The VO2 max test is considered by many (myself excluded) to be the gold standard human performance test. It has been largely popularized by the Gatorade add campaign that ran in the early 2000’s featuring beautiful female athletes and well branded male athletes performing maximal treadmill tests. Additionally, during Lance Armstrong’s long reign over the peloton it was well documented that Lance had performed a VO2 max test with a score of 86 ml/kg/min. Naturally an extremely high VO2 max became directly associated with elite aerobic performance. This week I will be posting the 4 reasons the VO2 Max Test isn’t all its hyped up to be. Topics I will address include:
1. It’s difficult to know if you are actually measuring a subjects maximal oxygen consumption
2. The VO2 max test downplays the importance of bio-mechanical efficiency
3. The VO2 max test downplays the importance of having a high lactate threshold
4. The formulas used to determine caloric expenditure are poorly validated
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Did you know that the Kangaroo is the only animal that requires less oxygen the faster it runs? How is that for a strange fact?
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