VO2 Max Calculator (Running, Walking, Cycling, Heart Rate)

Estimate your VO2 max from a field test

This VO2 max calculator estimates your maximal oxygen uptake, the best single measure of aerobic fitness, from a test you can do without a lab. Choose the Cooper 12-minute run, a timed 1.5-mile run, the Rockport one-mile walk, the resting and maximum heart rate method, or your best 5-minute cycling power. Results are in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute (mL/kg/min) with METs and litres per minute alongside.

Every number here is an estimate. Lab testing with a mask is the gold standard, and field equations can be off by around 5 mL/kg/min. They are still very useful for tracking your own progress with the same test under the same conditions.

How to use the VO2 Max Calculator

1. Pick a method and do the matching test: a flat, all-out run or brisk walk, or take heart-rate or power readings.
2. Fill in your age, sex and body weight where the method asks for them.
3. Enter the test result: distance covered, time taken, or heart rates or watts.
4. Read your estimated VO2 max, METs and oxygen per minute, and notes about the method’s limits.
5. Repeat the same test every few weeks and compare like with like.

VO2 Max Calculator features

The formulas and their sources

• Cooper 12-minute run (K. H. Cooper, JAMA 1968): VO2 max = 22.351 × distance in km − 11.288. Run as far as you can in 12 minutes.
• 1.5-mile run (Cooper-derived, ACSM guidelines): VO2 max = 483 ÷ time in minutes + 3.5.
• Rockport walk (Kline et al., 1987): 132.853 − 0.0769 × weight (lb) − 0.3877 × age + 6.315 (male) − 3.2649 × time (min) − 0.1565 × heart rate at the end. Validated for ages 30 to 69.
• Uth-Sørensen (Uth et al., 2004): VO2 max = 15.3 × maximum heart rate ÷ resting heart rate. Many sites round the 15.3 to 15.
• Cycling: the ACSM leg-ergometry equation, VO2 = 10.8 × watts ÷ kg + 7. It was written for steady-state loads, so applying it to a hard 5-minute power is an approximation.

Worked examples

Running 2,400 m in 12 minutes gives 22.351 × 2.4 − 11.288 = 42.4 mL/kg/min (12.1 METs). A 1.5-mile run in 12:00 gives 483 ÷ 12 + 3.5 = 43.8. With a maximum heart rate of 190 and a resting rate of 60, the Uth method gives 15.3 × 190 ÷ 60 = 48.5.

The methods disagree because they measure different things, so choose one and stick to it. For age-and-sex reference tables, see the American College of Sports Medicine’s guidelines or the Cooper Institute; this tool does not assign a fitness category because published tables differ.

Getting a trustworthy test

• Test when rested, hydrated and not ill, on a flat track or treadmill at 1% incline.
• Warm up for 10 minutes first, and pace evenly: a fast start ruins the 12-minute test.
• Use a chest strap for heart-rate tests; wrist sensors lag.
• Anyone with heart or lung disease, chest pain or a very low fitness level should get medical advice before maximal tests.

Related fitness tools

Combine your result with the heart rate zone calculator, the beep test and, for riders, the cycling power zones calculator. Smartwatch VO2 max readings use other algorithms and may differ.