This is the full VO2 max percentile chart — the same reference table used by the American College of Sports Medicine, sourced from The Cooper Institute's Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. Values are in ml/kg/min. Find your age row and compare your score to the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentile columns.
Don't know your VO2 max yet? Calculate it in 2 minutes using one of 17 field tests, or enter a known value to see your percentile.
Men — VO2 max by age (ml/kg/min)
Men typically test 15–20% higher than women of the same age due to differences in hemoglobin concentration, heart size relative to body weight, and lean mass percentage. The 50th-percentile (median) value for men peaks in the 20–29 bracket at 48.0 ml/kg/min and declines to 24.4 by the 70–79 bracket.
| Age | 5th | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Values are VO2 max in ml/kg/min. Source: The Cooper Institute (see /methodology/).
Women — VO2 max by age (ml/kg/min)
For women, the 50th-percentile VO2 max peaks at 37.6 ml/kg/min in the 20–29 bracket and declines to 18.3 by 70–79. A female masters athlete in the 90th percentile for her age will typically match or exceed the 50th-percentile value of a woman 20 years younger.
| Age | 5th | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Values are VO2 max in ml/kg/min. Source: The Cooper Institute (see /methodology/).
Fitness categories
ACSM groups percentile bands into six fitness categories. These apply within each age-and-sex bracket — a 50-year-old man with VO2 max 40 ml/kg/min sits above the 75th percentile for his age, so his category is "Good," even though the same number would be "Average" for a 25-year-old.
| Category | Percentile range | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | Below 20th | Elevated cardiovascular risk; meaningful gains possible with 8–12 weeks of training. |
| Fair | 20th–39th | Below-average fitness; structured aerobic training typically yields 10–15% gains. |
| Average | 40th–59th | Typical sedentary-to-lightly-active adult. |
| Good | 60th–79th | Regular exerciser; solid cardiorespiratory reserve. |
| Excellent | 80th–94th | Serious recreational athlete; strong longevity signal. |
| Superior | 95th and above | Competitive-athlete territory; top 5% of general population. |
VO2 max chart for children and teens (ages 10–17)
The Cooper Institute percentile tables above start at age 20. For anyone younger, the standard reference is not a percentile at all — it is FITNESSGRAM®, the assessment used in most U.S. school physical-education programs. Instead of ranking a child against their peers, it places them in one of three zones, because the cutoffs were set by finding the VO2 max level below which metabolic-syndrome risk starts to rise in NHANES data. A child in the Healthy Fitness Zone has enough aerobic capacity for health; the goal is the zone, not a high percentile.
The two sexes diverge after age 12. Boys' cutoffs climb through puberty — from 40.2 at age 10 to 44.2 at 17 — while girls' drift slightly down, from 40.2 to 38.8. That is expected: it reflects normal differences in growth and body composition, not a decline in fitness.
Boys, ages 10–17
| Age | Health Risk | Needs Improvement | Healthy Fitness Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ≤ 37.3 | 37.4 – 40.1 | ≥ 40.2 |
| 11 | ≤ 37.3 | 37.4 – 40.1 | ≥ 40.2 |
| 12 | ≤ 37.6 | 37.7 – 40.2 | ≥ 40.3 |
| 13 | ≤ 38.6 | 38.7 – 41.0 | ≥ 41.1 |
| 14 | ≤ 39.6 | 39.7 – 42.4 | ≥ 42.5 |
| 15 | ≤ 40.6 | 40.7 – 43.5 | ≥ 43.6 |
| 16 | ≤ 41.0 | 41.1 – 44.0 | ≥ 44.1 |
| 17 | ≤ 41.2 | 41.3 – 44.1 | ≥ 44.2 |
VO2 max in ml/kg/min. FITNESSGRAM® FG2010 standards, The Cooper Institute.
Girls, ages 10–17
| Age | Health Risk | Needs Improvement | Healthy Fitness Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ≤ 37.3 | 37.4 – 40.1 | ≥ 40.2 |
| 11 | ≤ 37.3 | 37.4 – 40.1 | ≥ 40.2 |
| 12 | ≤ 37.0 | 37.1 – 40.0 | ≥ 40.1 |
| 13 | ≤ 36.6 | 36.7 – 39.6 | ≥ 39.7 |
| 14 | ≤ 36.3 | 36.4 – 39.3 | ≥ 39.4 |
| 15 | ≤ 36.0 | 36.1 – 39.0 | ≥ 39.1 |
| 16 | ≤ 35.8 | 35.9 – 38.8 | ≥ 38.9 |
| 17 | ≤ 35.7 | 35.8 – 38.7 | ≥ 38.8 |
VO2 max in ml/kg/min. FITNESSGRAM® FG2010 standards, The Cooper Institute.
Source: The Cooper Institute, FITNESSGRAM® FG2010 standards (implemented Fall 2010), derived from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Standards are not published for ages 5–9. From age 18 onward, use the adult percentile tables above.
How to read the chart
- Find your age row in the men's or women's table.
- Locate the column whose number is closest to your VO2 max.
- Read the column header — that is your percentile. A 42 ml/kg/min VO2 max for a 35-year-old man sits between the 50th and 75th columns (42.4 and 49.2), so his percentile is roughly 55th — "Average."
- For a precise percentile, use the percentile calculator — it interpolates between the listed breakpoints.
Track your VO2 max over time
The easiest way to retest every month is a running watch that computes VO2 max passively from your workouts. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I find my VO2 max percentile by age?
- Find your VO2 max value — or estimate it first with any calculator on this site — then locate your age and sex bracket in the tables above. Your value falls into one of the percentile ranges, from Poor to Superior. For example, a 40-year-old man with a VO2 max of 48 ml/kg/min sits around the 70th percentile ('Good').
- What is a good VO2 max for a 14-year-old?
- For children and teens the standard is FITNESSGRAM, not percentiles. A 14-year-old boy is in the Healthy Fitness Zone at 42.5 ml/kg/min or above; a 14-year-old girl at 39.4 or above. Below 39.6 (boys) or 36.3 (girls) falls in the Needs Improvement — Health Risk zone. Full tables for ages 10 to 17 are above.
- Where do these VO2 max norms come from?
- The percentile data is from The Cooper Institute's Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, a multi-decade cohort of more than 80,000 adults who completed maximal treadmill tests with direct gas analysis. It is the same dataset reproduced in ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 11th edition, Table 4.7.
- What VO2 max percentile is considered good?
- In the ACSM framework, 60th–79th percentile is "Good," 80th–94th is "Excellent," and 95th+ is "Superior." Below the 20th percentile is classified as "Poor," 20th–39th as "Fair," and 40th–59th as "Average." These cutoffs apply within each age and sex bracket.
- Why do VO2 max values decline with age?
- VO2 max typically drops about 10% per decade after age 30 due to reductions in maximal heart rate, stroke volume, and lean muscle mass. Regular aerobic training reduces this decline to roughly 5% per decade.
- Are these norms the same for athletes?
- No. These are general-population norms. Elite endurance athletes routinely exceed the 95th percentile — male Tour de France cyclists typically test at 70–85 ml/kg/min, and elite female distance runners at 65–75 ml/kg/min.