I’m Testing the 5-Minute Workout That Promises a 12% VO₂max Boost
You already know this: VO₂max is one of the best indicators of your cardiovascular health. The higher it is, the better!
But what if I told you that you can improve it by 12% in just a few weeks, without spending hours sweating on a bike (like, 3 x 5 min per week!).
That’s exactly what I’m going to test.
🚲 My Starting Point
I just received my CAROL Bike, a workout bike unlike any other.
It’s the first one to offer REHIT (Reduced Exertion HIIT) at home — a method that, until now, was only available in laboratories.
At the moment, my VO₂max is 41, which is already excellent for my age (55).
But my goal is clear: reach 46–47 ml/kg/min, about a 12% increase — exactly what the CAROL Bike’s REHIT protocol promises.
💡 Why VO₂max Matters
VO₂max (maximal oxygen consumption) measures how much oxygen your body can use during intense effort.
The higher your VO₂max, the more efficient your cardiovascular and respiratory systems are.
It naturally declines by about 10% per decade after age 30.
Research shows that a 10% increase in VO₂max can reduce mortality and morbidity risk by 15%.
And according to scientific data cited by CAROL Bike, the REHIT protocol can increase VO₂max by 12% in 8 weeks— the equivalent of reversing 10 years of cardiovascular aging!
🧮 What’s a “Good” VO₂max by Age and Gender?
The following values come from the Cooper Clinic (Dallas) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) — the most widely used references in research and fitness testing.
💡 Quick guide:
🟢 Average — general population, no specific training.
🔵 Good to excellent — active lifestyle, healthy heart.
🟣 Athletic — endurance athlete, disciplined biohacker… or, well, your favorite coach 😄
➡️ For a 55-year-old woman, a VO₂max of 27–30 is average, 34–38 is excellent, and >39 is outstanding.
So with 41 ml/kg/min, I’m already in the athletic category for my age group — proof that consistency and effort pay off 🎯
🔬 What Is REHIT?
REHIT (Reduced Exertion High-Intensity Training) is an optimized form of HIIT:
Two 20-second all-out sprints
Separated by recovery phases
The whole session lasts under 5 minutes, done 2–3 times per week
👉 This protocol triggers a powerful metabolic response — activating mitochondria, boosting EPOC (post-exercise oxygen consumption), and improving cardiovascular capacity faster than traditional cardio.
The secret behind the CAROL Bike is its AI system and instant resistance adjustment.
It adapts the load within milliseconds to push you to your maximum effort threshold — safely, without overtraining.
Traditional bikes just can’t respond that fast — which is why true REHIT is hard to replicate elsewhere.
For everyone who tells me they can “do REHIT” on their Peloton or another bike — you can mimic it, yes, but not achieve the same precision or results.
📈 My 8-Week Protocol
I’ll be sharing my progress each week:
my metrics, my sensations, and the adjustments I make to stay in the optimal progress zone without overdoing it.
🧠 What the Science Says
A study on the CAROL Bike shows an average 12% increase in VO₂max in just 8 weeks.
Post-exercise metabolism (EPOC) remains elevated much longer than after a regular cardio session.
Independent user reports also confirm similar gains (+12% in about 10 weeks).
And most impressively — it takes 90% less time than traditional cardio!
I’ll admit — I was skeptical at first.
But after reviewing several credible studies and feedback from sports medicine doctors, I thought: only fools never change their minds.
So I reached out to CAROL to test their bike transparently and document my results.
This two-month experiment was inspired by their “Most Innovative Exercise Bike 2022” award — and I’m ready to see if it lives up to the hype.
⚙️ Why Other Bikes Can’t (Yet) Do This
Instant resistance: most bikes can’t adjust load within milliseconds.
Adaptive AI: CAROL continuously analyzes your power and adjusts each sprint.
Integrated safety: the system manages intensity peaks without pushing beyond your limits.
🌿 In Conclusion
I’m starting this 8-week experiment to boost my VO₂max by 12%, with a clear goal — going from 41 to 46–47.
If the promise holds true, it will prove that we really can rejuvenate our cardiovascular system… in just 5 minutes, 3 times per week.
I’ll be sharing my results weekly — VO₂max curve, recovery, sleep, heart rate, and of course, my full biohacker experience 💪
💬 And if you want me to show you how to measure your VO₂max at home, let me know in the comments 👇
So, what do you think — will I really boost my VO₂max that fast, in only 3×5 minutes a week? 😉
Valérie Orsoni
Biohacker since 1998 • Longevity Expert
👉 @valerieorsoni on Instagram
👉 LiliWarrior.com — 100% recycled, non-toxic activewear (hurry, and grab what you like, we will soon close our US-based operations, keeping Europe and Asia, because of the tariffs that do not allow us to be profitable anymore).
🎙 Speaking engagements:
Biohackers World Conference, Miami — Nov 1–2, 2025
Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium, El Salvador — Nov 11–12, 2025
Longevity Leadership Conference, Los Angeles — Mar 18–19, 2026
Sommet de l’Hypersanté, Paris — Mar 21–22, 2026
HealthSpan Summit, Los Angeles — Oct 2–4, 2026
👏👏👏
You got this!! Power through!