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VO2 max
The maximum oxygen your body can use during hard exercise — a top marker of aerobic fitness.
VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and use during all-out exercise, measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). It is one of the best single measures of aerobic (cardiorespiratory) fitness.
A higher VO2 max means your heart, lungs and muscles can deliver and burn more oxygen, so you can sustain harder effort for longer. It is strongly tied to endurance performance and is also associated with long-term health. Watches estimate it from heart rate and pace rather than measuring it directly, so treat the exact figure as a ballpark and the trend as the useful part.
The reliable way to raise it is aerobic training, especially a mix of steady endurance work and higher-intensity intervals. It falls gradually with age and with detraining, which makes a rising or steady estimate over months a genuinely good sign.
Frequently asked questions
VO2 max?
The maximum oxygen your body can use during hard exercise — a top marker of aerobic fitness. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and use during all-out exercise, measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). It is one of the best single measures of aerobic (cardiorespiratory) fitness.
