VO2 Max Percentile Calculator
See where your VO2 max ranks for your age and sex, compared with reference data from 7,783 measured treadmill tests in US adults aged 20 to 79 without heart disease.
Where the reference values come from
The percentiles come from FRIEND, a registry built from 7,783 maximal treadmill tests with measured oxygen uptake, contributed by eight experienced US laboratories, in men and women aged 20 to 79 without cardiovascular disease. In this cohort VO2 max fell by about 10% per decade, and the authors note that measured data like these give a more accurate picture than older standards estimated from treadmill workload.1
| Sex | Age | 5th | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 20–29 | 29.0 | 32.1 | 40.1 | 48.0 | 55.2 | 61.8 | 66.3 |
| Men | 30–39 | 27.2 | 30.2 | 35.9 | 42.4 | 49.2 | 56.5 | 59.8 |
| Men | 40–49 | 24.2 | 26.8 | 31.9 | 37.8 | 45.0 | 52.1 | 55.6 |
| Men | 50–59 | 20.9 | 22.8 | 27.1 | 32.6 | 39.7 | 45.6 | 50.7 |
| Men | 60–69 | 17.4 | 19.8 | 23.7 | 28.2 | 34.5 | 40.3 | 43.0 |
| Men | 70–79 | 16.3 | 17.1 | 20.4 | 24.4 | 30.4 | 36.6 | 39.7 |
| Women | 20–29 | 21.7 | 23.9 | 30.5 | 37.6 | 44.7 | 51.3 | 56.0 |
| Women | 30–39 | 19.0 | 20.9 | 25.3 | 30.2 | 36.1 | 41.4 | 45.8 |
| Women | 40–49 | 17.0 | 18.8 | 22.1 | 26.7 | 32.4 | 38.4 | 41.7 |
| Women | 50–59 | 16.0 | 17.3 | 19.9 | 23.4 | 27.6 | 32.0 | 35.9 |
| Women | 60–69 | 13.4 | 14.6 | 17.2 | 20.0 | 23.8 | 27.0 | 29.4 |
| Women | 70–79 | 13.1 | 13.6 | 15.6 | 18.3 | 20.8 | 23.1 | 24.1 |
Using a watch or app estimate
Watches and apps estimate VO2 max from heart rate and pace rather than measuring the oxygen you use. The reference values here come from measured laboratory tests, so treat a ranking based on a watch estimate as approximate, and compare like with like when you track changes over time.
Why we do not estimate VO2 max without a test
Several published equations estimate VO2 max from age, sex, body size and questionnaires. One accurate example (R = 0.93 in 100 adults aged 18 to 65) relies on two questionnaire scores, perceived functional ability to walk, jog or run given distances and a current activity rating.2 The exact questions behind those scores are not in the publicly available summary, and guessing at them would make the estimate unreliable, so this page ranks a measured or estimated value instead of producing its own.
How we check this calculator
Every time the site is built, the reference table in our code is compared number by number with the published FRIEND table, and an automated test checks the percentile bands against an independent implementation across 170 cases, including every table boundary.
This calculator is for education. A percentile describes how your fitness compares with others; it is not a diagnosis. If you have heart disease or symptoms, get medical advice before hard exercise or testing.
References
- 1Kaminsky LA, et al. "Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measured With Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing: Data From the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database." Mayo Clin Proc. 2015;90(11):1515-23. PubMed · DOI
- 2Bradshaw DI, et al. "An accurate VO2max nonexercise regression model for 18-65-year-old adults." Res Q Exerc Sport. 2005;76(4):426-32. PubMed · DOI