VO2  Assessment     VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be consumed each minute during exercise. It is an indicator of cardiopulmonary fitness and a predictor of endurance potential     VO2  Based Fitness Testing Whether your goal is performance or weight loss, knowing your individual response to exercise gives you the tools you need to get the results you want. To get the best results for you, it is very important to know the correct exercise intensity that will provide you the optimum, sustainable burn of fat and calories. Knowing your cardiovascular endurance can be a good first step toward taking control over the most important element of your overall fitness and health.  Accurately measuring VO2 max involves a physical effort sufficient in duration and intensity to fully tax the aerobic energy system. In general clinical and athletic testing, this usually involves a graded exercise test (either on a treadmill or on a cycloergometer) in which exercise intensity is progressively increased while measuring ventilation and oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration of the inhaled and exhaled air. VO2 max is reached when oxygen consumption remains at steady state despite an increase in workload.

AEROBIC THRESHOLD / AeT Aerobic threshold is the intensity or heart-rate at which an individual burns the most fat. Using fat for fuel, more oxygen is required to release a given amount of energy than when carbohydrate is the main fuel. This means that at low intensities, when plenty of oxygen is available to the muscle, fat is the preferred fuel. As intensity increases, at some point the cardiovascular system will not be able to transport proportionally more oxygen the muscles. This is the aerobic threshold. Above this point, increased intensity will reduce fat burning.

ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD / AT Each person has an optimal training zone called their target heart rate. Charts you see showing target heart rates are actually just averages based on age and weight. The VO2 Max test will give you target workout zones based on your specific results. These zones give you the precise heart rates necessary to optimize each level of exercise and maximize your results.  A VO2 test will also show the anaerobic threshold.  The body can supply adequate oxygen to the muscles up to a certain exercise intensity level or threshold. This threshold is called the anaerobic threshold (AT).  Known as the red-line to endurance athletes, this threshold is the highest intensity, as measured by heart rate, at which the body can remove lactic acid as quickly as it is produced. Just below anaerobic threshold (AT), an athlete is working hard, but feels no burning in the muscles and is breathing heavily, but controlled. Above AT, lactic acid is building up in the muscles and will cause premature fatigue. Knowing one’s threshold allows one to achieve a very high level of cardiovascular conditioning without the discomfort and muscle damage of lactic acid buildup.     Knowing your AT (and the associated training zones) and incorporating this into your training program is the single most important thing that an endurance athlete can do to improve performance.   Test Results and Graphs     The table below shows how fitness is assessed based on VO2max. MALE Age Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Superior 13-19 0-34.9 35.0-38.3 38.4-45.1 45.2-50.9 51.0-55.9 56.0+ 20-29 0-32.9 33.0-36.4 36.5-42.4 42.5-46.4 46.5-52.4 52.5+ 30-39 0-31.4 31.5-35.4 35.5-40.9 41.0-44.9 45.0-49.4 49.5+ 40-49 0-30.2 30.2-33.5 33.6-38.9 39.0-43.7 43.8-48.0 48.1+ 50-59 0-26.0 26.1-30.9 31.0-35.7 35.8-40.9 41.0-45.3 45.4+ 60+ 0-20.4 20.5-26.0 26.1-32.2 32.3-36.4 36.5-44.2 44.3+ FEMALE Age Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Superior 13-19 0-24.9 25.0-30.9 31.0-34.9 35.0-38.9 39.0-41.9 42.0+ 20-29 0-23.5 23.6-28.9 29.0-32.9 33.0-36.9 37.0-41.0 41.1+ 30-39 0-22.7 22.8-26.9 27.0-31.4 31.5-35.6 35.7-40.0 40.1+ 40-49 0-20.9 21.0-24.4 24.5-28.9 29.0-32.8 32.9-36.9 37.0+ 50-59 0-20.1 20.2-22.7 22.8-26.9 27.0-31.4 31.5-35.7 35.8+ 60+ 0-17.4 17.5-20.1 20.2-24.4 24.5-30.2 30.3-31.4 31.5+   How will this help me reach my goals? Once you start using our Personalized Intensity Training Zones, you will have workouts that are specific to your goals. You will drop those extra pounds, improve your body's ability to use oxygen, and increase your overall endurance - all without wasting time! If you're not training with specificity, you're working out in the dark. Too many people work out at the wrong intensity never giving their body the right stimulus at the right time. Too much too hard = overtraining and injuries. Too little too easy = no improvements and wasted time. Now you can train smarter with personalized training zones based on your anaerobic threshold.