VO2 max
VO2 max (Maximal Oxygen Uptake)
Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is a measuring tool utilized in determining an athlete’s capacity to perform sustained exercise. It helps define aerobic endurance. VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense exercise. It is measured as “milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight.”
To measure VO2 Max, one must be connected to a special computer and breathe into an apparatus that analyses exhaled air. The test begins at a relatively easy level and slowly increases in intensity until the subject can longer continue testing. The subject’s nose will be plugged, he/she will breathe through a mouthpiece connected to the metabolic analyzer, and he/she will wear a heart-rate monitor. The analyzer measures the volume, as well as the percentage of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the expired gas.
Personal Trainers
To perform an indirect VO2 Max test, simply have the subject walk one mile as fast as possible and note the the amount of time it takes. Immediately after finishing the mile, take the subjects pulse.
Use the following equation for estimating VO2 Max.
VO2 max (ml/kg/min) = 132.853 – 0.0769 (weight) – 0.3877 (age) + 6.3150 (sex) – 3.2649 (time) – 0.1565 (heart rate)
Weight is in pounds.
Age is in years.
Sex: male = 1, female = 0.
Time is expressed in minutes and 100ths.
Heart Rate is in beats per minute, taken at the end of the walk.