VO2 max: How it can help you run faster or train better

1. To measure VO2 max, you wear a mask and heart rate monitor hooked up to a treadmill or stationary bike.
2. The mask is connected to a machine that collects and measures the volume of oxygen you inhale, and the amount of air you exhale.
3. You'll slowly increase exercise intensity on the treadmill or bike — getting faster and/or adding more resistance — until your oxygen consumption remains steady despite an increase in intensity.

1. Once you reach that plateau, your body moves from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism — that is, your body stops using oxygen to fuel the breakdown of carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats because there isn't enough oxygen there.
2. Shortly after you reach that switch, your potential workload plateaus and muscle fatigue sets in.
3. You have to return to an aerobic state of movement to keep going.

Like heart rate, there's no one "good" VO2 max. Your VO2 max will differ from someone else's based on age, gender, fitness level and outside factors like altitude. For example:

• The average sedentary (inactive) male achieves a VO2 max of about 35 to 40 mL/kg/min, and the average sedentary female scores approximately 27 to 30 mL/kg/min.
• Elite male runners have shown VO2 maxes of up to 85 mL/kg/min, and elite female runners have scored up to 77 mL/kg/min.
• A good VO2 max for a 25-year-old male is 42.5-46.4 mL/kg/min, while a good value for a 25-year-old female is 33.0-36.9 mL/kg/min.

1. Until recently, the highest VO2 max ever measured was that of Bjørn Dæhlie, an Olympic skier who reportedly achieved a VO2 max of 96 ml/kg/min in the 1990s .
2. A young cyclist from Norway reportedly ousted Dæhlie with a VO2 max of 97.5 ml/kg/min, though scientists are still trying to figure out if that reading was accurate . 

1. Increasing your body's capacity to utilize oxygen is one surefire way to get you closer to your endurance-related goals — a higher VO2 max essentially extends your breaking point.
2. High-intensity interval training is one of the best ways to improve your VO2 max. It works because you train your body to work at incredibly high levels for a period of time just long enough to push or surpass your anaerobic threshold before returning to a steadier, aerobic state. 
3. In a theoretical sense, any exercise that pushes your limits can increase your VO2 max.

VO2 max is like a muscle of its own. If you run at the same easy pace for the same amount of time every day, you won't get faster or better at running. 

Instead, try adding intervals to your run. For example: 

• Run fast for one minute
• Jog slowly for two minutes
• Sprint for 30 seconds
• Jog slowly for two minutes
• And so forth

If running isn't your thing, you can apply the same principles to swimming, cycling, rowing, or any cross-training activity.