What is vo2 rest

If we look at the VO 2 -work slope of Figure 1. But additional intensities of work can be performed B-C. This plateau is believed to either represent a maximal capacity for mitochondrial oxidative capacity or an inability to further supply oxygen to the mitochondria through the blood 4.

Follow on below for a more in-depth explanation. And if you haven't yet pursued a NASM Performance Enhancement Specialization , there's plenty more great information within the course! These markers represent the highest intensity that one can sustain over time and are often referred to as lactate threshold LT , which is incorrect 1.

Instead, lactate threshold represents the intensity of exercise at which the amount of blood lactate begins to rise disproportionally above normal resting values and it generally occurs early at moderate-to-vigorous intensities of exercise 3. VO 2 is influenced by a myriad of other intra- and interpersonal factors that include 5 :. While VO 2 max holds limited value as an estimator of performance, it does hold great value as a predictor of overall health and in determining work capacity standards for various occupations.

Individuals who are physically active generally have higher VO 2 max scores and present with lower risks for morbidity and mortality. Likewise, as VO 2 reflects work capacity, many physically-demanding occupations e. Increases in elevation generally reduce ambient temperatures, both of which can negatively impact athletic performance. A common misconception is that at altitude the air holds less oxygen, making breathing harder, which, in turn reduces exercise capacity.

However, it is not the concentration of oxygen that presents the problem but the decreased pressure of ambient air pushing oxygen into the lungs and blood that is the issue. At higher elevations, the total pressure of atmospheric air drops, therefore the partial pressure of oxygen also drops.

For example, at sea level, atmospheric air exerts a total pressure of mm Hg and with oxygen comprising At 14, feet 4, meters however, atmospheric air only exerts a total pressure of mm Hg and with oxygen comprising Simply put, this means less oxygen being driven into your lungs and blood.

Lower pressures reduce the ability for oxygen to cross from the lungs into the blood and bind to hemoglobin for transportation to the cells, resulting in less oxygen being available for mitochondrial oxidation.

To compensate for this decrease, the body starts to produce additional red blood cells soon after arriving at elevation with mature red blood cells erythrocytes appearing in the blood after approximately seven days of altitude exposure 6. This helps explain why athletes have traditionally traveled to altitude to train, later returning to lower elevations to perform because they have more red blood cells to carry oxygen.

This effect usually lasts a few weeks at most because red blood cells only have a lifespan of approximately 4 weeks. The reality, however, is that this technique does not guarantee performance improvements because more than just increased oxygen carrying capacity to the cell is needed to improve performance.

Upon arriving at altitude, our breathing mechanics change dramatically. Air is colder and drier, and it must be warmed and humidified as it enters the body.

This results in faster losses of vital fluids and dehydration, as well as potential bronchospasm which may counter the normal bronchodilation effects that occur during exercise with the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine 1.

Fluid losses decrease our blood volume which reduces stroke volume, or the volume of blood ejected from the heart with each contraction. To compensate and maintain cardiac output a measure of how hard the heart is working , the heart beats faster which may limit the capacity for higher intensities of exercise.

Another immediate adaptation experienced at altitude lies in ventilation. To account for lower oxygen partial pressures, we increase our tidal volumes, the volume of air moved with normal breathing. This is accompanied by more forceful expirations hyperventilation which pushes more carbon dioxide CO 2 out of our lungs and from the blood. Athletes often experience noticeably higher blood lactate levels and decreased work capacity with high-intensity work when initially training at altitude.

This reduced blood lactate buffer can also compromise near maximal performance when the athlete returns to lower elevations. After a few weeks at altitude however, our cardiopulmonary systems undergo several adjustments to try to revert to normal, but the consensus of science is that training at altitude might not be as beneficial as once believed.

Subsequent strategies, thanks in part to emerging technologies, optimize many of the elevation training gains without the potential downsides — these include:. VO2 max can give you important insights about your cardiorespiratory fitness, such as how long you can sustain a certain intensity of exercise, which relates to fitness hallmarks like your mile run time. Follow along to learn what exactly VO2 max is, how to measure it and how to improve yours.

Read more: Why tracking your heart rate is the secret to getting fit How healthy is your resting heart rate? VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during exercise. It's commonly used to test the aerobic endurance or cardiovascular fitness of athletes before and at the end of a training cycle.

It's not the same thing as heart rate , though it can be just as effective, if not more so, to measure and track your fitness progress. VO2 isn't excess post-exercise oxygen consumption EPOC , which refers to the increase in oxygen your body uses after a workout , not during.

But don't confuse VO2 max with the lactate threshold , the point during exercise where lactate builds up in your bloodstream faster than your body can expel it. When you reach your lactate threshold, you get that familiar burning or cramping feeling.

Although VO2 max is a good marker of fitness, it does present some downfalls. You can't really get an accurate measure of it except in a lab with expensive clinical equipment which is why VO2 max is usually a fitness marker reserved for elite and professional athletes.

However, some gyms and holistic health clinics offer VO2 max testing for their members or patients. If you're really interested, your best bet is to search "VO2 max testing near me" on Google. To measure VO2 max, you wear a mask and heart rate monitor hooked up to a treadmill or stationary bike. The mask is connected to a machine that collects and measures the volume of oxygen you inhale, and the amount of air you exhale. The differences are subtle, depending how you prepared for the test.

Most resting VO2 tests, as a person in a fitness facility might experience, involves refraining from exercise, food and stimulating liquids for a few hours, then getting comfortable in a reclining position and finally breathing into a face mask for several minutes in order to analyze your exhaled breaths.

Your REE or RMR is that O2 required to sustain your basic body function without any voluntary or involuntary such as shivering muscle movement. With that information, conclusions may be drawn about your dietary needs; about weight loss management, and adherence to a weight reduction program may be monitored.

More on www. Andrew's Corner". VO2max testing typically involves a graded exercise test, meaning the workload is steadily increased to exhaustion. In a sub-maximal test workload is usually increased to a pre-determined heart rate or workload short of a maximal effort, or to a point that determines the lactate or anaerobic threshold next chapter. Formulas have been published to predict VO2max from a sub-maximal test, but there are considerable doubts about the accuracy of such predictions.

A poor analogy might be to claim that you could predict the maximum speed of a car by accelerating to 55 miles per hour. VO2max Maximal oxygen uptake was first described by Hill and Lupton in as "the oxygen intake during an exercise intensity at which actual oxygen intake reaches a maximum beyond which no increase in effort can raise it".