What is V02 Max?

If you are serious about improving your cycling speed or endurance one term you are going to keep coming up against is V02 Max. You're probably wondering what V02Max is all about. Read on...

One way of measuring fitness amongst different types of athletes is by recording the amount of oxygen they can consume while they exercise at their maximum capacity. V02Max is this measurement of oxygen in millilitres per kilogram of bodyweight that an athlete can use in one minute. (V02Max = Volume of O2 (symbol for oxygen) at MAXimum). V02max is NOT strictly a measurement of power.

Fit endurance athletes tend to have a higher V02max value than a sedentary person and they can subsequently exercise more intensely.

Many studies have shown that athletes can increase their V02max by working intensities that raise their heart rate to between 65% and 85% of its maximum for a period of at least 20 minutes between 3 and 5 times a week.

An average V02max value for a sedentary male is around 35 ml per kg per minute and for sedentary females the figure is around 2700 ml per kg per minute. Elite endurance athletes would expect to average around 70ml/kg/min.

Sedentary V02max is primarily based on genetics but it can be improved by quality training. Some sedentary people will naturally have high V02max figures while others have lower figures. This genetic variation explains why not everyone can train themselves to become elite athletes.

V02max isn't the be all and end all of performance though. There are many athletes who had lower V02max figures but who still won consistently at an elite level. Other factors that contribute to performance are mental fortitude and the ability to endure pain, riding efficiency and lactate threshold. A rider with a high lactate threshold, economic riding style and an ability to tolerate pain can certainly beat riders with higher V02Max figures.

So what's the easiest way to increase your V02Max? The simple, and perhaps slightly flippant answer, is to lose weight. Remember kilograms are part of the V02 max equation so if we reduce that side of the equation then the other side of it goes up. There is less of you but your cardiovascular system is working the same as before, therefore you will be more efficient.

We will be looking at other ways to increase V02max in future articles so stay tuned.

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