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Hello, and welcome back to this week’s episode of the 925 Wellness Podcast. Today, I’m putting my physiologist hat back on because we are diving into one of my favorite topics to nerd out on, which is VO2 Max. This episode is a slightly updated version of the episode on VO2 Max that aired on July 12th, 2024. But I figured it’s worth repeating because I get just way too many questions on the topic. This is one question and or topic that just keeps coming back to me, and rightfully so, because I’m an exercise physiologist and this is my wheelhouse, my bread and butter. So, you know, rightfully people have been asking me questions related to it. So I was like, okay, you know what? Let’s redo this and let’s kind of like update the information that I’ve learned and the research that is coming out on VO2 Max. And you know what? Talk about it again online-to-five wellness. Okay. So a lot of my clients and patients have been describing something which I want to share over here, which is like some version or form of I don’t feel old and I want to stay this way. I want longevity so I can keep doing what I love for as long as possible. So that’s why you should learn and know about VO2max because it’s your ultimate longevity biomarker. Because if there’s one number that ties directly into like how long and how well you live, this is it. Let’s start with the basics. Exercise physiologists have been studying how the human body uses oxygen for over a hundred years. So this isn’t like a fad metric. It’s been something that we have done a lot of research on, we have studied it, and that’s why I’m talking about it with you guys. And it’s one of the most well-researched numbers in exercise science. Here’s the mechanism. Your body needs oxygen all the time, right? I think we all agree on that, because if we can’t breathe for over two to three minutes, that’s it. Like, you know, then there’s no life, right? So in order to live, we need oxygen, even at rest. The moment you start moving, walking, climbing stairs, exercising, your oxygen demands go up, right? And the harder you push, the more oxygen your body needs. Why? Because oxygen is the key ingredient that makes aerobic energy production possible. Aerobic means with oxygen. When you’re using oxygen as fuel, that activity is called aerobic. Aerobic means with air. It’s what allows your body to convert the energy stored in carbohydrates and fats in your body, right, into useable fuel for your muscle cells. That’s why VO2 max is also called your aerobic capacity. So let’s break in break it down. Excuse me, let’s break it down in simple, plain terms. VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen your body can take in, transport, and use in one minute during intense physical activity. It’s a measure of how efficiently your body absorbs and uses oxygen when you’re working hard. It’s a huge performance metric for endurance athletes, runners, cyclists, triathletes, cross-country skiers. And we’ll get into that a little further down. But it matters just as much if you’ve never run a race in your life. It matters for all of us. Yes, everyday athletes and everyday professionals and corporate professionals at the same time. Okay or same way. Now here’s what here’s where it gets interesting. VR2 Max isn’t just about how fast you can run, it’s a single number that reflects how well your heart, lungs, circulatory system, and muscle cells are working both independently and together. That’s a lot of information packed into one metric, which is exactly why it becomes such an important marker of your overall health. A higher VO2 max means your body is better at pulling oxygen out of the air and delivering it to your muscles. More oxygen delivered means more fuel. Or in biologic terms, that fuel is ATP or adenosine triphosphate, which is produced at cellular level, which is the actual currency your body spends on energy. The higher your VO2 max, the more efficiently that whole chain works. Now, here’s the study I was talking about earlier when we first started this podcast. There was this recent research done on 122,000 patients who underwent exercise treadmill testing to measure VO2 max. And what they found was a high VO2 max was linked to a lower risk of death from all causes, not just cardiovascular or cardiometabolic incidents, but it led to, and it was linked to lower risk of death from all causes. And a low VO2 max was linked to a higher risk of death from all causes, not just cardiovascular events. I’m talking about all-cause mortality. That’s about as strong a longevity signal as you’ll find in exercise science. And it’s a big part of why I want to build this whole episode around it and why I wanted to share this with you guys. So you might be wondering what’s a good VO2max range or number. So it depends on your goals. If you’re a competitive marathoner, triathlete, or cyclist, or even a cross-country skier, and by the way, cross-country skiers, VO2max is the highest recorded so far. So the answer for competitive athletes or competitive distance athletes would be as high as physiologically possible because it’s always gonna be your winning edge. Top endurance athletes structure their entire training lives around this number. For the rest of us, mere mortals, right? VO2 max is best understood through normal ranges. And those ranges depend on a few key factors. First factor is your age, the second factor is gender, the third factor would be fitness level at this current time. And then the fourth and last factor is elevation. If you live and train at altitude, like in Colorado, um let me repeat that. So I always tell my coaching clients, don’t spend too much energy uh worrying about what you can’t change. Focus on what you can change. Fitness goal is the big lever available to almost everyone that we, you know, we can work on it. Here are some general benchmarks in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. So VO2 max is measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. For men who are sedentary, the range is 35 to 40 milliliters per kg per minute of oxygen. For active men, that range is normally between 42 to 46 milliliters per kg per minute of oxygen. For very active and or athletic men, which we are talking about elite or pro range, it is 75 and over milliliters per kg per minute of oxygen. Let’s talk about women. Women, for sedentary women, the range is 27 to 30 milliliters of ox per kg per minute of oxygen. For active women, it’s 33 to 36 milliliters per kg per minute of oxygen. And for very active and athletic women, it is 70 milliliters per kg per minute and over, and it lands in true pro-athlete territory. A quick personal note: I started back in 2024 when this episode kind of like originally aired. I started in January of 2024, I should say, at 41 milliliters per kg per minute of oxygen. And after about six months of consistent targeted training, I’m now at 52 milliliters per kg per minute. So this is back in July of 2024, like after six months of consistent training in 2024, I could increase my VO2 max to 42, uh, sorry, 52, uh, landing it in superior and elite trains for female athletes. And, you know, I’ve been able to maintain this since um the end of 2024. There has been like a couple of months here and there where it dropped because I wasn’t running consistently, but then it picked, then I picked it back up. And I’m sharing this not to brag, but because I want you to know this is achievable for you. And it doesn’t take forever if you’re consistent and training with intention to improve your VO2 max. If you want your actual number, most sports performance labs at universities with exercise science programs will run the test for free. It’s worth reaching out to them to find it out. You can also get a cardiopulmonary exercise test through your doctor’s office or a longevity center or a hospital exercise medicine lab, too, where you can just go pay for it and get it done. Either way, you’ll wear a mask that that measures your oxygen and carbon dioxide as you run or bike at increasing intensity. We normally use the Bruce protocol. Excuse me. We normally use the Bruce protocol for measuring your VO2 max, which is a progressive test, an incline-based test. The speed increases too, but mostly it’s the incline that tires you out. Um, it’s a real workout, so it should be done only when you’re healthy and ideally under supervision of an exercise physiologist. So that’s how you can get your numbers, the exact numbers. If you have a smartwatch, it probably gives you a good estimate of your VO2 Max as well. So you can use that as well. Now, here are a few tips to improve your VO2max. I know this is the part everyone actually wants. How do you move that number? Here are my top three strategies that I’ve tested on myself and my clients. The first strategy is incorporating high-intensity interval training in your weekly routine. You need only one session a week, a good one high-intensity interval session a week to increase your VO2 max. So high-intensity interval training, you’re wondering what is that? It is short bursts of intense aerobic effort followed by recovery, repeated in a cycle. My go-to ratio with clients is four minutes on, four minutes off. I mean, you could do if you’ve if you haven’t done HIT in a while or haven’t done HIT ever, you can start at one minute on, 90 seconds off, and then build up from there. It’s approachable at almost any fitness level, and it still drives real VO2 max improvement. The key is listening to your body. You’re working hard by design. So build up gradually rather than maxing out on day one. Tip number two, zone two or low-intensity steady-state training. This is easy-paced cardio, which includes running, biking, hiking, rowing, uh, skiing, or a machine at the gym. Whichever machine you like to use, like a ski erg, would be good too. And the intensity is held at a low conversational intensity for 30 to 40 minutes. And you can also break this into intervals. You don’t have to just stick to it for 30 minutes straight, although that’s what I prefer to do as a runner. You don’t have to, though. If you don’t enjoy that, that’s okay. Take a break for two minutes, come back to it. Do a five-minute interval, take a break for two, come back to it. Now, it’s far less stressful on your body than HIIT, which makes it a great complement. Alternating between hard head days and easy zone two days builds your aerobic base without burning you out. And my third strategy and my third go-to strategy is to manage your body fat percentage. But this one surprises people. It surprises people so much because they’re like, What? How is how come my body fat percentage is linked to VO2 max? Because it is. Because you’re most efficient, your body’s most efficient at using oxygen as fuel when you have a lower body fat percentage. So lowering your body fat percentage while preserving lean muscle mass improves how efficiently your muscles use the oxygen you’re delivering to them. It’s not about chasing a number on the scale, it’s about body composition. And it works hand in hand with the training above. So I already gave you all the strategies. What are my go-to workouts? Because I know a lot of you have asked me, what are you doing to maintain your VO2 max? Or what are you doing to stay up with your VO2 max or increase it, which is gonna be my goal. Like uh in this last quarter of the year, I talked about chasing your fall goals. Um, that’s one of mine. So here are my go-to workouts. The first one is four times one thousand meter or mile repeats at 5k pace. It’s not an easy workout to do, but it’s so efficient at improving your VO2 max. So four times a thousand meters or four times sixteen hundred meters, which is a mile, and then you have a three-minute complete recovery in between each round or each rep. Second workout, which I like, which I kind of am dreading because I haven’t done like hills in a while, but it’s hill repeat. Two minutes hard uphill, run, and then you recover with a jog or walk back down, and you’re gonna repeat that six to eight times, letting your heart rate settle before each climb. So if you need longer recovery, let’s say you can’t recover in two minutes, you need three minutes or four minutes to recover. Let that be your recovery time, and then you can build up from there. That means you’re gonna start decreasing your recovery time over weeks and months. So let’s bring it home. Let’s put this all together. VO2max is more than a fitness number just for runners and triathletes. It’s directly tied to longevity. Research shows that people with higher VO2max tend to have lower cardiovascular risk and live longer, healthier, more functional lives. And that’s the whole goal, right? Not just adding years, but staying capable in the years you have. If you want help building a plan to move your own number, reach out. That’s exactly what I do. Whether you’re a dedicated athlete or someone who wants to feel strong and capable for decades to come, working on your VO2 Max is worth the investment. Thank you so much for tuning in today. If you listen to me live andor for watching and listening to this episode of the 925 Wellness Podcast. If you enjoyed it, hit subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s episode and share it with a friend. And if someone else asks you about what’s VO2max, why are you working on increasing or improving your VO2 Max, send this episode to them so they can understand why VO2 Max is your ultimate longevity biomarker. Thanks for listening today. Until next time, take care of your VO2 Max engine. Bye for now.