VO2 max data from world class runners

sorry to dig up an old thread.

I have just under taken a VO2 Max test today and was interested if anyone had anymore figures for top distance athletes, preferably males.

It looks asthough I have scored very high in relation to the list posted on the previous page but it would be interesting to see other athletes scores if any has access to the resources

thanks.

Vo2max doesn't mean a whole lot. Mine is 79.4 and I'm not close to breaking 15:00 in the 5k.

Alan

sorry to dig up an old thread.

I have just under taken a VO2 Max test today and was interested if anyone had anymore figures for top distance athletes, preferably males.

It looks asthough I have scored very high in relation to the list posted on the previous page but it would be interesting to see other athletes scores if any has access to the resources

thanks.

Not true at all. The athlete with the highest ever VO2 max was lance armstrong, tested that is.

Having tested a few runners over the years, several things have become evident. (1) VO2max is a useful measure for comparing you with yourself in fitness between one period of time and another -- max goes down with iniactivity and improves with training. (2) Elite runners have higher values than sedentary folks. (3) Combining VO2max with your individual running economy (vVO2max) is a much better predictor of performance than max or economy alone. (4) Some labs do poor jobs of measuring both max and submax. (5) The more high tech the equipment becomes, the greater the chance for error, because we have come to believe that if the data are spit out of a computer they are most accurate. (6) the greater the muscle mass involved in the test, the higher the max (I have tested Olympic canoe paddlers who reached over 60 max with arms only, but they were able to go over 60 more easily when running). (7) It is very clear to me that economy is at least as important as max, and there appears to be a direct correlation between VO2max and VO2submax (economy), which means those with the higher maxes tend to be those with poorer economy. (8) It is foolish to say VO2max means nothing in terms of distance running performance, because that infers that a 20 max is good enough to get the job done. -- may as well say having two legs means nothing, because you can do just as well with one. When I see a guy (or girl) with a 20 max run a World record for the 10k then I will believe it means nothing, and I will start my 1-legged training routine that very week

Thanks for the summary, Jack. Pretty much confirms what I have heard/read over the years (and is why I usually use a 3200 time trial to assess VO2 rather than go to the lab =)

awesomeness wrote:

I would like to say that the V02max doesn't mean that much, it does some but not as much as people make it out to be.

Having said that most people will probably say- you're just saying that because yours isn't that high (which is true- 67).

List of some V02maxs and what they were able to accomplish with their max O2 consumption values:

John Ngugi 85 5x World CC champ

Derek Clayton 69.7 2:08:34 WR (1969 WR, lasted 12 years)

Peter Snell 72 mile WR

Gary Tuttle 82.7 2:17 marathon

Steve Prefontaine 84.4 3:54 mile

Willie Mtolo 70.3 2:08:15 marathon

you just disproved your own point. I dont see anyone on you list below 69. and those in that range are either bad test results or who had incredibly higher ranges in other areas. for example, how much vo2max training does a marathoner do?

You want someone below 69...todd harbour, forgot what it was exactly but it was around 64.....3:50 miler... there ya go.

i posted that a while ago, and i didn't really disprove myself

a guy with an 82.7 runs a 2:17

a guy with a 69.7 runs a 2:08

there ya go

Some very interesting comments regarding VO2. I took a test this week and scored quite high, 89.22.

This was quite a shock to me when I have been looking through the lists of athletes posted. Now I know VO2 doesn't have a direct relation to performance, although it plays a major factor in being able to improve performace knowing your body takes in so much oxygen and this can be used to your advanage.

I am still young and don't train anywhere near my potential, so hopefully in the coming track season I can use this VO2 score to my advantage.

I was just interested if there was many more scores available? It's quite interesting to see what other athletes are getting on these tests.

thanks

Some very interesting comments regarding VO2. I took a test this week and scored quite high, 89.22.

This was quite a shock to me when I have been looking through the lists of athletes posted. Now I know VO2 doesn't have a direct relation to performance, although it plays a major factor in being able to improve performace knowing your body takes in so much oxygen and this can be used to your advanage during training and racing.

I am still young and don't train anywhere near my potential, so hopefully in the coming track season I can use this VO2 score to my advantage and then hopefully to bigger and better things in the future.

I was just wondering if there was many more scores available? It's quite interesting to see what other athletes are getting on these tests, especially some of the bigger names.

thanks

apologies for the double post. im not used to this style forum. different to the usuall PHPBB I use

Vo2 Max

Fitness can be defined as the volume of oxygen you can consume while working out at your maximum ability. Measuring someone’s VO2max is becoming an increasingly common way to measure one’s overall athletic fitness. VO2max is the maximum oxygen one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. Defined another way, VO2max is how efficiently the body can transport oxygen from the air to the muscles for energy production. Many factors can affect one’s VO2max including the heart’s ability to pump blood to muscles as well as the muscles ability to extract oxygen from the blood and use it to the full extent. Many consequences result from a low VO2max such as fatigue, slower movement, inability for prolonged exercise, and inactivity. Since oxygen consumption is linearly related to energy expenditure, people who are in better cardiovascular condition will have higher VO2max’s and can exercise more vigorously than those who are not as fit.

Explanation of the Mathematics of Vo2 Max

Max VO2 = 132.853 – (0.0769 x W) – (0.3877 x A) + (6.315 x G) – (3.2649 x T1) – (0.1565 x HR1-4)

W = body weight,

A = age,

G = gender (0 = female, 1 = male),

T1 = time for the 1 mile track walk expressed in minutes and hundredths of a minute,

HR1-4 = the heart rate in beats . min-1 at the end of the last quarter mile.

The translation for our 19-year-old male (whose Max VO2 turns out to be 67.63) is:

Body weight = 151.5 lb., T1 = 13.56 min, HR1-4 = 145 beats . min-1

Max VO2 = 132.853 – (0.0769 x 151.5) – (0.3877 x 19) + (6.315 x 1) – (3.2649 x 9.75) – (0.1565 x 125)

Max VO2 = 67.63 ml . kg-1 . min-1

It is important to note that Vo2 Max can be calculated different ways.

Vo2 Max Application

Experiment: Vo2 max can be greatly improved with regular exercise. However, some exercise has more of an effect on improving an individual’s V02 max than others. We designed our experiment to test this idea and see what type of exercise should be conducted in order to improve Vo2 max. We each worked out regularly, but with different types of exercise, for a period of 8 weeks. We then measured the percent change of our Vo2 max.

Hypothesis: If more cardiovascular exercise is performed, then the Vo2 max will improve by a greater percentage.

Exercise:

Christina- Outdoor jogging 25 minutes x 4 times per week

Danielle- Stationary bike 30 minutes x 4 times per week

Matt- Weight training 1 hour x 4 times per week

Beginning Vo2 Max (February 8, 2004):

Christina: 153.2

Danielle: 147

Matt: 142.3

Matt & Danielle Christina & Matt

Ending vo2 Max (April 4, 2004): Percent increase

Christina: 161.7 5.5

Danielle: 152.6 3.8

Matt: 144 1.1

Conclusion: Although all the different types of exercise in our experiment did have an effect on Vo2 max, cardiovascular exercise proved to have the greatest effect and be the most efficient way to improve Vo2 max. Even though Christina did start with a higher Vo2 max overall, she still had the greatest increase in Vo2 max after weekly jogging than the others whose exercise was less cardiovascular focused.

Rate of Improvement

The average person can expect an increase of 15% to 20% in V02 max by performing aerobic and anaerobic exercise three times per week for 30-60 minutes depending on the type of exercise. A highly trained athlete at the appropriate percent body fat will find that V02 max increases are limited by genetic capabilities and muscle fiber type.

Sources:

Sources

http://www.crosslink.net/~cherylw/V02MAX.htm

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/vo2_js.html

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/vo2max.htm

Records and Averages

• General Population, Female, Aged 20-29: 35-43 ml/kg/min

• General Population, Male, Aged 20-29: 44-51

• US College Track, Male: 57.4

• College Students, Male: 44.6

• Highest Recorded Female (Cross-Country Skier): 74

• Highest Recorded Male (Cross-Country Skier): 94

Famous athletes

Steve Prefontaine

• Steve Prefontaine,US runner, 84.4

• Frank Shorter, US Olympic Marathon winner, 71.3

• Grete Waitz, Norwegian Marathon/10K runner, 73.5

• Ingrid Kristiansen, ex-Marathon World Record Holder, 71.2

• Derek Clayton, Australian ex-Marathon World Record holder, 69.7

• Rosa Mota, Marathon runner, 67.2

• Jeff Galloway, US Runner, 73.0

• Paula Ivan, Russian Olympic 1500M Record Holder, 71.0

• Jarmila Krotochvilova,Czech Olympian 400M/800M winner, 72.8

• Greg LeMond, professional cyclist, 92.5

• Matt Carpenter, Pikes Peak marathon course record holder, 92

• Miguel Indurain, professional cyclist, 88