VO₂ max refers to the maximum volume of oxygen that the body can take in and use during exercise. VO₂ max can vary drastically from person to person and is widely considered an accurate indicator of fitness and longevity.
Essentially, the higher your VO₂ max, the more efficient the body is at using oxygen for energy and thus, the better your aerobic fitness – this includes your cardiorespiratory fitness, endurance, and stamina.
How do you calculate VO₂ max?
VO₂ max is measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min). Your VO₂ max is most accurately calculated through controlled lab testing.
However, it’s also possible to gain an indication of your VO₂ max through wearing a fitness watch or tracker. These can only provide rough estimates based on performance and heart rate data over time.
There’s also a manual way to calculate VO₂ max based on heart rate, which is 15.3 x (max HR / resting HR). To use this formula, you’ll need to wear a watch or heart rate strap over a period of a few weeks during sleep and exercise to obtain a minimum and maximum heart rate reading.
Then, there are also field tests like the Cooper Test or Rockport Walk Test, which can be used to calculate VO₂ max.
The Cooper Test
The Cooper Test was devised by Kenneth H. Cooper in 1968 for use by the US Air Force. It estimates aerobic fitness and VO₂ max based on how far you can run in 12 minutes.
It’s a physically demanding method of calculation – you’ll need to be able to run flat-out for 12 minutes in order to get an accurate recording.
After a short warm-up, run as far as you can in exactly 12 minutes, then record your total distance (in meters).
Then, use the following formula to calculate VO₂ max: VO₂ max = (distance run - 504.9) / 44.73
The Rockport Walk Test
Another method of calculating VO₂ max that is considered a safer alternative to maximal running tests is the walking test developed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1980s.
After a light warm-up, it involves recording the time it takes (in minutes) to walk one mile as fast as possible.
A heart rate reading should be taken immediately afterwards and other data is used for the calculation, including age, weight (lbs), and sex (male is 1, female is 0). The formula is as follows:
VO₂ max = 132.853 - (0.0769 x weight) - (0.3877 x age) + (6.315 x sex) - (3.2649 × walking time) − (0.1565 × heart rate)
What’s a good VO₂ max for my age?
It’s worth noting that VO₂ max naturally declines with age due to reductions in maximal cardiac output and oxygen capacity of the muscles. Though healthy lifestyle practices and regular exercise can go some ways to mitigate this.
The Cooper Institute VO₂ max normative data is widely used in fitness devices (like Garmin), research, and health assessments to classify cardiovascular and aerobic fitness levels. Here are the standardised rating tables for each age group distributed by the research centre, which we have rounded to the nearest whole number:
For ages 20-29: a good male VO₂ max is 45, an excellent result is 51, and a superior reading is over 55. Meanwhile, a good female VO₂ max for this age group is 40, an excellent result is 44, and a superior reading is over 50.
For ages 30-39: a good male VO₂ max is 44, an excellent result is 48, and a superior reading is over 54. While a good female reading for this age is 38, an excellent is 42, and a superior is 47.
For ages 40-49: a good male VO₂ max is 42, an excellent is 46, and a superior is over 53. Meanwhile for this age group, a good female result is 36, an excellent is 40, and a superior is over 45.
For ages 50-59: a good male VO₂ max is 39, excellent as 43, and superior as 49. For women of this age, good is 33, excellent is 37, and superior is 41.
For ages 60-69: a good male VO₂ max would be in the region of 36, excellent is 40, and superior is 46. For women in this age bracket, a good result is 30, excellent is 33, and superior is 38.
For ages 70+: a good male VO₂ max reading is 32, excellent is 37, and superior is 42. While for females of the same age, a good reading is 28, excellent is 31, and superior is 37.
How can you improve your VO₂ max?
Aerobic training that challenges the cardiovascular system is the most effective way to improve VO₂ max. For instance, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the most efficient ways to boost aerobic fitness. This could be in the form of short and sharp interval sessions that have you working at 85-95% of your maximum heart rate, for anything from 20-45min.
If this is too intense or high-impact for you, then try a tempo session (training around lactate threshold), strength training, or working on your steady-state endurance. Along with exercise, try to ensure you consistently maintain a healthy diet with adequate iron levels, get enough sleep, and avoid smoking.
Top image: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain runs during his VO2 Max test as he trains for the Australian Open 2026 at Cardiosalus Sport centro medico deportivo in Murcia, Spain. (Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
