VO2 max testing gives objective data and helps TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau trainer "smarter"
VO2 Max testing is something triathlete Doug Landau has been familiar with since the early 1980s. During graduate studies in Sports Medicine, Landau volunteered to be a test subject at Boston University, and had his VO2 Max tested. Since then, he has had the testing done on treadmills, bicycles and stepping machines. VO2 max, or maximal oxygen uptake, is one factor that can determine an athlete’s capacity to perform sustained exercise and is linked to aerobic endurance. “VO2 max” refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an athlete can use during intense or maximal exercise. It is measured as “milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight.” So, Landau points out, you want to be lean, efficient and able to remain “aerobic” at very high work loads, speeds or paces.” For an excellent discussion of this testing and the information it reveals, check out the National Geographic piece entitled, “What It Takes to Build the Unbeatable Body.”
This measurement is generally considered the one of the best indicators of an athlete’s cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance. Theoretically, the more oxygen you can use during high level exercise, the more ATP (energy) you can produce. This is often the case with elite endurance athletes who typically have very high VO2 max values. There are special workouts Landau does in order to increase his oxygen intake capacity and efficiency. Periodic testing enables athletes to gauge their fitness and refine their training regimens. You can get a VO2 Max Test a block from the ABRAMS LANDAU building in Herndon at HPC.