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Diagnostics & Biomarkers

VO2maxEvidence & Dosage

Maximal oxygen uptake — the strongest longevity predictor.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
856
With abstract
48
Meta / Systematic / RCT
161
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1977–2026

VO2max in the context of Diagnostics & Biomarkers

This topic is part of our "Diagnostics & Biomarkers" world. There you'll find methodology, evidence and the highest-impact levers — plus the order in which they sensibly build on each other.

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Top studies on VO2max

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Effects of Exercise Training on Mitochondrial and Capillary Growth in Human Skeletal Muscle: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression.

    Sports Med2025n=597meta200 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle mitochondria and capillaries are crucial for aerobic fitness, and suppressed levels are associated with chronic and age-related diseases. Currently, evidence-based exercise training recommendations to enhance…

  2. The Effects of Repeated-Sprint Training on Physical Fitness and Physiological Adaptation in Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Sports Med2024n=541meta126 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Repeated-sprint training (RST) is a common training method for enhancing physical fitness in athletes. To advance RST prescription, it is important to understand the effects of programming variables on physical fitness and…

  3. Health Benefits of Different Sports: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal and Intervention Studies Including 2.6 Million Adult Participants.

    Sports Med Open2024n=2,400Systematic Review119 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Several reviews have examined the health benefits of participation in specific sports, such as baseball, cricket, cross-country skiing, cycling, downhill skiing, football, golf, judo, rugby, running and swimming.…

  4. Keeping Pace with Wearables: A Living Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews Evaluating the Accuracy of Consumer Wearable Technologies in Health Measurement.

    Sports Med2024n=653Systematic Review112 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Consumer wearable technologies have become ubiquitous, with clinical and non-clinical populations leveraging a variety of devices to quantify various aspects of health and wellness. However, the accuracy with which these…

  5. Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.

    Sports Med2024n=652Meta-Analysis108 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Running economy is defined as the energy demand at submaximal running speed, a key determinant of overall running performance. Strength training can improve running economy, although the magnitude of its effect may…

  6. Endurance Performance Adaptations between SSG and HIIT in Soccer Players: A Meta-analysis.

    Int J Sports Med2024n=20Meta-Analysis108 influential citations

    The objective of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to compare the endurance performance chronic adaptations induced by running-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT), small-sided games (SSGs), and combined HIIT+SSGs in…

    Finding: This meta-analysis found a non-significant small-magnitude favoring effect for HIIT over SSGs on endurance performance.

  7. Physiological adaptations and performance enhancement with combined blood flow restricted and interval training: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

    J Sport Health Sci2025n=621Meta-Analysis97 influential citations

    <h4>Purpose</h4>We aimed to determine: (a) the chronic effects of interval training (IT) combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) on physiological adaptations (aerobic/anaerobic capacity and muscle responses) and performance enhancement…

  8. Impact of exercise interventions on physical fitness in breast cancer patients and survivors: a systematic review.

    Breast Cancer2022Systematic Review85 influential citations

    Background This systematic review aims to identify the effects of exercise interventions in patients with breast cancer (BCP) and survivors (BCS) on selected variables of physical fitness. Methods A comprehensive literature search was…

  9. Effects of high-intensity interval and continuous moderate aerobic training on fitness and health markers of older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Arch Gerontol Geriatr2024n=1,227meta76 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) promotes similar or superior gains in physical fitness and health compared to continuous moderate-intensity training (MICT) in young individuals. However, the effectiveness of HIIT in…

  10. The Effect of Strength Training Methods on Middle-Distance and Long-Distance Runners' Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.

    Sports Med2024n=894Meta-Analysis66 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>The running performance of middle-distance and long-distance runners is determined by factors such as maximal oxygen uptake (VO<sub>2</sub>max), velocity at VO<sub>2</sub>max (vVO<sub>2</sub>max), maximum metabolic…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Exercise training interventions: low/moderate-intensity continuous endurance training (ET), high-intensity interval or continuous training (HIT), and sprint interval training (SIT) (Varied exercise training dose across included studies; higher frequency associated with larger effects (6 > 4 > 2 sessions/week)) • Repeated-sprint training (RST) with repeated, maximal running (land-based) sprints of 10 s duration, with 60 s recovery
Are there safety considerations for VO2max?
• Not reported in the abstract. • Not reported in abstract. • Adverse effects were among extracted protocol items, but no specific adverse event results were reported in the abstract.

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