VO2 Max Chart: What's a Good VO2 Max by Age?
What is VO2 Max?
VO2 Max Test Report - Fitnescity
VO2 Max is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during incremental exercise. Maximal oxygen consumption reflects your overall cardiorespiratory fitness, and is an excellent way to assess your fitness level.
VO2 Max is also referred to as maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake, peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity. The name is derived from V - volume, O2 - oxygen, max - maximum.
VO2 Max is now commonly used by the general population to assess and improve physical fitness, potential health and longevity. For many years, there has been a misconception that the VO2 Max test can only benefit trained runners, cyclists and other endurance athletes.
Recent development in Apple products has helped popularize the VO2 Max. Thoughts leaders like Peter Attia have also played a major role democratizing the VO2 Max and highlighting its benefits for the general population.
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Why is VO2 Max important?
VO2 max is now widely used as an indicator of health. In 2016, the American Heart Association published a scientific statement recommending that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), quantifiable as VO2 max, be regularly assessed and utilized as a clinical vital sign. This statement was based on mounting evidence that lower fitness levels are associated with high risk of cardiovascular disease, all-cause mortality, and mortality rates stemming from various types of cancers. In addition to risk assessment, the AHA recommendation cited the value measuring fitness for validating exercise prescription, physical activity counseling, and improving both patient management and patient health.
Conversely, good fitness level significantly reduces your likelihood of developing chronic illness. For both moderately active individuals and athletes, a VO2max assessment is vital for general wellbeing and performance.
With wearables such as the Apple Watch and Garmin estimating our VO2 Max, many of us have started using this marker to try and push our physical fitness limit.
Before the rise of wearables, accurate VO2 Max testing conducted in a clinical setting was generally reserved for athletes and scientific studies. However as more people are discovering their estimated VO2 Max, these clinical settings are seeing an influx of demand from non-athletes that want to learn their true numbers. You will find below a map of locations where you test your VO2 Max.
What is my ideal VO2 Max?
What is a considered a “good” VO2 Max is not one size fits all, as age and gender must be considered.
For a 30-year-old male, a VO2 max of 49-56 would be classified as “good,” and a VO2 Max of 56 or greater as “superior.”
For a 30-year-old female, a VO2 max of 45-52 would be classified as “good,” and a VO2 Max of 52 or greater as “superior.”
See the VO2 Max charts below for an understanding of how the classifications move across genders and ages.
VO2 Max Chart for Men
VO2 Max Chart for Women
VO2 Max by Age
What’s a good VO2 Max for my age?
VO2 Max Chart for Men (ml/kg/min)
| Age Group (Men) | 18-25 | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 | 66+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | >60 | >56 | >51 | >45 | >41 | >37 |
| Good | 52-60 | 49-56 | 43-51 | 39-45 | 36-41 | 33-37 |
| Above average | 47-51 | 43-48 | 39-42 | 36-38 | 32-35 | 29-32 |
| Average | 42-46 | 40-42 | 35-38 | 32-35 | 30-31 | 26-28 |
| Below average | 37-41 | 35-39 | 31-34 | 29-31 | 26-29 | 22-25 |
| Poor | 30-36 | 30-34 | 26-30 | 25-28 | 22-25 | 20-21 |
| Very poor | <30 | <30 | <26 | <25 | <22 | <20 |
VO2 Max Chart for Women (ml/kg/min)
| Age Group (Women) | 18-25 | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 | 66+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | >56 | >52 | >45 | >40 | >37 | >32 |
| Good | 47-56 | 45-52 | 38-45 | 34-40 | 32-37 | 28-32 |
| Above average | 42-46 | 39-44 | 34-37 | 31-33 | 28-31 | 25-27 |
| Average | 38-41 | 35-38 | 31-33 | 28-30 | 25-27 | 22-24 |
| Below average | 33-37 | 31-34 | 27-30 | 25-27 | 22-24 | 19-21 |
| Poor | 28-32 | 26-30 | 22-26 | 20-24 | 18-21 | 17-18 |
| Very poor | <28 | <26 | <22 | <20 | <18 | <17 |
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What happens during a VO2 Max test?
VO2 Max Test - Photo credit: Cosmed
VO2 Max Test Report - Fitnescity
The goal of the test is to determine your aerobic capacity and the maximal oxygen your body can consume during exercise. In addition to measuring your fitness level, results will help you establish optimal heart rate (HR) zones for exercise, to scientifically guide your training, and indicate your risk for cardiovascular disease.
You can typically complete the test on a treadmill or a bicycle. Be sure to check as different test locations could have different setups.
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How is VO2 Max measured?
Fick Equation
Source: Deranged Physiology, an online resource for Intensive Care Medicine. learn more.
Accurately measuring VO2 max involves a physical effort sufficient in duration and intensity to fully tax the aerobic energy system. In general clinical and athletic testing, this usually involves a graded exercise test (either on a treadmill or on a cycle ergometer) in which exercise intensity is progressively increased while measuring:
ventilation
oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration of the inhaled and exhaled air.
VO2 max is reached when oxygen consumption remains at a steady state despite an increase in workload.
VO2 Max FAQs
Is the Apple Watch VO2 max accurate?
There are many reasons why the estimated VO2 max on your Apple Watch may not be accurate.
Can you improve your VO2 max?
You can work on improving your VO2 max by working at a high intensity. Exercising near your max heart rate helps increase the volume of blood your heart can pump with each beat. This happens as the muscles in your heart get stronger.
Does losing weight increase VO2 max?
Weight loss can lead to an increase in VO2max, as fat mass is inversely proportional to relative VO2max. In other words, it is important to measure body composition, rather than weight, to accurately estimate the impact on your VO2max. Therefore, fat loss could lead to an increase in VO2max.
How do you calculate VO2 Max for Men or Women?
Vo2 Max = 15.3 x (MHR/RHR)
MHR = Maximum heart rate.
RHR = Resting heart rate.
VO2 Max test glossary
Anaerobic Threshold (AT)
Anaerobic Threshold (AT), which is the best guide for optimizing your training intensity, and is an excellent estimation of your lactate threshold. The AT is an indicator of the level of exercise you can maintain comfortably for long periods of time and is related to the primary fuel your body uses during exercise. When you exercise below your AT you primarily use fat as your exercise fuel, whereas above the AT your body begins to rely more heavily on carbohydrates (sugar) for fuel. The greater use of carbohydrates (caused by engaging high-intensity, so-called “fast-twitch” muscle fibers) results in the production of lactic acid, which in turn leads to an increase in respiration to buffer this acid build up. The AT is therefore determined by measuring levels of respired gases. The level of exercise at which the threshold is reached is affected by a number of variables, including sex, genetics, and fitness, so it must be measured individually. We will determine your AT and also measure important cardiovascular and metabolic variables that can be used to provide individualized guidelines for optimizing your fitness training.
How to Obtain Heart Rate (without a heart rate monitor)
Immediately upon stopping exercise, place the index and middle fingers on the wrist toward the thumb side. Press only hard enough to feel the pulse. Count the number of beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get the beats per minute.
VE BTPS (L/M): = Minute Volume. This value represents the amount of air moved in and out of the lungs in one minute.
VT (L/Br): = Tidal Volume. The volume of air moved during either inspiration or expiration per breath.
F (br/min): = Breath Rate. The number of breaths taken per minute.
Heart Rate (beats/min): = The number of beats per minute.
Stage (#): This indicates at what stage of the protocol you are exercising.
Grade (%): This is the degree of incline of the treadmill at a given point during the test.
Speed (mph): This is the speed of the treadmill at a given point during the test.
Watts: The power output at a given point during the test.
Pedal Speed (rev/min): The amount of times the wheel will make one full revolution in one minute.
VO2 STPD (L/min): = Oxygen Consumption. This is the amount of oxygen consumed in one minute. The higher an individual’s maximum VO2, the better one’s physical condition.
VO2/kg (ml/min/kg): = The weight adjusted value for the above measurement. This is actually more important than the above measurement. An individual can increase this value by improving their aerobic condition or by losing a percentage of their fat.
FEO2: = Mixed Expired Oxygen (fractional concentration). The percentage of oxygen in the air exhaled.
FECO2: = Mixed Expired Carbon Dioxide (fractional concentration). The percentage of carbon dioxide in the air exhaled.
O2VE (L/L): = Ventilatory Equivalent for Oxygen. This value represents the number of liters of air inspired per liter of oxygen consumed. This is a good indication of an individual’s ability to extract oxygen from the air.
CO2VE (L/L): = Ventilatory Equivalent for Carbon Dioxide. This value represents the number of liters of air inspired per liter of carbon dioxide consumed.
RER: = Respiratory Exchange Ratio. This represents the volume of carbon dioxide exhaled divided by the volume of oxygen consumed. This value, at submaximal levels, is an index of cellular metabolism. A value of 0.7 is closer to fat metabolism and 1.0 is closer to carbohydrate metabolism. At maximal exercise, this is an indirect index of exercise stress.
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