VO2 max is the maximum rate at which your body can take up and use oxygen. It is trainable, it is measurable, and it is strongly associated with long-term health outcomes in cohort studies.
How it is measured
Established evidence
The reference method is a graded exercise test with expired-gas analysis, performed on a treadmill or cycle ergometer. Field tests and wearable estimates approximate it from heart rate and pace models.
Weekly structure
Clinical research
Most training programmes with published results combine a large base of low-intensity aerobic work with a smaller amount of high-intensity interval work. Both components have trial evidence for improving measured aerobic capacity in previously untrained and recreationally trained adults.
- 3–4 sessions of easy, conversational aerobic work
- 1–2 interval sessions with hard efforts and full recoveries
- 2 resistance sessions covering the main movement patterns
Progression and load
Change one variable at a time — duration, frequency or intensity — and hold it for three to four weeks before judging it. Re-test the same way you tested the baseline.
Sources & references
Educational content only. Nothing here is medical advice, and no KUULPEPS product is offered to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Products are supplied for laboratory research use only.
Parent topic
More on performance
Performance is capacity you can measure: how much work you can do, how hard, and how well you repeat it.
