1 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays. 2 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 2: Just before we. 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: Start, I just have a quick favor to ask if 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: you wouldn't mind going in and rating the podcast, leaving 5 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: a review and also subscribing, because that is the stuff 6 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: that we need to help grow the podcast. And one 7 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: other thing, a couple of listeners actually reached out to 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: highlight to me that the last two Saturdays there's been 9 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: an issue intermittent with the podcast, just with the audio. 10 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: That particular issue has now been resolved and will not 11 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: happen again, but thank you for the listeners for bringing 12 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: it to my attention. Now onto this week's content. So, 13 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: last week I talked about the single most important thing 14 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: that you can do to improve your health span and 15 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: your lifespan, and that is basically increasing your video two max. 16 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: And this week I'm going to tell you how to 17 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: do it. But first of all, let's talk about getting 18 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: a baseline. Now, if you have one of the physical 19 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: activity trackers such as an Apple watch, a garment, a 20 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,639 Speaker 1: fit bit, a woopband, or a ring, any of those things, 21 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 1: they will do a pretty good job at estimating your 22 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: VO two max. Now, it's not always perfect, but it 23 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: gives you a reasonably good estimate, and then you can 24 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: just look up VO two max tables at Top End 25 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: Sports is a good place to do that and then 26 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: you can see where you actually are. Now, if you 27 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,479 Speaker 1: want to get a better measure, look, the best thing 28 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: that you can do is go to an exercise physiology 29 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: lab and get it tested. It'll probably cost you a 30 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: couple of hundred bucks, but there's a really good field 31 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: test that you can do, or an approximate test called 32 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: the Cooper twelve minute run test. So for this, you 33 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: need to have a piece of flat ground and something 34 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: that can measure your distance, like one of those trackers 35 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: at GPS tracker, or ideally you would go into the 36 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: gym and use a treadmill, and what you need to 37 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: do then is find out the maximum distance that you 38 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: can run in twelve minutes. 39 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 2: So you basically run as fast as you can. Obviously, 40 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 2: do a. 41 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: Warm up first and then you start running. So the treadmill, 42 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,239 Speaker 1: you want to start it pretty quickly, or have the 43 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: first minute of just a warm up and then start 44 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: it at a minute and note the distance at that time, 45 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: and then you run for twelve more minutes and you 46 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: find the distance if you've done the minute warm up, 47 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:40,079 Speaker 1: you want to take that distance off, or you can 48 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: just start cold on it and go straight into it. 49 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: But it's basically, or if you're outside, it's the maximum 50 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: distance that you can run in twelve minutes. And then 51 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: you go to a website which I will put in 52 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: the show notes, and you can enter it in the 53 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: data in and that will give you a pretty damned 54 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: good estimate of your video too. Now let's talk about 55 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:06,519 Speaker 1: training it. So in terms of training it, and basically 56 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: there are a couple of things that we need to 57 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: do in order to get the best. 58 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: Impact on it. 59 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: Now, if you're not very fit at all, you want 60 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: to start with a reasonable aerobic base, and for this 61 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: it's really good to use heart rate training. Now, heart 62 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: rate training, I will put a caveat on it. It's 63 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: really good if you know your max heart rate. Now, 64 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: if you don't know your max heart rate, there's a 65 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: couple of formula out there. Two twenty minus your age 66 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: is one formula. Or two hundred and eight minus zero 67 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: point seven times your age is another formula that's maybe 68 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: a little bit accurate, and that will give you an 69 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: age predicted one. Now, my age predicted max heart rate 70 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: is actually one hundred and sixty seven. But I know 71 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: from testing doing a rated exercise test that my max 72 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: heartrate is one hundred and seventy one, so mine's not 73 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: too bad. But if you look at Carly's hers is 74 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: way art her age is predicted. I'm not going to 75 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: tell you what her ad is predicted, it would be 76 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: giving away her age, but her max heart rate is 77 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: about forty beats higher than her age predicted. So for her, 78 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: using heart rate training based off age predicted is absolute rubbish. 79 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: If you do that twelve minute round, you've got a 80 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: heart rate monitor own you'll get pretty close, especially if 81 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: you are sprinting for the last minute. But that's basically 82 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: a way to find it as well. And I do 83 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: not advise using watches for heart rate at high intensities 84 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: because they are useless. You need a heart rate monitor 85 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: for that. Now, having said that, if you're willing to 86 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: invest in a heart rate monitor, and if you kind 87 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: of roughly know your maximum heart rate, then training in heart. 88 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 2: Rate zones is really really effective. 89 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: So the best actually combination to improve your video to 90 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: max as quickly as possible is a combination of what 91 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: we call Zone two training and high intensity interval stuff, 92 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: and there's a number of different intervals that you can use, 93 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: but I'll talk about my favorite dinner minute. 94 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,679 Speaker 2: So the zone training. Zone one is very. 95 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: Light stuff that's kind of recovery stuff and very very 96 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: long runs. That's at fifty to sixty percent of your 97 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: maximum heart rate. Zone two typically sixty to seventy percent, 98 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: although some people have slightly different measures for this, but 99 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: let's just go with this one sixty to seventy percent 100 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: of your max heart rate. Zone three three is seventy 101 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 1: to eighty percent, Zone four is eighty to ninety percent, 102 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: and zone five is ninety two one hundred percent. So 103 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: zone one is basically recovery. Zone two actually gives you 104 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 1: really good aerobic endurance and for lots of people is 105 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: pretty damned defective at improving VO two max. And that 106 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: will get you a fur bit down the line, particularly 107 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: if you're not fit in terms of improving your VO 108 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: two max. Typically, zone three that enhances your what's called 109 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: aerobic par Zone four enhances your anaerobic threshold and improves 110 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: your high speed endurance. And zone five is basically increases 111 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: your maximum spent risk but also is really effective the 112 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,559 Speaker 1: upper end of zone four and zone five are really 113 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: effective at improving your VO two max, particularly for non responders. 114 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: So in terms of combinations of training, I want to 115 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: give you what I think is a really really effective, 116 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 1: actually proven way by research of significantly improving your VO 117 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: two max at any age. And like I said earlier on, 118 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: if you're not that fit, and doing just zone two 119 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: training for thirty minutes three times a week will actually 120 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: get you a really good aerobic base and get you 121 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: significant improvements in your fitness and actually prepare you for 122 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: doing the interval stuff, which if you really want to 123 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: improve it as best as you can, we need to 124 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: start to add in the intervals. 125 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 2: Now, there's a. 126 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: Couple of intervals that I really like. One which is 127 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: very very proven in the academic literature and in training 128 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: studies showing improvements and VEO two max and heart function. 129 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: Is there Norwegian four by four protocol. So this is 130 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: four intervals of four minutes interspersed with three minutes of rest. 131 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: So in those work intervals, you want to be getting 132 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: to ninety to ninety five percent of your maximum heart rate. Now, 133 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: you obviously do a warm up beforehand and then you 134 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: go as hard as you can for four minutes. You 135 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: can do rowing machine, you can do elliptical, you can 136 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: do a bike, you can do running, you can do outside, 137 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 1: you do whatever. Basically, you go as hard as you 138 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: possibly can for four minutes, and at the end that's 139 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 1: what you'll find that you're up around that ninety five 140 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: percent of your maximum heart rate and it's going to 141 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: take you a while to get there. 142 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 2: And then what you. 143 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: Do at the end of that four minutes is you 144 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 1: drop the pace right down and you do recovery low 145 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: intense thy generally around sixty to seventy percent of your 146 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: max heart rate, and then you go again. So you 147 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: do four of those four minute intervals, and it's bloody hard. 148 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: I can tell you that it is hard. And so 149 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: with those four intervals of four minutes, that's sixteen minutes 150 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: of work. And then you have three intervals in between 151 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: of three minutes each. That's nine minutes. So that's a 152 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,560 Speaker 1: twenty five minute workout. You're going to want to do 153 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: a five minute warm up and then a cool down, 154 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: so there's kind of thirty five minutes all in all right, 155 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: and at doing that twice a week in conjunction with 156 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: one or two of the Zone two sessions for thirty 157 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: minutes plus will be really really effective. Other alternative for 158 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: the interval, and I actually like to do one of 159 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: the Norwegian four x fours, and I do another one 160 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: which is basically a sixty second all out effort, maximum 161 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: effort for sixty seconds, and then you recover really low 162 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: intensity for sixty seconds, just sort of moving to clear 163 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: the lactic acid. And you do that ten times, and 164 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: it's frigging hard as well. Like they're both hard, there 165 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: is no getting away from it. 166 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 2: These are hard. 167 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: But what we know is that some people are non 168 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: responders to Zone two training. It doesn't move the needle 169 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: very much on their VO two max. But all of 170 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: those people respond really really well with the intervals. And 171 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:52,439 Speaker 1: a classic study which showed remodeling of the heart, improving 172 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: of elasticity of the left ventricle, and significant improvements in 173 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: VO two max use the product all that I talked about. 174 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: They did two sessions of thirty minutes of Zone two. 175 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 1: They did one longer recovery session at Zone one per week, 176 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: and they did two intervals per week. They both the 177 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: two intervals were both the Norwegian, but I like to 178 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: mix it up one with Norwegian and one with the 179 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: ten by tens, and you can build it up right. 180 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: So if you're just getting into them, you might want 181 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: to start with three intervals for the Norwegian, or if 182 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:29,719 Speaker 1: you're doing the sixty second ones, you might want to 183 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 1: start with five or six and then build it up 184 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: over a few sessions. But that is basically a scientifically 185 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: proven way to significantly increase your VO two MAX in 186 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: the shorter space of time. Now, if you are a runner, 187 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: then absolutely you'll be doing zone three and zone four stuff. 188 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: But if you just want health longevity benefits in VO 189 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,199 Speaker 1: two max, you really don't need the zone three stuff. 190 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,720 Speaker 1: You will go go through zone three and zoo through 191 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: zone for to get to your max Heartrader ninety five 192 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: percent of it, But it's really that target that we're 193 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: looking for, that ninety to ninety five percent when you're 194 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:13,960 Speaker 1: doing the interval at the end of those intervals. 195 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 2: That's it for this week. Catch you next time.