Running VO₂max Calculator

What is VO₂max?

VO₂max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, measured in milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). It reflects your aerobic capacity and overall cardiovascular fitness. A higher VO₂max means your body can deliver and utilize oxygen more efficiently during sustained physical activity, which is essential for endurance performance. Factors such as genetics, training level, age, and gender influence VO₂max.

How can VO₂max be estimated?

While laboratory tests like treadmill or cycle ergometer tests can precisely measure it, all other tests can only offer an estimate. It is a maximal effort metric and so tests that include higher levels of effort while accounting for an element of anaerobic performance are likely to offer the most accurate estimates.

The Cooper test is simple and effective. It estimates VO₂max from the distance run in 12 minutes: short enough to capture your maximal sustained effort without being overly influenced by an anaerobic finish. Ideally it should be run in cool weather with low humidity, low wind and at low altidtude. And at maximum effort! This calculator combines the Cooper test formula with the Riegel formula which adjusts the speed a runner can maintain over different distances. Whilst generally accurate, unless a runner is well condtioned, the relationship will start to diverge over longer distances. And so a 5km race is likely to be a better predictor of VO₂max than a half marathon.

Your watch can only estimate your VO₂max from runs, most of which are at lower effort level, and cannot adjust for difficult terrain, excessive heat etc. Although it may use algorithms derived from massive datasets, it is generally relying on submaximal efforts to estimate maximal performance.

There are a number of other methods of VO₂max estimation, many with limited accuracy such as MaxHR/RestHR x 15.3.
Wikipedia

How useful is it to know your VO₂max?

To be able to compare your VO₂max with population averages and with other runners can be motivating and it can be used to track fitness gains or losses. Additionally, higher levels of VO₂max are now associated with substantially lower levels of all cause mortality in older people.

It is not necessarily, however, a good predictor of running performace for two reasons. The first is that most running isn't done at maximal effort. Your running speed at your upper aerobic threshold is more relevant for determining running performance over different distances. The second reason is that any estimate of VO₂max may be inaccurate. So, although it is useful to have an understanding of your VO₂max and to track its progress over time, we should be aware of its limitations as a metric to guide our running.

VO₂max Percentiles for Women by Age

VO₂max Percentiles for Men by Age