RE: LeoThread 2025-12-15 03-14

*Very high training volumes aimed at maximizing VO2 can cause cardiac issues — more than 21% of retired rowers have atrial fibrillation, with reported hazard ratios above 7

VO2max wasn’t actually measured or predicted in the studies commonly cited as linking it to longevity

Finnish papers showed that directly measuring VO2 added no value for predicting lifespan compared with performance on a cycling task; VO2 was slightly worse as a predictor

The papers that produced treadmill-based equations (used by the American College of Sports Medicine) did not measure VO2max

They reported VO2peak as VO2max despite no observed VO2 plateau, and a plateau is required to confirm VO2max

Michael Pollack, a major figure in the aerobics era, coauthored the largest 1984 study supporting those equations, which defended not seeking a VO2 plateau by referencing Robert Bruce’s original 1973 work

The ACSM continues to use those equations even though its own methodology states that a VO2 plateau must be observed to claim VO2max

Koutlianos (2013) found that when a true plateau is observed, treadmill performance accounts for only about 7% of VO2max variance; that study was conducted in athletes

Measuring true VO2max in the general population is nearly impossible because many stop before reaching a plateau

In one Finnish study of 1,294 men using an incremental cycling test, 735 stopped due to fatigue, 207 due to exhaustion, 155 due to breathlessness, 50 because of leg/joint/back pain, and 86 for cardiorespiratory symptoms or abnormalities — none stopped because they reached a VO2 plateau

In short, overall fitness is a strong predictor of longevity, but singling out VO2max is not supported by the evidence