WORDS: DANIEL DAVIES. PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES. MODEL: LEE MCLAUGHLIN AT W MODELS
VO2max is one of those esoteric fitness concepts that most people have heard of but few can actually explain. Basically, it’s a measurement of how much oxygen our bodies can consume while exercising, and its roots can be traced back over 100 years, to two physiologists, Archibald Vivian Hill and Hartley Lupton. The pair strapped air bags to study participants and discovered that the faster they ran, the more oxygen they required – up to a limit. Not that VO2 max is just a measurement of fitness, with multiple studies identifying a clear association between high VO2 max and longevity. Today, testing has become more sophisticated, with the gold standard requiring a rubber mask, a treadmill and a laboratory setting. Or it can be evaluated in a more rudimentary way. The Cooper test was devised in 1968 by Dr Kenneth Cooper for use by the US military. To do it, run as far as you can in 12 minutes, ideally outdoors, and note the distance. Next, take your distance (in miles), multiply it by 35.97 and then subtract 11.29 from the result. This is your VO2 max estimate. If the math isn’t mathing, you can add your distance to an online calculator, which will work out your VO2 max and what it means for your fitness levels.