The Importance of VO2 Max Testing: How to Read Your Results

VO2 max testing assesses the maximal oxygen consumption used during bouts of intense, taxing exercise. It’s presently considered the gold standard in measuring cardiovascular fitness among medical experts. It can accurately assess your cardiorespiratory functioning.

Not only does this test indicate your aerobic fitness level, but it also provides a wealth of useful information on which to base a tailored exercise regimen. VO2 max testing also reveals powerful insights into your overall wellness, including warnings of potential cardiac or respiratory disease symptoms.

At Cenegenics®, we use only the most established, accurate and trusted testing procedures available.

Absolute VO2 max (L/min) is a total value, while relative VO2 max (ml/kg/min) brings body weight into the equation. The relative value is more personalized and therefore a more precise indicator of your overall health than the absolute value.

For example, you may have a high absolute value, but compared to factoring in your body weight, it could be determined that you have a very low relative value which indicates less than optimum health.

VCO2 (L/min) is a value that correlates with VO2. As exercise intensity increases, oxygen consumption (VO2) increase right along with it. As more oxygen is consumed, more CO2 is created and released through breathing.

The volume of carbon dioxide expelled after transporting oxygen throughout your body is measured by VCO2. CO2 is also created as a byproduct of energy production inside your body during vigorous exercise.

Also known as metabolic equivalents, METS identify how much oxygen you consume at rest. One MET is defined as 3.5 ml/kg/hour, which is equivalent to the energy cost of simply sitting. This measurement provides a straightforward means of measuring exercise intensity via oxygen consumption, and may be beneficial especially in athletic performance.

Most up-to-date treadmills have a built in feature that displays the METS of a certain intensity level. They can be a good indicator of intensity for tracking progress through specific workouts, and can at times, be recommended by exercise physiologists.

Heart rate is one the your probably familiar with. Remember P.E class, and holding taking your pulse for 10 seconds and multiplying it by 6? That’s what this is. It’s important to know how many beats per minute your heart performs at rest and exercise. It’s a key inducator of how hard your body is working at rest. The harder it has to work, the more room for improvement you have. We want your heart working as little as it has to when you are sedentary, which for most people, is a large part of the day. Most people have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 bpm. Whereas trained athletes could easily have a resting HR as low as 40 bpm. In general, physicians tend to recommend a target heart rate during moderate exercise of roughly 50-70% of maximum HR, or 70-80% of maximum HR during vigorous exercise. Your maximal beats per minute will naturally change with age, but with healthy lifestyle choices you can certainly improve your overall heart health and lower your resting bpm.

RER stands for respiratory exchange ratio. It is one of the most valuable pieces of information derived from a VO2 max test. RER helps us determine what fuel source your body was burning while exercising.

During periods of rest, you typically burn fat for energy. It’s a slow process, that requires lots of oxygen. Your body also uses fat during low-intensity exercise, as long as your body can get enough oxygen, it’s preference is to use fat for fuel.

As you up the exercise intensity, your body no longer has the time or oxygen to break down fats quickly enough to provide energy. It goes straight to carbohydrates stored in your muscles and liver, known as glycogen stores. Carbohydrates don’t require much oxygen to be broken down for energy and the process is quick compared to fats.

Your body is in a constant state of flux between carbs and fats for energy. While watching T.V your body is running on almost solely fat. When sprinting up a hill your body is utilizing a majority of carbs to get the job done. Depending on what your day physically consists of, could have a large impact the proper diet and training regimen for your unique body.

Respiratory rate, or RR, is measured in breaths per minute. While at rest, an adult averages between 12 to 20 breaths per minute. As you go about your daily activities, your respiratory rate will increase and decrease.The difference between climbing a flight of stairs and sitting at a desk is all shown through your RR.

VT (L) is tidal volume. It’s the volume of air that is transported in and out of your lungs with each breath. As exercise intensity increases, a larger demand for oxygen is created, which requires more breaths per minute. Simply put, your body takes big breaths compared to small breaths.

VE (L/min) refers to ventilation. This is how much you breathe. Ventilation increases with exercise intensity, removing carbon dioxide and increasing oxygen supply.