VO2 max test from the fall

The new video at the bottom of the page was the second treadmill test I did after returning back to Ohio after a month of altitude training out in Park City, Utah. We lived at a house in a ski resort at 8500ft. above sea level and even did some of our running up as high as 10,000 ft. The video was created by the guys at flotrack.com.

Your VO2 Max number is a fancy name for your maximal oxygen consumption rate. It measures the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and utilize oxygen and expresses it as a relative rate of milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute.

Accurately measuring VO₂ max involves a physical effort sufficient in duration and intensity to fully tax the aerobic energy system. In general clinical and athletic testing, this usually involves a graded exercise test in which exercise intensity is progressively increased while measuring ventilation and oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration of the inhaled and exhaled air. VO₂ max is reached when oxygen consumption remains at steady state despite an increase in workload. In our test on the treadmill, the intensity is progressively increased by systematically raising the incline on the treadmill over a period of time up to a grade of 10%. This was all done while running at a constant speed of 6:00/mile.

The average young untrained male will have a VO₂ max of approximately 45 ml/kg/min. World class male athletes, typically exceed 75 ml/kg/min and a rare few may exceed 85 ml/kg/min for men.