What Is VO2 Max and Why Do I Want To Track It While Running?

VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake) is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can use during intense exercise like running. It’s a common indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance usually expressed in milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). If you can remember all that as you stare at the numbers on your running watch, you get a prize. A higher VO2 max is understood to indicate better aerobic fitness and the ability to sustain higher levels of physical activity. What does this really mean for your running performance and how the heck can you track it?

How can tracking VO2 max help me run better?

First, let’s clear up an important ball of confusion rolling around and smashing into things. Going to a fitness clinic to strap on assessment equipment one time or looking for one magic number on your running watch isn’t going to tell you anything about your VO2 max. Tracking changes in your VO2 max over time gives you one more helpful piece of information about effectiveness of your training regimen.

So fast forward a few weeks after you’ve been tracking some metric given to you after a weekly fitness clinic visit or taken from your running watch. Now what? Look for trends. Are the numbers improving, staying the same, or trending down? What was your training plan during that time period? Were you trying for improvement or were you just going on maintenance runs?

Training optimization

By understanding your VO2 max, you can tailor your training plan to focus on the appropriate intensity levels. If you were following a plan and you are seeing improvement in your numbers, keep at it. If you aren’t seeing improvements, evaluate your plan and tweak it. Maybe it’s not working, or maybe it used to work but you’ve hit a wall. Paying attention to the trend of the numbers can help you evaluate what is going on.

Setting your goals

Setting realistic fitness goals becomes easier when you have a quantitative measure like VO2 max. When you do see positive results over time, you can set goals for improving your VO2 max and track your progress as you work towards them.

Predicting performance in other areas

VO2 max can provide insights into your potential for endurance performance in general. If you are also into aerobic sports like cycling or cross-country skiing, you should expect to see cross-over results.

Identifying a training plateau

I mentioned hitting a wall before. It’s often difficult to figure out if you are just having a bad period or if your training plan needs some fiddling. Monitoring changes in your VO2 max can help you identify actual training plateaus. If your VO2 max levels remain stagnant despite consistent training, it might be a big sign that you’ve done all you can with the current plan.

Personalizing your training zones

Based on your VO2 max, you can establish personalized training zones, such as your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds. These zones can guide your training intensity and help prevent overtraining or undertraining. Without VO2 max data, you are forced to make educated guesses.

Finding motivation

Seeing improvements in your VO2 max can be just the extra motivation you need to lace up and go running when the weather is crappy or you just aren’t feeling it. If you are tracking VO2 max on your watch or app, seeing the numbers improve even when your pace or timed intervals went down can give you something to feel positive about.

Monitoring your health

You run to be healthy, right? VO2 max is not just relevant for athletes; it’s also an indicator of overall cardiovascular health. Maintaining a healthy VO2 max can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes so there’s value in tracking it beyond running.

So how do I track VO2 max?

Scientifically measuring VO2 max typically requires specialized equipment and expertise, such as a treadmill or stationary bike equipped with gas analysis equipment. While lab-based measurements are the most accurate, unless you are a professional runner or have a specific health issue you are trying to address, you don’t need to go through all that trouble. Many running watches offer features that will give you a close approximation of your VO2 max.