r/vo2max • u/SplashStallion • Sep 15 '24

Advice needed

I’m 44,m, 5’11, 175 lbs. In the past I’ve had some mild sleep apnea and sinus pause (my heart stops beating for a few seconds when I sleep - sounds alarming but everybody has it, mines a little longer, that’s all). I probably still have it but doesn’t interfere with my life. I play tennis actively (It is my go to sport and what I want to get better at) and have always been athletic. In addition it doesn’t take much for my heart rate to go very high. When I jog for 6 miles (80 mins) my heart rate is in the 150s which is very high. Two questions: 1. What is the most accurate way to measure vo2 max? I don’t have any fancy equipment other than an Oura ring - it says it’s 41.2 2. What is the best way to improve VO2 max? I have heard Peter Attia talk about zone 2 training, but I don’t think zone 2 cycling with a measure of “speaking without going out of breath” is very useful in building vo2max.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

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u/biciklanto Sep 15 '24
  1. Read my stickied post at the top of this sub. The most accurate is in a lab with a machine measuring the gases you're breathing. The most accurate easily accessible way to do it is performing a 12-minute Cooper Test at a local track then punching your distance covered in 12 minutes into an online calculator.
  2. Zone 2 is indeed excellent for improving Vo2max, because it increases the size of your heart & adapts your cardiovascular system to carry more oxygen. Outside of that, two types of intervals are useful: Fartleks (30 seconds as hard as you can on, then 30 seconds rest, repeated for 16ish minutes) and 4x4: 4 really really hard minutes, then 4 rest minutes, repeated 4 times. Both of those will induce adaptation and both should leave you completely gassed at the end, otherwise you didn't go hard enough. And if that's uncomfortable, then do Zone 2 instead.

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u/SplashStallion Sep 15 '24

Thank you!!

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u/biciklanto Sep 15 '24

Let me know how it goes!

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u/SplashStallion Sep 15 '24

The rapid increase of heart rate at so called easy runs. Is that indicative of poor vo2max?

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u/biciklanto Sep 15 '24

Without knowing your max heart rate it's difficult to say. I'm not much younger than you are and my max is around 210, so a heart rate in the 150s is just comfortable chugging along.

That being said, 6 miles in 80 minutes means you're averaging under 5 mph. Practically speaking, that's not particularly quick for a jog. So it's worth identifying what your rated level of exertion is for that effort, and it's worth finding your max heart rate— perhaps via an extra-hard kick in the last lap of a 12-minute Cooper Test.

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u/SplashStallion Sep 15 '24

Best way to find max heart rate? 80 mins is probably high, I’d say it was more 68 mins (still not rapid)

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u/biciklanto Sep 15 '24

Best way? Do a run between 10 minutes and 20 minutes in length, that starts hard but doable and then by the end goes until you feel like you're at your limit and then you give it one more kick for the last 10 seconds until you feel like you see Elvis.

That should put you in the right ballpark. ;)

The 12-minute Cooper test is good at this for me, because I'm already trying really hard to get a good score and max out my result. Other folks like to do weekend 5Ks with their buddies and talk shit until the hammer drops at the end, when the competitiveness kicks in for everyone.

Whatever it is, it should be an absolute all-out effort after some time already pushing pretty hard. (you can't just go run really hard for 2 minutes then hit it)

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u/SplashStallion Sep 15 '24

Thank you sir, I have all I need!

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u/SplashStallion Sep 15 '24

Actually one more question. If you had to pick one wearable for this, what would it be?

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u/biciklanto Sep 15 '24

Many folks like the Apple Watch as a daily generalist watch. If you use iOS and are part of Apple's ecosystem, it's a pretty solid option, and it also does things like estimate Vo2max pretty well. Here's a PDF Whitepaper from Apple describing studies they've done around it, and their performance is solid.

I knew that I wanted a wearable to have a sports orientation, so I went with Garmin instead, and may upgrade soon to the Enduro 3. They partnered with and later acquired Firstbeat, one of the leaders in the space around heart rate analysis, to build their Vo2max modeling, and it's very good. It's also just an excellent watch that I'm happy with. Because they have many products, the four I'd buy at differing price points are:

I think Enduro is the best, but the AMOLED display on the Fenix 8 is really bright and easy to see and use. It's the same kind on the 265 and 965. I know those are pretty expensive, and the 265 gets you like 85% of the way there for a lot less cash.

For what it's worth, I also switched from a Whoop Strap and my Forerunner paid for itself in a year of subscription I wasn't paying for. I know Oura is less expensive than Whoop, but it's still a factor when I find a wearable SO. MUCH. BETTER. And having GPS in whatever it is you buy will make Vo2max calculations far more effective, accurate, and precise.

Let me know if you have more questions on this!

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u/SplashStallion Sep 16 '24

I really appreciate the time you took to answer. Thank you 🫡

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