VO2 Max - what do my numbers mean?

Theresafinallygetsitright

I had mine measured today and thought I would understand everything upon obtaining that information but didn't really get what I wanted. If I am efficiently burning fat at a relatively low heart rate (120 according to the graph) then why is it important to work out at my base (around 160 bpm)? How does improving my VO2 max improve my ability to maintain a healthy weight?
I understand improving cardiovascular endurance improves health but I am wondering how these numbers translate to fat loss. The guy who did mine wasn't prepared well for my questions -

chasityann32

I will research this, but im thinking it has something to do with keeping your metabolism going, after your workout...i may be wrong though..

yarwell

improving your VO2 max means you can burn more calories, on the assumption that the limit is how fast you can get the oxygen into your blood stream. Higher VO2max implies higher metabolic rate hence you can eat more and maintain, or lose more for a given intake.

What was your number ?

Azdak

VO2 max is a measure of your maximum (or peak) cardiovascular fitness level. The number translates to milligrams of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.

The primary purpose of the cardiovascular system during aerobic exericse is to increase blood flow (containing oxygen and fuel) to the cells and then to use oxygen and fuel to create energy.

The higher your VO2, the higher your cardiovascular fitness level. When you perform an appropriate cardiovascular training routine, you can increase your VO2 max. How high is genetically determined--for most people, it's 25%-30% above their untrained state.

What significance does this have?

The effects of exercise and your ability to maintain a certain workload depends on what percentage that workload is of your VO2max.

For example, a workload that is 30% of your VO2 max is something you could sustain for a long time, because it is a low intensity. However, it is not enough of a stimulus to result in an improvement in your VO2 max. 60% of your VO2 max is still considered easy to moderate. It can also be sustained, and it will result in cardiovascular improvement. 85%-90% of your VO2 max is considered a strenuous effort--it can also increase VO2 max, but usually can only be sustained for a relatively short period of time.

The intensity of any activity that is aerobic in nature has a relatively fixed energy cost. So, your ability to do that activity at a particular level will depend on your VO2 max. For example, running 6.0 mph (10:00 per mile) has an energy cost of about 30. If your VO2max is 40, that would represent 75% of your VO2max. That would be doable, but it would be a pretty strenuous effort at first. If your VO2 max is 30, then it would likely not be possible to sustan that effort.

What does this mean for weight loss?

The calories you burn during aerobic exercise depend on two things: (fixed) intensity of effort and body weight. Going back to the previous example, running 6.0 mph for an hour would burn about 10 times your body wt in kg. If you increase your fitness level by 25%, you might now be able to run at 6.5 mph at the same percentage of VO2 max. Running at the faster speed means that you will now be burning MORE calories than before (assuming weight is the same--and if weight has decreased, then you can maintain your previous calorie burn).

In summary: increasing VO2max = being able to maintain a higher actual workload during exercise = increased calorie burn (if weight is constant).

The people doing these tests now often focus on the percentage of fuel utilization during exercise, specifically the percentage of fat that is burned. The percentage of fat you burn as fuel during exercise changes as intensity changes, and it changes as your conditioning improves. The different "zones" and things like your "anerobic threshold" can be useful for planning a training program.

However, the percentage or the amount of fat your burn during exercise has almost no effect on body fat loss. So, from that standpoint, the numbers aren't that important. What is important is that they can be used to help you set up a balanced training program that will improve your overall fitness--and improving your overall fitness will allow you to work harder and burn more calories--which is what will really help you with your weight loss program.

mhotch

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ChristinaBarnhouse

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