VO2 Max Chart by Age and Gender: What's a Good Score?

One of the best single numbers in determining the length and quality of your life is your VO2 max. A VO2 max chart is an example of how your heart and lung fitness compares with those of other people of your age and sex. The more, the better your body will pull in and utilize oxygen during intense exercise.

Here, you will get a complete VO2 max chart by age and gender, and understandable guidelines to increase your score. You will find out what the numbers are, how to test your fitness either at home or in a laboratory and what habits keep your heart safe as you age. Every little increase in fitness is associated with a large decrease in the chances of premature death, so it is a value worth knowing.

What is VO2 max?

VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake) is the highest amount of oxygen your body can consume in one minute of all-out exercise. It is calculated as the number of milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). Imagine it as your in-built aerobic motor. Having a larger engine will allow one to walk faster, be able to climb up stairs without any issues, and recover easier after being sick. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic refer to it as an objective view of your health since it shows how your heart, lungs, blood and muscles are performing as a team.

VO2 Max Chart by Age and Gender

The fitness level ranges of VO2 max consist of poor, below average, average, above average, good and excellent. The maximum score is at the beginning of your 20s and tends to decline by about 10 percent every 10 years after the age of 25. The average of men is about 15 percent higher, compared to women. Follow the vo2 max chart below and determine your fitness level according to your age and sex.

Trainers, clinicians and sports watch brands commonly use these vo2 max norms. They are based on Cooper Institute-derived data that is reprinted in ACSM guides.

Men (ml/kg/min)

Women (ml/kg/min)

What is a good VO2 max?

What is a good vo2 max depends on your age and sex. As a rule of thumb, a score in the "good" row for your age group puts you in the top 25% of peers. That's also the group tied to the lowest long-term death risk in large studies. A 40-year-old man with a score of 46 is average. The same score in a 40-year-old woman is in the "excellent" range.

A good vo2 max score for longevity sits above the 50th vo2 max percentile for your age and sex. Each 1-MET (about 3.5 ml/kg/min) jump in your vo2 max is linked to a 13% to 17% lower chance of dying from any cause.

What does each score feel like in real life?

Numbers can feel abstract. Here's what each fitness level looks like in everyday terms:

• 20–25 ml/kg/min: Climbing two flights of stairs leaves you winded. Carrying groceries up a hill is hard.

• 30–35 ml/kg/min: You can walk briskly for 30 minutes without stopping. Jogging for one minute feels tough.

• 40–45 ml/kg/min: You can jog 3 miles without walking. You can play with kids in the park for an hour.

• 50–55 ml/kg/min: You can run a 25-minute 5K. Hiking for a full day feels easy.

• 60+ ml/kg/min: You can finish a half marathon under 1:45. You're in the top 10% for your age.

How VO2 max changes with age

Your vo2 max by age follows a clear curve. It rises during childhood, peaks in your early 20s, and slides about 10% per decade after age 25 to 30. The drop may speed up after age 60, especially for women after menopause.

But most of that decline is not "just aging." Research suggests that 50% to 70% of the loss comes from being inactive, not biology. Adults who keep training regularly lose fitness at only about half the rate of people who sit most of the day. Even people in their 60s and 70s can raise their vo2 max by 5% to 10% in 8 to 12 weeks of steady training.

What controls your VO2 max?

Some factors are baked in. Others you can change. The table below shows the rough impact of each one and where you can make gains.

The takeaway: about 40% to 50% of your score is in your hands. That's why two siblings with similar genes can have very different scores in their 40s — one trained, one didn't.

How is VO2 max measured?

The gold standard is a lab test called cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). You wear a mask while walking or biking at rising speed until you can't continue. The mask tracks the oxygen you breathe in and the carbon dioxide you breathe out. A CPET test gives the most accurate number and usually costs $150 to $300 at a sports clinic.

You can also estimate your score using:

• A smart watch (Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit). Studies show these run within 5% to 15% of lab results but may miss the mark for very fit or very unfit people.

• The Cooper 12-minute run test. Run as far as you can in 12 minutes. A free vo2 max calculator uses this formula: (distance in meters − 504.9) ÷ 44.73.

• The Rockport 1-mile walk test. Walk one mile as fast as you can, then put your time and heart rate into a vo2 max calculator online.

Field tests work best as starting points. For serious health decisions, ask your doctor for a lab test.

How to improve your VO2 max

You can improve your vo2 max at any age. Most people see a 5% to 15% gain in 8 to 12 weeks of steady work. These methods are backed by research:

• Zone 2 training. Walk, jog, or bike at a pace where you can still speak in full sentences. Aim for 150 minutes a week, as the American Heart Association suggests.

• High-intensity intervals (HIIT). Try the Norwegian 4x4: warm up, then do 4 minutes hard, 3 minutes easy, four times. Do this once or twice a week.

• Strength training. Lift weights two days a week. Stronger legs and core use oxygen more efficiently.

• Daily steps. Aim for 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day.

• Sleep and nutrition. Sleep 7 to 9 hours and eat enough iron-rich foods. Low iron caps your oxygen-carrying power.

Tip: A health companion app like August AI can help you log workouts, ask plain-language questions about your numbers, and notice trends over weeks so small wins add up.

When to see a doctor

Talk to a doctor before starting hard training if you:

• Are over 45 (men) or 55 (women) and haven't exercised in years

• Get chest pain, dizziness, or sudden shortness of breath on mild effort

• Have known heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, or diabetes

• Faint or nearly faint during exercise

• Notice your watch's vo2 max score drop by 5 points or more in a few weeks

Call 911 if you have chest pain, fainting, or severe shortness of breath during or after exercise.

Health risks of a low VO2 max

A low score isn't just about fitness — it predicts your odds of serious illness. The table below comes from a Cleveland Clinic study of 122,007 adults tracked for over 8 years.

Beyond early death, a low vo2 max is tied to a higher chance of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancer, dementia, and losing the ability to live on your own after 70.

The good news: moving just one tier up — say, from "low" to "below average" — can cut your risk by 30% to 50%. You don't need to reach elite. You just need to start moving up the vo2 max chart.