VO2 max

Test

measures your body’s peak oxygen usage during intense exercise, indicating aerobic capacity.

If you make somebody work harder and harder and harder, at some point they will reach a maximum at which point, they can no longer utilise more oxygen and continue the test. That individual will have limitations in the lungs (at the alveolar level) and in the working muscle. But regardless of which of those it is—and it may be a combination of both but the point where they can no longer continue the test, that number is the VO₂ max.

[ 00:00 ]

Understanding VO2 Max and How Your Body Turns Oxygen into Energy for Performance

Physiologically, VO₂ max is telling you how quickly you can take oxygen from the air into your lungs, get it into your blood, pump it to your muscles, and then have your muscles use it in the metabolic processes that will provide energy to move you.

VO₂ max is a rate: how much oxygen per unit time can you process going at maximum effort. You’ve reached a point where no matter how hard you push yourself, you can’t get more oxygen. Rather than litres of oxygen per minute, VO₂ max numbers are typically reported in millilitres of oxygen per minute, per kilogram of body weight – VO₂ Max [ml/kg/min]

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

vo2 max test

Measure and test your maximum oxygen consumption during intense exercise.

Used to assess your cardiovascular fitness and performance capacity. We have either a stationary bike or treadmill available

$395

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

What to expect

on the day

The VO2 max Test

At least 5 hours of fasting prior to the test
No intense exercise (>1 hour) 24 hours before the test
No caffeine, tobacco, alcohol or stimulating drinks for at least 5 hours prior to the test
Continue medications as usual – be prepared to discuss before your test begins

Here is an example of a VO₂ max report

To complete the test, you will be required to either run on a treadmill or cycle (we use a Watt bike) to what’s termed maximum volitional exhaustion. The lab booking is for 1 hour and the actual test will take up to 20 minutes. You will be connected to a gas analyser via a mask and we measure heart rate. Gym attire is required for the test. To prepare for the test you must adhere to the following steps: At least 5 hours of fasting prior to the test; No intense exercise (>1 hour) 24 hours before the test; No caffeine, tobacco, alcohol or stimulating drinks for at least 5 hours prior to the test; Continue medications as usual – be prepared to discuss before your test begins

Here is an example of a VO₂ max report

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

How VO2 Max

Measures up

There are two components of longevity—Lifespan and Healthspan

Lifespan = How long you live

Healthspan = How well you live

Living longer is effectively going to boil down to how long can you delay the onset of chronic disease.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

dexa - dua energy x-ray absorptiometry

ACCURATE

PRECISE

DEXA is a direct quantitive measurement. It measures exactly what is in your client’s body.
DEXA measures bone, muscle and fat.
The amount of water in your client’s body doesn’t change the result.
Measures to within +/- 1.5% of actual tissue in grams.
Your client’s size or body composition does not affect the result.
Used by the Australian Institute of Sport.

dexa - dua energy x-ray absorptiometry

ACCURATE

PRECISE

DEXA is a direct quantitive measurement. It measures exactly what is in your client’s body.
DEXA measures bone, muscle and fat.
The amount of water in your client’s body doesn’t change the result.
Measures to within +/- 1.5% of actual tissue in grams.
Your client’s size or body composition does not affect the result.
Used by the Australian Institute of Sport.

Skinfold calipers

NOT ACCURATE

NOT PRECISE

Estimates body composition from circumference and length measures taken from multiple sites of the body to determine body volume.
Does not directly measure muscle or bone density.
An esitmate of body fat% is calculated from any nuber of different regression equations.
Results are easily influenced by movement and clothing.
Landmark and partition positioning in the 3D surface scan creates significant biases in regional volume measurements.

BOD Pod - air displacement phethysmography

NOT ACCURATE

NOT PRECISE

BIA is an indirect qualitative measurement. It makes assumptions about what is in your client's body.
BIA measures only weight, height and water and assumes the body is a cylinder.
A glass of water in you client's body changes the result.
High error potential - results can vary by 5-15% from actual.
A client who is leaner or fatter than average will have more inaccurate results.
NOT used by the Australian institute of Sport.

3d body scan - infrared light

NOT ACCURATE

NOT PRECISE

Estimates body composition from circumference and length measures taken from multiple sites of the body to determine body volume.
Does not directly measure muscle or bone density.
An estimate of body fat% is calculated from any number of different regression equations.
Results are easily influenced by movement and clothing.
Landmark and partition positioning in the 3D surface scan creates significant biases in regional volume measurements.

bia - bio impedance analysis

NOT ACCURATE

NOT PRECISE

BIA is an indirect qualitative measurement. It makes assumptions about what is in your client’s bod.y
BIA measures only weight, height and water and assumes the body is a cylinder.
A glass of water in your client’s body changes the result.
High error potential - results can vary by 5-15% from actual.
A client who is leaner or fatter than average will have more inaccurate result
NOT used by the Australian Institute of Sport