At some point in your training journey, numbers start to matter. Not in a toxic, comparison-driven way — but in a way that helps you understand what your body is actually capable of. One of the most powerful of those numbers is your VO₂ max. It sounds technical, almost elite, but at its core it answers a very simple question: how well can your body use oxygen when things get hard?
VO₂ max measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in, transport, and use during intense exercise. It’s not just about your lungs — it’s about your heart, your blood, your muscles, and even your mitochondria working together under stress. The higher your VO₂ max, the more efficiently your system performs when intensity rises. In practical terms, it defines your aerobic ceiling — everything else, from endurance to recovery, builds beneath it.
What Is a “Good” VO₂ Max?
This is where context matters. There is no universal “good” number, because VO₂ max depends on age, training level, and physiology. Still, some general ranges help with orientation:
- Untrained individuals: 25–35 ml/kg/min
- Recreational athletes: 35–45 ml/kg/min
- Well-trained athletes: 45–55 ml/kg/min
- Elite endurance athletes: 60+
Women typically fall about 10–15% below male values due to physiological differences such as lower hemoglobin levels and smaller heart size.
VO₂ Max Reference Values for Women:
- Untrained: 20–30 ml/kg/min
- Recreational athletes: 30–40 ml/kg/min
- Well-trained: 40–50 ml/kg/min
- Elite endurance: 55+
But this is not a limitation — it’s simply a different baseline. What matters is not where you start, but whether you improve. A rising VO₂ max reflects real adaptation, and that’s what performance is built on.
Age also plays a role, but not as much as many assume. While VO₂ max naturally declines over time, consistent training can significantly slow this process. Many athletes maintain strong aerobic capacity well into their 40s and beyond, especially when combining endurance work with strength training. For women in particular, staying active through hormonal changes becomes a key factor in preserving performance.
VO₂ Max Across Different Training Styles
Not all sports use VO₂ max in the same way. The demands differ — and so does the role it plays in your performance. Understanding these differences is key if you want to train with intent instead of just collecting fatigue.
Endurance sports like running, cycling, or rowing are where VO₂ max has the most direct impact. Here, your aerobic engine is the limiting factor. The higher your VO₂ max, the more oxygen your body can use — and the faster or longer you can sustain effort.
- Primary driver of performance
- Closely linked to pace and race outcomes
- Training focuses on zones, intervals, and efficiency
If you’re a runner, your VO₂ max is not just a number — it’s a strong predictor of how fast you can actually move over distance.
Hybrid training — such as HYROX or functional fitness — changes the game. VO₂ max still matters, but it’s no longer the only bottleneck. The challenge is not just reaching a high oxygen uptake, but maintaining output while constantly switching demands.
- VO₂ max meets strength, coordination, and fatigue
- Recovery between efforts becomes performance-critical
- Lactate tolerance and pacing decide outcomes
You’re not operating in a steady state. You’re running under load, transitioning between movements, and making decisions while your heart rate is already high. In hybrid sports, VO₂ max is your engine — but durability and efficiency under chaos define how well you can use it.
Strength training sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. VO₂ max is not a primary performance factor when it comes to maximal lifts — your nervous system and muscular strength take the lead.
- Minimal direct impact on one-rep max strength
- Supports recovery between sets
- Enables higher training volume and density
That said, a better aerobic system still gives you an edge. It allows you to recover faster between sets, maintain focus across longer sessions, and handle more total work. In other words: even in strength training, your engine quietly supports your output.
How Fitness Trackers Estimate Your VO₂ Max
You don’t need a lab test with a mask and treadmill anymore to get an idea of your VO₂ max. Devices like Garmin, Apple Watch, or WHOOP estimate it using algorithms — and while they’re not perfect, they’re surprisingly useful.
These devices don’t measure oxygen directly. Instead, they combine multiple data points to calculate an estimate:
- Heart rate response: How your heart reacts to effort
- Speed or power output: Your pace or wattage at a given intensity
- Recovery metrics: How your body handles stress over time
- User data: Age, weight, gender, and activity level
The key idea is simple: if you can produce more output at a lower heart rate, your body is working more efficiently — and your estimated VO₂ max increases.
However, these values have limitations. They work best during steady endurance efforts like running or cycling, but can be less accurate in hybrid or strength-based workouts. External factors like heat, fatigue, hydration, or sleep also influence the results.
Focus on trends, not single numbers. If your values improve over time, your fitness is improving — and that’s what really counts.
How to Improve Your VO₂ Max
Improving your VO₂ max is less complicated than it sounds — but it does require intent. At its core, adaptation happens when your body is repeatedly pushed close to its limit and forced to become more efficient at delivering and using oxygen.
The principle is simple: you need to spend time near your upper capacity. The execution, however, depends heavily on how you train — especially in hybrid sports.
- Interval training: High-intensity efforts that push your cardiovascular system
- Tempo sessions: Sustained efforts just below your maximum
- Zone 2 training: Building your aerobic base
- Consistency: Regular training over time
These methods work — but in hybrid training, you need to go one step further. Because your goal is not just a higher VO₂ max. Your goal is to use that capacity under fatigue, load, and constant transitions.
Using Machines to Improve VO₂ Max
Machines like the Assault Bike, SkiErg, or RowErg are some of the most effective tools for VO₂ max training — especially in hybrid sports. Why? Because they allow you to control intensity precisely while engaging large muscle groups.
They also remove technical limitations like running form, meaning you can push your cardiovascular system to the limit without being held back by coordination or impact.
- Assault Bike: Full-body demand, brutal intensity, ideal for short intervals
- SkiErg: Strong upper-body and core engagement, excellent for sustained efforts
- RowErg: Combines strength and endurance, great for longer intervals
Each machine stresses your system slightly differently — and that’s exactly what makes them powerful in hybrid training.
VO₂ Max Workouts on Machines
If your goal is to increase VO₂ max, you need structured sessions where intensity is high enough to challenge your system.
- 4×4 Intervals: 4 minutes hard effort, 3 minutes easy — perfect on SkiErg or RowErg
- 30:30 Intervals: 30 seconds all-out, 30 seconds rest — brutal on the Assault Bike
- Pyramid Intervals: 1-2-3-2-1 minutes increasing and decreasing intensity
- EMOM Power Output: Short bursts every minute, maintaining high wattage
The goal is not random exhaustion — it’s repeatable high output. You want to reach a point where your breathing is maxed out, but you can still sustain the effort across intervals.
Hybrid-Specific Application
In hybrid sports, machines are rarely used in isolation. You need to train your VO₂ max the way you will actually use it — under fatigue and in combination with strength work.
- Bike + Strength: Assault Bike sprints followed by lunges or sled pushes
- SkiErg + Burpees: Alternating intervals to simulate race fatigue
- Row + Carry Work: Rowing intervals paired with farmer’s carries
- Compromised efforts: Machines after heavy lifts to train under fatigue
This is where things get uncomfortable — and effective. Your heart rate is already high, your muscles are loaded, and you still need to produce output. That’s exactly the environment where real VO₂ max transfer happens.
Don’t Skip the Aerobic Base
It might feel counterintuitive, but low-intensity Zone 2 work on machines is just as important as high-intensity intervals.
Longer sessions on the Bike, RowErg, or SkiErg build the foundation your high-intensity work depends on:
- Improved oxygen delivery
- Better recovery between intervals
- Increased overall work capacity
Without this base, intensity becomes less effective. With it, your system becomes more efficient and more resilient.
What Women Should Pay Attention To
The principles stay the same — but the context matters.
- Hormonal fluctuations: Can influence high-intensity performance
- Iron levels: Essential for oxygen transport
- Energy availability: Undereating directly limits adaptation
This doesn’t mean training less. It means training smarter, fueled, and aware. Especially when using machines — where intensity can escalate quickly — recovery and nutrition are key.
The Real Key: Combination
The biggest mistake is focusing on just one method. Real progress comes from combining machine work, running, strength, and recovery over time. Some sessions should feel controlled. Some should feel brutal. And some should remind you exactly where your limits are. Because improving your VO₂ max is not about chasing a number — it’s about building a system that can perform under pressure, recover fast, and keep going when others slow down.
What Most People Overlook
VO₂ max is a powerful metric, but it is not the full picture. You can have a high VO₂ max and still struggle in performance if other elements are missing. Especially in hybrid sports, performance is always a combination of systems.
- Movement efficiency: How economically you use energy
- Mental resilience: How you perform under fatigue
- Fueling strategy: Energy availability during effort
- Strength endurance: Sustaining output under load
Your engine matters — but how you use it matters just as much.
The Bottom Line
VO₂ max is one of the clearest indicators of aerobic fitness, but it should never be seen as a fixed label. It’s a dynamic marker that reflects how your body adapts to training over time. You can improve it, maintain it, and learn to apply it in ways that actually translate into performance.
Whether you’re preparing for a race, training for HYROX, or simply aiming to build a more capable body, your ability to process oxygen is your ability to handle stress. And that is what defines real fitness.
Be bold. Be baddazz.
