Of all the fitness metrics worth knowing about, VO2 max is arguably the most relevant to distance runners. In its simplest terms, it refers to the maximum amount of oxygen your body can effectively use during exercise. As such, it can be looked at as a key measure of cardio fitness.
Let’s get into some statistics. VO2 max is presented as a number – the higher it is, the better your VO2 max. These numbers represent the maximum amount of oxygen a runner can consume in millilitres per kilogram of body weight in one minute (mL/kg/min). For context, Eliud Kipchoge’s Best wireless headphones; sub-three-hour marathoners average 65.5; and three-plus-hour marathoners are around 58.7. The average untrained adult hovers around 40.
How do you measure your VO2 max?
Despite its importance, the majority of runners are go through life unaware of their exact VO2 max score. Why? There are two reasons, each equally valid: 1) the standard test for this is relatively expensive; 2) the standard test for this is extremely arduous.
The benefits of a high VO2 max, however, go far beyond the running track. A new treadmill, with the intensity increased by upping the speed or gradient in set increments, with the aim of building up to a maximum effort over 10-20 minutes.
Imagine your hardest effort, add a claustrophobic mask to measure your oxygen consumption, push for one minute longer than you think you can until you’re gasping for air.. There – now you know your VO2 max.
You can have your maximum capacity tested at performance labs, specialist gyms and medical centres, but because it’s so demanding and costly (anything from £80 to £200), many opt for an alternative, like this 10-minute 10-How to do a side plank.
Note: This is a very high intensity test. Only undertake it if you are in good health and already exercise regularly. If in doubt, seek advice first.
Why is VO2 max important?
Given the unappealing nature of the above, you might be wondering whether it’s worth knowing your VO2 max. Alas, it probably is. Here’s why: when you know what your VO2 max is, you can use that number as a precise guide to improve it. And if you can improve it, you'll run further, faster and longer with less effort and fatigue. And who doesn’t want that?
Think of it like the efficiency of your own internal engine: ‘A high VO2 max is like a car with a bigger engine. A car with a smaller engine has to work harder to go as fast as the big engine,’ says Matthew Meyer, a coach for bike workouts to support your running training in New York City.
While VO2 max is a great marker to know – understanding and tracking your cardio fitness can help you set appropriate goals and evaluate your training – no plan or coach would ever suggest heading out on a run at, say, 80%t of your VO2 max. Instead, your VO2 max is used to identify more useful parameters: your Best cheap running shoes for £100 or less and anaerobic threshold, says Silvano Zanuso, director of the medical and scientific department at Technogym. In this way, the test provides you with the most accurate zones and thresholds to plan your training around, he says.
Other benefits of VO2 max
VO2 max is estimated to be near 90 study has underlined the link between a high VO2 max and longevity. Not only that, but ‘extreme cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with the lowest all-cause mortality’.
In other words, those who trained the most to achieve an extremely high VO2 max also lived the longest. In addition, the benefits derived when people lift themselves from low fitness to average fitness and above are greater than the benefits derived from improving your smoking status, your diabetes, your blood pressure, and so on.
How to improve VO2 max
No matter what the specific numbers say, to actually move the needle and improve your VO2 max, study after study shows that high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is your best bet. This is because HIIT forces you to reach or temporarily surpass your anaerobic threshold before returning to a lower, aerobic, intensity. This type of overload causes your heart and lungs to adapt to the demands you’re imposing on them.
Try this cardio-boosting HIIT circuit
Perform as many reps as possible of the moves below in 30 seconds, resting for 10 seconds between each one. After you’ve completed all 5 exercises, rest for 1 minute before repeating the entire circuit again. Complete 4 rounds total. Once you master this, add 10 seconds of work until you reach 60 seconds total to improve your VO2 max.
• Burpee
• What is aerobic vs anaerobic exercise
How to improve VO2 max through running sessions
On the road or track, you’ll have to push your limits with tempo runs and interval sessions at threshold to boost your VO2 max. ‘The one thing it teaches you is how to become a better athlete,’ says running coach Greg Laraia. ‘If you want to take your performance to the next level, or if you’re stuck in a rut and trying to figure out what’s wrong, a VO2 max test will teach you how to customise your training to break out of that rut area.’
How much of your VO2 max is down to genetics?
There’s a reason they say that Olympians, as well as training extremely hard, need to ‘choose their parents well’. While we’re all capable of improving our VO2 max with increased, specified training, there is a genetic ceiling to our aerobic potential. So unless you were born a Kipchoge, no amount of training in the world will push you to a VO2 max of 90 mL/kg/min. But that's no reason for 99.9% of runners to dismay. VO2 max is perhaps best looked at as genetic potential, and only a very select few will ever reach that limit. For the rest of us, the focus should be less on VO2 max and more on dedicated training.
VO2 max watches
You could, however, try a running watch that includes a VO2-max estimation feature. The more you wear the watch, the more accurate your number will be. Generally, they tend to underestimate because we very rarely hit the top end of our capacity while working out.
That said, they all use your heart rate during certain workouts while also taking into account other factors, such as distance or altitude, to provide a fuller picture of your VO2 max.
