A Canadian Air Force Search and Rescue treadmill test
My Hill Training for treadmill tests (Norwegian Reconn and Canadian Air Force Search and Rescue) YouTube
Putting VO2 Max into some perspective:
Of late the internet indicates a growing interest in both performance aerobics and health-related (dare I mention 'longevity/anti-aging' concerns?). VO2 Max was bantered about to the general public with Dr Cooper promoting aerobic exercise in the 60s (although, previously, various institutions such as the armed forces and rescue services relied on such applied science for their personnel's fitness). VO2 Max (volume of oxygen utilized by mostly the working muscles) has been around since the 1920s when, with the aid of gas exchange measurements, gas masks and treadmills and/or bicycle ergo-meters, metabolism science came into prominence, influencing the courses of medicine and pharmaceutical science en-devours.
Now, VO2 Maximum measures of persons and groups of persons correspond to life expectancy research. Low scores tend to be associated with mortality. Abilities to climb 5 flights of stairs used to be a cut-off for qualifying for certain types of surgeries. Frail persons measure below 10 ml/kg/min (milliliters of oxygen utilized by a person's body part of one kilogram--within a time frame of one minute) ; 6 ml/kg/min being extremely frail. I had a 95 year old client who became virtually bed ridden, so getting this person from 6 to 10 ml/kg/min had him regain making his own meals, walking around his apartment, leaving his apartment for various appointments and socials with his walker! 10 ml/kg/min improved his lifestyle dramatically! The average person may be somewhere between 25-35 ml/kg/min. 35 ml/kg/min is a minimal requirement for the Canadian Armed Forces non combat personnel. Vigorous persons of all ages could be anywhere from 35-55 ml/kg/min. Elite endurance athletes have been as high as 90 ml/kg/min.
So, yes, VO2 Maximum is a significant measure that especially frail and others needing improvement might consider improving through aerobic/cardio-vascular conditioning/training.
For myself, I wish to attain and maintain a young persons' very good measure of aerobic fitness. Actually, passing the Norwegian Reconnaissance treadmill test would put me in an excellent category in terms of men in their twenties. The Norwegian minimal is probably 50-54 ml/kg/min (the fitness of a college basketball or hockey player).
One test that I am familiar with is through the Canadian Air Force, a Search and Rescue Technician personnel minimal standard aerobic fitness test. This particular test is a notch below my ultimate goal of passing the Norwegian Reconnaissance treadmill test--and needs to be executed within the next month, some 3 months before trying the Norwegian test.
The Canadian Search and Rescue test has a 21 minute minimal duration at 3.5 mph, carrying a 55 lb pack. First 6 minutes serve as a warm-up; going from a two degree incline, to four, and then 6 degrees. The next 15 minutes are at 8 degrees (3.5 mph). If completed to this point (total 21 minutes)--a pass mark is given. The further testing involves a degree increase each subsequent minute--up to 15 degrees. Even further fitness involves staying at 15 degrees while adding .5 mph with each subsequent minute. 33 minutes is top performance, 30 is the organization's average.
Years ago, I had a Canadian Coast Guard officer as an insurance case (knee rehab and fitness). My reports refer to this Canadian search and rescue test passing cut-off as being an approximate VO2 max of 48 ml/kg/min.
The minimum 21 minute pass mark is what I am training at this point. By July 1, I will likely lose 10-15 lbs, and the present 35 lb pack will increase to 55 lb by then. Summer brings more opportunities to go mountain hiking with a pack. Summer ocean swimming and increased biking also helps bring down the body fat.
The Norwegian test: shooting for September or October 1, 2024!
My current training program(s) leading up to the Norwegian treadmill test in September: Present established weekly workouts, as of April 12, 2024:
6 x 300 m up hill and back down hill with 40 lb pack (6x 600 m=3600 m); jog up, walk down
2 x 3000 m walk with 40 lb pack (one hour rest between 3000 m walks)
5 x 300 m hill and back (no pack); up hill, 30 sec jog to 20 sec run to 10 sec spring; walk down hill OR
8 x one minute heavy breath followed by one minute recovery walk--on relatively flat soft trail
Supplement aerobic development with two separate days of 6-10 km biking; fitness walks most days of the week
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