VO2 Max London vs Resting Metabolic Rate: What Test Actually Boosts Your Performance?
- Rick Miller
- May 6
- 4 min read
London execs are dropping cash on performance testing — but most are doing it backwards. Here’s how to fix that.
Look, I get it.
You’ve hit that point in your 40s or 50s where you're no longer just “training for aesthetics” — you're training for energy, focus, and staying sharp at the top of your game. So, you Google around and find all these advanced performance tests — VO2 max London, metabolic carts, lactate thresholds, the whole nine yards.
But which one actually moves the needle?
Let’s settle the score: VO2 Max vs Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Which test belongs in your health strategy — and which might just be ego-stroking cardio fluff?
First, What Do These Tests Actually Measure?
VO2 Max — The Oxygen Ceiling
VO2 max measures your maximum oxygen consumption during intense exercise. It's considered the gold standard for aerobic fitness. Think of it like your body’s horsepower when the pedal’s down.
More technically, it reflects:
How efficiently your lungs deliver oxygen
How fast your heart pumps blood
And how effectively your mitochondria can use that oxygen to generate energy (ATP)
Athletes love it, endurance junkies chase it and fitness orientated men should care about it.
But unless you’re training for a triathlon… do you really need it?
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) — Your Metabolic Baseline
RMR, on the other hand, measures how much energy (sometimes termed "calories") your body burns at rest, essentially keeping you alive — breathing, pumping blood, digesting, rebuilding muscle, and regulating hormones.
However, it’s not just about “calories in, calories out.” It’s about how efficient or sluggish your metabolism is — and how well your mitochondria are humming when you're not even moving.
If VO2 max is your performance top gear
Then RMR is your engine idling speed.
Should You Do A VO2 Max Test London First?
Here’s the brutal truth most clinics won’t tell you:
If your baseline metabolism is off — VO2 max data is basically noise.
Because no matter how good your engine can rev, if it’s leaking fuel or misfiring when idle, your high-end performance is going to suffer anyway.
It’s like tuning a Ferrari without checking if it has oil.
In clinical practice, here’s how I frame it:
Question | Test You Need |
“Why am I tired all the time?” | RMR |
“Why can’t I lose fat?” | RMR |
“I train hard but don’t improve.” | Both (start with RMR) |
“I want to compete or optimise endurance.” | VO2 max |
“I want to live longer, stay sharp, and feel switched on.” | RMR (with optional VO2 max) |
Mitochondria Don’t Lie: The Real Energy Economy
Let’s step into the mitochondria for a second. (Don’t worry, I’ll keep the biochemistry sexy.)
VO2 max is great — it shows you how well you can deliver oxygen.
But as Dr Jack Kruse often says: “It’s not oxygen that fuels your mitochondria — it’s electrons.”
“The redox potential of a cell — its ability to transfer electrons efficiently — is the real key to performance and longevity.”— Dr Jack Kruse, Tensegrity Series
In other words, you could have Olympic-level oxygen delivery… but if your redox state is poor, or your mitochondria are inflamed, leaky, or light-deprived, you're running a high-performance machine on flat tyres.
RMR testing tells us whether your system is efficient, wasteful, or down-regulated.
It's the mitochondria report card.
Circadian Biology & Energy: What the New Wave Is Saying
Dr Max Gulhane, one of the rising voices in circadian medicine and also an advocate for Dr Jack Kruse's methods, puts it plainly:
“Our metabolic rate is entrained by light, temperature, and food timing. Disrupted circadian rhythm = disrupted energy.”
I chatted to Dr Gulhane twice on the Miller Health Podcast, they were both amazing (and controversial) discussions.
If you’re a London exec waking in the dark, staring at a screen by 7am, skipping sunlight and overtraining in artificial light… no wonder your energy’s tanking, even if your VO2 max is decent on paper.
RMR testing, combined with circadian alignment strategies, is the lever you need to pull first.
So… VO2 Max Is Useless?
Not at all. But it’s a performance test, not a foundational health metric.
Once we’ve optimised:
Your RMR
Your hormone panel
Your sleep & circadian rhythm
Your mitochondrial redox
…then VO2 max becomes an elite tool. Especially if you’re:
Training for a sport
Wanting a cardiovascular challenge
Or looking to quantify aerobic gains over time
But VO2 max won’t fix:
...fatigue, fat loss plateaus, or brain fog
RMR — paired with smart lifestyle changes — often will.
Our Clinical Approach (aka: What We Do at Miller Health)
Here’s how we work with high-performing men:
Test RMR using a clinical-grade metabolic cart
Pair it with DEXA, bloods, and a circadian review
Design a nutrition and movement plan that doesn’t wreck your redox
Optionally run VO2 max if we’re performance-targeting
Because you don’t need more data — you need the right data, interpreted with context.
Ready to Find Out What Your Body’s Really Doing?
If you’re in London and serious about performance (and not just chasing numbers for your Strava profile), book a free discovery call and let’s start with the test that matters most: your RMR.
Your mitochondria will thank you.
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