Aerobic health is a gauge of your overall health and provides the strongest predictor of how long and how well you will live. It’s also one of the most vital indicators of athletic performance.

Your body needs oxygen to break down nutrients (e.g., fats, carbs, proteins) and power the movement you are asking it to do. When oxygen supply is disrupted or becomes insufficient based on the energy demands of your activity, your body will shift to Anaerobic Metabolism, a process that is unsustainable and produces fatigue. Hence, the more oxygen your body can absorb, the more movement it can produce without getting tired.

Oxygen is the molecule of life. It’s the a critical element for your metabolism, namely the process by which your cells "burn" nutrients (e.g., fats, carbs, proteins) to release their energy and keep you alive and moving. Your heart, lungs, and muscle all participate in this process. Whenever any of them suffers, your Aerobic Health will be immediately reduced. That’s why The American Heart Association has recognized it as the most holistic gauge of your overall health. It’s also no surprise that every significant chronic condition (i.e. cardiovascular disease), COPD, metabolic syndrome is related to these systems and is manifested when their ability to uptake or utilize oxygen is reduced.

Cardiovascular fitness a gauge of your cardiovascular system’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood to your body. Your cardiovascular system includes: your heart, blood vessels (i.e. arteries, veins), blood (i.e. what flows within your arteries and veins).

Your body needs oxygen to break down nutrients (e.g., fats, carbs, proteins) and power the movement you are asking it to do. When the oxygen supply is disrupted or becomes insufficient based on the energy demands of your activity, your body will shift to Anaerobic Metabolism, a process that is unsustainable and produces fatigue. The cardiovascular system pumps oxygen to your cells and is thus a critical system in keeping your body continuously moving.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death and includes several life-threatening conditions such as ischemic heart disease (AKA Coronary Artery Disease), heart failure, and valvular disease. A low VO2peak score combined with a flattening or decline in O2pulse is considered a reliable risk factor for them, one which can help you act early.

Breathing and stability is a gauge of how your breathing affects your posture, likelihood of musculoskeletal injury, and lower back pain.

Abnormal breathing patterns are critical contributors to musculoskeletal injuries across all sports. Moreover, they directly reduce performance in endurance sports by reducing movement economy and increasing the rate with which your body accumulates fatigue. Correcting breathing abnormalities that destabilize your core is one of the easiest and most impactful wins in your training.

Abnormal breathing patterns are the most significant risk factor for musculoskeletal problems like lower back pain which currently represents the most significant burden to health systems and one of the most important factors reducing the quality of life. Correct breathing will vastly improve posture, feelings of musculoskeletal pain, and quality of life.

Breathing and cognition is a gauge of how your breathing affects your cognitive function during exercise.

Hyperventilation during training reduces oxygen delivery to the brain almost immediately, causing you to react slower and respond less effectively to situations requiring rapid reflexes. Hyperventilation doesn’t only occur during high exercise intensities. More than 30% of athletes suffer from subtle breathing abnormalities in low to medium exercise intensities, as well, impacting their cognitive function during most of their athletic performance.

Hyperventilation is considered one of the most common but under-diagnosed conditions that severely impact the quality of life in our society. It’s estimated that 15% of the population chronically hyperventilates, with only a few knowing about it. Chronic hyperventilation reduces cognitive function at work, increases feelings of fatigue, and is associated with higher rates of anxiety and panic attacks.

Metabolic rate is a gauge of how fast or slow your metabolism is. In other words, whether your body is burning more or fewer calories than what’s predicted based on your weight, gender, age, and height.

A high Metabolic Rate (i.e., having both a high Resting Metabolic Rate and low mechanical efficiency), indicates low levels of exercise-related fatigue. A reduction in Resting Metabolic Rate and/or an increase in Mechanical Efficiency at low exercise intensities is highly correlated with undue exercise strain accumulation.

A high Metabolic Rate will protect you from weight gain as your body will burn more calories, thus allowing you to eat more without gaining weight. It also facilitates weight loss as burning more calories means that even a modest restriction in food intake will result in a meaningful weight loss. A high Metabolic Rate is attained through a high Resting Metabolic Rate and a low Mechanical Efficiency at low exercise intensities.

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High intensity performance is a gauge of how well your lungs and heart perform at high exercise intensities.

Having a high and continuously increasing O2 Pulse and VO2/BF throughout high exercise intensities will ensure that sufficient oxygen is delivered to your working muscles. This will, in turn, ensure your body remains predominantly in the aerobic state when exercising at high intensities and therefore prevent metabolic fatigue.

Having a high and continuously increasing O2 Pulse and VO2/BF throughout high exercise intensities will ensure that sufficient oxygen is delivered to your working muscles. This will, in turn, ensure your body remains predominantly in the aerobic state when exercising in high intensities, thus allowing you to work out in intensities where you burn the most calories.

Fat burning efficiency is the gauge of your cells’ ability to use fat as a fuel source during exercise. Your cells primarily "burn" fats and carbohydrates to release the energy they contain and power your body’s movement. The higher your Fat-burning Efficiency, the more your cells will rely on fats as a fuel source. Fat-burning Efficiency is also one of the most vital indicators of cellular health.

Fat is a fuel source that’s abundant and sustainable for your body. It’s abundant since the average person’s body can typically store ~30,000 kcal worth of fat (vs. ~2,000 kcal worth of carbs) and sustainable because it doesn’t produce fatigue to the working muscles when utilized. Therefore, the greater your Fat-burning Efficiency is, the higher your ability to exercise longer and harder.

Fat is a fuel source that requires oxygen to be "burnt." The more oxygen your cells can uptake and utilize, the healthier they are and the more they can rely on fat as a fuel source. That’s why Fat-burning Efficiency is one of the most powerful indicators of cellular health, which is strongly correlated with longevity and health.

Movement economy is a gauge of how many calories you burn during exercise. In other words, it demonstrates whether your body burns more or fewer calories than what’s predicted based on your gender, and age.

Having a high Movement Economy is valuable for all sports and especially for endurance sports. It ensures your body will require less energy to function, it results in reduced food intake during athletic events, and minimizes metabolic fatigue.

Staying lean or losing weight requires having low Movement Economy at low exercise intensities (e.g., casual walking, or in other words having a low Mechanical Efficiency. In plain words, you want your body to be uneconomical and burn a high number of calories during your daily activities. Check your Metabolic Rate score for more information on how Mechanical Efficiency can impact your metabolism and your ability to lose weight.

Recovery capacity is a gauge of your ability to efficiently recover from physical exercise.

Having a high Recovery Capacity is essential for every sport and especially for dynamic ones (e.g., basketball) where there is a continuous change between exercise bouts following recovery phases. The higher your Recovery Capacity is, the greater your body’s ability to recover and the lower the fatigue it accumulates.

Having a high Recovery Capacity is essential for any type of workout and especially for interval training (e.g., spinning) where there is a continuous change between exercise bouts following recovery phases. The higher your Recovery Capacity is, the greater your body’s ability to recover, the longer you can exercise, and the more calories you will burn.