VO2 Max: Why It Matters And Why Chasing Numbers Isn't the Goal

By Dr. Steven Long, DO, MHA, CPT
Beyond Health | Precision Medicine for High-Performance Living

VO2 max—the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise—is one of the most powerful predictors of long-term health and mortality. Large cohort studies, such as the Cleveland Clinic Fitness Registry, have consistently shown that higher VO2 max is associated with lower all-cause mortality, often more strongly than traditional risk factors like hypertension, cholesterol, or smoking. However, while VO2 max is valuable, blindly chasing a higher number is not the goal. True health is built on sustainable habits, resilience, and a balanced approach to fitness—not short-term spikes in a single metric.

Why VO2 Max Matters

VO2 max reflects the combined efficiency of your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and muscles to deliver and use oxygen. Higher VO2 max is linked to:

• Lower cardiovascular disease risk
• Lower risk of all-cause mortality
• Better endurance and work capacity in daily life
• Improved cognitive performance and reduced risk of dementia

The landmark study by Kodama et al. (JAMA, 2009) found that each 1-MET increase in cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a 13% reduction in all-cause mortality.

The Problem With Chasing Numbers

It’s tempting to treat VO2 max like a badge of health. Apps, wearables, and training logs make it easy to focus on squeezing every point out of the metric. But there are problems with a “VO2 max at all costs” approach:

• VO2 max is highly responsive to training status. An illness, injury, or taper period can temporarily lower VO? max without erasing overall health progress.
• Overtraining risk: constantly pushing intensity can increase injury risk, raise cortisol, and impair recovery.
• Neglect of other health pillars: focusing only on aerobic capacity can lead to underemphasis on resistance training, flexibility, mobility, and recovery—all crucial for healthspan.

Injury: The VO? Max Reset

One of the fastest ways to see VO2 max drop is an injury. Whether from a joint issue, tendonitis, or overtraining, detraining effects appear quickly in VO2 max numbers. However, this drop is temporary. Cardiovascular fitness returns faster than it is built once training resumes. What matters for health is not the temporary dip, but the ability to return to training without chronic injury.

Habits > Numbers

At Beyond Health, we prioritize exercise habits over a specific VO2 max score. Long-term consistency drives health outcomes, not short-term peaks. Broad exercise habits—Zone 2 cardio, resistance training, mobility work—build durability and resilience. Habits survive life changes, while numbers fluctuate.

Our recommendations:

• Aim for 2–3 sessions of Zone 2 cardio weekly (conversational pace).
• Include 1–2 sessions of higher-intensity work to maintain VO2 max over time.
• Prioritize resistance training for muscle mass, bone health, and metabolic benefits.
• Accept fluctuations in VO2 max as part of the normal training cycle.

Bottom Line

VO2 max is a powerful marker of health, but it is not the endpoint—it’s a byproduct of a sustainable fitness lifestyle. Chasing ever-higher VO2 max numbers without considering injury risk, training balance, and recovery can lead to burnout or setbacks. At Beyond Health, we focus on building consistent, durable exercise habits that keep you training for decades—not just chasing a short-term number on your wearable.