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VO2 max calculator

Two published ways to estimate VO2 max: run for 12 minutes, or measure your resting pulse.

By Nabeel Mustafa. Updated .

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Method

m

Run as far as you can in exactly 12 minutes, on a track or flat, measured route.

Estimated VO2 max

42.4

Millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute

Distance
2,400 m
Average pace
5:00 /km

The run test depends on effort and pacing. A cautious first attempt reads low, so the second test is usually the honest baseline. Compare against your own next test, using the same method.

Two methods, and which to trust

The 12-minute run is the Cooper test, published by Kenneth Cooper in 1968. Run as far as you can in exactly twelve minutes, and VO2 max is the distance in metres minus 504.9, divided by 44.73. It needs effort and a measured route, and in return it is the better of the two.

The heart rate method comes from Uth and colleagues, 2004: VO2 max is about 15.3 times your maximum heart rate divided by your resting heart rate. It needs no exercise at all, which is its appeal, and if you do not know your true maximum, the age-based estimate from Tanaka's formula adds error of its own.

Why there is no rating table here

Most VO2 max pages end with a chart that labels your number excellent or poor. Those charts come from different studies with different age bands, and they disagree. Picking one and presenting it as the standard would be tidy and misleading.

The useful comparison is with yourself. Test again in eight to twelve weeks with the same method, the same route and the same time of day. A rising number means the training is working.

Watches estimate this too

Many sports watches show a VO2 max figure, estimated from your heart rate and pace on runs. It may not match either number here, and that is expected: three different estimates of the same thing. Pick one source and watch its trend rather than comparing across them.

Estimate your VO2 max

  1. Choose a method

    The run test if you can run hard for 12 minutes. Heart rate if you cannot.

  2. For the run test, cover as much ground as you can in 12 minutes

    A 400 m track makes the distance easy to measure.

  3. For heart rate, measure your resting pulse on waking

    Lying down, before getting up or having coffee.

  4. Read the estimate and note the method

    Retest later with the same method.

Questions people ask

How do I calculate VO2 max without a lab?

With a field test such as the Cooper 12-minute run, or an estimate from your resting and maximum heart rate. Both are on this page.

What is the Cooper test formula?

VO2 max = (distance in metres - 504.9) / 44.73, where the distance is how far you ran in 12 minutes.

Is my watch's VO2 max more accurate?

It is a different estimate, not a measurement. Only a lab test with gas analysis measures VO2 max directly. Track one source over time.

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