VO2Max Test Results Interpretation

Maybe I’m in the group of trying to use a lab test for something that it isn’t useful for. I certainly did want to know the actual max number (nothing remotely special) out of curiosity. See this from a related thread.

In any case, I had a DEXA scan done and also did a VO2Max test for “fun”. Their HR monitor captured something weird during the very initial ramp of the test so I’m questioning the aerobic threshold HR they posted.

I’m jogging along at 5 mph and my HR spiked to around 160. I thought the chest strap had gone bonkers, but my Scoche I was recording at the same time did something similar with a much lower magnitude. It was my first run in a few months (nordic skier in the winter) so maybe my body got freaked out?

The real question I had was when they determined my aerobic threshold hr. They said 149. My goal is to give me a better goal for capping my easy workouts easier. I suspect I go too hard on my easy days. Not that I’m going to use it as a hard number, but seems like I should interpolate the spike out and my AT HR would be more like 126.

Feel free to tell me to ignore the tests all together.

This was a running test.

Realizing that it is sport specific, I was trying to use it as a general very rough guidepost, mostly for running, but also for nordic skiing. I have a power meter for riding and would/do use power for the bike.

Historically I have actually used 150 as my rough guidepost for “easy” workouts. But I suspect that I’ve always been going harder than I should for an easy workout.

I would invest in a lactate meter and do some actual tests on skis or on the bike.

Is this HR spike a one-off or do you notice that it happens frequently? The thing is that once exercise started your VCO2 and VO2 increased along the same trend as your HR. Did you do anything different in particular? Did you start breathing harder in anticipation of the upcoming workload? Also, the yellow figures are your respiratory rates?