WHAT IS VO2 Max?
VO2 max and “Zone 2” are all the rage right now, with people like Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman podcasting about it and your training buddies dropping it in to every conversation! Since you want to be the fittest you can be, naturally you want to know the full scoop. So this article is all about VO2 max, what it is, why it matters and how to develop it. I’ll also tell about the many reasons why you might not be ready to start training your VO2 max …. yet.
So, what exactly is VO2 max and why does it matter?
Technically, VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that you can consume and use during exercise. It’s expressed in “milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute” (ml/kg/min). The highest ever readings are in the 90’s for men and about 80 for women.
More simply, your VO2 is the size of your engine. Some people are born with a Ferrari and others a Ford Focus. You can’t change the size of the engine as this determined by genetics, but you can tune whatever engine you have perfection. Basically, being able to use more oxygen at rapid rates makes you faster which is why all endurance athletes want to optimize their VO2. Furthermore, keeping your VO2 as high as possible throughout your life is associated with longevity.
So how do you develop your VO2?
Well, you would think that doing VO2 max workouts was the most important thing to do, right? Well not really. Here’s why. In order to keep your VO2 at its peak requires that you have many other things in place. So you can’t just do VO2 max workouts and think that you are going to be optimized! A high VO2 max is built on lots of other factors:
1. Bodyweight // VO2 max is relative to weight, so you have to be lean and light to hit your best VO2 numbers. This means that your diet and the way that your diet fuels you and balances your blood sugar is a key part of the equation. Want to raise your VO2 quickly? Drop some fat and weight.
2. Strength // You need a strong body with functional muscles, ligaments and tendons in order to move efficiently and fast enough to reach speeds and intensities that will develop your VO2 max. That said since VO2 is based on weight, there is such thing as having too much muscle on you. It’s why bodybuilders do not post high VO2 scores. It’s about balance. You need enough muscle to be strong and very functional and to carry your skeleton and organs BUT not so much as to literally weigh you down. Look at all the athletes with the highest VO2 scores. These are the IRONMAN winners, the marathoners, the cross country skiers and not the weight lifters. (By the way, watch out for another video/ article from me on aerobic versus anaerobic strength very soon as they are VERY different)
3. Aerobic Base // This is the foundation of all aerobic performance which is why everyone is talking about “Zone 2” training and why it should make up as much as 80% of your cardio training. It’s a larger topic (and I write about it more in other articles), but in brief, low intensity, continuous zone 2 training is key for optimizing your VO2 max. It creates an efficient metabolic system that uses fats effectively, reduces the reliance on carbohydrates for fuel, creates a dense network of oxygen carrying red blood cells and capillaries throughout the body. Furthermore it produces less lactate and removes lactate faster from the blood.
So, before you start trying all those VO2 workouts you’ve heard about ask yourself first, is my body structurally ready for maximal intensity training? Do I have a good aerobic base yet? Am I healthy enough? Honestly, most people could do with laying more groundwork before starting to train their VO2 max. it’s hard work, stressful and can easily lead to injury even if you are already super fit and ready.
My advice is to use the art of PERIODISATION to build your athletic infrastructure first. (I talk about this in more depth my books and other blog articles) but at its simplest, first build your aerobic base from Zone 2 cardio, then put that under stress with some aerobic strength work. Next develop your threshold and then do VO2 work as the icing on the cake.
What types of workouts develop VO2 max?
When you are ready, then the classic science is to do interval work that is a 2:1 work to rest ratio. This could be a session such as 10 x (2 minutes hard off 1 minute easy). You might start with this and progress over the weeks to 5 x (4 minutes hard off 2 minutes easy). The key thing is that the work bout is as hard as you can go BUT to create even power/ pace across all the reps you do. This will be about 85-95% max heartrate. Start too hard and you will flood your body with lactate and the subsequent reps will be of lesser benefit.
Another way is the classic HiiT training method where you do shorter bouts at 95% of max effort. These shorter efforts are matched with equal rest periods so a session might be 10 x (30 secs at 95% effort/ 30 secs rest). Note, these sets are likely to create more lactate as they are a more anaerobic stimulus, so to me not as preferable as a longer set of 2:1 reps.
Finally the Norwegian 4x4 set is always “fun”. 4 minutes of work at 90% effort followed by 4 minutes of rest done 4 times. Ouch.
So, you think you need a VO2 max test now? Think again!!! READ MORE >>>>>