<p><a href="https://fmfomega3guide.com/">Download the 13-Page <strong>"Omega-3 Supplementation Guide"</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot?utm_campaign=ben_levine_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter?utm_campaign=ben_levine_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Join over 300,000 people and sign up for my newsletter</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/premium?utm_campaign=ben_levine_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast_description"> Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A's with Rhonda and more</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Today's guest, <strong>Dr. Benjamin Levine</strong>, has shown that with the right exercise protocol, people who were sedentary most of their lives could reverse up to 20 years of heart aging. Dr. Levine is one of the world's leading experts in understanding how the heart adapts under a variety of conditions, whether that's exercise, elite athleticism, or hospital bedrest. Or even highly exotic conditions, like prolonged exposure to microgravity. He is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Timestamps</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>(00:00)</strong> Introduction</li> <li><strong>(06:21)</strong> Bed rest vs. aging</li> <li><strong>(11:40)</strong> Does exercise protect against long COVID?</li> <li><strong>(17:14)</strong> How 12 weeks of bed rest affects heart size</li> <li><strong>(18:42)</strong> Why a brand-new rubber band mimics a lifetime of endurance training</li> <li><strong>(22:14)</strong> The exercise dose that preserves youthful cardiovascular structure</li> <li><strong>(24:22)</strong> The exercise regimen that reversed 20 years of heart aging</li> <li><strong>(28:05)</strong> What it takes to reverse vascular age by 15 years</li> <li><strong>(33:29)</strong> Benefits of starting an exercise regimen in your 70s</li> <li><strong>(39:17)</strong> Risks of high-intensity exercise</li> <li><strong>(42:42)</strong> Balancing high-intensity & moderate-intensity training</li> <li><strong>(47:39)</strong> Training for health vs. training for performance</li> <li><strong>(49:58)</strong> Make exercise a part of your personal hygiene</li> <li><strong>(51:01)</strong> Why does VO2 max correlate with longevity?</li> <li><strong>(58:29)</strong> The 2018 JAMA study on cardiorespiratory fitness & mortality</li> <li><strong>(1:04:06)</strong> How does change in fitness over time affect mortality?</li> <li><strong>(1:06:19)</strong> Why exercise non-responders should consider "increasing the dose"</li> <li><strong>(1:10:08)</strong> The 2 limiting factors for improving VO2 max in competitive athletes</li> <li><strong>(1:17:20)</strong> Heart adaptations in purely strength-trained vs. endurance athletes</li> <li><strong>(1:23:09)</strong> Why pure strength-trainers should incorporate endurance training</li> <li><strong>(1:26:53)</strong> How strength training affects blood pressure</li> <li><strong>(1:31:27)</strong> How exercise influences cardiac output in mitochondrial myopathy patients</li> <li><strong>(1:33:25)</strong> Does CrossFit count as endurance training?</li> <li><strong>(1:35:50)</strong> What's the best exercise for improving blood pressure?</li> <li><strong>(1:40:57)</strong> Lifestyle strategies for treating hypertension</li> <li><strong>(1:43:26)</strong> Why recovery is key to reaping the benefits of a training stimulus</li> <li><strong>(1:47:22)</strong> The best indicator of being overtrained</li> <li><strong>(1:54:46)</strong> Why HRV is a poor indicator of recovery</li> <li><strong>(2:00:02)</strong> Why do men tend to be faster runners than women?</li> <li><strong>(2:03:34)</strong> Can women achieve similar aerobic exercise benefits doing 2x less than men?</li> <li><strong>(2:05:06)</strong> Are there cardiovascular benefits of HRT in women?</li> <li><strong>(2:08:45)</strong> Exercise volume vs. coronary plaque calcification</li> <li><strong>(2:15:35)</strong> How exercise duration & intensity affect coronary calcium levels</li> <li><strong>(2:18:48)</strong> Why high exercise duration & intensity increases risk of Afib</li> <li><strong>(2:26:00)</strong> Why you shouldn't become an endurance athlete to "live longer"</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMs145DJyb0">Watch this episode on YouTube</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/benjamin-levine">Show notes are available by clicking here</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Lifetime Heart Health Maintenance
Consistently exercise at least four to five days per week throughout your life, making it a part of your personal hygiene. This level of commitment significantly staves off cardiac stiffening and heart shrinkage, maintaining youthful cardiovascular structure.
2. Optimal Exercise Prescription for Life
Adopt a varied weekly exercise routine: include one long (over 1 hour, fun) session, one high-intensity session (e.g., 4x4), two to three moderate-intensity sessions (at least 30 minutes, ‘can talk but can’t sing’), and one to two days of strength training. This mixed approach is the best strategy for preserving cardiovascular health and maintaining a youthful heart.
3. Reverse Heart Aging Protocol
For individuals in late middle age (50-65) who have been sedentary, commit to a structured, graduated training regimen of five to six hours of physical activity per week, sustained over two years. This protocol, including HIIT, light aerobic, and strength training, has been shown to reverse significant aspects of heart aging.
4. Post-Inactivity Recovery Program
Following periods of forced inactivity, such as bed rest or quarantine, quickly return to a trainer-monitored and progressively structured activity program. This helps prevent functional decline, as three weeks of bed rest can be worse for fitness than 30 years of aging, and can help restore or exceed baseline fitness.
5. Prioritize Training Recovery
Ensure adequate recovery after high-intensity training sessions by incorporating easy sessions (e.g., Zone 1, light activity) and taking days off. This allows the body to adapt, produce proteins, improve blood vessels, and grow muscle fibers, preventing overtraining and maximizing workout benefits.
6. Monitor Resting Heart Rate
Track your early morning resting heart rate (using a watch or heart rate monitor at rest) as a guide during training. A climbing resting heart rate is a key indicator of overtraining, signaling a need to reduce intensity, shorten sessions, or ensure adequate recovery.
7. Strength Trainers: Add Endurance
Individuals focused purely on strength training should incorporate some form of endurance training into their routine. This is crucial for overall cardiovascular health, as it promotes eccentric hypertrophy (heart dilation for stroke volume) and can enhance performance.
8. Endurance Athletes: Add Strength
Endurance athletes should incorporate strength training into their routine. This is important for overall health, functional capacity, and can enhance performance, as well-rounded athletes typically combine both types of training.
9. Define Fitness Goals Clearly
Clearly identify your primary fitness goal, whether it is for general health and longevity or for competitive performance. Your training program should be specifically guided by this objective, as training for health does not require the same volume as competitive performance.
10. Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Implement lifestyle modifications to manage blood pressure: reduce salt and alcohol intake, ensure sufficient sleep, and increase exercise, particularly dynamic activity. If you have hypertension and your partner snores, consult a sleep doctor, and for young individuals with hypertension, measure renin and aldosterone levels to check for other causes.
11. Manage AFib Risk
If you are an extreme endurance athlete and develop atrial fibrillation (AFib), discuss anticoagulation with your doctor to reduce stroke risk, considering the specific risks of your sport. Ablation is an option for persistent or frequent AFib.
12. Extreme Exercise Not for Longevity
Do not engage in extreme endurance training (e.g., 20-30 hours/week) with the sole expectation that it will significantly prolong your life. While it may not increase mortality risk, there is no strong evidence it extends lifespan beyond the benefits of moderate exercise, and health span becomes more critical with age.
13. Consider Omega-3 Supplementation
Explore omega-3 supplementation to understand its substantial benefits for cardiovascular health, confirmed by randomized controlled trials. Pay attention to factors like purity, freshness, bioavailability, and dosing strategies to elevate your omega-3 index, which is linked to increased life expectancy.
14. Access Genetic Fitness Report
If you have raw genetic data from consumer tests like 23andMe or AncestryDNA, obtain a free genetic fitness report from foundmyfitness.com/genetics. This can provide insights into traits affecting endurance, VO2 max response to training, lactate transport, and injury susceptibility, enhancing your fitness journey.