[BrianB]

I had a VO2max test the other day for the first time. It was a heckuva butt-whoopin, but I got some interesting data out of it.

My VO2max (mL O2/kg/min) at peak was 47.6. I actually made it up into the 52.x range, but didn't sustain it long enough for that to count as my max on the final report. For my age range (I'm 39), the zones are:

Age 30-39 years:
31.4 or less, very low
31.5 - 35.4, low
35.5 - 40.9, fair
41.0 - 44.9, good
45.0 - 49.4, excellent
49.5 or higher, superior

I was on a "spin" bike for the test. I think if I were running on a treadmill instead I could have worked a little harder at max as the spin bike really didn't let me get into a full-power posture. Of course I want to get an official result in the superior range since I was so close (and since I did peak up into 52.x -- just need to hold it longer).

At max exertion my heart rate was 184. The standard formula of "220 - age" gives a maximal heart rate for me of 181, so 184 is pretty darn close -- attesting to the relevance of the formula.

My aerobic threshold was reached at a heart rate of 149. So, up to 149 I was able to run my muscles aerobically, and in theory could sustain that level of effort for any reasonable duration. Beyond 149 bpm was my lactate threshold and the beginning of anaerobic respiration which of course starts the clock ticking toward when you're going to hit the wall.

Since I was hooked up to an indirect calorimetry machine for the test, the printout also told how many actual calories per hour I burn at the various heart rates (as apposed to the approximations that my Polar HRM uses based on my age, weight, gender, etc.), so that was handy data to get as well.

I am somewhat of a data junkie, so I really dig this kind of stuff. I actually bought my own Resting Metabolic Rate machine (a Korr Metacheck) that I use on my wife and I, and will use on my weight-loss-targeting and LBM-building clients once I'm certified and practicing. I think there is no more important single piece of data to have when trying to lose fat or gain muscle than knowing what your actual caloric requirements are in a day (so you don't over *or* under eat -- either of which will slow your progress toward your goal).

Anyway, enough rambling. Anybody else had a VO2max done? I know my number is no Lance Armstrong (he's a genetic freak and has a VO2max of like 83.8 mL/min/kg), but for a 39 year old dude who just recently lost 200 pounds and has only been doing any sort of exercise at all since August, I was pretty dang happy).

[Christina]

Well done Brian! You should definitely be proud of yourself. You have come a long way over the past couple of years.

I am going to run a half marathon in April and want to get mine done close to that time. I will let you know the results! How much did it cost? I think around here it is roughly $500 (not cheap unfortunately.) I hope they do not put me on a bike. I would like to be on a treadmill. In one of my classes a couple of years ago we had to observe a VO2 max test. The guy conducting the test said he puts most folks on the bike so there is no risk of falling.

Christina

[BrianB]

Mine cost $120 to have done. I had it done at a physical therapy place in Tampa. You have your choice of what type of exercise you want to be doing for the test -- they'll set up a spin bike, a treadmill, whatever (at that place). I chose the bike because to this point most of my cardio work has been on a stationary bike. I was getting too good at that so it was time to force some adaptation and now I'm doing the elliptical machine. Once my body is used to that, I'll switch to treadmill, and so on.

Please do share your results when you get the test done. I don't see a way to do attachments on this forum, but I can scan my report and upload it somewhere else and link to it here if anyone is interested in seeing the details that the CardioCoach (the model of Korr VO2max machine that was used) provides.

[C Lenart]

Brian:

Nice job on the V02 max test. I've only done a "submaximal" test in the last few years. Submax V02 tests are usually safer, easier to perform, and do not require a physician present for certain population groups that the ACSM guidelines call for.

I read your material over and here's a few tips for the "data junkie." I like that term data junkie, I'm one myself. Anyhow, a few tips. You say in your piece, "Beyond 149 bpm was my lactate threshold and the beginning of anaerobic respiration which of course starts the clock ticking toward when you're going to hit the wall. Actually, the "beginning" of anaerobic respiration for you would have started before 149 BPM. Here's how the blood lactate threshold/Onset of Blood lactate accumulation works.

An example would be that you begin to run at a 12 minute pace until you reach steady state aerobic metabolism at low-moderate intensity within 3-5 minutes. Now, you begin to run more intensely at an 8 mile pace and you will now need to rely on some amount of anaerobic derived ATP to meet that energy demand as aerobic metabolism cannot meet 100% of the body's energy demand for energy/ATP. This is the "beginning" of anaerobic respiration.

Now as the rate of anaerobic respiration increases, the production of Lactic acid (HLa) increases in the muscles and must be buffered into the bloodstream. As you reach higher intensity levels, more and more lactate acid is generated until you reach the blood lactate threshold or onset of blood lactate accumulation which is about 50-60% of VO2 max for healthy untrained individuals and about 70-80% of V02 max for healthy trained individuals. For you, these figures would be 23.8 and 38 with your VO2 max at 47. Once you reach between 23.8 and 38 depending on "your" conditioning, the clock "now" starts and you now have a finite time to continue to do physical work. The point here is the individuals level of training which allows the ability to work at a higher % of VO2 max before blood lactate threshold is reached.

Hope this is good date junkie material.

Curt

ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor

[BrianB]

Thanks for the details Curt! My data junkie side appreciates it! The cPT materials I've studied so far haven't gone into VO2max in any great technical detail, so you filling in the blanks was great.

On the topic of being a data junkie, since I have my own RMR machine, I did a RMR on myself after I got home from a nice resistance workout this morning. Having done a correct RMR recently (fasting, no caffeine or exercise, etc.), I wanted to compare that to what my rate was after exercise just to see a real-world measurement of EPOC at about 45 minutes post-exercise.

My true "resting" RMR is about 1829 KCal/day. My reading 45 minutes post-exercise was 2477 KCal/day, a difference of 648 KCal/day (but of course it won't stay at that level for a day). Dividing that 648 difference by 24 hours in a day, you're looking at about an extra 28 KCal burnt in an hour. Of course even that isn't completely accurate as I'm sure the EPOC is highest immediately post-workout, and then tapers off to zero over some period of time (depending upon the intensity and duration of the workout). Some day when I have more time, maybe I'll try to do a measurement immediately after the workout (or as closely as possible), and then every 10 minutes thereafter (the test takes 10 minutes). That would give an interesting EPOC curve showing the change in EPOC over time, and an idea of how long it takes to get to zero (for that particular intensity and duration of exercise, for that specific person, at that specific level of fitness).

Sometimes I take these things too far...

Thanks again for the information infusion Curt!