What's A Good VO2 Max? Average VO2 Max By Age

VO2 max. Another training metric that we hear in the running world all the time, but perhaps aren’t one hundred percent sure what it means.

Your VO2 max, or Volume Oxygen Maximum, is defined as the maximum amount of oxygen your body is able to use while exercising at high intensity. In this way, it can be considered a measure of aerobic fitness, with a higher VO2 max considered as ‘better.’

Average VO2 max varies significantly depending on age and sex, so whether someone’s VO2 Max can be considered good depends on who they are. In reality, there is not one value that your VO2 max ‘should’ be.

A ‘good’ VO2 max can be described as one that is clearly above average for an individual’s age range and sex. This would mean that significantly less than 50% of people of the same sex and age range have a higher VO2 max.

A ‘very good’ VO2 max can be described as one that is in the top 75th percentile of a person’s sex and age range, meaning that significantly less than 25% of people of the same sex and age range have a higher VO2 max.

To find out if your VO2 max is good, very good, or extremely good, scroll below to check out our VO2 Max charts and percentile tables to see how you fare.

In this guide, I’ll also discuss exactly what VO2 max is, how it varies with age and sex, how it’s measured, and, most importantly, how to improve it.

Credit: Marathon Handbook Staff

What’s A Good VO2 Max By Age and Sex?

VO2 max values will vary as several factors affect the outcome. These factors include age, sex, physical fitness level, training, altitude, body mass, and body composition.

However, the data we have compiled can give you a general idea of a good VO2 max.

The following information from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise breaks down VO2 Max results by age group and sex. By looking at the percentiles, you can see the below-average, average, and above-average values of VO2 Max.

To have a ‘good’ VO2 max, your VO2 max should be clearly above average, so look at the 50th percentile and 75th percentile values for your sex and age range.

For both men and women, if your VO2 max is higher than the 50th percentile value, then you have a better-than-average VO2 max value. If you are higher than the 75th percentile value, then you have a much better-than-average VO2 max value.

What’s A Good VO2 Max For Men? Male VO2 Max Percentile Chart By Age:

Age Group	5th Percentile	10th Percentile	25th Percentile	50th Percentile	75th Percentile	90th Percentile	95th Percentile
20-29	29.0	32.1	40.1	48.0	55.2	61.8	66.3
30-39	27.2	30.2	35.9	42.4	49.2	56.5	59.8
40-49	24.2	26.8	31.9	37.8	45.0	52.1	55.6
50-59	20.9	22.8	27.1	32.6	39.7	45.6	50.7
60-69	17.4	19.8	23.7	28.2	34.5	40.3	43.0
70-79	16.3	17.1	20.4	24.4	30.4	36.6	39.7

What’s A Good VO2 Max For Women? Female VO2 Max Percentile Chart By Age:

Age Group	5th Percentile	10th Percentile	25th Percentile	50th Percentile	75th Percentile	90th Percentile	95th Percentile
20-29	21.7	23.9	30.5	37.6	44.7	51.3	56.0
30-39	19.0	20.9	25.3	30.2	36.1	41.4	45.8
40-49	17.0	18.8	22.1	26.7	32.4	38.4	41.7
50-59	16.0	17.3	19.9	23.4	27.6	32.0	35.9
60-69	13.4	14.6	17.2	20.0	23.8	27.0	29.4
70-79	13.1	13.6	15.6	18.3	20.8	23.1	24.1

What Is A Good VO2 Max For My Weight?

A greater body weight and a higher percentage of body fat are generally correlated with a lower VO2 max.

However, to assess whether your VO2 max is good or not, it is more advisable to compare it to others within your age range, as shown in the charts above.

What Is A Good VO2 Max For Athletes?

Athletes will tend to have a VO2 max value significantly higher than the average person, with elite athletes having a VO2 max value greater than 60 ml/kg/min.

However, no one specific benchmark VO2 max value is considered good for athletes.

What is VO2 Max?

Your VO2 max, or Volume Oxygen Maximum, is defined as the maximum amount of oxygen your body is able to use while exercising at high intensity and is considered the gold standard when assessing fitness.

‌To break it down a bit further and understand what that means, let’s take a step back.

When we breathe, we inhale oxygen that is then pumped into our bloodstream and transported to the muscles. When it reaches the muscles, it is utilized to generate energy (ATP).

ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, according to Britannica, is an energy-carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things. ATP captures chemical energy obtained from the breakdown of food molecules and releases it to fuel other cellular processes.

The bottom line is, the greater your VO2 max, the greater the volume of oxygen you can take in and efficiently utilize to generate the maximum amount of energy to do more physical activity: run longer, harder, and faster – it’s a very good indicator of your aerobic capacity.

How is VO2 Max measured?

Now here comes the tricky part. Your VO2 max is measured in milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute:

VO2 max = maximum milliliters of oxygen consumed in 1 minute/bodyweight in kilograms

Unfortunately, unlike heart rate, pace, or distance, VO2 max is not something that is easily measured on a fitness watch like a Garmin or Apple watch. Most do have calculators that give you an estimate, but there is a more accurate way.

The most accurate method of measuring VO2 max is through VO2 max testing in a lab setting, whereby you run on a treadmill or another piece of exercise equipment while wearing a ventilation mask and heart rate monitor.

The laboratory test begins by walking at a comfortable pace for a couple of minutes. The intensity and/or incline of the treadmill gradually increases until a maximum cardiovascular effort or a plateau has been reached.

The test usually takes between 12 and 15 minutes to complete. When complete, your data (heart rate, oxygen consumption, speed) is observed, and your VO2 max is calculated.

Once calculated, maximum heart rate and specific training zones can also be determined, which can then be implemented into a training program.

A lab test is the most accurate way to measure your maximal oxygen uptake – your VO2 max.

Alternatively, you can use steady-state self-tests to get a general idea of your VO2 max, or your lactate threshold. However, there is a greater margin for error in measuring your oxygen intake.

If you would like to do VO2 max score testing on your own, you can take a look at the following links to a variety of options:

Whichever exercise test you decide to take, it should be repeated periodically to track your progress.

What Are The Highest VO2 Max Athletes In The World?

Let’s drool over the cardiovascular fitness levels of some of the top endurance athletes and their highest VO2 max values recorded:

The highest VO2 max ever recorded was Norwegian cyclist Oskar Svendsen with an unbelievable 97.5.
Kilian Jornett, one of the best trail runners in the world, has a record VO2 max of 89.5.
Olympic gold medalist marathoner Joan Benoit has a recorded VO2 max of 78.6.
Former Norwegian cross-country skier Bente Skari’s VO2 max is 76.6.

While these elite athletes might seem in a league of their own, there are countless different workouts you can do to improve your VO2 max.

How Can I Improve My VO2 Max?

I have designed six simple workout routines to improve VO2 max.

To improve your VO2 max and your cardiorespiratory fitness, you need to work at a high exercise intensity close to or at your current VO2 max.

However, this is quite an uncomfortable effort level, so the interval at VO2 max will not be very long – think HIIT-style (high-intensity interval training) workouts.

For the best results, you should keep the VO2 max effort interval between three and five minutes.

Workout #1: VO2 Max Long Interval Training

1. Warm up for 10 minutes with a light jog.

2. Run 3 minutes at your VO2 max + 3-minute recovery jog.

3. Repeat this four times.

4. Cool down for 10 minutes with a light jog.

As you improve, you can increase the interval at your VO2 max, or decrease your active cardio recovery jog.

Workout #2: VO2 Max Long Interval Training

1. Warm up for 10 minutes with a light jog.

2. Run 4 minutes at your VO2 max + 3-minute recovery jog.

3. Repeat this four times.

4. Cool down for 10 minutes with a light jog.

Instead of time, you can also measure your workouts by distance. Just be sure your time at your VO2 max stays between three and five minutes:

Workout #3: VO2 Max Long Interval Training

1. Warm up for 10 minutes with a light jog.

2. Run 1 kilometer at your VO2 max + 3-4 minute recovery jog.

3. Repeat this four times.

4. Cool down for 10 minutes with a light jog.

These aerobic fitness workouts are short and sweet but believe me, at this effort, you’ll be ready to call it quits after the last intense exercise repeat.

Now let’s look at a longer option:

Workout #4: VO2 Max Tempo Training + Fast Finish

With tempo runs, the higher-intensity intervals will be longer, therefore the desired effort level for the longer section will lower from 100% to 85% of your VO2 max, then bounce back up for the closers.

1. Warm up for 10 minutes with a light jog.

2. Run 10 minutes at a tempo effort or 80-85% of your VO2 max.

3. Run a 5-minute recovery jog.

4. Run 3 minutes at your VO2 max + 3-minute recovery jog, repeat four times.

5. Cool down for 10 minutes with a light jog.

As your tolerance for running at this hard effort increases, you can gradually increase the time of your tempo run.

Another incredibly successful workout to improve your VO2 max is, you’ve guessed it – hills!

Don’t dread the hills as they are so helpful when improving countless facets of running. As running uphill pushes the limits of your athletic performance, it’s a surefire way to work your VO2 max.

For these next workouts, try and find a runnable hill, with a 3% – 5% grade. Be sure your hill isn’t too steep or you won’t be able to run.

Workout #5: VO2 Max Hill Training

1. Warm up for 10 minutes with a light jog on a flat surface close by.

2. Run 3 minutes uphill at or just below your VO2 max. Jog down back to your starting point to recover. Repeat 6-7 times.

3. Cool down with a 5-10 minute light jog.

As you improve, increase the uphill interval.

If you need to work out indoors, you can do these workouts on a treadmill just as easily. With the hills, it’s even easier to control the grade of the incline to make sure it is not too steep.