Put simply, VO2 Max is the maximal amount of oxygen you can breath in and use in a given period of time and, as a result, it is seen as a very good measure of aerobic fitness.

VO2 Max is measured as the maximum amount of oxygen an athlete can utilise per minute per kilogram of body weight. Dividing the total amount of oxygen used by the weight of the athlete means that comparisons can be made between athletes of different shapes and sizes.

But why is VO2 Max so important? Well, the more oxygen you can breath in, transport to your muscles and utilise, the more of a substance called ATP you can produce. ATP is the biological version of a rechargeable battery. We’ve already covered how the mitochondria in your muscles are responsible for turning oxygen and glucose into energy, however this energy needs to be transported from the mitochondria to the rest of the muscle cell to produce movement.

ATP is the substance that your body uses to transport energy. The more ATP there is, the more energy available to your muscles and, therefore, the harder you can push the pedals and the faster you can ride.

Therefore, the higher a rider’s VO2 Max, the more oxygen they can burn, the more ATP they can produce and the more power they can put out on the bike.

So how is VO2 Max measured?