Mixed
Improvements in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) following aerobic training are not correlated with improvements in aerobic performance (time trial capacity) in previously sedentary individuals.
If you are training to improve your endurance performance (like running or cycling time trials), do not rely solely on increasing your VO2max. Instead, focus on training that improves your metabolic efficiency at submaximal intensities. This includes managing lactate accumulation and improving the economy of movement. Standardizing training intensity as a fixed percentage of VO2max may not be the most effective way to improve performance because it does not account for individual metabolic responses.
This study demonstrates that improvements in high-intensity aerobic performance in humans are not related to altered maximal oxygen transport capacity.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with a reasonable sample size (n=24) and rigorous metabolic measurements, though limited to young, healthy, sedentary males.
Source
Systematic analysis of adaptations in aerobic capacity and submaximal energy metabolism provides a unique insight into determinants of human aerobic performance
Niels Vollaard et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2009
DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.91453.2008
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →