<ol><li>VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during exercise.</li><li>It's commonly used to test the aerobic endurance or cardiovascular fitness of athletes before and at the end of a training cycle.</li><li>VO2 max is measured in milliliters of oxygen consumed in one minute, per kilogram of body weight (mL/kg/min). </li><li>It's not the same thing as <a href="https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-measure-your-heart-rate/">heart rate</a>, though it can be just as effective, if not more so, to measure and track your fitness progress.</li><li>VO2 isn't excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which refers to the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17101527">increase in oxygen your body uses after a workout</a>, not during.</li></ol>

What is VO2 Max and What It Is Not?

<ol><li>Although VO2 max is a good marker of fitness, it does present some downfalls. </li><li>You can't really get an accurate measure of it except in a lab with expensive clinical equipment which is why VO2 max is usually a fitness marker reserved for elite and professional athletes.</li></ol>

How do you test VO2 max?

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:<ul><li>The average sedentary (inactive) male <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0073182#references">achieves a VO2 max </a>of about 35 to 40 mL/kg/min, and the average sedentary female scores approximately 27 to 30 mL/kg/min.</li><li>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.</li><li>A <a href="https://www.verywellfit.com/what-is-vo2-max-3120097">good VO2 max </a>for a 25-year-old male is 42.5-46.4 mL/kg/min, while a <a href="https://www.verywellfit.com/vo2-max-norms-for-women-3120275">good value for a 25-year-old female </a>is 33.0-36.9 mL/kg/min.</li></ul>

What should my VO2 max be?

<ol><li>To measure VO2 max, you wear a mask and heart rate monitor hooked up to a treadmill or stationary bike. </li><li>The mask is connected to a machine that collects and measures the volume of oxygen you inhale, and the amount of air you exhale. </li><li>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.</li></ol>

How do you test VO2 Max (cont.)

<ol><li>Once you reach that plateau, your body moves from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/aerobic-metabolism">aerobic metabolism </a>to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/anaerobic-metabolism">anaerobic metabolism </a>— that is, your body stops using oxygen to fuel the breakdown of carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats because there isn't enough oxygen there.</li><li>Shortly after you reach that switch, your potential workload plateaus and muscle fatigue sets in. </li><li>You have to return to an aerobic state of movement to keep going.</li></ol>

How do you test VO2 Max? (cont.)

<ol><li>Until recently, the highest VO2 max ever measured was that of Bjørn Dæhlie, an Olympic skier who <a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20832549/who-has-the-greatest-vo2max-of-them-all/">reportedly achieved a VO2 max of 96 ml/kg/min in the 1990s </a>. </li><li>A young cyclist from Norway reportedly ousted Dæhlie with a VO2 max of 97.5 ml/kg/min, though scientists are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31194601">still trying to figure out if that reading was accurate </a>. </li></ol>

The Highest VO2 Max Measured

<ol><li>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.</li><li>High-intensity interval training is one of the <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2012/01000/Effect_of_High_Intensity_Interval_Training_on.18.aspx">best ways to improve your VO2 max</a>. 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. </li><li>In a theoretical sense, any exercise that pushes your limits can increase your VO2 max.</li></ol>

How to 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: <ul><li>Run fast for one minute</li><li>Jog slowly for two minutes</li><li><a href="https://www.cnet.com/tags/sprint/">Sprint</a> for 30 seconds</li><li>Jog slowly for two minutes</li><li>And so forth</li></ul>If running isn't your thing, you can apply the same principles to swimming, cycling, rowing, or any cross-training activity.