VO2 max calculator

How your estimate compares

The mid range values used for the comparison come from the FRIEND registry of cardiopulmonary exercise tests, and we compare against the middle of the distribution for your age and sex rather than claiming a percentile. The band names describe where you sit relative to other people, not your health.

• Below the typical range: Under about 85 percent of the mid range value for your age and sex. This is the band where the observed association with mortality risk is strongest, and also the band where improvement per week of training tends to be largest.
• Around the typical range: Roughly 85 to 115 percent of the mid range value. Ordinary for your age and sex. Ordinary is not the same as optimal, and the association with better outcomes continues to improve above this band.
• Above the typical range: Above about 115 percent of the mid range value. Higher than most people of your age and sex in the reference registry data.

Why this number gets so much attention

VO2 max is the maximum rate at which your body can take in oxygen, move it and use it during hard exercise. Because it depends on your heart, your lungs, your blood and your muscle all working together, it ends up being a summary measure of how much physiological capacity you have.

In a cohort of 122,007 patients who had exercise treadmill testing at Cleveland Clinic, published by Mandsager and colleagues in JAMA Network Open in 2018, higher measured fitness was associated with lower all cause mortality across the whole range tested, and the largest difference in risk sat between the least fit group and the next group up rather than at the elite end. That is an observational association in patients referred for testing, not a trial showing that raising the number changes your fate.

The two methods used here

The heart rate method comes from Uth and colleagues, who found that the ratio of maximum to resting heart rate tracked measured VO2 max reasonably well in trained men. We estimate your maximum heart rate from your age using the Tanaka equation, 208 minus 0.7 times age, because the older 220 minus age rule systematically underestimates in older adults.

The Cooper method uses how far you can run in 12 minutes. It was developed for the US Air Force and it is the more accurate of the two, because it measures what you can actually do rather than inferring it from a resting number. It also requires you to be able to run hard for 12 minutes safely, which is not true for everyone.

• Heart rate method: VO2 max is approximately 15.3 multiplied by maximum heart rate divided by resting heart rate.
• Cooper method: VO2 max is approximately distance in meters minus 504.9, divided by 44.73.
• One MET equals 3.5 mL/kg/min, so an estimate of 35 mL/kg/min is about 10 METs.

What actually moves it

The training literature is consistent on direction: repeated sustained aerobic work raises measured VO2 max in previously untrained people, and higher intensity intervals raise it faster than easy steady work alone, at the cost of being harder to recover from. Most of the gain in the first months is central, meaning stroke volume and plasma volume, rather than anything happening in your mitochondria.

Age lowers it, and so does prolonged inactivity, faster than most people expect. Illness, poor sleep and heavy training loads all show up in resting heart rate first, which is why a single high resting reading can make this estimate look worse than your fitness really is.

Where this number is misleading

• Both formulas are estimates with meaningful error at the individual level. Do not read a two point change as real.
• The heart rate method was validated in trained men, so it is least reliable in untrained people and in women.
• Beta blockers and other rate controlling medication break the heart rate method entirely, because they change the ratio the formula depends on.
• Atrial fibrillation, a pacemaker, thyroid disease, anemia and pregnancy all shift resting heart rate for reasons unrelated to fitness.
• This does not screen you for heart disease. Chest pain, unexplained breathlessness or fainting during exercise is a reason to be seen, not a reason to recalculate.

Common questions

How accurate is a VO2 max estimate from resting heart rate?

It is a rough estimate. The ratio method was validated against measured VO2 max in trained men and carries several points of error per person, so it is most useful for tracking your own direction over months rather than comparing yourself with someone else.

Is the VO2 max on my watch the same thing?

No. A watch estimate uses your heart rate response during outdoor runs and its own proprietary model. It is usually reasonable at tracking change and less reliable as an absolute number, which is the same caveat that applies here.

What is a good VO2 max for my age?

Reference values fall with age, and men average higher than women at every age. Rather than quote a single target, this tool compares your estimate against the middle of the FRIEND registry distribution for your age and sex, because that is what the published data supports.

Sources and disclosures

• Mandsager K, et al. Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with long-term mortality among adults undergoing exercise treadmill testing. JAMA Network Open, 2018.
• Ross R, et al. Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice. Circulation, American Heart Association scientific statement, 2016.
• Uth N, et al. Estimation of VO2max from the ratio between HRmax and HRrest. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2004.
• Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2001.
• Cooper KH. A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake. JAMA, 1968.
• Kaminsky LA, et al. Reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing: the FRIEND registry. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2015.
• These calculators are for education. They do not diagnose, they do not replace testing, and they are not a prescription. Baseline is a wellness consultancy, and any prescription is written by an independent licensed provider in our network who has reviewed your history, your goals and any lab work you choose to share.