Is VO2 Max Overrated? (& What To Focus On Instead), Old Man Olympics, Big Toe Health & More With Mark Sisson

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Sisson's recently restored blog providing dietary, fitness and health content.

Sisson's Beehiv newsletter sharing his sharper opinions on health, AI, economics and culture.

Train for a broad mix of strength, endurance, mobility, speed, balance and agility rather than optimizing one metric like VO2 max.

Aim to hold a dead hang for 90 seconds as a practical grip-strength benchmark.

Run a quarter mile in 90 seconds as a speed/endurance benchmark for older adults.

Perform 20 parallel-bar dips as an upper-body strength benchmark.

Lift 1.5x body weight for 10 reps on a hex bar as a strength benchmark.

Sprint 100 meters in under 15 seconds as part of a well-rounded fitness benchmark.

Hold a plank for three minutes as a core-endurance benchmark.

Stand on one foot with arms crossed and eyes closed for one minute as a balance and proprioception test.

Four-minute high-intensity efforts with four-minute recoveries, four times through, performed roughly every two weeks to maintain VO2 max.

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Ben's personal afternoon protocol: 15-minute sauna into a cold plunge for endorphin rush and circulation before getting back to work.

Sisson defends a daily glass of wine with dinner as not harmful for most people, contradicting blanket anti-alcohol claims.

Sisson endorses Dry Farm Wines as biodynamic, additive-free, low-alcohol wines that minimize tannins, histamines and added sulfites.

Apply the minimum effective dose to food, protein, exercise and even alcohol — do the least required to get the result.

Get fundamentals right first: 67°F bedroom, dark room, ambient white noise, ~8 hours sleep.

Walk every single day as a foundational movement practice before considering biohacks.

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Wear five-toed socks instead of conventional socks so the big toe isn't squeezed against the others.

Lift barefoot or in minimalist shoes on leg day so the big toe engages and glute activation isn't lost.

Seek out cobblestones, riverbed bouldering and other uneven surfaces to stimulate foot proprioception ('foot candy').