Originally Posted by
Jughed
I was sent an article or two about VO2 and longevity, so I went down the rabbit hole... and my Garmin barks at me every so often about new VO2 max numbers.
Garmin, online calculators, interweb test videos all seemed to relate VO2 or test for VO2 using power and HR.
Most of the sources claim the easiest way to increase the number was by losing weight.
Do hard intervals to raise VO2 max - for gains. Lose weight to raise VO2 max - for gains?? And that is my question.
So, my thinking, higher VO2 from weight loss would allow for higher power output, resetting training zones and such -apparently that may not be the case, but I'm still not sure why.
Unless you measure it directly in a lab, VO2 max is just an estimate from your 4-6 min power measurement, HR and weight. If your 4-6 min power goes up then so does your estimated VO2 max. If you lose weight then your estimated VO2 max also increases.
You appear to think that simply losing weight will automatically increase your power output at VO2 max, which is not necessarily true. It might well do if you are just losing fat and getting fitter in the process. But as I said I have lost weight and lost power simultaneously, while still raising my estimated VO2 max. I just lost more weight relative to my loss in power. In other words I had a higher W/kg number at VO2 max. I lost a little VO2 max power from the weight loss. Interestingly my power came back up when I went back to my normal weight after the event I was training for. For reference I went from 185 lbs down to 165 lb at 6'1" tall.