vo2 max - what is it and how can you measure it
What is VO2 Max
VO2 Max simply put is a measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can utilise in one minute per kilogram of body weight.
Effectively it's a measure of how effectively your cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) system can take in oxygen, transport it to your muscles and then how effectively those muscles can actually use that oxygen to produce energy to make you move.
In theory the higher your VO2 Max the 'fitter' you are and the faster you'll be able to run at the same effort level.
VO2 Max has been used as the gold standard in laboratories across the globe to measure physical fitness. in fact it's based on studies completed almost 100yrs ago!
To really get to grips with this it's worth understanding how your body creates energy to allow you to run like the wind.
Fundamentally our body uses the air we breathe and the food we eat to create energy.
From the food we eat our body processes carbohydrates, fats and proteins and stores these as more easily accessible molecules.
VO2 Max simply put is a measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can utilise in one minute per kilogram of body weight.
Effectively it's a measure of how effectively your cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) system can take in oxygen, transport it to your muscles and then how effectively those muscles can actually use that oxygen to produce energy to make you move.
In theory the higher your VO2 Max the 'fitter' you are and the faster you'll be able to run at the same effort level.
VO2 Max has been used as the gold standard in laboratories across the globe to measure physical fitness. in fact it's based on studies completed almost 100yrs ago!
To really get to grips with this it's worth understanding how your body creates energy to allow you to run like the wind.
Fundamentally our body uses the air we breathe and the food we eat to create energy.
From the food we eat our body processes carbohydrates, fats and proteins and stores these as more easily accessible molecules.
During running our body predominantly utilises glycogen. This is derived from carbohydrates that are digested.
Our bodies are also able to utilise and process energy using fats and protein. We'll cover that later.
Carbohydrates are broken down and stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle cells.
It's worth noting that we utilise these energy stores during rest and recovery to allow the restoration and growth of muscle.
Our bodies are also able to utilise and process energy using fats and protein. We'll cover that later.
Carbohydrates are broken down and stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle cells.
It's worth noting that we utilise these energy stores during rest and recovery to allow the restoration and growth of muscle.
Energy Systems
The body uses a molecule called Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to store and release energy for muscle contraction which propels us forward.
ATP is stored in small amount in our muscles (enough to allow us to move very quickly for about 8 - 10 seconds). Obviously this is no where near enough if you're looking at anything more that an olympic 100m sprint.
So where do we get more from?
This is where our stored energy sources come in. Our bodies will then use glycogen converted to glucose then processed into more ATP molecules to further produce muscle contractions.
The body uses a molecule called Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to store and release energy for muscle contraction which propels us forward.
ATP is stored in small amount in our muscles (enough to allow us to move very quickly for about 8 - 10 seconds). Obviously this is no where near enough if you're looking at anything more that an olympic 100m sprint.
So where do we get more from?
This is where our stored energy sources come in. Our bodies will then use glycogen converted to glucose then processed into more ATP molecules to further produce muscle contractions.