Vo2Max Question

ok so 74.4 is well above average. since im a swimmer what kind of runner could i turn into

There really is not good correlation between V02 max and actuall performance. I have been measured twice at 78, yet I am a mediocre runner (17:06 5k, 35:06 10k, 2:50 marathon). I am a better cyclist, but still no where near where some of the predictions would put me. My training may not be perfect, but it does not explain the difference. Also, some great athletes have had low V02 max. I think Frank Shorter only had about a 65.

try this link

Shorter was actually about 72, but you're right about VO2max and performance.

where do you get your VO2 max measured?

drain on society wrote:

where do you get your VO2 max measured?

where do you live? i can offer some suggests, possibly.

High V02 wrote:

There really is not good correlation between V02 max and actuall performance. I have been measured twice at 78, yet I am a mediocre runner (17:06 5k, 35:06 10k, 2:50 marathon). I am a better cyclist, but still no where near where some of the predictions would put me. My training may not be perfect, but it does not explain the difference. Also, some great athletes have had low V02 max. I think Frank Shorter only had about a 65.

You are correct:

The power you need to run can vary by as much as 20% from 0.8 kcal/km/kg to 1 kcal/km/kg.

You are most likely closer to the 1 kcal/km/kg.

Your VO2 max is a measure for the aerobic power you can produce per kg of body weight. It tells you nothing about your efficiency. In addition anaerobic power also contributes to distances shorter than 10K.

VO2 max is a weird thing. Basically what it means is what you breathe in, the precentage of that breath that your body actually uses. Mine has been registered at 80, but it doesn't mean that you are world class. Someone told me that "you posess the ability to be world class" or some bullshit. It's nice to know, but doesn't really help you too much.

You can get your VO2 max tested at a sports kinesology (sp?) place or a place like the olympic training centre in chula vista california.

A university with an exercise science program might be able to do this.

.... wrote:

VO2 max is a weird thing. Basically what it means is what you breathe in, the precentage of that breath that your body actually uses. Mine has been registered at 80, but it doesn't mean that you are world class. Someone told me that "you posess the ability to be world class" or some bullshit. It's nice to know, but doesn't really help you too much.

You can get your VO2 max tested at a sports kinesology (sp?) place or a place like the olympic training centre in chula vista california.

The OTC is NOT available to test just anyone off the street. There are specific requirements that must be met in order to use the facility.

You can put a Ferrari engine in a Pinto, but you're still driving a Pinto. A lot of people have a high Vo2max but lack the running economy to make efficient use of that Vo2max. That is, what's important is speed at Vo2max or speed at any Vo2 be it max or not. So, you have all this oxygen in blood because of this high Vo2 but what is important is how you use this oxygen. How much force can you generate per stride, how fast can you go, how are your muscles using it? Those are the important questions. A lot of runners have the engine but lack the body or the wheels.

Alan

i have a 90 vo2 max

I know the OTC isn't for everyone to just walk into. Infact i don't know of a place you can just walk into to get that tested. I was just stating where i got mine done for reference.

To the guy who has a 90. Where were you tested? That is extremely high and unbelievable.

High V02 wrote:

There really is not good correlation between V02 max and actuall performance.

You are correct. VO2 and VO2 max has been proven to have a low correlation to performance, hence, a poor predictor of performance.

While seemingly common sense, performance in like distances is the best predictor of future performance.

KISS.

RUNNING PREDICTS RUNNING BETTER THAN PHYSIOLOGY

Noakes, T. D., Myburgh, K. H., & Schall, R. (1990). Peak treadmill running velocity during VO2max test predicts running performance. Journal of Sports Sciences, 8, 35-45.

Marathon runners (N = 20) and ultra-marathoners (N = 23) were tested for VO2max, peak treadmill running velocity, velocity at lactate turnpoint, and VO2 at 16 km/h using an incremental (1 min) treadmill test.

Results. Race times at 10, 21.1, and 42.2 km of the specialist marathoners were faster than those of the ultra-marathoners, however, only the 10 km time differed significantly. Lactate turnpoint occurred at 77.4% of VO2max and at 74.7% of peak treadmill velocity. The average VO2 at 16 km/h was 51.2 ml/kg/min which represented 78.5% of VO2max.

For all distances, performance time in other races was the best predictor of performance (r = .95 to .98).

The best laboratory predictors were: (a) peak treadmill running velocity (r = -.89 to -.94); (b) running velocity at lactate turnpoint (r = -.91 to -.93); and (c) fractional use of VO2max at 16 km/h (r = .86 to .90). The predictive value of the lactate turnpoint measure increased as the distance increased.

The poorest predictors were: VO2max (r = -.55 to -.81) and VO2 at 16 km/h (r = .40 to .45).

Conclusion. There may be no unique physiological characteristics that distinguish elite long-distance (10 km or longer) runners as is often promoted. Other factors determine success in high level sports among exclusive groups of superior athletes.

Implication. Running performance is the best predictor of running capability in elite long-distance runners. Physiological laboratory testing gives less information than does actual performance. Even the fastest speed of running on the treadmill is a better predictor than any physiological measure. This suggests that for at least endurance-dominated sports, actual performances in a variety of performance-specific situations will give more useful information than that which can be obtained in any physiology laboratory test.

Like Duh. If I run faster then everyone else in my MaxVo2 test at UofShitBird, I have a huge chance to beat those same people I tested against during the St. Pat's Swamp Stomp 5,000 on Saturday morning. I guess we need research to speak the obvious.

Well put.

carhartt wrote:

Like Duh. If I run faster then everyone else in my MaxVo2 test at UofShitBird, I have a huge chance to beat those same people I tested against during the St. Pat's Swamp Stomp 5,000 on Saturday morning. I guess we need research to speak the obvious.

carhartt wrote:

Like Duh. If I run faster then everyone else in my MaxVo2 test at UofShitBird, I have a huge chance to beat those same people I tested against during the St. Pat's Swamp Stomp 5,000 on Saturday morning. I guess we need research to speak the obvious.

Exactly. That's the whole useless point of VO2Max testing - fundamentally there's no difference than what goes on in the sociology department. As the slogan printed on the t-shirts of one grant-writing sociology think-tank said: "We tell you what you already know."

Your best bet is to contact any college or university nearby to see if they do this for a fee or if they have any studies you'd qualify for in which they measure VO2max.

The fee-for hire stuff varies. We don't do it in our lab because it messes up our research time and is more of an effort than it's worth. Other places put an emphasis on this stuff and use it to fund their lab.