Colorado Center for Health and Sports Science

VO3 Performance Profile

Client/Athlete: Steve Sample

Profile Date: 06/24/2023

Colorado Center for Health & Sport Science

Age: 61

Current Weight: 172

Current Height: 70 inches

VO3 Maximum/Peak Results/Summary

Test Type: Maximal, Bicycle Ergometer

VO2 Peak Score: 35.8 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute(ml/kg/min).

Heart Rate at Peak: 146 beats per minute (bpm).

VO3 Scores/Ranking/Men

Maximal Oxygen Uptake in ml/kg/min (VO2 Peak Score)

Age (years) Low Fair Average Good High

20-29 <25 25-33 34-42 43-52 53+

30-39 <23 23-30 31-38 39-48 49+

40-49 <20 20-26 27-35 36-44 45+

50-59 <18 18-24 25-33 34-42 43+

60-69 <16 16-22 23-30 31-40 41+

70-79 <14 14-20 21-27 28-31 32+

VO2 Peak = Overall Endurance Ability

Your VO2 Peak score is the highest amount of oxygen or O2; your body can use from all sources at the end of the test. The higher the score, the higher the overall body or general endurance work you can perform. Total liters of oxygen used were divided by your body weight (ml. per kg. per minute) to derive this score, so you can compare yourself to others or even yourself as you change body composition levels. VO2 Peak is one measure of overall endurance fitness and correlates highly with resistance to heart disease. By performing distance and rhythmical exercises such as running or cycling, the muscles and system learn how to combine more oxygen with fats and carbohydrates to provide energy.

General or aerobic endurance forms a base for most activities, and a moderate to good level for your age and sex according to normative values is desirable. In a simple car analogy, VO2 Peak is the car’s maximum speed. Generally, this is the upper limit of your heart rate and work ability from a maximal test and additionally provides the endpoint for calculating training zones.

Anaerobic Threshold = Cruise-Control Ability

22.9 ml/kg/min

AT as percentage of VO2 Peak: 64%

Heart Rate at AT: 124 bpm AT HR/Max HR%: 85%

Actual kcal per minute at AT HR: 8.0 kcal

Comparing actual energy expenditure for AT/VO2 and then AT- HR and VO2-HR is a useful tool in demonstrating that standard heart rate formulas do not reflect actual metabolic abilities and individual training zones.

Anaerobic Threshold Levels Expressed as a % of Maximum VO2

Classification: % of Maximum VO2

Sedentary Individuals: 45-55%

Active Individuals: 56-59%

Active Club Exerciser: 60-68%

Recreational Athlete: 69-74%

Level 1 Competition: 75-81%

Level 2 Competition: +82%

Anaerobic Threshold

Levels That Require More Fuel without O2

The Anaerobic Threshold is where your body can’t sustain steady work from the combination of oxygen with fats and carbohydrates, so it metabolically shifts gears to burn more and more carbohydrates without oxygen. This change in fuel usage is one of the reasons that anaerobic exercise produces a “burn” in the muscles or lactic acid; this is simply a resulting by-product of exercise above this point.

During the anaerobic portions of exercise, the body attempts to vent carbon dioxide (CO2) through the lungs to get rid of this lactic acid. Measurement of your CO2 production during the test enables precise measurement of your AT. AT helps determine the endurance exercise levels you can sustain over 30 minutes as a metabolic marker point, giving the most significant benefits in increasing overall endurance and improving body composition. Above AT in exercise level, you are essentially “sprinting,” where some lactic acid will be developed, which then triggers increased ventilation or breathing. In automobile terms, AT is the point past cruise control where you must give the car more fuel to accelerate in the passing lane past a constant speed. The Anaerobic Threshold is where your body can’t sustain steady work from the combination of oxygen with fats and carbohydrates, so it metabolically shifts gears to burn more and more carbohydrates without oxygen. This change in fuel usage is one of the reasons that anaerobic exercise produces a “burn” in the muscles or lactic acid; this is simply a resulting by-product of exercise above this point.

Respiratory Compensation Point (AT2)

Increased Ventilation to Vent Excessive Lactic Acid

Another critical point measured during the test is the Respiratory Compensation Point (RCP, also termed AT2), where so much lactic acid has developed that it triggers the system to hyperventilate to rid the body of the lactic acid through expelling CO2. At this point, one or two stages are left in the test, as this is the last effort by the system through respiration or breathing to expel lactic acid. RCP is like a turbo-powered engine, which only utilizes the turbo just below maximum speed. The above sample graph depicts the relationship between these points.

Zonal Training

Your Zones, Your Metabolic Exercise Response

By knowing your metabolic response to exercise as measured in the test – VO2 Peak, AT, RCP/AT2, and other points such as Respiratory Exchange Ratio (% of carbohydrates burned versus fats), boundaries for your optimal zones were created by comparing heart rate during the test to these metabolic marker points. The following briefly describes each zone, physiological uses, actual kcals burned, and your heart rate boundaries for each zone. The sample graph indicates the relationship between these zonal marker points and O2 consumption and CO2 exhalation.

Zonal Application – Leg only versus Total-body exercise

If tested on a treadmill, the zones derived are accurate for treadmills or running, total-body elliptical machines, and the StepMill. You should subtract seven bpm from each zone for cycling, ellipticals, and recumbent cycling.

If you were tested on a bicycle ergometer, the reverse is applicable. Your zones are accurate for leg-only exercises such as ellipticals and cycling, and you should add seven bpm per zone for treadmill exercise, jogging, or the StepMill.

Personal Heart Rate Zones

Zone 1: Start-Up/Recovery

106-115 bpm 6.1 kcal per minute average in this zone

Zone One is the first zone where physiological changes occur, such as minor development of capillaries and the delivery system of oxygen to the tissues of the working muscles. In this zone, because you are well below your anaerobic threshold, a very high percentage of the energy comes from fat.

However, because this is a sub-maximal level, you would have to exercise for a very long time before many kcals would be burned during exercise. This is an ideal place for the novice exerciser to start an exercise program because most people can tolerate at least 20 minutes in this zone.

For individuals with higher fitness levels or competitive athletes, this zone is ideal for recovery after a tough training day. There is enough intensity for a training gain, but not so much that it further tears down the system or muscles. This is also a helpful zone when over-trained, with one indication being resting heart rate taken first thing in the morning being elevated 8-10 bpm from normal levels.

Zone 2: Basic Endurance/Aerobic Development

116-123 bpm 8.7 kcal per minute

Just below your AT, this zone is where you can sustain exercise for 30+ minutes and burn the most significant number of kcal combined from both carbohydrates and fat in a steady-state manner. This zone yields the most crucial benefit for body composition improvement. It should be the cornerstone of your training program if that is your goal. Zone 2 builds overall aerobic or cardiovascular endurance.

Zone 3: Transitional Anaerobic Metabolism

124-131 bpm 10.27 kcal per minute

Above your AT, this is commonly called a “race pace” zone where your metabolism combines anaerobic and aerobic factors. For individuals who need to elevate AT to sustain higher work levels in Zone 2, sprints or intervals in Zone 3 will help raise that level. At this level, sprints or intervals can be maintained for 5 minutes. With average or above fitness levels, constant work in zone 3 can be held for 20-35 minutes.

Zone 4: AT Development/Lactic Acid System

132-140 bpm 12.1 kcal per minute

Zone 4 teaches the system to tolerate lactic acid as a by-product of anaerobic metabolism and elevates AT through sprint or interval training. The energy systems used in zone 4 also correlate with the ability to perform higher-intensity resistance training with better recovery. Sprints or intervals in this zone are effective if performed for 60-120 seconds with the same time in recovery.

Zone 5: VO2 Peak Development/ATP-PC + A Lactic System

141-146+ bpm 13.65 kcal per minute

In 30-45-second sprints, you develop the short-term energy supply of the muscles, ATP-PC, and the high end of the a-lactic system. These compounds are used and rebuilt during these sprints, enabling higher sprint capabilities during intense work. Intervals in zone 5 develop the energy abilities for resistance training gains, elevation of AT, and increases in VO2 Peak.

Zone 6: Maximal Effort/ATP-PC System

141-146+ bpm 13.65 kcal per minute

In sprints of 20 seconds of maximal work, the work time is so short that the heart rate will never catch up to the actual speed or workload during the interval. The effort or speed is so intense that the exercise will exhaust only the ATP-PC, the short-term energy supply. This zone effectively utilizes and restores this compound, teaching the system how to tolerate maximal work and effort. Using Zone 6 for 2-3 weeks before challenging resistance training phases will improve the work that can be performed, radically improving strength and power results from intense resistance training.

Zonal Rotation

Regardless of your fitness level or goals, rotating through zones based on your fitness level and what you seek to achieve will yield better results than just staying in one zone for all weekly training sessions.

For example, having a weekly rotation that includes two sessions in Zone 2, one session of intervals, and a long recovery session in Zone 1 will produce superior results compared to 4 training sessions in Zone 1 or 2.

Cardio-Recovery Intervals

Knowing zonal boundaries makes intervals more effective, tolerable, and individually set. The result: you can recover to the point where the body will burn off most of the lactic acid from the previous interval. Zone 1 is where this occurs and is the marker for the next interval.

For example, rather than randomly cycling on a LifeCycle from level 8 to level 2 as an interval program, you would perform an interval to zone 4 heart rate levels for the prescribed time, then recover in zone 1 heart rate levels for the specified time. Using zonal-based intervals, you will be more effective in both the work effort and recovery, raising your anaerobic fitness levels.

Guidelines for Endurance Training – Zone 2

Over the first 3-5 minutes of the workout, you should gradually increase the speed or resistance to a level where your heart rate response goes from zone 1 to zone 2 gradually.
As you go through the workout, you will have to adjust speed and resistance through the workout session, as heart rate tends to drift upward after 20-40 minutes of endurance exercise.
At the end of the session, take 2-3 minutes to cool-down to a heart rate below zone 1 before exiting your workout.

Guidelines for Interval Training

Use 15-30 seconds to ramp up the intensity to elevate heart rate before the interval starts, and 15 seconds to ramp down to decrease the intensity or speed just before the recovery period.
Let heart rate response be your guide as to speed or resistance increases or decreases during the interval session.
Remember, it takes 20-35 seconds of effort at the required speed/resistance before heart rate “catches up” to the actual intensity, so use heart rate to monitor the interval intensity approximately 30 seconds into the interval and use rate of perceived exertion to set the initial intensity.
Recovery heart rate will take 20-40 seconds to reflect intensity after you go into the recovery phase. At the end of the recovery time, you should be in Z1.
Cool down to zone 1 for 3 minutes before exiting your workout.

Additional VO3 Applications/Concepts

VO2 is the volume of O2 that is consumed or used at the end of a graded exercise test. It is measured and calculated in milliliters of Oxygen used per kilogram of body weight per minute. That way, fitness level can be compared if a person changes weight, and since it is measured relative to body weight, someone small can be compared with someone large. It is also valuable for determining the relationship between aerobic fitness and weight. A person with 10 pounds to lose to get to the ideal weight could calculate their fitness with less total weight, increasing the score in ml/kg/min. VO2 max can only be improved through exercise/training by 25%.

VO3 is a concept pioneered by CCHSS to view and apply the relationship between threshold/anaerobic threshold (AT) and VO2 max. AT is the point at which sustaining steady exercise is complex and is a limiting factor in extending exercise to a point where the kcal or energy expenditure total is meaningful. AT can be improved by almost 53% from sedentary levels through training, generally interval training. These AT levels are essential as health, fitness, and sports performance benefits from exercise are directly affected by energy expenditure.

If a person can exercise at 7 kcal per minute walking on the treadmill, they utilize 315 kcal in a 45-minute session. If, through interval or similar training, they can elevate this comfortable energy expenditure to 10 kcal per minute, then the total becomes 450 kcal, significantly affecting results.

The ratio between AT and VO2 max is an essential determinant of the blend of cardiovascular activity someone should pursue outside of resistance training. If that ratio is 55%, the person needs more high-intensity exercise or intervals to elevate their ability to sustain a higher caloric burn. If the number is at 79%, then generally, the person can perform less interval training and spend more time in their aerobic/steady state zone.

The idea is to have VO2 at “good” or “high” for your age and gender, while AT is 68-70% or better of VO2 max. That indicates you possess good abilities in both areas. If AT is high, and VO2 is not reasonable, then your training should focus on Zone 2 or building endurance. If your VO2 score is high, yet your AT is lower than 60%, you should perform some interval training regularly to elevate your AT. While interval training will develop some VO2, it is not as effective as steady-state or endurance activities.

Goals:

Better softball.

Recover more effectively after resistance training.

Improve skiing performance.

Long heath.

Suggested Energy System Program Adjustments:

Two sessions per week, Zone 2, 35-55 minutes

Workouts after resistance training, Zone 1, 30 minutes

One session per week, Interval Training

2 minute warm up, Z1-Z2

Interval Cycle 1

60 seconds, Z3

30 seconds, Z5

60 seconds, Z1

Repeat the cycle 3 times

Interval Cycle 2

60 seconds, Z4