{"id":48,"date":"2025-04-03T12:07:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T12:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/?p=48"},"modified":"2025-04-03T12:09:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T12:09:28","slug":"important-biomarkers-to-track-as-an-athlete-vo2-max-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/important-biomarkers-to-track-as-an-athlete-vo2-max-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Biomarkers to Track as an Athlete: VO2 Max – Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You can’t improve what you don’t track.<\/strong> It’s a phrase that’s echoed across industries and disciplines, and your personal fitness is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most people, the go-to metric is weight. How much do I weigh? Am I too skinny? Too fat?<\/em> But what does weight really tell us about our fitness? You can weigh a lot and be lean and strong, or weigh very little and still be metabolically unhealthy. The scale doesn\u2019t capture the full picture\u2014and it certainly doesn\u2019t tell us how our body is performing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About five months ago, I started using the Whoop device. After months of collecting data, I found myself deep in the numbers\u2014curious about what they meant and how they could help me better understand my general physical preparedness (GPP). Through that process, three metrics have stood out: VO\u2082 max (maximal aerobic capacity), Resting Heart Rate (RHR),<\/strong> and Heart Rate Variability (HRV).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will focus on VO\u2082 max<\/strong>, what I have learned and what my progress has been with this biomarker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VO\u2082 max (maximal aerobic capacity)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

VO\u2082 max is a measure of how efficiently your body uses oxygen during intense exercise. The more oxygen your muscles can access, the more nutrients they can convert into ATP\u2014the molecular fuel your body uses to move. In simple terms: a higher VO\u2082 max means better stamina and greater work capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put bluntly, it lets you go harder and longer during workouts. Woohoo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why VO\u2082 Max Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A good study on how VO2 max effects you can be found here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Title<\/th>Authors<\/th>Date<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
The Effect of Training Intensity on VO2<\/sub>max in Young Healthy Adults: A Meta-Regression and Meta-Analysis<\/a><\/td>Scribbans TD, Vecsey S, Hankinson PB, Foster WS, Gurd BJ.<\/td>2016<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

VO\u2082 max isn\u2019t just about performance, it\u2019s also a strong predictor of long-term health outcomes. In a 2016, Scribbans et al. found that VO\u2082 max strongly correlates with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here was their key takeaway:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cA minimal increase of just one metabolic equivalent (3.5 ml O\u2082\u00b7kg\u22121\u00b7min\u22121) was associated with a 10\u201325% improvement in survival.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a massive return for a small gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the same study, two types of training were found to significantly improve VO\u2082 max:<\/p>\n\n\n\n