How To Measure VO2 Max And Why It’s Essential

There are plenty of other ways to evaluate your health, together with how out of breath you’re feeling if you stroll up a flight of stairs and how briskly you possibly can run 5K. However to precisely quantify your health potential, it’s price measuring your VO2 max. Within the easiest phrases, your VO2 max measures your cardio capability and whereas you will get estimates from a lot of the finest sports activities watches lately, probably the most correct solution to measure it’s by a maximal-effort take a look at carrying a gasoline analyzer. 

For extra info on measure VO2 max we spoke to Livvy Probert, head of science and co-founder of HAWQ, an organization that gives customized well being and wellbeing assessments together with VO2 max assessments. I took one among these assessments and was capable of evaluate my outcome with the VO2 max scores estimated by Garmin, Polar, Coros and Apple watches. 

What’s VO2 max and why is it necessary?

VO2 max is the utmost quantity of oxygen your physique can make the most of throughout train. At your highest depth, it’s the amount of oxygen your physique is utilizing. It’s usually measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilo of body weight, per minute of train. It usually ranges from the 20s to 60s.

There are two major explanation why realizing your VO2 max is so necessary. One is as a measure of health, notably for endurance athletes, though anybody who has a cardiovascular aspect to their coaching will profit from the insights the take a look at offers.

The opposite aspect is well being. VO2 max is taken into account top-of-the-line predictors of longevity. We measure plenty of issues at HAWQ Rating and we prefer to put every little thing collectively as a much bigger image. But when I needed to choose one quantity, VO2 max is probably the most useful indicator of long-term well being.

So it’s necessary for everybody and key to endurance sports activities?

For marathon runners, cyclists and anybody who enjoys endurance sports activities, your VO2 max might be an necessary predictor of your efficiency, as a result of it’s your cardio capability. Different elements together with your operating economic system and your effectivity are necessary too. 

However when you’re a soccer participant, or a rugby participant like I’m, it’s notably necessary to have an endurance base. You might need to dash after a ball now and again, however having an excellent VO2 max goes to provide the capability to maintain going for a very long time.

How do you measure VO2 max?

The gold commonplace is a VO2 max take a look at, which might be accomplished both in a science lab or in a fitness center that has specialist know-how. Right here, we use one thing known as the VO2 Grasp. It’s a face masks with a gasoline analyzer that straight measures gasoline consumption. It takes a pattern of the air round you and what you breathe out. From there it really works out how a lot oxygen is used and the way a lot CO2 you produce. This may present a direct measurement of your oxygen consumption.

A VO2 max take a look at is a ramp take a look at carried out on a treadmill or a stationary bike that often takes round 15 to twenty minutes.You begin slowly and get faster till you possibly can’t go any additional and attain your most effort. It’s a maximal-effort cardio take a look at.

Alternatively, sports activities watches can estimate your VO2 max. Nonetheless, they’ll’t really measure your oxygen consumption, so it’s an estimation. That stated, some watches are fairly correct and an excellent indicator of your health.

How do sports activities watches estimate VO2 max?

There are two methods to estimate your VO2 max utilizing a sports activities watch, and lots of manufacturers mix each. The most typical technique is utilizing your coronary heart charge. Some will estimate your VO2 max out of your resting coronary heart charge, which might be one of many much less correct methods to do it. Different watches use your most coronary heart charge in contrast along with your coronary heart charge throughout train. From that it’s going to use algorithms to assist predict your rating primarily based on individuals who have accomplished gold-standard VO2 max assessments.

Lots of watches go one step additional, and observe your velocity, distance and coronary heart charge throughout train. This collates as a lot info as potential to make that estimation extra correct. So far as I’m conscious, that’s the 2 methods watches at present do it, but it surely’s an enormous subject and at all times evolving. 

Are you able to enhance the accuracy of watch estimates?

I’d suggest getting a chest strap that connects to your watch to extend the accuracy of your coronary heart charge knowledge. In the event you ever do a full VO2 max take a look at and get your coronary heart charge coaching zones, you possibly can really enter that knowledge into plenty of watches. That makes it extra correct as a result of the watch is aware of 140bpm is in your zone 2, and when you’re now operating quicker on the identical coronary heart charge, you’re getting fitter. It’ll provide you with a dynamic estimate of your VO2 max primarily based on earlier predictions.

One other manner that utilizing a chest strap might be useful is when you do a self-guided VO2 max effort take a look at. That manner your watch can choose up a brand new, correct max coronary heart charge. Everyone seems to be so totally different—220 beats minus your age [the way most watches estimate your max heart rate] is an efficient indicator, but it surely’s a mathematical estimation, not a scientific measurement.

Are you able to estimate your VO2 max primarily based in your race occasions?

Typically, the quicker you’re throughout a race, the higher your VO2 max goes to be. That stated, notably with operating, your effectivity, type, economic system, how recovered you’re on the day, plus your hydration ranges and diet technique will all have an effect on your race occasions. 

Paula Radcliffe’s VO2 max didn’t change over a few years of coaching. And but she went from not profitable to setting a brand new marathon world document as a result of she was extra environment friendly and her type improved. 

Race occasions are usually an excellent estimate and when you’re operating quicker, you’re in all probability going to have the next VO2 max than somebody who’s slower than you. Nonetheless, with out really doing a VO2 max take a look at to measure it you possibly can’t be 100% sure.

How do you enhance your VO2 max?

To enhance your VO2 max, the 2 most necessary exercises I like to recommend are lengthy, gradual regular runs and interval coaching. After I say gradual, I imply gradual. A zone 2 exercise, in your endurance zone, will enhance cardio capability. It ought to be for no less than half an hour, the longer the higher.

The best way to estimate your zone 2 is to coach with somebody. In the event you can discuss you’re on the proper tempo, since you’re respiration on the proper frequency and never operating too laborious. It’s essential improve your coronary heart charge a little bit bit with out pushing it too far. There are very particular diversifications you get by doing a zone 2 exercise however when you go too quick, you’re not going to profit.

On the different finish of the spectrum, I like to recommend zone 5 intervals. Run laborious at your most effort, till you’re actually out of breath. You need to work laborious, however you additionally need to get better nicely. Intention to be within the prime 10% of your max coronary heart charge, and spend 30 to 60 seconds in that coronary heart charge zone. Don’t simply run 30 seconds all-out—take a minute to get your coronary heart charge up there. As soon as it will get above 90% of your max coronary heart charge, then the subsequent 30-second interval begins. Intention to get better totally so you possibly can go all-out on the subsequent one. 

How typically do you have to do VO2 max assessments to see when you’ve improved?

Until you’re a newbie who plans to all of the sudden begin coaching actually laborious, I’d suggest doing a VO2 max take a look at each 6-12 months. Within the meantime, you possibly can observe your coronary heart charge throughout exercises. In the event you do the identical exercise at a decrease coronary heart charge or you possibly can preserve the identical coronary heart charge whereas going additional then this could be a good indicator that you simply’re enhancing your VO2 max with out essentially having to do one other take a look at. 

What’s A VO2 Max Take a look at Like?

For a first-hand expertise of a VO2 max take a look at I visited HAWQ in London and did a ramp take a look at on the treadmill as a part of a normal well being evaluation. You can too do the take a look at on an train bike when you want; the recommendation is to go for no matter you do extra of in your common coaching.

I used to be fairly apprehensive about how brutal the take a look at could be, since by design it has to complete with you working flat-out, however really it’s fairly fast and never too disagreeable. Definitely much less painful than an all-out 5K, for instance, or a biking FTP take a look at.

HAWQ makes use of the VO2 Grasp Analyzer, a standalone masks that you simply strap to your face without having to be wired up throughout the take a look at. It will get sizzling within the masks fairly shortly, because it covers your total mouth and nostril to measure the gases exchanged. I additionally wore a chest strap coronary heart charge monitor for the take a look at that linked to the VO2 Grasp app as nicely.

As soon as masked up, I ran at a mild tempo with a small incline for 3 minutes to heat up, then began the ramp by rising the tempo by two ranges each minute as much as a velocity of 20. From there the ramp received steeper, and the incline went up each 30 seconds till I tapped out after one other minute. I then rested on the treadmill for 2 minutes to see how briskly my coronary heart charge got here again down, which is one other marker of health.

This ramp was customized to my operating skill and it’s very simple to regulate the tempo and incline to swimsuit any stage so that you max out after eight to 10 minutes. Together with the warm-up and the early levels of the ramp, half of that’s pretty simple operating, so that you’re solely actually going at it for a couple of minutes. 

The take a look at doesn’t simply measure your VO2 max, it additionally offers you a max coronary heart charge studying and your coronary heart charge zones, which you need to use to coach in your fat-burning zone, for instance.

I’ve examined sports activities watches from all kinds of corporations which have given me VO2 max estimates, and for the document it’s Garmin who got here closest to my VO2 max as measured within the take a look at. Garmin has me at 71 proper now, whereas the take a look at had me at 70. I’ve worn Garmin watches for lots longer than others, although, which provides them extra knowledge to fine-tune the estimate. 

Polar modifications its Working Index (which is equal to VO2 max) with every run, however each of my most up-to-date scores have been fancifully excessive—76 and 80—whereas Coros has me at 64 proper now, although to be honest I’ve not used a Coros watch in over a month. In the meantime the Apple Watch’s VO2 max estimate maxes out at 60, in all probability resulting from accuracy considerations above that stage.