What Is VO2 Max, and How Does It Affect Your Fitness?

There’s no scarcity of the way to measure health, however which methodology is essentially the most correct? Physique mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and the numbers on the size will help monitor weight reduction and supply clues to your total well being, however none of them present a dependable measurement of cardiorespiratory health, which, according to the American Heart Association, is without doubt one of the strongest indicators of total well being. That’s why high well being and health professionals advocate VO2 max testing.

What’s VO2 Max?

VO2 max is the measure of your physique’s effectivity in consuming and using oxygen. If that sounds sophisticated, maybe a broader view of cardiorespiratory system capabilities and the blood oxygenation course of is so as.

In easy phrases, we inhale oxygen into our lungs, the place it’s transferred to our blood. The oxygenated blood travels to the guts, the place it’s pumped out to the physique’s organs, muscular tissues, and numerous different tissues.

VO2 max represents the best quantity of oxygen your physique can recruit for that course of in a given time frame. It’s measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, or ml/kg/min.

Moreover being an indicator of cardiorespiratory health, a robust VO2 max will help you obtain your well being and health objectives.

“The extra oxygen you possibly can make the most of, the longer you’ll have the ability to maintain high-intensity effort,” says Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S., BODi’s senior supervisor of health and diet content material.

“In follow, enhancing your VO2 max would possibly translate into a brand new PR in a 10K or with the ability to push your self more durable in a HIIT exercise.”

Limiting components affecting VO2 max

VO2 max is set by what are referred to as central and peripheral components, explains USA Monitor & Subject licensed coach Jason Karp, Ph.D.

Central components embody provide facet capabilities like blood stream and cardiac output (i.e., the quantity of blood pumped by the guts per minute).

Peripheral components symbolize the demand facet, and embody the quantity of oxygen that muscular tissues can extract from the blood to be used.

“Whereas unfit folks appear to be equally restricted by central and peripheral components (they lack each a excessive blood stream and plentiful metabolic equipment), extremely educated runners appear to be extra centrally restricted,” says Karp.

Mainly, he explains, as you change into fitter, all the pieces (coronary heart, lungs, vascular system, and muscular tissues) turns into extra environment friendly at processing, delivering, and extracting oxygen. However there comes some extent at which your muscular tissues’ potential to extract oxygen outpaces your coronary heart and lungs’ potential to ship it.

How is VO2 Max measured?

In response to Karp, one of the best ways to measure VO2 max is in a lab utilizing indirect calorimetry, a take a look at that requires the topic to run or bike at maximal effort whereas carrying a face masks linked to an oxygen analyzer. As the topic sprints or pedals, the gear measures the amount of oxygen consumed.

What about wearables? Does the VO2 max operate in your health tracker or working watch really work?

“Watches and wearable tech is not going to give somebody a [truly accurate] studying as a result of there’s no method that know-how can measure how a lot oxygen one consumes when working or biking as quick as one can,” says Karp.

Nonetheless, he provides they will supply a tough estimate and a baseline for enhancing your cardiorespiratory health.

The way to Improve VO2 Max

When you’re new to exercising and need to enhance your VO2 max, first concentrate on growing the amount of cardio coaching you do. When you’re a runner, meaning attempting to extend your weekly mileage.

When you’ve established a strong basis of cardiorespiratory health, shift your focus to additionally embody growing train depth.

“To extend your VO2 max, it’s important to train at intensities that meet or exceed your lactate threshold, which you’ll hit at about 80 to 85 p.c of your most coronary heart charge,” says Thieme. Briefly, begin doing shorter, fast-paced exercises. A technique to try this is thru high-intensity interval trailing (HIIT).

What Is a Good VO2 Max Quantity?

VO2 max charges differ by age (they are usually greater in youthful populations) and intercourse.

“Males have the next VO2 max than ladies as a result of they’ve a larger cardiac output to ship extra blood and oxygen to the muscular tissues, extra hemoglobin of their blood to move oxygen, and extra muscle mass to eat oxygen,” says Karp.

So, sure, males are actually sucking up extra of the oxygen within the room. Whereas elite male athletes can have a VO2 max of greater than 70 ml/kg/min, the charges for many adults in honest to glorious form fall between 20 and 55 ml/kg/min. Use the desk under for wholesome VO2 max ranges in your demographic.

Supply: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research