Want more energy? Train your engine
How fit is your engine?
You may have heard the term VO₂ max on your watch, in a running app or during training.
But why should you care about it?
VO₂ max is one of the best indicators of cardiorespiratory fitness—how effectively your heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles work together when your body needs more oxygen.
In simpler terms, it reflects the size and efficiency of your engine.
And that engine matters for far more than running faster.
Why improving your engine matters
Better aerobic fitness can help you:
Walk uphill or climb stairs without feeling completely puffed
Recover more quickly between exercises
Maintain your energy during workouts and busy days
Support your heart and cardiovascular health
Continue doing the activities you enjoy as you get older
Build a greater “fitness reserve” for later life
Why VO₂ max becomes even more important as we age
Our aerobic capacity naturally tends to decline as we get older—particularly when we become less active. Over time, this can reduce the amount of physical reserve we have available.
Think of that reserve as the gap between what your body can do and what everyday life asks it to do.
Climbing stairs, carrying groceries, walking uphill, travelling, playing with your grandchildren or recovering from illness all require a certain amount of energy. The greater your aerobic reserve, the easier these activities are likely to feel.
Maintaining or improving your VO₂ max can help you:
Stay independent and physically capable for longer
Complete everyday activities with less fatigue
Recover more quickly after physical effort
Continue walking, hiking, travelling and exercising
Support your heart, circulation and metabolic health
Cope better when life places additional demands on your body
VO₂ max isn’t only a performance measure for runners or competitive athletes. It is an important part of your healthspan—the years of life you can continue living actively, confidently and independently.
Although aerobic capacity generally declines with age, regular training can help slow that decline. It can also still improve at almost any age.
And you don’t have to train like an athlete to work on it.
How can you build a stronger engine?
Brisk walking, walk-run intervals, cycling, rowing, SkiErg sessions and appropriately scaled conditioning can all challenge and strengthen your aerobic system.
You don’t need to complete exhausting workouts every day or chase a particular number on your watch. You simply need regular opportunities to challenge your heart and lungs at the right level for you.
At FulSnd, there are several ways to begin.
Join our Sunday Social Run + Walk
Walk, jog, run or use a mixture of all three.
Our Run + Walk Club gives you an easy, welcoming way to spend more time moving, gradually build your aerobic base and become more confident outside.
You do not need to be a runner—and you do not need to be a FulSnd member.
Sunday | 7:30am
Start and finish: FulSnd Studio
3km | 5km | 8km
FREE
Same route. Different paces. Everyone welcome.
Try one of our conditioning sessions
Our conditioning and hybrid sessions challenge your cardiovascular system in different ways using equipment such as the rower, SkiErg, bike, sleds and running.
HYROX Foundation helps you build fitness at a manageable, scalable level.
HYROX Performance develops your ability to sustain harder efforts and recover between them.
HYROX Engine uses intervals and longer conditioning work to strengthen your aerobic engine.
F10 Express gives you an effective strength and cardio session when time is limited.
Every session can be adjusted to suit your current fitness—not the fitness you think you “should” have.
Build the strength to support your engine
Strength training may not be the most direct way to increase VO₂ max, but it plays an important supporting role.
Stronger muscles can help you move more efficiently, tolerate more training and stay resilient as your fitness improves.
Our Strength Lab classes combine progressive strength work with appropriate conditioning so you can develop both strength and work capacity.
Prefer individual support?
If you are returning after an injury, managing a health condition, nervous about group training or simply unsure where to begin, personal training may be your best starting point.
We can help you build fitness gradually, select suitable equipment and find the right balance between strength, aerobic work and recovery.
You don’t need to start fit
You don’t need a high VO₂ max before joining us.
Training with us could be the reason yours begins to improve.
Your starting point might be:
Walking the 3km route
Taking longer recoveries during a class
Using the bike instead of running
Completing one conditioning session each week
Working one-to-one with a trainer
The goal isn’t to prove how fit you already are.
The goal is to give your body consistent opportunities to become stronger, fitter and more capable.
Ready to start building your engine?
Book your next class in GymMaster, join us at the Sunday Social Run + Walk, or reply to this email if you’d like help choosing the best starting point.
Stronger. Confident. Connected.
This is FulSnd.