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Official vo2 Max Thread
YellowSnow
Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 36,581 
Has anyone here (e.g., @whlinder ) ever had their vo2 max checked "professionally" so to speak?
I never have, personally. But I was farting around with some crude Peleton and C2 metrics. Mine seems to be around 53 - 57 ish range which is like 98 or 99th percentile for my age.
#RowPeterPufferSkrong
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I don’t even know what VO2 max is
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/vo2-max-what-is-it-and-how-can-you-improve-it
Yes. I did at a lifetime fitness like a decade or more ago. Had the mask on and ran as fast as I could on a treadmill. I forget the results but was definitely top 10% for my age at the time.
Maybe I can dig it up if I ever clean out the shit that accrues when you live in the same place for a while.
No. Never even heard of it until reading about it on this board.
it’s the metric for measuring cardiovascular fitness.
Tied to VO2 max is heart rate based exercise, where knowing your actual heart rate zones to guide your training is really beneficial. It’s the whole idea behind places like Orange Theory. Train in different zones for different purposes where your body reacts differently to each of them.
It's also considered one of the best (or the best) metrics (strength being a close #2) for predicting lifespan/longevity.
One of my favorite Dr. Peter Attia-isms is that people need to quit majoring in the "minor" and focus in the "major". In other words, it's a waste of time to be arguing all this diet shit- e.g., keto, carnivore, Mediterranean, etc, if your vo2 max house isn't in order first.
No one is on the national team over age 40 so how does that apply to those age ranges. I have no earthly idea how to pick between the two options. I am not training like a top college rower but I sure as hell am not training like a novice.
I have been thinking about VO2 max since this popped up and just came across this article and thought i'd share.
https://archive.is/pnrkd/again?url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2025/01/02/fartlek-interval-training-exercise/
BTW anyone who isn't aware of Archive.IS this site is $. Works for a ton of paywalls….
https://archive.is/
Fartleks are super beneficial. It's basically the different heart rate zone training I mentioned before but without all the precision. Also very similar to High intensity interval Training (HiiT).
When I was my fittest at running I would do those all the time. Still mix into my runs picking up the pace to a landmark and then backing off. But nothing with the breath measurement etc.
XC Mt Biking provide a lot of Fartlek type work.
Dried apricots seem to get me in the fartlek zone pretty easy.
I don't run, hoss. I've gotta measure this off Peleton or C2 . But still chick Huberman is on point with the metric.
I am quite intrigued on the measurement being based on different activities, given the vastly different abilities someone with a great VO2 max can have between between rowing, biking and running. Not to mention swimming, skiing etc. I guess the real way is a test while doing your best activity, and the approximations are off of other people who tested using their VO2 output and exercise performance?
I would suspect a rower with a great vo2 max who was a slow runner would still show up great on a treadmill. vo2 max measure how much o2 one can consumer vs speed.
People forget that during the UW Crew Turkey Trot races, I'd finish in the bottom 25% but my C2 scores were always in the top 25% or higher.
That combined metric screams under-performer, champ.
How does skiing at altitude affect a V02 measure?
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Hardly, bud. The fastest XC runners would get killed on C2 vs a 6'6" high level rowers. It's physics.
I have no idea on skiing. I've heard though erging at 3761 ft (my house) gets you about 3% discount time wise so I got that going for me!!