Walk a Lot, Lift Heavy Twice a Week, and Sprint Once a Week
Health entrepreneur Mark Sisson calls it the minimum effective dose, the smallest effort that buys the most energy and longevity.
The Minimalists · 555 | Born to WalkMark Sisson, the founder of Primal Kitchen and the shoe company Palova, describes his fitness routine as “the minimum effective dose of exercise.” He says he organizes his life around finding the least amount of food, protein, sleep, and exercise that yields the most benefit for health, energy, and longevity.
The base of his formula is walking, which he describes as low level activity. He places it in what coaches call zone one, below the much discussed zone two, and says some of the top endurance athletes now “spend most of their training time in zone one.”
Sisson recommends walking whenever possible and spreading it through the day. His examples include pacing around the office during phone calls and walking down the hall, and he argues for “walk, walk, walk, walk, walk throughout the day.” He says he also takes a 50 minute walk every night.
Twice a week, Sisson recommends going to the gym to lift heavy things. He distinguishes that from a split for “back and bis and chest and tris or whatever,” and says the sessions should be hard enough that they could not be repeated tomorrow or the next day.
He says more than twice a week stops being the minimum effective dose because the benefits fall off. The rest days, in his account, “give your body a chance to recover and adapt,” so it returns a little stronger, a little more energetic, with a little more capacity to do the work.
Once a week, Sisson recommends sprinting, though he says that does not have to mean track sprinting like an Olympic sprinter. His version is 20 to 30 seconds of maximal output, rest for about two minutes, and repeat that six to eight times. He claims that walking, lifting, and sprinting together reach 85 to 90 percent of genetic potential, while training to race 5Ks or 10Ks takes much more work for incrementally smaller gains.
Questions people ask
How easy is Sisson's walking supposed to feel?
Sisson describes walking as low level activity in zone one, below the more fashionable zone two. He says even top endurance athletes spend most of their training time there, doing steady movement for long periods, and his emphasis is on frequency through the day rather than pace.
What does Sisson mean by lifting heavy twice a week?
Sisson describes it as lifting heavy things twice a week, not a split for chest, back, arms, and legs. He says the effort should be hard enough that it could not be repeated tomorrow or the next day, and that the body uses the days in between to recover, adapt, and return a little stronger.
What does Sisson's once-a-week sprint look like?
Sisson describes it as any activity that raises heart rate enough for 20 to 30 seconds of maximal output, followed by about two minutes of rest, repeated six to eight times. He says it does not require going to a track to sprint like an Olympic sprinter, and he presents swimming and biking as other forms of low level activity alongside walking.