I’m firing this off from the wild, overpacked, barely-functioning disaster zone that is the Cancun airport, where chaos reigns, overpriced coffee flows, and the air is thick with desperation and duty-free cologne.

Our time in Mexico is up, and in mere moments, I’ll be sealed into the flying germ tube, blasted across the sky, and unceremoniously dumped back into the frozen wasteland of Minnesota.

But before I vanish into the jet-fueled abyss, I’ve got something insane to share with you.

This is the single greatest increase in VO2 max I have ever seen published in a trained population. Ever.

But before we go full throttle into the madness, here's a quick note for those already enrolled in the Flexible Meathead Cardio course.

Look for a survey coming Friday to help nail down the best time for the live sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays over two weeks.

Everyone enrolled gets a poll to vote on session times. The majority wins. I’ll do my best to accommodate.

Everything will be recorded, with bonus videos and the ability to submit questions ahead of time if you can’t make it live.

Now, back to the lunacy.

The Greatest VO2 Max Gain Ever Recorded in a Trained Population

I have been obsessed with cardiovascular training research since I first cracked open an anatomy textbook in 1993, when cell phones were bricks and creatine was the new magic powder.

Since then, I have:

✅ Performed hundreds of exercise tests in labs and at the Extreme Human Performance Center using metabolic carts.

✅ Worked 12 years for a cardiovascular med tech company, buried in data and physiological chaos.

✅ Spent decades searching for the biggest, baddest, most ridiculous documented VO2 max improvement in trained individuals.

🏆 And about six years ago, I found the winner.

A study so mind-blowing, so batshit crazy, that it left everything else in the dust.

But first, a quick caveat.

If you take some poor, untrained bastard with a VO2 max in the single digits (basically one step away from needing a motorized scooter at Walmart), then yeah, you can make their numbers skyrocket. But that’s not what we’re talking about.

The subjects in this study started with an average VO2 max of 43.7 ml/kg/min.

For lifters, that’s solid. Not elite, but definitely not couch potato territory.And by the end of the study?

Over 60 ml/kg/min.

That’s a colossal improvement. This was the average change across the entire study, not just for one freak genetic outlier.

If that doesn’t make your nerd brain explode, check your pulse.

Here’s Where You’d Expect the Hard Sell... But Hold On

This is the part where some Instagram blowhard would scream,"Bro, sign up for my program and I GUARANTEE these results in just 12 weeks—cuz science and sht!"*

And that’s where I call BS.

Because there’s a catch, and it’s a BIG ONE.

The Training Protocol Was Absolute Insanity

These poor subjects (er, I mean volunteers) were put through a training program so psychotic that I TRIED IT MYSELF... AND LASTED 10 DAYS.

Ten. Miserable. Days.

I tried it with a few clients. They lasted about the same. And they hated me for it.

Yes, the results were insane, but the sheer brutality of the protocol made it completely unrealistic for anyone already lifting 2-4+ days per week.

But here’s the good news.

I reverse-engineered the key principles behind this study and built a phased protocol that is actually doable.

It’s still tough, but it won’t break your soul.

It won’t give you the same absurd VO2 max jump as the study, but it will push your aerobic system far beyond what most lifters ever achieve.

Nobody is Talking About This Study... Yet

Why? Because it’s not a new study.

It got buried. Forgotten. Lost in the scientific abyss.

But I’m bringing it back, blowing the dust off it, breaking it down, and making it actionable.

And you can get the full protocol, a deep dive on the study, and the exact principles you can apply to your aerobic training in the upcoming Flexible Meathead Cardio course.

Enrollment closes March 3 at midnight, and we start March 4.

Sign up before you miss out:
​https://miket.me/cardio​

Much love, oxygen-fueled savagery, and cardio for the win.
Dr. Mike

_____________________

Mike T Nelson CISSN, CSCS, MSME, PhD
Associate Professor, Carrick Institute
Owner, Extreme Human Performance, LLC
Editorial Board Member, STRONG Fitness Mag

Mike T Nelson is a PhD and not a physician or registered dietitian. The contents of this email should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.

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