VO2 Max testing

Back in the summer I attended an open day at the MoveExLab at the UEA, a fantastic facility specialising in biomechanics and exercise physiology and only 5 minutes’ walk from my office on campus. In addition to the research and consultancy work, they also offer Vo2 max and blood lactate tests to the general public. So, when the opportunity arose to join a research project working on technology that estimates Vo2 max, I jumped at the chance. The test at UEA is as close to the gold-standard on assessing aerobic fitness as you can get.  The Vo2 test measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise during progressively intensive exercise. The test on this occasion was carried out on a treadmill.

As someone who is generally fascinated by stats and performance metrics, I was very excited at the opportunity to become a lab rat for an hour. Following a serious health scare a couple of years ago my obsession with monitoring my heart rate, training zones, intensity, body battery, fitness age, stress level etc. only increased! And whilst I realise questioning the gospel according to Garmin is tantamount to blasphemy, I was interested to know if my Vo2 max score is anything close to what Garmin tells me it is.

The appointment took about an hour, including a body composition test using ultrasound technology which was a bonus extra included as part of the research project I was part of. I was introduced to Josh and Alex who carried out the test. They were both very helpful in explaining how the process works and were happy to answer any questions. The mask was fitted to my face and tested to ensure no leaks. The feeling of wearing a mask is somewhat alien and does smell and feel a little like wearing a snorkel, but I soon got used to it and I didn’t notice it at all after a few minutes. I was also fitted with a heart rate chest strap. Then I was ready to get on the treadmill. And that was where the ‘fun’ began…

Following a short warmup, the test started at a relatively gentle pace of 8kph. The pace was then increased every 60 seconds by 0.5 kph until the maximum pace of 15kph (if this isn’t fast enough for you, they will then start increasing the incline until they break you).

Once my brain had registered what all the numbers on the screens were telling me, I set my mind to hang on until I got up to 15kph. No mean feet for someone who never picks her feet more than half an inch of the ground. Then it became a game of how high I could ramp my cadence and heart rate verses how much pain I could endure. I was very confident I could hold a high heart rate but the fear of my legs failing me and flying off the back of the treadmill started to take hold. The image of being flung and splattered on the wall was very vivid in my mind and was hard to shut out. I was able to get up to 15kph pace for 30 seconds, and for those short few seconds I imagined myself running a sub 20 min 5k, before I snapped myself back to reality, grabbed the rails and jumped off. Thankfully I got to practice this in the warmup, as it does feel a bit like jumping off a moving train, and I hung on to the rail like my life depended on it!

Following a short cool down, the results were in. We immediately had a look at my Garmin app to compare numbers. My Vo2 max test result was 49.30 ml/kg/min, which is considered “Superior” for my age. Their words not mine… But I’m taking it and rubber-stamping it without argument! This is lower than what Garmin purports it to be but only slightly. And still “Superior”. Oh sorry, did I say that already? Once I had recovered, a small part of me wanted to have another go to get closer to that Garmin score, but alas it was time to go. I skipped my way home, grinning like a “superior” Cheshire cat all the way.

https://store.uea.ac.uk/product-catalogue/research-and-innovation-services/moveexlab