Q: My niece, a fitness trainer, told me to have the VO2 Max test done so that when I work out I am working at the level that gives me the most benefit for fat burning. She also suggested visits with a nutritionist.
– Jane Riegel, Highlands Ranch
A: “VO2 max” is defined as “the maximum volume of oxygen that a body can consume during intense, whole-body exercise while breathing air at sea level” by physiology researcher Stephen Seiler. It is usually expressed as milliliters (of oxygen) per minute per kilogram of body weight (ml/min/kg).
When you exercise aerobically (running, cycling, cross-country skiing, rowing), your body’s ability to take in and utilize oxygen, both by the cardiovascular system and the muscles, will determine how long you will be able to maintain the exercise before becoming exhausted. Oxygen is what helps the body convert the food you eat to a usable chemical called ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate), which is necessary for the body’s cells to do their jobs.
The more efficient the system, the better the endurance. Muscles at rest need very little oxygen, but muscles that are intensely contracting have a very high demand. The VO2 Max test will measure how efficient your cardiovascular system and skeletal muscles are when it comes to extracting and utilizing oxygen during activity.
Other factors that determine VO2 Max, as well as your ability to improve it, are genetics, gender and age. Alas, genetics will provide an upper limit beyond which you will not pass, which is why some people can run for hours and others are good for only 30 minutes, regardless of how hard they try. Most healthy men who work out moderately will have a VO2 Max reading of about 40 ml/min/kg. After some serious endurance training for a few years, this may climb to about 60 ml/min/kg. (Lance Armstrong’s VO2 Max is 85!) Women will have readings that are about 20 percent less than that of adult males.
John Macknight of the University of Virginia says, “VO2 Max will tend to decline at a steady rate after age 20, but maintenance of an active lifestyle, and particularly training-level activity, can greatly delay this inevitable process.” He notes that VO2 Max can be increased by decreasing body fat, as long as the lean muscle mass is maintained. Getting tested will involve finding a sports lab (or perhaps a cardiologist) with the proper equipment, and the test can take time and money.
Improving your VO2 Max is accomplished via a training program in your chosen sport.
Linda Buch, ACE certified exercise specialist, will respond to fitness questions only in her weekly column. Send questions to: Body Language, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 or LJBalance@aol.com.
