Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Your VO2 Max

What is Your VO2 Max?

VO2 max is the maximum oxygen your muscles consume during peak activity. V for volume and O2 for oxygen.

This depends primarily on the age and gender of the person. Some averages:
- Average sedentary male – 35 to 40 mL/kg/min
- Average sedentary female – 27 an 30 mL/kg/min
The higher the number, the better
mL/kg/min = milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight
Here’s a more detailed charge of age ranges and averages

It varies greatly from sport to sport, but just to give you an idea, Lance Armstrong has been measured at 85 mL/kg/min.
Other athletes:
- Bjorn Daehlie, cross country skier: 90
- Miguel Indurain, cyclist (winner of Tour de France): 88
- John Ngugi, 5 times world cross country champ: 85
- Dave Bedford, 10km World Record holder: 85
- Sebastian Coe, middle distance (1 mile WR): 77

In terms of athletic performance, someone with a higher VO2 max will be able to perform at a high level for a longer period of time than someone with a lower VO2 max.
VO2 max focuses on aerobic capacity. So the person with a high VO2 max does not necessarily mean he or she can push heavier weights during resistance training or HIIT exercises and sprints.

There are various ways to measure VO2 max which involve measurements, calculations, and formulas. This information can be found on pages like this.
You will still need a device that can measure the necessary data needed for calculations. An Apple Watch can do much of the needed measuring and calculate your VO2 max for you.
Simpler ways to get your VO2 max measurements is to go to professional services like BodySpec. There you will go for a short appointment where you would wear a mask to measure oxygen input while you run at a high intensity on a treadmill for a specified amount of time. I’ve been to Body Spec for measuring my fat percentage. It’s quick, easy and they provide a nice looking report for you in both digital and physical formats.

You can definitely improve your VO2 Max with proper and focused training.
There are no specifics tricks to increase your VO2 max despite what you may read. You basically have to train more often and elicit your VO2 max on a regular basis which means utilizing high-intensity interval training and do it at various intervals, pacing, and distances.
There are numerous methods of high-intensity interval training, you can find some of those methods here.

Genetics can account for 25-50% of the variance between individuals
Even athletes that compete in the same sport can have a high variance when it comes to VO2 max.
VO2 max declines with age (about 2% per year after age 30)

Sources