Which Form?
VO2 Max
Universal
consensus
Available Forms
- The Norwegian 4x4 is the flagship protocol: 4 minutes at ~85-95% of max effort, then 4 minutes easy, repeated 4 times (Attia, Patrick, Hyman)
- Alternatives that also work: longer 3-5 min intervals, or 1-min on / 1-min off (Patrick/Gibala)
- Cycling, running, rowing, or stair climbing all qualify — cycling is lower-impact if you have joint issues
Dosage & Timing
Dosage
- Build the aerobic base with Zone 2 (~3-4 hrs/week), then add 1-2 dedicated VO2 max interval sessions per week (Attia's 80/20 split — 80% easy, 20% hard)
- Hyman: HIIT 20-30 min twice weekly
- Johnson: 90-150 min/week in Zone 5
Timing
- 1-2 VO2 max sessions per week is sufficient — more is not better for most people
- Keep ~80% of total cardio volume easy (Zone 2) and ~20% hard
- Older adults and beginners should build a base 'pre-training' period before starting hard intervals to avoid orthopedic injury (Attia/Joyner)
Expert Positions
What Each Expert Says
Huberman covers VO2 max primarily through his in-depth guest series with Dr. Andy Galpin, treating it as a measurable, trainable health metric. He cites health-floor targets (above ~35 ml/kg/min for men and ~30 for women, with 50-55+ preferred for long-term health), points to lab-free assessments like the 12-minute Cooper run test and the submaximal one-mile walk test, and highlights the Stockholm study of lifelong cross-country skiers who maintained high VO2 max and low resting heart rates into their 80s and 90s as a marker of independence. In his longevity supplements AMA, he explicitly ranks cardiorespiratory fitness (Zone 2 plus VO2 max work) far above any supplement for longevity.
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