VO2 isn’t Voodoo…

A friend sent me a link to a YouTube video that he suspected might interest me. He was right. It’s only 6 minutes long. I watched it twice, the second time taking notes for this blog. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpCkJs6DKCw

The video is by Dr. Peter Attia, and his premise is that a person’s VO2 max is the single best metric to predict longevity. He says that the research and data show that there is a strong correlation between VO2 Max and life span. Higher is better…

The reason he thinks this is because VO2 Max is a measure of the work a person has done over time to get fit and maintain fitness. You can’t change VO2 Max quickly, but he says that with training anyone can reach the top 25% levels for their age and sex. He only has data for two sexes, so if you are something else this doesn’t apply.

Here are the numbers. There are 4 quartiles, and the Elite level is the top 2.3% of the High quartile.

Most cyclists have at least heard of VO2 Max, and some of us even know that it is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense or maximal exercise. It is generally considered the best indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance. What I didn’t know, until I saw the video, is that at least one doctor considers it the best single metric to predict longevity.

VO2 can be estimated. My Garmin device gives me a ‘best guess’ that varies between 48 and 51 depending on how hard I’ve been riding recently. Since I’m 67, that would put me in the ‘Elite’ category. But Garmin is guessing. The only really accurate way to measure VO2 is with a lab test. You can do it on your bike, which is hooked up to a device that forces you to pedal at a given power level. They attach sensors to your heart and put a mask over your head that measures how much oxygen your body takes in, After a warm up pedaling easy, the typical test starts at 100 watts and increases 30 watts per minute until your oxygen uptake starts to fall. At this point you are gasping for air and sweating profusely. Here is the power graph from my last test in January 2019.

I had my first VO2 Max test in 2003 when I was 46 years old. I had been riding with the Stockton Bike Club since 2000, and I had definitely improved. My VO2 Max was 51.3, which put me in the High (but not Elite) category. I was given some advice on how to improve this, which was basically to ride harder for periods of 1 to 5 minutes. A lot harder. Like ‘this really hurts’ harder.

In 2005 I took another test and hit 56.7, well into Elite status. The training worked. But bear in mind, I am not really an elite cyclist; those quartiles are determined by the population as a whole, very few of whom ride with our club or have ridden up Mont Ventoux. I’m pretty sure all the SBC regulars are at the Elite level or close to it.

In 2019, I decided to have another test just to see how much age had withered me. Since I ride with a power meter and do Strava segments I knew there was diminishment, and I was right. This time I got 46.6 at age 63. Still ‘Elite’ but just barely. Since VO2 Max is measured in (ml O2 uptake)/(kg body weight)/minute, part of the decline is because I weighed 5 lbs. more in January 2019 than in July 2005, but part of it was also a lower maximum heart rate and lower absolute oxygen uptake. My 2002 heart rate got up to 173 beats per minute at the end of the test, while in 2019 I was only able to reach 163 bpm.

These performance declines are normal. Doctor Attia suggests one can expect an 8 to 10% reduction every decade. I’m in that neighborhood.

Dr. Attia suggests that measuring muscular strength is a close second as an indicator of longevity. There are tests for that I suppose, although they are probably a little more subjective than VO2. But I’m working on that too.

Since I quit farming I really haven’t done much exercise other than cycling and yard work. That has changed; Starting November 21 I have been going to the gym twice a week for an exercise class called “Legends”, which is for people 65 and over. So now I’m working on maintaining my VO2 while and increasing my strength, trying to ‘not go gentle into that good night’.