V02 max—the measure of how efficiently your body utilizes oxygen during exercise—is widely considered to be the definitive indicator of cardiovascular fitness. And that’s to say nothing of what it actually takes to increase your V02 max, which tends to involve gut-busting interval workouts designed to gradually stretch your body’s appetite for oxygen. But improving your V02 max can unlock a trove of worthwhile real-world benefits that hold currency far beyond helping you hit a quicker track time, train for a half-marathon, or complete your first Hyrox competition. The higher your V02 max, the lower the effort required (to do just about everything)Increasing your V02 max is a surefire way to up your game, whether you’re a runner, cyclist or pretty much any kind of athlete. “They were able to show this really big decrease in risk of premature death—by 11 to 17 percent—by just boosting your VO2 max.”