VO2 max: What is it and how can you improve it? - Harvard Health

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Spend enough time with a group of endurance athletes — swimmers, cyclists, runners, cross-country skiers, anyone who needs to sustain an aerobic effort — and sooner or later, someone is bound to bring up V02 max. VO2 max is an objective way to tell just how fit you are. A high VO2 max correlates to better physical fitness and is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease and increased longevity. And if you know your VO2 max, you can use it as a tool to help you exercise more efficiently. The V in VO2 max stands for volume, while O2 stands for oxygen. As such, VO2 max measures how much oxygen your body consumes while exercising. Typically, VO2 max is measured as ml/kg/minute (milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute of exercise). You might also be interested in... When you breathe, your lungs absorb oxygen and transport it your red blood cells, which carry the oxygen to all of your body's organs and muscles. Your muscle cells need oxygen to gene

July 8, 2024 By Lindsay Warner , Content Licensing Editor, Harvard Health Publishing Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD , Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing Share {} }" > Share this page to Facebook Share this page to X Share this page via Email { this.copied = true; setTimeout(() => this.copied = false, 1000); }); } }" > Copy this page to clipboard Print This Page Click to Print Spend enough time with a group of endurance athletes - swimmers, cyclists, runners, cross-country skiers, anyone who needs to sustain an aerobic e

VO2 max: What is it and how can you improve it? - Harvard Health

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