Do you really need a VO2 Max test? That was a question I was asking myself as I nervously walked into the Human Powered Health Lab in Boston, MA, back in October. I was there to spend time with the women on the Human Powered Health Cycling Team, a team that I have a longtime history with from a journalist/cyclist standpoint, and I was absolutely terrified for two reasons.
On one hand, a VO2 Max test can provide super cool information and very dialed-in heart rate zones to use in training moving forward. On the other hand… it’s really hard. I had agreed to take part in a VO2 Max treadmill test the day before they all did their on-bike testing, which meant that I’d be maxing out on the treadmill while top pro women cyclists meandered around the lab… and honestly, the idea of getting a number that correlated with my fitness, especially after two months of kind of funky training as I came back from an ankle sprain had me feeling nervous.
A chunk of your VO2 Max is based on your genetics, which means you may train as perfectly as possible and make some improvements, but hit a ceiling at a certain point. If you can only affect it so much, are you better off not knowing your exact number? These tests are becoming much more common (and inexpensive) so I think an explanation of the testing protocols, what to look for if you are going to pay to get it done, what the DIY at-home version looks like, and how to actually use the data could be helpful for anyone considering doing one of these tests.
VO2 Max is typically referenced as your Zone 5 heart rate or power. But your actual VO2 Max is a measure of your cardio fitness—your maximal oxygen uptake—and is a number between 0 and 100. Well, 100 is theoretical, and 0 means you’re dead. From an untrained, unhealthy person, 25 is the bottom of the range. 56 is considered the top of the range for most people, and the highest ever recorded was 97.5. Most of the top female pros would be in the 55 to 80 range, top men would be 60 to 85.
There are in-lab tests, which is what I’m talking about, and there are DIY tests and estimations from wearables. I admit, I don’t use heart rate a ton in training, so I don’t have a comparison for what Garmin believes my VO2 max to be. (The watches will predict it based on heart rate in workouts.) Research has shown that Garmin’s measure typically is pretty close to accurate, but only if you’re consistent with your collection. That said, a lab test can be nice since it really does take out a lot of the margins of error and it’s pretty damn interesting!
Heading into the lab, I wasn’t the only one feeling trepidatious. I think the riders themselves were nervous, and if I’m being honest, I think the staff was a little nervous that they had to test a reporter. But Evan Hoyt, one of the lead exercise physiologists there, got a bit less stressed about having to test me when we started talking and he realized that I wasn’t exactly a couch-to-5K type journalist who was going to fly off the back of the treadmill. So, away we went.
With these lab tests, you’re on a treadmill or stationary bike with a mask that covers your mouth and nose. It’s a little Bane-from-Batman-y, and it’s not the most comfortable or natural feeling. But it’s needed to measure the amount of oxygen you can utilize.
It’s a HARD test. If you’re like me and endurance is your jam, it’s hellish. You’re on a treadmill or bike with the speed/effort slowly ramping up. In my case, we kept the pace consistent and literally ramped up, increasing the incline every minute. The goal is to last between 8 and 12 minutes, I made it to 10. As I ran, the effort got harder until finally, I tapped out.
I’ll fully admit to feeling incredibly nervous getting my result—if it was low, how was I going to feel? When Evan checked the results, he looked a little bemused. My VO2 Max was 66, a number right around most of the women who were there from the team. I don’t know that he was expecting that—and to be honest, I wasn’t really either. It was nice to hear, though, especially as someone rocketing towards 40!
So, that’s nice. But what can I do with this information and was it worth it?
I think it was worth it, but with caveats.
The simplest reason it’s worth it is setting accurate heart rate zones, which can be a little hard to do as a runner. This is particularly good for me, knowing exactly where my aerobic zone ends. In ultras, you really don’t want to spend much time over that zone if you can help it—that burns matches much faster. Good intel in situations where you could chase someone down, or you could opt to play the long game. For that reason, it’s well worth the testing. (This also applies to cyclists, though because you do have power to compare heart rate to, it can be easier for you to set your zones using things like FTP tests. VO2 max testing does dial it in for you though.)
From a motivation standpoint, I do think it helped me… but only because I had thought it through ahead of time. I knew going in that if my number was on the lower side of the spectrum, I would be willing to see that as a great opportunity to improve, and a target to focus on. I’d see it as a challenge, not a detriment. If it was on the higher side, I could use that as motivation to keep pushing myself, reminding myself in a workout or long run that feels hard that this is something my body can do, wants to do, and—to be a little dramatic—was born to do. Both of these responses are in the category of having a growth mindset instead of a fixed one.
If you’re the kind of person who has more of a fixed mindset, I’d say a VO2 Max test may not be a great idea—or at least, the VO2 Max number may not be helpful to know. This is because VO2 Max does have a large genetic component (but also a trainable component!). The genetic component, if you have a fixed mindset, combined with any score, could leave you feeling like there’s no way to improve it—in a sense, you could get a little mentally stuck and demotivated. If that sounds like you but you still want the data itself, I suggest getting a test done in the lab BUT asking them to give you the results strictly as heart rate/power zones in a table, without giving you your actual VO2 Max number. That way, you set your zones accurately without giving yourself a complex.
If you’re in the Boston, Minneapolis or Scottsdale AZ area, I do recommend checking out testing at the Human Powered Health Labs. They do everything from VO2 Max to lactate to gait analysis to DEXA scans to precision bike fits and more, and the people behind the labs and the people who work at the labs are awesome. The exercise physiologists working at the labs are incredibly nerdy athletes and they are obsessed with helping people understand the data, and I honestly loved getting to know them. While I’ll never say someone *has* to get tested, I think it can useful information and a cool experience—and it can point you in the direction you need to take for your health and your training!
