I was recently doing some research on basketball skills training and came across a young basketball player who was not only amazing on the court, but he was also an incredible star on the court. He was breaking records in both sports at the age of eleven. It wasn’t just his insane abilities that caught my attention, but some doctors tested him and found his VO2max level to be extremely high. Ok, what is VO2max and what does it have to do with why this kid is so awesome? Well first, VO2max is an individual’s maximum body carrying capacity and oxygen use during incremental exercise, reflecting the individual’s physical condition. Now, the real measure of VO2 is all science and math; what we want to know is what it really is and why it matters.
To put it simply, it is simply the amount of oxygen your body absorbs when you exert yourself, VO2max is reached when oxygen consumption remains in a steady state despite an increase in workload. So now we know what it is and why it is so important. VO2 measurement is considered by physicians and other professional athletes to be the best measure of cardiovascular fitness and maximal aerobic power. The reason is that oxygen is needed to breathe while exercising, and exercise increases the strength of muscles such as the heart. Resistance training, like the track, can increase your VO2 max, but unfortunately strength training doesn’t increase VO2 as much as we would all like. It doesn’t hurt, but resistance training is the best.
Basically this 11-year-old has the VO2 max measurement of a 20-year-old marathon runner, so he doesn’t gasp, ‘I feel like I’m dying’ as fast as the rest of us or even better, it doesn’t hit him as fast as the average 11-year-old does. Now why is your VO2 so high? Part of this is his basketball skills training and dedication to sports training in general, but also part of genetics. Does this mean that your VO2 will be off the charts when you hit 20? Not exactly, but it will definitely increase as long as you maintain this type of training.
Aerobic power is very important for basketball players because the game requires frequent periods of intense activity throughout the game and VO2max tests, among other tests and indicators, have been used to determine the athlete’s aerobic power and physiological condition. general related. to basketball skills training. Although good VO2max is sometimes characterized by genetics, it is possible to improve it through resistance training.
French physiologist Veronique Billat created the 30/30 and 60/60 interval technique to help improve VO2max. This technique requires the athlete to warm up for 10 minutes, run as fast as possible for 30 seconds, and then go at a steady jog pace for 30 seconds. Athlete continues alternating 30/30 intervals 12 or more times. Once the 30/30 interval technique is mastered and VO2max is improved, the athlete moves on to 60/60 interval training, repeating the fast and slow movements for 60 second intervals.
With improvements in VO2max, basketball players can greatly improve their explosive power on the court and can be a very important inclusion in basketball skills training for young and old players. Once the optimal VO2max is reached, basketball players and many other types of athletes can take advantage of the competitive advantage of the sport because they will tire less frequently and will outperform other players.