VO2 Max testing to help fuel your body, improve performance

This piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

If you ever wanted to run faster, cycle longer or improve your health, you may have thought of metabolic testing. The concept gives athletes insight on how to properly fuel their bodies for every workout.

It includes a physical and metabolic screening test known as a VO2 Max. This is one of the leading indicators of longevity and performance in individual athletes. The test uses a specialized face mask that captures the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels created during a workout.

“I’m just trying to be more intentional about my fitness and a little more consistent,” John Sutton said with a laugh before the screening test. “So I thought it’d be interesting just to see where I am and see if I can possibly improve a little bit.”

Just a few years ago, this sort of technology would have been more rare to find for the everyday athlete. Nowadays, it’s commonplace, and there’s information to be gleaned for all types of athletes or people interested in learning about their overall health and fitness.

Tracking oxygen consumption

“When we’re assessing somebody’s VO2 Max, essentially you’re assessing how much oxygen can they take in when they’re at their maximum effort of exercise,” said Derek Ferley, sports science and research director at the Avera Human Performance Center. “I’m watching in real time, and I can gauge their levels as they’re breathing in through that mask.”

Each stage of the treadmill test is somewhere between two and three minutes with athletes pushing themselves further and faster with each passing stage. After each stage, there’s a 30-second pause during which the athlete gives a blood drop to determine their blood lactate levels.

“Once you get beyond your lactate threshold, you’re really calling into all of your anaerobic and aerobic capabilities, which means you’re really at a reduced time and effort in terms of how much more you can exercise,” Ferley said.

How oxygen intake connects to food needs

The key component of the VO2 Max test is the K5 device, the actual machine that is capturing and recording the data.

“When we use the K5, it’s a really great way to tell us how much your body is actually burning in calories. It also really tells us if your body tends to burn more carbohydrates during a workout or fat during a workout,” said Anna Heronimus, a registered dietitian and sports nutrition specialist with Avera Sports.

With the data in hand, experts can pinpoint the exact moment when your body switches from more carbon dioxide being produced than there is oxygen consumed. That same moment is when and where your body starts to burn more carbs than it does fat in a workout.

“That’s a huge indicator,” Heronimus said. “Having that information can then help us tailor a diet plan for you in terms of how long your workout’s going to be, the intensity and the durability of that workout.”

“If you know what your intensities are, then you can kind of have a backdoor way to figure out exactly what fuels you’re burning and then what fuels you need to replace, what fuels you need to consume during the course of a training program or just everyday life,” Ferley said.

What the data often shows is that athletes are under-fueling for exercise.

“If we’re constantly under-fueling to what our body needs just in general, we’re not going to see those gains to where you want to be. You might lose a little weight, but you’re probably more losing muscle mass and not gaining the lean muscle mass that you want to be doing,” Heronimus said.

For Sutton, the screening test was just what he needed and is looking forward to the results.

“I knew what to expect, so I was able to push myself a little bit harder. I think at my age, if I can stay the same or improve a little bit, it’ll probably be a win,” Sutton said.

Get more wellness and nutrition tips at Avera.org/Balance.