the25percent Newsletter What actually works for healthspan. June 01, 2026 Maybe you've read Outlive. You've listened to Huberman or Rhonda Patrick. You own a Whoop or a Garmin and you check the VO2max number. You lift several times a week and you run, or you know exactly what that week should look like, because you did it for years, and the gap between that standard and your current week is the thing stopping you from starting. Either way, the result still isn't what the studies kept...
13 days ago • 5 min read
the25percent Newsletter What actually works for healthspan. June 01, 2026 Recap Last issue I talked about how I started lifting, and how unstructured training didn’t produce good results for me. I also covered why strength training matters, how it complements cardiovascular training, and how the two together build a functional, general-purpose body. This one is about how to actually start, what to watch out for, and the mistakes I wish someone had warned me about. How to start Start simple....
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
the25percent Newsletter What actually works for healthspan. June 01, 2026 I've been lifting on and off since my late twenties. No coach, no plan, no structured program. For years, the goal was personal records. Heavier squats, bigger numbers, the usual. Then injuries piled up, and a doctor told me what I didn't want to hear: "You're in your mid-thirties now, sitting at a desk eight hours a day, then pushing yourself to the brink on weekends. It catches up." I rewrote my goals entirely. Be...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
the25percent Newsletter What actually works for healthspan. June 01, 2026 Last time I said Zone 3 was "not hard enough to push your ceiling." That framing needs a correction. It's true from an efficiency standpoint. But it's not the full picture. Quick primer: the three zones Familiar with heart rate zones? Skip ahead. Heart rate zones are ranges that describe how hard your cardiovascular system is working. Three matter most here: 💚 Zone 2 (65-75% of max heart rate) You can hold a full...
2 months ago • 3 min read
the25percent Newsletter What actually works for healthspan. June 01, 2026 Last time, I shared my VO2max number: 33.84. Below the 50th percentile for my age. Poor on my Garmin. Now the question that matters: how do I raise it? The answer has been studied for decades. And one protocol has the strongest evidence behind it. The Norwegian 4x4 Four intervals. Four minutes each. At 90-95% of your max heart rate. Three minutes of active recovery between intervals at around 70% HRmax. Ten minutes of...
3 months ago • 3 min read
the25percent Newsletter What actually works for healthspan. June 01, 2026 Last time we covered Zone 2: the base. The long, boring sessions that build your aerobic engine. Now: the ceiling. Why VO2max matters more than any other fitness metric In 2018, Mandsager and colleagues published a study tracking 122,007 patients over two decades. They measured cardiorespiratory fitness and followed who lived and who didn’t. The findings were stark. People in the bottom 25% of fitness had a mortality...
3 months ago • 3 min read
the25percent Newsletter What actually works for healthspan. June 01, 2026 You signed up for the25percent newsletter. That tells me something: you’re not looking for “5 easy tips” or “transform in 30 days.” You want protocols that actually work, even if they’re demanding. Good. You’re in the right place. But before we start, let me be honest about something. This isn’t about biohacking or living to 120 I’m not a fitness influencer. Not a sixpack Bro. I’m not trying to optimize my way to...
4 months ago • 3 min read