Training Science Podcast We Need to Talk About Oxygen - With Elias Lehtonen & Prof Paul Laursen
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Dec 6, 2024 
Elias Lehtonen, a sport physiologist and doctoral researcher, teams up with Prof. Paul Laursen to explore the crucial role of oxygen in athletic performance. They discuss the complexities of oxygen transport, the significance of VO2 max, and how athletes adapt differently to training stress. Elias highlights the diagnostic challenges of overtraining, suggesting a shift to 'maladaptation.' They also dive into practical testing methods and the importance of individualized training strategies to optimize performance and recovery.
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Oxygen Transport Is Fully Integrated
- Oxygen transport is an integrated system where ventilation, diffusion, circulation, peripheral diffusion, and mitochondrial use all interact.
- Elias Lehtonen: improving VO2max requires addressing multiple linked steps, not a single organ.
High Cardiac Output With Low VO2 Example
- Elias described a patient with presumed mitochondrial disease who had huge cardiac output but very low VO2max.
- The case showed strong central compensation with severe peripheral limitation.
Five Conserved Steps From Air To Mitochondria
- The oxygen pathway has five conserved steps: ventilation, lung diffusion, circulation, tissue diffusion, and mitochondrial utilization.
- Each step conserves oxygen so limitations at any point affect whole-system VO2.
