Calculate Your VO2 Max!

By: Bodybuilding.com

The objective of The Cooper Endurance Test (Dr. Kenneth Cooper, author of "Aerobics") is to help you determine VO2 Max with reasonable accuracy, and without the need of expensive equipment. A more accurate test might cost you hundreds of dollars, and this is good enough for the purpose of determining roughly in how good shape is your oxygen processing capacity.

VO2 Max is defined as the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can take in, deliver, and use in one minute. It is limited both by the amount of oxygenated blood the lungs and circulatory system can process, and by the amount of oxygen the muscles can extract from the blood. It is estimated that VO2 Max decreases about 1% per year.

Click To Enlarge.
It Is Estimated That VO2
Max Decreases About 1% Per Year.

This makes VO2 Max a critical sign of aging, and it is one we can measure and reverse somewhat with proper aerobic training. To do this, Dr. Cooper advises that you must raise your heart rate to between 65 and 85 percent of its maximum through aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes, three to five times a week.

Topic Of The Week: Tracking Your Cardio Progress. How can one track their cardio progress? It's easy to check how one is progressing in their strength training but cardio is a little harder. [ Check Out The Topic Of The Week ]

The test consists of seeing how far you can run/walk in twelve minutes. Record the total distance covered to the nearest 100 meters. Do not even attempt this test unless you have been running and training beforehand, and you know you can run 2 miles without stopping.

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