Centurion Decathlon training
In my training for the Centurion Decathlon, I don’t want to be that proverbial guy that dies of a heart attack while shoveling snow. I am almost 70 years old. My VO2 max is at 66.7 %-tile for my age and has been measured in a lab and my Apple Watch has similar readings. Right now, I do some resistance training but mostly I am a walking fool, 7 to 10 miles daily, at around a 17 minute / mile pace. Not enough to achieve Zone 2, I need at treadmill at 15 degrees for that. I am not worried about any danger from Zone 2, but I want to step up my cardio intensity and develop a higher intensive resistance training regimen. Maybe the 4 by 4 Norwegian protocol? How do I access risk of putting myself in danger?
Exercise and weight loss
We know that calorie restriction is the most important variable to control when trying to lose weight. But, in your recent interviewee on muscle physiology, Luc mentioned that for the first 30-45 minutes of exercise, fat was sourced from intramuscular lipid. Then, the fat was sourced from the circulation following lipolysis of fat stores. My question is this, would longer duration cardio sessions, say 60 to 90 minutes, be beneficial in trying to lose weight? I suppose a study would be needed to answer this but it might be worth trying.
How to evaluate risk with lipid tests
My ApoB is slightly elevated (96), and I'm trying to assess my risk. In several episodes, you refer to outliers who have "high" ApoB but also with "high" hdl and "low" triglycerides, but don't mention what you feel the optimum levels of hdl and triglycerides are since you can have too high of an hdl level, and I know that different labs set different ranges. So, I'm somewhat confused, especially since my primary care doctor doesn't know much about all of this beyond the standard lipid panel. I know that you can't practice medicine online but it would be extremely useful to line out some specific scenarios and suggest what next steps should be. For example: I have an ApoB of 96 (well above what Attia recommends) with an ApoB/A1 ratio of .56 (within the normal range), a zero calcium score, an Lp(a) score well within normal limits. How do I lower my ApoB without taking lipids? My primary care doctor would push back hard against doing this. Are there some general guidelines you can give us to make decisions about our specific situations as to whether to consult a cardiologist? Thank you!