Is VO2 Max the best rating of fitness?

You can only really get an accurate measurement under laboratory conditions, which may not relate to real world conditions, age seems to play a bigger role than "fitness" in the end number etc.

It is like saying an IQ test is the best rating of intelligence, when actually it is the best rating of how you do in IQ tests.
 
The better the vo2 max the less your heart has to work cos you can carry more oxygen in your blood, is my understanding

I have a vo2 max rating on my Fitbit buts it not all that accurate I don’t think. I have the same rating as I did around July last year but my heart is currently working harder to achieve the same time
 
GazC_MFC said:
The better the vo2 max the less your heart has to work cos you can carry more oxygen in your blood, is my understanding

I have a vo2 max rating on my Fitbit buts it not all that accurate I don’t think. I have the same rating as I did around July last year but my heart is currently working harder to achieve the same time
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VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen you can take in during maximum exertion. As such it's not really your heart working less (if you see what I mean), it's your heart working during max exertion, giving you the reading.

Pretty much all elite (international) level endurance athletes will have a VO2 Max that is off the scale for 'normal' people. There is a genetic element to it. As such, you could be as fit as you possibly could be, and yet have a lower VO2 Max than someone else who might have a better genetic ability. Age, sex, and size all affect VO2 Max as well as your underlying fitness.

(I'd still say it's a decent indicator of fitness though - for endurance athletics) - not the only metric though. Other body systems are in play. Individuals have different lactate thresholds and so on for example. As such, you could have two elite endurance athletes with different VO2 Max. The one with the higher VO2 Max alone won't automatically win.
 
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Fair enough. So what is the best measure of general body condition? Resting pulse rate? Body fat percentage? BMI surely isn't (given how it doesn't account for muscle weighing more than fat).
 
atypical_boro said:
Fair enough. So what is the best measure of general body condition? Resting pulse rate? Body fat percentage? BMI surely isn't (given how it doesn't account for muscle weighing more than fat).
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In response to that I'd say that VO2 max (alongside an age appropriate chart) is as good as any. You get an idea of where you stand relative to your age group, in terms of cardio fitness.

Your lifetime VO2 Max peak is usually between the ages of 20-29 (although if you are unfit in your 20s and then get super fit in your 30s or 40s, then you will peak at a different time (obviously), your peak just won't be as high as it 'could' have been (if you'd been super fit in your 20s).

Edit:- If it's just for your own benefit, then you can keep an eye on your resting heart rate, max heart rate, BMI, body fat %, and VO2 Max (assuming you are getting the reading off a device, and not going to a lab for testing)! - then the more you train you can see how all the different metrics change - along with how your times improve in races.
 
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atypical_boro said:
Fair enough. So what is the best measure of general body condition? Resting pulse rate? Body fat percentage? BMI surely isn't (given how it doesn't account for muscle weighing more than fat).
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You are looking for a simple answer when the actual answers are complex and varied.

If you want a simple measure, can you run a flattish 10k in under 50 mins? If you can, then you are reasonably fit (not elite).
 
Isn't VO2 max related to lung capacity, so would be slightly skewed to someone who is taller?
So a 6 foot 5 fat bloke that hasn't worked so hard, would have a larger lung capacity than say a small 15 year old skinny long distance runner kid?
 
borolad259 said:
You are looking for a simple answer when the actual answers are complex and varied.

If you want a simple measure, can you run a flattish 10k in under 50 mins? If you can, then you are reasonably fit (not elite).
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That wasn’t the question borolad.

The question was “what measurement is the ‘best’ indicator of fitness”, not “what measurement will say a person is fairly fit” or “what measurement will answer every question about a person’s fitness”.

The question is simply about what measurement is the most valuable about a person’s fitness/condition.
 
As I said, it's complex. Do you mean aerobic fitness? Anaerobic capacity? Mucular/skeletal strength?

Chris Froome last year will have still had a high VO2 max, but was unfit because he was injured.

In general, I guess you can say that VO2 Max is a good indicator of aerobic fitness.
 
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