Science is telling us that fitness will make me live longer, in particular VO2max is touted as one of the best predictors of longevity (reduced all-cause mortality).
Peter Attia as usual has a very good summary and here is a short snippet from that discussion:
There is also a pretty compelling study (aptly titled “Survival of the fittest: VO2max, a key predictor of longevity?” — full paper here).
As yet, it is not possible to extend the genetically fixed lifespan with regular exercise training, but the chance to reach the later end of natural lifespan increases with higher physical fitness in midlife, where targeted preventative efforts may be launched. CRF (VO2max) is the strongest independent predictor of future life expectancy in both healthy and cardiorespiratory-diseased individuals. In addition, muscle stimulation is essential in order to prevent muscle wasting, disability, and increased hospitalization in old age, all crucial ways to avoid long-term care, thereby promoting quality of life in aging humans (Figure 2). Thus, extending life is not as important as giving those years more life. This is where
physical fitness plays an important role.
It seems the preferred method for improving your VO2max is the Norwegian 4×4. I think this is the best overview (from Norway!):
So, I tried it out. I hate running and was to chicken to use the Concept2 erg — using my indoor bike seemed a good way to try it. I configured a workout with rounds of 4 min work + 3 min recovery on my phone and got started.
During the first work/recovery phase I watched my heart rate and settled on my goal: hit 160 during the work interval and calm down to 130 during the recovery. I mostly managed to do that but looking closely the third recovery didn’t dip as much:
Overall, this was surprisingly fun and I might follow the advice of the Norwegians in the video above and do it twice a week on my rest days from resistance training. I think I might stick to the bike for a while — the bike is very basic but I love how easy it is to just jump on it. It’s such a difference from driving to a gym.
I can’t wait for next week when my Calibre Biometrics device finally arrives, so that I can measure VO2max at home. I will report back when I have it.
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