Estimate your VO2 max three ways — from a recent race result, the Cooper 12-minute test, or your heart rate. Pick whichever data you have.
Est. VO2 max
38.3ml/kg/min
Fitness band
Average
Daniels & Gilbert race estimate (your VDOT)
VO2 max sets the ceiling on your aerobic performance. Two athletes with the same VO2 max can still race differently depending on efficiency and lactate threshold, but raising your VO2 max raises what's possible. It's why it appears on most modern GPS watches and training platforms.
A single estimate is noisy; the trend over months is the signal. If you connect ActivityStat to Strava, your performance metrics are written into every activity automatically — so you can watch your fitness move in the right direction without re-testing constantly.
These estimates are for training guidance only and aren't medical advice.
VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen your body can use per minute, measured in millilitres per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). It's one of the best single indicators of aerobic fitness — the higher it is, the more sustained power your aerobic system can produce.
A lab test with a gas-analysis mask is the gold standard. Field estimates like these are approximations: the race-based (Daniels) method is usually the most reliable for trained runners, the Cooper test depends on pacing a maximal 12 minutes, and the heart-rate method is the roughest because it relies on an accurate resting and max heart rate.
It varies hugely by age and sex. As a rough guide for adults, 30–38 ml/kg/min is fair to average, 45+ is good, 52+ is very good, and 60+ is excellent or competitive. Trained endurance athletes often sit in the high 50s to 70s.
The most effective stimulus is interval training near VO2 max intensity — for example 3–5 minute hard efforts with recovery jogs — layered on a base of consistent aerobic mileage. Improvements come over weeks and months, so tracking the trend matters more than any single test.
ActivityStat connects to Strava and writes your pace, power zones, cadence, and performance trends straight into each activity description. Free to start.