Numbers from the outer edge of human performance—and what they actually mean.
The Day the Machine Maxed Out
In the early 1990s, deep inside the Norwegian Olympic training center, Bjørn Dæhlie stepped onto a treadmill that looked more like a ski slope. The belt was wide enough for ski-striding, the rails custom-built to handle pole plants.
A mask covered his face, connected to a humming metabolic cart. The test began at a jog, then ramped—faster, steeper. Dæhlie’s arms drove in perfect rhythm, skis gliding on the treadmill surface as lab techs watched the numbers climb.
When they finally called the test, the display read 96 ml/kg/min. Whether precisely accurate or slightly lower, there’s no doubt: Dæhlie’s aerobic ceiling was among the highest ever recorded. RHe went on to win 8 Olympic gold medals and 9 World Championship golds before retiring in 1999, cementing his status as a legend.
The Teenage Record
Two decades later, Oskar Svendsen, an 18-year-old Norwegian junior cyclist, rolled into a lab at Lillehammer University College. Unlike Dæhlie, he wasn’t yet famous.
He pedaled through the warm-up and into the incremental protocol. When he hit his limit, the number flashed: 97.5 ml/kg/min—the highest VO₂ Max ever measured under rigorous lab conditions [1].
Despite the record, Svendsen’s professional career stalled amid injuries and waning motivation. He left elite cycling by his early twenties—a reminder that VO₂ Max alone doesn’t guarantee performance longevity.
Joan Benoit Samuelson: The Efficiency Queen
In the 1980s, Joan Benoit Samuelson dominated the marathon world. Her VO₂ Max was measured in the high 70s [2]—extraordinary for a woman, but nowhere near Dæhlie or Svendsen’s scores.
Her secret was fractional utilization, what we call Redline Ratio: the percentage of VO₂ Max you can sustain at your second ventilatory threshold (VT2). Samuelson’s ratio was likely 85–90%, allowing her to hold a brutal pace for over two hours. She won the 1984 Olympic marathon and kept running sub-2:50 marathons into her 50s.
Why 90+ Is So Rare
Two forces converge at this level:
Genetics
Massive stroke volume (blood pumped per beat)
Dense capillary networks
High proportion of oxidative muscle fibers (Type I)
Naturally elevated hemoglobin
Training
15–25 hrs/week of aerobic work for a decade or more
Periodized high-intensity alongside huge base volume
Minimal detraining over years
Without the genetic ceiling, training won’t get you to 90+. Without the training, genetics alone won’t either.
VO₂ Max Is Not the Whole Story
A high ceiling matters, but so does how close you can get to it without falling apart.
Redline Ratio (fractional utilization) = % of VO₂ Max you can sustain at VT2
Economy/efficiency = how much oxygen you burn at a given pace/power
Tactics & resilience = how you spend your energy when it counts
Fractional utilization hinges on mitochondrial efficiency and lactate clearance—both trainable through sustained tempo work and race-specific efforts [3].
Lessons for the Rest of Us
Even if you’ll never see 90, the same principles apply:
Raise your ceiling with Zone 2 and VO₂ Max intervals.
Push your Redline Ratio with threshold and tempo work.
Improve efficiency through skill, technique, and economy drills.
For a desk worker, boosting VO₂ Max by 10% and Redline Ratio by 5% could mean chasing kids without getting winded, hiking uphill with ease, or recovering from a flu in days instead of weeks—mirroring elites’ efficiency at everyday scales.
Why It Matters Beyond Sport
For elites, these numbers win medals. For everyone else, they shape quality of life, resilience to stress, and recovery after illness or surgery. VO₂ Max and Redline Ratio are not just performance stats—they’re healthspan markers.
References
Rønnestad BR, et al. The most powerful cyclists in history? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2013;8(5):593–596.
Joyner MJ, Coyle EF. Endurance exercise performance: the physiology of champions. J Physiol. 2008;586(1):35–44.
Bassett DR Jr, Howley ET. Limiting factors for maximum oxygen uptake. Int J Sports Med. 2000;21(1):1–8.
Saltin B, et al. The physiological profile of world-class endurance athletes. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1995;5(3):129–135.
Ingjer F. Maximal oxygen uptake as a predictor of performance ability in elite cross-country skiers. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1991;1(1):25–30.
