Iñigo San-Millán, an internationally renowned applied physiologist, dives into the intricacies of exercise metabolism and health. He shares insights from working with Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar on lactate levels and fat oxidation. Discover how Zone 2 training enhances mitochondrial function and its implications for longevity. Iñigo explains methods for measuring Zone 2 thresholds, the benefits of incorporating high-intensity training, and discusses mitochondrial health in relation to long COVID and metabolic performance.
02:45:31
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Pogačar's Potential
Peter Attia notes Tadej Pogačar's potential to be the greatest cyclist ever, highlighting his young age and Tour de France victories.
Attia mentions Pogačar winning the yellow, white, and polka dot jerseys, suggesting he's a different species.
insights INSIGHT
Early Signs of Pogačar's Abilities
Iñigo San-Millán saw Pogačar's potential through physiological tests, noting his exceptional lactate clearance and power output.
Pogačar's abilities were significantly above other professional cyclists, even at a young age.
insights INSIGHT
Predicting Cycling Success
Plotting watts per kilo against lactate production is highly predictive of cycling success, especially in races like the Tour de France.
This data helps understand a cyclist's capacity and recovery.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Iñigo San-Millán is an internationally renowned applied physiologist and a previous guest on The Drive. His research and clinical work focuses on exercise-related metabolism, metabolic health, diabetes, cancer metabolism, nutrition, sports performance, and critical care. In this episode, Iñigo describes how his work with Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar has provided insights into the amazing potential of elite athletes from a performance and metabolic perspective. He speaks specifically about lactate levels, fat oxidation, how carbohydrates in food can affect our lactate and how equal lactate outputs between an athlete and a metabolically unhealthy individual can mean different things. Next, he discusses how Zone 2 training boosts mitochondrial function and impacts longevity. He explains the different metrics for assessing one’s Zone 2 threshold and describes the optimal dose, frequency, duration, and type of exercise for Zone 2. Additionally, he offers his thoughts on how to incorporate high intensity training (Zone 5) to optimize health, as well as the potential of metformin and NAD to boost mitochondrial health. Finally, he discusses insights he’s gathered from studying the mitochondria of long COVID patients in the ICU.
We discuss:
The amazing potential of cyclist Tadej Pogačar [3:00];
Metrics for assessing athletic performance in cyclists and how that impacts race strategy [8:30];
The impact of performance-enhancing drugs and the potential for transparency into athletes’ data during competition [17:00];
Tadej Pogačar’s race strategy and mindset at the Tour de France [24:00];
Defining Zone 2, fat oxidation, and how they are measured [26:45];
Using fat and carbohydrate utilization to calculate mitochondrial function and metabolic flexibility [35:45];
Lactate levels and fat oxidation as it relates to Zone 2 exercise [40:00];
How moderately active individuals should train to improve metabolic function and maximize mitochondrial performance [51:45];
Bioenergetics of the cell and what is different in elite athletes [57:30];
How the level of carbohydrate in the diet affects fuel utilization and power output during exercise [1:08:30];
Glutamine as a source for making glycogen—insights from studying the altered metabolism of ICU patients [1:15:00];
How exercise mobilizes glucose transporters—an important factor in diabetic patients [1:21:00];
Metrics for finding Zone 2 threshold—lactate, heart rate, and more [1:25:00];
Optimal Zone 2 training: dose, frequency, duration, and type of exercise [1:41:15];
How to incorporate high intensity training (Zone 5) to increase VO2 max and optimize fitness [1:51:15];
Compounding benefits of Zone 2 exercise and how we can improve metabolic health into old age [2:01:45];
The effects of metformin, NAD, and supplements on mitochondrial function [2:05:15];
The role of lactate and exercise in cancer [2:13:30];
How assessing metabolic parameters in long COVID patients provides insights into this disease [2:19:00];
The advantages of using cellular surrogates of metabolism instead of VO2 max for prescribing exercise [2:25:45];
Metabolomics reveals how cellular metabolism is altered in sedentary individuals [2:33:45];
Cellular changes in the metabolism of people with diabetes and metabolic syndrome [2:39:15]; and
The Peter Attia Drive 