BUILT TO LAST

Twenty years of experience with clients using just seconds of isometric effort once a week has shown me why this approach is the simplest, most desirable, and most sustainable option for improving quality of life for every person, especially our older population.

So when I saw a recent 60 Minutes segment where Dr. Peter Attia outlined his proposal for how to train for your last decade of life, it was perfectly clear his recommendations are everything but simple, desirable, or sustainable.

"At age 75 men and women fall off a cliff," says Dr. Attia. "If you don't do something about it, in your last 10-15 years you will fall to a level of about 50% of your total capacity physically and cognitively."

He wants to create a framework for how to train for this "marginal decade" with the goal of getting you another 15 enjoyable years.

Love it. I share the same goal.

The difference is, his framework is an old rickety cabin you're not crazy about visiting, but will tolerate for a weekend.

My structure is so inviting and comfortable that you can't wait to get there and you want to stay for weeks.

My framework feels nice and is built to last.

Let's dive into this interview.

Dr. Attia says the key indicator of overall health and longevity is your VO2max.

First, everywhere you look, someone is telling you about the most important indicator.

This person says its grip strength, that person says its leg strength. And Dr, Attia says it's VO2max.

There is never just ONE key indicator.

There are too many other metrics and lifestyle factors that need to be considered.

Second, VO2max testing has numerous problems and validity issues, such as:

• inconsistent and inaccurate results • unnatural and stressful testing environment • fatigue causes people to stop (not a lack of oxygen)

...and it takes a lot of time and expense.

Third, how many people could, or would be willing to run at a maximum speed for several minutes?

Not many.

Besides, the number you get is meaningless.

The juice just isn't worth the squeeze.

"So you think anyone, whether they are 45 or 65, should be training like athletes for advanced age?" asks 60 Minutes contributing correspondent Norah O'Donnell.

"Absolutely, life is a sport" replies Dr. Attia.

Well, with the rise in severe and overuse-related athlete injuries every year at all levels of play, this recommendation doesn't sound aligned with a goal of more enjoyable years later in life.

Sounds like arthritis to me.

Ms. O'Donnell continues, "Dr. Attia says the best drug to delay physical and cognitive decline is exercise, and he takes it in large doses. He aims for about 10 hours a week: cardio to burn fat; intense intervals for VO2max; and weightlifting to maintain strength and muscle mass."

This is yet another example of how intelligent people with huge platforms can lead you in the wrong direction, or at least a direction that costs you valuable time, energy, and joint health while you continue searching for a better fit.

Because let's be honest: What he's doing ain't it.

As with most Doctors, Dr. Attia is largely data driven.

The problem with this is that it can reduce listening, learning, and creativity.

There's nothing wrong with using data to make informed decisions, but it has to be balanced with space for human insight, experimentation, and reflection, which is necessary for true innovation.

I don't see anything innovative in Dr. Attia's proposal. It's the same old stuff we've been fed for decades, and we know how that's been working out.

Honestly, there is nothing innovative about what I propose.

For decades, however, I have listened to what people like/don't like, learned from them, and observed an undeniably strong alignment of their values, far better results, and enthusiastic satisfaction from doing something that simply gets us back to what is natural.

How things impact real people in real life is the only data that drives me.

My goal all along has been to answer the question:

"What is the simplest, most results/time-efficient, most desirable, and most sustainable gateway into a better quality of life for the largest percentage of people?"

The answer?

Just a few seconds of isometric effort once a week.

Here's why it makes the most sense:

Let's start with Roland Prinzinger's research on life energy theory.

This shows that each of us begins life with a calorie and energy account. We draw on this account throughout life and depending on our life style choices this life energy is depleted sooner or later.

(Want data? Read: The Joy of Laziness by Axt and Gadermann)

Lets get one thing straight: "exercise" is a man-made concept; it is an energy robber; it is a psy-op.

You know why only 20% of adults meet the physical activity guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, and that ratio never really changes?

Because man-made exercise is unnatural.

The 80% are the smart ones, but even they wouldn't mind adding something that makes them feel and perform better, as long as it harmonizes with their true nature.

Speaking of nature:

Dr. Sean O'Mara has studied the difference between animals and humans. Humans have chronic disease. Wild animals don't.

Humans exercise. Wild animals exercise too - but it's called natural living.

Animals don't burn through their life energy to rationalize eating a piece of cake, feed an addiction, combat boredom, or socialize.

They save it for those times when they need to eat or fight or flee or get a little action, if you know what I mean.

Just a few seconds of isometric effort once in a while mimics the episodic fight/flight occurrences in living naturally.

It nicely fills the absence of fight/flight events in modern day living.

And with those events springs results that you cannot get from conventional exercise.

What Dr. Attia proposes is the antithesis of natural living.

If you follow his program you will spend 6% of the total hours in one year on exercise that will burn up your life energy, wear out your joints, and age you faster.

I'm still trying to figure out how that will extend my life and make it more enjoyable.

With an occasional 20 second viiiv session once a week, you will spend 0.2% (yes, that's ZERO POINT TWO PERCENT) of your yearly hours doing something that feels much more natural, is far less stressful, offers far more benefits, conserves your life energy, and allows you to age more slowly (and that's on the high end. I'm lucky if I choose to do 20 seconds in a year).

And with it also comes a huge array of benefits that you can't get from man-made exercise.

(I've written so much about these benefits so please get over to our blog and read!)

Suffice it to say, just seconds of an isometric effort provides all upside without any of the downside associated with conventional exercise.

So contrary to what Dr. Attia encourages, I don't want you to "train" for your later years of life.

I want you to save your life energy and simply live confidently that you have the capacity to do whatever you want/need to do, whenever you have to or want to.

As we begin a new year, all the gyms and home exercise equipment will see a surge in usage...until mid February.

Then the quit happens.

Because it sucks.

Because we continue to tell ourselves to do something that viscerally we can't stand.

It's important to remember:

The statistics show compliance with physical activity guidelines actually goes down with increasing age.

So how does Dr. Attia's approach help the "marginal decade?"

I work with a lot of 80 year olds. They consistently and happily show up each week and give a maximum effort for 20 seconds in January, February, March, and every other month until we come back around to the start of the next year.

Then they do it all over again.

Because it fits like a tailor made suit. Because they feel good.

Which choice is more likely to attract, retain, and benefit the most people, especially those in the marginal decade, Dr. Attia's way, or my way?

As "Digger" would always say with that thick southern drawl on the show Moonshiners, "That's a no-damn-brainer."

Remember: Only birds in a cage think the one that flies is crazy.

You can keep suppressing your natural instinct to stay with the pack, or you can do what comes natural and be free.

At viiiv Fitness, we provide a product you can use to spread the benefits of better quality of life and freedom from a destructive exercise narrative to millions and millions more people than you can ever reach with the same old exercise BS.

No matter what Dr. Attia says, you can't exercise your way to a longer and more enjoyable quality of life.

You can, however, control how quickly you age yourself.

Make a lot of bad choices, and not only will you leave more years on the table on your way out, but the shorter time you do get will be filled with the consequences of those choices and certainly much less enjoyable.