At Enduraprep, we use VO₂max testing for both cycling and running to give athletes real, actionable data — not just a fitness score. The tests provide much more than a single “VO₂max number.” They show where your key physiological boundaries sit: your aerobic threshold and your anaerobic threshold. These are the cornerstones of smart endurance training.

Why These Two Thresholds Matter

Your aerobic threshold (AeT) marks the point where you’re still primarily burning fat for fuel and training your aerobic base efficiently. Your anaerobic threshold (AnT) is where your body starts relying more on carbohydrate, and lactate accumulation ramps up. Understanding these boundaries lets us target the right intensity for the right outcome.

Training With an Aerobic Heart Rate Cap

One of the most practical uses of VO₂max test results is setting a heart rate cap for aerobic training. I use the aerobic threshold heart rate from the test as that ceiling. It keeps things simple: during your base-building runs and rides, just keep your heart rate below that number.

This approach works brilliantly for runners. Whether you’re on trails, roads, or hills, all you need to focus on is that single heart rate boundary. It ensures you’re always training in the correct zone — no matter the surface or conditions.

The same principle applies to cycling. By staying just below your aerobic threshold heart rate, you’re always applying the right stress to develop your base. As your fitness improves, your pace or power at that heart rate increases, showing clear, measurable progress.

If you simply stick to a fixed pace or power number, your body adapts quickly and progress stalls. But by working to a physiological marker — heart rate — the training load naturally progresses with you. It’s a dynamic system that keeps delivering gains.

Using Anaerobic Threshold for Harder Work

At the other end of the spectrum, the anaerobic threshold becomes your benchmark for high-intensity sessions — VO₂max intervals, threshold repeats, and race-pace work. These efforts should push your heart rate above that boundary, with the goal of accumulating time above your anaerobic threshold heart rate.

Why? Because VO₂max isn’t just about hitting a power or pace target. It’s an internal response — how much oxygen your body can process and use. By monitoring heart rate, we can be confident that you’re genuinely spending time in the zone where maximum oxygen uptake occurs. It’s the most reliable way to ensure you’re getting the intended benefit from those tough efforts.

Turning Data Into Action

With VO₂max testing, we’re not guessing. The results give us a clear map for both ends of your training spectrum — the easy and the hard. The aerobic threshold provides a guardrail for base work, and the anaerobic threshold defines the intensity ceiling for hard intervals.

That’s why VO₂max testing is so valuable: it removes the guesswork from training. Every session you do — whether it’s an easy endurance run or a hard VO₂max workout — is targeted precisely to your physiology.

The Takeaway

VO₂max testing isn’t about chasing a power or pace number — it’s about focusing on the input, not the output. When we know your heart rate thresholds, we know for certain that the effort going in is right for the session prescribed.

At Enduraprep, we use VO₂max testing to give athletes confidence that every minute of training counts — whether you’re building endurance or chasing new power and pace PBs.