Lean, Shapely Legs
+ 10-Min Step Workout
While endurance training (zone 2 training) primarily focuses on improving aerobic fitness and stamina, VO2 max training (often done through HIIT) targets your maximum oxygen consumption capacity.
Both types of training have their unique benefits, and can be incorporated into a well-rounded fitness routine based on your specific goals and preferences.
The research strongly suggests that we can improve VO2 max and performance at every age.
It’s possible to get even more fit as you age.
Today’s 10-min workout incorporates both Zone 2 and HIIT training to help you age backwards. This is a cardio-blasting step aerobics routine that starts with a basic step and builds in intensity, then mixes in arm movements to develop shapely arms and shoulders. Legs, buns, arms, and cardio… oh my!
You may have heard about French amateur cyclist Robert Marchand. Up until his death at 109 years old, Robert was still riding his bike 20 minutes a day.
At 105 years old, he was more aerobically fit than most 50 year olds, and set a record for cycling 14 miles in 60 minutes.
Robert wasn’t an active exerciser most of his life. He spent his career as a truck driver, a gardener, and a lumberjack. After retiring, he began cycling at a leisurely pace near his home in suburban Paris.
When Robert was 103, Dr. Billat, a professor of exercise at the University of Evry-Val d’Essonne in France, conducted a study on him and had him begin exercising at the following intensity:
- 80% of his workouts were performed at an easy intensity (12 or less on a scale of 1-20)
- 20% of his workouts were performed at a difficult intensity (15 or above on a scale of 1-20).
Traditional thinking about exercise is that it’s very hard to significantly improve your aerobic fitness after age 50. But, after two years of following this protocol, Robert’s VO2 max was 13% higher.
