VO2 max - wikipedia VO max VO max ( also maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake, peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity ) is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during incremental exercise ( exercise of increasing intensity ). The name is derived from V - volume, O - oxygen, max - maximum. Maximal oxygen consumption reflects the cardiorespiratory fitness of an individual and is an important determinant of their endurance capacity during prolonged exercise. Contents 1 Health 2 Expression 3 Measurement 3.1 Fick equation 4 Estimation 4.1 Uth -- Sørensen -- Overgaard -- Pedersen estimation 4.2 Cooper test 4.3 Multi-stage fitness test 4.4 Rockport fitness walking test 4.5 Firstbeat method 5 Levels 6 Limiting factors 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Health VO max is widely used as an indicator of health. In 2016, the American Heart Association published a scientific statement recommending that cardiorespiratory fitness ( CRF ), quantifiable as VO max, be regularly assessed and utilized as a clinical vital sign. This statement was based on mounting evidence that lower fitness levels are associated with high risk of cardiovascular disease, all - cause mortality, and mortality rates stemming from various types of cancers. In addition to risk assessment, the AHA recommendation cited the value measuring fitness for validating exercise prescription, physical activity counseling, and improving both patient management and patient health. Expression VO max is expressed either as an absolute rate in ( for example ) litres of oxygen per minute ( L / min ) or as a relative rate in ( for example ) millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute ( e.g., mL / ( kg min ) ). The latter expression is often used to compare the performance of endurance sports athletes. However, VO max generally does not vary linearly with body mass, either among individuals within a species or among species, so comparisons of the performance capacities of individuals or species that differ in body size must be done with appropriate statistical procedures, such as analysis of covariance. Measurement VO max measurement through a modern metabolic cart during a graded exercise test on a treadmill Accurately measuring VO max involves a physical effort sufficient in duration and intensity to fully tax the aerobic energy system. In general clinical and athletic testing, this usually involves a graded exercise test ( either on a treadmill or on a cycle ergometer ) in which exercise intensity is progressively increased while measuring : ventilation and oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration of the inhaled and exhaled air. VO max is reached when oxygen consumption remains at a steady state despite an increase in workload. Fick equation Main article : Fick principle VO max is properly defined by the Fick equation : V O 2 m a x = Q × ( C a O 2 − C v O 2 ) ( displaystyle mathrm ( VO_ ( 2 ) ; max ) = Q \times ( mathrm ( C_ ( a ) O_ ( 2 ) ) - mathrm ( C_ ( v ) O_ ( 2 ) ) ) ), when these values are obtained during an exertion at a maximal effort. where Q is the cardiac output of the heart, C O is the arterial oxygen content, and C O is the venous oxygen content. ( C O -- C O ) is also known as the arteriovenous oxygen difference. Estimation Tests measuring VO max can be dangerous in individuals who are not considered normal healthy subjects, as any problems with the respiratory and cardiovascular systems will be greatly exacerbated in clinically ill patients. Thus, many protocols for estimating VO max have been developed for those for whom a traditional VO max test would be too risky. These generally are similar to a VO max test, but do not reach the maximum of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and are called sub-maximal tests. Uth -- Sørensen -- Overgaard -- Pedersen estimation Another estimate of VO max, based on maximum and resting heart rates, was created by a group of researchers from Denmark. It is given by : V O 2 max ≈ HR max HR rest × 15.3 mL / ( kg minute ). ( displaystyle ( \text ( V ) ) ( ce ( O2 ) ) ( \text ( max ) ) approx ( \frac ( ( \text ( HR ) ) _ ( \text ( max ) ) ) ( ( \text ( HR ) ) _ ( \text ( rest ) ) ) ) \times 15.3 ( \text ( mL ) ) / ( ( \text ( kg minute ) ) ). ) This equation uses the ratio of maximum heart rate ( HR ) to resting heart rate ( HR ) to predict VO max. The researchers cautioned that the conversion rule was based on measurements on well - trained men aged 21 to 51 only, and may not be reliable when applied to other sub-groups. They also advised that the formula is most reliable when based on actual measurement of maximum heart rate, rather than an age - related estimate. Cooper test Kenneth H. Cooper conducted a study for the United States Air Force in the late 1960s. One of the results of this was the Cooper test in which the distance covered running in 12 minutes is measured. Based on the measured distance, an estimate of VO max ( in mL / ( kg min ) ) is : V O 2 m a x ≈ d 12 − 504.9 44.73 ( displaystyle mathrm ( VO_ ( 2 ) ; max ) approx ( d_ ( 12 ) - 504.9 over 44.73 ) ) where d is distance ( in metres ) covered in 12 minutes An alternative equation is : V O 2 m a x ≈ ( 35.97 ∗ d m i l e s 12 ) − 11.29 ( displaystyle mathrm ( VO_ ( 2 ) ; max ) approx ( ( 35.97 * dmiles_ ( 12 ) ) - 11.29 ) ) where dmiles is distance ( in miles ) covered in 12 minutes, Multi-stage fitness test There are several other reliable tests and VO max calculators to estimate VO max, most notably the multi-stage fitness test ( or beep test ). Rockport fitness walking test Estimation of VO max from a timed one - mile track walk with duration t, incorporating gender, age, body weight in pounds ( BW ), and heart rate ( HR ) at the end of the mile. The factor x is 6.3150 for males, 0 for females. BW is in lbs, time is in minutes. V O 2 m a x ≈ 132.853 − 0.0769 B W − 0.3877 age − 3.2649 t − 0.1565 H R + x ( displaystyle mathrm ( VO_ ( 2 ) ; max ) approx 132.853 - 0.0769 BW - 0.3877 ( \text ( age ) ) - 3.2649 t - 0.1565 HR + x ) Firstbeat method The Firstbeat method of VO max estimation, of which a patent application was filed in 2012, is widely licensed and used in consumer technology applications. The first consumer fitness device utilizing the Firstbeat method of VO max estimation was the Garmin Forerunner 620, released in 2013. Since then, Suunto, Jabra, Huawei, and PulseOn have also introduced products that utilize the Firstbeat method. The method relies on an analysis of the linear relationship between oxygen consumption and running speed, meaning that the oxygen cost of running increases when running speed increases. To facilitate analysis and enhance accuracy, timed segments of recorded activity data are identified on the basis of heart rate ranges and reliability ; and only the most reliable segments are utilized. This allows the method to be applied to freely performed running, walking and cycling activities and diminishes the need for dedicated fitness testing protocols. The calculation requires user basic anthropometric data ( age, gender, height, weight, etc. ), heartbeat data ( internal workload ), and a measure of external workload. External workload running / walking : movement speed obtained from either GPS or accelerometer sensors External workload cycling : power output expressed in watts and measured by a power meter. VO max estimates provided by the Firstbeat method are most accurate during running activities that utilize GPS to capture external workload data. This combination has been validated to be 95 % accurate compared to laboratory testing. Because the Firstbeat estimation method is sub-maximal in nature, accuracy of the estimate is strongly tied to validity of the HRmax value used in the calculation. Levels The average untrained healthy male will have a VO max of approximately 35 -- 40 mL / ( kg min ). The average untrained healthy female will score a VO max of approximately 27 -- 31 mL / ( kg min ). These scores can improve with training and decrease with age, though the degree of trainability also varies very widely : conditioning may double VO max in some individuals, and will never improve it in others. In one study, 10 % of participants showed no benefit after completing a 20 - week conditioning program, although the other 90 % of the test subjects all showed substantial improvements in fitness to varying degree. In sports where endurance is an important component in performance, such as cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing, swimming and running, world - class athletes typically have high VO maxima. Elite male runners can consume up to 85 mL / ( kg min ), and female elite runners can consume about 77 mL / ( kg min ). Five time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain is reported to have had a VO max of 88.0 at his peak, while cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie measured at 96 mL / ( kg min ). Dæhlie 's result was achieved out of season, and physiologist Erlend Hem who was responsible for the testing stated that he would not discount the possibility of the skier passing 100 mL / ( kg min ) at his absolute peak. Norwegian cyclist Oskar Svendsen is thought to have recorded the highest VO max of 97.5 mL / ( kg min ), when aged 18. The highest values in absolute terms for humans are often found in rowers, as their much greater bulk makes up for a slightly lower VO max per kg. Elite oarsmen measured in 1984 had VO max values of 6.1 ± 0.6 L / min and oarswomen 4.1 ± 0.4 L / min. Rowers are interested in both absolute values of VO max and in lung capacity, and the fact that they are measured in similar units means that the two are often confused. British rower Sir Matthew Pinsent is variously reported to have had a VO of 7.5 L / min or 8.5 L / min, although the latter may represent confusion with his lung capacity of 8.5 litres. New Zealand sculler Rob Waddell has one of the highest absolute VO2 max levels ever tested. Values have been measured in some other animal species : thoroughbred horses have a VO max of around 180 mL / ( kg min ). Siberian dogs running in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race have VO max values as high as 240 mL / ( kg min ). Limiting factors The factors affecting VO are often divided into supply and demand. Supply is the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the mitochondria ( including lung diffusion, stroke volume, blood volume, and capillary density of the skeletal muscle ) while demand is the rate at which the mitochondria can reduce oxygen in the process of oxidative phosphorylation. Of these, the supply factor is often considered to be the limiting one. However, it has also been argued that while trained subjects probably are supply limited, untrained subjects can indeed have a demand limitation. Tim Noakes, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, describes a number of factors that may affect VO max : age, sex, fitness and training, changes in altitude, and action of the ventilatory muscles. Noakes also asserts that VO max is a relatively poor predictor of performance in runners due to variations in running economy and fatigue resistance during prolonged exercise. Cardiac output, pulmonary diffusion capacity, oxygen carrying capacity, and other peripheral limitations like muscle diffusion capacity, mitochondrial enzymes, and capillary density are all examples of VO max determinants. The body works as a system. If one of these factor is sub-par, then the whole system loses its normal capacity to function properly. The drug erythropoietin ( EPO ) can boost VO max by a significant amount in both humans and other mammals. This makes EPO attractive to athletes in endurance sports, such as professional cycling. EPO has been banned since the 1990s as an illicit performance - enhancing substance. But in 1998 it became widespread in cycling and led to the Festina affair as well as being mentioned ubiquitously in the USADA 2012 report on the US Postal team. Greg LeMond has suggested establishing a baseline for riders ' VO max ( and other attributes ) to detect abnormal performance increases. See also Anaerobic exercise Arteriovenous oxygen difference Cardiorespiratory fitness Comparative physiology VDOT Oxygen pulse Respirometry Training effect vVO max Running economy References ^ Jump up to : Clemente C.J. ; Withers P.C. ; Thompson G.G. ( 2009 ). `` Australian varanid ''. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 97 ( 3 ) : 664 -- 676. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1095 - 8312.2009. 01207. x. ^ Jump up to : Dlugosz E.M., Chappell M.A., Meek T.H., Szafrañska P., Zub K., Konarzewski M., Jones J.H., Bicudo J.E.P.W., Careau V., Garland T., Jr ( 2013 ). `` Phylogenetic analysis of mammalian maximal oxygen consumption during exercise ''. Journal of Experimental Biology. 216 ( 24 ) : 4712 -- 4721. doi : 10.1242 / jeb. 088914. PMID 24031059. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Ross, Robert ; Blair, Steven N. ; Arena, Ross ; Church, Timothy S. ; Després, Jean - Pierre ; Franklin, Barry A. ; Haskell, William L. ; Kaminsky, Leonard A. ; Levine, Benjamin D. ( 2016 - 01 - 01 ). `` Importance of Assessing Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Clinical Practice : A Case for Fitness as a Clinical Vital Sign : A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association ''. Circulation : CIR. 0000000000000461. doi : 10.1161 / CIR. 0000000000000461. ISSN 0009 - 7322. PMID 27881567. Jump up ^ `` Arteriovenous oxygen difference ''. Sports Medicine, Sports Science and Kinesiology. Net Industries and its Licensors. 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011. Jump up ^ Uth, Niels ; Henrik Sørensen ; Kristian Overgaard ; Preben K. Pedersen ( January 2004 ). `` Estimation of VO2max from the ratio between HRmax and HRrest -- the Heart Rate Ratio Method ''. Eur J Appl Physiol. 91 ( 1 ) : 111 -- 5. doi : 10.1007 / s00421 - 003 - 0988 - y. PMID 14624296. Jump up ^ `` Cooper 's Formula VO2 Max Calculator ''. Jump up ^ ( Leger, Luc A., and J_ Lambert. `` A maximal multistage 20 - m shuttle run test to predict dot VO2 max. '' European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology 49.1 ( 1982 ) : 1 - 12. ) Jump up ^ Kilne G, et al. ( 1987 ). `` Estimation of VO2 max from a one mile track walk, gender, age and body weight ''. Med Sci. Sports Exerc. 19 : 253 -- 259. Jump up ^ `` US Patent Application for METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE FITNESS INDEX OF A PERSON Patent Application ( Application # 20140088444 issued March 27, 2014 ) - Justia Patents Search ''. patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 20. Jump up ^ `` VO2max Fitness Level - Firstbeat ''. Firstbeat. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Garmin Forerunner 620 In - Depth Review ''. DC Rainmaker. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 20. Jump up ^ PulseOn Jump up ^ `` Consumer Products - Firstbeat ''. Firstbeat. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 20. ^ Jump up to : Firstbeat Technologies ( 2014 - 11 - 11 ). `` Automated Fitness Level ( VO2max ) Estimation with Heart Rate and Speed Data '' ( PDF ). www.firstbeat.com. ^ Jump up to : Heyward, V ( 1998 ). `` Advance Fitness Assessment & Exercise Prescription, 3rd Ed ''. p. 48. Jump up ^ Guyton, A. ; Hall, J.E. ( 2011 ). `` Textbook of Medical Physiology, 12th Ed ''. pp. 1035 -- 1036. Jump up ^ Bouchard, Claude ; Ping An ; Treva Rice ; James S. Skinner ; Jack H. Wilmore ; Jacques Gagnon ; Louis Perusse ; Arthus S. Leon ; D.C. Rao ( September 1, 1999 ). `` Familial aggregation of VO ( 2max ) response to exercise training : results from the HERITAGE Family Study ''. Journal of Applied Physiology. 87 ( 3 ) : 1003 -- 1008. PMID 10484570. Retrieved 2007 - 07 - 17. Jump up ^ Kolata, Gina ( February 12, 2002 ). `` Why Some People Wo n't Be Fit Despite Exercise ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2007 - 07 - 17. Jump up ^ Noakes, Tim ( 2001 ). The Lore of Running. ( 3rd edition ) Oxford University Press ISBN 978 - 0 - 88011 - 438 - 7 Jump up ^ VO2 max faq Jump up ^ If all goes to plan, big future predicted for junior world champion Oskar Svendsen Jump up ^ Hagerman, FC ( Jul -- Aug 1984 ). `` Applied physiology of rowing ''. Sports Med. 1 ( 4 ) : 303 -- 26. doi : 10.2165 / 00007256 - 198401040 - 00005. PMID 6390606. Jump up ^ Bailey, James. `` Intensity ( 3 of 6 ) ''. Q - power indoor rowing team. Jump up ^ `` What happens in a VO2 max test ? ''. BBC Sport. 2009. - see an example here ( 1 ), which suggests that although British rower Pete Reed has recorded a lung capacity of 11.68 litres, ( Hounslow Chronicle ) Pinsent still regards his VO record as safe. A large lung capacity appears to be a particular advantage for rowing as it allows a rower to row more strokes at one breath per stroke. Jump up ^ Gough, Martin ( 17 June 2009 ). `` Monsters wanted ''. BBC. Jump up ^ Cornell Science News ^ Jump up to : Bassett D.R Jr. ; Howley E.T. ( 2000 ). `` Limiting factors for maximum oxygen uptake and determinants of endurance performance ''. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 32 ( 1 ) : 70 -- 84. doi : 10.1097 / 00005768 - 200001000 - 00012. Jump up ^ Bassett D.R Jr. ; Howley E.T. ( 1997 ). `` Maximal oxygen uptake : `` classical '' versus `` contemporary '' viewpoints ``. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 29 ( 5 ) : 591 -- 603. doi : 10.1097 / 00005768 - 199705000 - 00002. ^ Jump up to : Wagner P.D. ( 2000 ). `` New ideas on limitations to VO2max ''. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. 28 ( 1 ) : 10 -- 4. ^ Jump up to : Noakes, Tim ( 2003 ). The Lore of Running. ( 4th edition ) Oxford University Press ISBN 0 - 87322 - 959 - 2 Jump up ^ Kolb E.M. ( 2010 ). `` Erythropoietin elevates V. O2, max but not voluntary wheel running in mice ''. Journal of Experimental Biology. 213 ( 3 ) : 510 -- 519. doi : 10.1242 / jeb. 029074. Jump up ^ Lundby C. ; Robach P. ; Boushel R. ; Thomsen J.J. ; Rasmussen P. ; Koskolou M. ; Calbet J.A.L. ( 2008 ). `` Does recombinant human Epo increase exercise capacity by means other than augmenting oxygen transport ? ''. Journal of Applied Physiology. 105 ( 2 ) : 281. doi : 10.1152 / japplphysiol. 90484.2008. PMID 18535134. Jump up ^ Lodewijkx Hein F.M. ; Brouwer Bram ( 2011 ). `` EPO EPIDEMIC IN CYCLING : Some Empirical Notes on the  ̳ Epo Epidemic ' in Professional Cycling ''. Open University. 82 ( 4 ) : 740 -- 754. doi : 10.5641 / 027013611X13275192112069. PMID 22276416. Jump up ^ USADA U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team Investigation, Oct 2012, retr 2012 10 20 from usada.org Jump up ^ Greg LeMond 's suggestions for a credible future for cycling Conal Andrews, July 28, 2010, Velo Nation, retr 2012 10 20 External links VO max Calculator - the Rockport Walking Test So What Exactly is VO2 ? Values by age, mL / ( kg min ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=VO2_max&oldid=817366117 '' Categories : Exercise physiology Sports terminology Respiratory physiology Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français Gaeilge Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 December 2017, at 22 : 39. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the unit of measurement for vo2max
Answer: mL/(kg·min)