Training for VO2 max and why personalization matters 

/in /by

 

  • VO2max is a reflection of how efficient our oxygen chain is working, namely our lungs, heart, and cells. The stronger our oxygen chain the higher the VO2max.
  • There are several types of training that can be categorized into three groups: Resistance, Interval, and Endurance training. Each training type can impact different parts of the oxygen chain. 
  • Depending on where our limitations are, the type of training from each type can vary making VO2max testing and personalization essential. 

 

VO2max has emerged as a highly sought-after biomarker in fitness, health, and wellness due to its precise indication of biological age. Historically, VO2max was primarily associated with elite athletes who meticulously tracked it to monitor their progress and optimize their training. However, it has recently gained wider recognition for its long-established role in measuring longevity and reflecting progress in one’s anti-aging journey. In this blog, we explain why the strategy and training regimen for increasing your VO2 max can vary significantly from one person to another and how breath analysis provides the only scientific method to help determine your personalized training strategy.

 

What is VO2 max, and what are its constituents? 

To better understand the variability of one’s optimal VO2max training strategy we should first understand what VO2max is and the factors that determine its level. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen the human body can absorb. It is measured in terms of milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight. The below formula below indicates how VO2max is calculated:

The numerator indicates the volume of oxygen your heart, lungs, and cells can absorb, expressed in milliliters per minute. The denominator indicates the weight of the individual represented in kilograms. 

 

The reason why VO2max is such a great indicator of longevity, overall health, as well as athletic performance is because it constitutes an umbrella metric for all the critical systems that participate in the oxygen chain, the set of systems nature developed to funnel oxygen into our bodies. Because of the fundamental nature of oxygen supply to our cells, a large part of our body specifically evolved to sustain this process. Our heart, lungs, and blood circulation’s main task is to facilitate oxygen delivery clearance of carbon dioxide, in other words, to maintain the ongoing operation of aerobic metabolism. All these systems comprise the Oxygen Chain. It’s not a coincidence that most conditions that are likely to kill your or reduce your quality of life are a consequence or reflection of poor oxygen flow through one of the constituents of the oxygen chain.  

 

Each workout type’s role 

There are three main types of workout that are separated based on the stimulus they induce the movement they contain. 

  • Resistance Training: Focuses on building muscle strength and endurance through exercises that involve lifting weights or using resistance bands.
  • Endurance Training: Also known as Zone 2 training, endurance exercise aims to improve cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity through continuous steady-state activities such as running, cycling, and swimming.
  • Interval Training: Involves alternating periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of rest or low-intensity exercise, which can improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. These zones are typically Zone 4 and Zone 5. 

Resistance training is one of the best exercise modalities to boost metabolism. It helps to increase the resting metabolic rate (RMR) by increasing the amount of lean muscle mass in the body. Since muscles are amongst the most metabolically active tissues in the body, the higher the amount of lean muscle, the more calories the body will burn during the day. Moreover, strength training also increases the sympathetic nervous system’s activation, which also results in metabolism enhancement. Having an elevated metabolism is crucial for health and longevity since it decreases the chance of putting weight on, thus becoming overweight and/or obese. Obesity is associated with multiple chronic conditions, which are common causes of premature mortality.   

Zone 2 is the best exercise modality for helping the body achieve maximal fat-burning capacity. At these low-to-moderate exercise intensities, the highest rate of fat oxidation is observed, while carbohydrate oxidation is minimal. Maximal fat burn rates at zone 2 train the mitochondria to rely more on fat for energy production, thus causing mitochondria biogenesis. Mitochondria are vital organelles that regulate fat oxidation, and mitochondria biogenesis is the increase in their number and density—the greater the number and density of the mitochondria, the higher the fat burn.  A high fat-burning efficiency is associated with longevity since it protects from fat accumulation and weight gain, and hence, a series of severe chronic conditions.

Zone 4 improves lung utilization and capacity, meaning the total amount of air (oxygen) the lungs can hold, as well as how efficiently this oxygen can be delivered around the body. Lung utilization and capacity are among the most significant contributors to VO2peak, meaning the better they are, the higher the VO2peak that can be attained during maximal exercise. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), VO2peak is one of the strongest longevity indicators. Furthermore, a high level of ventilation is essential for longevity as it ensures adequate oxygenation of the cells, which in turn minimizes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), one of the main aging factors. Moreover, high lung utilization can help avoid pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which can shorten life and health span.

Zone 5 increases the heart’s stroke volume, which is the amount of blood the heart can pump per beat. The increase in stroke volume, and thus blood flow, results in increased cardiac output and hence faster and more efficient transportation of oxygen to all working muscles around the body, including the heart. Therefore, the heart can absorb and utilize more blood and oxygen, minimizing the chances of obstructed blood flow and inefficient oxygen delivery (ischemia). A healthy heart sets the foundation for a long and healthy life since heart disease is globally the most common cause of mortality.

Improving VO2max is always a matter of focusing on one’s limiting factor of their oxygen chain. The identification of this limiting factor can only be done through a graded exercise breath analysis test that will assess the person’s cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cellular function and determine which system is posing a blockage to the delivery of oxygen and clearance of carbon dioxide. Since each type of training specializes in inducing positive adaptations in one specific part of the oxygen chain it can be easily inferred that without proper testing it’s impossible to reliably identify the training regiment that’s individualized for a person’s biological needs. Consequently, personalization for improving VO2max matters, and can be easily achieved through a breath analysis test.