VO2 max is the maximum oxygen your body can use during intense exercise. In the epidemiology it outperforms almost every blood marker as a predictor of how long you will live — and unlike your genome, it responds to training at any age.
What it covers
- Maximal oxygen uptake, measured directly rather than estimated
- Ventilatory thresholds, used to set your training zones
- Heart rate response and recovery
- Comparison against age and sex reference values
How it is performed
A graded exercise test on a treadmill or bike with a mask measuring expired gases, supervised by clinical staff. It lasts about twelve minutes and finishes at genuine maximal effort.
How to prepare
Avoid hard training for 48 hours, eat lightly two to three hours before, and bring training clothes and shoes. Skip caffeine on the day.
How we read it
Both as a risk number and as a prescription: your measured thresholds define the training zones in your protocol, so the exercise you are given is calibrated to you rather than to a generic percentage.