The Mind–VO₂ Max Connection: How Psychology Unlocks Aerobic Performance

Sports Scientist Interviewed by AI

Introduction

Most people think VO₂ max is decided entirely by the body — lungs, heart, blood, mitochondria. If you improve the machinery, the number goes up; if you don’t, it stays where it is. Simple.

Except it isn’t.

A VO₂ max test is not just a measurement of cardiorespiratory capacity. It is a maximal effort test. That means the result is inseparable from the athlete’s willingness to suffer, their relationship with discomfort, and their reasons for pushing when every signal is telling them to stop.

In this interview, an AI questions Alex, a sports scientist, about how motivation, mindset, and visualisation can change what an athlete actually shows in a VO₂ max test — even when their physiology is identical.

Defining the Problem: Physiology vs Psychology

AI:

Alex, to most people, VO₂ max is a lab number: millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute. Pretty clinical. Why do you insist that psychology has to be part of that conversation?

Alex:

Because the test doesn’t end when the physiology does — it ends when the person gives up.

That’s the bit people ignore. A VO₂ max test is only “gold standard” if the person actually goes to their limit. The equipment and protocols can be perfect, but if the athlete mentally checks out 90 seconds too early, you’re not measuring their ceiling, you’re measuring their tolerance.

So yes, heart, lungs, blood — all vital. But an athlete’s motivation and their relationship with discomfort dictate how much of that physiological capacity they actually access.

AI:

So in simple terms, the body sets the ceiling, but the mind decides how close you get to it?

Alex:

Exactly. Two athletes could have practically identical cardiorespiratory systems, but the one who has the stronger internal drive, the clearer goal ownership, and the better psychological tools will usually produce the higher VO₂ max on the day.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation in VO₂ Max Testing

AI:

Let’s unpack this through the lens of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. How does that play out in a VO₂ max test specifically?

Alex:

An intrinsically motivated athlete is driven by internal reasons — curiosity about their limits, a desire for mastery, a genuine love for the process. When they step onto the treadmill, they want to know: “What am I actually capable of?”

An extrinsically motivated athlete is more driven by external requirements — the coach told them to do it, the team’s programme demands it, or there’s some box to tick.

In a maximal test situation, the difference is massive. The externally motivated individual often just wants to satiate the requirement: “I showed up, I did the test, job done.” The intrinsically motivated athlete is trying to satiate their own desire for achievement or precision: “I want to see my true limit.”

That internal framing completely changes how far they are willing to push into the final stages.

AI:

So your argument is that intrinsic motivation doesn’t just feel nicer — it literally changes the data we see on screen?

Alex:

Yes. When you ask someone to push to genuine maximum, you’re asking them to override some very primal signals. Intrinsic motivation gives those final minutes a personal meaning. Without that, the brain often pulls the plug early, long before the physiological system is truly maxed out.

There’s a big difference between “I’ve done enough to not get shouted at” and “I’m not stopping until I’ve emptied the tank.”

AI:

And that tracks with the literature too — self-determination theory pretty consistently shows that intrinsically motivated individuals show higher voluntary effort and better persistence under discomfort.

Alex:

Exactly. The theory lines up very neatly with what you see in the lab.

Building Intrinsic Motivation: Ownership and Emotional Attachment

AI:

Let’s move from theory into practice. If someone reading this wants to improve their intrinsic motivation going into a VO₂ max test, what does that actually look like in the real world?

Alex:

The key word for me is ownership.

When an athlete truly owns the goal, the effort stops feeling like something being done to them and more like something they are actively pursuing. You’re helping them build an emotional attachment to the outcome.

It’s not “my coach wants this number for the spreadsheet”. It becomes:

“I want to see that number because it represents what I’ve built.”

AI:

So it’s the difference between being a participant versus being the architect of the process?

Alex:

Yes. Once the athlete feels they authored the goal, their behaviour changes.

1. Self-generated, not imposed goals

If you sit with an athlete and say, “What do you actually want from this test? What would feel meaningful for you to see on this printout?” — you invite them to define success in their own language.

Suddenly, we aren’t chasing a random number; we’re chasing something they’ve emotionally invested in.

2. Autonomy in the training process

You don’t need to hand over the whole plan, but giving them some say — choice of intervals, preferred warm-up structure, even which shoes they feel mentally stronger in — builds autonomy.

And autonomy is a core pillar of intrinsic motivation. The more they feel, “I’m directing my own process,” the more they buy into the effort.

AI:

So even small choices — like deciding between two interval formats — can make a meaningful motivational difference?

Alex:

Yes, because you’re signalling, “This is your journey. I’m the guide, not the dictator.”

Feedback, Reflection, and the Growth Lens

AI:

What about the way feedback is given? Can that shift motivation from extrinsic to intrinsic?

Alex:

Definitely. If feedback is purely outcome-based — “Your VO₂ max is X; that’s good/bad” — then the athlete often becomes externally oriented. They’re waiting for a verdict.

If you pivot to growth-based feedback, you keep them engaged in the process. Instead of obsessing over the raw number, you highlight adaptations:

• “You stayed more composed in the upper zones.”
• “Your pacing into the harder stages was much better this time.”
• “You recovered more quickly between trials.”

This moves the focus from “Am I good enough?” to “Am I progressing?” That’s a far healthier and more sustainable psychological state, and it supports long-term intrinsic motivation.

AI:

And where does reflection come into this? You mentioned it earlier.

Alex:

Reflection is where ownership consolidates. Get the athlete to answer questions like:

• “What went well in that test?”
• “Where did your mind go when it got hard?”
• “What would you like to do differently next time?”

You’re teaching them to analyse their experience, not just their numbers. Once they can narrate their own process, they become much more invested in refining it.

Visualisation as a Tool for VO₂ Max Performance

AI:

Let’s talk visualisation. It’s often treated as a bit of a cliché in elite sport — everyone talks about it, few use it well. What does effective visualisation look like for a VO₂ max test?

Alex:

For VO₂ max, visualisation is about rehearsing the discomfort curve.

You want the athlete to mentally walk through:

• The early easy stages where everything feels under control
• The first point where their breathing starts to feel laboured
• The moment the gradient or speed steps up and it stops being comfortable
• The exact point where, historically, they’ve wanted to stop
• The final 30–60 seconds where they decide whether to hold on or step off

The idea is to make that internal landscape familiar before they’re physically in it.

AI:

So you’re essentially taking away the element of surprise?

Alex:

Exactly. The brain dislikes uncertainty. If the athlete has mentally rehearsed staying composed while breathing gets heavy, or choosing to push through that “I want to stop” signal in a controlled way, then when it happens for real, it feels like a moment they’ve already handled.

That can reduce anxiety, increase perceived control, and ultimately extend their willingness to stay in the test.

AI:

And from the neuroscience side, we know that motor imagery activates similar neural pathways to actual movement, which supports that performance transfer.

Alex:

Yes, visualisation isn’t magic, but it’s a very practical way of warming up the nervous system and calming the psychological noise before you ask someone to go to their limit.

Can Psychology Really Change a VO₂ Max Score?

AI:

Let’s attack the sceptic’s question directly:

“If VO₂ max is a physiological thing, are we really saying psychology can change the test result?”

Alex:

We’re saying this:

• Psychology does not change your underlying physiological potential in that moment.
• Psychology absolutely changes the performance you express on the test.

The test stops when the athlete decides to stop OR the physiological plateau is reached (AT MAXIMUM EFFORT) — and that decision is heavily influenced by their perception of effort, their motivation, and their mental toolkit to be able to reach that moment.

So yes, psychology can be the difference between:

• Stepping off at a strong, but sub-maximal effort versus
• Staying in for that extra 30–90 seconds where the data shifts from “very fit” to “this is your genuine ceiling”.

AI:

So if two athletes had identical physiology, the better motivated and better prepared one could walk away with the higher VO₂ max value?

Alex:

Easily. I’ve seen athletes with very similar profiles produce numbers that differ enough to impact how their training is prescribed — purely because one individual was mentally ready to meet their limit, and the other wasn’t.

That’s why ignoring psychology leads to misleading conclusions. You might think, “Athlete A has the higher VO₂ max,” when in reality it’s “Athlete A was better prepared to search for it.”

Practical Takeaways for Athletes

AI:

Let’s finish with something very actionable. If a reader has a VO₂ max test coming up and wants to maximise the result, what are the key psychological steps you’d recommend?

Alex:

I’d keep it simple but intentional:

1. Write your own reason.Take 2–3 minutes and actually write down why this test matters to you personally. Not your coach. You.
2. Define success on your terms.Yes, the raw VO₂ max number matters, but also define success as:
   • “I stayed composed when it got hard.”
   • “I didn’t step off early.”
   • “I gave myself an honest shot at my limit.”
3. Do one or two visualisation sessions. Sit quietly and mentally walk through the whole test, including the hardest part. Picture yourself choosing to stay in it when it bites.
4. Talk to your coach about autonomy. Ask for small choices: warm-up, music, pacing cues. You’ll feel more in control, which supports better effort.
5. Reflect afterwards. After the test, don’t just look at the number. Ask:
   • “Where did I handle things well?”
   • “Where did I pull back mentally?”That reflection is what improves the next attempt.

AI:

So the message is: you can’t hack your physiology overnight, but you can meaningfully upgrade the mental side of the test in a matter of days?

Alex:

Exactly. You can’t build new capillaries in a week, but you can absolutely change how willing you are to go and find your limit. That’s the whole point: the mind determines whether the body gets to show everything it has.

Conclusion: Mindset as a Performance Multiplier

AI:

Let me try to summarise the big idea, and you can tell me if I’ve missed anything.

• Physiology sets the potential VO₂ max.
• Psychology determines how much of that potential we actually see.
• Intrinsic motivation, emotional ownership, and visualisation all help an athlete stay present and committed in the most uncomfortable phases of the test.
• The result on paper isn’t just a reflection of lungs and heart — it’s also a reflection of motivation, preparation, and mental skill.

Alex:

That’s exactly it.

We shouldn’t pretend that mindset replaces training — it doesn’t. You still need the physiology. But if you ignore psychology, you consistently under-measure people’s true capacity.

So if you care about VO₂ max — not just as a number, but as a measure of what someone can actually do — you have to train both the engine and the operator.