Anyone who has worked out in a gym, had a personal fitness assessment done or is an athlete, your VO2 Max is something you need to know. VO2 max is something we all have, it’s a natural ability and it refers to the maximum oxygen consumption that you need to perform at maximum sustained output. In other words, if you’re going to push yourself on the treadmill at a sustained high speed – let’s say 3.5 – your VO2 max is just how hard you are going to breathe to get the amount of oxygen you need to keep up that effort.
I’ve heard VO2 max being described as the engine performance in your body. Consider the idea that you want to run an endurance event or compete in one, you need a high performance engine to sustain that level of performance. The higher your VO2 max, the more likely you are to perform well in that endurance event.
So you would think that based on this analogy, the higher the VO2 max is the better off you are. Not necessarily, because it depends on what your goal is. VO2 max is also not the only factor, but it does play its part. The idea being that even a moderate VO2 max can make you a sustainable endurance performer, but you may not do well in the short bursts of speed.
Your VO2 max is measured through incremental increases in your effort until you can’t go any further. There are a number of ways to test your VO2 max and you’re better off doing this test in a controlled atmosphere with someone monitoring because the testing portion will leave you gasping for air and making all kinds of faces. Once you know your VO2 max, you can work on improving as it necessary. There is one trick to improving your VO2 max, lose some extra weight.
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