Lifelong Endurance Exercise as a Countermeasure Against Age-Related $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{ 2 {\text{max}}}}$$ Decline: Physiological Overview and Insights from Masters Athletes

Maximum oxygen consumption ($\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{ 2 {\text{max}}}}) is not only an indicator of endurance performance, but also a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease and mortality. This physiological parameter is known to decrease with aging. In turn, physical exercise might attenuate the rate of aging-related decline in \dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{ 2 {\text{max}}}}, which in light of the global population aging is of major clinical...