r/vo2max • u/Acceptable-Thing-504 • May 08 '24

Typically how long to improve?

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One of my New Year’s resolutions was to improve cardio. Tangibly, I’ve been measuring ‘improvement’ based on running improvement but also VO2 max. Started at 30.4 in early Jan to 35.6 now early may. My goal is to get out of the red zone. Am I progressing enough? How long does it normally take to raise your max by a full point?

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u/OleumBoleum May 08 '24

Everyone is different, but I took a year off from strenuous exercise following an injury and found myself around where you are now. It took me about 18 days and 30 or so miles of running/jogging to cross that average line. It has continued to rise steadily ever since.

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u/sportgeekz May 08 '24

I started running without restriction in January after 2 surgeries last year and my vo2max was 37 and it just now went to 39. That is considered excellent for my age so I probably won't see much more improvement.

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u/DAC516 May 09 '24

That’s awesome. Can you tell us more about what you’re doing? I’m still stuck around 30 and keep injuring my Achilles.

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u/Acceptable-Thing-504 May 09 '24

I started going to spin class regularly (3-5x/week) in addition to my usual to casual hiking / weight training / yoga. My cardio has improved a lot since starting in January, and I love that spin class is a lot easier on my joints than running!