Essentials - VO2max Boost

This is a challenging 8-week program designed to improve your VO2max. It is three days per week and requires that you run at 90-95% of your max heart rate (MHR). The use of a heart rate monitor is suggested for best results. 

This method generally improved VO2max by 7.2% in moderately trained adults (Intermediate level). It reflects an increase in VO2max from 55.5 mL/kg/min to 60.4 mL/kg/min, for example. 

Improvement in VO2max comes from changes in your Stroke Volume, which is the amount of blood ejected from the heart during each beat. The more blood ejected from the heart during each beat, the more oxygen the working muscle will receive. This will allow your muscles to continually meet the energy demand required by the same level of work, allowing you to perform at higher intensities for longer. This method showed a 10% increase in stroke volume.