Really impressive!
Just four days ago, Norwegian powerhouse Kristian Blummenfelt shared what appears to be the first documented triple-digit VO2 max ever recorded under controlled laboratory testing.
The Norwegian shared results showing a VO2 max of 101.1 ml/kg/min, surpassing the previous benchmark of 97.5 ml/kg/min set by fellow Norwegian endurance athlete Oskar Svendsen.
I am very familiar with Kristianâs dominance in triathlon over the past several years. There is no question that his exceptional VO2 max has played a role in this, though it is only one of MANY factors. It is incredibly neat to see someone in triple digits though!
In the animal kingdom, there are many examples of creatures with VO2 maxes much higher than this. For example, sled dogs have a VO2 max of 200-300 ml/kg/min (and like 175 without even training). So when you see a sled dog going crazy wanting to pull, itâs because they literally have an aerobic engine so big they cannot help but do it.
Team UAE performance guru leads chorus of top physiologists questioning the ârecordâ VO2 Max figure achieved by Kristian Blummenfelt.
Footage posted on Instagram last week shows Blummenfelt, a multiple Ironman world champion and Olympic gold medalist, recording a VO2 Max of 101.1 mL/kg/min.
Thatâs a measure of aerobic fitness that blows all existing benchmarks way out of the water.
Until last week, the VO2 Max ârecordâ stood at 97.5 mL/kg/min, set in 2012 by teen Norwegian cyclist Oskar Svendsen.
U.S. legend Greg LeMond recorded a VO2 Max of 92.5 when he was at his competitive peak, while modern-era dominator Tadej PogaÄar was recently estimated to boast a VO2 Max in the high 90s.
VO2 Max is widely regarded as the âgold standardâ indicator of aerobic fitness. Tested via a heinous ramp-to-exhaustion protocol on a trainer or treadmill, it establishes the maximum amount of oxygen the body can utilise per minute, per kilo of bodyweight.
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The higher the VO2 Max, the more oxygen that can be transported to working muscles.
A series of slides posted last week by Blummenfelt includes a clip of the burly Norseman deep in the pain cave in the ugly aftermath of his treadmill-based VO2 Max test.
The video first shows Blummenfet sucking air through his ventilation mask in a state of excess distress.
The camera then pans to the money shot: A computer screen that breaks down the results, revealing that 101.1 mL/kg/min VO2 Max. Blummenfelt did not comment on the score in the blurb that accompanies the post.
Blummenfelt has long been regarded as one of the worldâs greatest endurance athletes. Working with acclaimed trainer Olav Aleksandr Bu, he and fellow Norwegian star Gustav Iden dominated world triathlon for years.
Bu is now also chief trainer for the rising Scandinavian WorldTour team, Uno-X Mobility.
The news last week of Blummenfeltâs triple-digit VO2 Max blew up several niche corners of the internet.
Triathlon fans, physiologists, and performance nerds like me all took note.
But not everybody was impressed.
In fact, many piled in on the plausibility of this new record.
UAE Emirates-XRG performance co-ordinator Jeroen Swart â the expert who oversees the training of PogaÄar, Isaac del Toro, and the rest of the worldâs No.1 team â led a chorus of skepticism on social media.
âCan someone please go to Norway and teach the physiologists how to calibrate a metabolic cart,â Swart wrote on Twitter/X. âSeems we get dodgy VO2 data every second year with wildly inaccurate values and sensational stories about incredible endurance athletes.
âOnly ever happens in Norway. Bizarre,â Swart continued, referencing previous record-holder Svendsen and the long list of Norwegians who have recorded monstrous VO2 Max scores.
Multiple world-leading physiologists piled in to question the accuracy of the âmetabolic cartâ device used during the test and to point out loopholes in the protocol and results.
Some even questioned the mathematical plausibility of Blummenfeltâs score.
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â[This] happens a few too many times, and in a few too many places, to be fair!â acclaimed British researcher Jamie Pringle wrote.
Velo: This Triathlon Superstar Just Set the Highest VO2 Max on Record. Or Did He?
