What is the best exercise to reverse aging and extend your lifespan? Is it lifting weights? We could make a good argument that the answer is yes. People who don’t lift weights lose muscle with every passing year. That muscle shrinkage is called sarcopenia. It can start early. If you don’t lift, your lean body mass will decrease 3%to 8% per decade on average starting as early as in your 30s. It will accelerate as you head into your 60s. The muscle loss leads to strength loss. Strength loss is extremely bad, because we know lack of strength correlates with a shorter lifespan and lower quality of life.
Lifting is a vital part of a total exercise program.
However…
Do NOT underestimate the amazing power of the right kind of cardio (or “cardio combination” as you’ll see in a minute)…
There’s a growing trend lately where a lot of people don’t do ANY “formal” cardio. They put their main focus on lifting. (Which is awesome). Then they track their steps (which is cool too).
For some people these days, walking is their only cardio.
I’ve even seen bodybuilders doing this. That’s not surprising, because a lot of strength athletes are anti-cardio. They’re like, “cardio? You mean when I do more than 5 reps?”
These folks might lift 5 or 6 days a week and aim for something like 8K to 10K steps a day. Before a competition, they bump the steps to 12K or even 14K and use their diet as the main driver of fat loss. No cardio at all in the sense of bicycle, stairmaster, elliptical, running, aerobics classes and so on.
Brisk walking DOES count as cardio (low intensity though). And I’m a huge fan of walking for health. I mean, of course. We sponsor a walking and climbing challenge twice every year. (Burn the Fat Million Step Challenge).
I’m not knocking the lift and walk and that’s all approach. Combined with diet, it can work for fat loss and physique goals.
But according to recent groundbreaking cardio research, that’s not the best approach for longevity and heart health.
After studying decades of literature on higher intensity cardio, a group of doctors and scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center put together a special training program that they predicted would reduce the effects of aging and cut the risk of heart failure.
The subjects (average age 53 and previously sedentary) lifted 2 days a week. I would have made that 3 to 4 (I lift 5 days a week), but I’m a meathead, and this study was more focused on cardio, heart health, and longevity. And good on them for at least including some resistance work.
The cardio wasn’t just low intensity and it wasn’t just high intensity. They did 1 to 2 low intensity days, about equal to walking, 1 to 2 moderate intensity days and 1 to 2 days of high intensity interval training (HIIT).
The HIIT workout was the very strenuous Norwegian 4 X 4 protocol.
For the rest of the cardio, the subjects were advised to choose activities they enjoyed, and mix it up if they wished.
The average amount of cardio was 4 to 5 days a week and every session was at least 30 minutes long (and upwards of 60 minutes).
Over a period of months, the cardio was built up progressively, including bumping the HIIT from 1X per week to 2X.
They didn’t track steps, but the total time was about 150 to 180 minutes per week, which aligns with the current exercise guideline for good health.
One of the study strengths was that it lasted 2 years, and at the end, the results were shocking (including that most of the cardio health gains were captured inside the first 10 months).
The subjects dramatically increased their VO2 max. A high VO2 Max correlates with longer lifespan.
They also reduced left ventricular stiffness, which is a risk factor for heart failure and is a consequence of being sedentary through middle age. If you’re 50 something, give or take half a dozen years or so, you’d better pay attention to this.
Speaking on an NPR radio show, one of the researchers, Benjamin Levine MD, said that the participants had the hearts of someone 15 to 20 years younger. He also said it was good they started in their 50s because in studies with subjects 65 and older, they didn’t see the same results.
It seems that after a certain age the heart doesn’t respond the same way anymore. Studies show that you can gain muscle and strength at any age, but if you neglect your cardio fitness your whole life, you can’t get it back after 60 or 70.
One of the key points you should take away from this is that there’s a strong case for including at least one session per week of high intensity cardio and maybe two.
The rest of the week you can do moderate intensity cardio and low intensity cardio like walking. This combination might be the “cardio fountain of youth.”
And just imagine the kind of health, strength and vitality you could have if you put together the right cardio training and the right resistance training (the other fountain of youth) at the same time.
That has always been the premise of our Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program – not one or the other – both.
Element 1: Resistance training
Element 2: Cardio training
We take it even a step further in our program by adding:
Element 3: Mental training (mindset/motivation)
Element 4: Nutrition
Element 5: Support group (social connection and accountability)
This 5-part formula is what Burn the Fat Inner Circle is all about.
When you’re a member, you have access to 19 different resistance training programs and hundreds of resistance training exercises in our exercise library.
You also have access to cardio training programs including the exact HIIT protocol used in the research and more HIIT workouts such as the classic 10 X 1 interval protocol, also shown to increase VO2 max, improve heart heath, and also burn fat fast:
==> 4 X 4 Norwegian High Intensity Interval Training (members only, updated for 2024)
==> 10 X 1 High Intensity Interval Training (members only)
If you’re a member be sure to check them out (and join the discussion in the forums)
if you’re not a member, join us today for instant access to all this and a lot more. Almost 56,000 peple have been members since 2006:
==> Learn more about Burn the Fat Inner Circle and Join us
Train hard and expect success!
-Tom Venuto,
Author of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle
Founder of Burn the Fat Inner Circle
PS: Always be sure to get your doctor’s clearance before attempting any kind of high intensity training. When you do begin, always slowly build up the intensity and duration or you could end up extremely sore, or even injured.
About Tom Venuto, The No-BS Fat Loss Coach
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilding and fat loss expert. He is also a recipe creator specializing in fat-burning, muscle-building cooking. Tom is a former competitive bodybuilder and today works as a full-time fitness coach, writer, blogger, and author. In his spare time, he is an avid outdoor enthusiast and backpacker. His book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is an international bestseller, first as an ebook and now as a hardcover and audiobook. The Body Fat Solution, Tom’s book about emotional eating and long-term weight maintenance, was an Oprah Magazine and Men’s Fitness Magazine pick. Tom is also the founder of Burn The Fat Inner Circle – a fitness support community with over 52,000 members worldwide since 2006. Click here for membership details
Scientific reference:
Howden e, Levine B et al, Reversing the cardiac effects of sedentary aging in middle age – a randomized controlled trial, Circulation, volume 137, pp 1549 – 1560, 2018.
Bloch-Ibenfeldt M et al, Heavy resistance training at retirement age induces 4-year lasting beneficial effects in muscle strength, BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 10:e001899, 2024.
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