What is the VO2 Max used for that you use in a stress test?

Once we make an effort test, we may have doubts about the values ​​that we show in the final report. Well, from Triathlon News and in collaboration with the OHP Medical Center we are going to explain how to use the values ​​obtained in this test.

This time we start with the VO2 Max

The VO2 max. is a physiological parameter that expresses the amount of oxygen that is consumed or used per unit of time.

The measurement of this value, which is performed in a stress test, allows the quantification of energy metabolism, since oxygen is used as an oxidizer in all the reactions that take place in the cells of the organism and that allow the transformation of chemical energy into mechanical energy, that is to say in muscular contraction and cellular work.

When in a stress test you get a normal oxygen consumption, we obtain valuable information about cardiac output or cardiac function, airway patency, ventilatory mechanics, perfusion in alveolar capillary membranes or pulmonary function, blood hemoglobin concentration and the number of red blood cells or function metabolic and of course the distribution and vascularization of tissues, including muscle fibers that are activated in movement.

Thus the ability of the muscle to extract oxygen from the arterial blood supposes a fundamental factor in the global capacity of the organism to consume oxygen.

 In summary, when we obtain a normal or high VO2 Max number, it indicates that all the processes involved in the sports movement or activity work properly, discarding severe limiting pathologies.

We can also check in successive tests the possible improvement of this parameter, which will not exceed the 20-30%, since the VO2 Max is determined genetically, but this small percentage if we can improve it with training, an adequate diet and even a good supplementation.

So, when oxygen consumption is normal, we can be calm and enjoy sports and improve our performance knowing that our body is ready for it.

We recommend this reading if you want calculate Vo2max  in a manual way