What is VO2 Max?
VO2 max is the maximum rate at which your body can take in and use oxygen during hard exercise, and it is a widely used measure of aerobic fitness. A higher VO2 max means your heart, lungs and muscles can deliver and burn more oxygen when you push hard.
VO2 max reflects the whole oxygen-delivery chain, which sets it apart from raw strength or how fast you can sprint over a few seconds. It depends heavily on how well your mitochondria turn oxygen into energy, which is one reason a functional mushroom like cordyceps is studied in an endurance context. It is a measure of capacity rather than skill, so a technically efficient athlete can still be limited by it.
VO2 max is most relevant to endurance athletes and to anyone tracking cardiovascular fitness over time. The catch is that it is strongly shaped by genetics and can be slow and demanding to improve, and the watch estimates most people rely on are rough approximations of a value properly measured only in a lab.
Cordyceps is the mushroom most linked to endurance and oxygen use, and our Cordyceps gummies make it easy to take daily.
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from stamina or endurance?
Endurance is how long you can sustain effort, while VO2 max is the ceiling on how much oxygen you can use at maximum effort. You can improve endurance through pacing and efficiency without moving your VO2 max much.
Who uses it, or when is it the right choice?
It is tracked by endurance athletes and by people using fitness as a marker of long-term health. It is the right measure when aerobic capacity, rather than strength or speed, is what you care about.
When is it the WRONG choice?
It is a weak focus for strength or power athletes, whose performance rests on different systems. It is also misleading to chase if your only figure comes from a wrist tracker that estimates it loosely.