How VO2 Max Training Can Help You Reach Your Health & Fitness Goals This Year

Whether your New Year's goals include lifting heavier weights, setting a personal record on the bike, or running your first 5k, having a strong VO₂max can help you get there.

Our bodies need a steady supply of oxygen to perform at their best, and VO₂max is a measurement of how much oxygen you can utilize at a time. The biomarker shows how efficiently you take oxygen from the air into your lungs and pump it through the blood to your muscles.

"Research from my lab and others has found a strong link between a moderate to high VO₂max and a lower risk for several common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, dementia, and several forms of cancer. This is seen in both men and women, most often across all age spans," Elin Ekblom Bak, Ph.D., a physiology researcher and associate professor at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, tells mindbodygreen.

In research published last summer, Ekblom Bak and her team monitored over 177,000 Swedish men over a nearly 10-year period and found that having a higher cardiorespiratory fitness (as measured by VO₂max) was associated with a lower risk of death due to colon and lung cancer1. A separate study published in the International Journal of Cardiology2 found a connection between a high VO₂max and lower risk of carotid atherosclerosis—a major predictor of heart disease.

VO₂max is measured in milliliters of oxygen consumed in one minute per kilogram of body weight (mL/kg/min). The average VO₂max for an adult male between ages 30 and 60 is around 39.2-44 mL/kg/min, while an adult female in the same age range typically falls around 35.6-40.5 mL/kg/min.

The most accurate way to measure your VO₂max is in a lab setting, where you wear a mask that measures the amount of oxygen being "consumed" by the body, Ekblom Bak explains. However, she also developed a test that you can do to estimate yours at home. Some fitness trackers like the Oura Ring, Garmin, and WHOOP can also give you an approximate reading.

Once you crunch your numbers, know that there is no such thing as a "good" or "bad" VO₂max. Like other biomarkers such as heart rate variability (HRV), VO₂max depends on factors like age, sex, and genetics. So it's best to focus on improving upon your own baseline before you worry too much about comparing yourself to others.

"It has previously been recommended that men should have a VO₂max above 35 ml/min/kg and women 32 ml/min/kg. However, more recent research has seen that there is no clear threshold, at least not in the lower end of the VO₂max span," explains Ekblom Bak. "This means that every ml-increase in VO₂max from lower and moderate levels (~below 35 to 40 ml/min/kg) may be associated with risk reduction and possible health benefits."

The most effective way to raise your VO₂max is to train in zones 4 and 5. These are the zones that leave your lungs full and your heart racing. Unlike more sustainable zone 2 training, you should only be able to stay in them for four to five minutes at a time, maximum.

Research shows3 that the most effective exercises for building VO₂max are high-intensity anaerobic movements that bring you to about 80% of your maximum heart rate or above. If you don't have a heart rate monitor, you can use a "talk test"; you should only be able to get a word or two out at a time at this level.

Attia recommends capping each high-intensity set at four minutes, then taking four minutes of recovery before repeating. Use these recovery minutes to actually recover and allow your heart rate to come back down. If you don't, you'll limit how hard you can push in the next rep and won't get as much benefit from the workout.

If you're looking to actively raise your VO₂max, Ekblom Bak recommends doing these high-intensity circuits for 15-30 minutes per session, three to five days per week. The more intense the activity, the lower the total workload. "Also, the more muscles involved, the greater the aerobic challenge on the cardiovascular system," she adds. "Activities that involve the lower body, or more preferably both arms, legs, and trunks, are recommended."

You shouldn't be doing high-intensity training every day, as it's tough on the body and can come with a higher risk of injury. For every day of zone 4/5 training, do at least one day of easier aerobic (endurance/cardio) exercise.