Tools · VO2 max
VO2 max calculator for cycling and running.
Estimate your VO2 max (VO2max) from a field test. Choose a published equation, enter your power or run result, and see how your 5-minute power compares.
Dr Graeme Stewart
Last reviewed
5-minute power
– W/kg
Estimated VO2 max
– ml/kg/min
Want thresholds, training zones and race fuelling from the same test?
Get your full profile in FuelingSenseRanking
5-minute power chart: watts per kilo by category
The ranking uses 5-minute power per kilogram, the number you produced, in place of the VO2 max estimated from it.
| Category | Men (W/kg) | Women (W/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| World class international pro | 7.19 | 6.24 |
| Exceptional domestic pro | 6.57 | 5.68 |
| Excellent cat 1 | 5.95 | 5.13 |
| Very good cat 2 | 5.33 | 4.57 |
| Good cat 3 | 4.60 | 3.93 |
| Moderate cat 4 | 3.98 | 3.37 |
| Fair cat 5 | 3.36 | 2.82 |
| Untrained non-racer | 2.74 | 2.26 |
Values are the middle of each category in Dr Andrew Coggan's power profile chart. The full chart runs from 2.33 to 7.60 W/kg for men and 1.89 to 6.61 for women, and neighbouring categories overlap. The calculator places you in the nearest category. Coggan built the chart by anchoring the top on world-champion performances and the bottom on untrained people. It describes young adults and is not adjusted for age. Source: Coggan, Creating Your Power Profile, and Allen and Coggan, Training and Racing with a Power Meter.
Your column is adjusted for age. The adjustment is mine, not Coggan's, who chose not to publish age-specific standards. It scales each value down by about 6.5% per decade over 40 for men and 7.4% for women, the rate of decline in my own VO2 max benchmarks for endurance athletes. It assumes 5-minute power falls with age at the same rate as VO2 max.
Why power and not VO2 max? The same athlete can get VO2 max values several ml/kg/min apart from different tests and equations. Five-minute power on your own power meter is what you measured, so it is the steadier yardstick.
The models
Same athlete, different answers.
Each equation was built on a different test and a different group of people. The power you enter has to come from the test that model was built on.
VO2 max equations compared
| Model | Sport | Test you need | Equation (ml/kg/min unless stated) | Built on | Reported accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endurance Signals / FuelingSense | Cycling | Best 5-minute power | 12.3563 × W/kg − 0.4508 | Fitted to 5-minute power; compared with INSCYD cycling profiles | R² 0.97 against INSCYD profiles |
| Sitko et al. (2022) | Cycling | 5-minute maximal effort | 16.6 + 8.87 × W/kg | 46 road cyclists | Read 6.6 ml/kg/min low in 49 other cyclists |
| Hawley and Noakes (1992) | Cycling | Step test, 25 W per 150 s | 0.01141 × W + 0.435 (L/min) | 100 trained cyclists and triathletes | r = 0.97; standard error 0.28 L/min |
| Storer et al. (1990) | Cycling | Ramp, 15 W per minute | Men: 10.51 × W + 6.35 × kg − 10.49 × age + 519.3 (ml/min) | 231 sedentary adults aged 20 to 70 | Standard error 2.6 (men) and 2.3 (women) ml/kg/min; read 10 high in competitive male cyclists on a faster ramp |
| FRIEND, Kokkinos et al. (2018) | Cycling | Ramp test | Men: 1.76 × (W × 6.12 ÷ kg) + 3.5. Women: 1.65 | 5,100 healthy adults aged 18 to 87 | Within 1% on average in its own sample; 3.6 high (men) and 1.1 high (women) in competitive cyclists |
| FuelingSense running | Running | 3-minute and 6-minute runs | −11.373 + 14.311 × v6 + 5.055 × (v3 − v6) | Not published | No published validation |
| Balke (1963) | Running | 15-minute run | 6.5 + 12.5 × km | Not stated in the sources checked | Not reported in the sources checked |
| 6-minute MAS test | Running | 6-minute run | 3.5 × speed in km/h | Oxygen cost of running, Léger and Mercier (1984) | Depends on your running economy |
Each model in detail
- Endurance Signals and FuelingSense
VO2max = 12.3563 × (5-min power ÷ body mass) − 0.4508. Input: your best all-out 5-minute power. This is the model I use in both apps. Limits: results are held between 20 and 85 ml/kg/min.
- Sitko et al. (2022)
VO2max = 16.6 + 8.87 × (5-min power ÷ body mass). Input: a 5-minute maximal effort. Built on 46 road cyclists with a mean VO2max of 61 ml/kg/min. An independent check on 49 male cyclists (Borszcz et al., 2024) found it read 6.6 ml/kg/min low on average.
- Hawley and Noakes (1992)
VO2max (L/min) = 0.01141 × peak power + 0.435. Input: peak power from a step test with 150-second stages, starting at 3.33 W/kg, rising 50 W after the first stage and 25 W per stage after that. Built on 100 trained cyclists and triathletes (54 men, 46 women) with peak powers from 140 to 515 W. Peak power explained 94% of the variation in measured VO2max, with a standard error of 0.28 L/min. Age, height, body mass and sex did not improve the prediction, so one equation covers men and women.
- Storer, Davis and Caiozzo (1990)
Men: VO2max (ml/min) = 10.51 × W + 6.35 × kg − 10.49 × age + 519.3. Women: 9.39 × W + 7.7 × kg − 5.88 × age + 136.7. Input: the maximal work rate from a 15 W per minute ramp, taken over a complete 30-second interval at the end of the test. Built on 231 healthy, sedentary adults aged 20 to 70; the highest work rate in the sample was 294 W. Standard error: 212 ml/min for men, 147 ml/min for women (about 2.6 and 2.3 ml/kg/min). The authors state that the equations may be specific to the 15 W per minute protocol. An independent check in 38 adolescents aged 13 to 18, half of them elite tennis players, found a standard error of 3.0 ml/kg/min, with the equations reading about 1.5 ml/kg/min low on average (Jung et al., 2001). In 580 competitive cyclists tested on a faster 20 W per minute ramp, the same equations read 10.1 ml/kg/min high in men and 2.1 high in women (Jurov et al., 2023). Use this model with the 15 W per minute test it was built on.
- FRIEND equation (Kokkinos et al., 2018)
Men: VO2max = 1.76 × (W × 6.12 ÷ kg) + 3.5. Women: 1.65 × (W × 6.12 ÷ kg) + 3.5. Input: maximal power from a ramp test to exhaustion. Built on 5,100 healthy adults aged 18 to 87 (3,378 men, 1,722 women) tested in laboratories in the United States and Europe, which did not all use the same protocol. The men's mean VO2max was 42 ml/kg/min, so this was a general population and not an athletic one. In that group the equation was within 1% of measured VO2max on average. In 580 competitive cyclists tested on a 20 W per minute ramp it was the most accurate of four equations, reading 3.6 ml/kg/min high in men and 1.1 high in women (Jurov et al., 2023). If you have done a standard fast ramp test, use this model.
- Balke 15-minute run
VO2max = 6.5 + 12.5 × kilometres covered in 15 minutes. Input: the distance you cover in a maximal 15-minute run on a track or flat course (Balke, 1963).
- 6-minute MAS test
MAS = distance in 6 minutes ÷ time. VO2max = 3.5 × MAS in km/h. Maximal aerobic speed (MAS) is the slowest speed at which you reach VO2max; a maximal effort of about 6 minutes sits close to it. The 3.5 factor is the average oxygen cost of running (Léger and Mercier, 1984), so runners with unusually good or poor economy will read high or low.
- FuelingSense running model
VO2max = −11.373 + 14.311 × v6 + 5.055 × (v3 − v6), where v3 and v6 are your average speeds in metres per second for all-out 3-minute and 6-minute runs. The 6-minute speed carries most of the estimate; the gap between the two efforts adds a correction for how quickly your speed falls away.
Why test duration matters
"Peak power" is not one number. A 15 W per minute ramp finishes at a higher power than a test with 150-second stages, because the faster ramp lets you ride further past the power you can hold aerobically. A 5-minute all-out effort gives a different number again. Put a 5-minute power into a ramp equation, or a ramp peak into a 5-minute equation, and the answer shifts by several ml/kg/min before any real change in fitness.
The same applies to running. A 6-minute effort is run close to maximal aerobic speed; a 15-minute effort is run well below it. Each equation already accounts for its own duration, so keep test and model matched, and compare a result only with earlier results from the same test and model.
Our model
A modified Storer equation, built on 5-minute power.
Storer showed that power at the end of a maximal test, with body mass, predicts VO2max closely. The model in Endurance Signals and FuelingSense keeps that straight-line form and changes two things.
The input is 5-minute power, not ramp power. A 5-minute best effort can be done on any power meter, repeated every few weeks, and found automatically in training data. A ramp to exhaustion needs a controlled ergometer and a fixed protocol.
The coefficients were refitted. Five-minute power is lower than the peak of a fast ramp, so the slope has to be steeper: 12.36 ml/kg/min per W/kg, with an intercept close to zero. The age and sex terms are dropped. I also validated it against a wide range of INSCYD cycling profiles (R² 0.97 for VO2max).
That comparison is with INSCYD's estimates, not with gas exchange directly. INSCYD has itself been checked against laboratory testing in 11 trained cyclists, where its VO2 max had a typical error of 2.15 ml/kg/min (Podlogar et al., 2022).
The two models agree at a 5-minute power of about 4.9 W/kg. Below that, ours gives the lower VO2max: at 4 W/kg it gives 49 and Sitko gives 52. Above it, ours gives the higher one: at 6 W/kg it gives 74 and Sitko gives 70. That is expected. They are different fits to different groups, and neither is a gas measurement.
Model chaining
Five-minute power is the first link.
In both apps each estimate feeds the next. That is model chaining. VO2 max is one link in the chain, and your measured power is where it starts.
Field test
5-minute power sets VO2max. A 20-second sprint, with fat-free mass, sets VLamax, the glycolytic side of the profile.
Efficiency
VO2max sets gross efficiency: how much metabolic energy each watt costs. Higher VO2max, slightly lower efficiency.
Thresholds
5-minute power and VLamax give LT2 (maximal lactate steady state). LT2 and VLamax give LT1.
Fuel use
Efficiency turns watts into energy burned. The thresholds and VLamax split that energy into fat and carbohydrate at every intensity.
Decisions
Training zones, FatMax, carbohydrate per hour for race day, and running paces all come from the links above.
Terms. LT1 is the first lactate threshold, the top of easy aerobic riding. LT2 is the second threshold, the highest power you can hold in a steady state. VLamax is the maximal rate of lactate production, a marker of sprint capacity. FatMax is the intensity at which you burn the most fat.
Errors travel down the chain. If the 5-minute effort was paced badly, every number after it moves. So the first link has to be a clean, maximal test.
Every link is a fixed calculation. The same inputs always give the same outputs. No AI model invents a number at any step.
The chain is anchored in performance. It starts from power or speed you produced, so the outputs come back in watts and paces you can train with.
Retest the inputs, not the outputs. When fitness changes, repeat the two efforts and the whole chain updates together.
I explain why the same athlete gets different VO2 max values from different tests in Why your VO2 max is different on every test.
Common questions
VO2 max questions, answered.
How do I calculate VO2 max from watts?
Use an equation that matches the test you did. From a best 5-minute effort, the model used in Endurance Signals and FuelingSense is VO2max = 12.3563 × (5-minute power ÷ body mass) − 0.4508. A 75 kg rider holding 300 W for 5 minutes gets 49 ml/kg/min. From a ramp test, use the FRIEND or Hawley and Noakes equations with the peak power from that test.
What is a good VO2 max?
There is no single good figure, because the value depends on the test and the equation used to get it. The same athlete can differ by several ml/kg/min between methods. A steadier yardstick is the power you produced. On Coggan's power profile, 5-minute power of about 4.6 W/kg for men and 3.9 W/kg for women sits in the Good (cat 3) category, and about 6.0 and 5.1 W/kg in Excellent (cat 1).
What is a good 5-minute power in watts per kilo?
On Coggan's power profile the middle of each category for men is about 2.7 W/kg (Untrained), 3.4 (Fair), 4.0 (Moderate), 4.6 (Good), 5.3 (Very good), 6.0 (Excellent), 6.6 (Exceptional) and 7.2 (World class). For women it is about 2.3, 2.8, 3.4, 3.9, 4.6, 5.1, 5.7 and 6.2. The chart describes young adults and is not adjusted for age.
Which VO2 max equation is the most accurate?
No single equation wins everywhere. Each one is most accurate for the test and the kind of athlete it was built on. In 580 competitive cyclists on a ramp test, the FRIEND equation was closest to measured VO2max, while the Storer equation read about 10 ml/kg/min too high in the men. Track the change in your own result from one test and one model.
Can I calculate VO2 max from FTP?
Not directly with the models on this page. They need a maximal effort: 5-minute power or the peak power from a ramp or step test. FTP is a sustained threshold power and sits at a different fraction of VO2max in different athletes, so it is a poor input for these equations.
How do I estimate VO2 max from a run?
Run a maximal effort of fixed duration and enter the distance. The Balke test uses 15 minutes: VO2max = 6.5 + 12.5 × kilometres covered. The 6-minute test takes your average speed as maximal aerobic speed and multiplies it by 3.5. The FuelingSense model uses a 3-minute and a 6-minute run.
Is VO2max the same as VO2 max?
Yes. Both spellings mean maximal oxygen uptake: the most oxygen your body can use per minute, usually given in millilitres per kilogram of body mass per minute (ml/kg/min).
Will this match the VO2 max on my watch?
Probably not exactly. Watches estimate VO2 max from heart rate against pace or power in everyday training. These models use a maximal test. Expect a few ml/kg/min of difference, and compare each number only with its own earlier values.
References
The papers.
Free full text is linked where it exists. The others link to the publisher's page.
- Model
Storer TW, Davis JA, Caiozzo VJ (1990). Accurate prediction of VO2max in cycle ergometry. Med Sci Sports Exerc 22(5):704–712. Publisher page
- Model
Hawley JA, Noakes TD (1992). Peak power output predicts maximal oxygen uptake and performance time in trained cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol 65:79–83. Publisher page
- Model
Kokkinos P, Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Zhang J, Myers J (2018). A new generalized cycle ergometry equation for predicting maximal oxygen uptake: the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Eur J Prev Cardiol 25:1077–1082. Publisher page
- Model
Sitko S, Cirer-Sastre R, Corbi F, López-Laval I (2022). Five-minute power-based test to predict maximal oxygen consumption in road cycling. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 17(1):9–15. Publisher page
- Validation
Jurov I, Cvijić M, Toplišek J (2023). Predicting VO2max in competitive cyclists: is the FRIEND equation the optimal choice? Front Physiol 14:987006. Tests Storer and FRIEND in 580 competitive cyclists. Free full text
- Validation
Borszcz FK, Tramontin AF, de Lucas RD, Costa VP (2024). Is the 5-minute time-trial cycling test a valid predictor of maximal oxygen uptake? An external cross-validation study. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 19(6):565–575. Tests the Sitko equation. Publisher page
- Validation
Podlogar T, Cirnski S, Bokal Š, Kogoj T (2022). Utility of INSCYD athletic performance software to determine maximal lactate steady state and maximal oxygen uptake in cyclists. J Sci Cycling 11(1). Free full text
- Validation
Jung AP, Nieman DC, Kernodle MW (2001). Prediction of maximal aerobic power in adolescents from cycle ergometry. Pediatr Exerc Sci 13(2):167–172. Tests Storer in adolescents. Publisher page
- Background
Coyle EF, Coggan AR, Hopper MK, Walters TJ (1988). Determinants of endurance in well-trained cyclists. J Appl Physiol 64(6):2622–2630. Why VO2max alone does not rank trained cyclists. Publisher page
- Ranking
Coggan AR. Creating your power profile. TrainingPeaks. Free article
- Running
Balke B (1963). A simple field test for the assessment of physical fitness. Civil Aeromedical Research Institute Report 63-18. Free full text
- Running
Léger L, Mercier D (1984). Gross energy cost of horizontal treadmill and track running. Sports Med 1(4):270–277. Publisher page
- Running
Bellenger CR et al. (2015). Predicting maximal aerobic speed through set distance time-trials. Eur J Appl Physiol 115(12):2593–2598. Publisher page
- Running
Determination, measurement, and validation of maximal aerobic speed (2023). Sci Rep 13. Free full text
- Running
The 6-minute run test: validation and reference equations for adults (2024). Int J Sports Med. Publisher page
These are estimates for training, not a medical assessment. Maximal tests are hard efforts; check with your doctor first if you have any health concerns.