APPENDIX B
Maximal oxygen uptake, or VO2max, is considered the best single measurement of cardiovascular fitness. It represents the peak rate of your body’s oxygen consumption capability, which is important because this is one of the two biggest factors in endurance performance.
(The other big endurance factor is the lactate threshold, which is the exercise level at which blood lactate begins to accumulate above resting levels. The lactate threshold is much more difficult to measure than VO2max, which is why VO2max is the accepted standard.)
The only accurate way to measure VO2max is to use a
Serious training results in an average improvement in VO2max of 20%, and all this takes place in 8 to 12 weeks. Additional performance improvement after this time is a result of a higher lactate threshold and, to a lesser degree, increased biomechanical efficiency.
(See Wilmore & Costill, Physiology of Sport and Exercise, pages
VO2max is expressed in milliters of oxygen per minute per kilogram of body weight, or ml/min/kg.
VO2
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