#098 How to Train According to the Experts
FoundMyFitness
Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.
4.8 • 5.5K Ratings
🗓️ 3 February 2025
⏱️ 173 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Download my “How to Train According to the Experts” guide
Exercise is more than a tool for physical transformation—it's a cornerstone of longevity, metabolic resilience, and neurocognitive vitality. In this special episode, I’m joined by Brady Holmer, a distinguished exercise science communicator and lifelong endurance runner, as we deconstruct the latest evidence-based protocols for enhancing muscle strength and cardiovascular health. What’s the optimal exercise protocol to reverse 20 years of heart aging? Is the standard 150 minutes per week truly enough to preserve a youthful heart, or do you need to exercise more frequently? What’s the most time-efficient way to build strength and muscle? We cut through the noise to deliver actionable insights that will transform your approach to training.
This episode is accompanied by How to Train According to the Experts — a free, science-backed guide curating evidence-based strategies for optimizing aerobic fitness, strength, and metabolic health. Distilling protocols from leading researchers, it provides actionable frameworks for lifelong vitality. Download it now at howtotrainguide.com
Timestamps:
- (00:00) Introduction
- (03:35) Why your training goals matter
- (06:23) Are 3 weeks of bed rest worse for fitness than 30 years of aging?
- (08:24) How to measure cardiorespiratory fitness
- (11:19) Why VO2 max is a marker of longevity
- (14:23) The role of VO2 max in endurance training
- (17:26) How to improve lactate clearance
- (18:47) Why zone 2 training may not improve VO2 max
- (22:42) How to measure training zones 1-5
- (28:29) Smart watches vs. chest straps for heart rate
- (31:43) Benefits of zone 2 training
- (35:31) Can you combine HIIT and zone 2 in one workout?
- (40:53) Adjusting the 80/20 rule for time efficiency
- (45:13) Evidence-based HIIT protocols
- (49:22) How variation in interval training boosts fitness adaptations
- (51:07) Why the heart stiffens with age
- (54:09) How much exercise do you need?
- (1:00:31) Why exercise should be a daily priority
- (1:02:16) The exercise protocol that reversed 20 years of heart aging
- (1:07:24) Dr. Benjamin Levine’s prescription for life
- (1:10:11) Brady & Rhonda’s exercise routines
- (1:14:51) HIIT vs. zone 2 for mitochondrial health
- (1:17:39) How exercise intensity impacts fat burning
- (1:21:50) Does zone 2 make you a better “fat burner”?
- (1:27:04) Why HIIT outshines zone 2 for glucose regulation
- (1:31:00) The benefits of interval walking for glucose regulation
- (1:32:24) Why training for brain health is all about intensity
- (1:36:20) How short bursts of activity can extend your lifespan
- (1:40:04) Why “exercise snacks” lower the barriers to fitness
- (1:42:27) An alternative to caffeine for fighting midday slumps
- (1:43:32) The benefits of timing “exercise snacks” around meals
- (1:45:38) How muscle mass and strength decline with age
- (1:48:19) The age-related loss of muscle power (powerpenia)
- (1:50:04) General resistance training principles
- (1:57:01) Why compound exercises are best for building strength
- (2:00:05) Why rest intervals are crucial when strength training
- (2:02:02) How lifting heavy improves mental resilience
- (2:05:26) Should you train to failure?
- (2:08:57) Why strength training isn’t a replacement for cardio
- (2:12:16) Training for muscle hypertrophy
- (2:17:38) Training and diet strategies for body recomposition
- (2:22:52) Time-efficient resistance training protocols
- (2:27:38) Why the interference effect is a myth
- (2:29:32) The minimum effective dose for strength and hypertrophy
- (2:31:16) How sauna use improves cardiorespiratory fitness
- (2:36:17) Why heat exposure supports resistance training, unlike cold
- (2:39:06) Can omega-3s prevent muscle loss during disuse?
- (2:41:21) Protein timing, distribution, and its impact on hypertrophy
- (2:46:53) Creatine supplementation
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Over the course of nearly 100 episodes of the Family My Fitness podcast, I've had the privilege |
| 0:05.0 | of interviewing some of the most prestigious researchers in the fields of exercise physiology, |
| 0:10.7 | nutrition, human performance. And these conversations have really brought together some of the |
| 0:15.7 | greatest minds and knowledge in the field of exercise physiology. |
| 0:26.3 | I'm excited to introduce my special guest today, Brady Homer, who is an accomplished endurance athlete with an incredibly high B.O2 Max. |
| 0:31.3 | Brady and I set out together to work on a pretty ambitious project where we wanted to distill a lot of the |
| 0:39.8 | cutting edge research that was discussed on the Found My Fitness podcast from these leading experts |
| 0:46.1 | into a guide that not only was evidence-based, but had actionable insights for people. It's called the |
| 0:54.1 | how to train according to |
| 0:55.9 | the experts guide. So I think the result is we have this really great roadmap that people can follow |
| 1:01.2 | looking for how to improve whatever the end goals that they're looking for, whether that is |
| 1:07.7 | optimizing their cardiorespiratory fitness or their hypertrophy training or perhaps |
| 1:13.4 | even body recomposition. So in this training guide, we cover a lot of different aspects of exercise, |
| 1:20.0 | including training protocols to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, training protocols to delay |
| 1:26.0 | heart aging and improve the cardiovascular structure of the heart. |
| 1:30.6 | We also have a lot of information in there on how to train to improve metabolism, |
| 1:36.2 | mitochondrial metabolism, glucose metabolism. And we also get into resistance training protocols, |
| 1:41.7 | whether you're interested in improving strength, bone mass, bone |
| 1:45.0 | density, muscle hypertrophy, or losing fat at the same time while you're gaining muscle. So that would be |
| 1:51.3 | body recomposition. In addition, we have some supplemental information in there on sauna use, |
| 1:57.7 | other protein intake and other supplements like omega-3 and creatine. |
| 2:01.6 | So a lot of really great information in this guide. |
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