VO2 max calculator
VO2 max calculator: estimate your fitness from heart rate, a run or a walk
VO2 max is the most oxygen your body can use during all-out exercise, in millilitres per kilogram per minute. It is the standard measure of aerobic fitness. Estimate yours with one of three published field methods.
Estimate your VO2 max
Pick a method. The heart-rate method needs no exercise; the run and walk tests need a measured distance or time.
Examples
Heart rates 185 / 60
47.2 ml/kg/min
2,400 m in 12 minutes
42.4 ml/kg/min
Walk: 40-year-old woman, 15 min, 140 bpm
34.6 ml/kg/min
Three field methods
| Method | What you need | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Heart-rate ratio (Uth et al.) | Maximum and resting heart rate | 15.3 × maximum ÷ resting |
| 12-minute run (Cooper) | Distance covered in 12 minutes of running | (metres − 504.9) ÷ 44.73, the metric form most papers use |
| One-mile walk (Rockport) | Weight, age, sex, time for a brisk mile and heart rate at the end | 132.853 − 0.0769 × weight (lb) − 0.3877 × age + 6.315 × sex − 3.2649 × time − 0.1565 × heart rate |
All three were checked against laboratory tests in the groups who developed them, and each has limits:
- Heart-rate ratio. The factor 15.3 came from well-trained men aged 21–51, where the typical error was 2.7 ml/kg/min with a measured maximum and 4.7 with an age-based one. Later studies found a factor of 14.5 in trained women and about 12 in men around 50, so for most people this method is likely to overestimate.
- 12-minute run. Cooper’s 1968 study of 115 men found a correlation of 0.90 with treadmill tests; across later studies the walk/run tests correlated about 0.78 with laboratory values. It favours people who pace well.
- One-mile walk. Developed in 343 adults aged 30–69 (weight in pounds in the original), it suits people who can’t run. Results outside that age range are less certain.
VO2 max by age and sex
These are measured laboratory values from the FRIEND registry: 7,783 treadmill tests in US adults without heart disease. The middle column for each sex is the median; a quarter of people scored below the 25th percentile and a quarter above the 75th.
| Age | Men 25th | Men median | Men 75th | Women 25th | Women median | Women 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 40.1 | 48.0 | 55.2 | 30.5 | 37.6 | 44.7 |
| 30–39 | 35.9 | 42.4 | 49.2 | 25.3 | 30.2 | 36.1 |
| 40–49 | 31.9 | 37.8 | 45.0 | 22.1 | 26.7 | 32.4 |
| 50–59 | 27.1 | 32.6 | 39.7 | 19.9 | 23.4 | 27.6 |
| 60–69 | 23.7 | 28.2 | 34.5 | 17.2 | 20.0 | 23.8 |
| 70–79 | 20.4 | 24.4 | 30.4 | 15.6 | 18.3 | 20.8 |
Median VO2 max by age
- Men, median
- Women, median
Field estimates aren’t laboratory tests, so use the table as a rough guide to where you stand and your own repeated estimates to see change.
Why VO2 max matters
In large studies of people who did treadmill tests, higher cardiorespiratory fitness was linked to lower risk of dying over the follow-up years, even after accounting for other risk factors. In a meta-analysis of healthy adults, each 1-MET higher fitness (3.5 ml/kg/min) was associated with a 13% lower risk of death from any cause (relative risk 0.87). These studies show associations: fitness travels with other healthy habits, and the tests can’t show cause on their own. What is clear is that fitness can be improved at any age with regular training.
Two kinds of training raise VO2 max: plenty of easy aerobic work and some harder intervals. How the two compare in studies is covered in zone 2 training: what the research says, and the heart rate zone calculator turns your heart rates into training zones.
Watches estimate VO2 max too
Apple Watch (as Cardio Fitness) and many other watches estimate VO2 max from heart rate during outdoor walks and runs. These estimates have their own errors, but they are measured often, so the trend is useful. Bodyvault reads the VO2 max your watch writes to Apple Health or Health Connect and shows it beside your training.
Privacy
The calculation runs in this page. Nothing you type is sent to a server, saved in your browser or put into the address bar; reloading the page restores the example. The site’s usual behaviour is in the privacy policy.
Questions
What is a good VO2 max?
It depends on age and sex. The reference table above shows typical laboratory values; “good” for you is higher than your own last test.
How accurate is a VO2 max calculator?
Field estimates are typically within several ml/kg/min of a laboratory test for groups, with larger errors for some individuals. Use the same method each time and compare the trend.
How can I improve my VO2 max?
Regular aerobic training raises it, especially when it includes some harder intervals alongside easier sessions. Beginners usually improve fastest.
Is my data saved?
No. The calculation runs in the page and nothing is sent anywhere.
Sources
- Uth N et al. (2004). Estimation of VO2max from the ratio between HRmax and HRrest: the Heart Rate Ratio Method. Eur J Appl Physiol 91(1):111–115.
- Uth N (2005). Gender difference in the proportionality factor between the mass specific VO2max and the ratio between HRmax and HRrest. Int J Sports Med 26(9):763–767.
- Voutilainen A et al. (2021). Estimating maximal oxygen uptake from the ratio of heart rate at maximal exercise to heart rate at rest in middle-aged men. World J Mens Health 39(4):666–672.
- Cooper KH (1968). A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake: correlation between field and treadmill testing. JAMA 203(3):201–204.
- Mayorga-Vega D et al. (2016). Criterion-related validity of the distance- and time-based walk/run field tests for estimating cardiorespiratory fitness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 11(3):e0151671.
- Kline GM et al. (1987). Estimation of VO2max from a one-mile track walk, gender, age, and body weight. Med Sci Sports Exerc 19(3):253–259.
- Kaminsky LA et al. (2015). Reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing: data from FRIEND. Mayo Clin Proc 90(11):1515–1523.
- Kodama S et al. (2009). Cardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in healthy men and women: a meta-analysis. JAMA 301(19):2024–2035.