Your muscles, which get more efficient at using oxygen when you do regular aerobic exercise. This is because of an increase in the activity and number of enzymes that move oxygen into the muscle. A way to measure this is known as “VO2Max.” During exercise, VO2 Max is the point at which the body can no longer increase the amount of oxygen it uses despite the intensity of the exercise increasing. The more you exercise, the higher your VO2 Max point becomes, making your muscles that much more efficient.

One of the easiest ways to determine your Vox2 Max is to take the Rockport Fitness walking test.

Here is what you will need to determine your VOX2 Max:

• A flat track, road or path where you can tell if you have walked exactly one mile
• a stop watch
• a paper and pencil

How to conduct the test

Try to choose a windless day to conduct the test

1) Record your weight
2) Walk one mile (1609 metres) as fast as possible
3) Record the time to complete the one mile walk
4) Immediately on finishing the walk record your heart rate in beats per minute (see our target heart rate calculator for hints on how to do that).

Find your VO2 max using the calculator below :