Health

Quick facts

Lorenzo Delano

Delano as a small boy with his mother, a home-video still

Delano leading a training workshop around a table

Delano on a cycle ergometer wearing a CPET mask, beside the Cosmed metabolic cart

Delano directing a MasterClass film shoot, holding a clapperboard

Delano gesturing while speaking on a panel stage in Dubai

Delano standing with Dr. John Demartini and a colleague in a hotel corridor

Delano in 2022 (SSISA)

Identity(See Story)

Born: Lorenzo Delano7 December 1987 (age 38)Krugersdorp, South Africa
Phenotype: Blue eyes and brown hairAverage height (176 cm)
Ancestry: Western European (Dutch)
Ethnicity: Afrikaner
Language: Afrikaans; English; Mandarin
Citizenship: South African

Professional(See Knowledge)

Occupation: Applied taxonomist
Industry: Education, health, and tech
Works: Design methodologiesPublished designs
Skills: Knowledge organizationPedagogyProduction
Education: Self-directed (since age 13)Certified coach and designerMandarin distinction
Residency: United States (since 2026)

Psychological(See Nature)

Intelligence: RIOT: Full-scale IQ 112
Worldview: Enlightenment humanist
Personality: HEXACO: Disciplined, honest, and curious
Values: PVQ: Autonomy, achievement, and universal-care
Beliefs: PWB: Good, safe, and improving
Interests: RIASEC: Investigative, artistic, and social

Personal(See Pages)

About: Every claim referenced
Lifestyle: 12 habits, all 24 hours
Health: Elite VO₂max, optimal labs
Wealth: Debt-free, top-tier credit
Network: Each seat benchmarked

Your body decides how long your best years last.

Health refers to the three states of a body: integrity (how it’s built), balance (how it rests), and capacity (what it can do). Your health predicts your span: how many years you get, and how good they are.

Frame and bone are largely fixed; fat, muscle, blood, and fitness are not. Each is best measured in a lab: DEXA for structure, blood at rest, CPET at full effort. To master your health is to keep every marker in range, with a reserve to spare.

Integrity (Structure)

How your body is built is a function of frame (fixed) and composition (earned), the two best predictors of injury risk and metabolic health. Mine: leaner than 19 in 20 men, more muscle than 4 in 5, sound bone, a narrow waist.



I run leaner than 19 in 20 men, with minimal visceral fat : 8.2% (<5th percentile) Total mass: 74.3 kg Fat mass: 5.9 kg : 114 g

I carry more muscle than 4 in 5 men my age : 9.4 kg/m² (>85th percentile) Height squared: 3.09 m² Appendicular lean mass: 29.1 kg

My whole-body bone density is sound, near the age-matched average : 1.213 g/cm² (37th percentile) Bone mineral content: 2.753 kg


My waist is well under half my height: low central-fat risk : 0.45 Height: 176 cm Waist circumference: 80 cm

Balance (Homeostasis)

How your body rests is a function of chemistry (modifiable) and circulation (trainable), the two best predictors of how it ages and what it can absorb. Mine: low lipids, sugar, and inflammation; clean liver and kidneys; a heart that idles low.



My lipids and inflammation sit at low-risk levels, with iron and oxygen transport in full supply : 0.70 g/L / 70 mg/dL (~15th percentile) : 14.1 g/dL : 166 µg/L : <1.0 mg/L

My blood sugar and insulin run low: a metabolism efficient even under load : 5.2% (eAG: 5.7 mmol/L) : 4.2 mIU/L : 1.8 mmol/L at 70% VO₂max (2.5 W/kg)

My liver and kidneys clear at full function, unstressed : 101 mL/min/1.73m² : 26 IU/L : 0.28 mmol/L / 4.7 mg/dL


My heart idles low, opens a wide reserve, and recovers fast : 110/65 mmHg (<30th percentile) : 126 bpm Resting heart rate: 50 bpm Max heart rate: 176 bpm (measured) : 36 bpm

Capacity (Performance)

What your body can do is a function of strength (built) and engine (built and inherited), the two best predictors of your independence late in life. Mine: a one-leg squat, a double-bodyweight pull, 60 kg overhead, top-decile oxygen uptake.



I squat on one leg, pull double bodyweight, and curl my own hamstrings : 6 pistol squats per leg (L5) : 150 kg barbell deadlift (L4) : 1 hinge Nordic curl (L3)

I hold my trunk rigid through levers, front and back : 0:15 V-sit (L5) : 0:15 back lever (L5) : 0:05 front lever (L5)

I pull 20 reps, dip 25, and press 60 kg overhead : 20 pull-ups (L4) : 25 chest dips (L4) : 60 kg barbell press (L3)

I move my whole body fast, far, and under load : 60 kg barbell overhead squat (L3) : 2.4 m broad jump (L4) : 200 m sprint in 32 sec (L5)


I take up oxygen in the top decile for my age, burning fat deep into effort : 53 ml/kg/min (L5) : 60% VO₂max (L4)

References (Data)

My data derived from tests performed under resting, fasted conditions

Biochemistry: Phlebotomy (Jan 2026); tests for ApoB, HbA1c, fasting insulin, ferritin, hemoglobin, hs-CRP, eGFR, ALT, and uric acid (biochemistry & hematology) • report (Pathcare)
Composition: Densitometry (May 2026); tests for height, total mass, ALMI, percent body fat, VAT, and bone density (Lunar iDXA) • report (Cape Radiology)
Geometry: Anthropometry (Jan 2026); tests for waist circumference (Iliac Crest ‘NHANES’ method) • reading (tape)
Circulation: Sphygmomanometry (Jan 2026); tests for blood pressure and resting heart rate (OMRON) • reading (monitor)

My data derived from tests performed under load

Bioenergetics: Indirect calorimetry (Sep 2024); tests for VO₂max, peak power output, and maximum heart rate (Cosmed Quark CPET) • report (opens in a new tab) (Science2Sport)
Lactate: Capillary prick (Sep 2024); tests for blood lactate (Nova Biomedical Lactate Plus) • reading (device)
Heart rate: Electrocardiography (Jan 2026); tests for maximum heart rate and heart rate recovery (Polar H10) • reading (app)
Biomechanics: Total-fitness battery (Jan 2026); tests for local hip, core, shoulder, and global functional capacity (multi-modal testing facility) • report (video)

References (Guidelines)

The studies informing my reference range targets for lifespan

VO₂max: Mandsager, R., et al. (2018). Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with long-term mortality among adults undergoing exercise treadmill testing. JAMA Network Open, 1(6). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
Blood pressure: Lewington, S., et al. (2002). Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality. Lancet, 360(9349). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
ApoB: Sniderman, A. D., et al. (2019). Apolipoprotein B particles and cardiovascular disease: a narrative review. JAMA Cardiology, 4(12). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
HbA1c: Selvin, E., et al. (2010). Glycated hemoglobin, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk in nondiabetic adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(9). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
hs-CRP: Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (2010). C-reactive protein concentration and risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and mortality: an individual participant meta-analysis. The Lancet, 375(9709). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
HR recovery: Cole, C. R., et al. (1999). Heart-rate recovery immediately after exercise as a predictor of mortality. New England Journal of Medicine, 341(18). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
HR reserve: Lauer, M. S., et al. (1999). Impaired chronotropic response to exercise stress testing as a predictor of mortality. JAMA, 281(6). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
ALMI: Cruz-Jentoft, A. J., et al. (2019). Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis (EWGSOP2). Age and Ageing, 48(1). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
VAT: Britton, K. A., et al. (2013). Body fat distribution, incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 62(10). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
Waist-to-height ratio: Ashwell, M., Gunn, P., and Gibson, S. (2012). Waist-to-height ratio is a better screening tool than waist circumference and BMI. Obesity Reviews, 13(3). PubMed (opens in a new tab)
Bone density: Marshall, D., Johnell, O., and Wedel, H. (1996). Meta-analysis of how well measures of bone mineral density predict occurrence of osteoporotic fractures. BMJ, 312(7041). PubMed (opens in a new tab)

The sources informing my performance standards for healthspan

Lower-body strength: Pistol squat and Nordic curl ladders from personal experience, benchmarked against GymnasticBodies (opens in a new tab), the sit-to-rise test (opens in a new tab), and ATG (opens in a new tab) standards
Barbell strength: Deadlift, overhead press, and overhead squat ladders from personal experience, adapted from CrossFit (opens in a new tab) standards
Upper-body strength: Weighted pull-up and chest dip ladders from personal experience, benchmarked against StrengthLevel (opens in a new tab) standards
Core stability: Compression strength and tensegrity ladders from personal experience, benchmarked against FIG (opens in a new tab), MAG, and COP (opens in a new tab) standards
Global power: Broad jump and sprint ladders from personal experience, benchmarked against ExRx (opens in a new tab), Top End Sports (opens in a new tab), and world-record marks