What is a good VO2 max for my age?

It depends on your age and sex. Against the FRIEND registry, the 50th percentile is average for your group, the 75th percentile and above is good, and the 90th percentile and above is excellent. A 42-year-old man at 45 ml/kg/min, for example, sits around the 75th percentile. Use the calculator above to find your own percentile.

How accurate is estimating VO2 max from resting heart rate?

It is a rough estimate. The resting-heart-rate method (Uth et al., 2004) assumes a typical relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake, so it is useful as a ballpark but it is not a substitute for a measured test. A wearable reading or a proper test is more accurate. In studio, Catalyst measures cardiorespiratory fitness with the YMCA 3-minute step test.

How do I improve my VO2 max?

The most reliable approach is a mix of higher-volume easy aerobic work, often called zone 2, and a smaller dose of harder intervals near your ceiling, progressed gradually over months. Strength training supports it by improving the muscle that does the work. Improvements of several points over a training block are realistic for most people who start below average.

Why does VO2 max matter for healthspan?

Cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality in the research literature, often stronger than smoking, blood pressure, or cholesterol as a single measure. It is one of the four pillars Catalyst measures because a higher VO2 max is associated with more healthy years, not just better race times.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness

VO2 Max Calculator by Age and Sex

A good VO2 max depends on your age and sex. On the FRIEND registry, a man in his 40s sits at a median around 38 ml/kg/min, with 45 and above in the top quartile; a woman in her 40s sits around 27, with 32 and above top-quartile. VO2 max falls roughly 7 to 10 percent per decade after 30, but consistent training slows and can even reverse the decline.

See where your VO2 max sits for your age and sex. We benchmark against the FRIEND registry, the current reference standard for cardiorespiratory fitness, because it reflects modern treadmill data rather than older norms. Don't know your number? Estimate it from your resting heart rate, then check what counts as a good score.

What your VO2 max actually tells you

VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during hard effort, measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute. It is the single best number for cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the strongest predictors of how long and how well you will live. A higher VO2 max is associated with more healthy years, which is why it is one of the four pillars we measure at Catalyst.

Your number naturally declines with age, roughly 7 to 10 percent per decade if you do nothing about it. The good news is that training slows and can reverse that decline. That is the whole point of measuring it: a percentile tells you where you stand today, and a re-test tells you whether your training is working.

FRIEND registry VO2 max percentiles

Treadmill VO2 max (ml/kg/min) by age and sex. Source: Kaminsky et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2015 (FRIEND registry). For the full table as a stand-alone reference, see the VO2 max chart by age and sex.

Men

Age	10th	25th	50th	75th	90th
20 to 29	32.1	40.1	48	55.2	61.8
30 to 39	30.2	35.9	42.4	49.2	56.5
40 to 49	26.8	31.9	37.8	45	52.1
50 to 59	22.8	27.1	32.6	39.7	45.6
60 to 69	19.8	23.7	28.2	34.5	40.3
70 and over	17.1	20.4	24.4	30.4	36.6

Women

Age	10th	25th	50th	75th	90th
20 to 29	23.9	30.5	37.6	44.7	51.3
30 to 39	20.9	25.3	30.2	36.1	41.4
40 to 49	18.8	22.1	26.7	32.4	38.4
50 to 59	17.3	19.9	23.4	27.6	32
60 to 69	14.6	17.2	20	23.8	27
70 and over	13.6	15.6	18.3	20.8	23.1

VO2 max, common questions

What is a good VO2 max for my age?: It depends on your age and sex. Against the FRIEND registry, the 50th percentile is average for your group, the 75th percentile and above is good, and the 90th percentile and above is excellent. A 42-year-old man at 45 ml/kg/min, for example, sits around the 75th percentile. Use the calculator above to find your own percentile.
How accurate is estimating VO2 max from resting heart rate?: It is a rough estimate. The resting-heart-rate method (Uth et al., 2004) assumes a typical relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake, so it is useful as a ballpark but it is not a substitute for a measured test. A wearable reading or a proper test is more accurate. In studio, Catalyst measures cardiorespiratory fitness with the YMCA 3-minute step test.
How do I improve my VO2 max?: The most reliable approach is a mix of higher-volume easy aerobic work, often called zone 2, and a smaller dose of harder intervals near your ceiling, progressed gradually over months. Strength training supports it by improving the muscle that does the work. Improvements of several points over a training block are realistic for most people who start below average.
Why does VO2 max matter for healthspan?: Cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality in the research literature, often stronger than smoking, blood pressure, or cholesterol as a single measure. It is one of the four pillars Catalyst measures because a higher VO2 max is associated with more healthy years, not just better race times.

More complimentary Healthspan calculators

Strength

Grip Strength Test →

Body Composition

Waist-to-Height Ratio →

Stability

Sitting-Rising Test →

Overall

Fitness Age Calculator →

GLP-1 / weight-loss meds

GLP-1 Muscle-Loss Calculator →

Running

Running Pace Calculator →

Running

Heart Rate Zones Calculator →

Body Composition

Fat Loss Calculator →

Nutrition

Protein Intake Calculator →

Body Composition

Body Fat Percentage Calculator →

All calculators + the Healthspan Audit →