How to Boost Your VO2 Max

“What is VO2 max?”

VO2 max is a measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume during exercise. The higher your VO2 max, the more cardiovascular fit you are and the better your overall endurance. VO2 is measured by the maximum milliliters of oxygen consumed in 1 minute divided by body weight in kilograms. Most fitness trackers can estimate your VO2 max, but the most accurate method is to get it measured professionally at a medical center via an oxygen mask. If you don’t have access to either of those, you can also utilize the following equation: Vo2 Max = 15.3 x (Maximum Heart Rate/Resting Heart Rate).

What are the benefits?

1) Run Faster and Stronger. The higher your VO2 max, the more oxygen your body can utilize during exercise, the longer and harder you can run. VO2 max is a key metric for quantifying your aerobic fitness, and when it comes to running, we know that the stronger your aerobic base, the better your run performance.

2) Lower Daily Stress. General exercise is shown to lower stress levels and improve stress tolerance. Unsurprisingly, lower VO2 max scores are associated with higher stress levels. Physical exercise is all about stress resilience, not avoidance. If you stress your body in a controlled environment often, you’ll be able to manage it in other environments better.

3) Age Gracefully. VO2 max is a strong predictor of disease-specific mortality and is shown to reduce the risk of common lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Unfortunately, on average, VO2 max declines 10 percent per decade after age 30. By training hard, and now, you can cut that decline rate in half! Research also shows that those with higher scores are at reduced risk for dementia and Alzheimers.

“How do I improve my VO2 max?”

Incorporate 1-2 high-intensity running sessions into your training. The key phrase being high-intensity. This is an effort game, not a number one, so meet yourself where you are. While HIIT sprint sessions will improve your VO2 max and anaerobic capacity, they’ll only do so marginally. Longer threshold training will be more effective. For example, rather than sprinting for 30-60 seconds intervals, research shows that intervals lasting 3-5 minutes are optimal.

Questions? Please email me: briana@brianawilliamscoaching.com