OK. This was my third VO2 test, the first since 1/11/07. Back in 2007, I posted my VO2 info here as part of a thread on the subject and the result was having to listen to Paulo telling me my coaches testing protocols were wrong, blah, blah, blah. It was silly but fun. So now it’s time for some more VO2 fun! And before anyone posts it, although VO2 max is an interesting number, it’s just a number and that’s all. I more have questions about changes in VO2 over various HR’s, levels of fitness, and age. Here are the results of the two tests:
Very interesting. My AeT and AT HR’s are lower by 5 bpm’s on average but my VO2’s at those levels are higher. I am 2 years older, 40 vs. 38, and currently about 8 lbs. heavier than when I did the 2007 test (I was building towards an April IMAZ and had was just about to run the RnR Marathon) although I don’t think weight is a big factor. I do know that my max HR is 181 as I saw that in December during a 5K. Without a lot of warm up and a test that really lays the screws in early, it’s tough for me to get my HR up to max on the treadmill during these tests.
My coach was very pleased at my current level of fitness and was very happy the VO2 numbers had improved. We discussed my upcoming training protocols. One of the hardest things I am going to have to do is say farewell to 138-148 aerobic training zone. It’s like having a close friend die! My new IM aerobic zone is now 133-143. Any training I do which is IM pace or aerobic in nature will be done there. For now, that will slow my run pacing down some until I become as efficient as possible in that zone. On the other side of the training coin, tempo and interval work is going to be right up to AT. No more “grey” area stuff in between. Nick is going to really work on my speed and strength when we start our program as my aerobic base is already so big. It’s probably the best thing for me as I really don’t do that enough or with enough specificity or periodization.
So I was wondering about the changes that occur for an athlete as they become more fit while they are also getting older. It seems that 40 and over is where the numbers game starts to really crunch, we can be fitter and potentially faster, but our bodies response (in this case HR) can change. I’m interested in hearing the resident coaches perspective as well as anyone who uses HR and AT/LT training protocols and to hear how they have changed over time.
Nice numbers, congrats. As an older but probably newer runner, I’d be interested in any discussion too. I would also like to hear more about your coach’s plans for building from a good aerobic base but maybe that’s a different thread.
It’s not so much about the numbers, they are just one part of athletic potential, but more about how they change. Improve with fitness vs. decline with age.
As for Lance’ VO2… His is on a bike. Bike VO2 is generally about 5% lower than running. I also think it is more common to produce a higher RER when cycling for some reason. I may be wrong about that, but it’s what I’ve seen when I’ve administered them during research.
The testing protocol was on a treadmill wearing a full face ventilator mask hooked up to a CardioCoach system. It’s the same protocol/hardware/tester which I have used for all my VO2 test over the past 3 years. Again, it’s not the VO2 number itself that I was looking to discuss, it’s the relation to HR (lower than previously) vs. VO2 (higher than previously). So I am more efficient but I get that benefit at a lower HR, so if I am training using HR, it seems like it’s a push in regards to overall perfromance.
Are you an Olympic marathoner? That is a pretty high VO2 number…
No, I’m an AG IM and Half IM guy. My IM PB was a 9:40 in Kona in '07 and my open Marathon PB was a 2:58 in Boston in '08.
Give up. Your VO2 is nothing like Greg Lemond’s is; he is far more talented than you are. You must be doping!!!
Seriously though, I thought Lemond’s whole argument for VO2 testing was that it doesn’t change… but obviously with your tests it has improved (which is awesome, right on). So, who is right?
Weight might not be a big factor in terms of performance but it is certainly a big factor in terms of VO2Max. It is directly correlated. If your weight goes down, your VO2 Max goes up
Are you an Olympic marathoner? That is a pretty high VO2 number…
No, I’m an AG IM and Half IM guy. My IM PB was a 9:40 in Kona in '07 and my open Marathon PB was a 2:58 in Boston in '08.
Those are fabulous times. It is just that the actual number seems high to me. Currently you have a higher VO2 max than Derek Clayton, Frank Shorter, Peter Snell, Kenny Moore, Alberto Salazar and Sebastian Coe.
Unfortunately, like many of the other budget-priced metabolic systems now on the market, the CardioCoach system isn’t very accurate. Indeed, even the manufacturer doesn’t claim an accuracy any better than +/- 5% (and I suspect it isn’t even that good):
I beleive that is a function of the CardiCoach machine. It is not a full gas analysis system. Not as accurate as a full metabolic cart system but accurate enough and reliable test to test.
I thought Lemond’s whole argument for VO2 testing was that it doesn’t change… but obviously with your tests it has improved (which is awesome, right on). So, who is right?
Not Lemond (although changes in VO2max in already highly-trained individuals are usually quite small).
Unfortunately, like many of the other budget-priced metabolic systems now on the market, the CardioCoach system isn’t very accurate. Indeed, even the manufacturer doesn’t claim an accuracy any better than +/- 5% (and I suspect it isn’t even that good):
http://www.korr.com/...ardiocoach_specs.htm
That very well may be the case, and again, this isn’t so much about the actual number. Since I did the test on the same machine everytime, the variability is somewhat constant, so the changes are accurate, the actual numbers might be slightly different. I’m less concerned that my VO2 max is 78 or 75, it’s just a indicator and doesn’t make me a world class runner, I am more interested in how as we age, we can become more “fit” or “efficient” but we also have to do so at lower levels of effort so it seems like a push in terms of perfromance.
I am more interested in how as we age, we can become more “fit” or “efficient” but we also have to do so at lower levels of effort so it seems like a push in terms of perfromance.
It depends on what you mean by “lower levels of effort.” Yes your HR’s are lower than before, and yes, your max HR does decrease with age, but it has also been shown to decrease with fitness.
To continue on the line of argument you’ve got here, which is dead on, I would imagine that his lactate threshold is getting better and coming at a quicker pace, no matter if HR values are moving up or down.
Unfortunately, like many of the other budget-priced metabolic systems now on the market, the CardioCoach system isn’t very accurate. Indeed, even the manufacturer doesn’t claim an accuracy any better than +/- 5% (and I suspect it isn’t even that good):
http://www.korr.com/...ardiocoach_specs.htm
That very well may be the case, and again, this isn’t so much about the actual number. Since I did the test on the same machine everytime, the variability is somewhat constant, so the changes are accurate
Or so you hope. However, it is quite possible for something like the Cardiocoach to be 5% high on one occasion, then 5% low on another, thus either masking an actual 10% change in VO2max, or making it appear that your VO2max went up by 10% when in fact it didn’t change at all.
This is why the prior question about the maximal speed that you achieved was so insightful: if indeed your VO2max is as high as you think and has improved as much as it appears, then your performance should be commensurate with such values/changes (although the relationship between VO2 and running speed is more variable than the relationship between, say, VO2 and power output on a cycle ergometer).
It was silly but fun. So now it’s time for some more VO2 fun! And before anyone posts it, although VO2 max is an interesting number, it’s just a number and that’s all. I more have questions about changes in VO2 over various HR’s, levels of fitness, and age. Here are the results of the two tests: