VO2 max is a term that is sometimes used in the fitness and wellness community as a way to describe how well your body consumes the oxygen in your body during high-intensity exercise. It is oftentimes used as a gauge of athletic fitness, and it’s a measure that athletes can work to improve as a way to build their endurance.
When you breathe oxygen, your lungs absorb it and turn it into energy called adenosine triphosphate, which powers cellular activity and helps to release carbon dioxide that’s created during the respiratory process. Your muscles require more oxygen during intense exercise, so a higher VO2 max means that there is more oxygen for your body to consume and turn into ATP energy to fuel cellular and muscular functions. In today’s blog, we explain some of the ways that athletes can work to improve their VO2 max.
How To Improve Your VO2 Max
Most athletes would benefit from increasing their VO2 max, but this is especially true for athletes who are consistently pushing themselves at a high intensity for the duration of their activity. For example, swimmers, cyclists and sprinters could all find that their aerobic fitness and endurance improves with a little VO2 training, and that can make all the difference late in a race when the body is fatigued.
VO2 max is something that can be measured with a few different tests that can be conducted with the assistance of a trained medical professional or physical therapist, and regular testing can help to showcase how your VO2 max is changing as you progress through your training program. Many people also try to improve their VO2 max without always tracking their numbers by partaking in VO2 max training exercises. Some of the most common ways that people work to improve their VO2 max or overall athletic endurance is by partaking in the following activities or trainings:
- HIIT Training – HIIT training, which stands for high intensity interval training, involves performing some exercises at a standard pace before greatly increasing your intensity for a short period of time. Jogging for three minutes and then running hard for one minute and repeating this cycle for a workout has been shown to be more effective at improving VO2 max than a standard steady jog.
- Endurance Workouts – Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone with some endurance workouts can help to boost your VO2 max. Pushing to hold your wall sit, your plank or going to a longer run can all help boost your endurance and aerobic fitness.
- Push Yourself During Cardio Exercise – Cardio-focused exercises are great for your health, but if you want to improve your VO2 max, you need to push yourself during cardiovascular exercises. Instead of walking or jogging, push yourself to run faster or for longer distances. If it’s hard to talk while you’re exercising, you’re working hard enough to improve your VO2 max.
- Varied Workouts – Many people may find that they make greater strides if they pursue different workouts. Your body quickly learns how to pace itself when you perform the same workout, and being comfortable in your routine is no way to build your VO2 max. Go for a run one day, an intense bike ride the next and then swim laps in a pool to round out the week. This will challenge new muscle groups and help improve your body’s oxygen absorption capacity.
- Connect With HyperCharge – Finally, the team at HyperCharge has a number of techniques in our arsenal to improve your lung function and VO2 max. One specific technique that we oftentimes recommend to endurance and high-level athletes is exercise with oxygen therapy. We go into greater detail about the technique here, but essentially we deliver concentrated oxygen to a person in the midst of a workout. This concentrated oxygen makes it easier for your body to consume oxygen at a time when your body needs it most during athletic exercise. Eventually, it helps to train your body to naturally improve its own ability to absorb oxygen so that it can still get high levels of oxygen during exercise without being delivered a special supply of air. Let us help train your body to push itself to a new VO2 max!
For more information about VO2 max or endurance training in general, consider connecting with the team at HyperCharge Clinic. Set up a consultation or connect with a specialist today by calling (952) 600-5429.