RUNNING SKILLS
VO2 MAX
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Your VO2 Max is one of the most important numbers on your smart watch, but what on earth does it mean? We uncover what it is, how to measure it and find out how improving your score will make you run faster, further and easier
Words: Anna Harding
If you have a running watch, you might have pored over all of the data and numbers it throws at you, in an attempt to track your running progress. One number you might have noticed is VO2 Max, but do you really understand what the number refers to? Or whether the number displayed on your watch is good or bad?
VO2 Max used to be a measurement reserved for the high-end, expensive fitness trackers, but it can actually be the most useful data tool in your armoury as a number to show your fitness level. You’ll find it on most of the watches available on the market these days, even though it might be called other things. For example, if you have a Fitbit device, it’s actually called a Cardio Fitness Score.
Most of the measurements, whatever they’re called, are based on heart rate data, so you’ll get a more accurate measurement by wearing a heart rate chest strap to measure, rather than relying solely on wrist-based data.
If you want to run faster and further and make it feel easier, then read on and find out how you can measure and increase your VO2 Max.
First things first
Let’s start with some science about what VO2 Max is. When you run, or take part in any kind of aerobic exercise, your body can improve several functions; muscle strength, heart rate, body weight and composition, and maximal oxygen consumption. The final one is what is more commonly referred to as VO2 Max but it is also known as maximal oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity, and is the maximum amount of oxygen consumption that is available during physical exertion. To put it simply, it’s how much oxygen your body can absorb and use during exercise.
The V stands for volume, the O2 relates to the oxygen and ‘max’ is unsurprisingly an abbreviation of maximum. It’s measured in millimetres per kilogram per minute (ml/kg/min), so the amount of oxygen your body can utilise per kilogram of body weight, per minute.