Aging and Fitness

Here’s How I Improved My VO2max After My 60s with Persistence and Guidance.

If I can do this amazing thing in five steps in my mid-70s, anyone can do it, too.

You can start and stay fit and healthy at any age. Even after turning 60, I improved my VO2max with regular and well-organized training. If I could do it in five steps, despite enjoying the good things in life and a busy family life after retiring, anyone can.

Studying health sciences in the 1970s, I came across the concept of VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption), which was established in the early 1920s by Archibald Vivian Hill, a Nobel Laurette. Dr/Sir Hill’s research on oxygen consumption during exercise laid the foundation for our understanding of VO2max. Prof Timothy Nokes documented the details in this paper in 2011.

Dr Hill’s work on VO2max was instrumental in advancing our knowledge of aerobic capacity and its significance in sports and exercise physiology. Since then, many researchers and scientists have built upon this foundation to further our understanding of VO2max and its applications in various fields, including sports science, fitness assessment, and healthcare.

Like many people, I experienced declining muscles, diminished heart function, and mitochondrial weakness after my 60s. My metabolic health markers sharply diminished. Then, one of my adult children, a medical doctor specializing in sports medicine, advised me to revisit VO2max, a valuable fitness marker showing a significant decline.

This drop inspired me to prioritize my cardiovascular fitness, which is crucial for healthspan and lifespan. My son’s guidance taught me that the earlier I start, the better outcomes I might gain. Following a structural method with his support after my 60s significantly enhanced my fitness in my mid-70s.

As Dr Mehmet Yildiz articulated in this educative and inspiring story, “If you want to slow the aging process and maintain better cardiovascular functionality as you grow older, regularly oxygenating the body, investing in methodical VO2max training, and measuring it regularly might be helpful.”

In his well-crafted and well-researched story, Dr Yildiz featured a late centenarian who broke fitness records after his 100th year. “Robert Marchand, a firefighter, gardener, and truck driver in his younger ages, broke the world record for cycling 100 km, and the distance cycled in one hour, in the 100–105 years old age categories.”

This centenarian cyclist leveraged the power of VO2max training. When he was 101, he completed 22.547 km within the designated time frame, surpassing his previous records and showing a remarkable VO2max score.

The significance of VO2max is supported by a wealth of scientific evidence, with over 12,000 reports indexed on PubMed. I cited some of those in my scientific papers before retiring from academia.

First, I’d like to give you a brief background on VO2max testing. It is a precise way to measure our heart and lungs’ fitness. It shows how well the body can use oxygen during exercise, making it a top choice in fitness development.

This test needs special equipment and experts to perform it accurately, so not everyone can easily access it. But nowadays, it is more accessible through personal gadgets and even smartphones.

VO2max is called different names like “maximal oxygen consumption” or “maximal aerobic capacity” in the literature, but it all means the same thing — the most oxygen our bodies can use at a given time.

In this test, I exercised on a treadmill and sometimes on a stationary bike while my breathing was closely monitored and recorded.

VO2max testing provides quantifiable data and numeric values as motivation and benchmarks for setting fitness or weight loss goals. It offers a tangible measure of progress, making goal-setting more realistic and achievable.

VO2max testing tells us a lot about our heart and lung fitness. It helps us determine how good our endurance is and can be a starting point for improving. The higher your VO2max, the better you can handle tough workouts and endurance activities.

Athletes’ VO2max is reached when they can keep using the same amount of oxygen even during intense exercise. It’s measured in liters per minute or milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute. For example, an elite marathoner might have a VO2max of more than 80 ml/kg/min.

Coaches and sports scientists use it to assess athletes and create the best training plans. Our VO2max can drop as we age because our heart and oxygen use become less efficient. The number and function of our mitochondria, which help with oxygen use, also decrease as we age, affecting our VO2max.

VO2max plays a crucial role in both health and fitness. Improving our VO2max through regular aerobic exercise significantly enhances cardiovascular health.

VO2max is a critical predictor of athletic performance. Athletes with higher VO2max scores can sustain intense exercise for longer without tiring, reflecting superior cardiovascular endurance and efficient muscle oxygen utilization.

VO2max helps determine the proper exercise intensity for us. It enables personalized workout plans, ensuring safe and effective training routines tailored to our fitness level.

Monitoring VO2max over time allows us to track training progress. As cardiovascular fitness improves, VO2max scores can increase, offering valuable insights into the effectiveness of your training program.

Low VO2max scores indicate a higher risk of cardiometabolic disorders and premature death. Identifying individuals with low scores helps healthcare professionals target interventions and preventive screenings, improving overall health.

A Glimpse into my personal journey and experience with improving VO2max through practical steps after my 60s.

Step 1 — Regular Cardiovascular Workouts

For me, adding cardiovascular exercises into my routine was a good start. It’s incredible how this step made a significant difference. During these workouts, my heart began to pump blood more efficiently, enabling my muscles to receive a steady oxygen supply. With consistent effort, I noticed my body becoming more efficient at using oxygen, a game-changer for my fitness journey.

Engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise led to the development of a dense capillary network within my muscles. These tiny blood vessels became more numerous, ensuring oxygen-rich blood easily reached my muscles. This increased capillary density made a noticeable impact on my aerobic capacity, helping me endure longer and more intense workouts.

As I persisted with cardiovascular workouts, I felt my heart muscles growing more robust, increasing stroke volume. Stroke volume, the amount of blood ejected by the heart in one beat, started to improve. This meant that my heart could pump more blood with each contraction, producing a higher oxygen supply to my hard-working muscles.

What fascinated me the most was how my muscles adapted to extract oxygen more efficiently from my bloodstream. Increased myoglobin content, a protein that carries oxygen within muscle fibers, and improved mitochondrial density played a vital role in this transformation. These adaptations boosted my muscles’ ability to utilize oxygen effectively. I could feel my aerobic capacity improving.

Step 2 — Weight Lifting, Strength, Resistance Training

My fitness journey to improve VO2max took a different turn with weight lifting, strength, and resistance training. While it may not directly focus on aerobic capacity like cardio exercises, it has its unique benefits in enhancing VO2max by building muscles and improving mitochondria.

Strength training became a part of my routine, as it did wonders. It promoted the growth and development of muscle tissue. With more muscle mass, my body requires more oxygen to meet the muscles’ metabolic demands during exercise. This increased need for oxygen contributed to improvements in VO2max, something I could genuinely feel.

But there was more to it. Strength training improved the efficiency of my movements and enhanced neuromuscular coordination. I wasted less energy during exercise, allowing me to sustain intensity for longer periods.

This improved energy efficiency indirectly benefited my VO2max by enabling me to work at higher intensities and potentially stimulate adaptations that enhanced aerobic capacity.

Additionally, strength training had another ace up its sleeve. It triggered the release of hormones like growth hormone and testosterone, which influenced my body composition and had the potential to enhance my aerobic performance, including VO2max.

If you are in good health and enjoy it, I encourage you to try resistance training. It can be done at any age and by both males and females. It helps maintain lean muscle mass, which in turn can make a positive impact on our VO2max. It’s a different path to the same goal of improving our overall fitness and cardiovascular health.

Step 3— High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Sprints

HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by active recovery periods. These intense intervals force the body to demand more oxygen to meet the increased energy needs. The result is increased oxygen consumption and cardiac output, which trigger adaptations that enhance VO2max.

My journey to boost VO2max took an exciting turn when I discovered the benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and sprints. The evidence was compelling. Studies emphasized that sprint interval training had strong support for improving aerobic exercise performance and VO2max. It’s all about those peripheral muscular adaptations.

What truly excited me was studies showing that high-aerobic intensity endurance interval training was significantly more effective in improving VO2max than other approaches. HIIT, in particular, stood out as an effective method for this improvement.

During HIIT, I pushed my body to its anaerobic threshold, where muscles rely more on anaerobic energy systems due to insufficient oxygen for aerobic metabolism. Regular training at this threshold teaches the body to tolerate and clear metabolic byproducts, ultimately increasing the anaerobic threshold. This means we can sustain higher exercise intensities before fatigue sets in, contributing to improvements in VO2max.

But the benefits don’t stop there. HIIT can enhance metabolic adaptations, such as increased fat oxidation and improved insulin sensitivity, improving the use of fuel sources during exercise and overall cardiovascular health.

If you’re in good health, giving HIIT a try to improve your VO2max more effectively than traditional steady-state exercise can be a good option. However, remember to progress gradually and seek proper guidance to ensure safety and avoid overexertion.

I also enjoyed integrating aerobic and anaerobic workouts (cross-training) to improve my fitness, including improvements in VO2max. This approach can benefit VO2max and overall fitness through several mechanisms.

For example, when we engage in different activities on different days, we can give specific muscle groups a break while still engaging in low-impact exercises. This promotes recovery and prevents overtraining, allowing us to sustain a consistent training routine and progress toward improving VO2max.

Step 4— Rest, Recovery, and Fun

I soon realized that improving my VO2max wasn’t just about exercise but also about understanding the importance of rest, recovery, and fun. Adequate rest was the key to allowing my body to adapt, repair itself, and become stronger after each workout. Undertaking fun activities lowered my cortisol and balanced other hormones.

During these rest periods, my body worked behind the scenes to replenish energy stores, repair damaged tissues, and fortify my cardiovascular system. Not only did rest, recovery, and fun prevent overtraining, but they also reduced the risk of injuries and promoted the physiological adaptations necessary for enhancing VO2max.

Without proper rest and recovery, I discovered that I could easily fall into a cycle of fatigue and decreased performance, hindering my progress.

During recovery, my body made necessary adaptations, including increased capillary density, improved mitochondrial function, and a more efficient oxygen-carrying capacity in my blood — all factors that played a role in improving cardiovascular fitness and VO2max.

What truly struck me was the value of consistency. Regular, structured training programs were the cornerstone of stimulating adaptations that improved my aerobic capacity.

Maintaining a consistent exercise routine allowed my body to adapt gradually, pushing me towards higher fitness levels. On the flip side, I learned that irregular or sporadic exercise routines could hamper my progress in improving my VO2max.

I found that a progressive training program was vital to keep things moving forward. This prevented plateaus and ensured ongoing improvements in VO2max. However, it was crucial to balance pushing my limits and allowing for sufficient recovery to avoid overtraining and injuries.

So, if you are on this journey, too, remember the importance of consistent rest, recovery, and fun. They are your allies in promoting adaptation and avoiding the pitfalls of overtraining, helping you reach your goals safely and effectively.

Step 5 — Maintain a Healthy Weight with Proper Nutrition

My journey to boost VO2max took me down a path that emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and proper nutrition. It became clear that excess body weight could strain my cardiovascular system and limit oxygen delivery to my muscles during exercise.

The more I learned, the more I understood how excess body weight could put additional stress on my heart. I had to work harder to supply oxygen to my tissues and organs, which reduced efficiency and compromised my cardiovascular function.

By maintaining a healthy weight, I found I could significantly reduce the strain on my heart, improving its ability to pump blood and oxygen to my muscles. This played a crucial role in supporting higher VO2max levels.

Discovering that excess body fat could impair my ability to use oxygen efficiently was fascinating. Adipose tissue produced hormones and inflammatory molecules that interfered with oxygen utilization, hampering my metabolic function.

So, lowering my visceral fat percentage allowed me to mitigate these adverse effects and optimize my body’s ability to efficiently use oxygen during exercise, ultimately enhancing my VO2max.

Achieving a healthy weight meant improving energy efficiency, enabling me to exercise with less fatigue and strain, which in turn led to improved VO2max. I also realized that obesity increased the risk of chronic conditions that could harm cardiovascular health and impair VO2max.

I understood that insufficient calories and a lack of nutrients could lead to fatigue, compromised performance, and hindered improvements in VO2max.

Dehydration was another factor to consider, as it could impair cardiovascular function and increase strain on the body, negatively impacting VO2max. Drinking water with minerals before, during, and after exercise became a routine to replace my lost fluids and electrolytes.

I can’t emphasize enough how proper nutrition and hydration played a crucial role in my fitness journey. A well-balanced diet with enough water provided the energy, muscle function, and overall health necessary to perform at my best and enhance my VO2max.

In the end, fueling my body with a balanced diet of nutrients from whole foods and staying properly hydrated supported my exercise, fitness, and overall health, ensuring that my journey to improve VO2max was on the right track.

Conclusions and Takeaways

My journey to improve my VO2max led me to some valuable insights and practical takeaways. VO2max, I discovered, is not just a number; it’s a powerful tool for optimizing exercise intensity, setting personalized training zones, and guiding my fitness goals.

By understanding and using VO2max, I could tailor my workouts to match specific objectives, whether targeting heart rates or power zones. Regular VO2max measurements became an essential part of my fitness routine.

They allowed me to track changes in my aerobic capacity, assess the effectiveness of my training, and chart a course for improvement. This data-driven approach was a game-changer for my performance and fitness outcomes, potentially influencing my healthspan and lifespan.

Even though measuring VO2max in a controlled setting is ideal, I was surprised that new smartwatches could provide indicative scores, making it more accessible for those on a fitness journey.

It was never too late for me to start and maintain fitness. I personally witnessed significant improvements in my VO2max after the age of 60 through consistent and systematic training that included both aerobic and anaerobic workouts.

Investing in VO2max training and regular exercise profoundly impacted my physical and mental health. It allowed me to maintain higher functionality, enjoy a more vibrant and active lifestyle as I aged, and contribute to my overall well-being.

In this personal story, I aimed to introduce VO2max, emphasize its importance, and provide practical steps to improve it at any age. I hope my journey serves as an inspiration and a testament to the positive effects of VO2max on fitness, health, and longevity.

Thank you for reading my story.

If you want to learn more about VO2max for runners, my good old friend Herb, a heart attack survivor, made an inspiring video last month. Herb is not a celebrity YouTuber yet, but he articulates his points and might inspire you to benefit from VO2max.

About Me

I am a retired scientist in his mid-70s with several grandkids who keep me going and inspire me to write on this platform. As a giveback activity, I volunteered as an editor for Illumination publications, supporting many new writers. I will be happy to read, publish, and promote your stories. You may connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Quora, where I share stories I read. You may subscribe to my account to get my stories in your inbox when I post.

Thanks, Dr Mehmet Yildiz, for reviewing and publishing my story on ILLUMINATION-Curated, which supports experienced writers.