Have you ever wondered about the size of your own engine? You know the engine (heart, lungs and circulatory system) that drives your body?? VO2 max stands for the maximum rate that your body can consume oxygen whilst exercising. The larger the amount of oxygen that you can present and utilise at the working muscle, the fitter you are. It is like comparing a 4 cylinder engine with a V8. The latter engine has way more power and consumes way more fuel because it has a bigger capacity to deliver output. Now combine a big engine with a light body and you have the best of both worlds, case in point formula 1 race cars, which have huge engine power and a very light weight yet super strong chassis. Now let’s put some numbers and real life examples to you. Lance Armstrong, light body, huge engine and therefore an amazing VO2 max. He has one of the biggest VO2 max scores in the world. He has been tested at around 88ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. The average person has about one third of that ability. Obviously there is a certain amount of natural endowment with this particular element of fitness. Lance was standing near the top of the queue when this ability was being handed out. The thing that he also brought to the table was an incredible amount of determination and a tolerance level to withstand some serious discomfort. So what about us mere mortals? It has been said that your absolute VO2 max can be […]