What Is Vo2max, and How Can It Improve Sports Performance?

By Tiffany K. Gust, MS, NBC-HWC, USA Triathlon Certified Coach

VO2max, or maximal oxygen consumption, refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that you can utilize during intense or maximal exercise. This measurement is generally considered the best indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance. The more oxygen a person can use during high-level exercise, the more energy a person can produce. This test is the gold standard for determining cardio-respiratory fitness and overall fitness: the muscles need oxygen for prolonged aerobic exercise and the heart must pump adequate amounts of blood through the body to meet the demands of aerobic exercise.

There are many factors that can influence VO2max: heredity, training, age, gender, and body composition. Generally, VO2max declines with age (about 2 percent per year after age thirty), and males typically have a greater oxygen consumption value than females. Nevertheless, the trend is that a higher VO2max allows a person to produce more energy and thereby perform more work.

VO2max is also a predictor of performance, although its correlation to athletic success in endurance sports is only 30 to 40 percent. Other factors—such as sustainable lactate threshold, motivation, and training—also play a role. In general, the higher a VO2max, the more potential for a successful performance in an aerobic endurance event.

According to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Exercise Science by Scribbans et al, exercise training at a variety of intensities increases maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), the strongest predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Exercise training programs consisting of extended duration and continuous exercise at a moderate intensity (endurance training, END) have long been known to improve VO2max.

VO2max Sample Workouts

Typical VO2max workouts are built using repetitions that are sustained from one to five minutes with active recovery between 50 percent to 100 percent of the duration of the repetition (with a total volume of ten to twenty minutes at VO2max). The pace is very similar to the two–three kilometer race pace for runners.

• Shorter: Ten–twelve repetitions of 400 meters with active recovery in between that last the same amount of time as each repetition.

Cyclists can benefit by implementing these sample workouts:

• Shorter: Eight–twelve repetitions of 1.5-minute hills with active recovery downhills in between that last the same amount of time as each repetition.

• Longer: Four–five repetitions of four-minute flats with three–four minutes of active recovery at around 50 percent of lactate threshold (LT) before starting the next repetition.

Depending on the duration of the workout and your current level, recovery after a VO2max session will take between thirty-six and forty-eight hours.

Heart Rate Recovery (HRR)

In a study conducted by Junko Watanabe using a sample consisting of 5,438 patients, 15 percent (805 participants) had an abnormal heart rate recovery (less than or equal to eighteen beats per min). The median value of heart rate recovery was thirty beats per minute, with 25th and 75th percentile values of twenty-two and thirty-seven beats per minute respectively. There are limitations, but heart rate recovery can be used as part of a risk stratification assessment.

When does a person’s VO2max peak? Most athletes peak around their late 20s and early 30s before they begin to drop by roughly 10 percent per decade, but research shows intense exercise can improve VO2max. The recommendation is to check with your doctor and continue to engage in exercise that strengthens your cardiovascular system while helping you to stay active and to keep moving into your later years.

The LiVe Well Center at Intermountain Healthcare, located in the Health and Performance Building, offers sports performance assessment packages that include VO2max, Bod Pod (body composition), resting metabolic rate (RMR), functional movement screening (FMS), and sports nutrition. Call 435-251-3793 to schedule an appointment.