Peter Attia on Zone 2 and Zone 5 Training
The overall take away from this article is that you don't need to kill yourself everyday on the bike, treadmill, or weight machines. The correct balance of exercise and physical activity should be slow and easy most of the time and then hard and fast for less of the time. This is how to achieve optimal health, fitness, and longevity benefits. You may also find topics such as the fitness pyramid, the better food pyramid.
Zone 1 is 50-60% HRM (Heart Rate Max), Zone 2 is 60%-70% HRM, and Zone 5 is 90-100% HRM. You don't have to use a lactate meter to know you are doing Zone 2, a simple heart rate monitor or subjective check-in to your effort expenditure is plenty; the point is to go hard enough to where you feel like you need to increase breathing but not feel terrible burn or no burn at all; a pace you can sustain for a few hours, but with some effort. As for zone 5 training, don't worry about spending hours in this zone, more like seconds. The key is to push yourself hard every now and then, preferably keep these hard pushes under 1 minute with plenty of recovery time in-between; sprinting or some really hard exercise type either on land, bike, or in the water is what you are looking for here. To further support effortless and effective zone 2 and zone 5 performance, nitric oxide with pureclean beet juice or beetums beet chews and energy and recovery with fudaminos vegan eaas and bcass and pureclean protein powder.
How do you calculate your HRM? A simple 220 minus your age is a great way to judge your HRM. This means Zone 1 for a 40 year old should be around 90BPM to 108, something you could achieve with some upbeat gardening or medium paced walking around the block.
Achieving optimal health, fitness, and longevity doesn't necessarily require pushing ourselves to the limit every day. Peter Attia emphasizes finding the right balance between exercise intensity and recovery. Zone 1 (50-60% HRM), Zone 2 (60-70% HRM), and Zone 5 (90-100% HRM) play pivotal roles in this approach. Peter thinks about training for the Centenarian Decathlon⇒ i.e., being a kickass 90 year old
The main energy systems of life
Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 5
Zone 2 training involves working hard enough to increase breathing without experiencing excessive burn. A simple heart rate monitor or subjective effort check helps gauge the intensity. For Zone 5 training, brief, intense bursts are essential, followed by ample recovery time and nutrition post workout. Sprinting or intense exercises on land, bike, or water are excellent choices for this zone.
“By training zone 2 and zone 5 . . . we’re really teeing ourselves up metabolically and also structurally to do these things.” Make sure to check out the podcast with Iñigo San Millán
Calculating HRM is straightforward; 220 minus your age provides an estimate. For instance, a 40-year-old's Zone 1 should be around 90BPM to 108, achievable through activities like gardening or brisk walking. Here are 18 more reasons you should walk more this year.
Peter's focus is on optimizing longevity rather than peak performance. He envisions training for the "Centenarian Decathlon" - a resilient 90-year-old embracing life's challenges.
Zone 2 primarily harnesses mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, while Zone 5 is a high-intensity zone (HIIT) for brief and powerful bursts. Peter emphasizes balancing HIIT with aerobic exercise, as both tools complement each other effectively.
His typical weekly exercise routine includes 3-5 strength training sessions, 4 Zone 2 workouts, and 2 Zone 5 sessions, with daily stability exercises enhancing overall fitness and well-being, of which he has written about quite a lot.
As with any exercise regimen, it's crucial to consult a fitness professional to tailor the routine to your unique needs and fitness level. Achieving equilibrium between effort and recovery allows us to unlock the full benefits of Zone 2 and Zone 5 training. There are also some supplements shown to improve the performance of zone 1, zone 2, and zone 5 training: BEETUMS, PURECLEAN BEET, FUNDAMINOS. Dr. Rick's Insights bold also hold more supporting content to this article, such as how zone training effects testosterone.
Peter summarizes his typical week of exercise:
3-5 bouts of strength training
4 bouts of zone 2
2 bouts of zone 5
Stability is sprinkled into pretty much every day with maybe one day of a longer, more dedicated 60-minute session around stability. If you liked this article, please read more on our blogs here.