VO₂ Max Is Having a Moment. Should You Actually Care About It?
If you follow health, fitness or longevity content, there’s a good chance you’ve heard a lot more about VO₂ max lately. It’s become one of the most talked-about markers of cardiovascular fitness and healthy ageing. But unless you’re a cyclist, runner or endurance athlete, you might reasonably wonder: does my VO₂ max actually matter?
The short answer is yes. And you definitely don’t need to start training like a marathon runner to improve it.
What exactly is VO₂ max?
VO₂ max is essentially a measure of how effectively your body can take in, transport and use oxygen during exercise. Think of it as the size and efficiency of your aerobic engine.
A higher VO₂ max generally means your heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles are better equipped to deliver and utilise oxygen when the demand for energy increases. That matters for performance, but increasingly, researchers are also interested in cardiorespiratory fitness because of its strong association with long-term health and longevity.
In simple terms, having a better aerobic engine isn’t just useful for running faster. It can make everyday life easier too. Walking up stairs, carrying shopping, travelling, playing with the kids, hiking on holidays and simply maintaining your independence as you get older all require some level of cardiovascular capacity.
You don’t need to be an endurance athlete to benefit from having a bigger aerobic engine.
So how do you improve it?
This is where the conversation around Zone 2 training has exploded. Zone 2 is relatively comfortable aerobic exercise that you can sustain for an extended period. You’re working, but you should generally still be able to hold a conversation. Walking uphill, jogging, cycling, rowing or using an erg can all work.
Zone 2 training is excellent for building your aerobic base, but it isn’t the whole story. If improving VO₂ max is the goal, there is also an important role for higher-intensity conditioning.
Intervals, HIIT and harder conditioning sessions challenge your cardiovascular system closer to its upper limits. When programmed appropriately, this type of work can provide a powerful stimulus for improving cardiorespiratory fitness.
That doesn’t mean more intensity is always better. The best approach is usually a combination of lower-intensity aerobic work and strategically programmed higher-intensity conditioning.
But what about strength training?
This is where we don’t want the longevity conversation to become overly focused on one metric.
VO₂ max matters. So does strength. Maintaining muscle mass, strength, power and physical function becomes increasingly important as we age. You don’t want to build an incredible aerobic engine while neglecting the chassis around it — which is exactly why we lift heavy, safely.
That’s why a well-rounded training program shouldn’t force you to choose between being strong and being fit. It should develop both. At RevoPT, that’s one of the reasons our training week includes dedicated strength work alongside conditioning — the same logic behind hybrid training. Different sessions create different adaptations, and over time those adaptations combine to build a more capable, resilient body.
Look at your training week
Rather than obsessing over the VO₂ max number on your watch, ask yourself a broader question: does my current training challenge both my strength and my cardiovascular fitness?
If you’re lifting consistently but avoiding conditioning altogether, there may be an opportunity to build your aerobic engine. If you’re doing plenty of cardio but rarely challenging your muscles with progressive resistance training, the opposite may be true.
For most of us, the goal isn’t to maximise one fitness metric at the expense of everything else. It’s to be strong, fit and capable for as long as possible. And that’s a longevity metric worth pursuing.
If you’re ready to train on a weekly schedule that develops both strength and conditioning, have a look at our membership options or get in touch with a university-accredited RevoPT coach.