VO2 max testing and its relationship with longevity

Posted: December 16, 2024

Jump higher. Run faster. Get stronger. Those are some of the reasons why an individual may visit a Sanford Sports Performance location. Another reason that’s picked up steam recently is to find out their VO2 number by completing a VO2 maximal oxygen consumption test.

“VO2 is your body’s ability to utilize oxygen,” said Kendall Railing, a senior strength and conditioning coach at Sanford Sports. “It’s represented with a number. We all utilize oxygen in some capacity and some people can utilize oxygen more efficiently.”

The book titled “Outlive” by author Peter Attia is a big reason for the uptick in interest in VO2 max testing. The book details the importance of VO2 and its relationship to an individual’s life expectancy. 

“A hot topic in the world of health, wellness and fitness is longevity,” Railing said. “I’ve gotten several calls from people that have read the book, and they want to do a VO2. It’s one of the major predictors of longevity. It’s being a grandma and a grandpa and being able to pick (kids) up off the floor and be active with them. The goal is to live as long as you can and living quality years.”

A higher VO2 number means that your body is using the oxygen that you have at a more efficient rate. That VO2 number typically declines as you age but living a healthy lifestyle and getting regular exercise can help you fight that decline.

How the test works

Prior to taking the test, the staff at Sanford Sports has to get the individual’s height, weight, and blood pressure. It’s recommended that 24 hours before the test that individuals do little to no exercise and limit their caffeine and alcohol intake. 

The test itself is typically done on the treadmill and takes eight to 12 minutes. It can also be completed on a rowing machine. The test starts at a moderate pace and progressively gets more challenging. 

“We use a mask system,” Railing said. “We are reading the exchange of gases that are going through the body and into the machine.”

Fighting Father Time

As we age, daily activities like walking up a flight of stairs can get more challenging. We get winded easier, and when those activities become more difficult, it can be easier to just give up on exercising all together. Railing encourages those individuals to start fighting the aging process by getting started now.  

“A lot of times people say it’s too hard to exercise because they get out of breath,” Railing said. “What happens then is a downward spiral. First, it’s your cardiovascular fitness and your strength and things start to cycle downwards.”

A big motivating factor for people to get started on living a healthier lifestyle and fighting the aging process is grandchildren. They want to be able to have an active lifestyle to keep up with them. 

“I like to use the term fight the physiology,” Railing said. “If we can fight the physiology and delay some of that decline that’s going to happen with age, then we will hopefully have a higher quality of life.”

Improving athletic performance

There are lot of reasons to find out your VO2. Sanford Sports works with a range of clients from adults doing routine activities, to athletes with bigger goals.

“When it comes to performance, we get a lot of calls that want to know their VO2 because they are running a marathon or climbing a mountain,” Railing said. “They want to get their VO2 number so they can use that to base their training off that and they can try to improve that number throughout the training process.”

Once they get their VO2 number, Railing and his staff can help them put together a training plan centered around that number to maximize their workout. 

“We know they have a VO2 of 50, we may tell them to run at 65% of your VO2 max,” Railing said. “We can say to them based on where your heart rate was during certain stages, this is where you might want to be training to improve your VO2. There are certain ranges of heart rate based on their age to help them during training. We can give people some guidelines based on their VO2.”

One stop shop

Whether you are trying to improve your quality of life as you age, or trying to improve your mile time, Sanford Sports can help you every step of the way to help you achieve your goals. 

“At Sanford Sports, we can guide them, and we also provide other services that go along with it that can help,” Railing said. “We can help them with strength training. We have registered dietitians at Sanford. We have the resources that can be that one stop shop. We can help them accomplish their goals. People want to be healthy now, but they also want to be healthy as they age, and we can help them achieve that goal.”

Learn more about VO2 max and other performance testing Sanford Sports has to offer.