VO₂ max

VO₂ max is the highest rate at which a person can take in, transport, and use oxygen during intense exercise. It is commonly expressed as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute.

Fick principle: A relation stating that oxygen consumption equals cardiac output multiplied by the arteriovenous oxygen difference. It breaks VO₂ max into blood flow and the amount of oxygen tissues extract.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing: A graded exercise test that measures respiratory gases alongside cardiovascular responses. Direct measurement during this test is the standard way to assess VO₂ max.
VO₂ peak: The highest oxygen uptake recorded during an exercise test, whether or not a true maximum is reached. Testing often reports this observed peak when criteria for VO₂ max are not met.
Endurance training: Repeated aerobic exercise designed to improve the ability to sustain prolonged physical effort. Training can raise VO₂ max through adaptations in cardiac output and oxygen extraction.
Cardiac output: The volume of blood the heart pumps per minute, determined by heart rate and stroke volume. Maximum cardiac output strongly limits how much oxygen reaches working muscles.
Metabolic cart: Equipment that analyzes inhaled and exhaled gases to calculate oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. It supplies the breath-by-breath data used to quantify peak oxygen uptake.
Lactate threshold: An exercise intensity above which blood lactate begins to accumulate more rapidly than it is cleared. It predicts sustainable performance differently from the ceiling measured by VO₂ max.
High-intensity interval training: Training that alternates brief vigorous efforts with recovery periods. Repeated near-maximal efforts can improve VO₂ max in many training programs.
Stroke volume: The volume of blood ejected by a ventricle with each heartbeat. A larger stroke volume can raise peak blood flow and oxygen delivery during exercise.
Bruce protocol: A treadmill exercise-test protocol that increases speed and incline in staged intervals. It is one common graded test format for eliciting peak oxygen uptake.

Linked from 16 pages