October 11, 2025, 3:42 pm | Read time: 7 minutes
To improve endurance performance, a specific measurement plays a crucial role: VO2max! With hard work and an effective training program consisting of five workouts, you can continuously improve it. But what prerequisites are necessary? And why should you even aim to increase this value? FITBOOK author Tony Poland asked personal trainer Markus Bremen about it.
What the VO2max Value Means
The abbreviation itself reveals what the VO2max value indicates. “V” stands for volume, “O2” for oxygen, and “max” for maximum. So, VO2max represents the maximum possible oxygen uptake during exertion. It’s important not only how much oxygen the body can take in but also how much it can utilize through internal respiration. The deeper and more rhythmic the breathing, the more the oxygen supply can be maximized.
Ultimately, the VO2max value defines aerobic endurance capacity. The higher it is, the longer you can endure, or the slower you become fatigued under intense exertion. It also determines an athlete’s maximum performance capability. To increase the value, you need to improve your heart rate to optimally supply the muscles with oxygen.
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5 Workouts to Train VO2max
The best way to increase the VO2max value is through regular interval training. The following combination of runs and HIIT sessions with strength exercises is recommended. “This achieves great effects in a short time and improves the peaks of maximum oxygen uptake,” says Markus Bremen.
Warm-up
Before each of the following five sessions, you should warm up for about eight to 15 minutes by jogging and doing dynamic stretching and movement exercises. High knees or leg swings can be included. Then follow a few repetitions of 20-second steps. This prepares the body for the pace and exertion.
1000-Meter Repeats
The first training form to increase the VO2max value is 1000-meter runs. You run this distance at about 90 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate, then walk or jog for the same amount of time. Repeat this three to six times.
Two by Two
Here, you run for two minutes, again at about 90 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate, then walk or jog slowly for two minutes. Four to a maximum of eight repetitions are intended.
Ladder
It’s also effective to gradually increase your running length and then decrease it step by step–like a ladder. You would run for 2:30 minutes, then rest for the same amount of time. Then increase to 3:30 minutes, rest for the same duration, and finally go to 4:30 minutes with the same rest period. Also important: The pace for all three intervals is 10 km/h.
Once done, reduce to 5 km/h. With this speed, repeat the entire interval series from the beginning.
Bodyweight AMRAP Workout
In this high-intensity workout, you complete as many rounds or repetitions as possible with bodyweight exercises in a set time. “AMRAP” stands for “As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible.”
It could look like this: Do 10 push-ups followed by 10 squats, then run 400 meters with a heart rate between 90 and 100 percent.
In 20 minutes, try to complete as many rounds or repetitions as possible.
EMOM Sprints
This sprint form is based on the “EMOM” principle (“Every Minute On The Minute”). This means running as fast as possible at the start of each minute. The time needed for the sprint is then subtracted from the full minute.
You could sprint at a pace you can maintain for 10 to 15 seconds. Jog comfortably for the remaining seconds until the minute is up. Repeat this for a total duration of 20 minutes.
If you can manage, or want to set it as a goal, you can also increase to 20 or 30 seconds of sprinting per minute.
Training with the Right Heart Rate
To effectively challenge your VO2max, you should reach the right heart rate zone during these five intervals. “In general, VO2max training should be done at about 90 to 100 percent of the maximum heart rate,” recommends former 1500-meter Olympian Juli Benson in the U.S. ” Men’s Health.” Athletes with no prior experience in this type of training can safely reduce the intensity. It’s also advisable to start with a smaller number and work your way up.
Overall, beginners would reach about ten minutes per interval section, and Juli Benson considers VO2max training twice a month appropriate for this group. Professionals or experienced runners, on the other hand, would reach around 25 minutes per interval section and can safely do the training once a week.
Interval Runs at Maximum Intensity
Markus Bremen also emphasizes how crucial heart rates are. “Interval runs are done at maximum intensity, so the training is relatively short. But ten to 15 minutes are completely sufficient depending on the training condition. You can’t reach maximum peaks anymore. If you’re just barely getting through, it doesn’t help anymore. That’s why the frequencies are crucial,” says the expert.
When VO2max Workouts Are Especially Useful
To achieve the maximum effect, it’s advisable not to schedule the training sessions the day after a long run or another particularly demanding session. “These types of training sessions should be done during the week and between two very light days with running, cross-training, or rest days,” advises Juli Benson.
Why Aerobic Endurance Is the Foundation
For untrained or, for example, significantly overweight people, interval runs or HIIT training are not suitable. “They first need to build their aerobic endurance through classic basic endurance training. So cycling, rowing, or running at a lower pace and moderate intensity. For some others, even walking is enough. It depends heavily on the training condition,” says Markus Bremen. “But you can’t do interval training with someone who has no basic endurance. They would collapse because they wouldn’t get any oxygen,” warns the fitness expert.
This means: You first need a stable foundation in terms of your fitness so that the heart works more economically, capillarization improves, and thus more oxygen can be absorbed. “Only then can you really enter the peak phases to noticeably improve your VO2max value,” Markus Bremen clarifies. “You can’t achieve good HIIT utilization without a good foundation.”
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Sport vs. Everyday Life: Why You Should Work on Your VO2max
Finally, the question remains why the VO2max value should be as high as possible. “The higher your VO2max, the faster or more efficiently you can complete a race or training because your body transports oxygen in the most effective way,” quotes “Men’s Health” personal trainer April Gatlin. If you keep at it consistently and train intervals regularly, progress is possible in a short time. “If you train consistently to increase VO2max, you should notice a difference after about six weeks,” says the expert.
But VO2max is not only important in sports. “When you relate it to everyday life, it’s also about generally preventing cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases,” emphasizes Markus Bremen. “Because it all relates to oxygen uptake, which is determined by the number of mitochondria and their work and effectiveness. And if they are not present in sufficient numbers, you get problems.”
His explanation is as follows: “Mitochondria are the powerhouses in our bodies, and they produce ATP, our energy currency. That’s what we ultimately extract from the macronutrients we consume. And they, in turn, need oxygen to function.” So it’s clear that these powerhouses also work less efficiently, and you have less energy available when VO2max is low.
What Research Says: Interval Training vs. Moderate Pace
Research also confirms the factors that lead to an increased VO2max. A 2018 study shows that runners who trained with 200-meter interval sessions for ten weeks were able to improve their aerobic capacity and VO2max much more than runners who ran at a moderate pace.1
Athletes who completed HIIT sessions with intervals of just 30 seconds for at least four weeks also strengthened their VO2max. Participants who trained in intervals of almost two minutes for four to twelve weeks achieved even greater progress, according to a 2019 analysis published in the “Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.”2
VO2max and Longevity
By the way, VO2max is also an extremely important parameter for longevity. “The higher the value, the longer you have a life expectancy span in good health,” says Markus Bremen. “And that’s the goal: You don’t just want to get older, but to age healthily.”