VO2 Max Calculator
Estimate your VO2 max from a 12-minute run, your resting heart rate, or a timed one-mile walk, using the published equation for each test.
VO2 max is the most oxygen your body can use per minute, given per kilogram of body weight in mL/kg/min. Without a lab test you can estimate it from a field test. Cooper's equation takes the meters you cover in 12 minutes, subtracts 504.9 and divides by 44.73, so 2400 m gives 42.4. The heart-rate ratio multiplies 15.3 by your maximum over your resting heart rate, so 190 and 60 give 48.5.
This calculator gives an estimate for general education; it is not medical advice, a fitness assessment by a professional, or a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. Each equation was fitted on a particular group of people and can be off by several mL/kg/min for any one person, and the estimate says nothing about heart or lung health. Maximal running and fast walking are strenuous: if you have a heart or lung condition, chest pain, dizziness or shortness of breath with exertion, take medicines that affect heart rate, are pregnant, or have been inactive, talk to your doctor before doing these tests, and stop if you feel unwell.
Run as far as you can in 12 minutes on a flat, measured course, such as a 400 m track.
Estimated VO2 max
42.4 mL/kg/min
- Method
- 12-minute run (Cooper)
An estimate from a field-test equation, not a lab measurement. Different tests can give different numbers for the same person.
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About the VO2 Max Calculator
Each test here comes with the equation its authors fitted against measured oxygen uptake. Kenneth Cooper's 1968 study had men run as far as they could in 12 minutes, so for women the estimate rests on less direct evidence; covering 1.5 miles gives 42.7 and 2800 m gives 51.3. The heart-rate ratio from Uth and colleagues (2004) needs only a resting pulse and a maximum. If you have never measured your maximum, the calculator uses 208 minus 0.7 times your age from Tanaka and colleagues (2001), so a 35-year-old gets 184 bpm and, with a resting rate of 60, an estimate of 46.9. The Rockport walk from Kline and colleagues (1987) suits people who would rather not run: walk one mile as fast as you can, then enter the time, your pulse at the finish, weight, age and sex. Its equation gives liters per minute, which the calculator divides by your weight. A 170 lb 35-year-old woman finishing in 15:00 at 130 bpm gets 2.76 L/min, or 35.8; a man with the same numbers gets 3.35 L/min, or 43.5. Each method has its own error, so two tests can disagree for the same person.
Frequently asked questions
What is VO2 max?+
It is the highest rate at which your body takes up and uses oxygen during hard exercise, divided by body weight and given in milliliters per kilogram per minute. A lab measures it by analyzing your breath during a test to exhaustion; the equations here estimate it from simpler measurements.
Which test should I use?+
Use the 12-minute run if you can run hard for that long on a measured course. Use the walk if running is not comfortable; it was built on 343 adults aged 30 to 69 who walked a mile as fast as they could, so the calculator accepts those ages only. The heart-rate ratio needs no exercise at all, but it is the roughest of the three, especially when the maximum heart rate is estimated from age rather than measured.
How do I convert my Cooper distance from miles?+
The calculator does it for you at exactly 1609.344 meters per mile. 1.5 miles is 2414 meters, which gives an estimate of 42.7 mL/kg/min.
Why are my results from different tests not the same?+
Each equation was fitted on a different group of people with its own measurement error, and none uses your own lab data. A spread of several mL/kg/min between methods is normal. Tracking one test over time is more useful than comparing two different tests.
Can I use this to decide if exercise is safe for me?+
No. These tests involve hard effort and the estimate says nothing about heart health. If you have a heart or lung condition, symptoms during exercise, or have been inactive, talk to a doctor before attempting a maximal run or walk.
Equations: Cooper KH, JAMA 1968;203(3):201-204; Uth N et al., Eur J Appl Physiol 2004;91(1):111-115; Tanaka H et al., J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37(1):153-156; Kline GM et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc 1987;19(3):253-259.
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