When you breathe, you take in oxygen into your blood. Then the oxygen fuels chemical reactions that give your muscles energy. You breathe more quickly and deeply while exercising because your muscles need more energy to work harder.
VO2 max is the maximum volume(V) of oxygen (O) your body can process to produce energy. It measures how much oxygen you breathe in while exercising as hard as you can. It's a common indicator to understand your fitness level. The more oxygen you can breathe in, the more energy your body can use. .
To measure your VO2 max, you'll likely need to visit a lab or a testing center. You'll put a mask over your face. While wearing it you'll perform certain exercise as intensely as possible. If you can't get to a lab or a testing center, you can estimate your VO2 max through some digital watches.
When measuring your VO2 max, you can measure your "absolute VO2 max", which is the total volume of oxygen consumed per minute. You can also measure "relative VO2 max", the volume of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight and per minute. Both provide valuable information. That's because it takes account of a person's body weight.
Your VO2 max can increase through high-intensity interval(间隔) training. You perform an exercise as hard as you can for a short amount of time, rest for another short period, and then repeat for multiple rounds of different exercises. You can also turn to low-intensity training. You perform a less intense exercise with fewer or no rest times during the session.
A. Your heart pumps the blood into your muscles.
B. It's to catch the amount of oxygen in your breath.
C. If your VO2 max is low, how can you improve it?
D. Higher VO2 max usually means better physical fitness.
E. What types of training especially require high VO2 max?
F. The mask keeps substances affecting the intensity of oxygen out.
G. However, the latter represents a more accurate picture of your physical state.
