What is VO2 Max? and How Can It Improve My Hiking, Running and Life?
You may have heard the term VO2Max bandied about, but aren’t sure what it is, or if it’s something you should care about. Well, do you like to do active stuff outside? Then, I’d venture a: Yes, You Should Care About It. Want to live a long life with a long health-span? Then, absolutely, VO2Max is a tool for you.
BTW, Learning about how to improve your cardio fitness for any sport or recreation activity is a great way to use a fitness coach. Schedule a free consultation with Rachel to explore a custom plan for your fitness and life.
VO2Max is an important measure of cardio fitness. There’s also research supporting it as a key longevity marker (i.e, higher VO2Max is strongly correlated to length of healthy active lifespan). So, while many people think that VO2 Max is only for elite athletes, it’s actually something even non-athletes can work on and benefit from. There is a genetic component, but anyone can improve their score. And if you have a recreational activity you love to do (hike, run, bike, swim, ski,) VO2max training will absolutely make you better at it.
You could think of VO2Max as a cardio barometer. It is a shorthand name for the maximum volume of oxygen your body can consume and use during intense physical exercise, not short bursts, but the maximum level at which your aerobic energy system can work. This measure shows how efficient you are in taking up oxygen and converting into fuel for use in your muscles.
You can probably relate to VO2Max through the term stamina. Obviously it takes a certain stamina to hike four miles steadily up hill (Mt Si, for example). Someone with VO2Max of 39 might be able to do that hike in two hours (just as an example), and might feel they were working at a level of 7 on a scale of 1-10. If that person improves their VO2Max by a couple of points, they could complete the hike faster and feel like they were working at a level of 6 on a scale of 1-10 because they have improved their efficiency in taking in oxygen, getting it into their bloodstream and to muscles where it is converted to fuel. The same applies to someone running a given distance. By doing VO2 Max training, they are able to sustain a harder pace with less effort.
The measure itself is a number indicating millimeters of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute. (Stay with me!) So if you hear someone say they have a VO2Max of 39, that’s what they mean. Many smart watches, fitness trackers and heart rate monitors measure VO2, but a more accurate way to determine it is to do a metabolic test on a graded treadmill or stationary bike. My physical therapist colleagues at MoveMend Clinic do a great job at this, offering an athlete’s consultation that includes this and other benchmarks to help you know how best to train to improve your performance in the activities you love. There are also a couple of DIY walk, run or step up tests used by fitness pros that can give you a good estimate of your VO2Max, and an online calculator to plug in your results and get an estimated score.
Cooper 12-Minute Run/Walk Test
So that’s why you might care about it, and how you can get an estimate of where yours stands. For my part, I am actively working on increasing my VO2Max. Yes, it serves me for swimming, biking, running and hiking, but even more so, I want it for length and quality of life. There will be inevitable loss of cardio fitness as I age, so I want to get it as high as I can for as long as I can to hedge against the declines. Since I’ve taken a break from running over the past year and am now coming back to it, it’s exciting to see the number rise again.
I’m not saying that VO2Max training is the end-all or only kind of training you should do of course, but it’s a piece worthy of consistent attention in your fitness regime. I know you’re probably asking, what does VO2Max training even look like?, and I’ll be coming back to you with some examples in a future post. If you’d like to talk about how to improve yours, let’s meet up!
