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Hunter Gatherer VO2 max compares with elite athletes

June 21, 2005 05:13 PM

In a previous post on body composition of elite and non-elite high school wrestlers, I noted that the VO2 max for the elite group was 52.6 and for the non-elite group it was 51.5. VO2 max is a measure of cardiac output and aerobic fitness.

For modern day hunter-gatherers the VO2 max value is 52, right at the value for the elite group. In contrast, the VO2 max value of males of age 40 in the US is 34 and for females it is about 20. At age 20, the values are about 35 for males and 22 for females. (I can't be more exact as I am reading from a scatter diagram.)

Thus, hunter-gatherers living in their traditional, high energy way, achieve a fitness level comparable to elite athletes. This is one of the origins of my concept of ancestor as athlete. Note also, that VO2 max is a measure of extended sprint power; it measures the largest volume of oxygen you can pass through the lungs. Think of a 200 yard sprinter up to a miler, but not a jogger.

· Evolutionary Fitness

Comments

Posted by: Flower Online [TypeKey Profile Page] at September 12, 2006 4:58 AM

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