How to train your cardiovascular fitness | Peter Attia
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February 3, 2026
"Harmony in Every Heartbeat
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Can someone explain what the heck is zone 2 and VO etc.
If you struggle like me to find the time to put in the work and are only getting a few hours of exercise a week, a way to better break down your 80/20 split is to work in 2 week cycles. Ex: 5 hr/wk for 2 weeks is 10 hrs. 80% is 8 hours of zone 2. 20% is 2 hours of anything above that.
Sprinting on stair master… I’d like to see that
I got respect for this guy and look up to him in some ways, but I must say that all this technical jargon and regimens is just overanalyzes. The regular person doesn't even walk as a basic exercise!
The bottom line is to put in x hours weekly in forms of physical activity whether cardio, mobility, and strength. Mix in high and low intensity in a ratio that's comfortable, figure out a routine (days/times), and that's good enough for like 95% of people.
What’s some type of zone 2 workouts ?
This sounds like a whole lot of gibberish mixed with the more-than-occasional humble bragging. 8:18 in and I can honestly say I haven’t learned anything worthwhile. Maybe I’m just not the target audience but I’ve already wasted 8 minutes of my life, I might as well leave a comment
So I've been doing 3 to 4 days of cardio. I use a polar chest strap. So heart rate is my main indicator and I'm rarely in zone 2 rather zone 3, 4 and 5. And I just keep going until I finish 2 plus miles a few times to 3. On Saturdays I try to do a mile as quick as I can so I'm pushing it. The best I've done is 11:58. I'm not obese and I do lift 3 days of the week. Peter mentioned entering glycolosis and I think that means burning sugar for fuel and not fat. I'm a Pre diabetic so I'm good with burning blood sugar. And while I have improved my cardiovascular fitness, I'm not sure that I'm training to increase vo2 max even if it has improved by doing what I do. The 3 to 8 minutes on then rest I thought was more high intensity. Meaning going all out. When I do my average of 2.5 miles I'm just trying to get it done. Any way I would like to get clearer about vo2 max training for my own understanding.
I don’t understand what he means by not wanting to give up driving? He’s talking golf? Because I have given up driving my car by biking into work. So that kind of driving is easy to give up for zone 2 workouts.
Move your hat forward
What exactly is zone 2?
Tadej Pogačar makes cycling look easy. He says he going to attack with 85km to go and he leaves everyone standing. As one of the cyclists said ‘there were bodies everywhere’. No one could keep up. It’s incredible to watch. He’s the poster boy for Zone 2.
What is stability training?
Worst interviewer
The base of my pyramid is near-daily brisk Nordic Walking (40-75 minutes). This is about 250 weekly minutes of moderate activity (55%-70% MHR). I also do 3 weekly lap swims (4 or 5 x 400m) at a higher intensity. This is 90-odd weekly minutes of vigorous activity (75%-85% MHR). Once a week, one of my walks (or a bike ride) is up my local hill (so I'll hit 100% MHR). I do weight-bearing exercises in my local park several times a week (3 x 15 mins). I'm mid-60s, so this is a fairly low training load, especially compared to my 30s and 40s.
There's value in doing intense exertion under three minutes … it's called sprinting, jumping, wrestling, fighting, isometric straining … does he know about isomeric exercise and blood pressure reduction? A lot of what he's saying is good but he's overvaluing zone 2 and under valuing speed, power, intensity and emptying your tank in 10 seconds to 3 minutes IN ADDITION to having a good zone 2. Life doesn't all occur in zone 2.
It’s hard to believe that RPE is more reliable than HR😮
His Workout plan :
Monday: Lower Body + Stability (1,5 – 2 hr)
Tuesday: Z2 (45-60 min) + 1 hr Stability
Wednesday: Upper Body + stability (1,5 – 2 hr)
Thursday: Z2 (45-60 min) + 1 hr Stability
Friday: Lower Body + Stability (1,5 – 2 hr)
Saturday: Z2 in morning + Upper Body in Afternoon
Sunday: Z2 followed by VO2 max
Okay so what is a zone 2 workout?
The e-bike has opened up outdoor zone 2 training in my area-
I’m doing 2 hours a day of cardio I think that’s ok idk I enjoy running though 😂
I’m curious if Peter thinks that hitting the bag for three minutes would count as a VO2 max. Obviously you can go away completely different pieces, but I do think it’s something that you can’t really do for longer than three minutes without needing to stop. I usually don’t take a three minute rest, which is why I’m wondering if Peter thinks it’s a good overall proxy for VO2 Max
Is zone 2 the same zone 2 shown on a Whoop device?
I’ve done sports since I was a child (27f now), I couldnt compete as a child because I got out of breath so quick, even as an adult and trying every which way possible of training, I can’t beat a 37 minute 5k “run”. I have had ECGs, heart echos, asthma tests and been told everything is fine, yet my non-sporty smoker best friend ran a 5k first time. My overweight bf done a 10km run in 1 hour. It seems no matter how I train or how much effort I put in I still struggle. RHR is 48 but soon as I start to run I shoot up to 185 within a few min
I'm morbidly obese around 225kg, and yesterday I started a daily walking habit of 5000 steps. I know it's small, but I'm using a Polar arm HR monitor and I spent 40 minutes today and yesterday in zone 3, and about 20 minutes at zone 2. I am aiming to increase my step count by 500 per month, so in one month from now my goal will be 5500, then 6000 a month after that etc. I'm just trying to do a slow burn to get me up and mobile and a bit more flexible and shed some pounds because all my joints hurt.
63 year old male. Resting HR in the 40's. Hardcore Airdyne.
It's so funny how Peter can't wait for the whole answer to come out lol Their energy is so unmatched
So he says he is doing 5 hours per week cardio but basicly still does 15-18 hours of dedicated sport a week
😂
yes yes, but Pogacar zone 2 is out of this world
Is it possible that Tadej and his coach are trolling everybody and it is not true what they are saying?
Yes, Tadej does 80-90% in zone 2, but you forgot to mention whats his HR and Power numbers are at this stage.
He rides 320-330W for 4-5h with a HR of 130.
For formal people, like you mentioned, those 320-330W will cause max HR within 1-2min and probabaly normal person can hold it for another 2min….not 4-5h like Tadej