Train Like A Dog
VO2max is the gold standard of fitness. It measures how much oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise. Endurance training will improve your VO2max. The VO2max of a middle aged fit man will be less than 40 ml of oxygen/kg of body weight/min. Elite marathoners have a VO2max of over 75 ml/kg/min. (2) Domesticated dogs have a VO2max of 174 ml/kg/min. (3)
I am going to start training with my dog.
Let’s Get Moving!
1. Karlsen, T., et al. (2015). How to be an 80 year old and yave a VO2max of a 35 year old.
2. Brandt, S. and Trafton, A. (2010) Fuel efficiency for marathoners. The Harvard Gazette.
3. Ultra-endurance competitors: Lessons from sled dogs in the Iditarod. (2008). Science News. American Physiological Society.