Back to Exercise Physiology Lab Home Page
Maximal oxygen consumption or
VO2max, refers to your body’s maximal ability to
utilize oxygen and is considered to be the best indicator of aerobic fitness.
Since good aerobic capacity depends on a healthy cardiovascular system,
VO2max is important when evaluating
cardiovascular health and risk. Additionally, a baseline test creates a
reference point for evaluating the impact of an aerobic training program. VO2max
is determined by a graded exercise test on a treadmill or stationary bicycle.
The test consists of a person exercising while the workload is gradually
increased until the person can no longer continue (~12-15 minutes). During the
test, the person breathes through a mouthpiece and their expired air is analyzed
for oxygen content by a computer to evaluate VO2max.
|
|
Back to Fitness
Testing Home Page
Back to Exercise Physiology Lab Home Page
|