If your fitness watch displays a VO₂ max score, you might wonder whether it matters beyond running faster. This measure of aerobic fitness offers useful insight into your endurance and long-term health, but understanding the number is more valuable than chasing it.
At BPM Fitness Centre in, we help you connect fitness information with practical training. Whether you want more stamina for everyday activities, stronger running performance, or better HYROX conditioning, VO₂ max can provide a useful starting point.
What is VO₂ max?
VO₂ max means maximal oxygen uptake: the highest rate at which your body can take in and use oxygen during intense exercise. It reflects how your lungs, heart, blood, and working muscles cooperate to support aerobic energy production.
It is commonly expressed in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, written as mL/kg/min. A score of 40 means your body uses approximately 40 millilitres of oxygen per kilogram each minute at its measured or estimated maximum.
Think of VO₂ max in fitness as one indicator of your aerobic engine’s capacity. A higher value generally supports endurance, although it does not tell the whole story of your fitness.
Why VO₂ max matters for health and longevity
Cardiorespiratory fitness matters well beyond race results. A 2024 overview covering 199 unique cohort studies found that higher fitness was consistently associated with lower risks of premature death and several chronic health conditions. Each additional metabolic equivalent, or MET, of fitness was associated with an 11–17% lower risk of death from any cause. One MET equals approximately 3.5 mL/kg/min.
These findings describe population-level associations; improving your score does not guarantee a particular lifespan. Still, they reinforce why aerobic fitness deserves attention alongside other health measures.
For everyday life, building endurance can help you walk uphill, climb stairs, and stay active with less effort. For BPM members, that might mean enjoying Vancouver Island hikes or feeling more capable throughout a demanding workout.
What is a good VO₂ max?
There is no universal “good” score. Age, sex, genetics, training history, and testing method influence results. Comparing yourself with an elite endurance athlete usually offers less useful information than tracking your own progress.
Body weight also affects the relative score because it appears in the calculation. A change in mL/kg/min can therefore reflect changes in weight, oxygen uptake, or both.
VO₂ max in fitness does not measure strength, balance, mobility, or running technique. Two people with similar scores may perform differently because of pacing, movement efficiency, and how much of their aerobic capacity they can sustain.
At BPM, we encourage a broader view: notice whether familiar workouts feel easier, your running improves, and your strength progresses alongside your aerobic fitness.
How is VO₂ max tested?
Direct measurement typically involves exercising on a treadmill or stationary bike while specialized equipment analyses your breathing gases. Indirect tests estimate VO₂ max using exercise performance and established prediction equations.
Fitness watches also generate estimates. These can help you notice trends, but their readings depend on the device, available data, and testing conditions. Treat them as estimates rather than interchangeable laboratory results.
BPM’s Performance+ Running Assessment in Victoria uses validated indirect protocols during a structured treadmill test to estimate VO₂ max. The assessment also evaluates functional movement and running mechanics through biomechanical screening and video-based gait analysis.
This combination connects aerobic fitness with how you move, giving recreational runners and athletes useful information for planning their next training steps.
How to improve VO₂ max
Improving aerobic fitness starts with repeatable training that matches your current ability. Both continuous aerobic exercise and interval training can increase VO₂ max; you do not need every session to be exhausting.
Build a steady aerobic foundation. Brisk walking, cycling, rowing, and comfortable running can develop endurance. Start with manageable sessions and gradually increase duration. A conversational pace is a practical guide for easier aerobic work.
Include appropriate intervals. Alternating challenging efforts with easier recovery periods adds a different training stimulus. BPM’s group fitness classes, including HIIT, Bootcamp, and HYROX, offer coached opportunities to work on conditioning. Adjust intensity to your experience and recovery.
Keep strength training in your routine. Stronger muscles support the demands of exercise and everyday movement. Strength work complements aerobic training, even when your main goal is improving endurance.
Allow time to recover. Space demanding sessions appropriately, prioritise sleep, and eat enough to support training. Progress comes from a sustainable routine, with workloads you can recover from consistently.
If you need help balancing these pieces, personal training at BPM Fitness Centre can provide a plan tailored to your starting point and goals.
Use your score to guide your next step
For runners and HYROX athletes, VO₂ max is one piece of performance alongside technique, strength, pacing, and endurance. For someone returning to exercise, the most meaningful improvement might be feeling more confident and capable in daily life.
Retest using the same method and similar conditions when possible, and assess trends alongside how you feel and perform.
Ready to understand your aerobic fitness? Explore BPM’s Performance+ Running Assessment and start building endurance with purposeful, supportive coaching in Victoria, BC.
References
- Lang, J. J., et al. (2024). Cardiorespiratory fitness is a strong and consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality among adults: An overview of meta-analyses… British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(10), 556–566. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38599681/
- Ross, R., Arena, R., Myers, J., Kokkinos, P., & Kaminsky, L. A. (2024). Update to the 2016 American Heart Association cardiorespiratory fitness statement. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 83, 10–15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38387825/
- Lindner, R., Selva Raj, I., Yang, A. W. H., Zaman, S., Larsen, B., & Denham, J. (2023). Moderate to vigorous-intensity continuous training versus high-intensity interval training for improving VO₂max in women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Sports Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37084758/
