The Scientific Breakthrough Improving VO₂ Max in Weeks - And Why Athletes Can’t Afford to Ignore It

If you’re training, competing, or simply trying to outperform the person you were last season, this emerging research could unlock gains you’ve been missing - no extra miles or hours required.

By Jack S.

Last updated on December 12th, 2025

The VO₂ Max Ceiling You’ve Been Pushing Against

If you train seriously, you’ve probably heard of VO₂ Max - the metric that separates good athletes from great ones. But what most people never learn is that VO₂ Max has a ceiling. Nearly a century ago, Nobel laureate A.V. Hill discovered that no matter how hard an athlete pushes, oxygen use eventually flatlines. You’ve felt it yourself: you increase the effort, but your pace stops improving. Your lungs burn, your legs slow, and it feels like you’ve slammed into an invisible wall.


And that frustration hits deeper when you’re competitive. Because you know you’re capable of more - yet something in your biology keeps holding you back. The truth is, effort alone can’t move your oxygen ceiling. But new research shows there are ways to raise it faster and more efficiently than traditional training, giving you the edge you’ve been grinding for.

Your Oxygen System Has Limits You Can’t Out-Train

Even if you’re consistent, disciplined, and pushing yourself weekly, your body can only use oxygen as efficiently as your internal systems allow. VO₂ Max isn’t determined by effort - it’s determined by how well your heart delivers oxygen, how quickly your muscles can use it, and how effectively your cells turn it into energy. If any of those systems bottleneck, your performance stalls, no matter how hard you grind.


This is why some athletes train less but perform better - their oxygen system isn’t wasting energy. And until yours becomes more efficient, you’ll keep pouring effort into a ceiling you can’t break with conditioning alone. Improving VO₂ Max isn’t just about training more… it’s about upgrading the machinery inside your body that training relies on.

Modern Habits Quietly Sabotage Your Oxygen Efficiency

You might train like an athlete - but your daily habits can still work against you. Energy drinks, nicotine pouches, and constant stimulants give you a quick hit of focus, but they also restrict blood vessels, spike stress hormones, and make it harder for oxygen to reach your muscles. You feel “on” for an hour… and then slower, foggier, and more drained than before.


At the elite level, even tiny drops in oxygen delivery can mean lost seconds, slower recovery, or a pace you can’t hold. And the frustrating part is that you may not even realize these habits are lowering your performance ceiling. You’re not underperforming because you’re unfit - you’re underperforming because your oxygen system is fighting uphill every day.

The Natural Compound That Boosts VO₂ Max

One of the fastest ways to improve VO₂ Max is to make your body more efficient at using the oxygen it already has. That’s where Cordyceps comes in. It contains compounds like adenosine and cordycepin - natural precursors to ATP, the molecule your cells use to create energy. The more ATP you can generate per breath, the longer and harder you can perform.


A 2016 University of North Carolina study found that athletes supplementing with Cordyceps militaris improved both VO₂ Max and time-to-exhaustion in just three weeks - without changing their training volume. When your cells produce energy more efficiently, you’re no longer limited by the same oxygen ceiling. You can push harder, hold your pace longer, and recover faster, all with the same amount of air.

How to Push Through the Mental Wall

Every athlete knows the moment when the body could keep going, but the mind starts to quit first. That’s where Lion’s Mane becomes a difference-maker. It supports Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), which helps sharpen focus and reduce central fatigue - the mental burnout that shows up before your muscles ever fail.


When your brain stays clear under stress, you hold your pace longer, stay locked into your rhythm, and push through the point where you usually slow down. Better oxygen efficiency is powerful, but when you upgrade your mental endurance at the same time, your performance feels smoother, stronger, and more controlled from start to finish.

Why Most Supplements Never Make a Real Difference

You’ve probably taken supplements hoping for better energy, focus, or endurance - only to feel nothing. And it’s not because you chose the wrong brand or didn’t take a high enough dose. It’s because almost everything you swallow gets destroyed before your body ever has a chance to use it.


Your stomach is built to break things down, not deliver performance compounds intact. So the capsules, powders, and gummies you rely on? Up to 90% of them never make it into your bloodstream. You’re training hard, spending money, doing everything right… and your body is getting scraps of what you paid for.


For an athlete, that isn’t just disappointing - it’s infuriating.
You’re fighting for every advantage you can get, and the system you trusted has been holding you back the whole time. If the compounds that support oxygen efficiency and mental endurance can’t survive digestion, they can’t help you - no matter how badly you want results.

When the Solution Finally Reaches Your Body

Once you realize how much performance potential is lost in digestion, it’s hard not to feel frustrated. You’ve been training hard, doing the work, taking the right ingredients - and your body never even got a chance to use most of them. That’s why athletes started looking for a delivery method that actually works, not just one that looks good on a label.


This is where Flow comes in.
Flow uses buccal absorption - the same fast pathway nicotine uses - to deliver Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane directly into your bloodstream. No stomach breakdown. No wasted compounds. No stimulants fighting your physiology.


For the first time, the ingredients proven to support VO₂ Max and mental endurance aren’t getting wasted before they matter. You feel steady instead of wired. Locked in instead of scattered. And there’s a quiet confidence that comes from knowing your body is finally supporting the work you’re putting in.

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Final Thoughts

You weren’t stuck because you lacked discipline.
You were stuck because the tools you relied on were quietly working against you.


Flow exists to fix that.


It’s not a stimulant. It’s not another pill you hope will work.
It’s a system built around how your body actually absorbs and uses energy - supporting VO₂ Max, endurance, and focus without crashes or waste.


When your body finally gets what it needs, performance stops feeling forced.
Your breathing smooths out.
Your pace holds longer.
Your training starts compounding again.


If you care about performance, this is the upgrade that matters.

Try Flow Pouches Risk Free

60-Day Money-Back Guarantee

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How Flow Pouches Compare

to Nicotine or Caffeine Pouches

How Flow Pouches Compare to Nicotine or Caffeine Pouches

Boosting VO₂ Max

Artificial Flavors & Sugars

Non-Addictive

Long-Term Cognitive Boost

No Crashes or Withdrawal

Sleep Friendly

Number of Pouches per Can

20

Nicotine Pouches

15

Caffeine Pouches

15

HOLIDAY DEAL:

Extra 60% Off

+ 4 FREE Gifts

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Hr

15

Min

00

Sec

HOLIDAY DEAL:

Extra 60% Off

+ 4 FREE Gifts

00

Hr

15

Min

00

Sec

4.8/5  based on 2.500 Ratings

Flow Pouches - The #1 Nootropic Mushroom Pouches 

Improves oxygen efficiency and endurance

Fast buccal absorption

Clean focus and steady energy

100% Natural & Non-Addictive

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60-Day Money-Back Guarantee

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