
Maximal VO2 max testing requires the athlete to exercise to the point of complete fatigue, where they physically cannot run or cycle anymore.
BEEP TEST VO2 MAX PROFESSIONAL
Generally reserved for professional and semi-professional athletes, maximal VO2 max testing is full-on and pushes the athlete to the absolute limit of their cardiovascular abilities. When the time comes to perform a fitness test, there are a number of tests available to help fitness professionals work out your fitness level and they fall into two groups: maximal and sub-maximal testing. The more oxygen you can pump through your body during exercise, the higher your fitness level. VO2 max testing allows fitness professionals (such as a coach, personal trainer, exercise scientist, or exercise physiologist) to work out how much oxygen is being carried in your blood and pumped into your muscles during exercise. In simple terms, the fitter you are the more oxygen you are able to move around your body (through your blood) when you exercise. You are probably wondering what all this has to do with fitness.

As our heart beats faster, more blood is pumped through the body, and with it, more oxygen. When we participate in cardiovascular or aerobic exercise, not only does our heart rate increase but our breathing as well. As you are aware, when we perform any type of exercise, our heart rate increases. VO2 max testing is the term used to describe a way of testing a person’s maximal oxygen uptake or cardiovascular fitness. For the average person, knowing your fitness level is a great place to start when beginning a gym program. For an athlete, knowing their fitness level and if has increased or decrease make a huge difference to their individual training programs.

VO2 Max Simplifiedįor both athletes and the general public, knowing what your aerobic fitness level is can be very important. At the most basic level, it is a way of testing someone’s aerobic fitness but is also so much more than that. But unless you are an athlete or fitness professional, you may not know what it means. If you are a sports fan, like many of us are, you have no doubt heard the term ‘VO2 max’.
