👋 Hey.
Welcome to issue #44 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter. Thanks for being here.
Here are my 3 favourite ideas, learns and resources to help you improve your performance this week (4 min read):
🏃 The cardio prescription
Best way to train for endurance?
Thousands of studies. Years of research.
A review of all the above concluded there isn’t one.
But endless approaches that can work. 80/20 polarised. Sweet spot. CrossFit endurance. Anti-glycolytic.
One of the most popular though is the 80/20 polarised training method.
Do 80% of training at a low, "zone 2" intensity (long, steady-state work where you can talk in full sentences, but barely).
Do 20% at high, "zone 4-5" intensity (max or near-max effort interval work).
You can think of your endurance performance as a pyramid.
The taller the pyramid, the fitter you are, the better your performance.
Zone 2 is the base of the pyramid.
Zone 4/5 is the peak.
The bigger the base, the taller the peak.
This is what 80/20 is built on – lay a thick foundation of zone 2 so you can build high with zone 4/5.
The good news for the everyday athlete is that this style of training mimics the recommended approach for general cardio health and fitness.
Handy because with this approach we can:
- 🏊 Compete at our best in park runs, ocean swims, triathlons, marathons…
But also:
- ⛰ Live longer, better
- 🧠 Better brain function
- 🔋 More energy to do things
In the book Outlive, Dr Peter Attia recommends the following weekly prescription for optimal cardio fitness:
- 3 hours of zone 2 – bike, swim, run, ruck, etc steady state (split up how you like, e.g. 4x45 mins)
- 30-40 mins of zone 5, VO2 max workouts – run, row, bike, etc intervals (e.g. 4x 4 mins on: 4 mins off, 1km repeats, or anything generally in the 3-8 minute effort range with a 1:1 work to rest ratio)
But I reckon you want 1-2 short HIIT (high-intensity interval training) sessions in there too.
On top of or instead of some zone 2.
If not for the time save, for the BDNF release.
HIIT sessions are generally a bit shorter (10-20 mins of 10-90 second efforts) than VO2.
A few notes:
- 🏃 If you’re training for something, you’ll likely do more than what’s above (with more specificity).
- 📈 There is no observed upper limit of benefit. The more the better (given you recovery match).
- 🧱 And if 3.5 hours a week of cardio seems like a lot, just do what you can. Build from there.
✌️
🏃 777 Marathon
Family friend and everyday athlete newsletter reader Julie Ward is in the thick of the 777 Marathon.
7 marathons. 7 states. 7 days.
4 down. Sydney, Canberra and the Goldy to go.
Raising coin and awareness for Bravehearts – who work in the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse.
Mammoth effort. Special cause.
Get ‘em Julie.
🧠 Brain fuel
Your brain is 57% fat (the good kind).
A good chunk of that fat is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – a type of essential omega-3 fatty acid. “Essential” meaning the body can’t produce on its own.
It’s critical for brain function – learning, memory, growth, damage protection.
And 80% of us are deficient.
Here’s how to fuel your brain fat properly:
- 🍣 2x /week fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna (wild caught if possible, at least 100g per serve)
- 💊 Daily dha/epa supplements (500-1000mg)
If you don’t eat fish:
- 💊 Daily dha/epa supplements (1000-16000mg)
Vegan, vegetarian or instead of supplementing:
- 🥜 Daily handful of flaxseeds, chia seeds or walnuts
Amounts are different for everyone (age, gender, diet, condition). Adjust accordingly.
But most of us aren’t getting enough.
Good way to protect and fire up the brain.
That's it!
Have a great weekend 🤙
Matt
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