I was on a Zoom call with Dr. Peter Attia yesterday, and he shared his model for building fitness through exercise.
He calls these “the Four Pillars”:
Strength – the ability to lift yourself or an external load
Stability – the ability to maintain proper position and avoid injury.
Aerobic capacity – the ability to burn fat for energy
Anaerobic capacity – the ability to reach with maximal output for short periods when required.
You can watch Dr. Attia talk about the Four Pillars here. Or you can train them all with a coach at Catalyst!
We put these four pillars together in a wide variety of combinations.
We address each of the four pillars several times per week: sometimes in a focused way, sometimes combined with other exercise. This keeps our workouts novel, fun and exciting. They don’t feel like a checklist: they feel like a game.
For example, we can combine deadlifting (great for strength and stability) with running fast (great for improving anaerobic capacity) in a workout like this:
1 – Run 400m as fast as you can
2 – Deadlift a challenging load 21 times with good form. (Don’t worry, the coach will make sure you’re doing it well.)
3 – Repeat 3x and record the time.
You can do it in a group for even more excitement, or do it alone for more flexibility in your schedule or personal 1:1 coaching attention.
The point is that exercise doesn’t have to be boring, or complicated. It can be simple and fun. Most importantly, sticking to this model makes the exercise effective: you’ll get more results in the time you spend.
Want to chat about it? Book your free consultation with Mike here.