VO₂ max refers to how much oxygen your body can absorb and use during exercise. If you’re looking to improve your aerobic fitness, you might consider maximizing your VO₂ max (sometimes called your oxygen uptake). Read on to learn more about what VO₂ max is, how it’s measured, and how you can increase your VO₂ max. VO₂ max is the maximum (max) rate (V) of oxygen (O₂) your body is able to use during exercise. Oxygen is a critical ingredient in the respiratory process that’s involved in breathing. As you breathe in oxygen, your lungs absorb and turn it into energy called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP powers your cells and helps release the carbon dioxide (CO₂) that’s created during your respiratory process when you exhale. The benefits are simple: The greater your VO₂ max, the more oxygen your body can consume, and the more effectively your body can use that oxygen to generate the maximum amount of ATP energy.
This means that your body can better handle aerobic fitness activities that require a lot of oxygen intake like running, swimming, and other types of cardio. This also means that a high VO₂ max can be a good predictor of your athletic performance, especially if you’re a runner or a swimmer. Your VO₂ max amount can also act as a benchmark to track your progress as you improve your athletic abilities or if you’re trying to keep your VO₂ max at a certain level to maintain your performance. Typically, VO₂ max tests are conducted in a medical facility like a lab or hospital by a doctor, a cardiologist, or a specialist in fitness. Submaximal exercise testsSome personal trainers and fitness instructors may also have certifications that allow them to conduct VO₂ max tests. These tests may be called “submaximal” because they won’t necessarily give you the level of detail that a controlled laboratory test can give you. Submaximal exercise tests are still a useful way to measure your VO₂ max levels and your overall levels of heart and lung endurance during exercise. The type of VO₂ max test that’s best for you depends on your level of fitness. Your doctor or instructor may have you do one of the following tests if you’re at a high level of fitness or a trained athlete:
You may do a simple walk/run test on a treadmill if your fitness level is lower. Other possible VO₂ max tests include:
VO₂ max depends on a few key factors:
There’s no one “good” VO₂ max that every single person should shoot for. Here are some averages based on gender and activity levels that you can use for reference: As you get older, your VO₂ max typically declines. There’s plenty you can do to keep your VO₂ max levels at their highest for your age and desired fitness levels. A 2016 study found that even occasional intense workouts can help improve VO₂ max levels. Here are some suggestions:
Based on research into the benefits of VO₂ max, the answer to this question seems pretty simple: It’ll help you live longer. No joke: A 2018 study in Frontiers in Biosciencefound that increasing your VO₂ max can improve the delivery and use of oxygen by your body, maintaining your health and physical fitness well into your later years. There are other daily benefits that you may start to notice within days or weeks of starting to improve your VO₂ max, such as:
VO₂ max is a good benchmark for measuring your aerobic fitness levels because it literally tells you how well your body is using oxygen. If you’re an athlete who loves cardio, then VO₂ max should be one of your calling cards for assessing your fitness and measuring your progress over time if you’re trying to improve your performance. VO₂ max is also a strong predictor of your quality of life as you age. It’s worth tracking to find and maintain your VO₂ max score to help you stay healthy throughout your life. Tracking fitness data is key for assessing your health, designing the right training program for your goals, and gauging your progress throughout your training routine. When it comes to measuring aerobic fitness, VO2 max testing is the best way to determine the conditioning level of your cardiovascular system. This is important for people participating in aerobic endurance-related sports as well as recreational athletes and fitness enthusiasts looking for measurable improvements in their cardiovascular performance. This article discusses everything you need to know about testing your VO2 max, as well as some tips for improving your VO2 max once you have your baseline.
VO2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen your body can use when exercising at maximum intensities. When you surpass your VO2 max during cardio exercise, your body begins using anaerobic energy systems, which are much quicker to fatigue and cause a buildup of lactate in your muscles. This ultimately coincides with the “burn” feeling you get when exercising at great intensity. A higher VO2 max means you can exercise at a greater absolute intensity before relying on anaerobic energy systems. This exercise intensity level is also known as your lactate threshold or anaerobic threshold. As a health indicator, VO2 max is a reliable measure of aerobic fitness and a key physiological measure of health in the adult population (1). VO2 max measures your body’s ability to use oxygen. A higher VO2 max means a more conditioned aerobic system and indicates cardiovascular health. Summary During a traditional cycle-ergometer VO2 max test, you exercise on a special stationary cycle at progressively greater intensities while wearing a mask hooked up to a machine. The machine measures the amount of oxygen in the air you exhale compared to amount of oxygen you inhale. A bigger difference between oxygen level in the inhaled versus exhaled air means you have a higher VO2 max than someone who exhales a greater amount of oxygen. During this process, your heart rate is also monitored. The test duration varies for each person, because the intensity increases until you reach the point of maximum oxygen consumption. Once you hit your VO2 max, your body can no longer use the additional oxygen and switches to anaerobic energy sources, thereby limiting the time you can spend at that intensity. The specific procedure is as follows (2):
At least one trained professional will always be present during the test to monitor and record as needed. Maximal intensity cycle ergometer testing is considered the “gold standard” for VO2 max testing, meaning that any other VO2 max test methods are compared against this test to determine their relative VO2 max prediction accuracy. Summary VO2 max testing requires expensive testing equipment and trained supervisors to oversee the people being tested. As such, performing the gold standard VO2 max test on your own is difficult or impossible. Many cities have facilities where you can pay to have your VO2 max tested. Prices vary substantially, depending on the location and the specific facility. However, you can expect to spend anywhere from $150–$250 for a VO2 max test in the United States. Doing an internet search for VO2 max testing near you is a good place to start. Additionally, you can search for higher end gyms in your area, which may offer this test as part of an intake process. You can also ask local trainers, endurance athletes, or other fitness enthusiasts in your community if they can refer you to a testing location. Summary Although you cannot perform a gold standard test, there are a few ways to estimate your VO2 max without access to lab testing. The most common methods are known as submaximal tests because they do not require you to reach maximal intensity. This can be safer for certain clinical populations (1). Recent research suggests that the fixed-rate single-step test is a reliable predictor of VO2 max (3). During this test, you take steps up and down at a specific pace while measuring your heart rate and then run the results through a calculator such as this one. The test length ranges from 3–5 minutes. While more convenient than cycle ergometry, these methods do require you to measure your heart rate throughout the test. You will need access to a smartwatch or other tracking device, although you can theoretically take your pulse manually instead. It’s also difficult to perform the calculations without a programmed calculator. Some watches and fitness trackers have the built-in capability to run the calculations for you, which is very convenient. Additional VO2 max estimation methods include:
In all cases, these tests provide only an estimate of VO2 max. You will need to plug the values into a calculator programmed for the relevant formula. If you cannot perform any of the above tests, it may be helpful to note that your resting heart rate and VO2 max are significantly correlated, according to a 16-year study on all-cause mortality (5). This suggests that using your resting heart rate is a good substitute for VO2 max testing in terms of aerobic fitness. Resting heart rate is much easier to measure, so consider using this if the other methods are not an option. Summary The general risks of VO2 max testing include (2):
To minimize the risk as much as possible, a trained exercise physiologist should oversee your VO2 max test. Testing in a facility means someone will be monitoring you for any red flags as the test progresses. Although healthy people are at low risk, always consult a healthcare professional before attempting a VO2 max test, especially at home. Summary There’s no set frequency recommendation for VO2 max testing. However, research shows that improvements to VO2 max in response to training can occur in as little as 10 weeks (6). With that in mind, if you’re following a cardiorespiratory training program, testing VO2 max every 10 weeks or so is not unreasonable. However, if time and budget constraints do not allow for this testing frequency, there’s nothing wrong with performing VO2 max tests every 6 months or even longer. Just know that to measure the result of a specific workout program, you’ll need you to test soon after the program ends, as being sedentary will negatively impact your improvements. Summary General aerobic training, performed multiple times per week, is effective at improving VO2 max over time. One of the most effective protocols for VO2 max improvement is high intensity interval training (HIIT). Because HIIT requires less time than steady-state endurance workouts, many people tout its benefits. Still, both HIIT and endurance training will improve your VO2 max (7). As a rule of thumb, your best bet for improving your VO2 max is training slightly below, at, or slightly above your current VO2 max. If your perceived intensity is very high and you’re gasping for breath, you’re at the point of pushing into your anaerobic threshold. This is the zone you should be aiming for during the high intensity portions of your workout. If you cannot exercise at near-maximal intensity, performing longer duration cardio is your next best bet. To summarize, you can do the following to improve your VO2 max:
Summary VO2 max is an important measure of aerobic fitness and general health. Whether you’re seeking improved performance or better cardiovascular health, testing your VO2 max will give you a baseline to measure future fitness improvements and assess your current aerobic health. Cycle ergometry in a lab setting is the gold standard method for measuring VO2 max. If you do not have access to this equipment or a lab, you can get a decent approximation of your VO2 max using other methods. You can most effectively improve your VO2 max by performing high intensity interval training several times per week. If you cannot exercise at that intensity for health reasons, do not worry. Performing longer duration, lower intensity cardio is still very beneficial and will improve your VO2 max. Regardless of how you measure, estimate, or improve your VO2 max, aiming to increase this important threshold will only make you stronger and healthier overall. |
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