VO2 Max is a Useful Tool

If you observe an improvement in your VO2 max, this indicates an increase in your fitness levels. Your aerobic capacity has been increased. In general, females tend to have a 10%-30% lower VO2 max level than their male counterparts, however, this varies greatly based on age and physique. You can see the large variance (approx. 20%) in the difference between male and female VO2s. This is because of size between the two genders. Men have more muscle mass than women, as well as larger hearts and lungs, which increases the capacity for oxygen.

The chart is also categorized by age. Generically speaking, the younger you are the better your VO2 max will be. Somewhere between your high school years to about age 30 is when your VO2 max will be at its highest value. After age 30 (give or take a few years), your VO2 max will start to decline due to the natural aging effect.

How is VO2 Max Measured?

Numerous fitness devices provide an estimate of VO2 max based on factors such as heart rate and running pace. Note that a good fitness device will give you a pretty good estimate of your VO2 max. I have heard a lot about how fitness watches are not accurate and have large margin of error when measuring your VO2 max via a watch, however, I have to disagree. Fitness watches provide a pretty good estimate of your VO2 max. Check out this YouTube video on various fitness devices and how accurate they are when measuring your maximum VO2: https://youtu.be/MzMZ6ynDxE4?si=Q-8u1vAANvqtNXrq

Unless you are an exceptional athlete, lab VO2 tests are not needed. The lab test is performed by comfortably walking on a treadmill followed by increasing the incline gradually until the incline is maxed out or until you reach a cardio effort at which point you cannot push any further. This whole 15-min lab test is done while wearing a ventilation mask.

If you don’t like wearing a fitness device and don’t want to pay for a lab VO2 test, you can always perform a self-test. There are at least six VO2 max self-tests I can think of. Rather than explaining each one of them, the most accurate test appears to be the Queens College Step Test which is basically stepping on and off a stair or bench for three minutes and measuring your pulse for 15 seconds. 

Use your 15-second measured pulse in this equation, 111.33 – (1.68 x heart rate). The numbers in this equation are very specific and will get you to a specific value in ml/kg/min which can be looked up on a VO2 chart to see what level of fitness you are at.

Running is considered an endurance training workout, so monitoring VO2 max over time can serve as a valuable tool to assess the effectiveness of your program and a measure of your fitness. You can’t consider yourself fit if you have a low VO2 max.

Do Not Confuse VO2 Max with SpO2

SpO2 is a measure of blood oxygen saturation which is basically how much oxygen is being carried in the red blood cells. It is measured in percentage and typically is in the upper 90s as a normal range (regardless of age and gender). As we age, the heart is not as efficient at pumping blood so there may be a decrease in SpO2, however, the normal range will still be in the high to mid-90s.

SpO2 has nothing to do with VO2 max. While SpO2 provides a measure of how much oxygen is being carried in the blood, VO2 max provides a measure of how efficiently your body is using oxygen. For example, you could have a 99% SpO2 which means your body is adequately carrying oxygen within the bloodstream, but your VO2 max could be 20 ml/kg/min which is abysmal regardless of your age and gender.

To end the SpO2 talk, is this a useful metric for runners? Unless you consistently run at higher altitudes, don’t waste your time with this metric. SpO2 doesn’t tell you anything useful or provide any insight into your fitness and training. If you have an SpO2 that is 92% or below, you have a serious issue and should not be doing any physical activity until your health problem is resolved.

How Can I Improve My VO2 Max?

This is simple. Start mixing in high-intensity exercises into your weekly routine. This means that you should start by raising your heart rate to at least 80% of the max rate (preferably to about 90% of maximum heart rate) and keep it that that rate for about 30 seconds. This 30-second period should be followed by whatever amount of time it takes for your heart rate to go back to about 60% heart rate. Do repetitions of this for at least 10 minutes (eventually getting up to about 30 minutes of high-intensity training duration).

This high-intensity training will allow the muscles around your heart to strengthen and eventually increase the volume of blood over time.

Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. I’m 39 years old, so my maximum heart rate is 181 beats per minute (bpm). If I’m doing high-intensity exercises, I try to raise my heart rate to between 163-171 bpm.

Final Thoughts

Your muscles require oxygen for energy production. VO2 max is your body’s ability to intake the maximum amount of oxygen and use it for energy production. Many people use their VO2 max as an indicator during their running regimes to measure improvements in aerobic fitness and endurance over time. This is why VO2 max is a useful tool in progress measurement and overall fitness because it provides insight into a runner’s aerobic endurance and stamina. Generally, a person with a much higher VO2 max can run faster, longer, and harder than compared with a person with a low VO2 max.

VO2 max is a predictor of athletic performance and helps with refining your training program. There are also several studies published relating how the VO2 max metric is related to life expectancy. Nevertheless, if you have never heard of VO2 max, you should aim not to be in the ‘Very Poor’ or ‘Poor’ range of the chart.