How Exercise Prevents & Reverses Heart Aging with Dr. Benjamin Levine

Dr. Benjamin Levine, one of the world's leading experts in cardiovascular physiology, discusses how exercise can prevent and reverse heart aging. He is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas.

# Key Topics:

• Reversing up to 20 years of heart aging through exercise
• Effects of bed rest on cardiovascular fitness
• Exercise and long COVID
• Heart adaptations in different types of athletes
• Optimal exercise regimens for heart health
• Relationship between VO2 max and longevity
• Exercise non-responders and increasing training dose
• Impact of exercise on blood pressure and hypertension
• Recovery and overtraining in exercise
• Gender differences in exercise response
• Extreme exercise and its effects on heart health

# Episode Links:

• Show notes and transcript
• Free 13-Page Omega-3 Supplement Guide

# Podcast Info:

• Email Newsletter
• RSS Feed
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

# Support the Channel:

Become a premium member to access exclusive content including:

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Exercise and Heart Health with Dr. Benjamin Levine

This episode focuses on strength training and its crucial role in overall health, complementing cardiovascular exercise.

# Benefits of Strength Training:

• Improves muscle strength and bone density
• Enhances metabolic health
• Supports cardiovascular function

Dr. Benjamin Levine, one of the world's leading experts in understanding how the heart adapts under various conditions, discusses how the right exercise protocol can reverse up to 20 years of heart aging, even for those who have been sedentary most of their lives.

Dr. Levine is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas, a leading facility renowned for its research in cardiovascular physiology.

# Episode Links:

• Show notes and transcript
• Free 13-Page Omega-3 Supplement Guide

# Key Topics:

1. Effects of bed rest on fitness
2. Exercise and long COVID
3. Heart adaptations in different types of athletes
4. Reversing heart aging through exercise
5. Benefits of starting exercise in your 70s
6. Balancing high-intensity and moderate-intensity training
7. VO2 max and longevity
8. Exercise non-responders
9. Blood pressure and exercise
10. Recovery and overtraining
11. Heart rate variability
12. Gender differences in exercise benefits
13. Extreme exercise and heart health
14. Exercise and atrial fibrillation risk

# Podcast Info:

• Email Newsletter
• RSS Feed
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

# Support the Channel:

Become a premium member to access exclusive content including The Aliquot podcast, monthly Q&As, and the Science Digest.

Heart Rate Monitoring and Recovery Routine

This routine focuses on monitoring your heart rate and recovery, which are crucial indicators of cardiovascular health and fitness progress.

# Benefits:

• Helps track cardiovascular fitness improvements
• Aids in preventing overtraining
• Provides insights into overall heart health

# Reversing Heart Aging Through Exercise

Dr. Benjamin Levine, a leading expert in cardiovascular physiology, has shown that with the right exercise protocol, people who were sedentary most of their lives could reverse up to 20 years of heart aging. Dr. Levine is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas.

# Free Resources

Get my free 13-Page Omega-3 Supplement Guide

# Episode Links

Show notes and transcript

# Chapters

1. (00:01:31) Are 3 weeks of bed rest worse for fitness than 30 years of aging?
2. (00:05:18) Why untrained individuals recover fitness faster than athletes following bed rest
3. (00:06:49) Does exercise protect against long COVID?
4. (00:09:41) "COVID triad testing" guidelines for evaluating heart health in athletes
5. (00:11:27) Why strict bed rest is a model for space flight
6. (00:12:24) How 12 weeks of bed rest affects heart size
7. (00:13:52) Why a brand-new rubber band mimics a lifetime of endurance training
8. (00:17:23) The exercise dose that preserves youthful cardiovascular structure
9. (00:19:32) The exercise regimen that reversed 20 years of heart aging
10. (00:23:14) What it takes to reverse vascular age by 15 years in 70-year-olds
11. (00:28:38) Benefits of starting an exercise regimen in your 70s
12. (00:34:26) Considering the risks of high-intensity exercise
13. (00:37:51) Balancing high-intensity & moderate-intensity training
14. (00:42:49) Training for health vs. training for performance
15. (00:43:57) Why muscle mass & cardiorespiratory fitness are like retirement funds
16. (00:45:12) Make exercise a part of your personal hygiene
17. (00:46:16) Why does VO2 max correlate with longevity?
18. (00:53:43) The 2018 JAMA study on cardiorespiratory fitness & mortality
19. (00:59:21) How does change in fitness over time affect mortality?
20. (01:01:34) Why exercise non-responders should consider "increasing the dose"
21. (01:05:23) The 2 limiting factors for improving VO2 max in competitive athletes
22. (01:08:20) How marathon training affects heart size in sedentary young people
23. (01:12:34) Heart adaptations in purely strength-trained vs. endurance athletes
24. (01:18:23) Why pure strength-trainers should incorporate endurance training
25. (01:22:07) How strength training affects blood pressure (exercise pressor reflex)
26. (01:26:41) How exercise influences cardiac output in mitochondrial myopathy patients
27. (01:28:39) Does CrossFit count as endurance training?
28. (01:31:04) What's the best exercise for improving blood pressure?
29. (01:36:11) Lifestyle strategies for treating hypertension
30. (01:38:40) Why recovery is key to reaping the benefits of a training stimulus
31. (01:42:36) The best indicator of being overtrained
32. (01:43:36) Heart rate brackets & running pace estimates for training zones 2-5
33. (01:50:00) Why heart rate variability is a poor indicator of recovery
34. (01:55:16) Why do men tend to be faster runners than women?
35. (01:58:49) Can women achieve similar aerobic exercise benefits doing 2x less than men?
36. (02:00:21) Are there cardiovascular benefits of HRT in women?
37. (02:02:12) How Dr. Benjamin Levine defines "extreme exercise"
38. (02:04:00) How does exercise volume affect coronary plaque calcification?
39. (02:10:50) How exercise duration & intensity affect coronary calcium levels
40. (02:14:03) Why high exercise duration & intensity increases risk of Afib
41. (02:16:33) What exercise dose increases Afib risk?
42. (02:17:59) Managing stroke risk in athletes prone to Afib with anticoagulants
43. (02:21:14) Why you shouldn't become an endurance athlete to "live longer"

# Podcast Info

• Email Newsletter
• RSS Feed
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

# Support the Channel

As a premium member, listeners get access to our exclusive podcast The Aliquot, monthly Q&As, a special summary of scientific research every other week called the Science Digest, and more. Sign up to become a premium member and nurture the existence of all of the otherwise free resources provided by FoundMyFitness.

How Exercise Prevents & Reverses Heart Aging with Dr. Benjamin Levine

Dr. Benjamin Levine, one of the world's leading experts in cardiovascular physiology, discusses how the right exercise protocol can reverse up to 20 years of heart aging, even for those who have been sedentary most of their lives.

# About Dr. Benjamin Levine

Dr. Levine is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas, a leading facility renowned for its research in cardiovascular physiology. His expertise covers how the heart adapts under various conditions, including exercise, elite athleticism, hospital bedrest, and even prolonged exposure to microgravity.

# Key Points

• The right exercise protocol can reverse up to 20 years of heart aging
• Exercise can significantly improve cardiorespiratory fitness and enhance heart function
• Proper training can boost metabolic rate and fat burning

# Episode Links

• Show notes and transcript
• Free 13-Page Omega-3 Supplement Guide

# Chapters

1. (00:01:31) Are 3 weeks of bed rest worse for fitness than 30 years of aging?
2. (00:05:18) Why untrained individuals recover fitness faster than athletes following bed rest
3. (00:06:49) Does exercise protect against long COVID?
4. (00:09:41) "COVID triad testing" guidelines for evaluating heart health in athletes
5. (00:11:27) Why strict bed rest is a model for space flight
6. (00:12:24) How 12 weeks of bed rest affects heart size
7. (00:13:52) Why a brand-new rubber band mimics a lifetime of endurance training
8. (00:17:23) The exercise dose that preserves youthful cardiovascular structure
9. (00:19:32) The exercise regimen that reversed 20 years of heart aging
10. (00:23:14) What it takes to reverse vascular age by 15 years in 70-year-olds

(... continued with remaining chapters)

# Podcast Info

• Email Newsletter
• RSS Feed
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

# Support the Channel

Become a premium member to access exclusive content including:

• The Aliquot podcast
• Monthly Q&As
• Bi-weekly Science Digest
• And more!

Your support helps maintain the free resources provided by FoundMyFitness.

How Exercise Prevents & Reverses Heart Aging | Benjamin Levine, M.D.

# Benefits of Active Recovery and Flexibility:

• Promotes recovery and reduces muscle soreness
• Improves flexibility and range of motion
• Supports overall cardiovascular health

# About Dr. Benjamin Levine

Dr. Benjamin Levine is one of the world's leading experts in understanding how the heart adapts under various conditions, including exercise, elite athleticism, hospital bedrest, and even prolonged exposure to microgravity. He is the founding director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas, a leading facility renowned for its research in cardiovascular physiology.

Dr. Levine's research has shown that with the right exercise protocol, people who were sedentary most of their lives could reverse up to 20 years of heart aging.

# Episode Links:

• Show notes and transcript
• Free 13-Page Omega-3 Supplement Guide

# Chapters:

1. [00:01:31] Are 3 weeks of bed rest worse for fitness than 30 years of aging?
2. [00:05:18] Why untrained individuals recover fitness faster than athletes following bed rest
3. [00:06:49] Does exercise protect against long COVID?
4. [00:09:41] "COVID triad testing" guidelines for evaluating heart health in athletes
5. [00:11:27] Why strict bed rest is a model for space flight
6. [00:12:24] How 12 weeks of bed rest affects heart size
7. [00:13:52] Why a brand-new rubber band mimics a lifetime of endurance training
8. [00:17:23] The exercise dose that preserves youthful cardiovascular structure
9. [00:19:32] The exercise regimen that reversed 20 years of heart aging
10. [00:23:14] What it takes to reverse vascular age by 15 years in 70-year-olds
11. [00:28:38] Benefits of starting an exercise regimen in your 70s
12. [00:34:26] Considering the risks of high-intensity exercise
13. [00:37:51] Balancing high-intensity & moderate-intensity training
14. [00:42:49] Training for health vs. training for performance
15. [00:43:57] Why muscle mass & cardiorespiratory fitness are like retirement funds
16. [00:45:12] Make exercise a part of your personal hygiene
17. [00:46:16] Why does VO2 max correlate with longevity?
18. [00:53:43] The 2018 JAMA study on cardiorespiratory fitness & mortality
19. [00:59:21] How does change in fitness over time affect mortality?
20. [01:01:34] Why exercise non-responders should consider "increasing the dose"
21. [01:05:23] The 2 limiting factors for improving VO2 max in competitive athletes
22. [01:08:20] How marathon training affects heart size in sedentary young people
23. [01:12:34] Heart adaptations in purely strength-trained vs. endurance athletes
24. [01:18:23] Why pure strength-trainers should incorporate endurance training
25. [01:22:07] How strength training affects blood pressure (exercise pressor reflex)
26. [01:26:41] How exercise influences cardiac output in mitochondrial myopathy patients
27. [01:28:39] Does CrossFit count as endurance training?
28. [01:31:04] What's the best exercise for improving blood pressure?
29. [01:36:11] Lifestyle strategies for treating hypertension
30. [01:38:40] Why recovery is key to reaping the benefits of a training stimulus
31. [01:42:36] The best indicator of being overtrained
32. [01:43:36] Heart rate brackets & running pace estimates for training zones 2-5
33. [01:50:00] Why heart rate variability is a poor indicator of recovery
34. [01:55:16] Why do men tend to be faster runners than women?
35. [01:58:49] Can women achieve similar aerobic exercise benefits doing 2x less than men?
36. [02:00:21] Are there cardiovascular benefits of HRT in women?
37. [02:02:12] How Dr. Benjamin Levine defines "extreme exercise"
38. [02:04:00] How does exercise volume affect coronary plaque calcification?
39. [02:10:50] How exercise duration & intensity affect coronary calcium levels
40. [02:14:03] Why high exercise duration & intensity increases risk of Afib
41. [02:16:33] What exercise dose increases Afib risk?
42. [02:17:59] Managing stroke risk in athletes prone to Afib with anticoagulants
43. [02:21:14] Why you shouldn't become an endurance athlete to "live longer"

# Podcast Info:

• Email Newsletter
• RSS Feed
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

# Support the Channel:

As a premium member, listeners get access to our exclusive podcast The Aliquot, monthly Q&As, a special summary of scientific research every other week called the Science Digest, and more. Sign up to become a premium member and nurture the existence of all of the otherwise free resources provided by FoundMyFitness.