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Other/Mixed DIY VO2 Max Testing

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Interesting thread, thank you @mprevost. Having recently had my VO2max tested in the lab, I can confirm that it pretty well matches for me. 1.5 mile run time 11:29 but that was a little over a year ago. VO2max lab test result was 47.3 last month, but that was on the bike, not running. So there are some variables there, but it does seem to be pretty close (11:30 = 44.4).

So would you say that most any working strategy for improving 1.5 mile run time will improve V02max, and vice versa? And if so, what are the benefits (other than being a faster runner); such as health and performance in other areas?


Top 5% there Ms. Anna!
 
Top 5% there Ms. Anna!

I've always heard that a high VO2max is largely inherited, so after my over 10 years of cycling which helps me make use of it, apparently I can thank my parents, grandparents, etc... :)
 
You definitely do not want to stay within the MAF heart rate during the test ! You should be very near maximum heart rate at the end of the test. Monitoring heart rate during the test is optional but if you go really hard and push the last 1/4 mile as hard as you can, you will be very near maximum heart rate at the end.

That is an interesting observation, one which can be, I guess, used in KB testing as well, i.e. go beyond the MAf limit when you are testing a particular move, like a snatch test for instance.
Thanks :)
 
Hello,

@mprevost
What is the typical training in Marine to improve the results of this test ?

Kind regards,

Pet'

Well, typical is not optimal. Typical is to just go out and run several days per week, with no particular structure. Optimal would be a combination of zone 2 distance running and zone 4 tempo runs. Bear in mind that the fitness test is a 3 mile timed run for Marines.

For example:

Several weeks away from fitness test:
Mon: 50 minutes zone 2
Wed: 2 X 10 minutes zone 4 with 5 minutes zone 1 in between
Fri: 50 minutes zone 2
Sat: Ruck or additional zone 2 run

As the fitness test gets closer :
Mon: 2 X 15 minutes zone 4 tempo run
Wed: 50 minutes zone 2
Fri: 3 X 10 minutes zone 4 tempo run
Sat: 50 minute zone 2
 
That is an interesting observation, one which can be, I guess, used in KB testing as well, i.e. go beyond the MAf limit when you are testing a particular move, like a snatch test for instance.
Thanks :)

Yes. One must differentiate between testing (or racing) and training. Maffetone worked with several endurance athletes. He fully expected them to greatly exceed the MAF pace when racing. Racing always involves going as fast and as hard as you can for the given distance. Training involves choosing an intensity for a particular training effect. Hard as you can during training is done very sparingly, generally only when testing is part of the training program (with a few other exceptions).
 
I've always heard that a high VO2max is largely inherited, so after my over 10 years of cycling which helps me make use of it, apparently I can thank my parents, grandparents, etc... :)
That is my understanding as well Anna
 
It is generally stated that the portion of VO2 max that is genetically determined is about 50%. 2-3 months of endurance training typically improves VO2 max by 15-20%. Those with a low starting VO2 max may improve as much as 50%, while those with a high starting VO2 max may improve only 2-3%.

Initial improvements in VO2 max (first couple of months) are primarily sue to increased stroke volume (amount of blood ejected per heart beat). You would see evidence of this in a lower resting heart rate and a lower heart rate at any fixed exercise intensity.

Later improvements, after several months, are largely due to increased capillary and mitochondrial density.

A final component of improvement, which takes a long time (years) is improved economy. In this case VO2 max does not improve, but you are more efficient, so you require less oxygen to go a given speed. So even though your VO2 max may be the same, you are going faster at that VO2 max value. This generally takes lots of run volume.
 
Hello,

Wim Hof Method uses this principle, doing some push ups without breathing teach you how to become O2 efficient : doing more reps with the same amount of O2.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
For 21 years (while in the Navy) I had a semi-annual aerobic fitness benchmark. Now that I am retired, I am continuing that benchmark at least annually as sort of a self check, to keep myself honest about my fitness. Provided that YOU ARE CLEAERED BY YOUR DOCTOR, an annual aerobic fitness benchmark is a nice addition to an overall fitness program. I like the 1.5 mile run as a standard. The distance is about right for a valid functional check of maximum aerobic capacity. Attached is a chart that I used extensively while I was the director of the human performance lab at the Naval Academy. Fortunately I had a large population of Midshipmen and active duty Sailors who were doing this benchmark test twice per year. I did countless VO2 max tests on my ParvoMedics True One Metabolic Cart (one of the best you can get), and was able to check the correlation between the attached chart and actual VO2 max measurements. The chart proved to be very good. So, a nice DIY VO2 max test is simply a maximum 1.5 mile run effort (get cleared by your doctor first), then look up your predicted VO2 max on the attached chart.

A VO2 max of 70s for males and 60s for females is elite. 60s for males and 50s for females under 40 would easily be a top 5% score. Over 40 years old, 50s and 40s for males and females respectively would put you in the top 5%.

You can do these on the treadmill but you need a 1% grade to simulate outdoor running.

We figured out that you would save 3-5 seconds per mile with a pound of weight loss.

We had 4500 Midshipmen at the Naval Academy. The average score for males was 9:12 ! We had Midshipmen capable of going under 7:00. For females the average was 11:40, with some capable of going under 8:00. Failing score was 10:30 for males and 12:30 for females. Lots of running at USNA.

Mike

Awesome resource - thanks for sharing! I've become a big fan of the "Polar Running Index" over the last few years, but there is a beautiful elegance in a 1.5 mile test.

My personal cardio power benchmark is a 2.7 mile circuit from my parents house with two sharp hills in the first 1.25 miles, and a flat finish. My best time was 15:30 in October 1989 in the distant past.. I've been fighting to hold the 18:42 level since May 2009,.. came within two seconds as recently as Oct 2015 but never beat it.
 
For the Midshipmen? Those who were running VERY fast were members of the track and cross country team. The rest of the brigade mostly did their own thing. Some ran lots, some little. Interestingly, even the big 300lb football linemen had to pass the 1.5 mile run before graduating. As far as I know, they have had a 100% pass rate as long as anybody can remember.

I'd love to see a 300lb monster bang out a sub seven minute mile!!. Needs must.
 
At 40 I could run 8:45 for the 1.5 miles with no run training whatsoever. Now I have to work hard to get under 9:30. 8:5X is still possible but I have to train for it and go deep in the pain cave. I just want to keep that decline in check a bit, so I test to keep myself honest.

Holy cow, that is a very respectable 1.5 mile time - even more so for no run training... just out of curiosity what type of training were you doing to get that time? :)
 
Well, a bit of back story. For years I had been triathlon training. At 40 I was in the best swim, bike, run shape of my life. Then I badly herniated a couple of disks in my cervical spine and was in terrible pain for about a month. I could not do anything at all. For the next 6 months I could not swim, and biking was out because of the position on the bike really hurt the neck. I was worried about the jarring from running so I stopped doing that as well. So, for 6 months all I did was slowly start to re-gain some strength in the gym. After the 1 month of pain subsided, I discovered that I had severe left side muscle weakness. I could not do a single pushup. Some of the muscle in my left pec could not be recruited at all, and my left bicep, tricep and grip were really, really weak. So I started back in he gym trying to put my body back together. It took a year before the nerve axon reattached and I got some of the strength back. Some is gone permanently. So, during that time, all I did was a bit of strength training.

When I say I did zero run workouts in that 6 months, actually I did two. With about a week to go before my fitness test I was debating whether I should swim or bike instead of run for the test (options that are allowed) because I figured that my run fitness would be terrible. So I decided to test myself with a 1.5 mile run and see what happened. I managed something like a 9:40. So two days later I did another 1.5 mile run to test again and managed just over 9:00 so I decided to run the test and managed 8:55 or so, with only two runs of 3 miles total in the previous 6 months.

A big part of that is genetic. My VO2 max is not elite, but it is pretty good. It is high enough that whether I train or not, I can manage a top 5% age group performance on shorter run events.

A truly elite VO2 max is humbling to see. I can recall watching about 35 members of the Naval Academy track team cross the line in the 1.5 mile run in 7:45 and they were not really working that hard. The 7:45 finish time was deliberate, they could have gone significantly faster! I also watched one of those same guys crank out 28 pullups wearing a 25lb weighted vest as a SEAL candidate. I saw some impressive athletes. By comparison I was a 40 year old hack.
 
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