Judging overall fitness is actually very difficult to do. For example, a professional boxer would have extremely high levels of fitness, but ask him to play a game of basketball or 90mins of soccer and he would become exhausted very quickly, much quicker than an ‘average’ basketball or soccer player.
When you concentrate on a particular physical activity, such as a particular sport, you condition your body specifically to this event. Your muscles are used in the same manner over and over again. When you try a completely new activity, your muscles struggle to adapt and you fatigue very quickly.
How Fitness Is Measured
Fortunately fitness is measured on a person’s cardiovascular efficiency (their VO2 max) and not on a particular physical activity.
Your VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen you can consume to power your muscles, during 1 minute of your maximum intensity. It is measured in milliliters of oxygen for every kilo of body-weight. The fitter you are, the higher your VO2 max figure will be.
In theory it means the more oxygen you can inhale, the more energy you can produce through your muscles and cardiovascular system.
To physically measure for your VO2 max, you will need to visit a sports performance lab or similar facility where you will be connected to a blow tube allowing for oxygen flow readings to take place.
Athletes are often measured for their VO2 max to gauge performance and fitness levels. Elite endurance athletes such as tri-athletes and long distance runners tend to have very high VO2 max figures.
How To Increase Your VO2 Max
Most of us don’t have access to facilities in order to measure our VO2 max. But by taking part in regular aerobic activity that steadily increases in intensity and endurance, you will increase your stamina and raise your VO2 max.
Aerobic exercise will raise the amount of oxygen you can inhale which feeds your muscles and in turn increases your endurance. Sustained activities that keep the heart pumping faster are best for this process, such as swimming, cycling, rowing and running – which are all classed as aerobic exercise.
As well as improving your VO2 max and therefore your overall fitness, aerobic exercise burns the most fat, helps lowers blood cholesterol levels, increases your lung capacity, strengthens your heart and lowers your blood pressure.
Here’s a video explaining how to increase your VO2 Max:
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