Unfortunately, VO2 max decreases a lot faster when you stop straining than it increases with training. “Early on, you can see about a 5-ish percent drop within a couple weeks,” Sprouse says. So if you ...

VO2 max testing requires a mask to measure oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output to determine your cardiovascular fitness. When you think about how fit you are, you might think about how far you can ...

If it seems like everyone in your run club is talking about VO2 max these days, we wouldn’t be surprised. This metric—which is essentially a measure of your cardio fitness—is a zeitgeisty topic, ...

In terms of differences, if you think about VO2 max as the size of your engine, lactate threshold is the size of the gears in ...

I dreaded the test. It wasn’t the max effort I worried about. It was the apparatus. VO2 is measured by tracking what you’re inhaling and exhaling as you ramp up your effort al ...

After running for over a decade, I wanted to see how healthy my heart is. I got an active metabolic assessment at Life Time, measuring my VO2 max and heart rate. I also learned which running speeds ...

Experts explain why this measure of cardiovascular health isn’t just for ‘fitness people,’ and how improving your VO2 max could even help you live longer.

A PS contributor tried Eternal and a 2.5-hour grueling fitness test that pushes you to the max. Here are her takeaways and photos from the experience.

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." FOR ABOUT A a year, an exercise physiologist I know kept offering to do a VO2 max test on me. For more ...