The Truth About Exercise

And Why You Can't Buy It

There is just so little that we know about fitness as laymen. And this has got to change.

The truth about exercise seems to wait for each one of us to discover individually, because the fitness industry would have to take huge financial losses if we taught it in schools.

I will tell you the truth today (and for the application of this truth, you can join my Buy Me a Coffee Members). But let me first tell you briefly about my path to discovery. I’m sure there will be moments you’ll be able to relate to.

People who spend their lives being fit never appealed to me. The time commitment seemed vast, and I would tell myself they were a bit shallow to pursue it. But as I got older I started appreciating the fact that having a fit, capable body allows you to do so many things… hike, travel, and have adventures like someone half your age.

So I was going to crack this problem. Hack my way into fitness. Of course, I got hurt and discouraged along the way. For a while I thought I’d found the holy grail in the Tabata protocol - those four minutes of brutal intervals. Olympic athletes thrived on it. My 40-something body did not. Four minutes don’t sound like a lot, but, if you’re giving it your all, it lasts an eternity.

But here’s the good news: the research shows that the adaptations we’re after (a stronger heart, more mitochondria) can be triggered in just two 20-second sprints. That’s it. Any activity you can do safely, all out, for 20 seconds - running, swimming, cycling - counts.

That’s my discovery. It’s also where the problems start. Because once you get stronger, your “all outs” get riskier. On flat ground, you risk outrunning your legs. My fix: hills, or extra resistance on a spin bike. Nothing fancy, just enough to absorb the extra power.

Some people will tell you the only way forward is to buy a $2,600 bike plus a $20/month subscription for that particular “AI-driven” training protocol. They’ll tell you there’s no fitness salvation beyond the [I’m Not Going to Name it Here] Bike.

I don’t buy it (neither the bike, nor the argument). If you want one for convenience, data, or motivation, that’s great. But don’t think you need it. People were doing hill sprints and bike intervals long before REHIT* got a name. You can get almost all the benefit with a hill, a road, or a basic bike.

The truth about exercise? It’s not hidden in a lab or locked behind a paywall. It’s already in your body.

This morning I did my two sprints up a shaded incline. On the way back, I cooled down under the mist of a leaking water pipe, standing in its rainbow. No gadget in the world could have made that moment better.

Adopt what is useful, reject what is useless and add that which is specifically your own.

Bruce Lee

This is the stamina truth: your body can adapt with almost nothing - no lab, no gyms, no gadgets, no gatekeepers. Just you, your arms and legs, and 40 seconds of effort.

The truth about strength is almost as simple, and just as overlooked. That’s the part I break down in detail for my Buy Me a Coffee members. If you’re ready to see another side of the puzzle, that’s where to go next.

Footnotes:

*REHIT (Reduced-Exertion High-Intensity Training.)