Mitochondria—your body’s cellular engines—power every heartbeat, thought, and movement. With age, their number and efficiency decline, while defects (heteroplasmy) rise. This mitochondrial fade drains energy, slows recovery, and raises disease risk. Training and VO₂ Max tracking can preserve and rebuild them.

VO₂ Max above 90 ml/kg/min is extremely rare, seen in athletes like Bjørn Dæhlie (96) and Oskar Svendsen (97.5). Genetics, massive stroke volume, dense capillaries, and years of intense aerobic training converge. High VO₂ Max matters, but efficiency and fractional utilization (Redline Ratio) define sustained performance.

Metabolic water is made inside your mitochondria every time oxygen meets hydrogen at the end of the electron transport chain. This pure, deuterium-depleted water hydrates cells from within, fuels enzymes and repair, and scales with VO₂ Max. Training your aerobic system means training your body’s own water supply.

VO₂ Max sets your aerobic ceiling, but performance depends on more than oxygen uptake. Endurance outcomes are determined by three levers: ceiling (VO₂ Max), usable fraction (threshold/Redline Ratio), and cost (economy/efficiency). Together, they dictate how much speed or power you can actually sustain.

Heteroplasmy—the fraction of mutated mitochondrial DNA—acts as a true clock of aging. As defective genomes rise, oxidative capacity, VO₂ Max, and metabolic water production fall. Crossing threshold levels disrupts gradients, accelerates decline, and raises disease risk. Training and light can reshape the mitochondrial pool.

Lactate isn’t just “the burn.” It’s both a marker of rising intensity and a valuable fuel. By pairing lactate thresholds (LT1/LT2) with ventilatory thresholds (VT1/VT2), athletes can define training zones, target the right systems, and improve performance through smarter, more efficient workouts.

Repeat-sprint ability (RSA) defines how well athletes sustain explosive efforts with short recoveries. VO₂ Max doesn’t set sprint speed but drives recovery—faster PCr recharge, quicker clearance, and less drop-off late in games. Elite performance blends aerobic capacity with targeted RSA training.

Low VO₂ Max is a stronger predictor of early death than smoking, diabetes, or hypertension. Massive studies show every small increase in VO₂ Max lowers mortality risk, with no upper limit to the benefits. For independence, aim for ~20 ml/kg/min; for longevity protection, 40+ is the sweet spot.

VO₂ Max isn’t just about performance—it’s your aerobic reserve. Higher VO₂ Max improves recovery from illness, surgery, and stress by providing more energy for immune function, healing, and rehab. Patients with higher VO₂ Max have fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and better outcomes.

VO₂ Max naturally declines with age—about 10% per decade after 30. But research shows that 50–70% of this decline is preventable with consistent aerobic training. Zone 2 and Zone 4 workouts can preserve heart function, mitochondria, and muscle, keeping VO₂ Max above the independence threshold (20 ml/kg/min) well into later decades. In other words, aging lowers your ceiling—but training decides how steep the slope gets.

VO₂ Max is a vital sign that predicts health, longevity, and resilience better than blood pressure, heart rate, or glucose. It’s measurable, repeatable, actionable, and trainable. High VO₂ Max offsets disease risk, supports recovery, and shows how much aerobic reserve you truly have—treat it like your body’s foundation.

VO₂ Max isn’t just about endurance—it’s brain insurance. Higher VO₂ Max boosts cerebral blood flow, preserves hippocampal volume, and lowers dementia risk. Discover how aerobic training strengthens neuroplasticity, slows decline, and sustains mental sharpness for life.

Improve your VO₂ Max with a 3-part protocol: Zone 2 training to build your aerobic base, high-intensity intervals to raise your ceiling, and structured recovery to integrate gains. Timing, circadian-aligned light exposure, and mitochondrial signaling are key for lasting aerobic capacity and longevity.

Zone 2 training is the underrated foundation of endurance and longevity. It’s slow, steady exercise where your body burns fat efficiently, mitochondria multiply, lactate stays low, and recovery accelerates. This metabolic gear expands VO₂ Max, improves insulin sensitivity, and builds capacity that lasts.

VO₂ Max intervals are 3–5 minute efforts at 90–105% of your max heart rate—the sweet spot where oxygen delivery, extraction, and cardiac power are stressed most. Backed by research, these Zone 4 workouts raise your ceiling, expand VO₂ Max, and deliver the strongest longevity benefits of any training method.

Redline Ratio shows how much of your VO₂ Max you can actually sustain before fatigue. A high ratio means you access more of your aerobic engine efficiently, improving endurance, pacing, and resilience. Build VO₂ Max first, then train VT2 to raise your Redline Ratio for maximum performance.

VO₂ Max plateaus aren’t always about effort—they often signal mismatched training, poor recovery, circadian disruption, or skipping foundational Zone 2 work. Track Redline Ratio to see if you’re efficiently using your aerobic ceiling. Stabilize signals, recover well, and rebuild from the base to resume progress.

What is VO₂ Max?
VO₂ Max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight (ml/kg/min). It measures how well your lungs, heart, blood, and cells work together to deliver and use oxygen for energy. A higher VO₂ Max means better cardiovascular fitness, more endurance, faster recovery, and lower risk of disease and early death.

What is the history of VO₂ Max?
VO₂ Max was first described in the 1920s by physiologist A.V. Hill, who discovered a limit to the body’s oxygen use during intense exercise. Initially used to study elite athletes, it later became a key clinical metric linking cardiorespiratory fitness to longevity and disease risk.

VO₂ Max is the most powerful fitness metric for predicting longevity—outperforming steps, heart rate, and calorie burn. While wearables offer estimates, only lab-tested VO₂ Max reveals your true cardiovascular and metabolic capacity. Here’s how it compares to other health measures and when to combine them.

VO₂ Max naturally declines about 10% per decade after age 30—but most of that drop isn’t genetic. Sedentary habits, not time, drive the loss. With targeted training, strength work, and sunlight-driven circadian alignment, you can slow—or even reverse—VO₂ Max decline and preserve lifelong aerobic capacity.

VO₂ Max, VO₂ Peak, and VO₂ Reserve aren’t the same. Only VO₂ Max—confirmed by an oxygen plateau in a clinical test—predicts longevity. VO₂ Peak is your highest effort that day, while VO₂ Reserve is a rehab tool. Here’s how to tell if your “VO₂ Max” is real or just an estimate.

VO₂ Max isn’t just about willpower—it’s a measure of mitochondrial density, efficiency, and resilience. These ancient cellular engines turn oxygen into energy, and more mitochondria mean higher VO₂ Max, better recovery, slower aging, and longer life. You can build them with targeted training, light, and lifestyle alignment.

Unlock the secret to optimizing your fitness with VO₂ Max, a key indicator of endurance and longevity! Our blog explores the evolution of exercise intensity, from traditional methods to cutting-edge research. Discover how the DexaFit ai™ four-zone approach enhances VO₂ Max, boosts performance, and offers a more flexible, effective training strategy for lasting health and vitality.

Discover the link between visceral fat and breast cancer risk in this blog exploring its hidden impact on hormone levels, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Learn why traditional health metrics fall short and how tools like DexaFit DEXA scans offer actionable insights for prevention and overall wellness. Empower your health journey with precision and data-driven strategies.

Your bathroom scale might not tell the whole story of your fitness progress. While your weight may remain unchanged, your body could be undergoing significant transformations in fat loss, muscle gain, and overall health. Understanding body composition—through tools like DEXA scans—provides a clearer picture of your progress, offering insights that go far beyond the number on the scale.

Discover the Carnivore Diet—a popular all-meat regimen that's sparking both excitement and doubt. This blog examines its potential benefits and risks, guiding you through the discussion. With DexaFit’s personalized tools like DEXA scans, RMR testing, and VO2 Max, you can make informed choices based on your unique health profile. Find out if the Carnivore Diet aligns with your health goals.

We all know the phrase, “Take a deep breath.” Some love it; some hate it. But whether you’re angry, stressed, scared or all of the above, pausing to take a calming breath really can take your blood pressure down a notch. Experts say there’s even more to it than that. The practice of meditation can provide you with a sense of peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional and physical health. 

The mind + body connection is a powerful one. Research has shown that exercise like jogging, swimming, cycling and running have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression. Plus, exercise improves mental health by bolstering self-esteem and cognitive function.

Summer is full of oh-so-satisfying temptations when it comes to food. Whether it’s burgers on the grill, cocktails with friends at a rooftop bar, or festive desserts on the Fourth of July, it can feel like the fun will never end. So how do you stay tough when temptation is heating up? Here are a few tips. 

As the thermometer ticks higher and higher, you might find your motivation to exercise sinking to an all-time low. But don’t forget how far you’ve come! The exercise habits you formed during the beginning of the year—and the subsequent progress that you made—doesn’t have to stop now.

Because we always have your back, we came up with a list of our top tips to help you stay on track, all summer long.

We’ve learned why you need to care for your bones. We know how the DXA scan can help you stay informed about your bone health and identify your risk for osteoporosis. Now we’re all blending our green smoothies, drinking more milk and getting our vitamin D from time in sun. But exercise, weight-bearing exercise, plays an important role in bone health. 

While osteoporosis, a disease where the density and quality of bones diminish, is typically diagnosed after the age of 50—and can in fact mean broken hips and stooped backs—bone health isn’t just an old person’s concern.

May is National Osteoporosis Month, and it’s an opportunity to shed some light on a disease that’s responsible for more than 2 million broken bones every year in the United States. So, let’s dive into bone health and the surprisingly simple ways you can prevent this widespread bone disease from impacting your health.

 Learn about how an accountability coach can help you with your fitness goals and delve into the research behind this success.

With summer just a few short weeks away, we’re highlighting a great way to shed pounds, eat healthier and feel better—by reducing your sugar intake. Follow these simple steps to reduce the amount you consume every day, even from places where you didn’t know it was hiding. 

Obesity is on the rise, and experts point to many factors including sedentary lifestyles, screen time and diet. This month, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement identifying sugar as one of the major culprits, saying “excess consumption of added sugars, especially from sugary drinks, poses a grave health threat to children and adolescents.”

Visceral body fat is different from the thin, pinchable layer of fat you might notice on your arms or thighs. While an appropriate amount of body fat is normal and healthy, visceral body fat is particularly hazardous to your health.

If you track your carbs, time your laps and rarely forget your FitBit at home, you already understand the importance of collecting health data. But a test once utilized only in labs for elite athletes is now bringing more powerful fitness data to anyone, whether you’re a badminton buff or serial marathoner. The benefits of VO2 max testing reach far outside the realm of exercise—you can expect valuable insight into your risk for disease, energy level and even nutrition requirements. 

When you throw on some acid wash jeans, pull your hair into a scrunchie, or press play on that Rolling Stones playlist, some could say you’re “showing your age.” But science today indicates that our outward appearances and (sometimes vintage) preferences only tell us so much about what’s going on inside. 

January fly by too quick? Do you feel like you’re behind on your health and fitness goals?  Every feel like there’s so much information and don’t know where to turn? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. To make easier for you to stay on top of your game and keep up to date with the latest, we took the guess work out and complied the top 20 health and fitness blogs to keep your eyes on this year.

Food sensitivity afflicts a significant proportion of the population, yet many food sensitivities continue to go undiagnosed. Learn more about food sensitivity here!

Learn more about the importance of health history standards in modern medicine, and what is currently considered outdated best practices.

With a seemingly countless number of new fitness fads and trends popping up every day, it can feel impossible to determine which fads are truly beneficial for your health, and which fads are nothing more than a waste of time. Learn about the 15 Fitness Fads that do more harm than good now!

Discover the science behind how body fat burns and the ways you can get your body to burn the most fat, even at rest.

Odd symptoms after eating? It’s wise to test for food allergies. Find what foods to avoid and feel your best!

To beef up your health education, we’ve rounded up 20 of the best fitness podcasts you can add to your daily audio library.

Many are already aware that water is important in our life but just how does the amount of water we drink affect our health? In this article we dive deep into the affects water can have on your health.

There's no sleep skipping hack and still being healthy. Our bodies require proper sleep as much as proper eating. The next time you wish to skip your night's rest to do something else, think about the consequences and ask yourself if it's worth it.

One of the best ways to get fit in 2018 is to check out YouTube fitness channels. Read here to discover some of the best channels to choose from.

If you have been struggling with weight loss, or simply want to try something new for your physical fitness and overall wellness, metabolic testing could be what you're looking for. Read here to learn more about how metabolic testing could help you.

Most athletes know that to keep themselves in top shape, they must eat well, sleep well, and exercise regularly. Find out how athletes are utilizing metabolic testing in their training regimen to gain benefits.

Dexafit provides a full range of services designed to help you achieve your best health, best body, and best level of wellness. Continue reading here to find out how they can help you.

Trying to be healthy in 2018? We got you covered. This list contains the 20 best health & fitness blogs available to you in 2018. Come learn how to kick start your fitness journey today.

In this article, we've got you covered on all you need to know about body composition plus 3 ways to dramatically improve it this year.

The elusive buzz word is tossed around frequently by the health and fitness community but what does it actually mean??