Why would I have a VO2max test?

“If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”

-Yogi Berra quote

A VO2max test can be used to:
• Evaluate fitness level
• Make exercise recommendations for training zones based on heart rate, speed, or power
• Measure improvement over time

The best exercise recommendations are based on your unique response to exercise, not on a generalized formula. These tests are valuable because they are a controlled, scientific measurement of your own body’s response to exercise at a range of intensities. The information gained from these tests can help you improve your health, your sports performance or both. In addition, this will also help you gain a greater understanding of exercise principles, so that you can apply this knowledge to your workouts.

Due to standardized training heart rate formulas, the majorities of training heart rate zones are inaccurately calculated and can be off as much as 30+ %. This lack of precision often leads to a loss of maximized fitness improvement and reduced body fat levels.

VO2 Max testing ultimately will provide you and your trainer your ideal heart rate training zone. (When your body starts to burn fat instead of glucose) which allows us to create training programs that are more efficient and result-oriented.
Burn Fat More Efficiently

What is VO2 Max Testing

The term V02max is equivalent to aerobic capacity and is the maximum amount of oxygen, in milliliters, that a person can consume per minute per kilogram of body weight. Oxygen is used in aerobic processes of energy production within cells. Your body uses oxygen at a low rate at rest, a faster rate as you begin to exercise, and reaches its fastest rate of oxygen consumption near your maximum heart rate. The aerobic capacity test proceeds in a similar manner starting at a very easy intensity progressing up to an individuals maximum output. The more oxygen that is consumed the higher a person’s VO2max. The maximum amount of oxygen consumed while an individual is working their hardest produces an excellent indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness. For endurance athletes, a higher VO2max indicates a higher potential for endurance performance.

The higher your VO2 Max, the more efficiently your body handles oxygen.

What to expect

Our VO2 Max test will take about 30-40 minutes and is broken down into two parts.

For the test, you will use a treadmill and wear a breathing mask attached to a VO2 Max machine. Your trainer will monitor you as you start from a walk and work you way up to a run.

As the test progresses, the VO2 machine will measure the amount of oxygen in the air as you inhale and exhale.

What will you learn?

You will learn your exact point when your body cannot supply oxygen to your muscles - this point is called your anaerobic threshold. The closer you can train to it your threshold, the more body fat you will burn.

You will receive information regarding your maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 Max) and heart rate during levels of high intensity exercise. This may help you train more efficiently for your chosen endurance sport. This testing procedure is not intended to set-up an exercise program or provide coaching, but to augment an existing or future regiment. The pre-training exercise test is intended to present a baseline measurement of your current capabilities before beginning a strenuous training regime as well as sound data to cater your training for you. The post-training exercise test is to see how effective your training was, and where to base your future training endeavors.

How much does it cost?

 Vo2 max scores for sports

Athlete Event VO2Max (ml/kg/min)

Greg Lemond Cyclist (winner of Tour de France) 92.5
Bjorn Daehlie Cross country skier 90.0
Miguel Indurain Cyclist (winner of Tour de France) 88.0
Benard Hinault Cyclist (winner of Tour de France) 87
John Ngugi 5 times world cross country champ 85.0
Dave Bedford 10km World Record holder 85.0
Steve Prefontaine 1 mile in 3:54.6 84.4
Lance Armstrong Cyclist (winner of Tour de France) 84.0
Joan Benoit Marathon runner (2:24:52) 78.6
Bill Rodgers Marathon runner (2:09:27) 78.5
Eddy Merckx Cyclist (winner of Tour de France) 77
Sebastian Coe Middle distance (1 mile WR) 77.0
Grete Waitz Marathon runner (WR 1980) 73.0
Frank Shorter Marathon runner 71.0
Derek Clayton Marathon runner (WR 1969) 69.7
George W. Bush U.S. President 52.5
Sir Edmund Hilary (First man to climb Mt. Everest) 48.8

Who can benefit from VO2max testing?

This test can help anyone who wishes to get the information they need to train smarter to meet their fitness goals, whether for improving health or for sports performance enhancement. Here are some examples:

Recreational athlete: someone who trains and competes mainly for the sheer fun of it, but still wants to improve and have some structure and purpose in their training.

Elite athlete: to fine-tune each training bout, avoid injury and overtraining, monitor changes in fitness status, gain a competitive edge through application of sport science principles
Former couch potato: someone who’s decided it’s time to get fit, and knows that a proper exercise regime is crucial to one’s physical and emotional health; wants to be informed and make the most of exercise time.

Someone who’s not getting results: one who’s been exercising for a while, but isn’t seeing much improvement anymore; wants to learn how to change their exercise to continue improving.
In short, our doors are open to everyone.

How can I use the results of the test?

The higher a person’s VO2max the more endurance they are likely to have. The results of the test can be used to more efficiently conduct your training. Training zones can be established which allow a subject to know much more precisely how hard to train using several indicators such as heart rate, speed, power, and rating of perceived exertion. In addition, by repeating the test, a training program can be evaluated to see how successful it was.

To receive this oxygen and use it to make ATP for muscle contraction, our muscle fibers are absolutely dependent on 2 things: 1) an external delivery system to bring oxygen from the atmosphere to the working muscle cells, and 2) mitochondria to carry out the process of aerobic energy transfer.  Endurance athletes are characterized by both a very good cardiovascular system, and well developed oxidative capacity in their skeletal muscles. We need a big and efficient pump to deliver oxygen rich blood to the muscles, and we need mitochondria-rich muscles to use the oxygen and support high rates of exercise

How can I raise my VO2max?

Through specific training it is possible for an individual to raise their VO2max value between 10-20%. There are multiple techniques to raise an individual’s aerobic capacity such as increasing the training volume or increasing the time spent training at VO2max intensity. In addition, VO2max is often expressed relative to body weight. Therefore decreasing body mass will result in an increased value.

Does gender or age affect the measurement?

Yes, gender and age both can affect a person’s VO2max value. Women tend to have a lower value then men due to higher body fat content, smaller muscle mass, and a lower concentration of hemoglobin. Also for each decade after the age of 25, healthy but inactive people experience declines in VO2max of about 9%. Yet, this decrease is not as significant in subjects who remain active throughout life.