VO₂ Max is a buzzword in the world of fitness — but most people either don’t know what it actually means or don’t realize how much it can reveal about their performance, recovery, and even longevity.
In this post, we break down:
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What VO₂ Max really is
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Why it matters for anyone who trains
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What Samit (Founder & CEO of Neulife) learned from his own VO₂ Max test
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Why today's cricketers are built like bodybuilders — and what that tells us about energy systems
Let’s dive in. This is science you can actually use.
🧠 What Is VO₂ Max?
VO₂ Max stands for Volume of Oxygen Max, or the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. It’s measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute (ml/kg/min).
It indicates your aerobic fitness — in other words, how efficiently your lungs, heart, blood, and muscles work together to power your body.
🧪 What Determines VO₂ Max?
According to Samit:
“VO₂ is nothing but the volume of oxygen that blood can carry to working muscles… This is determined by your metabolic state, red blood cell density, and your cardiorespiratory fitness.”
Some key determinants:
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Genetics (large influence)
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Mitochondrial efficiency
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Red blood cell count
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Altitude adaptation
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Training history
Samit adds:
“VO₂ Max is not so trainable because it is largely hereditary. You can train it through low-altitude training… but the gains are modest compared to something like lactate threshold.”
💬 Samit’s Personal Experience With VO₂ Max Testing
He recently took a lab test and shared this:
“I measured my VO₂ Max last month — about 52 ml/kg/min.”
To put that in context:
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30–40 ml/kg/min is average for an untrained adult
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50–60 ml/kg/min is strong recreational level
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70–80+ ml/kg/min is elite endurance athlete level
The test uses a treadmill and a breathing mask to measure how much oxygen you’re consuming and how much carbon dioxide you’re producing at various intensities.
“They keep increasing the pace… you breathe in oxygen, and exhale carbon dioxide. They use reverse calculations to figure out how much oxygen your body is actually using.”
🏋️♂️ The Big Picture: VO₂ Max Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle
VO₂ Max tells you how much oxygen your body can deliver. But that doesn’t tell the full story of how long you can sustain that effort. That’s where lactate threshold comes in — and it’s far more trainable.
“Lactate threshold is one of the most trainable variables in endurance training,” Samit explains.
“If you increase your lactate threshold, you can stay in the aerobic zone longer — and avoid the wall caused by lactic acid build-up.”
⚡ VO₂ Max Training Zones — Explained Simply
Your heart rate and energy systems are divided into 5 zones:
| Zone | Description | Fuel Source | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Very light (recovery) | Mostly fat | Hours |
| Zone 2 | Aerobic base | Fat & some carbs | 1–3 hours |
| Zone 3 | Moderate (tempo) | Mix of fat & carbs | ~1 hour |
| Zone 4 | Threshold | Mostly carbs, lactate builds | 30–60 mins |
| Zone 5 | VO₂ Max / HIIT | Carbs only, high lactate | Seconds to a few mins |
“Zone 2 is where your energy mostly comes from fat. But as you go into Zone 4 and 5, your body starts using glucose rapidly, and lactate starts building up fast,” says Samit.
He notes:
“In Zone 5, VO₂ Max is maxed out. Beyond that, world-class athletes might hit 80 ml/kg/min — but most people won't.”
🏏 Why Cricketers Look Like Bodybuilders Today
Samit makes a striking observation about how the demands of modern sport have evolved:
“In cricket, every time I hit a shot, I have to sprint. So I need more muscle mass and more creatine phosphate to fuel that sprint… That’s why today’s cricketers are very well built. Very muscular. They almost look like bodybuilders.”
💡 This illustrates the shift in cricket from long, slow play to explosive, high-intensity bursts — which require:
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More fast-twitch muscle
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Anaerobic energy systems
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Higher creatine phosphate capacity
It’s not about being lean — it’s about being explosive and repeatably powerful.
📉 Can You Improve Your VO₂ Max?
Yes — but expect gradual progress, not overnight transformation.
Effective training strategies:
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Zone 2 cardio (fat-burning, aerobic base)
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Threshold intervals (increase lactate clearance)
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HIIT (boost peak oxygen use and tolerance to lactic acid)
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Altitude or hypoxic training (increases red blood cells — if available)
✅ Final Takeaways
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VO₂ Max = your body's oxygen delivery capacity
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It's mostly genetic but can be improved with consistent training
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Lactate threshold is more trainable and directly impacts performance
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Cricketers and athletes need different energy systems depending on their sport
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Testing VO₂ Max reveals deep insights — beyond just a fitness score
Samit sums it up perfectly:
“You need to study these three systems [aerobic, anaerobic glycolysis, and creatine phosphate]… and visualize your sport to know which one to train. That’s how you train smart — not just hard.”
🧪 Who Should Get a VO₂ Max Test — and Why
If you're an athlete, endurance enthusiast, or even just someone training regularly and not seeing results — a VO₂ Max test can be eye-opening.
It tells you:
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How efficiently your body uses oxygen
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Your aerobic vs anaerobic thresholds
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Whether you're burning fat or glucose at different intensities
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How to train smarter — not harder
✅ Recommended for:
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Runners, cyclists, swimmers
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CrossFit or HIIT trainees
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Anyone struggling with fat loss despite consistent training
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Coaches optimizing sport-specific programming
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People curious about their metabolic efficiency
Getting tested takes the guesswork out of training — and gives you data-driven direction to improve performance, endurance, and body composition.