'VO2 max intervals' are the reason Shakira is so fit at 49 – here's what you need to know

If you're as bored as I am by constantly being told strength training is crucial for our fitness levels, listen up.

While I know weightlifting is important for maintaining muscle mass, and the more muscle we have, the more calories we burn – and I promise strength training is part of my workout routine – I recently learned about another element of fitness which plays a big part in how healthy we are, and the knowledge came courtesy of Shakira's personal trainer, Anna Kaiser.

Shakira's secret to fitness

It's no secret that Shakira is impossibly fit. Since she burst into our lives in 2001 in incredibly low-rise trousers and a teeny tie-up top in the video for Whenever, Wherever, she's been wowing the world with her washboard abs (not to mention her dance moves).

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The singer, 49, even sang about her 'strong legs' in her breakthrough hit, so it's obvious she works hard on her physique, and ahead of her appearance at the World Cup Final, Shakira's trainer Anna gave an insight into her workouts.

Explaining that there's so much more than strength training that goes into Shakira's sculpted body, Anna said: "After 25+ years of training high-performing women, I can tell you that strength alone is not the whole story."

She went on to extol the benefits of VO2 max intervals, but before we dive into those, we need to understand what VO2 max is and why this combination of numbers and letters plays a part in our fitness.

How to improve your V02 max

Anna explains that without a strong VO2 max, your body cannot use oxygen efficiently and you will fatigue faster, need longer recovery, and hit a ceiling with how much power you can bring to your resistance training.

To improve your levels, Anna says that VO2 max intervals are the answer - watch her and Shakira engaging in their max intervals workout below...

What are VO2 max intervals?

Other than a key part of Shakira's workout routine, Ramon explains VO2 max intervals as short, sharp sessions that are as hard as you can manage, be it a sprint during a run or spin class, or burpees until you fatigue.

Anna recommends: "Add one or two VO2 max intervals per week, ideally on days that do not compete with your heaviest strength sessions," noting that even adding one per week will make a huge difference in your training.

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For an easy-to-follow example, Anna suggests picking one move that gets you to an 'anaerobic state' (a move so challenging you have to stop to catch your breath), such as snatches, burpees, squat jumps, weighted push-ups, sprinting or mountain climbers.

"Perform that move for 30 seconds at your max - go as hard as you can. Then rest until your heart rate recovers (usually around 90 seconds), then push again. Repeat for five rounds. trying not to rest for more than 90 seconds.

"The trick is keeping the transitions short and pushing yourself just as hard each round. You should feel challenged, but able to repeat the rounds with good form."

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How quickly can you improve?

In beginners, you can expect an improvement quickly, according to Ramon. "Interval work (short, sharp bursts) is the quickest way - as long as you don't push too hard and get injured, which is common.

"Experienced athletes can expect less of a VO2 max rise because they may already be well trained and close to their ceiling potential. Another factor, which is overlooked by most, is rest and recovery. Getting good sleep and nutrition is going to get you the right adaptations for the training to take hold and VO2 max to improve."

Sadly, VO2 max is harder to improve as we get older, Ramon says. "Our maximal heart rate goes down - I find this generally to be 1 beat per minute with each year of age. With ageing, the trick is to focus on maintaining your VO2 max rather than improving it.

"Consistent training, strength work and nasal breathing during workout are all helpful tools. In tandem with endurance training, diaphragm activation exercises can also really help, as specific breath-focused work can train the body to do more with less oxygen, and train your aerobic engine to operate more efficiently."

Now I know how to improve my VO2 max, it's something else I'll be keeping an eye on on my fitness tracker...