What I learned from my V02 Max Test
In August of last year (2018), I decided to get a V02 max test as a part of an overall nutrition appointment.
It’s that test where you are hooked up to a face mask with a hose and run on a treadmill (or bike…well not run on a bike, but you get it) until you are on the verge of dying.
Honestly, I mostly wanted to know how I stacked up against others (because I’m definitely not competitive at all, right?).
Of course, I was also interested in how the learnings could help improve my overall nutrition and training.
I learned a lot and I’m really glad I did it.
TL;DR
- VO2 max is a measure of your aerobic fitness and how much oxygen you can process at high intensities
- The test also measures carb vs fat burning at different levels of intensities
- I’m fit – I have a ‘superior’ V02 max level at 59.7 ml/kg/min
- This is still pretty far below elite athletes (70+ for endurance runners)
- I burn too high of a share of carbs at low intensities (more optimal to burn fat at low intensities and carbs at high intensities)
- As a result, I’m working on training my body to adjust by carb cycling based on type of workout
- It’s been 10 months since I learned this and I haven’t done a great job staying disciplined 🙄
- I think for the rest of 2019 I’ll adjust my priorities to focus on fitness / nutrition again more
What is VO2 max?
V02 max measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can process at high intensities (hence V = volume and O = oxygen molecule pairs). It is typically measured in mL of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min).
It is basically a measure of how efficiently your heart can pump oxygen through your body during aerobic exercise. Comparing against others can tell you your relative endurance fitness level.
Another way to think about VO2 max is like a one rep max for a weight exercise, but for anaerobic endurance instead.
It’s a common test for endurance athletes (triathlon, marathon runners, cyclists, etc.), along with lactate thresholds, to measure improvement and plan training regimens.
I did not do the lactate threshold test which measures ” the fastest pace you can run without generating more lactic acid than your body can utilize and reconvert back into energy.” Perhaps I’ll do that next time. Lactate threshold gives you a better specific sense of what intensities you should train at to improve your endurance.
How is it tested
You get hooked up to a breathing hose and progress to harder and harder intensities on either a bike or a treadmill until you can’t keep going any more.
For my test, I started out running at 6mph on a treadmill, and increased the speed by 1mph each 3 min until I got to 10mph. At that point every minute we increased the incline by 1% until I couldn’t go anymore. I lasted about 26 min and ended up at 10mph with a 6% incline!
Before the test you are advised to take 24 hours off from exercising and refrain from eating anything within 2.5 hours of the testing time.
How did I stack up?
My measured VO2 max was 59.7 ml/kg/min. This classifies me as ‘superior’ for males in my age range (anything over 52.4). I’m happy to be classified as superior on anything so I’ll chalk that up as a win, but I still have a long way to go to catch up to top athletes and cyclists.
For reference Lance Armstrong has a VO2 max of 85 and David Beckham has a VO2 max of 67.6*.
I’d probably be on par with many professional basketball and football players, but remember, this is a measure of sustained endurance, not maximal output for high intensity spurts.
What else did I learn?
This was a part of an overall nutrition appointment I made. There’s a lot you can learn about nutrition by reading articles on the internet, listening to podcasts, etc. However, I wanted to get nutrition tips that were specific to my lifestyle and exercise regimen.
I’ve always struggled to have confidence in any nutrition plan I am trying. I can lose weight by not eating much, but that also cuts at muscles. Finding a nutrition plan to build lean muscle and maintain weight is really difficult. So I scheduled this appointment to learn more and gain confidence in my diet if I choose to be disciplined.
I say ‘choose to be disciplined’ because I’m not always optimizing my life for peak athletic performance, but I have had times when this is one of my top priorities.
Long story short I learned that I should focus on getting my protein in first and try to carb cycle to adjust my body to burn fat at low intensities and carbs at high intensities.
The VO2 max test measures the type of air you are breathing out which can tell you what share of fat vs carbs you are burning at different intensities / HRs.
My test told me that I burn a higher share of carbs than fat at every intensity level (see graph below). This is not optimal in the endurance training world and I want to work to change the results.
There’s a lot of talk about keto diet training your body to burn fat, which I won’t pretend to be an expert on, but what I do know is the following:
- Humans achieve peak athletic output when their bodies are utilizing carbs (e.g. a sprinter will get better times with carbs in their bodies)
- Endurance running, however, can be achieved on a keto diet (i.e. you don’t need carbs to function for a long period of time)
- Top ironman / triathlon athletes tend to have high metabolic-flexibility, meaning they burn a higher share of fat at low intensities and a higher share of carbs at high intensities.
Since I have goals of hitting peak performance when I want to (e.g. sprinting and playing tennis), and also performing in endurance events (like Spartan races), I also want to achieve metabolic-flexibility. This means that I won’t follow the keto diet:
- I burn too many calories to think about getting all my intake from fat (it’s just of non-carbs to eat)
- I don’t want to sacrifice my high intensity output
- Life is about balance – I never want to fully give up pizza or chips & guac
So, if I’m being diligent, the nutrition regimen I want to follow is generally eating a low carb diet, but increasing the intake of carbs before high intensity workouts. And overall eating at a calorie deficit so that I don’t feel bad when I splurge on meals with friends.
Here’s the basic framework of a nutrition plan I got from the appointment (note, I specifically asked for more of a framework than exact calorie measurements or macro-tracking because I know there’s no way I’d be disciplined enough to track that…or think it’s actually worth it anyways):
- Breakfast (following workout) – 3 eggs, protein shake; 1 c oatmeal after heavy workout days
- Lunch – include at least 40-50 g protein (6-8 oz animal protein), veggies, 1 c starchy carb (rice/potato)
- Afternoon snack – fruit + jerky
- Dinner – aim for 30-40 g protein, veggies – add 1 c carbs if it’s after a moderate/hard workout and you aren’t doing the easy cardio in the AM, or if you have a high intensity workout
- 1-2 days per week do hard workout in evening followed by dinner of protein and veggies only, then the next morning do low intensity steady state running or cycling (HR below 155)
- Off days – slightly reduce carbs at lunch
I get off track when I get busy with other things, but I want to get back to following this in the rest of 2019. I have a super sweet tooth so that’s where I usually lose my nutrition plan! And then sometimes I go back and forth on how much I drink which also throws this all off. Different phases of my life, different priorities, and that’s OK.
Where did I do this at and how much did it cost?
I did my testing at a sports lab in Santa Monica with a registered dietitian who helps develop training plans for top endurance athletes. If I remember right the personalized nutrition appointment was $200 and the VO2 max test was an additional $150. I felt is was worth the money.
I’ve heard that if you’re by a college campus sometimes they need guinea pigs for their experiments and you can do these tests for free or at a reduced rate for participating. I think I’ll look into that next time I want to re-test and see how I compare.
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