have endless energy.
• My skin looks years younger.

I’m doing a bunch of things well, but there is always room for improvement. My longevity goal is maxing out every factor that can give me the most health span and most years on my life. Enter this great highlight by Peter Attia.

The net here isn’t particularly surprising, the more fit you are (V02 Max being a leading fitness indicator), the lower the chance you’ll die over the next 10 years. This is a gross simplification, click here to get the full story.

What is V02 Max?

1. The efficiency of your respiratory system (lungs) to inhale and absorb oxygen.
2. The ability of your cardio vascular system (heart, blood, blood vessels — arteries, veins, capillaries) to efficiently pump, transport and distribute oxygen around the body.
3. Your muscles ability to consume large amounts of oxygen — this is dependent on factors like the proportion of slow twitch muscle fibres, the amount of mitochondria, aerobic enzymes and muscle capillary density (very small blood vessels that deliver oxygen to individual muscle fibres).

Starting V02 Max

Great! My “good” 42 year old readings were around 44–45ml/kg/min when I began my challenge May 1, 2022. To maximize longevity and health my target is to push over 52ml/kg/min.

Credit: https://www.topendsports.com/testing/norms/vo2max.htm

How I am increasing my V02 Max

1. Slightly increasing my running. I was averaging 3–4 miles every 2–3 days. I’ve bumped my runs to 6 miles every other day.
2. HIIT. On my off days I lift. After my weight training I spend 15–30 minutes doing sprints on the street in front of my house. I’m sure the neighbors think I look crazy and yes those sprints hurt my lungs, but this shit works.
3. Thats it. I didn’t change anything else in my routine. 6 weeks in and the results are real.

After 6 weeks of intentional effort

The little things add up. Using a wearable to help track your fitness can be a critical tool in helping to stay healthy and lock in your fitness to maximize your health span.

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