What is VO2 Max Testing?
VO2 Max testing measures the maximum rate at which your body can consume oxygen during exercise. It provides valuable insights into your cardiovascular fitness and endurance by analyzing how efficiently your body uses oxygen.
At Life Fit Labs, our state-of-the-art VO2 Max test identifies your fitness level, pure endurance capacity, and can even help detect early signs of cardiovascular issues.
What is VO2 Max Testing Used For?
VO2 Max testing is a critical tool for both athletes and non-athletes who want to live healthier longer, optimize their training, and assess overall cardiovascular health. VO2 max declines with age and the larger you can make this when you’re younger, the more reserve capacity you will have when you’re older to continue activities of daily living.
For Non-Athletes:
VO2 max is arguably the single biggest biomarker for lifespan. Just going from a low to high VO2 max decreases your chance of dying by almost a factor of 4. This is a more significant effect than smoking, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, or end-stage renal disease.
According to longevity doctor Dr. Peter Attia, if you want to live without restriction in your final decade of life, you need to have the elite VO2 max level of someone 20 years younger.
For Athletes:
VO2 max testing will provide estimates of an athlete’s aerobic threshold, anaerobic threshold, and relative use of fat and carbs for fuel at different intensities. This information can be used to set various training zones. It will also serve as an overall benchmark for training progress.
What to Expect During Your VO2 Max Test
During the VO2 Max test at Life Fit Labs, you will wear a heart rate monitor and a face mask connected to our advanced metabolic analysis system. You can choose to perform the test on either a treadmill or a stationary bike. For cyclists, you even have the option to bring your own bike and connect it to our Wahoo KICKR Snap if it’s compatible, so you can test in an environment that closely matches your regular training setup. This allows you to dial in your fueling strategy and get a more accurate assessment of your performance under familiar conditions.
Here’s what to expect:
- You will be fitted with a face mask and will be checked to make sure it fits and isn’t leaking. If you have a beard we can apply gel to the edge of the mask to try to get a better seal. If not, you may want to consider either shaving your beard for the test or doing a lactate test instead.
- You will begin with a warm-up session, either walking or cycling, and then gradually increase your pace over the next 10-20 minutes.
- Our system will track your oxygen consumption and heart rate throughout the test.
- The test will continue until either one of three things happens:
- You reach your true VO2 max. This is achieved when we increase the load (pace, incline, wattage), but your oxygen consumption doesn’t increase further.
- Our machine detects your anaerobic threshold and you continue for at least one more stage and your RER (respiratory exchange ratio) reaches 1.1. The machine will estimate max VO2 based on validated studies. This has the advantage of not being quite as uncomfortable as you don’t have to go all the way to your max heart rate or maximum O2 consumption levels.
- You decide to stop. If you experience pain, or just feel you’ve reached your maximum level of effort, we want you to stop before you’re injured. If you’ve at least reached your anaerobic threshold as discussed in 4.2 above, our machine will provide a valid VO2 max estimate. Regardless if your O2 consumption has plateaued or not, if you can’t go any harder, you’ve reached your max.
- After the test, you’ll receive a personalized consultation where we review your results and explain how to use them to enhance your training and fitness routine. We’ll be able to compare you to the general population of your same-aged and same-gendered peers.
Our VO2 Max testing is the same technology used by top athletes and research hospitals, ensuring the most accurate and reliable results.
Why is VO2 Max Important?
Your VO2 Max score reflects your body’s ability to perform under intense physical activity. It’s a critical metric for improving endurance and training smarter. For athletes, it’s an essential factor in optimizing performance, and for non-athletes, it helps monitor cardiovascular health.
If you’re ready to optimize your fitness and health, schedule a VO2 Max test with Life Fit Labs today!