VO2 Max Calculator
This VO2 max calculator estimates your aerobic fitness without a lab. Pick a method, either your resting heart rate or a Cooper 12-minute run, add your age and sex, and you'll get your VO2 max plus where it lands on the fitness chart. Everything updates as you type, so it's easy to track your progress. It's free and runs in your browser, so nothing you enter leaves your device.
- Two methods
- Fitness level
- Age and sex chart
- No lab needed
- ml/kg/min
Last updated June 17, 2026 Estimates only Reviewed by the Calcowa team
Enter your age and the method input above.
The resting heart rate method needs just your age and pulse. The Cooper test needs a hard 12-minute run on a flat course, so only use it if that's safe for you.
How do you estimate VO2 max?
VO2 max is the peak rate your body uses oxygen, and the true figure comes from a lab test with a breathing mask. You don't need that to get close, though, since a few field formulas track it well. The gentlest is the Uth-Sorensen method, which only needs your heart rate: it divides your maximum heart rate by your resting rate and multiplies by 15.3. Your max is estimated as 220 minus your age, so a 30 year old resting at 60 beats per minute lands near 48. The logic is simple, since a fit heart pumps more blood per beat and rests slower, so a low resting pulse signals a high VO2 max. The other route is the Cooper test, where you run as far as you can in 12 minutes and convert the distance: meters minus 504.9, divided by 44.73. Whichever you pick, the number on its own means little until you place it against people your age and sex, which is what the fitness level and the chart below do. This tool runs the formula and reads the chart the moment you type your numbers. You'll see your fitness level the second you're done, and it's easy to retest every few weeks as you train, so you can watch the number climb.
Checking your fitness, step by step
Here's the quick routine, and it's just three steps:
- 1
Pick a methodResting heart rate is easiest, the Cooper run is hands-on.
- 2
Enter your numbersAdd your age, sex, and the method input.
- 3
Read the resultSee your VO2 max and where it sits on the chart.
VO2 max chart by age and sex
Here's the good-to-excellent VO2 max band in ml/kg/min by age, for men and women. It's a guide, so don't read the edges as hard lines, since training and genetics shift them. When you're fitter you'll move up a band, and that's the progress worth chasing.
| Age | Men (good) | Women (good) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 to 29 | 44 to 51 | 35 to 43 |
| 30 to 39 | 40 to 47 | 33 to 40 |
| 40 to 49 | 36 to 43 | 29 to 36 |
| 50 to 59 | 32 to 39 | 25 to 33 |
Frequently asked questions
You choose a method and enter a couple of numbers, and it estimates your VO2 max along with your fitness level. The resting heart rate method needs only your age and resting pulse, while the Cooper test uses how far you ran in 12 minutes. It then compares your result to norms for your age and sex. Everything runs in your browser, so you'll see the number update as you type, and nothing you enter leaves your device.
VO2 max is the most oxygen your body can use during hard exercise, measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. It's one of the best single markers of aerobic fitness, since a higher number means your heart, lungs, and muscles move and use oxygen better. Endurance athletes post very high values, while it drops with age and climbs with training. A lab test is the gold standard, but these formulas get you a solid estimate.
The Uth-Sorensen formula uses the ratio of your maximum heart rate to your resting heart rate: VO2 max equals 15.3 times max divided by resting. Your max is estimated as 220 minus your age. So a 30 year old with a max of 190 and a resting rate of 60 gets 15.3 times 190 over 60, which is about 48. A lower resting heart rate pushes the estimate up, which is why fitter people, whose hearts beat slower at rest, score higher.
The Cooper test measures how far you can run in 12 minutes, then converts that distance into a VO2 max estimate. The formula is the distance in meters minus 504.9, divided by 44.73. So covering 2,400 meters gives about 42. It needs a real maximal effort on a flat track to be accurate, so warm up, pace yourself, and don't attempt it if hard running isn't safe for you. The resting heart rate method is the gentler option.
It depends on your age and sex, which is why the chart matters more than one number. For a man in his 30s, the mid-40s in ml/kg/min is good and the low 50s is excellent, while women run a few points lower at each level. Values fall naturally with age, so a great score at 50 looks different than at 25. The calculator labels your result against these norms, so you can see where you land rather than guessing.
Yes, it's completely free, with no sign-up, and it runs right in your browser, so nothing you enter leaves your device. Pick a method, enter your numbers, and read your VO2 max and fitness level in a tap. Bookmark it to track your training over time, and treat it as an estimate, since only a lab test with a mask measures VO2 max directly. Check with a doctor before any maximal effort test.
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Building endurance?
Check your VO2 max above, then train by heart rate zones.