VO2 max calculator: is your VO2 max good for your age?
Enter your VO2 max, or estimate it from a race time or your resting heart rate. See how it ranks for your age and sex, and your cardio fitness age.
Add your details to see where you stand.
VO2 max by age, in ml/kg/min
| Age | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 to 29 | 22.5 | 29 | 36.6 | 43.3 | 49 |
| 30 to 39 | 18.6 | 23 | 28.3 | 35.3 | 42.1 |
| 40 to 49 | 17.2 | 20.8 | 25.7 | 31.5 | 37.8 |
| 50 to 59 | 16.5 | 19.3 | 22.9 | 27.4 | 32.4 |
| 60 to 69 | 13.4 | 16.2 | 19.6 | 23.4 | 27.3 |
| 70 to 79 | 12.3 | 14.6 | 17.2 | 20.2 | 22.8 |
| Age | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 to 29 | 28.6 | 37.6 | 46.5 | 53.2 | 58.6 |
| 30 to 39 | 24.9 | 31.7 | 39.7 | 48.2 | 55.5 |
| 40 to 49 | 22.1 | 28.2 | 35.3 | 43.1 | 50.8 |
| 50 to 59 | 18.6 | 23.4 | 29.2 | 36.3 | 43.4 |
| 60 to 69 | 15.8 | 19.6 | 24.6 | 30.4 | 37.1 |
| 70 to 79 | 13.6 | 16.6 | 20.6 | 24.9 | 29.4 |
Columns are percentiles of fitness, so the 50th is average and the 90th is better than 9 in 10 people that age. FRIEND registry treadmill tests, Kaminsky et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2022.
What's a good VO2 max for your age?
The tables below come from the FRIEND registry, which holds lab treadmill tests of healthy US adults. The 50th percentile is average for that age and sex. Above the 75th is good, and above the 90th is excellent. VO2 max falls with age, and faster later in life, so a number that's average at 30 is excellent at 60.
Why it matters
VO2 max is one of the strongest predictors of how long you'll live. Among 122,007 people who took a treadmill test at the Cleveland Clinic, the least fit quarter for their age were five times as likely to die over about 8 years as the fittest 2%. The gap between below-average and above-average fitness was as large as the gap between smokers and non-smokers.
How the estimates work
From a race, the calculator uses Jack Daniels' running formula, which works out the oxygen cost of your pace and how long you held it. From heart rate, it uses the heart rate ratio method: about 15.3 times your max heart rate divided by your resting heart rate. That one was developed on trained men and is the roughest of the three.
Fitness age is a prediction: the age at which your result would be exactly average for your sex. It isn't a medical measure, but it turns a percentile into something easier to feel.
How to raise it
In trials with healthy adults under 45, a few months of steady cardio raised VO2 max by about 5 ml/kg/min, and intervals did slightly better. In sedentary people over 60, endurance training raised it by 16% on average. Two or three zone 2 sessions a week plus one harder one is a good place to start.
Questions
What is a good VO2 max?
It depends on your age and sex. For a 40-year-old man, about 37 ml/kg/min is average and over 53 is excellent. For a 40-year-old woman, about 27 is average and over 40 is excellent. The tables on this page show every decade.
Is Apple Watch VO2 max accurate?
Apple Watch estimates VO2 max, which it calls Cardio Fitness, from heart rate and pace during outdoor walks, runs and hikes. Like any estimate it can be off by a few points, so watch the trend over months rather than one reading.
Can you increase VO2 max at any age?
Yes. Trials in people over 60 found endurance training raised VO2 max by 16% on average. It still declines with age, but fitter people start higher and have further to fall.
What is cardio fitness age?
The age at which your VO2 max would be exactly average for your sex. It's a prediction rather than a measurement, but it makes a percentile easier to picture.
Sources
- Updated reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Kaminsky et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2022.
- Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with long-term mortality among adults undergoing exercise treadmill testing. Mandsager et al., JAMA Network Open, 2018.
- Estimation of VO2max from the ratio between HRmax and HRrest, the Heart Rate Ratio Method. Uth et al., European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2004.
- Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Tanaka et al., Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2001.
Go deeper: Why VO2 max tracks how well you're aging