VO2 max: What is it and how can you improve it? - Harvard Health

The Nugget

VO2 max is a key indicator of fitness, measuring how efficiently your body uses oxygen during intense exercise, influencing overall health and longevity. By improving your VO2 max, you can lower your risk of various diseases and enhance your quality of life.

Make it stick

🏃‍♂️ VO2 max measures the volume of oxygen your body uses during exercise, expressed in ml/kg/min.
❤️ A higher VO2 max means better heart and lung efficiency, leading to increased ATP production for muscle energy.
⏱️ Measuring VO2 max typically requires a maximal exercise test, lasting between 10-20 minutes with increasing intensity.
🔄 To improve VO2 max, switch up workouts, incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT), or simply lose weight.

VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise, making it a key indicator of physical fitness.
It is influenced by age, gender, elevation, and activity levels, with activity level being the most controllable factor.
Typically measured in a lab, VO2 max can also be estimated through walking tests.

Higher VO2 max correlates with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke.
Regularly tracking and improving your VO2 max can lead to better sleep and an overall improved quality of life.

Get your heart pumping: Engage in vigorous aerobic activities regularly.
Incorporate intervals: Use high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for efficient improvements.
Switch up your routine: Alter workouts to challenge your body (different exercises, durations, or intensities).
Weight loss: Since VO2 max is relative to body weight, losing weight can improve your score.

"A high VO2 max correlates to better physical fitness and is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease."
"The more oxygen you can breathe in, the more ATP your muscles produce."
“While your starting VO2 max number can reflect your current fitness level, it's more important to focus on improving your readings over time."
"You can improve your VO2 max by doing any aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping — the more vigorous, the better."
"Incorporating sessions of high-intensity interval training is a fast and effective way to increase VO2 max."

This summary contains AI-generated information and may be misleading or incorrect.