We Tested a Surgeon’s VO2 Max. Here’s How to Increase Yours
From Talking With Docs.
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What's the best way to increase your VO2 max, and how do you find out what yours actually is? In our last VO2 max episode, Dr. Weening volunteered to be the test subject. This time he takes the test.
In this episode of Talking With Docs, Dr. Brad Weening and Dr. Paul Zalzal head to Benchmark Proactive Health in Burlington, Ontario, where Dr. Weening runs a real VO2 max test on a treadmill until he taps out. Back in the studio, they go through his result, what actually drives your VO2 max, how close his watch got, and the training that moves the number.
The test uses the VO2 Master, a portable analyzer made in Vernon, B.C. A chest strap tracks heart rate and a mask measures the oxygen in every breath, while the treadmill speeds up every minute and climbs every other minute until you can't keep going. Dr. Weening's result: 51.4 mL/kg/min, which his test report put in the 98th percentile for men aged 50 to 59. His watch had guessed 45 for running and 49 for cycling.
New to VO2 max? Watch our first episode on it: https://youtu.be/gfrBnW74sBQ
📍 Want to get tested? Benchmark Proactive Health, Burlington, Ontario: https://mybenchmarkhealth.com/assessments/vo2-max
You'll learn:
What a real VO2 max test looks like, from the chest strap and mask to tapping out
Dr. Weening's result, and how it compares with men his age
How close his smartwatch got to the real number
Why the biggest health payoff comes from climbing out of the least fit group
The two things that drive VO2 max: your heart's pump and your muscles
Why zone 2 training is the base of the pyramid
How to do the 4x4 interval workout
Why total time in zone 5 is what moves the number
The McMaster study: 10 minutes of sprints vs 45 minutes of cycling
Why 4x8 minute intervals beat 4x4 and 4x16 in one study
Dr. Weening's 90-day plan and retest
Start with a big aerobic base. Most of your training belongs in zone 2, an easy pace where you can still hold a conversation: if you train four days a week, three of them can be zone 2. Your watch can help, but follow the trend, not the number.
Then add one hard day. The classic is the 4x4: four minutes hard, three minutes easy, four times, getting above 90% of your maximum heart rate (zone 5). It's the total time in zone 5 that counts, so pick a pace you can hold for all four with good form. In a McMaster study from Martin Gibala's group, inactive men who did three 20-second all-out sprints in a 10-minute workout raised their VO2 max by about 19% over 12 weeks, the same as men who cycled for 45 minutes. The catch: it has to be very uncomfortable.
Build up slowly: one interval day a week, easy days kept easy so hard days can be hard, and 8 to 12 weeks to see a change. If you have a medical condition, check with your doctor before you push to your max.
Do you know your VO2 max? Tell us in the comments if you've measured it, and what you've done to raise it.
📄 Studies discussed:
Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLOS ONE, 2016.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154075
Adaptations to aerobic interval training: interactive effects of exercise intensity and total work duration. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2013.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2011.01351.x
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🛑 DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Fitness and VO2 max vary from person to person, and decisions about maximal exercise testing and high-intensity interval training should be individualized based on your health history and circumstances. A VO2 max test and hard intervals are all-out efforts, so speak with your physician before testing or starting a new training program, especially if you have a heart or lung condition. Always follow the guidance provided by your physician, pharmacist, and healthcare team. Full disclaimer at talkingwithdocs.com.
#VO2Max #HowToIncreaseVO2Max #VO2MaxTest #VO2MaxTraining #Zone2Training #IntervalTraining #Norwegian4x4 #HIIT #CardioFitness #Longevity #HealthyAging #FitOver50 #ExerciseScience #TalkingWithDocs #DoctorExplains
Benchmark Proactive Health: https://mybenchmarkhealth.com/
What's the best way to increase your VO2 max, and how do you find out what yours actually is? In our last VO2 max episode, Dr. Weening volunteered to be the test subject. This time he takes the test.
In this episode of Talking With Docs, Dr. Brad Weening and Dr. Paul Zalzal head to Benchmark Proactive Health in Burlington, Ontario, where Dr. Weening runs a real VO2 max test on a treadmill until he taps out. Back in the studio, they go through his result, what actually drives your VO2 max, how close his watch got, and the training that moves the number.
The test uses the VO2 Master, a portable analyzer made in Vernon, B.C. A chest strap tracks heart rate and a mask measures the oxygen in every breath, while the treadmill speeds up every minute and climbs every other minute until you can't keep going. Dr. Weening's result: 51.4 mL/kg/min, which his test report put in the 98th percentile for men aged 50 to 59. His watch had guessed 45 for running and 49 for cycling.
New to VO2 max? Watch our first episode on it: https://youtu.be/gfrBnW74sBQ
📍 Want to get tested? Benchmark Proactive Health, Burlington, Ontario: https://mybenchmarkhealth.com/assessments/vo2-max
You'll learn:
What a real VO2 max test looks like, from the chest strap and mask to tapping out
Dr. Weening's result, and how it compares with men his age
How close his smartwatch got to the real number
Why the biggest health payoff comes from climbing out of the least fit group
The two things that drive VO2 max: your heart's pump and your muscles
Why zone 2 training is the base of the pyramid
How to do the 4x4 interval workout
Why total time in zone 5 is what moves the number
The McMaster study: 10 minutes of sprints vs 45 minutes of cycling
Why 4x8 minute intervals beat 4x4 and 4x16 in one study
Dr. Weening's 90-day plan and retest
Start with a big aerobic base. Most of your training belongs in zone 2, an easy pace where you can still hold a conversation: if you train four days a week, three of them can be zone 2. Your watch can help, but follow the trend, not the number.
Then add one hard day. The classic is the 4x4: four minutes hard, three minutes easy, four times, getting above 90% of your maximum heart rate (zone 5). It's the total time in zone 5 that counts, so pick a pace you can hold for all four with good form. In a McMaster study from Martin Gibala's group, inactive men who did three 20-second all-out sprints in a 10-minute workout raised their VO2 max by about 19% over 12 weeks, the same as men who cycled for 45 minutes. The catch: it has to be very uncomfortable.
Build up slowly: one interval day a week, easy days kept easy so hard days can be hard, and 8 to 12 weeks to see a change. If you have a medical condition, check with your doctor before you push to your max.
Do you know your VO2 max? Tell us in the comments if you've measured it, and what you've done to raise it.
📄 Studies discussed:
Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLOS ONE, 2016.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154075
Adaptations to aerobic interval training: interactive effects of exercise intensity and total work duration. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2013.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2011.01351.x
🎧 Listen on Your Favourite Platforms:
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3OFxEjictC41CCS1z2AVKe
Apple Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/talking-with-docs-podcast/id1799242189
YouTube Music:
- TWD Podcast
👕 Shop Our MERCH:
https://www.spreadshirt.ca/shop/user/talking+with+docs
❤️ Support Oakville Hospital:
https://oakvillehospitalfoundation.com/
📱 Follow Us:
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@talkingwithdocs
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/talkingwithdocs/?hl=en
🛑 DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Fitness and VO2 max vary from person to person, and decisions about maximal exercise testing and high-intensity interval training should be individualized based on your health history and circumstances. A VO2 max test and hard intervals are all-out efforts, so speak with your physician before testing or starting a new training program, especially if you have a heart or lung condition. Always follow the guidance provided by your physician, pharmacist, and healthcare team. Full disclaimer at talkingwithdocs.com.
#VO2Max #HowToIncreaseVO2Max #VO2MaxTest #VO2MaxTraining #Zone2Training #IntervalTraining #Norwegian4x4 #HIIT #CardioFitness #Longevity #HealthyAging #FitOver50 #ExerciseScience #TalkingWithDocs #DoctorExplains
