Improving the efficiency with which your body uses oxygen properly is essential for achieving better physical performance. That is why you should be clear about what VO2 max is and how it is calculated. To know if you are fit and your true aerobic capacity, you will have to calculate your VO2 max. There are current models of wrist heart rate monitors that make a rough estimate based on the data collected during training. But really, the best way to know your VO2 max is through a stress test with gas spirometry, where you will have a much more accurate value. Although we go by parts. Before testing or estimating our VO2 maximum, it is best to know what is vo2 max garmin and what it is for.
What is vo2 max Garmin?
It is the maximum volume of oxygen that your body is capable of metabolizing per unit of time.
It is the maximum amount of oxygen (O2) that your body can absorb, transfer and consume in a given time. It is, at the same time, the blood that your body can transport and metabolize.
It is also known as Maximum Oxygen Consumption and is the most effective way to measure your aerobic capacity because of the higher VO2 max, the greater your cardiovascular capacity.
In other words, the more oxygen is transported to your muscles per unit of time, the better performance you can have.
Therefore, VO2 max is an excellent predictor of success in endurance tests, especially when you have the help of a heart rate monitor.
HOW IS VO2 MAX CALCULATED?
VO2 max is a measure of the amount of oxygen that we can consume. It is obtained by measuring the oxygen’s volume between an inhalation and an exhalation to determine how much oxygen is consumed in one minute.
Therefore, we are talking about a value represented in liters per minute and ranges from 2 liters to 8 liters per minute.
However, it is more common to refer to each person’s VO2 max about their body weight in kilograms. In this way, you can compare the value obtained between any person, no matter how different they are.
The range of possible values from 20 milliliters per kilo per minute to 90 ml/kg/min.
Experts point out that for the training stimulus to be sufficient to produce improvements in VO2 max, it is necessary to train at an intensity greater than 40% of the maximum heart rate continuously over time.
It is important to highlight three fundamental characteristics of VO2 max that are often unknown:
The VO2 Max value of each person is given mainly by their genetics. This explains why we sometimes meet people who have never played sports, but they get good results with some ease when they start training.
It is estimated that improving VO2 max in a person through continuous training is only 10-20%. This is a fact that usually surprises. We must know that we are not going to multiply our VO2 maximum x2 no matter how much we train, although this does not mean that we cannot improve.
The VO2 max also depends on age. As generally normal, it decreases over the years. The tables of VO2 maximum values are usually designed by age group to better adjust the estimates.
It is recommended that when you calculate your VO2 maximum, you are in a stable physical state. If you measure it after a period of inactivity, the results will not be reliable.
PULSOMETERS AND VO2 MAXIMUM
A heart rate monitor’s usefulness to establish exercise intensity is based on a well-known physiological principle: when the intensity of the exercise increases, your oxygen consumption (VO2) and HR increase almost always linearly.
Practicing sports at an appropriate intensity level increases the efficiency of your training and allows you to assume a better perception of the body by analyzing the heart rate during physical activity. The use of the heart rate monitor is ideal.
And as we discussed at the beginning of this article, there is another way to measure VO2 max: a stress test.
These tests are carried out in specialized medical centers, with an activity that is increasing until reaching the maximum effort.
They are carried out both on ergometers (treadmills) and cycle ergometers (exercise bikes). These devices increase the speed gradually until the person reaches their maximum capacity.
All biometric effort parameters are collected by sensors placed on the skin, and then a computer processes all the data and obtains a maximum VO2 value.
Currently, many medical centers specialize in sports medicine and even general clinics and hospitals that offer this service.
The test price does not usually fall below 100 – 120 dollars, but it is advisable to perform it at least every 2 years since, in addition to determining our maximum VO2, we will rule out any type of heart ailment.