What affects it?
Many factors influence your VO2Max; the most important of these are heredity, state of training, body size and composition, gender and age.
Heredity – As with everything no matter how hard you train there is a genetic ceiling to your capacity to improve your VO2Max. Don’t let this put you off as only elite sports performers will reach this ceiling.
State of training - Your value will be higher after a period of regular aerobic training than before.
Body size and composition – Your ability to process oxygen is dictated by your cardiovascular and muscular system. VO2Max is a measure of your body’s ability to process oxygen per kg of your body weight. As a result if all else is equal those who carry a few pounds of inactive (fat) tissue will have a lower VO2Max than those who don’t.
Gender – women’s genetic make up as a rule has a higher percentage of fat than their male counterparts. As a result untrained women typically have a VO2Max 20-25% lower than untrained men. However, when comparing elite athletes, the gap tends to close to around 10%.
Age - VO2Max decreases with age. The average rate of decline is generally accepted to be about 1% per year or 10% per decade after the age of 25.
And how can you improve yours?
Many studies show that you can increase your VO2Max by working out at an intensity that raises your heart rate to between 65 - 85% of its maximum for at least 20 minutes. You can check your intensity levels by using a basic heart rate monitor (these cost around £30), and applying the following formula:
Research indicates that for the recreational player with a limited time to train, a weekly regimen of three high-quality workouts interspaced throughout the week is more than enough to stimulate improvements in VO2Max.
