Exercise for Healthspan: VO2 Max

Within an overall & comprehensive approach to exercising for a healthy lifespan, VO2 max could be highlighted as the single most influential factor as it appears to have the strongest causal relationship with end-point outcomes like reduced:

📉All cause mortality (dying from any cause)W📉Cardiovascular disease

📉Metabolic syndrome (blood pressure, bodyfat, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c)

Flipped around, it also acts as a strong enabler of:

📈Any and all activity, including anything intense and demanding

📈Functional fitness

📈Independence living

VO2 Max is the maximal rate at which the body can uptake, transport and use oxygen to generate energy during intense exercise and is expressed in ml per kg bodyweight per minute. Whilst it is focused on oxygen, the practical max is a compound of what your lungs, heart and muscles can manage together ❤️🫁💪

All relatively intense exercise can develop VO2 max. Many forms of interval training:

• Tabata (but seriously, this is far beyond most non-olympic level athletes)

• High-Intensity Interval Training, (HIIT)

• Reduced Exertion High Intensity Training (ReHIT)

• Sprint Interval Training (SIT)

• Norwegian 4x4

With all of these the key to enable VO2 development is that intensiveness during each interval should be as high as you can maintain for the duration of that interval. This takes practice & learning. It is very easy either:

• Push too hard early & be unable to sustain

• Go too slowly initially, with plenty of capacity for more.

  
  

This also varies between different exercise options, like rowing, climbing, cycling. It takes practice to find your pace within each activity.

🧗🏽Norwegian 4x4 does have some evidence to indicate it may be the single best protocol.

1. 4 minutes of activity as intensely as you can sustain for 4 minutes

2. 3 minutes of gentle recovery activity

3. Repeat 4 times total (4 work intervals, 4 recovery intervals).

Personally, I love performing these using a Versa Climber, to utilise many major muscles, none of which tire, so the heart and lungs can receive the emphasis.

When I say love, I mean hate.

Well, I love finishing it. 

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