Peter Attia Workout Routine and Diet Plan

Peter Attia is one of the world’s leading researchers and practitioners of longevity medicine. 

Attia’s ideas have sparked global interest. Most notably, he’s shared his expertise on popular podcasts hosted by Andrew Huberman, Chris Williamson, and Joe Rogan.

A shining example of peak physical health, Peter’s research aims to not only improve life expectancy but to do it in optimal physical condition.

So, what does Peter Attia’s life-changing program entail?

Keep reading as I discuss the Peter Attia workout routine and diet plan. We’ll go over his famous four-pillar training principle, diet plan, and supplement preferences to help you improve longevity.

Let’s dig in.   

Peter Attia Current Bio and Stats

Peter Attia was born on March 19th, 1973 in Ontario, Canada. He attended Queen’s University at Kingston mechanical engineering and applied mathematics, graduating in 1996.

However, it wasn’t long before Peter’s career path changed dramatically. He enrolled at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, graduating with a master’s and doctor of medicine in 2001. 

Following his graduation, Peter continued his training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

During his residency, Peter won many awards and took part in cancer immunotherapy for melanoma at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.

In 2012, Peter went on to co-found the Nutrition Science Initiative with Gary Taubes. Here, he would begin researching nutrition and its relationship with diabetes, metabolic diseases, and obesity. 

Following this, he branched out into private practice with a focus on longevity medicine. This is preventative healthcare aimed at maintaining both physiological and psychological at their peak.

Peter’s excellence in the field would extend beyond his achievements in medicine. He began hosting The Drive podcast, sharing his expertise in Tim Ferris’ book, Tools of Titans, and playing a role in the documentary Limitless alongside Chris Hemsworth.

Attia also completed the swim from Los Angeles to Santa Catalina Island. It was a 20-mile swim that put him in the record books, as he was only the 120th person to do it in history. 

His name continues to grow with the 2023 release of his book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, which hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.  

• Age: 50 Years Old
• Height:  5’9” (176 cm)
• Weight: 143 lbs (65 kg)
• Birthday: 19th March, 1973
• Occupation: Physician
• Retired/Active: Active

Accolades:

• Master’s and Doctor of Medicine (2001)
• Resident of the Year
• #1 New York Times Best Selling Author
• Host of The Drive Podcast
• Complete the Santa Catalina Channel Swim

Peter Attia Workout Fundamentals

Peter’s workout fundamentals are rooted in his research on longevity medicine. His desire is to not only live to 100, but do so in excellent health and wellbeing.

He wants to be able to perform a range of different movements at this age in what he calls the centenary Olympics, which includes:

• Getting up off the floor using your own support
• Pick up a child that’s running at you
• Walking up and down three flights of stairs with 10-lb grocery bags
• Pull yourself out of a pool
• Lift something weighing 30 lbs overhead    

Excelling in mathematics and research, he has created a routine that helped him achieve these milestones, maximizing his longevity and potential. 

Attia takes the data and fine tunes every aspect of his training, improving performance while decreasing the effects of diminished returns from over training.

Peter Attia’s four pillars of exercise include, stability, strength, aerobic efficiency and anaerobic performance.

He trains seven days per week in the following format:

• Monday: Stability, Lower Body Strength
• Tuesday: Zone 2, Stability
• Wednesday: Stability, Upper Body
• Thursday: Zone 2, Stability
• Friday: Stability, Lower Body
• Saturday: Stability, Upper Body, Zone 2
• Sunday: Zone 2, Vo2 Max

Peter strength trains four days per week with the addition of an hour of stability training each session.

He  also performs four aerobic Zone 2 sessions per week and one high-intensity VO2 Max session on Sunday, completed in a four minutes on, four minutes off format.

His aim is to keep his body in his Zone 2 phase for three hours with 40-60 minutes of high-intensity and four strength training sessions each week. This totals roughly eight or nine hours per week. 

Peter Attia Zone 2 Protocol 

Peter Attia’s Zone 2 protocol is described as the third of four pillar frameworks. You can maintain your highest work rate while keeping your lactate level below two millimole per liter to maintain longevity. 

To achieve this, Peter suggests performing a cardio session at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. This is made up of four 45-minute sessions totaling three hours per week.

The aim during this period is to maintain a constant steady state at a conversational pace for the entire duration with as few fluctuations as possible.

This is combined with one session of VO2 Max training per week, a 4×4 protocol, performing four minutes at the highest output you can sustain with a four-minute rest.

The overall make up for the week consists of 80% Zone 2 and 20% VO2 Max.

It can be done on any form of cardio machine. However, Attia recommends using an airbike as it challenges both the upper and lower body.

The aim is holding the highest wattage for four minutes, followed by a four-minute recovery, for four total sets once per week. 

Peter Attia’s Strength Training Principles

Peter’s strength training principles center around training both the concentric and eccentric phase of a movement to optimize function.

He believes that targeting the hip hinge with a focus on both of these types of contractions is one of safest and effective ways to load the hips while developing single-leg strength.

Peter is also a big advocate for improving carrying capacity, explaining that, “There is no animal that can carry with their hands what we can do.” He often asks himself and many of his patients to be able carry their body weight, with half the total weight in each hand. 

Attia suggests that our capacity to lift and overall strength, more specifically grip strength, is related to the onset of dementia.

He explains, “Being stronger, and training to be stronger will actually improve outcomes. Not that strength is a marker of health, which is obviously correlated with living longer.” 

One way he combines both his endurance training and strength training is through rucking, where you wear a heavy backpack used by the military.

Peter spends an hour with a 60-lb ruck through hilly terrain, which allows him to concentrically and eccentrically load in real-world environments.  

Peter Attia’s Stability Training Principles

Peter puts a big emphasis on his stability training, as it helps him efficiently output force when he works out. 

While he believes that having great contractile strength is essential to longevity, without stability you are unable to use it effectively. Force escapes through unstable hips, knees, ankles, back, and shoulders.

Using his favorite analogy of a racing car, Dr. Attia explains that many would consider horsepower (strength) to be the most important factor. 

However, without proper grip (tires) and a stable chassis, the transmission of force will be far less efficient. The power would result in the car sliding and shifting, leading to a loss of control.

To ensure he maintains his stability, Peter performs 60 minutes of stability on Tuesday and Thursday sessions, while including 20 minutes every other session.

Peter Attia Workout Routine

The principles of Peter Attia’s workout routine are well documented. He shares his research openly throughout many different podcasts and YouTube channels.

However, the specifics of each workout vary. This is likely due to the ever-changing nature of lifts and stability exercises he covers in a bid to continuously optimize his body.

So, what we have done is created a routine that is based on Peter’s training principles and known exercises to give you the tools to improve your longevity.

Below is a seven-day routine complete with exercises, sets, reps, and rest times. We kick it off with a weekly schedule to help you get into a solid routine. 

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Lower Body Strength + Stability (90-120)	Zone 2 + Stability	Upper Body Strength + Stability	Zone 2 + Stability	Lower Body Strength + Stability (90-120)	Zone 2 + Upper Body Strength + Stability	Zone 2 + VO2 MAX

Monday + Friday: Lower Body & Stability

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Barbell Hip Thrusts	3	10	45-60 secs
Back Squats	5	5	30-45 secs
Kettlebell Box Step-Ups	4	10-12	30-45 secs
Kettlebell Alternating Lunges	3-4	10-12	30-45 secs
Front and Back Single-Leg Hops	3	12	30 secs
Lateral Single-Leg Hops	3	12	30 secs
Cylinder + Board Standing Balance	3	20 secs	30-45 secs
Kettlebell Farmers Carry	3	50 Yards	60 secs

Tuesday + Thursday: Zone 2 & Stability

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Zone 2 (Stationary Bike, 60-70% HR)	1	45 Mins	45-60 secs
Cylinder + Board Standing Balance	3	20 secs	30-45 secs
Lying Dumbbell External Rotations	3	12-15	30-45 secs
Standing Banded Isometric Ext Rotation Hold	3	10	30-45 secs
Front and Back Single leg Hops	3	12	30 secs
Lateral Single Leg Hops	3	12	30 secs
Kettlebell Farmers Carry	3	50 Yards	60 secs

Wednesday Upper Body & Stability

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Deadlift	5	5	45-60 secs
Floor Presses	4	25,20,15,15	45-60 secs
Lat Pulldown	4	6-8	30-45 secs
Incline Press	3	10-12	30-45 secs
Row	4	8-12	30-45 secs
Incline Curl	5	12-15	30-45 secs
Overhead Tricep Extension	4	10-12	30-45 secs
Single Arm Preacher Curl	3	8-15	30-45 secs
Lying Tricep Extension	5	15	30-45 secs
Lying Dumbbell External Rotations	3	12-15	30-45 secs
Standing Banded Isometric Ext Rotation Hold	3	10	30-45 secs
Kettlebell Farmers Carry	3	50 Yards	60 secs

Saturday: Zone 2 + Upper Body Strength

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Zone 2 (Stationary Bike, 60-70% HR)	1	45 Mins	45-60 secs
Deadlift	5	5	45-60 secs
Floor Presses	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs
Lat Pulldown	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs
Incline Press	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs
Row	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs
Incline Curl	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs
Overhead Tricep Extension	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs
Single Arm Preacher Curl	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs
Lying Tricep Extension	3-4	8-12	45-60 secs

Sunday: Zone 2 & VO2 Max

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Zone 2 (Stationary Bike, 60-70% HR)	1	45 Mins	45-60 secs
VO2 Max (Ari Bike 90% HR)	4	4 Mins	4 Mins Rest

Peter Attia Dieting and Food Preferences

Peter is dedicated to intermittent fasting. He also eats only one meal per day when he is in New York due to a busy schedule seeing patients.

His long fast is for 22 hours, feeding for only two hours. His short fasting days involve 16 hours fasting and eight hours of feeding.

Peter currently consumes approximately 2,700-2,800 calories per day, eating 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. 

Due to the variable nature of his schedule, we’re unclear on Peter’s eating format. However, we do know what he eats, which we have listed in the table below.

Meal	Food
Meal 1	8 eggs (4 Whole, 4 Whites), Toast, Butter
Meal 2	Protein Shake (Almond Milk, 50 Grams Protein, Frozen Fruit)
Meal 3	Chicken Salad (Mixed Vegetables, Olive, Oil, Balsamic Vinegar)
Meal 4	Lean Meat, Mixed Vegetables

Peter Attia Diet Plan

Now that we understand Peter’s dieting and food preferences, we will create a sample Peter Attia diet plan to help you add variety while you improve longevity.

Meal 1

• Eight-Egg Omelet, with Spinach, Red Pepper, Spring Onion (4 Whites, 4 Whole)
• 2x Whole Wheat Toast with Butter

Meal 2

• Protein Shake (Almond Milk, Banana, Frozen Berries)
• Protein Yogurt

Meal 3

• Portuguese Grilled Chicken
• Green Salad (Lettuce, Red Onion, Corn, Cherry Tomatoes)

Meal 4

• Grilled Rosemary and Garlic Steak
• Sweet Potato Mash
• Mixed Vegetables

Peter has carefully curated his exercise and nutrition plan to get the most out of his body, choosing the correct balance of foods to help him perform at his peak.

If you are thinking of trying Peter Attia’s workout routine we recommend you do the same. Your body needs enough carbohydrates for fuel, protein to build muscle, and fat to absorb nutrients.

To do this, we recommend using our advanced calorie and macronutrient calculator.

Simply plug in your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level to receive a precise calorie and macronutrient breakdown that will help you achieve phenomenal results.

Peter Attia Supplement Preferences

To help Peter round out his diet and nutrition, he takes a range of supplements to improve his heart, muscle, bone, and nerve function.

Below is a list of Peter’s chosen supplements and their purpose.

Supplement	Purpose
Antioxidants	Supports anti-aging and anti-inflammatory
Fish Oil	Supports cardiovascular health
Vitamin D	Bolsters Bone, muscle and nerve health
Magnesium	Improve heart, nerve, muscle function
B Complex	Prevents infection, promote cell and red blood cell growth

Final Thoughts

Peter Attia’s research into exercise and nutrition has made him one of the leading experts in longevity medicine. 

As a product of his own research, he has led by example. He shows that a balanced program covering stability, strength, anaerobic, and aerobic training can help you achieve incredible results.

If you are thinking of trying the Peter Attia workout routine and diet plan, we recommend following a program, starting slow and following the four pillars in a set routine.

Do this and you’ll be on your way to an amazing transformation.

So, are you considering trying Peter’s program? What part of his longevity research interests you most?