[kiba]

Important to get your vo2 max up, as highest as possible, because folks with elite vo2max are dramatically more likely to survive longer than baseline averages.

Also important to focus on getting strong as possible, in both bone and muscle, with some focus on fast twitch muscles. A lot of elderly death can be attribute to some sort of falls. Even if they survive the fall, it can be a road to a fast death.

Another thing not to neglect is to make sure you have movement patterns and that you focus on fortifying the body against injuries. Lifting extreme weight won't do you any good if you can't lift more, ditto for running.

[dangwhy]

I've been listening to peter attia's new audiobook too. solid stuff.

But where exactly do i find these 'medicine 3.0' doctors. My pcp still uses 'misguided' tests like LDL for cholesterol, serum creatine for renal function ect. Doesn't do host of other tests that he recommends doing by saying insurance won't cover it.

I don't even know where to get my vo2 max tested. I have apple watch which gives me wildly different number than my garmin ( 32 vs 49). I am pretty sure both those numbers are wrong. I am not paying $300 to get my vo2 max tested privately.

[nradov]

The reality is that unless you can afford to pay for high-end concierge medicine you're going to have to manage most of it yourself. Regular primary care physicians don't have time to deal with non-standard preventative care for people who are basically healthy. You can order many blood tests directly from reference labs such as LabCorp without a doctor but you'll probably have to pay out of pocket.

You don't need any fancy equipment to get an accurate VO2 Max estimate. Just do a Cooper test by running as far as you can in 12 minutes and then plug the distance into a formula.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_test

Modern fitness trackers such as recent Garmin watches can also make fairly accurate VO2 Max estimates but you have to give them enough raw data to work with. That means recording several running or cycling (with a power meter) activities of varying lengths at maximum effort. If you don't hit it hard then the device will still make an estimate but it's likely to be way off.

https://www.firstbeat.com/en/science-and-physiology/fitness-...

[dangwhy]

thank you. I will try the cooper test this weekend in the gym.

[kiba]

I think I would set a budget aside for those sort of things. Accumulating 25 dollars a month to get a vo2 max test isn't as painful as spending 300 dollars of money you don't have. That comes to exactly once a year.

I already spend 300+ dollars a month on health insurance, and I already see how much hospital bills was already costing me(I was hospitalized twice in the same year). I rather spend them on tests which are much cheaper in comparison.

That being said, it's sure a good idea to get one's finance in order, which is what I am working, to facilitate important purchases(such as a foldable bike).

[nradov]

That is generally correct, but I wouldn't focus too much on VO2 Max as a single metric. As Goodhart's Law states: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."

All else being equal, a higher VO2 Max is better. But in reality we have limited time to train and have to make trade-offs. As a (mediocre) endurance athlete, my race performance has improved even though my measured VO2 Max has declined. Most athletes can only sustain their VO2 Max output for 6 - 10 minutes but I am more interested in being able to hold a high percentage of VO2 Max for a much longer period. I could change my training plan to focus specifically on optimizing VO2 Max but would that actually reduce my risk of premature death relative to what I'm doing now? Doubtful.

Agree with your other points.

[kiba]

It's probably harder to cheat a metric that's physical/biological.

I would say your race performance is different than the goal of increasing longevity. What matters more is how important vo2 max is to longevity.

[nradov]

I'm not talking about cheating a metric. VO2 Max is correlated with longevity but it's likely just a proxy for several other factors. I'm sure I could boost my VO2 Max by a few points if I focused on training that but I'm skeptical whether that would make me healthier than maximizing performance over longer efforts. We just don't have clear data to say one way or the other.

[gymbeaux]

My personal trainer says once you lose the fast twitch muscle, it’s gone for good and most people have lost it by age 70 or so.