Whether it’s Dr. Rhonda Patrick or Dr. Peter Attia, we’re hearing a lot about VO2 max as being the gold a standard for testing your cardiovascular health and fitness.
People in our gym are paying attention to the growing popularity of this topic. I’ve seen it discussed in articles from peers, and within the last two weeks alone, I’ve fielded questions about how to test VO2 max.
What is VO2 max and what does it tell us?
VO2 max testing is typically performed in a lab on a treadmill or a bike, supervised by an exercise physiologist or a trained professional. The cost is usually high and out-of-pocket, and the test itself is rough and uncomfortable.
The test involves exercising at a progressively increasing intensity until exhaustion is reached.
VO2 max, or maximal oxygen consumption, measures how efficiently your body uses oxygen during exercise.
VO2 max is expressed as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min).
A higher VO2 max correlates with greater aerobic fitness, a very good quality to have!
The big problem? This kind of testing is not practical for the average fitness enthusiast.
Practical Alternatives To Test VO2 max
If you want a solid estimate of your cardiovascular fitness without the lab environment, or the cost, there are simpler options.
- The 12-minute run or 2000-meter row both provide useful data and establish a baseline, though they’re less accurate than the laboratory setting for the VO2 max test.
- The 2-mile fan bike (Assault Bike, Rogue Echo bike, Schwinn AirDyne Pro, etc.) done for time is accessible, inexpensive, and repeatable.
We use the fan bike option often and build our ELITE members up to the 2-mile test. It gives us a strong performance marker and helps us design their future conditioning programs.
The Max Aerobic Speed (MAS) Test
This alternate test, often run for 5 minutes at maximal sustainable effort, measures how much distance you can cover, or the work you can complete, in that time.
We adapted this concept to the 2-mile fan bike ride, using time and cadence (RPM) as the objective data.
We typically progress our members like this:
- Start with a 1-mile fan bike ride at the end of their training program for 4-5 weeks.
- Increase to 1.5 miles.
- Finally, build to the 2-mile ride as the conditioning focus.
This gradual approach helps participants to learn what different intensity levels feel like before tackling the full test.
How To Perform The 2-Mile MAS
The goal is to maintain a consistent cadence or RPM for the entire 2-miles, completing it as fast as possible without burning out early. Don’t sprint! You’ll regret that about a half mile in.
- Aim for a cadence that feels sustainable for 4-6 minutes at a strong, steady pace.
- Typical first timer times will be 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stronger performances are under 5 minutes.
Add A Heart Rate Component
Wearing a heart rate monitor adds valuable insight. After finishing the test, note your maximum heart, then track how quickly it drops.
- Look for a 30 bpm (beat per minute) decrease after 1 minute.
- Up to a 60 bpm decrease after 2 minutes.
This recovery rate reflects your cardiovascular efficiency and overall fitness.
Using This Data In Your Training
We take the average cadence of the 2-mile ride and use it to program design interval training. I learned this from Mike Perry at Skill Of Strength through his Building The Engine program. Joel Jamieson has also written extensively about the accuracy of 120% MAS intervals.
For example, if your MAS is 60 RPM, then 120% of that is 72. Use that as your target pace for this simple yet powerful interval protocol.
- Work up to 72 rpm as quickly as possible and maintain that pace for 15 seconds
- Rest 15 seconds
- Repeat for 8-10 rounds
- Add 2 rounds each week, working up to 16-20 rounds (8-10 minutes total) over 4-6 weeks.
Once you reach that, increase to 20 seconds work with 20 seconds rest, and repeat the progression starting with 6-8 rounds, again progressing by adding 2 rounds a week for 4-6 weeks.
We’ve seen members dramatically improve both their 2-mile times and overall aerobic capacity using this system.
So, is the VO2 max test useful and reliable?
Absolutely. It’s considered the gold standard.
Is it easily accessible to most people? No.
But with the 2-mile fan bike test, you can get meaningful, trackable data to gauge your aerobic fitness and monitor progress over time.
If you’re interested in learning more about how we design conditioning programs for adults using VO2 max and MAS, comment or reach out and we can start the conversation.