VO2 Min

[Tony]

I've seen a few posts about VO2 max plus others saying how little time some have spent on the bike over winter. Putting the two together leads me to conclude that we need a new measure to cater for those who are not fit. [color=#FF0000]Forget VO2 max - that is soooo last year...... This year is all about VO2 min.[/color]

As an example, a very recent spin on the turbo for me (whilst listening to the radio and eating some porkpies) was
Duration: 40mins
Avg Power: 138 Watts
Avg Cadence: 100 (estimated)
Weight: 62 kg

OK - so this included a warm-up and warm-down and I was really only spinning the legs but I was actually making some effort. Therefore, assume that 138 Watts is me operating at my maximum (this is the big advantage of VO2 min - you don't have to sweat too much to work it out), gives:

V02 min = (11.41 x Power + 435) / Weight (standard formula for estimating VO2 max)
= 2028 / 62
= 32.7

Can anyone do a more pathetic session than this? You have to be on the bike / turbo for at least 30mins and make a reasonable level of effort.

If I fulfil my ambition and bloat out to 100+kg, I could get this down to less than 20. Fantastic!!!!