VO2max & Fitness Age Calculator
VO2max Calculator
Estimate your VO2max, the single best number for cardiorespiratory fitness and long-term health, without a lab test. A quick camera scan and a few basics about you are all it takes.
Created by Maurice Lichtenberg, Founder, Longevity Cities · Updated
Point your camera at your face for about 60 seconds. Everything is processed locally in your browser and your heart and pulse-signal data never leaves your device. By starting, you consent to processing this data. Privacy policyBiometric data retention
This calculator is for general information and education only. It is not a medical device, does not provide a diagnosis or a fitness or health assessment of you personally, and does not replace assessment by a qualified physician. The result is a rough, population-based estimate for healthy adults calculated from the values you enter; it is least accurate at the extremes of fitness. Do not use it to start, stop or change any training, treatment or medication. Talk to a doctor before starting vigorous exercise if you have a heart condition or have been inactive.
Medical disclaimerYes, you can estimate your VO2max without a lab test. This free, no-login tool uses the validated HUNT non-exercise model (Nes et al. 2011) to estimate your VO2max and fitness age from your age, sex, resting heart rate, body size and activity. Because it is a self-report estimate, treat the result as a screening range of about ±5 to 6 ml/kg/min, not a CPET measurement. VO2max is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health and mortality, and you can get a resting-heart-rate estimate free from our 60-second face-age scan.
What VO2max is, and why it matters
VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during hard exercise, measured in millilitres per kilogram of bodyweight per minute (ml/kg/min). It is the best single measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, and one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality: higher fitness tracks with a longer, healthier life. A true VO2max needs a lab test with a mask and a treadmill, while this tool estimates it instead from things you already know.
Why resting heart rate (and the face-age scan)
A lower resting heart rate generally reflects a stronger, more efficient heart, which is why the HUNT model uses it as an input [1]. It is not the biggest driver (your age, body composition and especially how hard you train matter more), but it sharpens the estimate. Don't know your resting heart rate? Our face-age scan can estimate it from your webcam in about 60 seconds and carry it into this calculator.
Run the face-age scanHow accurate is a non-exercise estimate?
The HUNT model explains roughly 56 to 61% of the variation in measured VO2max, with a standard error of about 5 to 6 ml/kg/min [1, 4]. That is close to other non-exercise equations and good enough to place you in a fitness band, but not a substitute for a lab test. It tends to overestimate fitness in inactive people and underestimate it in well-trained athletes, so read your result as an orientation, not a verdict. The height-and-weight (BMI) and waist versions are about equally accurate [1, 2]; waist is marginally better.
How to move the number
VO2max is responsive to training in general. In the research, the inputs most associated with a higher estimate are training intensity (sessions hard enough to leave you breathing heavily) and a mix of easy aerobic volume with short, hard intervals over weeks to months; a lower body-fat level around the middle and a lower resting heart rate are also associated with higher values. What works for any individual is best discussed with a doctor or a qualified coach.
What is a good VO2max for your age?
These are the average (50th-percentile) VO2max values measured on a treadmill in healthy adults, by age and sex (FRIEND registry [3]). Landing above your row is above average for your age; below it is below average.
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 48 | 37.6 |
| 30–39 | 42.4 | 30.2 |
| 40–49 | 37.8 | 26.7 |
| 50–59 | 32.6 | 23.4 |
| 60–69 | 28.2 | 20 |
| 70–79 | 24.4 | 18.3 |
Values in ml/kg/min. Your own estimate above is placed on the full percentile range, not just this midpoint.
How this calculator works
No treadmill, no mask. Five inputs and one well-validated equation.
- 1You enter your sex, age, resting heart rate, body measurement (height and weight, or waist), and how you train.
- 2We combine your training frequency, session length and intensity into a single physical-activity index, exactly as the HUNT study does [1].
- 3We feed those into the HUNT non-exercise equation [1], the only validated model that uses your resting heart rate, to estimate your VO2max.
- 4We place that number on the FRIEND reference percentiles for your age and sex [3] to give you a fitness level and a fitness age.
- 5We show the estimate as a range, because a self-report model carries about ±5 to 6 ml/kg/min of uncertainty [4].
Read this as an estimate
Every input here is self-reported, and self-reported activity in particular tends to run optimistic, which biases the estimate upward. The model is most accurate for ordinary, middle-fitness adults and least accurate at the extremes. Use it to track your own trend over time rather than to compare yourself precisely to someone else, and if you want a real number, a graded exercise (CPET) test at a sports-medicine clinic is the gold standard.
Frequently asked questions
Can you really estimate VO2max without a treadmill test?
Yes, within limits. Non-exercise models like the HUNT equation [1] estimate VO2max from your age, sex, resting heart rate, body composition and activity level, and explain about 56 to 61% of the variation in measured VO2max [1, 4]. That is accurate enough to tell which fitness band you are in, but not a replacement for a lab (CPET) test, which stays the gold standard.
What is a good VO2max for my age?
It depends on age and sex. We place your estimate on the FRIEND treadmill reference percentiles [3]: roughly, above the 80th percentile for your age and sex sits in the top population band, around the 50th is typical, and below the 20th sits in the lower band. For a 40-year-old, a man around 38 ml/kg/min and a woman around 27 sit near the middle of the population. Fitness declines with age, so the bands shift down each decade.
How does resting heart rate affect the estimate?
A lower resting heart rate usually means a fitter, more efficient heart, and the HUNT model uses it as one input [1]. It is a helpful signal but not the main driver: your activity level and body composition matter more. You can measure your resting heart rate free with our 60-second face-age scan and bring it straight here.
Should I enter waist or height and weight?
Either works. The original HUNT model uses waist circumference [1]; a validated version swaps in BMI from height and weight [2], and the two are about equally accurate. Height and weight are easier to report accurately, so we default to them; add your waist if you have a tape measure and want the original model.
Why is my estimate a range, not one number?
Because the model has real uncertainty of about ±5 to 6 ml/kg/min, one standard error [1, 4]. Showing a single decimal would imply a precision the method does not have. Treat the midpoint as your best estimate and the range as where your true value probably sits.
How can I improve my VO2max?
In general, VO2max tends to rise with aerobic training that includes intensity, a combination of easy aerobic volume and short, hard intervals is what most studies associate with gains over weeks to months, and a lower resting heart rate and less excess waist fat are linked to higher values too. Consistency matters more than any single session. This is general information, not a training plan; a qualified coach or doctor can advise what fits you.
Which scientific model and studies is this based on?
The estimate uses the HUNT non-exercise model (Nes et al. 2011 [1]), with the height-and-weight (BMI) variant from Jalene et al. 2019 [2]. It is the same validated model deployed by NTNU's World Fitness Level calculator [5], whose activity scoring we reproduce exactly, so the full version of this tool matches that calculator. Your result is then placed on the FRIEND treadmill reference percentiles (Kaminsky et al. 2015 [3]) for the fitness level and fitness age, and the model's accuracy was independently validated in the HUNT3 cohort (Loe et al. 2016 [4]). Full citations are in the Sources section below.
Sources
The equation, the activity scoring and the reference percentiles come from these sources.
- Nes BM, Janszky I, Wisløff U, Støylen A, Karlsen T (2011). Estimating V̇O2peak from a nonexercise prediction model: the HUNT Study, Norway. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821d3f6f
- Jalene S, Pharr J, Shan G, Poston B (2019). Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Reported Depression in College Students. Frontiers in Physiology. doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.01191
- Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Myers J (2015). Reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing: data from the FRIEND registry. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.07.026
- Loe H, Nes BM, Wisløff U (2016). Predicting VO2peak from submaximal- and peak exercise models: the HUNT 3 Fitness Study, Norway. PLoS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144873
- NTNU / K.G. Jebsen Center for Exercise in Medicine (CERG) (2013). World Fitness Level / Fitness Calculator — operational deployment (launched 2013) of the HUNT non-exercise model (Nes et al. 2011). Norwegian University of Science and Technology. www.worldfitnesslevel.org
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