Aerobic capacity

Aerobic capacity is the body's ability to take in, transport, and use oxygen during sustained exercise. It is commonly assessed by maximal oxygen uptake, or VO₂max.

Maximal oxygen uptake: The highest rate at which the body can take in, transport, and use oxygen during intense exercise. VO₂max is the most common measure of aerobic capacity.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing: An exercise test that measures respiratory gases and cardiovascular responses as workload increases. It measures oxygen uptake directly while revealing limits to exercise.
Oxygen: A chemical element essential to aerobic energy production in most human tissues. Its uptake and use define the capacity being measured.
Anaerobic capacity: The ability to produce energy rapidly through pathways that do not rely directly on oxygen. It supports brief intense efforts, unlike sustained oxygen-dependent work.
Fick principle: A relation stating that oxygen consumption equals cardiac output multiplied by the difference in blood oxygen content between arteries and veins. It separates aerobic capacity into blood flow and oxygen extraction.
Lactate threshold: The exercise intensity at which blood lactate begins to rise faster than it can be cleared. It helps predict sustainable pace beyond what VO₂max alone indicates.
Hemoglobin: The oxygen-binding protein in red blood cells that carries most oxygen in blood. Blood oxygen transport depends largely on hemoglobin concentration and saturation.
VO₂max: The highest rate of oxygen consumption reached during maximal or near-maximal exercise. It is a specific maximal measure, not the full range of aerobic capacity.
Cardiac output: The volume of blood the heart pumps per minute. It determines how much oxygenated blood can reach working muscles.
Ventilatory threshold: An exercise intensity at which breathing increases disproportionately to oxygen uptake. It provides a practical marker of rising metabolic strain during testing.

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