When diving into the science of working efficiency, the idea of VO2max is sort of unavoidable.
Outlined merely, VO2max is the utmost fee that your physique can extract oxygen from the air.
Once you run, that oxygen will get absorbed in your lungs into your bloodstream, will get pumped by the guts, and travels to your muscular tissues, the place it’s put to make use of burning fats or carbs.
Everybody agrees about that half.
The controversy begins while you begin to ask the plain subsequent questions:
- How does VO2max contribute to efficiency
- And what a part of the oxygen supply system—bloodstream, coronary heart, or muscular tissues—issues most on the subject of figuring out your VO2max?
So, that’s what we’re going to look at in as we speak’s article by digging into the analysis.
VO2max measures metabolic energy, not working pace
When runners speak about efficiency, we imply one thing very particular: pace!
In case you get an invite to observe a “high-performance 5k,” you’d justifiably expect to see some quick instances.
However VO2max doesn’t measure pace—it simply estimates your physique’s metabolic energy output.
Extra particularly, it’s an estimate of your highest cardio energy: while you’re working quick sufficient to hit VO2max, nearly the entire oxygen you’re consuming is getting used to burn carbs for power.
Having the ability to generate a lot of cardio power is nice, but it surely doesn’t assure that you just’ll have the ability to run quick.
To go from cardio energy output to working quick requires changing that metabolic energy into ahead movement—that’s the place working economic system is available in.
Very similar to a automotive with a strong engine however flat tires, a excessive VO2max will not be very helpful if it’s paired with poor working economic system.
For longer occasions, just like the 10k and half marathon, there’s an extra issue at play: your highest sustainable stage of oxygen consumption.
Usually, if you happen to attempt to run at, say 90% or 95% of your VO2max, your oxygen consumption received’t be secure—it’ll shortly climb to 100% of your VO2max, and also you’ll quickly change into too drained to proceed.
At a decrease worth, say 70 or 80% of your VO2max, you’ll have the ability to keep a secure fee of oxygen consumption over time, and also you’ll final for much longer earlier than getting fatigued.
That worth—the very best proportion of VO2max you’ll be able to keep at a steady-state—is your steady-state max.
Identical to runners can have completely different VO2max values, they will even have completely different values for this steady-state max—even when they’ve the identical VO2max!
To run quick, you want all three elements:
- The flexibility to provide loads of cardio power (VO2max)
- Accomplish that in a sustainable means (steady-state max)
- And effectively convert that power into ahead movement (working economic system).
VO2max and efficiency in runners
Since VO2max is just one of three main elements influencing working efficiency, it shouldn’t be stunning that VO2max by itself will not be a very good differentiator of working skill amongst runners who’re already fairly match.
One research on practically 200 top-level Spanish runners discovered that VO2max by itself couldn’t determine the very best elite distance runners in comparison with their merely fairly good counterparts.
Moreover, Nike’s Breaking2 Challenge, which did complete physiology testing on among the greatest marathoners on the earth, discovered excessive, however not amazingly excessive VO2max values amongst these elite marathoners.
Lots of them clocked in at 65–70 mL/kg/min, despite the fact that elite 5k runners can usually hit 80 mL/kg/min or increased.
In bigger and extra numerous samples, although, there’s no denying that there’s a hyperlink between VO2max and efficiency.
A 2021 research of navy recruits in Norway whose 3k race tempo ranged from practically 12:00/mi to six:00/mi discovered that VO2max alone defined two-thirds of the variation in efficiency throughout the recruits.
Clearly, a excessive VO2max is the value of admission for high-level performances—however doesn’t assure quick instances by itself.
Central or peripheral? Blood and coronary heart versus muscular tissues
The opposite large controversy with VO2max is what organic elements decide its worth.
In precept, any hyperlink within the oxygen supply chain (blood, coronary heart, or muscular tissues) could possibly be the bottleneck.
One other mind-set about this query is whether or not you’re restricted by oxygen absorption by your blood, or oxygen utilization by your muscular tissues.
Most physiologists agree that the most important consider figuring out VO2max is just what number of pink blood cells you may have.
Extra pink blood cells means extra hemoglobin, and extra hemoglobin means you’ll be able to carry extra oxygen in your blood.
As identified in a 2016 commentary article by physiologists Carsten Lundby, David Montero, and Michael Joyner, complete hemoglobin alone explains practically half of the variation in VO2max throughout athletes.
In case you incorporate cardiac output—the utmost quantity of blood your coronary heart can pump per minute—that fraction leaps to over 90%.
Issues solely get heated when contemplating whether or not blood quantity and cardiac output are the solely elements that matter.
Some physiologists consider the above proof is convincing, whereas others argue {that a} sofa potato with an elite athlete’s coronary heart and bloodstream wouldn’t have the mandatory oxygen-extraction capabilities of their muscular tissues to make full use of the additional oxygen.
VO2max in follow: rising blood quantity and cardiac output
Whatever the controversy, one factor is evident: in case your VO2max is limiting your efficiency, boosting your blood quantity and rising your cardiac output are probably the most promising methods.
As for the way to go about boosting these two elements, the analysis is much less controversial: each blood quantity and cardiac output might be improved with interval exercises that hit not less than 90% VO2max.
In follow, which means coming inside about 8–10% of your most coronary heart fee (or hitting >90% of coronary heart fee reserve, if you’d like a extra exact metric).
For particular exercises, see the part beneath on completely different exercises you should utilize for varied race distances.
For optimum cardiac output advantages, these intervals must be supported by excessive total coaching quantity: padding out your weekly coaching with loads of straightforward to reasonable runs, to the extent that your coaching schedule permits.
Particular VO2 max Exercises you’ll be able to Implement
Now on to everybody’s favourite: the coaching particulars!
VO2 max for the 5k
Out of the most typical race distances, VO2 max is most necessary within the 5k.
Whereas the primary portion of 5k coaching will deal with constructing cardio endurance, consider this part as constructing the inspiration of a home.
The final 1/third of a 5k coaching plan, nevertheless, will emphasize VO2 max exercises – consider this because the roof.
Just a few glorious examples of 5k particular VO2 max exercises are:
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12 x 400 meters at 1 mile to 3k race tempo w/1:30-2:00 minutes relaxation
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12 x 300 meters at 5k tempo w/ 30-40 seconds relaxation
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5 x 3 minutes hill repeats with jog down restoration
In search of extra data and exercises for coaching for a 5k?
Take a look at our 5k Particular Coaching submit. Or, how about our Base Coaching for 5k and 10k submit?
VO2 max for the 10k and half marathon
The precise calls for of the 10k and half marathon aren’t closely reliant on VO2 max, however it’s nonetheless an necessary part to spherical out health.
Within the 10k and half marathon, you must have a VO2 max exercise scheduled each 2-3 weeks to maintain the system in verify and assist different power programs (cardio improvement and threshold coaching).
My favourite exercises to mix into 10k coaching are:
- 16 x 400 meters at 5k – 10k tempo with each 4th 400 at 1 mile-3k tempo w/ 60 seconds between reps
- 4 miles steady tempo alternating 400m at 3k-5k tempo and 1200 meters at Marathon tempo
- 4 x 2 minutes Hills w/ jog down restoration, 1 mile on a flat floor at 10k tempo, 4 x 2 minute Hills w/ jog down restoration
We’ve got an incredible article on Particular Coaching for the 10k right here, and a 6 week 10k particular coaching plan for making use of the variation precept.
VO2 max for the Marathon
Sadly (or thankfully, relying on how a lot you want lung-busting interval exercises), VO2max will not be a giant part of marathon coaching.
Nonetheless, It’s nonetheless helpful and necessary to incorporate some VO2 max exercises and pace work in your coaching plan each 3-4 weeks to assist your type and effectivity.
My marathon go-to’s are as follows:
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2 units of 10 x 400 meters at 5k tempo w/ 200 meters jog relaxation and 400 meters jog between every set
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20 x 200 meters at Mile to 3km tempo w/ 200 meters jog restoration
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6 x 3 minutes at 3k to 5k tempo w/ 3 minutes stroll or jog between
Recap
VO2max measures the very best fee at which your physique can extract oxygen from the air—and since oxygen is used to burn gasoline for power, it’s primarily a measure of your cardio energy output.
Not surprisingly, VO2max is a big contributor to working efficiency—however not the solely contributor.
To run quick, you want a excessive VO2max, the power to maintain a excessive proportion of your VO2max at a steady-state, and the power to effectively convert metabolic energy into ahead movement.
VO2max relies upon closely in your coronary heart and bloodstream: many of the variations in VO2max throughout completely different runners are attributable to the entire quantity of hemoglobin in your blood, and the utmost fee your coronary heart can pump blood.
So-called “peripheral” elements, like how nicely your muscular tissues can extract and use oxygen, solely contribute a bit of to VO2max, if in any respect.
These peripheral elements do matter for efficiency, however most likely by way of their affect on whether or not you’ll be able to maintain a metabolic steady-state at a given fee of oxygen consumption.
Understanding the origins of VO2max—and its limitations as a measure of efficiency—may also help focus your coaching.
If VO2max is holding you again, one of the simplest ways to enhance it’s by specializing in exercises that concentrate on blood quantity and cardiac output: interval exercises with repeats that deliver you inside about 8–10% of your most coronary heart fee.
