I think you are taking advice meant for a different audience (≠ endurance athletes) and apply it to yourself.
- VO2max is positively correlated with longevity — as is having a strong grip and maintain good friendships.
- It isn’t a strong grip that makes you live longer, it simply is a good (enough) measure of overall muscle strength in the upper body. Hence, you wouldn’t want to focus on exercises that strengthen your grip, you’d want to hit the gym and do some strength training for the entire body.
- VO2max is a proxy for a good and healthy cardiovascular system, which is at the center of aerobic sports like cycling and running. Attia’s protocol is very primitive as far as training for cycling goes. It won’t maximize your VO2max nor overall fitness in general.
- If you are (relatively) untrained, VO2max sessions will improve your overall fitness … up to a point. However, a proper training plan will do much better, not least because you need to change your stimuli if you want to see positive adaptations.
- There are lots of recommendations for the general population that do not apply in the same way — or at all — to athletes. Most of us consume tons of pure sugar, for instance. But we also move a metric shirt ton.
If you want to live longer, I’d
- follow a proper training plan for cycling or running and
- do strength training,
- make sure I get good sleep and
- eat well.
- Oh, and I’d make sure to keep in touch with my friends.