Vo2 Max and Longevity Basics
With all the data floating around about health and optimization, it can be hard to know what your goals should be? Longevity is a tough goal, only way to know you did it right is to reach old age. I like proxy measures for longevity, specifically things that reduce all causes of mortality. All cause mortality is a calculation of your likelihood of dying from anything, regardless of cause. One of the best things to reduce all cause mortality is having a high VO2 max. An increase of 3.5 mL/kg/min is about a 10-20% reduction in all cause mortality.
VO2 max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in. This is a measure of your aerobic fitness. Think of this as having a bigger engine. Oxygen is used in the making of ATP (energy) in cells. The more oxygen you take in the more energy you can make the more things you can do, such as run/bike/swim further and faster. To measure yours, you can go to a sports physiology lab or use an online calculator such as the Copper 12 minute run test.
So if you want to live better and longer, a higher VO2 max should be a goal of yours. Now it's time to talk about training for it. There are many different methods to increase your VO2 max. Some of the most popular are the Norwegian 4x4 which is doing 4 minutes of very hard work, followed by 4 minutes of recovery and repeated 4 total times. Pacing of the 4 minutes of hard work should be 90%+ max heart rate. You can cut the intervals down as far as to 2 minutes but going much lower taps into a different energy system. You can also do longer tempo runs around an 85% max heart rate for 20-40 minutes. The options are many, these are just some of the most common. Repeat these workouts 2+ times per week and overtime your VO2 max will gradually increase. You can really punch a VO2 training plan into Google and grab whatever plan fits your life the best, there are that many options. When training for increasing your VO2 max, consistency is key. You can’t get a high VO2 in a quick 30 day couch to 5k program. This is about doing consistent work over many years and then maintaining that training plan for a lifetime. Find what mode you enjoy the most whether it be running, biking, swimming, rowing machines, elliptical or so on. Some of the top VO2s recorded have come from cross country skiers. Pick what you like and find a workout style you enjoy. Some people like intervals, some like steady state, some like to mix it up constantly.
We all know being in good shape helps, with VO2 max, it can give you a measurable goal to work on. I like to test mine annually to gauge where I am at and where I am headed. Then pick what you like and train consistently.
