How To Increase VO2 Max: The Key Workouts Every Runner Should Be Doing

Improve your VO2 max, and your athletic performance by adding these workouts to your training plan.

If you’re a runner or an endurance athlete, you’ve probably heard that having a high VO2 max is a big deal, and it is. It’s a key indicator of your cardiovascular fitness and shows just how well your body is trained aerobically.

Even though we know it’s important, most of us aren’t completely sure what it is or how to improve it to boost our running performance. That’s where we come in.

As a running coach, improving VO2 max is often at the top of my list to get my athletes faster and more efficient. By altering your training and adding specific high-intensity workouts and intervals to your plan, you can increase your VO2 max and get well on your way to becoming a better runner.

In this guide, we’ll break it all down for you—how to measure your VO2 max, why it’s essential, and, of course, practical tips to help you improve it and take your training to the next level.

VO2 max, also known as maximum oxygen intake, is a metric that quantifies your aerobic capacity.

It refers to the maximum amount of oxygen (in milliliters) your body can use (oxygen consumption) per minute per kilogram of body weight while running or performing other intense exercise.