[ VO2 MAX ]■
Your VO2 max and your real zones.
A lab-grade test on the treadmill or bike. You breathe into a mask while the pace climbs, and we measure every breath of oxygen in and CO2 out. When you’re done, you know exactly what your engine can do and how to train it. $199, or part of the Baseline for $349.
What you get
Your VO2 max. The most oxygen your body can use, measured, not estimated by your watch.
Heart rate and pace zones built from your own breathing, not from 220 minus your age.
Your ventilatory thresholds. The two points where easy turns steady and steady turns hard.
Your fat-to-carb crossover. The effort where your body shifts from mostly fat to mostly carbs, and how many calories and carbs per hour you burn at race pace.
A results report you’ll actually understand, plus a walkthrough of what to do with it.
Why it matters
Age formulas miss. The classic 220 minus age formula underestimates max heart rate in older athletes, and even the better formula is typically off by 7 to 11 beats, and by 20+ for some people (Tanaka et al., 2001). Train off the wrong max and every zone on your watch is wrong.
The best endurance athletes do about 80% of their training easy and the rest hard (Seiler, 2010). That only works if you know where easy ends. Measured thresholds tell you.
VO2 max is one of the strongest health markers there is. In a study of 122,007 patients, the fittest group had about 80% lower risk of death than the least fit, and low fitness carried as much risk as smoking or diabetes. Researchers found no upper limit to the benefit (Mandsager et al., 2018).
Who it’s for
Runners, cyclists and triathletes who want zones that fit them. Anyone building toward a marathon, 50K or Ironman. Anyone who wants a real number for their cardio fitness and a way to track it. Retest every 12 weeks with the Progress Membership and see it move.
How it works
About 45 minutes start to finish. Treadmill or bike, your choice. Easy warm-up, then the pace or power climbs every few minutes until you’re done. Most people only go hard for the last few minutes.
Prep: eat normally, skip hard training the day before, and wear what you train in. Skip caffeine for a few hours before.
FAQ
Is my watch’s VO2 max wrong? It’s an estimate from heart rate and pace. It can be close, or off by a lot. This test measures it directly.
Can I do it with the Sweat Test? Yes. That’s the Baseline: both in one visit for $349.
How often should I retest? Every 8 to 12 weeks during a training block.
The research
Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. JACC, 2001.