SuperUser Account
/ Categories: Fitness, Health & Wellness

VO2 Max - Pinpointing the Weakest Link in Your Training

Fit young woman running on a treadmill with a respirator on, completing a VO2 max test

Written by: Mehran Tabrizi, Personal Trainer, Cambridge Club

As life gets busier and more complex, time becomes our most precious commodity. That’s why optimizing your workouts based on your unique physiology and goals is key to getting results - especially for busy moms.

A VO2 max test and report can pinpoint the weakest link in your training, helping you work smarter, not harder. For moms juggling family, work, and personal time, squeezing in workouts can be tough. Add in the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause - which impact energy levels, sleep quality, and weight regulation - and it becomes even more challenging.

Many people work incredibly hard but still don’t see the results they’re after. One common reason? They lack a strong fat-burning base or aren’t hitting the right intensity zones during workouts. Without clear insight into your heart rate zones, it’s easy to push too hard in your easy cardio sessions - and not hard enough during high-intensity efforts in Zone 4.

Here’s where VO2 max testing makes all the difference.

Your mitochondria - the "engines" in your cells - produce 90% of your body’s energy. When we measure your Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER), we can identify exactly what heart rate range burns the most fat, and when you’re simply overtaxing your body without meaningful return. Think of it like revving your engine at full throttle while stuck in first gear - it’s exhausting and inefficient.

By discovering your optimal training zones, you gain a personalized roadmap for smarter, more effective workouts. Structured zone training helps you tap into supercompensation - improving performance while minimizing wear and tear on your joints and soft tissue.

Let’s unlock your personal user manual and make every minute count.

Previous Article Playing Better Golf Starts Before the First Tee
Next Article Endurance Training: The Good, The Bad, and The Fabulous
Print
2104
Make a Difference: Connect
Toronto's 19th Annual Vital Signs Report recently published some tough numbers: Over 50% of adults feel depressed at least one day a week; Torontonians are among the loneliest in Canada - 37%...
Read More
Secure Your Oxygen Mask First
When faced with a loved one, friend, coworker, even stranger who is struggling, securing your own oxygen mask first can feel counterintuitive. Wrong even. Yet, putting yourself first in fact...
Read More
Exercise for Results
Earlier this month, we explored how deciding that everything counts can be a powerful mindset shift in supporting a lifelong commitment to movement and exercise. Exercise adherence is tough. We...
Read More
You DO have enough time to exercise
Having trouble fitting in your workouts? Is it suddenly bedtime and you realize you never lifted the weights or went for the run you’d intended? Don’t blame it on lack of...
Read More
What is Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST)?

FST is a full body mobility restoration system aimed at improving joint function and range of motion (ROM) by reducing muscle and neuro-myofascial tension. 

Read More
Gaining Inches
Our Team is loaded with remarkable Personal Trainers. One of the things we’re fabulous at is helping people lose inches. This requires some really powerful teamwork between trainer and...
Read More
Fall into your New Resolutions
September always feels more like a new year to me than January. The cool thing about the Summer to Fall transition, is – for many of us – it’s laced with lots of changes:...
Read More
Train to become a CGoC Pentathlete
While the pentathlon has been around for an exceptionally long time – what we’re proposing is a totally different beast: One that can be altered to suit absolutely anyone. One designed...
Read More
First234567810