Most runners, at some point, want to see how fast and hard they can go, even for just a few minutes. Running at that nearly all-out intensity, when you’re breathing heavy and can barely talk, is likely your VO₂ max (or close to it). Scientifically speaking, VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and use and it’s a marker of your cardiovascular fitness level. 🏃🏻♀️For everything you need to know about this trendy and telling metric, check out The Runner’s World Guide to VO2 Max.
For a variety of reasons, VO₂ max naturally decreases as you get older. Fortunately, athletes are more likely to minimize this decline through consistent and purposeful training. Read on for more information about VO₂ max by age, including how it’s determined, and how to make sure your runs help maintain this important metric as you get older.
Of all the available health and fitness metrics, VO₂ max is one of the most important. He explains that, besides being an indicator of overall fitness, it’s also a “gold standard” measurement of an athlete’s ability to perform well in an endurance event; essentially, the higher your VO₂ max, the greater your potential. But VO₂ max is the first step in determining performance,” Buckingham says.
VO₂ max, which is measured as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute (ml/kg/min), is most accurately assessed in a laboratory environment. During the test, you wear a specialized mask that measures inhaled oxygen and exhaled carbon dioxide while you pedal an exercise bike, run on a treadmill, or swim in an endless pool. Over the course of 12 to 15 minutes, you increase the exercise intensity so that, by the end of the test, you pushed your aerobic limits.
Getting access to a lab can obviously be time consuming and expensive, so you can also turn to your fitness tracker to help establish a baseline and keep tabs on how your fitness is improving. The caveat: You have to take those numbers with a grain of salt. Research shows that many wearables over- or underestimate VO₂ max by up to 10 percent.
Like many markers of health and fitness, VO₂ max naturally declines as you age. For women, it’s a little later, like early 30s. But after it reaches the peak, it tends to decrease,” Buckingham says.
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