Zone 2 Training: Dose, Frequency, and Duration | Iñigo San-Millán, Ph.D. & Peter Attia, M.D.
Summary
TLDRIn this podcast, the host discusses the importance of steady-state, sustained cardio training for individuals new to this type of exercise. The expert emphasizes the need for a structured program, suggesting a frequency of three to four days a week with one to one and a half hours per session. They also highlight the significance of duration, starting with shorter sessions and gradually increasing to the target duration. The conversation touches on the challenges of maintaining consistent intensity during outdoor activities compared to indoor training on a trainer.
Takeaways
- 🏃♂️ High-intensity training alone is not sufficient for optimal health benefits; a combination of different types of exercise is recommended.
- 👨⚕️ The speaker emphasizes the importance of steady-state, sustained cardio alongside strength training for a well-rounded fitness program.
- 📈 For beginners in steady-state cardio, the training program should ideally be structured to include three to four sessions per week.
- ⏱ Each session should aim for a duration of one to one and a half hours, which can be adjusted based on the individual's fitness level and time availability.
- 🚴♂️ The choice of exercise, such as running, walking, cycling, rowing, or swimming, can be personalized based on individual preferences and needs.
- 🔧 Strength training should complement cardio, ideally taking up about half of the total weekly exercise time.
- 📊 The speaker shares insights from laboratory studies, indicating that training frequency and duration significantly affect mitochondrial and metabolic adaptations.
- 📉 Training once a week may not be enough to see improvements, while two days might only maintain current fitness levels without significant progress.
- 🛣️ Consistency is key; three to four days of training per week are suggested for noticeable and sustainable health benefits.
- 🚴♀️ Using a trainer can help maintain a steady workout by isolating variables like wind and hills, which might be difficult to manage outdoors.
- ⚠️ The podcast is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice or treatment.
Q & A
What is the main topic discussed in the podcast transcript?
-The main topic discussed is the importance and structuring of steady-state, sustained cardio training for individuals new to this type of exercise.
Why is high-intensity training not sufficient according to the speaker?
-The speaker mentions that high-intensity training is not sufficient because it lacks the steady-state, sustained cardio aspect that can lead to important mitochondrial and metabolic adaptations.
What is the recommended frequency for this type of training?
-The recommended frequency for this type of training is ideally between three to four days a week.
What is the suggested duration for each training session?
-The suggested duration for each training session is one to one and a half hours.
Why is strength training also important according to the speaker?
-Strength training is important because it contributes to overall fitness and health, and the speaker mentions that it should ideally take up half of the total weekly exercise time.
How does the speaker suggest starting the training for beginners?
-The speaker suggests starting with shorter durations such as 20 to 30 minutes and gradually increasing to the target of one hour to one and a half hours as the individual's fitness improves.
What are the potential benefits of steady-state, sustained cardio training mentioned in the transcript?
-The potential benefits include improved mitochondrial function, increased fat oxidation, and enhanced lactate clearance capacity.
Why does the speaker mention that one hour of this type of training can be effective?
-The speaker states that one hour of steady-state, sustained cardio can lead to significant mitochondrial and metabolic adaptations, making it an efficient and effective training duration.
What is the speaker's opinion on the use of a trainer for biking?
-The speaker finds using a trainer efficient because it allows for a more controlled and consistent workout, despite acknowledging that it might feel like a less enjoyable experience compared to being outdoors.
How does the speaker address the issue of not being able to maintain a constant level while exercising outdoors?
-The speaker acknowledges the challenges of outdoor training, such as starting and stopping, wind, and hills, and suggests that using a trainer can help isolate these variables for a more consistent workout.
What is the disclaimer provided at the end of the transcript regarding the podcast's content?
-The disclaimer states that the podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional health care services or medical advice. It also mentions that the content should not be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Outlines
🏋️♂️ Introduction to Training for Beginners
The speaker begins by addressing two scenarios: one for individuals new to steady-state sustained cardio training and another for those who have some experience. They emphasize the importance of this type of training over high-intensity workouts, suggesting that it offers significant mitochondrial and metabolic adaptations. The focus is on how to structure a training program for beginners, including considerations for dose, duration, and frequency. The speaker also mentions their preference for certain activities over others, such as running, walking, cycling, rowing, and swimming, and apologizes for not being able to respond to all emails received on the topic. The ideal frequency for beginners is suggested to be three to four days a week, with each session lasting one to one and a half hours, which is based on the speaker's observations from laboratory studies.
🚴♀️ Training Duration and Frequency for Improved Fitness
In this paragraph, the speaker delves deeper into the specifics of training duration and frequency, particularly for individuals who may be pre-diabetic, out of fitness, or returning to exercise after a long break. They recommend starting with shorter sessions and gradually increasing to one hour, and emphasize that even 20 to 30 minutes can be beneficial for beginners. The speaker also discusses the importance of consistency and the challenges of maintaining a steady workout on the road versus the controlled environment of a trainer. They suggest that an hour and a half of cycling on a trainer might equate to about an hour of outdoor cycling due to various factors like wind and hills. The paragraph concludes with a reminder that the podcast is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice, and the speaker discloses potential conflicts of interest.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡High Intensity Training
💡Steady State Sustained Cardio
💡Mitochondrial Function
💡Metabolic Adaptations
💡Dose and Duration
💡Frequency
💡Endurance Training
💡Strength Training
💡Fat Oxidation
💡Lactate Threshold
💡Zone Two
Highlights
Introduction to the importance of steady-state sustained cardio training for beginners.
The inadequacy of high-intensity training alone and the need for a balanced approach.
The speaker's personal bias towards certain types of exercise and openness to others.
Three main rules or parameters for structuring a training program.
The optimal duration of training sessions for maximal benefits.
The frequency of training sessions per week for effective adaptation.
The importance of strength training alongside steady-state cardio.
The speaker's personal struggle with balancing exercise and other responsibilities.
The role of laboratory research in understanding exercise adaptations.
The impact of training frequency on mitochondrial function and fat oxidation.
The risks of inadequate training for long-term health and fitness.
The benefits of starting with shorter durations and gradually increasing.
The challenges of maintaining a consistent training level on the road versus a trainer.
The efficiency of training on a trainer and the ability to maintain constant effort.
Recommendations for incorporating steady-state cardio into a busy schedule.
The speaker's personal preference for outdoor exercise despite the benefits of indoor training.
The importance of setting achievable goals for exercise duration and frequency.
A disclaimer about the podcast's informational nature and the importance of professional medical advice.
Transcripts
so now let's talk about two scenarios
the first is the person who is new to
this type of training so they've
listened to this podcast
or they're one of my patients and i've
made the case convincingly to them that
you really need to do this type of
training
i want to come back by the way to
a justification for that so let's
explain why high intensity training is
not sufficient but we'll park that for a
moment
but they really don't have much of a
background in this type of training
right they
you know maybe they do some high
intensity training they do some weights
they play some tennis
but they really don't do the sort of
steady state sustained cardio that we're
talking about
um
how would you structure a training
program in dose
duration frequency
uh for that individual and tell me a
little bit about the choices that you
would take it make if they're agnostic
to running walking
cycling rowing
swimming
you know again i have my biases there
but i want to kind of hear what you have
to say about it
yeah no i think yeah that's a great um
question and i also you know before that
i want to apologize to many of your
audience um um because
i i i get a lot of emails you know
asking me about these questions and it's
hard to uh well that's why we're doing
the podcast so yeah you don't have to
apologize it's easier to appreciate it
this way but see i get emails um and uh
and and before i used to see people here
at the university but now the university
you know we don't have these services so
i'm trying to convince them that these
services are important to offer to to
population but anyways i want to
apologize because i cannot answer to
everybody but yeah so uh
my my i have the three three main
rules or parameters i have learned over
the years so one is the duration right
um we have in mind sometimes that this
is like endurance training one day like
like i only have six hours a week or
seven hours a week at most right to do
this type of training or less
so there's no way i can do that it's
usually less because they might have six
hours a week for total exercise exactly
and we're going to take half of that for
strength training exactly because which
is very important as you know uh it um
is it's my it's where i fail because i i
should do more of that and i try to to
get a little bit more of time to do that
but i
uh it's not easy but i aspire really to
to to dial that in but uh but yeah
you're right they might have less than
six hours and they might think like well
i'm not an endurance athlete so you need
to do four hours to do to accomplish
this so therefore i'm just going to move
to do just high intensity and just get
out of the way well that's not
completely true right you can accomplish
very important mitochondrial adaptations
and very important um
metabolic adaptations by exercising one
hour
right so this is what is the uh
um
the duration let's start by the duration
right so
if you try to do that one hour to one
hour and a half range uh you're on
target
um and is that in one setting six hours
i'm sorry is that total or one setting
what do you mean
uh meaning is it one to one and a half
hours per week or
does that need to be in one continuous
yeah so exercise bout yeah i'm sorry let
me let me maybe go back to that the
frequency right that the dose so the
frequency that i see is that
this type of training
ideally needs to be done between three
to four days a week
ideally
what i've seen and how can i know this
i know this because i've seen in the
laboratory everything right the person
who trains one day at these
zones or two days or three days or four
days or high intensity low intensity and
i see the adaptations how do i see their
attention again looking at mitochondria
i mean that fat oxidation lactate
cleanse capacity both surrogates of
mitochondrial function right so i've
been identifying the the dose of that
training so if you train once a week
there uh chances are that uh you're
gonna deteriorate over time and
especially as we age
something that i see for example in high
intensity exercisers and bodybuilders
that they have a very poor mitochondrial
function
compared to people who do more
a little bit of everything right so one
day a week is not going to work two days
a week
it might maintain what you have
but if you are new to an exercise
program might not be enough
three days a week
now we're starting to to to see for sure
for this week now we're talking ideally
five days a week or six but not
everybody has obviously six days a week
to train but i think that
we all can i mean you are very busy guy
i'm very busy guy uh and we try to
squeeze four or five days a week maybe
six in the summer but four or five days
it's achievable for most individuals and
and and put aside an hour to an hour and
a half right so i would say the four
days a week is ideal
right that's the that that's the first
principle the second principle is the
duration going back to what i'm saying
right
with with one hour maybe pogazza needs
four hours five hours
to keep increasing those huge
mitochondria for a long time but a more
moral
especially someone who might be
pre-diabetic or might be out of fitness
or has an exercise in a long time or or
someone who coming from a disease or
or a mother who just had a baby and it's
been out of uh of say for a while
you know one hour um if you walk or if
you run
uh my do might be very very good for you
uh one hour walk
you know you or run you might have to
bring it up that's that's part of the
plan too right you cannot start off the
bat with one hour you might start by 20
minutes 30 minutes 40 minutes increasing
it but maybe about an hour and if you
bike for example
about an hour 20 minutes hour and a half
that's what i see that if you do that
for four days a week
things are starting to move
even even if you bike on a trainer where
you can be much more efficient and you
can really get straight to the wattage
and stay there because we we tell
patients
you know again it depends where they are
in their cycle but if they're starting
out i mean we'll be happy if they give
us 30 minutes three to four times a week
of dedicated exercise
um
so so do you see a difference between i
don't i can't do zone two on the road i
can really only do it on the trainer i
just can't stay at a constant level on
the road with starting and stopping and
wind and hills and stuff like that
that's very good point that's why an
hour and a half on the bike
it might actually be one hour or so
right because you have all these
artifacts but you're right when you're
on the trainer you isolate everything
completely and and what i also recommend
is about an hour if you can get there
but again you know like yeah sure you
might
it's it's to me it's
it feels like a torture sometimes you
know to be an hour and the trainer i
hate it i like to be outside uh but we
have had to do it i do it i like watch a
movie or just catch up on work i have
one do special desks right where i can
type or
read articles or answers and emails low
key activity because again you know
you're not very sharp to think uh very
intellectually but um but yeah one hour
might do the trick uh what i've seen is
like yeah and those people who haven't
done much at all even 30 minutes 20
minutes might start moving the needle
but eventually it's not enough
dose
right uh um uh it's like if the body
needs more right yeah so if you can get
to a goal about an hour to an hour and a
half
that's that that should really work in
my modest opinion in my experience so
that's that's the uh
the duration
this podcast is for general
informational purposes only and does not
constitute the practice of medicine
nursing or other professional health
care services including the giving of
medical advice
no doctor patient relationship is formed
the use of this information and the
materials linked to this podcast is at
the user's own risk the content on this
podcast is not intended to be a
substitute for professional medical
advice diagnosis or treatment
users should not disregard or delay in
obtaining medical advice from any
medical condition they have and they
should seek the assistance of their
health care professionals for any such
conditions
finally i take conflicts of interest
very seriously for all of my disclosures
and the companies i invest in or advise
please visit petertiammd.com
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[Music]
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