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Even if you’ve only taken a fleeting interest in the physiology of exercise, you likely have come across the term VO2 max at some point.

VO2 max is an athlete’s oxygen consumption. VO2 max is the value of oxygen the body uses during one minute of maximal exercise.

It is expressed as ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.

The more oxygen you can consume, the more energy, power and speed can be produced.

Not only is VO2 max related to the oxygen that one breathes but the capacity to which it is taken up by the mitochondria.

Imagine that there is a building with hallways, rooms and people carrying boxes into those rooms.

The 3 things necessary for better oxygen uptake are the capillary density (hallways), amount of aerobic enzymes (people) and the number of mitochondria (rooms), the boxes are the oxygen.

When these are all improved VO2 max increases optimally.

The highest VO2 max ever recorded was by a Scandinavian cross-country skier at 93ml/kg/min.

Any number over 70ml is phenomenal. I recently heard that Rafael Nadal (Spanish tennis player) was at 75ml.

This would explain why he never gets tired.

Anaerobic threshold is another evaluation of one endurance capacity.

This tells us what our current level of endurance performance is, while VO2 max indicates the potential of an athlete after several years of systematic, structured training.

There are ways to improve ones VO2 max, which will enable you to train harder for your particular sport.

Interval training refers to sprints and runs interspersed with prescribed rest periods (100m, 200m with 60 seconds rest).

Another variation of this is instead of resting you do a rhythmic activity interspersed with short bursts of speed (sprint 40m, jog 40m, shuffle 20m).

Many stationary bikes offer good programmes for developing endurance for tennis.

The work to rest ratio should be similar to that of tennis. This is typically 1:2 or 1:3.

Studies reveal that the average distance moved per stroke during a match is only about three yards.

If your objective is to improved footwork and quickness then you don’t need the speed of a 100m sprinter.

Tennis players require speed of a short distance with the ability to change direction in a split second.

Cardiovascular screening is important for all athletes who work out hard and consistently.

Recently Jason Collier of the Atlanta Hawks died at his home. Doctors still do not now what happened.

Sudden cardiac death is an exceptional occurrence. Nevertheless full cardiovascular screening of elite and recreational athletes is essential to avoid such serious risk, even if such testing isn't cost-effective on a national scale.

Screening would include a clinical examination, an electrocardiogram (EKG), an exercise test and an echo cardiogram (ECG).

In most countries every athlete under the age of 21 is required by law to undergo clinical screening performed under the supervision of a medical doctor before they get involved in organized sport.

The same should be done in Bermuda. n[[In-content Ad]]

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