Exercise Physiology

1. VO2max and its Determinants
Baneet Sharma

2. Contents
 Introduction
 Definition
 VO2max and performance
 Normal values
 Determinants

3. Introduction
 Fitness can be measured by the
volume of oxygen consumed while
exercising.
 Done at your maximum capacity.

4. DEFINITION
 "the highest rate of oxygen
consumption attainable during
maximal or exhaustive exercise"
Wilmore JH and Costill DL. (2005)
Physiology of Sport and Exercise: 5th
Edition. Champaign, IL: Human
Kinetics 1

5. What is VO2max ?
 VO2max is the maximum amount of
oxygen – in milliliters – one can
consume per kilogram of body weight.

7.  The point at which oxygen
consumption plateaus defines the
VO2max or an individual's maximal
aerobic capacity.
 It is the best indicator of cardio
respiratory endurance and aerobic
fitness.

8. Also known as
 Aerobic power
 Aerobic capacity
 Maximal oxygen uptake.

9.  A fit person will have a high VO2max as
compare those who are not well
conditioned.

10. Literature reviews
 Study done by: French & Long (2012)
 Showed that one can increase their
VO2max by working out at an intensity
that raises their heart rate to between
65% - 85% of its maximum.
 For AT LEAST 20minutes, 3-5times a
week.

11. VO2max Values
 Male athletes : 3.5 liters/minute
 Female athletes: 2.7 liters/minute.

12. Units
 VO2max is expressed either as an
Absolute rate in e.g. Liters of oxygen
per minute(L/min)
 OR as a Relative rate in (e.g. milliliters
of oxygen per kilogram of body mass
per minuets (ml.kg-1.min-1)

13. Trained vs Untrained

15.  Genetics also plays a major role in a
persons VO2 max 4

16. Highest recorded VO2max
• 94 ml/kg/min in men
• 77 ml/kg/min in women
• Both were cross-country skiers.5

17. Determinants of VO2max
Determinants
Gender
Training
AgingSmoking
Altitude

18. Gender
 Untrained girls and women typically
have a maximal oxygen uptake 20-
25% lower than untrained men.1
 Highly conditioned female endurance
athletes have much closer value to
highly trained male endurance
athletes.

19. VO2max at Altitude
 Decreases as altitude rises
 Due to a decrease in maximal cardiac
output.
 C.O = H.R * S.V

20.  Stoke volume decreases due to the
immediate decrease in blood plasma
volume.
 Maximal heart rate may also decrease
 The net effect is that less oxygen is
"pushed" from the blood into the
muscles

21. Effects of Aging on
VO2max

22.  VO2max decreases with an increase in
age
 The average rate of decline is
generally accepted to be about 1% per
year or 10% per decade after the age
of 25.

23.  According to a Literature study 10,11 it
was found that the average decrease
was:
 0.46 ml/kg/min per year in men (1.2%)
 0.54 ml/kg/min in women (1.7%)

24. Smoking
 VO2max of heavy smokers is lower than
that of non smoker.
 The effect of habitual smoking on
VO2max is minimal - about 0.85 ml.kg-
1.min-1
 heavy smokers - additional decrease
of 1.71ml.kg-1.min-1 has been noted. 7

25. Training and VO2max
 A study was done in which:
 Sedentary people,
 trained at 75% of aerobic power.
 For 30minutes, 3 time a week over 6
months
 Results: an increased VO2max with an
average of 15-20% 11

26. Study 2
 According to this study, the training
protocol was divide the individuals into
two categories.
 Responder: those who make a large
gain
 Non-responders : those who make a
little or no gain 12 ,13

27.  The results showed that genetics
plays a role in how well any one
individual responds to endurance
training.

28.  Once a plateau in VO2max has been
reached, a further improvement in
performance is still seen with training.
 Resistance training and intense burst
type anaerobic training have little
effect on VO2max
 Resistance training alone does not
increase VO2max

29. VO2max &
Performance
 Is VO2max a predictor of
performance?
 NO
 Why?

30.  VO2max is not a good predictor of
performance.
 But using the velocity (v VO2max) and
duration (tlimv VO2max) they will
provide a better indication of
performance.

31. Methods to measure VO2max

32.  Direct method
 Indirect method

33. Direct testing Indirect testing
Requires sophisticated equipments
to measure the volume and gas
concentration
Does not required any specific
equipments.
Treadmills, cycle ergo meters and
other exercise equipments are
used to measure VO2max
Simple reliable and accurate tests
are used.
Bruce Protocol is often used for
testing VO2max in athletes or for
signs of coronary heart disease.
Multistage shuttle run , 12 minutes
walk test ,1.5 mile run tests are
used.

35. REFERENCES
 1) Wilmore JH and Costill DL. (2005) Physiology of Sport and Exercise: 3rd
Edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
 2)FRENCH, J. and LONG, M. (2012) How to improve your VO2max. Athletics
Weekly, November 8 2012, p.53
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