Issue #32: ABCs of HIIT
Good morning. It's Wednesday, September 28th. On this day in history: California was "discovered" (1542), the Siege of Yorktown began, leading the British to surrender and end the American Revolution (1781), 8 members of the White Sox were indicted for throwing the 1919 World Series (1920), and SpaceX successfully launched Falcon 1 (2008) - the first privately owned company to send a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit.
Hopefully there isn't anything to report for 2022 in the future (yea, talking to you Hurricane Ian).
Today, we're focusing on the present.
The highest recorded VO2 max for Lance Armstrong - read as 85 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. The average untrained person has a VO2 max of 45 and can get it to 60 with training. But Lance doesn't hold the record. That goes to Bjorn Daehlie, a Norwegian cross-country skier. He measured 96...in his offseason!
VO2 MAX
Ok - we've teased this enough. What the heck is this VO2 max and why does it matter for our longevity?
Basic Definition = maximum rate of oxygen consumption attainable during physical exertion.
V = Volume; O2 = Oxygen; Max = Maximum
From the Stat of the Day you can see it's measured as mL per kg per minute. The mL is the amount of oxygen, per kg is to normalize this for people of all sizes, per minute is the unit of time for the measurement.
The science isn't what matters as much as why it's important...
The American Heart Association recommends VO2 max as a clinical vital sign.
As the true measure of how much oxygen we can consume - VO2 max is the leading indicator for those of us that want to achieve "Elite" fitness.
If we don't exercise, starting in our 30's our VO2 max goes down 10% per decade. That's why it's critically important to get a high VO2 max in our 20's & 30's (as a starting point) and continuously exercise - which can reduce this decline to only 5% per decade.
That means if you start with a high VO2 max and cut the decline in half - you can have the VO2 max of a 50-year old when you're 80.
What's Happening in the Body?
Measuring VO2 max requires EKG electrodes while exercising (bike or treadmill). Air has 21% oxygen so the oxygen reading of your exhales determines how much you've actually consumed.
Taking in more oxygen brings it into the lungs, which sends it to the blood into the heart and then out to the tissues of our body. So it leads to - how much blood can you pump?
Blood Delivery = Heart Rate x Stroke Volume
The key is "stroke volume" - in simple terms: how much blood per heartbeat. The fittest of the fit athletes have the highest stroke volume.
So how do you increase your VO2 max??
Zone 5
So far we've covered Zone 1 (Issue #30) and Zone 2 (Issue #31).
Zone 5 is our peak effort (90-100% of our max heart rate).
We've all probably heard of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It comes in many forms, but the basic premise holds - go as hard as you can for a short interval, recover & repeat.
I haven't seen research to confirm one way is better than another...
Many gyms offer Tabata classes (20 sec on; 10 sec off - 8 rounds)
Runners do the 1 mile fast; 1/2 mile recover (build up to 4x)
Peter Attia suggests the 4x4x4 (4 min intense, 4 min recover, 4 sets)
I actually do something similar to #3 in class with our expert Trainer, Connor J. Obrochta.
He sets up 8 stations for 4 min each with a 1 min recovery in between stations. Many of the workouts we include in the newsletter come from a single station in his classes.
You only need to spend 30-60 min/week in Zone 5. Just enough to build up that pump in our chest - it's all in your heart!
Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Let's Talk About Sex: Well, at least that's the name of the survey that Hims & Hers just released. And based on the results, there's a lot of discussion. Many interesting insights to highlight, but the key statement comes from Dr. Peter Stahl, "Sex has a profound impact on mood, self-esteem, and motivation. It's an integral part of quality of life..."
When Should We Workout?: The net: timing may fine-tune what we gain from exercise, but we benefit regardless - any time of day is the right time. Split into two groups that either worked out in the morning or evening - the study concluded women burned more fat in the morning and built more strength in the evening. While men noticed very limited difference between times of day. Much...much more to come on this.
Health & Wellness Apps: The University of Colorado shared 12 free apps that students can use across lifestyle, mindfulness and meditation, and self-help. Oh, to be back in college for fall semester.
Wednesday Weights
Ready for a quick workout that tests your back, core and lower body. Then let's go!
Click HERE to view the workout on our YouTube channel.
Workout and video courtesy of Connor J. Obrochta. Check out all of Connor's workouts on Playbook!
Wednesday Logic Puzzle (LP)
Two math riddles this week:
Using only addition and the number 8, 8 times - construct a series of numbers that equal 1,000
A small number of cards has been lost from a complete card deck. If you deal among four people, three cards remain. If you deal among three people, two cards remain and if you deal among five people, two cards remain. How many cards are there?
Credit: Reader's Digest
**For answer, see tomorrow's issue.
Thanks for joining us today! Hope you enjoyed it - tomorrow we're bracing for Hurricane Ian. Stay safe Florida.
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.