VO2 Max as a Fitness Lifespan Marker
VO2 Max is promoted as a Fitness Lifespan Marker. That claim is not settled by repeating it. This article splits the claim into its two parts and lists what to ask before paying for a VO2 max test.
Two separate things a marker claim asserts
A marker is a number that is said to point to a larger outcome. The claim has two parts. The first is that the number can be measured reliably. The second is that the number tells you something about how long or how well you will live.
Test protocol and lab-to-lab comparison
Ask how the test is run, how long it takes and how the result is reported. Ask whether a number from another lab can be compared with theirs.
What a population link proves for one person
A link in a population is not a promise for one person. Ask whether a study showed that changing the number changed the outcome, or only that the two moved together. For the wider picture, a federal public health summary of the benefits of physical activity stands apart from any single test number.
Method sections over headlines
A systematic review shows its method, so it is easier to check than a headline. Lifespan claims draw on research about aging. A presidential symposium paper on nutrition, metabolism, and aging shows how researchers discuss that field. Ask whether the people in that research were tested the way you would be.
Treadmill, supervision and the lifespan study
- Is the test run on a treadmill or a bike, and who supervises it?
- What will you do with my result?
- Who checks whether a maximum effort test is suitable for me?
- Which study links this test's result to lifespan?
If your result leads to a training plan, set it beside the CDC's overview of adult physical activity to see what a general baseline looks like.
Unusual tiredness during training
If you feel unusually tired during training, tell a clinician.
One number among several
Treat VO2 Max as one number among several, and check your own limits with a clinician before any maximum effort test.