Did you hear the news? The really big news? The holy-jeez, can-you-believe-it, why-aren’t-more-people-talking-about-this news? Well here goes: the fountain of youth (you know, the ancient legend that captivated explorers and storytellers the world over?) – yeah, it’s been discovered! 

Crazy, right?!?! 

Now, before you grab your nearest Viking ship and set sail for exotic waters, we should tell you that a) it’s not actually a fountain, b) you don’t have to travel anywhere to find it, because c) it’s been inside you all along! It’s called your VO2 max, and it’s the key to a long and healthy life. 

What is the VO2 Max?

Simply put, your VO2 max is the highest rate of oxygen your body is able to use when you exercise. As you know, oxygen is kind of a big deal when it comes to any sort of activity, because it is the key to producing ATP — the building block of human energy. So that means that if you have a higher VO2 max, your body is able to produce more energy when you workout, so you can do it longer, stronger, and with less interruptions. 

The Benefits of a Healthy VO2 Max

The positive effects of a healthy VO2 max are profound and plentiful – let’s take a look at some of them now.

• Cardiovascular Health: When you’ve got a solid VO2 max, you’ve got a reliably good marker of solid heart and lung function. And this is indicative of a decreased risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.

• Elevated Energy and Stamina: When your body has a higher capacity to transport oxygen to your working muscles, you can work out for a longer period of time without experiencing that much fatigue.

• Weight Management: Since aerobic exercise plays a vital role in calorie burning, having a higher performing VO2 max is a great way to help your body to control your weight and improve metabolism.

• Cognitive Benefits: It turns out that a good VO2 max is actually responsible for endorphin release, helping to lower your stress, anxiety, and depression, and helping to improve your memory and brain health!

• Longevity: It turns out, during a 2018 long-term study that followed over 122,000 patients, there was an overwhelming correlation between living a long and healthy life, and having a high VO2 max!

What Is a “Good” VO2 Max for Men & Women?

On average, a pretty good VO2 max number for an average man is:

• 42 – 46 for a 20 year old
• 40 – 45 for a 30 year old
• 39 – 43 for a 40 year old
• 35 – 40 for a 50 year old
• 32 – 36 for 60 and above

For a woman, those scores look like:

• 33 – 36 for a 20 year old
• 31 – 35 for a 30 year old
• 29 – 32 for a 40 year old
• 27 – 31 for a 50 year old
• 24 – 30 for 60 and above

How to Find Your VO2 Max

There are many VO2 max tests out there that deliver superb accuracy and trusted results, but they tend to be expensive and only available in high-level sports labs. 

As an alternative, there are many resources online that you can search that provide instructions and online calculators to help you find your VO2 max.

How to Increase Your VO2 Max

Now that we’ve told you all about why your VO2 max is the key to a happier, healthier you, let’s talk about how to improve yours! Now, unlike many other questions in fitness that tend to have a multitude of different and varying answers, this question has got one. 

If you’re looking to increase your VO2 max, there IS no better way than with High-Intensity Interval Training! Countless research and testing have shown that HIIT is by far the most effective workout methodology to elevate your VO2 max. And it’s pretty intuitive to see why – the stop-start, high-low, off-on style of a HIIT workout puts your body to its greatest test, making your heart and lungs work that much harder. Anybody who’s a fan of long, monotonous jogs, runs, or bike rides knows that at some point your body just runs on cruise control (that’s why a lot of people enjoy those activities so much). But HIIT doesn’t allow your body to sit in the passenger seat – instead, it constantly bombards your system with challenge after challenge. 

And if you’re looking for the best entry into HIIT, look no further than Studio SWEAT onDemand! We’ve got an endless library of online workouts that you can do from the comfort of anywhere, including a wide array of at-home HIIT fitness classes! All of our onDemand workouts feature real people just like you, and are taught by world-class trainers who specialize in pushing you past your limits, into pure SWEAT mode. Sign up for our Free Trial today, and take your fitness to the MAX!!!