{"id":54817,"date":"2016-12-22T07:15:14","date_gmt":"2016-12-22T12:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=54817"},"modified":"2016-12-22T21:48:03","modified_gmt":"2016-12-23T02:48:03","slug":"hiit-exercises-boost-vo2-max","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/hiit-exercises-boost-vo2-max\/","title":{"rendered":"5 HIIT Exercises to Boost Your VO2 Max"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"5
Photo Courtesy of Daphnie Yang<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

Imagine two friends running a race with the same height, weight and training<\/a> under their belt. One effortlessly blazes through the finish line, while the other lags behind, dry heaving by the time they reach the finish line. How is that possible? It\u2019s all got to do with VO2 max<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 5K Training Plan You Can Actually Do<\/a><\/p>\n

What Is VO2 Max?<\/h2>\n

Daphnie Yang<\/a>, CPT, founder of HIIT IT!, says, \u201cVO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can use during intense exercise. Many athletes want to increase theirs because it is an indicator of cardiovascular fitness<\/a> and aerobic endurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basically, the more efficiently your body is able to transport and use oxygen, the harder you can train without feeling totally out of breath, according to Yang. Fitness coaches measure VO2 max by having you run on a treadmill<\/a>, while strapped to a machine that measures the amount of oxygen you\u2019re using. But you can approximate your own VO2 max by using an online tool, like this one<\/a>. Simply enter the number of miles you ran and the amount of time it took you. Then, check out this chart<\/a> to see your rating and how you compare with other people in your age group.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that your running pace can vary considerably, depending on how you feel that day and your level of effort. To get a more honest estimate of your own VO2 max, it\u2019s best to pick a day when you\u2019re feeling strong and rested, and can put in at least 90 percent exertion.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>20-Minute Treadmill HIIT Workout to Crush Calories<\/a><\/p>\n

Press HIIT to Boost Your VO2 Max<\/h3>\n

Think your haven\u2019t reached your full potential? If you want to sprint the speeds of Usain Bolt, or power through land and water like world record-breaking triathlete Jan Frodeno, then you\u2019ll have to condition your body with intense training.<\/p>\n

\u201cA common mistake is always sticking to running or cycling. There are many other exercises to make your body demand oxygen,\u201d Yang explains. HIIT<\/a> forces your heart to work at a maximum effort for short intervals, alternating with periods of recovery. And because you\u2019re working your heart rate at intense levels, you\u2019ll naturally increase your VO2 max. HIIT is also a great way to take a break from the dreadmill and bike and supplement your cardio workout<\/a> and strength training<\/a> routine.<\/p>\n

Get started with this HIIT workout<\/a>, designed by Yang, which you can do up to three times a week. (Alternate it with running or other cardio workouts and strength training, and you\u2019ve got an A+ training week.) \u201cThese five moves are great for increasing your VO2 max because each move requires you to recruit your arms, abs<\/a> and legs, therefore increasing the physical demands of the body,\u201d Yang says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>A Runner\u2019s Guide to Speedwork<\/a><\/p>\n

15-Minute HIIT Workout to Boost Your VO2 Max<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Perform each exercise for one minute with 20 seconds of rest between each move. Work your way up to two rounds, then eventually three.<\/p>\n

\"5
GIF: Tiffany Ayuda \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Pencil Squat
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to: <\/strong>Stand with your feet hip-width apart (a)<\/strong>. Keeping your chest high, sit back into your heels with your hips back and down and knees<\/a> bent. Your knees shouldn\u2019t go past your toes. Keep your palms at chest height facing each other (b)<\/strong>. Engaging your core, hamstrings and glutes<\/a>, explode off the ground through your heels and drive your hips forward (c)<\/strong>. Raise your arms toward the sky as you jump up, forming a point with your hands (d)<\/strong>. Return to the ground and sink back into the squat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"5
GIF: Tiffany Ayuda \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Plyo Lunge<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to: <\/strong>Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your hands at your sides (a)<\/strong>. Step your right foot back, keeping your left foot planted in front. Bend both knees to lower your body to the ground until your left thigh is perpendicular to the floor (b)<\/strong>. As you lower, lift your left arm straight overhead and keep your right arm at your side (c)<\/strong>. For the next rep, explode out of the lunge, scissor-jump your legs and alternate which arm is raised (c)<\/strong>. Land with your right foot in front and your left foot behind you (d)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Glute Bridges You Can Do in Front of Your TV<\/a><\/p>\n

\"5
GIF: Tiffany Ayuda \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3.\u00a0<\/strong>Plyo Curtsy Lunge<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to: <\/strong>Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your hands out in front of you with your palms facing each other (a)<\/strong>. Step your left foot behind you to your right, and lower into a half-squat (b)<\/strong>. Driving through the balls of your feet, jump and land on your left leg, with your right foot behind you to your left. As you jump, swing your arms up to help propel you, and land with them at your sides (c)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"5
GIF: Tiffany Ayuda \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Star Jumps<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to: <\/strong>Stand with your feet hip-width apart (a)<\/strong>. Keeping your chest high, sit back into a squat<\/a>, drawing your hips back so your knees don\u2019t go pass your toes. Place your hands down between your thighs so your palms face each other (b)<\/strong>. Driving from your heels, jump off the ground and lift your arms up toward the sky (keeping them close to your ears) (c)<\/strong>. Land softly on the ground and sink back into the squat (d)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Power Lunges for Killer Glutes<\/a><\/p>\n

\"5
GIF: Tiffany Ayuda \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Mountain Climber\/Burpees<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to: <\/strong>Get into a high plank position<\/a> with your hands shoulder-distance apart and your shoulders stacked above your wrists (a)<\/strong>. Drive your right knee toward your chest and then bring it back down to plank<\/a>. Alternate sides and bring your left knee toward your chest. This is one rep; do two reps of mountain climbers<\/a> (b)<\/strong>. Then, from high plank position, jump your feet forward so you land in a low squat (c)<\/strong>. Driving from your heels, jump up as high as you can, land softly before dropping back down into a high plank (d)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VO2 max measures how efficiently your body uses oxygen. The higher your VO2 max, you can run faster and longer. Here\u2019s a HIIT workout to help you get there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":54824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6,14],"tags":[288,139,108,281,341,357],"class_list":["post-54817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-cardio","tag-hiit","tag-running","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2running"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}