VO2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen use during maximal exercise, usually reported relative to body mass in mL/kg/min. The statistics below distinguish directly measured treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) from cycle-test estimates, estimated treadmill peak VO2 and associations from prior studies.
Key VO2 Max Statistics
These highlights span reference values, testing approaches, age patterns, training and health outcomes:
- In 2014–2015, the FRIEND treadmill-CPX median was 48.0 mL/kg/min for US men aged 20–29 without known cardiovascular disease.
- In 2014–2015, the FRIEND treadmill-CPX median was 37.6 mL/kg/min for US women aged 20–29 without known cardiovascular disease.
- In 2014–2015, the FRIEND treadmill-CPX median was 24.4 mL/kg/min for US men aged 70–79 without known cardiovascular disease.
- In 2014–2015, the FRIEND treadmill-CPX median was 18.3 mL/kg/min for US women aged 70–79 without known cardiovascular disease.
- Across the FRIEND 20–79 age span, median VO2max declined approximately 10% per decade among US adults without known cardiovascular disease.
- The FRIEND registry reported an average male-female VO2max difference of 27% among US adults aged 20–79 in 2014–2015.
- In the Swedish working-adult reference study from 2010–2022, the Åstrand test estimated mean relative VO2max at 36.9 mL/min/kg for men aged 20–69.
- In the same Swedish period, the Åstrand test estimated mean relative VO2max at 36.6 mL/min/kg for women aged 20–69.
- In Swedish working men aged 20–69 during 2010–2022, the Ekblom-Bak estimate was 42.4 mL/min/kg.
- In Swedish working women aged 20–69 during 2010–2022, the Ekblom-Bak estimate was 35.5 mL/min/kg.
- From the 20s to the 30s, Åstrand-estimated relative VO2max fell 6.4% per decade in Swedish working men during 2010–2022.
- From the 20s to the 30s, Åstrand-estimated relative VO2max fell 6.9% per decade in Swedish working women during 2010–2022.
- In a retrospective British screening dataset, median estimated peak VO2 was 36.9 mL/kg/min in men.
- In the same British dataset, median estimated peak VO2 was 36.5 mL/kg/min in women.
- In a 10-week randomized study, one 4-minute high-intensity interval increased VO2max about 10%, or 5.0 mL/kg/min, in inactive healthy overweight men aged 35–45.
- In that study, four 4-minute intervals increased VO2max about 13%, or 6.5 mL/kg/min, in the same population.
- Prior epidemiologic evidence summarized in 2016 associated low cardiorespiratory fitness with 2- to 5-fold higher cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in cited adult cohorts.
- The same evidence base associated a 1-MET fitness improvement with 10% to 25% lower mortality.
Contents
- VO2 max statistics by age and sex
- VO2 max percentile data from treadmill testing
- Estimated VO2 max statistics from submaximal cycling
- VO2 max trends, exercise and body-mass associations
- VO2 max training gains and health outcomes
VO2 Max Statistics by Age and Sex
The FRIEND registry provides treadmill CPX reference medians for US adults without known cardiovascular disease. Its measurement window was January 2014 to February 2015, and it was a clinical-laboratory registry rather than a national probability sample.
| Population | FRIEND median VO2max | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| US men aged 20–29 | 48.0 mL/kg/min | Treadmill CPX, 2014–2015 |
| US women aged 20–29 | 37.6 mL/kg/min | Treadmill CPX, 2014–2015 |
| US men aged 70–79 | 24.4 mL/kg/min | Treadmill CPX, 2014–2015 |
| US women aged 70–79 | 18.3 mL/kg/min | Treadmill CPX, 2014–2015 |
Source: Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measured With Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing.
Across the FRIEND age span of 20–79 years, the median decline was approximately 10% per decade. This is a cross-sectional age-group comparison, not longitudinal follow-up of the same people.
The registry reported an average male-female difference of 27%. The approximate absolute gap was 3 METs, or 10 mL/kg/min, among participants in their 20s, narrowing to about 2 METs, or 7.5 mL/kg/min, among participants in their 70s.
VO2 Max Percentile Data from Treadmill Testing
The FRIEND values above represent the 50th percentile, or median, within age and sex groups. They are registry reference values, not universal clinical cutoffs for what every person should achieve.
The 20–29 male median exceeded the 70–79 male median by 23.6 mL/kg/min, while the corresponding female difference was 19.3 mL/kg/min. Both sex-group and age-group VO2max differences were reported as statistically significant, although the source summary does not provide one pooled effect size for every comparison.
| Reference comparison | Reported pattern | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| FRIEND vs Cooper Clinic, men | Higher in the 20s, similar in the 30s, lower from the 40s onward | US male reference populations |
| FRIEND vs Cooper Clinic, women | Similar in the 20s and lower in later age groups | US female reference populations |
| FRIEND percentile model | 50th percentile values reported by age and sex | US clinical-laboratory registry |
The FRIEND authors described comparisons with Cooper Clinic values as observational because individual Cooper Clinic data were unavailable. The reported 50th-percentile figures therefore work best as context for treadmill CPX results, not as a standalone diagnosis or target.
A separate retrospective British screening study modeled the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th and 97th centiles for estimated cardiorespiratory fitness. Its values came from preventive-health clinics and estimated treadmill peak VO2, not direct VO2max measurement or a probability sample.
| British screening population | Median estimated peak VO2 | Interquartile range |
|---|---|---|
| British men | 36.9 mL/kg/min | 30.5–44.7 mL/kg/min |
| British women | 36.5 mL/kg/min | 30.1–44.8 mL/kg/min |
Estimated VO2 Max Statistics from Submaximal Cycling
Submaximal cycle tests estimate VO2max from exercise responses; they do not directly measure maximal gas exchange. A Swedish reference study covering 2010–2022 examined working adults aged 20–69 and reported results from both the Åstrand-test and the Ekblom-Bak test.
| Test and population | Absolute estimate | Relative estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Åstrand, Swedish men | 3.11 L/min | 36.9 mL/min/kg |
| Åstrand, Swedish women | 2.48 L/min | 36.6 mL/min/kg |
| Ekblom-Bak, Swedish men | 3.58 L/min | 42.4 mL/min/kg |
| Ekblom-Bak, Swedish women | 2.41 L/min | 35.5 mL/min/kg |
Source: Reference values for estimated VO2max by two submaximal cycle tests.
The two methods did not produce interchangeable values. Among Swedish men, the Åstrand relative estimate was 36.9 mL/min/kg versus 42.4 mL/min/kg for Ekblom-Bak; among Swedish women, the corresponding values were 36.6 and 35.5 mL/min/kg.
The absolute and relative presentations answer different questions. Absolute VO2max is expressed in L/min, while relative VO2max divides oxygen use by body mass, so a reader should compare like with like and retain the test method.
VO2 Max Trends, Exercise and Body-Mass Associations
The Swedish study found different age patterns depending on the estimation method. From the 20s to the 30s, Åstrand-estimated relative VO2max fell 6.4% per decade in men and 6.9% per decade in women; Ekblom-Bak estimates fell 7.3% per decade in men and 5.2% per decade in women.
These are cross-sectional age-group trends in estimated VO2max, not longitudinal aging rates. The study population was working adults, and exercise was self-reported.
| Predictor model | Åstrand estimate | Ekblom-Bak estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise level alone | 10% of variance | 8% of variance |
| Sex, age and exercise | 25% of variance | 43% of variance |
| BMI alone | 23% of variance | 29% of variance |
| BMI, sex and age | 34% of variance | 67% of variance |
Self-reported exercise level alone explained 10% of Åstrand-estimated VO2max variance and 8% of Ekblom-Bak-estimated variance. Sex, age and exercise together explained 25% and 43%, respectively, while BMI alone explained 23% and 29%.
BMI, sex and age together explained 34% of Åstrand-estimated variance and 67% of Ekblom-Bak-estimated variance. These are regression fits and associations involving a relative, body-mass-normalized outcome, not causal effect estimates.
VO2 Max Training Gains and Health Outcomes
A small 10-week randomized study examined inactive healthy overweight men aged 35–45. One 4-minute high-intensity interval per workout increased VO2max about 10%, or 5.0 mL/kg/min, while four 4-minute intervals increased it about 13%, or 6.5 mL/kg/min.
The four-interval group gained about 1.5 mL/kg/min more than the one-interval group, but the between-group result had p=0.08. The four-interval protocol used work intervals at 90% of maximal heart rate with 3-minute active recovery at 70% of maximal heart rate; the one-interval protocol used a 4-minute work interval at 90% of maximal heart rate.
A meta-analysis of interval-training cohorts published from 1968–2010 estimated a mean VO2max increase of 0.51 L/min and a standardized effect of 0.86 standard deviations among healthy adults aged 18–42 in included cohorts. The pooled result covered 40 trained cohorts, had substantial heterogeneity, and does not guarantee an individual response.
Source: VO2max Trainability and High Intensity Interval Training in Humans: A Meta-Analysis.
Health-outcome figures in the FRIEND article were summaries of prior epidemiologic evidence, not results from one FRIEND cohort or randomized treatment. In cited adult cohort studies, low cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with 2- to 5-fold higher cardiovascular or all-cause mortality, while a 1-MET improvement was associated with 10% to 25% lower mortality.
The cited mortality estimates generally compared the lowest fitness quartile or quintile with higher fitness groups. They are associations from prior epidemiology, so they should not be read as proof that prescribing a fixed VO2max increase will produce a specific mortality reduction.
Source: Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measured With Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing.