For those who are serious about fitness, performance and longevity, understanding your cardiovascular endurance is crucial. Enter the VO2 max test: a tool that measures your body's ability to consume and utilise oxygen during intense or maximal exercise, which allows you to gauge your cardiorespiratory and aerobic fitness levels [1].
Largely considered to be the 'gold standard' of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness, the VO2 max test can help you to better understand your body and get you building your aerobic endurance and hitting those performance goals.
But what exactly does it test? And how can understanding it help you get the best out of your workouts?
What is VO2 max?
Also known as maximal oxygen consumption, VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen that your body can utilise during intense exercise. V is for volume, O2 is for oxygen and max is for maximum.
It's generally understood to be the best indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance, because the more oxygen you can produce during intense or maximal exercise, the more energy you can produce [2].
Understanding your VO2 max can help tailor your workouts to focus on both your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to work smarter when it comes to exercise.
What is a VO2 max test?
A VO2 max test is designed to assess your maximal oxygen uptake during exercise [3]. It tracks aerobic capacity, cardiovascular fitness, and how efficiently your body utilises oxygen and carbon dioxide.
In other words, it tracks how much oxygen you're currently inhaling during a cardio workout, and makes an assessment of your overall fitness based on that result.
According to Compound's Program Lead, Dan Cable, this is an incredibly helpful tool for those looking to improve their health.
"This cardiorespiratory stress test was once limited to academic research on elite athletes, or in clinical practice, but has become more accessible to the rest of us over the last 5+ years because it’s such a powerful diagnostic for everyday performance and longevity," says Cable.
How is it performed?
A VO2 max test is usually conducted on a treadmill or stationary bike with the guidance of an exercise physiologist and requires you to wear a face mask and a heart rate monitor [3]. The assessment involves a graded exercise protocol, which incrementally increases in intensity.
So, every few minutes, the exercise becomes more intense, until you're exhausted to achieve maximal exercise.
This continues until the participant can no longer continue the exercise or exhibits other physiological signs that they have reached their limit — the test generally takes 15-20 minutes.
The face mask directly measures the volume and gas concentrations of the air you breathe in and out — specifically the amount of oxygen you take in and how much carbon dioxide is eliminated from your body.
At the same time, the heart rate monitor captures your resting and maximum heart rate and your blood lactate level is also tested via a micro-blood test. All of this together provides a clear sense of your current fitness level and helps inform recommendations for your exercise habits [2].
"You feel pretty elite through the experience, despite not always getting elite results," says Cable.
At Compound, we conduct VO2 max testing as part of our comprehensive diagnostic report to ensure we capture a well-rounded and detailed view of your current health stats to tailor interventions and treatments to each individual.
What is Compound, exactly? Well, we're a digital clinic for performance health. Once the exclusive domain of billionaires and Hollywood stars, we're on a mission to make premium concierge care accessible to every man who wants more.
We take a multi-disciplinary approach to health optimisation and preventative care to help men unlock barriers to everyday performance. More on that later.
Interpreting your VO2 max test results
When you get your VO2 max test results back, you'll be given a detailed summary report that includes specific responses or limitations that may affect performance.
One of these will include the measurement of millilitres of oxygen consumption in a minute per kilogram of your body weight — in writing, it'll read as mL/kg/min.
What makes for a good result depends on several factors including your gender, age, level of fitness, your anaerobic threshold and lactate threshold, and even any medications you might be on.
The American College of Sports Medicine released a guide in 2019 that can operate as a key performance indicator. In that, they identify that for men between the ages of 20-50 years old, a minimum of 42.4ml/kg/min is ideal, and for women between the ages of 20-50 years old, a minimum of 36.3ml/kg/min is a figure to aim for [6].
A higher VO2 max suggests a stronger cardiorespiratory system and greater potential for endurance-based activities. This information can help fitness enthusiasts and athletes identify specific training areas to concentrate on, such as pace and intensity, to improve their overall fitness and performance.
"The VO2 Max test is a strong leading indicator of overall longevity and quality of life [7][8][9] and our maximal potential naturally declines with age given all the different physiological mechanisms involved," says Cable.
"If you aspire to be active with your grandchildren in your 70s or 80s then be under no illusion about the natural decline in your current conditioning over time and what that may mean practically.
"But it’s not just about peak athleticism or longevity over distant horizons, it’s also about the here and the now in our everyday lives. Improvements in your overall conditioning — with VO2 max as one metric — translate directly into improved everyday energy levels. Energy is the currency of performance in every aspect of life.
"Not only does improved conditioning lead to greater everyday energy levels, but the training practices that we adopt to improve conditioning will result in further improvements in everyday performance via increased neurogenesis (via BDNF), improved mood (via endorphins), reduced stress (lower cortisol), improved blood sugar management (via adiponectin, etc.), and more."
Using VO2 max in your training
With your VO2 max score in hand, the test results can directly inform your training strategy. Workouts can be structured to improve VO2 max, enhance lactate threshold, and optimise other aspects of your cardiovascular system.
Structured training plans
Consider working with a coach to develop a plan that includes intervals, sustained effort training, and recovery sessions. These should be tailored to gradually improve your VO2 max and overall cardiovascular health.
We use your VO2 max score to inform your performance optimisation plan, which includes health coaching and a 12-week program — we help you set an audacious athletic goal and hit it.
Monitoring progress
Regular testing can track your progress, validate the effectiveness of your training methods, and provide the motivation to push harder and reach new benchmarks in your physical capabilities.
Who is the VO2 max test for?
VO2 max testing has traditionally been used for athletes and people training in the fields of endurance sports, but it's also helpful for the everyday man to understand training effectiveness. Plus, the ability to assess the amount of oxygen consumption along with heart rate is useful in understanding heart health, more broadly.
A recent statement from the American Heart Association, in particular, argued for this sort of incremental exercise test and the measurement of VO2 max as vital in assessing cardiorespiratory fitness even outside of an aerobic exercise and endurance performance context.
The organisation made the case for it as a vital tool in assessing people at risk of cardiovascular disease and a potential preventative tool for other heart-based health risks [4].
In other words, this test is no longer just the domain of endurance athletes or those participating in high-intensity exercise.
How to improve your VO2 max
Whether you're looking to take your training program to the next level or are simply starting to explore high-level exercise, understanding and improving your VO2 max can be the tool that gets you working out more efficiently and delivering better performance in and out of the gym.
While all exercise, in general, is helpful, focusing on frequent high-intensity, but not maximal-intensity exercise, has been shown as the key to improving your VO2 max [5].
Engaging in exercises like running on a treadmill, cycling on a stationary or mobile bike, cross-country skiing, swimming and interval training like HIIT roughly 2-5 times a week can make the most difference to your VO2 max.
You might like to follow these general guidelines when it comes to improving your VO2 max.
- Low-Intensity Steady State Cardio (Zone 2): 1-4x sessions of 40-60 mins in Zone 2 (apply the ‘talk test’) will improve aerobic conditioning in the ‘fat burning zone’
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): 1-2x sessions of 10-20mins of intervals involving peak work-rate bursts with short rests will improve both aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and stimulate a huge metabolic and androgen after-burn (via the EPOC effect)
- Resistance training: 2-3x per week will improve overall strength and mitochondrial efficiency
According to Cable, it's also incredibly important to focus on the metabolic factors that influence VO2 max, like diet and alcohol consumption. For the former, Cable recommends "optimising macro nutrient intake (protein often being the biggest gap), shifting to lower-GI carbs, and maintaining healthy fats from whole-food sources so that you maximise your adaptation from training stimuli".
When it comes to alcohol, Cable says to engage in moderate consumption "or optimise intake to minimise the deconditioning and metabolic disruption from booze".
For those dedicated to health and fitness, understanding the intricacies of cardiovascular training is no longer optional, it's essential. VO2 max testing paints a clear picture of your aerobic limits and Compound can help you chart a course for improvement.
"Instead of a singular focus on improving VO2 Max, we should be setting tangible athletic goals (e.g. do a fun run in PB time, complete the Murph in <60 mins, etc) that are challenging and motivating," says Cable.
"Real-life athletic goals are the catalyst to bring structure and intensity to training while providing an anchor point for healthier, high-performance habits and this will drive downstream benefits to biomarkers like the VO2 Max. This is our philosophy at Compound."
VO2 max is not just a number — it's a roadmap to guide you on the path to endurance, vitality and longevity. If you're ready to test your limits, literally, and pave the way for a healthier and stronger you, consider Compound.
We are integrating diagnostics (bloodwork, scans, etc), treatment (medication, supplementation), performance programming, and support (coaching, accountability, care) — wrapped around a growth mindset.
Our team of dedicated healthcare professionals and expert specialists are here to help you access the future of proactive healthcare, today.
Before participating in any training program, it's important to receive medical clearance. Speak to your doctor or a healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise, particularly anything involving endurance sports.
For those who are serious about fitness, performance and longevity, understanding your cardiovascular endurance is crucial. Enter the VO2 max test: a tool that measures your body's ability to consume and utilise oxygen during intense or maximal exercise, which allows you to gauge your cardiorespiratory and aerobic fitness levels [1].
Largely considered to be the 'gold standard' of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness, the VO2 max test can help you to better understand your body and get you building your aerobic endurance and hitting those performance goals.
But what exactly does it test? And how can understanding it help you get the best out of your workouts?
What is VO2 max?
Also known as maximal oxygen consumption, VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen that your body can utilise during intense exercise. V is for volume, O2 is for oxygen and max is for maximum.
It's generally understood to be the best indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance, because the more oxygen you can produce during intense or maximal exercise, the more energy you can produce [2].
Understanding your VO2 max can help tailor your workouts to focus on both your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to work smarter when it comes to exercise.
What is a VO2 max test?
A VO2 max test is designed to assess your maximal oxygen uptake during exercise [3]. It tracks aerobic capacity, cardiovascular fitness, and how efficiently your body utilises oxygen and carbon dioxide.
In other words, it tracks how much oxygen you're currently inhaling during a cardio workout, and makes an assessment of your overall fitness based on that result.
According to Compound's Program Lead, Dan Cable, this is an incredibly helpful tool for those looking to improve their health.
"This cardiorespiratory stress test was once limited to academic research on elite athletes, or in clinical practice, but has become more accessible to the rest of us over the last 5+ years because it’s such a powerful diagnostic for everyday performance and longevity," says Cable.
How is it performed?
A VO2 max test is usually conducted on a treadmill or stationary bike with the guidance of an exercise physiologist and requires you to wear a face mask and a heart rate monitor [3]. The assessment involves a graded exercise protocol, which incrementally increases in intensity.
So, every few minutes, the exercise becomes more intense, until you're exhausted to achieve maximal exercise.
This continues until the participant can no longer continue the exercise or exhibits other physiological signs that they have reached their limit — the test generally takes 15-20 minutes.
The face mask directly measures the volume and gas concentrations of the air you breathe in and out — specifically the amount of oxygen you take in and how much carbon dioxide is eliminated from your body.
At the same time, the heart rate monitor captures your resting and maximum heart rate and your blood lactate level is also tested via a micro-blood test. All of this together provides a clear sense of your current fitness level and helps inform recommendations for your exercise habits [2].
"You feel pretty elite through the experience, despite not always getting elite results," says Cable.
At Compound, we conduct VO2 max testing as part of our comprehensive diagnostic report to ensure we capture a well-rounded and detailed view of your current health stats to tailor interventions and treatments to each individual.
What is Compound, exactly? Well, we're a digital clinic for performance health. Once the exclusive domain of billionaires and Hollywood stars, we're on a mission to make premium concierge care accessible to every man who wants more.
We take a multi-disciplinary approach to health optimisation and preventative care to help men unlock barriers to everyday performance. More on that later.
Interpreting your VO2 max test results
When you get your VO2 max test results back, you'll be given a detailed summary report that includes specific responses or limitations that may affect performance.
One of these will include the measurement of millilitres of oxygen consumption in a minute per kilogram of your body weight — in writing, it'll read as mL/kg/min.
What makes for a good result depends on several factors including your gender, age, level of fitness, your anaerobic threshold and lactate threshold, and even any medications you might be on.
The American College of Sports Medicine released a guide in 2019 that can operate as a key performance indicator. In that, they identify that for men between the ages of 20-50 years old, a minimum of 42.4ml/kg/min is ideal, and for women between the ages of 20-50 years old, a minimum of 36.3ml/kg/min is a figure to aim for [6].
A higher VO2 max suggests a stronger cardiorespiratory system and greater potential for endurance-based activities. This information can help fitness enthusiasts and athletes identify specific training areas to concentrate on, such as pace and intensity, to improve their overall fitness and performance.
"The VO2 Max test is a strong leading indicator of overall longevity and quality of life [7][8][9] and our maximal potential naturally declines with age given all the different physiological mechanisms involved," says Cable.
"If you aspire to be active with your grandchildren in your 70s or 80s then be under no illusion about the natural decline in your current conditioning over time and what that may mean practically.
"But it’s not just about peak athleticism or longevity over distant horizons, it’s also about the here and the now in our everyday lives. Improvements in your overall conditioning — with VO2 max as one metric — translate directly into improved everyday energy levels. Energy is the currency of performance in every aspect of life.
"Not only does improved conditioning lead to greater everyday energy levels, but the training practices that we adopt to improve conditioning will result in further improvements in everyday performance via increased neurogenesis (via BDNF), improved mood (via endorphins), reduced stress (lower cortisol), improved blood sugar management (via adiponectin, etc.), and more."
Using VO2 max in your training
With your VO2 max score in hand, the test results can directly inform your training strategy. Workouts can be structured to improve VO2 max, enhance lactate threshold, and optimise other aspects of your cardiovascular system.
Structured training plans
Consider working with a coach to develop a plan that includes intervals, sustained effort training, and recovery sessions. These should be tailored to gradually improve your VO2 max and overall cardiovascular health.
We use your VO2 max score to inform your performance optimisation plan, which includes health coaching and a 12-week program — we help you set an audacious athletic goal and hit it.
Monitoring progress
Regular testing can track your progress, validate the effectiveness of your training methods, and provide the motivation to push harder and reach new benchmarks in your physical capabilities.
Who is the VO2 max test for?
VO2 max testing has traditionally been used for athletes and people training in the fields of endurance sports, but it's also helpful for the everyday man to understand training effectiveness. Plus, the ability to assess the amount of oxygen consumption along with heart rate is useful in understanding heart health, more broadly.
A recent statement from the American Heart Association, in particular, argued for this sort of incremental exercise test and the measurement of VO2 max as vital in assessing cardiorespiratory fitness even outside of an aerobic exercise and endurance performance context.
The organisation made the case for it as a vital tool in assessing people at risk of cardiovascular disease and a potential preventative tool for other heart-based health risks [4].
In other words, this test is no longer just the domain of endurance athletes or those participating in high-intensity exercise.
How to improve your VO2 max
Whether you're looking to take your training program to the next level or are simply starting to explore high-level exercise, understanding and improving your VO2 max can be the tool that gets you working out more efficiently and delivering better performance in and out of the gym.
While all exercise, in general, is helpful, focusing on frequent high-intensity, but not maximal-intensity exercise, has been shown as the key to improving your VO2 max [5].
Engaging in exercises like running on a treadmill, cycling on a stationary or mobile bike, cross-country skiing, swimming and interval training like HIIT roughly 2-5 times a week can make the most difference to your VO2 max.
You might like to follow these general guidelines when it comes to improving your VO2 max.
- Low-Intensity Steady State Cardio (Zone 2): 1-4x sessions of 40-60 mins in Zone 2 (apply the ‘talk test’) will improve aerobic conditioning in the ‘fat burning zone’
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): 1-2x sessions of 10-20mins of intervals involving peak work-rate bursts with short rests will improve both aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and stimulate a huge metabolic and androgen after-burn (via the EPOC effect)
- Resistance training: 2-3x per week will improve overall strength and mitochondrial efficiency
According to Cable, it's also incredibly important to focus on the metabolic factors that influence VO2 max, like diet and alcohol consumption. For the former, Cable recommends "optimising macro nutrient intake (protein often being the biggest gap), shifting to lower-GI carbs, and maintaining healthy fats from whole-food sources so that you maximise your adaptation from training stimuli".
When it comes to alcohol, Cable says to engage in moderate consumption "or optimise intake to minimise the deconditioning and metabolic disruption from booze".
For those dedicated to health and fitness, understanding the intricacies of cardiovascular training is no longer optional, it's essential. VO2 max testing paints a clear picture of your aerobic limits and Compound can help you chart a course for improvement.
"Instead of a singular focus on improving VO2 Max, we should be setting tangible athletic goals (e.g. do a fun run in PB time, complete the Murph in <60 mins, etc) that are challenging and motivating," says Cable.
"Real-life athletic goals are the catalyst to bring structure and intensity to training while providing an anchor point for healthier, high-performance habits and this will drive downstream benefits to biomarkers like the VO2 Max. This is our philosophy at Compound."
VO2 max is not just a number — it's a roadmap to guide you on the path to endurance, vitality and longevity. If you're ready to test your limits, literally, and pave the way for a healthier and stronger you, consider Compound.
We are integrating diagnostics (bloodwork, scans, etc), treatment (medication, supplementation), performance programming, and support (coaching, accountability, care) — wrapped around a growth mindset.
Our team of dedicated healthcare professionals and expert specialists are here to help you access the future of proactive healthcare, today.
Before participating in any training program, it's important to receive medical clearance. Speak to your doctor or a healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise, particularly anything involving endurance sports.
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/exercise-intensity
- https://med.virginia.edu/exercise-physiology-core-laboratory/fitness-assessment-for-community-members/vo2-max-testing/
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heart-vascular-institute/cardiology/cardiac-rehabilitation/exercise-testing
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000461
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4836566/
- https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/publications-files/hrpfam5_table-8-9-updated.pdf?sfvrsn=e82139fc_4
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29293447/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2707428- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6779597/
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