Calculate your maximum aerobic function (MAF) heart rate using the ‘180 minus age’ formula, then adjust it based on individual health and fitness factors (e.g., subtract 10 for illness/medication, subtract 5 for allergies/over-fat, add 5 for competitive athletes) to guide your aerobic training.
Consistently train at your calculated MAF heart rate to develop your aerobic system and increase fat burning, aiming to run or walk faster at the same low heart rate over time. Avoid exceeding this rate to prevent drifting into an anaerobic state.
Regularly perform the MAF test by tracking your pace at your MAF heart rate; improved speed at the same heart rate indicates enhanced aerobic fitness and fat-burning efficiency, serving as a functional indicator of health.
Conduct a ’two-week test’ by eliminating junk food and significantly reducing natural carbohydrates (e.g., lentils, beans, rice, fruits, fruit juice) to assess your body’s carbohydrate tolerance and observe improvements in symptoms like post-meal fatigue.
After the two-week low-carb test, gradually reintroduce specific carbohydrates and monitor your body’s response to identify your optimal intake and understand what it feels like to consume too much.
Recognize that being ‘fit’ (e.g., completing a marathon) does not automatically mean being ‘healthy’; strive for a balanced approach where health is the foundation, regardless of your activity level.
Develop your aerobic system by training at intensities that promote fat burning, as this provides more sustainable energy and contributes to overall health and endurance performance.
If you are over-trained, experiencing burnout, or have significant life stressors, reduce your overall training volume and intensity, as doing less can often lead to better performance and recovery.
Limit high-intensity interval training if your primary goal is to improve your MAF test results (running faster at a low heart rate), as it can hinder the development of your foundational aerobic system.
Enhance your sub-maximal aerobic performance (e.g., increasing speed at your MAF heart rate) because this directly predicts and improves your maximum performance in races, even for shorter distances.
Shift your focus from overall body weight to reducing excess body fat (‘over fat’), as excess adipose tissue is a key driver of chronic diseases, impaired immune function, and physical injuries.
Adopt a holistic lifestyle approach to health by prioritizing proper nutrition (avoiding junk food), regular low-intensity exercise (like walking), and effective stress management, while also avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol.
For beginners or those seeking general health improvements, simply start walking regularly, as this low-intensity activity provides significant fat-burning benefits and is a foundational step towards better health.
For ultra-endurance races, start by walking, gradually increase intensity to a low, maximum aerobic heart rate, incorporate cool-downs, and take short breaks, potentially experimenting with extended periods without sleep followed by longer recovery.
As a coach or individual, tailor training and health protocols by collaborating on preferences and goals, always ensuring that the athlete’s long-term health is not compromised for short-term performance gains.
Develop your intuition to recognize when your body is signaling that you’ve consumed too much carbohydrate or pushed too hard in training, allowing for proactive adjustments.
Do not solely rely on VO2 max as a predictor of endurance performance or health, as research indicates it doesn’t directly correlate with race finish times and can be a misleading metric.